Smashed Spicy Sweet Potato

I don't know what qualifies as a lot of sweet potatoes in one's diet, but I think we eat them a lot. A LOT.  Baked sweet potatoes are so easy, filling & nutritious.  Sweet potato fries create a bit more work, but are delicious.  But I love a twist in the recipe every now and again. Spicy Smashed Sweet Potatoes from Paleo Cupbard are delicious little bites mouthfuls of nutrition that I throw into the mix every once in a while. 

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sized sweet potatoes

SPICE MIXTURE

•  1/2 tsp. chili powder
•  1/2 tsp. cumin
•  1/2 tsp. garlic powder
•  1/2 tsp. onion powder
•  1/2 tsp. paprika
•  1/2 tsp. sea salt
•  1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

SAUCE

•  1 Tbsp. raw honey
•  2 Tbsp. olive oil

Method: 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees & mix together spice mixture & grease a cookie sheet for later use.
• Poke a few holes into the sweet potato and bake for 40 minutes until potatoes are almost cooked all the way through.
• Remove potatoes & turn oven on broil. Peel skin from potato & slice potato 1-1.5 inches thick. Place potato slices on greased cookie sheet.
• Use a cup bottom or something with a similar diameter to smash each of the potato slices until the sides crack a bit.
• Mix together honey and olive oil. Drizzle half over the potatoes and sprinkle half of the spice mixture onto potatoes.
• Place cookie sheet under broiler for 3-4 minutes & remove once potatoes caramelize and turn a nice brown color (careful not to burn!).
• Carefully flip potatoes and drizzle remaining honey and olive oil mixture, and sprinkle with remaining spice mix. Place under broiler another 3-4 minutes. 
• Remove, serve & enjoy!!!

Paleo Granola

I feel terribly about this, but I have lost the original source for this recipe.  I have made this granola by the buckets since stumbling on to this recipe.  Depending on your taste or what you may be up for, I have included variations of things I have tried.  

Ingredients 

• 5 cups nuts and seeds (Slivered almonds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, pecans, and sunflower seeds; you can use whatever you want, but make sure you use at least 2 – 3 cups slivered almonds, as these take the place of what is normally oats)
• 1/3 cup honey (or maple syrup or any other Paleo-approved sweetener)
• 1/3 cup Paleo-friendly oil (I always use coconut and highly recommend it)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Method

• Mix honey, oil, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small saucepan and bring to a boil on the stove. Let it cool. Spread the nuts and seeds out on a  baking sheet covered with parchment paper and pour the cooled honey mixture over the top. 
• Mix it around to get everything covered, and bake for 30 minutes at 300 degrees. 
• Allow the pan to cool slightly and then put the mixture into a bowl. Mix in raisins and coconut.
• This makes a substantial amount.  Store in an air-tight container in a cool, dry place.  

Variations

• If I happen to be out of slivered almonds, I use shredded coconut and whole almonds. 
• I have used every nut imaginable.  I like to add pistachios for that little bit of salt.  
• I have tried every imaginable dried fruit with this.  Be careful about adding sugar though.  Most packaged dried fruit adds sugar.  If you have some bananas or pineapples about to go bad, try drying in a food dehydrator or in the oven.  
• Try using almond butter to thicken and make into granola bars.  I usually find these have to be refrigerated.  
• Go ahead, use some dark chocolate...  I am not judging.  

Pan Fried Chicken Thighs

If I never eat another boneless, skinless, chicken breast again in my life I would die satisfied.  I have grown more than weary of this particular cut of meat and find them tasteless and too processed for my liking.  I have joined the chicken thigh party.  I may be late, but I have arrived.  I substitute these little numbers whenever and wherever the recipe calls for breasts.  

These pan-fried breasts are so simple it is sinful.  I love leaving the skins on as the skin ends up crispy and adds flavor.  

