Pumpkin & Pomegranate

I was really hoping to have a fabulous pumpkin cake recipe for you today.  I went to work on it yesterday after work as I have been out of my mid morning snacks for about a week. What I like to do is to bake a loaf of bread or muffins, or something of that nature, and freeze single servings so I can just grab one to take with me to work in the morning. I have a little schedule. I have my coffee, then I usually have 2 eggs scrambled with veggies (sometimes I have time to eat this at home and sometimes I eat it at my desk). Around 9 am I have some fruit, and around 11 I have my little “bread” snack. If I don’t have anything prepared I take some raw nuts and raisins, or an apple and almond butter…or sometimes another piece of fruit if I have run out of the other stuff.

So I wanted to make use of this can of pumpkin Matt bought for me, and i thought PUMPKIN CAKE. I happen to have a gigantic bag of coconut flour, and hey…I can just fart around with a recipe. See what happens. Well let me tell you what doesn’t work. You CANNOT substitute coconut flour for almond meal. It does NOT work. A cup of coconut flour is probably equivalent to 3 cups almond meal.  Let’s just say it was a hot mess in my food processor.

In all honesty it does taste good. But the problem is that I have NO clue what measure of things went into it. I was cracking up as I kept tossing things in the bowl to see if it would work. I knew I was going to eat it whether or not it tasted good, but after a point I just realized this would NOT be a recipe worth sharing. Ultimately it tastes good, my mother even gave it her seal of approval (then again she tends to like everything I make).

It is a little on the dry side, but I am working on the correct balance between spongy and dry when it comes to the coconut flour. It is a very delicate balance, but when it comes down to it I just have to recognize that wile these things will taste good, they will not be exact replicas of grain based recipes. I just have to get used to that. Then again I much prefer how I feel in my body after cutting the grains. That’s sort of the kicker. You have to decide what is important to you. Is it important that your cupcake is exactly the way you like it? Or do you want to feel better? For too many years I picked the cupcake over myself. Now I choose my health, and oddly enough…the food tastes better now. My food is not covered in guilt or shame. It’s smothered in cashew butter and vegan Parmesan.

This isn’t to say that I don’t indulge from time to time. But there is a difference between being an addict, and having an occasional treat. Same thing goes for alcohol really. There is a difference between having a martini once a week, and having 6 a day. The problem is that in our society we don’t see certain foods as being damaging or addictive. I challenge you to give up the grains and the sugars for a month, then tell me that they aren’t addictive. I am not asking you to do anything that I couldn’t do myself. The mental aspect of this is much more difficult than the physical. But I do suggest you try it. If you cannot give up the grains completely, then cut them down to 1 serving of whole grains a day. I didn’t completely cut grains from my daily diet until a year into my weight loss, but once I did it REALLY helped, not just with the fat loss, but the cravings for MORE grains.

I am not telling you to do anything, just suggesting that if you want to feel better, this could be something to try. Do it as an experiment, if you don’t feel better you are always welcome to go back. For me feeling good in my body is so much more satisfying than the momentary pleasure of eating something that isn’t good for me.