Special Occasion Food

We will be with getting together with family and friends this weekend.  I try to eat the best I can when going other places.  Both of our families usually have some good, healthy choices and it is nice to partake.  I like to bring something to share that my gluten free kiddo and I can enjoy, but that others will like too.  This weekend I am taking chocolate almond joy bars since I know my family likes these.  I also made a batch of homemade twix bars.  This recipe has been going around on facebook and my mom asked if I'd try it (she has Celiac disease and hasn't eaten a Twix for probably a decade!)  I used regular Toll House chocolate chips for this occasion per my children's request.  I agreed that it would be less "twixy" with dark chocolate.  This will still be a better choice than eating traditional desserts or candy!  Finally, I made a pan of junky, full of white flour and sugar bars that were devoured by the kids last time we were together.  My kiddos requested these and I don't mind making "junk food" on the occasion, we are eating much better on the everyday days.  When considering what treats I will eat I look at it as a "best, better, worst" scenario.  The chocolate almond joy bars are the best, the twix bars are a better than what I ate a couple years ago choice, and finally the toffee bars I made are the worst, so don't even put one on my plate!
  
There's the line-up!  I always bake my paleo goods in parchment paper.  It makes them so much easier to get out of the pan.

Giveaway!

Thank you to all who sent me some suggestions!  I sent an email to the winner, some paleo goodies are headed your way next week.

Marinated Steak

Warning:  This is not a strict paleo recipe.  This is a family favorite recipe that I made for a birthday supper tonight.  I think one way to help sway my family to eating healthy, is to make things they like.  I'm sure this marinade could be paleofied, but I have not experimented with that yet.  I think if the soy sauce was subbed for coconut aminos and the Worcestershire was omitted or replaced with some salt it would be totally paleo.  Here's the original recipe. 

Best Steak Marinade In Existence:
1/3 cup soy sauce (I used Bragg's Liquid Aminos) 
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
3 Tbsp dried basil
1 1/2 Tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp white pepper (I've used black before)
Few shakes of hot pepper sauce

Place all ingredients in blender and blend on high for 30 seconds, until thoroughly mixed.  Pour over steak, cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.  Remove from marinade and grill. 

Tonight we also grilled asparagus and had some sauteed spinach and garlic. 

Honeyville Almond Flour

When I order Honeyville almond flour, I like to check the price on Amazon and directly from Honeyville.  A friend and I decided to split a 25lb box, so I was checking prices today.  Ending today, Honeyville is offering 15% off an entire order.  This is the best price I have found.  With shipping, the flour will be just under $5.42 a pound.  Check out Honeyville today if you need almond flour.  You can order a 5lb bag for $7.56 a pound.  SPRING15 is the coupon code.

Month of Meals Thoughts

Well, yesterday concluded my month of meals.  I took some time to reflect and evaluate my diet and life.  Here are some thoughts I've had and some improvements I'd like to make.

1.  I eat a lot of eggs!  Most mornings are just eggs or a recipe that contains eggs.  Eggs are an inexpensive protein and easy to prepare, my family will eat them any day for any meal, no one seems to be sensitive to them in my family.  That being said, I might try to find some "egg free" breakfasts to throw in the mix.

2.  I am constantly on the go.  I think I need to have more "grab & go" type things around.  It seems that I only have nuts and tea with me when shopping lately.  I'm thinking that cutting and packaging some fresh veggies and making some homemade larabars and more chia pudding would be a good game plan.

3.  I am blessed by the people around me.  Many times this month I mentioned eating out with someone or going somewhere.  These are some of the things that make life great!  Great motivation to stay healthy and eat well.  Might I add that not one person I have been with has been critical of my food choices, being surrounded by supportive friends/family is an encouragement!

4.  This has been a bit of a "boring" food month.  I tend to be a bit more of an adventurous cook, but being gone so much can make that difficult.  I hope to try some more interesting recipes.  Send me a link if there is a recipe that peaks your interest & you want me to give it a test run.


***TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY!***

Primal Pizza

Basically a repeat of this pizza.


 

Don't forget to send me an email at renaeats@gmail.com or leave a comment in the giveaway post to be entered in my first giveaway.  Ends tomorrow!!! 

Chicken on Spinach

Today I warmed up a couple pieces of this chicken.  I put them on some baby spinach and sprinkled it with toasted almonds.  I whisked up a quick Asian inspired dressing for it.  I didn't really measure, but it was about 2 Tbsp coconut aminos, 1 Tbsp almond butter, 1/2 tsp honey and 1/2 tsp sesame seeds.

Scrambled Eggs and Toast

Basic scrambled eggs, turkey bacon and a piece of this bread.


 
Oh, and I had had raw honey & honey comb on my toast, yum!

Taco Lettuce Wraps

This is my go-to "I don't feel like cooking and it's suppertime and I just want everyone to eat and be happy" meal.  I eat my tacos in a lettuce wrap with avocado, salsa and olives.  I had some organic corn chips and cheese on the table for the rest of the family.  We also had corn, which is not paleo, but I eat the corn we grow anyway. 

Nut Storage

I use a lot of raw nuts & seeds.  Today while shopping at Gordman's I found these glass jars that are perfect for storing nuts.  One of my daughters has lovely handwriting, so she labeled the jars for me.  Aren't they the cutest???
 

