Tag Archives: Paleo

Beef Paprikash on Spaghetti Squash Noodles with Sliced Avocado

If you are looking for a hearty meal to put on the table that you don’t have to slave over, is inexpensive, and lower carbohydrate, try a plate of Beef Paprikash! The Spaghetti Squash noodles are low carb. and hold all the juices, and the avocado goes well with the spicy beef sauce. It is delish!

This recipe uses a slow cooker, so it can be prepped the day before or in the morning, and then you can walk away until it is time to eat. I added some smoked paprika to the beef sauce to give it a smokey flavor that veers slightly away from the traditional recipe, and it is dairy free! It is the perfect cool weather meal that will leave you satisfied and nourished without adding to your waistline.

Beef Paprikash on Spagehtti Squash Noodles with Avocado

Beef Paprikash on Spaghetti Squash Noodles with Sliced Avocado

Ingredients:

1 Two Pound Chuck Roast

2 Tablespoons of Tapioca Flour*

1 1/2 Teaspoon of Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

2 Teaspoons of Black Pepper

2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

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1 Large Yellow Onion

2 Red Bell Peppers, Large Diced

4 Cloves of Minced Garlic (or 2 Tablespoons of Garlic Infused Olive Oil if you are eating Low FodMap)

1 Cup of Beef Broth

1/4 Cup Tomato Paste

1 Tablespoon of Paprika

1 Tablespoon of Smoked Paprika

1 1/2 Teaspoons of Caraway Seeds, crushed

1 Teaspoon of Dried Parsley

1 Teaspoon of Dried Dill

1 Teaspoon of Fish Sauce

1/2 Cup Full Fat Coconut Milk, added before serving

——————————————————–

1 Medium Spaghetti Squash

2 Ripe Avocados*

Beef Paprikash on Spaghetti Squash Noodles with Avocado

Directions: With paper towel, pat the chuck roast dry. Mix the Tapioca Flour, Salt and Pepper together with a whisk, and season the Chuck Roast. In a large heavy pan over medium high heat, add your olive oil, and brown the chuck roast for 5 minutes and then flip it over and brown it on the other side for 5 more minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the onion and dice the peppers, and place in the bottom of a large slow cooker. Whisk together the spices, tomato paste, broth, garlic, and fish sauce. When beef is browned, place it on top of the sliced onions in the crockpot. Pour the sauce over the top. Cook on low covered for 8 hours in the crockpot. Remove the Beef from the crockpot after 8 hours and shred it with two forks. Add it back to the sauce and stir in 1/2 cup coconut milk right before serving.

For the “noodles”, one hour before serving, preheat your oven to 375º degrees. Slice a medium sized spaghetti squash in half, and remove the seeds. Season the inside with salt and pepper. Place in a baking pan cut side down with 1/2 cup of water. Bake for one hour. Right before serving, remove from the oven, and cool for about ten minutes so it is easy to handle. (It should pierce easily with a knife.) Flip the squash over and run a fork along the inside of the squash, making noodles.

Slice two ripe avocados to serve with the dish.

Serve the saucy Beef Paprikash over the “noodles” and place the avocado on the side like the picture above.

Beef Paprikash on Spagehtti Squash Noodles

Beef Paprikash on Spaghetti Squash Noodles

*Omit if you are eating Low FodMap

Eat Your Nutrients!

Creamy Italian Dressing

MMMmmm! Creamy Italian dressing that is healthy! It uses avocado oil mayonnaise, dried herbs that you should have in your pantry, a touch of honey, and a white balsamic vinegar to give it zing! There are no funky additives in homemade dressings. This recipe actually started one of my kiddos eating salads and liking them, but don’t limit it to the greens. It also makes a scrumptious dip!

Creamy Italian Dressing

The benefits of avocado oil are plentiful, including it is a source of essential fatty acids, is heart healthy, is one of the top five food sources of Vitamin E, and it is loaded with chlorophyll which is detoxifying! Read more about the benefits here.

Incorporating herbs into recipes gives us added vitamins and minerals in our diet. Each one has its own special properties and benefits. The whfoods.org database is a wealth of information if you want to dig further.

