Chunky Monkeys

Coming down from the Christmas sweets I am determined to get the whole family back on track. I was a bit more lenient with the kids as far as sugar goes and boy can I tell the difference. Colton was still pretty calm, but Loralei was through the roof for the better part of a week! Needless to say, the whole family will be detoxing this month. I am not nearly as strict on the kids. I still make them treats, and allow them some dark chocolate here and there, but try to go without any added sweeteners and large quantities of sweets. This was something I came up with that was still somewhat sweet and delicious, but only used the 2 bananas as sweetener. I tried one (prior to starting my detox a couple days ago) and they were plenty sweet!

Hope you enjoy as much as my chunky monkey did!

Chunky Monkeys
2 Mashed Ripe Bananas
3 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
3/4 C Almond Flour
3/4 C Coconut Flour
1/4 C Arrowroot Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 C Coconut Oil- Melted
1/2 C Shredded Coconut
1/4-1/2 C Chocolate Chunks (we used a 72, but whatever you like)

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine banana, eggs and vanilla in a medium bowl. In a large bowl combine the 3 flours and baking soda.

Stir wet into dry till combined.

 Add in melted coconut oil. Once batter is together, add in coconut and chocolate.

Scoop dough in heaping Tbsp onto a silpat mat (or parchment paper) lined baking sheet and flatten down a bit with the back of the spoon.

Place in preheated oven and bake for 15-18 minutes or until slightly golden in color. Remove and allow to cool on a wire rack.

 Enjoy!

Braised Short Ribs

We enjoyed these Braised Short Ribs for our Christmas dinner. They were so delicious!

Braised Short Ribs
3.5 lb GF Beef Short Ribs
Salt and Pepper to taste
Oil to brown veggies and ribs
3 Carrots
3 Ribs of Celery
1 Small Yellow Onion
1 14.5 oz can diced tomato
1 Tbsp Thyme
1 tsp Salt
Pepper to taste
2 C Red Wine
2 Bay Leaves

In a large, heavy bottom, oven safe pan, heat a small amount of oil (I used caste iron).  Peel and chop carrots, celery and onions. Add to the hot oil.

 Allow the veggies to brown and begin to soften, 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove veggies from the pan and add additional oil to the pan.

Season the ribs with salt and pepper and add into hot oil.

Brown ribs on all sides, about 2-3 minutes per side in stages being careful not to overcrowd the pan . While the ribs are browning, puree browned veggies, tomatoes, thyme, salt and pepper in the food processor.

  Remove all ribs from the pan and add in pureed veggies. Allow puree to begin to brown and scrape up as it does.

Continue to cook for about 10 minutes and then add in wine and stir to combine. Add ribs back into the pan with the sauce. Add water if the ribs are not completely covered.

Wrap tightly with aluminum foil and ttransfer pan to a preheated 350 oven.  Allow ribs to braise for about 3 hours. Enjoy! 

Quick Barbecue Sauce

Most of the Barbecue sauce recipes out take a bit of time. While I have tried, and loved quite a few, I was in need of something a bit quicker the other night. I had made a roast the night before and wanted to re-purpose the shredded beef as a BBQ over spaghetti (squash of course). This was perfect! It gave the beef great flavor, but was so quick and easy I had the meal done in under 20 minutes, which included pressure cooking the squash. Perfect!

Quick Barbecue Sauce
1/2 Yellow Onion
14.5 oz Can Organic Diced Tomatoes
2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
1 tsp Prepared Mustard
1 Tbsp Coconut Aminos
1 tsp Honey (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1/2 Tbsp Garlic Powder

Place all ingredients in a food processes. Process till smooth.

Move sauce to saucepan and heat till warm and bubbly.

At this point you could add in beef (as I did for the spaghetti squash topping), or I think it would be awesome to simmer meatballs in for a quick and easy appetizer.

 Hope you enjoy!

Enchilada Spiced Beef Wraps

This dish was a big hit with the whole family. Both kids ate their half and wanted more. The kids also enjoyed the leftover wraps with grilled chicken and cheese the next day for lunch. I will be making this again!

