Month: February 2018

What We Ate Wednesday 2/28/18

On tap this past week was one of our favorites, Pork and Veggie Un-Rolls. It just so happened that the kids were both at a birthday party the night I prepared this, we my husband and I did our part to eat lots and lots! And he had lots and lots of leftovers. If ever there was a dish you could stretch to feed a crowd, this is it! And trust me, your crowd will be happy!

Next up was Chicken Parmesan served over lots of roasted squash and zucchini with some fresh berries on the side. We had guests for dinner this night and I completely forgot to photograph! I don’t even have a recipe for the Chicken Parm because I cannot figure out how I want to make it. This is one of our favorites, but I make it differently every single time! Basically, I bread flattened chicken breasts with the same breading as found in my chicken finger recipe with the addition of Parmesan cheese and Italian herbs. Then I top the baked or fried chicken with my Hidden Veggie Tomato Sauce. 

The next meal, (for which I do have a picture!) is Buffalo and Teriyaki Wings (some of each), roasted sweet potatoes and okra fritters. We had perfect weather this past weekend. Perfect! It was 78 degrees, no humidity, slight breeze, just divine. We ate outside for lunch and dinner. Of course, that has nothing to do with the food we ate, but it was so much more enjoyable out under the stars!

I had fixed myself some hamburger for lunch one day and so I ended up eating that leftover for dinner the next day. You know my histamine issues, so leftovers are hit or miss for me, but I generally do ok with beef as long as I take a histamine supplement. This may sound weird, but it was really good:

I made a base of lettuce, mixed in some mayonnaise and mustard (Whole 30 approved salad dressing!) then heated the leftover hamburger and sweet potatoes in a skillet with a little avocado oil. Then I poured on the leftover teriyaki sauce from last night’s wings. Then I walked away and forgot about it entirely. Not on purpose. But the result was that the orange juice in the teriyaki sauce and the sweet potatoes caramelized in the pan and it was so delicious! I served this on top of my “salad.”

Then we ate Pizza Popover again. I know this has been on constant replay over here, but I just can’t help it. Now that I’m basically living Whole30, I’m trying to figure out how to get all our favorite flavors into recipes that still fit that template. In the past, I’ve made this recipe with the cheese for my family and left a little section without for me. Well, no more. Nobody got cheese. But we all got extra pizza toppings. I added sausage and pepperoni to recipe, sprinkled on lots of Italian seasoning on the top, just to make it look pretty really. Oh yeah, I added LOTS of veggies to the meat sauce portion of the recipe and no one was the wiser. We were all completely satisfied. And as long as I keep this recipe in rotation, I don’t think I will be hearing constant pleas for pizza.

And last, but not least: Asian Slaw with Pan Roasted Salmon. I had this on the menu for one night last week and just was not in the mood. Frankly, I wasn’t in the mood on this night either, but I knew I had all the ingredients and I needed to make it. Of course, it’s delicious and super nutritious, but our nice, warm weather turned cold again and salad didn’t sound great to me. But we all enjoyed it. Even my son, who eats zero sauces or salad dressings, deemed this ok since the “sauce” was not too strong. That’s high praise, indeed.

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Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff (AIP, Whole30)

My Ground Beef Stroganoff is such a popular recipe I thought I’d just post it twice. Just kidding! This is actually the same recipe, just altered to use top sirloin steak instead of ground beef and with the addition of Instant Pot instructions.

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, please refer to my Ground Beef Stroganoff recipe. You could use that same method no matter the cut of meat you’re using, simply allow longer to simmer if it’s a tough cut of meat.

If you’d like to see this preparation in real time, you can watch the YouTube video here. 

I know you’re hungry, so let’s get right to the recipe.

Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff (AIP, Whole30)

If you need an autoimmune paleo recipe to please even the pickiest of eaters, look no further! This beef stroganoff is hearty and flavorful and comes together super fast. 

