I can't tell you how many times I've wished I could just put a frozen pizza in the oven! Let's face it, there are just days when that would be NICE! Eating "Paleo" style usually means so much prep work and planning ahead, it can be difficult to know what to do when those kinds of days happen. So I've come up with 5 basic meal ideas that are almost as easy as frozen pizza, but much healthier! Our pace of life lately has been a little hectic, so I've been basing my weekly menu off of these ideas a lot. I'm going to have to come up with more easy recipes soon so my family doesn't get sick of these! :)
1. Baked chicken. I usually freeze my meats and chicken, so the biggest pre-planning I have to do is to remember to take the chicken out of the freezer the night before. I usually use chicken thighs or legs. Once thawed, place them on an ungreased baking dish, sprinkle all over with your favorite seasonings. (You can vary between a seasoned salt, or lemon pepper, or really any spice combination that sounds good to you.) Bake at 375 F for 45 minutes to an hour. Serve with a salad or bake some sweet potatoes alongside the chicken.
2. Baked fish. Same idea as the chicken. Once thawed, sprinkle generously with spices. Do grease the baking dish and if you love lemon like I do, squeeze a couple lemons worth of juice over it before and after baking. With fish though, whether it's tilapia or flounder or even salmon, the baking time will be much less, about 10 minutes depending on the amount and thickness. Most store-bought packages include baking directions, so follow those. Serve with steamed veggies (which also just take a few minutes).
3. Burger spread. Burgers without buns or cheese sound boring, until you spread your table full of delicious topping options! Try any of these: tomatoes, onions, pickles, bacon, avocado, cucumber, hummus, olives, peppers, goat cheese and/or large leaf lettuce to wrap them in. I'm sure you can come up with more great toppings too!
4. Slow-cooker meal. Nothing like throwing something in that crock-pot that will smell delicious all day and be ready to eat for dinner! My mom taught me to put a whole chicken in there and pour about 1/4 cup of cooking wine over it. In just a few hours, it will be the most tender chicken you've ever had. Great to use for shredded chicken tacos (with lettuce for wraps again) or to add to a salad. There are also really easy recipes that won't require the somewhat tedious job of taking the chicken off the bones. A couple favorites of ours are Crockpot Chicken Tomatillo and Crockpot BBQ Chicken.
5. Breakfast for Dinner. In our house, I'm kind of an "Awesome Wife" if I make breakfast for dinner. :) It's my husband's favorite meal of the day, so it's a winner any time of the day. And the kids just think it's fun...pancakes for dinner? Maybe we're just weird, but it's become one of my favorite last minute quick dinner ideas ever since I've found so many great recipes for pancakes, dutch babies, breakfast cookies, etc (see other posts on this blog).
So that's a normal week of dinners at our house these days. I'll usually throw in a new recipe about once a week and I always try to make enough so that there's leftovers for my husband to take to work and for me and the kids to have for lunch the next day...therefore lunch is usually taken care of at the same time!
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Summer Yumminess: Strawberry Shortcake with Strawberry Coconut Whipped Frosting
I promise we don't just eat sweet things at our house! :) I have a list of awesome dinners waiting to be blogged about, but last night, this was on our table and I have to share about it:
I found this Basic Shortcake Recipe through Pinterest and loved how simple and versatile it sounded! You can make this cake with any kind of berry, even mixed into the batter. There's an apple version with apple slices baked on the top of the cake which sounds perfect for the cold months! And as always, it's completely dairy, grain and sugar-free.
Then I found this Strawberry Whipped Frosting Recipe that also sounded super easy, and not being a huge fan of plain whipped cream, I decided to use this for my shortcake instead. Mine didn't firm up as much as the photos on that site look, but perhaps I didn't beat it long enough. I had a hungry bunch waiting for me to finish making the cake but even in it's runny consistency, it tasted amazing! (Note: they add beet juice for color, but even without it, mine still had a pinkish tint to it.)
It was a great success! And the best thing about Paleo desserts is that with all those good, healthy ingredients, the kids (and the mom) ate the leftovers for lunch the next day! :) Shhh!
Then I found this Strawberry Whipped Frosting Recipe that also sounded super easy, and not being a huge fan of plain whipped cream, I decided to use this for my shortcake instead. Mine didn't firm up as much as the photos on that site look, but perhaps I didn't beat it long enough. I had a hungry bunch waiting for me to finish making the cake but even in it's runny consistency, it tasted amazing! (Note: they add beet juice for color, but even without it, mine still had a pinkish tint to it.)
It was a great success! And the best thing about Paleo desserts is that with all those good, healthy ingredients, the kids (and the mom) ate the leftovers for lunch the next day! :) Shhh!
