Oatmeal-Raisin Pancakes

This Oatmeal-Raisin Pancake recipe was liked by all our kiddos.  They held together nicely and were puffy.  The batter does need to sit for 10-15 minutes before frying, so allow time for that.  A great shortcut is to mix up the dry ingredients the night before.  This made about 20 pancakes.

Cranberry Chocolate Gingerbread Cake

Feeling a little fancy-shmancy?  This cake turned out really pretty!  It about puts your tongue on sensory overload as you are hit with the bold gingerbread flavor, then you chew into the sweet cranberry compote and then hit a rich dark chocolate chunk.  Yum!  My kiddos all like this, but only the older ones really like it.  This seems like a "grown-up" dessert to me. 

Crazy Week Menu Plan & tips

Yesterday began a solid week of evening plans for our family.  I'm making a conscience effort to enjoy the joys of Christmas this year & not feel stressed out the entire month of December.  I'm trying to enjoy the concerts, parties and shopping instead of just checking things off my never ending to-do list.  When looking at the calendar and realizing we will be running around every evening I know I'm going to have to be very organized (not my strong point) in order to enjoy it.  With so many in the house that have food sensitivities, the days of popping in a couple frozen pizzas are long gone.  Here's how I manage gluten free home cooked meals on a busy schedule in no particular order (see? I'm not very organized):

#1 Use paper plates/bowls.  I do not like eating off paper, but this saves a ton of time with clean up.  As much as I don't like it, I dislike coming home to a kitchen full of dishes. 7 people make a LOT of dishes!

#2 Put away any clean dishes and run the dishwasher before going to bed.  This goes along with number 1 as a cleaned up kitchen is much more inspiring for food prep.

#3 One dish meals and Crock pot meals.  These can be prepped and mostly cleaned up prior to supper.  These take fewer dishes to serve & are eaten quicker. 

#4 Plan meals that use some of the same ingredients.  For example, if your meal on Tues & Thurs both call for shredded carrots, shred all you need on Tuesday and only wash the food processor once. 

#5 Have simple things that can be pulled out of the fridge or freezer to complete a meal.  At our house that is frozen applesauce or berries, cut up veggies & dip, GF or Paleo biscuits/ muffins/ breads.

#6 Thaw meat the day before.

Merry Christmas to you all!  May you enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes of the season, but most of all the best gift of Jesus!

Here's what we'll be eating with links to recipes:
Monday:
Sweet & Sour Meatballs
Cooked Rice
Green beans
Berries

Tuesday:
Leftover Roast Chicken Soup  I plan to use frozen turkey & broth I've already made
Crock pot Chili
Herbed biscuits -  I use this recipe and add about 1 Tbsp of dried herbs & brush the tops with garlic butter
Veggies & Ranch

Wednesday:
Double batch of Pad See Ew
Applesauce 

Thursday:
Choose Your Own Adventure (That's a fancy way of  saying warm up whatever leftovers are in the fridge!)  I intentionally will make extra Mon-Wed for this since this is the evening we have to be out of the house the earliest.

Friday:
Double batch of Hamburger- Rice Skillet
Fruit tray

Roasted Butternut Squash & Pear Porridge

Here's a breakfast porridge recipe I came up with.  It embodies all the flavors of Fall and warms you from the inside out.  Even though sitting down to meals is ideal, sometimes the busyness of life makes this difficult.  This can easily be sipped from a mug on the go.  This recipe makes 2 hearty servings.  Share, or warm up the second serving the next day. 
**Note:  I don't even try this with my kiddos since I'm sure it will be met with a negative response.**

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp coconut oil, divided
3 cups butternut squash, cubed
1 pear, cubed (I used a red D'Anjou)
1/2-1 cup coconut milk (Adjust according to desired thickness.)
1 pinch salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Optional toppings:  Toasted walnuts, pumpkin seeds or walnuts; ground sausage

Preheat oven to 400.  Spread squash on a parchment paper lined baking sheet coated in 1 Tbsp of oil. Roast for about 20 minutes until edges become brown and squash is tender.  Spread pear on a parchment lined baking sheet coated in the remaining 1 Tbsp of oil.  Roast for about 10 minutes.  Place all in Vitamix after roasting.  Add coconut milk, salt, cinnamon and ginger.  Puree on high until steaming.  Pour into bowls and serve with desired toppings.

