Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs

With the colder weather I have been spending a little more time in the kitchen.  Recipe number two today is Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs.  Made these for dinner last night and everyone came back for seconds.  Super moist and tasty.  Actually created this one on my own and I will definitely make it again.

Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs
1-2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 egg
1/4 cup almond milk
Almond flour (start with 1 cup and add more if you run out of breading)
1-2 Tbpsns Lemon Pepper seasoning
1 onion sliced
Olive Oil
2 lemons 


Heat oil in skillet and add sliced onion.  Saute for a couple of minutes.   mix egg and almond milk and dip chicken in egg dip then drag through almond flour/lemon pepper mix. Lay on top of onions in skillet and salt to taste.  Brown both sides and then transfer Chicken and Onions to a baking dish, squeeze lemon juice generously over chicken and bake in oven at 375 for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Remove from oven and serve with the butternut squash recipe below.  Tasty!

Skillet Butternut Squash and Greens

And the recipes keep coming! Thanks to some faithful paleo eaters I have been getting more good ideas. Melissa K tried this one the other night and I am a sucker for butternut squash so I can't wait to try it. This one comes from Everyday Paleo, a great site with lots of great recipes.

Skillet Butternut Squash and Greens
1 lb bacon, diced
1 medium sized butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 bunch chard, diced
1 zucchini, diced
Drizzle of olive oil
Drizzle of balsamic vinegar
Using a potato peeler, peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (you can get a bag of precut butternut squash at trader joes). Place in a large pan and cover with water. Boil for 5-7 minutes or until the squash is tender but not mushy (I recommend roasting in the oven for 20 min instead)
. While the squash is boiling, cook the diced bacon in a large skillet until browned. Drain the butternut squash and add to the cooked diced bacon along with the chard and zucchini. Saute for another couple of minutes until the chard is wilted. Drizzle with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar and serve.

Paleo Lasagna

Lasagna was on the menu for the family Sunday dinner tonight and I thought I would try a paleo twist for my own portion, knowing full well that I would be the only one choosing the pan without noodles or cheese.  Happily, it was very good and I have plenty of left over to feast on tomorrow night.

Paleo Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 cooked spaghetti squash

1 eggplant, sliced in 1/4 inch rounds

2-4 large portabella mushrooms sliced

2 cups of spicy spaghetti sauce (see recipe on previous post)

1 cup fresh spinach leaves

1/2 jar Trader Joes Artichoke Antipesto 

(parmesan cheese and mozzerella optional - couldnt help a little sprinkle on top)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray pan with pam and lay out eggplant and mushrooms in a single layer.  Salt & pepper and respray with pam. Roast for 15 minutes.  In lasagna pan cover the bottom with spaghetti squash.  Pour sauce evenly over squash.  Remove vegis from oven and layer over the sauce.  Top with a generous layer of leaf spinach.  Then spread the artichoke spread on top.  The ingredients in this spread are totally paleo so don't feel guilty pouring it on (even though the garlic may talk back to you tomorrow).  Sprinkle cheese on top if you are at peace with dairy. Bake for 20 minutes and serve. 

Spicy Spaghetti Squash

Tonights recipe is a two for one special, Spicy Spaghetti Squash and Paleo Lasagna.  My friend Bhairavi turned me on to this Spicy Spaghetti Sauce recipe a couple of months ago and the whole family loves it.  You can spice it up or down depending on how heavy you go with the red pepper flakes. I actually simmer the sauce all day long in the crockpot and served it up with spaghetti squash for me and noodles for the rest of the family.

Spicy Spaghetti Squash
     1 small spaghetti squash, halved and seeded

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 green onions, minced
• 12 ounces ground white meat turkey or lean ground beef
• 2 cups crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons red wine
• 2 teaspoons capers
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place each squash half cut side down on a cookie sheet and bake uncovered for about 45 to 60 minutes or until a fork goes easily into the shell. Allow to cool and scoop out the strands of squash with a large spoon and set aside. (I microwave the squash according to the directions on the sticker)
3. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion, garlic and scallions and saute for 2 minutes. Add the meat and cook for 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and wine and bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Add the capers, oregano, red pepper flakes and parsley; simmer for 5 minutes. If the squash has cooled too much, reheat it in the microwave, covered for 2 to 3 minutes. Top the squash with the sauce and serve. 

Avocado Chicken Salad

Posting again, had a great idea to use up the turkey leftovers. Of course since I got home late all the turkey was gone so I went back to the original plan - chicken.  I have this all made up for tomorrow nights meal and am planning on serving it on a bed of spinach

Avocado Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
4 cooked chicken breasts (I ripped apart a rotisserie chicken)
2 ripe avocados
1 stalk of celery
1/2 cup dried cherries or cranberries
1/4 cup avocado oil or mayo
2 tbspn lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Dice chicken and avocado into bite size pieces and chop celery into a very small dice.  Combine all ingredients and stir until well mixed but avocado still is somewhat chunky.  Either serve immediately or refrigerate for later.  Serve in a lettuce wrap, over spinach or naked.

Egg Nog Shake

Two posts in a week - can you believe it!  Ariel inspired me to concoct a paleo friendly eggnog shake, so, I here it goes.  Drinking it as I type and it is delish.  I have become a big fan of the whipped vanilla flavor BSN Dessert Protein powder, so you will see it in alot of my recipes.  Feel free to substitute with the vanilla protein powder of your choice.

Eggnog Shake

1 scoop whipped vanilla BSN Dessert Protein Powder
1 cup Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 tbspn ground flaxseed meal
1 raw egg
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp rum extract
1 tbspn honey
4 ice cubes

Stir the protein powder and milk together before pouring in the blender.  Add flaxseed meal, egg (don't do this if you are aftraid of Salmonella - I have eaten enough cookie dough over the years that I feel like I am immune), nutmeg, rum extract, honey,  and ice cubes.  Blend and serve in a festive cup with christmas music playing in the background and a fire roaring in the fireplace!

Chicken and Vegi Artichoke Casserole

OK, I am kicking myself for not taking a picture of this one, because it was pretty and soooo tasty!  My daughter came home from college tonight so I decided I would stuff her full of all the vegis I am sure she has not been eating over the last three months.  This one takes a little prep work, but great casserole dish and even better if you cheat a little and add some cheese. 

Chicken and Vegi Artichoke Casserole

4 Chicken breasts cut in strips
3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (optional)
1 egg
1/4 cup almond milk
1 eggplant
2 red, yellow, or orange peppers
broccoli
cauliflower
1 Jar Trader Joes Artichoke Antipasto Spread
1/2 cup shredded asiago cheese (optional)

Cut eggplant in 1/4 inch circles, peppers in strips and broccoli and cauliflower in bite size pieces. Spray pan with pam and put vegis in oven to roast at 400 degrees.  In the meantime heat pan with a little olive oil and dip chicken in egg and milk mixture.  coat with almond flour and parmesan cheese mixture and pan fry until golden and mostly cooked through.  Remove vegis from oven and arrange layer of eggplant,broccoli, and cauliflower and spread half of jar of artichoke spread, arrange peppers on top then lay chicken in single layer on top.  Spread rest of artichoke spread on top of chicken and sprinkle asiago on top.  Bake for 15 more minutes and serve.  YUMMMMMM

Crockpot Beef and Satay Sauce

Fall weather makes me want to get the crockpot out and do some slow cooking. Today I had 2 ingredients available so not much choice in what I was making, but it turned out delish! So easy and so tasty - give it a try!