For lunch today I was out shopping.  I basically snacked on some nuts and drank tea.  I also ate some of my little helper's frozen yogurt (major paleo fail!)

3 Ingredient Simple Protein Pancakes

Yep, these are quick & easy.  I like them, the kiddos eat them, but they are not a favorite.  I used mini EnjoyLife chips in theirs and Dagoba dark chocolate chips in mine.  The chocolate chips make it 4 ingredient pancakes.  :)
 http://paleomg.com/3-ingredient-simple-protein-pancakes/

Chicken Strips with Honey Mustard Sauce

The adults and children love these chicken strips in our house!  I used organic chicken breasts cut into strips. 
 
We also had some baked sweet potatoes, green beans and beets.   

Today I worked on organizing my posts in categories.  I hope this will be more user friendly when wanting to refer back or when needing inspiration of a certain category.  

Please send me an email (renaeats@gmail.com) or comment by Friday to be entered in my first giveaway!!!

Grilled Steak Salad & Chai Tea Latte

You know what is great about paleo things?  They are typically filling and nutritious.  I had some greens that needed to be eaten today, but due to the weather, I was in the mood for a hot lunch.  So, I dutifully ate up some leftover steak, avocados, cucumbers, carrots and pecans on greens.  But, I added a hot chai tea latte to my lunch!  With all the coconut and almond milk this was very satisfying.  Have you read my post about chai tea concentrate?
 

French Toast

I made a loaf of this sandwich bread a couple days ago.  This morning it became french toast!


 
Here's what I had in my batter:
4 eggs
1/2 cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
dash of salt
6 drops English Toffee Stevia (could be omitted or replaced with regular stevia)
Kerrygold butter (for frying), could use coconut oil

Whisk it all together.  Slice bread and dip in batter.  Fry in butter.  Serve with maple syrup.

Baked Garlic & Mushroom Chicken

I made this chicken recipe again tonight.  I put more liquid in it since I was going to be gone for awhile.  I baked it and left it in the oven til we could eat supper.  I did not include all the liquid then when making the gravy.  This is the second time I've made this dish and my family has loved it both times!  We cooked some frozen peas for a quick supper meal.  Some paleo diet advocates do not encourage eating peas.  Depending on your diet goals these may not be a great choice.  The wonderful thing about cooking your own meals is YOU get to decide what goes in them!

 
The gravy looks gross, but it is yummy!!!

Lunch at Wild Berries

Had lunch out with a great friend today in Bloomington, or were we in Normal?  Only true life long locals can tell, right?  I ordered the Philly burger, no bun, no cheese.  I chose the fruit and salad(didn't request no croutons, so I just pushed them aside) for my sides. I scored an extra dill pickle since my little one doesn't care for them. 

GIVEAWAY TIME!

For those of you who have stuck with me, you deserve a prize!  

On Friday, I will have completed a month of meals on my blog.  I plan to post new recipes I try and paleo cooking techniques, but I need some ideas from you!  Please post a comment or email me at renaeats@gmail.com to be entered in my first giveaway.  This ends Friday, April 17 at midnight.  What I give is up to me and I will not mail internationally.  If you are local, I may deliver something homemade.

Breakfast x 2!

Today we had a 6:00 and a 7:00 breakfast crew.  Now I have lots of dishes to clean up, so I'm very thankful for my dishwasher.  The 6:00 crew had blueberry/blackberry chai smoothies.

 
I used half coconut, half almond milk, half blackberries, half blueberries this morning.  I do not put the granola on top.


The 7:00 crew had something that resembles these banana pancakes.  I thought the batter seemed really thin, so I added a heaping Tbsp more of coconut flour.  The kiddos ate them up and didn't complain.  One even said "These are really good."  As I go to do this post, I realize I unintentionally omitted the almond flour.  Anyway, here are my somewhat of a flop, yet totally edible pancakes.  I used mini EnjoyLife brand chocolate chips which are not paleo.  If I were eating them I would leave them out or use dark chocolate. 

 
Happy Monday!!!

Lemon Poppyseed Pound Cake

I have rarely made a Bundt cake.  When I have, they rarely turn out.  They taste fine, I just can't seem to get them out of the pan in one piece.  I either don't let them cool in the pan long enough, or I let them cool too long.  This cake was no exception.  This glazed lemon poppyseed pound cake tasted delicious, so I will make it again...... in a 9x13 pan!

 
Here's one pretty good looking piece.  The only thing I did different from this posted recipe is I used Spectrum shortening instead of butter per the recipe printed in the Against All Grain cookbook. 

Grilled Steak, Kale, Carrots & Green Beans

I'm always happy when my hubby grills.  Tonight I had a great steak, some roasted kale, carrots amd green beans.
 

How to roast kale (kale chips):
Wash and remove thick stem from the leaves.  Pat dry.  Drizzle baking sheet with oil.  Place kale in single layer & toss in the oil.  Roast about 20 minutes in 325 degree oven.  It's best when the kale is crispy but not too browned.  Sprinkle with salt and serve.

Eggs & Avocado

Scrambled eggs and sliced avocado.  We also rationed out the leftover waffles from yesterday.
I got a half.

 
Quick lunch of walnuts, dried cherries and tea today.