Category Archives: Food

Paleo Chili

This is a hearty and delicious paleo chili recipe – legume/bean free, full of veggies and a rich flavorful meat sauce. You can do this in a crock pot or regular stove top pot. This makes a wonderful meal served with Pumpkin Cheddar Muffins!

Ingredients

2Tbsp cooking oil (I chose coconut oil or olive oil)
2lbs. ground beef (or ground meat of choice)
1-2Tbsp chili powder
1-2Tbsp cumin
1tsp oregano
1tsp allspice
Salt to taste
1 large white onion diced
4oz. tomato paste
28oz. crushed tomatoes
1cup water or enough liquid to cover the meat/sauce
Serve with avocado slices and your favorite chili toppings

Directions

In a large pot, add hamburger meat and onions and cook through.
Once thoroughly cooked, add the spice mixture and stir until combined.
Add remaining ingredients and simmer 1-2 hours. I usually simmer 1 hour and it tastes great. (I can’t wait too long when good food is cooking.)
Do not drain the liquid that’s produced when the meal/onions cook. It’s keeps the healthy fat in the dish and adds great flavor. Promise!

Thanks EasyPeas-y for the inspiration!

Crock Pot // Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Apples, Onions, and Peppers

4 Replies

So, after you made the Crock Pot Pulled Pork with Apples, Onions, and Peppers Stew, what do you do with the leftovers? Drain the liquid and make sandwiches!! I’m all about making a meal with the thought that I can squeeze two dinners out of it. I mean, really what sounds better to a busy mom than that?? Well, besides relaxing on the couch with a glass of wine? And that is exactly what you can do instead of fussing over your second meal-WIN!!Ingredients

See original Pulled Pork recipe here
BBQ sauce. We use Stubbs
Any other garnishments. I love a good sweet pickle or even better Lynnae’s Gourmet Hot Mama pickles-SO obsessed!!

Grain Free Lasagna

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This lasagna uses zucchini for noodles! Yes, it’s true, and what’s even better? It’s super yummy and tastes like lasagna! You slice the zucchini into thin noodles, layer with a hearty meat sauce, ricotta, and cheese, and voila – not only gluten free, but grain free lasagna! 🙂

Ingredients

1 very large or 3-4 small zucchinis
1 lb hamburger meat
1 onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large can of tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes or marinara sauce
1 16oz tub of ricotta
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp dried parsley
2 cups of cheese
Oregano, salt, pepper – to taste (optional)
Bay leaf (optional)

Directions

Wash and peel zucchini
With a mandolin slicer, a cheese cutter, or a sharp knife (this is the hardest) – slice the zucchini lengthwise
Heat olive oil in pan and add chopped onion
Sautee until fragrant and soft and add hamburger
Brown meat and then add tomato sauce and some oregano, let simmer on low heat
Beat egg and mix with ricotta until well blended, add dried parsley
Now you are ready to layer and bake the lasagna – alternating meat sauce, noodles, ricotta, extra tomato sauce (optional) and cheese on top
Bake for 45 minutes on 350
Enjoy with a fresh green salad dressed with olive oil & vinegar and chopped veggies!

Soup Season – Some Fall Favorites!

3 Replies

Feeling the shorter days, longer nights, chilly and damp weather? Nothing like a steaming bowl of soup to warm from head to toe! Here’s a collection of soups that Lauren and I have posted over the past year – lots of yummy autumn inspired soups (think pumpkin, squash, mushroom) and more!

Steamy vegetable based soups

Hearty meat soups and stews

Seafood soups

Super Mom Tip: most of these soups and stews freeze very well! Make a big batch and freeze in smaller portions for easy re-heating later on! 🙂

Paleo Crock Pot Slow Cooker Pulled Pork with Apples Onions and Peppers

3 Replies

Fall and Winter for me equal Crock Pot (Slow Cooker) meals. Which means yummy smelling houses, and easy throw together meals-WOO HOO!!! I pulled my Crock Pot out for the first time this season for one of the easiest crowd pleasers-pulled pork. I decided that I would try and make it a two-fer. Meaning, I would make a stew the first night, and then drain the liquid to make sandwiches the 2nd night. What do you know…it worked!!All that said. Pork is one of those foods that I cannot quite seem to photograph well. it just looks blah! In any case…this wasn’t blah, but you might just have to take my word for it 😉