Ingredients

• Chicken thighs - skin on
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon of avocado oil, or palm oil (I don't use olive oil as the high heat can turn the olive oil rancid) 
• Spices of your choosing - salt, pepper, thyme, sage, garlic powder 

Method

• Heat oils in a cast iron skillet on medium high
• Combine spices together and sprinkle on skin side first and place the chicken thighs in the heated oil skin side down
• Sprinkle spices on opposite of thighs once in skillet
• Cook on medium high and keep turning and rearranging chicken thighs until the skin sides are crispy - approximately 10 minutes
• Flip chicken thighs and continue to turn and rearrange pieces and cook for an additional 10 minutes

I tend to want to overcook chicken, but there isn't anything more disgusting than under cooked chicken.  I will either turn the heat down once the thighs are crispy on both sides, or I will place in the oven to continue cooking until done.  

German Apple Pancakes

I am posting this under breakfast simply because of the word 'pancake'.  These are amaaaazzzing!!!!  

I am feeling under the weather today due to allergies and mad at the world because I need to stay inside to keep them from getting worse.  So my 'angry fat kid' is out in full force.  

I have modified the original recipe from Civilized Caveman because I had three apples that were on the verge of needing to be thrown out; and no one ever said there is too much apple in this recipe.  Also the Civilized Caveman recipe divides the ingredients into 8 portions.  I only had 6 small Pyrex bowls, not ramekins, so I made hearty portions.  Lastly, my dirty little secret is that I have a bit of Paula Deen in me when I bake.  I love the richness butter brings to almost any dish.  I don't use a stick of butter, at most a tablespoon, but I do love the taste.  I was introduced to Irish butter, specifically Kerrygold, sold at Baesler's.  It is outrageously expensive so I use it sparingly.  It is the product of grass fed cows in Ireland.  I have rationalized the use of the butter since it is from grass fed cows.  Don't judge me...

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 3 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3 apples, cored and diced
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• Juice of 1/2 lemon, or lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon butter
• handful of toasted pecan halves

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees 
• In a large bowl, whisk eggs, coconut milk, coconut oil, vanilla, and maple syrup
• In a small bowl, stir coconut flour, nutmeg, and baking soda
• Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients and beat well to combine, set aside while you prepare the apples
• In a frying pan, heat 3 tablespoons of coconut oil,honey, and butter
• Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg and juice of 1/2 lemon and cook for 1 minute
• Add apples and saute until apples are nicely coated & softened
• Evenly divide your apple mixture between 6 ramekins or small oven proof bowls, greased with coconut oil and then evenly divide your egg mixture on top of the apples 
• Place your ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 425 and then reduce heat to 375 and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes
• Sprinkle with pecans when removed from the oven

Sweet Potato Bowl

Last week, I followed PaleoOMG's recipe for her Easy Bacon Chicken Bowl and it was very hearty and delicious.  Today for lunch, I mimicked the recipe and added a few touches to give it a bit of a southwestern flavor.  Here is what I did to make lunch for two:

Ingredients:

• 1 Sweet Potato, cut in half
• 2 chicken thighs-diced (baked from last night)
• 4 slices of bacon
• 2 cups of bell peppers sliced
• 1/2 of a purple onion, sliced
• salsa 
• avocado
• taco seasoning 

Method: 

• Preheat oven to 400.  Place sweet potatoes, cut side down, on a greased baking sheet.  Cook for 25 min.  
• Meanwhile, cook bacon.  Use a bit of the leftover grease to sautee the peppers and onions adding a bit of taco seasoning to the veggies to taste.
• Add sweet potato to bowl and top with cut up bacon, diced chicken, veggies, salsa & avocado.  
• ENJOY!

Prepping

I joke that I am a generator away from being a prepper, but that isn't too far from the truth.  I thought I would pass along this activity.  So many people have expressed to me that it costs so much more to eat healthy.  I couldn't disagree more.  If you plan and take care, you will have little waste and won't spend more than you need.  

This activity may be a bit cumbersome at first, but once you get the routine down, you will find the convenience to be well worth the short time it takes and better yet it extends the life of your produce.  

On a weekly basis I buy vegetables and fruit and place in pint size mason jars.  When I am pulling my meals together for the day, I grab a jar of both the vegetables and fruits.  I make enough of these jars for my husband and I for the week.  

