Hawaiian Trail Mix

I've recently realized that I have an addiction. I buy so many different nuts and dried fruits it's insane. So, I decided to make a trail mix so that my cabinet would be less crammed with 8 million different bags of nuts.

Here's what I used:
Dried Pineapple
Dried Coconut Flakes (found at Henry's)
Roasted sunflower seeds
Raw pecan pieces
Roasted almond slivers

I just used about 1/2-1 cup of each ingredient and mixed them all together. They make a great snack!

Just Peachy Porkchops

I really hate maing pork chops, mainly because they never really taste good to me. They're always just so-so. This recipe was pretty good though...

Here's what you'll need:
2 pork chops (mine were about 1.5" thick)
1 peach
1 sweet white onion
1/4 c coconut oil
2 tbsp coconut butter (optional)
Salt and pepper
Cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350. Spread the coconut butter on both sides of your chops and sprinkle salt and pepper on them, place them in an 8x8 baking dish. (If you do not have coconut butter for the previous step, use coconut oil). Next, slice up your onion thinly, and your peach into about 1" slices. Place the onion and peach pieces sporadically around the chops. Drop gobs of your coconut oil around the chops on the peaches and onions. If you prefer to melt the coconut oil and drizzle it all over, so be it, I'm just lazy and it tasted just fine without melting it first. Sprinkle the dish once more with salt and pepper, and some cinnamon (about 1/2 teasp) and place it in the oven to bake. I baked mine for 50 minutes and the peaches came out a little overcooked in my opinion. You'll have to cook the dish according to the thickness of your chops, but I'd say at least 40 minutes, just keep am eye on em. Enjoy!

Popeye's Special

This is a quick and easy way to up your greens intake, which is what I have been trying to do post baby!

Here's what you'll need:
5-6 pieces Uncured Bacon
2 huge handfuls of greens of your choice ( I used one hand of spinach and one hand of arugula)

Toss the bacon in your saute pan and cook until desired consistency, some like it flemsy, some like it crunchy. Add the greens and cook down until wilted. There you go! A tasty side dish that takes less than 10 minutes!

Spicy Chipotle Chili

Alright, alright. Just so you know, this picture does not do this Chili any justice at all. I've recently decided that it's a whole lot easier to just upload pictures of what I'm making from my phone, so you're not gonna be seeing high quality photos, but believe me, I'm only posting recipes that actually taste good. There have been a few that I've tried that haven't made it to the blog, so just trust me, if there is a recipe on here, it has been tried and true, and also Paul-approved!

Here is what you'll need:

1lb ground meat (I used bison this time, yum)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bell pepper (color of your choice)
1 c chopped carrots
1 box of Tomato/Roasted Bell Pepper Soup (Or any tomato based soup will do)
1 16oz jar of salsa ( I used Chipotle salsa from TJ's)
1 tea Chipotle Pepper
1/2 tea Smoked Paprika
1/2 tea Cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large pot, start by sauteing the meat and garlic together. When the meat is about 3/4ths of the way cooked, add in all the veggies. Saute this mixture for about 7-10 minutes. Next, add in all the other ingredients and stir the pot well. Let this marvelous concoction simmer for 1 hour and then enjoy.

PS. This Chili is HOT! You can reduce the spices if you don't want it to be too hot, or you can do what I did and reduce the hotness by adding a little coconut milk to cool it down, yum yum!

Zucchini Lasagna

An Italian Delight!

Here's what you'll need:

1lb ground beef
2 Hot/Spicy Italian Sausages, removed from casing
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, chopped
Olive oil
4 medium zucchinis
1 c mushrooms
1.5 c marinara sauce of your choice
1 tea Oregano
1 tea Herbs de Province
1 tea pepper

Optional: Cheese, additional veggies

Start by slicing your zucchinis very thinly, some may use a mandolin slicer, but I do not have one, so I just used a knife. Lay the zucchini slices out on a paper towel to "dry", as they have some moisture you'll want to release before baking the dish. Meanwhile preheat your oven to 375 then add about 2 Tbsp Olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat, add the garlic and onion and saute for about 5 minutes. Next, add the ground beef and the sausage, breaking it up as you go. When the meat seems to be thoroughly cooked, drain off any fat and then add the spices and the sauce and saute for about 3 more minutes. You don't want your meat/sauce mixture to be runny or watery, so drain off any watery/wetness, then turn off the burner and cover. In a greased/pam sprayed 13x9 pan, lay out your zucchinis like noodles, then cover with the meat/sauce mixture, then mushrooms, then another layer of zucchinis, then the remains of the meat/sauce mixture. I sprinkled my lasagna with a little parmesan, but that is optional. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Once the timer goes off, pull the pan out and let the lasagna "rest" for about 10 minutes before serving.

Hope you like it!

Not your average dog...

