Life, Love, and Paleo

I promise I have not fallen off the face of the planet. We have been so busy lately its ridiculous. I started school we just moved and work has been crazy. But the one constant in my life (besides my family) has not. Our Paleo lifestyle. We are loving it more than ever now that we have gotten the hang of meal planning, shopping, and what our family eats most. I think that first month was definately the hardest for us. We have tried some interesting things and there are a bunch of new recipes that I find every day that go into my "wanna try this next" pile. One that i am super excited about is from paleOMG. http://paleomg.com/sweet-pulled-pork-waffle-sliders/ It is a crockpot recipe from pulled pork with a sweet maple mayo inbetween two waffle buns. Doesnt that just make your mouth water. It sure does for me. Every time I think about this recipe I get hungry. I mean really look at this picture, it looks fabulous.

I really want to try this but i am alwyas home way too late and leave way too early. It kinda makes me sad inside. But you know what makes me happy? The weight that both me and DH lost. We both lost about 40 lbs. and we have been so much happier and have so much more engery to run after the dragonborn. That's right I said 40 lbs! I was 195 when we started the transition in may and now I am 155. How awesome is that? I can fit in my old jeans from high school! YAY ME!!! oh and YAY DH TOO!! =]
So there's my update hope all of you are doing well. And keep up the paleo awesomeness.

Memorial Chicken

We stayed over at the in-laws because they decided to go camping this memorial weekend. And i was super excited. A bigger space to let the dragon born run around in, a backyard to let the dragonborn run around in, and a grill. That's right a grill. Even though we have a tiny little BBQ grill at our house, the in-laws have a huge grill with a sear burner and all that nifty stuff.
So with an awesome grill and it being such a nice day out, we couldn't just let the poor thing sit there and not get used.
So, I found this picture* on pinterest, and it looked so yummy.

Now, we grilled our chicken and asparagus, and we didn't put sauce on our spaghetti squash. I didn't use their recipe i just thought that all of this together looked yummy. This is what our dinner looked like. 

See, doesn't that just make your mouth water? 

 DH made the marinade for the chicken and it was so yummy. It tasted almost like a teriyaki sauce. The asparagus we kinda crispy on the top and not so done at the end so i think next time i might just steam them. The spaghetti squash was amazing though.

Here is what you need to make this yummy summer time grilled dinner. Now mind you, I was working and DH had most of this ready to go by the time i got home. All i had to do was scrape the squash. 

For the chicken:

3 large chicken breast 

1 cup soy sauce

1 cup water

3/4 sugar ( i would use honey instead or maybe raw sugar)

1 tbsp Cajun seasoning

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp onion powder

1 cup Worcestershire sauce (yes i know its not paleo) 

put all ingredients into a large Ziploc bag and shake to mix. Set some aside for your asparagus and add your chicken to the bag. Or you can use a marinating Tupperware dish if you have one. Let this sit for at least two hours. Then grill to perfection or about 400 degrees for 15(ish) minutes. 

For the Asparagus: 

Marinade 

Asparagus

I know real simple right? Add your asparagus to the marinade that you set aside and let it sit for at least 15 min. Put these on the grill the same time as your chicken on the upper rack if you have one.  I might wrap them in foil before putting them on the grill though, because our got pretty crispy. 

For the Spaghetti squash: 

Spaghetti squash

EVOO

S&P 

Preheat your oven for 375 degrees. Cut your spaghetti squash open length wise, and scrape out the seeds. Place the squash cut side up on a cookie sheet (DH used the bottom part of the broiler pan). Brush both halves with EVOO and season with salt and pepper. Put on center rack and bake for 35 minutes.  (here are some other ways to cook spaghetti squash. http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/cooking/a/spagsquash.htm) After its done let it cool for about five to ten minutes and the run a fork from side to side (or stern to stern as they call it) to get the strands off of the rind.  This is how much we got out of ours. 

All of us had huge mounds of it and there was still a bunch leftover. However the dragonborn didn't like it. I think it might have been a texture thing though. That, and it was a new food.  

I found this recipe for deconstructed spaghetti squash carbonara on pinterest that i want to try next time we pick up a spaghetti squash. But that is another post. 

*here is the link to that recipe if you would like to try it out. http://inspireandindulge.wordpress.com/2013/01/03/paleo-spaghetti-squash/

Paleo Cysters

Now this is a non dinner post because i found a really nifty website post about PCOS.

