Paleo Crock-Pot Beef Stew

Tonight was one of those nights I needed dinner to be done at 6 but couldn't spend the time in the afternoon to cook it. So I pulled out the trusty crock-pot and gathered my vegetables that were at the bottom of the drawer. I found a lovely roast in the freezer and got to work this morning. 6 hours later the house smelled amazing and me and my family got to enjoy this lovely (and healthy) beef stew.

It was so easy that I may result to doing this once a week. I have picked up a few new tricks after trying some similar recipes and I was really pleased with the result.

Paleo Beef Stew

Ingredients:

1 beef roast (about 2-2.5 lbs.)

olive oil

1 Tbsp. onion powder

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. of thyme 

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. salt 

pepper to taste

3-4 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4-5 celery stalks
1 can diced tomatoes
3 cups beef broth
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup water

1 rosemary sprig

Sprinkle half of the onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, cumin, salt and pepper on one side of the roast. Place seasoned side down on olive oiled saute pan that is on medium high heat. Sprinkle the other half of the seasoning mixture on the other side of the meat while on the pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes until browned and flip to brown the other side of the meat. Set aside. saute the chopped vegetables in the pan that the meat was just cooked in. After 4-5 minutes add the diced tomatoes, the beef broth and scrape the bottom of the pan to mix together the meat drippings. 

Pour the broth and vegetables into your crock pot. Place the meat on top of the vegetables and add the cup or so of water to cover the meat with liquid. Add the tsp. of cider vinegar and a sprig of fresh rosemary. Set crock pot for medium or about 6 hours of cooking time. When finished, shred the beef to the desired size. Discard the stem of the rosemary and season to taste before serving.

Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes

Hello again Paleo world. It has been over a year since posting a yummy recipe. I have continued my paleo journey with my family during that time (not perfectly of course) but still here with yummy recipes to share.  Probably the real reason for the break in posts is the fact that my once newborn turned one last year. Yeeeeah that was interesting and continues to be "exciting." Then my oldest started Kindergarten, my daycare got very busy...lots of things. But I'm back just in time for fall fun recipes :)

First one is what we did this morning...Pumpkin Paleo Pancakes. My 18 mo. old is sitting in his highchair now eating his 8th one. Go for it dude. So I double the recipe to feed my 3 growing boys as well as my hubby and myself while still having a couple extra to freeze for easy meals. This time my freezer batch is going to 2 of my best friends. One is due with her second son any day now and has a gluten intolerance (her diet is up my alley).  And the other is a fellow paleo-lover for her family and her husband just went through cancer treatment. A hopefully easy way for both of them to stay eating well and feeling well when their worlds are a little crazy.

So here we go...the recipe: Remember to double if making a batch to freeze or you have a big addiction to them like my kids do :)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

4 eggs
5 Tbsp. Almond Meal
4 Tbsp. Pumpkin
1/2 cup apple sauce (w/ no added sugar)
1 Tbsp. Pule Maple Syrup
1 tsp. Cinnamon (I love the cinnamon taste so I use 1 TBSP. instead)
1/2 tsp. both nutmeg and ground ginger

In a bowl mix together ingredients with a hand mixer for 2 minutes. Pour onto coconut oiled griddle. Flip when the edges look dry. Top with pure maple syrup or apple sauce.

Carrot Fries

So I have a new addiction. Carrots. It's a great addiction and I'm excited about it. I came across a recipe that baked carrots and zucchini with salt and pepper and it was supposed to be awesome. It sure was.
I love sweet potato fries, but I know I really shouldn't eat a ton of them. I don't want to stray too far from Paleo by stuffing myself with them. But now with my carrot fries I don't have to feel guilty for eating a whole pan of them. (I've had them 3 times for a snack in 1 week...they are goooood).
So here is what I did. I like spicy and salty...so if you don't, just alter the amount of pepper or change the seasonings.
4 carrots, peeled and sliced into fries
Salt, pepper, cumin, and garlic powder to taste. ( I just sprinkled each over the top)
1. Preheat the oven to 415°
2. Peel and slice your carrots
3. Place foil onto baking sheet and coat pan and carrots in coconut oil.
4. Sprinkle seasonings over top.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes. (I mix them up with my spatula about 20 minutes into cooking)
6. Let cool. Taste. Re-season. Eat. Yum.
Best thing is...they are carrots.

Chicken Zoodle Soup

It has been awhile since my last posting, but for a good reason. We welcomed our third son, Grant! He is a little over 2 months old and is doing amazingly. I have been getting really excited to write this first post, post-baby, to tell you all about everything! So here it goes…

Grant was born 5 days late, weighing 7lbs. 5 ounces. I was curious how much he would weigh since I read about paleo babies being on the lighter side than what is becoming normal these days. As for the boys I’ve had, he was right in between; Pretty average baby. We had a home birth with such an amazing group of Midwives and student midwives. Good thing he didn’t get too big, since I definitely wouldn’t have made it to the hospital for a c-section. Everything went beautifully and I was ready to recover at home on the first day.

