Coming to the blog soon... Bacon Chocolate Chip cookies - YES, it's Paleo!

Paleo Pork Tacos - Crockpot recipe

Paleo pork tacos, hands down our family's favorite Paleo meal. It's simple and taste like you've spent all day in the kitchen. This meal is amazing paired with the Spanish Cauliflower rice (previous post).

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 1/2 lbs. of lean  loin
• 1 c. organic vegetable broth
• 1 packet of Lipton Onion Seasoning mix
• Butter leaf lettuce
• Avocado, diced

DIRECTIONS:

• Place lean pork loin in crockpot
• Pour in vegetable broth; add packet of Lipton Onion seasoning mix
• Cook on low for 6 hours on low (or 3-4 hours on high)
• Shred pork loin
• Serve in Butter leaf lettuce and top with diced avocado

 

Spanish Cauliflower Rice

I've said this before and I'll say it over and over and over again... Until starting a Paleo lifestyle I did not like cauliflower, at all. Since discovering all the amazing things that can be done with cauliflower, I've had a change of heart. With that said, I still cannot stand raw cauliflower or plain steamed cauliflower! But (yes, I know, it's not proper to start a sentence with the word 'but', BUT it's my blog, so I can!) with all the variations of things you can make with it, I think you too could learn to love it as much as our family does.

And even better, cauliflower has so many health benefits such as Cancer prevention, Digestion (fiber), Antioxidants (which help to prevent heart disease, cancer and stroke), Anti-inflammatory (omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin K and Rich in B vitamins. With all that, how could you not want to cook with cauliflower and make recipes that taste great too.


INGREDIENTS: 

•  Olive oil
• 1 head of cauliflower (chopped into pieces that can fit in food processor—finely chop or "rice" in food processor using the cheese grating attachment tool) **Costco now sells bags of pre-washed & chopped cauliflower... I just pull it out and rice it in the food processor
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or presses
• 1/2 to 3/4 of a large Pasilla Pepper, (or poblano) finely chopped
• 1-2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 c. diced cilantro
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) of organic diced tomatoes
• Sea salt/pepper, to taste 

DIRECTIONS:

1.) Pre-heat WOK on medium heat
 

2.) Add enough olive oil to cover bottom of WOK

3.) Add garlic, cook for 30-60 seconds until fragrant 

3.) Add the finely chopped Cauliflower—attempt to brown it as you would rice, it will brown a little but mostly end up getting steamed (this process usually takes about 15 min.) Add the ground cumin, sea salt & pepper as well during this process.

4.) Add chopped Pasilla peppers and continue to cook for approx 3-5 min. 

5.) Then add the can of organic diced tomatoes and cilantro, stir in and continue to cook for approximately 5 more minutes.

SERVE & ENJOY!

 

Turkey Mushroom & Herb Meatballs

It's been quite some time since I've blogged my recipes... it's the damn day job that gets in the way! Oh, and now that CrossFit has added a 7:00 p.m. class, I've opted for it instead of the 5:00 a.m. class. The downfall is that I get home late and either slam a shake or a meal I've pre-prepared, (is that even a word?) quickly shower, hop in bed and wait to do it all over again. I do miss the 5:00 a.m. class and hoping to get back to it a couple of times per week.

Here is my recipe for Turkey Mushroom & Herb Meatballs, which are great for a grab & go meal during the busy work week... or in our case, when we failed to make enough dinner the night before to have leftovers for lunch.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/4 lb. of ground turkey (lean 93%)
• 6-8 mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 c. finely diced cilantro
• 2 tbsp. diced parsley (or 1 Tbsp. dried parsley)
• 2 tbsp. diced basil (or 1 Tbsp. dried basil)
• 1/2 c. diced zucchini (optional)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, pressed
• 4 oz. organic tomato sauce
• 1 egg
• 1-2 tsp. Trader Joes Everyday Seasoning

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Combine all ingredients together in a bowl, mix well
• Scoop rounded spoonfuls of meat mixture into greased (olive oil spray) muffin tins
• Bake for 18-20 minutes
• Remove from oven, let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove from pan

** Let cool completely before storing in refrigerator **

Paleo Pizza (cauliflower & almond meal crust)

So this recipe came to me from my beautiful hair stylist, after a couple of "other" Paleo pizza crusts that I tried to like but just couldn't! Some of these other questionable crusts tasted what I imagine it would be like to bite into a cardboard box! Uh, my thoughts exactly! Give me the real thing if this is the alternative! So Lily saves my Paleo world and my husband's LOVE for pizza! And I mean LOVE!

We have made this pizza recipe a few times now and love it! The topping choices are endless... Get creative and enjoy making the pizza just as much as you will eating it.


INGREDIENTS:

2 C. steamed Cauliflower
2 Eggs
1/2 C. almond Meal
1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil


DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Use the cheese grating tool on the food processor (or you can grate by hand) to grate the raw cauliflower. Once you have approx. 2 cups of grated cauliflower, put into microwave safe dish and steam for approx 3-5 min. (I usually place a small glass of water in the microwave for moisture).

Combine the remaining ingredients into the steamed cauliflower bowl and mash/mix together with a fork.

Grease a pan with olive oil spray or use parchment paper, but be sure to spray the paper as well.

Pour crust mixture (make 1 large or 2 small/medium crusts) onto pan and form into pizza crust (it will be about 1/4" thick).

