Fried chicken meatballs, Okra, summer Squash Casserole, and Breakfast!

I am terrible about remembering to take pictures of the food I cook but managed to remember to snap some of our Sunday dinner.  I made fried chicken meatballs, oven roasted okra, and summer squash casserole. 

This was the first time for me to make Well Fed's fried chicken meatballs by Melissa Joulwan and they were like little bite size fried chickens!  I made a double batch but next time I will triple to have leftovers for lunches.

Fried Chicken Meatballs

Meatballs:

1 1/2 pounds ground chicken

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

Coating:

3 tablespoons tapioca starch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon sage

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Pinch of dried marjoram

Pinch of ground cayenne 

Pinch ground cloves

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Place all meatball ingredients in a bowl and mix.  Then place all of the coating mixture in a shallow pan or bowl.

Roll the meat into balls and then roll into coating mixture.  Set the meat balls aside until all are rolled and coated.  

Next, fry the meatballs in a tablespoon ( I used a little more than that) of olive oil on high heat.  They will cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side.  Don't overcrowd the pan, you will need to cook them in batches.  Place on baking sheet then bake for about 10 minutes.

 

I love breaded okra and have a paleo recipe for it but it takes up so much time rolling all of those pieces in batter.  This recipe is a quicker way to use okra.  The kids like it as long as we have ketchup to dip it in.😋 

Oven Roasted Okra

Okra

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Dice okra and throw away ends.

Toss okra with olive oil to coat and season with salt and pepper.

Cook for about 35-40 minutes.

 

This next recipe is a favorite of my son, Wyatt.  It is also great to have with eggs for breakfast.  I got this recipe from

Jennifer Robins book called Down South Paleo. I doubled this recipe.

Summer Squash Casserole

1-2 tablespoons of avocado oil or your preferred cooking oil

3 tablespoons coconut sugar

3 medium yellow squash coarsely chopped

2 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup pecan pieces

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a casserole dish.  Boil the squash in some water for about 10-15 minutes.

Drain the squash and mash with a potato masher. Add the eggs, sugar, salt and pepper and mix.  Pour in to a casserole dish and top with pecans.  Place and oven and bake for 30 minutes.  If you double the recipe you will need to allot it to cook for about 40 minutes.  

Enjoy!

  

Juicing For Your Health

Juicing has become more and more popular of the past recent years.  You may see new Juiceries in your neighborhood pop up.  Our city finally opened I Love Juice Bar and we have become habitual frequenters.  In order for you to get the most out of the vegetables and fruits, they must be pressed in a cold presser, no heat.  Drinking cold press juices is an easy way to get your daily intake of vegetables and fruits.  When looking for a juice, I usually try to find one that contains green vegetables with one fruit to add a little sweetness.  The kids love to get a juice or smoothie and sometimes I will tell them they need to pick a drink that has something green in it.  It has become a great after school treat!

I am always up for a "food challenge" so when my husband said he wanted to do a juice cleanse, I was all for it.  We watched a documentary called Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead and it was a definite motivator.  If you ever need inspiration to eat healthier, get on Netflix and search for food/health documentaries.  They are so inspiring!   It helps to have a partner to do the cleanse with.  We started small with our cleanse doing only 3 days.  Our juice bar set us up with 6 juices a day.  We have been allowed to have a handful of nuts at night.  We also added a protein shake since we are still working out pretty hard.  We are on the 3rd and final day!  We are almost to the end!  I can honestly say I haven't been that hungry I just miss chewing food and I definitely miss cooking!  

What I have learned from this a experience.  I have learned that anyone can do this.  Don't get me wrong, its not easy!  If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.  Be the person who said you did it and finished!  Jesus fasted for 40 days, what a great example for us!  People in all cultures have been fasting for centuries.  This is not a new thing!  A juice fast may help you lose a few pounds quickly but to me the reason to do this is  is to repair your cells and to rethink your way of looking at your health.  After doing this, I do not have a desire to eat bad.  You would think I would want to gorge tomorrow but actually I just want a plate of veggies.  Yea, that surprised me too!  I was worried I would do this cleanse and then gorge for the next 3 days but I don't have that need.  (Hopefully I can say this in a few days!). We eat a lot of vegetables as a family but after going through this, I plan to stick with juicing and increase the amount of fruits and veggies in our diet.  I am hoping to add a green juice in our morning routine.  Would I do this again? You bet!