Paleo Chocolate Cake

Someone had a birthday this week.  I made a big chocolate Texas sheet cake to share, then I made another one with GF flour for our house.  I really wanted cake too, so I used this recipe from Elana's Pantry.  I made a half recipe of this recipe and it made 6 cupcakes.  The cake was moist and had a great texture. I then used a half recipe of the paleo chocolate frosting on the link.  It was delicious with 60% cacao chocolate chips.  Do not refrigerate these as the frosting gets hard.

Meal Inspiration

I've been wanting to keep a record of what I'm eating for supper.  If you need some meal inspiration, here's what I was eating this week.  Breakfast is usually paleo pancakes/waffles, eggs, meat, or protein shake.  Lunch is whatever needs to be eaten in the fridge on top of a salad.  :)

Thousand Island Dressing

When it comes to salad dressings, I'm a vinaigrette girl.  My kiddos love the thicker dressings like french or creamy ranch, but not me.  So, craving a thick thousand island dressing is unusual for me, but it's been sounding so good.  I scanned some recipes to get an idea on what is in it and here's what I came up with.  First things first, I needed a sweet pickle or relish.  Most conventional brands have corn syrup.  I found this jar at Target and thought the heat from the peppers would be great for a dressing.  No HFCS, but it does contain sugar, so keep that in mind if you are strictly avoiding sugar.

 

 Rena's Thousand Island Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise (I used Spectrum Olive Oil)
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp raw honey
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup chopped pickles (I used Wickles brand)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp granulated garlic
1 Tbsp pickle juice

Combine together and chill.  Serve as a dip or salad dressing.

 

My kiddos loved this and it was delicious on a salad with leftover chicken fingers!

 

Grain Free Apple Pie Granola

I modified my original grain free granola recipe & made this Apple Pie Granola.  It's sweet enough to be satisfying and has all the spice of a traditional apple pie.  It is great dry or with some homemade coconut milk.  Getting all the ingredients out takes awhile, but it makes a big batch. Plus your kitchen will smell amazing!  If you make it, let me know what you think in the comments or by email.  renaeats@gmail.com

Grain Free Apple Pie Granola
1 1/2 cups pecans, chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
2 cups shredded coconut, unsweetened
1 cup roasted & salted sunflower seeds
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
2 tsp cinnamon (I like Korintje)
1/4 tsp ground allspice

2 Tbsp raw honey
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup coconut oil (I used refined, unrefined will give a more coconutty flavor)
2 tsp vanilla

1 cup dried apples, chopped
**************************************************************************
Preheat oven to 300.
In a large bowl, mix all nuts, seeds and spices. 
In a saucepan combine honey, syrup, applesauce and oil.  Heat until all liquid and combined.
Add in vanilla.
Dump over the nut mixture & coat.
Spread on parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake for 30 minutes, stirring once.
Add in dried apples and bake for 10 more minutes.  Mixture should be toasted light brown.
Cool completely.  I like to store mine in a glass jar.

Leftover Roast Chicken Soup with Roasted Vegetables

I followed this soup recipe exactly and it turned out wonderful!  Very flavorful and satisfying.  I used a mixture of homemade and boxed broth.  More seasoning may be required depending on your broth.  Also, Danielle Walker did a live Q & A on her Facebook page last night.  Check out the recording for some good information on the paleo diet, pregnancy, auto immune diseases and just to enjoy listening to Danielle speak.  I find her & her story so inspirational!

 

 Looking at this picture makes me excited to eat the leftovers for lunch!