I don’t know about you, but I am planning to enjoy this dressing often!

Creamy Italian Dressing

3/4 Cup Avocado Oil Mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon Garlic Infused Olive Oil

3 Tablespoons of White Balsamic Aged Vinegar

1 Teaspoon Honey

1/2 Teaspoon Dried Organic Parsley

1/4 Teaspoon Dried Organic Oregano

1/4 Teaspoon Dried Organic Basil

1/2 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

1/3 Teaspoon Black Ground Pepper

Directions:

Whisk all the ingredients together until completely blended. That’s it! Enjoy!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Delicious Italian Mini Meatloaves and Make Your Own Sunshine

After spending a glorious few days in the sunny San Diego area, we flew home this weekend to Maryland returning to rain and cold due to the effects of a tropical storm. It was a drastic transition from warm sunny beaches and green juice available everywhere you looked!

So, what’s a girl to do? I find great benefit in eating with the seasons, and meatloaf seemed like the perfect comfort food for a cold rainy evening. I wanted one that was gluten and grain free, dairy free and low fodmap, but utterly delicious and flavorful! I really don’t like to settle. 🙂

Here is my recipe for mini meatloaves that will definitely hit the spot and remind you of your childhood.

I incorporated some finely chopped carrots and spinach in the meatloaf to boost the nutritional value and combined a mixture of grass fed beef and turkey.

Delicious Italian Mini Meatloaves

This meatloaf is my way of bringing the sunshine home! Other ways I like to do this is with warm hugs, a cheerful welcoming smile, reading a great book, and green juicing!

What’s your perfect way to bring your own sunshine when life delivers lemons? What do you do?

Italian Mini Meatloaves:

Ingredients:

1 pound ground grass fed beef

1 pound ground pastured turkey 92% lean

3 large organic carrots, peeled

2 cups organic packed baby spinach (5 oz.)

1/2 Cup Superfine Almond Flour

2 Tablespoons Garlic Olive Oil

3/4 Cup Organic Tomato Paste (I used Bionaturae .7 oz jar) divided

1 tsp. Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 teaspoon each of dried organic thyme, basil, parsley and oregano

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375º degrees. Lay out a rimmed baking sheet and line it with parchment paper or lightly grease it.

In a food processor, add the peeled carrots, sliced into chunks, and process until finely chopped. Add to a large bowl. Add the spinach to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add this to the large bowl also. Add the ground meat and remaining ingredients and 1/4 cup of tomato paste. Mix with your hands until thoroughly incorporated.

Divide the meatloaf mixture into 8 equal sizes, and make a ball of each with your hands. Set the balls onto the lined baking sheet, and pat into the shape of a mini meatloaf.

Now the ketchup topping:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup organic tomato paste

1/4 teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Mix the topping ingredients together in a small bowl. Divide evenly over the tops of the mini meatloaves and spread.

Bake the mini meatloaves in the oven for approximately 20 to 25 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165º degrees.

These meatloaves are full of flavor and hidden veggies!

Here are some photos of our trip to sunny San Diego!

A Beautiful Sunset!

Del Mar, California. Dinner at L’Auberge.

The beautiful coastline! We walked the beach every morning!

The majestic Pacific Ocean!

How to Make a Healthy Matcha Green Tea Spiced Latte

Fall is almost officially here! Who is excited? It is my favorite season!

Here is a three minute video I created demonstrating a Healthy Matcha Green Tea Spiced Latte to enjoy this Fall!

Healthy Matcha Green Tea Spiced Latte

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Hot Filtered Water

1 Teaspoon Matcha Green Tea Powder

1/4 Cup of Full Fat Coconut Milk (No Additives)

1 Tablespoon of Grass Fed Gelatin (Collagen)

1 Teaspoon of Coconut Oil

1 Teaspoon of Pure Vanilla Extract or (1/4 teaspoon of Vanilla Powder for AIP Paleo)

1/8 Teaspoon Nutmeg (use Mace for AIP Paleo)

1/8 Teaspoon Cardamom(use Cinnamon for AIP Paleo)

Place in a BPA Free Shaker with a whisk inside. Shake 30 to 40 shakes. Add to your mug and it’s ready!

