Roasted Beet and Butternut Squash Salad with Chicken and a Balsamic and Thyme Vinaigrette

Roasted Beet and Butternut Squash Salad with Chicken and a Balsamic and Thyme Vinaigrette 

 (Serves 4)

2 beets, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces. (I used a red beet and a striped beet.)

1 butternut squash, peeled, scooped out, and chopped into 1 inch pieces

1-2 TBS olive oil

Dried thyme

Salt and Pepper

Spring Mix greens or your favorite lettuces

3 chicken breasts, grilled and chopped into cubes (I used leftover grilled chicken that had been chilled.)

Raisins

Blue cheese crumbles (omit for Whole30)

Raw sunflower seeds (or any nut or seed you like)

Balsamic and Thyme Vinaigrette

2 oz. balsamic vinegar

4 oz. extra virgin olive oil 

1/2 TBS dried thyme

Salt and Pepper

Combine all of these ingredients together and mix well

Creamy Italian Herb and Bacon Soup

A few years ago, I was making this insanely flavorful, yet limited ingredient Italian soup. It was creamy and became an instant hit with my family. Flash forward to the present, everyone still remembers how wonderful that soup tasted, but it seemed that it was a thing of the past since our food choices have changed. That soup got its creaminess from white kidney beans, a slight bite from orecchiette pasta, and richness from the addition of heavy cream. All of these ingredients seemed impossible to replace and achieve the same flavor, until today. I began to research this recipe again and realized that the flavor came from the bacon and herbs more so than the other ingredients. The richness could be recreated with an addition of ghee (or grass-fed butter, if preferred). I was a little concerned with the creaminess though. I wanted a creamy soup, so I knew I needed something other than just a broth base. I also needed something to finish the soup off with that would provide a bit of texture as the pasta used to. I came to the conclusion that by using cauliflower, the soup would get the creaminess it needed. By topping the soup with some crisped bacon, the soup would have the texture it called for. With all of these things put together, this soup became a reality. A tasty reality. We all devoured our bowls, and it wasn't even meal time. My kids are already asking for more. Definitely give this a try. You won't be able to tell it's cauliflower either. It's a warm and comforting meal for any day of the week.

10-Second Paleo Mayo

Two Christmases ago, I only wanted one thing. I wanted an immersion blender. Initially, I wanted one for soups. I had been into making squash and other veggie soups, and I really hated having to transfer the soup to a blender to puree before adding it back in to the pot. This took more time and created more dirty dishes. So, an immersion blender would cure all of these troubles. I received the blender and over time, I have found several uses for it. It has become my favorite kitchen tool.

Mexican Spaghetti Squash Pie

I have really been into making ahead my dinners lately. It truly cuts down on the stress of busy evenings. I have also been creating Paleo weekly meal and grocery lists for some friends in the recent weeks, so instead of making a different meal plan for my family, I have just been using these same plans here. That being said, I do make sure that the meals are tasty, easy, and mostly able to be prepared ahead. One meal that I put on my first week of meal plans was this Pizza Spaghetti Pie. It is a tasty recipe. I even changed that a bit and used a pound of grass-fed beef, along with some chopped Applegate pepperoni instead of the sausage, and it turned out amazing. After making this twice, I realized that the entire base of the recipe could be used, but the ingredients could be swapped out to make an entirely new taste and meal. It was then that I decided to turn this pizza spaghetti squash pie into a Mexican spaghetti squash pie. It is my spin on this dish.  It can also be made early on, covered and placed in the fridge, and baked right before serving. I hope you enjoy it.

Chicken Stir Fry Soup

This week has been cold. The nights have also been busy. We have been hitting our Crossfit classes in the evenings. This means that it is late when we get back home. That being said, I decided that on these nights, I would prep dinner as far as possible so that it would be easier to get to the eating part once we arrive back. Monday night we had a beef chili with veggies and pineapples. I made it on the stove before we left and quickly reheated it upon return. Tuesday night we had a Mexican chicken chowder which I also made before leaving and reheated right before serving. We were going to take tonight off, but we have this competition on Sunday, and one of the lifts will be practiced tonight, so here we go again. My dinner was going to be a chicken stir fry over cauliflower rice. Although it is an easy to make meal, I didn't want to be chopping ingredients or just beginning it after the workout.  So, I decided to come up with a new recipe that used the same ingredients, was just as easy, and would be ready to eat soon after we walk back in the door.
I have turned the stir fry into a soup. I already made it. The stove is shut off. It is stored. My cauliflower rice has been prepped. When we get home, I will reheat it to a boil, stir in the cauliflower rice and some salt and pepper, turn it off, and consume it. Job well done. I do have to confess though....I did put some in a bowl and threw a little cauliflower rice in with it already. I had to taste it for you! It's good. It's warm. It's simple. (It's also Whole 30-approved.) Go do it.

How I Shaved $500/Month Off My Paleo(ish) Grocery Bill

When I first started out transitioning to Paleo over a year ago, I immediately threw out all grain-based flours and products, drove to Whole Foods and stocked up on grain-free items. I got into the grain-free baking as more of an experiment rather than baking on purpose. I wanted to see if these ingredients would really work. I was impressed, so I continued to try more and more recipes, which meant that I was spending more and more money on said ingredients. This was going on all while slowly buying more and more fruits and vegetables and better quality meats. So, one could say that I got excited and spent a lot because of it. Once I started noticing some health benefits, this became even more so. Well, after a while, I knew I needed to do more than just cut out the grains and eat more protein and produce. I knew I needed a more drastic change because although I was feeling and looking better eating this way, I was frustrated that it wasn't going even further. That is when I researched and found the Whole 30 program. Basically, it took away my baking and alcohol, and made me more aware of the products I was buying. I think along the way (and three W30s later), I became a little overboard. I tried to buy only the "perfect Paleo" ingredients, make elaborate "Paleo" recipes, and got caught up in the all or nothing point of view. My body and mind loved this way of eating, but my bank account ...well, not so much. My grocery (and household product) bill for a family of four had reached $300/week. Yes, a week! So, $1,200/month!  Did I mention I quit my job to stay at home with my family?? We were doing okay and making it work, but it was taking a toll, and month after month of that adds up.

Lemon-Blueberry Bars

I was feeling creative the other day, and I asked some friends to give me a conventional dessert recipe so that I could recreate it the way I wanted.  One friend mentioned a lemon and blueberry dessert. She didn't have a link, but I did a search on Pinterest and the first link I found was here. It looked beautiful and tasty, so I went with that. I didn't come up with my own graham cracker crust because Against All Grain already did that for me, and it has always been a tried and true recipe. I didn't want to mess with that. It came out fantastic! The topping could also be switched up a bit. Blackberries and raspberries would work well. My aunt also asked if Enjoy Life chocolate chips would work. I don't see why not, but I would just make sure that the lemon mixture is completely cooled before mixing those in.