My Process

• Rinse all vegetables and fruit thoroughly; allow to drain.  I find this easiest before putting them in the refrigerator, as soon as I get home from the grocery store I start this process.  
• Once the produce has drained, and is reasonably dry, I pack it up.  No need to add anything besides the produce, and you can reuse the lids since you are not processing them; they will continue to seal just from tightening the rings.  (Throw the lids away when you notice they aren't sealing any longer and buy new)  

Fruits

• I trim the strawberries and remove grapes from the stems.  
• I have tried ALL of the following:
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Grapes
• Raspberries & blackberries (careful these won't last as long as the other berries)
• Mango
• Pineapple
• Clementines 
• I DO NOT recommend kiwi fruit 

Vegetables

• Cut celery
• I have tried ALL of the following:
• Carrots
• Peppers (these may not last as long as the other vegetables)
• Celery
• Snap peas - not Paleo 
• Soy beans - not Paleo
• I DO NOT recommend cucumber 

Pumpkin - Banana Bread

Everyone in this household is a pumpkin lover. From pumpkin spice latte's (totally not paleo-approved) to pumpkin pie (ok... not much love for pumpkin is paleo approved) we devour this time of year.  Earlier this week, I made a LOT of PaleoOMG's Pumpkin Pie Granola Parfait's and those were eaten up in just a few days.  So today, I began experimenting with adding pumpkin to other things.  Today I made some of Power Hungry's Paleo Almond Flour Muffins and a few changes to Health Bent's Paleo Banana Bread to include our fall favorite pumpkin.  Here is how I changed the recipe:

• Used 2 bananas instead of 3
• added 1 cup of canned pumpkin
• 1 tsp of raw honey
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• sprinkle of chopped almonds on top before baking

Delicious!

Blueberry Pumpkin Muffins

I had about half of a can of pumpkin leftover from a recent recipe I made and wanted to have a homemade snack on hand that was not hard boiled eggs.  I made a few additions to the original Paleo Almond Flour Muffins recipe.  Here is what I added:

• 2 shredded carrots
• 2 handfuls of spinach
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup almonds

They turned out great and seem to satisfy my sweet tooth! 

Fried Fish

Ingredients:
1 cup of almond flour
1 cup of coconut flour
3 eggs
8 filets (possibly more?) of your fish of choice
Olive Oil

1. Fill a cast iron skillet (or whatever pan you’re using) with enough olive oil so that you have about ¼- ½ inch at the bottom of the pan. Turn on medium heat and let warm until it’s sizzling a little.

2. Combine almond and coconut flour in bowl. Break eggs into a separate bowl. Whisk together.

3. Coat each fillet in egg. Then dip the fish in the almond and coconut flour mixture. Coat again (this is key!) in egg and then in almond and coconut flour. If you skip the second coating the breading will come off. Trust me, I know this from experience and you don’t want to waste a expensive ingredient like almond or coconut flour.

4. Lay fish gently in oil and cook until golden brown and then flip. Transfer from oil to plate with plate lined with paper towels. You may, at some point, need to get rid of the oil you’re using and add fresh oil (the oil can get pretty muddy with the breading).

5. Serve with gluten free tortillas, cabbage and guacamole for Paleo Fish Tacos. You can also use a cabbage leaf as your “tortilla”. These are good reheated as well!

Breakfast Shake - A spur of the moment creation!

This morning I was running a bit behind... happens when you have a 1 year old who demands attention. Out of nowhere, it was 8:50, ten minutes before I normally leave for the gym.  I was not dressed, had not had breakfast & I was immediately panicked. I knew I had to have something in my system before today's terrible workout at Evansville Crossfit but nothing too heavy that I would see it after rounds and rounds or burpees.

Here is what came out of this panic: Breakfast shake perfection!!!

