Pepper Mix!

Here is the recipe from the pepper mix that Kaylee Griffin brought to the nutrition seminar.

1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 yellow onion
2-3 small/medium sweet potatoes
Handful of cherry tomatoes
2-3 slices of bacon
2 tablespoons coconut oil or evoo

** She uses Flavor God seasoning, but use whatever you like:
1 TBSP Flavor God everything
1 TBSP Flavor God everything spicy
1 TBSP Flavor God honey bbq
Couple pinches of dried jalapeno

Cut up everything, mix with oil and seasoning. Put on a cookie sheet and roast @375 for about 30-45 minutes or until sweet potato is cooked to your liking.

**Pictured is a variation by Kaylee with purple sweet potatoes and sausage instead of bacon. Count 1/2 cup and 1 carb block

Breakfast Casserole

12 eggs •12 blocks protein
10 oz sausage • 5 blocks protein
5oz ham • 5 blocks protein

2 cups spinach • 1 block carbs
1/2 cup onions • 1 block carbs
1 yam/sweet potato • 3 blocks carbs
9g green chilis • 1 block carbs

1/4 cup milk • this becomes so small block wise that I didn't count it. You can eliminate.  I just add a splash to help the eggs bake better.

• Heat oven to 400°. Peel and cube yam. Toss in coconut oil, sprinkle with salt. Bake on baking sheet for 20-25 minutes.
• Cook sausage and diced onion in pan until no pink remains in meat.
• Place sausage in greased baking pan. Add hams and ham. Add chopped spinach and chilis.
• Whisk eggs and milk (garlic optional ) and pour over pan.
•Bake 25-30 minutes @400°.

Divide into portions. Add extra carbs and fat. You can easily up or down the protein to fit your blocks or switch out meats and carbs to your liking! Keep in the fridge for an easy breakfast.

Paleo Ranch Dressing

Having my family give up some of their favorite condiments when we went Paleo was not an easy sacrifice at first.  But when I read the ingredients (corn syrup, soybean oil, canola oil, preservatives, sugar, etc.) on the bottle of some of dressings in our refrigerator I knew we had to make a change. I scoured the internet for Paleo replacements.  Once you have a few Paleo dressing recipes under your belt you find that preparing them takes very little time.  And I feel better about giving them the Paleo versions when I think of what is in a lot of popular dressings and condiments.

Ingredients

1 C Paleo Mayonnaise
1/3 C full fat coconut milk
2 Tbl lemon juice
2 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp dried chives
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried dill
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed

Directions
Stir the ingredients together in a bowl until smooth.  Pour into a reusable dressing bottle or container with a lid.  Store in the refrigerator to thicken before serving.  This dressing will keep for a week in the refrigerator.

This recipe will fill a dressing bottle and works well for my family of 5 for the week.  Feel free to cut the recipe in half if you have a smaller household.  Also a great dip for crudite.

Recipe adapted from "Nom Nom Paleo Food for Humans" cookbook, by Michelle Tam & Henry Fong

Sweet Potato Salad

The weather is beautiful these days.  Which means BBQ and potlucks!  Here is a perfect side dish for you to share.  This recipe makes enough for you to share with a large group.  Feel free to cut it in half for a smaller crowd.

SWEET POTATO SALAD

Ingredients

3 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, roasted, peeled, and cubed

8 eggs, hard boiled and chopped

5 celery ribs, thinly sliced

1/3 Cup red onion, minced

2-3 tsp dried dill

1/3 - 1/2 Cup Paleo mayonnaise, (I use this recipe).

1/4 - 1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper

3/4 - 1 tsp sea salt

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Wash and dry your sweet potatoes and set them on a sheet pan.  Roast in oven for approx. 35 minutes.  The size of your sweet potatoes will determine if you need to add some time or take it down a little.  Make sure your sweet potato is had a little softness too it when you press on it.  You definitely don't want it mushy.  A little give when you press on it.  Once it is cooked, removed from the oven and cool.

2.  Once cooled, peel and cube your sweet potatoes.  Add to a large mixing bowl.

3.  Once your eggs are cooled, chop and add them to sweet potatoes.

4.  Add celery, onion, dill, mayo, salt and pepper.  Mix gently to combine.

5.  Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.  Will keep in the fridge for approx 3-4 days but don't be surprised if it is gone before then.

GREEN JUICE!!!!!

Are you consuming enough carbs?

Green Juice is a great way to make sure you are taking in enough carbs and it is super simple to make. It is also a great way to get your kids to "eat" their veggies!

