Josh and Jen's dirty burgers

This recipe is for 2-4 people - 2 if you are really hungry and looking for a "cheat" meal

Sweet Potato Hash:

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and shredded in the food processor
1 large white onion, sliced into large rings
6 large white button mushrooms, sliced

Bacon: 8-10 slices

Meat: 2 pounds grass fed beef

2 eggs, or 1 egg per burger

Optional: If looking for something a little sweet, add 1 chopped apple. We used a SweeTango apple.

Sauce Options:

For a ranch type sauce, combine 1/4 cup spicy paleo mayo + 1/4 cup coconut milk, shake of dried dill, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, dried parsely, and 1 T lemon juice in a small bowl

Or you could use guacamole, or spicy mustard (from the store- no sugar added).

1. In a large skillet, cook bacon. When fully cooked, transfer bacon to a plate with a paper towel to drain. Keep the bacon grease - its magical. If using the chopped apple, cook the apple slices with the bacon.
2. In the bacon grease, cook the shredded sweet potato.
3. In a seperate smaller skillet, saute the onion rings and mushrooms. When fully cooked, and sweet potato is almost done, combine onions and mushrooms to the sweet potato skillet.
4. In the smaller skillet, cook 2 eggs, or 1 egg per burger, over easy. Don't overcook the eggs - the goal is to have the yoke a little runny.
5.  After the sweet potatoes have been cooking for about 15-20 minutes, its time to start the burgers. Make 2 large burger patties, or 4 smaller ones. Go BIG if you are starving. Grill until they are medium well.
6. Assembly: On a plate, add one burger patty, top with one egg, bacon, sweet potato hash, sauted mushroom and onions, and add desired sauce.

ENJOY!!

Kim Juen's ranch dressing

¼ cup Paleo Mayo 

¼ cup Coconut Milk - canned 

½ tsp Dill 

½ tsp Garlic Powder

 ¼ tsp Onion Powder

 ¼ tsp Chives 

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice 

Optional * ½ tsp Parsley - did not use 

Optional * ½ tsp Thyme (I say, try it without and if you think it needs a little more zing, then add these 2 optional spices ;) 

Sea Salt and Pepper (to Taste) did not use 

Mix all until incorporated. I like to use a Bullet, but that’s just me…(if you buy it, you’ll love it, i promise!!) **Note: all of the spices that I used were dried. You can use fresh if you like, but I thought you’d like to know that it will still turn out if you use dried herbs.

Kim Juen's Spinach Smoothie

 1/2 c coconut milk - unsweetened from the carton 

1/2 medium banana 

1/2 c frozen blueberries

 3 walnut halves

 1 c fresh spinach 

Blend all ingredients. Kim used a magic bullet and it worked great.

 This makes one serving.

Cucumber Salad

Ever need a recipe to use up all those cucumbers and tomatoes from the garden? This is a good recipe for that. This makes a big bowl of salad with a lot of nutritious ingredients. This is great to make at the beginning of a busy week, packaged in small containers, and can be enjoyed throughout the week.  The dressing makes a great salad dressing.

Dressing:
1 cup fresh parsley, minced (about 1/4 cup)
juice of 2 lemons (about 1/4 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced ( about 1 teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste

Salad:
2 medium cucumbers, peeled
2 medium green peppers, seeded
3 medium tomatoes
1/2 medium red onion
1 bunch radishes
1 can (6oz) large black pitted olives

In food processor, mince the parsley.Add the lemon juice, garlic, cumin, paprika, and oregano. Process until well blended. Add olive oil, salt and pepper, and process until well blended.

Dice all the vegetables, or use food processor to get about a 1/4 inch sized dice. Combine all vegetables and sliced black olives in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and combine until vegetables are coated.

Spiced Mayo

1 egg
2T lemon juice
1/4 cup plus 1 cup light tasting olive oil- not extra virgin oil!!
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
dash of paprika
dash of cajun seasoning

In blender or food processor, break the egg, and add lemon juice. Allow egg and lemon juice to come to room temperature- at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours.

When the egg and lemon juice are at room temperature, add the 1/4 cup olive oil, mustard, salt, paprika, and cajun seasoning. Blend on medium until the ingredients are combined. Add the remaining 1 cup of oil VERY slowly- over 2-3 minutes.