I was diagnosed with Poly-cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) at 17, and was blessed to be able to have conceived the dragonborn without medication or medical intervention. Granted she was a surprise but totally worth it. I know for many ladies with PCOS, it isn't that easy. It takes most women years to conceive a baby and most of the time they have to take multiple medications and sometimes even the medications don't help.
PCOS is annoying. Well at least for me it is. For a long time before the dragonborn was conceived I didn't have a monthly gift. This is really common for ladies with PCOS. Other symptoms include: Acne, uncontrollable body / facial hair,  weight gain that's hard to lose, sleep apnea, ovarian cysts (which hurt like the dickens when they burst) and infertility.
Now i found this out after starting our paleo lifestyle but i totally wish i had found it sooner.
http://primaltoad.com/pcos/
And it totally makes sense to me. Now I am not going to say the paleo diet cures PCOS but i would say that it definitely helps alleviate a lot of the symptoms.  I have struggled with my weight since i was diagnosed hitting 195 lbs as my top weight (225 while pregnant). I had a really hard time losing weight and then got the Mirena IUD. So, i was stuck at 195 lbs. for almost four years minus my pregnancy. The paleo lifestyle has helped me with my weight loss. So far I have lost 10 lbs which for a PCOS lady could take almost 6 months to a year, and it took me a little more than 2 weeks! =] I know most of it was probably water weight but still its better than nothing.
So I guess what I trying to say is, that if you are sick of taking medications that don't help. Then Please try the paleo lifestyle for at least a month and see how you feel. I know i feel so much better.

Ballin'

I know its been a few days since I posted last. Its just we had some really boring "normal" dishes. like steak and veggies, and the such. And I figured you guys don't need to know how to make steak and veggies. I hope that's ok. =P 

Tonight however was another pinterest inspired dinner. We had meatballs with vodka sauce, bread sticks, and corn. Now i have to confess the sauce and the bread sticks were not paleo. They were stuff that needed to get used from before the switch. But luckily for you i will be giving you a links to paleo version of all that we had for dinner. 

The meatballs were so good. I am in love with this recipe and am thinking about putting it on my weekly menu. http://marianutrition.blogspot.com/2010/08/italian-meatballs.html Now they cooked them in the crockpot but we didn't have time and so we baked them on a broiler pan at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. A few of the larger ones were still a bit pink in the middle so next time we are gonna try baking them at 375 degrees for 35 minutes and see how that works. 

There were a few things in this recipe that we changed. 

1. We didn't have any turkey sausage so we just added more ground beef

2. We didn't have any almond flour so we just coconut flour. 

3. We didn't have any tomatoes, so we used vodka sauce.

Here is what they turned out like.

Don't those just look so yummy! =] And they were even better slathered in sauce! 

Now here is a link  to the vodka sauce we are gonna try next time. http://bittersweetblog.com/2012/02/22/alone-in-the-kitchen/  But just in case you don't want vodka sauce here is a link to a basic red sauce http://www.multiplydelicious.com/thefood/2011/09/homemade-veggie-tomato-sauce/  I cant wait to try this one too! I love red sauce and just about everything is better in red sauce. (note: just about everything) http://www.multiplydelicious.com/thefood/2013/02/paleo-pizza-sticks/ and this is the link to Pizza sticks but i bet they would be just as yummy without the pizza seasoning in them. 

Ok here comes the best part of this blog and even more reason for you to want to try these OMG - mazing meatballs.  They are dragonborn approved. She loved these which is weird because usually she doesn't like ground meats. 

Now i have no idea why she is making that face. DH's phone take a longer time than most to snap a picture and she doesn't sit still for very long. But none the less, she is still cute! =] 

Let's Squash It!

As I sit here and watch DH fiddle with the media center, I can help but reminisce about tonight's dinner. It was FABULOUS! Acorn squash stuffed with chicken (from our crockpot chicken), peaches and zucchini. Paired with a strawberry and blueberry topped spring salad! I bet your mouth is watering isn't it? I know mine was(and still is).

This recipe serves 4 adults (we cut the last one in half for the dragonborn). This is what you will need

2 Acorn Squashes
1 peach in slices (we used canned peaches that were canned in water with no added sugar)
1 med zucchini
1/4 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
2 chicken breasts cubed
1 tbsp cried rosemary crushed
2 tbsp olive oil

Cut the acorn squashes in halves and scrape out the seeds. We widened the pits a little to fit a bit more of the filling in. Chop up your chicken, zucchini, and onions, and saute them at high heat until the chicken is browned. About half way through the sauteing, add the peaches and rosemary.
When the peaches start to get soft (or if you used canned peaches, heated through) take it off the heat.





Preheat your oven to 350. Brush the insides of your squashes with the olive oil, then stuff your squashes and bake uncovered for 35 minutes on the center rack.
(If your peaches and chicken start to crisp and burn, move the rack down one space to heat the rest through). This is what ours came out like!

