Vanilla Almond Granola // Against All Grain

Oh, granola. It is one of the things that I missed most when we switched to a paleo diet. I missed granola so much that I would periodically cheat and allow myself some gluten free granola that usually contained seed oils and corn. And until I found this recipe by Danielle Walker, I hadn't been satisfied with a paleo version of my beloved snack. But, like all her other recipes, this one is a definite winner. 

  

I omitted the flax seed and used 1/2 cup of maple syrup instead of the 3/4 cup of honey. I also substituted golden raisins for red ones. Next time I think I will try it with cranberries!

This granola is great over refrigerated coconut milk, coconut yogurt, with a splash of almond milk or eaten alone. It also makes a great gift!

xoxo

copyright Hiking in Stilettos

Egg-less Breakfast: Simple Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I am admittedly one of those paleo eaters that often says "I have no idea what to eat for breakfast." The vast majority of paleo-eating types will quickly tell you to eat eggs or leftovers or some version of meat/protein + vegetables. Well, unfortunately, that is somewhat difficult for me, especially when I'm leaving the house by 6:30am. Sometimes I reheat a frittata or cover my eggs in avocado and salsa, but it can still be difficult to choke down. So as I discover them, I will share some of my favorite egg-less breakfasts with you. Recently I made this simple, delicious butternut squash breakfast soup.

Simple Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

{adapted from this Whole Living recipe} 

1 large {or 2 small} whole butternut squash

1/2 to 1 small yellow onion, depending on your taste {remember, this is your breakfast.}

1 small apple {I used a gala}

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1-2 garlic cloves, depending on your taste

1 inch freshly grated ginger

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp cardamon

a dash of ground cloves 

coconut or olive oil

Preheat over to 425. Using a sharp knife, prick a few long holes in the butternut squash and place on a baking sheet or in a baking dish. Roast the squash whole for 60 minutes or until completely tender. {You can easily tell by just touching it to make sure it is very soft.} Once the squash in done, let it cool for 15 minutes on the counter. While it is cooling, add oil to a skillet and saute the onion and garlic until the onions are translucent. Add in the carrots and apple and cook for about 15 minutes or until they are tender. Add in the spices and let it all meld together for about 5 minutes. Let cool, then transfer this mixture to a high-speed blender. While the onion and carrot mix is cooling, use a spoon to scrape out the seeds of the butternut squash. {If you want, you can keep the seeds and roast them for a snack or to top off your soup!} Then use the spoon to scoop out all of the squash from the peeling. This should be a very easy process. Place the squash into the blender and mix until your desired consistency is achieved. If the soup is too thick, add almond or coconut milk or vegetable broth to thin it out.  

Top with crumbled bacon or sausage, pepitas or roasted squash seeds, coconut flakes, a splash of almond or coconut milk and/or cinnamon. It's a delicious and filling breakfast that I can easily stomach in the early morning hours. Also, it's quite easy to make, so if you feel like making a double batch, it freezes* well!

xoxo

copyright Hiking in Stilettos

-----------------

*We are gearing up for a Whole30 starting January 1st, so I am making a big batch of this soup over the weekend to freeze and have on hand. It thaws quickly and makes a great go-to for breakfast and even as a mid-afternoon snack. 100% Whole30 approved ingredients!

Deconstructed Omelette Salad

My current go-to egg concoction is the deconstructed omelette salad. The original idea centered around a product that is apparently seasonal at Trader Joe's, so we had to adapt our original idea, but the outcome was just a delicious as the original would have been.

Ingredients:

ghee or olive oil for the pan

plenty of organic greens {spinach, kale, spring mix}

grape tomatoes 
sauteed onions and bell pepper 

three slices of organic lunch meat {we use applegate organics}

two eggs {or however many you desire}

crumbled goat cheese {optional}

sliced avocado

Add some ghee to the pan and sautee the greens, tomatoes, and already cooked onion and bell pepper. Toss in the diced deli meat and let all the ingredients wilt and mix together. Crack in your eggs and stir as they cook to your desired consistency. Once the mixture is done, add to a bowl and top with crumbled goat cheese and/or diced avocado.