Gluten Free Avanti's Bread

If you live close to me, you know what Avanti's is.  If you don't, think cheap Italian restaurant that is really yummy.  Tuesday night all you can eat spaghetti was a staple in college and it's a great place to take a whole family.  The sweet bread served piled high in baskets with butter pats is always a hit!  A friend of mine shared her GF Avanti's bread recipe with me.  We gave it a try & it has a very similar flavor but is a bit more dense.  My kiddos and hubby all liked it! Here's her recipe:

2 1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 T oil (I used light olive)
1 egg
1/2 T salt
1 cup sugar
5 cups flour (I used this mix primarily, but it was about 1/2 cup shy so I filled in with another flour mix.  I used stone ground flour, not superfine)
1 1/2-2 T yeast

Dissolve yeast in warm water.
Mix in remaining ingredients.
Mix on Medium for 3 minutes.
Put dough in 2 greased loaf pans. (I made 2 long loaves on parchment paper & 1 loaf in a parchment lined pan.  Use wet hands to smooth out loaves.)
Let rise covered or preheat oven to 200 and shut off for about 30 minutes.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes

I will have to call ours donut mini muffins.  We only have a muffin maker, not a donut hole or cake pop maker.  Anyway, I followed the recipe for the paleo version of these and they turned out great.  I have not tried this, but it might work in the oven as mini muffins.  Give this recipe a try if you are in the donut mood & need a healthier option!

Dairy Free Ranch Dip/Dressing

Simple recipes with ingredients I have on hand are my favorites!  Here's a ranch dip recipe I serve with relishes.  I reduce the dill when I want it to be more like a dressing.  Here's what I do for the dip.

1/2 cup mayo (I use Spectrum brand olive oil mayo when I don't have homemade)
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
2 Tbsp dried parsley
1 Tbsp dried chives
1 Tbsp dried dill weed
2 tsp lemon juice
coconut milk to thin to desired consistency, 1-2 Tbsp for dip, 3-4 Tbsp for dressing

Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

It has been mentioned that cinnamon rolls have been missed since being on a strict GF diet for someone in our house.  Making rolls is so time consuming, it's not something I attempt very often. I have been eyeing this recipe and have watched the video tutorial, so I was feeling confident.  They were tricky to roll up, but were a great texture when baked.  My crew said they were a great compared to any cinnamon roll, gluten free or not.  That's the highest compliment that can be given at our house.  If you have the time & need a special treat, I would recommend giving this a try.

These were the star of the show at the brunch I made my kiddos.  They've had a wonderful first quarter of their school year & we were kicking off a little time off school.

Frosted and ready to cut.

 Our Fall brunch.

 

Gluten Free S'mores Trail Mix

Tis the season for s'mores!  When I saw this recipe, I didn't need much of an excuse to try it.  It was yummy, but the kiddos thought it was too sweet.  Next time we will reduce the honey in the cookies.  But what a fun Fall treat!  We munched on this as we had a family game night.

Millet Flax Gluten-Free Bread

We have packed lots of sandwiches in the last couple months.  Store bought gluten free bread can be somewhat dry.  Here's how we rate the ones we can buy locally.

#1- Canyon Bakehouse from Target
#2- Live G Free from Aldi
#3- Udi's - Costco or Kroger

Whenever I can, I like to make this millet flax bread.  It stays moist & holds together.  I keep it for several days in the fridge.

Pumpkin Bars

These pumpkin bars came together easily and were so delicious and moist. I opted for the honey option and reduced it to 1/3 cup. Some in our house feel that pumpkin bars must have cream cheese frosting, so I made a pan of each. Yum!

Sunday Pumpkin Waffles

We enjoyed some pumpkin deliciousness this morning in waffle form.  These Sunday Pumpkin Waffles are great any day of the week.  They came together quickly, but next time I will measure out the dry ingredients the night before for a shortcut.  The recipe made about 6 servings in my waffle maker.  The kiddos were full after one.

 

Back at it...

Hello!  I'm back to the blogging world.  2015 has been a year of changes for our family.  We added kiddo #5 in January, started a major home remodel in June and had new health concerns that affect our kitchen.  With 2 kiddos now needing to eat strictly gluten free, we are basically becoming an all gluten free household.  I still want to eat a Paleo type diet, but have had to experiment with some recipes to suffice the kiddos palates.  Having healthy, nutritious foods in our home is still a value to me, but I will be making some GF treats. That being said, I plan to tag my posts as being gluten free, Paleo or both.  I decided to rename my blog to "Nutritionally Focused" since I will not be posting only Paleo recipes.

I'm excited to share many of the yummy things we've been eating and hope to share how I've set up my new kitchen when it's complete.  Here's a peak at my mostly done kitchen.

