Paleo Almond Fudge

So I like how it was 72 and humid on Saturday and I was sweating in the stores while shopping...

tank top time!!

 and yet today its a balmy 29 degrees... brrr. My solution: coffee fake out- aka steaming hot water in a mug.... why had I not thought of this sooner?

Downside is I've already had 3 people reprimand me because they know I'm not supposed to be drinking coffee-- guess they want me to succeed as much as I do :) 

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On Friday I was asked if I would be willing to host our  bi-weekly "wine at 5". Wine at 5 come from the 9 principles of longevity that was mentioned in my Blue Zones Giveaway post. About every other Friday we have a get together at work and do a wine @ 5 (only we do 4) where 2 individuals host it with several bottles of wine and healthy snacks. Considering I still have strict eating limitations I thought it was the perfect opportunity to test different recipes in the kitchen so I can partake in the fun (minus the alcohol)

I teammed up with another co-worker to help co-host and she just happens to be doing paleo for the month of January, thus we decided lets do a paleo theme! 

Currently I'm vegetarian right now, but on Wednesday it switches to being a vegan ( none of my meals have called for eggs for awhile, so not much change) - therefore I thought it might be tricky to think of something everyone can enjoy as well as myself. My co-worker is bringing baked chicken wings and another protein dish, and I decided to test out this raw ranch recipe I've had for a few years, as well as on a mission to find an easy, few ingredient paleo dessert. 

While sifting through recipes on Saturday, I decided to see if I could find a Whole 30 compliant dessert since I was going over to a friends house who him and his gf were doing that for a month .... didn't you get the memo... January is the month of different eating plans, obviously. 

After HOURS on pinterest I finally hit the jackpot--- almond chocolate fudge that I found on Foodbabe's site :sidebar: there are so many paleo sites, I'm confident I could go strictly paleo and never feel deprived!

Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is. Spoiler alert, mine does not look that pretty. Now originally I bought all the ingredients it called for as seen below:

• 4 tbsps of unrefined coconut oil
• 1- 1.5 cup of almond butter
• 1.5 tbsp of 100% maple syrup (grade B if possible)
• pinch of sea salt (I use himalayan salt which is better than sea salt)
• 4oz of dark chocolate

I did make the recipe with above ingredients and maybe 1 oz of chocolate, and then I made another one without the maple syrup and protein powder so I could allow my friends to enjoy. Photos of adding ingredients are from first batch

Combine coconut oil (i did way too much), almond butter, syrup and salt in bowl 

Mix together. Once everything is blended and creamy you can add in any fillers- I bought a plain brown rice protein that I added, in my 3rd batch I added coconut, and in my future batches I'll probably add chocolate or almonds. 

Line your dish (this is great for 8x8) with wax paper- pour in dish, spread evenly and add your chopped up chocolate on top and freeze for at least 2 hours. (i left some untouched by chocolate for friends) 

When you remove cut into small sections and ready to serve. 

Keep in mind that the more coconut oil you add, the more it will 'melt' after its removed from freezer, so best keep it refrigerated till its gone. 

This taste like almond joy crack! I had so much on Saturday night I was worried it was going to throw of my weightloss for the week--- guess what... it didn't! When you're eating it you forget how healthy it is. 

I love how simple this recipe is and how all it requires is a bowl and large spoon to prep. Now you can indulge and not worry about your waist line :)

Do you have any healthy recipes that taste too decadent you to be true?