Course Main Course
Cuisine Autoimmune Paleo, Comfort Food, Instant Pot, Keto, Low Sugar, Whole 30
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Author Elizabeth

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp. avocado oil
  • 1 medium sweet onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 8 oz. package cremini mushrooms
  • 24 oz. top sirloin steak
  • 1 3/4 cups good quality bone broth
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt or more to taste
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper or more to taste
  • 2 Tbsp. arrowroot
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. coconut aminos
  • 1/3 cup coconut cream this is the solid cream from the top of a can of coconut milk
  • 2 tsp. lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp. glucomannan optional
  • 1/3 cup cold water optional

Instructions

  1. Turn instant pot on to Sauté Normal and add oil

  2. Chop onion and add to pan. Sprinkle in about 1/8 tsp. salt and pepper and stir. 

  3. Slice mushrooms and add to onions. Sprinkle in a little more salt and pepper and stir. 

  4. Chop garlic very finely. Add to onions and mushrooms and stir.

  5. Allow vegetables to cook, stirring occasionally, while you slice the meat. Start with a sharp knife and slice into approximately 1/4 inch slices, slicing against the grain. 

  6. Once the meat is all sliced, remove the vegetables from the pot and begin adding the meat - just enough at a time to make a single layer on the bottom of the pot. Allow to brown and then flip to brown the other side. 

  7. Once the meat is browned, remove it to the same dish where your vegetables are waiting. 

  8. Continue to brown the meat in batches until it has all been seared or browned slightly. 

  9. Now add all the meat and vegetables back to the pot. 

  10. If you want this process to go faster, you can turn your Instant Pot to Sauté More, just keep an eye on it. 

  11. Sprinkle arrowroot over mixture and stir. Allow this to cook for 2-3 minutes. 

  12. Now add the broth and aminos and stir well, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. 

  13. Turn Instant Pot off. Seal lid and set to Manual High Pressure for 12 minutes.

  14. When cooking time is complete, release pressure manually. Turn Instant Pot off then turn back on to Sauté Normal.

  15. Taste the broth and add salt and/or pepper if needed. 

  16. If you would like your broth to have a thicker, more gravy-like consistency, combine the glucomannan and water. Mix well and very quickly add to the bubbling broth. Stir well. Allow this to cook for a couple minutes, then it's ready to serve. 

  17. If you're not quite ready to eat, reduce sauté to less setting or turn it off altogether and set lid on pot to keep everything warm. Enjoy!

Italian Roast Beef – Paleo, Instant Pot

In my last Butcher Box shipment, I received two Bottom Round Roasts. Instantly, my husband said, “Mmmmmm…..roast beef again.”

Well, I have to confess that roast beef is just not my favorite. I realize that particular YouTube video has been my most popular by far, but it’s just not a meal I look forward to.

Enter this Italian version. My thought (and hope) was that the addition of some Italian spices, which my whole family loves, would elevate what is otherwise a pretty simple dish and turn it into something I could really enjoy.

Low and behold, it worked! I know my family would have loved this meat in a sandwich, Philly Cheesesteak style, but we just cannot do gluten free bread all that often. Plus, I’ve never seen a gluten free hoagie bun or crusty roll and that’s really what you need for this application.

So I served their meals as a sort of deconstructed sandwich, with sautéed peppers and mushrooms on the side. And instead of bread, some simply smashed potatoes with ghee, salt and pepper.

For myself, I served up all the same stuff in a bowl and ladled on lots and lots of that delicious broth. I am not one to drink a cup of bone broth for breakfast. Give me all the coffee. But I do enjoy a big bowl of hearty soup. If you asked me, that would be my recommended way to enjoy this meal, but you do what makes you and your family happy. Just make this dish. It’s a simple and flavorful use of a fairly inexpensive cut of meat. And it’s delicious. This is definitely something I will look forward to enjoying again and again!

If you’d like a few more tips on preparation, see my YouTube video here. One note regarding that video: I talk about how to adapt this for AIP and mention leaving out the paprika, but you would also need to leave out the pepper as both are seed-based spices and not allowed on the autoimmune protocol.

