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.

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!

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!

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.

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.