Paleo Orange Chicken

This is from Health Bent Paleo Recipes. It's a little bit spicy and a little bit sweet, very flavorful. Next time I would double the size of the recipe.

Ingredients:

·         1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (cut into bite size pieces)

·         3 T coconut oil

·         juice and zest of 2 oranges

·         1 t fresh ginger

·         3 T coconut aminos

·         1 t chili garlic sauce or sriracha

·         3 green onions, chopped

In a medium size sauce pot, add the orange juice, zest, ginger, coconut aminos and chili garlic sauce or sriracha. Set over medium heat and let simmer to reduce and thicken while the chicken cooks. In a saute pan, heat 3 T of coconut oil over medium high heat. Add the chopped chicken thighs and cook until a nice brown crust has developed on the chicken pieces, about 6 minutes. Add the chicken to the sauce pot and stir to coat with the orange sauce. Serve topped with sliced green onions. 

Protein Noodle White Lasagna

Ingredients:
3/4 cup minced shallots
8 TBS butter
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
6 TBS cream cheese
3/4 cup chicken stock
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
1/4 pound grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 cup), divided
6 cups freshly shredded mozzarella cheese
1 pound deli shaved chicken breast or ham
OPTIONAL: artichokes, capers, mushrooms

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Cook shallots in butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes. Add nutmeg, then slowly whisk in cream cheese and stock. Bring to a boil, whisking, then simmer, stirring occasionally, just until sauce lightly coats back of spoon, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool to warm, stirring occasionally. Stir in eggs, sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Spread about 1 1/4 cups sauce over bottom of an 11- by 8-inch baking dish. Cover with a layer of shaved chicken (for the "noodles"), then additional fillings such as artichokes, mushrooms, or capers if desired. Then top with 2 cup shredded mozzarella. Repeat layering 3 more times, then top with remaining sauce and remaining 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Bake, uncovered, until browned, 45 to 55 minutes. Makes 12 servings.

I used mushrooms and artichokes this time. Sarah liked it as you can see, but the boys picked the veggies out. So next time I will chop the veggies up smaller so they are less recognizable.

Thanks to Maria for this recipe!

http://mariahealth.blogspot.com/

Green Chicken Soup

This soup is full of healthy veggies and pretty tasty too. 

Ingredients:

3          Large chicken boneless/skinless breasts with fat trimmed (31oz)

2          Large cans of fat free chicken broth, low sodium (49.5 oz per can)

1          Bunch of Broccolini chopped (8oz)

3          Baby Bok Choys chopped (9oz total)

4          Small zucchini chopped (10oz total)

4          Large celery stalks chopped (9oz total)

5          Medium garlic cloves chopped

½         Bunch green onions chopped (1oz)

3          Large Carrots chopped (11oz total)

1          TBSP Dill Weed chopped

½         Bunch fresh parsley chopped

6oz      Frozen green peas

6oz      Fresh green beans chopped

Instructions:

In a large pot, combine all ingredients, except the peas and green beans. Keep the chicken breasts whole (you’ll shred them later). Boil for about 30 minutes. Once the chicken breasts are completely cooked, remove them to cool (pull them apart a little bit . . they’ll cool faster).

Meanwhile, put the vegetables and broth through a blender. (When doing this, it is a good idea to carefully pulse them in a blender with a towel around the blender lid and hold the lid firmly, as sometimes pressure can build with hot liquids in the blender. ) Then transfer the blended soup back into the large pot.

When the whole chicken breasts have cooled a bit, pull them apart by hand and shred them. They should be a little stringy when in shredded form, with no large chunks. Add the shredded chicken back into the pot.  Chop-up the green beans fairly small, and add into the pot along with the frozen peas.  Cook for about 10 more minutes, add salt & pepper to taste and enjoy! This recipe is 57 cals. per cup.

And, she likes it!

Paleo Pals Pancakes

This is Sarah cooking from her first cookbook. It was a birthday present from her friend Soraya at school.

Paleo Pals Pancakes

Ingredients:
2 ripe bananas
1/3 cup coconut flour
6 eggs
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions:
1. Smash bananas
2. Add remaining ingredients and whisk together until well blended
3. Grease a large skillet with coconut oil over medium heat. Scoop about 1/4 cup of the mix per pancake onto the hot griddle and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side. Makes about 10 pancakes.

These got a thumbs up from Sarah!

