Beef Stew with Sweet Potatoes and Bacon

Yes, bacon! The combination of bacon and sweet potatoes make this unlike any stew you have ever had! The best part? There is no precooking like the Paleo Chili, you just dump the ingredients and go!!

What you need:

• homemade, paleo bone broth (check out THIS easy way to make it!), approximately 28-32 oz
• 2.5 lbs of stew meat
• 2 carrots, cut @ 1/2"
• 2 celery sticks, cut
• 2-3 medium sweet potatoes, cut to 1" half circles (any smaller and they will fall apart)
• 5-6 pieces of bacon, cut @ 1/2" chunks
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 1 tsp each, salt and pepper

What you do:

1. Turn crockpot on low. 
2. Pour in homemade bone broth. 
3. Add half the meat, carrots, celery, sweet potatoes, and bacon. 
4. Add thyme, salt and pepper. 
5. Add the other half of all ingredients. 
6. Mix well to combine. 
7. If your ingredients are too high up over the liquid, you can add a little water. 
8. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. 
9. If you like a thick stew, you can add 1 tbsp coconut flour at the end. 

Yes, we like sweet potatoes! 

Homemade Broth

Nutrient dense, homemade broth is very easy and inexpensive to make! It's also a great way to use the bones from whole chickens, steaks, turkeys, etc. There are a lot of benefits to making your own broth, especially from a health perspective. It is a great source of the amino acids needed for healthy connective tissue.  The Paleo Mom has a great article on these two amino acids. It's also great to have on hand for when someone is sick.

There are several places to get good, quality bones:

• Save them from when you roast or bake chicken, turkey, goose, duck or when you grill steaks. 
• Go to the market and purchase neck bones, marrow, and any other leftovers that the butcher may have on hand. I know at Kroger, they prepackage them and are in the beef section. 
• Online at Tropical Traditions or US Wellness Meat. 

What you need:

• 2 lbs or more of bones from chicken, cow, turkey, lamb, bison (any healthy source)
• 2 carrots, cut in large chunks
• 1 onion, cut in large cunks
• 2 celery sticks, cut in large chunks
• 1.5 tbsp bay leaves
• 1 tsp each salt and pepper
• water

What you do:

1. Start by collecting bones and carcasses from meals. You can also purchase them at any of the above mentioned places. 
2. Place bones/carcasses in crockpot. 
3. Add chopped up veggies. I noted to cut them up in large chunks because you will have to spoon them out later. 
4. Add enough water to cover bones and vegetables. 
5. Add bay leaves, salt and pepper. 
6. Stir or mix with hands until well combined. 
7. Cook on low for 10-12 hours. I have never experimented with cooking on high. You want this to sit for a long time so that the nutrients from the bones have time to simmer. 
8. Once finished, scoop out vegetables and bones/carcasses. 
9. If I am making this well in advance of using, I pour the broth into ice cube trays and once frozen, store in a ziploc bag. If you make it the day before you are using it, you can store in an air tight container and keep in the refrigerator.

Almond Chicken Bake

 What you need:

• 2 lbs chicken breasts or tenderloins 
• 1 cup almond meal
• 3 eggs
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp italian seasoning
• 1.5 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cayenne 
• salt and pepper to taste

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 400*. 
2. Grease or line a 13x9 baking sheet.
3. Mix all dry ingredients on a plate.
4. Beat eggs in a shallow dish.
5. Dip chicken in egg and dredge in dry ingredients. Hold onto dry ingredients until chicken is done.
6. Bake for 8 minutes each side (chicken breasts) or 5 minutes each side (tenderloins).

When I flipped the chicken, I sprinkled some more dry ingredients on there so it would get crispy.  Also, this comes out spicy, so if that's not your thing, only use 1 tbsp of chili powder.


Keeping a food journal: Paleo Almond Chicken Bake

Crockpot Pumpkin Spice Latte, Paleo Style!

I found this recipe on pinterest from this website. These were extremely easy to make despite the 2 hour crockpot wait! You could make them as you would a normal latte but, in my opinion, they are much tastier when they've simmered in the crockpot! Here is my paleo version!

