Saturday, December 27, 2014

Detox Green Smoothie Juice

The texture is more like a juice, but we still call it a smoothie around here. All credit goes to my father for this recipe! Thanks dad :)

Ingredients:
1 cup Pomegranate juice
2-4 capfuls of lemon juice
1 banana
1 cup water
spinach
kale
1/2 avocado (optional)

Directions:
Fill your Vitamix with a cup of pomegranate juice, a cup of water, and your capfuls of lemon juice . Then fill the Vitamix with your spinach and kale mix all the way to the top(If you are just starting out drinking green smoothies then I would suggest only putting in half the amount of greens and working your way up to more) Add in your banana and blend until smooth.

Incase you were wondering...

 I buy the Pomegranate juice from Sam's club. You can use other juice. I recently tried the 100% cranberry cherry juice from Costco in this smoothie and I like it. Both juices have their own benefits.

I buy the lemon juice from Costco

Spinach Kale mix I buy at Sam's Club.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

BAE breakfast cups




To make these fast, cheap, and easy breakfast cups, you will need:
Bacon
Eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
coconut oil

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray/coat your muffin tin with coconut oil.

Next place the thickest end of bacon down the center of each muffin cup and wrap the rest of the bacon piece around the inside of the muffin cup. This way the bacon is not only wrapped around the egg, but underneath it as well.

Then crack an egg into each nest you have made with bacon. Sprinkle each cup with salt and pepper and bake in the oven for 25 mins. That's it! I told you it was fast, cheap, and easy!

XO

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Pineapple Curry

Ingredients:

1 can coconut milk
1 can pineapple chunks (or fresh pineapple cut into chunks)
3 tbsp pineapple juice (save from the can)
2 chicken breast cubed
Thai Kitchens red curry paste - I use 2 1/2 Tablespoons
1 onion cubed
1 red pepper sliced
2 large carrots chopped, or 1 cups worth of chopped baby carrots
1-2 tbl Coconut Aminos (can use 2 tbl soy sauce if not on whole30)
1/2 cup water
2 cloves crushed garlic 
1/4 cup of ghee

Directions:

Heat ghee in large skilled. Once heated cook chicken half way through on medium heat. Start with 2 tablespoons of curry paste and add to the chicken. After mixing together, pour in half the can of coconut milk. Put the carrots and bell peppers in first because they take longer to cook. Put in water and 1-2 tablespoons coconut aminos (taste after one and see if you want to add the other- I do). Cook until carrots are cooked 1/2 way through. Put in garlic and put the lid on while turning down heat. Add onion, pineapple, pineapple juice, and the rest of the coconut milk. Let cook until veggies are cooked through.


Serve over cauliflower rice and enjoy!

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Rainy Day Paleo Hot Chocolate


Ingredients for two:
2 cups boiling water
2 dates, pitted
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
2 1/2 Tablespoons honey 
If you are not a fan of honey, try sweetening with maple syrup instead

Directions:
Boil hot water in a kettle. Add half of the boiling water and dates to a magic bullet cup or place in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add in cocoa and honey and blend again until smooth and stir in the remaining water. Poor into two mugs and enjoy!
XO



Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Crockpot Sunday Roast



2.5 lb bottom round roast (If you feel like splurging tri tip or sirloin tip roasts are the best)
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup red cooking wine
2 bay leafs
1 cup water
3 cloves garlic
sea salt and pepper
1/2 a bag of baby carrots
4 potatoes, cubed
1 small yellow onion, cubed

Directions: Season your roast with salt and pepper and sear in a pan until brown on all sides. Line your 5 quart crockpot with a crockpot liner (optional) for easy cleanup and then add the browned roast. Rub the 3 cloves of minced garlic on the roast and add everything else in the crockpot and cover with the lid. Cook on high for 5 hours.

I garnished ours with fresh chopped parsley and seasoned with more sea salt and pepper.

Saturday, December 13, 2014

Chia Pudding

This dairy, grain, gluten, and sugar free pudding is healthy and tasty with fruit.

Ingredients:
1 can coconut milk (full fat or light) f.y.i light will be more runny
1/2 cup (give or take) of chia seeds

Directions:

Open canned coconut milk and pour into a glass or plastic tupperware container that has a lid. Add the chia seeds and mix well. I said give or take on the 1/2 cup because I never measure! After you start making this you will figure out the consistency you like.

