Treats, Treats, and More Treats!!!!!!

It's getting to be that time of year. When we fill up on love, family, and sugar! Don't get me wrong. On a daily basis, I do not condone the use of sugar or sweeteners. It is just far to damaging. But I will splurge on the Holidays but I still don't go crazy and I will still NOT be eating grain or gluten. EVER!

You know a typical Thanksgiving meal used to look like this for me....
cookies and chips and dip as an app
turkey
gravy
mashed potatoes
corn casserole
stove top stuffing
rolls
green bean casserole with the fake fried onions on top
broccoli and cheese casserole
sweet potato pie and pecan pie


Now a days it looks more like this.....
turkey
gravy
sweet potatoes
brussel sprouts
cranberry salad
pumpkin pie bars


What a difference! And there is a huge difference in the way I feel each year, since eating better.


Today I will be sharing 5 recipes that are great for this time of year. Each one has been tested by another person following the recipe and they each have been taste tested by Paleos, non-paleos, and children. I wouldn't share them with you without the approval of them all !! :)

First up! Emmy's Almond Butter Cups. This is my oldest's most favorite treat!

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

-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 min

-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.

Next up is TUFFLES!!! MY favorite. These are SOOOO good. I got my MIL to test these, since she is a chocolate connoisseur! She LOVED them. These are also very versatile. You could make these orange flavored, vanilla flavored, mocha flavored, mint flavored. Oh the list just goes on and on!! These are my personal favorite and they are ... Ammaretto 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 almond extract 
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa for dusting

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! :)

Ok. Up Next German Chocolate Cupcakes!!! My favorite kind of 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

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a food processor combine all of the ingredients together until incorporated.

Divide evenly into 10 silicon cupcake moldes or lined cupcake tin

Bake at 350 degrees for approx 25 minutes. inserted toothpick should come out clean.

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

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

It wouldn't be Turkey Day without something pumpkin right?!?! How about some pumpkin bars?

Ingredients

preheat oven 350 degrees 

CRUST

1 1/2 cups walnuts
1/2 tsp of baking soda
teeny tiny pinch of salt
1 Tbs. of grass fed organic butter (coconut oil might work if you don't do any grass fed butter)

Process it all together in a food processor until ground. Press into 8X8 dish and bake for 15 minutes or until nice golden brown

TOPPING
5 pitted dates
1 Cup of organic pumpkin puree
1 Tbs pumpkin pie spice
2 Tbs coconut oil
1/4 cup organic shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Process dates first until they are really tiny and then just add all the rest and blend together. Place on top of the crust and spread it out. Place in the fridge until cool and firm. I place halved pecans on top as well (optional)

Apple Walnut Spice Cake with Maple Glaze - need I say more?

Ingredients
for cake
1 Large apple shredded, about 1 1/2 cup. After shredding place in a paper towel and squeeze out excess juice
1/4 cup of maple syrup
1/4 cup of coconut sugar
4 eggs
1 Tb of vanilla
1/2 cup of almond milk
1/2 cup of coconut oil
1/2 cup of tapioca flour
1/2 cup of coconut flour
1 1/2 T of pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp of baking soda
1 1/2 tsp of baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

Mix all the above ingredients together except for the walnuts in a mixer. Fold in the walnuts.
grease and flour a baking dish, I used coconut oil and tapioca flour, tapping out all the excess. I would've used a bundt pan but I didn't have one. I do think I would've been much prettier. You could also use a cake pan, didn't have one of those either! :( Anyway add the batter to the greased floured pan and bake on 350 until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean. I used a loaf pan and it took about 45 minutes. It wouldn't take that long if you used a cake pan or a bundt pan.

Let cool on a wire rack and make the glaze

GLAZE 3 Tablespoons of maple syrup
1 tsp of almond extract
1/2 cup of coconut manna
water

Melt the manna by following the instructions on your particular brand. I usually set the jar of coconut butter in a large bowl of hot water for about 5-10 minutes and then stir. It will melt and get really creamy. Once it is in that creamy state measure out 1/2 cup and place in a bowl

Add in syrup and extract and mix.

Then slowly drizzle in water until you get your desired glaze consistency. Pour over the cooled cake and eat.

Hope you guys have a wonderful holiday! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Power Smoothie

Hi Guys,
I just thought I would share what I have for breakfast each and every morning! It is delicious, nutritious, and every ingredient has a purpose. Here it is...

Power Smoothie
1 small banana or 1/2 large
2 cups of baby spinach
1 cup of coconut/almond milk
1 teaspoon of almond butter
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
1 Tablespoon of grass fed gelatin protein
1 Tablespoon of ground chia seeds

Blend in a blender or viatmix. Add ice if you would like...I do! :)

Now why THESE ingredients? Well lets go down the list

Bananas - POTASSIUM!! There is about 450mg of potassium in a banana. That is about 20% of our recommended daily intake in just that little fruit. Potassium is required to keep the heart, kidneys, liver, and even your nervous system in good working order. Plus in this it add sweetness without being too sweet. And without the addition of any other source of sugar, natural or not.