Blend or use the food processor until the mixture resembles traditional mayo. Store in a airtight container marked with the expiration date of the eggs used.

Sliders:

This recipe makes 16 little sliders- great for post-workout nutrition! This can be made ahead and stored in the fridge.

1 lb grass fed beef
1 lb pork
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano 
1 teaspoon paprika
dash of cayenne red pepper
1 teaspoon dried cilantro

Directions: Combine meat, chopped onion and seasonings. Make 16 small patties. Grill.

Roasted Lemon Pepper Chicken:

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt - Some seasoning salts have sugar. I picked up some Aloha Spice Company "Pele's Fire Hawaiian Seasoning Salt" on vacation and its delicious with a little kick: available at alohaspice.com

1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 (3 pound) whole chicken

2 lemons

2 tablespoons olive oil

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Combine the seasoning, salt, mustard powder, garlic powder and black pepper; set aside. Rinse the chicken thoroughly, and remove the giblets. Place chicken in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons of the spice mixture inside the chicken. Rub the remaining mixture on the outside of the chicken.
3. Squeeze the juice of the 2 lemons into a small bowl or cup, and mix with the olive oil. Drizzle this oil/juice mixture over the chicken.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until juices run clear, basting several times with the remaining oil mixture.

Grilled Tangerine and Spinach salad

4 medium tangerines or naval oranges
10 oz. spinach, trimmed, washed and well drained
8 oz. bibb lettuce
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 T. cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. honey
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 oz. (18-20 halves) toasted pecans
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper

Coarsely grate peel of 1 tangerine and set aside for use later. Peel remaining peel from tangerines and discard. Prepare your grill to 400 degrees, then lightly oil the grates. Cut tangerine in half, and place the flat side directly on the grill for 2-3 minutes or until it lightly carmelizes. Toast pecans for 3-5 minutes or until fragrant. Set aside for garnish. Next prepare the greens by cutting or ripping them into small bite sized peices. Prepare the vinaigrette by whisking together the olive oil, vinegar, honey, mustard, pepper and grated tangerine peel. Add the greens and grilled tangerines to the dressing and top with toasted pecans.

Zucchini spaghetti and meatballs

Sauce:  In a crockpot, add 2 cans of tomato sauce (15 oz each) and 1 can diced tomatoes. Add 1 can (6oz.) tomato paste and 1 large onion roughly chopped. Add 1/4 cup red wine and the following seasonings: garlic powder, parsley, pepper, italian seasoning, oregano, and onion powder. Cook on high for 2 hours, when meatballs are done, add these to the crockpot with the sauce.

Meatballs:
1 pound of ground turkey or pork
2 pounds grassfed beef
2 eggs (try the omega 3 ones!)
1/2 cup almond meal
1 onion, minced
2 stalks celery minced
4 cloves garlic
seasonings: parsley, basil, oregano, salt and pepper

Mix all together and form into 1 inch balls- cook in glass baking dish with a little olive oil. 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Noodles:

I got this new kitchen gadget - a julienne peeler. Pretty fun to use!

I got mine from Bed Bath and Beyond:http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=12949731. They are also available on Amazon.com

I used 1 large zucchini - about 1 foot long, and used the peeler to make the noodles. Run the peeler the length of the zucchini to make the noodles. Noodles will look like this:

Place noodles in a microwave safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Cook on high for 2 minutes. Place a generous amount of noodles on a plate and cover with sauce and meatballs. Enjoy!

Fish Tacos

This recipe is pretty much from The Paleo Diet Cookbook.  It is simple and delicious.  Give it a try!

Fish Tacos

4 6-ounce whitefish fillets (mahi mahi, tilapia, cod)
cayenne pepper, to taste
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 scallions, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
4 Bibb or butter lettuce leaves
1 small avocado, thinly sliced

Season tilapia with cayenne pepper and set aside.  Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add pepper and scallions.  Saute for three minutes, add garlic, and continue cooking for one minute.
Move veggies to sides of pan.  Add fish to center of pan and cook for 5-10 minutes, turning once.  Fish will be done when it is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
Remove fish from pan and cut into bite-sized pieces.  Cover with veggies and sprinkle with cilantro.  Scoop into lettuce leaves and top with avocado slices. 
I served this with a simple homemade salsa:
In a food processor (or I used my handheld stick blender) combine the following ingredients and process until blended.  Chill before serving.

