MLK Holiday Breakfast

I love when I have a morning where I can make a nice breakfast that I get to eat off of a plate instead of a glass dish at my desk.  To celebrate MLK Day, I did just that:

Scrambled eggs, cranberry orange muffins, grapefruit & oranges, and coffee with almond milk.

I just love a holiday!

Eating Paleo While Sick

So I don't know about you, but when I am sick, my food preferences change dramatically.  Sometimes all I want is comfort food, sometimes all I want is fast food, sometimes I don't want to eat at all.  This past week I was fighting off a cold of some sort and decided to tackle the cold head on.  I ate a TON of citrus and made two soups. 

My meals looked like this:
Breakfast: eggs and grapefruit and oranges
Lunch: beef curry stew
Dinner: chicken taco soup with avocado

By making these dishes over the weekend, they were convenient and ready to go when I was packing my lunch or coming home from work.  I wasn't even tempted to stop and buy a less healthy (and more expensive) alternative.

Below is the recipie for the taco soup, it's easy and delicious!

Chicken Taco Soup

1 lb chicken breast (cut into small chunks)

2 16oz cans diced tomatoes

1 ½ cups chicken broth

1 bag frozen chopped peppers & onions (equivalent of 2-3 peppers and 1/2 large onion)

1 T hot sauce

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp dill

Salt & pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Simmer for an hour. Serve with avocado slices on top.

Cranberry Orange Muffins

One of the holiday recipes I developed was cranberry orange muffins.  My mom makes a wonderful wheat bran version--the inspiration--but obviously those are out on paleo.  But I love the muffins so much I just had to try to make a paleo version. Below is the result...they are amazing!!! (if I do say so myself)

Cranberry Orange Muffins

1 1/3 cups almond flour

1 T + 1 tsp coconut flour

½ cup orange juice

½ cup (heaping) cranberries (then cut the measured in halves)

½ tsp baking soda

2 eggs + 1 egg white

3 T melted coconut oil

2-3 T agave

1 T orange zest (optional)

Using a mixer, combine all ingredients except cranberries. Once combined, fold in cranberries.  Grease a muffin tin with coconut oil.  Fill cups and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes.

Christmas...it came and went

So the holidays distracted me from the blog, but I'm back in the swing of things with the new year.  I'll make this post short and sweet.  Below are some pics of meals I had over the holidays.

Paleo spaghetti and meatballs

Coconut flour pancakes with maple syrup

Pollo Con Salsa Roja from Everyday Paleo

Steak with caramelized onion sweet potatoes

Stay tuned...more to come...

Yay! Still on track...and a recipe!

Well, it looks like I'm finally back in business. I was able to pass up pizza last night (Papa John's...my favorite) and saved myself the regret of a later stomach ache.  And since I'm on track, the paleo creative juices were flowing.  When I was thinking about what to make for the week, I saw my ground turkey and thought, "what could I make with that?"  I'm a big fan of the meatball and the holidays, so I thought, why not combine the two and make a Thanksgiving meatball?  Below is the result...it tastes like turkey and dressing.  Pretty darn good if I do say so myself.

Thanksgiving Meatballs

1 lb ground turkey

1 T Dijon mustard

1 egg

Drizzle of olive oil

1/3 cup almond meal

3-4 prunes cut into small pieces (could use cranberries…fruit is optional)

2 green onions cut into pieces (green & white parts)

2 tsp sage

1 tsp rosemary

¼ tsp thyme

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp pepper

Place all ingredients in a bowl.  With your hands, gently toss to combine.  Form into small spheres (I flatten mine so they look like disks/mini-burgers for more even cooking) and place in a greased dish.  Cook in oven on 350 for 20 minutes then turn heat to 400 and cook for 5-10 more minutes until they start to brown.

And because everyone loves pictures, here are some more pictures of great paleo food I've had this week or last.

Breakfast and lunch: broccoli and sausage quiche; grilled chicken salad with grape tomatoes and greek vinegarette

A past dinner: teriyaki chicken over cauliflower rice

Past breakfast: egg cupcakes (eggs, peppers, sausage...amazing!)

More recipes to come!!!

Back on the Wagon...for real this time...

Well, it took me a bit longer to get back on track than I had anticipated, but I back and that's what matters.  On that note, to prepare for the week (I got a job!!!) I just finished cooking a TON of meat.  That is also due to the fact that I bought a lot of meat on sale. Which leads me to...

BUDGET TIP: Look for meat that is marked down because its expiration date is in a day or two.  This means you will have to cook or freeze the meat within about 24 hours, but it is a great way to get meat you may not have been able/willing to buy for a reduced price.

Tonight, I cooked sausage for my breakfast quiche (enough for this week and next), browned a pound of ground hamburger meat (and froze), I cooked a pack of chicken on my fake George Foreman, made mini Italian meatballs (and froze), and defrosted and blitzed some broccoli for my quiche.

On the agenda for the week: create a "Thanksgiving" meatball and attempt a pumpkin custard.  Let the holiday themed cooking begin!

Tailgating

Well, I'm still working on getting back on track.  I did great for breakfast and lunch but then got off at a tailgate.  And why was that?  I wasn't prepared.  I brought carrot sticks and an apple, but those could not compete with sausage balls, brownie/oreo/chocolate bars, and buffalo chicken dip.  How will I approach this situation next time?  Bring paleo-friendly food that I want to eat.  In the coming weeks, I'll be thinking of recipes that have a "tailgate feel" but also fit within paleo guidelines.

As I said, lunch was on track.  Here's the recipe for a quick and easy vegetable soup made from leftovers from my pot roast.

Recipe: Vegetable Beef Soup
Ingredients:
Beef broth from pot roast
Beef from pot roast
Frozen chopped celery, carrots, onion
1 small tomato
1 cup water
Spices: thyme, sage, salt, pepper
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients, adding spices to taste (start with a pinch per spice...I prefer a little more sage), in a saucepan.  On the stove, bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies are cooked.
Serves One