Paleo Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

This was a last minute idea, but it was a fabulous one!

Here is what you'll need:
2 large sweet potatoes, halved, then thinly sliced
2 TBSP Coconut Oil
2 TBSP Ghee or other fat
Sea Salt- to your liking
1 Tea Cinnamon

Put the oil/fat into the pan over medium heat, throw the potatoes, salt and cinnamon in and cover. Remove the lid every 3ish minutes and stir the potatoes, so that every little potato gets a chance to "fry" in the oil. Potatoes will be done after about 15-20 minutes.

Cinnabark (Paleo Candy)

Obvi this is not the real picture, but many have related the taste to cinnamon rolls!

I made this the other night at our Ruination Crossfit Potluck, and it took 1st place!

Here is what you'll need:


1 c maple syrup
1 c coconut oil
1 c coconut butter
½ c almond butter
1 c raw honey
½ c pecans
½ c cashews
2 teas Vanilla extract
3 TBSP Cinnamon
1 teas salt

In a pot, sauté the nuts in about 2-3 tbsp of coconut oil, careful not to burn them. Next, add in the honey and maple syrup, stirring consistently. Be sure to keep the heat at a medium-low, as to not burn these ingredients. Once it begins to thicken a bit, add in the rest of the coconut oil, the coconut butter and almond butter and continue to stir, blending it all together. Lastly, add your cinnamon, salt and vanilla and mix it all together. Turn your burner to low and let it simmer for 3-5 minutes while you prep the pan. Get a large (9”x13”) cake pan and line it with parchment paper. Take the batter off of the heat and pour it evenly into the pan. Place the goodness in the freezer for at least an hour. When ready to serve, cut it or break it up with a knife. Whatever you are not going to eat, keep in the freezer as it does soften a bit at room temperature.

• Next time I would use more nuts, I don’t feel like there were enough.
• I may also use more almond butter
• Another yummy add-in idea would be coconut shavings.

Paleo Pulled Pork with Bacon Sweet Potato Hash

We couldn't take a picture to make this meal look as good as it tastes, so we thought this pic would do. Paul is really enjoying it! This was a nice savoury meal for a cold night, and very tasty!

Here is what you'll need:

Costco pre-cooked Smoked Pulled Pork (So easy!!!)
Follow this recipe for the BBQ Sauce

For the Hash:
1 large sweet potato, chopped
6-8 bacon slices, chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 TBSP Organic butter or ghee
1 Teasp garlic powder
salt & pepper

In a large saucepan, add the bacon. When the bacon starts to cook and grease appears in the pan, add the rest of the ingredients. Saute the bacony buttery goodness for 10-15 minutes, stirring often.

It's your choice if you'd like to place the pork on top of the hash, or just side by side. I liked tasting it together in one bite, it was sooooo good!

Recipe Shout Out

While I haven't been very creative myself lately, I have tried some rather delicious recipes from other paleo blogs that I follow.

I highly recommend the Paleo Orange Chicken from Health Bent. This was a nice different meal, and overall, the prep and cook time took me only about 30 minutes which I am finding is a huge reason why or why not I am inclined to make certain meals. Lately I need quick and easy meals, and this was just that, and it was also very delicious.

Next, I recommend the Mushroom Gravy Pot Roast from PaleOMG. This was a nice savoury meal that I poured over some garlic mashed cauliflower. It really hit the spot because it was a cold night, and who doesn't love crockpot meals? They are so easy!!!

Paleo Jambalaya

So, I have been trying to create more budget-friendly paleo meals lately, and let me just say I have not been too successful, but this one was pretty good.

So... here it is, and let me warn you, it's spicy. If you don't like it hot, leave out the Cayenne Pepper!

And, I will be honest, all of my measurements are guesstimates. What I do is spinkle the spices over the whole pan, so I would say it comes out to an equivalent of about 1&1/2 Teaspoons, unless otherwise stated.

