A Perfect Burger

The perfect Paleo burger...We are a grilling family, like a year round grilling family. We have graciously been given our last two grills by my parents for gifts, but we haven't always taken the best care of them and a few weeks ago our last one finally bit the dust. So, when I was at work the hubby was charged with the task of going to "look" at grills. Apparently in our man vs. woman communicating styles what I thought meant just looking at a grill actually meant buying one and putting it together before I got home. Now, he wasn't completely on his own...I did get multiple pictures of two adorable kids in front of various grills with varying price points at lots of different places. But when I did get home the next morning the grill was shining in all it's glory on our newly remodeled and stained deck and I have to admit I couldn't wait to fire it up!!! Even the kids wanted him to fix their eggs on the little side burner thing for breakfast!!

All of this new grill talk leads me to one of my most favoritest meals....a burger, that's right...grass fed beef with a little shake of homemade onion soup mix and grilled to medium-rare, juicy perfection! This night I decided to fancy things up a bit!! I cooked some bacon and then sauteed the mushrooms and onions in the left over bacon grease...whew, that was magical all by itself. I couldn't stop eating those little morsels of goodness!! I sliced up what was left of the fresh bright red tomatoes, dropped a glob of guacamole on top and then wrapped it all in lettuce. In all honesty, I think the lettuce is just and extra messy way to eat it. I don't think it's that amazing and I'll probably just cut it up and eat it with a fork next time. We threw on some adobo spiced sweet potato chips and called it good.

As a side note, I'm four days into my October Whole30 so I'll be throwing some Whole30 approved meals out there over the next few weeks too! 

Tasty Trail Mix

I'm a sucker for snacks. Before switching to a Paleo way of eating I was the queen of snacking. I bought into the whole "eat every two hours" mantra and didn't pass on eating a scrumptious snack to keep it up! It's common knowledge in the Paleo world that because of the higher fat/protein content of our meals that we are able to go much longer between meals than when eating the standard recommendations. If you've read some of my earlier posts, you know that this works for the whole day for me EXCEPT for the time between 2 and 3 in the afternoon...I can almost always tell you it's after 2 o'clock solely based on my hunger! When I was looking for snacks to pack in the kids lunches (and let's be honest, that looked amazing to me too) I came across this recipe for Chunky Monkey Trail Mix and I have become an addict...to the point I have to measure out my portion and hide the rest of the bag in the pantry because every time I walk by I want a handful!!!

Note: The only place I've found the unsweetened banana chips are in the bulk section at Whole Foods, but they are really reasonably priced.

All the yummy ingredients (I didn't have toasted nuts so I did them myself)

The finished product

Back In The Swing Of Things

So, it's confession time...for the millionth time...I suck at this blogging thing. I LOVE the idea, I LOVE being accountable to more than just my own body (despite it's VERY strong way of communicating about what is beneficial to my health and what isn't), and I LOVE spending the time researching and then cooking new things every week. But I can't seem to actually sit down and get it done. I have a ton of pics on my phone of things that I have wanted to blog and so now I'm going to get up to date. My goal is three-four posts per week, some with recipes, some with just pictures and some with nothing to do with food.

Today, we'll start with some new items I picked up at the store and how scrumptious they are...

Yummy Greek salad for lunch

For those of you that know me you know how much I adore the plain rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods..you know the one that has the ingredients as "chicken." I buy one almost every week just to have around and then save the bones for yummy broth. By the time grocery day rolls around I have generally depleted EVERYTHING out of my fridge (I should take a pre shopping and post shopping pic of my fridge some day) and once I get home I want something quick to eat!

I also really like pre-made salad, I know it's significantly more expensive, but you can't buy all these fun little blends separately. I have found (through many frustrating slimy lettuce discoveries) that the kind in the plastic boxes last longer than the bag kind. This new mix I got today had tons of "super greens" in it and was incredibly tasty (see ingredients below).

I had read people blogging about Tessemae's dressings on several Paleo sites but had never tried them and I am sooo glad I did!!! This Lemon Garlic one was so delicious and has all legit ingredients (there's even a "Paleo" label on the ones are compliant, some have soy in them so they're out). The only annoying thing about this type of dressing is that you have to let it warm a bit before the oil in them will actually blend. I found this out when making my own so I was prepared for it, but still.... I don't think it was any more expensive than if I bought the ingredients to make it myself and with all the ingredients being okay I'm not sure I'll make my own anymore!

The Greek Seasoning from Penzy's was already a staple in our house...I'm a little addicted to that store :-) I threw on some thinly sliced red onions, kalamata olives, and a teeny bit of goat cheese (the only cheese/dairy I've added back in on a fairly consistent basis. I haven't seen the problems I had previously when adding dairy from cows back in) and sat on the deck enjoying this beautiful weather. After picking 22# of Honey Crisp apples yesterday I ate one of those too, which I will every day until they're gone!!!!

Here's the ingredients:

Not A Good Choice

This week things got all kind of crazy around here. I was working several days in a row, the littlest Magers started a crazy gymnastics schedule that means she's in the gym twice a week for 2 1/2 hours each time and both kiddos are going to VBS at one of our friends churches every night...all of this on top of the hubs being out of town for most of the week at a conference...so I seriously was looking for meals that were super easy...que the new crock-pot.

My old crock-pot (see sad pic below) had been around for almost 10 years and one morning I got it out to throw dinner in and when I set the ceramic bowl in the base the bottom fell out!!! So I waited until I got one of those 20% off coupons from Bed Bath and Beyond and went and got me a new fancier one!

So sad :-(

So, back to this week..I found a recipe for stuffed peppers in the crock-pot, I have a recipe for stuffed peppers that I LOVE, but I wanted something I could "set and forget" so after scouring my Paleo Pinterest board I came across this recipe from Civilized Caveman. I have made a TON of his recipes and NEVER have been disappointed, but I guess there's a first for everything.

Love my timer on my Crock-Pot!

They looked so promising in the picture, but they were bland and the meat cooked in a way that it reminded me of that fake, grainy, mushy meat from a cafeteria...and this was the good grass fed stuff too (which is why I'm choking it down for lunch as I type..I can't bear the thought of throwing it away!!!)

Anyway, we were all pretty disappointed especially since we love our original recipe (see here). For the tasty one I sometimes just mix all the "stuffing"in a pot and cut my peppers into big chunks and let them cook in the sauce and eat it that way...One other note, I do double the recipe and use 1 lb grass fed beef and 1 lb Italian sausage for an extra kick. I also don't use parsnips just because I don't like them.

Take away what you will, but mushy meat reminding me of cafe food will not be tolerated in this house :-)

The Perfect Summer Taco Salad

I'm aware that the word perfect seems a little extreme, but if the shoe fits... Seriously though, I literally had 10 minutes to throw together a marinade between our jam packed Tuesday morning and this was so easy I knew it would work well. I used some grass fed flank steak from the unnamed whole paycheck store only because we were so short on time I didn't have time to stop at multiple places (that's really an excuse, I love the meat counter at previously mentioned unnmaged store). I also knew I didn't have a long marinade time so wanted something that would tenderize fast.

Since we're doing whole30 currently I omitted the honey and didn't miss it at all. To serve it I chopped some romaine, topped it with the meat that I grilled (and then diced because I like bite sized pieces), sliced peppers that I had sautéed in coconut oil and then threw under the broiler to blacken a bit, premade guac and pico from TJ and chopped cilantro. We added a squeeze of lime at the end and it was amazing. I was worried about the meat being too spicy for the kids, but it was perfect. They ate a ton!!

While the website isn't "Paleo" there are several great recipes that can me modified to fit into the "Paleo" template. Here's the link for her Carne Asada

A New Idea

So, obviously I am currently not going to be able to keep up with weekly posts that are so detailed....but I am going to post recipes that I try that are amazing (or not so much) that I want to share with everyone. Tonight's meal was amazing.