 

 

Veggies!

It is always hard to eat enough vegetables everyday as an adult much less getting your kids to do it, I know!  When it comes to getting your kids to eat vegetables, you must think outside of just at dinner.  The more often you offer them throughout the day, the more they will be willing to eat them.  Even if they don't eat them, offer them!  Make them "try" them.   If it becomes a stand off, back down but if it just takes a little push to get your kids to eat their veggies, do it.  Eventually they will like them.  Vegetables provide so many vitamins and minerals that our bodies need.  I believe most people have forgotten this.  Without the proper amount of vegetables, our bodies do not function correctly causing Alzheimer's, heart disease, diabetes, poor skin, tiredness, digestive problems, anxiety, depression, and cancer.  We are designed to consume large amounts of vegetables.  Variety is also so important.  Different vegetables contain different nutrients.  We try to eat as many different kinds of veggies as we can find.  Trying new things can be fun!  We love to all talk about what they did and did not like on their plate.  I like to ask to insure they know their opinions matter.  

 My husband and I usually have vegetables with every meal including breakfast but I haven't been offering them to the boys for breakfast until recently.  I know it will take getting used to but they will learn to accept it as a breakfast item.  The trick is to start small, offer vegetables you know they will eat, and make them taste good!  Yesterday I made them shredded squash and eggs.  All 3 boys ate it all and I was a happy mom sending them off to school with 1/2 cup vegetables in their bellies!

 

Shredded Squash and Eggs

1/2 tablespoon of ghee or grass fed butter

As much shredded yellow squash that you think your child will eat (approx 1/2 a squash)

1-2 eggs

1. Melt butter in a sauté pan then add the squash.

2.  Sauté for about 4 minutes and add a pinch of salt.

3.  Top squash with fried or scrambled eggs.

4.  Serve with berries or fruit of choice

***Omelets are great as well because the kids can make their own decision on what they want in their omelet.  Gives them some power!  

Egg muffins are another great one especially for those fast mornings because they can be prepared and frozen.

Egg Muffins

12 eggs

3/4 pound sausage, ham, prosciutto, chopped small

Your choice of mushrooms, spinach, broccoli chopped very small,  as much as you think your kids would be willing to eat!

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon of pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Beat eggs  in a medium bowl and add meat, vegetables, salt and pepper.

Pour in to greased or lined muffin tins.

Bake for 18-20 minutes.

This morning we had spinach and prosciutto with eggs.  Bryce asked if we could have it again!!

 

Another way to get enough vegetables is through juicing.  It can be hard to consume all the vegetables we need so juicing is a great way to get them in easy way.  I have to admit, I have a juicer but we rarely use it.  Too hard to clean!  But I will pick up a cold press juice at Whole Foods, Sprouts, or I go to Juice Bar.  I get a green juice and the kids get a smoothie.  Sometimes I will tell them their smoothie must contain at least one vegetable.  

We also drink Greens everyday.  We like https://paleopro.com/paleo-protein-powder/ greens.  I put it in their water bottle for school.

Get your kids involved!  I hear this all the time from nutritionist and it is so true!  Let them dice and cut the veggies up.  Wyatt has become a true master at dicing things really small.  We have also bought a couple of tomato plants, strawberries, and herbs and I am in the process of having a vegetable garden made!! What a great way to teach our kids about healthy eating.  I strongly believe kids need to be taught about nutrition, cooking, and exercise.  

Thanks for listening and hope I have inspired someone out there to up their intake of veggies for themselves as well as their kids!

Caribbean Food!

 

The best Cuban food ever!  In Isa Mujeres, Mexico!  

We must have been missing Miami or maybe it was the hole in the wall Cuban place we like to go to when we are in Mexico because we made a lot of Caribbean food last weekend!  