Under Construction

Due to a complete kitchen remodel, I am taking a blogging break. Can't wait to share how I set up my new kitchen!  Happy cooking.

Sausage Seasoning

Here is my custom mixture that I add to any ground meet to make it taste like sausage.  It's difficult to find sausage that does not include ingredients I'd rather not eat.  This is a great alternative.

2 Tbsp sea salt
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning

Mix together and sprinkle 1 tsp on 1 lb of ground meat.  Turkey and beef are my favorite.  Store in a spice jar or air tight container.

Loaded Chocolate Milk

Here's a great snack or dessert idea.  I've tried different combinations, but here's my favorite!

1 cup full fat coconut milk
4 small dates (1-2 medjool dates)
1/2 Tbsp flax seed
1 Tbsp cacao powder
1 tsp vanilla

Place all ingredients in the Vitamix and process on high until very smooth.  Pour over ice & drink with a straw.  Makes 1 serving.

Whole30 Menu Plan Week #4

So, this last weekend was very busy & I was not able to plan this weeks meals.  What I have decided is to borrow meals from the last 3 weeks.  Lazy or efficient?  You can decide.  I throw it into the doing the best I can category!

Peruvian-Style Chicken

As I try recipes from the Against All Grain Meals Made Simple cook book, I'm constantly amazed at the variety & simplicity of many of them.  I went out on a limb and tried this chicken dish.  It made my house smell amazing as I was baking it.  The end product was moist, slightly spicy and delicious!  Here is a recipe I found on line that was adapted from the cook book if you want to try it:  Peruvian-Style Chicken

Ready for the oven:

 
Heading to the table:
 
 
I served mine with cauli-rice and fresh cilantro:
 

Veggies For Breakfast

Vegetables for breakfast are a great idea.  Unfortunately they don't always sound good & the kiddos are not on board with this plan most days.  Today I made the kiddos some scrambled eggs and turkey sausage.  I ran some Brussels sprouts, onion and red pepper through the slicer of my food processor.  I sauteed these in coconut oil and sprinkled with salt.  This was yummy with the scrambled eggs and black pepper ground on top.

Salmon Patties

I made salmon patties from the Practical Paleo cookbook.  This recipe is similar if you want to try it and you do not have the cookbook.  They were surprisingly good!  My hubby and 2 of the kiddos really liked them.  1 kiddo thought they were just okay & 1 refused to even try them.  This was not unusual since not everyone in our house likes salmon.  This cookbook version calls for canned salmon which makes this even quicker to mix up.  I'm sure canned salmon varies.  I've been using the Bear & Wolf brand without bones, it's yummy!

Whole30 Menu Plan Week #3

Well, it's time to begin week 3 of my Whole30.  I'm already noticing a decrease in headaches and my cravings for sweets is definitely much better!  I had some things come up this week and did not cook the meals I had planned, so I will have some repeats on my menu.  That being said, a plan has totally helped me stay on track!

Everyday:  Coffee with collagen & coconut oil.  Water with lemon or lime juice.

Day 1
Breakfast:  Veggie Omelet
Lunch:  Salad with leftover salmon, avocado, tomatoes, celery, olive oil, vinegar, salt & pepper
Supper: Grilled burgers, sauteed mushrooms, potatoes, broccoli
Snack ideas for the day:  Cashew butter, celery, banana, pistachios

Day 2
Breakfast:  Grapefruit and turkey sausage patties. Omit the sugar, but use this recipe.
Lunch:  Chicken Salad lettuce wraps
Supper:  Quick & Easy Salmon Cake (Practical Paleo pg 310), salad, sauteed veggies
Snack ideas for the day:  Blueberries, almonds, peppers

Day 3
Breakfast: Fried eggs & veggies
Lunch: Salad with leftover steak, tomatoes, carrots, olive oil, vinegar, pine nuts, salt & pepper
Supper:  Peruvian-style chicken (AAG Meals Made Simple pg 116), cauli-rice
Snack ideas for the day:  Pecans, apples, carrots

Day 4
Breakfast:  Sausage & sweet potato hash
Lunch:  Winter Squash & Beef Chili
Supper:  Pineapple beef kabobs (AAG Meals Made Simple pg 162), green beans, potatoes & onions
Snack ideas for the day:  Almond butter, celery, oranges