Today is day one of my next whole30. I'm coming off a few days of not sleeping well and generally feeling bleh so it's got to happen. Like for real this time. I'm super excited that several people I know are also doing a whole30 right now. Tonight was a pretty big test for two reasons. 1.) It's family movie night which means there is a blanket in the floor and pizza ordered...and 2.) as I'm sitting down with my non-pizza, whole30 approved dinner my BFF sends me a text that says "we're going to serendipity"...which is my most favorite in all the world ice cream places. They have a flavor called salty caramel swirl that I would consider to be the most incredible thing to ever touch my tongue...ever...ever ever. Just a note about this one: I am still going to have an occasional drink, but it's only going to be this amazingly pure hard cider called Crispin that I feel is the best quality gluten-free, nothing nasty added beverages.

Okay, back to the food. Tonight I fixed what was supposed to be a chicken salad ,but I was too lazy to actually chop my romaine and just used the whole leaves as boats to hold this amazing sweet and salty chicken mixture. Let's be real, cooking anything in bacon is amazing.. Here is the link for Mango Chicken Salad with Chipotle Mayo I do think the chipotle mayo was tasty, but an avocado dressing might be even better...I'm going to have to try that next time! And I just realized as I'm writing this that I forgot the almond slices...I'm planning on having the left over meat mixture for breakfast with some eggs fried in duck fat (my new favorite cooking fat!!!!) My mouth is watering just thinking about it!!!

Happy Eating!

The mixture after it was finished cooking                                                                                  All done

Week, I'm not sure anymore because I'm a slacker....

This is way much more work that I ever anticipated and with a crazy month of April/May at work I've completely forgotten about getting posts on here. I'm still going to try to get every week up here...and hopefully this summer things will settle down.

Also, just because I told all of you...I must confess, I said "screw this" to another Whole30. I did make it a Whole15 prior to Mother's Day and then my birthday that same week. I've always had body image issues and am really trying to find a good balance of being obsessive about what I eat and nourishing my body with real food the majority of the time and being relaxed about enjoying things I love too...it's such a fine line for me before I am eating ice cream 3-4 times a week and feeling like a slug with low energy levels and achy joints.


Sunday: 

• Greek Chicken Stew with Cauliflower Rice and Roasted Artichokes: This is very similar to another recipe that I make regularly and I always wish there was more glorious sauce to soak into my cauliflower rice and so this stew was PERFECT in my opinion (I loathe sun dried tomatoes so I left them out...). I love these greek flavors and usually roast asparagus to go with this meal, but when I saw a recipe for roasted artichokes I thought I would give that a whirl...it was one of the most unsuccessful attempts I've ever had in the kitchen. I'm not sure if it's because the artichokes weren't super fresh (they had been in the fridge for 5 days) or what. I'll try again, but if anyone out there has a favorite fool-proof recipe comment about it b/c I would like to try again!!!

Monday: 

• Burrito Bowls: I was really excited about these. We like spicy food and this was a great straight forward recipe that the hubs was going to fix because I was working later and would be home right at dinner time....too bad it might have been the grossest Paleo recipe I've ever picked out. With all the spices it was still bland and lacked any real flavor. The hubs wants me to try making it again because he isn't sure he did it right, but I'm not sure I want to waste the grass fed beef on it. We didn't eat it for dinner and he said he would eat it for lunches, but honestly I'm not even sure that happened!!! The ingredients are listed below...don't say I didn't warn you :-)

Tuesday: 

• Burgers and Roasted Broccoli: This is a work day staple for us. I make the burgers up the night before or in the morning and it's all set to go when I get home. The flavors of the seasonings I use also meld nicely with the meat during this time too, I like to add some shakes of my homemade onion soup mix. I also always chop all my veggies on grocery store day so when I'm ready to roast some they're already prepped. 

Wednesday: 

• Cilantro Lime Chicken with Green Beans: This day made me sad, I put this is the crock pot on Tuesday to cook so I could pack some for my lunch on Wednesday as I was working a 24 and didn't have any leftovers after our huge burrito bowl debacle....But we happened to forget about it and left it out on the counter all night so it was all ruined....this wasn't a great food week in our house. I hate wasting food, especially when it's grass fed/organic/free range/$$$$ food!!!!

Thursday: 

• Lisa's Sauce with Spaghetti Squash: So, my bestie is an amazing lady. She's smart, funny, beautiful, Italian, the most amazing photographer I've ever met, and the best friend a girl could ask for....and she's a pretty damn good cook too! We went over to their house a few weeks ago and she had "whipped up" this tasty sauce to go over spaghetti squash. The funny part is that the hubs isn't a fan of spaghetti squash at all, but with this sauce on it he not only ate a large first portion, but went back for seconds too!!! I also tried cooking my spaghetti squash in the microwave this time and it was sooooo easy, not sure I'll ever cook it in the oven again. I just put the whole thing in and zapped it for 3 min, then cut it in half (watch out for the steam), scooped out the seeds, put it in a pan with a lid partially covering it and continued cooking in 3 min increments until done...for real, 10 min MAX and NO crazy heat from the oven...I'm sold!
• Ingredients (don't be scared of the long list, it's totally worth ALL of them):
• 28 oz fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 28 oz crushed tomatoes
• 14 oz tomato sauce
• 4 spicy Italian pork sausages (casings removed)
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 jar quartered artichoke hearts
• 1 yellow onion
• 5-8 garlic cloves
• 1/2 package of cherry tomatoes
• 1 fennel
• 3 handfuls Power Greens (I couldn't find them so I just used spinach and it was still good)
• 1 package basil leaves, roughly chopped
• 1-2 T Italian seasoning
• Directions (from Lisa): 
• I am a weirdo and I just had a few with pockets of time during the day to prep dinner because I have a 4 year old and a baby and a hardworking husband who had a hair appointment... So this is how I made it :)
• Warm a nice big cast iron skillet over medium high heat and pour in a few glugs of olive oil. Once hot, throw in half of a chopped onion and about 3 cloves of minced garlic. Sauté until the onions start to get translucent. Throw in all the meat and cook with the onions and garlic. Once it's done, drain on a paper towel if desired. ( I think the pork sausage can get greasy, so I always drain mine)
• Pour in a bit more olive oil and throw in the remaining half of the chopped onion. Sauté for a bit and then throw in the 3 more minced garlic cloves, cherry tomatoes and sliced fennel root. I sautéed them all together until the tomatoes were soft, but next time I think I might pop them in the oven (this is what I {Nicole}did and it turned out well, I actually put mine under the broiler)or just let them sit undisturbed on the stove so they get a bit blackened
• Dump all the cans of tomatoes (diced, crushed, and sauce) into a big pot over medium high heat. Add in the cooked and drained meat, tomato/onion/ fennel mixture, chopped basil, artichoke hearts, power greens, Italian seasoning, and salt/pepper. Stir together and adjust seasonings if needed. Bring the sauce to a boil, then simmer for about an hour with the lid on.
• This makes enough to feed an army. For at least two days.

Friday: 

• Fire Roasted Meatloaf, Peas, and Baked Sweet Potatoes: This is one of my favorite meatloaf recipes, it's got great flavor and anything with bacon in it is good by me! The ingredients list what is needed for the sauce also. 

Saturday: 

• Grilled Chicken Kabobs with Grilled Prosciutto Asparagus: After cutting the chicken into cubes I seasoned it with Penzy's Forward seasoning before skewering it with mushrooms, bell pepper, pineapple chunks, and onion. 

