Easiest Summer Salad (Steak, Walnut, & Apple)

I love summer. Don't you guys? 

I mean, technically it't not summer yet but it's starting to feel like it right?

Long days, grilling out, playing outside all day. LOVE.

I've "cooked" this recipe a few times now and even used it a few ways. We've eaten it as a salad but we've also tossed the entire salad in with some brown rice pasta for a "fuller" meal.

It's suuuuper simple. I even feel bad saying it's a recipe because technically it's just an idea. Quick, easy, and versatile. 

I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients

8 oz. Steak of choice
Lettuce of choice (I used a mix of arugula, spinach, and Spring Mix)
1 medium apple (I used Macintosh)
1/4 cup Walnuts
1 tbs liquid sweetener (I used 100% pure maple syrup but honey is great too. Also, if you're on Whole30 this can be left out completely or you can blend dates into paste and add)
1 tbs red wine vinegar
1 tbs mild oil (I used olive oil this time but I've used walnut and avocado oil before)
Avocado (Optional but HIGHLY recommended. Always.)

Instructions


Season and grill steak to your preference.
THINLY slice apples and throw in skillet with walnuts. Brown on medium until apples are slightly brown and walnuts are lightly toasted. No oil is needed in the pan. A dry roast is best.

Mix the sweetener, vinegar, and oil together. Shake well.

Toss everything together in a pretty bowl.

Throw avocado on top.

Enjoy.

Easy and delicious!!! Let me know what you think :)

"Clean Eating" French Toast Sticks

Cali is getting to SUCH A FUN AGE. She'll be 2 in less than two months and she is such a firecracker. Watching her enjoy the little things and figure out the unknown is my favorite part of our days.

One of the things that we've begun to make kind of "our thing" is cooking breakfast together. She loves to get out her mini kitchen utensils and stir up the pancake batter or roll out our biscuits, etc. So I thought it would be fun to make a family favorite, french toast, and healthy it up a bit while also making it kid friendly. Hence, making them into sticks.

Also, I whipped up some quick and easy peanut butter syrup to dip them in and I added the recipe to that as well.

Better for those cute, chubby, little fingers to grasp.

She's so stinking cute.

Anyways, onward and forward and to the recipe we go!

I used Ezekiel Bread Cinnamon and Raisin because I feel like the health benefits of it are better than any other bread but feel free to use whatever kind of bread you like. 

Ingredients for the french toast

4 slices of Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin bread

2 eggs (for vegans, you can use a flax egg)

1/4 c almond milk

dash of cinnamon

Set oven to 425. Cut the bread into long slices. I got 4 out of each slice of bread. Mix the eggs and milk and cinnamon together and dip each stick into the mixture. Once you've covered the sticks, lay them on a greased baking dish and bake for 8-10 minutes or until browning.

Then you can dip into this super easy peanut butter syrup! Simply mix equal parts of any nut butter and almond milk. Top with a dash of real maple syrup and mix until it's blended well. I used 3 tbsp of each and it was enough for this recipe for our family but if you like a lot of syrup, feel free to make more!

If you make the recipe, let me know if you enjoyed it!

Hope you like it as much as my husband did.

:)

Paleo Pumpkin Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Whew. That's a long title. 

Oh well.

It's also a strange combination but trust me when I say "They're delicious". Because that's what I'm saying. 

Don't knock it 'till you try it.

I'm gearing up for my second Whole30 and am trying out some new recipes to get ready. I looooove tacos but since tortillas aren't on the list of approved foods, I substituted some lettuce.

Now, I know pumpkin isn't your usual taco ingredient but paired with a bit of spice and ground chicken, it turns ordinary into extraordinary.

Geez. That was cheesy. Ignore I said it.

Except, don't. Because it's true.

Moving along...

To be honest, I originally mixed the pumpkin in so that the meat would be soft enough for Cali to eat but I ended up liking it so much, I made my own batch.

Here we go.

