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.