Spinach - Some people like kale in their smoothies and if you are one of them.... more power to ya! I personally can't handle the taste. In this smoothie I don't even recognize the spinach. Anyway what is so good about spinach? I don't know if I have enough space to write it all. But I'll give it a go. Spinach is a great source of vitamins A, K, C, B2, B6, and E. It has some protein and contains some omega 3 fatty acids. It is a source of magnesium, selenium, iron, and fiber. And it has TONS of flavonoids that act as antioxidants.

Coconut milk - dairy substitute so you can still have that creamy smoothie taste without the use of yogurt or milk. If you use canned coconut milk you will get the befit of that good fat that will keep you full and satisfied until lunch time.

Turmeric - Turmeric is a super food, or super spice I should say. It has amazing anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. It has been shown in study after study that it is a powerful cancer fighter. It can detoxify the liver and may even be effective in preventing nuero-degenerative diseases. I have read lots of paper that seem to indicate that turmeric may even be the used to treat melanoma in the near future.

Grass fed gelatin protein - This is a powdered source of protein that isn't full of sugar (it actually has 0 sugar), artificial flavoring and dairy. And we all know the benefits of bone broth.....this is a way to get those same benefits without having a pot of bones brewing on the stove all day and night. That's awesome if you do have that, but I'm not there right now. The kind I use is even recommended by the Weston A. Price Foundation. I actually didn't know that until after I started using it, but that's still a cook fact. THIS is the brand I use. It is 19 bucks on amazon and has lasted me well over a month already and I use it almost every single day.

Chia Seeds - has protein, keeps you full and a good source of some omega 3's. It also helps stabilize blood pressure and blood sugar levels.


Well, there ya have it. That is my power smoothie for each morning. Give it a try. It is a fairly inexpensive and quick breakfast option.

Two New Recipes Just For YOU!!

Hi Guys! I want to thank you all for your participation in the last giveaway. And since you guys gave me a good response, I already have the next giveaway in the works! But I will let you know about that one in the next few weeks.

Today....Let's talk SOUP! I'm gonna be honest with ya. Soup is NOT my favorite thing. Most of the time I only make soup when I'm trying to get rid of produce that will go bad if I don't use it up. Hence most of my soups are vegetable of some kind.  The only kind of soup that I am really fond of is Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana soup. YEAH.....C'mon, ya know your with me! You remember those pre-paleo days when you sat down to endless soup and salad, with some breadsticks sopping up every ounce of that soup!! Anyway, I've been sitting on this recipe for a LOOOOONG time, but I can't hold it in anymore. And I'm gonna need your help to share it and get it out there. It is SO good!

It all came about one weekend, when I had gone to the farmers market and picked up some pastured pork bacon and sausage. (Side note: Please support your local farmers. Especially your quality meat and egg farmers. They are providing us with a quality product that as of now we all can't readily get in our grocery stores. Let's thank them by supporting them as much and possible) Anywho, the next day I was in my local Earth Fare, where most of the produce is seasonal. We came upon these burgundy skinned potatoes. My kids said "Hey mom! What's that?" I had to look at the tag cause I had no idea. It read, Japanese Sweet Potato. So since we had never had it before we grabbed a few and took them home. Like I said, the outside of the potato is a deep burgundy color,  but when we cut it open it was a beautiful creamy white color. I didn't expect that. But the first thing that popped into my head was that marvelous zuppa toscana soup that is made with sausage and potatoes. So off I went to play around in the kitchen and come up with a delicious paleo equivalent. And this, my friend, is the product. Oh, by the way the potato will turn black if you leave it peeled and cut for a while so place the cut slices in a bowl of cold water until you are ready to use. Also, I have had 2 testers make this with regular sweet potato and it worked just fine. This recipe serves about 6-8 and is a one pot recipe. Yeah, I know, it just gets better and better!! :)

Sausage and Potato Soup with Kale

Ingredients
4 slices of pastured bacon, diced
1 lb of pastured HOT pork sausage
1 onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes
32 oz of chicken broth
2 1/2 cups of water
2 medium Japanese sweet potatoes, sliced into thin half moons
2 cups of kale cut into ribbons
1 can of full fat organic coconut milk
salt and pepper to taste (basically just pepper, you get plenty of salt flavor from the bacon and sausage)


-In a soup pot, over medium heat, crisp up your diced bacon
-Once crisp, remove from pot and add sausage to brown
-Once browned, drain and place sausage with your reserved bacon
-Add about a tablespoon of the fat that you just drained back to the pot along with your red pepper flakes, and garlic
-Stir together for about 30 sec. You just want to get them going until they are fragrant.
-Add in onion and cook till translucent
-Add back in the bacon and sausage
-Add in broth, water and potatoes
-Bring to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are just tender. Don't over cook. Keep an eye on it
-Add in kale and coconut milk and continue cooking until kale is cooked. About 5 more minutes
-Add pepper to taste and serve

Now how about another quick and easy recipe???? How about some Honey Chipotle Meatballs??

