Delicious tomato basil soup

I have never been a fan of tomato soup. Something about that condensed garbage never appealed to me. My mom made this amazing tomato soup on Christmas this year and I wanted to share the recipe with everyone. Its a great way to warm up on a cold winter day or to just enjoy your veggies in a different form.



Paleo Roma Tomato Basil Soup

6 tbsp olive oil
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 large onion, sliced
1 tbsp dried basil
3 (28-32 oz) cans whole peeled Roma tomatoes
1 quart chicken broth (homemade is best)
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Put olive oil in large sauce pan. Heat over med high heat. Add carrots, onion and basil. Cook 15-20 mins or until veggies are soft. Add tomatoes and broth. Simmer for 20 mins.

Allow to cool slightly, then in small batches, purée soup in food processor or blender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!


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Paleo apple crisp

Now technically no baked good is paleo. However, when we are approaching the holiday season it is hard to deny yourself all treats. I say if you are going to indulge why completely spoil your paleo way of living (also I bet traditionally desserts do not taste all that great any more. Far too sweet). Here is a great apple crisp. Not too sweet but very enjoyable even for non paleo eaters.

Paleo apple crisp



6 apples, peeled and sliced (pick a variety of sweet, tart, mushy and hard)
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp arrowroot powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1-2 tbsp maple syrup

Crumb
1.5 cup almond flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 almond oil (or other nut oil)
2 tbsp agave (or honey)
2 tbsp maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350. Mix apples, lemon, arrowroot, cinnamon, and maple syrup. Pour into 8x8 or 9x9 casserole. Mix crumb ingredients in bowl. If the mixture is sticky and moist, add more almond flour until somewhat crumbly (it will be more sticky than traditional crumb mixtures). Break crumbs apart over the apple mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown and apples are tender. Serve and enjoy!

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Paleo Pumpkin Muffins

Since the kids and I are on our way out of town tomorrow, I wanted to have some take along snacks. I am planning on making some granola, but they aren't that into the granola. So I decided to whip up some delicious pumpkin raisin muffins. Hopefully these will help keep my little men full and happy on the flight. (this recipe was adapted from one on Elana's pantry website)



Paleo Pumpkin Raisin Muffins

3 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
pinch of ground cloves
1/4 cup nut oil (choose your favorite, I like almond and walnut)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
4 eggs
2 cups pumpkin puree (or canned)
1/2-3/4 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350. Line 16 muffin cups with paper liners. Mix almond flour, salt, soda, and spices in large bowl. In blender or food processor put all wet ingredients, oil, agave, maple syrup, eggs and pumpkin. Puree until smooth. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix thoroughly. Gently add raisins. Scoop mixture into muffin liners. Bake for 40 minutes or until tops are browned and tooth pick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool on a rack. Enjoy!

Paleo Porcupine Meatballs

My husband's family has always made porcupine meatballs as a special meal for birthdays or gatherings. These little beauties contain rice, condensed tomato soup and other things that are not paleo approved. I decided to up the paleo-ness of these meatballs and wrap them in cabbage leaves. Feel free to skip the cabbage leaves if you do not like cabbage. Either way this is comfort food at its best!



Paleo Cabbage Wrapped Porcupine Meatballs

1 head of cabbage, remove all of the leaves
1 head of cauliflower, remove florets

Heat a large pot of water to boil. Boil cauliflower for 6 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and grate into rice (use food processor or potato ricer). Boil cabbage leaves for 4 minutes, drain.

Filling
2 lbs ground beef
2 eggs
3/4 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp onion powder
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp tomato paste
Riced cauliflower

Sauce
1 14 oz can tomato sauce
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
remainder of tomato paste
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 cup vegetable stock

Combine all of the above ingredients. Add cauliflower and mix well with your hands. Fill cabbage leaves with meat mixture and fold over ends, place in skillet on low heat. If there is extra meat make some meatballs out of them. Pour sauce ingredients in bowl and mix. Pour over the rolls in the skillet. Cook for 45 minutes to 1 hours. Serve and enjoy!

Beef lo mein stir fry

I know that there is mixed info on soy sauce for paleo. Some people say gluten free tamari is acceptable, some say liquid aminos is a better choice, yet others abstain completely. If you chose to abstain, then this recipe is not for you. However, if you use tamari or liquid aminos, then please enjoy this yummy dinner! My best suggestion is to prep all of the veggies and meat before you heat the skillet. Place them each in separate bowls so they are ready to be added whenever you need them.



Beef Lo Mein Stir Fry

2-3 lbs lean grass fed beef (we used filets), sliced into strips
1 onion, halved and sliced thinly
6-8 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1/2 bag baby carrots, sliced
3-4 stalks celery, sliced
1/4 cup gluten free tamari
2 packages sea kelp noodles
2 tsp arrowroot powder

Heat large skillet to high heat. Swirl with olive oil. Add carrot and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add beef. Saute until partially browned. Add onion. Saute until onion is soft. Add garlic, ginger and celery. Saute for 2-4 minutes. Add tamari. Saute for another 2-4 minutes, you can cover and allow to sit if it looks like it needs more time. Add sea kelp noodles and saute until noodles soften. Add arrowroot powder, to thicken sauce. Stir to combine then turn off the heat. Serve and enjoy!

Paleo turkey chili, a great cold weather meal

After yet another day with temperatures remaining in the 30s, I decided to make a nice warming dinner. I had to cook this chili quickly, but I can imagine that letting it simmer for hours would only make it taste better. I served this over some delicious shredded zucchini and summer squash, that I sauteed in a pan with some olive oil. I also kept our chili somewhat mild, since we are feeding our little men. But feel free to spice it up with a bit more chili powder.



Paleo Turkey Chili

olive oil
3 lbs ground turkey
3 small onions, minced
10-12 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp chili powder
2 1/4 tsp cumin
1 3/4 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
sea salt to taste
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

Heat large skillet or pot over medium heat. Swirl with oil. Add turkey. Saute until partially browned. Add onion and garlic. Saute and crumble the meat until mostly browned. Add seasonings and tomatoes. Stir to combine. Allow to cook for 1-2 hours (at a minimum), keep covered and stir occasionally. Be sure to taste and adjust seasoning to your own preference. Serve and enjoy!

Bacon wrapped stuffed turkey breast

I really am not a big turkey fan. I think its way too lean and therefore dries out way too much. I do love a good Disney World turkey leg, but those things taste like bacon, not turkey. I decided to stuff this turkey breast with fabulous winter veggies (a great way to hide veggies, my two year old ate the filling first tonight). Then I wrapped the turkey in bacon so that it would impart of some its yumminess to this otherwise dull meat. Also, what I love about this recipe...its all mine! :) I am always so proud when I make up a good one!



Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Turkey Breast

1 boneless, skinless, turkey breast (about 2-3 lbs)
1 package bacon, 4 strips, diced, the rest whole
1 onion, minced
1 apple, shredded
1 tsp poultry seasoning
3 cups of shredded kale
3 cups of shredded mustard greens
sea salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the stuffing by cooking the bacon in a large frying pan over medium heat. When partially cooked, add onion and cook until onion is translucent. Add the apple and poultry seasoning. Saute for 1-2 minutes. Add the kale and greens. Saute until wilted. Salt and pepper to taste. Turn off stove and allow to sit while you prepare the turkey.

Pound turkey with a meat mallet until its about 3/4 of an inch thick. Spread the filling out along the turkey and wrap the turkey around the filling. Secure the turkey with butchers twine (toothpicks may work in a pinch). Place turkey in a roasting pan. Take remaining strips of bacon and drape over the turkey so that the top is completely covered. Bake for 1.5 hours or until juices run clear. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve and enjoy!

A yummy and hearty curry soup

I found this recipe on www.everydaypaleo.com. She is such a fantastic chef and everything I have made from her blog has been fabulous! This soup is no exception. I added a little more seasoning than she called for and I used chicken instead of beef because its what I had on-hand. Even my kids ate some soup (they are both self professed soup haters). Just be forewarned that the red cabbage in the soup turns the chicken a lovely shade of lilac. :)



Chicken Curry Coconut Soup

3 cans coconut milk
1.5 cups stock (veggie or chicken)
3 lbs chicken breast, cubed
4 small sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/2 bag of baby carrots
1 head purple cabbage, shredded
1.5 tbsp red curry paste
3/4 tsp curry powder
1.5 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ginger powder

Take all of the ingredients and place in a slow cooker or large soup pot. Cook on low for 5-8 hours. Serve and enjoy!!

Paleo Apple Oven Pancake

When I was growing up my Mom always made this delicious apple puff pancake. It was soooooo yummy and one of my absolute favorite dishes. I, too used to make this dish all of the time. Now I have developed a much healthier version of this protein rich dish.



Paleo Apple Oven Pancake

6 eggs
1.5 cups almond milk (can also use coconut)
1/2 cup coconut flour (scant, do not pack the coconut flour in)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp maple sugar (can sub maple syrup in a pinch)
2 apples, cored, peeled and sliced
4 tbsp oil of choice (I used 2 tbsp almond, 2 tbsp walnut)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In blender mix eggs, milk, flour, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and maple sugar. Blend until smooth. Pour oil into 9x13 in baking dish. Place oiled dish into preheated oven for 3 minutes. Remove and add apple slices. Bake for 3-4 minutes, remove before the apples brown. Remix batter (as it tends to separate when it sits). Pour over apples. Place pan back in oven (middle to low rack), bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven, and serve with a drizzle of maple syrup. Enjoy!

Slow cooker beef brisket

Ages ago I found an amazing recipe for a slow roasted bbq beef brisket. It was delicious! The big problem, it includes tons of salt, bottle BBQ sauce and other no-no seasonings. My Mom decided over thanksgiving to make a delicious BBQ brisket that was paleo. I am so proud of her because this brisket was fantastic and it was her first attempt at making something Paleo. She is a fantastic cook, so that helps. :)

Slow-cooker Paleo Beef Brisket

Beef brisket, about 2-3 lbs

1 medium onion, diced

3/4 cup tomato sauce

6 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbsp olive oil works

2 tbsp chili powder (less if you don't want it too spicy)

2 tbsp dijon mustard (look for a good paleo one)

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 cup crushed pineapple (with its juice)

1 tsp sea salt

Mix all ingredients together in large bowl (except for brisket and onion). Score the flat side of the brisket with a sharp knife. Place brisket in slow cooker, cover with half of the sauce. Turn the brisket over and cover with the remaining sauce. Place onions over the top. Cover and cook on low 8 hours or until it falls apart. Enjoy!

You'll want to eat your brussel sprouts

My mom made these delicious sprouts for dinner tonight. They were from a Disney recipe and they are amazing.

Brussel sprouts roasted with bacon and apple



1 lbs brussel sprouts, quartered
3 slices bacon, cut into 1 in pieces
1 onion, diced
2 firm apples, cored and chopped
2 tbsp grass fed butter, melted
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place brussel sprouts in roasting pan or casserole. Add bacon, onion and apples. Pour on butter, syrup, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Place in oven and cook for 40-50 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sprouts are caramelized and apples are tender. Serve and enjoy!


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Great (and easy) German Brats!

My hubby loves German food. He is a good part German, so he naturally loves the food. I was always scared of it as a child, I too now love it. I am just learning how to cook it though. I know there are a lot of wurst and cabbage, but I really have very little clue how to cook it. While I was at Whole Foods I found some great chicken brats. They are not preserved, and are just chicken and seasoning. I used these in this dish.


Brats and Cabbage

12 brats, sliced on an angle
olive oil
1 head cabbage, shredded
1 onion, shredded or minced
1/4 cup cider vinegar
sea salt
pepper

Saute brats in olive oil over medium heat. Once brats begin to brown, add cabbage and onion. Saute until softened. Add vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. If you like vinegar, feel free to add some more. Cook until well combined. Enjoy!

Mushroom cream sauce

I miss steak sauce. A-1 was my steak sauce of choice. It is also loaded with corn syrup and sugar, so I have had to give it up. Paleo ketchup has been filling the void, but tonight I decided to make a mushroom sauce to go over our roast. I am pretty proud of this considering I am not much of a mushroom eater.



Paleo Mushroom Cream Sauce

olive oil
1/2 onion (or 1 small onion), diced fine
sea salt
4 portobello mushroom caps, diced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 pinches oregano
1/2 can coconut milk

Saute onion in olive oil over medium heat until onion turns soft and translucent. Add salt to taste. Add mushroom, balsamic and oregano. Cook until mushroom softens. Add coconut milk and cook until warm throughout. Serve over your favorite steak or chicken. Enjoy!

Mmm granola

I found a recipe for a raw granola, and the first time I made it, it did not turn out all that well. I have since decided to fashion my own granola recipe. It is yummy! You can really change it to suit your tastes. Use the dried fruit you like best, or add some extra honey if you want it sweet. Season with cinnamon or other spices to your hearts content. Have this in a bowl with some almond or coconut milk, or crumble it over some fresh fruit. Its so good and you won't miss the grains or sugar.

