Breakfast Casserole

I've made this twice now- the first time it was gone so quickly I didn't get a picture. So here it is in all its glory and deliciousness.  A small square of this is perfect for an after CrossFit pick-me-up or over spinach for lunch or dinner.

Breakfast Casserole:

Ingredients:

• 8 eggs
• 1 lb sausage
• 1 onion
• 2 cups mushroom
• 3 cups spinach
• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Brown sausage in a skillet, leave grease in the pan. Shred sweet potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes (until just starting to brown) in sausage grease. Remove from the skillet and add olive oil. Saute onion, then add mushrooms and chopped spinach (if frozen make sure to thaw first). Whisk eggs in a large mixing bowl and add all cooked ingredients. Incorporate well then pour into a greased baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Turkey and Kale Pot Pie

Growing up in Missouri I dreaded cold weather. The one benefit (aside from cute sweaters) was my grandmother's chicken pot pie, which my mom would make in a large quantity and leave in the fridge for leftovers. I finally decided it was time to do some paleo experimentation to recreate a healthier version of my grandmother's recipe. Here is version number one, which is actually delicious. If anyone knows how to create a flakier crust I'm all ears.

Turkey and Kale Pot Pie:

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 3 cups almond flour
• 1.5 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1 tablespoons water

Filling:

• 2 turkey breasts
• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 1 bag frozen kale
• 2 cups chopped carrots
• 1 onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper

For the crust:  Pulse all ingredients in food processor (coconut oil should be room temp). Place dough covered in the fridge for about 45 minutes. Split dough into fourths and roll out on a surface covered in almond flour. When filling is in the pan lay the dough directly on top.

For the filling: Bake turkey breasts on a foil lined baking sheet (cover with olive oil, salt, and pepper). Heat high sided skillet with olive oil, and add chopped onion. Once onion has just started to brown, add almond flour and stir. Then add chicken stock and coconut milk. Add the cubed turkey, carrots, and celery, then the kale. Salt and pepper as desired. Pour into a baking dish, covering with the dough. Bake at 375 for about an hour.

Chocolate Paleo Cake

I didn't get a better picture of this before it was no longer in any condition to be photographed. I will warn you, leaving this cake out on the counter with a knife is DANGEROUS. 

Chocolate Paleo Cake:

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• coconut oil

Melt chocolate over low heat, slowly adding coconut milk. Once melted, transfer to a mixing bowl and add eggs. Add in dry ingredients, including shredded coconut and mix well.  Sprinkle almonds on top and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

A Night of Stolen Recipes

Dear blog: I'm sorry for neglecting you. Love, Brittany. P.S. Sorry readers who have come to rely on me for kitchen inspiration.

I hope this massive post of recipes will make up for my lack of posting, which has been a result of an acute hip flexor injury and a few stressful weeks at work.  Luckily my best friend and I both managed to carve out an evening to spend in the kitchen. Lots of laughs and yummy noises came from my kitchen that evening. All three recipes were stolen from other blogs, which I will give ample blog cred to below. Although bringing creativity into food is something I love, after a long few weeks it was nice to follow instructions without much thinking. On top of that, these recipes were actually fairly simple and yielded delicious food (with leftovers, score!)

Paleo Beef Stew:

Recipe: http://paleodietlifestyle.com/hearty-beef-stew/

Our additions: We added lots of fresh herbs and a couple tablespoons of arrow root powder at the end of cooking time to thicken it up.

Fall Harvest Salad with Warm Maple Bacon Vinaigrette:

Recipe: http://www.simplyscratch.com/2012/10/fall-harvest-salad-with-warm-maple-bacon-dressing.html

We followed this recipe exactly and it was AMAZING. The dressing doesn't keep, so plan accordingly.

Pumpkin Bars:

Recipe: http://www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com/2011/12/01/grain-free-pumpkin-bars-with-creamy-frosting/

Our additions: We added maple syrup because the batter isn't very sweet as written. We also didn't plan ahead by putting the coconut milk in the fridge, so we beat the thick top half of a can of coconut cream for 8-10 minutes until it reached desired consistency.

Rosemary Dijon Chops

Rosemary Dijon Chops:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb butterfly pork chops
• 2 tablespoons raw honey
• 3 tablespoons stone ground Dijon mustard
• fresh rosemary
• coconut oil

Pat pork chops dry with a paper towel. Mix honey, mustard, and rosemary in a bowl adding a dash of salt if you choose. Heat a skillet with coconut oil on medium heat. Brush mixture onto chops immediately before frying in coconut oil. Cook about 3 minutes each side. 

Burgers, Two Ways.

