Jun 18 2013

Shredded Kale Salad with Bacon and Dates

Posted on by

So I was flipping through an old edition of Southern Living Magazine and stumbled across this tasty little side dish. It is the perfect thing to go along with any summer BBQ or potluck you are attending. If making for a crowd, definitely double or triple the recipe if you are going to chop the kale in the food processor. I liked it better chopped, but tearing the kale leaves definitely stretches the recipe a little further! Enjoy!

Shredded Kale Salad with Bacon and Dates by Southern Living

 

Jun 10 2013

Crusted Baked Tilapia with Cajun Tartar Sauce

Posted on by

If you are anything like me, you equate summer with having a  fish fry! Growing up, we would have these all summer long at my grandpa’s house. Unfortunately, my grandpa’s fish fries were not exactly considered healthy…delicious, but not healthy. After my husband’s recent fishing trip, I started thinking (okay, daydreaming) of fish (particularly, the fried version) I NEEDED to come up with a Paleo version to get me through this summer. To be honest though, it’s really the tartar sauce that I love. It’s my grandma’s recipe. I could put that stuff on just about anything!

Crusted Baked Tilapia

Ingredients:

  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup brown mustard
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1.5-2 pounds tilapia fillets (or any other white fish you want)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup almond meal
  • 1/4 cup flax-seed meal
  • 1 tablespoon parsley
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste
  • 3-4 tablespoons fat of choice

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
  2. Whisk coconut milk, mustard, and garlic in a bowl. Add your tilapia fillets and let sit for at least 30 minutes.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk your eggs. In another bowl, mix together your almond meal, flax-seed meal, parsley, salt and pepper.
  4. One at a time, take you fillets and dip first in the eggs and then the almond meal mixture.
  5. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add your fat of choice.
  6. Once your fat has melted, place your tilapia in the pan and cook a couple of minutes on each side. You want a crust to form on the fish.
  7. Once your fish gets a little crusty, transfer to a baking dish or cookie sheet and bake in the oven about 10 more minutes.
  8. Serve with the Cajun Tartar Sauce and make your mouth happy!

 

Cajun Tartar Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Paleo mayo
  • 2 celery stalks, trimmed
  • 1/2 green pepper, seeds removed
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 tomato, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:

  1. Put the celery, green pepper, onion, and tomato in the food processor until finely chopped.
  2. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together.
  3. Let sit in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.
May 18 2013

Chicken Fajitas

Posted on by

I have been a little un-inspired in the kitchen lately. So when I got a reader request for a fajita recipe, I got a little excited about trying to switch it up. I know what you are thinking…Paleo fajitas…chicken, veggies…bleh! I thought the same thing at first, but decided to try and come up with a killer marinade and some awesome toppings to make this a must-have meal! I think I finally got it…or at least my family thought so!

Here’s a pic of the bag

In case you haven’t figured it out about me, I like to cut corners any chance I get. In this recipe, I used bagged frozen peppers and onions from Trader Joe’s. The ingredients are legit and it simply makes my life easier. If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s close, or would prefer to use fresh veggies…by all means! I promise, I won’t take it personally.

 

Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients:

  • 3 lbs. chicken breast, pounded to about 1/2 – 3/4 inch thick
  • 2 bags of Fire Roasted Peppers and Onions from Trader Joe’s ( or 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, 1 green peppers, and 2 onions thinly sliced)

Marinade:

  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

    Yummy marinade!

  • 1 tablespoon sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice (or 1-2 limes squeezed)
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

Fixins:

  • pico salsa*
  • guacamole
  • butter or romaine lettuce leaves

Directions:

  1. Whisk marinade ingredients together
  2. Place flattened chicken into a casserole dish and pour the marinade over the meat. Marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
  3. Heat grill to medium heat and put chicken on the grill. Grill approx. 4 minutes on each side. The chicken will cook faster than normal because of the thickness.
  4. While the chicken is grilling, make your fixins! See Pico Salsa recipe below
  5. Remove chicken from grill and set aside to cool a bit.
  6. Throw your bags of peppers and onions in a skillet over medium heat and cook until they get soft. (If you are using fresh veggies, just throw them in a skillet with a couple of tablespoons of coconut oil (or grass-fed butter) and cook until peppers are soft and onions are translucent)
  7. Slice chicken breasts and toss with the veggies.
  8. Serve in lettuce leaves topped with your fixins! Yum!