Here is what you'll need:

2 TBSP Garlic, chopped
1/2 C Marinara Sauce/Spaghetti Sauce etc
1.5 Teasp Parsely
1.5 Teasp Thyme
1.5 Teasp Oregano
1.5 Teasp Pepper
1.5 Smoked (or regular) Paprika
Sprinkle Salt
3 Bell Peppers, thinly sliced
1 Onion, thinly sliced
1 package Hot Italian Sausage
Olive Oil
Ghee (optional, but delicious!)

Heat the Olive oil and Ghee in a pan. I used about 2 TBSP of each, if you dont have one or the other, you can sub with any fat of your choice. Toss in the bell peppers and onions, and sautee in the oil/ghee mixture for about 3 minutes. Next, add all of the spices (excluding the marinara) and simmer over medium heat with a lid on the pan. After about 3-5 minutes, stir the onions and peppers, then stir in the sausage and the marinanra sauce. Continue to simmer and stir every 3-5 minutes for about 15 more minutes. Turn off the stove and let sit for about 5 minutes, then enjoy.

**Next time I think I will serve this over Cauliflower Rice.

Paleo-ish Coconut Cookies

Alright so I made these two ways because I was not sure which method would taste better. I made one batter only, however, one batch was cooked and one batch was frozen. As you will see in the ingredients, there is nothing that HAS to be cooked to be consumed, so not to worry.

Here is what you'll need:
1 TBSP Vanilla
1 & 1/2 C Shredded Coconut
1/2 C Coconut Flour
1/2 C Coconut Butter
1/4 C Coconut Oil

then

1/2 C Chocolate Chips (I use EnjoyLife brand, it's Dairy free)
1 TBSP Coconut Oil


Start by combining the first list of ingredients in a bowl. You may have to heat up the coconut oil and butter a little bit to soften it up for mixing. Next, roll the dough up into little balls and place them on a cookie sheet or plate (depending on your method of cooking/freezing). If you choose to cook them, they go in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. If you don't want to cook them, then freeze them! Either way, step two is the same. Take the second list of ingredients and microwave them while stirring occasionally. Make sure not to burn the chocolate/coconut oil mixture. Once the mixture is melted, pour a little over each ball and then place them in the freezer for 5-10 minutes.

After making these, I let my family sample them and I made them vote on which were better, frozen or cooked, and we all voted for the cooked batch! Do what you want, but I really think the cooked batch tasted better. Enjoy!

Paleo Coconut Blueberry Muffins

Yummy little bundles of healthy fats!

Here is what you'll need:

1.5 C Almond Flour
.5 C Coconut Flour
1.5 C Blueberries
.5 C Almond Butter
.5 C Organic Raw Honey
.5 C Coconut Milk
4 eggs
1 Teasp Baking Soda
Pinch Salt
Coconut Shavings for tops

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. I am really lazy so I just added everything together in a big bowl and mixed it thoroughly. I had to heat up the almond butter so it was smooth and easier to mix. Next, I filled a muffin tin with some cupcake liners and filled them about 3/4 full with the batter, and sprinkled coconut shavings on top. Bake for 20 minutes and enjoy!

Paleo Beef and Sweet Potato Hash

By the way, I have no idea why my pictures are near the left, they are supposed to be in the center.. whatevs!

So I have sort of an addiction. I am really addicted to grocery shopping, and buying random things. I NEVER go to the store with a list, I just plan my meals as I gaze around the store, that's bad, I know. So sometimes I am faced with a surplus of food in my kitchen and I get nervous it is all gonna spoil so I think of recipes where I can throw random ingredients together, and that is how this came along. I was very skeptical as Paul and I sat down to eat, but wow this was REALLY tasty!

Here is what you'll need:

2-3 TBSP Coconut oil
2 TBSP chopped garlic
1 medium onion, chopped
2 small sweet potatoes, chopped
4ish c spinach
Salt-n-pepper to taste
1 TBSP Coconut flour
1 lb ground beef

In a pan, add 2 TBSP of the oil and the onion, cook until translucent, then add the garlic and sweet potatoes and sautee for about 7-10 minutes. Next, add in the ground beef and salt and pepper, stirring occasionally for about 8 minutes. Now add in the coconut flour to soak up some of the beef grease, then the spinach and sautee for about a minute. And that's it, enjoy!