You don't need a fancy juicer or blender to do this either!

I went out and bought a Black and Decker blender on sale for around $20.

If you have never done this before and are used to drinking sweet smoothies you may have to do some trial and error to figure out what you like.

The ingredients in the Green Juice I made in the image were:

1cup of Spinach
1cup of Kale
A tiny bit of Parsley
1 Basil Leaf
1/2 a Green Apple
Some Diced Pineapple and a little Pineapple Juice
1/2 Banana
1/2 an Avocado
A tiny bit of Ginger
1/2 Squeezed Lemon
Some crushed ice and a little water

You want to layer the ingredients, lightest on the bottom, heaviest on the top. This way it will help push everything down when blending.  

I have never used a juicer, but I have heard they are more messy and waste a lot of the food. With the blender you use skin and all, and don't waste anything.

These would be super easy to Zone as well. If you would like me to Zone one please comment!

*You cannot taste the Spinach or Kale. The Avocado gives it a more smoothie type consistency. You can use coconut water, milk, almond milk in place of the water.

Sloppy Joe Stuffed Peppers

Oh how I've missed Sloppy Joe's!  One of my favorites as a kid.  Although mine were not as good.  Sloppy Joe sauce from a can with some ground beef.  This was really good and even better as left overs, over a baked sweet potato.  

Most of the time I will recommend grass fed or organic ingredients but remember that if you have conventional ingredients that will work too.

INGREDIENTS

4 Bell Peppers 
2 Tbs. Grass Fed Butter (I prefer Kerrygold)
1 1/2 lb. Grass Fed Ground Beef
3 oz. Onion – Chopped
2 oz. Carrots – Chopped
1 Celery Stalk – Chopped
3 Large Cloves Garlic – Minced
8 oz. Can Diced Tomatoes w/ Green Chiles
1/3 Cup Organic Beef or Chicken Broth
1/4 Cup Paleo Ketchup or Ketchup
2 Tbs. Tomato Paste
1 Tbs. Paleo Worcestershire (homemade) or Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp. Yellow Mustard
1 tsp. Chili Powder
1 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. Salt 

DIRECTIONS

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°


Rinse bell peppers, cut off tops and remove stems and seeds from inside.  Lightly grease a baking sheet with butter.  Sprinkle peppers with salt and pepper.  Bake 35 minutes on middle rack.

In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, add ground beef, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic.  Cook until ground beef is cooked through – About 10 minutes.

Drain excess grease from pan. To meat mixture, add diced tomatoes, broth, ketchup, tomato paste, Worcestershire, mustard, chili powder, cumin, and salt.  Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.  Reduce heat to low and simmer 5-10 minutes.

After 35 minutes, remove bell peppers from oven. Stuff with sloppy joe mixture, SERVE AND ENJOY!

Slow Cooker Filipino Adobo Chicken Thighs

Tried this recipe last night and totally forgot to take a photo and by the time I remembered it was all gone!  Delicious and easy.  I grew up eating chicken adobo and missed it so much since we removed soy from our diet.  Love that there is a delicious alternative in the Paleo world.  Coconut Aminos!  It is a soy sauce alternative that can be found at Whole Foods.  If you are okay with soy I strongly recommend gluten free and organic tamari.  Regular soy sauce always has wheat/gluten in it and comes from genetically modified soy.  Enjoy!

This picture is taken from original recipe which called for bone in skinless chicken thigh.  The link to that recipe is at the bottom.  My adaptation uses skin on bone in chicken thighs.


Ingredients

6 bone in skin on chicken thighs - 
1/3 C apple cider vinegar
1/3 C coconut aminos (soy sauce substitute that can be found at Whole Foods)
4 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
6 each black peppercorns, ground or approx 1/4 to 1/2 tsp black pepper
4 bay leaves
1/2 to 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced


Preparation

1.  Combine vinegar, aminos, garlic, jalapeno and pepper in a dish or resealable bag.

2.  Add chicken and marinate overnight.

3.  Place chicken and marinade in a slow cooker and place bay leaves between chicken in the sauce.

4.  Cover and cook on low for 7 to 9.

5.  I didn't do this step but you can pour marinade into a sauce pan and reduce over medium heat for about 15 minutes.  I just took the sauce straight from the slow cooker and poured it over some steamed broccoli with a little salt.


Original recipe can be found at Paleo Table - Crock Pot Filipino Adobo Chicken.