Ingredients
1/2 pound of grass fed beef
1/2 pound of pastured ground pork
salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons of coconut aminos
3 Tablespoons of raw honey
1 Tablespoon of finely minced chipotle in adobo pepper

-Mix together beef and pork seasoned with salt and pepper
-Make in to Tablespoon sized meatballs
-In a large skillet over medium heat, cook meatballs until browned and cook through
-Remove meatballs
-Add into your heated skillet the aminos, honey, and chipotle
-Bring to a bubble
-Add back in your meatballs and toss until thick and coated

This are my favorite meatballs!!

Well, next week I hope to share some of the most loved recipes and bring back some seasonal recipes that you might have missed. I hope you have a wonderful week and remember to share the blog and posts on FB. These will also be shared on Pinterest. Thanks so much for your support! Happy Paleo Eating!!!

It's That Time Again!!

Don't you think it is about time for another give away? I am just so grateful for the over 1200 fans on the Paleo Mommy facebook page and for the 3,000 hits that paleomommy.net gets each month. That might be small beans to most but to this ordinary paleo mommy of two, it is huge and I am so grateful!! Thank you all for your support!

That being said I thought I would showcase YOU and do a giveaway at the same time. But first things first....what am I giving away? Well, most of you know the amazing Sarah Fragoso. She is a wife, mom, author of 3 amazing cookbooks, and co-creator of EPLifefit.com. Today I am giving you the opportunity to win her second cookbook Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook. Perfect for a busy mom, or anyone for that matter! There are some REALLY delicious recipes in there and some wonderful sauces!

Here is what YOU have to do. Just message me on my FB page or right here in the comments section and tell me how paleo has changed your life. You can send me before and after pics if you want also. I am going to be starting "Motivational Mondays" on the FB page and feature one of YOUR stories each monday. That way we can share and motivate each other to keep living the healthy life style. YOUR STORY SENT TO MY FB INBOX OR IN THE COMMENT SECTION HERE IS YOUR ENTRY! If you have already sent me your story from a previous request you are already entered!

RECAP: How to enter to win Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook

1. message me HERE or leave a comment down below about how Paleo has changed your life. (preferably in the FB inbox)
2. send before and after pics if you desire
3. one story will be selected randomly as the winner. Each story will be featured on "Motivational Monday" on the FB page.

The more participants we get..the more giveaways I can do! So please like the post on FB and share the post with your friends. Good luck and I can't wait to hear your stories!!! Thank you all so much again!!

Football Season Paleo Eats!!

Well, judging from the looks of my Facebook newsfeed it seems to be football season again. I am from NC and all we really care about is College Basketball....UNC BASKETBALL to be exact!! Go Tarheels!! But, I digress. Now I reside in AL, home of Alabama or Auburn fans. As soon as I moved here I was accosted and they tried to force me to make a choice. Are you gonna be an Alabama or an Auburn fan? Honestly I really don't care. I know NOTHING about football, and it's probably gonna stay that way. But, I have LOTS of friends and family here that have football get togethers every week and just LOVE this time of year. This post is for them and for you, if you happen to be a football fan. Here are just a few ideas to keep your football soiree a paleo success!

A football get together wouldn't be complete without some chili. And to keep it paleo we are omitting the beans, and topping with avocado, red onion, and cilantro. But we are adding lots of spicy flavor. If you want to deaden the head (I don't know why you would) you can omit the chipotle peppers and use a mild rotel and a mild sausage. Throw this bad boy in the crock pot in the morning and have your chili hot and ready for the afternoon/evening game. 

Spicy Slow Cooker Chorizo Chili
1 pound of grass fed beef
2 fresh chorizo sausages, casings removed (about 1/2 pound)
1 onion, diced
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 can of rotel, I used hot
2 chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped
2 Tablespoons of chili powder
1 Tablespoon of cumin
salt and pepper to taste

- brown off all the meat in a skillet
- drain and toss in the crock pot
- in the same skillet add onions and garlic and cook just long enough to get some color on those onions (you may skip this step and just toss it in the crock pot, but I just personally like to get some color on the onions before adding them in)
- toss remaining ingredients in the crock pot and stir together
- cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours
- top with diced avocado, minced red onion and cilantro to serve

Now chips and dip are a fav with any party, but a paleo friendly idea would be guacamole and pepper boats. Make your favorite guacamole recipe or maybe for cheaper and faster you could just buy some Wholly Guacamole. That is a wonderful brand with only real ingredients and it is super tasty. Serve with some bell pepper slices, carrot sticks and maybe even.....wait for iiiit......crispy bacon strips!! Ever dipped a crispy bacon strip in some wonderful guacamole???? You should!! :) 


Now mini-blt's are pretty popular party fare around here but how to we make it paleo??? I've got it!! BAT's!! We will make some bacon, avocado and tomato skewers with a chipotle mayo sauce! OMGOODNESS THIS IS SO GOOD! Let's see how to make it...


