Mexi-Egg Bake

Oh man, this is so good. It can feed you all week long or be cut up and frozen.

Mexi-Egg Bake

12 Eggs (from local, pastured chickens are best!)
1lb ground meat (you choose- turkey, pork, beef. . . local, pastured, and grass-fed, where applicable, are best!)
8oz Organic Grass-fed Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
1/2c Coconut Milk (full fat, not "lite" version)

1 carton sliced mushrooms
1 bell pepper, diced (you choose the color)
1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes
1(4oz) can diced green chiles
2 cloves garlic, minced

1-2T taco seasoning
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 375. Brown your ground meat and season with taco seasoning and salt to your liking. While it's browning, butter a 9x13 baking dish, using grass-fed butter. In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients and stir thoroughly. Pour into dish and bake for 30-40 min or until eggs are set. Eat up!

FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS:
After baking, let cool completely. Cut into 8 squares, wrap individually in plastic wrap, place in gallon size freezer bag. To prepare- thaw overnight in fridge, then microwave 1 min to enjoy!

I'm back! Freezer Meal Party #3

I cannot believe how long it's been. . . makes me sad but getting pregnant and having baby #3 will do that to ya! And though it's hard, it's totally worth it. :)

Here's what we did this time:

Paleo Sweet Potato Sausage Breakfast Casserole

The hubby and I already ate some of this today and it's SO good!

Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Chicken

I also got to taste this tonight and it's SO good too! We couldn't find Garam Masala so we made it without and it was still good! Let me know where you find it, if you do! We replaced the tofu with chicken and it made a lot more sauce than we had chicken for. I would recommend using a pound of chicken to replace the tofu. I also think it would be awesome over some riced cauliflower. Mmm. . .

Asian Meatballs

I've been wanting to make these for awhile now and they didn't disappoint. Full of flavor! If we did it again, I'd double or triple because it's a lot of work but wouldn't be too hard to make more than one batch.

FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS: Place cooked meatballs in freezer bag (large or single servings) and microwave to warm. Or place raw meatballs in foil pan cover with palstic wrap and freeze. Thaw 24 hours and cook as directed.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Instead of cooking the soup, we put all ingredients in a gallon size freezer bag and will just throw in crockpot on low for 4-6 hours then blend with an immersion blender. Or. . .

*FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS*

This would be really easy to make a lot of and freeze! Simply follow recipe above, cool soup to room temperature, place desired amount into quart or gallon size freezer bags, and lay flat to freeze. Thaw 24 hours in fridge and reheat on the stove! Voila! 

**WHOLE30 Version**

Omit the vanilla, darn it. And replace the cream with coconut cream or coconut milk. 

Paleo Freezer Party #2

Last week my sister and I completed our 2nd Paleo Freezer Party! And we had 3 guests! Our sweet friend Jackie, my cousin-in-law Megan, and our littlest sister Shannon. It was awesome! Lauren and I did all the grocery shopping and I'm not gonna lie… it was a little stressful. I think next time we'll do it differently.

Clockwise from top left: Shannon, Megan, Jackie, and Me!

Here's how we did it:

Lauren and I chose 5 recipes (details on those below), then each person chose the quantity they wanted of each recipe. I made the grocery list then Lauren and I shopped. We went to Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Kroger, and our local butcher shop, Critchfield Meats. What I didn't consider beforehand was the math. Because everyone chose a different amount of each recipe and Lauren paid for some groceries and I paid for others, the math was tough to figure out. I did it, but it just took me awhile. And who has time for all that, right? Live and learn!

If you want to do this with a group of friends, I would suggest having a set menu- each person gets the same amount of each recipe. You want to make enough to make it worth so everyone needs to be financially in and able to buy the food in bulk. Have one person do the shopping and pay for the groceries. Then it's easy to split the bill equally between everyone. You can start a rotation for the shopping and which house you party at, if you want to do freezer parties frequently. 

Important things to consider: 

• Make sure you have enough space in your fridge for all the food if you shop ahead of time. 
• Make sure you have enough freezer space to store all your goods once they're made!
• Buy more seasoning than you think you'll need. We always run out. 
• Start a freezer party bin where you store freezer containers, freezer bags, plastic wrap, aluminum foil, sharpies, and extra spices/seasoning.
• Consider making all the recipes with raw chicken last so you're not spreading the raw chicken all over the kitchen at the beginning. Trust me, it will be every where. 

