Carrot Muffins

My boys wanted to help cook something over the weekend and weren't too excited about helping me prepare veggies.  So I looked up a muffin recipe and made some modifications.  The result...delicious!!!  The whole family really enjoyed them and sadly they didn't last very long.  The batter was dry, almost like cookie dough, so I rolled it into big balls and put the balls in my muffin tin liners.  I'm not a huge fan of 'paleo-fying' recipes but I think everyone wants a sweet treat every now and again, and these are better than the average 'real' muffin.

1 C almond meal
1 C coconut flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 C dates, pitted
3 ripe bananas
3 eggs
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/4 C coconut oil, melted
1 1/2 C carrots, shredded

3/4 C walnuts, finely chopped
1 C coconut flakes

• Preheat oven to 350
• Combine almond meal, coconut flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in small bowl
• In a food processor combine dates, bananas, eggs, vinegar and coconut oil.  After well blended, add walnuts and coconut flakes and pulse until finely chopped.
• Mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients.  Fold in carrots (I used my hands to combine it all really well)
• Form into balls and place in 12 muffin liners in your muffin pan
• Bake for 25 minutes

Enjoy!  (It's your decision whether to use Diego or Scooby muffin liners, we had to use 6 of each so each boy knew which muffins were his to eat)

Scooby or Diego . . . decisions, decisions!

Meatza! Meatza!

I have tried several 'paleo pizza' recipes with the modified crusts and have never been in love with any of them.  The solution: meatza!  I have made this several ways and this is my favorite (and Whole 30 approved).  Veggies are the main ingredient here so use as many as you possibly can.  I'm listing the ones that I use most often, but use whatever you prefer and as many as you can.  Use any seasoning combo you like, this is the one we have found gives the most flavor but experiment and find what works best for you.

You can make this with all ground meat to keep it Whole 30 or you can use 1 lb sausage in place of 1 lb of the meat (it's almost impossible to find 'clean' sausage).  If you use sausage, eliminate the taco seasoning and make sure that you combine the sausage and meat really well. 

2 lbs ground beef (pork, turkey, or any combination)
2 Tbsp taco seasoning (be sure to read the label to check for added sugar.  Add more or less to your taste)
Tomato Sauce (this is your preference, I use about 3/4 C and that's not much but I don't like saucy pizza)
1 onion, diced
1 Tbsp oil
1 zucchini, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 pkg sliced mushrooms
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
several handfuls of spinach or kale, roughly chopped
pepper, garlic powder to taste

Meat shrinks down a bit

• Preheat oven to 400
• Put meat on cookie sheet and sprinkle with seasoning.  Mash, knead and mix meat until seasoning is well incorporated.  
• Pat meat out until it fills entire baking sheet and is same thickness everywhere.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until meat is cooked through.
• While meat is cooking, cook your veggies.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and saute until carmelized about 7-10 minutes
• Add the other veggies (except the spinach) and saute until they're as tender as you like
• Sprinkle veggies with pepper and garlic powder to taste
• Add spinach on top of other veggies and allow to wilt
• Remove meat from oven and drain off excess grease (the meat shrinks quite a bit)
• Cover with tomato sauce, leaving about a 1 inch 'crust' around the edge
• Spread veggie mixture evenly over top of sauce
• Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until veggies are heated through and at your desired level of 'done'
• Cut into slices 

Enjoy! 

Yum! Great leftovers.  I eat it cold out of the fridge although we rarely have any left.

Snacks

When you change your eating habits you also have to change your meal expectations.  For example, eggs can be eaten any time of day and you can have meatloaf for breakfast.  It doesn't matter when you eat a certain food, just that it's a nutritionally good choice.  That being said, I have found it more of a challenge to find good snack options.  If you're not prepared for your mid-day snack attack, you might find yourself reaching for the crackers or chips and we're trying to avoid that.  I have found these two recipes are great snack choices and very versatile so you can change them according to your tastes that day.  They're good enough that even my kids enjoy them and request the kale chips on a regular basis.  So, think outside of the box and have a spinach muffin for your next snack!