Day 5
Breakfast:  Banana Nut Porridge with organic raisins
Lunch:  Leftovers
Supper:  Grilled chicken thighs, roasted butternut squash, salad, applesauce with cinnamon
Snack ideas for the day:  Strawberries, cashews, carrots

***I do plan to use some butter, since I know I'm not sensitive to it & I don't care for clarified butter***

What to do:
Sunday- wash celery
Monday- wash blueberries, wash and cut peppers, make turkey sausage patties, make chicken salad
Tuesday- thaw chicken, wash and cut up apples
Wednesday- Wash and cut up oranges & celery, thaw sirloin steak
Thursday- Soak nuts for porridge, wash strawberries, thaw chicken thighs
Friday- Evaluate what needs to be eaten and prepare for the weekend.  Make sure to have a plan for week #4!
                                                                                                                           

Guacamole Deviled Eggs

I made this recipe last night.  We ate them for breakfast.  They are a tasty alternative to the traditional deviled egg.  I used hot sauce instead of pepper flakes.  No picture as one kiddo tumbled the container out of the fridge.  :)

Dijon Almond Crusted Tilapia

I made this recipe over the weekend.  I ended up using pollock since I didn't have any tilapia.  Pretty sure any mild white fish will work.  It was super quick & delicious.  Some of the kiddos were not a fan of the smoked paprika flavor.  We had our with thinly sliced roasted sweet potatoes and sauteed sugar snap peas.

Whole 30 Update

Today marks day 4 of my Whole30 challenge.  So far it has not seemed like much of a challenge.  I'm eating lots of great things and I am not craving sweets!  I was really hungry on day 2 and ate an insane amount of almonds.  But, all the other days have been good.  Here are some pictures of what I ate so far this week.  I also had lots of great snacks consisting of celery, carrots, peppers, pears, apples, oranges, bananas, pecans, pistachios, almonds and cashew butter.  Looking forward to week 2!   Check out my menu plan, having a plan has been great and has so helped to keep me on track. 

 
 Day 2
  



 

 

Whole30 Menu Plan Week #2

I loved having my menu all planned out this week!  It helped me to be able focus on what I can eat and gave me a guideline for when I was hungry.  So, here I go with week 2.



Everyday:  Coffee with collagen & coconut oil.  Water with lemon or lime juice.

Day 1
Breakfast:  Grapefruit and turkey sausage patties. Omit the sugar, but use this recipe.
Lunch:  Chicken Salad lettuce wraps
Supper:  Beef Short Ribs, oven roasted red potatoes, broccoli
Snack ideas for the day:  Cashew butter, celery, banana, pistachios

Day 2
Breakfast:  Veggie Omelet
Lunch:  Salad with leftover beef, avocado, tomatoes, celery, olive oil, vinegar, salt & pepper
Supper:  Slow Cooker Chicken & Gravy, roasted carrots, Brussels sprouts
Snack ideas for the day:  Blueberries, almonds, peppers

Day 3
Breakfast: These pumpkin pancakes omitting the syrup topped with roasted pumpkin seeds
Lunch:  Winter Squash & Beef Chili
Supper:  Mango & Avocado Salsa on Salmon, Roasted Veggies, Mixed Berries
Snack ideas for the day:  Pecans, apples, carrots

Day 4
Breakfast:  Guacamole Deviled Eggs, turkey sausage patties
Lunch:  Salad with leftover salmon
Supper:  Grilled burgers, sauteed mushrooms, potatoes, broccoli
Snack ideas for the day:  Almond butter, celery, oranges

Day 5
Breakfast:  Banana Nut Porridge with organic raisins
Lunch:  Leftovers
Supper:  Grilled chicken thighs, roasted butternut squash, salad, applesauce with cinnamon
Snack ideas for the day:  Strawberries, cashews, carrots

***I do plan to use some butter, since I know I'm not sensitive to it & I don't care for clarified butter***

What to do:
Sunday- Prepare turkey sausage patties, wash grapefruit, make chicken salad, wash and trim celery, thaw chicken for Tues.
Monday- wash blueberries, wash and cut peppers.
Tuesday- wash & cut apples, thaw soup, thaw salmon.
Wednesday- Make guacamole deviled eggs, wash oranges, wash & trim celery.
Thursday- Soak nuts for porridge, wash strawberries, thaw chicken thighs
Friday- Evaluate what needs to be eaten and prepare for the weekend.  Make sure to have a plan for week #3!

