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
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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