How did this happen?

What, you ask? Well, we are already a week into February, which to me makes no sense. I remember New Year’s, I remember Christmas, I remember last summer, and somehow we are already a month into 2018. A lot of nice things have happened so far, and I really get the vibe that this is a good year unfolding, for everyone. A lot of things that have bothered most people have come out into the open, and I almost feel a collective sigh of relief from the world at large… things like the “Me, too” movement, people standing up for one another… their beliefs… it’s been a very nice thing to take notice of.  Here’s my take on February, and what we’ll notice.

This month, as I’ve pointed out, I think is a time to notice and reflect on how we’ve spent 2018 so far. We are well past our New Year’s Intentions, so it’s a likely time where people are asking themselves if they’ve adhered to their beliefs, and if they’ve set out to take the action they planned for. I think it’s also a time where people start to have that “oh, crap!” moment, that it’s already been a month, and how quickly time really goes when you worry about it.

A reminder to everyone reading this is that, whatever your intentions for yourself were, do not compare yourself to anyone else as you think about them. Skip the highlight reels on the internet, forget the nasty comments made in the media, and start remembering why you made your intentions for this year in the first place.

Did anyone take notice of how we started out this month the day after a beautiful full moon? February has a reset button for those who need a do-over, or another chance to set the pace for the rest of the year. Reevaluate what you brought into 2018 with you, and reflect on how you’ve actually improved upon your concerns, or made changes for the better. Is something still not working, no matter how hard you try? Perhaps this is the month where you take advantage of the “reset button”, and you shed what weighs you down to continue improving yourself and sticking to your intentions for the rest of the year.

On a side note… today was bad weather so I worked from home. It was an intention of mine for 2018 to be as productive as possible on these days… which means squeezing in any extras I can without the distraction of my work friends, and to take advantage of my oven being right next to me as I work so that I can find new ways to feed my tribe of fellow foodies 🙂 This took some experimentation, but it came out every bit as good as I hoped on my final try. Who wants Spring time? I do! Have this in your recipe stash for the first day of Spring.

Side note! Follow me on Instagram if you haven’t already, @thedivinekitchen. Lots of pretty recipe pictures… head over that way and follow!

Lemon Lavender Cake (Paleo)

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook time: 30 min

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 5 eggs, whisked
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, liquid (melted but not hot off the stove)
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• zest from 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp coconut flour
• 1 tbsp culinary lavender, finely ground
• 1/4 cup tapioca flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp finely ground Himalayan salt

For the frosting

• 1/3 cup of coconut butter
• 1 tsp agave
• juice from half of lemon

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a loaf pan (mine was about 8in x 4in) with coconut oil or ghee.
2.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with the coconut oil, lemon juice, vanilla, maple syrup, and lemon zest. If you’re melting your coconut oil on the stove top, be sure not to add it as soon as it’s finished melting – you don’t want your eggs to scramble! Give it a few minutes to cool down.
3.  Next, mix in your coconut flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix thoroughly. You’ll notice that the mixture may look a bit fluffy – this is fine… science at work with the baking soda. Allow the mix to sit for about 5 minutes so that the coconut flour can absorb. Gently mix in your lavender.
4.  Add your batter to your greased loaf pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick inserted in center of cake shows no batter on it. Remove from heat and allow to cool once finished.
5.  As your cake is baking, mix together your coconut butter, agave and lemon juice. If it starts to separate, that’s ok! You can melt it so that it melts together, remove from heat and stir, then place in a small bowl in the fridge for 5 minutes. Stir to get the consistency back, and then spread over your cake. Optional – garnish with slices of lemon for a pretty dessert centerpiece.

Enjoy!

-S