Tomato Salsa

2 Tablespoons lime juice
2 Tablespoons diced red onion
2 Tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes

Pure Wraps

I ordered a bajillion Pure Wraps because of free shipping with orders of 12 or more packages.  I like them, but geez, what am I going to do with 48 wraps?  So I've been coming up with ideas of how to fill them.  The first recipe is delicious and I could probably eat it 48 times.  The second one I included because it cracks me up.  Only eat it if you like really weird things. 



Curried Chicken Salad

2 chicken breasts, chopped and grilled
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 apple, diced
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup homemade olive oil mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

lettuce: romaine, green leaf, or red leaf
Pure Wraps, curry flavor

Combine all chicken salad ingredients.  Add a lettuce leaf to a wrap and top with a large scoop of curried chicken salad.

Elvis Deluxe

Original Pure Wraps

Almond butter

Banana

Bacon (nitrate/nitrite-free!), cooked

Assemble all ingredients into wraps. 

Bone Broth

So, this recipe is not fancy, nor is it gourmet. This is a long post, and I apologize. I want to share my thoughts on why I decided to make this broth. First, Josh and I bought 1/4 grass fed cow and along with some delicious steaks, roasts, and ground beef, came several packages of bones. Kinda weird, was my initial thought. Into the freezer they went, and I contemplated what I would ever do with them.

I have been struggling with some joint pain recently and I was remembering some stuff I learned from reading the book "Deep Nutrition" http://www.amazon.com/Deep-Nutrition-Your-Genes-Traditional/dp/0615228380/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338686931&sr=1-1. This is a great book, that I highly recommend.

Basically, the authors break down the benefits of making stocks and broth from bones, cartilage and ligaments. Here are some of the authors' thoughts. I will give you the long and the short version, and then give you the easy recipe that I used to make this surprisingly delicious stuff. Cheers to trying new and healthy things to promote wellness!

Long version
From the book:
How does having additional parts (skin, legaments, etc) create additional nutrition? Water molecules tug apart the connective tissue in skin, ligaments, cartilage, and even bone, releasing a special family of molecules called glycosaminoglycans. You will find the three most famous members of this family in nutritional supplements for joints: glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and hyaluronic acid. But these processed supplements don't hold a candle to gelatinous stews, rich with the entire extended family of joint building molecules. ...... Mineral salts are released from bone and cartilage durinig stewing, as well as from the meat itself. 

The author of Deep Nutrition goes on to talk about the science behind why grass fed and finished beef, chicken, or pork is so much better for you. Basically, to summarize, it is that there is a higher concentration of vitamins, minerals and all the other goodies in the grass then there is in the dirt in which it is grown, and animals who feed on nutrient dense organic grass for their whole lives have an even higher concentration of all this "good for us stuff" in their meat, cartiledge, ligaments, organs and bones. 

Short version
The short simple answer is that all the "stuff" that you rush to your local health food store and buy in glucosamine and chronditin and other joint health combinations is all present in bone broth.

Recipe

large handful of baby carrots

1 medium onion, chopped up

7 garlic cloves, smashed

3.5 lb of beef bones

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

water

Place the carrots, onions, and garlic into the bottom of a slow cooker. Add the beef bones, vinegar and enough water to cover everything- I think I ended up using about 8 cups of water. Length of cooking time varies. I read up on cooking time, and basically, the longer you cook it, the more stuff you get out of the bones. I turned the slow cooker on low and cooked it for 24 hours. In reading, some people decided to cook their broth up to 48 hours. When you are done, strain the broth, discard the solids, and place in a large container in the fridge overnight. There will be a fat layer that seperates above the broth, which will have a Jello-like quality. I placed the broth into several small Tupperware containers (I read that some people freeze it in ice cube trays too) and then put them into the freezer, so I could microwave it when I was ready to drink it.

A word on the fat layer... its basically homemade beef tallow, which is a great fat to cook or fry with, high in good omega 3s and CLA-"the good, natural trans fat".

For more info on bone broth, check out Mark's Daily Apple's post on this topic. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/cooking-with-bones/#axzz1wgw2N4FU

Coconut butter

This was inspired by a visit to the Yori house, where Clara introduced me to coconut manna: http://www.amazon.com/Nutiva-Coconut-Manna----15/dp/B005P0KEL0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1338427803&sr=8-2
Yum!