P.S. We had some Tapatio on ours and it was delish! Kind of sweet and spicy!

Paleo Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

I adopted these from a recipe that a friend had at the gym, I think they were from Robb Wolf's site... They are very yummy!


Here is what you'll need:

3 1/2 C Almond Flour
~ 1 c Coconut Flour
1 1/2 Tea Baking Soda
3 Eggs
1/2 c Raw Organic Honey
1/2 c Coconut Oil
1 c Chocolate Chips (I use Enjoy Life brand)
3 Tea Vanilla
3/4 c Shredded Coconut

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all the dry ingredients, including the chocolate chips and coconut.

Next, add the remaining ingredients. Mine was a little dry so I had to add extra honey, just eyeball it.

Bake for 12 minutes.

Enjoy!

Paleo Cream Sauce

I couldn't believe my tastebuds. This was amazing. I was trolling around on one of my favorite blogs, paleomg.com, and I found this recipe. I didn't quite have the exact ingredients, so I tweaked it a little. It was really good, and it kinda resembled a cheese sauce to me.

Here is what you'll need:
Approximately 3/4 c roasted peppers (I used the mini bell peppers, in red, yellow and orange, I just sauteed them in coconut oil)
1/4 c Almond Butter
1/2 c Coconut milk
1 Tea Onion powder
1 Tea Garlic Powder
1.5 Tea Mustard Seeds
Sprinkle of Salt & Pepper

Place all the ingredients in the food processor or blender and blend until you have a creamy sauce. Then, just heat up the sauce on low and pour it over whatever veggies you like. I poured mine over sausages and asparagus. I will definitely make this again!

Paleo Coconut Chicken Strips

These were so good!

Here is what you'll need:

1lb Chicken Strips (I used Free range Organic Chicken strips from TJ's)
2 eggs
1/2 c shredded coconut
1/2 c almond meal
1/4ish c coconut flour
1/4 c coconut oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl, and in a separate bowl, wisk together the eggs. Next, melt the coconut oil in a large sautee pan on the stove. Once the coconut oil is heated up (by the way, it should be over medium heat or it will burn), then just dunk each chicken strip in eggs, then the salt & pepper/flour/coconut mixture and then fry the strips in the coconut oil about 3 minutes each side.

We made some honey mustard to dunk them in, but they were pretty tasty just plain! Enjoy!

Paleo Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Yum! These were really easy and delish!

Here is what you'll need:

1 lb Ground Turkey (or ground meat of your choice)
1/2 White Onion, chopped
1/4 c Mushrooms, chopped
2 TBSP Minced Garlic
1 Egg
1 handful Spinach, chopped
3-4 TBSP Parsley (dried or fresh)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 head Green Cabbage
1 jar Tomato Sauce of choice

Start by submerging the Cabbage in a huge pot, and place on the stove to boil. Once the cabbage is boiling, let it remain on the stove for 10 minutes. While that is boiling, mix all the ingredients except for the tomato sauce in a bowl by hand. Once the cabbage is done, peel the leaves from the head carefully as to not rip the leaves, and lay them out on some paper towels to dry and cool. Once cooled, spoon about 1/2 c of the meat mixture into each leaf, roll it up like a mini burrito, and place in a 13x9 pan. I layered the bottom of the pan with leftover leaves, which helped the rolls from sticking. Pour tomato sauce over the tops of the rolls, cover the pan with foil, and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

*** I prepped my cabbage rolls and put the dish in the refridgerator for a couple hours before baking because I wasnt ready to eat right away, they were still delightful!

Paleo Meatloaf

Well, I had to repost this because I have perfected my recipe and this time, it was GOOD!

Here is what you'll need:

1 lb Ground Beef
3-4 Italian Sausages, removed from the casing (I use HOT, but you can use Mild if you prefer)
2 eggs
1.5 + .5 cans of tomato paste
1/2 c Almond Meal
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 TBSP Parsely
1 TBSP Italian Seasoning
2 TBSP garlic, chopped or minced
Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 375. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, by hand(except for one .5 of one of the cans of tomato paste). You really have to get in there and squeeze it all together. Place the mixture in a loaf pan, and spread the remaining .5 can of tomato paste on the top. Place in the oven to bake for at least an hour. When the top is browned, it is ready! Yum Yum!