Ingredients: 

• Coconut Milk (1/2 cup)
• Coconut Water (1/2 cup)
• Fresh spinach (one handful, trimmed)
• frozen blueberries (1/2 cup)
• Banana (1/2 of one; what my tiny tot did not eat)
• protein powder (serving sizes vary)
• vanilla extract (to taste)
• almond butter (a couple of heaping tablespoons)

Method :

• I threw it all in a blender, poured it in my shaker cup and walked out the door in five minutes!!!! I even made it to the gym on time :) 

Bacon & Eggs To Go

I LOVE breakfast food.  I could eat it any time of the day.  I have tried to distribute my postings thus far into all categories to give some options.  I am sorry if I keep hitting the Breakfast tab; it is all so good.  

I am all about prepping.  Quite honestly it is the only way I eat healthy.  I make enough of one night's dinner for my lunch the following day; prepare my snacks to throw in my lunch bag for the entire week, and have on hand grab & go breakfast items.  This is one of those recipes you can make quickly in an evening for breakfast for the next couple of days.  

Ingredients

1 package Canadian bacon; ham; or other 
Equal amount of eggs

Method

• Preheat your oven to 350°F.
• In a muffin pan, place a piece of meat into each hole. Press it down and crack an egg into each piece of bacon. Cook in oven for approximately:

Runny Yolk – 8 minutes
Semi-Soft Yolk- 10 minutes
Hard, Crumbly Egg -14 minutes

• Pop the egg “cups” out of the pan once they’re cool enough to handle.
• Whatever you don’t eat goes straight into the fridge for a snack or another meal.

Variations 

• Place a couple of spinach leaves over the meat
• Place a mushroom beneath the egg
• Place a sundried tomato beneath the egg 
• Place some chopped pepper beneath the egg
• I have used deli ham, prosciutto ham, partially cooked bacon so it is not so crispy I can't wrap it around the cup 

Avocado & Pineapple Salad

This recipe is one I saw on Instagram, posted by Paleo Effect.  It looked so delicious.  My daughter happened to see it also and emailed them for the recipe prior to posting.  

This was dee-licious.  My husband, who is NOT an avocado eater, also liked it.  When I made this I only used one avocado and more pineapple to persuade my husband to eat it.  I also did not incorporate the mint.  He gets a bit fussy about things he considers "unmanly" in food.  (That isn't his word for it, I am keeping it clean)  I also used a jalapeno from the garden in lieu of the chilies.   

2 Avocados
1 cup pineapple
1 tablespoon green chilies
1/4 cup red onion
Juice of 1 lime or lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro 
1/4 cup chopped mint 
1/2 teaspoon sea salt


Just chop it all up (if you don't like it spicy, just omit the chilies) and serve!

What is Your Shade

"If your "shade" of Paleo works for you, your health and your goals, then it doesn't matter what the militant Paleo says.  Find the hue that's right for you - THERE IS NO 'ONE PERFECT FORMULA' FOR EVERYONE - start with the basics and experiment until you find your perfect shade.  Your body and your sanity will thank you."

Robb Wolf 

paleochef.com

Paleo Breakfast Skillet

I have seen a number of variations of this skillet breakfast and I have made this numerous times with a variety of vegetables and meats.  I always make more than enough so that I can save the leftovers for a grab & go breakfast.  

Ingredients  

• 1 pound of sausage, ham, or approximately 8 slices of bacon
• 1 sweet potato diced
• 1/2 onion diced
• Mushrooms, peppers, Brussels sprouts, anything you have on hand and would like to incorporate - chopped 
• 6 eggs  

Method

• Use an oven safe skillet; cast iron is the best
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees 
• Brown sausage, cook bacon, or ham.  If you are using ham I recommend also using either sausage or bacon so that you can cook the vegetables in the meat drippings.  If you use bacon, crumble the bacon before returning it to the vegetable mixture.  
• Once your meat has cooked, remove from heat and reserve
• Place diced sweet potato in meat drippings and cook.  I like my sweet potatoes on the crispy side.  
• Add onion about halfway through cooking of sweet potatoes.  I like my onion caramelized.  
• Add remaining vegetables in the order in which it takes them to cook.  In other words, I would probably add Brussels sprouts and mushrooms earlier than the peppers.  
• Put meat back into the skillet once your vegetables have reached the desired "doneness".  
• Make wells for each of the eggs in the vegetables and deposit an egg in each well.  
• Bake until your eggs reach your desired consistently.  We like ours to have runny yolks so I bake until the whites are cooked and yellows are still runny.  