Paleo friendly burger options two ways! 

Avocado Sliders:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb grass fed beef
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons almond flour
• salt and pepper
• 2 avocados
• garlic

Mix beef, egg, almond flour, and salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix ripe avocados and minimal garlic in another bowl. Form beef into 16 flat patties, spooning avocado mixture into the center of 8. Seal the patties together by pinching around the edges. Broil on a foil lined baking sheet 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking time. 


Kale Turkey Burgers:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• salt and pepper
• 3 cups kale
• 1 tablespoon chopped shallots
• 1/2 onion
• 2 tablespoons garlic
• 3/4 cup chopped mushrooms
• coconut oil

Saute onion, garlic, and shallots in coconut oil- low heat 5 minutes. Add kale and mushrooms and saute another 5 minutes. Mix ground turkey, egg, coconut flour, and salt and pepper. Form into 8 flat patties, spooning the cooled kale mixture onto 4 of the patties, sealing them off with the other four. Bake at 375 on a foil lined baking sheet 20 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking time.

Basil Steak Stir Fry with Avocado Puree

This is awesome with the avocado puree for dinner, but the leftovers made for a great scramble the next day. Scramble with eggs or kale (or both). Enjoy!

Basil Steak Stir Fry with Avocado Puree:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb steak
• 1 red pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 2 cups mushrooms
• 1 white onion
• 1/8-1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
• 1 avocado
• 2 tablespoons garlic
• 2 tsp lime juice

Cook steak however you want. Saute all chopped veggies in oil (coconut or olive oil), and add basil. Add chopped steak and saute everything together for about a minute. For the puree: pulse avocado, garlic, and lime juice in a food processor, 4-5 pulses or until desired consistency. 

Fluffy Cookies

I'm calling these fluffy cookies because my job requires a lot of brain cells and I wasn't able to come up with a more creative name. These are really good, and probably the fluffiest paleo cookies I've managed to produce. Definitely dinner party material people.

Fluffy Cookies:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond butter
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
• 1 tablespoon raw honey
• 1/2 cup Enjoy Life Chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Mix almond butter, eggs, and vanilla, then add baking soda, honey, and coconut sugar. Fold in coconut flakes, chocolate chips, and walnuts. Bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes. Makes 12 cookies, so share with a buddy! 

Spinach Stuffed and Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin

So I really want a fancy digital camera.. and a nice big set of white square dishes. I think it would really improve the quality of my food photos. However that's an investment of several hundred dollars and I would rather go to CrossFit for the next few months, so until my photographic talents are discovered by Canon or someone else with a lot of money it's just me and my IPhone camera.  I think photography would be a super fun hobby; my Facebook friends would probably be pumped to see even more photos of my two neurotic dogs :-) Anyway, about the food I cooked this week. Pork wrapped in more pork. Here it is!

Spinach Stuffed and Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin:

 
Ingredients:

• 2 small pork loins
• 1 package nitrate free bacon
• 2 cups frozen spinach
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper

Thaw spinach, then saute in olive oil. Lightly salt the pork loins. Cut a slit in each, and stuff with spinach and garlic mix, then wrap bacon around each (pictured below)

Grind fresh pepper over each bacon wrapped pork loin. Put in baking dish, bake at 375 for 50-60 minutes.

Primal Peach Cobbler

I love weekends with my parents. Not only do their visits give me an excuse to do something new, but also it's a great excuse to make paleo treats! Yesterday I drove my dad and my partner out to Herman's Orchard in Saint Charles, MO. They have amazing juicy peaches (the size of softballs) practically falling off their trees and ready for picking. I love the idea of picking my own food- straight from the tree, to my hand, to my kitchen. Knowing where my food comes from has become more and more important to me as I've continued to research the way food is grown, raised, and produced. In addition, a greater understanding of economics and the benefit of supporting local farmers has been a motivating factor in being more cognizant of where I'm buying my food and where I'm going out to eat. Herman's still has lots of peaches, tomatoes, and peppers ready for picking. I plan to make the trip back out in the fall for apple picking if anyone is interested in coming along!

Herman's Orchard:

I've made several attempts at paleo cobbler in the past, all with frozen fruit. I have to say, fresh fruit makes a HUGE difference. Here is my creation!

Primal Peach Cobbler:

Ingredients:

• 3 large peaches, chopped
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons raw organic honey
• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 4 tablespoons ghee or grassfed butter
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 3-4 teaspoons organic maple syrup 

Place chopped peaches in the bottom of a baking dish. Pour lemon juice and honey on top, then sprinkle with coconut sugar. Let sit for about an hour. Chop walnuts or pulse in food processor. Mix with almond flour and coconut flour. Melt butter and coconut oil and stir into the flour/nut mixture.  Sprinkle over peaches and bake for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Drizzle maple syrup on the top and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes. Let it sit for about 10 minutes and it will firm up!

