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.

Mexican Stuffed Mushrooms

These are the bomb. If you have a hankerin' for some mexican food, give them a try. 

Ingredients:

12 Medium Sized Portobello Mushrooms

1lb Grass-fed Ground Beef

2T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 Cloves Garlic Diced/Pressed

1 (14.5oz) Can Diced Tomatoes

1 (4.5oz) Can Diced Green Chiles

1 "Packet" Taco Seasoning

Optional: Shredded Grass-fed Cheddar

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350F. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper or foil. Wash and remove stems from your mushrooms. Lay them on jelly roll pan. Brown beef in skillet then drain in colander. While beef is draining, saute the garlic in olive oil in the skillet you browned the beef for 2 minutes. Return beef to pan. Add in tomatoes, green chiles, and taco seasoning. Stir and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 5 minutes then turn off the burner. Stuff each mushroom with a heaping spoonful of meat mixture. Top with shredded cheddar and bake for 20-25 minutes. 

This recipe is great to make and save for lunches throughout the week. Or to make the meat mixture ahead of time and stuff/bake the mushrooms at a later date. You can also half the recipe if you need/want less. I got my 'shrooms and grass-fed cheddar at Trader Joe's. The mushrooms come in packages of 6. Trader Joe's also has Organic Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes w/Green Chiles in a can! Woot! To make this recipe Whole30 approved simply omit the cheese. I promise, it will still be satisfying and tasty! 

Hello, It's Your Friend Ice Cream Calling

Today is Day 5 of the Whole30ish Challenge. I say "ish" because I'm not following Whole30 but my sister and a few friends are so I'm along for the ride with them. I'm sticking with what I know works for me which is mostly paleo with some high quality dairy (Organic, pastured heavy cream in my coffee/grass-fed cheese or high quality hard cheese on a burger or in my chicken stew) and organic 70% dark chocolate.

Today was a struggle. Weekends are hard for me to stay on task. I am pretty busy during the week but when the weekend comes it's time for a reward for all that hard work! A little rest, relaxation, DVR and ice cream. I'm an ice cream connoisseur. I love the stuff and when I cheat indulge, you better believe it's gonna involve ice cream. The more I journey down this path of wellness, the more I figure out what's not worth it. But ice cream, yeah, totally worth it.

I got done with a work thing early today. An hour and a half early. That meant I would either wait to take the class I was planning on taking at my gym or just go and do a workout on my own. I was tired and unmotivated. My husband was taking my oldest to an away football game. That meant, youngest in bed at 7:30 and a house all to myself. I started thinking about the couch, my DVR, and ice cream. But, thankfully, I remembered the conversation I had with my small group earlier this morning about self-control (I was at least good about looking ahead and seeing what stumbling blocks lay before me!) I prayed for these. God said, "Call someone for help and accountability!" So I called the Hubs and said, "tell me to go to the gym." He did. So I said I would, and I did.

I got to the locker room. I weighed myself. No change. Which didn't surprise me since I've eaten a ton of sweet potatoes and some paleo granola (post coming soon!) to stave off the sweet cravings. But I'm still disappointed. I laid face flat on one of the benches and reasoned with the voice that said, "just go get some ice cream and forget it. Don't eat dinner. Just eat ice cream. It will even out."

Well forget you, ice-cream-lovin', tryin'-to-make-me-cheat voice. I went to a work meeting this morning and said, "no" to one of the tastiest looking muffins I've ever seen. I'm not going to give in to you! I will make it through the 30 days with NO CHEATING! Then, with structure and plan in place, I will have my beloved. . . maybe this, or this local goodness, or maybe even this. So I friggin' worked out (after stretching and rolling around on the floor for 30 minutes trying to work up the energy/gumption/enthusiasm to do work!), went home, ate chicken stew and had some more homemade sweet potato fries with almond butter and it was dang good.

Please know, I believe in having food you enjoy. I believe in having cheat indulgence days. Life is too short and food is too yummy. But I have struggled the past 5+ years of my life to not have an indulgence day every day. And now, I'm digging myself out of that hole. I'm doing the Whole30ish Challenge to get back on track. I may have to get back on track more often than I want, but I can do it. I will. I don't want food to be a creature comfort or something I depend on to unwind. I need God to fill that void. I want food to fuel me, nourish me, and be an enjoyable part of my life not in control of my life.