That first day went by like a flash. My husband is an amazing man. A little while after Grant was born and there was a bit of down time, he fed the midwives some of the frozen muffins for snacks (which they thought were delicious). I was finally ready to eat. For my first meal, Bone Broth Soup! I loved it and he loved having it all ready to go.  My Mom and Dad had taken the 2 older boys (4 and 2 years old) the morning Grant was born. They all came back home that night to meet their baby brother and new grand baby. It was a perfect day.  

The next day, I kept craving more soup! It was perfect since my mom just kept pouring it out from the defrosted mason jars and would serve me a bowl when ever I was hungry. I snacked on apple sauce and the muffins when I felt like something sweeter. I added in a meatloaf muffin every once in a while to boost up my protein. I was so excited that I was prepared. There is nothing that you need more than to lay down, post-baby and this was definitely what I was able to do.

My sister is the most amazing woman. She drove 8 hours the day after the baby was born to help cook, clean, and entertain the boys.  It was SO helpful having someone around that knew paleo, cooked remarkable paleo meals, and knew how to keep the kids eating paleo while I was ‘out of service.’ Her presence was the best gift.  She knew exactly what a Mom of a newborn wanted and needed. While she was here, she cooked for me and I heard her say often…SAVE THE MASON JARS! It was like they were gold.  She was right though. I needed to save those freezer meals for the days I didn’t have Mom and sister in town to cook for me. Those 3-4 days of extra meals are amazing. It was almost sad eating my frozen meals and watching the freezer shelf get a little emptier each day. But that is what they were for! And I am so glad I got motivated to cook those meals in advance.

All these meals lasted me about 2 ½ weeks. I didn’t have anyone bring over meals (my stomach is very fortunate about that) so that was purely from freezer meals and the meals my sister cooked while she was here. The larger size meals were so helpful to have to cook for the whole family when visitors were gone and I was starting to walk around the house again. I could easily reheat the frozen zucchini noodles and defrost the spaghetti sauce for a quick dinner. I felt 2 weeks of meals is a pretty good amount. By that time I was ready to attempt the whole prepping and cooking dinner thing. It took me 3 times longer than usual, however, since I had to take many breaks to nurse, change diapers, and chase the other 2 around. But at least I was healed fully (thankfully to my initial days of rest) and able to do it.

AND I had energy. That was the major reason for keeping up paleo while pregnant. That and I get all crazy if I have a ton of sugar, processed foods, wheat and corn. My stomach aches and I get headaches almost automatically. Who wants low energy along with all the other icky stuff while trying to heal and take care of a newborn? Not me.

I can’t wait to share with you more of my post-baby experiences and the adventures of breastfeeding while eating paleo. So many exciting things and experiments to come!

Here’s a bone broth soup recipe. I mixed in some zucchini noodles and froze it in mason jars. It was one of my favorites and I was suggested to use it for ‘Labor Day.’ I’m glad I took that advice. It was exactly what I craved and couldn’t get enough of.

CHICKEN ZOODLE SOUP

*For this freezer meal, I suggest doubling, then eating ½ for dinner and freeze the other half in mason jars for an easy and comforting freezer meal.

4 leg quarters (bone in)

6 celery stalks, cut into chunks

1 large onion, chopped

6 carrots cut into chunks

4-5 zucchinis, sliced/peeled to resemble noodles

2 tsp. thyme

2 ½ quarts chicken broth.

Heat chicken broth and thyme in a

5 qt.or larger pot. Place chicken quarters in the broth and bring to a boil. Simmer for about an hour. While chicken is cooking, chop veggies and place all (except zucchini) in the pot with the chicken. Simmer veggies for 20-30 minutes. Place the zucchini in the pot for the last 10 minutes of cook time. Salt and pepper to taste.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Paleo Snack for kids

You always heard when you were younger... "It's not good manners to play with your food." Oops. I love playing with my food. It is also one of the ways I can get my kids to eat healthy snacks and meals. Cucumber slices, tomatoes,  raisins...sounds boring. BUT when you fix those same things up to make it look like a caterpillar...that's exciting!

                     

"Kids...we are eating caterpillars today!" Now that gets their attention.

In addition to my stay at home mom status, I am also a preschool teacher and daycare provider.  Snack is one of my favorite things to plan. I take the book or theme we are learning about that week and try to figure out a fun snack to make.  So now, of course, I have the fun challenge of making a Paleo theme-related snack. I love it.

It's interesting to see how excited the kids get when you created something fun with food. They don't even care they aren't getting gold fish or Graham crackers. They are eating the character from their book. That's way cooler.

So enjoy this Very Hungry Caterpillar...Paleo style.