Stuffed Pork Loin

Over the weekend I had the most amazing pork chop at Big Sky in Webster Groves. Served with potatoes and kale (yes, kale again!) Big Sky provided an amazing paleo meal. Their food sources are local and organic, putting the restaurant at the top of my favorites list. I decided I wanted to make some awesome pork too, so I stuffed a pork loin. This was my first attempt, which surprisingly turned out to be blog worthy. However, you can totally expect improved pork loin recipes in the weeks to come :-)

Stuffed Pork Loin:

Ingredients:

• Pork loin
• 8 pieces uncured bacon
• 10 oz mushrooms
• 3 cups spinach
• 1/2 onion
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• Freshly ground pepper

Butterfly pork loin, then pound it out with a mallet or hammer as flat as possible. Cook bacon in a skillet. Remove bacon and add coconut oil to the fat left in the skillet. Saute onion, mushrooms, and chopped spinach. Mix with bacon pieces and place on loin. Fold pork loin over once (if it's flat enough you can roll twice, but mine was really thick), then hold it together with toothpicks. Place in a roasting pan and grind pepper over the top. I baked mine at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. I then sliced it and baked the slices in a baking dish for another 15 minutes. Baking time will depend on your oven and how thick the pork loin is. 

Easy Paleo Hash

Paleo cooking does not have to be difficult, time consuming, or a financial burden. Hash is a relatively inexpensive and quick way to throw together an awesome paleo breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Here are two that I throw together regularly.

Beef Hash:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb grass fed beef
• 1 green pepper
• 1 large sweet potato
• 3 cups kale
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• salt and pepper

Brown beef. In a separate skillet heat coconut oil and saute chopped sweet potato about 8 minutes. Throw in green pepper for about 3 minutes, then kale. Add beef and salt and pepper. VOILA!

Sausage and Bacon Hash:

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb sausage (Applegate is a good brand)
• 3/4 package nitrate free bacon
• 2 cups kale
• 2 cups spinach
• 1 large sweet potato
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• salt and pepper

Cook sausage and bacon. Saute sweet potato in coconut oil. Add in meat, kale, and spinach then salt and pepper. Enjoy :-)

Primal Walnut Brownies

These are good.. like really good. These are so good that I would recommend making a pan and then rationing them out for a week so you don't over indulge. Sharing with a paleo buddy is also always an option :-) Thanks to my paleo/CrossFit buddy Nikki for taking a few off my hands.

Primal Walnut Brownies:

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup organic maple syrup
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients, folding in walnuts last. Bake in a foil lined pan for 20-25 minutes. 

Bacon Guacamole

This week I went to a CrossFit party. Not just any CrossFit party, a CrossFit Saint Louis Endurance Style Paleo Potluck Party. Try saying that five times fast. A couple months ago I had to stop attending my favorite CF class due to health reasons. I left the comfort of my endurance girls and started driving 20 minutes to a new box that was air conditioned (evidently one is less likely to faint in air conditioning, who knew?!). I found a great new community, but I think you always leave a little piece of your heart with the people who you WODed it up with when you were a newbie. The trainer who facilitates the class is one of the most motivating coaches I've ever worked with, and she also happens to know how to throw quite a party.
Exhibit A:

 Exhibit B:

Beautiful table, amazing people, and delicious food. I love going to dinner parties where no one judges me for turning down the dairy and gluten :-) My contribution to the potluck was Bacon Guacamole and Plantain Chips:

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe avocados
• 1 medium firm tomato
• 3/4 large white onion
• fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• salt and pepper
• 8 slices uncured bacon

Cook bacon on a cookie sheet at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes, until crispy. Mix all ingredients by hand. Plantain chips are from Trader Joes!

*Photo credit to the lovely hostess JoAnna Dettmann. 

Kale- Three Ways

Last weekend I ran into an acquaintance at Trader Joes who caught me throwing inordinate amounts of kale in my shopping cart. She asked what I put it in and I wasn't sure how to respond. I laughed and told her I put it in everything. I don't think she totally believed me, so here is my proof. I put kale in EVERYTHING.. but here are three things you will probably eat too :-)

Skillet Tuna and Kale:

 Ingredients:

• 2 cups kale
• 1 can tuna
• 1 avocado
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil

 Throw coconut oil, kale, and tuna in a skillet for 2-3 minutes. Serve with avocado. YUM.