So, we love a good old Chili Dog, but as you know, a chili dog is not very Paleo. Well, I found some great all-beef organic hot dogs (Nathan's brand) at Trader Joe's. I used Primal Mama's pumpkin chili for my chili and what do I use for a bun? This is the fun part... I use a baked sweet potato, halved and hallowed out! Yes, eat the skin. It tastes delicious, the sweetness of the potato and the savory hot dog and chili, just amazing!

Of course, add what you like to the top, onions, cheese (if you eat dairy), jalapenos! Yum Yum!

Savory Sweet Potato Fries

These were delish!

Here is what you'll need:

2 sweet potatoes, peeled, then sliced into 1/2" slices
1/4 c coconut oil
1 T Cinnamon
1/2 T Chili Powder
1/4 T Pepper
Sprinkle Sea Salt

Melt the coconut oil in the microwave by zapping it for about 30 seconds, place the sweet potatoes in a bowl and toss the coconut oil over them to coat, then add all the spices and thoroughly toss again so that the spices are evenly spread on each little heavenly potato. Place the sweet potatoes on a cookie sheet and place them in the broiler on high for 12 minutes, then shift them around a bit or flip them, then 12 more minutes. Enjoy!

Paleo-ish Banana Nut Muffins

Hello everyone!

So, it has been a very long time since I have last posted. For those of you that don't know, I just had my first baby one month ago today. I have been a tad busy, and creating new Paleo recipes has not really been at the top of my list of things to do. Now, as I am getting the hang of being a mommy to a beautiful baby girl, I am ready to start back on the eating-right train, trying to get out of the bad habits that I got into while I was pregnant and hungry all the time. One bad habit that I am having a really hard time breaking is this darn sweet tooth that I developed during pregnancy. I have been trying different things like organic dark chocolate and coconut ice cream, but I was feeling the need to bake, so thats where these came from.

Here's what you'll need:

1/3 c coconut flour
1/3 c coconut oil
6 eggs
1/3 c walnuts
3 bananas
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tea baking soda
1/3 c raw honey or agave*
Optional: dark chocolate chips

*Agave is not really considered Paleo, but use what you've got, I'm sure it's better than using granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a cupcake pan. Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl, (flour, baking soda, nuts) and the wet ingredients in another bowl (coconut oil, eggs, vanilla, agave or honey). In another bowl, mash up the bananas until they are all pretty soft and mushy. Next, wisk the wet ingredients in with the bananas, and then mix in the dry ingredients. Stir it all up good, and it will appear lumpy, but don't be alarmed, it's just the bananas. At this point, if you're feeling risky, add in 1/2-1 cup of those dark chocolate chips :) Spoon the mixture into the muffin tin to about 3/4 full and bake for 18-22 minutes, checking as you go. Enjoy!

Technical Difficulties....

Please hang in there with me, as my blog is under construction.... More recipes to come, my blog just might not be so easy on the eyes...
Thanks for your patience!

Crunchy Bacon Broccoli

This was a nice twist to our average weekly side of broccoli with dinner.

Here is what you'll need:
1 bunch broccoli (about 2-3 cups)
2 pieces extra crispy bacon, crumbled
1/4 c cashews, chopped
1/4 teasp garlic powder
1/2 lemon zest
2 tbsp Olive oil, melted butter/ghee or bacon fat
1/4 cup grated parmesan (optional)
1/4 teasp pepper

Heat the oven to 400. Cut the broccoli into small florets and place on a greased cookie sheet. Drizzle the olive oil/butter/bacon fat over all of the broccoli, then toss to make sure there is a nice coat on all florets. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until the tips of the florets become crispy or brown. While that is cooking, combine all other ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Once the broccoli is done, toss in the nut, bacon and seasoning mixture and serve warm. It's yummy!

Sheppard's Pie

So Paul always has something to say about my cooking. While I was prepping this he said "Hmm, that looks like a bunch of mush" but after taking one bite, his tone had changed into something that went a little like this, "Um, I don't even know how to put into words how amazing this is"

Thank you, thank you very much.

Yes, this is a recipe that I have been thinking about for some time. I have never had sheppard's pie before, but I remember seeing it once on another blog and wanting to try it out. He is my version:

Here is what you'll need:
1 head cauliflower
4 tbsp butter or ghee
3 tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground beef, (or turkey, or lamb, or bison, whatever you like)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 c frozen organic peas and carrots, thawed
1 c frozen organic green beans, thawed
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp thyme
1-2 tbsp almond meal
3/4 c mushroom broth (you can sub chicken or beef broth, I just happened to have mushroom)
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a pan, saute the chopped onions in the olive oil over medium heat. Once the onions are cooking for about 3 minutes, add in the ground meat and cook for about 5 more minutes or until the meat is browned. Next, add in the peas, carrots and green beans and continue to cook for about 3 minutes. Next you'll add in the spices, almond meal and the broth and stir everything together. At this time, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for a few minutes, or until your oven and cauliflower are ready.

