Recipe of the Day - Paleo Egg Breakfast Squares

Paleo Egg Breakfast Squares

You can make these egg squares ahead of time then reheat in the morning for a quick meal at home or on the go. All you need is a pound of (ideally organic pasture-raised) pork breakfast sausage and a dozen eggs. With just those ingredients and a little oil, salt and pepper you’ve got breakfast – double it and you have enough for a few days.  Adam and I also add onions, green peppers and red peppers....but really, you can add any extras that you want!

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground pork breakfast sausage (pasture-raised, organic if possible)
• 1 dozen eggs
• Sea Salt and Pepper to Taste
• Onions/Red or Green Peppers or other veggies (optional)
• Parchment Paper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Crumble and brown the pork sausage in a frying pan or cast iron skillet.
3. In a medium/large bowl mix one dozen large eggs with a whisk or fork and season with salt and pepper.
4. Line a pan with parchment paper to prevent the egg from sticking to the pan.  
5. Add your cooked sausage (and onions/green/red peppers or any other ingredients you desire) to the eggs in the bowl.
6. Pour the egg mixture evenly into the pan.
7. Cook for 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes.
8. Cut and store in the fridge.
9. Whenever you need breakfast or a quick meal, grab a square and microwave/nuke it for 30-60 seconds.  Sometimes I also add some salsa on top....YUM!

Semi-Homemade Paleo Spaghetti and Meatballs

Semi-Homemade Paleo Spaghetti and Meatballs

 

For those of you craving some pasta and meatballs, this is a great healthy substitute.  My Paleo husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it! 

 

Ingredients (feeds 4-6 people):

• A tablespoon or two of ghee (organic butter) - you can also use real butter if you haven't ordered ghee yet.....!
• A pound of uncooked Italian sausage
• A pound of ground beef/veal/pork mixture
• 1 package of mushrooms sliced
• Two (2) packages of Kelp Noodles - you can also use zucchini spaghetti
• Two (2) jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce (or homemade marinara if you prefer) 

I ordered these Kelp Noodles and Ghee from Amazon.com.  Fast delivery! :-)

 

Instructions:

• Take the sausage out of the casing and roll them into little meatballs (ingenious, right??).
• At the same time saute your ground beef/veal/pork mixture and sliced mushrooms separately in a skillet.
• Melt one (1) tablespoon of ghee (or butter) in a large skillet over medium heat.  When the pan was hot, I fried the mini meatballs in a single layer in the pan until they were browned on all sides.
• After the meatballs, ground beef/veal/pork and mushrooms were cooked, I added them all to a big sauce pot and added my marinara sauce.  Bring the sauce to a boil.
• Cover the pan and simmer the sauce for 5-10 minutes.
• Rinse off the kelp noodles in a colander (I also put mine in the salad spinner to remove any excess water) and then add them to the meatballs and sauce.
• Cover the pan and simmer the sauce/noodles for a few minutes until the noodles are tender.
• NOTE: The softened noodles resemble Asian bean thread noodles, so don't expect them to have the taste and texture of Italian pasta....but hell, it's darn good!
• Additional NOTE: Adam and I added a bit of grated cheese and Italian red hot pepper....great compliment!

Cooking the Mini Sausage Meatballs - YUM!

 

 

The Paleo Wife is Back in Action with a New Recipe of the Day!

Crock-pot Mexican Chicken Soup/Stew 

over Cilantro Lime “Rice”

  Note: I was craving some Mexican food and needed something easy for dinner tonight and leftovers for Adam's lunch tomorrow, so I basically doubled all of the ingredients below to make a super batch....!  :-) Pictured above is my dinner bowl....it was pretty amazing!

INGREDIENTS

For your crock-pot:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lb chicken breast
• 1/2 cup chicken broth (use a little more if you want it more “soupy”)
• 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 yellow onion, sliced or diced
• 1/2 (14 oz) jar of roasted red peppers
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed (just smash it was the side of a knife)
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• pepper, to taste

For your cilantro rice:

• 3-4 tablespoons cilantro, diced
• 1 head of cauliflower
• 1/2 lime, juiced squeezed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• pinch of salt

 