Stir Fry Veggies with Kale:

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch asparagus
• 10 oz mushrooms
• 1 onion
• 4 cups kale
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

 Stir fry in skillet- add asparagus first, then onion, then mushroom, then kale.

Kale Burgers:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb grass fed beef
• 2 cups kale
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon almond flour
• 1/2 onion
• salt and pepper

Throw kale in a skillet with a spoon of coconut oil for about a minute. Mix the rest of the ingredients by hand and form into six patties. Broil on a foil lined baking sheet, 6-8 minutes on each side. 

See? Eating kale is easy :-) 

Strawberry Nut Blondies

These make for an awesome high-protein snack or a great vehicle for curbing sweet cravings after dinner! You could probably even flatten them and pass them off as cookies for your paleo kiddos.

Strawberry Nut Blondies:

Ingredients:

• 10 figs
• 3/4 cup hazelnuts
• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 cup chopped strawberries (fresh)
• 1/4 cup Enjoy Life mini chips
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 cup shredded coconut

Pulse figs in the food processor, then add hazelnuts and walnuts and pulse until finely ground. Add coconut oil and pulse again. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl and fold in chocolate chips and chopped strawberries. Roll into balls and roll in shredded coconut. Refrigerate 2 hours before consuming. *Store refrigerated.  

Paleo Lasagna Casserole

This is a casserole version of the lasagna I posted a few weeks ago. This is super easy to throw in a to-go container and heat up at lunch. Meat, veggies, and some carbs from the sweet potato make for a filling lunch all in one dish!

Paleo Lasagna Casserole:

Ingredients:

• 1 sweet potato
• 1 zucchini
• 1 bag frozen spinach
• 1 lb grass fed beef
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 small can tomato paste
• Italian seasonings

Use a peeler to peel sweet potatoes (without skin) and zucchini, or shred using a cheese grater. Brown beef, then add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and Italian seasonings. Thaw spinach making sure all of the water is drained before adding it to the lasagna. Layer all ingredients, starting with tomato/beef sauce and ending with a layer of spinach. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Kale Shake

I went to Penzeys Spices in Maplewood a couple weeks ago and bought the largest bag of high quality cocoa powder I could find. Penzeys is a great place to buy high quality spices for all purposes, however my purpose had nothing but sweet intentions :-) I would highly recommend checking them out if you need to spice up your meat and veggies or you just need a great set of salt and pepper grinders. While you are there, pick up some chocolate so you can make this delicious shake. This is an improvement on the chocolate shake I posted a couple weeks ago, mostly in that I managed to shove in another serving of veggies!

Chocolate Kale Shake:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 bananas
• 1 avocado
• 3/4 cup frozen cherries
• 1 1/2 cups kale, chopped and boiled
• 2 1/2-3 cups almond milk
• 3 tablespoons almond butter
• 3 tablespoons chia seeds
• 2 tablespoons raw organic honey
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder

Boil kale (without stems) about 5 minutes. Blend with the rest of the ingredients. Yields 3-4 servings. 

Gluten Free Chia Seed Bread

Ahhh my first paleo bread was a huge success! I did some research and threw together my own bread recipe. Most "paleo" sites will tell you to use brown sugar and/or arrowroot powder, but I managed to make this happen with only paleo ingredients and it tastes pretty good. Plus, this is one more excuse to smear almond butter on something ;-)

Gluten Free Chia Seed Bread:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups almond flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 5 eggs
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons raw organic honey

Mix dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients. Whisk all ingredients together until batter thickens (about 1 minute of vigorous whisking). Pour into a greased bread pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Let in cool in pan 15 minutes before slicing. 

Paleo Lasagna

The cute little face in the background is my dog Macie. She's probably the most food motivated beagle you will ever meet (okay, food motivated is a nice word for glutton). I eat most meals with my arm around my plate protecting my food and cook most meals with the risk of tripping over her. Don't worry, she had several chunks of grass fed beef in the making of this meal, plus a piece of zucchini that fell off the cutting board :-)

Paleo Lasagna:

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato
• 2 zucchini
• 1 1/2 cup spinach
• 3 cups chopped mushrooms
• 1 lb grass fed beef
• 2 cans tomato sauce (sugar free, organic)
• Italian seasonings

Brown beef and add tomato sauce and seasonings. Slice sweet potatoes and zucchini, and chop mushrooms. Start layering all the ingredients, starting and ending with a layer of the sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. 

Sweet Potato Brownies

I told you I love chocolate :-) The original recipe is from PaleOMG.