Once fall comes back around, we will revisit this recipe with a couple seasonal tweaks. I'm thinking shaved turkey, spinach, basil pesto and perhaps some cranberries...

xoxo

copyright Hiking in Stilettos
 

Paleo Breakfast Recipe Roundup

{ 1 / 2}

One of the more challenging aspects of switching to a paleo lifestyle was figuring out what to eat for breakfast. Lunch and dinner are pretty easy, but breakfast was the bane of my (paleo) existence for a while. As much as I love eggs, sometimes I just can't stomach them in the early hours of the morning, so I had to get creative. Here are some of my go-to breakfast ideas:

 Eggs (an obvious inclusion, I know.)

- Make an egg scramble or omelette with your favorite vegetables and/or protein. Add a bit of ghee (clarified butter) or coconut oil to your pan and sautee veggies of choice, add in extra protein if desired, add in 2-3 eggs and mix around until cooked through, top with avocado or salsa (or both!)

Vegetables to include: zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, squash, tomatoes, arugula, broccoli, green onions, chopped asparagus, leeks, olives, sweet potatoes (if you need a post-workout carb source), really anything goes here.

Extra proteins to include: organic deli meat (I like Applegate Organic chicken breast slices), any type of sausage (I'm partial to Aidells's chicken & apple sausages, Publix Greenwise chicken sausages, Applegate Farms breakfast sausages are a good frozen option), crumbled bacon (I use nitrate-free turkey bacon), smoked salmon, leftover pork chops from dinner, etc.

- You can also do a frittata version of eggs + vegetables that is great for making on Sunday and reheating during the hectic work week.

- Hard boil some eggs on the weekend for a quick grab and go breakfast, paired with an apple and a hand full of raw nuts or sit down with a hard boiled egg or two and some wilted spinach

- Make egg muffins. Line muffin cups with a slice of turkey bacon, add in a few chopped veggies and crack and egg into the muffin cup. Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes or until eggs are set and browned. 

Avocado Bowls

- Another easy breakfast, bake an egg into an avocado half.
Simply scoop a little avocado out of a half to make some extra room, crack your egg into the hole and bake on a sheet at 400 for about ten minutes or until your eggs is the desired consistency. Top with the removed avocado, some crumbled turkey bacon and salt and pepper as desired.

- Spoon some homemade chicken salad or tuna salad into an avocado half and eat up! Also tasty with crumbled bacon on top.

{eggs from the backyard; egg scramble with zucchini, spinach, potatoes & crumbled bacon + tangerine + black coffee}

Chicken Soup

- While it may sound strange, a traditional chicken soup makes a great breakfast, especially on cooler mornings.

Sautee onion, garlic, celery, carrots in olive oil in a dutch oven. Add in diced chicken and cook until almost cooked through. Add desired amount of organic vegetable broth and simmer on low for about thirty minutes. Add spices such as oregano, thyme and basil to desired taste.

Creamy Coconut Squash

- An easy breakfast for when you're running out the door to work, butternut squash puree is a great make-ahead and reheat option. Simply peel, remove seeds and cut 1/2 of a butternut squash into cubes, then microwave until the cubes have softened (about ten minutes total), add to a food processor with 1&1/2 cups unsweetened coconut or almond milk, 1/4 cup of pecans or almonds, and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and 1/4 tsp nutmeg if desired. Serve warm and top with a few sliced almonds or some extra milk.

Breakfast Salads

- Top a mix of spring lettuces and spinach with a bit of fruit or olives, walnuts or pecans, crumbled turkey bacon, a fried egg or sausage or baked chicken and a squeeze of lemon or light dressing (I suggest making your own. A lemon champagne would be quite tasty, also Bragg vinaigrette is a good bottled option).