Ingredients

1 lb. ground chicken

1/2 can PURE pumpkin

1 small cooked sweet potato

1/2 tbs. coconut oil  (or other compliant cooking oil)

1tbs. garlic

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tbs. Mrs. Dash original

1 tsp. onion powder

Salt to taste

Iceberg lettuce leaves

Avocado (optional)

Instructions

Heat oil in large skillet and add in garlic. Once garlic is soft, add the ground chicken. While chicken is still raw add in pumpkin and cooked sweet potato (this ensures that meat stays nice and soft). Cook until the meat is slightly brown.

*Just a note: with the pumpkin and sweet potato added it makes it hard to tell when the chicken is fully cooked. Be sure to check carefully!*

When the chicken is fully cooked, simply wrap in the lettuce leaves and top with avocado (if desired) and EAT. 

It's really such a simple recipe but oh, so good! If you try it, let me know how you like it!

I hope you enjoy!

Easiest Pot Roast Ever

Cali and I made it to Georgia! Today was sunny and 65 and we spent the majority of the day outside. 

It was gloooorious. 

But before we were here, we were in Massachusetts. And there? Well, it's not so sunny and warm. There, it is cold and dark and snowy. Lots and lots of snow.

You know what goes good with snow? Pot roast. I'm telling you it's true so it has to be true. Pot roast and snow are the new PB&J.

See? How delicious (and warm!) does that look? If you can't have warm weather, you might as well have a warm pot roast.

Anyways, we didn't have a slow cooker in the furnished apartment so I cooked this in the oven but you can just as easily do it in a slow cooker. I'll note the minor adjustments that need to be made if that's what you choose to do.

Let's get started.

Ingredients

2-3 lb pot roast

2 sweet potatoes

1 large onion

3 large carrots

Salt & pepper to taste

Mrs. Dash seasoning to taste (optional)

1 c apple cider vinegar (If you're using a slow cooker, only use 1/2 cup)

2 tbs cooking oil (I used coconut)

Directions

Turn oven to 315 and chop all vegetables into large chunks. Heat 1 tbs oil in skillet on medium/high until hot. Rub all sides of the pot roast with salt and pepper and brown the meat in the hot pan. This will trap in the juices. Yummm. 

Transfer roast to roasting pan or slow cooker. Next, add the remaining oil to pan and scrape off all of the yumminess that's leftover from the browned roast. Throw in the vegetables and sear just enough to get some color. Transfer these to your pan/slow cooker.

Add the apple cider vinegar and cover completely with foil (or lid. Whatever.) If you're using the slow cooker, cook on medium/low for 6 hours. If you're using the oven, cook for 20 minutes per pound for medium or 25-30 minutes per pound for well done. DON'T OPEN THE FOIL OR CUT INTO THE MEAT UNTIL THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF TIME HAS PASSED. You'll thank me for that tip.

Eat up!

We love this recipe. It's super easy and filling. If you try it, let me know what you think!

Massaged Avocado Kale Salad & Kale Chips

Oh, well hello there.

I have two - read that: TWO - recipes for you today!I've talked before about the benefits of kale but it never hurts to mention them again.

But don't take my word for it. Read about some of them here  and here.

The first recipe is a massaged kale salad. I know, it sounds a little strange but just try it for me. I love it. Even my kale-hating husband loves it.

I mean, he's strange because WHO CAN HATE KALE???? But he does. So if you think you're not a kale fan either, take his word for it.

Even though I think all of you kale-hating people are weirdos. 

Just kidding.

BUT really. It's a miracle food. Did you know that?

You can read about 6 MORE benefits of kale here. 

The best part of these recipes is that they're easy, easy, easy. And they can be made in bulk. Perfection.

So here we go

Ingredients

 1 bunch of Kale (duh)

1/2 avocado

1tbs olive oil (garlic infused is ah-mazing)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

salt to taste

Seasoning of choice to taste (my favorite is Mrs. Dash Onion & Herb)

Directions

Pull kale off of stem and chop. Add the rest of ingredients and "massage" together for 1-2 minutes. Let stand about 5 minutes and EAT. See? I told you it was easy. The "massaging" and lemon work together to soften the kale and make it easier to chew.

Delicious.