Instructions

1. Pull out your hand dandy crock-pot. People have been asking for more crock-pot recipes so HEAR YA GO!!!! Hooooooo ray!
2. Literally throw all your crock-pot ingredients into the crock-pot. Mix around. Turn on high for 3.5-4 hours or until your chicken is shredable (is that a word?) with two forks. I love shredded meat.
3. When your crock-pot only has about 30 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
4. Pull out a baking dish to prepare your cauliflower. Pull off all the leaves and cut off the stem, then dice your cauliflower into smaller florets and place in a baking dish.
5. Sprinkle with olive oil and salt. Put in oven and baking for 20-25 minutes or until cauliflower is tender.
6. Once the cauliflower is done cooking, grab your food processor with the shredding attachment. Add cauliflower and rice it up!
7. Add riced cauliflower to a bowl. Chop your cilantro and add that right into your rice. Squeeze some lime juice over the top and mix together.
8. Once your chicken is all cooked in your crock-pot, take a fork and shred the chicken directly in the crock-pot. Then pour ingredients over cauliflower rice. Slice an avocado and put that on top.
9. Consume!!!

Recipe of the Day - Paleo Pumpkin Pie

Paleo Pumpkin Pie

 

Happy Thanksgiving - Paleo Style

HAPPY THANKSGIVING - PALEO STYLE

 

Hello to all of my friends and family!

It's been a crazy week before the holiday, as I'm sure it's been for all of you!   Can I start by saying how excited I am to chow down on some Thanksgiving grub?   It's gonna be awesome!   Many of you may think that it will be hard to turn away stuffing on the biggest stuffing day of the year....nope....not hard at all.  I am excited for all of the food and how great I will still feel after eating it!  :-)   I will probably eat myself silly today, but my body won't feel stuffed and bloated because all of the foods I will be partaking in will be good for my body!

Here's my plan of attack for today:

• Turkey
• Ham with Pineapple
• Butternut Squash
• Sweet Potatoes with Butter and Cinnamon
• Green Beans
• Roasted Brussel Sprouts
• Fruit - Strawberries/Grapes/Apples
• Paleo Pumpkin Pie (Recipe of the Day Today)
• Dark Chocolate
• Anything else yummy I can get my hands on!

As my husband puts it - "Turkey up suckas!"   Love you all -  We are so thankful for all of the wonderful friends and family in our life!

Before and After Pictures

Some of my friends/family have already seen the BEFORE and AFTER in person and through my pictures, but I figured that I might as well put it all out there for those of you who need a little extra inspiration to get healthy.  Not only do I follow the Paleo eating plan for my weight, but also for health reasons and to prevent diseases such as diabetes, heart problems, cancer, etc.

Questions about the science behind the Paleo plan?  Really - read the Paleo Solution Book - http://www.amazon.com/Paleo-Solution-Original-Human-Diet/dp/0982565844/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321330558&sr=8-1

BEFORE - 2009-2010:

AFTER - November 2011:

October 2011

November 2011

November 2011

 As of today, Adam has lost 30 pounds (and he is now at his military weight...which he proudly says is 170 pounds....and he is 6'1") and I have lost 50+ pounds (how crazy is that).  I look at the pre-weight loss pictures and I'm really at a loss for words.   I didn't even realize I had gained so much weight.....it was unbelievable to me.....but after seeing these pictures....seeing is believing and I never want to go back.  :-)  Thank you to Cooper, Adam, and all my family/friends who have supported me in my efforts....love you all!

Recipe of the Day - Basic Paleo Biscuits

Basic Paleo Biscuits

Ingredients:

• 6 large egg whites
• 1/4 cup (40g) coconut flour
• 3/4 cup (120g) blanched almond flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil
• dash of salt (optional)

Directions:

• In a bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are frothy.
• In a separate bowl, mix the two flours and baking powder, and then with a knife or a fork, cut in the cold butter (or coconut oil) and add salt if using.  You want to make a crumbly mixture.  Let this sit in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degree F.
• Remove flour/butter mixture from fridge, and gently fold in the egg whites, stirring to combine.
• Spoon the biscuit batter onto a greased sheet pan or into muffin tins (I used muffin tins).  
• Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Variations:  

If you do allow a bit of dairy in your life, try these with some shredded cheddar cheese (least processed) and chopped jalapenos mixed in.  Some crumbled-up bacon in these is also AWESOME!

Tips and Tricks - If you ever have a need/hankering for "breadcrumbs", use these biscuits!  Cut them in half and toast them in the oven to dry them out.  Toss them in a food processor or blender to get them broken down into the crumbs, lay them out on a sheet pan, and toast until crispy.