Ingredients:

8 ounce package of Unsweetened Shredded Coconut - I get 8 oz packages of this at Hyvee where they sell the dried fruit and nuts

2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon of almond extract - can use vanilla extract too
Pinch of sea salt
2 large spoonfuls of almond butter

Add all ingredients to a food processor. Let it run for 15 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides of the food processor throughout. Note - if you have a vitamix blender, this is easier and quicker to make. Coconut butter is ready when a paste is formed. Place coconut butter in a small tupperware container, and spoon a layer of almond butter over the top. Enjoy by the spoonful. This is a delicious source of healthy fat.

Prosciutto wrapped broiled asparagus

20 pieces of asparagus
4 oz. prosciutto - each slice cut into 4 long thin strips
ground pepper
garlic powder
olive oil
balsamic vinegar

Preheat broiler to high. Place the top oven rack 6 inches from the heating element.
Drizzle some olive oil over the asparagus spears, and season with pepper and garlic. I used my misto to spray the asparagus with olive oil- I love the misto: http://www.amazon.com/Misto-Gourmet-Sprayer-Brushed-Aluminum/dp/B00004SPZV. Wrap one strip of prosciutto around each asparagus spear. Place spears on a baking sheet in a single layer. Broil for 4 minutes, turn, and then broil for an additional 4 minutes. Remove from oven, and drizzle with a small amount of balsamic vinegar.

Baba Ghanoush

Eggplant?  Ewwww.  Or so I thought.  So far everything I have made in Well Fed has been delicious so I thought I'd give the baba ghanoush a try.  Well, I'm glad I did because it is delicious!  AND I got to use my favorite appliance, my handheld stick blender. 

Baba Ghanoush
makes about 2.5 cups

2 pounds globe eggplant (about 2)
1/4 cup tahini
1 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
optional garnishes: extra-virgin olive oil, minced fresh parsley, toasted sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  Poke both eggplants a few times with a fork and place on the baking sheet.  Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the eggplants are soft.  Allow to cool.
Place the tahini, salt, lemon juice, garlic, chili powder, and cumin in the bowl of a food processor.  Scoop the roasted eggplant pulp out of the skin and place in colander to drain extra moisture for a few minutes.  Place it in the food processor with the rest of the ingredients and puree to your desired consistency. 
Spread the baba ghanoush on a plate or in a shallow bowl and drizzle with olive oil, parsley, and sesame seeds.  Serve with raw veggies and olives.  Tastes best at room temperature, but should be stored in the fridge.

Ham and Egg Cups

Clara here.
I am 33 years old and this is my first time posting to a blog!  Happy to give it a go.  I very much enjoy cooking paleo meals.  My paleo journey started two years ago when I discovered a sensitivity to gluten and dairy.  It has evolved from a vegetarian into a mostly paleo way of life.  I believe in REAL FOOD.
I'll start with a simple and delicious breakfast recipe.  There are a lot of versions of this floating around.  Here is mine:

Ham and Egg Cups
makes 12

12 slices of deli ham (preferably high quality, nitrite/nitrate free)
9 eggs (preferably cage free, omega-enriched)
a handful of spinach, chopped
3 sundried tomatoes, finely chopped
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
olive or coconut oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a muffin tin with olive oil or coconut oil.  Place a piece of ham in each cup.  Whisk eggs in large bowl and add spinach and sundried tomatoes.  Evenly disperse the egg mixture into the 10 ham cups.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Top with chopped basil and enjoy!
We also had smoothies.  Just blended berries.  Delicious.