BAT's - Adjust this recipe to accommodate your group. This recipe is enough for 16 toothpick skewers only. 

skewers 4 strips of bacon 1 avocado 16 grape tomatoes

-In a pan fry up the 4 slices of bacon until done, drain on a paper towel. -Once cool chop each piece in half and then in half a gain. You should get 4 bite size pieces out of each slice of bacon. -Cut open your avocado and remove pit. Using a spoon scoop out each halve of avocado. Slice each half in half lengthwise and then across. Getting 8 bite size pieces out of each half of the avocado. 16 pieces out of the whole avocado. -Wash and slice grape tomatoes in half. -Assemble skewers. -Place one half of tomato, bacon piece, avocado piece, and other end of tomato on tooth picks. Place on platter.

Mayo 1 egg, room temp 2 T of lemon juice, room temp 1/2 teaspon of ground mustard seed 1/2 teaspoon of salt 1 cup plus 1/4 cup of avocado oil
1 chipotle pepper in adobo, finely chopped (you can omit if you need to not have this spicy, it really isn't that spicy to me though)

-For your mayo place your room temp. egg, room temp lemon juice, mustard, salt and 1/4 cup of oil in blender and blend for about 30 seconds. 
-Then VEEEEERY slowly stream in the remaining cup of oil. Even if it begins to emulsify keep streaming VEEEERY slowly. It should take a good 2-3 minutes for you to slowly stream in the cup of oil. 
-Once mayo is made and has emulsified, empty 4 T of the mayo in a bowl. -Add one finely chopped chipotle in adobo and mix with a spoon. 
-Serve skewers drizzled with the mayo or served with the mayo alongside for dipping.

I have really found avocado oil to deliver the best flavor in homemade mayo. I really love it. If you need a source for some avocado oil, you can buy it HERE!

Now we all want that something to just grab and toss into our mouths....maybe something a little sweet even. How about some trail mix?

Trail Mix

1/2 cup of roasted/salted pumpkin seeds

3/4 cup of roasted pecan halves

1/2 cup of slivered almonds

1 cup of toasted coconut flakes

3/4 cup of unsweetened cranberries

1/2 cup of mini enjoylife chocolate chips

Toss together and EAT! 

If you don't have enjoy life chocolate chips available in your area...you can order HERE for a great price. 

Well, I hope you guys have a wonderful football season!! Have lots of fun and chow down on some healthy paleo grub!! 

Sweet, Sweet, Illusive Sleep....zzzzzz....

Hi Guys,
How's it going? Long time no blog. Been pretty hectic around here lately. I started homeschooling my oldest daughter, so that is a bit time consuming. And I've been going through some health issues lately. I will tell you what, I know how Melissa (from The Clothes Make the Girl and Well Fed fame) feels like. I can totally relate to her struggles and to her frustrations. We are kinda in the same boat. Due to those issues I have had to quit Cross Fit. I really made me sad, but I need to focus on healing my body first and then I can start back. I have been advised to just walk lots, and do yoga for now. In a few months if things are going good I can add some heavy lifting. Then a few months later if I am perfect, I can add back in some metcons and some sprinting. Honestly, I just want to get back to heavy lifting. I am in love with lifting.

So you can imagine that with all that is going on, that my sleep is pretty crappy. And you would be right. I usually fall asleep about 12-1 in the morning and wake up at 7. My husband BEGS me to go to sleep, but I just can't. It's not that I don't want to....I can't. Well through some advice that I got from Chris Kresser.....for the past week I have fallen asleep at 10 and have gotten at least 9 hours of sleep each night!! I honestly didn't think it would work, but I figured if all I have to shell out is 7 bucks for a chance of some good sleep then I'll do it!

So here's the thing...it may sound a bit kooky to you (it actually did to me at first) but the secret lies in a pair of glasses. Let me start from the beginning....We all know that sleep is UBER important for our health. It is helpful in SO many areas and the lack thereof aids in things such as heart disease and diabetes. And yet insomnia is rampant. So what is the deal? Why can't we get sleep. Chris Kresser suggests that the answer could lie in the production of melatonin. Studies have shown that "blue light", the light coming from our iPads, tv's, computer, and iPhones suppress melatonin production. A reduction in melatonin results in sleeplessness, but more important than that, it has been shown to increase cancer risk, impair the immune system and a whole host of other not-so-good things. But have no fear there is a product, glasses to be exact, that block the "blue light" so your bodies production of melatonin is not disrupted. These glasses are what I have been wearing for the past week and I have gotten a total of 15 extra hours of sleep because of them. I have been falling asleep at 10 instead of tossing and turning and flipping channels until 1 am when I can finally fall asleep. I honestly didn't expect it to work, but like I said I thought that 7 bucks was an o.k. price to pay to see if it did. Any way there is my sleep story. HERE is the link to the article by Chris Kresser just in case you would like to have a look see. And HERE is where you can buy the glasses if you would like to give them a try. Chris also gives a link to a more expensive pair but the ones I bought are working great.

