Primal Pumpkin Pie

While trying to figure out what I'll be making for Thanksgiving this year, I finally got around to trying to bake a pumpkin pie...this was a first for me:-)  I forgot to take a picture of it for the blog and to be honest, it wasn't the "prettiest" looking pie...but who said it has to be "pretty" to taste yummy?  Don't tell on me, but I even finished off the last of it for breakfast this morning. 

Here's another idea...  I also came across some recipes for a "crust-less" pumpkin pie.  I guess it would be more like a custard, but I thought about giving that a try too. You would just want to make the filling and pour the mixture into small oven-safe ramekins. Place the ramekins in a baking dish and add enough boiling water to the dish to come up 2" high around the ramekins. Carefully place in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes at 350°.  

Primal Pumpkin Pie

The crust:
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- ¼ cup melted ghee

- 1 tsp salt

The filling:
- 1 ½ cups of pumpkin puree

- 3 cage-free omega-3 eggs
- 1 cup coconut milk
- ½ cup honey
- 1 tbsp. arrowroot starch 

- 1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice

- 1 tsp. vanilla

- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Prepare the crust:  Combine melted ghee, almond flour and salt in a bowl and mix well.  Transfer to a 9" pie plate and press evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the plate.

Prepare the filling:  Combine all the filling ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Pour the filling into the crust and bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until the center of the pie is set or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean. If the crust starts to get too dark while baking, you can attach strips of aluminum foil to cover the exposing crust which will help prevent it from burning.

Zucchini Bread

I remember making homemade zucchini bread with my grandma when I was little. Although my grandma's wasn't a "Paleo" version...this still brought back a lot of memories for me. And it's always a plus when the kids will eat it too. I even sent some to school in my daughter's lunch.

Zucchini Bread

- 4 cage-free omega-3 eggs (at room temp. & separated)
- 2 medium sized zucchini grated
- 1/2 cup raw unsalted almond butter
- 1 cup almond meal
- 2 tbsp. honey
- 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp. baking soda (aluminum & gluten free)
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1/4 tsp. cloves
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl beat the egg yolks together.  Combine the remaining ingredients, except for the walnuts, with the egg yolks and mix well.  In a separate metal bowl, whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.  Fold in the eggs whites with the zucchini mixture.  Lastly, add the chopped walnuts and mix well.

Pour batter into a prepared 9x5 loaf pan. Bake 50-55 minutes until golden brown.  Let cool for 15-20 minutes before removing from pan. Slice, serve and enjoy:-)

Crockpot Beef Stew

Paleo and Crockpot...two of my favorite words:-)  This was so easy to make and made the house smell so good.  Just a warning though...this recipe filled up my 5qt Crockpot to the brim!!!  I'm thinking I am going to need a larger Crockpot here soon so I can make these dinners and have plenty of left-overs.  Don't you just love how left-overs take the guess work out of lunch for the next couple of days???

Crockpot Beef Stew

- 2lb beef stew meat (grass-fed would be best)
- 5 carrots peeled & sliced
- 4 celery stalks sliced (about 2 cups)
- 4 parsnips peeled & sliced
- 4 oz sliced mushrooms
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 yellow onions diced (I used small ones)
- 1 can of organic diced tomatoes (14.5oz.)
- 1 can of organic tomato paste (6oz.)
- 1 qt. organic free-range chicken broth
- 2 tsp. rosemary
- 1 tsp. thyme
- 1 tsp. sage

Combine all the ingredients and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

I'm sure you have heard the saying, "eat what is in season". Well, now is the time to eat all the different varieties of winter squash.  This was my first time trying to cook (or eat for that matter) acorn squash.  I filled the squash with a yummy meat filling that I made in the Crockpot.  The meat filling has been great as leftovers too...just like chili...and perfect for the cooler Fall-like weather we are finally having. 

Stuffed Acorn Squash ~ Crockpot friendly:-)

For the meat filling:
Add the following ingredients to your slow cooker.  Stir together and cook for about 4 hours on high.  You can also prepare this on the stove top...just add the ingredients in a large stockpot and simmer for an hour. 

- 1 1/2 lbs. of browned ground turkey
- 3 cans of organic diced tomatoes (14.5 oz. size)
- 2 cans organic tomato paste (6 oz. size)
- 8 oz. sliced mushrooms
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 2 zucchini chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 tbsp. organic basil
- 1 tbsp. organic thyme
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt

For the acorn squash:
Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Cut the acorn squash in half, lengthwise, from stem to end. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff in the center of each half.  Place the halves, cut side down, into a baking dish.  Add 1/2 cup water to the bottom of the dish and bake for 40 minutes.

Remove from the oven and turn the acorn squash right side up.  Fill the squash with your meat filling and cook for another 15 minutes in the oven at 350°.