To prep the cauliflower mash: cut the cauliflower into florets and place in a microwave safe bowl with 3 tbsp water. Cover, and microwave for about 3 minutes. Remove, check for softness, they should be pretty darn soft, if not, throw em back in for another 2 minutes. They should definitely be done after 5 minutes. Take off the cover and add 2 tbsp of butter or ghee and blend the mixture using either an immersion blender or food processor. You want the consistency to be a little thick. Add in salt and pepper to your liking.



Place the meat and veggies mixture into a 9"x9" pan, then cover with the cauliflower mash. Cut up your remaining 2 tbsp of butter or ghee and place it evenly on the top of the cauliflower mash topping. Throw that dish in the oven for 35 minutes and you will have the best tasting home cooked meal you've ever had since eating at grandma's house!

Salsa Chicken Snacks

Salsa chicken is one of the easiest meals I have ever made and it is so flavorful! You can also make it for more than just one meal.

Here is what you'll need:
Chicken breasts - however many you'd like
Salsa (about 3/4 c per breast)- try to find the salsa with NO sugar added!
Crockpot

Place the ingredients in the Crockpot on high for 4-5 hours or low or 8 hours. The chicken will come out nice and shredded and you can use it in tacos, atop bell pepper slices as seen below, with cucumber "chips" or over a nice bed of my Spanish Cauli-Rice. I think it tastes so good, I just eat it by itself. Enjoy!

Eggplant Mini Pizzas

So, I always buy the same veggies every week: sweet potatoes, zucchini, onion, broccoli, asparagus, bell peppers sometimes spinach and sometimes celery and cucumbers. I want to venture out more! I've tried Egglplant before and I didn't really like it, neither did Paul, but I decided to just go ahead and buy one the other day, and figure out something to do with it. So, here is what I made!

Here they are before being baked:

And after:

Now, as you can see, these are not Paleo. There is organic Mozzarella Cheese on them, which you can omit, if you are following the Paleo diet.

Here is what you'll need:
1 medium sized eggplant, sliced into 1/2" pieces
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Garlic Powder
Can of diced tomatoes
Organic Mozzarella Cheese (from TJ's)
Meat of your choice (I used Pepperoni)
Basil

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Brush the Eggplant slices with Olive oil, then sprinkle each one with just a bit of salt, pepper and garlic powder. Bake for 8 minutes and then remove from oven. Next, I topped mine with pepperonis, then the tomatoes, then the cheese,then the shredded basil. Cook for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and enjoy!

You can easily make this a Paleo delight by omitting the cheese and adding more veggies. You could also use sausage crumbles or ground beef as your meat, instead of pepperonis.

Another Spaghetti Side...

Well, after baking the spaghetti squash on Monday I was left with about 4-5 cups of noodles and I wanted to use them, so I came up with this recipe that lasted us a whole two more days!

Here is what you'll need:
4-5 c spaghetti squash noodles
1-2 Tbsp Olive oil
8 garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tbsp Red pepper flakes
1 c. chopped tomatoes (I used the mini heirlooms from TJ's)
1 handful of spinach
Parmesan (optional- I used about 3-4 TBSP, and it was goooood!)
salt to taste
1 teasp black pepper

In a saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat, then add the garlic. Once the garlic becomes fragrant, add the tomatoes and saute for about 1 minute. Next, add the squash and the spices: red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and parmesan. Saute the blend for about 5-8 minutes, making sure that all the squash has had a chance to be thoroughly mixed with oil and the spices. Add the spinach and continue to saute until the spinach is wilted. Plate the masterpiece and enjoy!

Chicken "Noodle" Soup

Another soup recipe? Yes! When it's cold outside and you have a husband that comes home late from a long day of training, you need to cook something that can simmer for a while... This was pretty darn good too!

Here's what you'll need:

2 Tbsp Butter or Ghee
1 Tbsp Bacon Fat (optional, but very great for adding taste!)
1 Tbsp Oregano
1 Tea Dried Parsley
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 box (8 cups) chicken broth
2-3 chicken breasts, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
1/2 large white or yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 c chopped celery** I used the middle leafy part because it has good flavor
1 zucchini, chopped
Spaghetti Squash- as much as you'd like.

Start by baking your Spaghetti Squash- Preheat the oven to 375, Slice it lengthwise and place it on a greased cookie sheet, rind side facing up. Bake for 30 minutes and set aside. When the squash is cool, first remove the seeds and slimy middle parts, then "noodle" it by scraping the walls of the squash with a fork. A medium to large squash will make about 6 cups of "noodles", I only used about 2 cups for this recipe.

Get a large pot and heat up the butter and bacon fat. Once it is melted, add the onions, garlic, carrots and chicken to the pot. Next, add all of your seasonings: salt, pepper, oregano, parsley. Saute the chicken and veggies until the chicken appears to be about done, approximately 20 minutes. Next, reduce the heat of the burner to a low-medium and add chicken broth and celery. Let the soup simmer for about 30 more minutes. About 15 minutes into the simmer, add the zucchini and spaghetti squash. Keep an eye and give the soup a stir here and there.

Enjoy!!