Staples:

• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Clarified Butter
• Greek Seasoning (I get mine at Penzy's)
• Oregano
• Chicken Stock
• Chili Powder
• Ground Cumin
• Smoked Paprika
• Cilantro
• Homemade Onion Soup Mix (I don't add the sugar)
• Cayenne Powder
• Italian Seasoning
• Eggs
• Almond Flour
• Beef Stock
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Dijon Mustard
• Paprika
• Forward Seasoning (from Penzy's)

Fruits:

• Lemons
• Lemons
• Fresh Pineapple 

Veggies:

• Onions
• Garlic
• Broccoli Slaw
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Fennel
• Power Greens
• Spaghetti Squash
• Green Beans
• Peas
• Sweet Potatoes
• Red Onion
• Bell Peppers
• Mushrooms
• 3 Tomatoes
• Asparagus

Meats:

• 8 Boneless Chicken Thighs
• 5 lb Ground Beef
• Whole Chicken
• 4 Spicy Italian Sausages
• 1 lb Bacon
• 2 lb Chicken Breast
• Prosciutto

Etc:

• Fresh Tarragon
• Pitted Kalamata Olives
• Roasted Red Pepper
• Capers
• Sun Dried Tomatoes 
• Petite Diced Tomatoes
• Small Can Diced Chiles
• Fresh Cilantro
• 28 oz and 14 oz Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
• 28 oz Crushed Tomatoes
• 14 oz Tomato Sauce
• 1 Jar Artichoke Hearts
• Basil
• 6 oz Tomato Paste
• 1 Can Diced Pineapple (in juice)

Week Nine

One week down of my spring Whole30...I use the term "spring" loosely. Today in Missouri it is snowing on the west side of the state...that's right May 3 and snow. Yesterday I mowed and got a little bit of a sunburn. It's just plumb crazy!

The first week is always the hardest for me, but I have to say that I was so ready to start this one that I've been relieved to be back on the Whole30 bandwagon. I feel great and it's always nice seeing the physical benefits so quickly. I was able to resist licking the bowl when I made one of our dear friends this amazing flourless (but not sugarless) chocolate cake for his birthday, but it was pretty difficult I won't lie.

Enjoy your week! Hopefully Spring really is around the corner!

Saturday:

• Grilled Salmon with Avocado Lime Salsa with Grilled Zucchini. This was a refreshingly light meal that had so much flavor. I think this can be used for any fish, but I think it was a great pairing with salmon. We love grilled zucchini in the summer with just coconut oil, salt and pepper so be prepared to see it often!

Sunday:

• Chicken Stir Fry. This recipe doesn't have any measurements which is how I usually do my stir fry also, I'm just a dumper! I did add broccoli to make this a "whole" meal (and didn't use radishes) and the flavors were super tasty in this. I had never added orange slices but it was super tasty and I'll keep it in mind for the future. 

Slice your chicken for tomorrow nights meal too and marinate it over night.

Monday:

• Greek Chicken Salad. Mondays are always crazy for us...so we do fast. This Monday I threw together a quick Greek chicken salad. Last night I sliced up my chicken for this meal while I was doing it for the stir fry and threw it in a bag with olive oil, salt, pepper, and oregano. Tonight I was able to just grill those up on my Cuisinart indoor grill and throw it together with some bagged salad, kalamata olives, chopped artichoke hearts, grape tomatoes, olive oil, and a splash of balsamic vinegar. I always make more chicken so I can have quick lunches for the week.

Marinate your pork for tomorrow night, unless you want to do it in the morning...but my mornings are hell most of the time with lots of running around and usually showing up late for where we're supposed to be!!!

Tuesday:

• Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple Salsa and Roasted Cauliflower. This was a VERY refreshing summer meal. This was the first time I grilled a pork tenderloin and was pleasantly surprised at how well it turned out. When the hubs walked in he immediately said, "Whats for dinner, it smells amazing" and he was smelling the pineapple cooking..it really was a great pairing. I was wondering how the basil in the salsa would pair with it, I was thinking it would be more tasty with cilantro...but I was wrong, the basil was AMAZING...and as always, I doubled this recipe for leftovers and they were just as tasty (Don't use the cooking oil!!!)

Wednesday:

• Qdoba...that's right, we ate qdoba for dinner tonight. If you want to replicate it, just make a taco salad. That's what I eat there, the naked taco salad with double the meat, grilled veggies, salsa verde, and guac added. They always ask me about fifty times, "no cheese, no sour cream???"

Thursday: 

• Chicken Burgers and Baked Sweet Potatoes. These were good, but missing something. The hubs suggested making a sauce with some coconut aminos and ginger and I think that would have been a great addition to the caramelized onions. Whole Foods was out of ground chicken thigh so I used 1lb of ground chicken breast and 1lb of ground turkey thigh...it was a great combo!

Friday: 

• Pulled Pork and Green Beans. Throw a pork shoulder or butt roast in the crock pot on a bed of sliced onions. I sprinkled mine with cumin, cinnamon, salt, pepper, chipotle powder...cooked it for about 14 hours (just because that's how it worked out because I needed it to take to work this morning)...and green beans because the hubs is in charge of this meal while I'm working a 24 hour shift today. He does green beans really well!

Staples:

• Olive Oil
• Coconut Oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Coriander
• Cumin
• Paprika
• Onion Powder
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Fish Sauce
• Oregano
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Kalamata Olives
• Chili Powder
• Cinnamon
• Chipotle Powder

Fruit:

• Avocados
• Limes (several)
• Orange (several)
• Pineapple (I used two small ones)

Veggies:

• Red Onion
• 3 Mild Hot Peppers 
• Red Onion
• Yellow Onion
• Garlic
• Shredded Cabbage
• Red Pepper
• Green Onion
• Broccoli
• Mushrooms
• Salad
• Grape Tomatoes
• Cauliflower
• Bell Pepper
• Spinach
• Thyme
• Garlic Powder
• Dried Basil
• Sweet Potatoes
• Green Beans

Meats:

• 2 lb Salmon (or fish of your choice)
• 3 lb Chicken
• 2 lb Pork Tenderloin
• 1 lb Ground Chicken
• 1 lb Ground Turkey
• 4 lb Pork Roast

Etc:

• Artichoke Hearts
• Tomato Paste
• Fresh Cilantro
• Pineapple Juice
• Fresh Basil
• Fresh Parsley

Week Eight

After a few weeks (okay probably about 8 or so...) of slowly increasing the number of both Paleo and non-Paleo treats to almost one thing a day I've realized that the sneaky little devil sugar has again found it's way into my mainstream diet (anytime I use the word "diet" I'm not referring to any calorie reduction/weight loss plan but rather what I eat on a daily basis). This means only one thing...another Whole30.

If you are not familiar with this term it's a 30 day period of time where you follow a fairly strict plan of what you can and can't eat. The website whole9life.com is full of great information and a great resource if anyone is interested in ever doing it. The way I feel is amazing after one and it is a great way to restore your body to optimal gut health...which really effects every other organ system. That is after you get through the first week "Paleo flu" from your body adjusting to fat metabolism from carb metabolism...that's where I am now, I know the benefits outweigh this time of exhaustion and headaches and it just proves even further to me how far off I had been!!!!

The main thing you guys are going to see with the recipes I am posting is that they won't have any Paleo "approved" sweeteners like honey or any Paleo "treats" made with almond flour. The main reason for both of these is that those foods while still "whole" in the sense they don't have any processed/fake ingredients they will still be taking the place of dessertish items. One of the amazing results of the Whole30 program is the reduction in sugar cravings and this can only be achieved if all added sugars/sweeter items are removed. Fruit is still okay on the Whole30, but I do reduce my fruit intake to one per day if I'm feeling a little bleh.

So now for 30 days of Whole30 Approved menu items!!!!