Crockpot Beef and Satay Sauce

2 lbs lean beef stew meat cut in chunks
1 jar Trader Joes Peanut Satay sauce
1/4 cup almond flour
2 tbspn olive oil

toss meat and flour together and heat oil in pan. Brown meat and scrape all the yummy goodness into a crockpot. Pour over the jar of Trader Joes Peanut Satay sauce and cook on low 6 hours.

Chicken with Blueberry Sauce

This recipe popped up on my daily email from Allrecipes.com and looked tasty so I thought I would give it a whirl. Nice use of savory and sweet and blueberries season is just ending so I wanted to get this one in while I could still find good blueberries.

Chicken with Blueberry Sauce

4 chicken breasts (I would pound out butterfly if they are too thick)

1 tbspn olive oil

1/2 cup spreadable fruit (I used peach preserves)

3 Tbspn dijon mustard (I used my favorite Trader Joes Garlic Mustard Aoili)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup blueberries

1.In a large skillet over medium heat, cook chicken in oil for about 4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Combine preserves and mustard; spoon over chicken. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.
2.With a slotted spoon, remove chicken and keep warm. Add vinegar to skillet; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 3 minutes or until sauce is reduced by one-third, stirring occasionally. Stir in blueberries.

Spicy Sweet Smoky Pork Tenderloin

Hallelujah! A recipe recommendation from a faithful follower - Thanks for the recipe Bhairavi. She loves to shop at Trader Joe's too, and has stumbled across this great salsa - Trader Joes Spicy Sweet Smoky Peach Salsa. Can't wait to give it a try.

Spicy Sweet Smoky Pork Tenderloin

1-2 Pork Tenderloins
1 jar of Trader Joes Spicy Sweet Smoky Peach Salsa

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place pork in roasting pan and pour salsa on top. Bake until internal temperature reaches 150 (about 20-30 minutes). Nice and Easy!

Steak and Carmelized Peach Salad

Anyone else in total peach mode lately? Peaches are perfect right now and the new carmelized peach salad at California Pizza Kitchen inspired me to play around with peaches for dinner tonight. I threw together a bunch of my favorite ingredients and came up with a FANTASTIC summer salad. I would put this up to CPK any day of the week.

Steak and Carmelized Peach Salad

3/4 pound beef stir fry meat (I bought presliced bottom round steak from Walmart - Skirt steak or any type of lean steak sliced thin)

2 peaches
bag of spinach

handful of pecans

1/4 cup of feta cheese, goat cheese, or no cheese for the paleo purists

handful of dried cherries

1/2 avacado sliced

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

optional seasoning - smokehouse maple grillmates seasoning

cut peaches in half, remove pit and place cut side down on cooking sheet and roast at 400 degrees for 15 min. Pour 1/2 the oil in a pan and saute the steak until cooked through (I seasoned meat with smokehouse maple and salt) . Remove from heat. cut steak in bite sized pieces, and add the rest of the oil and balsamic vinegar. Pour meat and warm dressing into bowl with spinach, cheese, nuts, cherries, avacado. Remove peaches from oven and cut in chunks and toss in salad. I did use a little extra balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing (Panera brand).

Eggplant Sliders

I have been experimenting with some new vegetables lately, and keep coming back to eggplant. This purple skinned vegi is a great source of antioxidants as well as a good source of fiber,B6, folate, magnesium, and niacin. The menu for the family tonight was cheeseburger sliders, corn on the cob, and fruit salad. I opted for breaded eggplant rounds as a paleo sub for the hamburger bun and they were a hit with my husband and myself. I would definitely make these again to eat by themselves or as a bun substitute for burgers, chicken, or any grilled meat. Hope you take the time to try it.
Eggplant Rounds
1 eggplant cut in 1/2 inch slices
Egg
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tsp oregano
1tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic herb seasoning

Preheat oven to 400 and spray pan with Pam. Mix egg and oil in one bowl and all dry ingredients in another bowl. Dip eggplant slices in egg mix and then dredge through almond flour mix. Place in single layer on pan and cook for 40 min turning half way through. This is great with garlic aoli mustard as a dipping sauce or with a burger and your favorite burger fixings.

High Protein Banana Bread

Back from a week of vacation and god bless my husband, back to a clean house! Only thing amiss was the bunch of overly ripe bananas sitting on the counter, which was screaming "banana bread" as I was scrounging around for breakfast this morning. If you follow this blog you have learned a couple things about me. I love my BSN Lean Dessert Protein powder, and while I love the paleo principles, I tweak a little to make the diet liveable, with things like Greek yogurt (dairy but so high in protein and low in fat I can totally justify it) and honey (a girl needs a little sweet). So, here is my high protein banana bread I created this morning. Turned out delish and it's packed full of protein! Gave it to the kids for breakfast and they loved it!

High Protein Banana Bread

3 ripe bananas mashed
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 egg
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
Stir all ingredients together

1 cup almond flour
2 scoops whipped vanilla BSN Lean Dessert protein powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
Stir together and mix into wet ingredients
Pour in 8X8 square pan sprayed with Pam and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until set.
(I covered with foil half way through so it didnt brown too much) Slice and serve

Summer heat is weighing heavily on all of us, and visions of cool treats are definitely swimming around in my head as we knock out crazy wods in our unairconditioned crossfit gym. A couple of tasty treats you may want to pack in the freezer and throw in your gym bag for a quick post workout treat are frozen grapes or a frozen banana. I am experimenting with a frozen chocolate yogurt banana treat that I will get back to you on. Dig out some of the smoothie recipes on this site as well. Experiment with different fruits (peaches are great right now) - and let me know what your favorite concoctions are!

Ok, moving on - had a great conversation with Ariel at the gym today and she is slowly sliding into paleo but is looking for some seasoning options to spice things up. I was telling her about my new favorite spice - McCormicks Gill Mates Smokehouse Maple. I am using it on all of the pork I grill, as well as butternut squash. Just the right amount of tang and sweet to really bring out the flavor. This would also be excellent on chicken or salmon.

SmokeHouse Maple Butternut Squash

1 butternut squash peeled and cubed (or a bag already peeled and cubed - you can get at Trader Joe's or Walmart)
Pam Olive Oil Spray
McCormick's Smokehouse Maple Seasoning

Spray a baking stone or pan with Pam and spread out a single layer of cubed butternut squash. Spray again on top with olive oil spray. Season with Smokehouse maple seasoning to taste and roast in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20-30 min. Easy and a great side dish with any grilled meat.

Chicken Cherry Salad

Before I start today's dinner I wanted to report back that the Swordfish turned out great! The pistachio crust was very easy and tasty, and I think it would go well with chicken, pork, or steak. Ok, on to Chicken and Cherry Salad. Hallelujah, bing cherries are in season and happen to be one of my favorite fruits. Besides being tasty, they are super healthy with plenty of antioxidents and are supposed to help reduce inflammation - a common affliction with us active crossfitters.