Chocolate Granola with Berries

Chocolate, granola and berries are some of my favorite things, so this recipe looked really good to me!  It was fairly quick to assemble and once in the oven, it doesn't need to be checked on very often.  The result is delicious! 

The winner of my last giveaway is getting this quart jar of granola and some homemade coconut milk.

Paleo Banana Bread

So, this recipe was just ok.  When I mixed it up, it was a very thick batter.  I baked it according to directions and it baked perfectly.  It just seems like it needs some more flavor.  If I made it again I would add some cinnamon.  I thought the texture wasn't quite right, maybe a bit less coconut flour???  I've been eating mine warmed up with butter on top.

Whole30 Menu Plan Week #1

Well, I've been working out what I will eat the first week of my Whole30.  I plan to start in a week.  The Monday after Easter Sunday just seemed like the right time for a new beginning!  Having it all planned out will definitely help me to succeed.  I plan to have these snacks ready to eat so I can even make a good choice during a middle of the night baby feeding session.  I will check in and let you know how it is going and post what I plan to eat on week #2.  I have only included 5 days in my plan since we often have leftovers, so 5 days worth of cooking will often last 7 days.  I will also report what my 7 days of eating entailed and if I needed to plan another meal or 2.

Everyday:  Coffee with collagen & coconut oil.  Water with lemon or lime juice.

Day 1
Breakfast:  Grapefruit and turkey sausage patties. Omit the sugar, but use this recipe.
Lunch:  Lettuce and/or spinach salad with avocado, hard boiled eggs, olive oil, salt & pepper.  Add leftover meat from the weekend.
Supper:  Beef pot roast, garlic mashed cauliflower, green beans & applesauce with cinnamon
Snack ideas for the day:  Cashew butter, celery, banana, pistachios

Day 2
Breakfast:  Sausage & sweet potato hash
Lunch:  Salmon Salad celery & pears
Supper:  Greek Chicken, roasted carrots, bacon wrapped asparagus
Snack ideas for the day:  Blueberries, almonds, peppers

Day 3
Breakfast: Fried or scrambled eggs
Lunch:  Lettuce and/or spinach salad with leftover chicken, avocado, peppers, carrots, celery, olive oil, salt & pepper
Supper:  Spaghetti Squash Bolognese (swap beef broth for white wine), green beans 
Snack ideas for the day:  Pecans, apples, carrots

Day 4
Breakfast:  These pumpkin pancakes omitting the syrup topped with roasted pumpkin seeds
Lunch:  Leftovers from the week
Supper:  Dijon Almond Crusted Fish, baked sweet potatoes, peas
Snack ideas for the day:  Guacamole, celery, oranges

Day 5
Breakfast:  Banana Nut Porridge with organic raisins
Lunch:  Salmon Salad, red pepper, apples
Supper:  Grilled steak, roasted potatoes, and broccoli
Snack ideas for the day:  Strawberries, cashews, carrots

***I do plan to use some butter, since I know I'm not sensitive to it & I don't care for clarified butter***

What to do:
Sunday- Prepare turkey sausage patties, wash grapefruit, thaw beef roast, wash and trim celery.
Monday- make homemade mayo & prepare salmon salad, wash blueberries, wash and cut peppers, thaw chicken breasts & put in marinade
Tuesday- wash & cut apples, thaw ground beef & ground turkey
Wednesday- Make Quick & easy guac, wash oranges, wash & trim celery, thaw fish
Thursday- Soak nuts for porridge, wash strawberries, thaw steak
Friday- Evaluate what needs to be eaten and prepare for the weekend.  Make sure to have a plan for week #2!

Giveaway winner has been contacted via email.  Thanks for all the ideas & inspiration!

Sausage and Sweet Potato Hash

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 large sweet potato, peeled and grated
1/2 lb sausage
1/2 tsp chives, dried or fresh
1/4 tsp Simply Organic All-Purpose seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
fried eggs, optional

Melt coconut oil in a large skillet.  Add onion and sweet potato.  Saute until vegetables become tender.  Crumble raw sausage into pan and continue cooking on medium heat.  Add in spices and cook until sausage is cooked through.  Top with fried eggs, if desired. 