Sweet Banana Treat

So, I have been wanting to make something Paleo that was sweet without having to add honey, agave or any of the "paleo sugars". I don't know, I just feel like adding honey and that stuff is still cheating, so I trolled around the internet and found this recipe. I copied it measurement by measurement, so I take no credit here. I added shredded coconut to the top, and Paul added Cacao nibs to his. It was nice, and it hit the spot.

Meat & Veggie Chili

What else do you need? Meat. Veggies. Perfect for a cold night while eating Paleo!

Here is what you'll need:
1 lb Ground Beef
4 Italian Sausage Links (taken out of their casing)
1 Bell Pepper
1.5 c Broccoli, chopped
1 c Zuchinni, chopped
1 Sweet Potato, chopped
1 Medium White Onion, chopped
1 TBSP minced Garlic
1 Tea Cumin
1 Tea Smoked Paprika
1 box TJ's Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup
1 Jar Salsa
1 c Water
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Brown the meat in a huge pot over medium heat. When the meat is about done, add in all other ingredients and stir thoroughly. Reduce the heat and simmer for at least an hour, stirring occasionally. I know this looks like a ton of ingredients, but it will still taste great if you don't have all of the ingredients. I say, with Chili, you can't really mess it up. I just had a plethora of veggies in my fridge and I didnt want them to go bad, so I added pretty much everything I had. Hope you like it!

Paleo Pizza

Here is what you'll need:

Crust:
1 & 3/4 c Almond Meal
1/4 c Coconut Flour
1 Tea Garlic Powder
1 Tea Oregano
1 Tea Rosemary
2 Eggs
3 TBSP Olive Oil

Toppings: Your Choice
Sausage, Pepperoni, Chicken, Bell Pepper, Onion, Olives, Tomatoes, Garlic, Pineapple, Artichoke Hearts, Spinach, you name it!

Preheat the oven to 350. Mix all the ingredients for the crust in a large bowl. Grease a pizza pan or cookie sheet with cooking spray or Olive Oil. Spread the crust dough very thin on the pan. Cook the crust ALONE for 20 minutes. When the crust is done, add the toppings and cook another 25-30 minutes. On my pizza tonight, I had Organic Marinara, Pepperoni, Bell Pepper, Onion, Green Olives and Sun Dried Tomatoes. The cheese eater in my family had cheese on his half.

It was good!

Paleo Sloppy Joe's

I haven't had Sloppy Joe's since I was a kid, and to be honest, I didn't like them much back then. However, my friend mentioned that she made some the other night and I thought, "well, I can make a paleo version, it's basically just meat and veggies just mushed up in a pan anyway, right?" ...."Right!"

Here is what you'll need:

1 lb Ground Beef (or Turkey, or Chicken, your choice)
1 Bell Pepper
1 medium White Onion
1/2 of a 25oz Jar of Marinara***
3/4 can of an 8 oz Tomato Paste
1/2 Tea Cumin
1/2 Tea Cayenne Pepper
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil

Optional: Bun

Portabella Mushrooms drizzled with Olive oil, Salt and Pepper, grilled for about 4 minutes each side

Start by sauteeing the veggies in the Olive Oil. Once the onions become translucent, add in the beef and season the mixture with a little salt and pepper. When the meat is about done, add in the tomato paste and marinara, and the seasonings and blend well. Simmer together for about 10 minutes and serve.


*** I have been asked about which type of marinara to buy... I don't get too crazy. I try to buy organic when I can, but most importantly, I LOOK AT THE LABEL. I look for the jar with the least amount of ingredients and I steer clear or ingredients like sugar and cheese. Trader Joe's has a couple good ones. My rule of thumb is just to always check the label :)

Banana Nut Bacon Bites

When the going gets tough, WRAP BACON AROUND SOMETHING!