If you follow this blog, you will quickly figure out that this is a variation of one of my favorite standbys - coleslaw salad. Never the less, here is a fresh twist that is super delicious. Hope you enjoy.

Chicken Cherry Salad
Ingredients:
1-2 cups shredded cabbage (bagged coleslaw in the bagged lettuce section)
chicken breast cooked and chopped (I use a breast from a rotisserie chicken)
10-15 bing cherries pits removed and chopped
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese (optional)
Boathouse Blue Cheese Vinagrette Dressing

Toss all ingredients together and devour.

Pistachio Encrusted Swordfish Steaks

I am almost embarrassed to update my blog since I have been on such a long haitus! Well, after a week in Mexico I am anxious to put the chips and margaritas behind me and hunker down for some healthy eating. Spending a week by the sea has awakened my seafood yearnings so today is Pistachio Encrusted Swordfish Steaks.

Pistachio Encrusted Swordfish Steaks

Ingredients:

6 swordfish steaks

1 cup veg. broth

Crust:

8oz dry roasted pistachios

1/3 cup cilantro - hand chopped

2 tbpn olive oil

salt and pepper

Pulse pistachios 20 sec to make a breadcrumb consistency. Mix in bowl with chopped cilantro, oil, and salt and pepper. Set aside

Preheat oven to 400. Salt and pepper both sides of steaks and place on foil lined tray. Spread crust on top of steaks and pour veg. broth at bottom of pan (steam from broth keeps the fish moist). Bake in oven for 8 min and then broil under high heat for another minute or two to brown the top.

I plan on squeezing a little lemon juice on top and serving with sauteed spinach and papaya chunks. I will report back tomorrow with a new recipe and let you know how the swordfish turned out.

Engagement Chicken

Ideas for yummy paleo meals have not been flowing lately, so I have really been keeping my eyes and ears open for recipes that can be adapted to paleo. While watching the Today show this morning they aired a segment on "Engagement Chicken" which sounds super easy and really tasty. While the premise of this recipe is that it is so good it will get your man to propose, I am willing to settle for a man and children that don't roll their eyes and pretend to gag when I put the meal on the table. This one looks beautiful, and with the right sides you can please anyone with this dish! http://www.glamour.com/magazine/2006/07/engagement-chicken

Sausage "Pizza"

Long time no blog! Vacation has curtailed my paleo cooking, but I am back in the kitchen and ready to cook. I defrosted Italian Turkey Sausage links tonight and decided sausage pizza would be the only way I could get the rest of the family to eat the sausage. I used eggs as the crust and did add cheese to the kids half (ok, to my half too, I like cheese!) But you can do this recipe strict paleo if you please. Here is the recipe - everyone went back for seconds!

Sausage Pizza

Ingredients:

1 pkg turkey italian sausage

10 eggs mushrooms sliced

spinach

any other vegis you like to add to pizza

mozzerella cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Spray pan with pam and cook sausage links for 5 min each side. Then cut in slices and cook until no longer pink. Crack eggs in bowl and whisk. Pour in a cookie sheet with sides ( I have a pampered chef stone cookie sheet that is perfect for this). Top with sausage, vegis and cheese and season. Bake in 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Remove when eggs are set. Slice and serve. I served with fruit salad. yummmmmmm

Buffalo Chicken Tenders with Saucy Spaghetti Squash

Found some time to cook last night and thanks to Mike's recommendation of a great recipe site http://www.primal-palate.com/ I made a great dish that even the kids gobbled up. This recipe for Buffalo Chicken Tenders had a dipping sauce to go with it. I combined the sauce and spaghetti squash to squeeze in a vegi, and it turned out to be the perfect side for the spicy chicken. I rounded out the meal with a salad and cooked enough chicken for leftovers tonight. Hope you all enjoy as much as we did.

Buffalo Chicken Tenders with Saucy Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients:

1-2lbs chicken breasts cut in one inch strips

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup Durkees or Franks Hot Sauce

1/4 tspn cayenne pepper

1 tspn garlic powder

Heat coconut oil until it is liquid and mix in rest of ingredients. Place chicken in gallon size ziplock bag and pour sauce over chicken & shake thoroughly. (make sure you do this quickly, when the coconut oil cools it will resolidify)

Lay out chicken tenders in a single layer in a shallow pan or a broiler pan(not a cookie sheet without sides) and bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes.

Saucy Spaghetti Squash

1 spaghetti squash

1 cup greek yogurt

1 tbspn dill

1 tbspn garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/4 cup parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook spaghetti squash how you like. I have found that piercing it with a knife and microwaving whole for 6 min, let it sit for 10 min and then cut in half, scoop out seeds, and fork out into a bowl works well. You can also cut it in half, scoop seeds, then place open sides down in a shallow dish of water and microwave for 6-8 min. Mix rest of ingredients and stir in squash. I then reheat the saucy squash right before serving so it is nice and hot. Serve the buffalo chicken tenders on top and the combined flavor is wonderful!

Apple Pie Shake

So, life still kind of busy for me lately and I again apologize for not adding more recipes. One thing I have been doing lately since I have been short of time is making protein shakes for breakfast. My current fave is an Apple Pie shake - easy as pie!

Apple Pie Protein Shake

1 scoop vanilla protein powder
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup coconut milk
ice
apple peeled and cored
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup of my paleo granola (or add some pecans, flaxseed, coconut
dried cherries, raisins)

dump in the blender and blend, pour in a cup and drink!

Apple Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Has it really been 10 days since I posted last? I truly apologize, life gets in the way sometimes. Needless to say my eating has not been stellar lately, but I am ready to regroup and jump back on that paleo wagon. Tonight is a crockpot night with Apple Stuffed Pork Tenderloin. Here is the recipe, I will let you know how it turns out.

Also, I have been hearing lots of yummy meals are being made by the next level challenge participants - would love to post some of these if you find some good ones. Dawn has a chicken pizza I will post - the crust is a pounded thin chicken breast - yumm!

One last link - pretty funny you tube video on memory - any of you over 40 people might relate. Check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzSaoN2LdfU

Apple Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients:
1-2 pork loins (mine came 2 in a pack)
2 apples chopped
4 celery stalks chopped
1/3 cup pecans chopped
1/4 cup dried cherries chopped
nutmeg
garam masala
1/4 cup apple juice

chop apples, celery, pecans, and cherries in chopper. Mix with spices, 2Tbspn apple juice. Butterfly pork tenderloins and beat thin between two sheets of waxed paper. Divide stuffing between 2 loins and rollup, place seam side down in crockpot (tie up if you have string). Top with remaining stuffing that didnt fit and pour rest of apple juice on top. Cook on low 8-10 hours. I served with roasted butternut squash and salad.

Salmon with Mustard Dill Sauce

Its been a crazy weekend, and not much time to cook or get to the grocery store. If you all are anything like me, you probably have a bag of some type of frozen fish lurking deep in the back of the freezer. I had two pieces of salmon vacuum packed and ready to be released from freezer hell. Found this recipe on Allrecipes.com and liked it for the most part, although I would probably bake or grill the salmon next time instead of poaching it. The sauce was tasty though and I would use it on any type of fish.