Paleo Granola

1 cup raisins
1/2-3/4 cup water
4 cups of nuts (mix it up, pecans, almonds, walnuts, cashews, macadamias and pistachios all work well)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flake (if you don't like coconut, then feel free to skip this)
drizzle of honey
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla

Put raisins in bowl, add water. Allow to soak overnight or for at least 4-5 hours. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Put raisins and water in food processor and puree. Add nuts and coconut, pulse until reaches a course granola texture. Add honey, cinnamon, and vanilla. Pulse to combine. Spread thinly onto two parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake for 45-55 minutes. Turn off oven and allow granola to sit in warm oven until granola is just about crisp. It will continue to crisp as it cools. Remove from oven, cool and enjoy!

Paleo Greek hash

I decided to try and incorporate some new veggies into our repertoire. Today's choice was Kale. With this hash, I made the veggies really small, the reason for this is so my 3 year old and 2 year old will eat them without complaints. If they see vegetables in their original state then they will not eat them. I used my food processor quite a bit with this. If you aren't afraid of veggies (like my kids) then you can leave the veggies closer to bite size. This came out quite delicious and I will definitely be making it again.



Paleo Greek Hash

Olive oil
2 lbs ground beef (preferably grass fed)
1 onion, minced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup olives, minced (kalamatas work great, but use what you like)
1 1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
3/4 dried mint
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper (to taste)
3/4 lbs kale (shredded, or cut to desired size)
1 head cauliflower (boiled for 10 minutes, drained then riced)
1 cup olives (Kalamatas work great, but check out your local olive bar), sliced

In large skillet drizzle some olive oil over medium to medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook until almost brown. Add onions and garlic. Saute until brown. Add olives and seasoning. Stir to combine. Add kale, and cook until kale is wilted. Add the riced cauliflower and olives and stir to combine. Enjoy!

I am entering this recipe into a contest, to find out more, click on the link... http://stuffimakemyhusband.blogspot.com/2010/11/announcing-primal-food-blogging-event.html

Blueberry Almond Bread

Every week we have a play date. A bunch of Moms and preschools (about 95% boys) get together to let our little ones play and to let us relax and chat. This week, I was scrounging around trying to find something to make. I decided to make a fruit bread so that my friends could be further introduced to the paleo lifestyle. I like making things like this because it really starts the questions about why paleo. The ladies of the play group loved the bread and helped themselves to seconds (and some had thirds).

Blueberry Almond Bread

1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
5 eggs
1/4 cup almond oil
1/4 cup macadamia oil
2 tbsp agave
3 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp almond extract
1 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a loaf pan using coconut oil (or other fat of choice). Combine dry ingredients in small bowl. Blend together the wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Gently fold in blueberries and almonds. Pour into loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry. If the bread begins to over brown, then cover with foil. Cool for 10 minutes in pan, then cool on rack. Slice, serve and enjoy!

Pretty much paleo biscuits

Elana (from www.elanaspantry.com) posted a recipe recently for gluten free biscuits. I took her recipe and tweaked it a bit to make it more paleo friendly. I think may make these for Thanksgiving so that my boys can feel like they are enjoying bread just like their cousins. There is some baking soda in these, I am sure if you wanted you could sub a couple of beaten egg whites and get the same results, I just have not tried it that way.

Biscuits

2.5 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 eggs
1 tbsp honey

Preheat oven to 350. Combine dry ingredients in small bowl. Beat wet ingredients in big bowl until well combined. Add dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment until about 1.5 inches thick. Use a cookie cutter, biscuit cutter or glass to cut biscuits. Place on parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake for 15 minutes. Enjoy!

A Mediterranean feast

Tonight we made one of my hubby's favorite types of foods, Mediterranean! We always used to do grilled chicken lettuce wraps filled with homemade hummus and tabbouleh. Now we tried a different take on it. We used some recipes from www.health-bent.com, and modified them a little to our tastes and to what we had on hand. My kids loved it because they got to have meat on a stick, hubby loved it because he got to eat his favorite flavors and I loved it because it was veggie loaded and delicious! Something I didn't think of, but feel free to take the meat off of the stick and enjoy in a tasty lettuce wrap with the dipping sauce and salad. I am sure it would be amazing!

Meat on a stick (aka. meat kabobs)

2 lbs ground beef (grass fed preferable)
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp dry parsley
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1.5 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
pepper to taste

Soak bamboo skewers for 30 minutes or more. Heat grill to Medium-High. Mix beef and seasoning in large bowl. Form meat into large hot dog or sausage like shapes around skewers. Grill until brown throughout. Enjoy!

Veggie Baba Ganoush

5-6 summer squash
7-10 cloves garlic, with skin on still
olive oil
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
2 tbsp tahini (sesame paste, can also use sesame seeds or sesame oil)
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Remove steams and halve summer squash. Place on sheet to roast, drizzle with olive oil. Place garlic on sheet of foil, drizzle with olive oil and wrap up in foil. Place the squash and garlic in the oven for 45-50 minutes. Remove and allow to cool until garlic can be touched with bare hands. Place the squash, garlic, olive oil, juice, tahini, salt and pepper in food processor. Blend until pretty smooth. Serve along side the beef kabobs for a delicious dipping sauce.

Tafooleh salad

1 english cucumber, diced
1 pint grape/cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 sweet onion (vidalia), minced
4 lemons, zested and juiced
handful of fresh mint leaves, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and allow to sit in the fridge for about an hour or two before serving.

One of the best meatloaves ever!!

Most meatloaf recipes are ok, many are dry and bleh. There were a few back when I ate dairy and other fattening horrible for me items that I made that were beyond decadent. However, not in the least bit nutritious. I stumbled upon a fantastic recipe at www.everydaypaleo.com This women (and Mom) posts some awesome recipes. I wanted to share this one with everyone as it is truly delicious!

Paleo Meatloaf (everydaypaleo.com)

1 onion, minced
1 cup almond flour
2 eggs
1 small can tomato paste
1/2 tbsp sea salt
2 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp marjoram
2 lbs ground beef (preferably grass fed)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together onion, eggs, tomato paste, almond flour, and seasoning. Add ground beef and mix by hand. Form into loaf (can use loaf pan, or just a regular pan. Make sure its deep enough to catch the grease and drippings). Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until completely cooked and no longer pink.