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| So easy, even my 3-year-old helped! |
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Dutch Babies!
My babies are not Dutch at all, but they love these "fluffy pancakes"! I'm not really sure where the name came from and I think people call these different things, but basically, this is a fluffy type of pancake that is baked in the oven. This paleo version is SO quick and easy, I've made it probably close to ten times in the past month! Even on some Sunday mornings before church...that means it's easy, people!
Here's the link to my new favorite breakfast: Grain-Free Dutch Babies
Sorry, I don't have a picture, but click on the link for a great photo by one of my favorite recipe sources, The Unrefined Kitchen.
Yum, enjoy!
Here's the link to my new favorite breakfast: Grain-Free Dutch Babies
Sorry, I don't have a picture, but click on the link for a great photo by one of my favorite recipe sources, The Unrefined Kitchen.
Yum, enjoy!
Friday, June 21, 2013
Going crazy over Breakfast Cookies!
This is the second day in a row that I have made these cookies. Before 9 a.m. They are that good and that easy to make! Which is why I have to post the link to this wonderful recipe: Breakfast Cookies
They are full of healthy almonds, nuts, dried fruit, coconut oil and honey! I used almond meal and added a few (or maybe a little more than a few) dark chocolate chips. :) I made them yesterday for a mom's group and both moms and kids loved them! Also, most Paleo-friendly recipes I've found yield ridiculously small amounts but this one actually yields about 2 dozen!
They are full of healthy almonds, nuts, dried fruit, coconut oil and honey! I used almond meal and added a few (or maybe a little more than a few) dark chocolate chips. :) I made them yesterday for a mom's group and both moms and kids loved them! Also, most Paleo-friendly recipes I've found yield ridiculously small amounts but this one actually yields about 2 dozen!
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| Enjoy! |
Friday, February 22, 2013
Birthday Cupakes: A Chocolate Success!
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| Getting every last crumb! |
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes
With our decision to change to a clean-eating/Paleo-style diet, it's always a treat to find recipes to replace some of the things we used to love, like pancakes! In fact, I think I love them more now than I used to.
There are many Paleo recipes for pancakes out there, but this one has become our favorite. Even our one and two-year-olds will eat 2-4 pancakes each! Just the kids and I alone can finish up an entire batch of them, so I usually double or triple the recipe, depending on how many adults are eating. It is a very simple recipe with basic ingredients (which for our diet, coconut and almond flours have become "basic"). I've always used almond meal instead of almond flour in this recipe, because it's so much cheaper and I can find it at my local Trader Joe's, whereas I would have to order almond flour online to get a good price. But if you have almond flour already, I'm sure they would be even better!
You can find these delicious Paleo Banana Pancakes by clicking: here. Many of our favorite recipes have come from Danielle at Against All Grain. Thanks Danielle!
There are many Paleo recipes for pancakes out there, but this one has become our favorite. Even our one and two-year-olds will eat 2-4 pancakes each! Just the kids and I alone can finish up an entire batch of them, so I usually double or triple the recipe, depending on how many adults are eating. It is a very simple recipe with basic ingredients (which for our diet, coconut and almond flours have become "basic"). I've always used almond meal instead of almond flour in this recipe, because it's so much cheaper and I can find it at my local Trader Joe's, whereas I would have to order almond flour online to get a good price. But if you have almond flour already, I'm sure they would be even better!
You can find these delicious Paleo Banana Pancakes by clicking: here. Many of our favorite recipes have come from Danielle at Against All Grain. Thanks Danielle!
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| Do not be fooled by the dainty fingers... |
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| ...this is the messy result as she asks for more. (And usually it's much worse than this!) |
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Pre-Paleo-Ing: Part 2
Time flies so fast during and between holidays! This post is way over-due, but I'll try to make it happen while one of my kids is in the high-chair eating strawberries and the other playing with trains. (Ha! By the end of this post, both have been bathed, had snacks and are now napping!)
In Part 1 of this little series of why we changed our diet, I told you a little of my logical reasonings behind our choices. I'm not all that scientific or medically savvy like my husband and many other people, but there are plenty logical and obvious reasons I found to give this diet a try.
That simple choice, though, was followed by a not-so-simple change of mind! When you've been working hard for years to learn to make whole wheat bread from scratch and always shop whole grains, brown rice, raw sugar and all the other "better" options for your family, it is very hard to switch to NO grains, plus everything else! I soon realized that my Top 30 Meals list I had been working on for the past year or more wasn't going to work! I had to basically start from scratch, again, and re-learn everything. For a few weeks I felt like I had no clue what to do in the kitchen, and I felt like I might die because there were no comforting brownies or quesadillas to reward myself with at the end of a long day! (I little bad habit I had.) I also felt like I was always starving! "How can this be good for you if I never feel full?" I would ask.
