New idea for breakfast

 Sausage and Spinach Breakfast Casserole

1 head of cauliflower
3/4 c chicken stock or water

1 lb sausage
5 cups raw spinach
6 ounces full-fat coconut milk 

 4 eggs lightly beaten
juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 350 and prepare a 9X13 baking dish by greasing it with coconut oil.
Pulse cauliflower in a food processor and fry until tender
Brown and crumble the sausage.  Leave the sausage oil in the pan and add in the fresh spinach.  Stir until it wilts.
In a large mixing bowl,  add the coconut milk, eggs, and spinach mixture, stir well.  Add in the salt, garlic powder, pepper, and lemon juice and stir.  Add the cooled cauliflower-grits and stir well.
 Pour into the prepared baking dish, and bake for 45 minutes or until center is set.

Verdict:  It was OK, but won't replace the no-oat.  Needs less cauliflower and more sausage...

Thanksgiving 2012

I made paleo and non-paleo dishes for Thanksgiving, I thought I would keep everyone happy that way and it worked!!!  One of our guests made sushi for an appetizer-food and art.  Aren't they spectacular????

I made these sweet potato biscuits.  I made them ahead of everything else so I could free up the oven, we ended up eating them as an appetizer.  They were the best thing I made yesterday.  I will DEFINITELY be making these again.

I made the prosciutto wrapped pears as well. They were the best looking thing I made, but I didn't actually have any of them....
Overall, everything was really good, but I am not a huge fan of the broccoli-cauliflower casserole, it is very bland.  Going to find an alternative

OK, so we had apple pie and ice cream for dessert.  Definitely NOT paleo, but worth it for a change....

Sweet potato bake

5 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch rounds
2 small apples, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ cup 100% pure maple syrup
4 tablespoons organic grassfed butter
1 cup chopped pecans
Cook the yams in a pressure cooker for 6-8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, move the cooked yams to a large mixing bowl. To the yams, add the apples, butter, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and maple syrup and mix well. Spread the yam mixture evenly into a 11×7 glass baking dish. Top with pecans and bake uncovered at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole

Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole
2 ½ cups broccoli florets, finely chopped
1 ½ cups of cauliflower, finely chopped
1 shallot finely chopped
2 eggs
1/3 cup coconut milk
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon sea salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
In a medium sized bowl, mix together the shallots, broccoli and cauliflower. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut milk, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour the egg/coconut milk mixture over the broccoli, cauliflower and shallots and mix well. Bake in an 11’ round glass baking dish, covered at 350 for 45 minutes.

Sweet potato biscuits

Ingredients

• 1 large sweet potato or yam (equivalent to 2 cups mashed)
• 3 tablespoons Coconut Flour
• 3 eggs, whisked
• 6-8 strips of bacon, diced
• leftover rendered fat from bacon
• 3-4 tablespoons chives, thinly diced
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 415 degrees.
2. Poke holes in your sweet potato with a fork.
3. Place in oven and bake for 30-40 or until soft.
4. Once the sweet potato is done baking, turn oven down to 375 degrees.
5. When your sweet potato is almost done cooking, place your diced bacon into a skillet and brown until crispy. Then place your cooked, crispy bacon on a plate covered with a paper towel to soak up the excess fat. The fat that is left behind in the pan, you will use in your biscuits.
6. When your sweet potato is done, peel and place in a bowl and mash with a fork.
7. Then add in your eggs and mix well with your sweet potato. Then add your in your bacon fat and mix well.
8. Then your dry ingredients: coconut flour, baking powder, garlic powder, and salt and pepper.
9. Finally add your diced cooked bacon and chives. Mix thoroughly
10. Now line a baking sheet with parchment paper and use a large spoon to drop your biscuits on the sheet, shaping them as needed. Try to make them all equal in size so they cook the same.
11. Place in oven and bake for 22-27 minutes.

Dressing for turkey

1 lb mild Italian pork sausage
4 ½ cups mushrooms, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
6 celery stalks, diced
4 carrots, diced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon diced fresh sage
½ tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
½ cup dried cherries, finely chopped
½ cup slivered almonds
½ tablespoon garlic powder
4 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. In a large soup pot, sauté onions in olive oil until translucent. Add the sausage and brown. Add the carrots, celery, mushrooms, chicken broth, cherries, almonds, sage, thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix well, bring to a simmer, and cook for 5-10 minutes or until the veggies begin to absorb the chicken broth. Transfer to a large glass baking dish, cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Prosciutto Pears for Thanksgiving

I'm going to make these for Thanksgiving.  I made them last year and they were great.  I found some Balsamic drizzle at Trader Joe's a few weeks ago and this is a perfect opportunity to use it......

Prosciutto Wrapped Pears
½ red onion, very thinly sliced
2 pears
1 package of prosciutto di parma
Baby Spinach leaves
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
Preheat oven to 400. Heat the coconut oil in a small skillet and sauté onions until they are caramelized. (onions should be brown but not burnt). Peel and slice the pears into thick slices. Top each pear with a little bit of caramelized onion and one spinach leaf, wrap tightly with a piece of prosciutto. Grease a baking sheet with a little bit of grassfed organic butter, and place the pears on the baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. While the pears are baking, add the balsamic to a small sauce pan, heat over medium low until the balsamic is reduced down to a syrup like consistency, stirring often. Drizzle a small amount of the balsamic reduction over the pears and serve.

Sabotage!!!!!

