Enchilada Chicken Stew

You know me and my love for Mexican food. Here is another good one!

2 lbs chicken breasts

1 yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 (4oz) can of chopped jalapenos
1 (4oz) can of chopped green chiles
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 (14oz) can of diced tomatoes
1 (7 oz) can tomato sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
salt and pepper, to taste
bundle of cilantro, to garnish
avocado, to garnish

Pull out your crockpot. Add your chicken breasts. Then add the rest of the ingredients on top, in any order. Put on low for 8-10 hours or high for 6-8. After it’s done cooking, use tongs to pick at the chicken to shred it in with all the ingredients. Top with cilantro and some avocado. Simple as that.

Enjoy!

Recipe from PaleOMG

Farmhouse Baked Eggs

A baked egg dish can be an easy and time efficient means to get a healthy and hot breakfast to the table. All of the components can be prepared the evening before and while the eggs bake you can take care of the other things you need to do in the morning.

4 slices bacon, chopped
1 medium sweet potato, finely diced
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
Salt and pepper
6 eggs
2 tbsp Italian parsley, chopped


Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and place 2 individual baking dishes (large ramekins or oval shallow dishes) onto a baking tray.

In a large skillet, cooked the chopped bacon, once the fat has been rendered from the bacon add the sweet potato and mushrooms. Continue to cook until bacon is cooked and the sweet potato is soft. Season with salt and pepper. Divide between the 2 dishes. Break 2 - 3 eggs into each dish (depending on how hungry you are).

Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes (depending on desired doneness).  For more of a “sunny side up” effect, cover the dishes for the first 15 minutes of baking. Lift each dish onto a napkin-lined plate and sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Anyone that knows me, knows that I love me my Starbucks! I go there at least once a week. I have two favorite times at Starbucks. First, when the Christmas cups come out and second... PSL! For those of you not familiar with this acronym it stands for Pumpkin Spice Latte (also know as heaven in a cup). This is one of my favorite drinks. So... I figure that maybe I would try a create something similar at home. This was pretty good not the same thing as Starbucks but close! So grab a PSL and enjoy this beautiful fall weather!

1 cup almond milk
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp pumpkin puree
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
1/4 cup or so of espresso

Combine almond milk, honey and pumpkin in a pot and stir over medium heat until steamed.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and pumpkin spice.Transfer mixture to a blender and process for 10 seconds or until foamy. 

Pour into mug and add espresso. Enjoy!

Deconstructed Chicken Fajita

It's time to spice things up. My favorite food is Mexican so any time I can make something Mexican inspired I jump at the opportunity. I hope you enjoy this one!

2 lbs chicken breast, cut in thin strips
1 tbsp olive or coconut oil
2 bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange)
2 onions sliced
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp coriander
3 garlic cloves, chopped
Juice of 2 limes
Butter Lettuce to serve

Combine the chicken, bell peppers, onions, spices garlic and lime juice in a bowl and mix well. Heat a large skillet on medium heat and cook everything with the oil until the chicken is cooked through and the onion and bell pepper are soft. Put the hot chicken, peppers and onions in a large bowl. Serve on top of lettuce leaves with your favorite toppings (salsa, guacamole, etc.)

Recipe from Fast Paleo

Beef and Cabbage Soup

What can I say? I really like soup. So here's another one for you to try for the potentially cold fall months ahead. I must admit now that I have a freezer full of soup that should last me a couple of months.

1 lb lean ground beef
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 pinch ground cloves
3 cups cabbage, chopped
2 carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
3 cups beef stock
3 cups water
1/4 cup tomato paste
4 lemon wedges

In large saucepan, brown beef over medium-high heat, breaking up with back of spoon. With slotted spoon, transfer to bowl. Drain fat from pan and wipe out pan.

Heat oil in pan over medium heat; cook onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, marjoram, salt, pepper and cloves, stirring often, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. 

Stir in cabbage, carrots and celery; cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add stock, 3 cups water and tomato paste. Return beef to pan and bring to boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer until cabbage is tender, about 15 minutes.

Discard bay leaves. Serve with lemon.

Recipe from Canadian Living

Paleo Pumpkin Pie

When you think about Thanksgiving dinner, what do you picture?  I see a lovely roasted turkey, big bowl of mashed potatoes with gravy (of course) and a beautiful pumpkin pie. So here is a pumpkin pie for you to try!

Pie Crust
1 ¼ cups raw walnut halves (you could also substitute pecans)
1 cup blanched almond flour
1 egg white
Generous pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grind walnuts in a food processor or magic bullet until finely ground and almost starting to turn into walnut butter (i.e., just starting to clump together). Mix walnuts, almond flour, egg white, and salt together (you can pulse in your food processor or do this by hand).