Freezer Party!

My sister and I attempted our first Paleo Freezer Party last weekend and we're extremely pleased with the results! It took us about 5 hours total but we came away with 12 (1gal) bags of chicken stew, 32 stuffed peppers, 7 pans of Honey Mustard Bacon Chicken, and 46 meatballs with marinara. The cost was $300 (that doesn't include some seasoning and staples we had on hand or freezer bags/foil/saran wrap/etc.) but we'll get about 100 meals out of this food! Crazy right?! All the ground beef, veal, and pork came from Marksbury Farms in Lancaster, KY. Check them out here. All the chicken we bought was organic from Trader Joe's. We used organic chicken thighs instead of breasts in the chicken stew to make it more affordable. 

Below are the recipes we used and I added the freezer instructions. I'm new at this blogging thing so I apologize if I didn't cite my references correctly or forgot to provide any links, info, etc! Please ask questions, comment, and let me know how the recipes turn out for you!

Recipe Round-up:

Crockpot Chicken Stew

Stuffed Peppers

Honey Mustard Bacon Wrapped Chicken

Meatballs w/Marinara

Recipes:

Crockpot Chicken Stew 

(Recipe adapted from my Dad & Stepmom)

2 bunches carrots, sliced

1 bunch celery, sliced

1 onion, chopped

1 carton sliced mushrooms

1-2 cartons chicken or vegetable broth (check ingredients for anything non-compliant)

1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes

1 bag frozen chopped spinach

1 bag shredded cabbage

1 bag frozen green beans

3 boneless chicken breasts

Seasoning:

sea salt (about 2 tablespoons)

black pepper (sprinkle to taste, not a lot)

Italian seasoning (shake generously all over the top)

garlic powder (shake generously all over the top)

cayenne pepper (about 5 shakes)

olive oil (about 1 tablespoon)

*** everything we use is organic and sodium free. If you use tomatoes and broth that has sodium, you should reduce the amount of salt you add.

Put carrots, celery, and onion in the crockpot. Add tomatoes and broth. Then add olive oil and seasoning. Stir well, add the frozen vegetables, and stir again the best you can. It will be pretty thick, but it thins out quite a bit as it cooks and the frozen veggies thaw. However, it is a stew, so it’s thicker than a soup. If you like it with more juice, just add some water.

Lay the chicken breasts on top and sprinkle with additional salt and black pepper.

Cook on high for 6 hours. Remove the chicken, break it up to your preference of chunkiness, and add it back in. Stir well and serve. 

This recipe makes about 10 servings (2 cup serving sizes- A LOT) so if you want less, just add fewer vegetables or half the recipe. 

You can’t mess this up. You can substitute any vegetables in or out that you like/don’t like. You can sub chicken thighs for breasts, etc. You can also vary how long you cook it. I get the best results when cooking it longer (like 12 hours) but I don't like crispy veggies- the longer you cook it the softer they'll be. You’ll just have to decide how long to cook it based on your crockpot and specific taste.

FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS:

This recipe will make 2 (1gal) size freezer bags. Split all the ingredients between the two bags. It doesn't matter how you layer or which order they are put in. It is easiest to put the liquid in last. When using this method you will need 1 carton of chicken broth/bag. You do not have to thaw- it can be put directly from the bag into the crockpot. I find it easiest to refrigerate overnight or place in cold water in the sink for 30 minutes to soften it up a bit so it is easily transferred and fits into the crockpot. 

Mrs. Paleo Stuffed Peppers

http://www.mrspaleo.blogspot.com/2012/05/stuffed-peppers.html?m=1

Stuffed peppers
8 bell peppers
1 lb Italian sausage (we subbed ground veal and ground pork)
1 lb grass-fed ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C mushrooms, chopped
1 head of cauliflower, riced
(how to rice caulifolower in your blender- http://pinterest.com/pin/125819383313076417/)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Clean and remove the tops of the bell peppers, removing internal membrane
3. Brown sausage and beef in a large pan over medium heat adding salt and pepper then remove and set aside
4. In the same skillet add garlic, mushrooms and onions scraping up browned meat bits
5. Mix in cauliflower and sautee for about 3 minutes 
6. Add tomato paste and meat back in mixing well.
7. Stuff peppers with about 2-3 tablespoons of the meat mixture then place in 8x12 pan 
8. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS:

After stuffing the peppers, wrap each pepper individually in saran wrap, then store in freezer. When ready to eat, remove saran wrap, place desired amount of peppers in shallow pan, bake at 400 for 40-60 minutes.