Italian Roast Beef

A slight twist on the traditional Pot Roast. Serve this up in a crusty roll for a decadent sandwich or keep it paleo with a bunch of veggies on the side!

Course Main Course
Cuisine Comfort Food, Instant Pot, Italian, Paleo
Servings 6 servings
Author Elizabeth

Ingredients

Italian Spice Blend

  • 2 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1 tsp. dried basil
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • 1 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp. dried thyme

Roast Beef Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp. avocado oil
  • 2-2 1/2 lb. grass-fed bottom round roast
  • 1 large sweet onion
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. Italian Spice Blend
  • 2 cups bone broth beef or chicken or a combination

Instructions

  1. Begin by mixing all of the Italian Spice Blend ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside. 

  2. Turn Instant Pot onto Sauté, high. Add oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Slice onions and add to pan. Give it a stir. 

  3. While onion cooks, prepare the meat: Blot roast with a paper towel and cut into medium-sized chunks, about the size of tennis ball or a little smaller. 

  4. Coat the meat with the spices. (Store the remaining spices in an airtight container for a future use.)

  5. Once onions have begun to brown, just 4-5 minutes, remove from the pan and add the meat. Allow to sear on 2-3 sides. Now add the onion back in and pour the broth over all. 

  6. Turn Instant Pot off. Secure the lid and set to manual, high pressure for 30 minutes. 

  7. You can release the pressure if you're in a hurry or you can allow it to depressurize naturally. Either way will yield great results. 

  8. Now you have to decide how you want to eat your roast. Slice the meat thin for sandwiches or shred it and serve it up in a bowl with all that delicious broth and eat it as a soup/stew.

What We Ate Wednesday 2/21/18

I have quite a variety of meals for you this week so let’s dig in!

Meal #1: Italian Roast Beef in the Instant Pot (recipe coming) smashed potatoes (yellow potatoes, ghee, salt and pepper) and sautéed mushrooms and peppers.

My husband ate his Italian Roast Beef dinner as you see below:

I wanted all that yummy broth that came from cooking the beef so I ate the same food (with fewer potatoes) in the form of a soup. Very hearty and warming on a cold and dreary day.

I must say that, despite the popularity of my Pot Roast You Tube Video, this Italian version is much tastier – in my opinion. I just loved the flavors of all those Italian herbs and spices.

If you can actually eat some form of bread, this would be delicious served Philly Cheesesteak style. And with cheese on top? It would be even better.

Meal #2: Quick Tacos with a side of salad and my homemade ranch, smashed avocado and baked sweet potato. Nothing fancy, but good and filling. My family had tortilla chips baked in the oven with some cheese melted on top. I would have made my own nachos with plantain chips, but 1. I didn’t have any plantains and 2. I’m feeling pretty great without dairy and just didn’t feel it was worth it on this occasion.

Which leads me to my tip for you this week: Following a strict diet of any sort can be tiring, mentally and physically, so indulgences here and there as you are able are an important part of finding balance. But be judicious. With a meal that is otherwise packed with flavor, cheese would not add much. Would I enjoy some delicious grass-fed cheddar on my taco meat? YES! But did I really need it to enhance this meal? No. Keep reading and you’ll see where I deemed the indulgences most totally worth it. Part of this realization came from my new favorite book, Food Freedom Forever, by Whole30’s Melissa Hartwig. This book is packed with tons of real, practical advice about how to have a healthy relationship with food. I HIGHLY recommend it. I picked this up at my local library, but I have my own copy on order from Amazon. I think it will come in handy in my future health coaching business.

As I went to link up my quick taco recipe, I realized I never wrote it up! I made it in one of my Whole30 YouTube videos, but never wrote up the recipe. Here is it:

1 lb. ground beef + 1 link sugar free chorizo sausage browned in skillet until good and caramelized. Add 1 – 1 1/2 cups salsa of your choice (just check ingredients). Simmer until thickened and ready to eat. Really, that’s it. The seasoning all comes from the chorizo and the salsa. If I know I have longer to allow it to simmer, I’ll add some broth to up the health factor, but it isn’t necessary.