P.S. Relationship service announcement...... Be warned: They ain't sexy!!

Listen to your body.....when it's GOOD for you!

I made a comment on FB the other day about how I firmly believe our bodies can tell us what we need. Sometimes if our body is lacking a certain mineral or vitamin we will crave a certain food that is abundant in what we are lacking. I had a very strong and strange craving for tomatoes the day before yesterday. I do NOT like tomatoes! It was so weird, but I pulled out a pint of cherry tomatoes and just started snacking on them, and felt very satisfied.

Yesterday I had a hankering for some grass fed beef and kale. So I came up with this recipe which I personally think is delicious. So delicious in fact that I had it for lunch, dinner, and breakfast this morning. Here it is incase you want to try it out.

Goulash with Kale over Mashed Cauliflower

1 lb of grass fed beef
1 Tablespoon of fat
1 tsp of minced garlic
1 small onion, sliced
1/2 bunch of kale, sliced in strips, appox. 2 cups
1 Tablespoon of tomato paste
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of paprika
1 tsp of oregano
1/2 -1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of pepper
1 tsp of red pepper flakes (optional)

1. In a large pan brown up the beef over medium heat
2. Remove from pan and add fat and garlic
3. When garlic becomes fragrant add in onions
4. When onions become soft and translucent add in kale (it will look like a lot but it will cook down)
5. Make a space in the center of pan to add in tomato paste. Let it cook until you can smell it, you have to wake it up a bit.
6. Add in tomato sauce
7. Add in spices
8. Let simmer on low for about 15 minutes.

Mashed cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower
2 1/2 Tablespoons of grass fed butter
salt and pepper to taste
about 1/2 cup of chicken stock ( you won't know exactly how much you'll need till you make it)

1. Cut all of the floretts off the cauliflower head and wash
2. Steam the florets until they are nice and tender (mine took about 12 minutes)
3. In a blender or food processor (I used my ninja) place your cauliflower, and butter
4. Blend to incorperate and then stream in chicken stock until you reach your disired consistency
5. Add in your salt and pepper to taste and maybe even a bit more butter!! :)

A Weeks Worth of Easy Meals

Hi guys,
I hope this blog post finds you in great spirits today. I also hope your weekend has been and is filled with awesome real food and plenty of movement!

So my husband and I have been taking about our budget lately.......dun, dun, dun. I know some people hate the "B" word but for me it is sort of a sense of safety. I like the fact that we are preparing for an emergency and not spending money we don't have. Needless to say, we have noticed that we were spending more than we intended, mostly on eating out. My husband was in quite the habit of eating out every day for lunch. Well this week we ate at home every night except one. And my husband even took leftovers to work a couple of days this week. I usually eat leftovers for lunch every day, But try to go to lunch out with someone once a week. Hey! I need a social life too!! So I thought I would share with you guys some of the meals we ate this week. All of them are really easy and all but one are really quick. But no worries, the one recipe that isn't, is a crock pot recipe. Here goes....

Monday we had some BLT's. This is SOOOO easy to put together. It literally consisted of washing some romaine leaves, adding some tomato, crispy bacon, and home made mayo. Add anything else your family likes. My kids actually like home made honey mustard on these too.

Here is how I make the mayo.....It hasn't failed me yet!! I got this from The Clothes Make the Girl!!

1/4 cup plus 1 cup of avocado oil
1 egg (ROOM TEMPERATURE!!)
2 Tablespoons of lemon juice (ROOM TEMPERATURE!!)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard powder

-In a blender dump your ROOM TEMPERATURE egg, the 1/4 cup of avocado oil, ROOM TEMPERATURE lemon juice, salt, and mustard powder. The egg and lemon juice seriously have to be room temperature to make a happy, happy mayo.

-Blend together for about 30 seconds

-While continuing to blend. SLOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWLLLLLLYYYYY add in the remaining Cup of avocado oil. I mean it should take like a good 2 minutes to add it all.

Then you magically have gorgeous mayo! And it tastes amazing. I really do LOVE the avocado oil! It is really delicate and not oily...if that makes sense. IDK, it does in my head. I have tried this with vinegar instead of lemon juice.....don't like it. And I have tried it with light olive oil instead of avocado....don't like it.  Experiment and see what YOU like!! Awesome thing about making your own food.... YOU are in control of it ALL!! 

Now make sure you keep that mayo in the fridge, cause we will use it two more times this week.

The next meal that was made was Sausage, Peppers and Onions. 

Another Super Duper Easy recipe. This served 2 adults and two small kids

1 package of Kielbasa, Applegate Farms and EarthFare brand are good and Paleo friendly

1 medium onion, sliced 

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced into strips

1 orange bell pepper, sliced into strips

1 pablano pepper, sliced into strips

1 teaspoon of oregano

1 Tablespoon of favorite healthy fat

salt and pepper

In a medium sautee pan over medium heat, add your sliced kielbasa. It is already pre-cooked so you are just getting some color on it. Once that is done, take it out of the pan and set it to the side. 

