We've Moved!

Hey guys!!
We have a new location! Come visit me at www.paleomommyinc.com! We have a new interactive site full of new delicious recipes just for you! Hopefully it will be easier for you to see and share your favorite paleo mommy recipes. I'll see you soon!!

Giveaway!

I know, I know, my blogging duties have been forsaken lately. However, things have still been hopping over on the Paleo Mommy FB page. I have a really good excuse for being MIA. My husband has been on a MONTH long mission trip to Africa. He just got back this past weekend. So needless to say I was pretty busy trying to keep everything going all by my lonesome. Most of my time was consumed with worry since I had not way to contact him or know how he was. Any contact had to be done by him when/if he found some wifi! NOT my ideal situation, to say the least. And on top of that my daddy from NC came to visit AND I threw my youngest a super Frozen Birthday party!! So busy busy busy!

But I'm back and I bring gifts! Well actually the Folks at Primal Kitchen are bringing the gifts! Primal Kitchen is the latest endeavor by Primal king Mark Sisson. Check this out....Here's the scenario......You come home looking forward to that left over chicken that your gonna whip into chicken salad, OR you just made MY awesome crab cakes and need to whip up some chipotle mayo to dip them in. BUT your out of mayo....or your out of oil, or lemons, or eggs to make mayo. There have been times where I just went to bed hungry, because I didn't feel like making mayo on top of everything else. Lazy? Maybe. You all know how much I tell you guys to make your own mayo and mainly it's because there was NO OTHER OPTION. I mean you can not find a clean mayo on any store shelf...It is full of canola, or soy oil...Not any more. The folks at Primal Kitchen have come out with a 100% clean mayo.

This mayo has ZERO canola, and ZERO soy and ZERO sugar. I mean check out this majestic ingredient list.

Every seen any other store bought mayo that looks like this!?! NOPE! I sure haven't. And here's the kicker ya'll. It tastes great! We've already made some tuna salad, deviled eggs, and chipotle mayo with it since we received it. It is all fantastic!

Here is a quick recipe for the Tropical Tuna Salad that we whipped up. My kids like tuna salad, but they will get tired of it after a couple of bites. But they eat every bit of this tropical tuna salad.

2 5 oz. cans of tuna, drained and preferably wild caught

3 Tablespoons of Primal Kitchen Mayo

about 2 heaped Tablespoons of minced dill pickle

about 2 heaped Tablespoons of fresh pineapple, chopped fine

1 tsp of dijon mustard

a pinch of cinnamon

I know it sounds weird, but it's really good. I'm happy as long as I can get my kids to eat fish and good fats!! WIN/WIN! I think my favorite part of this product is convenience. Sure I can make mayo, but for this busy busy Paleo Mommy, having it ready to go for me is a real time saver.

So here is the best part of it all. The folks at Primal Kitchen are giving one of my lucky readers a free 12 oz. jar of mayo AND a copy of Mark Sisson's book, Healthy Sauces, Dressings, and Toppings!

All you have to do is.....

"like" Primal Kitchen on FB

"like" Paleo Mommy on FB

AND

"share" this post on FB

IF you do all THREE of those things you will be entered to win. We will randomly choose a winner on Monday morning 3/2/15. I will post the winner on FB and you will have 24 hours to message me to claim or prize. Otherwise we will pick another winner.

Good luck and get to entering!!

Meal Planning Week 1

So today was a travel day on my first day of 100% clean, no sugar eating. That is a bummer cause that means I didn't have time to make a menu. We just got in from our trip from Illinois and it is 3:30 in the afternoon. First things first is to make a menu for the week. This is what my week meals are looking like so far....

Smoothies for breakfast with only 1/2 of a frozen banana
Green salads with grilled chicken, chicken salad, and tuna salad for lunches
crap cakes with chipotle aoli
meat sauce over zoodles with salad
grassfed beef stirfry
goulash over mashed cauliflower
egg and veggie scrambles
meatball soup

I'm going to get stuff to make those items but no guarantees that I will make those specific things. It depends on my mood. But I will do my best to share with you all that I eat.  So far today this is what I had to eat on the road. Not stellar, but clean....

Scrambled eggs and a piece of sausage and shredded beef with slaw and pickled veggies. eh...it's food. I still have to worry about dinner for tonight and there is nothing in this house. So I will probably let you know about that tomorrow!! Keep up the good work Ya'll and check in with me and let me know how today went!!

