Orange Chicken

The kids don't help me plan meals and then won't eat what I make.  Finally, something they like!

Totally ripped off from Health Bent, thanks Brandon & Megan.  I think you'll like their Paleo Orange Chicken, too.

photo cred: Health Bent

Ingredients:

• 1lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I use Rosie organic, free range), cut into bite size pieces
• 3T coconut oil
• juice of 2 oranges - taste them, if they aren't sweet & orangey, neither will your final dish, trust me
• zest from 1 orange
• 1 t fresh ginger
• 3T tamari (wheat-free soy sauce)
• 1t chili garlic sauce or sriracha
• 3 green onions, chopped

Directions:

1. In a saucepan add orange juice, zest, ginger, tamari, chili sauce.  Cook over medium heat until it boils.  Reduce to a simmer until thickened.
2. In a large skillet heat coconut oil and add chicken pieces.  Cook until chicken has a nice, brown crust.
3. Add chicken to sauce and stir to coat.
4. Serve topped with green onions.

Easy Zoodles

It's been awhile but I'm getting back on track and wanting to share my meals with you.

It's been hot here so I haven't been willing to turn on the oven.  Needless to say, we've been having a lot of salads.  Well, this one was easy and didn't take very long on the stove.

Ingredients:

• 2 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 zucchini, zoodled (this is the spiralizer I use)
• handful cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• gorgonzola, optional

Directions:

1. In a large skillet cook bacon until crisp.  Drain most of the bacon fat.
2. Sprinkle zucchini zoodles with salt and let sit for about 20 min to release the water.
3. Add zoodles to bacon pan, toss to coat, and cook for about 1-2 min.  Zoodles should still be crispy.
4. Plate with chopped tomatoes and gorgonzola on top. 

Whole30 Day 22: Shepherd's Pie

I like to think of Shepherd's Pie as an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink kind of dish because you can throw almost anything in with the meat.  I've posted Shepherd's Pie on my blog before but it's not whole30.  I made some tweaks and easily turned this dish into a yummy whole30 meal.

Ingredients:

• 2lbs sweet potatoes or yams, baked until soft and cooled
• 1T evoo
• 1 small onion, chopped
• about 5 small carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• a couple handfuls of baby brussel sprouts, sliced
• 1lb chorizo
• 1/2 lb grass-fed ground beef
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup bone broth or other broth

Directions:

1. In a large skillet heat evoo and add onion, carrots, and celery. 
2. Cook about 5 min and add brussel sprouts, cook for about 2 min
3. Add chorizo and beef and cook until no longer pink
4. Add seasonings to taste
5. In a large mixing bowl add the sweet potatoes and broth (I was lucky enough to have some leftover homemade vegetable soup and used that for extra veggies!)
6. Blend potatoes and broth until smooth
7. If your skillet is oven proof, spread potatoes over meat mixture and put into oven.  If not, pour meat mixture into a baking dish and top with potatoes.
8. Bake at 350˚F for about 30 minutes.

I super, super love this one pot meal!!

Whole30 Day 17: Carnitas Fries

Absolutely delicious!!!

Ingredients:

• 12oz pkg fully cooked carnitas - or make your own! - I used Trader Joe's Traditional Carnitas
• 2 lbs sweet potatos, cut into fries sticks or put them through a spiralizer for curly fries
• 8oz pico de gallo or chop your own tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeño, cilantro
• guacamole

Directions:

1. toss sweet potato fries with evoo and season to taste
2. bake at 450˚F for about 20 min.  
3. if using packaged carnitas, heat according to directions
4. when fries are done, top with carnitas, pico de gallo, and guacamole

Whole30 Day 16: Prosciutto Wrapped Peach Salad

Ingredients:

• 2-3 peaches, sliced
• about 8 slices of prosciutto, cut in half, lengthwise
• pistachios
• salad greens
• lemony dijon dressing

Directions:

1. wrap 1/2 slices of prosciutto around each peach slice
2. grill wrapped peaches until prosciutto is crispy
3. place peaches on top of salad greens and sprinkle generously with pistachios
4. drizzle dressing over salad

Salad Dressing - in a small jar mix together all ingredients and shake until well blended

• evoo
• apple cider vinegar
• dijon mustard
• lemon juice 

Whole30 Day 15: Sausage and Veggies

Super easy! This is especially nice when the heat has zapped you of all your energy but you have a lot of veggies in the fridge that need to be cooked.  You can use what ever veggies you want!