Saturday: 

• Bun-less Burgers with Lots 'o Toppings. The options really are endless. For this meal I just topped a burger with some sliced avocado, tomato, mustard, and cilantro and went to town. We had fresh chopped veggies dipped in my homemade ranch to round out the meal

Sunday: 

• Pan Fried Rib eye and Green Beans. I literally just melted some clarified butter in a cast iron skillet and fried the rib eyes in them. I seasoned them with some salt and pepper. I was really shocked at how good they were!

Monday:

• Blackened Grilled Chicken and Grilled Zucchini. Nothing fancy...again, see I told you last week! This time I used a spice mix that I always have on hand. It's really tasty on chicken and fish. I grilled my chicken this time, but have baked fish chunks in this to use for fish tacos. I use less for the kids pieces

Tuesday: 

• Chicken Salad.  I made double the recipe for the blackened chicken from last night and used it to have chicken salads tonight. I'm lucky, my kids like salad. I blended some avocado with my homemade ranch to make an avocado ranch dressing. I added a touch of lime juice and cilantro too...yummy!

Wednesday: 

• Asian Ground Beef. You guys have seen this several times already and that's because it's so quick and easy. I also love that it makes enough for several days of leftovers! And that you can eat your meat and veggies all together!

Thursday: 

• Grilled Chicken Zucchini Noodle Alfredo and Salad. ***Substitute note: I used coconut milk in place of the "milk." Because of this I had to add more cooking liquid to get it the consistency I wanted*** This was really tasty, we all loved it and while the sauce didn't EXACTLY taste like alfredo, it was very very tasty. 

Friday: 

• Greek Lamb Burgers, Grilled Asparagus, and Tomato/Cucumber/Kalamata Olive Salad. This has to be one of my most favorite summer meals of all time. I LOVE LOVE LOVE these burgers. Be prepared, they do smoke/catch fire easily because of the high fat content in the lamb, but these guys are really amazing. Oh and I do make them into burgers instead of meatballs like the recipe says...I tried that and I have a very temperamental smoke detector and baking these guys just caused that to go off the whole time!!! I double the recipe also, this is reflected in the ingredients below. For the salad I just halve baby tomatoes and kalamata olives, then chunk some cucumber up...toss it in olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper...so delish

Staples:

• Homemade Ranch (see link above)
• Paprika
• Chili Powder
• Cayenne Pepper
• Coriander
• Salt
• Pepper
• Oregano
• Garlic Powder
• Coconut Oil
• Coconut Aminos
• Garlic
• Coconut Milk
• Clarified Butter
• Chives
• Parsley (fresh)
• Eggs
• Dried Mint
• Cumin
• Cinnamon
• Olive Oil

Fruits:

• Avocado
• Tomato

Veggies:

• Baby Carrots
• Broccoli
• (2) Cauliflower
• Celery
• Green Beans
• Salad
• Bag of Broccoli Slaw
• Onion
• Shallot
• Mushrooms
• Spinach
• Zucchini (1 per person is what I use)
• Asparagus
• Grape Tomatoes
• Cucumber

Meats:

• 5lb Ground Beef  (Burgers and Asian Slaw and Lamb Burgers)
• Rib Eye (or whatever cut is on sale)
• 3lb Chicken Breast
• 2lb Ground Lamb

Etc:

• Cilantro
• Vegetable Broth 
• Dried Apricots
• Kalamata Olives

Week Seven

Time is moving along rather quickly. Here in St. Louis, Mother Nature isn't sure what the heck she is doing and can't make up her mind whether we're going to move onto the glorious time of lush greenness of spring and the golden glow of summer or stay in grey/dreary winter. I know she hasn't asked my opinion, but it needs to stop. It's the middle of April and yesterday I saw snow flurries...that has to stop...I need Vitamin D!!!!

Before I move onto food I just want to say I hope you guys have a wonderful week filled with whatever is refreshing after such an emotionally draining time for our country. As a runner, and more importantly a human being, I was horrified to hear such a cowardly act had been committed against innocent people at Boston. I have never once felt unsafe in any race that I have participated in and as a pseudo member of EMS I cannot begin to thank the countless first responders, both official and unofficial, that helped save so many lives in Boston and at the explosions in West TX. Despite the capture of one of the accused bombers we may never fully know his motives and there may never be an answer to "why." I hope that we all can now appreciate and focus on how much good there is around us. Don't let the selfish and evil acts of a few individuals cast doubt on the whole. Just reading all the stories of those helping during such an awful time proves otherwise...there is good out there. So, hug those you love tighter and cherish every breath you take...happy eating...


Saturday:

• New York Strip, Roasted Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus, and Field Green Salad. I love food and this meal in all it's simplicity just makes me love it even more. We went to a friends house for dinner so I can't take real credit for this meal, but they know our food preferences and we know they truly love us because we ate a "Paleo" dinner!!! The best part of this dinner was that even though it looked fancy, it was a quick meal that was easily prepped before we got there and was pretty much hands off until it was time to eat...the guys manned the grill and the girls manned the red wine...someones got make sure the wine feels loved!!! (The best part was the flour-less chocolate cake and raspberry sorbet for dessert...I'm going to need that recipe!)

Sunday: 

• Pork Tenderloin and Steamed Broccoli. I was short on time this week too (becoming a trend...) so I just rubbed the pork tenderloin with some coconut oil and sprinkled it with salt/pepper/Italian seasoning in the morning before I went to work and then just sliced it in medallions and quickly fried them up in some more coconut oil. Steamed broccoli and clarified butter..yum..this is one of the reasons I chop ALL my veggies on grocery day. They all get placed in bags in the fridge so I don't have to wasted extra time when I'm running late and need a quick veggie. I also do it so when I'm having my 2pm hungry episode I can just grab a handful of them and some homemade ranch and move on with my day (which might be happening as I type!) 

Monday: 

• Cilantro Chicken and Roasted Veggies. Shockingly...I forgot to set out my chicken last night so instead of it being just the perfect firmness for chopping into cubes (this was supposed to be a kabob type recipe) it was hard as concrete so I just decided I'd change it up. I pulsed the ingredients in my blender and then dumped it all in a bag and decided I would just grill these guys up whole with as much marinade as possible. And they turned out AMAZING. The hubs doesn't eat with us on Monday nights and on Tuesday when he reheated them up for lunch I got a text that said "how did you cook these they're so delicious" For the roasted veggies I just dumped brussel sprouts, chopped zucchini and some mushrooms on a baking sheet, tossed them with coconut oil (always my oil of choice for roasting due to it's ability to maintain stability at higher temps than olive oil...)

                            Marinade Ingredients:

                                   Juice of 1 lime

                                   1 bunch of cilantro (just cut most of the leaves off)

                                   6 cloves of garlic

                                   1/4 cup olive oil

Tuesday: 

• Lemon Garlic Shrimp over Cauliflower Mash. WARNING!!! This does have some Parmesan cheese in it!!!! BUT I won't put it in next time, not that I'm that hardcore, just that it didn't add enough flavor to the dish to make it worth it to me. If I'm going to deviate I want it to be the most amazing thing I could possibly think about eating...and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese just doesn't fit that category.  This dish was so flavorful and full of depth I can't wait to make it again. I did double the sauce because that's what I do and am so glad I did!!

Wednesday: 

• Tilapia and Sauteed Carrots. I didn't use many recipes this week, sorry about that. I find myself doing that more and more because it's just easier for me to piece together our favorites. I think one of the best things about eating Paleo is that I have gained more of an understanding of herbs and spices. They add so much depth and flavor that I can't imagine not cooking without them. This is one example. I love my tilapia with dill and lemon now. It just blends so well with the lightness of the fish. So that's what I did, melted some clarified butter in a pan, threw in my tilapia, sprinkled it with dill/salt/pepper and then gave it a little squeeze of lemon juice to make a nice little sauce. For the carrots I just tossed them in a pan with some melted butter and let them cook up until they were tasty morsels of sweetness. 