Serving suggestions 

• Serve with avocado, salsa, or hot sauce

Paleo Ice Cream

So this recipe was inspired by Dar.  Last week after "McGhee" we talked a bit about this blog and she asked me if I had ever made Paleo ice cream.  Anyway, Dar proceeded to tell me how easy and delicious it was.  She inspired me, and I went home and dug the frozen bananas from the freezer.  This is not only the simplest recipe I have ever made, but also simply delicious.  That night I had some strawberries that were going to go bad within a couple of days, so I added to the base and made strawberry Paleo ice cream.  I have since also made a Chunky Monkey version folding chopped walnuts and chopped 70% Caco baking chocolate.  NOT Paleo because all chocolate has sugar, even organic, dark, etc.  Read the labels, BUT still good for you.   

A little bit of a side story is I ran into Mrs. Brandy Mazzon at Baesler's that Friday and told her about it.  She kept repeating the ingredients back to me, sure she was missing something.  Nope, it is THAT easy.  

• Frozen bananas (I always have on hand because it seems I can't eat bananas fast enough, so I freeze very ripe bananas, unpeeled, for smoothies)
• Vanilla perhaps a teaspoon or two
• Almond butter - enough to give the mixture substance

Place frozen bananas in your food processor and process until smooth.  Add vanilla and enough almond butter to give the mixture substance.  

Breakfast Un-wich

This recipe was inspired by a photo I saw somewhere.  Since my prep day usually ends up being Sunday, I can prep this recipe for a quick grab-and-go breakfast for the first few weekday mornings. 

• Scramble 2 eggs.  Cook half of the egg mixture either in the microwave or in a small skillet so that the egg is about the size of a bun.  I have also cooked an egg until the yoke is hard.
• Add your choice of meat.  Ham, bacon, sausage patty, Canadian bacon, etc. and layer between each egg "bun" patty.  
• Add tomato, avocado, salsa, etc.  

You can't really eat these with your hands like a sandwich but they are delicious!!!   

Paleo Poppers

I am not sure where I originally saw this recipe.  The original recipe used a different type of pepper, but I saw it during football season and it inspired me to try it using jalapeño peppers.  We always have tons of these peppers from our garden and it can be a challenge figuring out new ways to use them. 

Make some guacamole.  My favorite recipe is from the Food Network website. 

3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded, and peeled
1 lime, juiced or substitute lime juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 medium onion, diced - I prefer a red onion for it's color
1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced

• Place avocado pulp in a bowl and toss it with the lime juice, drain and reserve the lime juice.
• Mash the avocado and add salt, cumin, and cayenne.
• Fold onion, jalapeño, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. 
• Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice and mix.  

For the poppers:

• Cut jalapeño peppers in half lengthwise.  Remove stems and seeds. 
• Roast peppers in oven at 400 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes until the peppers are slightly soft. 
• Place peppers on serving dish and fill each pepper with guacamole.
• Fry some bacon.  You will crumble the bacon and sprinkle over the top of the guacamole filled peppers.   

Roasted Salsa

Some at our box have tasted this recipe.  This is the basic salsa recipe I use for canning my salsa using tomatoes and peppers grown from our vegetable garden.  I will typically add more tomatoes, because we usually have plenty, and we grow a variety of hot peppers, so in addition to the jalapeño pepper, I may put a lemon pepper, habanero pepper, etc.  My husband like extremely spicy food so he usually insists on at least one batch that is too hot for human consumption. 

This recipe came from allrecipes.com.  They are a great source for all types of recipes; some easier to turn in Paleo recipes than others. 