Well, after having done this diet change for just a few months now, here's what we have learned. There so much, but I'll make each section as short as possible because I hope to dedicate a post (at least) to most of these thing later on.
We feel better!
The combination of summer and moving caused us to go through a not-so-great eating habits season. We were eating a lot more "quick" food and desserts. We started noticing how un-satisfied and rather yucky we felt after eating. For a while I constantly felt sick to my stomach and I was always tired. Always. I blamed it on our two kids who had not learned to sleep through the night, so I was up 4 or 5 times every night. My husband, who works nights, was obviously tired a lot, but even on his days off, he often was dragging and would easily get sick.
After cutting out grains, legumes, sugars and most dairy, we started feeling better very soon. We felt more energy, more satisfied and practically eliminated those "after eating" feelings. The kids still wake up at night occasionally, yet I usually feel much more ready for the day when I wake up. I remember I used to wake-up in the mornings feeling like a truck had hit me the night before, achy and exhausted. And then I would drag along all day hoping for a nap or bedtime. Now I feel like my sleep has been more restful and I have much more energy throughout the day. My husband also seems a lot more energetic on his days off, accomplishing more things he wants to do. Several weeks ago, we were served lunch at a meeting we attended. It was all pasta. We didn't feel good the rest of the afternoon! That's when we first noticed what a difference it has made.
Let me take a second to address what I mentioned earlier, the constant hungry feeling that seems to come with this diet change. The first couple of week you will feel hungry ALL the time! Why? Because if you're if you're replacing all your usual snacks with fruits, veggies and nuts and suddenly there are no grains or dairy in your meals, of course you'll feel hungry. It takes a couple weeks for your body to adjust to this new way of eating. That is why they recommend eating and snacking very often, basically whenever you feel hungry! Because eventually, the goal is for you to teach your body to eat until you're satisfied and then stop. You know that feeling of "I want more and more" when you're eating something gooey delicious like pizza or cinnamon rolls? And then, after you eat more, you wish you hadn't? That's the unsatisfied feeling I'm talking about. Your body needs to learn to eat only what it needs, and before long you'll feel satisfied and healthy.
Dessert still exists...
...and it doesn't have to be fruit drizzled with honey! There are literally tons of recipes out there, they just use different sweeteners and types flours. A whole new world opened up to me when I discovered that something I always knew I shouldn't love as much as I did, could be loved again! :) We all have our pre-conceived ideas of what healthy desserts taste like, and in some cases it can be true, like the ginger snap cookies I made that tasted and looked like dog biscuits! But there are also many awesome delicious recipes and I'm very excited to continue experimenting and finding Paleo-friendly desserts that I can make for unsuspecting non-Paleo guests...and they won't even know! ;)
Find New Favorites
For a while, I was trying to find replacements for some of our all-time favorites. Soon I discovered, especially with breads, that it is better to find new favorites. Banana bread or blueberry muffins with all these new ingredients just aren't going to be the same as before. I think there are some recipes that get pretty close, but in general I've found that there are also a lot of new things to try that are so good, they have become new favorites.
Planning is Essential
If you are not used to cooking much at all, this might be a pretty big transition. Restaurants and grocery stores usually don't have Paleo-friendly ready-made options. The whole premise of this type of eating is going back to the basics, which means, cooking. I love cooking and I'm used to it, but I've also relied a lot on last minute things like pasta, quesadillas or sandwiches at times. I've quickly learned that with Paleo, last minute doesn't work. It takes a lot of planning ahead, which I love. I'm a planner at heart. But it's definitely hard if, like most people, you don't have a lot of time. I'm quickly learning and gathering many tools to help this whole process be more efficient and quick! I can't wait to share them soon.
Budget
Another big question, can we afford this? Eating Paleo-ish means a lot more produce and meats...the expensive things. And if you want to get into baking and desserts, whew! Alternative flours and sweeteners are expensive! I'm not going to lie.