If you don't want to spend time chopping veggies tomorrow night, do it all tonight

Thursday: 

• Rainbow Chicken. One pan cooking at it's finest!!! This was super easy, since I put it together the night before it was super easy when I walked in to start fixing dinner. I just uncovered it and threw it in the oven. I did add some extra sweet potatoes in place of the white potato, but if you like parsnips (not a fan over here) then that would work as a good sub too. This wasn't the most amazingly flavorful dish I've made, but it was super convenient and I'm sure it'll get called on again!

Make sure to read Friday's recipe ahead of time, it calls for the roast to get the rub placed the night before, wrapped in saran wrap and then put in the crock pot with the extra stuff the next day for cooking. I just prepped all my crockpot ingredients and put it in the fridge too so all I had to do was add my roast in the morning and it was ready at dinner time

Friday:

• Cuban Pulled Pork and Peas. This got rave reviews from the hubs and kids...I ate it only as leftovers and it was still marvelous. The mix of savory and sweet in this dish is perfect. It's got such a subtle smokiness that was not lost at all. I was incredibly pleased with this and will for sure keep it around as one of my meals to have prepped for the hubs to manage while I'm working. And peas...who can go wrong with some peas! 

Staples

• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive Oil
• Coconut Oil
• Italian Seasoning
• Garlic (I think I went through 3-4 heads this week....)
• Oregano
• Chicken broth (check the labels on these too...most have added sugar!!)
• Clarified butter
• Dill
• Paprika
• Cumin
• Red Wine Vinegar
• Onion
• Dijon Mustard
• Cayenne Pepper
• Allspice
• Chili Powder
• Cinnamon
• Honey

Fruits

• (6) Limes
• (2) Lemons
• (1) Orange

Veggies

• Asparagus
• Salad 
• Mushrooms
• Broccoli
• Brussel Sprouts
• Zucchini
• Cauliflower
• Carrots
• Sweet Potatoes
• (2) Bell Peppers
• Peas

Meat

• New York Strip (or whatever steak is on sale, my ultimate fave is the rib eye)
• Prosciutto (read the ingredients, look for one with the fewest and no sugar)
• Pork Tenderloin
• 1lb Chicken Breast
• 1lb Shrimp (raw, I did that once...bought cooked shrimp for a recipe)
• Bacon
• Tilapia
• 1 1/4lb Chicken Thighs
• 3lb Pork Shoulder Roast

Etc

• Salad Dressing (just whip up your own, you'll spend 10 hours looking for one in the store that isn't full of junk)
• Cilantro
• Parmesan cheese, if you dare :-)
• White wine
• Fresh oregano (didn't use it FYI)

Week Six

I am having some kitchen anxiety lately...you see we live in an old house. Not like the kind of old house that is super amazingly cool, the kind that has just enough "character" to mean that it isn't insulated well, the windows are drafty, and it's hard to heat and cool effectively....which means that as summer approaches I dread the switch from indoor cooking to outdoor cooking. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE me some grilled food, but I also really LOVE me some roasted veggies and the throw it in the oven and forget it until it's perfect aspect. As those of you that have read my previous posts have probably guessed I tend to forget things. It's not necessarily that I'm forgetful, I really think it's that I try to do so much that my mind is just overrun with things I "need" to remember. This usually results in me throwing stuff on the grill...and forgetting about it. I can't even tell you how many times I have ruined some delicious free range/grass fed/organic meat from forgetting about it!!!

This brings me to another point that is totally unrelated to food (see, right there...trailing of thoughts...). The pastor at the church we attend recently spoke about Sabbath and what that really means. This has been weighing heavily on me, because I don't do Sabbath well...okay, I don't even attempt to do Sabbath at ALL!! Every week I am constantly checking my calendar making sure I've got all the kid swaps organized with my husband and trying to get every ounce of productivity out of my day. My friend Paula calls me a "professional parent planner," which I told her just made me sound less crazy!! I need to rest, and not the kind of rest that I do every night before bed where I catch up on all my social media sites. I need to refresh myself, rest with my family, and not worry about my fifty mile long to do list. It's good to rest and that is my goal this summer, to spend more time resting. So, you may hear some more about that....now back to food! Have a great week and rest well!!


Saturday:

• Grilled Chicken and Veggies: This isn't rocket science, I marinated some chicken breast in olive oil, chopped garlic, salt, pepper, and some Sunny Paris seasoning from Penzy's and then threw it on the grill with some zucchini, onion, bell pepper tossed in olive oil in my trusty grill basket

Sunday:

• Guacamole Burgers with Grilled Mango and Asparagus: I have seen lots of recipes for these out there and I just threw some stuff together from my head, it turned out really fresh and delish.

                      Ingredients:

                          2lb Grass Fed Beef (or whatever you can buy)

                          2 eggs

                          Salt/Pepper

                          Some shakes of homemade Onion Soup Mix
                          2 mangos
                          Your favorite guacamole (we like the stuff from TJ)
                          Your favorite salsa verde (we like TJ too, it's got no added sugar!)
                      Directions:
                          1.) Mix your meat with the eggs, salt, pepper, and onion soup mix
                          2.) Preheat your grill
                          3.) Slice your mango and prep your asparagus
                          4.) Make 8 fairly thin hamburger patties
                          5.) Put approx 2 Tablespoons guac on top of four of the patties, leaving a clean edge
                          6.) Place the remaining patties onto the guac ones and pinch the sides together
                          7.) Grill it all up
                          8.) We topped our burgers with chopped mango and salsa verde, it was delicious!
Monday:

• Asian Drumsticks and Green Beans: Another day working, so throwing a super quick marinade on drumsticks for grilling after work and a quick steaming of veggies for this day!

                      Marinade Ingredients (for two pounds of drumsticks, have used this on thighs too):

                           Juice of one orange

                           Salt/Pepper

                           Ground Ginger

                           1/4 cup coconut aminos

                           Garlic powder

Tuesday: 

• Spicy Spaghetti Sauce with Spaghetti Squash: Don't let the title fool you, the sauce has a little kick, but nothing that I thought was too overwhelming. The kids ate it without a problem but if you are concerned about it being too spicy cut the cayenne pepper out. It'll still be delicious. A note about cooking the spaghetti squash: There's always the "microwave" debate about it's effects on our health and even my bestie and I just had this conversation the other day about this very veggie in the microwave so I did a little research and this post by nom nom paleo addresses this issue...with some other links to VERY credible sites about the safety of microwaving food. While I'm still trying to avoid reheating EVERYTHING in the microwave, this might be a good alternative for my aversion to turning the oven on in the summer!

If you're using frozen salmon for tomorrows dinner set it out, and go ahead and set out the pork tenderloin for Thursday while you're at it...

Wednesday: 

• Pan Seared Salmon and Curry Roasted Cauliflower: Another night needing a quick dinner...melt some coconut oil in a cast iron skillet, throw some salmon in there, sprinkle with salt/pepper/Sunny Paris (YES, I use this for EVERYTHING!!!) and cook until it's done to your liking. I did toss my cauliflower in melted coconut oil and then sprinkled it with some curry powder (a light dusting is fine, if you like more flavor add more) prior to roasting for a little twist. Cauliflower is the most amazingly versatile veggie ever, it really does pair well with sooo many flavors!

Thursday: 

• Garlic Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin and Roasted Broccoli: I've posted this one before, and you'll see it again...because it's that good. Sometimes there are just those recipes that you crave and this is one of them for me. It's so tasty and so easy. The key (in my opinion) is to use fresh herbs and to make them into a paste prior to rubbing them on the pork, that way the most flavor covers the whole thing. 