Next up are kale chips. These are so good that T won't eat them because…

Get this…

They taste too much like potato chips. See? Strange bird. Let's get to it.

Ingredients

1 bunch of kale

Olive oil

Salt & seasoning to taste

Directions

Cut kale off stem and chop into pieces. Drizzle lightly with the olive oil and sprinkle seasonings on it. Toss to mix and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until crispy.

You're done.

Both of these recipes are so versatile. You can literally put most anything on them and they'll turn out great. One variation I like is to sprinkle yeast seasoning on the chips and it gives it a (vegan!) cheesy flavor. 

If you cook either of these, let me know how you liked them!

Apple Walnut Brussels Sprouts

T has been nagging me suggesting that I post this recipe for a while now. After I cooked this recipe, he actually became a fan of brussels sprouts so even if you haven't previously enjoyed them, give this a try. 

These are super easy and taste good hot or as a cold brussels salad. Let me know if you try them and if so, how you like them.

Ingredients

1 tbs cooking oil (I used coconut)

4-5 cups whole brussels sprouts

1 small cooking apple

1 small onion

1/2c walnuts

1.5 tbs honey (If you're doing the Whole30, blend 1 date and 2 tbs water for a "date paste". Or leave it out altogether!)

1/8 c white wine vinegar

salt to taste

onion powder to taste

Directions

Chop onion and apple into small slivers and start to brown in a pan in part of your oil. While those are cooking, cut the ends off of the brussels sprouts and dice to desired size. Add brussels to pan and begin to cook. Add vinegar, salt, onion powder, and honey then stir. Cook until the brussels are tender and then add walnuts. Continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes or until walnuts are toasted.

Put on a plate and eat up!

As a thank you for stopping by my blog, I'll leave you with an adorable picture…

I know. 

You're welcome.

Cold Fighting Beef Stew in a Crockpot - A Paleo & Whole 30 Recipe

I think I mentioned that Cali and I are fighting colds. We're shoving Vitamin C down T's throat so he doesn't come down with it too but he keeps letting Cali slobber all over his face so it's probably futile. Between the fact that I'm still nursing and all of Cali's food sensitivities, I can't take any medicine so I've been inhaling eucalyptus, sitting in steam rooms, and anything else that will help clear us up.

Then I decided to make this soup. I'm big on trying to heal naturally before introducing medicine anyways so I did some research and found some foods that help with colds. Now, I'm not a nutritionist or anything so I'm just sharing what I found. Whether or not it's sound advice is up in the air but either way, this soup tastes amazing. It's probably the best soup I've made in a while, and I make a lot of soups.

While I live in the most indecisive state around when it comes to weather, most of the country is experiencing cold weather. This is the perfect soup to snuggle up with and warm yourself up. It has a nice mix of sweet and spicy. Here are some of the ingredients that are in the soup and some of the cold fighting benefits that I've found.

Lemon

 Did you know that lemons and oranges have roughly the same amount of Vitamin C by weight? Although it's debatable about whether or not this vitamin can cure a cold, it has been shown to reduce the duration of the cold.

Onion & Garlic

Onions and garlic have a lot of antibacterial and antiviral properties. They contain the compound allicin which helps kill bacteria.

Sweet Potato & Carrots

Both of these vegetables contain beta-carotene which is converted into Vitamin A when our bodies absorb it. Vitamin A is crucial in making sure that our mucous membranes function properly.

Tomatoes

This vegetable (fruit?) contains carotenoids which is a strong anti-inflammatory property.

Kale

Look, pretty much everything about kale is great. So eat it. There's new debate about how too much can harm you, yada, yada but really, too much of anything is bad. 

There's also plenty of health benefits to paprika, curry, cilantro, cinnamon, and ginger; all which are spices included in this soup.

It's a strange mix, for sure, but trust me when I say that it's delicious. Give it a try.

