I don’t know what it is about this social isolation that is causing me fomo of everyone’s food and beverage drinks. I had to try Dalgona coffee after seeing it all over social media, but wanted to find a way to make it paleo. Thank goodness I figured out a simple way to make it and turn my fomo into foamo coffee!!
Ingredients: 1 Tbsp. instant coffee (I used Cafe Bustelo espresso since it is delicious!) 2 tsp. monk fruit sweetener 1 Tbsp. water Ice 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
Combine coffee, sweetener, and water in a small mixing bowl. Whisk until fluffy (I used a hand mixer on high to make it go faster).
Fill a cup with ice cubes, pour in almond milk, top with fluffy goodness!
Okay, so not exactly a Big Mac, but it leaves you feeling a lot less guilty after enjoying it! I played around with special sauce dressing and a mound of chopped salad under a perfectly grilled Angus burger is very satisfying! This recipe is for one serving, so just multiply to fit your needs!
Ingredients: 1 Heart of romaine lettuce – chopped 1/2 Cucumber – chopped 5 Grape tomatoes – halved Slivered onions to your liking (I added about 5 thin slices) 1 Angus burger Special Sauce Dressing: 1 Tbsp. paleo mayo 1 Tbsp. paleo ketchup 1 tsp. minced pickles Salt and Pepper to taste
Preheat grill and cook burger to your liking.
While the burger is cooking, toss all of the veggies in a large mixing bowl.
In a small mixing bowl, stir together the dressing ingredients. Using a spatula, transfer to the large veggie bowl. Using a pizza slicer, carefully chop the salad to your liking while mixing in the dressing.
Transfer dressed/chopped salad onto a big plate and top with a juicy burger!
It is amazing what a mood booster a kitchen full of fresh food is while we socially distance! I managed to get a large grocery delivery today and I would be lying if I said a didn’t squirt a tear or two! Big beautiful peppers were calling to me to be turned into fajitas, but that isn’t a very paleo friendly feast. Here’s my version of oven roasted fajitas with tremendous flavor! Serve over a pile of cauliflower rice and you have a delicious meal!
Mix the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl. In a large mixing bowl, coat the chicken with 1 Tbsp. of olive oil and then sprinkle on the dry rub and toss until evenly distributed.
Place the chicken in a large baking dish and roast for 20 minutes.
While the chicken cooks, toss the peppers, onion, garlic, 2 Tbsp, olive oil, cumin, and cayenne pepper in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
After the chicken roasts for 30 minutes, carefully remove from the oven and stuff the pepper mixture under the chicken. It helps if you do half of the pan at a time moving the chicken, laying down the peppers, and putting the chicken back on the bed of peppers.
Return to oven and roast for another 30 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees and the veggies are soft. Allow to rest for 5 minutes and enjoy as is or over a heaping pile of cauliflower rice.
While we social distance at home, my cravings have been intense! A friend posted a delicious looking picture of these bars and I just had to have them! I decided to adapt the recipe to my taste (and ingredients in the pantry). I just made them for the second time in two weeks and it is taking every ounce of willpower to not just eat the entire batch straight out of the pan!
*This version is an adaptation of an adaptation of a recipe originally found on Golden Barrel’s website.
Ingredients: Shortbread Layer – 2 cups almond flour 2 Tbsp. coconut flour 1/3 cup melted coconut oil 1/3 cup honey 1/2 tsp. coarse ground salt Apple Filling – 3 apples – peeled and diced 2 tsp. cinnamon 1/8 tsp. salt 2 Tbsp. honey 1 Tbsp. water 1 Tbsp. arrowroot powder Crumble Topping – Reserved Shortbread Layer dough 2 Tbsp. chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans are perfect!) 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. coconut sugar 1/4 tsp. extra honey
Preheat oven to 350 degree and grease a 9-inch square baking pan with coconut oil.
In a large bowl, mix together the ingredients for the shortbread layer. Reserve 1/4 of the dough for later and press the remaining 3/4 of the dough into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 6 minutes or until very slightly brown.
While the shortbread layer bakes, mix the apple filling ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer over medium-low heat. If it seems too dry, add a little more water. Allow to bubble while shortbread bakes.
Once the shortbread is pre-baked, remove from oven and evenly distribute the apple topping over it. Mix the Crumble topping ingredients in a small bowl and then sprinkle on top of the apples. Gently press the crumble into the apple and then bake for 17-20 more minutes until the crumble topping begins to brown.
Allow it to cool for 20 minutes, cut into squares and enjoy! Refrigerate leftovers. Leftovers?! Haha, ok, maybe not with this one!
I don’t know what it is about the quarantine that is forcing everyone to make banana bread, but I had some serious FOMO looking at all those beautiful loaves! I was so fortunate to get a grocery order in with the paleo staples for my fridge and pantry, so it was easy to whip this up! It did not disappoint!
Ingredients: 3 ripe bananas – mashed 4 eggs 2 tsp. vanilla 3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil 1 Tbsp. almond butter 1 1/2 cup almond flour 1/2 cup coconut flour 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda 2 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. salt (I like a chunky grind)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and generously spray a bread pan with coconut oil cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, mix together bananas, eggs, vanilla, coconut oil, and almond butter.
In a large bowl, stir together remaining ingredients. Fold in liquid ingredients until blended.
Transfer to bread pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and wait for it to cool before removing from pan.
It’s been so cloudy and damp that today called for a warm meal for the tummy. Being that we are socially isolating and there is an apparent hoarding issue with chicken, my fridge is only stocked with ground meat at the moment. I grabbed out some ground pork and got to work on this super satisfying meal!