Red Light Green Light...Scrambled Eggs

I love making breakfast!  And I love it even more when the whole family can sit down together and enjoy it.  Here is an easy way of spicing up your scrambled eggs.  I named it after the childhood game, "Red Light Green Light" and I don't think I need to explain why:-)  Remember, if you make it fun for your kids and get them involved with the prep work or cooking, they will be more likely to give new things a try.


Red Light Green Light...Scrambled Eggs

- 1lb Southwest Caliente Chicken Sausage (I got mine from Sprouts Farmers Market)
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 12 cage free omega-3 eggs (or you could use some eggs whites too)
- salt and pepper to taste

Remove the chicken sausage from the casings and place it in a large heated skillet. Brown the sausage and the bell peppers together over medium-high heat (about 3-5 min). Once cooked, remove from skillet and set aside.  In the same large skillet, scramble the eggs.  As the eggs begin to "set", add the sausage mixture back in and continue cooking until eggs are no longer runny.  You can serve this topped with fresh salsa and sliced avocado.  It also reheats well as left-overs.

Cauliflower Rice

 

Before going Paleo, rice was consumed very often in our household and in large quantities.  It was one of the  things I really missed eating....not anymore:-)  I was so happy to stumble upon a few recipes for cauliflower rice.  I try to keep things as simple as possible while cooking so I find myself modifying recipes all the time and this is what I came up with.  The great thing was 2 out of my 3 kids loved it!!!  The 3rd needed a little more coaxing to finish it up, but that's nothing new.  My hubby topped his off with a little soy sauce, but I enjoyed it as is and I hope you do too. 

Cauliflower Rice

- 5 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 red onion diced
- 1 cup celery diced
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- 1 large head of cauliflower
- sea salt to taste (I used about 1/4 - 1/2 tsp.)

In a large pan heat the olive oil. Add the diced onion, and saute for about 5-10 min. Add the celery and garlic and continue sauteing for an additional 5 min.  While sauteing, prepare the cauliflower by placing it in a food processor and process it until it looks like rice grains (having it a little course is way better than too mushy).  If you don't have a food processor, you can chop or grate the cauliflower instead.

Add the cauliflower to the pan. Stir, cover and cook (stirring occasionally) till the cauliflower is soft...about 5-10 min. Enjoy.

Paleo Pizza Please

Paleo Pizza

Who says you have to give up pizza if your eating Paleo???  Get creative with the toppings.  Just stick with meats, veggies, nuts & seeds...the possibilities are endless.  Enjoy:-) 

Crust:
  2 cups of almond meal
  2 cage free omega-3 eggs
  2 tsp. olive oil
  1 tsp. garlic powder 
  1/2 tsp. sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Beat the eggs together in a medium mixing bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients. Form the dough into a ball and press onto a lightly greased pizza stone or pan.  The crust should be thin (about 12" across). Bake the crust at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. While the crust is in the oven, brown the sausage in a saute pan and prepare the other toppings.  Remove from the oven and add the toppings...

Toppings:
  1 1/2 cups organic marinara sauce (I used Trader Joe's brand)
  1 lb sweet Italian chicken sausage (I got mine from Sprouts Farmers Market)
  artichoke hearts
  sun dried julienne cut tomatoes
  sliced yellow bell pepper
  sliced black olives

Evenly spread the marinara sauce over the crust.  Make sure to spread the sauce all the way to the edge of the crust.  Add the sausage then top with the veggies.  Place the pizza back into the oven for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove from the oven, slice and enjoy:-)

Why I started this whole thing...

I get asked all the time, "What do you eat?"... Well, that's the reason I've created this blog. I thought this would be an easy way to share my recipes and tips with my friends and to hopefully show how easy it is to live a healthy lifestyle through diet and exercise. It's not rocket science...just be dedicated and take it back to the basics.

I eat lean meats, vegetables, nuts and seeds, fruit, no sugar, no grains (except for my gluten free oatmeal) and no dairy.

When I first started out on this adventure of a Paleo lifestyle I though, "I'll give it a try for a month or so." Well...now I'm sticking to it and planning on staying Paleo forever!!!

I decided to go Paleo to see if I could tell the difference in my CrossFit workouts & running just by "fueling" my body with nothing but natural foods. The answer was...YES!!!

Do I feel stronger?...YES! Did I loose weight?...YES! Did I get rid of those cravings for the "not-so-healthy foods"?...YES! Do I have more energy throughout the day?...YES! Is my family benefiting from this lifestyle?...YES!

* Here goes my little disclaimer... I am NOT a registered dietitian or a nutrition counselor. I am not perfect and I do not know all there is to know about the Paleo lifestyle. Some of the foods I choose to eat are not necessarily on the strict Paleo food list...so you can say I choose a little more "relaxed" version of the Paleo diet.