Ingredients:

• brussel sprouts, halved
• broccoli, chopped
• onion, rough chopped
• carrots, cut in 1" chunks
• chicken apple sausage - I used Applegate - cut into 1" chunks
• oregano
• thyme
• salt 
• pepper

Directions:

1. Toss all the veggies together in EVOO or ghee or oil of your choice
2. Season with salt and pepper + any other seasonings you like
3. Pour into a baking dish and bake at 400˚F for 10 min.
4. Add sausage, stir together
5. Return to oven and bake for 10 more min.

Whole30 Day 14: Roasted Chicken Thighs and Veggies

It's hot and I don't feel like spending a lot of time in the kitchen.  Even though I used my oven, this was quick and easy.

Ingredients:

• organic, free range chicken thighs
• green beans, trimmed
• baby heirloom tomatoes
• red onion, cut into chunks
• evoo
• salt, dried thyme, fresh rosemary

Directions:

1. heat oven to 375˚F .
2. combine all veggies and thighs in a bowl.  Add evoo and spices and mix evenly to coat all ingredients in oil.
3. Add ingredients to a baking dish putting thighs in first, veggies on top.
4. Roast for 30-40 minutes, until veggies are crisp and chicken is cooked through.

I added some sautéed mushrooms to my plate.  I'm the only one that likes them.

Directions:

1. Heat a big tablespoon of butter in a skillet and add mushrooms.  
2. Sauté at a medium heat until mushrooms are golden brown and caramelized.
3. Season with salt and pepper.

Whole30 Day 13: BLATs

Bacon Lettuce Avocado Tomato - easy, delicious, quick, yummy.  This time I turned my avos into guacamole (smashed and added salt, pepper, garlic powder) because that is the only way Cooper will eat them.  I used baby heirloom tomatoes from Trader Joe's and Niman Ranch bacon.

Whole30 Day 12: Chipotle Carnitas Salad

Let's be real.  Sometimes you have to eat out.

Chipotle Carnitas Salad:

Photo: A Balanced Life Cooks

• local, fresh lettuce
• naturally raised pork
• no rice
• no beans
• grilled fajita veggies: bell peppers, onions, oregano
• tomatillo-green chili salsa: fire-roasted tomatillos, tomatoes, jalapeño peppers, red onion, cilantro, garlic, cumin, oregano
• pico de gallo
• guacamole
• no cheese
• no sour cream
• no corn salsa

Whole30 Day 10: Zoodles Carbonara

Spaghetti Carbonara is probably my favorite pasta dish.  I love the richness of the egg and the saltiness of the bacon.  Fortunately, this dish is still very yummy plus it's good for you.  Bonus: it's quick and easy, too!

Photo: http://www.insulinresistancerecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 2 zucchini, spiraled or julienned
• 6 pieces of bacon, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 eggs, beaten

Directions:

1. Cook bacon, add garlic, and cook for just a few seconds.
2. Add zoodles and cook for a couple minutes
3. Add in eggs and stir to coat evenly.
4. Enjoy!

Whole30 Day 9: Homemade Chicken Soup

So, my youngest is home sick.  Time to make chicken soup.  Thankfully, I turned my bones from last Monday's "Beer Can" Chicken into delicious, healing broth.

Ingredients:

• bone broth - make it yourself to get all the rich, healing nutrients.  Why bone broth? Check it out here that includes a recipe.
• organic, free range, roasted chicken
• veggies: carrots, celery, onion, kale, zucchini, broccoli, etc.
• salt to taste

Directions:

Add all ingredients to bone broth and bring to a boil.  Simmer, covered for about 15 minutes or until veggies are tender (not mushy).

Whole30 Day 8: No-Taco Tuesday

Tonight's dinner was inspired by my sister-in-law's take on Non-Taco Tuesday. Check out her instagram and more delicious paleo plates.