Sugar Free New Year Tips

I got a huge response both on my FB page and in my inbox about the New Years resolution of cutting out the sugar. Well guess what folks.....this is it. It's about that time! I, myself, am pretty excited! I know I need to get control of this sugar problem. And this sugar free new year will be sure to do the trick. SO, since so many of you are on board, I thought I would share some tips with you on how you can prepare for this month, so you will have some great success!! Here goes!

1. Get Rid of It
Clean out the cupboard and the fridge and get rid of the crap foods. Period.

2. Food Prep. Food Prep. Food Prep.
If I've said it once...I've said it a thousand times!! It is soooooo important to set aside a day or two a week for menu and food prep. But when it comes to this month of no sugar the most important thing to prep is your emergency snacks. Prepped veggies and pre-made dressing, nuts, kale chips, small banana, small apple, almond butter snack pack, beef jerky are all the types of things that can help to have on hand so you don't reach for the sugar.

3. Distraction
When the cravings come.....and they will....have a plan. My plan is exercise. I usually crave sugar when I am bored. SO when the cravings com and won't go away I will jump on the treadmill and jog or walk them off. Have an emergency contact person. A person you can call when you are about to give in. They will talk you off the ledge, or meet you somewhere for a talk and a coffee or to go on a walk with you. Writing or yoga is often a good thing to do to get your mind off of cravings as well.

4. Accountability
Have a supportive place to go where you can share your struggles and successes. Paleo Mommy facebook page will be that for me and I hope you as well. I will share my daily struggles and thoughts and I will also share my menu and daily eating. I sure do hope you guys will share those things with me as well.

5. Try to Keep Dining Out to a Minimum
You know as well as I that there is hidden crap in just about everything when it comes to eating out. It seems to be easier when trying to avoid sugar to just eat at home. Just stick to your pre-planned menu (see #2) and that way the dessert menu doesn't taunt you either!! :) 

That's all I have folks! If you have anything to add, please do! Check back here or on the FB page for updates and to share your experiences! Good Luck!! We've got this!!

5 Christmas Desserts that even NON-Paleo's will ADORE!

I know, I've been there. That Christmas party where everyone is gathered around the dessert table munching on gluten filled sugary baked goods. This year....why not have your own party....complete with your own dessert table?? You can do it, and all your non-paleo friends won't know what hit them. Here is my list of the top 5 Paleo Mommy desserts that even non-paleo's will adore!


Lets start simple with these Almond butter cups! To keep it even simpler they can also be made into balls, kind like a paleo version of the buck-eye.

#1 Almond Butter Cups

Ingredients

1/2 cup plus 1 and 1/2 cup of melted enjoy life chocolate chips

1/2 cup of almond butter (you could really use any nut butter except for peanut here) 

1/2 T of raw honey 

12 cupcake liners or silicon cupcake cups 

Now what?

-Line a cupcake tin with liners 

-Melt the 1/2 cup of chocolate 

-Spread just enough chocolate in each liner to just cover the bottom. It doesn't take much. 

-Place in the fridge to harden. Should take about a half an hour.
-Mix together almond butter and honey. Place 1/2 T of mixture on top of hardened cooled chocolate. -Press down to flatten it a bit, but not letting it reach the outside edges of chocolate. (see pic) 

-Place in the fridge again for about 5 mins




-Melt the remaining chocolate and fill the cups just until the almond butter is covered. I use a baggie and pipe in the chocolate. You could use a spoon just as easy. 

-Tap the pan to make sure all the air bubble release and everything settles properly. 

-Place in fridge for 2 hours and enjoy.







Who likes Cupcakes? Wait...Scratch that.....Who DOESN'T like cupcakes? Here is a delicious moist cupcake perfect for your table. Heck bake it in a cake pan and make it into a cake if ya want. The power is YOURS!!


#2 German Chocolate Cupcakes 

Ingredients for cake

3 medium size ripe bananas 

3 eggs 1/2 cup of coconut milk 

1/2 teaspoon of almond extract 

1/2 cup almond butter 

1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa 

1/3 cup coconut flour 

1 teaspoon of baking soda 

1 teaspoon of baking powder

2 Tablespoons of maple syrup 

pinch of salt


Now what?