Look at the smile on that kid. Now that is a fun (and healthy) snack

Freezer Meals - Double Up Dinners

So this sort of extends from one of my previous posts about "The Fourth Trimester" and freezing up meals for easy cooking. I am so into this idea for this pregnancy. I don't want to go off my paleo way of eating and feel icky just because I wasn't prepared. I want to be energized by eating good food and heal faster than I did with the other two kids..aka...taking it easy and not standing on my feet for long periods of time.

So... I have a few good freezer meal ideas for my fellow paleo preggos to cook up and freeze. Actually this is for anyone that has something approaching where it would be easier to have meals pre-cooked.  I decided to start a month before the little guy is due.  So that itsn't as overwhelming as it sounds; cooking meals upon meals to freeze up for later eating.  I decided to just double up the last month and cook what was on the paleo plan for dinner, then double my recipe so that  half is ready to freeze up. There has been many challenges in my way this month;dealing with 2 sick kids and if you know anything about Arizona...spring training is upon us; meaning visitors upon visitors to entertain. All of this while 38 weeks pregnant and deciding to have a home birth. Pretty nuts...but loving every minute of it.

Anyway, back to freezer meals. So here are some of the meals that I have so far stashed away. Some of the ideas listed are things I already have frozen in my freezer on a regular basis anyway. In addition, I made sure that I bought all the meats I wanted when they were on sale so that I also don't have to send my husband to the store for some chicken if he was willing to cook for us one night.

The first one is my "Labor Day" Bone Broth. I got this idea from the reading material handed out at my mid-wife appointment a couple times ago. I remember being SO thirsty and hungry after the labor of my first two sons. Having a broth made with the bones, vegetables, and meat will replenish you in so many positive ways. I made it for dinner one night, and everyone loved it, so we froze it up ready for the big day. Here are some other good paleo freeze up ideas: 

Freezer List:

Labor Day Bone Broth Soup

Paleo Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs

Paleo Spaghetti Sauce with Italian Sausage Links

Paleo Chicken Cacciatore

Paleo Tomato Soup

Paleo Butternut Squash Soup

Frozen Zuchini Noodles (still raw, just sliced the way Meatloaves Paleo  like them for the sauces)

Muffin Cup Meatloaves

Egg, Veggie & Ham "muffins" (baked in muffin cups and frozen).

Paleo Waffles (This is a staple in our house anyway).

Paleo Pancakes

Frozen berries for easy smoothies

Paleo Muffins (Blueberry and Zuchini are our favorite)

Pre-Sliced Peppers and onions

 

So this is the initial list. Check out our recipe blog for some of these recipes and more.

One last tip that I have taken advantage of. Bake anything and everything you can in muffin pans. Such an awesome idea for individual servings and easy re-heating. That is what I did with my mini egg & ham muffins and mini meatloaves (Picture on the right). Love it.

I'll update you throughout the next couple weeks to add to the list as I add it to my freezer.  Happy Freezing Everyone!

Buy In Bulk!

It is harder to come by sales and coupons for PALEO foods: Fresh and unprocessed. But, that does not mean you have to always pay a premium price. Look at the price per pound in BULK.

1. Know what you pay. I keep a mental list of how much I will pay per pound (or per ounce) for most foods. If you can't remember off the top of your head, write it down!! 

Mine goes a little like this:

Whole chicken - $.99 per lb. 

Chicken breasts - &1.99 per lb.

Ground Beef - $3.00 per lb.

Pork - $1.69 per lb.

Bacon - $3.00 per lb.

Almonds - $3.50 per lb

Almond Flour - $4.00 per lb.

Eggs - $1.50 per dozen

Etc...

2. Consider what is important to you. You may want to eat only organic. You may want to eat only grass-fed beef. You may want Omega-3 enriched eggs. You may just want a healthier lifestyle but need to save money everywhere you are able. Paleo shopping CAN be very expensive - so if this is an issue for your family you must make some choices. In my own household, we have a limited food budget for 5 children and 2 adults. So I, for example, choose to spend more on certain items but not buy grass-fed beef. You do NOT have to throw out the Paleo lifestyle if you cannot afford $7.00 for a pound of beef!

3. Look around. Once you know what you pay, you will find deals in different places. Check online marketplaces for things like oil, nut flours, and spices. Browse the mid-week Grocery Store fliers for unexpected price cuts. Find the clearance section of your favorite grocery store for quick sale items.

4. Buy BIG! Now that you know what you want AND you know what to spend, you are ready to SAVE BIG. All of a sudden, one day you will see chicken on sale for $.67 per pound. This is when you Buy BIG and fill your freezer with 3 months worth of chicken. Stock your freezer and your pantry with the Paleo foods you see for LESS than what you normally pay. 

We are buying tons of fruits and vegetables and, unfortunately, they will only last for a week or so. Buy in BULK any foods that can be frozen or stored in the pantry. When you print off yourFamily Style Paleo Shopping List, you may be able to check off most of your list items that are already in your pantry and freezer! Then you only have to shop for those fresh foods each week.