Spinach Muffins (this is a recipe I got from the Whole 9 website that I have tweaked a bit)

These muffins are really yummy!  Even if you're not a fan of spinach, give them a try because it really doesn't taste like spinach.  It's going to taste like whatever you season it with so make it good.  They should be stored in the fridge and are delicious straight out of the fridge.  Perfect for any snack attack!

3 - 16 oz bags frozen, organic spinach (I use TJ's)
4 whole eggs
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp spice blend*(you can use any spices you would like: Italian spice blend, basil, oregano, curry, garlic powder, onion powder . . . whatever you're in the mood for)
A few shakes of red pepper flakes

*Spice blend (this is the rub for the Dry Rub Burgers from the Everyday Paleo website.  I love it and always have some prepared in the cabinet for seasoning meat and veggies)

1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
2 1/2 tsp paprika

1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

• Preheat oven to 350
• Defrost spinach.  This can be done in the microwave or by setting the spinach out on the counter for a few hours or in the fridge overnight.  
• Drain the spinach REALLY well.  I like to dump the spinach into a colander over the sink and squeeze the life out of it, one handful at a time.
• Dump spinach in a bowl with garlic and spices you are using.
• Beat eggs in a separate bowl really well
• Add beaten eggs to spinach and mix well
• Spoon evenly into 12 well-greased muffin pan holes and pack down a bit
• Bake for 30-35 minutes
• Place on cooling rack to cool a bit before removing from pan

This is the version of the muffins my kids like.  I have tried them many different ways and this is the one the kids enjoy the most.

Kale Chips
Did you know kale is the most nutrient dense vegetable you can eat?  Why not try to eat lots of it!?  I assure you, eating kale chips does not feel like eating veggies.

1-2 bunches of kale, rinsed, dried and roughly chopped (I use the pre-washed, torn kale from TJ's.  It's by the lettuce bags and so easy)
1-2 Tbsp oil
Salt to taste
*you can add different seasoning to change it up

• Preheat oven to 400
• Toss kale and oil in a bowl
• Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil
• Put kale on baking sheet
• Bake for 15-25 minutes, tossing once halfway through (I like my kale chips really crispy so I cook them longer, which means they brown up a bit.  You might prefer yours just wilted or lightly crispy on the edges.  Play around with it until you find what works for you.)
• When done to your liking, remove from oven and sprinkle with salt to taste.  

I leave them on the cookie sheet and the whole family snacks on them all day.  It's nothing to eat an entire batch in one day.  These are the perfect snack solution when you're looking for something salty and crunchy.  Enjoy!!

Grain - Free Granola

This granola is delicious!  It tastes like you're eating real granola only better.  We like to have it with coconut milk and some extra cinnamon sprinkled on top.  This recipe is from my new favorite cookbook, The Paleo Recipe Book (which you can buy here http://paleorecipebook.com/?hop=yilmaz1453).  I've made a few adjustments to the recipe and we love it.  This recipe might seem overwhelming because of all the wait time, but actual prep is minimal.  Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.  The biggest challenge is not eating it all in one day!  Enjoy!

Ingredients
6 Cups assorted nuts and seeds of your choice (I use pecans, macadamias, cashews, almonds, walnuts, pepitas)
1 Tbsp of salt
1 Cup pitted dates
1 Cup shredded (unsweetened) coconut
1 Cup raisins
1 Tbsp cinnamon (more or less to taste)