What you need:

• 7 Tbsp pumpkin puree
•  6 Tbsp vanilla
• 2 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp nutmeg
• 4 cups strongly brewed coffee
• 4 cups almond milk
• 8 Tbsp honey

 

What you do: 

1. Combine almond milk and coffee in the crockpot. Mix well. 
2. Mix all other ingredients together and transfer to crockpot. 
3. Let contents cook on high for 2 hours. 

I still ended up needing some more almond milk and honey in mine, but I like my honey & milk with coffee so you may not need it ;) 

Zucchini Tater Tots

I snagged this recipe from The Wellness Mama...check her out! She is amazing!

What you need:

• 2 medium zucchini
• 2 eggs
• 1 onion
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (optional, can replace with almond flour or 3 tablespoons of coconut flour if you are strict)
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1 teaspoon each of garlic powder, salt, pepper and basil leaf

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Grate the zucchini with a cheese grater or food processor. 
3. Add the salt and squeeze with a towel or some paper towels to get the excess liquid out. Be sure to get as much liquid out as possible! Put in a medium sized bowl. 
4. Grate the onion and add to the bowl. Add the eggs, parmesan cheese and almond flour. 
5. 
   Sprinkle the spices on top of the mixture and mix until evenly incorporated. 
6. Well grease a muffin tin and fill about 1/2 way with mixture
7. 
   Bake for approximately 18-20 minutes or until tops and sides are starting to brown. 

Paleo Cupcakes/Frosting!! (smash cake recipe too)

I don't have any pictures of these since I can't keep them around long enough to photograph! :) Trust me, they are awesome!

What you need:
Cupcake: 

•  1/2 cup coconut flour
•  1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
•  6 eggs
•  1/2 cup grapeseed oil (or EVOO but grapeseed is better!)
•  1/2 cup pure maple syrup, honey, or agave nectar
•  1 tbsp vanilla extract

*For chocolate cupcakes, add 2 tbsp cocoa powder

Chocolate Frosting:

• 1 cup of dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup grapeseed oil (can use EVOO, but not coconut oil...frosting will melt too easily)
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup, honey, agave nectar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• pinch of sea salt

What you do:
For cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a medium bowl, combine coconut flour, salt and baking soda
3. In a small bowl, combine eggs, oil, maple syrup and vanilla
4. Mix wet and dry ingredients and blend/mix together until smooth
5. Pour into muffin liners about 2/3 full (they won't rise a lot)
6. Bake for 16-18 minutes

For frosting:

1. Chop dark chocolate up and place in a saucepan
2. Pour grapeseed oil and mix with chocolate
3. Heat over low heat until melted and blended
4. Stir in maple syrup, vanilla, and salt
5. When melted, transfer chocolate to a mixing bowl and let cool on counter for 10 minutes. After it's cooled a bit, place bowl in freezer for 15-20 minutes. 
6. Use hand mixer to whip the frosting on high speed until smooth and creamy. Frosting will lighten in color. 
7. If the frosting isn't whipping well, you may need to freeze it for longer. 

**We are using the recipe for our son's smash cake. The pan we have (large cupcake pan) is huge so we are doubling the recipe. This recipe doubles perfectly!! 

ETA: Finally snagged a photo...before decorated:

Paleo Biscuits

I have tried COUNTLESS biscuit recipes since going paleo and was beginning to think I would never find one! So, I started taking ones that were ugh and changing stuff up and here we are! These biscuits are amazing!! They are also super easy to make! 

What you need: 

• 6 egg whites (you can use the yolks to make Paleo Ice Cream! )
• 1/4 c coconut flour
• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 3 tbsp coconut oil, chilled (you can also use butter, if you choose)
• 3 tbsp honey

What you do:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. 
3. Mix flours, baking powder, sea salt together in a mixing bowl. 
4. Using a fork, cut int the cold coconut oil until the mixture is crumbly. If you need to, add more chilled coconut oil. 
5. Place the bowl in the fridge for 10-15 minutes. 
6. In a small bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy. Use a whisk for a good workout ;)
7. Fold in the egg whites into the flour mixture until combined. 
8. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, scoop 1/4 cup sized balls of dough onto the parchment paper. Use scoop or spoon to flatten the tops. 
9. Bake for 15-17 minutes.

