Category Archives: Whole30

Ginger, Chicken Sausage, Spaghetti Squash, Egg Muffins | Paleo, Whole30

I have always loved the taste of ginger, but have been even more inspired to add it into things after reading Esther’s post on the health benefits of it.  I mainly just loved the taste haha.

I had made another variation of these muffins a few months ago (with spinach!), and have kept meaning to make them again.  They are a little time consuming, but it’s SO worth it to have these ready to eat in the morning!  OR…for a snack 🙂Blog Whole 30 Paleo Ginger Spaghetti Squash Chicken Sausage Egg Muffins-1 Blog Whole 30 Paleo Ginger Spaghetti Squash Chicken Sausage Egg Muffins-2

What you need… (12 Muffins)

  • 5 Large Eggs
  • 2 cups spaghetti squash, cooked with water squeezed out.
  • 6 precooked chicken sausages, chopped into bite size pieces (I used these)
  • 1 Teaspoon ginger
  • 1/2 Teaspoon crushed garlic
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (or fat of choice)
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

What to do…

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  • Squeeze out all the moisture from the spaghetti squash with a paper towel and evenly distribute into lined muffin tins (This is my 2nd time making these and I spent almost as much time scrubbing the tins both times, even though I greased them!!).  I had Maya push a paper towel into them to get even more moisture out.  She thought it was fun, and it helped pack them in there!
  • Bake for 10 minutes til the spaghetti squash gets slightly browned at the edges.
  • While that is baking…In a large frying pan, heat up your oil (or fat of choice) with the ginger and garlic, and cook diced onions until soft.  I let Maya stir these up.  🙂
  • While these are cooking you can dice up your chicken sausage.  Once the onions are soft, add in the chicken sausage for a few minutes to warm them up and release the juices.
  • After the spaghetti squash has cooked, reduce  your heat to 350.
  • Evenly distribute the onion/chicken sausage on top of the spaghetti squash in the muffin tins.
  • Whisk all the eggs, and add salt and pepper to taste.  Maya loves whisking eggs, and it was an easy way for her to help!
  • Pour over the sausage and onion mixture until you can see the egg.  Not quite covering the sausage.
  • Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until the eggs are all the way cooked through.
  • Store in an air tight container, and eat through out the week!

Here are some behind the scenes video from us making these.  I’m totally inept at Snapchat, but we are both having fun with it.  Find us at lkahan-ditelle 🙂

ENJOY!! 🙂dit-elle-Lauren

Carrot, Beet & Sesame Salad

This is a delicious raw salad – grated beets, carrots, and kale are tossed with some vinegar, maple syrup and sesame seeds. The results is a light, fresh and crispy salad. Make it a meal by serving with a side of avocado or fried eggs!

beet carrot kale salad blog

 

Ingredients

  • 2 medium red beets, peeled and grated
  • 3 medium carrots, peeled and grated
  • 1 cup baby kale
  • 3 Tbsp sesame seeds
  • 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1-2 Tbsp maple syrup

Directions

  • Grate the beets and carrots. The easiest way I’ve found to grate vegetables is to use the grater blade in a food processor – takes <30 seconds!
  • Finely chop the kale
  • Toss with vinegar, syrup and sesame seeds
  • Season with salt
  • Enjoy!

dit-elle-Esther

Avocado Sweet Potato “Toast” with a Fried Egg…

I’ve talked before about my love of avocado toast and…having it as breakfast for dinner.  Honestly, we eat a variation of avocado toast with eggs quite a lot for dinner.  Maya requests it all the time, and it’s such an easy thing to whip up, that I rarely say no haha.

We didn’t have any good bread the other night, but we did have a sweet potato.  SO, we unintentionally went the  healthier route haha.  And it was SO GOOD!!!! Blog Whole 30 Avocado Sweet Potato Toast Fried Egg-1 Blog Whole 30 Avocado Sweet Potato Toast Fried Egg-2 Blog Whole 30 Avocado Sweet Potato Toast Fried Egg-3Ingredients

  • 1 Medium size sweet potato
  • Avocado (amount varies on how many people you are going to feed)
  • Eggs (depends on how many people you want to feed)
  • Olive oil + Salt + Pepper to lightly coat the sweet potato