 Sweet Potato Brownies:

Ingredients:

• 1 sweet potato
• 3 eggs, whisked
• ¼ cup coconut oil melted
• ⅓ cup raw honey
• ½ cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
• 3 tablespoons coconut flour
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Bake the sweet potato, about 30 minutes at 425 degrees. Mash the sweet potato, then mix all wet ingredients. Add in dry ingredients. Pour into foil lined baking dish and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Chocolate Avocado Banana Almondmilk Shake

I'm not gunna lie, this is totally lunch today. Most of you know I love sweets. Some of my earlier posts have discussed the advantages and disadvantages of Paleo sweets (disadvantage= high calorie, advantage= really delicious and curbs cravings). When I first went paleo, I ate a completely paleo diet expect for cookies. Then I replaced those with paleo baked goods. Then I tried to cut out paleo baked goods too, except I just went back to cookies. Soooo. Here I am drinking this chocolate paleo shake for lunch and fully intend to make sweet potato brownies later. I try to pace myself, limit my portions, and more importantly I try not to stress. Life is too short not to eat chocolate.

Oh, also. This isn't my recipe.  I found this on Meaningful Eats (http://blog.meaningfuleats.com/). Her recipes aren't all paleo but they are all gluten free. Most can be modified to fit into the paleo framework if you're hardcore.

Chocolate Avocado Banana Almondmilk Shake:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cold almond milk
• 1 cup ice
• 1 ripe banana
• ½ an avocado
• 2 tablespoons almond butter
• 2 tablespoons raw cacao powder
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 2 tablespoons raw honey

Blend all ingredients. Enjoy! 

Sausage, Date, and Spinach Stuffed Squash

I almost feel guilty holding this recipe hostage for a week because these were really amazing. I wrapped them individually in foil on Sunday evening which made packing my lunch super easy this week. I do wish I had peeled the skin off before wrapping them because I had to eat lunch in the car one day and struggled. I'm pretty sure there are remainders of all the ingredients left in a company car (whoops!).

Sausage, Date, and Spinach Stuffed Squash:

Ingredients:

• 2 small/medium butternut squash
• 1 lb sausage
• 2 cups frozen spinach 
• 10 medjool dates
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon raw organic honey
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Cut butternut squash and empty the seeds. You will have to cut or hollow out (with a spoon) a larger hole in the squash to fit in all the ingredients, you can either do it raw or wait until after the squash has cooked and softened. Melt oil and honey, then mix both with cinnamon. Drizzle over the squash and put on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. While the squash are baking, brown the sausage, drain, and set aside.  Thaw the spinach and squeeze out all the water with a strainer or paper towel. Chop dates (medjool dates have pits, don't include those), then mix all three ingredients together. Once the squash are done, stuff the ingredients as shown in the picture. Bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Sausage and Broccoli Egg Cups

These were so easy to make AND grab on the go. They also lasted me all week because this recipe made a million of them. I would recommend cutting the recipe in half or find a paleo friend and share!

Sausage and Broccoli Egg Cups:

Ingredients:

• 8 eggs
• ~3/4 lb sausage
• ~2 cups chopped broccoli 
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• salt and pepper

Cook sausage in a skillet then drain and set aside. Chop broccoli and mix with cooled sausage. Whisk together eggs and coconut milk (or throw in a blender and pulse a couple of times). Salt and pepper the egg mixture and mix in sausage and broccoli with a wooden spoon. Fill egg cups about 3/4 of the way full. Bake at 350 degrees about 15 minutes. The sides brown before the tops, FYI :-) 

Roasted Broccoli and Bacon

I did not work out enough this week to deserve bacon in my broccoli, but you might have so I thought I would post this just in case you WODed it up. Honestly I'm not convinced that bacon is ALL that bad for you, despite its stigma. If you know differently don't tell me, because it's too delicious to give up.

Roasted Broccoli and Bacon:

 
Ingredients:

• 2 heads of broccoli
• 6 pieces uncured bacon
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons garlic
• salt and pepper

Chop broccoli and bacon, then toss with olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a bag or bowl. Roast on a foil lined baking sheet at 425 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Toss around every 10 minutes so the broccoli doesn't get overcooked on one side. 