Paleo pirate pork

So the name of the dish was the first thing that intrigued me. My boys love pirates. I decided to make it for them because the flavors also sounded like something my goobers would eat. Its a mildly sweet slightly sour dish. (adapted this from a recipe on Allrecipes.com)

Paleo Pirate Pork Chops

4 pork chops (thick cut)
Coconut oil
15 oz can pineapple chunks (be sure its just pineapple and its juice)
1.5 tbsp honey
1.5 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup paleo ketchup (see recipe below a few)
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp raisins

Heat large skillet over medium high heat. Add enough coconut oil to lightly grease the pan. Place pork chops in pan, cook on each side for 3 minutes. Add the juice from the pineapple (save pineapple for later), honey, maple syrup, ketchup, and seasonings. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes. Add raisins and pineapple, stir to combine. Continue to cook until pineapple is warmed. Serve and enjoy!

Mashed Faux-tatoes

Making this mashed cauliflower dish can trick most people into thinking they are eating a delicious plate of seasoned mashed potatoes. Throw some crumbled bacon and some scallions on the top and they would never know the difference. Skip the cheese though, or it won't be Paleo.



Mashed Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
olive oil
sea salt

Cook the cauliflower in a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes, or until just barely fork tender. Remove and drain completely. Place cauliflower into food processor. Add seasoning, drizzle of oil and salt to taste. Puree until reaches your desired smoothness. Enjoy!

Paleo pecan pie

So I searched around for a bit on the internet and could not find a paleo interpretation for this very Southern treat. In its traditional form the Pecan Pie can be almost sickeningly sweet, especially to those accustomed to a Paleolithic lifestyle. However, with the holidays approaching it will become more and more difficult to stick to a healthy diet. Make a pie like this and bring it to your next holiday shin dig. You will have a healthier option when dessert time rolls around and your friends will likely enjoy it too.

Paleo Pecan Pie

Filling
6 dates
3 eggs
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tbsp coconut flour
2 tbsp coconut oil
1.25 cups pecans

Pie Crust
1.5 cups almond flour
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together crust ingredients in small bowl. Press into pie dish to form crust. Bake for 5 minutes.
Prepare filling by putting dates into a food processor. Run until dates have formed a paste (make sure to remove the pits first). Add egg, syrup, vanilla, flour, and oil. Blend in food processor into smooth and well mixed. Gently fold in pecans to the mixture. Pour filling into the pie crust. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the pie is set. Allow to cool and enjoy!!

Cranberry salad dressing

I miss salad dressing. I am tired of just vinegar or lemon juice. Tonight I decided to modify a recipe I found for a cranberry salad dressing. I drew my inspiration from one created by www.elanaspantry.com Enjoy this on your spinach salad, try it mixed into a chicken salad, or just pour it on a head of lettuce. Feel free to sub the oils for whatever other oil you prefer.

Cranberry Salad Dressing

1 cup fresh cranberries
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1-2 tbsp honey (or agave)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 cup almond oil
1/4 cup macadamia oil

In food processor or blender, puree cranberries, juices, honey, thyme, salt and mustard until smooth. With the processor on slowly drizzle in the oil. Store in the fridge. Enjoy!

Cuban stuffed pork tenderloin

I have pretty much given up on finding a paleo-approved stuffed meat. Most are loaded with cheese or other forbidden items, until I stumbled across an idea for a Cuban stuffed pork tenderloin, using plenty of meat and veggies! And the mango sauce that goes with this is a perfect compliment! Make sure when choosing your chorizo or pepperoni, that you find one that is paleo approved. Whole foods is your best bet for this! Also the filling on this dish is a little spicy for little ones, but they still enjoyed the exterior pork.

Cuban Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

1.5 lbs pork tenderloin
1 cup salsa (make your own, or find a good one, Green Mountain Gringo is one of my favs)
7.5 oz chorizo (or pepperoni, we did a mix of both since I only had two links of chorizo left)
1/4 almond flour
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp sea salt

Put the pork between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Working from the center, pound the pork flat into a 14x6-inch rectangle. Remove the plastic wrap. Stir together the salsa, chorizo, flour, and seasoning. Spread 1/2 on each tenderloin (or all onto one depending on what kind you got). Fold the sides over the filling to form a 14-inch long roll. Tie up the pork with kitchen twine to ensure the filling does not come out. Lightly oil the grill rack and heat the grill to medium. Grill the pork for 20 to 30 minutes or until cooked through, turning the pork over halfway through cooking. Remove the pork from the grill and let stand 10 minutes. While pork is cooking make mango sauce. See directions below. Thinly slice the pork and serve with the mango sauce.

Mango Sauce

1 mango, seeded and cut into chunks
1 cup orange juice (it takes about two oranges to get this much juice)
1 tsp dried parsley (can also do cilantro, if doing fresh triple the amount)
1.5 tbsp honey (or agave)

Puree all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Heat over medium heat in sauce pan until sauce thickens (approximately 20 minutes).

Creamy paleo scrambled eggs!

Who knew anything Paleo could taste so creamy that you would swear there was fresh dairy cream in it? I love scrambled eggs...even more I love good scrambled eggs. Years upon years of egg making, these are some of the best I have ever made!

Creamy Scrambled Eggs

Coconut oil (enough to grease the skillet)
Eggs (however many you want)
Sea Salt, to taste

Heat a skillet over low to medium low heat. Add coconut oil and melt. Crack eggs directly into pan and begin scrambling. Continue stirring until the eggs are firm, just before they are done turn off the heat. They will continue to cook after the heat is off. Make sure you keep that stove temperature low, it will take a while for the eggs to cook, but the pay off at the end is so worth it! Enjoy!

Paleo Mexican Chop Chop

My husband loves Mexican food. Give him tacos or burritos and he is a happy guy. Since going Paleo, I have had to find Mexican substitutes for him. I developed a Mexican Chop Chop (I call it a chop chop because it requires plenty of chopping). So break out your cutting boards and a nice large skillet. Its fiesta time!!

Paleo Mexican Chop Chop

2 lbs ground beef (extra lean, and grass fed preferred)
olive oil
1 onion, diced or minced
2 chorizo sausages, chopped into small cubes (look for a healthier one, I found awesome ones at Whole Foods)
5 cloves of garlic, minced
4 medium zucchinis, shredded
1 14.5 oz can diced (or petite diced) tomatoes, juice drained
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
pinch of chili powder (more to taste)
sea salt, to taste

Heat large skillet over medium heat. Swirl in olive oil. Saute ground beef until nearly browned. Add onion, sausage and garlic. Saute until onion is translucent. Add zucchini, tomatoes, seasoning, and salt. Cook until zucchini softens. Serve and enjoy!