Salmon with Mustard Dill Sauce
Ingredients:
2 salmon or other fish fillets
1 cup wine
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup greek yogurt (if you allow dairy)
1/4 cup dijon mustard (I used trader joe's aoili garlic mustard sauce)
1 tbspn honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tbspn chopped dill

put wine and water in saucepan and add fish. Poach with lid on for 10-12 min over med heat until fish is flaky. Meanwhile, mix yogurt, mustard, honey, lemon juice, and dill to serve on top.

POWER FOOD ALERT**

FYI, salmon is a fantastic source of omega 3's. Offering both DHA and EPA omega 3 acids, these can help lower triglyceride levels and blood pressure and may even alleviate symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Other nutritional benefits:

• high in selenium, an antioxidant that protects healthy cells by fighting off free radicals
• High in niacin, B6, B12, and Vitamin D

Make sure you buy wild Alaskan salmon over the farmed variety, it is safer and offers more nutrients.

FUN FACT - when wild salmon swim upstream from the ocean into rivers and streams to spawn they help replenish those freshwater habitats with nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus.

Beets N Sweets

I have had a bunch of beets sitting in my fridge all week waiting for some attention, so tonight I am bringing out the beets. Allrecipes.com is my first go to recipe site because it has such a large library of recipes, and the comments and pictures are super helpful. I picked Beets N Sweets because well, I had all the ingredients, and I thought it would go well with the Carne Asada from Trader Joe's I am cooking tonight. I will report back after I test it out on the family.

Beets N Sweets

Ingredients:

3 tbspn olive oil

1 tsp garlic salt

3 beets ends cut and peeled, cut in cubes

1 large sweet potato - peeled and cut in cubes

1 sweet onion - cut in cubes

1 tsp sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 400. Toss beets in olive oil and lay out in single layer on cookie sheet - cook for 15 min alone. Meanwhile - toss rest of ingredients in a bowl and add to cookie sheet to bake for another 35-45 minutes.

Power Fuel Wrap

Hey Folks, back from a long weekend in Winter Park, Florida with Margaret and Nikki for our Crossfit Level 1 cerfication. Great weekend! While we did not stay strict to Paleo this weekend, we had some AWESOME food and I came back with a couple of non-paleo meals that I will attempt to tweak for the cavemen followers out there. First up is The Power Fuel Sandwich - peanut butter, strawberries, granola, and drizzled honey served in a pita.

Power Fuel Wrap

Wrap Ingredients:

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1/4 cup egg whites

1/4 cup coconut milk

2 Tbspn flaxseed meal

Filling:

1 banana

2 strawberries

chopped pecans or paleo granola

drizzle of honey

2 Tbspn sunflower butter or almond butter

For wraps - mix ingredients and heat up a non-stick mini pan or full sized pan. Spray with pam if you have any sticking issue with your pan. For the mini pan pour in 1/2 the batter and tip pan around until full bottom is covered in thin layer of batter. turn when edges start curling up -(use a non-metal spatula) cook on other side until set and slide onto plate. Repeat with rest of batter or make one big crepe style wrap with a big pan. Spread wrap(s) with sunflower or almond butter, top with banana slices and strawberry slices, drizzle with a small amount of honey and sprinkle chopped pecans or paleo granola on top. Fold in half, roll, or just dig in!

Paleo Pizza

I have been sitting here feeling guilty because I have not posted in a couple of days. My eggplant chicken and spaghetti squash with meatsauce have been holding me over the last couple of days so my cooking has consisted of reheating. Luckily Matt sent me a link to Paleo Pizza which he has tried and says turned out good. So - here is the link to the recipe on the crossfit genius website - PALEO PIZZA .

FYI, there is a little controversy on several of the paleo recipes that stray away from caveman like simplicity, attempting to recreate the processed modern dishes that have been the root of our declining healthy diet. Many of my recipes contain ingredients that should be considered "occasional" foods, and not mainstays of the daily paleo diet. These include almond flour, dates, fruits, sweeteners, etc. I personally need occasional treats like paleo brownies, paleo pizza, bacon-wrapped sweet potato fries to keep me on track with a paleo lifestyle. But because the treats are posted frequently don't mistake the importance of getting the majority of your nutrition from lean high quality protein sources, vegetables, and good fats.

I am off on a trip this weekend, but will be posting back next Tuesday with hopefully some good meat and vegi type dishes. PLEASE send me any good recipes you have!

Eggplant Chicken Sandwich

Hold the Bun Please! I don't know about you all, but I can only eat so many salads before I start jonesing for anything that comes between two pieces of bread - you know, a sandwich! Meat just seems so much happier when its tucked inside two pieces of something, anything, to give it a warm happy home. Well, bread is a no-no for those of us trying to live a Paleo lifestyle so I have a couple of go to options for transforming my meals into "sandwiches". For burgers I love to roast a big portabella mushroom cap. Deli sandwiches are great wrapped in a couple of large pieces of lettuce (think Jimmy John's Unwich). Tonight I am trying an Eggplant Chicken Sandwich.



Eggplant Chicken Sandwich



Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts - beat thin with mallet
olive oil or pam
favorite spices (I used garlic herb for 1/2 and lemon pepper for 1/2)
eggplant - cut in 1/2 inch slices
any toppings that you wish (I topped with spinach, garlic aioli mustard)

Preheat oven to 300. Pat breasts dry and rub with oil and spices. Lay in pyrex dish and bake for 30 min with a pan of water on shelf underneath (makes really moist chicken ). Cut eggplant in 1/2 inch rounds and lay out on a paper towel and salt. After chicken is done increase temp to 400 and place eggplant on sheet sprayed with pam. Drizzle olive oil over eggplant and roast for 15 min. while keeping chicken warm. Turn eggplant and broil for another 5 min. Spread with garlic mustard (or garlic mayo, sundried tomato pesto, get creative) and top with chicken, spinach, tomato, again whatever you want. Do me a favor - if you try this, comment on what you think and what toppings/spreads you tried.

Bacon-Wrapped Sweet Potato Fries

Anyone who really knows me, knows that sweet potato fries are my ultimate weakness. If they are listed on a menu, they must be ordered! So, when I found this recipe on a paleo friendly website ( www.thefoodee.com/blog ) I started salivating immediately. My sweet potato slices are soaking as I type and I plan to bring these along with me to my superbowl party tonight - secretly hoping that I can hide them in a corner and eat them all myself.

Bacon-Wrapped Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:

2 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cut in thick matchsticks

bacon (I will let you be the judge of how much, I can't stomach too much bacon grease so I will use sparingly)

Optional dipping sauce:

1/2 cup mayo

1-2 chipoltes

juice of 1 lime

Soak sweet potato matchsticks for 6 hours in a bowl of cold water. This apparently removes most of the starch from the potatoes (you will see the white glob at the bottom of the bowl). Rinse and pat dry. Cut bacon slices in 1/2's or thinner lengthwise and wrap around sweet potatoes. Arrange leftover non wrapped fries around wrapped ones so the grease will spread. Bake at 425 for 25 min and then flip and cook another 10-12 minutes. Squeeze lime juice over the fries and serve with mayo and chipoltes pulsed together in food processor.

