Mini Meatloaves

 

Another paleo friendly one I tried tonight off of www.paleospirit.com.  We don't care for mushrooms so I omitted those & increased the carrots.  I also halved the recipe (plenty for us), and left out the thyme & nutmeg bc I was out - they were still yum.  I used fresh spinach that I just threw in with the onions & steamed for a couple minutes bc I had plenty of fresh on hand.  I served with ketchup bc I thought my kids would like that better, she suggests sugar free marinara.  Sides were the "best ever broccoli" posted earlier & a salad.

• 2 pounds ground meat – mixture of grass fed beef and/or pork and/or veal
• 10 ounces frozen, chopped spinach
• 1-2 teaspoons oil
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 6 ounces mushrooms, finely diced
• 2 carrots, grated or finely diced
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Thaw the spinach, squeeze out the excess water and set aside.
3. Heat a pan on medium heat, add the oil and fry the onions and mushrooms until the onions are translucent and some of the liquid has cooked out of the mushrooms. Set aside to cool.
4. Place the ground meat in a large bowl, add the spinach, carrots, mushroom/onion mixture, beaten eggs, coconut flour and all the spices. Use your hands to combine it well but do not overmix.
5. Fill 18 regular size muffin tins to the top with the meatloaf mixture. (Greasing the tins may be a good idea if the meat you’re using is fairly lean)
6. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.
7. Allow to cool and use a knife to loosen meatloaves from sides of the pan before removing.

Best Ever Broccoli

Bonki encouraged me to post any paleo friendly recipies that I came across so I am going to try to be better about doing that!  It does have a tiny bit of sugar but not enough to make it nonpaleo in my book.  I made this tonight as a side & it really is the best broccoli I've ever had.  I copied & pasted below from  www.benandbirdy.blogspot.com. 

 

1 large head broccoli

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or half as much table salt)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Lemon wedges, for serving (I keep forgetting this, but I’m sure it would be good)

Peel the broccoli with a sharp paring knife as best as you’re able. The thick peel will keep the broccoli from going fully tender, so you really do want to remove it.

Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position, place a large rimmed baking sheet on the rack, and heat the oven to 500 degrees. Cut the stem off of the broccoli, and cut it into long, ½-inch thick pieces. Cut the rest of the broccoli into long, fairly narrow florets, then put it in a bowl, drizzle it with the oil and toss well until evenly coated. Sprinkle with the salt and sugar, and toss to combine. (The sugar helps it brown, so please don’t omit it.)

Working quickly, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Carefully transfer the broccoli to the baking sheet and spread it in an even layer, placing it flat sides down wherever possible.

Return the baking sheet to the oven and roast until the stalks are well browned and tender and the florets are lightly browned, 9 to 11 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately with lemon wedges (if you remember).

 

 

Baked Buffalo Wings

Got this off that same clean and delicious website. There is a video on that site that shows step by step instructions for most of her recipes; I watched her make these (her videos are also on you tube). The visual aid is helpful. Anyway, these were easy, yummy & paleo friendly! I served them with a salad & we had them for supper but they could also be an appetizer.

Ingredients:
3 lbs chicken wings split (about 16 wings)
1 TBS garlic powder
1 TBS paprika
1 TBS chili pwd
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 C wing sauce

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Lined a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil (for easy clean up) and place a wire rack over the top.
3. Rings wings under cold water & pat dry with paper towels. Use a sharp knife to separate the wing from the drumette right at the joint.
4. Place wings in a large bowl & toss in seasonings (using only 1/2 the wing sauce) making sure all are evenly coated.
5. Place wings on top of wire racking & bake for 20min. Flip wings over & bake for another 15-20min until cooked through.
6. Toss wings in the other 1/2 of wing sauce & serve with carrots, celery & blue cheese dressing for dipping.

Clean Eating Tilapia Oreganata

I've been finding good recipes from this website.
This was an easy, yummy fish recipe. With the exception of the 2TBS of bread crumbs this is paleo friendly.  Will definitely make this again!

Ingredients:
1lb tilapia (or any white fish)
2 cloves crushed garlic
zest of one lemon
1 TBS chopped oregano
1 TBS olive oil
2 TBS bread crumbs
S&P to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil.
2. Place tilapia on baking sheet & season with S&P (I also used garlic salt, etc)
3.In a small bowl combine garlic, lemon zest (not the juice), oregano, & olive oil. Using a pastry brush rub the herbed oil on top of each filet. Finish by sprinkling breadcrumbs evenly over top of fillets.
4. Pop in the oven and bake for 8-10minutes or until the fish is opaque and cooked through.
5. Serve with fresh lemon wedges & your favorite veggie. Enjoy!

