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.

Cranberry Sauce with ginger and clove

Ashley made these over Thanksgiving. They were the BEST cranberries I've ever had.

In a medium saucepan, bring 1 bag (12 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries, 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar, 1 cup water, 1 T finely grated peeled fresh ginger, and 1/8 t ground cloves to a boil over high. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until cranberries have burst and sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Makes 2 cups.

Pastitsio

This is a once a year recipe. You know, the ones that you really like, but they are time consuming and not the healthiest so you only make them once a year. This fits into that category. Pastitsio is a Greek/Mediterranean pasta dish. I don't recall having this when we were in Greece, but the flavor reminds me of the food we did enjoy while there on vacation. This recipe is adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook "America's Hometown Favorites".

Pastitsio

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup tomato sauce

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 t cinnamon

8 oz penne pasta

3/4 cup milk

2 slightly beaten eggs

2 T butter, melted

2 T butter

2 T flour

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 cups milk

3 slightly beaten eggs

1 cup Kefalotiri cheese(greek) You can also sub romano or parmesan

Directions

1. For meat sauce, in a large skillet, cook ground beef and onion until meat is no longer pink. Drain off fat. Stir in tomato sauce, wine, and cinnamon. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; rinse and drain again. In a large bowl, toss pasta with the 3/4 cup milk, the 2 eggs, and the 2 T melted butter. Set pasta mixture aside.

3. For cream sauce, in a small saucepan, melt 2 T butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, salt, and black pepper until smooth. Gradually add the 1 1/2 cups milk. Cook and stir until mixture thickened and bubbly. Gradually and very slowly pour the hot mixture into the 3 eggs. Set aside.

4. Grease a 9x12 pan. Layer half of pasta mixture in prepared dish. Spread meat sauce over. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup of the cheese. Top with remaining pasta; sprinkle with another 1/3 cups of the cheese. Pour cream sauce over all; sprinkle with remaining cheese.

5. Cover and bake in a 350 over for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake about 15 minutes more or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

What we ate this week!

Monday-Lasagna This recipe makes 1 9x12 and 2 8x8. I made the big pan to take up to Todd's family next week for Thanksgiving.

Tuesday-Eggplant lasagna(costco) and sauteed brussels sprouts.

Wednesday-BIG mixed salad and carrots/celery and hummus

Thursday-Autumn quinoa salad with roasted brussels sprouts

Friday- Chili and cornbread(both really good recipes)

Saturday-Pastitsio and roasted broccoli

Sunday-First Watch after our half marathon. Next door pizza and Grandma Orpha's white cake(recipe up soon) for dinner. I have been dreaming of eating this pizza after our half marathon for the last few weeks.

What we ate this week!

Monday and Tuesday- I can't remember. Must not have been too memorable. :)

Wednesday-Lentils and Rice in the crockpot with mixed greens. This made enough for the whole block. Next time I would half the recipe. We liked it, but the kids didn't really eat it. I think the look of it was a turn off for James.

Thursday-Gnocchi Pesto with roasted cauliflower Very very good. Next time I might even attempt making homemade gnoochi.

Friday-Leftover lentils and rice with mixed greens

Saturday- Pumpkin ricotta pancakes for brunch. Spin pizza for dinner

Sunday- Whole wheat macaroni with leftover pesto

What we ate this week!

Monday-French onion soup in the crockpot. I have made this a few times and it is really good. So easy too!
Tuesday-Thai fried quinoa. This was really good. I made the quinoa and prepped all the ingredients earlier in the day so this came together in less than 10 minutes.
Wednesday-Roasted autumn salad, mixed greens, garlic bread.
Thursday-Noodles with mmmm sauce.
Friday- Autumn mac and cheese. This had all of the same roasted vegetables as Wednesdays dinner. I roasted everything for both meals on Wednesday and made this on Thursday. It was all ready to go in the oven after work on Friday. We really liked this and I would definitely make it again!
Saturday-Gingerbread waffles for brunch. Date night at the Copa Room with Todd.
Sunday- Homemade pizza at my parents! YUM!

What we ate this week!

Monday-Leftover Tamale Pie

Tuesday-Spaghetti Squash with Veggie Ragu and salad

Wednesday-Turkey meatloaf and salad

Thurday-Penne with leftover ragu sauce from Tuesday and roasted broccoli

Friday, Saturday, Sunday- Mama DID NOT cook! I took a break from cooking while Todd was out of town. We cleaned out the fridge and freezer! I did make some more whole wheat bread. YUM!

What we ate this week!

Last week seems like a blur. I don't even remember what we ate or what I made. We were out of town for Cornell's homecoming over the weekend. So fun and lots of good food! We enjoyed friday night at Pizza palace with some Taco pizza. Saturday morning we got coffee/hot chocolate and freshly baked peach scones at a local coffee shop before hiking at the Pal. Saturday lunch was at our favorite Lincoln Cafe. Sunday dinner was at a local Cedar Rapids restaurants called Daniel Arthurs. We finished off the weekend at the Breakfast House in CR. SO MUCH good food over the weekend. Back to reality though and trying to be healthy, so we'll start with Sunday night.