Weekly meal planning

Meal planning is something that I am passionate about. I value having healthy meals for me and my husband. We both work full time (yes, this is an excuse), and try to work out (another excuse), which can leave not alot of time to make healthy meals. We try to eat paleo most of the time. This is just a post on what a typical week of meal planning looks like in the Grenell house.
1. When I have time during the week to look at cookbooks or online blogs, I email myself the recipes that I want to make in the future.
2. On Sundays, I take the time to plan for the week. I try to incorporate a variety of proteins, so 1-2 beef meals, 1-2 fish meals, and 2-3 chicken or pork meals. Josh and I are fairly simple people, so the recipes we make are basically a protein, and a vegetable. We cook with olive oil as a fat source.
3. I make a few meals ahead of time in large Tupperware containers if I am on a stretch of days. That way, in the mornings, I can throw the food in the crockpot, and I have dinner when I am done with the gym. If they are not crockpot meals, it is something that I can easily heat up when I get home from the gym and have supper within 30 minutes of getting home.
4. A couple recipes that are easy to make ahead of time that are on the blog: picadillo, jambalaya, chili (beef chili, or the Colorado green chili), shredded Mexican chicken, just to name a few. The Clothes Make the Girl has a great blog about meal planning too- I really like her meatball recipes. Those are nice to have on hand for snacks as well as meals. In the evening, if I heat up a meal, I can cook some frozen broccoli or make cauliflower rice or a salad in just a few minutes.
5. I like to grocery shop just 1 time per week if I can manage- its easier, cheaper, and fits in my schedule. I can gather what I need for recipes, and get staples like meat, eggs, milk, bacon, and fresh and frozen veggies, in one shopping trip. Sams Club is wonderful for buying big bags of frozen meat and frozen veggies- we get salmon, chicken, cubed pork for chili, pork chops occasionally, eggs, bacon, fruit, and milk. I do hesitate to go there on the weekends, but if I do go its early! Also, we try to get 1/4 cow- grass fed preferred, to have beef on hand in our big freezer. That is a really convenient way to have roasts, steaks, and hamburger meat on hand.
6. The nice thing about making meals ahead of time, is that this is often more food than the 2 of us can eat for 1 meal, so we usually have leftovers for the next day's lunch. So, get some smaller tupperware for those meals.
7. Snacks- We sometimes will make some veggie side dishes: Spinach and artichokes, cooked carrots, or pack some nuts, lara bars, hard boiled eggs in little tupperwares for middle of the day snacks, or post-workout nutrition. So, get some even smaller tupperware this stuff. Alot of these recipes make for great post-workout nutrition, so don't be afraid to eat some chicken while others are drinking protein shakes.

Hopefully that helps. I will post more ideas as I can think of them!

Chicken drummies and artichokes

3-4 pounds chicken drumsticks
2 Tablespoons of seasoning- see mix below:
olive oil
12 oz artichoke hearts (I used about 1/3 -1/2 jar of the California style marinated artichoke hearts available at Sam's Club that come packed in olive oil and other italian seasonings- delicious!!)
1 large vidalia onion, cut into large chunks
5 carrots, peeled, and cut into large chunks
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Seasoning:

In a food processor or a Magic Bullet, combine 4 bay leaves, and small pinches of garlic powder, onion powder, italian seasoning, basil, oregano, dill weed, black pepper,  and sea salt. Grind up so the bay leaf is ground up. Goal is to get about 2 Tablespoons of seasoning.

In a bowl or large plastic bag, coat chicken drumsticks in seasoning, wrap in plastic wrap, and allow to sit in the fridge for around 8 hours, or overnight.

In a large frying pan, cook chicken in olive oil until browned all over.

Remove chicken and place in glass casserole dish. I had to use 2 of them. Hooray for leftovers!

In same frying pan, cook onions, garlic, carrots, and artichoke hearts. I like using the Sam's Club artichoke hearts because they have enough olive oil in them to saute the rest of the veggies in with no extra oil needed.

When all the veggies are slightly browned, add them to the chicken in the casserole pan. Pour chicken broth and balsamic vinegar over.

Cook in a 325 degree oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Enjoy!

Butternut squash and sausage paleo lasagna

Kinda like lasagna. Delicious!! thank you health-bent.com. Check out their site for other great recipes!