Superbowl Snacks

Superbowl weekend is here and I am thinking we need to post some paleo friendly snacks for all the noshing we will be doing on Sunday. If you have any great recipes PLEASE shoot them to me in the comment section or email me. I will put my thinking cap on and report back today or tomorrow with hopefully some tasty suggestions.

Curry Chicken with Butternut Squash and Portabella Mushrooms

It has been crazy around the Teague house the last couple of days with the "Historic" storm of 2011 - yeah, whatever! We ended up getting a couple of inches of ice pellets and maybe an inch of snow. What we also got was a houseful of teenagers for the last three days, with no end in sight. School is off again today and I have had a minimum of 5, max of 10 large smelly teenagers reeking havoc in my humble abode. Needless to say, my cooking has been limited to mac n cheese, ramen noodles, and eggs and bacon to feed the masses. We did have chicken n dumplings the other night and I managed to pull out a couple of chicken breasts to whip up my own creative curry dish with what I had left in the fridge. Here is my modge podge recipe, it actually turned out pretty tasty.

Curry Chicken with Butternut Squash and Portabella Mushrooms

3 chicken breasts boiled with onion
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 portabella mushroom caps, cubed
1 jar Trader Joes Yellow Curry Sauce

Cook the chicken breasts how ever you like. I happened to boil them along with some others I was using for another recipe. Preheat oven to 400. Spray pan with pam and lay out squash and mushroom cubes in single layer. Roast for 1/2 hour or until tender. Shred or chop chicken into bite size pieces. Mix chicken, curry sauce, and vegis and serve.

New cooking method for Chicken:

I met a very nice lady at Dierberg's the other day who got to talking with me about Paleo and other healthy topics and she sent me an email on her favorite way to cook chicken. Sounds great to me and I plan to try it next time I have a couple of chicken breasts.

Preheat oven to 275-300 degrees. Pound chicken breasts with a mallet until thin and rub with 2 Tbspn olive oil and cover with preferred herbs and spices. Bake in pyrex glass dish for about 30 minutes. **Place a pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven. Chicken comes out moist and delicious - can't wait to try!

Hope you are all fairing well in the ice and cold!!

Salmon with Mango Salsa and Sauteed Spinach

Have I told you how much I am loving my new mini non-stick pan I got at Dierberg's the other day? It is probably about 6 inches in diameter and the perfect size for single size paleo meals, which happen frequently in my house of carb-lovers. Tonight I cooked a piece of salmon (you can by individually vacuun sealed fillets by the bag just about anywhere) in my handy little pan. Since it is non stick I simply put the thawed fish in, covered with a lid and flipped after 5 minutes or so. When it is almost done I added some mango salsa on top and replaced the lid to heat up the salsa and steam the fish. Easy and tastes great! Along with this I had the sauteed spinach recipe listed below:

Sauteed Spinach with Pecans and Goat Cheese

2 tbspn olive oil
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
1 1/4 lbs baby spinach
2 Tbspn sherry vinegar
1/2 cup pecans toasted and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese (optional)

Heat oil in large skillet over medium. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add spinach; cook, tossing until spinach has started to wilt about 2 min. Transfer to a serving platter. Add vinegar to skillet, and heat for 5 seconds. Drizzle over spinach and onion. Sprinkle with pecans and goat cheese and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Other ideas for spinach - sub garlic, pinenuts and chopped apple for onion and pecans(pictured)

Fun Facts on Spinach:

• Loads of vitamin K, essential for blood clotting and bone health.
• high doses of B6 and C as well as folate and magnesium
• to get the most of spinach's fat-soluble nutrients, cook the greens with a healthy fat, such as olive oil.
  

Warrior Dash - Any Takers??

Hey Crossfit and Paleo Enthusiasts - Dawn W. clued me in to this race next October that looks like it would be right up our alley. The Warrior Dash takes place all over the country, and on October 15th, 2011 will be hitting the St Louis area. Go visit http://www.warriordash.com/ for all the details. If you are interested shoot a comment back to this post and lets get a group together to go experience this sadistic fun!

Paleo Friendly Hummus

Ladies night at Crossfit Valley Park tonight and I am feeling the pressure to bring some tasty treats to maintain my foodie reputation. I feel like I have been pushing the sweets lately, so I am heading savory tonight with a paleo hummus recipe to serve with fresh vegis. Just finished blending up this recipe I found on http://libidiny.blogspot.com and I love it! Don't miss the chickpeas at all.

Paleo Friendly Hummus

1 zucchini peeled and chopped
1/2 cup unsalted raw macadamia nuts
2 T Tahini (found in a jar in the salad dressing aisle)
2T olive oil
2 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic minced
1 tsp sea salt
1 rounded tsp cumin
dash of cayenne pepper

Dump all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. For variety add roasted red peppers, pine nuts, artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, or kalamata olives. Serve with baby carrots, red, orange or yellow pepper slices, celery, etc.

Blueberry Muffins

Have you noticed that blueberries are plentiful in the stores right now? I have been taking full advantage of this and have been going berry crazy! Had a taste for blueberry muffins this morning and couldn't find a good recipe so I concocted my own. It tastes great, looks great in the paper, but comes out a little mushy on the bottom. I just scraped the good bits off the paper - that works for me!

Paleo Blueberry Muffins

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use BSN Dessert line)

1 scoop almond flour

1 scoop flax meal

1 egg

1 scoop coconut milk (I use light)

1 scoop egg whites

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use your protein powder scoop to measure just about everything. Mix all ingredients together and spoon in paper lined muffin pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 min. Makes 6 muffins.

Roasted Papaya

Still going with the hot fruit theme - tried roasted papaya tonight. Real easy, here is what I did:

Cut papaya in half and scoop out seeds. Cut again in quarters and roast in oven for 30 min at 450 degrees. I put a little a little drizzle of organic blue agave nectar on top but you don't really need it. After I took it out of the oven I topped it with some of my paleo granola, or you can use walnuts or macadamia nuts. Very tasty if you like papaya.

A couple of papaya fun facts:

• Ripe papaya contains a three day supply of vitamin C and lots of vitamin A and E, all powerful antioxidants.
• Papayas help improve skin and strengthen nails and hair.
• The enzyme papain found in green papaya reduces the itch and irritation caused by mosquito bites - just rub the bite with a piece of the fruit.

Hot Fruit

I have spent all day trying to avoid the oatmeal raisin cookies I made for my grandma this morning, who is 96 and is allowed to eat whatever she darn well pleases. Yes, I finally did succumb, but it got me thinking about the need for treats and what can fill that sugar void in the land of Paleo. The obvious choice is fruit of course, high in natural sugars, but also packed with nutrients and permitted in moderation. I have found lately, especially since it is so cold outside, that hot fruit really satisfies that dessert craving. I have a couple of recipes I have posted lately including the protein blueberry pancakes, and the apple blueberry crumble. Here are some other great suggestions:

grilled fruit - pineapple rings, peaches,
baked fruit - apples, papaya, pears,
chips - apple chips, beet chips, sweet potato chips, parsnip chips
fried - bananas
microwave - blueberries, raspberries, blackberries

Take some time and experiment and let me know your favorite combinations. Try adding cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, garam masala, nuts, almond flour/dried fruit crumble, coconut flakes, paleo granola. Also, try making your own applesauce or pear sauce. Skip the cookies and go for Hot Fruit!