So I have been doing pretty well with my diet and the Helen Challenge, but some days I just need something that feels like it's bad for me. I was pacing the kitchen trying to figure out what I could devour one afternoon and I tried these. They were heaven-sent!

Here is what you'll need:
4-5 strips bacon
2-3 TBSP Almond Butter
1 banana

Slice the banana into 1" pieces, spread some almond butter on them, and wrap 1/3 of a slice of bacon around it. Eat them, but try not to eat too many! And, as Max would say, "If you are trying to lose weight, eat your fruit before 12 noon!"

Enjoy!

Coconut Brittle

Mmmmm.....

So I'm doing this Helen Challenge at CFSC, my diet has been pretty perfect with the exception of some cocktails last weekend in Vegas. However, I have been dying for something sweet. This kinda helped :)

Here is what you'll need:

1 c Coconut butter (now at Sprouts, and Mother's)
1.5 TBSP Coconut Oil
1/2 c Pecans
1/4 c Slivered Almonds
Sprinkle of Coconut shavings

*** you can really add in any kind of nuts you like, and if you are eating dried fruit, maybe some dried cranberries would be good too, might give you the PB & J taste... Coconut butter kinda tastes like peanut butter to me... in a weird way

Melt the coconut butter and oil in a saucepan, add in the nuts. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and pour the mixture out over the paper. Sprinkle the top with the coconut shavings. Freeze for 15-20 minutes, then break apart.

Don't eat it all in one sitting.... Just because it's "Paleo" doesn't mean eat the whole pan... :)

Cowboy Spaghetti (A Paleo BBQ delight!)

Don't judge by the picture, it doesn't do this meal any justice!

So, my friend Jaimie told me that her husband made a Paleo BBQ sauce, so I had to try and make some of my own!

Here is what you'll need:

Pre-made Pulled Pork (I found some at Costco that has very little additives)
Broccoli Slaw (from Trader Joe's)
Olive Oil

*Heat the pulled pork as noted on the package, sautee the broccoli slaw in the olive oil until it is softened to your liking.

For the BBQ sauce:

1 can (14.5 oz) tomatoes
1/2 onion
2 TBSP Red Wine Vinegar
1 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar
1 TBSP Minced Garlic
1/4 teasp Cayenne Pepper
1/2 TBSP Garlic Powder
1 TBSP Dijon Mustard
1 TBSP Tamari (Gluten Free Soy Sauce)

Blend all of the ingredients together until you have a nice sauce consistency. Pour the sauce over the pulled pork and simmer until heated through. Place the BBQ pork mixture on top of the broccoli slaw. Gobble it up!

Bacon Wrapped Sweet Potatoes

Mmmmmmm

So, as you can see it has been about 6 months since my last post. Shoot me, I had a baby and I've been just a tiny bit busy. Aside from being busy, I have to admit that I have not been the best with my diet, thus why I have had nothing to post. By the time I get the baby to bed, I have no motivation to whip up some extravagant dinner, so it's always meat and veggies, no frills.

So.... I am going to try to make a new recipe each week and post it here. Key word, *TRY*. We just started the "Helen Challenge" at CFSC and I want to be excited about eating Paleo again, and I want to share what I know and love with my fellow Helen Challengers. So, here is one phenomenal side dish that does not taste healthy, it is amazing!

Here is what you'll need:

(depending on your servings, I had 4 people to feed)
4 small sweet potatoes
1/2 lb bacon

Preheat the oven to 400. Cut the sweet potatoes into 1" fries. Cut the bacon in half, lengthwise. Simply wrap one piece of bacon around about 3 of the sweet pot fries and place on a cookie sheet. I lined my cookie sheet with aluminum foil for easier clean up. Once all the sweet pots are rolled up, put them in the oven, middle rack for about an hour, flipping them over when they have been cooking for 30 minutes. Once they have been in the oven for an hour, switch the oven to broil, on high, and move the cookie sheet up one rack (about 6-8" from the flame). Broil those puppies for about 10 minutes, keeping your eye on them so they do not burn.

That's it, enjoy!