We already were used to sticking to a strict budget. We love Dave Ramsey's teachings and use the enevelope system and all that. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, google Dave Ramsey please! You'll be glad you did.) So changing our diet has just been a continuation of careful budgeting and planning. We also just moved to a more expensive state, so altogether, we have increased our grocery budget a little. Honestly though, it hasn't been as much as we thought because we used to spend so much on milk, cheese, yogurt, cream cheese, ice-cream, bread, chips, tortillas...so many things that we don't buy anymore. So it evens out a little bit. I've also chosen to be pretty careful in baking. There are tons of types of flours out there and I get the feeling that if you're really going to try to imitate a donut or pastry exactly, you can use all these flours and probably accomplish that. But I've decided, for simplicity and budget's sake, to stick to the two most common flours I've seen mentioned: almond and coconut, and to experiment until I find my 5-10 favorite desserts or breads and just stick to those.
Eggs, snacks, kids & other things...
So much more to share! Like realizing that I need to buy about three dozen eggs every time I go to the store now! (What else is for breakfast on a grain-free diet most days?) Or what to snack on all day long? Or what about the kids? Or trying to learn to make meals that will still taste good in my husband's lunch later, since PB&J (his old choice, not mine!) isn't an option anymore. Or what about when we go to friend's homes?
Some of the quick answers are: eggs aren't bad like you've heard before, the kids are doing great and we snack on apple slices, veggies sticks, summer sausage and other delicious things. We've decided that since this diet change is an option that we have chosen for our health, not for any allergy or intolerance, we don't need to offend anyone or become "legalistic" about it. We enjoyed Thanksgiving with the family and we are very much looking forward to vacation and awesome mexican food with my family in a couple months. Also, we give ourselves reward treats every now and then. We don't go pig out on greasy fast food, but ocassionally we'll get ice-cream or chips and salsa or something that we miss. Some of the experts on this diet talk about that or about adjusting your eating habits to 85% Paleo and "normal" for the rest. With family and friend gatherings or the occasional restaurant visit, that usually takes care of "the rest".
Meals at our house these days are a constant experiment. My husband is very gracious and helps me rate dinner every night, should it make it on our new top 30 list or not? I have to admit that a lot of recipes lately have been "not", but many have been so good that he asks me to make them over and over. It hasn't been easy to change, but we choose to give it a try and explore what options and possibilities there are. So far we're loving it! (And so much for a short post...sorry!)
In Part 1 of this little series of why we changed our diet, I told you a little of my logical reasonings behind our choices. I'm not all that scientific or medically savvy like my husband and many other people, but there are plenty logical and obvious reasons I found to give this diet a try.
That simple choice, though, was followed by a not-so-simple change of mind! When you've been working hard for years to learn to make whole wheat bread from scratch and always shop whole grains, brown rice, raw sugar and all the other "better" options for your family, it is very hard to switch to NO grains, plus everything else! I soon realized that my Top 30 Meals list I had been working on for the past year or more wasn't going to work! I had to basically start from scratch, again, and re-learn everything. For a few weeks I felt like I had no clue what to do in the kitchen, and I felt like I might die because there were no comforting brownies or quesadillas to reward myself with at the end of a long day! (I little bad habit I had.) I also felt like I was always starving! "How can this be good for you if I never feel full?" I would ask.
Well, after having done this diet change for just a few months now, here's what we have learned. There so much, but I'll make each section as short as possible because I hope to dedicate a post (at least) to most of these thing later on.
We feel better!
The combination of summer and moving caused us to go through a not-so-great eating habits season. We were eating a lot more "quick" food and desserts. We started noticing how un-satisfied and rather yucky we felt after eating. For a while I constantly felt sick to my stomach and I was always tired. Always. I blamed it on our two kids who had not learned to sleep through the night, so I was up 4 or 5 times every night. My husband, who works nights, was obviously tired a lot, but even on his days off, he often was dragging and would easily get sick.
After cutting out grains, legumes, sugars and most dairy, we started feeling better very soon. We felt more energy, more satisfied and practically eliminated those "after eating" feelings. The kids still wake up at night occasionally, yet I usually feel much more ready for the day when I wake up. I remember I used to wake-up in the mornings feeling like a truck had hit me the night before, achy and exhausted. And then I would drag along all day hoping for a nap or bedtime. Now I feel like my sleep has been more restful and I have much more energy throughout the day. My husband also seems a lot more energetic on his days off, accomplishing more things he wants to do. Several weeks ago, we were served lunch at a meeting we attended. It was all pasta. We didn't feel good the rest of the afternoon! That's when we first noticed what a difference it has made.