Oven roasted broccoli and garlic green beans

So tonight for dinner we had a fabulous mixture of protein and greens. The meat was all grass-fed and delicious! We just sprinkled it with sea salt and grilled. It came out wonderfully. Then there were the veggies. I could have eaten those all night. I was sick to death of steamed broccoli so I decided to try oven roasted broccoli. For the green beans I made my Mom's famous recipe. :)

Oven Roasted Broccoli (recipe from www.elanaspantry.com)

Broccoli (I did the bag of broccoli, but feel free to cut your own)
olive oil
sea salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the broccoli in olive oil and sea salt. Spread on baking pan (I used a jelly roll pan). Bake for 12 minutes. Enjoy!

Garlic Green Beans

1 bag of green beans (once again, do your own if you are motivated. I prefer haricots vert)
2 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
Sea salt

Place green beans in microwave safe dish. Toss with garlic, olive oil, and sea salt. Microwave until done (about 4 minutes, depending on microwave strength). Enjoy!

Saturday Morning Cinnamon Muffins

Since this morning is my son's actual second birthday, I decided to make a special breakfast treat. We had a nice serving of scrambled eggs and some of these delicious cinnamon muffins. Good luck not eating the entire batch.

Paleo Cinnamon Muffins

2 cups almond flour (I used Honeyville)
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 almond oil
1/4 walnut oil
1/4 cup agave nectar (or honey)
6 eggs
2 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks

Topping
2 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 cup agave (or honey)
2 tbsp walnut (or almond) oil

Mix together topping ingredients in small bowl and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tins with paper liners. Mix together almond and coconut flours and salt. In separate bowl mix oils, agave and eggs. Combine wet and dry ingredients until well blended. Fold in beaten egg whites. Fill muffin cups until about 3/4 full. Top with a heaping teaspoonful of the topping mixture. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!

(this recipe was adapted from www.elanaspantry.com, she has a great website, not quite Paleo, but easy to adapt to Paleo)

All hail Caesar! A paleo Caesar!

So my dear friend Kelly asked me to create a Paleo Caesar dressing for her. She adores Caesar salads and was having a very difficult time giving them up in the name of health. So this recipe was made for her, with her help taste testing. Just be sure that if you like a spicy caesar that you add extra garlic and black pepper.

Paleo Caesar Dressing

6 cloves of garlic
3-5 anchovy filets
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 egg yolks
2 cups olive oil
2 tbsp almond meal (make sure its a little grittier...like Bobs Red Mill, or make your own)
Sea salt
Black pepper

Blend garlic and anchovies in blender or food processor until finely minced. Add seasonings, vinegar, lemon juice and egg yolks. Blend until well combined. Slowly drizzle olive oil while blender/processor is running. Add almond meal and blend lightly. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Put on a nice mix of lettuce and salad greens. Enjoy!! :)

Yummy Thai Noodle dish!! Totally Paleo!

I ordered Sea Kelp noodles a while ago after reading Robb Wolf's book. Boy, did they look weird. They came in these packages and they were soft, with some liquid in with them. Ok, to say I was hesitant to eat these things would be an understatement. Tonight I decided to bite the bullet and make a dish with them. So here is the outcome. It was quite delicious, yet felt like it was missing something. (Since we did not use any soy sauce, that could very well be it). I may try adding some vinegar next time to get some zip to it. It was a hit with the boys, since they finally got to eat some noodles. And my hubby enjoyed it too. :)

Thai curry noodles

Mixture of olive oil, almond oil and coconut oil
2.5 lbs chicken, cubed
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
5 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tablespoons curry powder
sea salt
pinch of chinese five spice (not sure this provides much)
pinch of chili powder
1/2 can of coconut milk
1/2-3/4 cup almond butter (nice and smooth stuff)
2 packages sea kelp noodles

Put oil in large skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken until nearly fully cooked. Add ginger, garlic, curry, salt, spice and chili. Saute until chicken is full cooked. Add almond butter and coconut milk. Cook over low until well blended. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. Add kelp noodles and cook until softened. Stir to combine, serve and enjoy!

Pierson's Paleo Vanilla Cupcakes!

Since my younger son turns two this week, I decided that I needed to develop a Paleo cupcake recipe so that we could celebrate his birthday like the average family. These cupcakes came out so delicious. Light, airy, lightly sweet, nice and vanilla. I sweetened mine with agave nectar, since my allergies do not appreciate honey. But feel free to sub the honey for the agave. I am sure it will make a tasty treat. You could make these then top them with a berry compote (berries blended together) or you can make the chocolate ganache that I am making.




Pierson's Paleo Vanilla Cupcakes

1/2 cup coconut flour
pinch of sea salt
6 eggs
1/2 cup agave
1/2 cup almond oil (or other mild flavored nut oil)
1 whole vanilla bean (scrape the seeds out of the pod), or tablespoon vanilla extract
4 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease (or use cupcake papers) muffin tin using coconut oil. Mix together salt and flour in large bowl. In small bowl, mix eggs, agave, oil and vanilla seeds. Pour wet mixture, into dry. Stir until fully combined. Fold in beaten egg whites. Fill each muffin cup until 3/4 full. Bake in oven 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and tooth pick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from tin and cool on rack.


Chocolate ganache

1 can coconut milk (not lite)
16 oz 85% dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

Put chocolate in large bowl. Heat coconut milk over medium heat in sauce pan. When milk starts to bubble, pour over chocolate. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. Stir to combine. Taste, if too bitter you can add agave or honey to sweeten. Cool to desired consistency, or for a nice smooth top, pour over the top of the cupcakes before mixture thickens.

how to do a paleo burger

So we may all miss some of our past-life foods...such as the fabulous cheeseburger. No bun, no cheese...just a slab of meat? How boring. I decided to jazz up the Paleo burger a bit so it would not just be a slab of meat on a plate. First, I made the paleo ketchup (see below a few entries). Then I decided to make some additions.

Paleo Burgers (done yummy)

2-4 hamburger patties (depending on your appetite or your guests. Try to keep them lean and when possible grass fed beef)

Grill patties however you see fit.

1 package of bacon (search for a kind without sugar...probably going to have to go to whole foods for this one)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place bacon on broiler pan. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until white foamy bubbles appear (that means its yummy and crispy).