Ingredients

Pork Loin(s) depending on how many people you have to feed and if you want to make sandwiches the next night. I used the Costco Pack. There are two small ones per sealed pack. Probably equal to 2 individual packs elsewhere.
Red, Orange, and Yellow Peppers. I used about half of each diced.
One medium/large yellow onion diced
1 Can (2 cups organic chicken broth)
1 Cup of Red Wine (whatever you have on hand that you want to spare ;)) The alcohol cooks off (for kids), but it leaves a good flavor.
1 tsp crushed garlic
2 Diced Apples (I used Honey Crisp, but you could use any apples)

Directions

After you dice all the veggies and apples. Toss everything into the Crock Pot/Slow Cooker and cook for 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
THAT’S IT!! You’re welcome 🙂
Dish out into soup bowls and enjoy!
We put Sriracha on just about everything, so… 🙂

Baked Acorn Squash Stuffed with Quinoa, Apples, and Chicken Sausage

4 Replies

I’m an equal opportunity gourd lover! I’ve been itching to make an acorn squash meal, and when I saw them at Costco when was there earlier this week, I pulled the trigger. I honestly just made this up as I went along with ingredients that I had on hand. I ended up adding the Craisins and avocado in at the end because I wanted more color for the pictures haha. BUT…it tasted amazing, so I’m so glad I did!Ingredients (feeds 4)

3 Teaspoons Coconut Oil (half for the squash/half for the quinoa mixture)
3 Teaspoons Organic Pure Maple Syrup (half for the squash/half for the quinoa mixture)
2 Acorn Squash
1 Cup uncooked quinoa
1/2 medium size sweet onion
1 medium apple- I used HoneyCrisp because they’re on SALE at Costco for 1.27 per lb!!
1/2 Teaspoon crushed garlic
Sea salt and Pepper to taste
4 Aidells Chicken and Apple Sausages
1/4 Cup Craisins
1 Small Avocado

Directions

For Squash

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Fill baking pan with about 1/2 inch of water
Cut Acorn Squash in half, and lightly coat each with 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil, 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup, and freshly ground sea salt/pepper
Place in oven for an hour

For Quinoa Mixture

Place the uncooked quinoa, 2 1/2 cups of water, 1 tsp coconut oil, 1 tsp maple syrup, 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic, diced apple, and 1/2 diced onion and a few grinds of sea salt and pepper all in a rice cooker (I tend to use my rice cooker like a “fast” slow cooker-dump a bunch of stuff in and voila haha.) Start it cooking, and dice up the Aidell’s sausages. Towards the end of the quinoa cooking (about 20 minutes), dump the sausage in as well as the 1/4 cup craisins.Enjoy!

Taco Scramble

Pumpkin Cheddar Muffins

9 Replies

Wonderful golden cheesy muffins with pumpkin, cornmeal and cheddar! Not paleo, but gluten free and perfect with soup or chili for a cold fall night!

Ingredients

1 cup pumpkin puree
3 Tbsp whole milk yogurt or coconut milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 Tbsp minced shallot
11/2 cups gluten free flour (or wheat flour if you’re not making this GF)
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp turmeric (optional – it’s not enough to add flavor, but it does add beautiful golden color and turmeric is good for you!)
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
dash salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds

Directions

Preheat oven to 400° F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line with paper liners.
In a bowl, whisk together pumpkin, yogurt, eggs, butter and shallots. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, thyme, salt and pepper. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir until just combined. Fold in 1 cup cheese.
Evenly divide batter in the prepared muffin tin. Sprinkle each muffin with remaining cheese and pumpkin seeds.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and muffins are golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool in the tin 10 minutes before cooling on a wire rack. Best served warm.

Thanks PCC Natural Markets

Savory Delicata Squash

2 Replies

Not only are pumpkins in season, but there’s an abundance and huge variety of beautiful squash out there. This recipe calls for “Delicata” squash and you can eat the peel – which is full of good nutrients too.

A dusting of curry powder and freshly chopped cilantro make this a wonderful, subtly flavored, side dish! Actually, I could probably eat this as a main dish! So yummy! 🙂 savory squash

Ingredients

About 6 cups of your favorite squash cubed (I used Delicata squash, including skins, and it was delicious!)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup raisins
1 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp curry powder
2 Tbsps fresh chopped cilantro
Salt/pepper

Directions

Oven to 425*
Toss cubed squash in oil and season with salt & pepper
Place in a large pan
Bake for 30 minutes or until soft enough to easily spear with a fork
Remove from oven and toss with remaining ingredients
Serve hot or at room temperature

Super Mom Tip: Cube the squash a day ahead and store in a bag in the fridge until ready to use.

Pumpkin Season – a collection of fall favorites!

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