Apple Walnut Pulled Pork

The plan was to make the Apple Walnut Pulled Pork out of my leftovers from yesterdays pork, but unfortunately we ate it all up. I did have an extra tenderloin though so I subjected my family to day 2 of pork to try out the leftover recipe I found in the Post Dispatch. This turned out pretty well, but my family still added barbeque sauce on the pulled pork for a little more flavor. A nice easy dish for the crockpot.

Apple Walnut Pulled Pork

1 granny smith apple peeled and diced
1/2 cup apple juice
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 pound leftover pork tenderloin from last nights Apple Dijon Pork - shred with fork

Combine apple, apple juice, honey, and walnuts in a large skillet. Saute over medium heat for 4-6 minutes, until the juices reduce slightly. Stir in shredded pork, simmering for 3 to 4 minutes or until heated through. I served this with the fried cauliflower rice, and the family ate it on a bun with some bbq sauce.

Apple Dijon Pork Tenderloin

Its the end of the weekend and turned out to be a perfect day to hole up and cook while the rest of the family vegged on the couch watching football. Friday and Saturday nights are typically eat out night for our household, which can be a challenge satisfying this Paleo girl. Truth is I LOVE to eat out and am not willing to sacrifice this pleasure, so I have made it my mission to hunt down restaurants that will accomodate my quirky requests. Friday night we hit Gulf Shores Restaurant on Olive - great spot we just discovered. A cajun seafood joint with lots of healthy fish options and sides that are interchangeable so you can double up on vegis no problem. Salmon, steamed spinach, and steamed mixed vegis - all so good I keep ordering the same thing each time. Next time I promise to try a new fish dish. Lets get some comments going on your favorite paleo friendly restaurants.

Ok back to Sunday cooking - the Post Dispatch had some great recipes for two nights in a row. Tonight is Apple-Dijon Pork Tenderloin with butternut squash and broccoli. Tomorrow night the leftover meat will go into Apple-Walnut Pork which I plan to serve with sauteed spinach and that cauliflower rice I made the other day. I am trying to organize the shopping and plan out my meals for the week. Love to hear what others do to plan for their busy weeks.

Apple-Dijon Pork Tenderloin
2 Pork Tenderloins
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup applejuice
1/4 cup dijon mustard
2 apples peeled cored and chopped

Brown pork tenderloins in pan and then transfer to crockpot. Mix applesauce, applejuice, and mustard. top tenderloins with mix and top with apples. I cooked for 4 hrs on high, but you could also do 8 hours on low. This had a good flavor, I might even add dried cherries on top during the last 1/2 hour or so, just to add a little more sweetness. Very easy meal to prepare.

Blueberry Protein Pancakes

I know I just posted chocolate pancakes a couple of days ago, but my pancake experience this morning has forced me to blog on pancakes once again, because they were fantastic! I will confess, it is very hard to get a pretty protein pancake, but even if they break apart they still taste great and will leave you forgetting about the good old fashioned bisquick pancakes.

** Ok, I think I have perfected the sticking problem. Found a tiny non-stick pan at dierbergs that is the perfect size for 1 protein pancake. Make sure you use a plastic spatula to flip so you don't scratch the pan. It comes out picture perfect!!

Blueberry Protein Pancakes

1 heaping scoop vanilla flavored protein (I use BSN Lean Dessert brand - anyone tried Advocare??)
1/4 cup egg whites
1/4 cup coconut milk
2 tsp ground flaxseed
handful of blueberries
pinch of shredded coconut

Mix until a pancake batter like consistency. Play around with the liquid/powder combo until it seems right. Fold in blueberries. Heat skillet and spray generously with olive oil spray. Spoon out three mini pancakes and flip when it starts to come up around the edges. Be prepared to spray the pan while flipping so the other side doesnt stick.
Serve with a little paleo granola on top (and I admit I squirted 2 sprays of spray butter) Delish!

Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry with Cauliflower "Rice"

With super lean stew meat sitting on the counter to defrost this morning Abby walked by and asked what we were having for dinner. How about beef and broccoli mom - well, can't refuse a paleo friendly request from my daughter so I went searching for recipes and found a great one on the Crossfit Santa Cruz Central food blog. Here is the link:

Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry with Cauliflower Rice

The whole family loved it, definitely a keeper for the recipe box!

Apple Blueberry Breakfast Crumble

We woke up to a winter wonderland this morning! No school, no work, no crossfit - definitely time to hunker in for a warm comforting breakfast. The girls opted for waffles so I started searching the net for warm fruit ideas. Found this recipe for Paleo Fruit Crumble on another paleo blog you might want to check out. I modified it slightly for what I had in my pantry.

Apple Blueberry Breakfast Crumble

2 honeycrisp apples, peeled and chopped
1 tsp of lemon juice
1/2 cup of blueberries
1/2 tsp of arrowroot
1 tsp cinnamon
6 prunes
1/2 cup dried cherries
3/4 cup walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Peel and chop apples and lay in 8X8 baking pan. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Add blueberries on top and sprinkle with arrow root and cinnamon. Chop up prunes and cherries in food processor or mini chopper. Pulse in nuts at the end. Crumble topping over top evenly and bake for 20-30 minutes. Make sure it is bubbly. This was very tasty and the girls ended up having some on top of their waffles.

Sweet and Spicy Sloppy Joes

I have gotten alot of complaints that eating Paleo is expensive. Well, yes buying fresh fruit and vegis and quality meat is more expensive than loading up on the cheap eats like mac n cheese, twinkies, and ramen noodles. This is part of the reason for the obesity problem in America. Statistics show that obesity is more prevalent in lower income areas. So, I admit, I don't buy all my food at whole foods and the farmer markets. I hit Walmart and Food for Less and would shop at Sams and Costco if I had the membership cards. I think it just takes a little time and education to figure out where you can get the best bang for your buck. So today - Walmart products rule as I make Sweet and Spicy Sloppy Joes in the crockpot. What is your opinion on the quality vs. value controversy?

Sweet and Spicy Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey (Purdue white meat on sale)
1 jar Calavo brand Salsa Lisa (sweet pineapple ginger salsa)
1 can tomato sauce
2 Tbspn apple cider vinegar
salt
garam masala

Brown the meat over med high heat and season with salt and garam masala. Add to crockpot with jar of salsa, can of tomato sauce, and apple cider vinegar. Cook on low 4-6 hours. Serve over spaghetti squash, roasted portabella mushroom cap, or buns for the holdouts in the family.

Easy Microwave Frittata

I was looking for a way to spice up my typical egg and vegi breakfast this morning and found a great recipe on everyday paleo.com. Here is the link to the recipe and a beautiful picture.

Coconut Curry Egg Frittata

Ok, after trying it, I had to throw it away, because yukk, I really didnt like it. So take two on breakfast, I went back to my old standby and thought I would repeat the directions:

Steph's Easy Microwave Frittata

2/3 cup liquid egg whites
leftover meat (pictured with chicken italian sausage)
spinach
broccoli (again, any vegis you have on hand)
Salt
A little cheese if you are eating dairy (I used parmesan this morning, feta or goat cheese also good)
sliced avacodo

spray small casserole dish with pam and pour in egg. Layer in all ingredients except avacado and microwave for 4min 30 sec. Top with sliced avacado. Works every time!

