BROCCOLI SALAD

You don’t have to smother your broccoli in nasty Velveeta cheese to get your kids to eat it. Just add the magical ingredient that makes EVERYTHING better…BACON.

This salad is a staple at our house in the summertime and would be great to take to your next barbecue. 

NOTE: Make this a day ahead because it is better the next day!

Preheat oven to 375. Cook bacon on a baking sheet until brown, approximately 20-25 minutes. 

While the bacon is cooking, chop up broccoli and place in a large bowl along with the vinegar, almonds, raisins and salt and pepper. 

When the bacon is done, put on a plate to cool and add bacon fat directly to the bowl. 

Chop the bacon, add to salad, and toss to coat.

I pound of Broccoli, washed and trimmed into bite sized pieces
3/4 C. Slivered or chopped almonds
1/2 C. Raisins. I actually soak mine in the red wine vinegar for about 5 minutes to get them nice and plump.
6 slices of nitrate free bacon
1/2 C. rendered bacon fat or olive oil. But trust me, use the bacon drippings.
1/4 C. Red Wine Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

CROCKPOT SW SHREDDED CHICKEN

This is a super simple way to make chicken for tacos, enchiladas, or salad. I used it for tacos, and found some decent corn tortillas at Natural Grocers that were non-GMO and had minimal, organic ingredients.  The crockpot is your friend….use it!

Place all ingredients in crockpot and cook on high for 3 hours. Take out the chicken, shred it with a fork and put back into the crockpot. Cook on low for one more hour, adjust seasonings as needed, and serve.

2-3 Pounds Boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 Cans Rotelle Tomatoes with green chilies
I Large Onion, roughly chopped
5-6 Garlic Cloves, peeled and smashed
1-2 Jalapeños, seeded and chopped
1/2 C. Chicken Stock
2 Tbsp. Chili Powder
1 Tbsp. Cumin
Salt and Pepper

SKIRT STEAK w/ Chimichurri Sauce

Don’t freak out by the name of this sauce. It is super simple to make, and adds such a punch of flavor. 

Serves 4

Marinade for Skirt Steak:

  1. 2 Tbsp avocado or olive oil
  2. 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  3. 1 clove garlic, chopped
  4. 2 tsp fresh cilantro OR oregano, chopped
  5. sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Place 2-4 pound skirt steak in shallow container. Combine ingredients and pour over steak. Marinade meat for at least 1 hour.

Chimichurri Sauce

Finely chop the parsley, fresh oregano, and garlic (or process in a food processor several pulses). Place in a small bowl. Stir in the olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.  Serve immediately or refrigerate. If chilled, return to room temperature before serving.

  1. 1 cup firmly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, trimmed of thick stems
  2. 3-4 garlic cloves
  3. 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro OR oregano 
  4. 1/2 cup olive oil
  5. 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  6. 1 teaspoon sea salt
  7. 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  8. Red pepper flakes to taste

To Serve

Grill steak 6 to 8 minutes total for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to a cutting board and let stand, loosely covered with foil, 5 minutes. Thinly slice steaks diagonally and top with chimichurri sauce. 

Enjoy!

CROCKPOT SWEET POTATO CHILI

Add all ingredients except the beef into your crockpot. Cook on high for 3 hours. Add the ground beef and cook on high for 2 more hours. Serve with shredded cheese on top.

 Makes 8 -1 cup servings

  • 2 medium sized sweet potatoes, diced
  • 8 stalks of celery, diced
  • 2 Cans fire roasted diced tomatoes with garlic
  • 1 small can tomato sauce with garlic
  • 2 Tablespoons chili powder
  • ½ Tablespoon garlic powder
  • ½ Tablespoon onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons pepper
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • ½ C water
  • 1 lb ground beef, cooked
  • Shredded cheese if desired

MORNING GLORY MUFFINS

Mornings can be crazy and these muffins are easy to grab and go before your early morning CrossFit class.  Ideally they should be eaten with lots of Kerrygold butter, and some eggs for protein. (Recipe Courtesy of Paleo Comfort Foods)

Line muffin tins with foil liner. Combine almond flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.  Add carrot, apple, coconut and raisins and combine as well.

In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, honey, oil and vanilla.  Pour this mixture over your dry ingredients and mix well.  The batter will be VERY thick.  Allow the batter to sit for 30-60 minutes before spooning into muffin pan.