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies :)

We'll dive right in to this recipe...no intro needed!!

What you need:

• 3 cups almond flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (can substitute honey)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups dark chocolate chips

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Mix almond flour, sea salt, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl. 
3. Beat eggs in a medium bowl. Add vanilla, pure maple syrup, and coconut oil.
4. Combine wet and dry ingredients. 
5. Stir in chocolate chips. 
6. I like to put my dough in the fridge for about 15 minutes to let it firm up. Otherwise, it's really loose and hard to spoon out. 
7. On a baking sheet with parchment paper (if you have it), drop tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough. Dough will spread a little so leave space!
8. Bake for 10-13 minutes. My cookies always look a little light, but we like them SOFT!!
   
   

   

   Add some almond milk and you are set!!!

   
    

Kale Salad...the only recipe you will ever need!

I haven't posted in a LONG time! I have a good excuse...my husband and I are opening our own CrossFit gym and things have been busy!! Don't know what CrossFit is? Check it out! It's really the ONLY way to work out ;)
Back to food! I snagged this fantastic recipe from some good friends! Some of you may know this but I don't eat too many vegetables (3, I eat 3 vegetables: kale, lettuce, sweet potatoes. If I can survive on paleo, anyone can!!!). It used to be just lettuce...covered in non paleo dressing. Then, I was introduced to this kale salad and now it is my go to vegetable side! It is easy to make and REALLY REALLY GOOD!! The best part is that you can easily tailor the ingredients to suit your sweet/tangy preferences!

What you need:

• one bunch of kale, greens torn off the stalk (roughly 4 cups)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1.5 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• Sliced almonds, chopped walnuts, sunflower seeds, raisins, chopped apples or whatever other toppings you want! 

What you do:

1. Drizzle olive oil over kale. Massage oil into kale. What you are doing is breaking down the kale and eliminating the bitterness. Your kale will shrink considerably! See...
2. Add lemon juice and mix into kale. Mix well...this is key!
3. Add honey and massage into kale. Again, mix well or parts will taste sweeter than others!
4. Taste...if you want a tangier taste, add more lemon juice. If you want it sweeter, add more honey! 
5. Toss in whatever nuts/seeds you'd like as well as any other fruit that you want! 

Keeping a food journal? Kale Salad

Banana. Nut. Muffins. Enough said!

This recipe is so awesome, we are just going to jump right in! Wait, I'll post a picture of the end product in case you need more motivation....

OH. MY. GOODNESS!

What you need:

 DRY INGREDIENTS
2 cups almond flour
1/3 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup baking walnuts (chopped)

WET INGREDIENTS
2-3 over-ripe bananas
1 tbsp vanilla
3 eggs (at room temperature...I let mine sit on the stove while the oven was preheating)
1/3 cup honey
3 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp almond butter

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place walnuts on a baking sheet, and put them in the oven to roast. Watch them closely, as they do burn easily.
3. Mash bananas into a liquid. Mix in honey and almond butter.
4. Beat eggs, oil and vanilla. Add to banana mixture.
5. In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients, including toasted walnuts.
6. Mix wet and dry ingredients.
7. Spoon batter into lined muffin cups.
8. Bake 15–20 minutes.

Makes between 12-16 depending on high you fill up the muffin cups!

Keeping a food journal? Paleo Banana Nut Muffins based on 16 muffins made.

Paleo Condiments

Here is my take on our favorite condiments: ketchup and barbeque sauce!

KETCHUP 

What you need:

• 6 ounces of tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp dry mustard
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 dash ground cloves
• 1 dash ground allspice
• 1 dash cayenne pepper 

What you do:
1. Simply mix all the ingredients together until smooth and blended. Refrigerate overnight for a stronger flavor.


BARBEQUE SAUCE
What you need:

• 1 onion, minced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced (or 1 Tbsp minced garlic)
• 6 ounces tomato paste
• 1/2 c apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 c water
• 1/4 c homemade ketchup
• 3 Tbsp mustard (you can make homemade mustard or use French's)
• 1 dash ground cloves
• 1 dash cinnamon
• 1 dash smoked paprika
• 1 dash hot sauce

What you do:

1. In a large sauce pan, brown onion. Add garlic and continue to brown for another minute. 
2. Add remaining ingredients and let simmer for 30 minutes. 
3. Taste and adjust with hot sauce or paprika to taste. 