1 lb hot Italian sausage
1 red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic
1 15 oz can pizza sauce- sugar free.
1/2 c roasted red peppers
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
couples leaves of fresh basil, or a generous squirt of Gourmet Garden's Basil (Its often cold in Minnesota, so you have to get creative if you want herbs... http://www.gourmetgarden.com/us/product/view/Basil)
1 small butternut squash, or the prepackaged cubed butternut squash if you are short on time

1. Heat oven to 400ºF.
2. Meat mixture: In a saute pan crumble the sausage and brown it, along with the onions & garlic.
3. Squash: If using a whole butternut squash, cut the top and ends of the squash off and peel it. Split it into 1/4′s. What I mean by that is, right where the squash starts to turn bulbous, cut it in 1/2, width-wise. Split those two halves in half, lengthwise. This will make it much easier to cut into planks. Pull out the seeds. Don’t be anal about getting out all the strings, as you won’t even notice those when they’re cooked. Slice the squash into the aforementioned planks. I have also read that if you are short on time, you can buy the precut, cubed bag squash, available at Target, Walmart, Sam's Club and Trader Joes... http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article.asp?article_id=301

4. Sauce: Puree the pizza sauce, red peppers, olive oil and basil in a food processor or with a blender or immersion blender

5. Assembly: In a 13x9 baking dish, put down enough sauce to lightly cover the bottom of the dish. (This keeps the squash from sticking to the pan.) Next add the squash, trying not to overlap the pieces, then spoon on the sausage mixture, followed by the sauce. Repeat until all your ingredients are used up…trying to reserve enough sauce to cover the top of the lasagna.Bake for 45 minutes. You’re looking for a bubbly pan with a crispy, browned top. Right out of the oven, the lasagna may by liquidy, let it set for a good half hour before cutting into it, as it will solidify

Kabobs

Many thanks to Clara Yori for coming over and cooking with me! I love trying out new paleo recipes with you!! We decided to try 2 kinds of kabobs this evening for a Thai-Hawaiian fusion!?!

This made about 24 kabobs total. We served them with grilled asparagus. Enough for 4 hungry people and 1 lunch for the next day.

__________________________________

Kabob 1: Hawaiian Chicken Skewers

1 cup Pineapple, diced

1 Tbsp Cilantro, minced

1 Tbsp Ginger Root, minced

1 tsp Salt

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes

3 cloves Garlic, minced

3 cups Pineapple, cut into chunks

1 whole Lemon, juice

Combine diced pineapple, olive oil, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, and salt in a small bowl.Puree mixture in a blender or food processor.Pour back into the small mixing bowl, and stir in the minced cilantro, set aside to use as glaze during grilling. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.Skewer pieces of chicken and pineapple on metal or pre-soaked bamboo skewers.Grill skewers for 12–15 minutes, turning every 4–5 minutes.Brush the chicken with the pineapple glaze periodically while grilling.

_______________________________________________________

Kabob #2: Red thai curry beef kabobs:

1 Tbsp Red Curry Paste

1 whole onion, chopped into large chunks

12 large button mushrooms

1/4 cup Coconut Milk

1/4 tsp Salt

2 whole green Bell Peppers, seeded and chopped

2 rib steaks, cut into large chunks

Whisk the coconut milk, curry paste, and salt together in a small bowl for the curry sauce. Place beef in container to marinate, and pour curry sauce over beef.Marinate beef in the refrigerator for up to an hour.Cut onion and green pepper into chunks.Preheat grill on medium-high heat.Skewer the meat, mushrooms, peppers and onions using metal (or wood) skewers.If you use wood, soak the skewers for an hour prior to grilling. Cook skewers, turning 1/4 turn every 5 minutes until evenly cooked.

Shredded Mexican Chicken

This one is simple and delicious!

1.5-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken - I used about 3 large chicken breasts
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp chili powder (more if you like some heat - I went with more!)
1/4 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp cumin
sea salt and pepper to taste

Place chicken in slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken with forks about 1/2 hour before serving. Serve and enjoy!

Colorado Green Chili

Colorado Green Chili

Ingredients:
2 lbs. cubed pork
3 Tbsp. coconut flour
1 tbsp. minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
1/4 tsp
pepper
2 cups diced fresh tomatoes (you can substitute 1 14
oz can)
1 14.5 oz can chicken broth
1 cup water
2 ½ cups diced green chiles (about 20 chiles)
2 cups diced onion.
Salt & pepper to taste.