Add you fat to the pan and once hot add all your veggies

Add oregano, and salt and pepper to taste

Stir and cook the veggies until crisp tender

Add back in kielbasa and serve with a side of guac!

Keep the meals coming!! Next I made some tuna salad boats.

This is just for one serving. Double, triple, quadruple if necessary.

1 package of tuna

1 bubbies pickle, diced

1 hard boiled egg, diced

4 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 Tablespoon of homemade mayo

3 leaves of washed romaine

salt and pepper

So basically mix this all together and plop on some lettuce!! LOL! It is easy, quick and tasty. Ya know, my girls actually like tuna salad this same way but with a bit of mustard and some pineapple. It sounds weird, I know, but it  is quite tasty.

Next up is Lemon Garlic Chicken.......

This chicken is made with Tessemae's lemon garlic dressing. It is completely Paleo! I marinated some quick cooking chicken tenders in the dressing for an hour and a half. Sautéed them in some bacon fat, made a salad of romaine, spinach, and tomatoes and dressed it with the same garlic lemon dressing. Served with a side of oven roasted asparagus. 

Moving right along to some Thai Cashew Chicken.

1 1/2 pounds of chicken boneless skinless chicken breast or tenders

2 bunches of baby bok choy, sliced length wise

1 small head of brocolli, chopped

2 large or 4 small carrots, sliced in half moons

1 small onion, sliced

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

1 cup of chicken stock, divided

1/2 cup of toasted cashews

1 Tablespoon of arrowroot powder

2 Tablespoons of coconut aminos

1 teaspoon of Thai chili powder or 1 Tablespoon red pepper flakes if chili powder can't be found

1 Tablespoon of fat for cooking chicken

salt and pepper to taste

 -in a dry nonstick pan over medium heat, toast up your cashews. This should only take about 5-7 minutes. Keep and eye on them, they will burn.

 - in a large skillet heat 1 To fat, I used bacon grease.

 - salt and pepper the chicken and add it to the pan, cover and let it cook for about 5 minutes per side until cooked through and no longer pink inside

 - take chicken out and set it on a cutting board - slice chicken thinly against the grain

 - in the same pan over medium heat add all your veggies

 - add in the coconut aminos and some salt and pepper

 - toss the veggies and let them cook for about 7 minutes until they are crisp tender

 - add 1/2 cup of stock to the pan

 - in a separate small bowl add the other 1/2 cup of stock and arrow root powder, stir till completely dissolved and add to the pan of veggies

 - add in cashews, thai chili powder and chicken back into the pan to heat up again

 - let cook and the sauce thicken for about 3 minutes

 - the heat level is relative add more or less to your taste

 - add salt and pepper to taste

 - serve over cauliflower rice

And finally pulled pork and coleslaw!!! You can find the recipe for the pork here and for the slaw here!

Now I know this isn't culinary genius type food....and it's not supposed to be. What this is is real everyday food. I'm too busy to make labor intensive meals everyday! This is just to give you guys some ideas on some different things you can try to keep real food on your table throughout your busy week. I hope it helps some! Have a great week and......

Happy Fathers day to all the wonderful Paleo fathers out there and to my WONDERFUL Husband and   AWESOME Daddy!! 

WARNING!!!! Busy Days Ahead....Must Prepare!!

Summertime is the time to relax....right?! Well, summertime around here means it's time for VBS! I am a stay at home mom and my kids aren't in school yet (oldest starting K this year!!) so I'm usually in no hurry when it comes to breakfasts. But during the week of VBS I get a taste of what most moms have to do during the school year....get breakfast on the table in a hurry! I just wanted to share with you guys how we take care of that situation, just to give you another option or maybe some new ideas!! Here is what our breakfast will look like this week...

So here I have the girls favorite foods, so no begging to hurry and eat their bfast!! I browned up some pastured pork sausage and once cooked laid them out on a parchment lined baking sheet. Those will go in the freezer and then divided into the portions we will need each morning. I also boiled a dozen eggs. My girls LOVE hard boiled eggs. So each morning we will throw the sausage in the microwave, grab an egg and a piece of fruit and we are good to go! VIOLA!!

Sweet Apple Slaw

I believe today's post is a fitting one since the previous post is a pulled pork recipe. What goes better with pulled pork than a cool refreshing slaw? And yes I did use a bag of slaw mix...because I can! If you don't want to...don't just chop up your own cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots.







Sweet Apple Slaw


1 pkgd bag of slaw mix
1 small sweet red apple sliced into matchsticks or shredded
1/2 cup of home made mayo
2 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon of raw honey
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper

-In the bottom of a large mixing bowl dump mayo, honey, vinegar, salt and pepper.
-Whisk to combine
-Dump in slaw and apple
-Toss with tongs until slaw is coated with the dressing
-Keep refrigerated
-You can eat now or wait. the longer you wait the better it tastes!! :)

TWO, That's Right, TWO Ingredient Crock Pot Pulled Pork!