Paleo Ginger Turkey Nuggets

It's like McDonalds, except not really at all because these are made with high quality meat and are fried in the healthy goodness of coconut oil. They certainly bring me back to childhood though. For those of you with kiddos (and picky partners and spouses) these make for a great treat meal! Enjoy :-)

Paleo Ginger Turkey Nuggets:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 egg, whisked
• 3 teaspoons ground ginger
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• coconut oil

Mix ground turkey, egg, 2 teaspoons of ground ginger, and salt and pepper. Form into little nuggets (I made about 10 and they seemed big, so maybe shoot for 12). Mix coconut flour and the other teaspoon of ginger in a shallow dish. Lightly coat each nugget with the coconut flour mixture, then fry on medium high heat for about one minute on each side. Finish by baking in a baking dish on 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Burgers with Bacon/Onion Marmalade

I know I know, I went MIA again. I hope the recipes from last week made up for my absence the past six days (has it been six days?? EEK!) Excuse #1: I traveled to Indianapolis for a long weekend- luckily my Auntie Daun is AMAZING and had a fridge stocked full of Paleo food, as well as some decadent Paleo/raw brownie cookie dough bars. Excuse #2: I'm still running on slow mode from being sick, this thing will not go away. I've skipped so many days of CrossFit I can't even count. As you know, bacon is my comfort food. Beef comes in a close second, so these burgers were perfect (asparagus were consumed for good measure).

Burgers with Bacon/Onion Marmalade:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb grass fed beef
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 1/2 onion
• 1/2 apple
• 5 pieces uncured bacon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon raw organic honey

To make the burgers: mix beef, egg, and coconut flour (use your hands people, no need for a wooden spoon here).  Form into 4-6 patties and place on foil lined baking sheet. If you are lucky enough to own a grill, go for it. If not, broil about 8 minutes on each side.

To make the marmalade: Chop onion into slivers, caramelize in olive oil on medium-high heat. Cook bacon however you please (I bake mine in the oven at 400 for about 15 minutes). Slice apple into slivers. Once the onions are caramelized add apple cider vinegar and cook about 1 minute. Then add cooked bacon and apple slivers. Drizzle honey over and cook another 3-5 minutes. Serve on top of burgers and fill the rest of your plate with veggies!

Pork and Broccoli Stir Fry with Rosemary Sweet Potatoes

I know that stir fry usually involves soy sauce (which has more sugar than a marshmallow, btw- okay, I don't know that, but soy sauce has a very high sugar content), so I used balsamic in this recipe. There are Paleo "soy sauce" recipes floating around out there using coconut aminos, but I didn't have the time or energy to hunt those down this weekend.. and honestly I liked the flavor that the drizzle of balsamic added to the pork and broccoli. This whole meal took about an hour to make, and there are enough leftovers for tomorrow, hooray!

Pork and Broccoli Stir Fry with Rosemary Sweet Potatoes:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb pork chops
• 1 head broccoli
• 10 oz mushrooms
• olive oil
• balsamic
• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• rosemary salt blend
• salt and pepper

Season pork chops with salt and pepper, then bake for 25 minutes (depending on cut) in a baking dish at 350 degrees.  Peel and chop sweet potatoes and boil in 3 cups of water for about 5 minutes. Using a wok or high sided skillet, cook broccoli and mushrooms in olive oil seasoning lightly with salt and pepper. Drizzle balsamic over the veggies and turn heat to low. When the pork is cooked, chop and add to broccoli and mushrooms. In a separate skillet, melt coconut oil on high heat. Turn heat to medium-high and add sweet potatoes. Add rosemary salt blend (see earlier blog post or use dried rosemary and sea salt) and cook until the potatoes reach the preferred texture.

Chicken Thighs in White Wine Sauce

These are waaay late being posted, I made them several days ago and we ate them up pretty quickly.  Surprisingly the white wine sauce was actually good the second day. I know wine isn't technically Paleo, but I still drink it and cook with it because I think a world without wine would be really sad.

Chicken Thighs in White Wine Sauce:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken thighs
• 2 cups white wine
• 1 onion
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 teaspoons basil
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• salt and pepper

Bake chicken thighs in a baking dish for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. When the chicken has 10 minutes left, saute onion in olive oil for about 3 minutes. Add white wine and basil and cook another 4 or 5 minutes. Add coconut flour (arrowroot powder is also an option if you keep it on hand). Whisk the sauce and allow it to thicken. When the chicken thighs are done in the oven, add them to the sauce. Reduce to low heat and cook covered 10 minutes.

Squash and Salmon Hash over Green Beans

At work last week I overheard someone talking about delaying their lunchtime because they were so unenthused about their food. They snacked on crackers until 2 p.m. then forced themselves to eat their frozen meal. I had to refrain from excitedly jumping into their cube with my blog address. I'm usually ridiculously excited for lunch because I put bacon in everything.. just kidding (but not really). I'm usually excited because I take 45 minutes every Sunday to do a little prep so that I can have delicious and healthy mid-day meals at work. This took half an hour and will be lunch for half of the week- to mix it up a bit pack the hash over green beans one day, on a salad the next day, and in a scramble the third day.