Paleo Banana Bread

Sorry for all the "Paleo" posts, but I've been on a mission to find things that fit within this eating philosophy...Some friends and I are challenging one another to eat this way for the month of April (a birthday party & easter have already blown it for me, but I am still trying!! Hence, the Paleo posts :)).  This recipe calls for coconut flour which I did not have on hand. I substituted instead using my Pamela's Baking Mix which is a gluten free pre-made baking mix using a variety of wheat free flours (& fairly easy to find in a health food store). If you try this using Pamela's mix, you would omit the baking soda & powder b/c that's already in the pre-made mix, fyi.

Ingredients:
3-4 ripe bananas
4 eggs
1/2 C almond butter
4 TBS coconut oil
1/2 C coconut flour (here's where I used Pamela's Baking Mix)
1 TBS cinnamon (I thought that sounded like a lot, so I used a little less than a full TBS, but it didn't seem overpowering at all, so I might use the full TBS next time)
1 tsp baking soda (don't use if using Pamela's)
1 tsp baking powder (don't use if using Pamela's)
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of sea salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Combine bananas, eggs,  coconut oil, & almond butter in mixer & blend together
3. Add in dry ingredients and mix well
4. Grease a loaf pan (if you are using a metal pan it may bake in 35-40min so start cking at 35, to make sure middle stays moist)
5. Pour in batter & spread evenly throughout
6. Bake in oven for 55-60min or until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean
7. Remove & cool. Slice and serve.

One other side note! This recipe contains no "sweeteners"...therefore you might want to drizzle a little honey or agave on the slice upon eating it...it is still a really good flavor bread & very moist, even without the added sugar. I will definitely make this again!!

P.S. This came from the Civilized Caveman's recipe site

Paleo Tacos

These are a no brainer, but I'm posting them so I won't forget this easy, Paleo friendly recipe! Plus the picture from "The Paleo Mom" website helps me remember all the ingredients I will need.
Note to self: Double the amount of taco meat you would normally make for traditional tacos! Using the lettuce leaves is not as filling as a corn shell and using this as your "meal" with no beans or rice on the side, will make you consume more of the taco meat! :)

Ingredients:

2lbs ground beef (or turkey if you prefer)
taco seasoning
romaine lettuce leaves
avocados for guacamole
black olives
chopped tomatoes
salsa

Directions:

1. Cook up your taco meat how you normally would--remembering to make a little extra!
2. Wash & tear up your lettuce leaves into "shells" (they're kind of like a boat for the fillings)
3. Make guacamole
4. Set out your toppings:  black olives, tomato, onion, salsa, etc.
5. Place all ingredients inside the lettuce wrap (aka, taco shell).

Very Paleo friendly, unless you sprinkle the tiniest bit of shredded cheese on top! But who would ever do that!?! :}

Skinny Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo

I made this tonight using spaghetti squash as the pasta (follow this link to see exactly how to make spaghetti squash). This recipe uses greek yogurt to make the creamy sauce. This is now on my make frequently list!!

Ingredients:

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked (you can grill these or bake them in the oven, that's how I cooked mine-seasoning with sea salt, garlic & drizzled in a little olive oil)
2 C broccoli florets (you can roast these in advance, I chose to steam mine, then sautéed them in a little butter seasoning with s&p, garlic, etc)
Spaghetti Squash (or any pasta you prefer)
Olive oil
Minced garlic
2 TBS flour
1 C chicken broth
1/4 C milk
1/4 C plain Greek yogurt
3/4 C parmesan cheese
s&p

Directions:

1. Make sure that you've cooked your chicken & broccoli to your liking before tossing this all together
2. Cook up your pasta and set it aside (I highly recommend the spaghetti squash!! Tonight was the first time I've tried making it, and I will definitely be making it again, soo easy & super healthy)
3. In a skillet add a little olive oil & garlic sauteeing over medium heat--then whisk in the flour, and then gradually the chicken broth. Add in the greek yogurt, milk, a little s&p.
4. Bring to a low boil, stirring constantly. Lower heat and simmer, stirring gently until the mixture thickens. Stir in the 3/4C parmesan cheese.
5. Toss your chicken & broccoli into the sauce mixture and serve it over your pasta. Top with more parmesan if desired.
Delish!!

P.S.  I am creating a Paleo label...I'm trying to find more recipes that fit this bill! I would classify this Paleo for sure if you make it with spaghetti squash...the only "cheat" would be the small amount of dairy product used! :}