Skillet Frittata

This is a technique that can be used to make many variations.  All you need is skillet with a tight fitting lid.  Pictured is a bacon, asparagus and leek frittata.  You can swap out about any kind of veggie & meat combinations.  The best part is it only dirties one pan!

 
  
Ingredients:
coconut oil
chopped leeks
chopped bacon
few asparagus spears, trimmed and chopped
2 eggs, scrambled
chopped peppers

Melt oil in pan.  Saute leeks, bacon and asparagus for a few minutes.  Turn heat to low, add eggs, salt & pepper.  Top with peppers.  Cover with lid.  Every couple minutes gently lift the side of the frittata and allow the raw egg to run to the bottom of the pan.  When egg is completely cooked, it's ready to serve.  This is enough for 2.  Or just eat it by yourself out of the skillet, no plate to wash!  :)

Winter Squash & Beef Chili

The calendar may say Spring, but it's still feeling like winter around here!  I'm wearing a sweater as I type this, but longingly looked at a pair of strappy sandals in my closet this morning.  So, in an effort to embrace this extremely long winter & not be jealous of our friends & family heading south for spring break (you know who you are!), I'm posting a soup recipe.

A friend made this for us soon after our baby was born and it was such a quick, filling, healthy meal.  She gave me a copy of the recipe and I love making it.  I could not find the original source to give credit to, so here it is.

Winter Squash & Beef Chili
1 2lb winter squash peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I used a butternut I had purchased from Costco that was all cubed up in the refrigerator to simplify.)
2 Tbsp olive oil or coconut oil, divided to use
1 lb grass-fed ground beef
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 medium celery stalks, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled & chopped
3 cups chopped broccoli or cauliflower
4-6 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
2 cups pureed tomatoes (or one 15 oz can diced tomatoes)
3 cups beef broth (I used a box of vegetable broth)
sea salt & black pepper to taste
Chopped green onion, for garnish

1.  Preheat oven to 400.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place the squash on the baking sheet & toss with 1 Tbsp of the oil.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until tender and brown in spots.  Set aside.   
2.  Heat the remaining oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the beef.  Cook, breaking up until almost cooked through.
3.  Add onion, celery, carrots and broccoli.  Stir to combine.  Cover the pot and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring twice.
4.  Add the garlic, chili powder and cumin.  Stir for 1 minute.
5.  Add the tomatoes and broth.  Bring to a rapid simmer, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
6.  Stir in the roasted squash.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7.  Serve in bowls garnished with green onion.

  

Whole 30 and Giveaway

Guess what???  I've had my blog for a year now.  It's been an eventful year and the time has gone by so fast!  In celebration, I have decided to do another giveaway.  My baby is now 2 months old and life is starting to normalize again.  I've been slacking in eating well and I don't feel as great as I do when I am eating good.  I'm thinking I will try a Whole30 starting in April to try to curb some of the bad habits I've succumb to.  Click here to learn the Whole30 "rules." 

Here's the giveaway part.  You can be entered into the drawing by doing one of the following.  Please use this email:  renaeats@gmail.com  I will close the drawing a week from today on March 31 at midnight.
1.  Comment or email me why I should do a Whole30.  Tell me if you've ever done this & if you liked the results.
2.  Comment or email me a recipe you would like me to try & review.
3.  Comment or email me your favorite recipe from this blog. 
4.  Want to join me in a Whole30?  Let me know and I'll enter your name twice!

So, let the fun begin, bombard me with lots of inspiration!  Depending on your location, I will either deliver some homemade paleo friendly food, or mail you 1 of my favorite products. 

I had better go put away the large can of salted, dark chocolate covered walnuts I munch on when feeding the baby and replace it with a cooler full of veggies!

Creamy Italian Chicken Zoodle Soup

Here's a filling, vegetable packed soup recipe.  This makes a big potful, so scale back if needed.