Put the lid on the container and place in the refrigerator and allow it to chill overnight, or at least for a few hours. The chia seeds will swell overnight and in the morning the pudding will have a tapioca type texture.

Top with fruit and any other toppings of choice. Some topping favorites of mine are unsweetened coconut flakes, just fruit spreadable jam, raisins, chopped dates, honey or a chopped larabar.

You can even mix in honey, vanilla, or maple syrup to sweeten it. Customize this pudding the way you want to and enjoy! XO

f.y.i honey, maple syrup, and vanilla are not whole30 approved.

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Coconut Flour Chocolate Chunk Cookies


Ingredients:
1/3 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup ghee, melted (can substitute coconut oil)
1/3 cup pure maple syrup (can substitute honey)
1 capful (teaspoon) vanilla extract 
dash of cinnamon 
dash of salt
2 whole eggs
1/4 cup hemp hearts 
Note: If you aren't into hemp hearts, you can mix in unsweetened coconut flakes or another mix in of choice, or even just leave them out all together without another mix in. If you leave them out the cookies will taste better, but these seeds are so good for you! They are packed full of protein, essential fatty acids - omega 3 and omega 6, and are a good source of fiber. They provide long-lasting energy without caffeine or sugar. Totally love these and put them in smoothies all the time.
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 T coconut flour
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (enjoy life chocolate chips are the healthiest option I know of)
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with a silpat (parchment paper should work just fine too).  In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut flour (save the T coconut flour for the end), coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, salt and eggs until a uniform batter is created.  The batter will start off a bit runny, but will thicken as the coconut flour starts to absorb the moisture. Add in the hemp hearts, nuts, 1 T coconut flour, and chocolate chips, and stir to distribute them evenly. 
Make each cookie out of a heaping Tablespoon of cookie dough. You will have to flatten and shape these cookies the way you want them to look. They will not spread on their own.
Bake for 12-14 min, and let them cool a little before devouring! 
Should make around 12-16 cookies.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Crockpot Salsa Verde Sweet Pork



2 ½ lbs pork roast
1/3 cup water
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup Herdez salsa verde
1 cup date paste


Put 1 cup pitted dates (about 10 dates) in container and fill with enough water (or apple juice) to cover the top of the dates, and let sit in the fridge until roast is cooked. Put pork, water, garlic, salt and pepper in crockpot. Cook on high for 6 hours (check it) and then turn it to low until ready to serve.
Once the pork is done cooking, blend up your dates with the water in a blender until well combined. It should be the consistency of paste. I do this in my magic bullet just fine.
Drain and shred pork with two forks. Stir together salsa verde and date paste, pour over pork and stir in. Serve over cauliflower rice, and top with pico/salsa, guacamole, shredded lettuce, and whatever else your heart desires.






Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Pumpkin "Oatmeal"/Porridge



Reminding you of the days when you use to eat oatmeal! My husband said it reminded him of the yam souffle I make every Thanksgiving which is super tasty but unhealthy. This on the other hand is super healthy and tasty! Lets be real, it tastes more like porridge than oatmeal, but i am calling it oatmeal because it gave me the fix I was looking for. My family couldn't get enough.
Ingredients:
  1. 1 15 oz can of pumpkin
  2. 1/2 cup coconut cream
  3. 1/2 cup water
  4. 4 dates
  5. 2 eggs, beaten (optional)
  6. heaping 1/4 cup pecans
  7. 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  8. 1 tsp cinnamon
  9. 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
  10. 4 oz of unsweetened applesauce or 1/4 cup 100% apple juice


Directions:
Place dates and 1/4 cup of water (or apple juice if you are not using apple sauce) in blender, and let the dates soak for a while. Blend pecans in food processor or blender. Add shredded coconut and blended pecans to the bottom of a saucepan and stir until the coconut flakes are slightly toasted. Once toasted, add the pumpkin, coconut cream, (and apple sauce if using) and warm over low-medium heat. stir until combined. Blend the dates and water/apple juice until smooth and add to pumpkin mixture. Once the pumpkin mixture is starting to bubble add the beaten eggs and keep stirring for a few minutes while it thickens. turn off the burner. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour into a bowl and top with desired toppings such as sliced almonds, pomegranates, and unsweetened coconut flakes. I like it with raisins and unsweetened coconut flakes too!