12 Roma tomatoes
2 cloves unpeeled garlic
1 onion - I prefer red onion
1 jalapeño pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin - roasted cumin is the best
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro

• Preheat broiler
• In baking dish place tomatoes, garlic, onion, and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
• Broil vegetables for 5 to 10 minutes, or until outside of vegetables are charred.
• Remove vegetables from oven and once cooled remove & discard tomato skins, tomato cores, pepper stem, and garlic skin. 
• In a food processor, coarsely chop the all vegetables.  Transfer to bowl and mix in cumin, salt, lime juice, and cilantro.

Paleo BLT

I did make an attempt to review my resources for where I originally found this recipe.  I have made this numerous times and don't require the written recipe any longer; so here goes.  This dish really best if you can make some Paleo mayonnaise to accompany it.  I have thrown in the towel on the Paleo mayonnaise.  I have attempted it four different times and it has been successful only once. I have tried a number of different methods and they were all a huge FAIL!!!  So if anyone masters the Paleo mayo, let me know the secret. 

Boneless skinless chicken breasts - 1 breast makes 2 BLT's
Bacon - 1 piece per BLT (or more if you prefer)
Tomato
Lettuce (I prefer Boston Lettuce) 
Salt and pepper to taste

• Cut each chicken breast in half and flatten each half between plastic wrap or in a re-sealable bag to approximately 1/4"-1/2" thickness; salt and pepper
• Cook bacon and set aside
• In the bacon drippings cook the flattened chicken breasts approximately 4-5 minutes per side or until done over medium high heat
• Layer a lettuce leaf, tomato, chicken breast, and piece of bacon

You may want to allow the chicken breasts to cool slightly before layering.  The lettuce wilts rather quickly.  Eeewwww!!!

Sausage Egg Muffins

There are several variations of this recipe that I have seen and made but this recipe was one of my favorites.  I usually try to do a prep day each week and make a batch of Egg Muffins to keep for a quick protein packed breakfast or snack.

Ingredients:

• 12 eggs, beaten
• 1 package of ground breakfast sausage, cooked
• diced onions, peppers & mushrooms
• salsa

1. Use a muffin pan & place cupcake wrappers, they are life savers for cleanup.
2. Add a tablespoon or a little more of ground sausage to the bottom of each muffin liner.
3. Add veggies & a spoonful of salsa on top of veggies.
4. Fill the remainder of the cupcake wrapper with beaten eggs.
5. Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes until the center of each muffin is set.

You can substitute any breakfast meat and change out the vegetables based on what you have on hand. Enjoy!

Paleo Candy Bars

Yes, candy bars.  This recipe came from the Paleo Plan and I first had this when our gym did a Paleo swap where we each made different meals and got together on Sunday evening to make our swaps.  We had enough participation where we had breakfast, lunch, and two snacks for five days.  It was a great way to initiate ourselves.  Sure, we spent a lot of time in our kitchens on Sunday, but you had most everything done for a week. 

3 tablespoons of coconut oil
1/4 cup of carob powder or cocoa powder
1/2 cup of ground nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts)
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tablespoon honey, more if desired for taste
Parchment paper

• Melt coconut with honey in saucepan until oil is melted then remove from heat
• Combine with remaining ingredients and pour onto baking sheet covered in parchment paper
• Once cooled, cut into squares or other form of choice
• Freeze or refrigerate until hard - you will need to store these in the refrigerator or freezer.
• TIP: make enough to keep in the freezer for a quick chocolate fix. 

Roasted Vegetables

I honestly don't remember the original source for this recipe, but I have seen similar recipes on multiple sites.  I fed this to my non-vegetable eating family and they absolutely ate it up.  My brother even requested the recipe.  That is HUGE!!!  These are typically the ingredients used.  The quantity is not exact as I pretty much just chop enough of each or what I have on hand.  I always make way more than two people can eat because it is a great leftover.