Cuban food is one of the easiest foods to eat Paleo.  They eat a lot of plantains, yuca, tostones, ham,  pork, avocado, seafood, and pork belly and that's all Paleo!  Sunday after church, the weather was beautiful so we had a light lunch on the patio.  I would like to share a recipe for a shrimp, mango, avocado salad.

Tropical Salad

1 pound cooked peeled shrimp

2 Avocado

2 Mangos **

2 /3 cup fresh Cilantro

Salad mix

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste

** If you can find Ataulfo mangos, they are the best!  They could also be called honey mangos.

1. In a small bowl mix lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

2.  In a larger bowl combine remaining ingredients.

3.  Pour lime mixture into larger bowl and mix.

4.  Serve over a bed of lettuce!

The boys had a side of plantain chips with it.

 

So we carried the "tropical" day into dinner and had a Cuban dinner!  Masas de Puerco Fritas (Cuban Fried Pork Chunks) from 

Epicurious, sautéed cabbage, and fried plantains.

Follow the link above for the pork recipe.  Be sure to marinate the meat overnight. We had a soccer game so I boiled the meat before we left, let it sit in the pot while we were gone, and pan fried them when we got back.  

Sautéed Cabbage

1 head Cabbage shredded

Coconut oil

Sea Salt

1. Heat a large pan at medium high heat.  Add coconut oil,

2.  Add cabbage and sauté until cabbage is slightly wilted.  Add desired amount of salt.

*you could also substitute the coconut oil with bacon.  Just dice up some bacon and cook.  Remove the bacon, leaving rendering fat.  Cook cabbage and top with bacon.

Fried Plantains

3 Plantains ripened

Coconut oil

Sea Salt

Heat a pan on medium high heat with coconut oil.  Once heated, add sliced plantains.  After it has been slightly browned, flip.  We like them more brown, so we let them get a little darker than what you would see in a restaurant.  Remove from pan and place on paper towel.  Season with salt. Serve immediately. 

 

Everything cooking at once!  This part took about 30 minutes. 

Dining Out

We love to go out to eat just like most people.  But if you are trying to live a healthy lifestyle, it can be difficult if you don't do a little planning ahead of time.  I am going to give you a few tips I have picked up along the way.  It has made going out to eat feasible without messing up all the hard work you have done.  

We have a few usual places we like but we also like to try new places.  We never go into a restaurant without looking at their menu first.   We can usually find something to have at any place but we like to find somewhere that gives us a few options.   Burger places are actually one of the easier restaurants to go to.  It's all about what sides they offer.  More and more places are offering sweet potato fries or a side salad which is great!  We look for a place that has good sides and gluten free buns.  My husband and I go bunless but the kids usually want a bun and I prefer they not have gluten if I can help it.  Also when looking for a burger place, find somewhere that has add-ons to your burger.  I love to add egg, bacon, or avocado.  We were recently in Miami and I had a bunless burger with avocado and fried plantains!  Also, feel free to add extra meat!  

Mexican is also an easy option!  It's all about which Mexican restaurant you go to.  I look for a menu that has vegetables anywhere on the menu.  Then I just substitute the rice and beans for a double side of veggies.  Any basic dish can be made Paleo with a few substitutions.  Don't be afraid to ask either.  I have never had a problem when I order.  Most places have chicken mole, carne asada, fish, etc.    Just pick the meat you want and get a side of veggies.  I know some of you feel like if you don't have tortillas, beans, or rice it's not Mexican.  You just have to broaden your thinking.  Mexican is about the spices, sauces, and the method they cook.  Also, guacamole is also a great thing to have!!  We always get a large bowl of guacamole for an appetizer.  I do eat a few chips but have learned to limit it to just a few.  Margaritas!!  We love them!  Is there anyone in Texas who doesn't???  Look for a drink that gives the ingredients.  Don't get the maragarita that is made from a mix.  They are full of sugar.    I look for a drink that is made with agave, lime, and tequila.   You are still getting a great margarita (better in my opinion) but not all that sugar and preservatives.  If you can't find it on the menu, ask the waiter to make it for you.  They should have the ingredients.  This is for any alcoholic drink.  I always go for the drinks made with fresh juices and agave.  