Chocolate Protein Pancakes

Its the weekend, and weekends definitely call for pancakes! After Dawn was telling me about these protein pancakes that Mandy told her about I had to give them a try. Measurements are all by feel, and truly an experiment, but they were not half bad and although I missed piling on the butter and syrup, it was nice to have a breadlike breakfast. You know me, I had to add sliced banana into the pancakes and smear them with sunflower butter, a well rounded breakfast with protein, fruit carbs, and good fat. I plan on trying these again with different flavored protein powder and different fruit. Thinking of vanilla powder and blueberries next time.

Chocolate Protein Pancakes

1 scoop chocolate protein powder (I use the BSN Dessert line - chocolate fudge)
about 1/4 cup liquid egg whites
a couple of tablespoons coconut milk
1/2 a banana sliced

Stir ingredients into a pancake batter like consistency. Add powder if its too runny or egg whites or coconut milk if its too dry. Heat skillit and spray generously with pam. spoon out into three pancakes and turn when edges start turning up. Spray again as you flip so they don't stick. Serve with almond butter or sunflower butter.

**Hey, if anyone tries any of these recipes, why don't you comment and rate them. It would be nice to know what others think and what you did to tweak the recipe to make it different or better. Lets give 'em a letter grade A through F just like school.

Butternut Squash Spinach Salad

I was looking for a way to add green into my Chicken dinner the other night and decided to combine my butternut squash and bag of spinach which was just waiting to expire in a tasty little salad.

Butternut Squash Spinach Salad
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
salt and pepper
2 bacon strips - cooked to crispy, patted dry, and crumbled
bunch of spinach
pine nuts
dried cherries
Boathouse Olive Oil Vinaigrette w/ blue cheese

Preheat oven to 400 and layout the squash on a sprayed sheet. Spray the top, salt and pepper, (or salt and cinnamon) and cook for 30 min. For salad, in large bowl mix spinach, 1 cup of the hot cubed cooked squash, cherries, pinenuts, bacon crumbles and dressing. * You can use any dressing of your choice, and if paleo keep it simple. I have been loving this boathouse variety lately, so I use it alot!

Coconut Encrusted Chicken Fingers

Whew, been busy the last couple of days, but let me share a couple of recipes from Thursday's dinner. For whatever reason, if I add the word "Fingers" to any Chicken recipe I make I get a much more positive response from my girls. So Thursday night was Coconut Chicken Fingers and they were tasty. Jeff and I used Trader Joe's Satay Sauce as a dipping sauce which was a perfect complement. The girls tend to gravitate to ranch dressing or bbq sauce, go figure.

Coconut Encrusted Chicken Fingers
1/2 can coconut milk
1/2 cup Almond flour
1/2 cup coconut
1 - 1/2 lbs of chicken breasts cut in strips
olive oil or pam
salt and pepper

dip the chicken strips in coconut milk and then roll in almond flour and coconut mixture (mix together in separate bowl). Heat olive oil in large sauce pan and brown fingers on all sides. I then put the fingers in the oven for 15 minutes to finish the cooking process, but I think you can fully cook in the pan. Respray pam before turning over to keep crust from sticking and falling off the chicken. Serve with favorite dipping sauce (we used trader joes satay sauce - warning: this is a peanut based sauce for strict paleo eaters).

Chicken Sausage "Pasta" with Asparagus, Red Pepper & Mushrooms

I get a daily email from AllRecipes.com everyday, and this one caught my eye the other day. I decided to make it in two batches, half with bowtie noodles for the paleo holdouts and 1/2 with spaghetti squash for me. Mine looked just as good and everyone seemed to like it, even though my kids have a tendency to pick out anything red or green.

Chicken Sausage Pasta with Asparagus, Red Pepper and Mushrooms
Ingredients:
1 pkg of 5 Trader Joe Chicken Sausages
1/2 box of bow tie pasta for the family and 1/2 a spaghetti squash leftover from the other day
1 clove garlic minced
1 tbspn olive oil
1 bunch asparagus bottoms cut off and cut in 1 inch segments
1 red pepper diced
1 carton sliced mushrooms
1 cup chicken broth
1 tbspn basil
salt and pepper
olive oil
1 cup parmesan cheese

Boil the noodles and drain, prep the spaghetti squash and fork shred. In saucepan saute garlic in oil and then add vegis and chicken cut up in 1/2 inch rounds. Continue to saute for 5-7 minutes (I stirred the meat first to brown a little and then removed into a separate bowl while I sauteed and boiled the vegis). Then add broth and bring to a boil.Add back noodles, meat and stir all together. Remove from heat and fold in cheese and another tbspn of olive oil. (I split the meat/vegi mixture between the noodles and the spaghetti squash and added 1/2 cup cheese to each). No cheese if you are doing strict paleo, but sorry, not as much flavor either.

Why Sunflower butter?

I have had a couple people ask me why I prefer sunflower butter over peanut butter. Well, first off, I was turned on to sunflower butter last year when we did our first Paleo challenge at the gym. Peanuts are considered a legume, which are restricted on the Paleo Diet. I tried both almond butter and sunflower butter, both acceptable alternatives, but found I simply like the taste on sunflower butter better. In researching the differences it looks like sunflower butter is nutritionally better containing the following nutritional advantages:

• 1/3 less saturated fat
• 27% of Vitamin E per serving
• huge protein, fiber, and iron content
• antioxidents Vitaman E and selenium
• B Vitamins
• copper and zinc
• folate and phytosterols (helps lower cholesterol)
• high in linoleic acid
• high in essential fatty acids

Here is the link to my source. http://www.differencebetween.net/

Paleo Pumpkin Blueberry Muffins

Woke up looking for a treat this morning and I have lots of leftovers in the fridge that went perfectly into this recipe.

Paleo Pumpkin Blueberry Muffins

1 egg
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup coconut
3/4 cup applesauce (i used my leftover pear sauce)
1/2 can pumpkin
2 tsp baking powder
1 squirt of honey
nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon to your liking
1 cup fresh blueberries

Mix ingredients and then fold in blueberries. Spoon into muffin pans lined with paper cups - yes, take the time to line them, they don't come out very well otherwise. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes for mini muffins - longer for bigger ones - just keep an eye on them.

I think these taste great, but they came out a little mushy this time. Jeff and Abby just thought they were ok.

** Something else I learned tonight - parsnips slow cooked in the crockpot with a roast are NOT good. Much prefer parsnips cut up as fries and roasted or real thin like chips.

Turkey Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms

When I opened the refrigerator door this morning to get my morning sunflower butter I noticed that the mushroom fairy had hit the Teague house. A mysterious large bag of big monterray mushroom caps was sitting there on the top shelf. I decided not to look a gift fungi in the mouth and started thinking mushroom recipes. Turns out the Monterray Mushroom Co is a client of my husbands and he brought home a sample bag. I have had a box of TGIF spinach artichoke sitting in my freezer left over from New Year's eve which spurned my taste buds toward spinach artichoke. Here is my creation, it is cooking as I write so I will let you know how it turns out.