I have been trying to get a start on a new Whole30 plan since October 1.  I signed up for the daily email program, it sends you an email every day with information and support.  I started not too badly and completed almost a week.  After that, I have only managed to do 2 or 3 days in a row.  Almost 2 months later, I have achieved almost nothing.  Even though I know that I feel better when I don't eat too many carbohydrates, I am still not making that much of an effort to rectify this.  So, the obvious question is, Why?  I don't have a clear answer for this.  Sam thinks that the Whole30 is too extreme, but honestly I'm much better cutting things out completely than having them every once in a while.  I'm not exactly sure how to deal with this, but I really need to do something.

So, I'll try to get back on track.  Maybe I should be a little more flexible instead of so extreme.  When I have one slip during the day, I just think I might as well eat whatever I want because that day is ruined already.  It's really starting to annoy me and made me wonder why I am sabotaging my diet on a daily basis.  So, here goes once again.....

Cross between breakfast and chili!!!!

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 to 3 cups beef stock
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled & diced small
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• salt
• 1/2 lb bacon
• eggs (one egg for each serving)
• avocado

In a large soup pot, brown the meat and and saute the onions until cooked through. Add in the tomatoes, sweet potatoes and stock, followed by all the spices. Let simmer until the sweet potatoes have cooked through, about 20-30 minutes.
Meanwhile, chop up and saute the bacon until crispy. Reserve until ready to serve. Then, fry or scramble one egg for each person you plan on serving.
Serve by scooping the chili in a bowl, top with the fried/scrambled egg, some crispy bacon & some avocado slices.

Weekend cooking....

I didn't make as many things this weekend as I usually do, but I still made quite a lot of food. I made a batch of no-oat oatmeal and honey muffins for breakfast. I made a huge batch of taro root chips on Sunday. I had to cook them in five separate batches and we ate them all as they came out of the oven, they didn't even have time to cool!! I have finally found a paleo food that everyone in the family LOVES!!!!

I made this paleo version of alfredo, made with delicata squash, bacon and coconut milk.  I cut up the breast from a Sam's Club chicken and added it to the sauce.  Then I used the chicken legs and carcass to make the base for chicken noodle soup for the kids.  I made some chicken patties with sweet potato and kale that we can use as a good protein source in the week.  Sam made hamburgers for dinner on Saturday night and I made a batch of cole slaw with red and green cabbage with carrots.  I made the best batch of mayo that I have ever done, I used apple cider vinegar and walnut oil to make it.

I also made this paleo dessert that Sam loves.  It really is not sweet at all because I used 100% cacao chocolate to make it.  The kids wanted to try it and Maggie made a face-I don't think we have to worry about them stealing it!!!!

Three strikes.......

Went out to dinner with a guest speaker last night.  Spinach & artichoke dip with tortillas for appetizer, pumpkin creme brulee for dessert and wine!!!!  I did have a salad in between, but not enough to redeem myself.  Definitely Three Strikes and back to Day 1!!!!!

Whole30, Day 4

Busy day today, ate out all day.  We went to the Fall Festival at the Lithuanian church this morning.  We had lunch there and I tried to be good.  Had some fried chicken (took the skin off), sausage and some cucumber salad.  Resisted the dessert table though.

We went to Empty Bowls tonight and I had mushroom bisque, but no bread or dessert.  So, not perfect day but could have been worse....

I made this oven omelet for in the week.  Sliced up some sweet potato and put on the bottom.  Fried bacon, added onion, mushrooms, asparagus & sun-dried tomatoes and put all on top of the sweet potatoes.  Added 6 scrambled eggs and cooked at 350 for 40 mins.

Whole30, Day 3

Well, I feel like I spent all day watching people eat pizza!!! Ben decided he had to get Pizza Hut pizza and breadsticks for lunch when we were in Target. Then, the three of us went to Dewey's Pizza for dinner. Sam and Ben had an enormous pepperoni pizza and I had salad!!!! I did get a latte at lunchtime,so not a perfect day, but better than it might have been.

We found more bacon-related fridge magnets in Five Below

Whole30, Day 2

Pretty good day.  Avoided Starbucks at the Galleria.  Had this pork and apricot slow-cooker recipe for dinner.  Usual stuff for breakfast and lunch

Pork recipe:  2 lbs pork loin, dried apricots, 1 onion, 1 tbsp Grey Poupon mustard, salt & pepper, 1 cup water.  Put in slow cooker on low for 8 hours.  I took the pork out and shredded it & put back in the slow cooker for a short while.

Whole30, Day 1

The day started off with no-oat oatmeal, of course.  I made it through until lunchtime without snacking and I went to Crossfit class at noon.  I was so close to getting a Starbucks latte on the way home and starting tomorrow (the daily emails won't start until tomorrow) but I decided to just drive home and make an omelet instead.  Little decisions like that make a huge amount of difference and I'm so glad I did it.  The omelet was really yummy as well....

Whole 30, Day 1, November 1.....

Well, I'm saying this YET AGAIN.  I'm trying round 3 of the Whole30 program.  I was so frustrated by my last effort and I have been trying to do the program again since October 1.  Might as well try again on November 1, Right?
I put back all the weight I lost during the last program, which is annoying.  I decided to subscribe to the Whole 30 email program this time.  They send you an email every day & you can report as to whether you did well or not.  I've been doing a few days here and there and ended up back at Day 1 several times during the whole of October.
So, now I'm starting the daily reporting again to see if it helps me.  I don't know why I stop and start all the time because it really IS NOT all that hard!!  I guess there are just way too many temptations around all the time and of course there's a Starbucks on every corner!!
I'm still doing no-oat oatmeal every morning and I never tire of it.  I did make a batch of tomato-basil soup last week, so I am back to having that for lunch every day, although I had taken a break from that recently.