No, we don't go to fast food restaurants.  I know some of them have some good options, but for us, I would rather find a place that has a little more flair.  If I go to a fast food burger place I would only be able to get a patty and maybe a side salad.  Kind of boring.  Plus the quality isn't always great.  I always think of eating a meal as a special time.  If you are running through the drive thru all the time, eating has become uneventful for you.  It makes eating just something you have to do to fill yourself up, not enjoyable.  

With all that being said, we have cut back on going out to eat because it can be easier to just make something good at home.  We went from going out 2-3 nights on the weekend to once every 2-3 weeks.  It took some getting used to but now going out to dinner has become a special treat instead of a a common occurance.  But hopefully the next time you go out to eat, you will have a better plan.  

I would like to share with you an easy recipe you can add to your kids lunch rotation or use it as a side dish.  For most of you, this is a recipe you have seen before but it's one that I often forget about.  This particular recipe came from Paleo Restart.  If you are trying to eat Paleo for the first time or have been eating this way for a while but need some new ideas, this is a great website to use.

Bacon Broccoli Salad 

2-3 heads broccoli, cut into bite size pieces

1 1/2 cups grapes, halved

10 slices bacon, cooked and chopped

1/2 an onion (we are a no onion family)

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1 cup mayonnaise (made with avocado or olive oil)

1/4 cup lemon juice

Combine mayonnaise and lemon juice in a small bowl.  Combine the rest of the ingredients in a larger bowl.  Add the mayonnaise mixture to the larger bowl and combine.  

 

Lunch boxes!

Many of us are on Spring break right now.  We get a break from making lunches, and the part I dread everyday, emptying their lunch box after school!  But hopefully you will get some good information from me to get you motivated to finish the year with some good healthy lunches for your kiddos.  I know it can be hard to try to come up with lunch ideas for our kids every single day.  I can be a daunting task but if you do a little pre thinking, it can make things a little easier, a little more interesting, and definitely more nutritious for your kids.  Our lunches are not cute with shapes or design to appeal to the kids.  It's just good basic food.  It doesn't have to be fancy, just well balanced with Whole Foods.

When deciding what to give my kids I always make sure they have a protein, fat, and some kind of carbohydrate.  I don't count nut butters as protein, I count it as a fat.  I am going to give you some general things we do for protein, carbohydrates, and fats to start off with.  I could talk hours about this so I definitely will be touching on this subject again soon!

Protein

Chicken breast, legs, thighs. They have leftovers from dinner or I throw something on the grill in the morning while making breakfast and preparing lunches.

Deli turkey, roast beef with simple mills brand crackers, and vegan cheese or wrapped in lettuce with a slice of avocado and tomato

Ground beef with Mexican spices.  I give them lettuce, salsa, avocado, and  Siete brand tortilla chips from Whole Foods.

Tuna or chicken salad with celery, pecans, apples, mayonnaise, avocado, or apple cider vinegar. Rhett's favorite lunch!

Applegate hotdogs

Boiled eggs.  Plain or mashed up to make a salad with avocado or mayonnaise 

Lettuce wrap burger.  Leftovers from dinner or throw a few on the grill in the morning, or while you are cooking dinner the night before!

Meatballs

Protein shake. Find a protein made from natural ingredients without whey.  Our protein is made from grass fed beef and eggs from Paleo Pro.

Smoked sausage

Fats

Nut butters (look for nut butters without added stuff, just nuts, oil, and maybe salt)

Mayonnaise

Nuts

Avocado (Holy guacamole single servings)

Lara bars

Macaroons-There are lots of brands out there.  Cocoroons is one brand we like.

Non dairy yogurt

Almond milk pudding

Salami or pepperoni

Dark chocolate (make sure it is at least 55% cocoa, the higher the better)

Coconut butter

Coconut shredded or chips

Carbohydrates

Salad, lots of salad!

Raw veggies and ranch.  We like Primal Kitchen for our dressing.  

Spinach

Lettuce wraps

Fruit with nut butter, coconut butter, or shredded coconut 

Dried fruit without added sugar

Simple mills crackers (Sprouts, Whole Foods)

Siete chips and tortillas(Whole Foods)

Terra chips They have all kinds!