 For a complete list of condiments made paleo, check out this website.

Almond Flour...CHEAP Almond Flour!

Almond flour is a fantastic alternative to wheat flour (not to mention way, WAY, healthier!). I use it for breading, pancakes, waffles, brownies, and cookies (recipe to come!!). Buying almond flour a pound at a time for $11-13/pound is a little (ok, A LOT) ridiculous, right? How about paying $3-6/pound? That sounds a lot better!!

At California Gold Almonds, you can buy blanched or natural almond flour for as low as $2.99/pound! They have a $5 flat rate shipping, too! However, anytime I have ordered (whether it's been a 10 pound bag or a 25# bag) shipping has always been free...yep, FREE! AND, my order always gets here within a week!
You can also purchase almonds, walnuts, and pistachios from California Gold Almonds. I have been ordering from CGA for awhile and I have never, ever, been disappointed!

Chicken & Mushrooms

Chicken, mushrooms, and that's it...well, a little salt and pepper and there you have it! One of the easiest paleo recipes out there! Yes, I know, you could add some thyme, a little basil, some garlic, or anything else you have floating around in your pantry. However, the point of this super simple recipe is to actually be able to taste the awesome flavor that comes from chicken and mushrooms....JUST chicken and mushrooms! And let me tell you...it is SO flavorful!

What you need:

• 4 chicken breasts
• salt and pepper (no measurements...just go with it!!)
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced thick
• 1/2 c water
• 1 tablespoon butter (grass fed, if you can find it! Check out Mark's Daily Apple for brands)

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Salt and pepper each chicken breasts on both sides. 
3. Use olive oil or coconut oil and coat an oven safe pan. Place pan over medium-high heat and let it get hot. 
4. Sear chicken breasts for 5 minutes on one side. 
5. Flip chicken, sear for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt while searing. 
6.  Place pan (with chicken and mushrooms in it) into the oven for 15 minutes. 
7. Remove pan from oven and place on medium-high heat. Place chicken on a plate and cover loosely with foil. 
8. Saute mushrooms for 5 minutes. 
9. Add water and butter. Let it simmer until the butter is melted. 
10. Pour over chicken. Salt and pepper to taste. 

 Keeping a food journal? Paleo Chicken & Mushrooms

Paleo Zucchini Chips

I wanted to post this recipe even though I am still tweaking it. The original recipe can be found here. These aren't quite crispy enough for my liking, so I am messing with the length of cook time/oven temperature. I'll update when I have it figured out!

What you need:

• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 1 cup almond milk or coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3/4 cup almond flour/meal
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 zucchini, cut 1/4" thick
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese (optional, depending on how paleo you are feeling!)

What you do:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. *

milk mixture & "breading" mixture

2. Combine coconut flour and milk in a small bowl.
3. Combine almond flour/meal, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and cheese (if using) in a bowl and stir with a whisk until evenly mixed.
 4. Dip zucchini slices in milk/coconut flour mixture and dredge in almond flour mixture. *
5. Put coated slices on baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until browned and crisp.

**Recipe Notes:
1. Lining the baking sheet with parchment paper helps prevent the chips from getting too done on the bottom. I used foil once and the chips stuck, peeling the breading off. Cooking spray on a baking sheet worked better than foil but not as good as the parchment paper.
2. Almond flour/meal has the tendency to clump very easily. If you find this happening, you can hold the chips and sprinkle the "breading" mixture on.

This batch has cheese in the breading mixture.

Keeping a food journal? Check out the nutritional facts: Paleo Zucchini Chips

Chinese Honey Chicken...Paleo Style

I was having a severe craving for some Asian food...soy, teriyaki, anything! I found this recipe for honey chicken and was excited until I read "cornstarch", "flour", "rice vinegar"...none of which are paleo!! I'm often hesitant to take non-paleo recipes and attempt to make them paleo, mainly because I hate when I screw up dinner, but also because certain paleo ingredients (cough, cough, almond flour, cough, coconut flour!) are expensive and I hate to waste!! I'm also fairly new to the paleo world, so I usually just take a paleo recipe and change up some things here and there.
I am so glad I attempted this recipe because it was awesome. And by awesome, I mean AWESOME!!