Press/pinch into a 9” pie plate (an 8” deep dish pie plate will work too). Pierce the crust with a fork every ¼” or so to stop the shell from bubbling up while it bakes. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until starting to turn golden brown. Let cool at least 10 minutes before pouring the custard in.

Pumpkin Pie Filling

1 ¾ cups pumpkin puree (use fresh or this is the equivalent of a 15oz can)
2/3 cup raw walnut halves
1/3 cup raw or roasted unsalted cashews
3 eggs + 1 egg yolk
¼ cup honey
¼ cup maple syrup
1 cup water
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cloves
½ tsp cardamom
¼ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 F (if you’re making your pie right after making the crust, just reduce the temperature). Place cashews and walnuts in your food processor or blender and pulse until finely ground.  Add eggs, honey and maple syrup and blend for 2-3 minutes until completely smooth (you could also add some of the water if it’s too thick for your food processor or blender to puree well).  It is very important to blend until completely smooth, otherwise your custard will be watery. 

Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until combined. Pour into cooled pie shell (doesn’t need to be room temperature, just cool enough to touch). Spread the top out evenly with a spatula. 

Bake for 40 minutes.  Allow pie to cool completely before serving.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins

These muffins are full of warm earthy fall spices like nutmeg, gloves, ginger and cardamom and when mixed with pumpkin they are a delightful fall treat!

1¾ cup pumpkin puree 
4 eggs
¼ cup flaxseed meal
¼ cup extra virgin coconut oil
1/3 cup blackstrap molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup tapioca flour (I found this at Bulk Barn)
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp coconut flour
¾ tsp salt
1 tsp ground nutmeg 
1 tsp ground allspice
1½ tbsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp baking soda

Grease a muffin pan generously with coconut oil or line with paper liners or reusable Silicone Muffin Cups. Preheat oven to 350F. Melt coconut oil in the microwave or in a small saucepan over low heat on the stovetop. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin puree, eggs, flax meal, molasses, vanilla and coconut oil. Sift coconut flour and combine with tapioca starch, spices and baking soda.  Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.  Stir to combine.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan. I used a mini muffin pan and baked them for 15 - 18 minutes. If using full size bake for 30 - 35 minutes.  Remove from pan to cool. 

Enjoy! 

Recipe from The Paleo Mom

Paleo Stuffing

The other day at the gym we were asked what was our favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner. Most people in the group including myself said turkey however a few people said stuffing. And as most of us are aware stuffing is not typically paleo however one of the gym owners had this recipe and I thought that I should give it a try. I can honestly say that I ate it for supper on it's own but it would be darn good stuffed into a turkey. I think I may make this for my family this year for Thanksgiving.

1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed

5 slices of bacon, diced

5 stalks of celery, diced

1 medium onion, diced

2 granny smith apples, peeled and diced

1 lb ground pork

2 cups of mushrooms, diced

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

2 eggs

1/2 cup dried cranberries 

1/2 cup raisins (I don't like raisins so I used dried apricots)

1 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat the oven to 375F. Place the sweet potato cubes on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then bake for 15-20 min.

While that's baking, fry the bacon pieces in a large skillet. When they begin to brown, add in the diced celery, onion, and apples. When the onions become soft, add the ground pork, mushrooms, and white wine vinegar. Stir and cook until the pork is cooked through (no visible pink). Transfer the mixture to a bowl to cool. In a small bowl, beat the eggs, then pour over the cooled pork mixture. Toss in the cranberries, raisins, pecans, and yams and mix well. Bake the mixture at 375F on a foil lined baking sheet or in a large pyrex dish for about 15-20 min until it begins to brown.

Recipe courtesy of Cavegirl in the Kitchen

Marinated Flank Steak with Mushrooms

2 pounds grass-fed flank steak
1/2 cup red wine (sometimes you just need wine)
1/2 cup coconut aminos
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp black pepper
1 pound crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp butter or ghee
chopped green onion

Combine the wine, coconut aminos, garlic and pepper in a dish large enough to fit the steak. Add the steak and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 1 and up to 4 hours. Remove the steak from the marinade, reserving the marinade, and grill or broil the steak on high heat about 4 minutes per side for medium rare.

Allow to rest for 10 minutes, then slice thinly against the grain. Transfer to a serving platter and keep warm.
While the steak is resting, prepare the mushrooms: Heat a large skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Add the mushrooms and brown on both sides. (you may have to do this in 2 batches so they can brown)
Add the reserved marinade and reduce until it is reduced to roughly 1/2 cup. Pour the mushrooms and sauce over the steak, top with green onion and serve.