4-8 portabella mushroom caps (2 for each burger patty)
olive oil

Prepare the mushrooms by removing the stem and cleaning out the inside. Then lightly clean the tops with a damp paper towel. Heat skillet with some olive oil over medium high heat. Add mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms shrink a bit and are done cooking.

Begin layering! Mushroom on the bottom, burger patty, plenty of bacon, any veggies you see fit (tomato, lettuce, ect), and paleo ketcup! Yum!!!

(The idea for the mushroom cap bun came from http://everydaypaleo.com, a fantastic little site)

Herb roasted chicken

You will notice that I do a lot of roaster chickens. You could easily buy an already cooked rotisserie chicken at the store, but then do you really know what has been put on that chicken? I prefer to just buy a big ol' raw chicken and start from scratch. I like to always have a bag of chicken in my fridge. That is one of my biggest recommendations for anyone trying to go Paleo. Have healthy protein on hand and ready to eat. My usual go to recipe just involves sea salt, but tonight I decided to herb-ify my chicken. The results were yummy! And very kid-approved! Once again, I did two chickens, feel free to cut the recipe in half if you aren't cooking for a bunch of men like I am. :)

Herb Roasted Chicken

2 Roaster chickens
6 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 shallots, sliced
1 onion, quartered
1 bag of carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
2-4 tbsp herbs de provence (you can buy this in the spice section or make your own http://homecooking.about.com/od/allherbrecipes/r/blherb9.htm)
Sea salt
1.5-2 cups water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare the chicken buy sprinkling with sea salt, be sure to put salt in the interior too. Take some of the garlic cloves, place in the cavity and place the rest in the area between the skin and the breast meat. You can form a little pocket to put seasoning into. Put some shallot into the cavity and the pocket. Put 1/4 onion in the cavity. Sprinkle the herbs into and around the chicken. Place chicken in roasting pan, surround with remaining onion, carrots and water. Put in oven and cook for 15 minutes. Decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees, and continue to cook until the chicken's internal temperature is 165 degrees. (this is where an oven probe comes in real handy, if not use a good ol' fashioned meat thermometer). Remove pan from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice and enjoy! Store any extra chicken in a plastic bag in your fridge...so good for lazy lunches or even breakfasts!

My mojito water

Well when I decided to go Paleo, I needed to find alternative to sweetened beverages. I could always do tea, but who needs all of that caffeine. So I decided to start experimenting with homemade flavored waters. My favorite one reminds me of one of the best alcoholic beverages. :) However, with this concoction I can drink a whole pitcher and not get hung over. The other favorite water I developed was strawberry water. I have some extra strawberries on the verge of going bad so I used those. You can use any fruit here. So pick your favorite, let it soak and enjoy a cold glass.

Mojito water

1 pitcher of fresh water
1 lime, sliced
10-20 fresh mint leaves

Put the lime and mint into the water. Place pitcher in the fridge and leave for 8-12 hours. Remove lime and mint after 12-24 hours or the lime will make the water bitter.

Strawberry water

1 pitcher of fresh water
4-5 strawberries

Put strawberries in the water, place in the fridge. Leave for 8-12 hours. Remove strawberries after 12-24 hours.

paleo ketchup

Mmm. Ketchup is one of those non-paleo foods that I miss. I used to put ketchup on everything. Eggs, fries, burgers, you name it! I love ketchup. So I decided to find a paleo version that I could live with. This one seems like a pretty good option. I used agave to sweeten mine, but you could always use honey.

Paleo Ketchup

1 12oz can of tomato sauce
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
3 tsp cider vinegar
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
pinch of cloves
1/4 tsp all spice
2-3 tsp agave
1-2 tsp sea salt

Combine all ingredients in sauce pan. Simmer over medium heat for 20-30 minutes. Cool in airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy!
(This recipe has been adapted from http://www.crossfitxlr8.com/watercooler/?p=1059)

Fish Scampi...no butter here!

For dinner tonight we had a delicious scampi. We had ours as a wild caught Alaskan cod. You can however use the same sauce for shrimp, scallops or any fish that you desire. For the shellfish you would likely want to keep the dish cooked on the stove top. Fish can be baked in the oven.

Paleo Fish Scampi

2-3 lbs of fish (we use cod, haddock or grouper)
2 shallots, minced
7 cloves of garlic, 3 sliced, 4 minced
1/4-1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp dried parsley
Sea salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the shallot, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Saute until shallot is translucent. Grease a baking dish with olive oil. Put fish in baking dish, and cover with scampi mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until fish flakes. Enjoy!

Paleo Ice cream!

You heard that right. Its Paleo Ice cream. As a former ice cream aficionado, it was difficult to kiss the cold stuff goodbye (well except for cheat meals). This allows me to get the feeling of ice cream, without deviating from my preferred Paleo way of eating. I decided in honor of Halloween that I would make pumpkin ice cream. I want to try a chocolate version next time.

Paleo Pumpkin Ice Cream

2 cups coconut milk (Thai kitchen works great)
1/2 can of pumpkin
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
8 egg yolks

Mix together the milk, pumpkin, syrup, vanilla and spice in sauce pan. Cook over medium heat. In bowl, mix together the egg yolks. When the milk mixture starts to simmer. Use the milk to temper the eggs (pour spoonfuls of the hot mixture into the eggs, while whisking the eggs). Pour the egg mixture back into the sauce pan. Continue cooking over medium low heat until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Strain mixture and put into the refrigerator until cool. Freeze using an ice cream maker (according to manufacturers directions). Enjoy!

yet another recipe for Paleo Pancakes

I know there are tons of recipes out there for Paleo pancakes. I really wanted just a basic pancake recipe so that I could modify it to seasonal flavors (ie blueberry for summer, pumpkin for fall). Well, after searching and coming up somewhat empty handed, I decided to develop my own. This is an almond flour based recipe. There is a strong almond flavor to get used to, but I guess that is just the way it is with Paleo. Serve these up with sausage on a Sunday morning and you have a very nice weekend breakfast. (make extras and you can have a quick weekday breakfast) Just remember this is a very plain pancake recipe. Be sure to dress it up as you see fit.

My plain Paleo Pancakes

3 cups almond flour
3 eggs
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce (make sure its just apples on the ingredient list, or better yet, make your own)
2 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks

Mix together almond flour, 3 eggs, almond milk and apple sauce, until fully combined. Gently fold egg whites into mixture. Cook on hot griddle (be sure to grease griddle, coconut oil is my preferred grease), like you would traditional pancakes. Just know that they will not look cooked when they need to be flipped, so be sure to check for browning. Enjoy with a drizzle of maple syrup!