Matcha in Flips

Healthy Matcha Green Tea Spiced Latte

Enjoy your day!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mug Muffin in Minutes!

Mug muffins are scrumptious, convenient, individual and fast! Just mix and microwave for 1 minute 30 seconds and you have a warm muffin in a mug!

Since Fall is in the air, I have been craving pumpkin. I was in the kitchen this weekend creating a pumpkin flavored mug muffin with a touch of chocolate that really evokes thoughts of cooler weather, sweaters, autumn crafts and warm hugs. My youngest daughters are 12 and 14 now and like to choose and make their own breakfasts. They love mug muffins and can whip them up quickly on a school morning!

Have a yummy day!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mug Muffin in Minutes

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mug Muffin in Minutes!

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Sour Cherry and Honey Shortbread Cookies

Warning! It is hard not to eat the whole batch of these! The good news is they are delicious, and it is a small batch.

These cookies are an absolutely delicious shortbread cookie treat recipe with the chewy tart bite of cherries!

They are delicate little bites with simple, whole food ingredients that come together in ten minutes.

The recipe makes a small batch of eleven cookies. Just short of a dozen. I have made the recipe several times to perfect it, and eleven is the perfect number.

I have this Moon Cake Mold Press that I used to imprint the tops of the cookies with a rose, but it isn’t necessary to make these cookies. I use it to make gluten free mooncakes during the Autumn Moon Celebration and have had great success with it for cookies. It just makes them fancier, and I am a gadget junkie.

Sour Cherry and Honey Tea Cookies

The benefits touted in regards to cherries are they are anti-inflammatory, enhance sleep, help with post-workout soreness, reduce stroke risk and more. See this article on cherries if you want to learn more. I love all these benefits, but I especially love the taste of them, and all the benefits are a bonus!

Honey has trace minerals in it and is one of my favorite natural sweeteners. My father was a beekeeper, and I used to help him in the bee hives when I was a child. Honey is truly miraculous. It is still a form of sugar to our bodies, but a little goes a long way! To make sure I know I am getting a high quality, pure honey, I buy it from a local beekeeper or farm market where a beekeeper is selling their honey. Local food co-ops are another great place to find a reputable honey source.

This cookie recipe only has seven ingredients, and each one adds flavor.

Sour Cherry and Honey Tea Cookies

Preheat your oven to 325º degrees F.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 Cups Superfine Almond Flour

1/4 Cup Coconut Oil

1/4 Cup Sour (Tart) Dried Cherries (I used an organic cherry with no added ingredients, just cherries)

2 Tablespoons of Local Honey

1 Teaspoon of Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice

1/2 Teaspoon of Pure Vanilla Extract

1/4 Teaspoon of Himalayan Pink or Sea Salt

Directions: Place all the ingredients into a food processor. Pulse until all the ingredients are incorporated and holding together with the cherries in small bits, but not completely pureed into the dough. You should still see bits of nice sized, but not whole, cherries.

Scoop the dough with a tablespoon cookie scoop onto a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing the cookies two inches apart. Press the cookie with a round of the moon cake press or use fork tines to flatten the cookie to an inch thickness.

Bake in the preheated oven for just 9 minutes until the cookies are starting to brown on the edges. Cool completely.

Sour Cherry and Honey Tea Cookies

Enjoy!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Bacon, Tomato and Basil Spaghetti Squash Casserole

This is the perfect casserole for late Summer! Tomato, Basil and Spaghetti Squash are abundant locally, and this casserole is not only scrumptious, it is beautiful! The texture is soft and fluffy similar to a souffle or a delicate quiche, and the crumb topping adds just the right finishing touch.

I love all the vegetables incorporated in this casserole. Spaghetti Squash, unlike other winter squashes, has a very mild flavor and is light in color with Vitamin B-6 and Vitamin C, plus every essential mineral is found in spaghetti squash in trace amounts. Isn’t that cool?