Meal #3: I’m realizing we ate a lot of beef last week! This particular meal was Valentine’s Day with my family: NY Strip Steaks, baked sweet potatoes and pan-sautéed asparagus wrapped in bacon. Simple, but delicious.

Meal #4: My hearty Paleo Spaghetti Sauce served over Oven-Fried Squash with a big pile of mixed greens and ranch dressing on the side. I had something else planned for dinner this particular night, but I couldn’t get excited about cooking it or eating it so I scrounged around in the freezer and found a container of spaghetti sauce. This meal totally hit the spot.

Meals #5 and #6: My husband and I were able to escape for a day to the beach and we ate some pretty delicious meals. First up was a visit to the Boiler Room, the sister restaurant to the famous Chef and the Farmer. If you don’t know about Chef and the Farmer, you must check your PBS listings for the show featuring it’s owners called A Chef’s Life. My whole family loves watching this program set in our beloved North Carolina. Vivian seems like such an amazing person, so genuine and kind. And her food all looks delicious. We couldn’t swing dinner at Chef and the Farmer due to budget, but we did save up for lunch at the Boiler Room. It’s a casual place with burgers, raw oysters and such, but I can tell you this: the food and the service were top notch. We would gladly go back again and again.

I know, I am such a nerd, but I was so excited to be there, we had to take a picture outside.

We started lunch with the baked pimento cheese and sausage dip. This would normally be served with their homemade saltines, but the waitress gladly subbed fresh veggies for us instead.

For our main course, we both chose burgers. I had one with caramelized onions, ranch and cheddar blue cheese on the best gluten free bun ever. It did not fall apart one bit.

My husband’s burger was much bigger than mine (no fair!) and had cheddar, grilled pineapple, jalapeño relish and some other yummy toppings I can’t remember. He gave me one bite.

Off in the corner of his burger picture, you can see our Beef Fat Fries. Yes, fries cooked in beef fat. Y-U-M!

And for dessert – because – why not? Creme Brûlée topped with Pomegranate arils. We almost licked the dish.

We were at the beach to find a place to stay this summer since we had never actually visited this particular beach before, so between two pretty decadent meals, we did a lot of walking around, up and down lots of steps, and did a little fishing. That fish was T–H–I–S BIG! Hee hee.

For dinner, we found a place that reportedly served gluten free fried seafood (The Ruddy Duck – if you’re ever in Morehead City, NC). This is such a rare treat for us, we had to give it a try. Knowing we’d be coming back later in the year with our kids, we felt it our duty to check it out for their sakes alone. 😃

We started with fried calamari. Delicious, huge portion. We ate it all.

For our main course, we shared their seafood sampler, which included flounder, shrimp, scallops, clams, french fries and cole slaw.

The flounder, shrimp and scallops were great. The clams were pretty small and felt more like eating fried batter rather than clams. I ate one fry, which was good, but it was not worth the calories with all that delicious seafood. The slaw was good too. And at the end of the meal, we were satisfyingly stuffed. If they had a gluten free dessert available, you can be sure we would have tried it, but they didn’t. Much to my dismay, all the ice cream shops were closed as well, so our indulging ended there.

Bonus tip: When we eat out, we often share an appetizer, entree and dessert. That way, we get to enjoy all three courses, but don’t leave uncomfortably stuffed – and it saves money. Portions are typically so large these days, that sharing still gives us plenty of food. And if not, we can always order more, but in the years of doing this, we’ve never needed to order more.

One final healthy meal for the week: An Instant Pot experiment: Chicken and rice burrito bowls. This was a super simple and fast meal to throw together. I’m getting the recipe and video ready for you, but you could totally do this without a recipe. Brown an onion, toss in some garlic, season up your boneless, skinless chicken breasts with taco seasoning (I have a recipe coming for that as well), brown the chicken a bit then pour in 2 cups of liquid: either two cups of salsa or one cup of salsa and one cup of chicken broth. Add rice of your choice. I used 2 cups cauliflower rice. You could use one cup of white rice. Then either slow cook this for about 6 hours on low or pressure cook it for 12 minutes on high. Top with mixed greens and guacamole.