• Start with any fresh greens
• Top with fresh or grilled veggies: bell peppers, red onions, zucchini, carrots, broccoli, etc.
• Add seasoned grass-fed ground beef: as you're cooking your beef add cumin, sea salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic powder, etc.
• Top with pico de gallo and guacamole

Super easy and super yum!

Whole30 Day 7: Teriyaki Pineapple Burgers

Whole30 Day 6 was leftover Pepperoni Spaghetti Pie.  Day 7 was an amazing, delicious treat! Thank you, whole30recipes, for this one!

Photo: whole30recipes

I pretty much followed her recipe exactly except I grilled my onions.

Actually, I added extra bacon fat.  This is what I did:

1. cooked my bacon, poured off most of the bacon fat
2. sautéed my mushrooms in the bacon fat, set aside in a bowl
3. added more bacon fat to the pan, grilled my onions, set aside in a bowl
4. added more bacon fat to the pan, grilled my pineapple, set aside
5. then grilled my burgers

It really is so yummy!!!

Get the whole recipe on instagram: whole30recipes, August 14, 2014

Whole30 Day 5: Spaghetti Pie

This recipe is similar to one I posted last year, Pepperoni Pizza Casserole.  But PaleOMG's recipe is just different enough it made me want to try hers instead of mine.  Plus, PaleOMG's version is straight-up whole30 compliant. But I'm topping mine with non-compliant pepperoni slices as inspired by From Here To Health.

Photo: From Here To Health

Almost 5-Ingredient Pizza Spaghetti Pie

Ingredients

• 1 large spaghetti squash
• 1 lb italian sausage
• ½ yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup pizza sauce (no sugar added)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 eggs, whisked
• (optional: add anything you like with pizza: veggies, basil, even cheese if you do primal)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F.
2. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Place spaghetti squash cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the skin of the squash gives when you press on it. Then, remove squash from oven and reduce temp to 350˚F.
3. Once squash is done cooking, remove threads and place in a large bowl. Set aside.
4. Place a large pan over medium heat. Add italian sausage and onion. Cook until pink no longer remains in the sausage and it is broken up into pieces.
5. Add pizza sauce, dried basil and salt and pepper to the pan and mix well.
6. Add sausage mixture to the spaghetti squash and mix well.
7. Add whisked eggs to the spaghetti squash and mix everything together until you can no longer see the eggs.  Pour into an 8×8 baking dish.
8. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour or until the top of the mixture forms a slight crust that doesn’t give when you press on it in the middle of the dish.
9. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Whole30 Day 4: Hot Dogs

This is a re-post from earlier in the year but it is worth a second look!  Just be sure to use whole30 approved hot dogs and toppings.

My dear friend, Kindra at Bon Appetit Paleo, is brilliantly creative.

We're no strangers to organic, grass-fed, beef hot dogs.  We've been buying the Applegate hot dogs for a couple of years and eating them bunless.  We love them!  But when Kindra told me her idea for a bun, I HAD to make it.

It was perfect!  PERFECT!  I barely had to convince myself I was not eating a hot dog bun.

Ingredients:

• organic, grass-fed, beef hot dogs
• small organic sweet potato or yam (about the size of your hot dog)
• condiments

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F.
2. Scrub potatoes and slather with ghee or bacon fat.
3. Bake sweet potatoes for about 20 - 30 minutes, until soft and skins are starting to crisp.
4. Grill hot dogs.
5. Remove potatoes and allow to cool, to handle.
6. Scoop out flesh.  This is your side dish.
7. Add hot dog to potato skin and top with condiments.

Love, love, love this dish!

Whole30 Day 3: OMG Sliders

Photo: whole30recipes

This is amazing! Thank you whole30 for this recipe.  I followed the recipe pretty much.  I just substitued turkey for leftover "beer can" chicken and avocados for guacamole.  Delicious!!

For the recipe visit whole30recipes on Instagram, August 27, 2014 and while you're at it, visit the whole30 website.

By the way, I've never made my sweet potatoes this way.  Why the heck not?  I'm thinking every time I cook bacon, I'm making these potatoes, too.  Yum!!