Chicken nuggets and fries...oh yes they are Paleo!

So my boys love chicken nuggets. They are kids after all. They miss their Chick-Fil-A nuggets, since they are now forced to eat grilled chicken. These are fantastic! Seriously, we devoured them. Once again, I made a lot so that I can have leftovers. I seasoned them as I thought would work, but feel free to season anyway you see fit. You could turn them italian with some italian herbs, you could make them thai with some curry and coconut. Let your creativity inspire you to make some fantastic nuggets.

Paleo Chicken Nuggets

2 lbs chicken breast or tenderloins, cut into large bite sized chunks
1.5 cups almond flour (I get mine from Trader joes)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp dry mustard
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheets with olive oil. Mix almond flour with seasoning. Dip chicken in egg, shake off excess, dip in almond flour and place on cookie sheet. Repeat with all remaining chicken pieces. Be sure to give them a little space so that they can let off their moisture. Put chicken in oven and cook for about 40 minutes. Be sure to check that the chicken is fully cooked. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Fries

2-3 sweet potatoes (or if you are lazy, Trader Joes sells precut fries)
Olive oil
Sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut potatoes into fry shape. Place fries in bowl or ziploc bag. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Stir/shake to coat. Spread fries onto non-stick cookie sheet. Give them some space. Bake for 20 minutes and enjoy!

Delicious paleo frittata, for a great start to your day

So remember that roasted chicken? Well here is a great recipe to use up some of the extra meat. This is a great way to start your day. Tons of vitamins and protein! I only used sea salt and pepper to season mine, but feel free to spice yours up. Just make sure your spice mix does not have sugar in it!



Paleo Frittata

olive oil
1/2 of large onion (diced)
10 oz frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup cooked chopped chicken meat
1/2 cup water (can also use coconut milk)
sea salt
pepper

Saute onion in skillet in oil over medium heat until caramelized (yum). Mix eggs, spinach, water, and seasoning in small bowl. Pour the egg mixture over the onions. Quickly stir to combine. Cover and cook over medium heat for 7-8 minutes, until firm. Enjoy!

Tropical Caramelized Banana Cookies

So I frequently watch our bananas turn from yellow to brown. As they age, I reminisce about how I used to make banana bread or muffins with these sugary sweet fruits. Now, I started brainstorming. Wouldn't it be fantastic to utilize that sweetness to make some type of dessert? How about a cookie? And so my Paleo Tropical Caramelized Banana Cookies were born. The trick is to cook the banana first to release all of its fantastic sugars and flavor.



Tropical Caramelized Banana Cookies

2 Ripe bananas, sliced in half lengthwise
Coconut oil
4 eggs
1/4 tsp almond extract (may not be necessary, but figured better safe than sorry)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp coconut flour
1/2 cup chopped roasted macadamia nuts
1/2 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)

In a skillet over medium high heat, melt enough coconut oil to cover the bottom. Add the bananas. Cook until they just start to caramelize (turn brown). Allow to cool.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. In mixer, add bananas, eggs, extract, coconut oil, and honey. Blend until smooth. Add coconut flour, mix thoroughly. Wait about 2-3 minutes for the batter to thicken. Add macadamia and shredded coconut, allow to sit for 2-3 minutes.
Drop 1-2 tbsp a time on a greased cookie sheet (grease with coconut oil). Cook in oven for 15 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and cool on cooling rack. Enjoy!!!

Cowboy spaghetti goes caveman!

Back before I started Zoning and especially before I started doing Paleo, we had a family favorite recipe. Rachael Ray's Cowboy spaghetti. Bacon, beer, fire roasted tomatoes all on top of spaghetti with melted cheddar cheese. As you can see, not really figure or paleo friendly. Tonight I re-did this recipe so that it now fits into my family's current lifestyle. Also remember, I cook in bulk so I have plenty of leftovers to freeze or eat the rest of the week. If you want less, you may want to only do half a recipe. :) I have included some vinegar based ingredients here. So if you are strict paleo and do not eat vinegar, then you may have to modify or skip this. If you modify, please let me know what you come up with!

Caveman Spaghetti Hash

6 slices of bacon
2 lbs ground beef (extra lean)
2 onions, diced
10 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tsp hot sauce (feel free to add more if you like spice)
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp cumin
pinch of chili powder
sea salt
black pepper
1/4 cup tequila
2 14-oz cans of diced fire roasted tomatoes (get organic if you can, they have less crap in them)
3 Zucchini, shredded
3 Summer squash, shredded


Cook the bacon in a large skillet. Once crispy, remove, cool and crumble. Set to the side. Add ground beef to the skillet (with the delicious bacon grease in it). Crumble and cook until almost brown. Add onion, garlic. Saute for a few minutes. Add all seasonings. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Add tequila. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and shredded veggies. Cook until veggies are soft. Serve with crumbled bacon on top.

Crockpot harvest pork...simple and nearly complete meal

So I originally found this recipe in a Fix it and Forget it cookbook. After examining I realized how easily I could make it deliciously Paleo. Plus, I love when everything just gets tossed into a pot and then you come home 6-8 hours later to an amazing meal. The apples and squash make a fabulous topping for the pork. Its so flavorful. The pork just falls apart, be cautious when taking it out of the slow cooker.

Harvest Pork

1 cup apple cider (apple juice works in a pinch)
1.5-2 lbs pork loin
sea salt
pepper
2 large granny smith apples, peeled and sliced
1.5 whole butternut squashes, peeled and cubed
2 tbsp maple syrup (also works with maple flavored agave)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried sage

Heat the cider in a skillet. Sear the pork on all sides in the cider. Salt and pepper the pork to taste. Place in slow cooker, cover with juice. Mix apples, squash, maple and seasoning in a bowl (or a ziploc bag if you want to save on dishes). Place squash and apple mixture around the pork. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. Once cooked remove pork from cooker and let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Serve topped with the apple and squash mush.

paleo meat sauce...so good you won't miss the pasta

My mom started making this amazing meat sauce for our family a few years ago. It quickly became a favorite for anyone that tried it. Its so good and the best part is that it cooks up in about half an hour. Its perfect for those "I don't want to cook" nights. I serve this over zucchini or spaghetti squash. Recently I tried it over steamed broccoli and I can tell you its just as fabulous. (And this is another recipe you may want to double. You can freeze up some leftovers and save for another day).