 Doesn't that look yummy? Had just the right amount of sweetness for me. Although DH said he might try adding some honey to it next time we make it.
Sadly, I didn't take a picture of the salad we had. But it super easy. Its just spring mix bagged lettuce topped with a handful of sliced strawberry and a handful of blueberries. Then drizzle it with some raspberry vinaigrette (DH used honey mustard). Today was a sweet kinda day. I think it was because it was so nice out and i subconsciously wanted something springtime-y.


Its supposed to be yucky out tomorrow (thank you Washington), I wonder what yummy thing will we have for dinner tomorrow? Hmm, soup kinda sounds good and so do sandwiches (but i don't have time to make any bread).

Zucchini Bikini

We went over to my MIL's house for dinner tonight, as my FIL is off on a business trip and i decided to try my hand at zucchini lasagna. OMG was it ever tasty.
http://www.primalpalate.com/recipe/zucchini-lasagna/
 I found the recipe on pinterest, (we have a love/hate relationship) and it took me about twenty minutes to find a recipe that looked easy enough to make and didn't take very long to cook. Now the author of this recipe gave it a four "whisk" rating for difficulty but it wasn't really that hard. I had everything we needed at home except the tomato sauce and paste which MIL had at her house. This was a breeze to prep except slicing the zucchinis that was a Beach and a half. MIL didn't have a mandolin, so i had to try and slice them length wise with a knife.

I am in love with this recipe and it is so going on my weekly menu. We love lasagna at our house and this was delicious. I think next time i will cut the zucchini into circles and use them that way. DH also had a brilliant idea, before putting the lasagna together, to season and sear the zucchini.

Now there were a few changes i made to this recipe.
1. I didn't use mushrooms. DH and i don't like mushrooms, but i was thinking about using eggplant instead next time i make it.
2. I had to use almost three zucchinis to make mine in a 9 x 13 pan. Granted they were on the smaller side as far as zucchinis go.
3. I had MIL help me prep and she put the onion, garlic and herbs into one bowl so we put everything in to saute with the ground beef.
4. I added a large drop of honey to cut the acidity a bit.

This served 3 adults and one dragonborn and all of us had seconds. so if you plan on having your fambam over for dinner this is a great dish to make. Its yummy, feeds a lot, and fills you up. Serve it up with some salad and paleo bread and you are set! =] I am super stoked to make this again.

I tried to take a picture of the deliciousness tonight but DH's phone died on my and mine takes horrible pictures. =[

best chicken broth EVAR! **Dragonborn Approved**

Ok, as promised here is my chicken stock!!! =]

 I am so happy! It turned out so well. We even used it for dinner tonight. Ok, so i cant take credit for this stock. Well, at least not for its recipe. I found this amazing recipe off a guest post that Paleomama did for The Paleo Parents.
http://paleoparents.com/featured/guest-post-the-paleo-mama-affording-paleo/
This was the best post i have found on how to make paleo work for a family on a budget. Which we are indeed on a budget. like $110 a week budget. Its has proven a challenge but i think things will even out soon.
I was able to get the chicken for about $7.50 which was a steal and i mean look at that stock. It looks fabulous, so yummy and flavorful. In her post paleomama tells you that you can leave it for 24 - 48 hours. We chose to leave it for 48 hours, I think thats why its so dark. We are doing a second batch right now. I wonder how different they will taste? This is how our second batch was doing earlier.

looks pretty yummy to me! 

Now, without further a due, Our yummy dinner!

This is what DH's brilliant mind cook up.=] it was so yummy. He even thought of smoking the sausage beforehand. What a crafty man I have. 

Doesnt that look tasty? Spicy Italian turkey sausage with Fettuccine noodles in that yummy chicken stock. (yes i know they arent paleo but they were the only noodles i had in the house and i didnt want to run to the store.)  It was so tasty the dragonborn as for more almost five times! I swear she ate almost as much as i did. 

Now to make this yummy dish, you are gonna need...

4 cups chicken stock.

1 carrot

1.5 sticks of celery

Half of a small (ish) onion diced

your choice of sausage (we used turkey sausage)

your choice of noodles

Pinch of thyme and parsely 

Put the chicken stock into a 3qt pot. Chop your carrot, celery and onion and put them into your stock. Add the thyme, parsely. Chop up you sausage and add that in too. now comes the fun part, waiting for the stock to boil . YAY my favorite. ok now is when you can check your facebook and tell them about the delicious dinner you are making. Ok back to work now. About half way through the boil add in your noodles. We used fettuccine noodles broken into thirds, i really wish i had used other noodles. But whats done is eaten. finish boiling until noodles are tender. let cool 10 min and serve. A quick, easy one pot (or two if you finish your stock that same day) meal. 

and just because wanted to have her picture taken with her "purple" dragon.

I have no idea why its purple when she knows its red. But hey its better than that purple dinosaur, he gives me the creeps.