Chocolate chip cookies (low carb, gluten free)

1 1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup coconut oil or butter
1 cup Just Like Sugar
1/2 cup erythritol
OPTION: add 1 egg (for cake-like cookie)
1 tsp sea salt
2 chocolate bars, chopped (I use Dante Confections dark chocolate made with Stevia)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a medium bowl, cream the butter, Just Like Sugar, and erythritol (add in egg if using). Cream for a few minutes until very fluffy. In a separate bowl mix together the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add in the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth. Add in chocolate. Roll 2 TBS of dough into a ball in your hands (for uniform shape) onto a cookie sheet, then press down to they are about ¾ of an inch thick. Place cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake in preheated oven for 17-20 minutes or until golden around the edges. Cool completely on the baking sheet before removing. Makes 24 cookies.

Each cookie:

150 calories

4 g carb

6 g fiber

2 g protein

15 grams fat

These were a big hit with the kids!

Gila's Fennel or Cauliflower

Gila’s Cauliflower or Fennel

Ingredients:

·         1 head cauliflower or 2 large bulbs fennel

·         2 tablespoons olive oil

·         Juice of 1 lemon

·         1 tsp Better Than Bouillon

·         1/8 teaspoon salt

·         ¼ teaspoon tumeric

·         1/8 teaspoon pepper

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients in bowl. Microwave 15 minutes, stirring twice.

Primal Cheese Scones

Cheese Muffins (Gluten Free, Primal)

1 1/4 C almond meal

1/4 C coconut flour

1/4 t salt

1/2 t baking soda

2 Eggs

3 T Coconut Oil melted

1.5 C shredded Cheese (I used Cheddar, but other kinds would be nice, too)

Mix flours, salt and baking soda in a bowl. Add eggs and oil and mix well. Fold in cheese then put 1/4 cup of batter in each muffin tin. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick. Let muffins rest for 15 minutes before eating. Makes about 10 muffins.

I added 3 packs of Truvia to the recipe and they came out tasting like yummy scones.

Each muffin has:

200 calories

9 grams of protein

2 grams of carbs

Tuna Salad

Ingredients

•           6 oz Tuna Light In Water

•           1 cup Low-fat Cottage Cheese

•           1/2 cup Fresh Pico De Gallo

•           1/4 cup Green Onions

•           1/2 cup Fage 0%

•           2 oz Dill Pickle

•           1/2 cup Celery

•           1/2 California Avocado

•           1 tsp Lemon Juice

•           ½ tsp garlic powder

•           ½ tsp onion powder

Makes 4 cups

Per cup

134 calories

19 grams Protein

5 grams Carbs

Homemade Beef Jerky

2.5 pounds lean london broil
1.5 tsp sea salt
4 tsp ground ginger
4 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp Now stevia
2 tsp granulated garlic
3 tsp onion powder
1 cup water

Freeze london broil for 1-2 hours so that it is firm and easier to slice thinly.  Slice thin with electric meat slicer or knife.  Mix meat and all other ingredients in plastic bag and massage inside plastic bag to mix well.  Marinate 6+ hours.  After marinating lay marinated strips on dehydrator racks and dry to desired consistency.


This has no sugar, soy, or preservatives, is low salt, and I swear is just as good as the stuff you buy in the stores.


Per ounce:
100 calories
16 g protein
3 g fat

Sugar free Ice Cream Sandwich

Okay, this fell apart when I tried to eat it, and it has about 400 calories. But still, the goal was to make a sugar free ice cream sandwich, and technically I did. At least it looks good!

Healthy Chicken Salad (No eggs!)

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast grilled and diced
1 cup fage 2% greek yogurt
7 oz fresh pico de gallo
1/4 cup lemon juice
6 oz diced celery (about 3 stalks)
Sea salt 1/8 tsp
garlic powder ¼ tsp
onion powder ¼ tsp
Optional paprika to taste

Mix and serve! This is really really good.

Makes 5 cups.

Per cup:

147 calories

2 g fat

9 g carb

22 g protein

Black Bean Brownies

• One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed very well
• 3 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 16 packet Truvia
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil or coat an 8 x 8-inch baking pan or dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2. Add all ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth and creamy.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan before slicing into 2-inch squares.

Makes 16 brownies.

Each brownie:

63 calories

3 g fat

5 g carb

2 g fiber

3 g protein

Broccoli Pizza

This is actually a recipe for a no carb pizza crust, but I just ate these alone as a snack. You could also add pizza sauce, toppings, and cheese and throw them back in the oven.