Brussels sprouts, remove ends and either halve or quarter depending on size
Broccoli florets, I usually use an entire head
Cauliflower florets, again I use the entire head
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Approximately 6 slices of cooked bacon and crumbled with bacon grease retained

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Once all vegetables are cut, toss together with some olive oil, salt, and pepper
• Do yourself a favor and spray the baking sheet with a little Pam - put all vegetables on a baking sheet
• Bake vegetables at 400 for about 25-30 minutes or until they reach the desired "doneness".  I like mine slightly charred and the little leaves that fall off the sprouts are a crunchy delight. 
• During the last few minutes of cooking I toss the vegetables with a little bit of the bacon grease I have reserved.  For additional crunchiness, turn on the broiler; but only briefly!!!
• Toss the vegetables with the crumbled bacon and serve. 

Carrot Banana Muffins

This is a recipe from Paleo Plan.  I have made these muffins using both carrots and fresh zucchini from my garden in the summer.  If you use zucchini, be sure once it is shredded, you squeeze the excess moisture from the zucchini otherwise the muffins will fall apart. 

2 cups almond flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup pitted dates
3 ripe bananas
3 eggs
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
3/4 cup chopped walnuts or nut of choice
Muffin paper liners

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Combine dry ingredients and set aside
• In food processor combine dates, bananas, eggs, vinegar, and oil
• Combine ingredients from food processor and the dry ingredients
• Fold in carrots and nuts
• Bake for 25 minutes

Rotisserie Style Chicken

This recipe makes two whole chickens.  I often mix up the spices and just use the rub for one chicken.  Also the recipe calls for refrigeration for four to six hours before baking.  I don't always do that either but the spices do penetrate the skin a little better if the chicken refrigerates with the spices. 


4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 quartered onions
2 - 4 pound whole chickens

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees
• Mix together spices.  Remove any giblets from chicken and rub the chicken with the spice mixture.  Place one onion is the cavity of each chicken and place chickens in a resealable bag or plastic wrap.  Refrigerate overnight or at least 4-6 hours.
• Place chickens in roasting pan and bake uncovered for 5 hours.  Let chickens stand for 10 minutes before serving. 

Paleo Pantry

Here is a list of staples:

• Almonds
• Almond butter
• Almond flour
• Almond milk - unsweetened
• Apple cider vinegar
• Bacon
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Beef stock
• Bananas
• Butter
• Cashews
• Cayenne pepper
• Chicken stock
• Chili powder
• Cinnamon
• Crushed tomatoes
• Coconut flour
• Coconut milk
• Coconut shredded & unsweetened
• Cumin
• Curry powder
• Eggs
• Garlic
• Garlic powder
• Ginger
• Granulated garlic
• Ground mustard
• Honey
• Italian seasoning
• Kosher Salt
• Lemon juice
• Lime juice
• Macadamia nuts
• Olive oil
• Onion
• Oregano
• Pecans
• Pepper
• Pumpkin
• Pumpkin pie spice
• Red pepper flakes
• Red wine vinegar
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Salt - I prefer Kosher
• Stewed tomatoes
• Sweet potatoes
• Tomato paste
• Thyme
• Vanilla
• Walnuts
• White pepper

What is Paleo????

The Paleo diet means consuming meat, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fruit.  This diet avoids all grains (wheat, corn, rice, barley, oats), legumes (beans, peas, soybeans, peanuts), potatoes, dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese), all processed foods, and refined sugar.  Some followers of Paleo limit eggs, and do not eat sweet potatoes; as with all things you must make choices that you are comfortable with. 

The premise of this lifestyle is that the human body's systems have not kept pace with the agricultural revolution and our bodies are not designed to process the foods mentioned above.  "Paleo" or "Caveman Diet" takes us back to when humans hunted and gathered food.   The diet is higher in protein, lower in carbohydrates, higher in fiber, moderately to higher fat intake, higher potassium/lower sodium, and a higher intake of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants than the traditional Western diet.    

If you care enough to read this blog you have likely already made the choice to live the Paleo diet.  If you haven't bought in, I encourage you to do your own research and educate yourself.  Through life's journey you should take the time to educate yourself about anything and everything you choose to change; this is one of those choices best made with a little knowledge.  Don't do this because it is the popular choice, do it because you want to see/feel a change.