Paleo Basics // Coconut Cream

Coconut cream is one of my favorite products. 

You can get coconut cream two ways: take a can of full fat coconut milk and refrigerate it upside down overnight or longer. When you're ready to use it, take it out and turn it right side up. When you open it, the cream will be on the top and the milk will be on the bottom. Scoop out the cream and put the milk in a mason jar to use for later! As the cream sits in the fridge it continues to thicken slightly, so you may need to add a little of the milk to get it the consistency that you want.

You can also buy coconut cream from Trader Joe's! This is what I do (convenience is key when you have an infant!). If you open it at room temperature, it is a liquid and will thicken in the refrigerator even after opening. It becomes a greek yogurt consistency. 

Here are a few of my favorite uses for coconut cream:

-- Spoon into a bowl and top with fresh fruit and almonds/pecans/walnuts and cinnamon (and a drizzle of honey if not Whole30ing). My favorite combination is strawberries and pecans! Cinnamon + bananas is another good combo.

-- Add a spoonful to your morning coffee (amazing with a little grass-fed butter).

-- Use in Thai chicken soup or coconut curry stew or use in this creamy roasted tomato soup (one my favorite fall recipes!).

-- Add to a post-workout shake for good carbs and fat. My favorite combination is 100% whey protein powder + coconut cream + 1/2 a frozen banana + one tablespoonful cocoa powder + almond milk + ice (Not Whole30 compliant!)

How do you use coconut cream? I'm always looking for new recipes!

xoxo

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Paleo Basics // Kitchen Sink Beef Stew

Life has been pretty hectic lately, so my slow cooker has been working overtime. If I do nothing else, each weekend I at least roast a whole chicken in the oven and put a beef stew in the slow cooker. This guarantees us lunch and dinner for at least two days with a minimal amount of effort on my part. (Therefore leaving me with a little more energy to devote to baby wrangling.) 

When it comes to the beef stew, I basically just throw in whatever is on hand: a lovely grass-fed roast, aromatics like onion and/or garlic, hearty vegetables like butternut squash or sweet potatoes, lighter vegetables such as bell pepper, summer squash or zucchini, roasted eggplant, and fresh tomatoes and spinach, and lots of fresh herbs. There honestly isn't much of a science to it, which is also the beauty of it! This is a recipe you can really only mess up by cooking the roast too long. So, a word to the wise, don't overcook. Grass-fed beef takes about thirty percent less time to cook than its conventional counterpart. Also, if you choose a tougher cut of meat, as we often do since feeding a family can get pricey, make sure to marinate your meat in acid (vinegar, red wine) and cook it slowly - on low!

Kitchen sink beef stew (variation no. 1):

2-3lb grass fed roast or London broil*

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 small sweet onion OR about 1/2 package frozen diced onions

2 cups homemade beef or chicken stock

1 package cubed butternut squash (one of my Trader Joe's favorites!)

about 1/2 cup bell peppers (fresh or frozen)

1/2 cup roasted eggplant (or raw!)

2-3 medium fresh organic tomatoes OR 1 large can organic diced tomatoes 

lots of fresh oregano and thyme

salt & pepper

Rinse your meat and pat dry with a paper towel. Season well with salt, pepper and a bit of granulated garlic and/or onion for good measure. Set aside. Place your onions and minced garlic in the bottom of the slow cooker, and pour in your stock. Then layer in your hearty vegetables, butternut squash, red potatoes or sweet potatoes. Place your roast on top of the vegetables and add in the bell peppers, eggplant and fresh tomatoes. Top the entire pot with diced fresh herbs, about 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme and 1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano. Cook on LOW for about 4 to 4&1/2** hours. After four hours, remove the roast and shred it with two forks. (Place one fork in the center of the roast and hold it with your non-dominant hand, then use your dominant hand to shred with the other fork.) If the roast is not done to your liking, cook for 30 more minutes. Give the stew a good stir and serve as desired. We like ours with cauliflower 'rice' or just by itself!