So, here goes!
What you need:

• 1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1” chunks)
• Coconut/Olive/Macadamia Oil (for deep frying) 

Batter:

• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• ¼ cup almond flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup water
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white (equivalent to 2 tablespoons egg white)

Sauce: 

• 1 ½ tablespoons oil
• 3 tablespoons garlic (minced)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• ½ cup water
• 2 teaspoons coconut flour

What you do: 
1. In a large bowl, mix all batter ingredients together until smooth. Add chicken and cover with plastic wrap or foil for 30 minutes. 
2. Heat a deep fryer to 350 degrees OR fill your pot of choice with a moderate amount of oil (olive, macadamia, coconut)...enough to cover the chicken. Fry chicken in small batches so as not to significantly lower the temperature of the oil. I used a pot on the stove and it took about 5 minutes per batch to fry. Using a deep fryer, allow to cook for about 2 minutes. For more info on deep frying without a deep fryer, check out this website. 
3. To make the sauce, heat olive oil in a wok, or similar saucepan. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add salt, honey, vinegar, and water. Add 2 teaspoons of coconut flour to thicken. Simmer for 2 minutes.  You can add more or less honey to achieve thicker or thinner sauce.
4. Coat your chicken with the sauce by pouring it over, or (which is what I did) toss the chicken in the wok and stir! 

Seriously...SO GOOD!

*NOTES about the recipe: when you deep fry the chicken, some of the batter will flake off. I have noticed that this happens when cooking with almond and coconut flour. It doesn't "stick" to the food as well as regular flour does. I just scooped the excess batter out with a slotted spoon and put in the saucepan for flavor! 
Keeping a food journal? You'll be pleasantly surprised at these facts: Paleo Honey Chicken

Paleo Brownies

I have tried several paleo brownie recipes, and this is BY FAR the best one! They taste just like regular brownies! Here we go...
What you need:

• 1 lb of walnuts
• 1 egg
• 1 c honey
• 1/2 c baking cocoa
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 oz unsweetened dark chocolate, chopped *

What you do: 
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease an 8x8 baking dish.
2. Using a food processor or blender, grind up the walnuts until they are smooth...like this:

If there are a few pieces of walnut that don't get ground up all the way, it's ok...nuts are good in brownies!!

3.In a large bowl, beat an egg. Add in the walnuts, vanilla, and honey. Stir to combine.
4. Add in cocoa powder, salt and baking soda. Stir in chopped baking chocolate.
5. Pour batter in greased baking dish and bake for 25-35 minutes.
6. Let brownies cool for 10 minutes, cut and eat.

Brownies will puff up in the oven and settle once removed and cooled. They will look like this:

YUM!!

*Recipe Note: If you are feeling less than paleo when making these, or it's a cheat day, you can use 1 oz of baking chocolate and 1 oz of dark chocolate chips!


Keeping a food journal? Here is the nutritional 411: Paleo Brownies

Kale Chips

This recipe is really simple, but really delicious. It is a fantastic alternative when you need something salty. My husband LOVES these!! You can also change up the spices to whatever you are feeling (chili powder, pepper, onion powder...the possibilities are endless!).
What you need:

• kale, roughly 2 cups
• garlic powder, 2 tsp
• salt, 1 tsp
• cooking spray *
• cayenne pepper

What you do:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
2. Tear off pieces of kale, leaving the stem attached. Place kale on a baking sheet lined with foil or      parchment paper
3. Lightly spray olive oil cooking spray evenly over kale pieces.
4. Sprinkle garlic powder, salt, cayenne pepper (or whatever spices you choose). Don't over salt...trust me!
5. Cook for 8 - 10 minutes, until kale is crispy.

 *NOTE: Some recipes call for olive oil to be drizzled in lieu of cooking spray. You can use whatever you have on hand, just note that using olive oil will change the nutritional value considerably.

Keeping a food journal? Here is the nutritional info: Kale Chips