Instructions:Brown pork in skillet with garlic and pepper. Add flour and brown as well. In crock pot, mix pork, garlic, tomatoes, water, green chiles and onion. Simmer for at least 2 hours. Water can be added to thin down and flour can be added to thicken.(You can also cook it in a large pot on the stove at low heat.)Hint: Let simmer at least an hour before tasting and modifying by adding chiles, more tomatoes, garlic, etc.This is a very meaty, very slightly thickened chili – thin for Colorado style chili. If you like really thick chili, use 4-5 tbsp. coconut flour rather than 3 and/or reduce the water.Makes approximately 3 quarts. Serves 8-10

Curry Bok Choy Chicken

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into cubes
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 ea. onion, diced
1 tbsp. ginger, minced
1 ea. garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp. Thai Red Curry Paste, to taste, or more if you want it spicier. I used 1 tbsp and it was very mild.
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 head bok choy
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tbsp. cilantro leaves, chopped

Heat the oil in a skillet with a tight-fitting lid over medium-low heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to the pan and sear on all sides. Remove chicken and keep warm. Stir in onions, ginger, and garlic and saute until onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in curry paste and broth. Add the chicken back to the pan. Simmer for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut up the head of bok choy. I cut the stalks at a horizontal angle and the leaves at right angle. In a separate pan, heat a little olive oil and some of the liquid from the chicken that is simmering, and stir fry the bok choy a bit.

After the chicken has simmered for 30 minutes, remove the meat from the liquid. To the liquid, add the coconut milk, lime juice, and cilantro. Simmer for 2 minutes, and then add the chicken and bok choy to the pan. Combine and let simmer over low/medium heat for 10 minutes.

We ate this with a side of broccoli.
Enjoy!

Spinach and Artichokes

Modified from the Paleo Comfort Foods book by Mayfield - YUM

1 pound frozen spinach
1.5 cups artichokes, chopped
3/4 cup coconut milk
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon coconut flour
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 shallot minced
1/2 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper if desired

Thaw spinach in colander, squeezing out all liquid
In a saucepan, heat coconut milk and 2 cloves garlic and whisk in coconut flour until slightly simmering. Remove from heat.
Heat olive oil in large skillet, add shallot, paprika, and remaining garlic, cooking until shallots are translucent. Add spinach and artichokes and coconut cream sauce, simmering until cooked through. Serve while warm. Enjoy!

Stuffed Squash

This one has been tried by Amy D, Jen, Josh and Clara at CFP and its delicious!! This is a recipe from Paleo Comfort Foods by Mayfield- its a great cookbook- go get it!

2 acorn squash
1T olive or coconut oil
1 onion diced
3 cloves garlic , minced
dash of pepper and dried basil
1 red pepper chopped
1 pound ground turkey, grass fed beef, turkey sausage, chicken or bison
2 T chili powder
3 tsp cumin
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
cut acorn squash in half, removing the seeds. Place facedown in a baking pan in a little bit of water and bake 30-45 minutes
saute onions and garlic in olive oil, and stir in pepper, cooking 3-4 minutes longer
add in meat and spices, cooking til meat is browned
drain excess liquid and add tomatoes, heating through
Fill cooked squash with meat mixture and serve. Top with salsa, extra diced onion, or avocado.

Easy brussels sprouts

1.5 pounds brussels sprouts
3 T olive oil
sea salt/black pepper/garlic powder

Mix all together in a bowl and bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes on a sheet pan.

Chicken Cacciatore

2T olive oil
1.5 pounds (6-8) chicken thighs
dash of sea salt
dash of pepper
3 oz pancetta, chopped into 1/2 inch peices
8 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 large thyme sprigs
1 fresh bay leaf
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp hot red pepper flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1.25 pounds fresh tomatoes- about 5 medium sized ones
3/4 cup chicken broth
6 pitted kalamata olives, chopped
1 T. parsely, chopped
1 T. fresh basil, chopped

Heat large frying pan over medium heat and add olive oil to pan. Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Cook chicken until golden brown (3 min per side). Transfer chicken to medium bowl. Reduce heat to medium and add pancetta to same pan - saute for 3 minutes. Transfer pancetta to bowl. Add mushrooms to pan and saute about 5 minutes til brown. Add bell pepper and onion and saute for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, bay leaf, oregano, red pepper flakes and saute 1 minute til garlic is softened. Add wine and simmer until it is reduced by half, stirring to scrape browned bits on bottom of pan, about 1 min. Add tomatoes and their juices, chicken broth and olives. Simmer and reduce heat to medium low. Return chicken to pan, simmer uncovered 40 minutes. Remove thyme and bay leaf and stir in parsley and basil. Spoon chicken and sauce on plates and sprinkle with pancetta. Enjoy.