Paleo Apple Puff Pancakes



6 eggs
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 Tbsp maple syrup
2 apples, cored, and sliced
4 tbsp coconut oil

apple coating
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg


Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Scoop your 4 Tbsp coconut oil in a 9x13 pan and set aside. Don't worry about melting it or spreading it.

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon nutmeg over sliced apples and mix until well coated.

In a blender mix eggs, milk, flour, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and maple syrup. Blend until smooth.

Place 9 x 13 pan with coconut oil into the preheated oven for a few minutes. Remove and add apples that have been sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Bake apples for 3-4 minutes and remove before the apples brown. Pour mixed batter over apples. Place pan back in the oven on a lower rack and bake for 20-25 min. Remove from oven, and serve with maple syrup.

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Creamy Broccoli Potato Soup topped with Bacon



Ingredients:
1/2 lb bacon (whole30 approved of course i.e. no added sugar of any kind)
1/2 onion, chopped (can substitute onion powder)
3 medium sized potatoes, scrubbed, peeled, and quartered 
32 oz chicken broth
1 can coconut cream
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons creole seasoning (or just sprinkle on top of each bowl of soup to taste)
4-5 cups fresh broccoli florets, cooked and drained
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:


Cook bacon in a large saucepan according to the directions on package and then remove pieces unto paper towels to soak up grease. Leave the grease in the pan and saute the onions in the bacon grease for up to 5 minutes until they are tender. Cook and stir for a minute, and then transfer to a large stockpot. Slowly add in the chicken broth and stir to combine. If using onion powder, reserve 2 Tablespoons bacon grease and drain the remaining grease. Add the two Tablespoons grease back to the pan. Pour in chicken broth and onion powder, and stir to combine.


Add the potatoes and bring to a boil, then simmer for 15-30 minutes until nice and tender.  Next use a potato masher if you like chunky soup, and leave large pieces of potato. If you like creamy soup like me, place 1/4 of the soup mixture in your blender (it blends up quickly in my vitamix) at a time, and blend until you get your desired consistency. You can mix it all in your blender or have a combo of creamy soup with chunks of potato. You can blend some of your cooked broccoli during this step as well, but I wouldn't blend more than 1/2. I didn't even blend the broccoli in ours b/c we love the chunks! Once you are done blending, add soup back to the pot, and stir in coconut cream, cooked broccoli, the nutritional yeast, and creole seasoning.  Simmer for a few minutes. Turn of heat and pour into bowls. Top each bowl with crumbled bacon. I used one piece of bacon per bowl.   Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Serve with toppings of choice!

Friday, November 21, 2014

Orange Banana Dreamsicle Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 cup almond milk
large handful of spinach
1 ripe banana
2 oranges

1 Tablespoon honey

Directions: Blend until smooth

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Sweet Chicken Zoodle Soup

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon coconut oil
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 bay leafs
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
6 cups chicken broth
sea salt and black pepper to taste
about half of a sweet potato, peeled and spiralized into noodles

Directions:
  1. In a large stockpot, melt the coconut oil over medium heat and sauté the carrots and garlic, until tender (about 5 min). 
  2. 2. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 10-15 min.
  3. Stir in sweet potato noodles and allow to cook for another couple minutes.
  4. Turn off heat, remove bay leaves, and season with salt and pepper.
  5. Serve hot and enjoy!


Monday, November 17, 2014

Sweet Potato Hash Brown Waffles



Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes, grated
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
3 eggs
3 tablespoons coconut oil


Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl until well combined.
2. Cook in batches on your waffle maker like you would with a regular waffle, but keep the waffles on the thinner side or they might not cook all the way through.
3. Remove from waffle iron and top with scrambled eggs and bacon. Drizzle some maple syrup on top (skip this step if doing whole30) and enjoy!

Friday, November 14, 2014

Orange Julius Smoothie



Ingredients:
3/4 cup water
4 oranges, peeled
2-3 Medjool dates, pitted
1/4 avocado
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
handful of ice

Directions:

Fill high speed blender with water and dates. Let the dates soak for 10 min or so and then throw in all the other ingredients except the ice. Blend until completely smooth. Add the ice and blend again until smooth. Enjoy!