• Place nuts in a bowl and cover with warm water.  Add salt.
• Let nuts soak overnight*
• Drain nuts and spread onto a cookie sheet
• Bake in 110 degree oven for 10-12 hours (if your oven doesn't go that low, set it to the lowest temperature and keep the door cracked.  Or you can use a dehydrator if you have one.)
• After the nuts have dehydrated, take them out of the oven and allow to cool.
• Place dates in food processor and process until finely chopped.  
• Add the coconut and pulse a few times until it's the desired size
• Empty dates and coconut into bowl
• Place nuts in food processor and pulse until desired size and texture is achieved 
• Combine nuts with dates, coconut, raisins and cinnamon
• Store in an airtight container (I'm not sure how long it will keep for because it has never lasted more than 3 days in our house.  I actually made a double batch this time so it will last a little longer)

*I prefer to soak the nuts all day and cook them all night.  That way, you can throw it all together in the morning and have a great breakfast.

I Love Quiche

What do you do when you are pretty much out of food and don't have enough leftovers for a decent meal . . . make a quiche.  Quiche is so amazing because it can be served for any meal without question.  I didn't plan my meals yesterday and was out of a lot of staples, so I dug out all the veggies that were going bad in the fridge and the little bit of paleo spaghetti we had left and made a quiche.  This one took a little bit of time because of the sweet potato crust but it was well worth the wait!

Ingredients
1 sweet potato, grated
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 bunch kale, swiss chard or spinach, roughly chopped
1 cup paleo spaghetti, or any leftover meat you want to add
6 eggs
Salt, Pepper, Cayenne

• Preheat oven to 375
• Grate the sweet potato with a grater or with the grater attachment in your food processor
• Toss potato in a large bowl with the melted coconut oil and press into a pie plate to make a crust
• Bake the crust for 25-30 minutes or until it begins to crisp
• While the crust is baking, heat olive oil in skillet and saute onion until it begins to caramelize, about 10 min
• Add the tomatoes and mushrooms and cook until they begin to soften
• Add the kale (or whatever you're using) and cook until it wilts
• Add your leftover spaghetti and mix all together
• When your crust is ready, get it out of the oven and scoop the *veggie mixture onto the crust
• In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and add the salt, pepper and a few dashes of cayenne
• Pour egg over all the veggies and make sure it's evenly distributed
• Bake for 25 minutes or until egg is done and the quiche no longer 'jiggles'
• Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before serving
• Enjoy!

*I didn't use all the veggie mixture that I made, I saved some for a mid-afternoon snack.

Paleo Spaghetti

This dish is thanks to Rachel and Jr.  They brought me a sample of their dinner and it was delicious.  I made it the very next night with just a few modifications.  My family loved it!  I found a way to sneak lots of veggies in without anyone noticing.  If someone is afraid of vegetables, don't let them see you make this because it will freak them out.  But, I promise they won't be able to tell what's in there . . . the secret's in the sauce.  =) It makes a lot so we were able to eat it for several meals which is always a plus, especially since this dish is better the next day.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 jar tomato sauce  (Be sure to check ingredients to look for hidden sugars and soy.  I use Bobby D's Ma's Angry Sauce from Whole Foods, it's yum and 100% paleo)
1 pkg cauliflower
1 pkg broccoli
3 carrots
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp Dried Basil (more or less to your taste)
2 Tbsp Dried Oregano (more or less to your taste)
6-8 zucchini squash

• Brown the ground beef in skillet.  Add onion and cook until onion is translucent.  Transfer to crock pot.

• Add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes to crock pot.  Stir in spices.

• In a food processor, process the cauliflower, broccoli and carrots until they are ground into a fine meal.  Add to crock pot and stir well.

• Slice the zucchini with a *mandolin or repeatedly with vegetable peeler until you have 'noodles' or 'zoodles' as we call them.

• Add the 'zoodles' 2 hours before you're ready to eat and stir well

• Cook on low 5-6 hours (longer won't hurt, you'll just need to add a little more liquid)

*If you don't have a mandolin, you should get one.  They're very inexpensive and allow for so much variety with vegetable prep, it's well worth the $15 - http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=mandolin&x=0&y=0#/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=mandolin+slicer&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Amandolin+slicer