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!

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Potato and Bacon Soup



Ingredients:
1/2 lb bacon (whole30 approved of course i.e. no added sugar of any kind)
1/2 onion, chopped
3 lbs potatoes, scrubbed, peeled, and quartered (4 large)
1 tbsp arrowroot starch (can substitute cornstarch but not whole30 or paleo approved)
32 oz chicken broth
1 can coconut milk
3 teaspoons dried parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons creole seasoning (this gives it a little kick, so start with a 1/2-1 teaspoon if you aren't into that sorta thing. Creole seasoning is optional if you are using nutritional yeast, but the soup needs this if you are not using nutritional yeast.)
salt and pepper to taste

If you like cheesy soup you can add 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Optional Topping: green onions

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, then sprinkle with the arrowroot starch. Cook and stir for a minute, and then slowly add in the chicken broth while stirring.

Add the potaotes and bring to a boil, then simmer for 15-30 minutes until very 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. Once you are done blending, add the nutritional yeast (if using) then add coconut milk and crumbled bacon. I leave one piece of bacon out, so I can crumble that ontop. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 more minutes. Serve with toppings of choice!



Sunday, October 5, 2014

Skinny Pumpkin Pie Spice Pancakes



Ingredients:

1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
2 tablespoons almond butter
1/2 of a banana
dash of cinnamon
dash of pumpkin pie spice
1 pitted date, chopped

Tbl coconut oil


Directions: Mix 2 eggs, banana, almond butter, date, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice in blender. I use my magic bullet. Then add pumpkin until combined. whisk in the last egg.

Heat skillet or pan on medium heat and cook in coconut oil. Pancakes are ready to flip when bubbly around the edges.

We topped ours with blended dates and slivered almonds and drizzled with maple syrup.

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Skinny Banana Egg Pancakes


I jumped on the 2 ingredient pancake bandwagon and made these today, and boy was I surprised at how good they were. I mean, really, there is only two ingredients: banana and eggs. I added pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon and these were a huge hit with my toddler. I was loving every bite too. I don't think I will make pancakes any other way now. I love things that are fast, cheap, easy, and delicious!

Ingredients:
1 mashed, ripe banana
2 eggs
Coconut oil for the pan
A dash of pumpkin pie spice
A dash of cinnamon
Optional toppings : all-natural maple syrup + berries (syrup not whole30 approved)
Directions: 
Mix eggs and banana together +any additions that you please. I did this in my magic bullet.  Put about a tablespoon of coconut oil in a small pan on low-medium heat. Add 1/4 of the batter and let the pancake set and cook. The center usually bubbles when its time to flip. Flip and cook until done. We enjoyed ours with berries and a little bit of pure maple syrup. This recipe makes 4 pancakes.