Loaf of Pizza



Ingredients:

1 cup egg whites
homemade tomato sauce **posted my quick recipe below**
favorite toppings (Chicken, spinach, sun dried tomatos, pepporoni, olives peppers, etc)

Directions:
Heat Oven to 400 degrees and grease a loaf pan with coconut oil. Pour your egg whites in the loaf pan and bake for 13 minutes. Top with tomato sauce and your favorite toppings an then broil for 5 minutes! So fast, cheap, easy and honestly delicious!

**homemade tomato sauce**

Ingredients:
6 oz can tomato paste
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon onion powder
sea salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, and thats it! You are done. Easy Peasy!!


Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Banana bread mug cake




Ingredients:
1 very ripe banana
2 heaping Tablespoons almond butter (2 exact Tablespoons would work just fine. I just don't level my Tablespoons)
1 Tablespoon coconut flour
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon baking soda (optional)
Dash of cinnamon
1 teaspoon honey (optional but makes it so moist)


Directions:
Combine all the ingredients into a mug and mix until smooth. Nuke it in the microwave for 2 minutes, but watch for overflowing! It will start to rise and overflow throughout the 2 minutes. When you notice it start to rise out of the mug, pause the cooking and wait for it to deflate before continuing to nuke it.

Easy Peasy! You could add enjoy life chocolate chips for an even tastier version! I like to top mine with ghee and drizzled some honey on top, or spread some just fruit jam on top.


Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Italian Chicken Soup



Ingredients:
 2 large or 3 regular sized chicken breasts
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes, do not drain
1 can coconut milk
1 tsp minced garlic
2 -2 1/2 T italian seasoning
1 teaspoon basil
add any additional veggies of choice

Directions:
Throw all the ingredients in your crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours

Monday, November 10, 2014

Mini German Apple Pancakes


Ingredients:

4 eggs
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 T coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp pure maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 apples cored and diced (1 reg size and 1 small -2 regular sized would be too much)
2 T coconut oil
2 T raw organic honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/8 cup lemon juice
crushed pecans

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, almond milk, coconut oil, vanilla, and maple syrup.

In a small bow, mix the coconut flour, nutmeg, and baking soda. 

Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir or beat well to combine. Set aside.

In a small frying pan, heat coconut oil and honey. Stir in cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Once combined, add apples and saute until apples are nicely coated. Turn off heat.

Evenly divided your batter between 10 muffin tins, greased with coconut oil. Then evenly divide your apple mixture on top of the batter of each muffin. 

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 425 and then reduce the heat to 375 and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Sprinkle with pecans and enjoy with some maple syrup!


Sunday, November 9, 2014

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Chocolate Almond Butter Pancakes


My husband isn't a fan of banana pancakes. Crazy, I know. These pancakes are made with applesauce instead of banana and they were a huge hit. My hubby loved that they were so moist. 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 T cocoa
2 eggs
1 teaspoon honey or 2 teaspoons coconut sugar

Directions: Mix all ingredients together until well combined. Cook pancakes on a skillet over medium high heat. Flip when edges are firm (about 4 min or so on each side). Serve with fresh fruit, almond butter, and chocolate maple syrup.

Makes 10 pancakes

Chocolate syrup:
1/4 cup maple syrup combined with 2 teaspoons cocoa. Heat syrup in microwave and serve over warm pancakes.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie


We are obsessed with everything pumpkin at this house. Even though it feels like summer here in Texas, this smoothie tastes like Fall.


Blend together:

3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk 
1 banana (frozen makes it thicker)
1/2 Tablespoon Chia Seeds
1/2 Tablespoon Hemp Hearts
1 1/2 Tablespoons grade B Maple Syrup
1 capful vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
To make it colder throw in a handful of Ice cubes (optional)

Blend until combined and Bone Appetit!


Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Butternut Squash Soup



Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, peeled, cleaned out and chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 orange and red pepper, chopped
6 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
1/4-1/2 cup full fat canned coconut milk
fresh oregano for topping (optional)

1) Add the butternut squash, onion powder, garlic, peppers, and chicken broth to a big stock pot and bring to boil. Cover and simmer 40-45 min.
2) Use and immersion blender or blend up soup in a blender (I used my vitamix). I blended up the soup in batches and then returned to the stock pot.
3) Add coconut milk and stir to combine.
4) Ladle into bowls and season with salt and pepper and add a sprig of fresh oregano.
5) Enjoy!