Preheat oven to 350. Place pan on middle or upper rack and bake for 12-20 minutes depending on size of muffin.  When a toothpick inserted into the top of a muffin comes out clean, they are done.  Cool in pan for 8-10 min and then remove to finish cooling.

Makes 15-20 muffins.

  • 2 1/2 cups of Almond Flour 
  • 1 tbsp Cinnamon 
  • 2 tsp Baking Soda 
  • 1/2 tsp Salt 
  • 2 cups Carrots, grated 
  • 1 large Apple, peeled, cored, and grated 
  • 1 cup Shredded Coconut 
  • 1 cup Raisins 
  • 3 large Eggs 
  • 2 tbsp Honey (optional) 
  • 1/2 cup Coconut Oil (melted) 
  • 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract 
  • Muffin tins and foil liners

FRITTATA

frittata-300X300.jpg

Frittatas are quick and easy and can be reheated or eaten cold for a great source of protein. Use what you have on hand. I had some bacon and a jalapeño but the combinations are endless.

Dice the bacon into small pieces and fry in an oven safe 10 inch skillet until cooked. Drain the fat and add the jalapeño to pan. Cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the jalapeño begins to soften. Beat the eggs well, add the cheese and season with salt and pepper and add to pan carefully.

Cook for approx 2-3 minutes and then transfer pan to preheated oven, and continue to cook for 10-12 minutes more. Frittata will be done when eggs are no longer jiggly in the center. Once cooked, flip onto cutting board and serve.

  • Preheat oven to 350
  • 1/2 lb of Bacon
  • 1 Diced Jalapeno
  • 10 Eggs
  • 4 ounces Kerrygold Cheese
  • Salt and Pepper 
Photos by Nicole Klungness

Photos by Nicole Klungness

NASHVILLE EGGS

This recipe was inspired by a dish we had at a couple incredible restaurants in Nashville, TN called The Southern and Urban Grub. If you ever find yourself in the area, check them out. Nashville eggs are relatively easy to prepare and taste great as leftovers.

Poke a few holes in the squash and microwave for 2 minutes. This will make it a lot easier to cut and skin. Peel the squash and dice into 1 inch cubes, discarding the seeds and pulp. Place on cookie sheet, and coat with olive oil. Roast in 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.

In small pan, toast the pine nuts over medium heat until they turn golden. Stir consistently to prevent burning.

Scramble the eggs and cook over medium heat, add the goat cheese to melt. Combine the squash, pine nuts and egg mixture in a large bowl. Especially yummy with Mango Pinapple Peace & Plenty salsa, which can conveniently be purchased here: The Southern

6 Servings

  • 1 medium sized butternut squash
  • 12 eggs, whisked
  • 4 oz goat cheese
  • ¼ cup pine nuts
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil

PALEO PIZZA

The gluten free lifetsyle could be a bleak one if you think you may be giving up pizza forever, this recipe will help a ton! With this recipe, you won't even miss the real deal. I use a shallow baking sheet, but if you have a pizza stone, that will work well too.

  • 1 package of Julian’s Bakery Paleo Pizza Crust conveniently sold here: Julian Bakery
  • ½ cup cold water
  • 1 jar pizza sauce, Rao’s is my favorite because of its Paleo approved ingredients
  • 2 Cups cheese (you can omit this if you want a true Paleo-lactose free version, in which case I recommend using olive oil or pesto instead of tomato based pizza sauce)
  • Toppings of choice, I used pepperoni and chopped olives
  • 2 Teaspoons Pizza seasoning blend from Penzeys or equal blend of: Oregano, Fennel, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder and Pepper

Mix pizza crust mix and water, until it forms a heavy, dough like consistency. Using arrowroot powder to coat your hands and utensils, press into bottom of parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes, until golden brown. Top with sauce, cheese and toppings. Sprinkle with spice blend. Broil for 3-4 minutes until cheese is bubbly.

6 servings

CHICKEN POT PIE

Wow this is so yummy. It looks a little time consuming, but I promise it is worth the effort. P.S. your kids won't even think it's healthy!