{spinach salad with berries + grilled chicken sausage + roasted sweet potatoes; no-atmeal with blueberries + black coffee}

Breadless Sandwhiches

- Make a BLT or an egg sandwhich using a bell pepper or a portabella mushroom as a bread substitute. Or make these delicious cauliflower tortillas for breakfast wraps.

Cauliflower with Sausage and/or Eggs

- This is a great option for us Southerners who grew up eating creamy white grits with butter. Simply wash, chop and steam 1/2 head of cauliflower, then puree in a blender with a bit of ghee or grass-fed butter. I typically do this on a Sunday to use for the week. In the mornings I add some cooked sausage (Aidell's or Applegate)
 and/or an egg over medium (scrambled is good too), a bit of salt and pepper and maybe a bit of thyme.

No-atmeal

- For those mornings when you are really craving a traditional breakfast, a tasty combination of banana, raw nuts and almond milk satisfies your oatmeal cravings without deleterious effects.
Add 1/2 cup almonds, 1/2 cup pecans, 1/2 a banana, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/8 tsp salt and 1/4-1/2 cup unsweetened coconut or almond milk to a food processor and pulse until desired consistency is reached. Warm the mix in a microwave or on the stove, then top with a few berries and a bit more milk as desired.

Here's another recipe that includes a few eggs for added protein and one with some extra spices that I love to make in the fall.

Crustless Quiche

- Another easy option for making ahead of time and reheating, quiche is quick and easy on hectic mornings.
For a crustless version, simply whisk together 6 eggs, 1&1/2 cups of coconut or almond milk, 1 tablespoon ghee or grass-fed butter, salt & pepper. Then stir in about four cups or so of desired vegetables (if using broccoli, I suggest steaming it first) and pour the mixture into a pan and bake at 425 for about 20 minutes or until the middle is set.

If I have a week full of early mornings when eggs may not sound appealing, I will use the almond flour crust from this recipe for a quiche. Simply mix eggs and desired veggies and pour into a pre-baked crust. Bake for about 15-20 minutes. 

Vegetable Bowl

- Skip the protein and load up on veggies.
Lightly sautee mushrooms, onions, spinach, broccoli, zucchini and any other vegetables. The more the merrier! Top with avocado or homemade salsa.

- Kale with sweet potatoes is one of my favorite vegetable combinations.
Dice and bake a sweet potato, sautee kale with onions on Sunday. Mix them together in the morning for a quick and easy breakfast to go. This is also good with some steamed broccoli.

{broccoli and spinach quiche with almond flour crust + half a grapefruit + almond milk; black coffee for the win!}

Berry Pancakes (great for Saturday mornings)

- There are quite a few pancake recipes using almond flour (this book has a good one), and while those are a good alternative to traditional pancakes, they are still not great. A definite treat, in my opinion. A good alternative to almond flour pancakes is this recipe from Primal Blueprint: (makes 4 servings)

Heat 3 tablespoons grass-fed butter or ghee in a 10-inch skillet (I like to use a cast iron), and add 1 cup of mixed berries (I use a combination of blueberries & strawberries). While the berries simmer, beat 4 egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl, whisk 4 egg yolks for 1-2 minutes, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp cinnamon, then fold in the egg whites. Spread the egg mixture over the berries and cook for a couple minutes, then transfer to a preheated oven at 400 degrees. Bake for about ten minutes, until the egg mixture is browned and puffy. Remove from oven and invert onto a plate so tha the fruit is face-up. Garnish with a few berries and enjoy!

This is not a completely inclusive list, but just a few ideas that we make pretty regularly. Another favorite place for great breakfast ideas is PaleOMG. That girl makes some tasty breakfast casseroles, including some that are crock-pot friendly for those of us with hectic schedules. (Total girl crush. I'm not ashamed.)

Let me know if you try any of these or have any other suggestions!

xoxo

copyright Hiking in Stilettos