Pico Salsa

  • a container of store-bought fresh pico de gallo (or you can make your own…I prefer shortcuts!)
  • 4 oz. tomato sauce
  • a handful of cilantro, chopped
  • garlic powder, to taste

Toss all ingredients together. Pretty simple, right?

 

 

 

Apr 9 2013

Chocolate Waffles

Posted on by

I know…I’m sure you have felt abandoned! To be honest, I have been obsessed with the Crossfit Open over the past month. It was such a great event to be a part of. I love how it pushes you outside of your comfort zone and forces you to do things that you wouldn’t normally do. Then again, I also hate how it makes you feel much more sucky (yes, that’s a word!) at things that you thought you were okay at.  Let’s just put it this way, my list of “things to work on” grew exponentially over the course of this season’s Open. With all that said, I would like to give a shout out and congrats to my box for placing 13th in our region and qualifying for Regionals for a third year! Nice Job Crossfit AMRAP! How did you do? I would love to hear from you about your Open experiences!

Now on to an amazing recipe that will hopefully help you to forgive me…Chocolate Waffles!!! Yes, they are as wonderful as they sound! I got this one from Juli Bauer’s (PaleOMG) new cookbook, OMG. That’s Paleo? I am in love with this cookbook! Seriously- go order it today!!!! Luckily, this particular recipe from the book is posted on her website, so I can share it with you. :)

Chocolate Waffles by PaleOMG

No need to change anything on this one, they are perfect just the way they are! I would suggest doubling or even tripling the recipe for a family. One batch only makes about 2-3 (Belgian size) waffles. We topped ours with maple syrup, ghee and strawberries. Enjoy…we certainly did!

Note: I used my 1/3 cup measuring cup to scoop the batter into my waffle iron. It took 2 scoops per waffle.

Mar 1 2013

Two Kid-Friendly Paleo Meals!

Posted on by

Growth Spurts! Why do my kids always seem to get these at the same time? I feel like I have 4 teenage boys living  in my house right now. I have had to come up with extra meals to keep them full during this spurt in particular. Here are two meals that will be making a more regular appearance at our house.

Chicken Strips

Ingredients:

  • 2-3 lbs. chicken breasts, cut into strips
  • 1/2 bag pork rinds
  • 1/4 cup almond meal
  • 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 eggs, beaten + 1 tablespoon water
  • 3-4 tablespoons coconut oil

Directions:

  1. Throw pork rinds in the food processor until they make a breading. Mix with the almond and flax seed meal, garlic powder, and salt
  2. Dip each chicken strip in the egg mixture and then the breading
  3. Melt coconut oil in pan over medium heat. Cook chicken strips about 4 minutes on each side or until they are no longer pink and are golden brown on the outside.

Note: You can also bake these in the oven 350 degrees F for about 20-30 minutes. I had sweet potatoes fries in my oven and I can’t multitask with my oven…Thanksgiving is my nightmare!

 

Chicken Drumsticks

Ingredients:

Directions:

  1. Throw drumsticks in a gallon size Ziploc bag and dump a bottle of dressing over them. Let them marinade at least an hour or up to 24 hours.
  2. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  3. Place drumsticks on a baking tray- discard extra marinade.
  4. Bake for approx. 1 hour or until they are cooked through (internal temp should be 165). Enjoy!

*Tessamae’s Salad Dressing are delicious, all-natural and PALEO! Try them out- they are wonderful!

 

 

Feb 26 2013

Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Posted on by

So a couple weeks ago, I told you about a wonderful Paleo spinach artichoke dip that Juli from PaleOMG created and my variation of it. It is wonderful- you really should check it out! I liked it so much, that I decided to use it to stuff chicken and turn it into a meal! It IS wonderful goodness!

Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Ingredients:

Directions:

  1. Butterfly each chicken breast. Season to taste with garlic powder, salt, and pepper
  2. Heat grill to medium and grill chicken approx. 5-6 minutes on each side or until no longer pink.
  3. Stuff each breast with 1/4 cup of the dip. Fold chicken in half on itself.
  4. I served mine with sweet potato wedges. Enjoy!

 

 

Feb 18 2013

Lasagna- Two Ways (Paleo & Primal)

Posted on by

So I recently saw a recipe posted on another blog about using grain-free tortillas to make lasagna. Well, this got me thinking about my egg white crepes, and whether I could use them for a lasagna noodle…Ding Ding Ding! Winner!

I decided to experiment with 2 variations of this- one with dairy (primal) and one without (Paleo). The Primal Version tastes exactly like a regular lasagna, or at least that is what my husband said…I don’t tolerate yogurt (sniff, sniff). I thought that the Paleo version was wonderful! You can decide which one you would rather try depending on your views and tolerance of dairy. I will say one thing…educate yourself on it. Two great books that address dairy very well are The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf and The Paleo Answer by Loren Cordain. In Robb’s book, he tells you to eliminate everything for 30 days. If you want to try re-introducing things like dairy after this time frame, experiment and see how your body reacts. I am not writing anywhere close to as wonderful as Robb, so I would highly recommend reading his book to get the whole idea. In Cordain’s book, he really spells it out as to why dairy really isn’t compatible to our bodies. His book was the one to push me over the edge and eliminate dairy (except for the occasionally raw cheese). Initially I was going to post just the Paleo version, but I had this great idea for a Primal one and decided to just throw them both at you…you decide :)

 

Paleo Lasagna

Ingredients:

  • 3-4 cups marinara or meat sauce (here is a great and quick recipe)
  • 1 lb. grass-fed ground beef
  • 1 lb. fresh baby spinach
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil
  • Egg White Crepes

Directions:

  1. Make your sauce (or used jarred…just read your ingredients!)
  2. Brown your beef until no longer pink, drain fat.
  3. Sauté spinach with garlic clove and coconut oil.
  4. Make your egg white crepes*
  5. Start layering! Spread 1/2 – 1 cup of sauce on the bottom of your casserole dish (should be just enough sauce to cover the bottom of the pan). Then place a layer of egg white crepes. Make sure your crepes are matched up to each other, you don’t necessarily have to overlap, but you don’t want big gaps either. Next top this with your 1/3 of the remaining sauce, and then half of the ground beef. Next sprinkle half of the sautéed spinach. Then repeat layering one more time. Finish off by topping with a layer of crepes and remaining sauce.
  6. Bake for approx. 30 minutes, or until it starts bubbling. Remove from oven and let sit (I know!) for 10-15 minutes before cutting.

 

Primal Lasagna

Ingredients:

  • 3-4 cups marinara or meat sauce
  • 1 lb grass-fed ground beef
  • 1 lb. fresh baby spinach
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 8 oz container plain greek yogurt
  • 1/4 c parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • Egg White Crepes

Here is what my layer of crepes looked like

Directions:

  1. Make your sauce (or used jarred…just read your ingredients!)
  2. Brown your beef until no longer pink, drain fat.
  3. Saute spinach with garlic clove and coconut oil.
  4. Mix together yogurt, parmesan, mozzarella, egg, and parsley.
  5. Make your egg white crepes*
  6. Start layering! Spread 1/2 – 1 cup of sauce on the bottom of your casserole dish (should be just enough sauce to cover the bottom of the pan). Then place a layer of egg white crepes. Make sure your crepes are matched up to each other, you don’t necessarily have to overlap, but you don’t want big gaps either. Next spread half of your cheese mixture over the crepes. Top this with your 1/3 of the remaining sauce, and then half of the ground beef. Next sprinkle half of the sautéed spinach. Then repeat layering one more time. Finish off by topping with a layer of crepes and remaining sauce. If you have any extra mozzarella or parmesan cheese you can sprinkle a little on the top- it’s your call. Just make sure to cover the pan while cooking so you don’t burn the cheese!
  7. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until it starts bubbling. Remove from oven and let sit (I know!) for 10-15 minutes before cutting.

