Paleo Pesto Sausage & Brussels Sprouts "Pasta"

This meal was really inspired by an idea I saw on Pinterest a few months ago.  I actually made it back in the day when we ate pasta, and it was great.  I realized I am a now big fan of Brussels sprouts, which I know is kind of weird.  It's one of those foods that you wouldn't touch as a kid, but once you try them you realize they are actually very tasty!  So I tried this out, but with spaghetti squash instead of pasta, and it was really good.  This is another one of those really simple meals, but it seems fancy and tastes delicious. Here is what I did:

Paleo Pesto Sausage & Brussels Sprouts "Pasta"

• 3 Italian sausage links
• 1/2 lb Brussels sprouts, chopped in half
• olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 1/3 c pesto sauce (make sure it is Paleo friendly!)
• 1/2 cooked spaghetti squash

Preparation
Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Arrange Brussels sprouts on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper on top.  Toss them to make sure they are all coated.  Roast in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, tossing occasionally. 

Heat a skillet over medium-high and add 1 T olive oil. Cut the sausage links into little medallions.  Cook the sausage medallions until all the pink is gone.  Once everything is cooked, toss the sprouts into the skillet, along with the spaghetti squash and pesto sauce.  Toss it all around until coated fully in the pesto sauce, and serve!

We really liked this meal, and it is surely a healthy alternative to the pasta dish.  Enjoy!

Paleo BLT-Style Grilled Chicken

This is the delicious meal that accompanies the Paleo Bacon Jam I also made the other day.  I came across this recipe idea in a magazine of all places (NOT Pinterest- what??), but I changed it a bit. The original recipe was for pork chops rather than chicken, which sounded really good, but I happened to have defrosted chicken breasts so I went with that instead.  This would be delicious with pork or chicken though.  Aside from making the bacon jam, this was super fast and easy and is cooked primarily on the grill, which is great for the summer.  I love that it is like a reinvented BLT with no bread, just extra meat and healthy veggies.  Perfect Paleo!  Here is what I did:

Paleo BLT-Style Grilled Chicken
(serves 2-3)

• 2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• salt & pepper
• 3-4 T Paleo Bacon Jam 
• 2 large tomatoes, cut into thick slices
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 4 c baby or chopped spinach or kale
• 1/4 c water

Preparation
Heat the grill to medium heat. Season the chicken (or pork) with salt and pepper, as well as about 2 T of the bacon jam.  Cook the chicken for about 8-9 minutes on each side, or until fully cooked.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and add the shallot.  Cook it around until tender, then toss in the spinach (or kale) and water.  Stir it around and allow the spinach to cook down, about 2-3 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  

In the last few minutes of grilling, place the tomato slices on the grill for only about 2 minutes on each side to get some nice grill marks.

To serve, use a slotted spoon to scoop some of the spinach onto each plate.  Place a chicken breast on top, then add 1-2 tomato slices to each plate.  Eat it up and enjoy!

Paleo Bacon Jam

I think most people know by now that I love bacon.  Who doesn't??  So I am always looking for new ways to incorporate bacon into my cooking.  Well the other day I was flipping through a magazine (I know, who reads magazines anymore when we have Pinterest??), and I came across an idea that looked delicious.  The recipe is for a bacon jam that can be used on really anything, but particularly with the BLT-Style Grilled Chicken that I made with it.  This jam took about 45 minutes overall to put together, but it is super delicious and should last in the fridge for a while.  Here is what I did:

Paleo Bacon Jam
(makes about 2 cups)

•  6 slices bacon
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 c raw honey
• 1/4 c apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 c orange juice (make sure it is pure)
• 1 t fresh ginger, grated
• 1/2 t crushed red pepper

Preparation
In a large skillet, cook bacon until browned and crispy. Remove the cooked bacon to a paper towel lined plate but leave the drippings in the pan.  Chop the bacon into small bits.  Over medium heat, add the onions and garlic to the bacon grease and cook for 2-3 minutes until tender.  Stir in the honey, vinegar, orange juice, and ginger.  Bring it to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes or until thickened.  Remove from heat and stir in the bacon bits and red pepper.  Serve right away or store in an airtight container in the fridge.

This is a great addition to a meal- you can marinade meat in this, or just serve it over top.  Regardless, it is always nice to have some more bacon in your life!  Enjoy!

Paleo Chocolate Sauce

Okay, so I know that ice cream is not Paleo-friendly.  At least, store bought ice cream isn't. But the other day was my husband and my wedding anniversary, and I decided it was okay to splurge a little to celebrate.  So I bought some ice cream, but I decided to make my own chocolate sauce that would be Paleo-friendly!  This recipe was really easy and makes enough that we can save it in the fridge for future use. In my opinion, this tastes just like Hershey's syrup, but it is all-natural and healthier!  If you don't want to cheat and eat ice cream like us, you can make your own frozen Paleo treats like frozen bananas, or even use this as a topping on other Paleo desserts.  Here is what I did:

Paleo Chocolate Sauce

• 1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 c water
• 1/2 c pure maple syrup (or raw honey)
• dash of sea salt
• 1 t vanilla

Preparation

In a small or medium saucepan, whisk the cocoa powder and water together over medium-high heat until boiling.  Reduce the heat to medium and add the maple syrup, sea salt, and vanilla.  Whisk together until boiling, then allow it to simmer for another 4-5 minutes to thicken up some, stirring often.  Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.  Transfer into a jar or container and refrigerate. Should stay fresh for up to 4 weeks.

