Turkey/Pineapple Bowl

Spring is upon us, which means I feel it is necessary to put pineapple in everything I possibly can.. and bacon, but that was the case in the winter too ;-)

Turkey/Pineapple Bowl:

Ingredients:

• 1 medium-large sweet potato
• 2 cups cored and chopped pineapple
• 1 pound cubed turkey breast
• 8-10 oz bacon

Cube the sweet potato and toss in olive oil, then bake on a foil lined baking sheet for 20 minutes. Cook bacon in skillet, then remove and cook cubed turkey in bacon grease (yum). When the potatoes are done, add those to the skillet with the pineapple and cook an additional 3-5 minutes or until all ingredients are heated. Add salt and pepper to taste, although I don't think this dish needs any!

Bacon Wrapped Sweet Potato Bites

I took these babies to a dinner party last night and they were a huge hit. We were meeting new people and I wanted to bring a Paleo dish masquerading as a non-primal appetizer. No one was the wiser until I pulled out my zucchini bread. Being primal and socially appropriate is a balancing act, most people view primal eating as a restrictive lifestyle, so I take any and all opportunities to prove that my dishes are delicious. I figured bacon was a pretty safe place to start :-)

Bacon Wrapped Sweet Potato Bites:

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sweet potato
• 12 oz bacon
• Olive oil

Cube sweet potato (mine were about 1 inch cubes). Wrap half slices of uncooked bacon around each one then hold in place with a toothpick. Bake for 20-25 minutes on foil lined baking sheet at 400 degrees.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

In no way can I take responsibility for this recipe, I made it exactly as prescribed from PaleOMG's blog.  I have to give this gal credit where credit is due partially because I don't believe in plagiarizing, but also because her recipes are super creative and always delicious. She's also funny and brings an admittance of humanity to her blog rants. If you haven't checked her out the blog is worth a peek!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread:

Ingredients:

• 1 medium zucchini (shredded)
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 3/4 cup nut butter
• 1/3 cup raw honey
• 1/4 cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp soda
• pinch of salt

Shred zucchini in food processor. Add zucchini to a bowl with eggs, nut butter, raw honey, and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine the rest of the ingredients. Incorporate all ingredients together. Bake in a greased loaf pan (or muffin tins!) at 375 for 25-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Coconut Mushroom Pork Chops

For me, one of the hardest things about being a primal eater is cultivating creativity when it comes to meat. I don't mind eating the same salad or drinking the same shake every day, but I like my evening meals to have some diversity. Pre-paleo days I experimented a lot with different sauces on the same cuts of meat. Although I'm branching out a little, the bone-out pork chop is one of the easiest to work with, so this week I tried a new sauce with the simple chop. The dry rub thyme really made this dish sing, and the coconut mushroom sauce was yummy!

Coconut Mushroom Pork Chops:

Ingredients:

• 6 pork chops
• salt, pepper, thyme
• coconut oil
• 1 large onion
• 10 oz sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup coconut milk

Season pork chops with salt, pepper, and thyme on both sides. Sear in coconut oil a few minutes on each side. Remove from pan, and saute chopped onion and mushrooms in more coconut oil. Add garlic, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and oregano. Pour in chicken broth, bring to a boil then reduce heat. Add chops back to pan, simmer covered 10 minutes. Pour in coconut milk and increase to medium-high heat and cook an additional 10 minutes.

Maple Mustard Glazed Chicken Legs

Holy moly chicken legs are CHEAP. This was my first attempt at a recipe using only chicken legs, and I was pleasantly surprised when I only paid four bucks for six of them at Trader Joes. AND I didn't mess up the sauce, so it was legit a cheap kitchen adventure :-)

Maple Mustard Glazed Chicken Legs:

Ingredients:

• 6 chicken legs
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup organic maple syrup
• 3 tsp thyme
• garlic
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons stone ground mustard

Salt and pepper the chicken. Cook in olive oil, about 3 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from the skillet and add broth, syrup, thyme, and garlic. Stir well, then add mustard and vinegar. Cook for 3-4 minutes then add chicken back in. Cook an additional 5 minutes, then place chicken in baking dish and pour sauce over. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked. 

Paleo Banana Muffins

The worst happened- I got sick. Then something even more horrifying happened- I had to miss CrossFit. I guess I was expecting Paleo to forever protect me from illness, but alas the Paleo barrier was not strong enough, and the head cold germs fought their way through and have been attacking me for the past two days despite my constant rest and water consumption. In my head I imagine the strong Paleo soldiers with bacon swords being taken down by the bad germs with baguette swords. It's the only time bread beats bacon, ever.

Thankfully I baked banana muffins over the weekend, I've been mushing them up so they go down more easily and pairing them with hot tea. You should make them and enjoy them whole with a glass of almond milk, that was my original intention :-)

Paleo Banana Muffins:

Ingredients:

• 4 bananas
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 4 tablespoons grass-fed butter (or coconut oil)
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a hand mixer, mix bananas, eggs, almond butter, vanilla, and butter until incorporated.  In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients, then incorporate with wet ingredients. Fill 12 muffin tins and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Breakfast Meatballs

I really love small food, and no, I'm not talking about mini doughnuts.. I mean small (paleo) food- packed with protein and easily portable. Hard-boiled eggs and nuts have recently been my snack foods of choice, especially on workout days when afternoon hunger starts to get the best of me. I think these meatballs may also make the cut. I originally made these for a Sunday 'breakfast for dinner', but the leftovers have actually made a really great mid-afternoon pick me up. And they contain bacon, so it's a win-win ;-)

Breakfast Meatballs:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb sausage
• 1 sweet potato
• 1/2 cup mushrooms
• 1/4 large onion
• 5 tablespoons organic maple syrup
• 7 slices bacon
• 1 tablespoon garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook bacon and chop into small pieces. Shred sweet potato in food processor, then add onion and mushrooms and shred again. Combine sweet potato mixture with raw sausage, then add the rest of the ingredients and mix by hand in a bowl; form into meatballs. Bake on foil lined baking sheet 30-40 minutes.