Week 4

And now I am ahead of the game and have next week's menu all ready.

Saturday – pork tenderloin, guac peppers, zuchinni fritters

Garlic HerbCrusted Pork Tenderloin

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon)

1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

2 tablespoon olive oil, divided

1 pork tenderloin

Instructions:

1.     Stir together garlic, sage, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small bowl. 

2.     Rub mixture all over pork.  Let marinate 30 minutes to 2 hours. 

3.     Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

4.     Heat a pan over medium-high heat.  Add olive oil.  Add pork, and brown on each side, about 4 minutes on each side.

5.     Transfer pan to oven.  Roast pork turning occasionally until an thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 145 degrees to 150 degrees, about 20 minutes.  Transfer pork to a cutting board; tent with foil, and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

 

Guacamole pepper poppers

Ingredients

• 4-5 small sweet baby peppers
• 1 avocado, mashed
• juice from 1 lime
• garlic minced
• sea salt & peppers
• cilantro
• bacon

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut peppers (I used about 4) in half lengthwise and cut off the stem and remove seeds and white membrane. Place the peppers in the oven on a baking sheet for about 10 minutes, or until tender. Then fill with the guacamole mixture. And if you have bacon on hand, you should definitely top with bacon, although they were delicious without it.

Easy Zucchini Fritters

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini
• 2 eggs
• 1 onion
• ½ cup parmesan cheese (optional, can replace with almond flour or 3 tablespoons of coconut flour)
• ¼ cup almond flour
• 1 teaspoon each of garlic powder, salt, pepper and basil leaf

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grate the zucchini with a cheese grater or food processor. Add the salt and squeeze very tightly with a towel or some paper towels to get the excess liquid out. Put in a medium sized bowl.
2. Grate the onion and add to the bowl. Add the eggs, parmesan cheese and almond flour. Sprinkle the spices on top of the mixture and mix until evenly incorporated. To bake: well grease a baking sheet or muffin tins and put tablespoon size amounts of the mixture onto the baking sheet or fill the muffin tins ½ full.
3. Bake for approximately 18-20 minutes or until tops and sides are starting to brown. Serve alone or with homemade ketchup. Can also pan fry in coconut oil for a crispier outer coating.
4. Enjoy!

Sunday – Butter chicken, green beans, salad

1T peanut oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

¼ white onion, chopped

2T butter

2t lemon juice

1T ginger garlic paste

1t garam masala

1t ground coriander

1t chili powder

1t cumin

1 bay leaf

¼ cup plain yogurt

1 cup half and half

1 cup tomato puree

¼ t cayenne

1 pinch salt and pepper

1T peanut oil

1lb chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces

1t garam masala

pinch cayenne pepper

¼ cup ground cashews

1.     Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat.

2.     Saute shallot and onion until soft and translucent.

3.     Stir in butter, lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon garam masala, chili powder, cumin and bay leaf.

4.     Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

5.     Add tomato sauce, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

6.     Stir in half-and-half and yogurt.

7.     Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

8.     Season with salt pepper. Remove from heat and blend in blender (without bay leaf).

9.     Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat.

10. Cook chicken until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

11. Reduce heat, and season with 1 teaspoon garam masala and cayenne.

12. Stir in a few spoonfuls of sauce, and simmer until liquid has reduced, and chicken is no longer pink.

13. Stir cooked chicken into sauce.

14. Mix together cornstarch and water, then stir into the sauce.

15. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until thickened.

Monday – fish + broccoli + salad

Coconut Oil-Poached Tilapia:

•            12 6-7oz Tilapia fillets (or substitute any whitefish)

•            ½ cup Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (enough that the oil is ¼” deep in your pan)

•            Pinch of Salt

1.    Heat coconut oil and salt over medium-low heat until hot, just starting to bubble but not a rolling simmering.  Add tilapia to the pan.

2.    Cover and cook until the top edges of the fish are opaque..  Flip each piece of fish.  Cook until the fish is fully cooked and opaque throughout.

Tuesday – Chicken + pepper strips + carrots + tomatoes

Hissin’ Chicken à la Paleo Parents book Eat Like a Dinosaur

1.            Pat dry 12 chicken legs (or 8 chicken thighs).

2.            Place chicken on a wire rack set into a baking sheet.

3.            Sprinkle chicken with 2 Tbsp melted coconut oil, 1tsp salt, and 1 tsp paprika. Rub chicken to coat.

4.            Roast at 375oF for 45 minutes.

Wednesday – tacos

Thursday – Sausages + baked potato + green beans/broccoli

Friday – pizza

Week 3

Here we are finished week 3 already! One of these days I might even include photos, wouldn't that be fun?
So my "dessert" this week was biscuits. They were very biscuit-y and not very dessert-y. We wound  up serving them with maple syrup. I might make them again according to their intended breakfast food purpose and serve with butter.
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Cinnamon Breakfast Biscuits
1 cup coconut flour
1 cup almond meal
5 tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs

½ cup raisins
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together the dry ingredients in a small bowl. (coconut flour almond meal, cinnamon, baking powder, salt) In a large bowl mix remaining ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. Using your hand roll a ball of dough about an inch in diameter. Then slightly flatten the ball into a biscuit shape and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 14 minutes. Enjoy!

