Weekly Paleo Friendly Meal Prep

breakfastcasserole

So I wanted to share  few simple things that I prep throughout the week to make eating healthy easier. It’s nothing too revolutionary, but having a paleo breakfast casserole ready for the mornings & having my chicken & veggies prepped for salad is so helpful. Being a busy momma of two if I don’t plan ahead it’s so hard to make good choices.

I try to prep on Mondays, either during naps or just doing it as I make dinner (while Ryan helps with the girls, or they play in the kitchen while I cook). The prep routine in the video takes under an hour (and most of that time the food is just cooking in the oven), and yields me breakfast for the week & the ingredients I need to throw together a yummy salad for lunch – PLUS a light little bonus dinner of turkey stuffed sweet potatoes. It’s all simple, paleo/whole30, and economical.

This is the first video we’ve shot for the blog, but it was really fun and I’m hoping to do it more often! The only bad part is it’s hard to hide what a secret nerd I am when I shoot these ;)

Let me know if you have any questions!

With love,

Monika

chickensalad

[For my salads I like to keep roasted chicken on hand. I like to roast it because I can just pop it into the oven and tend to the girls or get some work done while it cooks. We really enjoy boneless skinless chicken thighs, but you can also use breasts. I just toss them with a little drizzle of ghee, and add freshly ground salt & pepper, and little paprika. Cook for about 20 minutes at 400 or until fully cooked. Then slice & store in fridge to add to salads. The salad above is mixed greens topped sliced chicken, a hardboiled egg, cucumber, tomatoes, avocado, and chopped bell peppers. Yummy & filling, and comes together in about 5 minutes when you have it all prepped.]

turkeystuffedpotatoes

[This is a light & simple turkey stuffed sweet potato dinner that I make after I prep my casserole. Simply wash your potatoes and poke several times with a knife, and cook at 400 for about an hour or more (depending on the size of the potatoes, I usually use big ones for this). Then top with a spoonful of the ground turkey & veggie mixture and serve with either a salad or maybe some roasted vegetables.]

Ingredients

• 1.25-1.5 lb Lean Ground Turkey 

• About 1/2 cup Chopped Onion

• 2 Chopped Bell Peppers

• 2 tsp Minced Garlic

• 1 tablespoon Ghee or butter

• 8 Eggs

• 1 Cup Coconut milk (or sub regular milk or almond milk) 

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1/4 tsp onion powder

• Sea Salt & Ground Pepper

• 1-2 Handfuls Arugula

• Optional: Top with sliced avocado & cilantro

Paleo Breakfast Casserole

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Optional: After chopping veggies you can reserve some of the bell peppers for salad or other dish

3. Heat ghee over medium high heat and add peppers & onion. Add generous amount of salt & pepper. Saute until starting to brown & caramelize.

4. Add ground turkey and minced garlic and brown.

5. While meat is browning whisk your eggs and add the coconut milk, salt & pepper, and the garlic & onion powder to the egg mixture and whisk together. 

6. When the meat has browned turn off heat and add your arugula and let it wilt for a minute. 

7. Then spoon the meat & veggie mixture evenly into the bottom of a casserole dish (whatever size you want but it may adjust the cooking time). Note: I set aside about two spoonfuls of the turkey mixture aside to make turkey stuffed sweet potatoes one night for dinner. 

8. Pour eggs evenly over the meat.

9. Cook for approx. 45 minutes or until eggs are set & edges start to brown.

10. Cut into squares and garnish with avocado & cilantro, if desired.

11. [Note: I cover mine with tinfoil and store in the fridge so I can have a piece each morning with a cup of coffee for a quick, easy, and healthy breakfast.] 

Paleo Brownies

Processed with VSCO with f2 preset

I have searched far & wide for the perfect Paleo Brownie Recipe, and alas, I believe I have found it. These brownies are rich, fluffy, and full of chocolatey goodness. Sometimes a girl just needs a chocolate fix, and these allow me to indulge guilt-free.

They are super quick & simple to whip up too. And I usually have the ingredients on hand, which is a plus (and also dangerous because I literally make them all the time).

Give ‘em a try and let me know what you think!

With Love,

Monika

Paleo Brownies

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Creamy Almond Butter

• 1 Egg

• 1/3 Cup Pure Maple Syrup

• 1 Tsp Vanilla

• 2 Tablespoons Ghee (or sub melted grassfed butter)

• 1/3 Cup Raw Cacao (or sub unsweetened cocoa powder)

• 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda

• 1/4 Cup Cacao Nibs (or sub dark chocolate chips)

• 1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts (optional) 

Instructions

1. Preheat Oven to 325. 

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond butter, egg, maple syrup, vanilla, and ghee. Stir well, and then add in the cacao powder, baking soda, cacao nibs, and walnuts. Mix well.

3. Next, spoon batter into a greased (or parchment paper lined) 8 x 8 baking dish. 

4. Bake approximately 21-23 minutes.

5. Let cool, serve & enjoy!

Caprese Bites

This last weekend Ryan and I went on a last minute trip to Carlsbad (a town near San Diego). Hope to edit and post some pictures from our trip soon… but in the meantime I wanted to share one of my favorite quick appetizers. These little caprese bites are easy to make and you may have most of the ingredients on hand already. Perfect for if you are having guests over or are just craving a yummy late-night snack.

What You’ll Need:

• Toothpicks
• Basil
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Mozzarella Balls
• Balsamic Glaze
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper

Directions:

Place a basil leaf onto the toothpick, followed by a tomato, and mozzarella ball. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic glaze, add salt & pepper (to taste), and enjoy!