 

Paleo Baked Cinnamon Apples

I really love cinnamon apples, and I really believe that they aren't just for dessert!  The other day I wanted a side dish for some comfort food- my Paleo Meatloaf- and honestly, one of the only produce items in my house was a bag of apples.  So, what could be better than to make some baked cinnamon apples as a side! This is crazy easy and can be a side dish, a snack, or a dessert.  How cool!  Check out what I did:

Paleo Baked Cinnamon Apples

• 1 medium apple per person
• raw honey
• cinnamon

Preparation
Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Slice up the apples, and peel them if you wish (I left the peel on).  Put the apples into a small baking dish, or use ramekins like I did (1 per person).  Drizzle a little honey over top, and sprinkle on some cinnamon.  Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the apples gets soft and bubbly.  NOTE: You could do this in the microwave too if you want it to be super fast.  I didn't try it so I can't give you exact times, but just a few minutes will be enough.

Again, this is super easy and is always a nice choice for a sweet side to accompany a savory meal, or even as a healthy dessert.  Enjoy!

Grilled Honey Thyme Pork Chops

I came across this recipe on Pinterest a few days back, and I knew I had to try it.  I love using honey these days for baking as well as cooking.   It's been pretty hot the past few days, so I wanted to grill outside, and these pork chops were perfect.  This is a pretty simple recipe, but you do want to be very careful when grilling not to let them burn.  Honey makes the grill flame up more than other marinades, so watch the meat closely and be sure to use a medium/low temperature so as to not char them.  Luckily, I monitored these carefully and they turned out great!  Here is what I did:

Grilled Honey Thyme Pork Chops
(serves 2-3)

• 3 pork chops (I used boneless)
• 4 T raw honey
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 t mustard (I used dijon- try to use grain/course varieties)
• 1/4 t onion powder
• 1/4 t garlic powder
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 1-2 t fresh thyme, chopped
• kosher salt & pepper

Preparation
In a bowl, combine honey, olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, and thyme.  (FYI: Instead of fresh olive oil and thyme, I tossed in 2 of my frozen thyme cubes and allowed them to melt into the mixture)  Coat the chops in salt & pepper on both sides.  Pour the honey mixture over top and allow them to marinade for at least 5 minutes. 

Heat your grill to medium (not too hot- you don't want them to char!), and cook for about 8-10 minutes on each side, or until fully cooked through.

These chops are super flavorful and really juicy!  I served them with my Mashed Sweet Potatoes and some salad, and the meal was delicious.  I am sure you could use this marinade with chicken, and you could do it in the oven too during the winter.  For us, the grill was perfect, and I hope you can try it out!

Grilled Steak with Balsamic Bacon & Mushrooms

The other day my husband requested steak for dinner, and I was more than happy to oblige.  I also love a good steak!  I decided to go a little further and make a fancy little meal out of it with some other favorites like bacon and mushrooms.  I feel like I have made variations of this meal a bunch of times before, and really you can experiment with using different veggies, bacon/no bacon, and other flavors (though I am partial to balsamic).  Regardless, this version was super delicious and looks really fancy, even though it is really easy!  Here is what I did:

Grilled Steak with Balsamic Bacon & Mushrooms
(serves 2-3)

• 2-3 New York strip steaks (or cut of your choice)
• kosher salt & pepper
• 2-3 strips bacon
•  olive oil
• 1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced (white or cremini)
• 1/2 T balsamic vinegar
• 1-2 t fresh thyme, chopped

Preparation
Heat the grill to medium-high and season your steaks with salt & pepper on both sides.  Cook the steaks for about 5 min on each side (or until they are done, depending on thickness etc).

Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium-high and cook the bacon strips until crispy.  Remove to a plate and crumble the bacon into little bits.  Leave the fat in the pan and add a bit of olive oil, and keep the heat around medium/medium-high.  Add the mushrooms to the pan and stir them around a bit.  Add the balsamic vinegar and stir around, then season with salt, pepper, and thyme.  Once the mushrooms are cooked, about 8 minutes, turn off the heat and stir in the bacon bits. 

To serve, top the steaks with the mushroom mixture.

I served this with some grilled sweet potato wedges and it was a great meal!  You could really impress someone with this meal, and it really is so simple to make.  Enjoy!

Sauteed Kale

I realized that I haven't done too many posts focused solely on vegetables, and that should change.  A big part of Paleo (and any healthy diet) is eating vegetables, so here is a super healthy one to try out: Kale. I never made kale before this, and I wasn't really sure what to expect.  It's one of those foods that is all over the internet right now as "the" health food, so I had to see what all the fuss was about.  I am no nutrition expert, but I read all about the super powers of kale, and apparently it is one of the most vitamin-rich and healthy veggies out there.  So this is a really simple side dish that was super easy and fast to make, is filling, and is packed in nutrition.  Here is what I did:


Sauteed Kale
(serves 2-4)

• 1 head kale, roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• salt & pepper
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 t lemon juice

Preparation
Heat a large skillet over medium, and add about 1 T olive oil.  Once it is hot, add the garlic and stir it around for a minute or so.  Next, toss in the chopped kale.  It might be too much to fit in the pan at once, but it will cook down fast and then it should all fit.  Sprinkle some salt and pepper over top and toss it all around (I used tongs).  Finally, add a little bit of lemon juice and give it another toss.  Allow the kale to cook down for a few minutes (I probably cooked it for about 10 min, tossing occasionally), until it is softened but not too wilted.  Turn off the heat, and serve!

I served this with some grilled shrimp and it was a great side.  Kale is pretty lemon-y and a bit acidic, but has a great crunch and texture.  Try it out as a side to almost anything (and you can take out the lemon juice if you don't want the added citrus with your dish).  Enjoy your super food!