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Cut sweet potato in 1/2 inch slices
  • Lightly coat in olive oil (or oil of your choosing), and salt and pepper to taste
  • Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, flipping over half way through.
  • Once the sweet potatoes are crispy on the outside, take them out.
  • Fry up your eggs.  I like mine runny, so they only take a few minutes.  I cook Maya’s for a little bit longer, so her yolks aren’t runny.
  • Mash up the avocado on top of the layered sweet potatoes, then top with your egg.
  • Serve as is or with a yummy salad or slaw (check out Esther’s recipes here,  here,  and here.
  • I cheated and used Trader Joe’s Cruciferous Crunch Collection of Chopped Kale, Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli and Green Cabbage & Red Cabbage, and added some bell peppers, tomatos, and avocado.  It was delicious!!!  And Maya chowed the whole thing down 🙂

Enjoy!dit-elle-Lauren

Blackfish Cafe Coleslaw‏

This coleslaw is not only colorful and beautiful, it is delicious! The fresh ginger, minced fresh garlic and sesame oil make this dressing totally yummy. Add some roasted chicken and mandarin oranges and call it a meal! 🙂

black fish cafe coleslaw blog

Salad:

  • 6 c. Napa cabbage (about one head, thinly sliced). (Used regular cabbage as could not find napa cabbage in season when I made this.)
  • 2 carrots, shredded
  • 1 c. radishes, thinly sliced
  • 1 c. green onions, thinly sliced
  • 4-6 ounces sugar snap pea pods (slice diagonally)  (I substituted green pepper.)
  • 1 c. cilantro, chopped
  • 1/2 c. slivered almonds, toasted (single layer at 350 degrees for 5-7 mins; good idea to stir; watch closely, they burn fast)
  • Optional: roast chicken for protein and satsuma or mandarin oranges
Dressing:
  • 3 T sugar (I used 1/2 that)
  • 3 T white wine vinegar
  • 1 T soy sauce
  • 1/2 t. grated fresh ginger
  • 1 clove garlic minced (I used more to taste; maybe triple)
  • 1/4 t. sesame oil
  • dash cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 1 c. mayonnaise (or substitute 1/2 c. yogurt)
 Directions
  • Prepare salad
  • Mix salad ingredients
  • Toss and serve and enjoy! 🙂
Serves 6
dit-elle-Esther

Chicken Sausage, Spaghetti Squash Egg Muffins | Paleo, Whole30

I’ve seen so many variations of eggs in a muffin tin.  The possibilities are almost endless!  I saw a version of this recipe posted on the @Whole30Recipes page on Instagram by @dollyessfit, although I couldn’t find it on her website, Unapologetically Living, but there are a lot of other yummy recipes there.

I changed it a little, but basically stuck to what she did, and these were amazing!  And better yet.  I had breakfast every day for a week, and Maya asked for them for lunch too!

She also helped with almost every step.  She’s totally getting into cooking with me and wanting to help with everything!  Yes, it takes a little longer, and some ingredients are lost along the way, but it’s so worth it for her to know that she helped make what we are eating!  Especially when it’s healthy!  I mean, what kid doesn’t want to make cookies?  I love that she was excited to make these with me, and more importantly that she wanted to eat them!  Although, that last part isn’t a real shock.  She eats just about anything. 🙂Blog Paleo Whole30 Egg Chicken Sausage Spaghetti Squash Egg Muffins-1 Blog Paleo Whole30 Egg Chicken Sausage Spaghetti Squash Egg Muffins-2 Blog Paleo Whole30 Egg Chicken Sausage Spaghetti Squash Egg Muffins-3What you need… (12 Muffins)

  • 6 Large Eggs
  • 2 cups spaghetti squash, cooked with water squeezed out.
  • 4 precooked chicken sausages, chopped into bite size pieces
  • 1 cup spinach, kale (or any leafy green) chopped
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (or fat of choice)
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