Ingredients

2 lbs cubed beef

1 lemon 

1 med onion (roughly chopped)

1 large sweet potato

1 c. chopped carrots

1 pint grape tomatoes

2 c. chopped kale

1 clove garlic

1 cup water

1 tbs smoked paprika

1 tbs curry

1/2 tbs ground bay leaves (or 2 bay leaves removed when finished)

2 tbs chopped cilantro

1/2 tbs cinnamon

1 tbs crushed red pepper

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp salt

Throw everything in the crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7. 

It's really good if you sear the veggies and meat first but I was too lazy and it still turned out well. Top it with avocado and you've got yourself a great meal. I hope you don't get a cold because they stink. Cali and I are going on day 8 and we're still congested. But if you do get one, this will make you feel better. Or even if you don't have a cold, it's still good. Try it out and let me know what you think!

Happy Holidays!

     

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

It's Fall.

Finally.

It's my favorite time of year. Apples, cool air, football, pumpkin. I love pumpkin. Who doesn't?? I really try to sneak pumpkin into everything that I cook. While T doesn't really love Fall like I do (No baseball? No love.), I always force my warm feelings and love of pumpkin on him whether he likes it or not. I cook? You eat pumpkin. It's that simple, really.

While I can't eat oatmeal right now due to Cali's stomach issues, T eats it every. single. day. I'm really jealous of him because oatmeal is one of my favorite things ever. 

Anyways, I've been making him this Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal on a pretty regular basis now that pumpkins are back in season. While I just stare longingly at it and try to take in all of the "flavor" I can through long sniffs, T says it's actually good. So, while I can't tell you exactly how it tastes seeing as how I've never actually tasted it, T's reference will have to do. It's super easy and (hopefully) delicious. 

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 serving oatmeal

(I make his with whole milk but water will work too)

1 tbs peanut butter (any nut butter will work)

1 tbs honey

1 tbs pumpkin

1 tsp cinnamon

pecans to taste

Directions

Cook oatmeal per directions on package. Feel free to use water but I've found that using a milk (dairy or non dairy) makes it creamier. Once the oatmeal is cooked, mix remaining ingredients into oatmeal until creamy. 

EAT.

You're welcome.

"Paleo" Reese's Cups

I love chocolate. I also love SunButter. 

I needed an EASY dessert the other day and so here it is. Even T ate them and liked them.

Ingredients

1/4 cup Peanut Butter sub (I used SunButter but almond or any other will do)
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/8 cup honey (or agave)
3 tbs unsweetened cocoa
1tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Line a muffin tin with cupcake papers. (You don't actually have to do this but it makes them look like a real "Reese's" with ridged edges.) Mix coconut oil, honey, and cocoa. Pour a thin layer of the chocolate into the bottoms of a muffin tins. Place in the freezer to set for about 5 minutes. In the meantime, mix vanilla extract with your peanut butter substitute. Take the chocolate out of the freezer and spoon in about 1/2 to 1 tbs of your peanut butter substitute on top of each chocolate. If you're worried about them looking good, try to keep this in the center of the chocolates. Pour remaining chocolate mixture on top of each cup and freeze for about 10 more minutes.

Voila!

Keep these in the freezer until you're ready to eat them.

Or eat them all at once.

Whatever floats your boat.

Paleo Choco-Coconut Ice Cream Pie

The hardest thing about this Whole 30 has, honestly, been keeping my milk supply up. Without all of the usual carbs (grains) I need lots of fats and calories to make sure that I'm producing enough. When I'm not, then I have an emergency meal.

AKA... excuse to cheat on my Whole 30.

It's not really cheating because all of the ingredients are OK on the program and OK (obviously) for Cali. But the program doesn't like for you to make ''desserts'' as a way of warding off cravings. I figured it was OK for tonight. 

So in honor of Cali's 1/2 birthday, and a low milk supply, I present my Paleo Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream Pie. It is yummy, delicious, and nutritious. :)

My grandmother has made this amazing peppermint ice cream pie that gave me the idea and - of course - anything with the words "ice cream" (or is that one word??) in it has my attention. This is a super easy recipe that took all of 10 minutes to throw together plus some freezer time. Also, I apologize in advance for the crappy photos. I haven't gotten the hang of food photography just yet. So ignore those.