Staples

• Olive Oil
• Garlic Cloves
• Salt/Pepper
• Sunny Paris Seasoning
• Onions Soup Mix (see recipe above, make your own. It's easy and the store stuff is filled with crap!)
• Ground Ginger
• Coconut Aminos
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Cayenne Pepper
• Coconut Oil
• Curry Powder
• Olive Oil

Fruit

• Mango
• Oranges

Veggies

• Zucchini (3 total)
• Onion
• Bell Pepper
• Asparagus
• Green Beans
• 1.5 Cups Mushrooms, sliced
• Spaghetti Squash (I usually bake 2 at a time for a meal and then leftovers)
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli

Meat

• 1lb Chicken Breast
• 2lb Drumsticks
• 3lb Ground Beef
• Salmon
• Pork Tenderloin (I usually make two at a time so we can have leftovers b/c we eat one just for dinner!)

Etc

• Guacamole
• Salsas Verde
• 2 Cans Tomato Sauce
• 1 Can Diced Tomatoes
• 1 Can Sliced Black Olives
• Fresh Basil (must use fresh, it's the best for this!)
• Fresh Rosemary
• Fresh Sage
• Fresh Thyme

Week Five

Seriously...for real, life is crazy. The hubs and I just went over our schedule for the next week and we're becoming masters at trading off kids (we call that who's the PCG [primary care giver] for the day) and single parenting. We both work full time at places with abnormal hours and days of the week (me with call shifts, which is what happened on Friday...I got called in when I was supposed to be grocery shopping and posting this menu!!! Which ultimately meant I had to go on Saturday, with two kids...yes, that's also called Hell on Earth!!!). The hubs also in school so juggling our life requires a seriously colorful calendar!

Sorry again for the delay in getting this out...It won't happen again, at least not this week :-) I'm going to give you the whole week just to keep it consistent

Friday

• Rotisserie Chicken Salad: I just take my trusty plain rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods and tear it all up, dump it in a bowl with some homemade mayo, sliced almonds, halved grapes, a couple shakes of celery seed and a shake or two each of ground mustard and garlic powder.  Save the carcass to use for making broth later. I just have a bag in the freezer that all my bones go in until I need to make some. We ate this with lettuce leaves and it was super tasty!

Saturday

• Wings. We love wings and these are just amazing. The trick is in the parboiling of them at the beginning. I didn't believe it when I read this recipe the first time, but I'll never go back to just baking them. These wings crisp up so nicely in the oven and we just can't get enough of them. We pull some out before tossing them in the sauce for the kids and they LOVE them!!! I use my mayo to make this homemade ranch. It's scrumptious too!

• Carrot and Celery Sticks. Gotta stay with the bar food theme! We throw some almond butter on the kids plate  for them to dip their veggies in and usually eat a couple carrots for show, but we don't waste too much space that could be filled with the delicious wings!

Sunday

• Shrimp, Chicken and Chorizo Spanish Rice. This felt like it had a lot of steps involved..probably because it did, but it was super tasty. I love spicy food and this had just enough kick for me. The hubs added some hot sauce which was tasty too. It reheated as good as anything with shrimp does, I'll probably just eat all the shrimp first and then save the chorizo and chicken for the leftovers!!! I did double this recipe and the ingredients listed below is reflective of that.

Monday

• Stuffed Pork Tenderloin. Simply delicious...for real...and pretty. I'm going to fix this next time I have people over

• Green Beans. Toss them in some butter and throw some lemon zest on top and call it good.

Tuesday

• Buttery Caper Chicken. They had me at "buttery" and I was over the top when "caper" was thrown in the mix!!! This was light and fresh and perfect for a quick dinner on a busy night. I cheated and bought the "thin sliced" chicken breast but I think they could have still been pounded out for an even quicker finish. I doubled the sauce because, well I like sauces...I would suggest doing the same

• Roasted Broccoli. Love it, not sure how I'm going to handle the upcoming warmer months and the reduced oven time due to old house lack of insulation and effective heating and cooling :-(

Wednesday

• Pork Roast.  Not going to lie...this was a pre-marinated one from TJ that I threw in the crockpot for the hubs and kids to eat while I was working. 

• Peas...boiled, slathered with clarified butter... 

Thursday

• Pork Carnitas. Before going Paleo I wasn't a huge fan of pork, now I LOVE it and this is a prime example of a great recipe that makes a super versatile meat that can be used in any meal. This is the second time you've seen this in our menu. Having a large amount of leftover protein is always a good thing and this is perfect for leftovers for a busy weekend ahead! This time we used it as taco meat for giant taco salads (the grocery list has listed what I used to top them)

Staples

• Mayo
• Homemade Ranch
• Sliced Almonds
• Celery Seed
• Ground Mustard
• Garlic Powder
• Clarified Butter (made from Kerrygold)
• Onion
• Garlic
• Sweet Paprika
• Tomato Paste
• Chicken Stock
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Fruit

• Grapes
• Lemons
• Any other ones your family will eat

Veggies

• Romaine Lettuce (I think this works best as "bread")
• Carrots
• Celery
• Cauliflower
• (2) Red Pepper (one diced for carnita taco salad topping)
• Red Chili Pepper (the skinny kind)
• 8 oz Sliced Mushrooms
• 4 C Fresh Spinach
• Green Beans
• Peas
• Grape Tomatoes
• Salad
• Broccoli

Meat 

• Rotisserie Chicken
• Chicken Wings
• 1 lb Shrimp, tail on, deveined and peeled
• 1/2 lb Chicken Breast
• 1 lb Thin Sliced Chicken Breast
• 1/2 lb Chorizo
• 2 2lb Pork Tenderloin
• Bacon (save the grease)
• Pork Roast (a pre-marinated one is pretty quick)
• 4 lb Pork Shoulder Roast

Etc

• Saffron (I didn't use this)
• White Wine
• Fresh Rosemary
• Fresh Thyme
• Fresh Parsley (1 bunch is plenty for two recipes)
• Capers
• Guacamole
• Cilantro
• Black Olives

Too Busy

Unfortunately life is crazy...so just be patient, this weeks menu (although not helpful this late....) will be posted tomorrow night...work is crazy, home is crazy and I forgot my grocery list at home today (working again today) or it would've gotten posted right now instead of this lame excuse....

Week Four

Welcome to week four...that's one whole month! I'm hoping you are enjoying this as much as I am. It's forcing me to think about making new things and keeping me on track about what we're going to eat. Paleo really becomes a lifestyle and when we are talking about it to new people we really try to stress this isn't something we do because it's a "diet" and we want to lose weight. Eating Paleo helps your body be transformed into it's optimal shape..that's right, it's optimal shape, not the stick figure model shape that isn't the "norm" for 99.9% of people!!! It really is a lifestyle that provides fuel for our bodies to function at their greatest potential.

Friday:

• Tropical Chicken Burger with roasted red peppers (from a jar) and diced avocado. This was okay, I probably won't try it again until the peppers and mango are in season. It seemed slightly bland so I might mess with it and put a new recipe together....

• Salad with blueberries, toasted pecans, and balsamic dressing

Saturday: 

• Pumpkin Donut Holes  for breakfast, check that post out if you haven't yet...they're amazing, my mouth is water now just typing this and I'm thinking about whether I have the stuff to make some tomorrow morning again....damn you devil sugar!!!! The recipe and ingredients can be found here

• Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs I just realized as I'm putting this together that mine looked NOTHING like the picture on the original site. I think my onions and mushrooms were chopped too small and just got cooked into this soggy nastiness...and this was a HIGHLY anticipated meal, it smelled amazing while it was cooking...and it's wrapped in bacon, but it didn't do it for me. I'm going to make it again though because I believe in giving any recipe two tries. One thing I will do differently  next time to see if I can get some more crispiness out of that bacon is cook it on a foil lined cookie sheet, I used a 9x13 pan and it was very juicy. Everyone else said it was good, but I want it to be amazing....I'll keep you all posted....