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges start to turn golden brown.

Remove crust from oven, top with sauce & desired toppings, then put back into oven for approx. 7-10 minutes.

SAUCE: I usually make my own homemade sauce, which I will eventually post to the blog, but a quick and easy pizza sauce is to combine an 8 oz can of organic tomato paste and 2 Tbsp. of Italian seasonings. EASY!

Chicken Zucchini Enchiladas

Paleo or not, this recipe is great! If you eat strict paleo you are probably against eating anything that contains dairy/cheese. My husband and I try to follow an 80/20 paleo lifestyle, so this meal falls into one of our not completely paleo meals, but we don't feel guilty about eating it.  My newest endeavor is to start using grass-fed cheese, but still limiting the cheese overall. I'm trying to find where to buy grass-fed cheese locally. I found a few places where I can order it online and I'm not opposed to that either.

I am becoming more and more conscious of the food we eat and where it comes from. I haven't gone to the extremes yet, but I can see it in my near future! :)  The excuse I use to have is that it's too expensive to eat healthy, but since starting CrossFit last September and being introduced the the Paleo lifestyle, I've quickly realized that it is not much more expensive and that meal planning is key. It is NOT too expensive to make small changes to the way you eat and prepare meals... if you're like me, this can be done in baby steps, slowly changing one or two things at a time. Sure, you will notice that buying organic, or grass-fed or gluten-free does cost a little more, so this is where budgeting and pre-planning meals for the week really helps. The results and the way you feel will speak volumes and encourage you to continue making these small changes. Afterall, this could be the difference between living a long life and still being able to enjoy that life.

Don't get me wrong, we still eat plenty of things that aren't Paleo... we try to plan out our "cheat" meal in advance which helps keep us focused on eating well until then, but we all have bad days and sometimes the "cheat" happens without planning. To be honest, we never feel good after a cheat meal... we seem to always be reminded that eating well and food without all those preservatives and chemicals, makes us feel so much better.

Now for some Chicken Zucchini Enchiladas...

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

• Zucchini (Approx. 4)
• Chicken, shredded (I usually cook 3-4 breasts in the crockpot for 2 hours on high)
• Enchilada sauce
• Shredded Cheese (I used mexican-blend)

**A little side note about the enchilada sauce: The first time I made this recipe I bought a really expensive can from Clarks Nutrition, it was about 4 times the amount of a regular can of enchilada sauce. This time I bought one from Von's, though I can't recall the brand and the trash already went out... oops! But I did check the labels of all of them and bought the one that seemed to have the least preservatives. Though I never have, I think making a home-made enchilada sauce is on my list of things to do. And of course, I will share that too!

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

1.  Prepare your chicken in advance (I usually throw 3-4 pieces of chicken into the crockpot with some seasonings and 1/4 cup of broth, cook on High for 2 hours, then shred with a fork)

 

2.  Cut zucchini in half, then slice lengthwise into thin strips

 

3.  Steam the zucchini briefly, just to soften slightly

 

4.  Start layering your ingredients in a casserole dish; zucchini, chicken, sauce, cheese. REPEAT until all ingredients are used (I usually do 3 layers total)

 

5.  Bake in oven at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

 

SERVE & ENJOY!

 

 

Cauliflower Fried Rice

This dish continues to be one of our faves! Who knew cauliflower could really taste like rice! No, really! It does!

If you haven't tried this recipe yet, it's a must! You can throw in whatever veggies you have, give or take what’s in the recipe below and it ALWAYS turns out amazing. I don’t have exact measurements, just an order of operation (I've always wanted to be a math teacher, ha!)

 
INGREDIENTS: (You can get creative and add so much more)

•  Olive oil
• 1 head of cauliflower (chopped into pieces that can fit in food processor—finely chop or "rice" in food processor)
• Chopped broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, green onion, maybe even asparagus
• 2-3 garlic cloves, pressed
• 3 eggs
• Trader Joes Everyday Seasoning or similar seasonings (it's basically a mixture of sea salt, peppercorns, garlic & other yummy spices)
• Sesame seeds

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

1.) Pre-heat WOK on medium heat (I’m sure you could use a regular pan, I’ve never tried—we just love our WOK)
 

2.) Add enough olive oil to cover bottom of WOK
 

3.) Add the finely chopped Cauliflower—attempt to brown it as you would rice, it will brown a little but mostly end up getting steamed (this process usually takes about 15-20 min)  ** SEE PHOTO BELOW**
 

4.) Add pressed garlic and chopped vegetables (any that you choose to use, except if you plan to use green onion, do not put in yet)
 

5.) Add the Everyday Seasoning and a few sprinkles of sesame seeds
 

6.) Continue to sauté for approx. 7 minutes
 

7.) Beat the 3 eggs together, then pour mixture into WOK—allow the egg mixture to cook and bubble, then fold into the cauliflower & veggie mixture
 

8.) Turn heat to low, add green onion (optional) and more sesame seeds—cook for another 2-3 minutes.

ENJOY!
 

 

OTHER VARIATIONS: I made the cauliflower rice with cilantro and lime, topped with green onion... perfect pairing for Chicken Zucchini Enchiladas, which happen to be on the menu tonight... so look for that recipe coming up soon!
 

** As you can see in the photo below, the cauliflower will brown a little, similar to rice **