Ingredients: 1 pound ground protein (I used pork, but chicken, turkey, or beef would do) 1 medium onion – diced 3 cloves garlic – minced 28 oz. canned pumpkin 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes 1 head of cauliflower – trimmed and riced (I just chop the florets finely) 1 sweet potato – diced 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. ginger 1/4 tsp. tumeric 1/4 tsp. cumin 2 (ish) cups beef broth 2 swirls of EVOO
Heat a large skillet over high heat and swirl some EVOO. Add pork and brown the pork until it crumbles.
While the pork browns, heat one swirl of EVOO over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until fragrant.
To the pot, add pumpkin, tomato, and spices
Stir in cauliflower, sweet potato and browned pork.
Add enough beef broth so that all of the ingredients are just submerged in liquid (approximately 2 cups).
Once it begins to bubble, reduce to low heat and allow to simmer for 2 hours.
Serve topped with sliced avocado or jalapeno if you please (my family slathers completely non-paleo compliant cheese and sour cream on it).
My paleo world has been flipped upside down since I discovered coconut aminos. Why on Earth haven’t I been using them all along!? This meal is delicious with a side of roasted veggies – I am served it with roasted cauliflower and broccoli and it was scrumptious!
Ingredients:
1 3.5-4 lb pork loin
1 tsp. olive oil
For Dry Rub:
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. thyme
For Glaze:
3 Tbs. coconut aminos
2 Tbs. honey
1/2 tsp. ginger
2 cloves garlic – minced
Up to 24 hours in advance, mix the dry rub ingredients, rub them into the pork loin, and refrigerate. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet, heat olive oil on high heat then sear all sides of the pork (about 5 minutes per side). Place the pork on a large foil lined baking pan, fat side up. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the glaze ingredients and pour over the pork loin. Roast for 50 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees. Several times throughout the roasting process, baste the roast with any glaze that accumulates on the foil. Remove from oven and cover with foil to rest for 8-10 minutes before slicing and serving with pan drippings. Trust me, you will be happy you waited!
For me, finding paleo breakfasts that were quick and easy was not an easy task. Breakfast seemed like it was the most carb dependent meal and developing this smoothie has been a life saver for me! I keep a bag of the smoothie mix in my freezer at all times and all I have to do in the morning is scoop, pour in almond milk, scoop in some protein, and blend! It is super fast once you make it a part of your routine and the best part is that it keeps you full if you sip it over the course of the morning. Not only is it quick and easy, but I also call it my “nutrient bomb”. By adding a solid source of leafy greens to my diet each day, my immune system is supper happy and my iron levels are higher than usual.
This recipe will make enough mix to make 7-10 smoothies depending on the volume of your blender cup. Store the smoothie mix in your freezer in a gallon bag to always have easy access. A quality blender with an individual serving blender cup is important to have a smooth texture. I use my Ninja blender every morning.
Ingredients:
1 bag frozen spinach
1 bag frozen kale
1 bag frozen strawberries
Vanilla almond milk (approximately 3/4 cup)
Vanilla protein powder to fit your dietary needs (serving as per packaging)
In a gallon freezer bag, mix the spinach, kale, and strawberries and store in the freezer. When ready to make a smoothie, scoop the mix into a single serve blender cup, add one scoop of protein, pour almond milk in until it reaches the fill line. Blend until smooth and enjoy over the course of the morning for a satisfying breakfast.
I am slowly learning how to use and embrace my Instant Pot. However, I do not think I will ever get over being terrified releasing the pressure! This recipe is a quick and easy crowd pleaser. I served it over a mound of steamed broccoli, but it would be good over cauliflower rice or wilted spinach too!
Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken breast – cut in 1 inch cubes
2 cloves garlic – minced
1 Tbsp. ghee
1 lemon – juiced
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
16 oz fresh mushrooms – sliced
1/8 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. basil
In a large mixing bowl, combine salt, pepper, and basil and toss with the chicken. Using the saute function set to high on your instant pot, heat the ghee and then brown the chicken and garlic until browned on all sides. Add the mushrooms lemon juice, and chicken broth. Scrape all the brown goodie off the bottom before putting on the lid and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Allow to natural release for 5 minutes then quick release the rest of the way. Serve over steamed broccoli, wilted spinach, or cauliflower rice.
Managing healthy eating and a busy lifestyle is possible with advance planning! I am not one to meal prep the same meal for 5 days straight, but I do plan the week’s meals ahead. This allows me to spend more of my valuable time with my family since I only have to go to the grocery store once a week. Tonight’s dinner was prepped earlier in the day with directions for my husband to cook the salmon while I was at the gym. I got to come home from a killer CrossFit workout and enjoy a protein and veggie packed dinner waiting for me! Even better? Leftovers are ready to go for tomorrow’s lunches! This recipe makes enough deliciousness for four large salads.
This one isn’t only delicious for adults. Check out my 5 year old’s plate that she inhaled! She’s not a lettuce fan, so we improvised.
Ingredients:
4 serving sized pieces of salmon – 5 oz. each
1 lemon
1 clove garlic – minced super fine
1/2 tsp. thyme
Salad Fixings (I divided the following among 4 salads: 3 hearts of romaine, 1 pt. grape tomatoes, 1 English cucumber, 1/4 thinly sliced onion)
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbs. olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking pan with foil and place the salmon with skin side down on it. Squeeze the juice of half of the lemon on the fish. Sprinkle with thyme, salt & pepper to your liking, and half of the garlic. Cook for 13 minutes or until salmon flakes with a fork. While the salmon is cooking, prepare the salad veggies according to your taste on 4 plates and refrigerate until ready to serve. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/2 lemon’s juice, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper. When the salmon is cooked through, dress the salads with the vinaigrette and top with salmon. If saving portions for later, dress when ready to eat.