What to do…

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  • Squeeze out all the moisture from the spaghetti squash with a paper towel and evenly distribute into greased muffin tins (overly grease!!  I had to do a lot of scrubbing to get all the egg off after, because I only lightly greased).  I had Maya push a paper towel into them to get even more moisture out.  She thought it was fun, and it helped pack them in there!
  • Bake for 10 minutes til the spaghetti squash gets slightly browned at the edges.Blog Paleo Whole30 Egg Chicken Sausage Spaghetti Squash Egg Muffins-4
  • While that is baking…In a large frying pan, heat up your oil (or fat of choice), and cook diced onions until soft.  I let Maya stir these up.  🙂Blog Paleo Whole30 Egg Chicken Sausage Spaghetti Squash Egg Muffins-5
  • While these are cooking you can dice up your chicken sausage.  Once the onions are soft, add in the chicken sausage for a few minutes to warm them up and release the juices.
  • After the spaghetti squash has cooked, reduce  your heat to 350.
  • Evenly distribute the onion/chicken sausage on top of the spaghetti squash in the muffin tins.Blog Paleo Whole30 Egg Chicken Sausage Spaghetti Squash Egg Muffins-6
  • Whisk 6 eggs in with diced greens.Blog Paleo Whole30 Egg Chicken Sausage Spaghetti Squash Egg Muffins-7
  • Pour that evenly over muffin tins til the mixture reaches the top.  They don’t rise that much.Blog Paleo Whole30 Egg Chicken Sausage Spaghetti Squash Egg Muffins-8
  • Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until the eggs are all the way cooked through.Blog Paleo Whole30 Egg Chicken Sausage Spaghetti Squash Egg Muffins-9
  • Store in an air tight container, and eat through out the week!

Keeping it Real…

The number one hardest part of cooking and baking with a toddler?  Or at least MY TODDLER, is stopping them from licking the spoon and eating along the way.  But…whatever.  Oh, and we made these at 5:00 at night, so there was NO natural light, which bums me out, but such is life.

Blog Paleo Whole30 Egg Chicken Sausage Spaghetti Squash Egg Muffins-10The second hilarious thing that happened (which I’m only admitting at the very end of this post, knowing most people won’t get this far hahaha.)  I accidentally turned the oven off when I thought I was turning it down to 350.  So…I put the muffins in, checked them at 20 minutes and thought.  WHY don’t they look more cooked??  Did I not get enough moisture out of the squash??  SO…10 more minutes.  STILL not looking done.  5 more minutes.  Then I started getting confused on how long they’d been in there and wondered how I would tell people how long they should cook!  SO, I checked them again, and realized…my hand wasn’t hot when I stuck it in to shake the pan.  Um….hmmm, yeah, turning the oven on.  Important step!!!!  I was actually making these for dinner and had to scrap it and make something else while they cooked for their appropriate 20 minutes.  GRRRR.

ENJOY!! 🙂dit-elle-Lauren

Crock Pot Rosemary Pork Loin with Apples + Onions | Paleo + Whole30

Every time I make a meal in my crock pot, I think…

“WHY don’t I do this more often!??”  As in…ever single day?! HA!

Alas, I get brain dead with the day to day, and fail to think ahead.  That is pretty much the only prep time with a crock pot meal.  Thinking of it ahead of time.  Once you do.  You toss everything in to the pot in the morning/early afternoon.  Your entire house smells amazing ALL DAY LONG, and then when it’s dinner time-it’s DONE!  Seriously, what’s better than that??

NOT MUCH. 😉

BUT…can we all agree that crock pot meat does NOT look appealing?  Everything you cook ends up looking about the same color, BUT all that really matters is that it tastes delicious!  I may have thrown a few greens on top to break up the monotony haha 🙂  I snapped these pictures about 5 minutes before we ate dinner, as always (with a flash *UGH*)…yet wished I could have made the meal look a liiiiiiiittle more appetizing.  Styling dreams that may never come true.

Added bonus?  The meat easily shreds, so no slicing on a cutting board necessary, aka child friendly and one less thing to clean!! Blog Paleo Whole30 Crock Pot Rosemary Pork Loin Apples Onions-1 Blog Paleo Whole30 Crock Pot Rosemary Pork Loin Apples Onions-2 Blog Paleo Whole30 Crock Pot Rosemary Pork Loin Apples Onions-3What You Need…

  • Pork Loin (depends on how many people you want to feed) I used one pack from Costco, which is equivalent to 2 small ones from other grocery stores.
  • 1 Can of Chicken Stock (have it cover about half the pork loin)
  • 1  teaspoon Rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 small apples or one large apple  (I used Gala, but any strong flavor type would be good)
  • 2 small onions or one large onion
  • 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
  • Salt and pepper to taste

What to do…

  • Chop the onion and apple into approximately 1 inch slices.
  • Layer everything into your Crock Pot and cook on high for 4-5 hours or or low for 7-8 hours.
  • THAT’S IT! 🙂

Serve with any kind of side or all by itself!