Saturday – Pork Chops in Creamy Tumeric Sauce + Cauliflower rice + Green Beans

    1 can (13.5 ounce) coconut milk (400 ml)

    2 garlic cloves

    2 tablespoons lime juice

    1 tablespoon fish sauce

    A handful of cilantro leaves

    1 teaspoon turmeric, plus more to season pork

    4 boneless pork cutlets or thin pork cops (1/2 inch thick or less)

    1 tablespoon coconut oil

    1 shallot, finely chopped

    1 head of cauliflower

    Salt, for seasoning

    Butter, to flavor cauliflower rice

1.     Combine the coconut milk, garlic, lime juice, fish sauce, turmeric, and cilantro in a blender. Blend the mixture into a smooth sauce.

2.     If the pork isn’t thin enough (1/2 inch thick or less) use a meat mallet to flatten the pork. Or, slice thicker pork chops in half to turn them into two thinner chops.

3.     Lightly season the pork with salt and turmeric.

4.     In a wide skillet heat the coconut oil. When the oil is hot add the shallot and saute for 30 seconds. Add the pork.

5.     Cook the pork only 2 minutes on each side until lightly browned.

6.     Transfer the pork to a plate.

7.     Add the coconut sauce to the skillet. Use a spoon to scrape up any tasty bits of meat stuck to the pan as the sauce comes to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes.

8.     While the sauce is boiling, make the cauliflower rice. Trim and roughly chop the cauliflower.

9.     Cauliflower rice was sautéed in a pan with several tablespoons of oil for a few minutes until soft. Season with salt and butter.

10. Add the pork and any accumulated meat juice back to the skillet with the sauce. Simmer just long enough to heat the pork back up.

11. Serve the sauce and pork over the cauliflower rice. Garnish with additional chopped cilantro.

Awesome! Kids liked it less, wouldn't touch the cauliflower rice. I would say this is their 3rd time being offered the "rice". I will persevere!

Sunday – Baked Teriyaki Chicken + salad + asparagus

1T arrowroot flour

1T cold water

½ cup sugar

½ cup soy sauce (wheat free tamari or coconut aminos for paleo)

¼ cup cider vinegar

1 clove minced garlic

1/2t ginger

pepper

12 chicken thighs

1.     In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the ingredients.

2.     Simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles.

3.     Preheat oven to 425 oF.

4.     Place chicken in greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Brush with sauce on both sides. Brush ever 10 minutes.

5.     Bake 30 minutes, turn, bake for another 30 minutes or until no longer pink and juices run clear.

Cook asparagus in oven with chicken for 10 minutes, tossed with butter, salt and pepper. Serve with teriyaki sauce.

Awesome again! Not paleo with the soy sauce and the sugar. I have some soy sauce that I want to use up and I had a hankering for some teriyaki. Let's chalk this one up to the 80/20 rule.

Monday – Zucchini noodles and sauce + salad

¾ cup chopped onion

5 cloves minced garlic

¼ cup olive oil

2 cans whole peeled tomatoes

2t salt

1t sugar

1 bay leaf

1 can tomato paste

1t basil

pepper

1.     Saute onion and garlic in olive oil.

2.     Stir in tomatoes,  salt, sugar, and bay leaf.

3.     Simmer for 90 minutes.

4.     Stir in paste, basil, pepper and meatballs.

5.     Simmer 30 minutes.

Meatballs

2lb ground beef

2T parsley

2T grated Reggiano Parmesan

2 eggs, beaten

dash garlic powder, pepper

Mix well, form into balls, store in fridge. Use half in recipe, boil half in water for lunches.

We are finishing off the pasta in the cupboard with the kids while hubby and I eat zucchini noodles. I like them and don’t miss the pasta. I found the sauce far too watery for this one. Could be that the lid was left on during the simmer. 6/10

Tuesday – Indian Stir-fry with spaghetti squash

Cut spaghetti squash lengthwise.

Bake cut side down in pan with 1-1 ½ cup water at 350oF for about 60 minutes until knife can cut into squash with little resistance.

Set aside to cool.

Prepare curry:

·      1 pound ground beef

·      2 heads of broccoli, chopped

·      1/2 small cabbage, cut up into small chunks

·      1 medium onion

·      2 tbs coconut oil

·      curry powder to taste (about 2 tablespoons)

·      sea salt & pepper

Directions

1. Sautee vegetables in skillet with 2 tablespoons coconut oil (about 20 minutes, or until tender). Add seasonings about half way through. Don’t be shy with the curry powder!

2. Cook ground beef in same skillet and add a little more curry powder to the meat.

3. Mix vegetables and meat, put it on top of a little spaghetti squash.

The curry was so-so. First time with spaghetti squash. So great! Practically tasteless, but the texture was fantastic.