Honey Mustard Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenderloins

(Not Whole30 approved!)

http://jimmyboswell.com/foodblog/honey-mustard-bacon-wrapped-chicken-tenderloins/

Ingredients 

1 kg (2.2 lb) free range chicken tenderloins

500 g (1.1 lb) streaky bacon

1/3 cup raw honey

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp fresh chopped thyme

1 tsp smoked paprika

Juice from half a lemon

1 tbsp orange zest

½ tsp fresh ground black pepper

pinch of salt 

Method 

Preheat oven to 175  (350 F). 

Wrap each piece of chicken with a piece of bacon. Place on a cookie tray lined with aluminum foil. 

Mix together the honey, mustard, paprika, lemon juice, zest, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Use a pastry brush to coat the tops of the bacon wrapped chicken with the glaze. 

Bake in a the oven for about 12 minutes then flip the chicken over, brush the remaining glaze on the other side and bake for another 12 minutes or until the chicken is done.

FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS:
Place bacon wrapped chicken tenders in a freezer safe container. (We used 8x8 foil pans and fit 6 tenders/pan. You can use a 9x13 if you want more tenders per pan.) Brush sauce on both sides of tenders. Press a piece of saran wrap onto the chicken- literally onto it. This will prevent freezer burn. Then cover with foil or lid that came with pan. This can go directly to the oven from freezer or thaw 24 hours in fridge to reduce baking time. Remember to remove the foil and saran wrap before baking! Bake at 350 for 30 minutes if thawed or 50-60 minutes if frozen. Check temperature of chicken if you are unsure whether or not it's done. Safe temp for chicken is 165. 

Baked Paleo Meatballs

(On Pinterest, it says these are from Paleo Belle but I cannot find them on her site to link.) 

1lb grass-fed ground beef
1lb ground pork (we subbed 1/2 for ground veal)
1/2c almond flour
2 eggs
1T Italian Seasoning
1T Garlic Powder
1t sea salt

Preheat oven to 400. Mix together with hands. Roll into small balls, place into 9x13 dish, cover in about 2 cups favorite paleo sauce (marinara, bbq, teriyaki.) Bake for 25-30 minutes until cooked through. 

Paleo Marinara

http://www.primalprimos.com/paleo-marinara-sauce/

Primal Primos Marinara Sauce (Makes about 6 cups)
Ingredients

• 1 large onion (chopped)

• 5 cloves garlic (chopped)

• 2 teaspoons olive oil

• 28oz tomatoes (crushed, peeled)

• 6oz tomato paste

• 7 cups water

• 3 tablespoons italian seasoning

• 2 tablespoons dried basil

• 1 teaspoon honey (leave out for Whole30)

• 1 pinch crushed red pepper

• salt

• peper

Optional

• 1/2 cup red wine

Directions

Step 1	In a large pot over medium heat, add olive oil and sauté onion, shallot and garlic until the onion becomes transparent.
Step 2	Next, add crushed tomatoes, water, tomato paste, seasonings, wine and honey.
Step 3	Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally.

Note

This marinara sauce is perfect for an all-day simmer in a crock pot if you don't want to use a pot.

FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS:
After rolling meat into balls, place meatballs in a deep freezer safe baking dish. Cover with marinara. You may also split this recipe into 2 or 3 smaller pans depending on what works best for your family. Press saran wrap directly onto the top of meatballs/sauce. Cover dish with labeled foil or lid and freeze. Thaw 24 hours in fridge. Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes. **If you have more marinara than you need for meatballs (the recipe makes about 6 cups), let cool completely, place in quart size freezer bags in 2 cup increments and freeze. 

Let me know how you do! Enjoy!