Microwave peach crisp for 1

1 ripe peach, sliced, and peeled if you prefer
3 tablespoons blanched almond flour
2 teaspoons coconut sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
tiny pinch salt
2 teaspoons butter, coconut oil, or canola oil

Directions:

1. Place sliced peach in a microwave safe bowl. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of coconut sugar over the peaches. 
2. Microwave peaches on high for 3 minutes until they are softened and sugar has caramelized. 
3. In a small bowl mix together blanched almond flour, remaining coconut sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Using a fork, cut in the butter or coconut oil into the almond flour mixture. 
4. Sprinkle almond flour mixture on top of the peaches. Cook in microwave on high for 2 minutes. 
5. Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes before eating. 

Sweet potato and beef stew

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb beef chuck or other stewing cut, cut
   into 1-inch cubes;
• 3 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cut
   into 1-inch cubes;
• 2 garlic cloves, minced;
• A pinch of allspice;
• 1 bay leaf;
• 1 cinnamon stick;
• 1 large onion, cut into chunks;
• 1 can (28 oz) tomatoes;
• 8 dried apricots, cut in half (optional);
• Chopped parsley for garnishing;
• Cooking fat;
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
   to taste;
* optional - add other favorite veggies. Hold back on the softer veggies, like peas and green beans until it's almost finished cooking.


PREPARATION

1 Heat a skillet over a medium heat, season the
beef cubes to taste with salt and pepper and
brown them on all sides with some cooking fat
in the hot skillet.

2 Place the browned beef, sweet potatoes, garlic,
cinnamon stick, onion, tomatoes, garlic and allspice in a crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours,
until the beef is fork tender.

3 Add the dried apricots, if using, and cook, covered, for another 20 minutes, until the apricots
are soft.

4 Remove the bay leave and the cinnamon stick
and serve, sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Whole 30 #2- Favorite recipes

Sloppy Joes with homemade ketchup over zoodles
Pulled pork sliders
Zoodles with cilantro lime chicken
Kale and cabbage salad jars
Buffalo ranch stuffed peppers
Greek meatballs with zoodles
Chipotle sweet potato skins
Curried sweet potato bowls
Pizza stuffed zucchini boat- Omit cheese, sub beef for sausage and use Italian seasoning
Mason jar recipes

Whole 30-some new favorite recipes

Todd and I just finished our first whole 30.  It is crazy to think that we gave up all grains, dairy, sugar and alcohol for 30 straight days.  It felt good to detoxify and focus on whole and real food for an entire month.  Plus I really wanted to kick the sugar cravings!  Below are some of the recipes that I made that we really liked and we would eat again.  I think many people think of Paleo as being meat heavy.  We did usually eat meat every day, but not large quantities.  I always tried to make sure my plate included 2/3 worth of veggies. In addition to the recipes below we ate a lot of eggs, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, root vegetables, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, avocado, apples, oranges, berries, etc.
-paleo meatballs
-mediterranean turkey burgers
-Chicken fajitas as a salad topper
- butternut squash soup
-spinach/artichoke dip
-date balls
-scotch egg
-greek baked chicken
-Pineapple chili
-Hawaiian turkey burgers
-Chicken tortilla soup
-Bulletproof coffee drops - These are the best creation EVER!!!  Before whole 30 I was making my own coffee creamer with milk and maple syrup.  I was very skeptical and didn't think I would like coconut oil and ghee in my coffee.  Sounds bizarre, but I thought I would give it a try.  It was AMAZING!  I am still playing around with this recipe and think I prefer equal parts ghee/coconut oil vs this original recipe.

Holiday fruit smoothie

I got a Vitamix for Christmas and I'm LOVING it so far!  I think I'll use it even more in the summer time.  I came across this recipe and made it back in December.  I made it again today and adapted it to make it whole 30.  It turned out great!

1 apple, cored
1 pear, cored
1/2 avocado
1/4 cup whole cranberries(fresh or frozen)
2 dates, pitted
1 cup coconut milk ice cubes
1/4 t pumpkin pie spice
1/4 t cinnamon
a splash of water

Tuscan Bean Soup

I saw this recipe on Pioneer woman and it looked so good. Most of her recipes aren't very healthy so I was excited to see this and give it a try. The original recipe called for shrimp, but I left that out. I also didn't have fresh basil so I put a dollop of pesto on the soup once I ladeled it bowls. It was delicious!

Ingredients
5 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
3 cans (14.5 Ounce) Cans Great Northern Beans, Drained And Rinsed
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
2 teaspoons Dried Oregano
1/4 cup Tomato Paste
3/4 cups Dry White Wine
1 can (28 Ounces) Whole Or Diced Tomatoes
6 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1 bunch Kale (more If Desired)
Plenty Of Torn Fresh Basil or prepared pesto

Preparation Instructions
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic and stir to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir to cook about 2 minutes, getting lots of flavor in the bottom of the pan. Stir in red pepper flakes and dried oregano; stir and cook for another 30 seconds.
Pour in wine and whisk, scraping the bottom of the pan a bit as you go. Allow this to bubble up and reduce, cooking until the wine is reduced by half.
Add canned tomatoes. Drain and rinse beans, then add to pot. Pour in chicken broth. Stir to combine and allow it to simmer for 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste.
Rinse the kale and tear it into chunks. Stir into soup. (It'll shrink quite a bit, so don't be afraid when you first add it!) Allow the soup to simmer for another 5 minutes, tasting and adding salt and pepper (or even more red pepper flakes) as needed.

Thank you Pioneer Woman!

Eggnog French Toast

Todd and I were both craving french toast today and decided to make it for Christmas Eve dinner. Strange, maybe.. Good, Yes! I saw this recipe a few days ago and thought I would give it a try. It was so good that it may become a Christmas Eve tradition on the years when we are in town. Regardless, we will find a way to fit this into our December meal rotation every year.

Eggnog French Toast
adapted from 1 cup awesome

Ingredients
6 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup eggnog
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of kosher salt
1 large loaf fresh bakery bread, such as french, challah or pugliese

Mix all ingredients except bread. Dip bread and fully coat with eggy/milk mixture. Cook until golden brown on both sides. Serve with maple syrup.