The peppers really give it a kick! My family loved the flavor or butternut squash and pepper together, and I will definitely make this soup again. Our daughter pounded hers down in her sippy cup! 

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Mini Hearty Beef Spinach and Fire Roasted Tomato Frittatas


The best part about leftovers is using them to make something hearty and yummy without spending much time in the kitchen.

Ingredients:
Already cooked ground beef (I will post a whole30 recipe for this soon)
2-3 teaspoons minced garlic
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
handful of spinach (can use frozen if you defrost and absorb all the moisture)
4 eggs
dash of paprika
dash of salt
dash of pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl beat together the eggs, salt, pepper, and paprika and set aside.

Heat a small saucepan and grease with coconut oil spray or just use coconut oil. Cook garlic in oil for a couple minutes and then add the can of tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes are heated through and then remove from heat.

Grease your small skillets and place about 1/2 cup or so of ground beef in each skillet. Then layer with some tomatoes and spinach. Pour egg mixture into both skillets, dividing as equally as possible.

Bake for 15 min and serve directly from the skillet.



Monday, October 27, 2014

Pumpkin Custard

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 + 1/8 tsp ground ginger
2 pinches of sea salt
3 pinches of grated nutmeg
3 organic eggs
1/2 cup grade B maple syrup 
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 can Full fat canned coconut milk

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine pumpkin and all spices in one bowl.
In a smaller bowl, beat the eggs lightly then whisk in the maple syrup, vanilla and coconut milk. Whisk the egg mixture into the pumpkin mixture until well combined.

Pour the custard into one medium ceramic baking dish or 6 individual ramekins. Place the baking dish/ramekins in a baking pan and add enough water to the dish to come up 2″ high around the ramekins or ceramic baking dish. Carefully place in the oven and bake for 60 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of the custard comes out clean.

We topped ours with pecans and unsweetened shredded coconut


If you are not into custard, you might like this crustless pumpkin pie instead. Using the same ingredients, just different amounts:

1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
Pinch of sea salt
2 pinches of grated nutmeg
2 organic eggs
1/4 cup grade B maple syrup 
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup full fat canned coconut milk. 

Directions: 
Follow the same baking instructions as above. 

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Apple Pie Smoothie



1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 chopped apple
1 tablespoon chia
1 tablespoon hemp hearts
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
dash of sea salt
5 ice cubes
2 chopped pitted dates
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Blend everything in blender until smooth and enjoy!

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Paleo friendly chocolate syrup

Chocolate sauce:

Mix 1/4 cup maple syrup with 2 teaspoons cocoa an enjoy! Easy Peasy!!

Sweet Potato Fries



Recipe adapted from The Clothes Make the Girl

Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes
2-3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
Sea Salt
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425F. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper, then place a wire rack on top of the parchment.
2. Wash the sweet potatoes and scrub the skins to remove dirt, but don’t peel them. Poke each potato a few times with a fork, then loosely wrap each still-wet-from-the-washing potato in a paper towel and place in the microwave. Nuke for 5 minutes or so until they are tender.
3. Once the potatoes have cooled enough to handle, cut them into strips that are 1/8 to 1/4 inch wide. You want them pretty thin. I cut my strips in half, so they will be crispier.
4. Pour fries in a bowl and pour melted coconut oil over them (1 1/2 -2 T coconut oil) Toss until well coated
5. Place on wire wrack, season with salt, and bake in oven for 15 minutes. Take them out and coat them with the remaining coconut oil (1/2-1 T). Return to oven for an additional 10-15 minutes (checking on them every 5 min to make sure they do not burn!!!)
6. Remove from oven and sprinkle with more salt if you desire, and enjoy!!