Whole30 Day 2: Steak Fajita Salad

Photo: Researching San Diego

When I came across grass-fed hanger steak in my freezer I looked up how to cook it and realized it would make great fajitas.

Marinade Ingredients:

• hanger or flank steak, sliced 
• 1/4 C EVOO
• 1/4 C apple cider vinegar
• salt
• pepper
• 3-4 smashed garlic

Salad Ingredients:

• fajita Veggies:  bell peppers, onions, zucchini, etc
• salad greens
• guacamole

Marinade Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a giant ziploc bag and mix well.
2. Allow to refrigerate for at least 6 but not more than 8 hours, turning once halfway through.

Salad Directions:

1. Sauté veggies in EVOO until al dente, not mushy
2. Add salt and cumin (optional) to taste, remove from pan, and set aside
3. Add steak to same pan and cook to desired temp.
4. Place salad greens on each plate
5. Add sautéed fajita veggies
6. Top with steak and guacamole

Curry Coconut Butternut Squash Soup

Photo: the café sucré farine

This recipe is based on The Café Sucré Farine's Thai Butternut Coconut Curry Soup.  I had to modify ingredients to get my family to eat it.  It turned out delicious!

Ingredients:

·      1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted

·      1 large butternut squash, peeled and chopped in 2" pieces

·      2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

·      1 large onion, chopped

·      2 stalks celery, peeled, chopped (I recommend peeling to avoid strands in final product)

·      4 cloves garlic, chopped

·      1" piece fresh ginger, peeled, coarsely chopped

·      1 teaspoon crushed coriander seed

·      2 teaspoons sea salt

·      1 tablespoon mild curry powder

·      2 quarts home made bone broth or organic, gluten free stock

·      1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped in 2" pieces

·      1 can coconut milk, we use Natural Value Organic Coconut Milk

Directions:

1.     Coat butternut squash with coconut oil and  roast  in a baking dish at 400˚F for about 30 minutes or until soft.  Set aside.

2.   Add extra virgin olive oil to a large stock pot. Heat on medium high until hot.

2.     Add onions and celery and sauté until translucent.

3.     Add garlic, ginger, coriander, salt, and curry powder and cook for two minutes.

4.     Add broth and sweet potato. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.

5.     Cook for 45 minutes or until all veggies are very tender.

6.     Add coconut milk and cook for another two minutes.

7.     Puree with a stick blender, food processor or regular blender until smooth and silky. 

Baked Chicken

Photo: Joseph De Leo

So yum!  This is Haylie Duff's Baked Chicken! It's from People Magazine, November 3, 2013.  If you can tolerate dairy and like goat cheese, try her recipe.  I made mine without the goat cheese.  Also, I didn't make the shallot cream sauce because I didn't have shallots but if I did, I would use 1/2 cup water and 1 cup bone broth.  Next time...

Ingredients:

• 6-10 organic, free-range chicken legs or thighs (or 4 boneless breasts), skinned - we use Rosie Organic Chicken we find at Sprouts.
• sea salt
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 4oz package prosciutto, cut slices in 1/2 lengthwise

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
2. Season chicken pieces with salt and thyme.
3. Wrap prosciutto slices evenly around chicken.
4. Bake in a lightly greased baking dish for about 20-30 min (depending on the size of your pieces) or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165˚ and juices run clear.

While you're checking out Haylie's recipe, check out her blog, The Real Girl's Kitchen - so great!! 

Cheeseburger Fries

Photo: Simply Potatoes

This dish was inspired by Everyday Scoop in Rachael Ray Magazine, March 2014, Hash Brown Heaven!

Ingredients:

• 2T bacon fat, ghee, or butter 
• 2lbs sweet potatoes, shredded - peeling is optional
• 1lb grass-fed ground beef, browned and drained
• salt to taste
• 1 cup raw cheese, shredded
• toppings, optional - pickles, onions, tomatoes, ketchup, mustard, guacamole, fried egg...

Directions:

1. In a large sauté pan melt your fat and add the shredded potatoes, ground beef, cheese, and salt.
2. Mix together and pan fry until potatoes are crispy, about 10 min each side.
3. Serve individual portions and add top each off with optional toppings.