Fresh Broccoli Soup

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, diced
2 large carrots, diced
2 large bunches of broccoli, chopped
32oz chicken stock
2 tbsp grass fed butter (Or your paleo preference)
salt and pepper to taste

Also needed: immersion blender

Melt butter in large stock pot, sauté onion, carrots, and broccoli until tender. Add chicken stock and let simmer on low heat until vegetable are cooked and fragrant. Use immersion blender to get desired smoothness, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pumpkin Sausage Soup (Dairy and Gluten Free)

I got this recipe from www.paleotable.com


While the recipe boasts "paleo" I'm a pretty easy going paleo-er (as in I use maple syrup and honey sweeteners, I occasionally use grass fed butter, and I will indulge in grass fed greek yogurt sometimes) but I don't really consider sausage "paleo", cavemen weren't eating sausage and that's the premise of paleo eating.

That neither makes this soup less delicious or easy to make. It is still gluten-free and dairy-free too!

Ingredients-
2 lbs italian sweet ground sausage
1 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, diced
2 (15oz) cans of pure pumpkin puree
32 oz container of gluten free organic chicken stock
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 dried bay leaves
sea salt and pepper to taste

1 can of coconut milk (I left it out- so optional)

garnish with toasted walnuts (I also think it would be yummy with toasted pepitas too)

Sauté the sausage on medium in a large stock pot until browned then add onion and cook until translucent, add garlic and cook until tender, another few minutes. Add pumpkin and stock, stirring to prevent lumps. Season to taste, let simmer on low for 30 minutes, then add coconut milk if desired. Toast walnuts in a small frying pan until light fragrant, remove from heat immediately, top soup.

Very quick to make (15 minutes or less).

Enjoy!

Pork with Apple Onion Hash

Ingredients:

Organic pork chops
Herbs de Provence
Salt, pepper.

4 granny smith apples diced
1 onion diced
4 stalks of celery diced
4 pieces uncured center cut bacon diced

Sauté the apples, onion, and celery while the bacon bakes in the oven. Bake bacon until crisp, pat dry, then dice and top hash with it.

Season pork and cook 4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.

Paleo Snacking- Hunt and Gather

Epic makes super easy paleo snacking- Grass fed organic beef jerky on one side, and nuts and/or fruit on the other make a perfect grab and go snack for the office, pre or post gym, or while traveling. Love it! 

Find them here: 

http://www.epicbar.com

Chicken and Beets

Super easy dinner, pop in the oven on 400, let it go for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Boom. Paleo dinner.


Ingredients-
Bone in organic chicken pieces (I did drumsticks and thighs)

Salt, pepper, dried poultry seasoning

"Love Beets" Beets (In refrigerated produce section) No mess from cooking, 3-4 in a package, and great to throw in smoothies too!


Wash and pat dry pieces, season, put them in a parchment lined pan. Cook on 400.

Throw beets in about 10 to 15 before you pull the chicken, they are fully cooked and just need to be warmed thru.

Apple Oatmeal Almond Smoothie (Not Paleo)

I absolutely love oatmeal, so it's something that I haven't given up, which is why my blog is "paleo-ish" and not strict paleo. So here is a yummy smoothie that tastes like fall to celebrate the first day of autumn!


Apple Oatmeal Smoothie

1 cup unsweetned almond milk
1 apple diced unpeeled (My favorite apples are pink ladies/pink cripps they are sweet, but not too sweet and have a great texture)
10 roasted unsalted almonds
1/4 cup organic non GMO oats (raw)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 shakes of nutmeg (do not over do the nutmeg)
A small drizzle of maple syrup (optional, but really brings out all of the flavors)
A few ice cubes for a smoothie consistency.

Blend and enjoy!

Sunday Sweets! Paleo Nut Bars

Paleo nut bars- found on www.ourpaleolife.com

Ingredients:

Cinnamon Bars:

1 cup chopped cashews
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp raw honey


Cacao Bars:
1 cup chopped cashews
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup cacao nibs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp raw honey (She says 1 tbsp in the recipe, but I matched it to the consistency of the cinnamon bars, and to do that I added 3 tbsp, not 1. It had to coat a whole 1/2 cup of extra ingredients)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350
Line 8x8 baking pan with parchment leaving over hang.
Combine all ingredients except honey, mix well. Pour in honey and make sure all of the ingredients are coated then press down evenly into prepared baking dish.
Bake for 20 minutes. Use parchment to press bars back down and compact them before they cool.
After they cool for 30 minutes lift bars out of the pan by parchment and flip over so the bottom is now the top. Reshape if anything moves.
Allow to cool completely cut into 2x2 bars. Eat within one week.