Busy days coming up.... dress rehersals, ballet recitals, teaching VBS. And you know what busy times call for......the crockpot!! Us mommies have to put dinner on the table even when our schedule is full and there seems to be no time for cooking.

Well I bought a pork shoulder last week thinking I would make my friend George's crock pot pulled pork for my dad because I LOVE it. Well we ended up taking my dad out to eat most of the time so I still had this beautiful pork shoulder in the fridge. Even though George's recipe is super simple, It was late and I needed to get that thing cooking. So instead of going and gathering all the spices to rub on the pork, I literally just threw the 2 and a half pound shoulder in the crock pot. It has enough fat that no water or anything else is needed. That cooked for 10 hours on low while I was snoozing. This morning the house smelled great!!! The shoulder was falling apart.

I pulled the shoulder out of the crock pot, poured off the fat and returned the roast to the pot. I shredded it with 2 forks and added 1 cup of magic!

Those of you with Whole Food stores around you need to go ahead and make a trip if only for one thing. This one thing will make our busy paleo lives that much simpler. It is Tessemae's dressings!! There are a few that contain soy so make sure you read your labels, but most are 100% paleo... and DELICIOUS! I mentioned the southwest ranch flavor that I had with breakfast yesterday morning on FB. I also take that with me when I go out to eat to avoid the funky oils served in restaurants. Well, they also have a bbq sauce called Matty's BBQ. It is phenomenal! I'm from NC and it totally made my pork remind me of the vinegar-y tasting pulled pig from my home state. It was juicy, vinegar-y and sweet tasting. I also got a thumbs up and "delicious" from my non-paleo hubs and both the kids!! SCORE one for mom!!

So to recap...
throw a pork shoulder in a crock pot and cook on low for 10 hours
pull out pork, pour off fat and return roast to pot
shred with fork
add tessemae's matty's bbq sauce and cook for another hour on high
devour

If you don't have a whole food or a place that carries tessamae's you can order here online. You can also find locations close to you that sell it on their website also.

P.S. I get NOTHING for recommending this product, I just love it and it makes life a little bit simpler! :) And who doesn't need that!?!

Now check out these wonderful ingredients....

And now....check out that gorgeous, tasty pulled pork!!!!! 

What A Weekend!

Wow! It has been a while! I was under the weather there for a few days, which kept me from posting. Stupid allergies! It was miserable there for a day or so then it was bearable. But I got well just in time for my BIRTHDAY!! And while it is usually just another day, this year it was UBER special! My husband elaborately planned out 3 months in advance a surprise party for me and a very special surprise guest. He flew my dad in who I usually only get to see once a year! AND my dad and I share birthdays so that made it much more special! We went early morning fishing with my 5 year old, went to a baseball game and visited the zoo! It was so much fun spending time with my daddy and him getting to spend time with his grand-daughters!! My dad just left to go back home today, so needless to say all my attention was on him and not so much blogging. But now things are getting back to normal and I will be getting back in the kitchen. Today I made some chocolate dipped macaroons for the kids as a treat. I thought I would share them with you guys. Hope you like them! Recipe below.

Now for a question for you!! I'm thinking of selling these t-shirts and was wondering if any of you would be interested. All proceeds would go toward recipe development for the cookbook! If we ever reach 1000 fans on FB I will more than likely give a couple away as a giveaway as well!! They would cost approximately $17 bucks plus shipping. Yay or nay?!? Interested?? Anyone!?!  Feel free to suggest different colors!! :)

Chocolate dipped macaroons

4 egg whites
2 cups of unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup of maple syrup
2 Tablespoons of coconut flour
1 teaspoon of almond extract
pinch of salt
6-8 ounces of melted enjoy life chocolate chips



- in a large mixing bowl wisk for egg whites, syrup, extract and salt
- add in coconut and flour and mix till well incorporated
- set in fridge to harden a bit for about an hour
- scoop out with a 1 inch scoop or use two spoons and place on a parchment lined baking sheet
- bake at 325 for about 20 minutes. they will start to brown around bottom edges and will be firm to touch.
- let completely cool
- melt chocolate in the microwave or double boiler
- dip each macaroon in chocolate and place on parchment or wax paper
- let the chocolate harden or you can place in fridge to speed up the process. By this time my kids were tired of waiting and just ate them! haha!

It's GIVEAWAY time again!!!

I know that YOU know that the crock pot is a very valuable tool for us busy paleo mommies, or anyone for that matter! I mean, it cooks for you, and your dinner is ready when you are ready for dinner! It's a win-win situation. Well today I'm gonna make a great thing even better for you!! How about a chance win a paleo cookbook completely devoted to your slow cooker!! Chrissy Gower has written the perfect cookbook for crock pot lovers called Paleo Slow Cooking, and I've got a copy for one lucky reader.