Almond flour or coconut flour muffins

Legit bread company bread for sandwiches occasionally

Paleo cookies 

Salsa 

When making dinner, make extras for lunch the next day.  Adults are not the only ones that can enjoy leftovers.  After a while they will start asking for leftover dinner for lunch.  I just get the food really hot and double wrap it in foil or put it in a thermos and no one has ever complained about it being cold.  

Mini "corn" dog muffins are a great thing to have on hand when you don't know what to pack. Double the recipe to make 24 mini muffins.

Mini Corn dog muffins

1 cup almond flour

3 tablespoons coconut flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

4 eggs

1/2 cup palm shortening

3 tablespoons Raw honey

3 tablespoons Applesauce

1 teaspoon Apple cider vinegar

Applegate hotdogs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix the dry ingredients together and then the wet ingredients together and combine wet with dry.

Spray pan with coconut oil and fill each tin 3/4 full with batter.

Cut up hotdogs in to 4ths an stick each piece into each tin.

Bake for about 15 minutes

Freezes well!

    

 

It is a struggle!

I have a confession, I love food!  I love it so much I have a blog about it!  I love to talk about it, make it, and of course eat it!  That's where the struggle comes in.  I have to keep myself in check all the time.  Recently I have gained a few pounds and that has put me in a mood to really watch what I eat.  Being paleo has helped with my struggle with food because now I am able to eat more (I'm all for that!) but it isn't a miracle solution.  You can still go over board if you don't watch it.  Paleo has definitely helped me because there are specific rules.  I can't tell myself  that it's ok to have that slice of cake just once because I know it is not Paleo. I don't make exceptions.  If I started making exceptions, there would be no end.  We have so many holidays and reasons we should "celebrate" that if I ate off my Paleo diet every time it would be all the time.   I am not good at just having as a treat every now and then, I wish I was.  I would eat half the cake if I let myself!  Now I do have Paleo treats.  I feel like that's sort of a compromise to help curb my sweet tooth.

 I want to give you a little information about my past.  When I was in college. I gained a bunch of weight, I won't give you numbers but let's just leave it at a bunch.  Most of it was from being a freshman, thinking I could drink, eat whatever I wanted.  I didn't eat much, but what I did have was junk.  My husband and I met and I started to lose the weight.  We started cooking more and working out.  

When I had our twins I gained a lot of weight again, of course this was for a much better reason this time.  But our twins were BIG twins!  6 lb 8 oz and 7 lb 1 oz, full term!  They were perfectly healthy and did not spend one night even in the nursery.  I was proud that my body could do such an amazing thing.  I lost the baby weight quickly. Nursing for a year helped!!  I had my third baby 2 years later and lost the weight again without a problem.  

After having 15 pounds of baby and a third baby, I had to deal with "post baby body".  I don't mean post baby body like 6 months or 2 years later.  I haven't had a baby in 8 years but I am NOT the same!  News alert! Another quick confessions I had a tummy tuck and breast lift but I am still not the same.

I pray that those who read this are not judging me or looking down on me in any way.  I pray that someone reads this and realizes that they may not be the only one who struggles.  I think that is why I like to blog, cook, talk about food so much.  It keeps my obsession in a healthy check.  I can obsess over good fats and carbs in a healthy way so that I can still have my obsession with food but direct it in a healthier way than just filling my obsession with junk food. I am filling my obsession (lets just say addiction) to eating healthy.  

So today I have started counting my macros again.  Not calories as much, just macros, Fat, carbs, and protein.  I use My Fitness Pal to keep track.  If you have any questions about this, please feel free to ask. I also have a great coach that can help if you are interested.

On a lighter note, I would like to share with you a website I found that has been great!  It is called Know Foods.  We have tried their sandwich bread, mini muffins, and donuts!  Okay, I take that back, the kids have tried it.  I just watch them eat and ask if it's good.  They love them. I bought a bunch and threw them in the freezer.  

Another great new product is Nut Pods.  It is a great alternative to coffee creamer if you don't want to make your own.  We like Vanilla but they also have hazelnut and original.  

Y'all have a great day!  Thanks for reading and please ask me any questions you may have!