Squash and Salmon Hash over Green Beans:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cubed butternut squash
• 2 medium salmon fillets
• 6 pieces uncured bacon
• 4 cups cooked green beans
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Heat olive oil over medium heat then add squash. Make sure you move the squash around every 2 or 3 minutes so it doesn't burn. While the squash is cooking, heat oven to 350 degrees. Throw bacon on a foil lined baking sheet and salmon in a baking dish. Bake both until done (bacon about 20 minutes, salmon about 15). Chop into pieces and add it to the squash with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over cooked green beans (4 cups will make two servings). 

Garlicy Green Beans and Mushrooms

I served these with the sliders below. I just had to post them on their own so I could put them in the "sides" label :-)

Garlicy Green Beans and Mushrooms:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups green beans (frozen)
• 2 cups mushrooms
• 1/2 onion
• 4 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tsp thyme
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

Saute chopped onion in olive oil, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from pan. Run water over green beans in a strainer to defrost. Add more olive oil to the pan and saute green beans about  5 minutes. Add garlic, spices, and mushrooms and onions. Cook on low heat covered about 8 minutes.

Mushroom and Bacon Sliders

Cavemen probably dreamed about bacon and beef, I know I do.. Okay, mostly I dream about bacon, but there is no way to make sliders only out of bacon so I kinda had to supplement with beef. The mushrooms were mostly for good measure. Evidently this is the week of mixing meat (or I just had a huge package of bacon in my fridge, you'll never know).

Mushroom and Bacon Sliders:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb grass fed beef
• 8 pieces bacon
• 1/2 onion
• 10 oz mushrooms
• olive oil
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp oregeno
• salt and pepper

Cook bacon until crispy and chop into small pieces. Chop onion and mushrooms and saute in olive oil about 4 minutes. Mix beef with spices, then add bacon, onions, and mushrooms (make sure these have cooled or else making the slider patties will be uncomfortable). Form into sliders (I made about 15, you could also do meatballs, or regular burgers- your call). Broil on a foil lined cookie sheet, about 8 minutes on each side.

Bacon and Tuna Two Ways

Until now I've been a one meat per meal kinda gal. Mixing meats feels weird, and mixing bacon with anything feels like cheating.. on bacon :-) Recently I've done some research about protein and realized I may not be getting enough of it, especially on CrossFit days. In a serious effort to fix the problem I made these absolutely wonderful little protein packed snacks. I had some of the tuna mixture leftover and used it the second day in a salad. See below for bacon and tuna two ways!

Bacon and Tuna Egg Boats:

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 1 can tuna
• 4 pieces bacon
• salt and pepper

Boil eggs in water until they are hard-boiled (about 17 minutes boil time). To prevent cracking, put eggs in water before it boils then start timing at the first bubble. Cook bacon until crispy, either in the oven (at about 425 degrees) or in a skillet. Chop bacon into small pieces. When eggs are done, remove the yolks and mix with tuna. Salt and pepper the mixture then stir in bacon pieces. Scoop mixture into the eggs. Store in an air tight container, these kept about 4 days.


Bacon and Tuna Spinach Salad (with Paleo dressing!)
*Dressing recipe courtesy of my mom

 Ingredients:

• Leftover bacon and tuna mixture
• 3 cups spinach
• 1/2 chopped apple
• 1 hard boiled egg
• Dressing
• equal parts stone ground mustard, balsamic vinegar, and pure maple syrup

This is self explanatory. Mix all ingredients and eat the salad. Yum :-) Oh, and the dressing will last in the fridge 48 hours. 

Smokey Paprika Chicken Strips and Honey Dijon Dipping Sauce

Several months ago I mastered the art of Paleo chicken strips- egg, almond flour, fry in coconut oil on medium heat about one and a half minutes each side. The problem is that my kitchen (and the rest of my house) would get all smokey. I also only have one skillet that is good for frying, so it was a pretty serious commitment to fry an entire pound or more of chicken. The problem with baking chicken strips is that there is always the potential they won't be crispy enough. SOOO. I found a solution! Keep reading to find out what it is ;-)

Smokey Paprika Chicken Strips and Honey Dijon Dipping Sauce:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb thin chicken tenders
• 1 egg
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 tablespoon smokey paprika
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• 3 tablespoons raw organic honey
• 2 tablespoons stone ground mustard

Mix almond flour, paprika, oregano, and pepper. Dredge chicken in egg then in almond flour mixture. Place on foil lined baking sheet. Okay get ready for it, here's the super secret magic trick that will make your chicken strips crispy...