For those of you into the Keto diet right now, add in some coconut cream to up the fat content and keep it paleo (even AIP) or load it up with cheese and sour cream if you can handle dairy.

That’s it for this week. I have quite a few recipes I’m working on writing up for you. I’m also busy trying to get my Beautycounter business off the ground and making sure I keep up with my school work, so the recipes are just a little slower coming. But they are coming…I promise…so thanks for your patience. I hope you have a great week!

What We Ate Wednesday – 2/14/18

Happy Valentine’s Day to you! I’m sending you lots of love today. And meal ideas.

Meal #1: Pizza Popover – so this is an oldie but a goodie. My grandma used to make this for my brother and I and it was one of my absolute favorite meals. Well over a year ago, I converted this to a paleo (or primal with the addition of cheese) recipe, but we haven’t enjoyed it over here in a very long time. On this particular night, I didn’t want to mess with making vegetable side dishes, so I added a bunch of veggies to the meat sauce portion of this dish. I made my part of the casserole without cheese and added pepperoni for extra pizza goodness. Man, it was good. We all loved it so much that I took this to another family one night and I also fixed it for extended family another night. So if you asked me what we ate this week, the answer is just Pizza Popover! If you are missing pizza or want a family friendly/crowd pleasing meal, give this a try. I promise, it’s delicious even without the cheese. And oh yes, I did serve a very simple salad of mixed greens on the side.

Meal #2: Shake and Bake Chicken Nuggets, salad, roasted potatoes (I made yukon gold potatoes, but followed the same method as in the recipe for sweet potato fries), grapes and buffalo sauce (mayonnaise + Frank’s Original Hot Sauce). We had extra kids for dinner this night, which is why I kept the veggie/fruit portion of the meal pretty simple and kid-friendly. They ate every bit.

Meal #3: I tried a new recipe in the Instant Pot this week: Buffalo Chicken. It’s super simple and you can find the recipe here. I am a spicy food wimp and I still loved this. I will admit that I wanted a big bowl of ice cream afterward. I tempered the heat with sliced avocado, ranch dressing (in my book) and a big helping of roasted sweet potatoes (leftover from earlier in the week – I make a huge batch of these on the weekend and usually just eat them for breakfast with my eggs.) I fried up a plantain, served with a variety of raw veggies on the side. 

Meal #4: Chicken Pot Pie experiment. As I was making all that Pizza Popover this week, I got the idea that the popover batter would be a easy topping for chicken pot pie if someone didn’t have the time, energy or ingredients to make the pie crust. It worked ok. The crust came out a little soggy, whereas it’s really crisp on the pizza popover. It still tasted good, just wasn’t perfect. I think I need to make a few tweaks before I can post this as a recipe. You can find my original Chicken Pot Pie Recipe here. If you don’t feel like making the crust, just add more broth and eat this as soup. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. 

Meals 5, 6 and 7: We had Pizza Popover for a second time and leftovers for the other nights. I always forget to photograph my leftover meals. Usually, I don’t eat the leftovers myself, but my family does. I just come up with something simple for myself. Last night, for example, I ate lunch meat and sliced cucumbers. This is not a meal I recommend! But I was tired and didn’t have much of an appetite so it was the best I could do.

I have been making a version of this Asian Chopped Salad for lunch a lot lately and just topping it with a salmon filet, quickly cooked in a skillet. This is a much better alternative to my lunch meat and cucumber meal! We are having leftovers yet again tonight, so I’ll be making this for myself. If you can find them, wild caught salmon filets sold in individually portioned 4 oz. packages are a great emergency food to keep in your freezer. From frozen to done, it takes under 10 minutes. Canned tuna or salmon would also be a good option.

That’s it for this week! I hope you have a great week and eat lots of amazing, healthy foods!

