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!