Crust:

  • 1 ¾ C almond flour
  • ½ C tapioca flour (available at Natural Grocers in the flour aisle)
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 Teaspoon baking soda
  • 2/3 C palm oil (also available at Natural Grocers)
  • 6 Tablespoons cold water

Filling:

  • 1 Cup carrots, chopped
  • 1 Cup broccoli, chopped
  • ¼ Cup butter
  • 1 lb chicken breasts, diced
  • 1 Tablespoon onion powder
  • ¼ Cup tapioca flour
  • 1 Teaspoon paprika
  • 2 Teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 ¾ Cup chicken broth
  • ½ Cup heavy cream

Prepare the crust first so it can be chilling while you work on the filling. Combine almond flour, tapioca flour, salt and baking soda. Cut in palm oil, mixing with a fork until it looks grainy. Add water and mix well. It will look like a paste at this point. Chill.

Saute veggies in a couple tablespoons of butter. Set aside in a bowl when cooked. Add chicken and onion powder and a couple more tablespoons of butter. Cook until no longer pink. Add to bowl with veggies. Melt remaining butter in pan, stir in tapioca, paprika and pepper until smooth. Gradually add broth and cream, stirring constantly until mixture reaches the consistency of gravy. Pour in veggies and chicken. Cook for 5 minutes more.

Grease a pie tin and press half of the crust into the bottom and sides of the pan. Use tapioca flour to coat your hands and utensils as dough will be sticky. Add filling. Flatten out remainder of dough, again using tapioca flour to make it less sticky, and place on top.

Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes, or until crust is golden.

8 servings

SECRET WEAPONS FOR SUCCESS

1. FOOD PROCESSOR

Let's face it, "ricing" a couple heads of cauliflower is way harder and more time consuming than breaking open a box of Uncle Ben's.  But, if you committed to the gluten-free lifestyle, having a quality food processor by your side in this journey will improve your experience tenfold. My husband actually asked for a nice food processor for his birthday a couple of years back. If you know him, you will find this funny as he is definitely more of a power tools and cool electronics kind of guy. In hindsight, I see the brilliance behind his request.  He now gets all sorts of yummy dishes liked mashed cauliflower potatoes and cauliflower rice, without the stressed out wife. 

2. QUALITY SPICES

Fresh herbs and spices make a HUGE difference in how your food tastes, especially when most of the other ingredients in the recipe are veggies! I highly recommend Penzeys Spices for all of your cooking and baking needs. All fresh, all organic with incredible flavor. Prices are very reasonable and shipping is minimal. Promise it’s worth a try. Penzeysspices.com

3. MANDOLIN

This is another of my favorite kitchen gadgets because it makes life SO simple! It slices sweet potatoes, butternut squash and zucchini as thin as you want within seconds. Way better and less bloody than using a knife to make paper thin chips out of yams.

4. COMMITMENT TO FORETHOUGHT          

Paleo/Gluten-Free/Whole Foods/Zone, any of these eating plans require some planning and effort to be truly successful. Eating for optimal performance and health takes time. But, think about how hard you work in the gym, how focused and driven you are. Think about the goals you are striving toward. Think about how your gym time is making you a healthier and more productive human. The last thing we want is to detract from our gains and productivity by poor diet. Taking time to plan your meals and to shop for fresh food is absolutely worth the effort. I personally have the most success when I plan out a week worth of meals at a time and do my big grocery shopping once a week. That way, when 6 pm on a Wednesday rolls around and I have to pick up young kids from day care, drive my older daughter to basketball and attend a parent meeting at school all at the same time, I don’t have to decide what’s for dinner and make a trip to the grocery store too! Planning ahead makes it less likely you will be tempted to hit the Wendys drive through when the going gets tough.

5. CREATIVITY                   

Chicken and broccoli, tasty as it is, will get old if you eat it EVERY day. Trust me I know from experience. The whole paleo/zone lifestyle was overwhelming for me at first, so I tended to make the same meal over and over and over…. I doubted my ability to truly make this a lifestyle because I was so bored with cooking, and I never really enjoyed meals. Gradually I became more creative- trying different Paleo recipes and making tweaks to traditional recipes to make them Paleo friendly. It has absolutely paid off.  Healthy and tasty are not mutually exclusive if you are willing to experiment and try new things. I really admire the ladies that run the following websites and I consistently love the recipes they post: paleoomg.com and health-bent.com. Check em out if you are looking for something different and yummy!