Turkey Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients
16-20 mushroom caps
1 can artichoke hearts chopped
1 box frozen chopped spinach
1/2 lb turkey breast chopped fine
2 tbspn mayo
2tbspn trader joe's aioli garlic mustard sauce
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 400. Spray cookie sheet with pam and lay out single layer of washed mushroom caps. Spray caps with Pam. Mix the rest of the ingredients except the cheese. Stuff the caps and sprinkle cheese on top if you are permitting a little cheese. Bake about 30 min or until it looks done.

** Here's the review - Jeff and I both really enjoyed these. Only thing that would have made them better was maybe using crab instead of turkey. Make sure you let them cool for about 5 minutes or they will burn your mouth!

Roasted Vegetables - Tips

Ok, today is leftover day and I am too tired and cold to head out to the grocery store so I am heating up all my bits of leftovers and roasting some broccoli to go along with it. As I am cutting up my broccoli and spreading it out on the pan my 13 year old daughter is very dramatically telling her friend about this CRAZY paleo diet her mom is on and how I make these weird dishes all the time. The entire time she is telling the story she is sneaking broccoli off the cookie sheet. Pretty sure she crammed in a full serving of vegis as she dissed my eating - the evil plan is working!!

Roasted Broccoli, parsnips, carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, asparagus, brussel sprouts, butternut squash or any other vegi that comes to mind

Ingredients:
Pam olive oil spray
Mrs dash Garlic and Herb seasoning or Lemon Pepper, or Caribbean Jerk
Salt

I use a pampered chef stone but any cookie sheet will do. Spray with pam and then place a single layer of vegis on the sheet. Spray generously with Pam (or toss lightly in olive oil) and load on the Mrs Dash (its salt free and adds lots of flavor). I do salt slightly because I am a salt freak and have not wrestled that demon yet. Place in preheated 400 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes. EVERY member of my family will eat vegis cooked this way. Not soggy like steaming, microwaving or boiling.

Crockpot Pork and Sweet Potato Curry

Ok, its thursday after a great crossfit workout and Im inspired because someone has actually looked at some of these recipes - Hey Jamie!! Today I looked in the fridge and cupboard and came up with the last pack of meat I have (pork short ribs - lean cut). So, here is the crockpot creation I am trying tonight - will let you know how it turns out.

Crockpot Pok and Sweet Potato Curry

Ingredients:
1 lb lean pork cut in cubes
4 sweet potatoes peeled and cut in chunks
1 tbspn olive oil
1/2 can of light coconut milk
1 jar trader joes Curry Simmer Sauce

Brown meat in pan with oil. Transfer to crockpot with potatoes and pour coconut milk and curry sauce over the top. Cook for 6 hours.

This recipe was a winner with me, my husband and the girls - everyone gave it two thumbs up.
I served it with pear sauce - peeled 6 pears cubed and cooked with cinnamon and 1/4 cup honey. Blended in the blender for 10 seconds and refrigerate. Just like applesauce.

Roasted Tomato Soup

Just wondering what recipe to post today when Janet forwarded this healthy tomato soup recipe from Jillian Michaels. Sounds tasty to me, let me know what you think!

Roasted Tomato Soup
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs large tomatoes cut in half crosswise
1 med sweet onion cut in half and peeled
3 garlic cloves
4 tsp Olive Oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups reduced sodium chicken or vegi broth
1/4 cup tomato juice
1 tsp tomato paste
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
1 tbspn basil
**I added half a can of light coconut milk for a little creamier consistency


1. Preheat oven to 400. Coat sheet with pam
2. Toss vegis and garlic in bowl with oil and seasoning. Then roast vegis on cookie sheet for 30 minutes. Let vegis cool enough to handle.
3. Peel and seed tomatoes. Strip off onion ends and peel garlic. Place vegis in blender with 1 cup broth and 1 tsp oil. Pulse to desired consistency
4. Transfer to large pot and add remaining broth, juice, paste, worcestershire, basil(and coconut milk)
5. Simmer over med heat and serve.

Pumpkin Turkey Burgers

Tonight I plan on experimenting with pumpkin. I found this recipe for Pumpkin Turkey Burgers and plan to try it out with a couple of paleo tweaks. Will let you know how they turn out.

Pumpkin Turkey Burgers
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup onion, minced
1/4 cup almond meal
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and form patties. Grill and eat!

** These turned out great, very moist and good flavor.

Easy Egg and Vegetable Bake

two recipes in one day, almost forgot about the great breakfast I had this morning. This is not a new one for me, but super easy and a great way to get your vegis in in the a.m. Again, I cheated and topped with a little greek plain yogurt - dairy = non paleo:( , but as I said before, this is a personal cheat I am adding back in, because it is no fat and mega protein.

Easy Egg and Vegetable Bake

1/2 cup egg whites
meat (ham, turkey, chicken, steak, whatever is leftover)
handful cherry tomatoes, cut in half
handful of mushrooms
spinach
anything else you have - be creative! (onion, red pepper, broccoli, etc)

Spray a round small casserole dish with Pam olive oil spray
Add egg whites and any vegis you have in the fridge. Salt and Pepper if you like and microwave for 4min 30 sec. Turn over onto plate, top with sliced avacado and a dollop of yogurt if you want.

Roasted Lemon Dill Parsnips, Butternut Squash, and Carrots

Today was all about using up the half empty bag of all my random vegis in the fridge, which happened to be carrots, parsnips, and 1/2 of a butternut squash. This turned out great and since my family was not courageous enough to try it I have leftovers for tomorrow!

Roasted Lemon Dill Parsnips, Butternut Squash and Carrots

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbspn dill
Garlic Herb seasoning
salt
2-3 parsnips peeled and cut in bit size pieces
1/2 a bag of baby carrots
1/2 a butternut squash peeled, seeded and chopped in bite size chunks

Preheat oven to 400. Mix olive oil, lemon juice, dill, spices in big bowl. Add vegis and toss to coat. Spread out in single layer on cookie sheet (I use a 9X13 stone from pampered chef for just about everything I roast/bake). Roast in oven for 30-40 minutes until fork tender and they look done.

Scallops and Spaghetti Squash

First day of the new year and I am going to try and be diligent about blogging the paleo recipes I experiment with - the good, the bad, and the ugly. New Year's Day off to a good start with a yummy main dish and super easy.

Scallops and Spaghetti Squash

1 pound fresh scallops
1 tbspn olive oil
1/2 lemon
1 spaghetti squash
1 Tbspn Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 cup greek plain yogurt
3 tbspn toasted pine nuts

saute scallops in olive oil. Season with old bay and squeeze lemon over top. Cook spaghetti squash in the microwave (I pierce it and cook it whole for about 6 min. then I cut it in half, scrape out seeds, and place two halves down in shallow dish of water and microwave 6 more minutes.) Fork out in bowl. Add scallops, greek yogurt and pine nuts. Toss and enjoy.
** Technically, no dairy on Paleo diet. I am leaving greek yogurt in the diet since it is fat free and has an ungodly amount of protein. Can't figure out what could be wrong with it, so it stays!