Wednesday – tacos

Kids are still getting flour tortillas, adults are making a taco topping salad.

Thursday – roaster chicken from Costco + green beans + Caesar salad + apple pie

Was supposed to be a pork tenderloin, but best laid plans and all. The Costco chicken was most definitely not paleo, but better than nothing. The pie was in honour of it being pi day (March 14 aka 3.14)

  

Friday – pizza 

I will be having left overs. I think some of the chicken teriyaki is in the fridge, unless hubby ate it today. Otherwise I will whip up some spaghetti sauce and finish off the leftover spaghetti squash.

That is it for this week! 

Week 2

Well, apparently if I wait to get my menu all gussied up for you, it will never get posted. So please excuse the mess, I will try to come back and edit it into something more presentable. In the interest of not letting perfection get in the way of good enough, here is week 2:
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I am trying to include at least one dessert each week. This week we had dessert on Wednesday night. I should have premashed the bananas prior to adding the milk and eggs, but otherwise I think it turned out good enough!

Caveman custard

• 3 bananas
• 1 can coconut milk
• 3 eggs
• Cinnamon
• Add vanilla to taste, if desired

1. Combine all ingredients except for cinnamon in a mixer and mix well.

2 Pour into custard or souffle cups (coffee cups or other oven safe containers work fine if you don’t have custard cups).

 3 Sprinkle top with cinnamon.

4 Bake in water bath oven at 350 degrees for approx 45 minutes. Custard will balloon a bit and you may see some liquid… its ok, it will work itself out.

5. Chill

Saturday – Sweet and Sour Chicken + cauliflower rice +green beans/broccoli

1 package boneless chicken breast

1 can pineapple chunks

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 diced small green pepper

1 diced small red pepper

1.     Cube and parboil chicken until cooked through.

2.     Drain water from pan.

3.     Add pinapple, tomato paste, and peppers.

4.     Simmer 20 minutes and serve over cauliflower rice.

Verdict: bland and not very sweet and sour chicken-y at all, overly watery 5/10

Sunday – fish sticks + sweet potato fries

Pankoconut Fish Sticks

Ingredients

1 C almond flour
1 C coconut flakes
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dill
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
1/2 C olive oil
3 lbs. white fish, cut into 1″ slices

Instructions

1. ♥ Combine flour, coconut, and spices in food processor and pulse into a meal
2. ♥ Place mixture into a small bowl
3. ♥ Pour oil into a separate bowl
4. ♥ Dip each fish into oil, then meal, then place on baking sheet
5. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees until lightly browned and cooked through

I cooked it for about 30 minutes because it didn't brown at all.

Verdict: the kids loved it, was an acceptable breading substitute 7/10

Sweet potato fries

2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled

½ C coconut oil

2t salt

2t cinnamon

1.            Cut sweet potatoes into fry shapes, about ½ inch by ½ inch by 3 inches.

2.            Spread sliced potatoes out on large baking sheet and toss with coconut oil, salt, and cinnamon until coated.

3.            Spread evenly, in a single layer on baking sheet.

4.            Roast at 400 degrees until desired crispiness, 15 - 30 minutes, flipping fries part way through.

Verdict - timing is everything with this one, the first time I burned them but even burnt they seemed soggy; they taste good so long as you don't expect a crisp fry 8/10

Monday – Rat on a Stick + broccoli + salad

Rat on a Stick

3 lb ground meat

3 T Thai red curry paste

2 Eggs

3 tsp salt

2 t paprika

10 skewers

1.            Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix.

2.            Form fat mounds of meat around skewers, a bit less than a quarter pound per skewer.

3.            Cook in oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.

 This is from Eat like a Dinosaur. The kids love it. Hubby hates it because he hates getting his hands covered in ground meat. I suggested letting our oldest do it as he really wants to help cook. Problem solved! 8/10

Tuesday – Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup CROCKPOT
Fruit + Carrots + Tomatoes + Chees

tomatobasil parmesan soup – in the crockpot.

INGREDIENTS
2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano
1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
4 cups chicken broth
½ bay leaf
½ cup arrowroot flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup butter
2 cups half and half, warmed (I would go with only a cup and a half though)
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil, and bay leaf to a large slow cooker.

2. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.

3. About 30 minutes before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper. Add additional basil and oregano if needed (the slow cooker does a number on spices and they get bland over time, so don’t be afraid to always season to taste at the end).

4. Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.

Wednesday – Tacos, as in Week 1. Taco night is still sacrosanct. Hubby and I eat it as a salad, kids get flour tortillas.

Thursday – Hissin’ Chicken + Salad

1.            Pat dry 12 chicken legs (or 8 chicken thighs).

2.            Place chicken on a wire rack set into a baking sheet.

3.            Sprinkle chicken with 2 Tbsp melted coconut oil, 1tsp salt, and 1 tsp paprika. Rub chicken to coat.

4.            Roast at 375oF for 45 minutes.

 This is also from Eat Like a Dinosaur and another of the kids favourites. 9/10

Friday – pizza

Everyone else eats pizza, I eat leftovers.