Want to know what you have to do for your chance to win??
1. "Like" Paleo Mommy on FB here
2. "Like" Paleo Slow Cooking on FB here
3. "Share" this LINK on FB, make sure it is public or I can't see you did it.
4. Leave a comment on my FB page to let me know you completed the steps!! :)

 

I will select a winner on Saturday at 5:00 P.M. and post the winner on my FB page. The winner will need to message me on FB within 24 hours to give me their address or I will have to pick another winner. :(

Good luck!! Get to sharing!!!

Fruity Chicken Salad

Hi people! It's been a while! I have been working on the cookbook that I can only hope to finish and have available to you all sometime in this lifetime! It is a long process but the creating recipe part is SO FUN! There is no feeling like the one where someone LOVES something you have created. It is still unbelievable to me to see someone eating my food or my recipe, or telling me how one of my recipes is requested for dinner from their family. It is AH-MAZE-ING! And I am so glad you guys share that stuff with me. It makes me keep on keepin' on!! :)

Well Springtime has sprung around these parts and one of our favorite pastimes, when were aren't dodging severe weather, is visiting our botanical gardens. So the girls, my mother in law, and I braved the pollen and headed out. Among the beautiful scenery and cute attractions, they also have a little cafe there called Clementines. This place serves a gazillion or so varieties of chicken salad among other things. My favorite one there is the fruity chicken salad. Craving chicken salad today, I decided rather than driving 30 minutes and paying 11 dollars for some, that I would take a crack at my own fruity chicken salad. Here it is just incase you want some too!!

Serves 2

1 roasted chicken breast, cubed
2 T of mayo (my fave recipe, make sure your eggs are from a trusted source)
1/2 stalk of celery, finely diced
6 red grapes, sliced
1 mandarin orange or clementine, chopped
1/4 cup of pecans, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Mix it up and enjoy..... I know I did!

Easter time...treat time!!

Look, I know you know that I whole heartily believe that Paleo peeps need to lay off the sweets. And I know you know that sugar is sugar no matter what form, albeit different qualities. That being said....It is Easter time and in my world that would call for a cute little coconut cake in the shape of a fluffy white bunny, or a yummy carrot cake. Well, I don't have that kind of recipe for you today, but I do have.......... Chocolate Macadamia Nut Pie with a Coconut Crust!!! Whoop-whoop!! I mean C'mon!! I could just throw all those ingredients in a blender, drink it and it would taste good, but I put a little more effort into it than that. I even made the mac butter myself. Follow me and I will tell you how this pie went down......

Ingredients
Crust
2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
2 Tablespoons of coconut oil
1 Tablespoon of REAL maple syrup
pinch of salt

Filling
1 can of FULL FAT unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup of enjoy life semi sweet chocolate chips
1 package of knox unflavored gelatin
3/4 - 1 cup of macadamia nut butter (if you are making it yourself you need.. 1cup of macadamia nuts, 1-2 Tablespoons of coconut oil, 1 Tablespoon of REAL maple syrup, and a pinch of salt) 
chopped macadamia nuts for garnish

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees

2. First things first, make the crust. In your food processor dump your coconut, coconut oil, syrup and salt. Process until it starts to begin to come off the sides of the processor. About 2 minutes.

3. Dump mixture into an 8X8 glass baking dish and press into the bottom of the dish to form the crust. Bake in the 350 degree oven for about 12-15 minutes. Keep an eye on it. You want it lightly, lightly brown but not burnt.

4. If you don't have store bought mac nut butter, make it.  So while the crust is baking, let's do that. You can wipe out your food processor real quick or not. Doesn't really matter. But in your food processor dump 1 cup of Macadamia nuts. Start processing.

5. You will have to stop, scrap down and start multiple times. Once it starts blending drizzle in the maple syrup, add your pinch of salt and drizzle in your coconut oil. It will probably take about 5 minutes of processing until your nuts start to look like nut butter.

6. Once it is done, scrap out into a large bowl add your 1 cup of chocolate chips to this bowl as well and set it aside

7. Check on your crust!! Don't forget about it. Once it is done set it aside to cool down.

8. Now in a medium sauce over medium heat pan dump in your coconut milk.

9. Sprinkle 1 package of plain gelatin in the milk and stir.

10. You want the milk to almost come to a boil and you want to keep stirring it until all the gelatin is dissolved. This will take about 5-7 minutes.

11. Pour your hot milk over the nut butter and chocolate chip mixture and let it set for about 3 minutes

12. Grab a wisk a mix it all together until smooth

13. Pour onto your prepared crust and place in the fridge to set for at least 3 hours.

14. When you serve, garnish with chopped macadamia nuts

15. Eat it! :)

Quick Fudge Recipe

Just a quick recipe for you guys. I hope you like it!! :)

1 cup of cashew butter
1/4 cup of raw honey
1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa
2 Tablespoons of coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/2 cup of walnuts (optional)

In a food processor blend all the ingredients except the nuts. The mixture should start to pull from the sides of the processor. Dump contents in to an 8X8 or even a loaf pan and press the mixture down flat into pan. Press walnuts into the top of mixture if your using them. Place in the fridge to set for at least 3 hours. These must stay in the fridge.