Kale Pesto Chicken over Eggplant Noodles

A good friend of mine gave me a ton of fresh kale from her garden, so we have been having it in everything... smoothies, stir-fry, salads, etc.  This was another idea I came up with, and it turned out really yummy. Colton loved the chicken, but wasn't such a big fan of the noodles, though he has never enjoyed eggplant.

Kale Pesto Chicken over Eggplant Noodles
About 10 C Fresh Kale
1 1/2 C Olive Oil
1/4 C Lemon Juice
2 Cloves of Garlic- Crushed
1/2 C Cold Water
1 tsp Salt
4 Frozen Chicken Breast
10 Sun dried Tomato Halves
1 Eggplant
Oil- to fry Eggplant noodles
salt- to taste

In a large food processor, pulse first 6 ingredients. You may need to pulse and add more kale several times to get it all in.  Pulse to a sauce consistency. 

In a crock pot, place frozen chicken breasts and top with prepared kale pesto and scatter on sun dried tomatoes.

Allow mixture to cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6. 
Once ready to serve, use a mandolin to slice eggplant into noodles.  Fry in a saute pan with oil till noodles become soft (about 2 minutes) and salt to taste.
Using 2 forks, shred cooked chicken in sauce.

Serve on top of fried eggplant noodles. Enjoy!

Pizza Crust

While we really like Meatzza style pizza, Loralei specifically asked for 'the regular kind' of pizza yesterday. Though I wasn't feeling very well, I decided to try my hand at making a pizza crust, and it actually worked out very well. This crust would also work great as a bread alternative, as it could be cut into slice size pieces after baking. 

Pizza Crust
2 eggs
1/2 C Coconut Milk
1/3 C Coconut Flour
1/4 C Almond Flour
1/4 C Arrowroot Powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a pan by fitting with parchment paper and lightly greasing with extra virgin olive oil. In separate bowls, combine wet and dry ingredients. Stir wet into dry.  The crust will be more of a batter consistency than a dough consistency.

 Pour onto prepared parchment paper and form into the shape desired with a spatula. 

Place in oven for 20 minutes till firm. 

Remove from oven and top with desired toppings. Return to oven till toppings are heated through, or cheese is melted.

 Enjoy!
Edited to Add: I get a lot of questions as to if this pizza can be picked up. The answer is yes!

Sunday Wings

  We are football people, so much so that my husband has been counting down to today for months. We enjoy everything about football, from the game, to the social aspect, to the food.  This is our classic, simple, delicious Sunday Wing recipe. We make these several times a season, and lucky for us, they are still Paleo. We had our alongside a delicious Paleo Pizza that I will blog about tomorrow, though unfortunately I did not eat because I have not been feeling well all day. 

Sunday Wings
3 Dozen Frozen Wings
2 oz melted butter
6 oz Franks Red Hot
1 tsp onion powder

Preheat oven to 400. Place frozen wings in a baking dish (or 2) and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

While wings are cooking, whisk remaining ingredients in a large bowl.

Remove wings from the oven and toss to coat in the sauce. 

Return wings to baking dishes and bake for 5 minutes.  Remove again and toss in sauce again, and return to the baking dish for a final 5 minutes.  Remove and serve hot, or room temperature.

Mediterranean Spinach Salad

We were invited to have dinner at some friends house tonight. They are good friends, so they know the way we eat and are super accommodating to it. The host is making veggie/meat skewers, and she asked us to bring a salad. This is a super simple (fast) variation on one we do all the time here at home, but is nice to bring and allow everyone to pick and choose toppings. 

Mediterranean Spinach Salad
Large Bowl of Spinach
Crumbled Bacon
Artichoke Hearts
Feta Cheese
Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette
   10 Sun Dried Tomato Halves
   1/2 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
   1/2 C Avocado Oil
   1/8 C Lemon Juice
   1 Clove Crushed Garlic
   1 tsp Onion Powder
   1/2 tsp Salt

   Place all the vinaigrette ingredients in the food processor and blend.

Simple Summer Squash

If I were to have a theme for the week, it would probably be quick and easy. We have been running in multiple directions all week, so I have been turning to some of my favorite quick dishes. This one is no exception, and quite frankly one of my absolute favorite dishes, ever. It reminds me so much of my childhood in the summertime, though significantly healthier. I hope you enjoy!

Simple Summer Squash
3 Small Yellow Squash
1 C Almond Flour
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 eggs

1/2 C Avocado Oil
1/2 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Mix the almond flour, onion powder, salt and pepper together. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs to scramble.

 Slice squash into 1/4 inch thick slices.

 Place both oils in a heavy bottom pan and begin heating.  Dip each piece of squash into the egg, and then dredge in the almond flour mixture.

 Place slices into heated oil for 3-4 minutes per side, or until nicely browned.

Salt straight out of the oil and allow to drain on a paper towel and enjoy!

*The avocado has a higher smoking point, but is very expensive. By combining it with the olive oil it stretches it, while still maintaining a high smoking point.

As you can see, it was a hit with my little ones!

Keeping Kids Paleo- PB&J

I know a lot of the people who use my recipes are in the same, or similar, boat that I am. You have children who did not start out Paleo.  Though we are on the right track to keeping them as healthy as possible, they experienced the Standard American Diet, or at least a version of it, prior to Paleo life.  In general, my kids don't ask for pre-paleo foods, except for 2 big exceptions.
1)PB&J- No matter what is available, if you say the word 'Lunch' Loralei will ask for a PB&J. She loves them! I often refer to lunch as 'snack' just to avoid having to hear her ask for it.
2) Grilled Cheese- I could sneak in veggies, meats, etc into Loralei through a grilled cheese. As long as there was butter slathered bread and cheese, she would generally eat and LOVE it. She will occasionally ask for one. 
And I give it to her....
No, not the gluten, grain filled bread versions, but a version with this bread.  I am not the inventor of this recipe, and I've seen several variations going around the Atkins/low-carb type recipe circles for years and years. I can vaguely remember, probably 15 years ago, when my dad was doing a stint on Atkins, this style of recipe circling. 
I was reminded of this recipe recently from She Cooks He Cleans website (which I love by the way).
Here is the basic recipe I do for the kids. Add herbs, spices, change up the fat, and you can get tons of different breads.

Micro-Bread
1/4 C Almond Flour
2 Tbsp Ground Flax (I course grind it in a coffee grinder)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp butter
1 egg

In a ramekin, melt butter. Allow butter to cool slightly. While it is cooling, mix remaining ingredients, except egg, in a small bowl.  Mix egg into butter, and add mixture into dry ingredients. Mix well and return batter to ramekin.

 Place in microwave and turn on high for 1 minute.  Remove (carefully, it will be hot) and make into your favorite sandwich (within Paleo parameters of course).

Preview

I apologize for my lack of posting lately. We are in a bit of a funky schedule right now, with some big changes in our lives.  Additionally, I've been canning/freezing/prepping 50lb of fresh local fruit, which has kept my spare minutes pretty full. I promise, I have some great recipes ready to type up and get going this evening.  While you wait, here is a preview of what is to come, and a peak into what I have been up to.