Most people know that Tomatoes are a great source of lycopene. They also have excellent amounts of Vitamin C , Biotin and VItamin K included in their nutritional value. Take advantage of them while they are at their peak and very nutrient rich.

Scallions are an excellent source of Vitamin K. One cup of scallions contains 259% of the RDA of this vitamin. Holy Smokes! They also may help prevent cancer like other alliums such as garlic and onions. See this article by The Huffington Post.

I incorporate herbs whenever I can into what I am eating for all their various health benefits and the flavor they add. Basil adds a sweetness to this dish that I love.

Let’s start cooking!

Bacon, Tomato and Basil Spaghetti Squash Casserole

To pre-cook the spaghetti squash, preheat your oven to 350º degrees F. Cut your spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds with a large spoon. Fill a large casserole pan with an inch of water and place the squash cut side down after lightly seasoning it with salt and pepper. Bake for one hour until a knife inserted in the squash slides through easily. Flip the squash over cut side up to cool. Then, take a fork and remove the squash into spaghetti-like noodles from the skin. At this point you can refrigerate the squash and make the casserole later, or move on to making the casserole.

To Make the Casserole:

Preheat your oven to 400º degrees F. Line a 10 inch round spring form pan with parchment paper after greasing it with coconut oil and set aside.

Ingredients for filling:

1 Medium Spaghetti Squash (approximately 4 cups cooked)

1 Egg

4 Strips of Bacon, cooked and chopped (omit if making it meatless)

1/2 Cup Superfine Almond Flour

1/4 Cup Good Quality Mayo (I used Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo)

2 Scallions, Sliced

1/4 Cup Fresh Basil (or 1 Tablespoon Dried if you don’t have fresh)

1 1/2 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink or Sea Salt

1 Teaspoon Black Pepper

Pulse all the ingredients except the bacon in a food processor until smooth and incorporated. Fold in the bacon.

Pour the filling into the prepared dish.

For the Topping:

Ingredients:

1 Large or 2 Medium, Ripe Tomatoes (sliced in half and then thinly sliced into half moons

2 Sliced Scallions

2 Tablespoons of Fresh Basil (or 1 tsp. dried)

1/2 Cup Superfine Almond Flour

2 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil

1 Teaspoon of Himalayan Pink or Sea Salt

1/2 Teaspoon of Black Pepper

Directions: Place the sliced tomatoes in a decorative pattern on top of your filling (see the photos).

In a mini-processor or a full sized one will work as well, pulse the topping until it looks like crumbs. Sprinkle on top of the casserole evenly.

Bake in your preheated oven for 50 minutes. The topping will be golden brown and the casserole puffed.

Cool ten minutes. Then, remove the outer ring of the spring form pan and serve in the parchment.

This Bacon, Tomato and Basil Spaghetti Squash Casserole will give you all the comforts in comfort food with no Grain or Dairy. Delish!!!!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Simple Peach Ice Cream (Dairy Free)

Peaches are in season now, and juicy ripe peaches are so good in ice cream! My children have been gobbling up all the peaches as I buy them at the organic market, but I was able to snatch a couple to make this ice cream recipe before they were gone. Peaches are very similar to tomatoes in that when they are ripe, and in season, they taste like a different food entirely. Do you know what I mean?

So, today I have a very simple and delicious seasonal ice cream recipe to share that is Dairy Free!

SIMPLE PEACH ICE CREAM

You will need an ice cream freezer. I used a Cuisinart.

Ingredients:

Two Ripe and Juicy Organic Peaches, Peeled and Pit Removed

1 Can of Full Fat Coconut Milk

6 Tablespoons of Good Honey

2 Tablespoons of Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

2 Teaspoons of Pure Vanilla Extract

1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon

Directions: Here is where an immersion blender comes in handy, but you can also use a regular blender and get the same results, just more clean up! Place all the ingredients into a 4 cup glass measuring cup, and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Alternately, place in a blender and blend until smooth.

Refrigerate for four hours to chill thoroughly. Freeze in your ice cream maker.

Enjoy!

Sandra Shields, Health Coach

Eat Your Nutrients!

Peachy Jar Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette

This jar salad is so full of freshness, it makes me want to sing!