All right, so here's the rundown. 

• 2+ hours spent grocery shopping
• 4 hours spent prepping, cooking, and partying!
• $645 spent
• 20 (2 serving) containers of Coconut Chicken
• 22 (2 serving) containers of Honey Mustard Bacon Wrapped Chicken
• 13 (4-6 serving) bags of Cheeseburger Soup
• 8 (4-6 serving) bags of Tex-Mex Carnitas
• 28 Mexican Stuffed Peppers

That's comes out to approximately 196 meals (based on servings per container) which equals $3.29/meal. Woohoo! Here are the recipes:

Coconut Chicken

FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS: Follow directions in recipe up until you bake the chicken. Place chicken in freezer safe container. Press a layer of plastic wrap directly onto the chicken. Then cover the container with lid or foil. When ready to eat, thaw in fridge 24 hours; bake as instructed. Or bake directly from frozen for 45-60 minutes until juices run clear or temperature reads 165.

Honey Mustard Bacon Wrapped Chicken

We liked this one so much from our First Freezer Party, we made it again. See that post for freezer instructions. 

Crockpot Cheeseburger Soup

Freezer instructions included with recipe. This soup is so so so good! My husband and I LOVE it! I'm now thinking about all the combinations you could do with this soup- mushroom & swiss is on the top of my list. Mmmmm. . . 

Tex-Mex Crockpot Carnitas

FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS: Combine all ingredients in gallon size freezer bag. No need to thaw before placing in crockpot but it makes it easier if you cover with cold water for 30-60 minutes in your sink to move from the bag to crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hours. About an hour before done, shred the pork. 

Mexican Stuffed Peppers

FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS: Individually wrap in plastic wrap or put into quart sized freezer bag. Bake at 400 for 60+ minutes or until warmed through. So easy, so good. 

A well stocked freezer is always appreciated at my house! :)

Have fun!

A Little Snacky Snack

Alright, so one thing people ask me a lot (This makes me sounds like an expert, right? That people ask me stuff? Sweet.) is, what do you eat for snacks? Well, that's a great question. I try not to snack in general. The idea that I need to eat 6 small meals a day or be constantly snacking to keep my metabolism going isn't how I roll. In fact, I'd love for you to take some time and read up on Intermittent Fasting here. IF has been a huge part of my health journey and I love it! It works for me but it's not for everyone. Usually my day looks like this:

8am COFFEE!
12-1pm Lunch
3-4pm Snack (if it's a training day)
8pm Dinner

Today's a training day and I had an awesome snack! And the best part is, that it involves a recipe you already know and love, Paleo Granola! Woohoo! Last weekend, I made a couple batches- Apple Raspberry and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip. Yeah, they're awesome. Super awesome. Today I microwaved a sweet potato, threw a couple tablespoons of Kerrygold buttah in and mixed it up. I then had the brilliant idea to top it off with some of my Apple Raspberry Granola and Coconut Milk. You guys. It's the bomb. Please try it!

PS If you've never tried coconut milk from a can, (the canned version doesn't have all the extra preservative junk in it like the version in a carton) the fat separates. So, at the top there is a solid 1/2 inch (more or less) of coconut fat. Don't be alarmed. It's not bad. Just stir it up. It is thick and creamy and all the chunks won't stir smooth but that's okay. I've read that if you heat it, it's easier to stir together but I haven't tried that yet. Enjoy!

Roasted Butternut Squash Apple Soup

This recipe is so easy it's dumb. Why haven't I made this before? This is one of my favorite things to get from Bella Notte in the fall, but I can't be sure what they put in it. . .  I have complete control over the ingredients when making it at home. I love love love how this turned out! Make it; your tastebuds will thank you. *This also makes a great freezer meal! See instructions below.*

Ingredients:

2 honey crisp apples, halved

1 large butternut squash, halved length wise and seeded

3T olive oil or coconut oil + 1T for roasting

6 cloves garlic, pressed

2c chicken broth

2t vanilla extract

1t kosher salt

1t cinnamon

1/2t ginger

3/4c heavy cream

Preheat oven to 375. Line a jelly roll pan with foil. Brush butternut squash and apple halves with 1T olive oil or coconut oil and place them face down on foil lined pan. Roast 1 hour. In the meantime, watch the latest episode of Scandal on your DVR, paint your nails, take a bath, mow your lawn, make your Halloween costume… 