(My youngest son loves this meat sauce with zucchini noodles)

Quick Meat Sauce

1 lbs ground beef
olive oil
1 onion, diced
1-3 cloves of garlic, minced
basil
mint
red pepper
sea salt
1 28-oz can of crushed tomatoes (be sure to check the ingredients on the can, try to get one that is as close to just tomatoes as you can get)

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil. Brown ground beef in skillet, until the beef is almost brown. Add onion, and garlic. Continue cooking until beef is just about dried out (feel free to drain grease if there is a bit too much), and almost crispy. Add a pinch of basil, mint and red pepper. Salt to taste. Add tomatoes. Stir. Add another pinch of each seasoning and allow to simmer for 20 min. Be sure to adjust the heat so that the sauce is just bubbling, but not boiling.
(this recipe originally came from a cookbook called The Northend Italian Cookbook, I have long since memorized how I make it, so I am not sure if this is exactly how the book calls for it to be made or not)

Oh so moist (and super easy) roast chicken

For dinner last night I made one of our staples. Roasted chicken. I love having chicken around to munch on all week long. I have even been known to eat it for breakfast. I hate when chicken dries out so I prefer to roast a whole chicken than to make boneless skinless breasts. Here is how I make my roasted chicken (oh and if you want lots of extra meat for salads, snacks, ect, roast two chickens at the same time). As a note, I do not eat the chicken skin. In this recipe, I would not recommend it unless you are looking to have some serious sodium.

Roasted Chicken

1 (or two) whole roaster chicken
carrots (baby ones or regular...I like one bag of baby carrots)
sea salt (course grain works best)
sweet potatoes (about 3-4 will be plenty), cut into large cubes
1-1.5 cups water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. If you have convection, use it! It helps keep the temperature even in the oven. If not regular 400 degrees works great.
Prepare the chicken by rinsing (remove giblets if they are in there) and patting dry. Place in the roaster pan. Sprinkle liberally with course sea salt. Be sure to sprinkle some salt inside too. Put the carrots and sweet potatoes around the chicken, pour water over carrots and potatoes. Place in the preheated oven. Check the internal temp (I usually check the breast meat) in about 45 mins, if it is less than 165, then let the chicken cook for a bit longer. Check every 5-10 minutes until the chicken reaches 165-170. Pull the chicken and let it rest for 10 minutes on the counter. Slice and enjoy.

A delicious breakfast

So I have figured out with any diet transitions, the best way to go is with a fantastic breakfast. It makes the transition soooooooo much easier. I found a fabulous recipe and wanted to share it with everyone. Homemade turkey sausage patties!!! The best part is, you take a few of these, add some fruit and/or veggies, a handful of nuts and tah-dah! you have breakfast. These little beauties can also be wrapped up and saved in the fridge or freezer for days to come. Good luck making enough for the freezer though, they are so tasty its hard to not eat them all in a matter of a few days.

Turkey Sausage Patties

2 lbs ground turkey (can also do pork)
2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp cumin, black pepper, nutmeg, ginger
pinch of red pepper flakes (more to taste)
3 tsp poultry seasoning
1-3 tsp sea salt (to taste)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
olive oil or fat of choice

Mix together all of the ingredients (except for the olive oil). Heat a healthy drizzle of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once its hot, take about 2 tbsp of the meat mixture at a time, and drop into skillet. Smoosh the meat into a patty using a spatula. Allow to cook until brown, then flip. Cook until both side are browned and meat is fully cooked. Repeat until all of the meat is done. Enjoy!
(this recipe was adapted from http://cavemanfood.blogspot.com/2009/03/turkey-or-pork-breakfast-sausage.html)

I swore I would never go down this road

I remember about a year and a half ago having conversations with my Crossfit coach about nutrition. I remember thinking she was absolutely off her rocker for wanting to eat a paleolithic diet. Why would any one want to deprive themselves so much??? She would always encourage her athletes to trust her and just eat like she did. While working out with her had been life changing, changing my nutrition was just not something I was interested in. It was almost an insult when she suggested it. I don't know why I was so offended by it, she was just trying to help.

Shortly after our conversation about nutrition, I decided to give the Zone diet a whirl. I had read a lot about it and decided it was something I could handle. I transitioned slowly to the Zone. I switched one meal at a time. After a few weeks I was Zoning about 95% of the time. In about two months I dropped 2 sizes and about 10 pounds. My times got faster and my weights got heavier. I loved the Zone. I also struggle with blood sugar issues (hypoglycemia, gestational diabetes, ect), this diet gave me a simple solution to prevent any major lows or highs. On occasion I would dabble in some meals that were Paleo, but I was not ready to give up my oatmeal or dairy. How could anyone live without DAIRY? I loved cheese. Even though, if I was quite honest with myself dairy did not love me back. It was horrific on my blood sugar. Always left me feeling hungry way before I should.

I only recently started becoming intrigued by the Paleo diet. I ordered a book by Robb Wolf to my kindle and began reading it immediately. It really helped open my eyes up. I suddenly had the urge to clear out our pantries and transform our way of life. The good news for me, is I have a fully supportive husband! My two sons (ages 3.5 years and almost 2 years) were likely going to be the harder sell. Yet they have come so far already. They both now know that they aren't to ask for candy at the grocery store. They have figured out that the only "treat" they are likely to get is fruit or fruit leathers. I am changing over their juice slowly but surely to mostly water. We are at about 60-75% water, the rest juice. I am switching their milk over from dairy to almond milk, once again its been a slow transition so they don't notice. As I have been making these transitions, I decided, that is it...we are all going to go Paleo!

I had planned on just doing things quietly, not sharing with anyone that we had made the change, because I am embarrassed I was so resistant to Paleo in the first place. My gym starts their Paleo challenge today and while I am not taking place in the challenge, I wanted to share my experiences with my friends. I wanted to share my recipes with them too. I am also not doing the challenge because to me, that means there will be an end to my Paleo eating. I am not planning on changing. I want this to be our lifestyle. Sure we will have the rare cheat, but I am sure that the "cheats" will make me feel so icky I won't want to cheat often (this is exactly what the Zone diet was like).

So please enjoy our family's journey back to the Paleolithic way of eating. I know its not always going to be easy, but its going to be worth it. And please, let me know what you think of the recipes I post. I scour the web for ideas and tweak them to my tastes. Let me know what you tweak and how.

Oh and one more final note...go ahead and gloat coach, you were right. You know I am stubborn and will always have a tough time saying it in public. ;)