Buffalo Chicken (Paleo, Whole30, Instant Pot)

I am new to the world of spicy foods. And by spicy, I really just mean flavorful in a peppery sort of way. Anything genuinely “hot,” is not my thing, but I just love the flavor of Frank’s Original Hot Sauce. This is not a specialty ingredient and can be found in every grocery store in my area, so I hope you can find it easily as well.

I make this recipe in the Instant Pot for speed, but you can certainly use the same quantities of ingredients and make this in your crock pot instead.

Then what you do with this super flavorful meat is entirely up to you.

  • Put on your paleo hat and serve it on top of baked sweet potatoes.
  • Add about a quart of good quality chicken broth and turn it into soup
  • Serve on a big bed of salad greens and top with something creamy, like my ranch dressing  (recipe in my book) and avocados
  • Make nachos with some of the grain free tortillas on the market, such as these, or make your own plantain chips
  • You could even add a block of cream cheese and turn this into a delicious dip! But that would be very un-Paleo so don’t tell anyone I told you that.

The options are really endless.

I will say that this is probably not the most little kid-friendly meal. My 11 year old liked it, but only with lots of plantain chips and ranch. My 13 year old deemed it too spicy. I enjoyed it a lot, but I really wanted a glass of milk or a bowl of ice cream to go alongside!

This recipe would be great for a party because you could have the meat all ready and keeping warm on the stove or in your Instant Pot or Crock Pot and let people make their own salad/potato/nachos. Think of it as a less messy and better for you version of hot wings!

Buffalo Chicken

Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Comfort Food, Instant Pot, Paleo, Whole 30
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 People

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup coconut milk use mostly the cream and just a little of the water
  • 1/2 cup Frank's Original Hot Sauce
  • 1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 Tbsp. ghee or clarified butter optional
  • 1/2 tsp. glucomannan optional
  • 2 Tbsp. water optional

Instructions

  1. Clean chicken of excess fat and add to the bottom of Instant Pot

  2. Mix coconut milk and buffalo sauce and pour over chicken. 

  3. Seal Instant Pot and set to manual, high pressure, 10 minutes. 

  4. When cooking is complete, allow IP to depressurize naturally five minutes, then release the remaining pressure. 

  5. Turn IP off and turn on Saute, normal. 

  6. Shred chicken with two forks or hand mixer. 

  7. Taste the mixture. Is is too spicy? If so, add the ghee. (You can add more if it's still too hot.). Is the mixture too thin? If so, mix the water and glucomannan and add that to the simmering chicken mixture. Stir well and serve immediately. 

My Experience with Butcher Box

Butcher Box is a meat subscription service. This means that you get a box full of the very best quality meat delivered to your door once a month (or more or less as you choose).

You can let the folks at Butcher Box pick out what you receive or you can pay a little extra and pick out exactly what you want.

If you know your family ALWAYS eats four pounds of ground beef per month, you can add that on. Or maybe you eat four pounds of bacon (good for you!) – add that on too.

The bottom line is that you can click one button to pick the large or small box, allowing them to select what you receive or you can take a little longer and pick just what you want.

For my first order, I decided to take my chances and take what they gave me. I was very happy with the results. At this point, we’ve eaten almost all of what they sent (or at least tried each type of meat) and have been happy with all of it. Never in my life have I had such a tender sirloin steak!

Here’s what I received for my $238 Butcher Box Curated Big Box:

  • 6 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 4 lbs ground beef
  • 3 12 oz. packages bacon
  • 4 lbs. pork loin chops
  • 4 12 oz. packages sirloin steaks
  • 4 10 oz. packages New York Strip steaks

You can watch a video of my unboxing and hear a little more commentary if that might help you decide if Butcher Box is right for your family.

When I made that video, they were offering one free package of bacon each month for the entire year. That offer has since ended, but if you use my referral link you will receive another great offer. As of the writing of this post, the offer is $10 off each month for a year for a total savings of $120.