Let me take a second to address what I mentioned earlier, the constant hungry feeling that seems to come with this diet change. The first couple of week you will feel hungry ALL the time! Why? Because if you're if you're replacing all your usual snacks with fruits, veggies and nuts and suddenly there are no grains or dairy in your meals, of course you'll feel hungry. It takes a couple weeks for your body to adjust to this new way of eating. That is why they recommend eating and snacking very often, basically whenever you feel hungry! Because eventually, the goal is for you to teach your body to eat until you're satisfied and then stop. You know that feeling of "I want more and more" when you're eating something gooey delicious like pizza or cinnamon rolls? And then, after you eat more, you wish you hadn't? That's the unsatisfied feeling I'm talking about. Your body needs to learn to eat only what it needs, and before long you'll feel satisfied and healthy.
Dessert still exists...
...and it doesn't have to be fruit drizzled with honey! There are literally tons of recipes out there, they just use different sweeteners and types flours. A whole new world opened up to me when I discovered that something I always knew I shouldn't love as much as I did, could be loved again! :) We all have our pre-conceived ideas of what healthy desserts taste like, and in some cases it can be true, like the ginger snap cookies I made that tasted and looked like dog biscuits! But there are also many awesome delicious recipes and I'm very excited to continue experimenting and finding Paleo-friendly desserts that I can make for unsuspecting non-Paleo guests...and they won't even know! ;)
Find New Favorites
For a while, I was trying to find replacements for some of our all-time favorites. Soon I discovered, especially with breads, that it is better to find new favorites. Banana bread or blueberry muffins with all these new ingredients just aren't going to be the same as before. I think there are some recipes that get pretty close, but in general I've found that there are also a lot of new things to try that are so good, they have become new favorites.
Planning is Essential
If you are not used to cooking much at all, this might be a pretty big transition. Restaurants and grocery stores usually don't have Paleo-friendly ready-made options. The whole premise of this type of eating is going back to the basics, which means, cooking. I love cooking and I'm used to it, but I've also relied a lot on last minute things like pasta, quesadillas or sandwiches at times. I've quickly learned that with Paleo, last minute doesn't work. It takes a lot of planning ahead, which I love. I'm a planner at heart. But it's definitely hard if, like most people, you don't have a lot of time. I'm quickly learning and gathering many tools to help this whole process be more efficient and quick! I can't wait to share them soon.
Budget
Another big question, can we afford this? Eating Paleo-ish means a lot more produce and meats...the expensive things. And if you want to get into baking and desserts, whew! Alternative flours and sweeteners are expensive! I'm not going to lie.
We already were used to sticking to a strict budget. We love Dave Ramsey's teachings and use the enevelope system and all that. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, google Dave Ramsey please! You'll be glad you did.) So changing our diet has just been a continuation of careful budgeting and planning. We also just moved to a more expensive state, so altogether, we have increased our grocery budget a little. Honestly though, it hasn't been as much as we thought because we used to spend so much on milk, cheese, yogurt, cream cheese, ice-cream, bread, chips, tortillas...so many things that we don't buy anymore. So it evens out a little bit. I've also chosen to be pretty careful in baking. There are tons of types of flours out there and I get the feeling that if you're really going to try to imitate a donut or pastry exactly, you can use all these flours and probably accomplish that. But I've decided, for simplicity and budget's sake, to stick to the two most common flours I've seen mentioned: almond and coconut, and to experiment until I find my 5-10 favorite desserts or breads and just stick to those.
Eggs, snacks, kids & other things...
So much more to share! Like realizing that I need to buy about three dozen eggs every time I go to the store now! (What else is for breakfast on a grain-free diet most days?) Or what to snack on all day long? Or what about the kids? Or trying to learn to make meals that will still taste good in my husband's lunch later, since PB&J (his old choice, not mine!) isn't an option anymore. Or what about when we go to friend's homes?
Some of the quick answers are: eggs aren't bad like you've heard before, the kids are doing great and we snack on apple slices, veggies sticks, summer sausage and other delicious things. We've decided that since this diet change is an option that we have chosen for our health, not for any allergy or intolerance, we don't need to offend anyone or become "legalistic" about it. We enjoyed Thanksgiving with the family and we are very much looking forward to vacation and awesome mexican food with my family in a couple months. Also, we give ourselves reward treats every now and then. We don't go pig out on greasy fast food, but ocassionally we'll get ice-cream or chips and salsa or something that we miss. Some of the experts on this diet talk about that or about adjusting your eating habits to 85% Paleo and "normal" for the rest. With family and friend gatherings or the occasional restaurant visit, that usually takes care of "the rest".
Meals at our house these days are a constant experiment. My husband is very gracious and helps me rate dinner every night, should it make it on our new top 30 list or not? I have to admit that a lot of recipes lately have been "not", but many have been so good that he asks me to make them over and over. It hasn't been easy to change, but we choose to give it a try and explore what options and possibilities there are. So far we're loving it! (And so much for a short post...sorry!)
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