Sunday-Veggie Chili(From my freezer stash)

Monday-Veggie Chili on baked potatoes

Tuesday-Turkey/swiss grilled sandwiches with tomato soup(Costco)

Wednesday-Root vegetable lasagna
(From my freezer stash. I made my full recipe a few weeks ago and put it is 2 8x8 pans vs a 9x12.) It was a great idea and I will definitely do it this way next fall.

Thursday-Butternut squash soup with homemade wheat bread. The wheat bread turned out great and was so much easier than I thought. I think I'm going to start making my own bread on a regular basis. It wasn't nearly as hard as I thought. Thanks for the nudge Ashlee! There is nothing like fresh homemade bread out of the oven. It really brought me back to my childhood because my mom used to make homemade bread all the time.
Friday-Veggie Stir-fry using the sauce from here. I stir-fried with broccoli, asparagus, snap peas and edamame(or as Todd asked, "eda what?")

Saturday-Tamale pie with pumpkin cornbread with mixed green salad.

Sunday-Eggplant dip(melitzanosalata) and leftovers. I have no idea how to pronounce that so I'm calling it eggplant dip. We really liked the Eggplant dip and will definitely make it again. It was great with cut up veggies and pitas.

What we ate this week!

Monday- Black bean and sweet corn quinoa
Tuesday-Root Vegetable Lasagna and salad
Wednesday- Chickpea pasta with root vegetable "candy". We really liked both of these. I think kale or spinach would be a nice addition to the chickpea pasta.
Thursday-leftovers
Friday- Company arrived! Appetizers- Carrots/ranch and 3/1 dip with crackers
Dinner- Cheeseburger soup and roasted garlic bread(costco)
Dessert- Apple pie and pumpkin pie bars
Movie munchies- Monster munch for the kids
Saturday-Sandwiches for lunch
Chicken florentine artichoke bake for dinner with mixed green salad
Sunday-Brunch at First Watch. Dinner-Tilapia(Costco), roasted broccoli and spinach salad.

Food for thought

What we ate this week!

Monday- Eggplant Lasagna
Tuesday- Dinner at the park. Carrots, hummus, apples. PB & J when we got home!
Wednesday-Lentil soup with toasted sourdough
Thursday-Turkey meatloaf with twice baked potatoes and roasted brussels sprouts
Friday- Todd out with friends, leftovers for me and the boys
Saturday-I went to Blue Grotto with Abby and the boys had leftovers
Sunday- Cleaned out the fridge!

Peanut butter banana muffins

Todd came home from tennis the other night with an abundance of bananas and peanut butter. I personally have not tried these muffins since I'm not a banana fan. James gobbled 2 down right away so they must be good! I googled "peanut butter banana muffins" and this looked good to me!

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

4 ripe bananas
1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 c honey
2 T melted butter
2 eggs
1/3 c unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 T creamy peanut butter
{optional: +2 tb to use as small dollops of pb on top of each muffin}

1. Mash bananas and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together honey and melted butter until smooth.
3. Add applesauce, eggs, vanilla extract and peanut butter. Whisk together until smooth.
4. Add flour, baking soda, salt & stir together until not lumpy.
5. Add bananas and mix until just combined.
6. Spoon mixture into lined muffin tin.
7. Add a small (1/4 ts?) dollop of peanut butter to the top of each muffin, and sort of press it in until it's almost covered by the muffin batter.
8. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. I stuck the toothpick in at an angle and went towards the center to avoid sticking it through the dollop of peanut butter.

Yield: 12 muffins

Lentil soup

I got this recipe is from my co-worker Kathy several years back. Her Italian mother made this frequently when she was growing up. The ingredients are so simple, but it tastes so good. I know lentils aren't everyones "cup of tea", but I love them. Warning, this makes a lot of soup!

Ingredients
Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
4-5 stalks celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 bag lentils
11 cups stock/broth of choice (maybe a little less if not adding rice or pasta)
1/2-1 cup small pasta or brown rice(tonight I used ditalini which is the cutest little pasta ever!)
Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in large soup pot. Saute onion, carrots, and celery until tender. Add garlic and salt/pepper to taste. Cook 1-2 more minutes. Add tomatoes, lentils and stock/broth. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add small pasta or rice. Cook until done. Rice will take much longer than pasta to cook.

To serve ladle into bowls, add a little olive oil and parmesan cheese. Yum!

What we ate this week!

Monday- Baked sweet potatoes with leftover chili along with Balsamic roasted carrots
Tuesday- Noodle salad with peanut sauce. This was mmm mmm good! I would definitely make this again!
Wednesday- Chicken tortilla soup at Jami's house
Thursday-Poached eggs in tomato sauce with parmesan roasted broccoli. Both of these recipes were really really good! Definitely keepers!
Friday-Penne with marinara, carb loading for 15k Saturday morning
Saturday- Brunch at The Farmhouse after our 15k. Sesame Chicken, rice/quinoa blend, and roasted cauliflower for dinner.
Sunday- Eggplant Lasagna with steamed green beans

Oh, and I made these AMAZING pancakes for breakfast. I felt like I was eating dessert for breakfast, they were so decadent! If you want to treat yourself to something special make these!