In full disclosure, this is my referral link, meaning Butcher Box will give me a product credit if you use my link. Know that this comes at no additional cost to you, but does help keep this blog going. And I’m very appreciative.

If you have a hard time finding grass fed, pastured, heritage breed meats in your area or simply don’t have the time to drive all over town to buy it, then Butcher Box might just be the answer you’re looking for.

I’m always looking for ways to maintain my health objectives without making my life more difficult. Butcher Box is helping make that possible and I’m thrilled I’ve found them! Give it a try and see if it makes your life easier as well.

What We Ate Wednesday 2/7/18

Here you have What We Ate Wednesday #4. I’m going to go ahead and warn you that I went back to school last week and already am feeling the crunch. I’m going to do my best to keep these posts coming, along with new recipes, but it takes a very long time to write up each and every one, so I may have to start slacking off a bit.

For now, enjoy another glimpse into what has gone on our table recently:

Meal #1: Salisbury Steak, Mashed Potatoes (for guests – with dairy), boiled and sort of smashed potatoes for me, just with ghee, salt and pepper, pan fried okra and roasted squash and carrots (not sure why I don’t have any of those)
Meal #2: Quiche with the crust from my Chicken Pot Pie and fruit salad

I don’t have this one written up yet, but here’s the basic formula for one quiche that fits a 9 inch pie plate:

  • 8 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups of milk (almond or coconut or a combination)
  • meat – already cooked (I used 1 lb. of sausage)
  • veggies – I cut up a bunch of kale, stems removed – greens don’t need to be cooked before going in the quiche, other veggies are better cooked – like broccoli, onions, peppers, mushrooms, etc.
  • salt and pepper (about 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper)
  • cheese if desired – since I’m Whole30ing, I just added cheese to the top of half of our quich

Make crust, then layer in meat, cheese, veg, pour eggs/milk/salt/pepper over top

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes, until just set in the middle.

Meal #3: Leftovers – you’ve heard me lament over the fact that I can’t eat leftovers due to the histamine content, but I do try from time to time. I have a supplement called HistaminX from Seeking Health that helps a lot, but I do still react some. I just make a choice – do I want the hassle of cooking something just for me when everyone else is eating leftovers and there’s plenty for me or do I want to chance it? Sometimes I chance it.

Meal #4: Date night! We tried a new BBQ restaurant in town. All their meat is served without sauce – you can choose your sauce and add that on separately. So I tried turkey, brisket, pulled pork and sausage with sides of potato salad and green beans. I’m sure the potato salad contained some sugar, but I ate a few bites (still Whole30ing over here) and I even tried the sauces. It was all good, though the sauces were pretty darn sweet. I was happy with the meat plain.

Meal #5: Super Bowl Feast! We had butternut squash soup, Teriyaki Wings and Hot Wings,  Plantain ChipsBaby Pigs in Blankets and lots of fresh veggies and fruit.

Meal #6: Leftovers from the Super Bowl. We had a lot of butternut squash soup leftover, but I decided not to risk the histamine reaction this time and whipped myself up some quick guacamole and ate that with a bunch of raw veggies and a few plantain chips. Not the best dinner, I know. I’m definitely feeling the strain of wifing/mothering/teaching/blogging/being a student/ramping up my Beautycounter business. Less energy for cooking or even eating well. This is going to have to get in hand soon.

This is what I had planned to eat – see my histamine supplement at the ready? One bite of the soup and I knew it would be a bad idea so I passed that on to my son.

Meal #7: Nut-Crusted Pork Chops, broccoli and roasted potatoes. I prepared the pork chops the same way I do my Nut-Crust Chicken and it was a real crowd pleaser. We’re not super big fans of white meat pork, simply because it tends to be dry, but prepared this way, it was delicious and moist. I made sure to use my thermometer so as to stop cooking the pork when it reached 145 degrees. If you look closely, you can tell the pork is still a little pink in the middle. That’s what you want.

That’s it for this week friends. I apologize for the poor quality of my photographs this week. I was just not on top of my game.

I hope you have a great week and eat well!