Pumpkin Dip



Ingredients:

1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 Tablespoons almond butter
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons maple syrup
dash of pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

mix all together and enjoy with some sliced apples or fruit of choice

Whole30 Crockpot Lemon Chicken


Recipe adapted from One Lovely Life

Ingredients:

1 (3-4lb) chicken (we used leg portions drumsticks and thighs)
1 onion, quartered (we used sweet onion)
3 lemons, quartered
1 Tablespoon minced fresh rosemary, plus a few sprigs
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
olive oil

Instructions:

1. Place half of the onion in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the other half of the onion and one lemon in the cavity of the chicken. Scatter the rest of the lemon quarters and a few sprigs of rosemary around the chicken.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together minced rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and salt. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the top of the chicken (just a little bit) and sprinkle spice blend over the top of the chicken.
3. Turn the slow cooker on high and cook 3-4 hours, or until meat is fall-off-the bone tender. *we cooked ours 8 hours on low

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Eggs in Purgatory



Recipe from Clean Eating Mom


Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil, 1 garlic clove and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper in pan. Cook for one minute. Add one can diced tomatoes. When it starts to bubble, drop in eggs and cover. I cook mine for 4 minutes and the yolks were deliciously runny!

Monday, October 13, 2014

Chocolate Avocado Smoothie





I like all things chocolatey, so this is made regularly at our house!

1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 a regular size avocado
Just a little more than half a banana
2 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder, unsweetened
3 dates, pitted
1 Tablespoon honey
1/2-1 cup ice
a dash or two of cinnamon
sprinkle of chia seeds or hemp hearts or both

Directions: Blend until smooth

Sunday, October 12, 2014

S'mac and Cheese





Recipe from Planks Love and Guacamole

Ingredients:
Sauce
2/3 cup avocado oil or light olive oil
1 pastured egg
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt 
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup orange sweet potato, peeled and cooked
1/4 cup full fat unsweetened coconut milk 
3 cups Spaghetti Squash, cooked
3 cups Broccoli Florets, cooked

Directions:

1.  Make sauce like mayo.  Add egg, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder to the food processor or blender.  Pulse.  Slowly drizzle 2/3 cup oil in while constantly pulsing.  

2.  Once emulsified, add cooked sweet potato, coconut milk and nutritional yeast to food processor or blender.  Blend it in until smooth creamy sauce. *if sauce is too thick, add coconut milk 1 tbsp at a time 

3.  Serve sauce over spaghetti squash and mix in broccoli.  Enjoy! 

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Whole30 Prosciutto Wrapped Mini Frittata Muffins


I topped ours with sweet potato buns


Recipe from Nom Nom Paleo

  • 4 tablespoons fat (coconut oil, ghee, etc.)
  • ½ medium onion, finely diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • ½ pound of cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • ½ pound frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 8 large eggs
  • ¼ cup coconut milk (the fatty stuff at the top of the can works best)
  • 2 tablespoons of coconut flour 
  • 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 5 ounces of Prosciutto di Parma
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • A regular 12 cup muffin tin
I preheated the oven to 375°F and prepped my veggies.I heated half the coconut oil over medium heat in a large cast iron skillet and sautéed the onions until soft and translucent.I added the garlic and mushrooms and cooked them until the mushroom moisture had evaporated. Then, I seasoned the filling with salt and pepper and spooned it on a plate to cool to room temperature.
For the batter, I beat the eggs in a large bowl with coconut milk, coconut flour, salt, and pepper until well-mixed. Then, I added the sautéed the mushrooms and spinach and stirred to combine. I brushed the remainder of the melted coconut oil onto the muffin tin and lined each cup with prosciutto, taking care to cover the bottom and sides completely.I spooned in the frittata batter, and topped each muffin with some halved cherry tomatoes. popped the muffins in the oven for about 20 minutes,flipping the tray at the halfway point.I let the muffins cool in the pan for a couple minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Easy, tasty, and portable!

Friday, October 10, 2014

Whole30 Roasted Acorn Squash Soup



Ingredients:

2 acorn squash, halved and seeded
water, as needed
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/4 cup coconut milk (canned)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch salt and ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil. Cut squash in half and put squash on baking sheet cut side down. Bake in preheated oven until the flesh of the squash is easily pricked with a fork, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool until squash can be handled. Scoop flesh into a bowl and set aside.

Melt coconut oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Cook onion, carrot, and garlic in melted oil until soft, 5-7 minutes. Pour chicken stock into the pot; and the squash. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook 20 minutes.

Pour mixture into a blender no more than half way full. Cover and hold lid down; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend. Puree in batches until smooth and return to pot. I don't blend all of it. I leave a little bit in the pot. Experiment and see if you like it that way, or go ahead and blend it all.

Stir in coconut milk, nutmeg, and cinnamon through the blended soup; season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!