Preheat oven to 350 degrees


-In a food processor combine all of the ingredients together until incorporated.
-Divide evenly into 10 silicon cupcake molds or lined cupcake tin
-Bake at 350 degrees for approx 25 minutes. inserted toothpick should come out clean.


Ingredients for topping

12 dates, pitted

1/4 cup of coconut milk 

1/2 teaspoon of almond extract 

1/4 cup plus another 

1/4 cup of slivered almonds 

1/4 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut 

1/4 cup of chopped pecans

Directions for topping

-For the topping soak the dates in hot water for 30 minutes.
-Drain and toss into food processor
-Add in coconut milk, almond extract and 1/4 cup of slivered almonds and 

-process for about 2 minutes. mixture should be thick and somewhat smooth. 

-Scrape contents of food processor into a medium bowl 

-Add remaining 1/4 cup of almonds, coconut, and pecans

-Mix all together

-Divide mixture among the top of each cooled cupcake 

Oh we can't forget cookies....Santa needs some cookies, right? How about my Double Choco-nutty Cookie recipe? 

#3 Double Choco-nutty Cookies


Makes about 2 dozen cookies


Dry Ingredients

-3 cups of almond flour

-1 teaspoon of baking soda

-1/3 cup of cocoa powder

-1 pinch of salt



Wet Ingredients

-2 eggs

-1/2 cup of maple syrup

-1/2 cup of melted coconut oil

-1/2 teaspoon of instant coffee dissolved in 1/2 teaspoon of water

-1 teaspoon of almond extract



Add In's

-1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or nut of your choice, or no nuts at all

-1 1/2 cups of enjoy life chocolate chips


Directions

1. preheat oven to 350

2. combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl

3. combine all of the wet ingredients in a bowl

4. add the wet to the dry and mix well

5. add in nuts and chocolate chips and mix

6. scoop out cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet

7. bake for 15 minutes, cookies should be soft but easy to move to a wire rack to cool.










Nothing says Christmas like TRUFFLES!!! Take this recipe and make it your own with different flavorings. This recipe uses rum extract but experiment with different ones like.....vanilla, peppermint, orange....go crazy people!! You can also roll the truffles in coconut flakes, espresso powder, or nuts if you would like.


#4 Rum Truffles

Ingredients

Makes about 16. You can easily double it.

1/4 cup canned coconut milk

1/2 Tb of coconut oil

8 oz. enjoy life chocolate chips

1/2 tsp of rum extract

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa for dusting


Now What?

1. In a double boiler melt the chocolate chips.

2. When they are completely melted take off heat

3. Add in oil, milk, and extract.

4. Make sure it is thoroughly mixed

5. Cover with plastic wrap and let set at least 6 hours at room temp

6. Scoop out in 1/2 Tb scoops and roll into balls ( messy)

7. Place on parchment lined tray and place in fridge for 30 mins

8. Place cocoa in a bowl and roll each ball in cocoa to cover.

I had an awesome picture of these but for some reason I can't find it. This makes me angry. Maybe if I eat some of these I'll calm down! :)




#5 Frozen Chocolate Covered Bananas


And last but not least....A fun one for the kiddies.....Chocolate dipped frozen bananas. I have fond memories of my mom bringing me one of these home from the county fair every year when I was a kid. You don't really need a recipe for these so here is how to make them.


Peel 6 or so bananas and skewer them with a long lollipop stick or a chopstick

Place on a parchment lined sheet, cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for a few hours

Melt a bag of enjoy life chocolate chips and dip the frozen bananas in the chocolate until all covered

Roll dipped banana in seeds, nuts, or coconut and place back into the freezer for an hour

Enjoy


Or you can do the whole process with sliced bananas for a quick "grab and toss in yo mouth" treat. Here is a pic of those....







I want to thank you all for reading and I'm hoping for bigger and better things to come in 2015. But for now I just want to with each and every one of you a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a GLORIOUS NEW YEAR!! Keep it healthy, ya'll!

The Perfect Snack

Sweet, salty, crispy, crunchy......sounds like the perfect snack doesn't it? Well, it pretty much is. What if I threw the words healthy, and guilt free into the mix? Unbelievable? Nope! I have found it. Jackson's Honest Potato Chips have accomplished this task. I won 6 bags of their sweet potato chips and I have to refrain from continuously munching on them. They are so good and addictive. But my favorite part....the ingredient list.