Ingredients:

1 cup shredded cooked broccoli

1/2 cup grated Mexican blend cheese

2 eggs

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp dill

1 tsp parsley

2 Tablespoons chia seeds

First have your assistant mix all ingredients in a bowl.

Spray a piece of foil or parchment paper with nonstick spray and

spread the mixture thinly and cook for 20 min at 400.

Cut into 6 pieces.

Each piece:

88 calories

5 g protein

4 g fiber

6 g fat

0 g carbs

Sweet Potato Hash

Ingredients:

Two previously baked sweet potatoes
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced into rings
4 pieces crumbled bacon
1 pound ground beef.
salt and pepper.

Brown the pound of hamburger in a large skillet, adding salt and pepper as desired. In a separate skillet, cook the bacon then brown the onion in the leftover bacon grease until it begins to carmelize. Dice the sweet potatoes,and add to the mixture. Stir in the browned hamburger, and mix thoroughly. Turn the heat to low, and let the mixture heat through, stirring frequently.


(I added 1/4 pound liverwurst as well)

Primal Thai Beef

The beef and vegetable mixture:
1 lb ground beef
1 red or yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 small red onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

The sauce:
3 tablespoons almond butter
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

For garnish:
½ cup cilantro
2 green onions, sliced

12 romaine lettuce leaves

Brown the beef in a large skillet.  When the beef is about halfway done, add the vegetables and cook until beef is cooked through and peppers are tender-crisp.

Meanwhile, mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl.

When the beef mixture is done cooking, add in the sauce and mix together.  Spoon onto romaine lettuce leaves and top with green onion and cilantro

I have to say this really surpassed my expectations. It's the sauce ingredients that make it so good. I've also been adding liver to every recipe that uses ground beef,  it adds extra nutrition and you can't taste it at all.

Sweet Potato Chews

These are more the consistency of dried fruit than sweet potato chips. They're pretty portable and also easier to make than the chips.

First bake the sweet potatoes at 325 for about an hour. I used 2 huge sweet potatoes this time so I baked them for 1 1/4 hour. When cool, peel the skins off and cut them about 1/2 cm thick.

Next melt 1 T Coconut Oil and mix in 1 T Cinnamon. Paint the mixture on the sweet potato slices with a pastry brush.

Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes.

Thumbs up!

8 million calorie porridge

I make this by mashing banana, almond butter, and coconut milk together. Hopefully that will keep her full for a few hours!

Tomato, Mozzarella, and Mushroom Skewers

I used 2 cups cherry tomatoes, 1 jar marinated mushrooms, and 1 container of mozzarella balls (cut in half). Comes out to 15 calories per skewer, and as a bonus they can be assembled by your 4 year old while you do other things!

Today's Meatballs

Meatballs with Heart and Liver

This is one of my favorite meatball recipes yet. It forms very nice meatballs that cook evenly in the oven. And you really can't taste the liver!

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
¼ pound chicken liver, pureed in food processor
½ pound ground beef heart
15 ounce jar Marinara Sauce
1 package ground pork rinds
1 T soy sauce
1 tsp dried onion flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Mix together all ingredients except marinara sauce.
2. Form meatballs.
3. Cook in the over at 350 for 30 minutes.

4. Remove from oven and add marinara.

Ginger Cauliflower Rice

I've tried to make cauliflower rice a few times over the years, and it has always been passable, but not so much like rice. This recipe was so much better. When combined with the chicken and veggies I don't even think I would have known it was cauliflower. Plus I have tons of homemade chicken stock in the freezer and this is a great way to use it up.

We grated the cauliflower the slow way, using a cheese grater. I have a food processor and a "ricer" at home which might save time.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 cups cauliflower rice (cauliflower grated in the food processor)
• 2 cups chicken broth

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil

• 5 peeled and minced shallots

• 5 peeled and minced garlic cloves

• 1 tablespoon peeled and finely chopped ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Process about 1/2 of a medium sized head of cauliflower in a food processor until the texture is rice like. Heat coconut oil in a saucepan. Once hot, add shallots, ginger, and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant and soft. Add cauliflower rice and stir-fry another 3 to 4 minutes. Add salt and chicken broth. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until the liquid evaporates to the level of the rice and steam holes appear. Turn heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes until liquid is absorbed.

We ate the rice with chicken, this yummy Sweet Chili Sauce, and a tomato cucumber salad.