 

*Egg White Crepes

  • 7-8 egg whites
  • 1 tablespoon coconut milk
  1. In a bowl, whisk together egg whites and coconut milk.
  2. Heat a small (10 inch) skillet over medium heat, coat lightly with coconut oil. Add just enough egg mixture to coat the pan in a very thin layer, about 1/8 to 1/6 of a cup.
  3. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook for about a minute
  4. You can usually just dump the crepe right out onto a plate, but you might need to use a rubber spatula to help get it out of the pan.
Feb 12 2013

Frosted Sugar Cookies

Posted on by

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, I was trying to come up with a fun treat for the kids besides our typical chocolate covered strawberries (which are glorious by the way). A couple months ago, I received a sample of Nikki’s Flavored Coconut Butter to try out. I have to be honest, I have been eating it by the spoonful or in my coffee (which is amazing!) as a treat every now and again. Since I posted the recipe for Pumpkin Cake Bars with Cinnamon Icing last week though, I have been dreaming about making a frosting with my Nikki’s Coconut Butter. I used the Chocolate Hazelnut Brownie flavor to make the most wonderful chocolate frosting! I used it to top this Paleo sugar cookie recipe I found. It is the perfect cookie for any occasion! I have a feeling these will be popping up at many birthday parties in the future!

Note: I also made a strawberry frosting (because I needed pink somewhere!) using a regular coconut butter. I don’t have the Vanilla Cake Batter flavor from Nikki’s, but I have a feeling it would be glorious instead!

Paleo Sugar Cookie by The Healthy Gluten-Free Life (I made the soft variation of the recipe)

Chocolate Frosting

Mix all ingredients together with a hand mixer and spread over cookies (or cupcakes)

Strawberry Frosting

  • 1/4 cup Coconut Butter
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 2-3 tablespoons freeze-dried strawberries

Mix all ingredients together with a hand mixer and spread over cookies (or cupcakes)

Feb 8 2013

Paleo Hot Chocolate

Posted on by

We have been hammered with snow this week. I’m not sure of exact amounts, but it’s a lot of snow. Plus, the temps have gone up dramatically. No, I’m not gonna just give you the weather report today, but obviously with this combo my kids have wanted to basically LIVE outside. We have gone sledding, built snowmen, snow forts, made snow angels…you name it- we’ve done it! When we are done, we pile into the house as cold and wet messes! The old me (the pre-Paleo me), would have just starting ripping open bags of hot cocoa for the kiddos. I decided Paleo hot chocolate couldn’t that much harder to throw together. I’m so glad I tried it out! It’s delicious! It’s a little thicker and more creamy than the normal stuff, so you might want to add even more water. I like it creamy though!

Paleo Hot Chocolate

Check out that hot chocolate mustache!

Ingredients:

  • 1 can of coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/2  -3/4 cup water
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • dash of sea salt

Directions:

  1. Throw everything into a medium saucepan and whisk to mix ingredients.
  2. Heat up over medium heat just until it starts to steam and foam on top.
  3. Make sure to keep an eye on it and whisk throughout! You don’t weant it to burn on the bottom of the pan.
  4. Top with coconut cream! Yum!
Feb 5 2013

Pumpkin Cake Bars with Cinnamon Icing

Posted on by

Pumpkin Cake Bars with Cinnamon Icing by Food Renegade

This is one of those Paleo desserts that you can serve to anyone. I have tested this theory several times. My husband claims this dessert as THE BEST dessert I have ever made. I think I have a clue as to why…Bees all over the world are praying that this recipe doesn’t take off because it uses about an entire bee hive’s worth of honey! So-delicious? Yes! Should it make an everyday occurrence? No! (or yes, but don’t be surprised when your jeans don’t fit after about a week!)

It’s a pretty simple recipe to whip up. Throw all your cake ingredients in a bowl and beat it with an electric mixer. While it’s baking, throw all your icing ingredients into a bowl and beat that. Yes, you can use a whip, but make your life easier and use a hand mixer!

Tweaks: I added 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg to icing