Crust Ingredients

3/4 c pitted dates

3/4 c nuts (You can split the kinds you use but I just used cashews)

1/4 c coconut oil (melted)

2 tbs unsweetened cocoa

Filling Ingredients

3 frozen bananas

1 avocado (soft but not brown)

4 tbs unsweetened cocoa 

3 tbs coconut oil

1/4 c unsweetened coconut

1 tsp vanilla extract (or coconut but I didn't have any)

*You can add 4 more dates or a couple drops of stevia if you like but I thought it was sweet enough*

Mix crust ingredients in food processer and press into pie pan lined with wax paper. Place in freezer to set while you mix the filling.

Add all filling ingredients to food processor. Let the processor run long enough to make sure that all of the avocado is mixed in well. Scoop into pie crust and place back into the freezer until desired texture is reached. It took mine about an hour.

Enjoy!

See? Super easy. I don't do complicated recipes because I'm too lazy. 

And tired.

Paleo Mexican Soup - A Whole 30 Recipe

So I started the Whole30 program last week to see if it'll help Cali's digestive issues. Our GI doctor mentioned that it could be me that's not breaking down the proteins before they reach my breast milk so we thought we'd give this a try. Ever since eliminating the problematic food groups, she hasn't had issues but I'm hoping to find out that it's my problem and not hers before introducing solids.

What this is really about is that I love Mexican food. Also, I'm really ready for Fall. So I'm hoping that if I pretend that it's cooler weather, the seasons will take my lead and head that way.

Wishful thinking but it can't hurt.

So I made this Mexican soup. Normally I put black beans and corn in my Mexican tortilla soup but since I can't have those, I improvised. 

The average person probably wants to cut this recipe in half. I made a ton because between T and I both eating on it all week, we need large amounts. 

Whatever you decide to do, I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

Ingredients

2 whole chickens

4 sweet potatoes

1 pint grape (or cherry) tomatoes

2 Bell Peppers (I used red)

1/2 bunch Cilantro

2 large Onion

Avocados (optional)

use the following spices in equal parts to taste (I used roughly 1.5 tbs):

Onion Salt

Garlic Powder

Curry

Crushed Red Pepper

Dried Cilantro

Boil your whole chickens (about 30-40 minutes) and season to taste. I use extra garlic and cilantro for this.

While the chicken is boiling, dice your vegetables. Sauté onion and bell peppers in a pan and set aside. 

Remove chickens and add sweet potatoes to the broth made while cooking the chicken. Allow to boil until the potatoes are tender (About 15 minutes). 

Peel and discard the skin of the chicken and shred the meat. You should just be able to use a fork to shred it right off of the bones.

Once the potatoes are tender add the chicken, remaining vegetables, and spices to the broth. Simmer on low for about 20 more minutes.

Dice some avocado and throw it on top if that's your kinda thing.

But really, who doesn't love avocados?

Enjoy!

On a completely unrelated topic, here's my cute kid in sunglasses...

Allergen Free "Cheesy" Bacon Rice

Today was grey and rainy.

On days like today I crave comfort food which, by the way, is hard to come by when you have as many food restrictions as I do. One of my favorite discoveries since starting this eating habit has been "Bragg's Nutritional Yeast Seasoning".  It is used in a lot of vegan recipes for it's cheesy flavor. 

Also, I'm not really sure how I went about 10 years without bacon in my life. I used to hate all red meat and pork. Like, couldn't stand the taste of it at. all.

But then I got pregnant and had my world rocked by bacon. 

I put it on everything now. Bacon wrapped everything in this house.

Avocados, chicken, dates, turkey loaf...

Mmmm...

Oh. Sorry. I started dreaming about bacon.

Nom nom nom

Anyways, this "cheesy" bacon rice hit the comfort food spot right on the head. And the best part is it's sooooo easy. I actually hesitate to call it a recipe. More like an idea.

So here's what you'll need:

1 serving cooked rice

1000 3 slices of bacon (MORE or less to taste)

1/8 C Nutritional yeast

Cook your bacon.

Duh...

Mix ingredients.

VOILA!

Deliciousness.

Eat your heart out.