Other variations we enjoy include:

butternut squash + roasted eggplant + bell pepper + tomato + kalamata olive

sweet potato + zucchini + bell pepper + tomato + cilantro + lime

red potato + roasted eggplant + tomato + thyme + kale (add in for the last 15 minutes)

butternut squash + cauliflower + curry powder + spinach (add in for the last 15 minutes)

Honestly, you can really throw in whatever fresh or frozen vegetables your have. Frozen diced onions are an easy time-saver for this and many other recipes. Also, I buy organic sweet bell peppers in bulk during peak season, and slice and freeze them for later use. Just remember to layer your stew as follows: aromatics (onions, garlic), then stock, then hearty vegetables (potatoes, butternut squash), then your meat, then lighter vegetables (peppers, tomatoes, summer squash), then top with fresh herbs.

*For more cost-effective cuts of meat, marinate for 12-48 hours in an acidic mixture. I like 1 cup red wine, 2 tablespoons coconut aminos OR 1  tablespoon aminos and 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, 1 tsp each of dijon mustard and minced garlic. Marinate overnight for best results.

xoxo

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**I know that sounds like a small amount of time, but trust me. I've eaten one too many overcooked grass fed roasts in my day, and four hours will most likely be sufficient. 

Paleo Basics // The Ultimate Burger

A really good hamburger is not only totally satisfying, it's incredibly simple to make paleo. Nutrient dense toppings such as a fried egg, grilled portabella mushroom cap, and avocado slices more than account for the lack of bun. Also, you needn't forgo any summer barbecues just because of your diet. It's one of our favorite, simple meals, and with summer just beginning, there are a lot of ultimate burgers in our future.

To make 3 large burgers (or 4 smaller ones) you will need:

1lb grass-fed ground beef

about 3/4 tsp liquid smoke

a few healthy shakes of Worcestershire sauce (this has molasses in it. omit if you want.)

a generous few shakes of steak seasoning (look out for sugar and seed oils)

1 small red or yellow onion, whole

1 portabella mushroom cap per burger

Toppings:

1 farm fresh egg per burger

avocado slices

fresh tomato slices

organic spring mix or other lettuce

organic pickles (read ingredients!)

organic ketchup, mayo, Dijon mustard (read ingredients!)

How to:

Marinate your ground beef in the steak seasoning, Worcestershire and liquid smoke for a few hours before grilling. Patty out into three or four burgers and grill until desired cook is achieved {we go for medium/medium well}. Cut the ends off your onion and place it in a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil, then close the foil around the onion and place it on the grill for 10-15 minutes. Wash the mushroom caps and brush with olive oil, then place those on the grill as well. Grill the mushrooms for about 3 minutes per side. While the meat and veggie are grilling, fry the eggs for each burger and slice the other toppings.

We like to eat our burgers with crispy sweet potato fries. This recipe is a good one, with or without the rosemary. Also, if you're just really craving a traditional hamburger with a bun, this recipe is a great option.

Happy grilling.
xoxo

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Paleo Basics // Sauces, Dressings & Marinades

Sauces, dressings and marinades are one of the tricky things to navigate when it comes to eating paleo as most packaged sauces contain sugar and/or seed oils. The best solution, of course, is to make all sauces and dressings yourself, but sometimes that can be overwhelming. So here are some of my favorite paleo sauces that don't have any hidden ingredients.

Tessame's:  

These dressings/marinades hit it out of the park. I'm partial to the Zesty Ranch and the Lemon Garlic. They also make a paleo-friendly ketchup!

Coconut Aminos:
A substitute for soy sauce, I use this for marinating meats, in stir fry dishes, as an addition to homemade salad dressings, and to season sauteed vegetables. Use as you would soy sauce!

Toasted Sesame Oil:

I like to add a splash of this to our chicken to give it a bit more flavor. I also use it in stir fry or the sesame orange chicken recipe from this book, which is amazing!

Salsa Verde:

Add this to slow cooker chicken tacos, put it on eggs or atop a taco salad. It is especially good when combined with homemade guacamole - no salad dressing needed!

Good quality balsamic vinegar:

I add this to grass-fed beef marinades and slow cooker roasts, salad dressings, and splash over sauteed Brussels sprouts and oven roasted butternut squash with cranberries.

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We do use a couple sauces that aren't strict paleo because they contain sugar. We are okay with this since we use these items sparingly and avoid them completely during a Whole30. 