• Roasted Cauliflower

Sunday: 

• Stuffed Peppers  I ended up working some extra at work on Sunday night so I wanted something I could prep early in the day and just have the hubs cook. This was perfect for that. I literally threw it together in no time and just let it simmer on low while I was doing other things. Everyone raved about it at dinner and I got eat it for lunch on Monday and it was delicious. A perfect blend of savory and spice. Some Modifications: I did add one link of hot Italian sausage from Whole Foods and did NOT add any almond flour and it was still a great consistency. I shredded my carrots and didn't use parsnips because I don't like them all that much....

• Peas I know we're crazy about peas...and cauliflower and broccoli....

Dont' forget to set your fish out if you've bought frozen, I've had really good luck with frozen tasting very fresh at TJ

Monday: 

• Maple Ginger Glazed Salmon. This is a basic glaze that I've used on salmon for a while and it always turns out great. The perfect blend of sweet and savory. 

                                Ingredients:

                                    4 small salmon fillets, skin on

                                    1/2 cup grapefruit juice (have used orange too and it was fine)

                                    1/4 cup maple syrup

                                    1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

                                    Ground ginger, probably 1/2 tsp

                                    Garlic powder, a couple shakes

                                    Salt and Pepper

                                    1 T olive oil

                               Directions:

                                     1.) Dump all your glaze ingredients in a sauce pan except the olive oil and boil on

                                          low until reduced to a glaze consistency, it took maybe 5 minutes

                                     2.) Heat some coconut oil in a large pan (I use cast iron only) and put your salmon

                                          in skin side down

                                     3.) Add your olive oil to the glaze and then immediately dump it onto your cooking 

                                          salmon, I used a spoon to occasionally baste my salmon with the glaze

                                     4.) Cook until your desired doneness and use the glaze as a sauce for your salmon

• Green Beans, I just bought one of those steam bag ones and was pleasantly surprised at how fresh they tasted..

Tuesday: 

• Asian Ground Beef Broccoli Slaw So, remember how I've mentioned I forget to set the meat out in time...a lot....well, I was scheduled to work Tuesday night and forgot to set the meat out for what I was planning on making but thankfully I had everything on hand for this recipe again so I threw it together on Monday night for the fam to reheat for dinner. The hubs hadn't had it yet and his text to me was "this tastes like the most amazing burger ever with so much flavor" so I think he approves!! 

Set your pork chops out!

Wednesday:

• Pork Chops with Sauteed Cabbage and Shredded Apple slaw. This is something else I threw together because I thought the flavors would meld well and I think they totally did!

                                     Ingredients:

                                         Pork chops (I used boneless)

                                         Shredded cabbage

                                         Shredded apple, I left the peel on and just ran them through the food processor

                                         Ground ginger

                                         Ground nutmeg

                                         Ground cinnamon

                                         Coconut oil

                                         Salt and Pepper

                                    Directions: 

                                          1.) Heat coconut oil in pan and saute shredded cabbage until starting to soften

                                          2.) Add shredded apple and spices

                                          3.) In a separate pan heat some more coconut oil

                                          4.) Season pork chops with salt and pepper and cook in coconut oil until desired

                                               doneness reached. 

                                          5.) Serve slaw on top of chops

• Roasted Broccoli

Tomorrows dinner has to use defrosted or fresh burger so make sure you have some ready to go!

Thursday: 

• Mini Paleo Pizzas So this was supposed to be the meal for the hubs and kids on Tuesday night while I was at work, but since I failed to set the meat out early enough I moved it to tonight and it has kept me from ordering pizza for the kids and the babysitter to eat! I'm not sure they're going to be as excited as I am but oh well! I think these little guys are so cute and I'm excited about the possibility for future lunches for the kids. The hubs and I are going to dinner at this great little place that supports the Paleo community by providing not only Paleo meals, but Whole30 meals as well with some of our bestest friends who happen to eat Paleo too! I cooked the "crust" up and put the toppings on them for the sitter (who did the dishes and picked up and was a joy to talk to!!!! NO I will not give her name to anyone and yes I have already secured her for two days a week this summer!!!) to finish in the oven at dinner time. After getting home from our delish Paleo meal, which I forgot to take a picture of, I reheated one little guy to see how they were and they were down right tasty! I'm going to make a batch for the kids lunches next week! 

Staples:

• Coconut Flour
• Salt
• Pepper
• Pecans
• Coconut Oil
• Olive Oil
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Onion
• Garlic
• Garlic Powder
• Basil (dried)
• Thyme (dried)
• Maple syrup
• Ground ginger
• Ground nutmeg
• Ground cinnamon
• Shallots
• Coconut aminos
• Italian seasoning

Fruit:

• Mango
• Avocado
• Blueberries
• Grapefruit
• Apples
• Oranges
• Bananas

Veggies:

• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• Green onions
• Jalapeno
• Salad
• Spinach
• Mushrooms
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• 4-6 Bell Peppers (I used 4 large green ones and it was the perfect amt of filling)
• Carrots
• Peas
• Bag of broccoli/carrot slaw
• Shredded cabbage

Meat:

• 1 lb ground chicken thigh (could use breast, thigh is cheaper and has more good fat!)
• 8 boneless/skinless chicken thighs (I used 8 b/c I knew that's how many slices come in my bacon)
• Bacon
• 4 lb ground beef
• 1 link Spicy Italian Sausage (If you want to add it, it was pretty tasty!)
• Salmon
• Pork Chops
• Pepperoni

Etc:

• Shredded coconut, unsweetened. Can find this at Whole Foods
• Parsley
• Eggs
• Roasted Red Pepper
• Tomato sauce
• Diced tomatoes
• Tomato paste
• Pizza toppings...whatever you like, mozzarella will be on them for the kids but not ours 

Paleo Pumpkin Donut Holes

When I started cooking Paleofied "normal" foods like pancakes, muffins, and breads my husband was not a fan. . .at all. . .in fact he told me "If we're going to do this Paleo thing you can't make anything that isn't 'Paleo' 'Paleo approved' by changing the ingredients just because you want to eat it." Not sure if it was word for word, but it was close enough! I stopped for a while, but there is something comforting about a muffin right out of the oven with some delicious clarified butter and a cup of coffee in the morning. So I tried again, and this time I just started very slowly and I'm happy to report that the recipe you're about to read about made the cut...they were amazingly delicious!!

I won't be able to post these types of recipes very often because I have NO self control when it comes to baked goods! Even though they are better than the standard ones, there are more nutrient dense options for breakfast than donut holes rolled in goodness! Mine came out more like little mini muffins, but if I would've used less batter they would've looked just like donut holes.

Here's the original recipe link: Almond Flour Pumpkin Donut Holes

Here's what I changed to make it consistent with Paleo recommendations:

• I only used about 1/8 cup of maple syrup...only because I thought they would be sweet enough rolled in sugar
• I used 1/4 cup coconut oil instead of canola oil
• I used clarified butter to dip them in after cooked
• I used palm sugar (from coconuts) instead of sugar. This will probably give a whirl in my food processor next time to make it a finer consistency. 

In order to make my morning run faster I mixed my dry ingredients in one bowl and my wet in another one the night before and put both bowls in the fridge together. In the the morning I just mixed them together and scooped them into my new silicone mini muffin pan that I LOVE LOVE LOVE (seriously, take a look at that pick, the donut holes just plopped right out with nothing left behind!!!!)  These were literally on the table in 20 minutes, right along with some eggs and sausage and were gone in about 3 minutes!!!

