The Ultimate Grain-Free Brownies

March 9, 2018

Swap out the flour in these ultimate grain-free brownies! Made with almond flour and ghee, these paleo brownies are a delicious dessert that are both nutritious and good for your soul!

I’m a firm believer in the nourishing power of foods: both for your gut and for your soul. After the last few weeks recovering from shingles I know this statement to be true. The real challenge is knowing which situation calls for what.

After I got diagnosed, I made it my mission to really tune into my body and give it exactly what it was craving. Funny enough, it was craving a ton of bok choy. No but actually, I had insane cravings for bok choy and lots of broth. I was basically guzzling Kettle & Fire Bone Broth and sauteeing multiple heads of bok choy. It didn’t occur to me to reach for a cookie or a brownie or really anything sweet at all. This is strange coming from someone who preaches dessert every.single.day.

But I listened and 3 weeks out I’m feeling much much better. And then suddenly, as I began feeling better I felt myself craving some good soul food. I was desperately craving some sourdough from The Mill, which my bestie graciously hand-delivered to my house (!!!) and had an intense desire to bake brownies.

My body was like, “homegirl, get yourself a brownie ASAP!” Cool, let’s do this.

The main difference between current Davida and Davida 5 years ago is that this brownie or that bread or whatever it may be does not come with a side order of guilt. I don’t “deserve” a brownie, nor do I require punishment for eating it. I’m not a better human because I ate bok choy and bone broth when I was sick and then got bumped down a few notches because I ate a brownie when I was feeling better. What makes me a better human now vs. 5 years ago is that I actually know how to listen to my body.

When I wasn’t feeling well my body was telling me what it wanted to feel better and once I started to feel better it let me know how I could expand that list. Same goes for exercise. When I wasn’t feeling well I did not have the energy or the strength to workout or even move but as soon as I started recovering I felt a deep craving to hit the yoga mat or go on a walk.

…our bodies. They’re way smarter than we give them credit for!

That being said, when my body was like “homegirl, get yourself a brownie ASAP!” I wasn’t exactly prepared for a brownie baking escapade. I simply had to work with what I had, which apparently was a TON of almond flour. I was also out of butter so I used ghee (which was awesome) and while I normally reach for some rich dark chocolate for my brownies, Trader Joe’s chocolate chunks would have to do.

It rarely happens with baking but round one was perfection. C even told me they were his favorite brownies I’ve ever made! So I tested and wham bam here they are on the blog. These grain-free brownies are not only the ultimate, but also a celebration of being in a place where I truly know how to listen to my body, and that my friends is worth celebrating!