Enjoy!dit-elle-Lauren

Baked Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Onion and…BACON!

Because really…everything is better with bacon haha.  At least when you have teenage boys and want them to eat vegetables 😉

Blog Baked Brussels Sprouts Cauliflower Broccoli Bacon Paleo Whole30-1

What you need…

  • 1 head of broccoli
  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • 1 strand or bag of Brussels Sprouts
  • One Medium sized onion (really any kind would be good!)
  • 2 pieces of uncooked bacon
  • 1/2 cup of Olive Oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic (or more if you like!)
  • Juice from half a lemon
  • Sea Salt and Pepper to tasteBlog Baked Brussels Sprouts Cauliflower Broccoli Bacon Paleo Whole30-2

What to do…

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  • Cut both broccoli and cauliflower into bit sized pieces.
  • Cut ends of the Brussels Sprouts and peel off the outter layer.  Then cut in half.
  • Dice onion into 1/2 inch wedges.
  • Scatter all the veggies on a baking sheet.
  • Dice bacon into 1/2 by 1/4 inch slices and scatter over the veggies.
  • Mix Olive Oil, Garlic, and Lemon in a bowl.
  • Pour the mixture over the veggies and toss until they are all coated.  You may need a little extra olive oil to drizzle over.  Salt and pepper to liking.
  • Bake for 25-35 minutes.  I like mine a little more charred, but others don’t, so I do a happy medium 🙂Blog Baked Brussels Sprouts Cauliflower Broccoli Bacon Paleo Whole30-3Thanks to my mom for the inspiration!

ENJOY!dit-elle-Lauren

Spaghetti Squash with Chicken Sausage, Carrots, and Avocado

I don’t know why it took me so long to try spaghetti squash, but now that I have…I’m hooked!!

I won’t lie and tell you that it tastes like pasta, or that you will never crave pasta again, but…it’s a great healthy alternative, and a great way to get your kiddos to eat veggies!

I’m pretty lucky that Maya will eat just about everything.  She will even sit down with a bowl of raw veggies as a snack!  The teenage boys are another matter.  I have to figure out ways to hide veggies in things.  The first few times I made this, I added about half a box of veggie pasta, and they devoured it!!  I made this version when it was just me and Maya.  She devoured it, and I think I might actually try it out on the boys!   Or…add some quinoa?  Really, you can add whatever you want or eat as is!

The avocado adds a creamy healthy fat.  I mean…what isn’t better with avocado on top??!Blog Whole 30 Paleo Spaghetti Squash with Carrots and Avocado-1 Blog Whole 30 Paleo Spaghetti Squash with Carrots and Avocado-2What you need…

  • 1 spaghetti squash
  • 4-5 Pre-cooked Chicken Sausages (I used True Story Organic Italian Chicken Sausages)
  • 1/2 a large yellow onion (or one small) diced
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 1/4 Teaspoon crushed garlic (not necessary)
  • Large Handful of baby carrots sliced 4 ways lengthwise (use pre-shredded to save time!)
  • 1 Jar of your favorite Pasta Sauce (check labels if you are strict on paleo or whole 30)
  • 1 Large Avocado

What you do…

  • Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
  • Cut the ends off your spaghetti squash, cut lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds.
  • Place it flesh side down in a pan that has about 1/4 of water.  I like to sprinkle sea salt and thyme in the water, because I swear the squash absorbs some of it!  You could use any kind of herb!  Cover with tin foil and bake for 35-40 minutes or until flesh is soft.
  • While the spaghetti squash is cooking, dice up your onions, and add it to a large pan with a little bit of olive oil and crushed garlic.
  • While the onions are cooking cut up your baby carrots, or add the shredded carrots in after the onions have been cooking for about 5 minutes.
  • While the onions and carrots are cooking, dice up your chicken sausage.
  • Add the chicken sausage into the mix and stir until hot.
  • Add the jar of pasta sauce and let it simmer until the spaghetti squash is done.
  • Once spaghetti squash is done, take it out and let it cool for about 5 minutes.  I usually am too impatient and just hold it with an oven mitt haha 🙂
  • Scrape the insides of the squash out into your pan.  You can get almost ALL the flesh out, leaving only a thin skin.
  • Toss it all together, and top with diced avocado!