Enchilada Spiced Beef Wraps
10 oz Can tomato with Chili (Eden Organic)
1 C Beef Stock
1 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Cumin
1/2 tsp salt
3 lb Roast
Oil to brown

Wrap
1/2 C Almond Flour
1/4 C Coconut Flour
3 Tbsp Melted Butter
1/4 tsp Salt
4 Eggs

Using a food processor or food chopper, chop canned tomatoes into a sauce consistency.

 Add in all remaining ingredients except the roast and oil.

Brown roast on all sides for about 5 minutes each or until golden brown.

Once browned, place into the slow cooker.

Pour prepared sauce over roast and allow it to cook all day on low.

To prepared wraps, combine almond flour, coconut flour and salt in a medium bowl.

In a small bowl whisk eggs till fluffy.  Add into flours and combine. Pour melted butter over batter and stir to combine.

In a heavy bottom pan, heat a bit of oil.  Place 2 Tbsp of batter into pan and swirl it to spread it out.

Cook for about a minute or 2 and then carefully flip.

Cook for an additional minute and remove from the pan.

Shred the beef roast.

Serve on wrap with guacamole.

 Enjoy!

Maple Sausage and Parsnip Soup

My friend Rachael told me about a soup she had at a diner in the Tacoma area. Of course, the foodie that I am, I was intrigued. After a couple attempts, I rendered this delicious, slightly sweet creation. It was perfect on a chilly December evening! I have no idea if it is like the soup Rachael had, or even similar, but I know it is good! I hope you enjoy!

Maple Sausage and Parsnip Soup
1 lb of Breakfast Sausage (uncooked)+ 1 Tbsp Pure Maple Syrup Mixed in
3 Tbsp GF Butter
1/2 yellow onion
1.5 lb Parsnip
6 C Beef Broth
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Onion Powder
1/4 C Maple Syrup
1/4 C Heavy Cream (Optional)

Peel and fine dice both the onion and parsnips.

Heat butter in a large pot.
Add in onions and parsnips and allow to cook over medium high until onions become translucent and just begin to brown.

Add in salt and onion powder and stir to distribute.  Add in beef broth and bring to a simmer.

Cover the pot and allow to simmer for 20 minutes covered.

Remove the lid and allow the soup to reduce slightly by simmering for an additional 15 minutes uncovered. While the soup is cooking, brown the sausage in a heavy bottom pan.

 With a potato masher (or emersion blender if you want a smoother texture) mash up the parsnips to the texture of your liking.

 Add in about 1/2 of the browned sausage and allow it to warm through. Remove pot from heat and add in maple syrup and heavy cream.

 Serve by adding additional sausage and fresh cracked pepper.

Breakfast Sausage

Sausage is one of those foods that are hard to find 'clean' versions of. In most grocery store versions you will find sugar, fillers or other non-paleo ingredients. Luckily, it is so simple to make that you won't have to worry about searching ingredient lists. I make large batches at a time, cook them, and put them in the freezer to pull out and reheat for our breakfasts. Simple, healthy and delicious!

*I use beef instead of pork for 2 reasons. First, I don't like the taste of most pork (bacon doesn't count!!). Maybe because I wasn't raised eating it, or maybe it is just taste, but I really prefer most other meats to pork. Second, pork is difficult to find clean versions of. I have a 100lb of grass-fed beef in my freezer, and I can readily find decent (hormone free, anti-biotic free, free-range) chicken, but I have yet to find decent choices in pork, so I just avoid it.  Feel free to sub in pork!

Breakfast Sausage
3lb Ground Meat
1 1/2 tsp Salt
2 Tbsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Sage
2 tsp Thyme
2 tsp Poultry Seasoning

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients by hand.

Allow mixture to sit for a couple hours prior to cooking.
This will allow the flavors to really come together and meld.
You can use it at this point to make any recipe you want, but this is what I do.

 Form into 2 oz patties and place onto a baking sheet.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

 Remove and allow sausages to cool on the pan.

Once cooled, place pan in the freezer and allow the sausages to freeze. Once frozen, place in a Ziploc bag or container for convenient use. Enjoy!