Sweet potatoes

Organic coconut oil

Sea salt

Yep, that's it. 3 HONEST to goodness ingredients. (See what I did there???? Jackson's HONEST potato chips) Oh, never mind! :) Anyway, you can order from their website if you would like to try them or if they aren't yet available in your local Whole Foods. I am one of the UNlucky ones, as they aren't available in my nearest Whole Foods yet. Hopefully soon. I would LOVE to try out their other flavors!!

So since I had an abundance of chips, I figured I'd think "outside the bag" and make up a recipe using them. The first thing that came to mind was chicken....so let's bread it in potato chips!! It's not crazy, it's yummy...trust me! This is how it went down...

2 boneless skinless chicken breast
4 T of grass fed butter
1 cup of pulverized Jackson's Honest Sweet Potato Chips (I threw them in a food processor till I got a pretty small crumb)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne or more if ya like it hot (and I do)

Preheat oven 450
-Split the two chicken breast in half lengthwise so you end up with 4 cutlets.
-Flatten them out with a meat mallet to get them about 1/4 inch thick. We are cooking them at high heat for a short period of time so they won't dry out. (See how I avoided saying the word 'moist'? Ugh!)
-Melt the butter in one shallow dredging dish
-Mix the chip crumbs with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne in another shallow dredging dish
-Coat cutlets in butter then in crumbs. I mean REALLY coat it in the chips, press it in there.
-Place chicken on a wire rack over a backing sheet and place in the center of the oven.
-Bake for 12-15 minutes until chicken is 165 degrees and no longer pink.

I must tell you, I am ashamed to admit it, but my kids and husband hate sweet potatoes. GASP! I know! I know! I don't understand either, but they do. Anyway, my kids tore this chicken up! I asked my husband to try it and didn't tell him what it was. He LOVED it! I ended up telling him it was breaded in sweet potato chips, to which he would usually somehow change his mind and hate what he just said he loved. But this time he said it was so good, he didn't care that he just ate sweet potatoes! Score one for mom, and score a big one for Jackson Honest Potato Chips!! Thanks guys!!

Do You Like Yummy Things??

Now let me ask you this.....do you like FREE yummy things??? Well, the Holidays are fast approaching, and we need to start getting prepared! Now, if you've been around here any length of time, you know that I'm not a big proponent of sweets on a normal basis. But let's keep it real y'all....sometimes you need a freakin' cupcake for sanity's sake! And you know at Thanksgiving and Christmas I don't want to be the odd ball walking away from the dessert table. BUT I'm not going to gobble down gluten either! Soooooo.....I think I've come up with a solution for you....How 'bout you enter my contest for a $20 gift certificate for delicious Paleo desserts! That's a whole 'lotta cupcakes!!

We have a local bakery here called Mason Dixon Bakery (which will become Mason Dixon Bakery and Bistro on January 2nd 2015!!!) (Can you tell I'm excited!?!?!?). When I am in need of a treat, I scoop up the kids and head on out. Lately my baked good of choice has been the Paleo Brownie! It is DELICIOUS!!

I mean really!?!? Look at that! Yes, it is a good as it looks! My girls usually pick out a Chocolate Heaven cupcake or a cake pop. 

But this isn't just for local peeps either. See, Mason Dixon Bakery SHIPS these delectable cookies, cakes, pies and breads all over the country. If you win the gift certificate you could use it to order Paleo desserts for your Thanksgiving or Christmas table. Maybe a German Chocolate Cake.......

Or maybe a Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Pie, or a loaf or two of Pumpkin Pie bread......Oh, yeah, you're right, that IS a Pumpkin Cheesecake right there in the top right corner!

Also....do you remember eating stuffing before Paleo? For me, it was one of the highlights of the Thanksgiving table. Mason Dixon Bakery also offers Paleo Stuffing Mixes. I am actually going to be buying some for our Thanksgiving dinner. 

Heres' the deal....TO ENTER....

1. "LIKE" Mason Dixon Bakery on FB here and tell them "Paleo Mommy sent me"

2. "LIKE" Paleo Mommy on FB here
3.  Comment on the contest announcement on the Paleo Mommy FB page and SHARE to let me know you have completed the  requirements.

The lucky winner will be selected on Tuesday at noon! Good luck and share away!