Blog Whole 30 Paleo Spaghetti Squash with Carrots and Avocado-3It’s been so cold and blustery here in Seattle.  2 bowls of this, and a cozy blanket just sounded like heaven.  And..it was 🙂 Blog Whole 30 Paleo Spaghetti Squash with Carrots and Avocado-4 Blog Whole 30 Paleo Spaghetti Squash with Carrots and Avocado-5Ps- Don’t be afraid to let your children help you.  Maya wanted to help me stir, and at first I thought about all the different ways she could make a mess-PASTA SAUCE!  Then…I put an apron on her and let her.  Her exact words.

“Oh BOY!  This is AWESOME!!!”

Blog Cooking with Toddlers(taken with my phone)  And the hand behind her back??  LOVE!!!

Enjoy!dit-elle-Lauren

Kale, Broccoli, Brussel Sprout Salad with Blueberries and Avocado topped with a Fried Egg

If it sounds like I just threw a bunch of random stuff that was in my refridgerator, it sounds correct haha.  When the Huz is out of town, and we don’t have the boys I like to keep dinners pretty simple for Maya and me.  I love tossing a fried egg on salads.  The runny yolk acts as a dressing, and it’s a super easy quick healthy protein-WIN!Blog Paleo Kale Broccoli Brussel Sprout Salad with Blueberries Avocado topped with a Fried Egg-1 Blog Paleo Kale Broccoli Brussel Sprout Salad with Blueberries Avocado topped with a Fried Egg-2 Ingredients (for 2)

  • Large handful of Kale, broccoli, brussel sprout salad per person.  They carry it at Costco and Trader Joe’s.
  • 1/2 Medium avocado diced
  • Handful of blueberries per person
  • Drizzle olive oil over the top
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Top with fried eggs!

Dinner all done in under 15 minutes!  YESSSSS!  I’ll be posting another rendition of this soon!

Enjoy 🙂dit-elle-Lauren

Paleo Spiralized Peppers with Tomatos, Mango, and Avocado Salad over Grilled Chicken

My parents bought me a spiralizer for my birthday, and I’m in LOVE!  I can’t wait to make “pasta” out of various veggies, but first, I tried it on some peppers.  It literally took me less than a few minutes to spiralize 3 peppers!  At first, I was just doing it to get them all pre-cut for the week, but then they looked so pretty, I decided to make a little salad out of them for dinner!  Eat as is or add chicken or fish for a delicious meal!Blog Paleo Spiralized Peppers with Tomatos, Mango, and Avocado Salad over Grilled Chicken-1 Blog Paleo Spiralized Peppers with Tomatos, Mango, and Avocado Salad over Grilled Chicken-2 Blog Paleo Spiralized Peppers with Tomatos, Mango, and Avocado Salad over Grilled Chicken-3 Blog Paleo Spiralized Peppers with Tomatos, Mango, and Avocado Salad over Grilled Chicken-4 Blog Paleo Spiralized Peppers with Tomatos, Mango, and Avocado Salad over Grilled Chicken-5 Blog Paleo Spiralized Peppers with Tomatos, Mango, and Avocado Salad over Grilled Chicken-6 Blog Paleo Spiralized Peppers with Tomatos, Mango, and Avocado Salad over Grilled Chicken-7

Ingredients

  • 1 Each of a red, yellow, and Orange Pepper Spiralized (or diced if you don’t have one)
  • 1 Mango cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1 medium avocado cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • A handful Cherry tomatoes diced
  • 1 shallot diced
  • 4 chicken breasts marinated in the same ingredients used for the dressing. (omit for a delicious vegetarian salad!)

Dressing

  • Juice from 1/2 a lime
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Ginger
  • 1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
  • Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

  • After you spiralize the peppers they will be in one continuous cut.  I loaded them all onto a cutting board and just cut the pile into 4ths.
  • Cut everything else up and toss in a bowl!
  • Put all ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and whisk til blended.  Pour over salad and toss to coat.
  • Serve over grilled chicken (or fish would be yummy too!)  Grilling on medium heat 8-10 minutes per size depending on the size of the breast.

ENJOY!

dit-elle-Lauren