Paleo "Fettucine" Bolognese

So for noodles, I have used kelp noodles, spaghetti squash, and shredded cooked sweet potatoes. I think this sauce will go nicely over any of these options. I have also seen, but haven't tried noodles made from zucchini...

Bolognese sauce:
2 T olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 fennel bulb, finely diced
1 large carrot, peeled and finely diced
2 celery stalks, finely diced
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 T fennel seeds
3 thyme sprigs
8 oz white mushrooms, sliced
1 pound grass fed beef
dash of sea salt
dash of black pepper
1 cup dry red wine
9 fresh ripe tomatoes (2.75 lbs) diced
1 (15oz) can tomato sauce
1 cup chicken broth

Heat heavy pot over medium heat. Add oil and onions, saute about 3 minutes. Add fennel, carrot, celery, garlic, fennel seeds, and thyme and saute about 15 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook another 5 minutes. Add beef, salt and pepper and cook until beef is browned. Add wine and cook until almost reduced- about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes and their juices, sauce, and broth. Bring sauce to a simmer. Cover pot and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are tender, about 1 hour. Uncover and continue simmering until sauce is thickened slightly, about 1.5 hours longer. Season with salt and pepper, or other herbs of choice. **NOTE** I have alternatively made this in a slow cooker, where I put all of the cooked ingredients in the slow cooker and cooked it on low for 6-8 hours and it was delicious.

Serve over your "noodle" of choice. Enjoy!!

Rotisserie Chicken - 2 ways

So, I tried to make lemon pepper chicken for Christmas. I found no grocery stores open, and didn't have any lemons, so came up with a different way to make rotisserie chicken... Here are 2 ways to make some good chicken:

Option 1: Lemon Pepper
1 chicken (4 pounds)
2 lemons
3 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper divided
2 tablespoons butter softened
10 cloves garlic

Option 2: Herb and Garlic
1 chicken (4 pounds)
10 cloves garlic
olive oil
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 Tablespoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Option 1: In a small bowl, grate the zest from 1 lemon and mix it with 2 tsp. of salt and the pepper. Add the lemon zest mixture to the butter and stir with a fork until the all the ingredients are evenly mixed. Set aside.Salt the cavity of the chicken with the remaining 1 tsp. of salt. Cut the lemons into quarters and place them in the cavity of the chicken. Peel the cloves of garlic and place 5 of them in the cavity of the chicken along with the lemons.Place the chicken on the rotisserie spit. Tie the legs tightly together so that the ingredients inside will not drop out when the chicken is rotating on the rotisserie.Apply the lemon and butter mixture to the chicken. Rub approximately 1/2 of the butter under the skin of the chicken, spreading it out evenly. After rubbing the butter under the skin, place the remaining 5 garlic cloves sporadically under the skin. If the outside of the chicken is moist, dry it off with a paper towel and then rub the remaining lemon butter mixture on the chicken. Now finish tying the chicken around the fatty parts of the legs and tying the wings to the body.Cook according to manufacturers directions, around 90-120 minutes or until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh reaches 175°F. Remove from rotisserie and remove the items in the cavity. Tent the chicken with foil and allow it to rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving.

Option 2:
Salt the cavity of the chicken, and place 6 cloves of garlic in cavity of chicken. Place remaining cloves of garlic under chicken skin. In bowl, combine all seasonings. Brush chicken with olive oil and rub herb mixture over entire chicken. Roast chicken in a 400 degree oven for 2 hours or until internal temperature registers 175 degrees. Allow it to rest under foil for 15-20 minutes before carving.

** Note- if using a rotisserie oven and you need kitchen twine, this is also hard to find when the grocery stores are closed. In a pinch, I used alot of dental floss to tie the bird. It worked out fine.

Pot Roast

1 - 3-4 lb beef roast, preferrably grass fed
4 cloves garlic
2 cups carrots
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup red wine
1 - 14 oz can of organic, no salt added diced tomatoes
1 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Cut a few slits in the meat and insert cloves of garlic into the slits
Place roast in a slow cooker, along with all other ingredients listed
Cook on Low 8-10 hours.

Season with salt and pepper if desired.