1 head cauliflower
3 Tbsp butter
1 leek, sliced thin
4 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups chicken stock
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
3 cups chopped carrots
3 cups chopped spinach
4 cups chicken, cooked & cubed
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp marjoram
1 zucchini, spiralized

Cut up cauliflower and set aside.  In a large pot, saute leek and celery in butter for 5 minutes, add garlic and saute a minute longer.  Add chicken stock, tomatoes, carrots, spinach, chicken and spices.  While soup is simmering, steam cauliflower.  Puree steamed cauliflower until very smooth.  Add zucchini and cauliflower just minutes before serving. 

***This keeps well in the fridge for a few days, but the zucchini will lose some of it's texture and be less noodle like.***

 

Lemon Honey Rosemary Chicken

I loosely followed this recipe and the chicken turned out so tasty!  Here's what I did differently due to what I had at my house:  I used bone-in chicken thighs that I removed the skin from, a few splashes of hot sauce to replace the red pepper flakes, about 1/2 Tablespoon of dried rosemary and dried parsley.  We ate ours with roasted butternut squash and a spinach salad.  I highly recommend trying this since it comes together so quickly and is so delicious!

Greek Chicken & Baby Update

Our baby is now a month old!  It has been quite a month full of concerns, joys, doctor appointments, trips to the hospital, sleepless nights, and lots of sweet baby snuggles.  I went into labor early and delivered at 34 weeks.  Baby has done better than expected, but is definitely a bit more difficult to care for.  As we are reaching the magical "due date," things seem to be normalizing.  These are the times in life when I reflect on the many blessings in my life!  We have had so much generosity thrown our way in childcare, rides, gifts, prayers and meals.  Our neighbors, family and church family have kept my family well fed.  One sweet friend brought this chicken to us and we all loved it.  She gave me the recipe and I made it over the weekend and everyone liked it again!  It needs to sit in the marinade, so you do have to think ahead, but then it just needs to be cooked.   A super easy, delicious main dish.  Leftovers were great chopped up on a salad for lunch the next day. 

Greek Chicken

1.5-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup olive oil

3 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 Tbsp. parsley flakes

1/2 Tbsp. Oregano

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients but chicken well. Place chicken in large Ziploc bag; pour mixture over. Seal bag; marinate several hours or overnight in refrigerator. Grill or bake until juice run clear.

 

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter "Granola" Bars

Need a good grab and go snack?  Make these!  They are so good.  I made one batch with peanut butter & one batch with almond butter.  They are delicious and filling.  I cut and wrapped mine in waxed paper for a quick snack while I'm up feeding the baby at night.  Store in the freezer.

 

Honey "Cornbread" Muffins

This honey "cornbread" muffin recipe is from the cookbook "Every Last Crumb."  It is great in terms of taste and texture.  I served ours with a pot of soup.  I've made these a couple times and think they are way too sweet.  The last time I made them I cut the honey back to 1/3 of a cup.  They were perfect! 

Creamy Garlic Spaghetti Squash

Here's a different twist on spaghetti squash.

1 spaghetti squash, cooked and shredded
4 Tbsp salted butter (I used Kerrygold)
4 Tbsp arrowroot powder
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
2 tsp dried parsley

Melt butter in a large skillet.  Add garlic for a minute.  Whisk in arrowroot to create a roux.Cook on medium heat until thick and bubbly.  Slowly add coconut milk.  Add parsley.  When hot & thick, fold in squash.  Cover with lid and heat through.  Top with mozzarella cheese if desired.

Here's ours with the rest of supper.  Chicken thigh, turkey bacon wrapped asparagus, creamy garlic spaghetti squash and a paleo blueberry muffin.

Turkey Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Here's a side dish that is simple, elegant and so tasty!

24 spears asparagus, cleaned and trimmed
8 slices turkey bacon (I use Applegate brand)
olive oil
lemon pepper seasoning

Rub asparagus spears in olive oil and bundle 3 spears together with 1 piece of bacon.  Place on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning.  Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until asparagus is tender.

Mongolian Beef over Cauliflower Rice

This recipe tasted like it was a very unhealthy take-out dish!  It felt like a real treat when I was eating it.  It was well received by my family, did not take long to prepare, and made a quick-to-eat weeknight meal.  The fried egg on top was optional on the recipe, we liked it.  Enjoy this Mongolian Beef over Cauliflower Rice recipe.