Pour some olive oil in a little spray bottle, like this:

Spritz the chicken strips with olive oil, then sprinkle sea salt and a little extra paprika over each one. Bake at 425 degrees for 8 minutes, then flip and bake an additional 5 minutes. For the dipping sauce, mix honey and Dijon mustard. Enjoy your non-smokey kitchen and easy clean up!

Zuchinni Noodles tossed with Bacon and Roasted Tomatoes:

My plan for lunch today was to bake some chicken breasts and throw a few raw veggies in a bag (maybe cook a hard-boiled egg if I was feeling super motivated). When I woke up this morning, much to my dismay, I had forgotten to take the chicken out of the freezer. EEK! My little paleo wheels started spinning- looking in my fridge with only 30 minutes until departure for work I saw a package of bacon and a zucchini. At first I thought I was going to have to resort to a Panera salad, then by some glory of the paleo food Gods this idea popped into my head. I had read about zucchini noodles... dreamed about zucchini noodles.. but never had zucchini noodles graced my kitchen or my taste buds... until today. With 27 minutes to spare (I estimate I was thinking for roughly 3 minutes) I quickly dug around my vegetable drawer for a tomato and threw this dish together. Viola!

Zuchinni Noodles tossed with Bacon and Roasted Tomatoes:

Ingredients:

• 1 zucchini 
• 1 tomato
• 4 slices of nitrate free uncured bacon
• 2 teaspoons basil
• Salt and pepper
• olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop tomato and bacon, then toss with olive oil and basil. Roast on a foil lined baking sheet for 20 minutes. Use a potato peeler to peel slices of zucchini. Throw in boiling water for 2 minutes, then run cold water over the "noodles". Throw some salt and pepper on the noodles, then toss with the tomato and bacon. YUM!

Noodles minus tomato and bacon..

Zucchini Meatballs and Paleo Red Sauce:

I'm not usually a stress eater, in fact usually stress makes me nauseous which has the opposite effect. However, I learned today that rush hour related stress makes me want to eat my arm. This evening it took me an hour and a half to drive the distance it takes me to drive twenty minutes in the morning. AHHHHHHH. As my blood pressure increased the more I thought about these meatballs and red sauce anxiously awaiting me in my fridge. I also kept doing the math in my head about how long I would have to scarf down the meatballs before The Bachelorette came on (don't judge me). Anyway, this was my first attempt at red sauce and it turned out AWESOME. The zucchini meatballs were also a nice spin on the traditional beef and onion combo. Enjoy!

Zucchini Meatballs and Paleo Red Sauce:

Ingredients- Meatballs:

• 1 lb grass fed beef
• 1 1/2 medium zucchinis, grated
• 1/2 onion
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons garlic
• 1 teaspoon oregeno
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients by hand in a mixing bowl. Form meatballs- I made about 15- and place on foil lined baking sheet. Broil for 10 minutes, flip, and broil another 8-10 minutes.

Ingredients- Red sauce:

• 8 ripe tomatoes
• 1/2 onion 
• 4 tablespoons garlic
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 8-10 bay leaves
• sea salt
• Italian spices: oregeno, thyme, basil, rosemary, sage
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Chop tomatoes and onion. In a large high sided skillet, saute onions and garlic in coconut oil. Add tomatoes and mix. Cook on high about 5 minutes. Add salt and Italian spices and mix, then add bay leaves. Turn heat to medium and cook covered about 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves and add olive oil one tablespoon at a time until the sauce starts to thicken. Cook another 2-3 minutes and serve. 

Maple Cinnamon Glazed Pork Chops

Did you miss me? I took a week and a half long "vacation" on the couch. Evidently there is this thing called labyrinthitis- although I prefer to call it the virus from hell- that plagues your ears with pain and head with vertigo for weeks on end. Since I couldn't even walk in a straight line my partner was responsible for meals :-D which means Chinese take-out and Bread Co. One day I actually ate a blueberry muffin for lunch (GASP). I know, it's awful. Fortunately I managed to muster up enough energy after work today to throw together real food. FINALLY!

Maple Cinnamon Glazed Pork Chops:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb pork loins or chops, bone in our out
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon raw organic honey
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• coarse sea salt

Prepare glaze by heating coconut oil, maple syrup, honey, and cinnamon for about 4 minutes- don't let it bubble that means it's about to burn. Place pork loins or chops on baking sheet covered in foil and pour glaze over chops. Bake at 425 degrees about 15 minutes, depending on the size of the pork cut.

P.S. I served these with seasoned skillet veggies. Asparagus, zucchinni, and yellow pepper seasoned with sea salt, garlic, and parsley!