After your squash and apples are done roasting, remove from the oven to cool. While they are cooling, place 3T olive oil or coconut oil and garlic in big soup pot. Turn heat on to medium high and sautè garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add in chicken broth and turn heat down. At this point you need to remove the skin from the squash. I took it off with my hands and the squash fell apart into chunks, which is fine. Add the squash chunks/pieces to the pot and turn the heat back up. Cut the cores out of your apples and add them to the pot. (I added the skin too.) Add vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and ginger and stir.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.  Turn the heat off and stir in your heavy (super high quality pastured, right?) cream. 

Now, you can either use an immersion blender or blend in a standard blender in batches until puréed. Eat up! 

*FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS*

This would be really easy to make a lot of and freeze! Simply follow recipe above, cool soup to room temperature, place desired amount into quart or gallon size freezer bags, and lay flat to freeze. Thaw 24 hours in fridge and reheat on the stove! Voila! 

**WHOLE30 Version**

Omit the vanilla, darn it. And replace the cream with coconut cream or coconut milk. 

Paleo Granola

If you haven't tried making Paleo Granola yet, you need to. Now. It's awesome! Great for breakfast or a late night snack. Anyone else like to have a little something sweet before bedtime? There are tons of Paleo Granola recipes out there. I wanted to come up with a baseline recipe that's Whole30 compliant then you can jazz it up any way you like.

Paleo Granola Base

2c raw nuts* (no peanuts!) 

1/2c raw seeds**

1/2c unsweetened shredded coconut

1/3c almond meal/flour or coconut flour

3/4c almond butter

4T coconut oil (melted)

1.5t cinnamon 

*use any combination of almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, macadamia nuts

**use any combo of seeds but I used sunflower and pumpkin seeds or pepitas 

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet or jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Chop nuts and seeds in a food processor, mini food prep, or food chopper until they look like crumbs and transfer to medium sized mixing bowl. Don't chop too long or you will have nut/seed butter. 

Add shredded coconut, almond or coconut flour, almond butter, coconut oil, and cinnamon. Mix. 

This is the part where you get to mix it up. I added 1 cup of blueberries, 1 cup of raspberries, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. (Vanilla extract is not Whole30 approved- vanilla bean powder is if you have it.) You could add canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice for a delish fall flavor. You can add sliced apples, strawberries, or any other fruit for that matter. Once you're done with your 30 day challenge your options become more exciting! Honey, maple syrup, and 70%+ dark chocolate all fall under the Paleo umbrella. How does Maple Cinnamon Pumpkin Granola sound? Or Dark Chocolate  Raspberry? Honey Banana anyone? 

Once you choose your additions, stir them into the granola mixture. Spread mixture evenly onto your pan and bake for 30-45 minutes until browned and slightly crispy. Store in airtight container in the fridge. 

This granola is very filling- the calories and fat are high for a small serving. I don't count calories any more but I do like to be aware of what I'm consuming. I will usually eat 1/4-1/2c with coconut milk. It's perfect for a quick breakfast or small snack. What will you add to yours?

What I Don't Miss

I do not miss and plan to forever live without:

1. Diet Coke- This is a shocker. When my husband and I initially did a 28 day Paleo challenge back in May, I didn't know if I would get over this loss. I used to drink at least 24oz a day. Diet Coke was my friend and I loved her. Dearly. Now, this is something I don't even cheat with. Don't miss it and won't go back.

2. Truvia/Other Sweetener in my coffee- I was in a "good" habit of using Truvia instead of sugar in my coffee and in May I went cold turkey off sweeteners. Now, I use Organic Pastured Heavy Cream (about a tablespoon per cup) and it's heavenly.

3. Fast Food- Unfortunately, I used to greatly enjoy a McD's crispy ranch chicken wrap. . . I know. So gross. So awful. I also used to love chicken tenders from Raising Cane's and my hubby could chow down on some Taco Bell and I of course would join him. I mean, I couldn't let him go down alone, right? Never. Again. I do not miss these things and the more I learn about food and what we're really putting in our bodies, the more it literally turns my stomach to think about these foods I used to love!

As you start your own journey to wellness, what are the things you'll never go back to? Has anything you thought you'd miss desperately been easier to let go of? Old habits die hard. Stay strong friends.