Week Three

Holy cow, this is making the weeks fly by! This week I tried some new recipes off my ever expanding "Paleo" Pinterest board and some good classics that we could eat every week, seriously...when I tell the kids what we're having for dinner there are squeals of delight and jumping up and down. Eating Paleo is a lot of work, it's time consuming, and it requires a change of the traditional love/hate relationship with food...but it's worth it. You will be feeding your body the nutrient dense food it craves to perform at it's optimal level. Here's week three's menu and grocery list!


Friday:

• Baked Chicken Meatballs These were new and were really tasty, I'll for sure make them again..even though I ended up using 2lb of Chicken and the extra mixed in things for only 1lb and didn't realize it until they were baking...I am really bad about that kind of stuff!!!!
• Zucchini Noodles with spaghetti sauce (use a jar if that's what you have time for, just check the ingredients for hidden nastiness. I use the Puttanesca sauce from TJ and add a can of diced tomatoes to mellow the kick a bit)

Saturday: (one of my staple go to meals for nights I'm working and the hubs is in charge!)

• Fire Roasted Beef Roast: 3-4 lb beef roast (I buy what's one sale), one onion sliced, 1 can Fire Roasted Tomatoes, 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar...dump in crock pot and cook on low for 8ish hours
• Peas        

Sunday: 

• Damn Fine Chicken This is another one of my staples, I could eat it every single week and not get tired of it. I do switch from baking to broil at the end to get all the skin crunchy and I do double the marinade because as you heard last week, I love me some cooked shallots...and the kids love love love this
• Braised Brussel Sprouts (our traditional way is roasted covered with bacon..it'll be tough to beat...) I'm not sure these were as good with bacon but they were good. 

Monday: 

• Asian Ground Beef and Broccoli Slaw (one pot meat and veggies..we'll give it a whirl!) This was super tasty. So much so that I made some more just to have for an extra snack when I was starving! I will be buying the stuff to make it and have it in the fridge next week for emergency lunches!

Tuesday:

• Balsamic Maple Glazed Salmon This was tasty, had a good sweet/acid balance.
• Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower (we eat this a lot! The kids love it and I love it that I can throw it in the oven and it's pretty fuss free!)

Wednesday:

• Chicken and Vegetable Lo Mein I don't add any veggies to this because it's all together in one pot and one of our favorite meals..I double it every time. The ingredient list reflects this. This meal is one of those that it's sooo nice to have prepped before hand. I always chop all my broccoli/cauliflower on grocery day and had the chicken already cubed so literally I opened bags and dumped stuff...it makes for a quick dinner

Thursday:

•  Pork Carnitas: This might be one of our most favorite recipes for pork. It's sooo savory and amazing. I always have good intentions of saving some for an actual traditional recipe that uses carnitas style meat, but it never lasts! We eat this for breakfast with a little garlic chili sauce and it's amazing...for real, melt in your mouth amazing..
• Fajita veggies: I just chop up some onions, bell peppers, mushrooms (and usually dump whatever other extra veggies I can find), saute them in coconut oil and then plop them under the broiler until they're done to our liking.

Staples:

• Onion
• Garlic
• Egg
• Olive Oil
• Coconut Oil
• Coconut Aminos
• Sherry Vinegar
• Fish Sauce
• Allspice
• Red wine
• Red wine vinegar
• Honey
• Almonds
• Sesame Oil
• Sesame Seeds
• Cinnamon stick
• Bay leaf
• Chili powder
• Cumin

Fruit:

• Bananas
• Pears
• Berries (2 kinds)
• Avocado
• Apples

Veggies:

• Zucchini (I plan on 1 per adult and 1/2 per kid..more for leftovers if you want that)
• Peas
• Onion/Shallot/Garlic mix from Trader Joes (only bc I'm fixing this on a day I work and want to cut time down)
• Broccoli Slaw (1 bag)
• Mushrooms (2 packs, I use baby bella for everything despite what the recipe tells me to do...)
• Spinach (my standard 2 bags)
• Bag Salad (my standard 2 bags)
• Shallots (4)
• Scallions/Green onions
• Brussel Sprouts (I like the bagged version from TJ)
• Celery
• Fresh ginger (it's worth it in the Lo Mein)
• Broccoli (2)
• Cauliflower
• Shredded cabbage
• Bell peppers

Meat:

• 1 lb Ground Chicken (or grind breast in a food processor..that's too much work for me)
• Bacon
• 3-4 lb Beef Roast
• 2 lb Ground Beef
• Family Pack of Drumsticks (10ish)
• Salmon (4 ounces per person. I don't love fish leftovers so don't usually make extra)
• 2 lb chicken breast (dice it before you freeze it)
• 3-4 lb Pork shoulder/butt roast

Etc:

• Eggs
• Tomato sauce
• Parsley
• Fire Roasted Tom
• 1 Can Water Chestnuts

Is It Worth It??

When we started Paleo I thought for sure that I would miss everything that was on the "no" list. Pasta is warm, comforting, it's hella easy to throw a meal together with it, and it's just absolutely delicious. Pizza is one of my favorite foods. Ice cream . . I can't even begin to describe my love for ice cream, really words can't do it justice. Unfortunately all these things make me feel like I have a bowling ball in my stomach after I eat them and they makes me look like I've got that same bowling ball still hanging out for the next two days AT LEAST!!! (Never mind all the damage they're doing that I can't see or feel to my intestinal lining and all the resulting inflammation that I can feel with a generalized achy feeling!)

Having these effects after eating so many of the things we previously enjoyed honestly makes me sad. I was hoping that it wouldn't be that way since I never felt horrible when I ate a standard diet before, or at least I didn't think I did! We by no means claim to be the most perfect Paleo eaters, we enjoy going out and getting ice cream with our kids and not feeling guilty about it...but when it makes you feel like poo the next day is it worth it?

Here's a little back info as to why this has been such a prominent discussion lately in our house: The hubs had been eating whatever Paleo meal I fixed for dinner since I started 15 months ago but didn't take it seriously until I started my Whole30 in January. He actually wanted in and we completely rocked it (except for our one splurge on day 15 of homemade cinnamon rolls, I mean seriously..fresh from the oven warm gooey cinnamon rolls...they were TOTALLY worth the bowling ball look). After the cinnamon rolls we even restarted the 30 days again and felt great at the end. But then comes what I call the "this is a special day because (fill in whatever lame excuse you can come up with to have something that's going to taste great going down but haunt you for at least the next 24-48 hours) so we should go somewhere special and eat a treat meal" reasoning. It sounds completely legit in my head and I've been told I can justify anything...but is it really worth it. Does it make every sprint to the bathroom (you know what I'm talking about) and the feeling of dragging through the next few days like you're walking through sludge completely and totally worth it?

Here comes to play our "Worth It Foods" list. When we finished our Whole30 we came up with a list of things that we thought were worth it..."thought" being the key word there. I've said this before, but we are not robots. We like a good beer, some tasty salty caramel ice cream from our local ice cream joint, and some delicious pizza. So for our list there were about 7 things that made the cut. Well, I would HIGHLY suggest NOT trying two out of the 7 in one night. And if you are thinking about doing that DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT get a bigger size frozen custard than you normally do just because it's mixed with the most amazing oatmeal cookies ever...it's going to hurt and it's going to hurt BAD.

And it's not worth it. We actually eliminated it from our list (and I modified that I'll only eat the salad at Dewey's too) because the way we feel when we put whole, real, quality food into our bodies is soooo much more worth it than feeling way less than optimal for a couple days. What are the worth it foods to you? Do you have "treats" just because...or is it something that is the most amazing thing you've ever tasted?