Category Archives: Recipes

Paleo Pumpkin Bake

Before you consider making this super yummy recipe, I want to share briefly that I created it as a quick snack or dessert. I don’t use any refined sugar, generally. I love fresh pumpkin in the fall and this is a wonderful way to enjoy the spices of fall without that ‘white stuff’. If you’re not used to eating foods that are less sweet, it may not taste very good to you. In that case, consider adding a little (like 2-4 TB) maple syrup to the mix. Of course, you could always add it at the end, on top. It’s very yummy when eaten warm. Or enjoy fresh fruit on top.

I love low-sugar Apple Butter, the organic kind from Eden Foods, which you can buy at iherb.com, and using code LON751 you can save $5 or $10 off your order.

Anyway here we go:

Ingredients :
15 oz pumpkin meat, preferably home-made (more yummy) (or canned) pumpkin meat
6-8 eggs
2 teaspoons Ceylon cinnamon
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 TB butter
Coconut oil or other fat for baking dish

Directions:
1. Preheat oven at 320 degrees.
2. Mix together the pumpkin, vanilla, spices and baking soda.
3. On stove, melt butter and blend into the pumpkin mix.
4. Add desired number of eggs into batter with handmixer, taking care not to mix too much
5. “line” the 9X13 inch baking dish with coconut oil or other healthy fat like butter, and “slide” your batter into the dish.
6. Bake the mix for 45 minutes to an hour. You don’t want to dry out the moisture.
7. Take out of the oven and cool.
8. Eat as is, or top with something you love. I choose Eden Organics Apple Butter – so yummy. Enjoy experimenting!

Source: Yours truly – and adapted from Jolynneshane.com’s paleo pumpkin pancakes, as I have no time to stand at the stove and keep flipping pancakes. 🙂

Super simple, fast Tex-Mex Bake

A delicious fast dish for nights when appetite is big and the time you have is ‘small’ and if you are able to eat grains. This truly fits the “super simple” bill!

Ingredients:

1 cup organic white rice (Jasmine cooks in about 20 minutes)
1 15 oz. BPA-free can black beans, such as Eden Organic (or use dried beans, soak for 8 and cook 2 hours)
10 oz. frozen mixed organic vegetables of your choice
1 16 oz. jar organic mild salsa
12 oz organic shredded mild cheddar cheese
Sea salt, 1 teaspoon to taste
Optional: 16oz ground turkey, chicken or beef

Directions:

Cook the rice according to package instructions.
While the rice is cooking,

  • remove the frozen veggies from the freezer
  • rinse the cooked or canned beans in plenty of water in a colander
  • add veggies and beans to the casserole and store in fridge

When rice is cooked, transfer it from the pot to the casserole, and mix veggies, beans, rice and ground meat, if using, gently.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F so that it’s ready to go when the rice is cooked.
Distribute the jar of salsa over the top, and sprinkle the cheese over it.
Put casserole dish to oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove casserole from the oven, let cool and enjoy! 🙂

 

 

 

Paleo Butternut Squash Soup

The cooler months are great for heart- and body-warming vegetable soups. I recently created this super simple version, which was such a big hit with my husband, after several wows he exclaimed “It’s like eating liquid pumpkin pie”. To which I add, without added sugars 🙂 This version will yield 4 servings.

ButternutSquash

Ingredients:

Butternut squash, 1 whole
Pumpkin pie spice (ingredients: clove, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg)
1 cup broth, vegetable or plain filtered water
1 can coconut milk, preferably without BPA in the lining and organic
Celtic Sea Salt, to taste
Black Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cut squash in half, pat with butter, on the cut side, lay it face-down in a baking dish
When oven is preheated, bake squash for 45 minutes, or until a poke with a knife to check for tenderness
Let squash cool, then peel it
Add peeled squash to blender along with the coconut milk, and blend
Reheat briefly in a pot if needed, and add pumpkin pie spice, to taste
Season with salt and pepper, to taste

Serve and enjoy!

Roasted Parsnips and Carrots

Get Back To Your Roots: Roasted Parsnips and Carrots

IMG_1185

This super-simple side vegetable dish is perfect for any cold day. Enjoy.
Ingredients:
2 medium parsnips/person
2-3 medium carrots/person
Olive Oil
Dried thyme, liberal amounts
Celtic sea salt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Peel, wash and slice all carrots and parsnips thinly. Then arrange them on a baking sheet or baker.
3. Sprinkle olive oil liberally over vegetables. Follow up with the dried thyme and a little sea salt
4. Bake 30-45 minutes, to desired crispiness.
Source: My sister-in-law Christie
It’s become a favorite winter side dish of mine (a recent version is pictured above). I am always surprised at the sweetness and crispy-ness….which makes it a healthy potato-chip substitute to boot. 🙂

Slow-Cooker Chuck Beef Roast

I recently tried this awesome recipe and wanted to share it. Enjoy!BeefRoastDec6

Slow-Cooker Chuck Beef Roast

Ingredients:

3 to 5 pound top beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat
1 onion, peeled and halved
1 carrot, whole
1 cup beef broth, low sodium
1/4 cup red wine of your choice
2 garlic cloves, whole
1 rosemary sprig or a little dried rosemary
2 thyme sprigs or a little dried thyme
Celtic sea salt, to taste

Directions:

Place onion and carrot in the bottom of a slow cooker.
Lay the meat on top of the vegetables.
Pour in the broth and wine. Season with garlic, rosemary and thyme.
Cover and set heat to low. Allow to gently simmer for 5 to 6 hours.
Then, sprinkle with seasoned salt and continue to cook covered on low-heat for an additional 1 to 1/2 hours.

As accompaniments, I made mashed potatoes and carrots but you can add anything you and your family would enjoy. Sure was a hit at our dinner table, even for me, meaning even without the complex carbohydrates in the mashed potatoes – as you can see in the picture I took of my husband’s plate.

I used grass-fed beef for this recipe. Do you need some for your next dinner? You can get it with a few clicks – so conveniently – right here!

Super Simple Chard

Serves 2 (double up for more!)

Ingredients:

2 TB extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch Swiss chard, stalks discarded, leaves cut into wide ribbons (hint: Layer a few leaves on top of each other to reduce prep time!)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Heat the olive oil on a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and cook until tender and aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add the Swiss chard and balsamic vinegar; cook and stir until the chard is wilted and tender, about 5-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve. Source: allrecipes.com