Sweet Ginger Chili Sauce:
This one isn't strict paleo because it contains sugar, but it is delicious nonetheless. A bit spicy, a bit sweet, a bit gingery, it's great over grass-fed burgers and in stir fry. 

Lea & Perrins Worcestershire:

Another item that contains sugar/molasses, we use the lower-sodium Worcestershire sauce mostly for marinating steaks and sometimes for grilled chicken. 

As a general rule, we make most of our dressings and marinades from simple but flavorful ingredients like olive oil, sesame oil, balsamic vinegar, raspberry champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, lemon or lime juice, and spices. Sometimes we add honey or maple syrup, which we are okay with, but you choose for yourself. That being said, it's nice to be have things in the pantry that are paleo-friendly when you just don't have time to make your own!

xoxo

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Paleo Basics // Grilled Salmon + Sauteed Vegetables

I am including this recipe in the Paleo Basics series because this recipe is easily adapted to whatever you have in your refrigerator. The key is simple seasonings that provide lots of flavor. This dish easily becomes grilled chicken with sauteed onions, zucchini and bell pepper. Or how about flank steak with sauteed shredded Brussels sprouts and cabbage? You get the idea! 

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Lately I have been making a concentrated effort to eat more fish. Ever since I was a child I've been less than a fan of seafood. It's that distinct fishy taste that I just can't get down with. That being said, when we vacationed in Panama last year, I ate fresh tuna steaks every night and absolutely loved it. So far we've grilled tuna steaks from the farmer's market, wild caught turbot from Whole Foods, and now wild salmon from Trader Joe's. {You can find some of my favorite paleo TJ items here!}

Grilled Salmon Fillet + Sauteed Vegetables

For the fish:

2 salmon fillets (preferably wild caught)

Trader Joe's 21 seasoning salute

Olive oil

Lemon

For the vegetables:

2-3 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 small yellow onion, chopped

1/2 package of baby bella mushrooms, sliced in half

1/2 package organic grape tomatoes, sliced in half

1/2 package organic spinach

1 tbl spoon ghee or grass-fed butter

olive oil

salt & pepper

coconut aminos

How to:

Drizzle your salmon fillets with a bit of olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) and season with 21 seasoning salute or other seasoning mix (no sugar or seed oils, please!) and place in the fridge for about four hours or more before cooking. When it's dinnertime, remove the fillets from the fridge and place on a hot, oiled grill. We cooked the skin side first and removed the fillet when it started flaking, about ten minutes. While the salmon is cooking saute the onions and garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of ghee/butter. Once the onions are translucent, add in the mushrooms. Saute for about 2 minutes, then add in the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes more. Finally add in the spinach and cook for just a few minutes, until the spinach is wilted. Season with a pinch of sea salt and pepper and a splash of coconut aminos just before serving. Remove the salmon from the grill and serve with a lemon wedge and a side salad of organic greens and balsamic dressing.

Happy (paleo) eating!

xoxo

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Paleo Basics // Trader Joe's Favorites

Today I'm starting a new series about paleo basics. When I published the Whole30 meal plans in January {1, 2, 3, 4, 5} I received quite a few questions about things that I take for granted. Like how to make chicken salad, where to find certain products, and how to eat paleo and not break the bank. All of theses things are second nature to me now since we have been eating paleo for four plus years, and I sometimes forget what it was like in those first few months. It can get overwhelming quickly, so my hope is that this series will help you seamlessly ease into a paleo lifestyle.

When it comes to saving money and eating paleo, one of my favorite places is Trader Joe's because I can get good quality paleo items for a good price. There are a few produce items that I will only buy organic {spinach and sweet potatoes are on the list}, and TJ has good prices on these items as well as some pantry staples and oils. Because we live an hour  from the closest TJs, we go about once every 2 weeks and stock up. We build this into our grocery budget by making the in between week's budget smaller and buying less that week. So every other week we have more to spend on our grocery budget.

See my list of TJ favorites here.

A few notes...

-- We buy meat from our local grocery store or online because we can get free-range chicken and grass-fed beef from local farmers. However, if I can't make it to another store or we are out of our freezer supply, I like knowing I can get decent meat products at Trader Joe's as well.  

-- We get our eggs from our backyard hens or from a local farm. Before we had the ladies, however, we purchased the organic eggs from Trader Joe’s.

xoxo

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