Food is supposed to make us feel good! So often today, the food that makes us feel “good” is not good for us. We have been inundated with ads and media from food manufacturers that tell us a food will make us happy.

Food that truly makes a person happy is the food that supports every cell of the body. Food that your body recognizes and knows what to do with. Pure, real, unprocessed food. It makes us feel good and look good. It gives us energy, and makes our skin glow and hair shine. It promotes longevity and prevents disease. Our bodies are like a very intricate computer that communicates with all the different components. We don’t want to confuse it by putting in artificial food that we weren’t made to process.

Peachy Salad in a Jar with Ginger Vinaigrette

Peachy Jar Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette

You can make this jar salad to pack for lunch, or make a larger version of it for another meal to share. It keeps well also! After a day in the refrigerator, the flavors meld even more!

PEACHY JAR SALAD WITH GINGER VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients for the Salad:

1 Cup of Ripe Tomato (Your favorite, any color. I used Heirloom)

1 Ripe and Juicy Peach (sliced and tossed with a tsp. fresh Lime Juice to prevent browning)

1/2 Cup of Watermelon (cubed)

1/2 Cup of Cucumber (cubed)

2 Green Onions (thinly sliced)

1/4 Cup Raw Pecans

1/4 Cup Green Pepper (diced)

GINGER VINAIGRETTE

This makes a 1/2 Cup of dressing, so you will have extra!

1/3 Cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tablespoons of Fresh Lime Juice

2 Teaspoons of Fresh, Minced Ginger

1/2 Teaspoon of Minced Jalapeno Pepper

1/4 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

1/8 Teaspoon of Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Directions: Puree the Vinaigrette ingredients thoroughly in a blender.

To assemble your salad: Use a generous glass jar that holds 4 cups. You can also make two smaller jar salads with pint jars, which hold two cups each.

Place two tablespoons of Ginger Vinaigrette in the bottom of the jar.

Add the other prepared ingredients in the following order from bottom to top:

Green onion
Tomato
Green Pepper
Watermelon
Cucumbers
Peaches
Pecans

Seal your jar, and refrigerate until ready to eat! You have made sunshine in a bottle.

Before eating, toss your salad gently by inverting the jar several times to coat the salad with the dressing. Remove lid and enjoy.

*I used organic ingredients

Peachy Salad in a Jar with Ginger Vinaigrette

Eat Your Nutrients! Don’t settle for less. It makes All The Difference!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Grilled Zucchini, Tomatoes and Scallions with Fresh Basil and Dill

On a beautiful Summer evening, I don’t want to be in the kitchen. Did you ever notice with grilling, you get to sit and relax while the food cooks more than when you are preparing a meal in the kitchen?

Grilled Zucchini, Tomatoes, and Green Onions with Fresh Basil and Dill

Grilled Zucchini, Tomatoes, and Scallions with Fresh Basil and Dill

Grilled vegetables also taste really delicious, they aren’t mushy, and you can combine ones that have relatively the same cooking time, toss them with a marinade and seasonings and come up with endless one dish vegetable sides.

Here is a fairly quick recipe for grilled zucchini, tomatoes and scallions I find Summery and a crowd pleaser.

Grilled Zucchini, Tomatoes, and Green Onion with Fresh Basil and Dill

Grilled Zucchini, Tomatoes, and Scallions with Fresh Basil and Dill

Grilled Zucchini, Tomatoes and Scallions with Fresh Basil and Dill

Organic Ingredients:

4 Zucchini on the smaller side (about 4 cups) sliced into spears

2 Local Medium Tomatoes (any color)

1 Bunch of Scallions, sliced in half lengthwise

1/4 Cup Fresh Basil, torn roughly into pieces

1 Tablespoon Fresh Snipped Dill

2 Tablespoons of Virgin Avocado Oil

1 Teaspoon of Sea Salt or Himalayan Pink Salt

Directions:

In a large bowl toss all the prepped ingredients together until well coated with oil. Place in a grill pan with holes. Grill on medium for 30 minutes, top of grill down, (relax until the vegetables are tender).

Eat Your Nutrients!