I feel like such a tease this week because most of these recipes are not published yet, but they’re all in the queue. I’ll release one a week over the next few weeks so stay tuned.

Two public service announcements:

1. I have updated my Privacy Policy in accordance with the GDPR. If you don’t know what that is, be thankful and move on. But if you really enjoy reading legalese, then hop on over and read that document start to finish. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
2. My sign-up form has been broken for a couple months, unbeknownst to me, so if you have not yet signed up for my monthly email newsletter and would like to, please do so. I promise I won’t bombard you with useless information or sell your information to anyone else (see PSA #1). But I will occasionally talk about Beautycounter in addition to Paleo food, because what we put on our bodies is just as important as what we put in them! I will also occasionally share Stitch Fix clothes because that’s just fun. Or at least I think so and it’s my blog so I get to decide.

Moving on to meals!

You will notice that this was clearly my last hoorah before starting a Whole 30 on June 3rd. I know that I simply cannot bake while doing a Whole30. I especially can’t create a new recipe because I have to taste what I am creating. So I got all my sweet creativity out in that last week of May. I can tell you that my family was very burdened by this. Wink wink.

Meal #1: Steak Tacos with salad with avocado dressing, AIP tortillas and grilled vegetables

Butcher Box sends me a lot of steaks. I’ve never eaten so much steak in my life. We are not complaining!

On a whim one night I turned our delicious steaks into steak tacos and we were all in love! Do not miss this recipe. The steak is flavored with a quick rub and topped with a salad tossed in an avocado dressing. 

Meal #2: My family ate Italian Pot Roast, which I really don’t like (I don’t enjoy any pot roast really) and I had eaten a very late lunch, so I had a salad with avocado, balsamic and olive oil. 

Meal #3: Chicken stir fry with cauliflower rice. The one and only thing I am not happy about with Butcher Box is that they keep sending me chicken breasts. The only way I can assure I will receive dark meat chicken is to curate my own box and I’m not willing to pay extra for that. Yet. Maybe I will in the future. The chicken is good, but I just don’t like white meat.

Meals #4 and #5: My lovely husband allowed me to attend the NC Homeschool Conference last week, which meant two nights and three days all by my adult self getting encouraged and built up for another year of homeschooling. One bonus of this trip was that my Beautycounter mentor and super mentor (I don’t know all the proper names of my up-line team, so I’ll create my own titles)  both live in the same town as the conference so I was able to enjoy a dinner with them.

I ordered grilled flounder with cole slaw, sauteed veggies and potato hash. It was so tasty and still healthy that I actually ordered takeout of the same meal the next night! Of course, I forgot to take a picture the first night, but I did grab this one in the lovely takeout tin before I totally destroyed it!  Before I left town, I created this dessert for my family to enjoy while I was away. And so that I would not be tempted to eat it all! Growing up, this was called Chocolate Delight and had a shortbread crust. I recreated it to be Primal with my chocolate chip cookie recipe as the crust and topping, with creamy layers of Paleo Chocolate Pudding, cream cheese and whipped cream. It was amazing and I’m very glad I left town with this in the fridge! Recipe coming!! This is perfect for summer so don’t miss it. (I just realized I’ve never published my chocolate chip cookie recipe. I will do that soon!) Another dessert recipe that I’ll have out for you soon – before all the yummy strawberries go away for the season: Strawberry and Rhubarb Cobbler. Hint: You must subscribe to my newsletter to get this pie crust recipe. But believe me, it’s worth it. 🙂  Meal #6: Instant Pot Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Burrito Bowl. So no, I’ve not been quite this indulgent – that’s my husband’s bowl heaped high with sour cream and cheddar, but my own portion was so covered with greens that you couldn’t see the dish at all. Aren’t I virtuous? Under all that yumminess is a flavorful chicken and “rice” burrito bowl fixed in the Instant Pot in less than 30 minutes. It’s super filling and delicious and everyone can make their own bowl just the way they like it. 

Meal #7: Look at that delicious hunk of grass-fed cheddar! There are even little pieces of it in my salad. So indulgent!!!

This meal is a burger with bacon (and cheese!), roasted root vegetables and a big, yummy salad. My dressing is honey mustard made with homemade mayo, yellow mustard, a sprinkle of onion powder and drops of liquid stevia to taste. If you want it a little thinner, you can add some coconut aminos or a little balsamic vinegar. 

One more dessert! Is anyone upset about this? This is Grandmother’s Pound Cake. Chris’ grandmother was famous for this pound cake. I remember my first dinner with his family when this was offered and I initially said, “No thanks,” because I didn’t really like pound cake. They all convinced me it was not like any pound cake I’d ever had before so I reluctantly took a slice. And boy were they right! I immediately asked for the recipe – and knew I was accepted into the family because they actually gave it to me. This recipe became our go-to anytime we needed cake. I baked it into layers for birthday cakes and served it to everyone who ever came to my house. Then the paleo diet descended and this recipe got tucked away. Until one day when my son asked for it for his confirmation lunch. So I de-glutened it and low-and-behold it is still amazing!!!! The best part is that crunchy crust all around the outside. People fight over that crust. If you’re ever in the position to splurge on sugar and butter, please make this. You will not be sorry. It’s even better after the first day so make it ahead and make your life easier. You have to come back for the recipe. I’ll notify you on Facebook when it’s posted so if you don’t follow me over there, go ahead and do that now. 

I think we’ll end on dessert this week, because that’s just the way it should be, isn’t it?

Happy Wednesday everyone!