Weekly Paleo Friendly Meal Prep

breakfastcasserole

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

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

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.] 



Whole Herb Roasted Chicken With Vegetables

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This meal. So good. I’m salivating just editing this post. Truth: I’ve never roasted a whole chicken before this. I’m not sure why, but cooking whole animals kind of intimidates me. But, chicken & vegetables are a staple in our house and I’m always trying to come up with new ways of making it so we don’t get too sick of eating the same thing all the time! Enter in this recipe. I made this last week and we loved it. I have a huge rosemary bush growing in our backyard too, so I’m always using it in recipes! The chicken was flavorful & moist, and the vegetables complemented it perfectly. It’s healthy (whole 30 compliant/paleo), simple, and delicious. We had plenty of leftovers, and this meal is very budget friendly! Buying whole chickens is (typically) much more economical than buying cuts of meat! So it’s a win, win.

This is also a great meal to make when you have company. You can prepare it, and while it’s roasting you can clean up and get ready for your guests. Not to mention that it looks beautiful when done, and we all know presentation is everything!

There is something so special about gathering around a yummy meal with your loved ones. So savor & enjoy.

Cheers!

WholeHerbRoastedChicken-2

WholeHerbRoastedChicken-2

WholeHerbRoastedChicken-1

WholeHerbRoastedChicken-1

WholeHerbRoastedChicken-4

WholeHerbRoastedChicken-4

Ready to go in the oven!

WholeHerbRoastedChicken-7

WholeHerbRoastedChicken-7

Voila!

Whole Herb Roasted Chicken With Vegetables

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 4-5 lbs Whole Chicken

  • 8-10 Red Potatoes

  • 1 White Onion

  • 1.5-2 Cups Baby Carrots

  • 2 Teaspoons Thyme

  • 1-2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

  • Freshly Ground Salt & Pepper

  • 2 Teaspoon Minced Garlic

  • 1 Lemon

  • 5 Tablespoons Ghee (or sub melted grassfed butter)

  • 1-2 Teaspoons Lemon Zest

  • 1/4 Cup Freshly Chopped Rosemary

  • Freshly Ground Sea Salt & Pepper

  • A Few Sprigs Fresh Rosemary

Instructions

  1. Preheat Oven to 400 F.

  2. Chop your potatoes & onions, setting aside 1/4 of the chopped onion for stuffing the chicken. Then add the potatoes, 3/4 of the chopped onion, and baby carrots to large casserole dish or roasting pan.

  3. In pan, toss vegetables with the olive oil, one teaspoon of the minced garlic, thyme, and a generous amount of sea salt & pepper.

  4. Rinse (removing innards from cavity) and pat dry chicken. Set aside.

  5. Mix your ghee (or melted butter) with your chopped rosemary, lemon zest, the remaining teaspoon of minced garlic, and freshly ground salt & pepper.

  6. Rub herb butter mixture all over the chicken, including the inside cavity. Sprinkle with a little extra salt & pepper all over (again, including the inside cavity). Place in roasting pan, breast side up, and arrange vegetables around it.

  7. Slice your lemon & squeeze it over the chicken & vegetables. Put half of the lemon in the cavity of the chicken, with 1/4 of the chopped onion, and a sprig or two of fresh rosemary. Mix the remaining lemon slices in with your vegetables.

  8. Place another sprig of rosemary on top, and put in center rack of oven for roasting.

  9. Roast 30 minutes. Then flip the chicken, and roast another 30 minutes. Then, flip back to breast side up, and roast a final 20-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (reaching approx 165F). Serve & Enjoy!

Roasted Rack of Lamb

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I’m not quite sure why, but I’ve always been a little intimidated by lamb. I’ve just never made it before and wasn’t quite sure the best way to go about it. And I hadn’t come across too many recipes for it either. But we’re currently on our third round of Whole 30, and I wanted to try something new to keep things interesting (the key to a successful Whole 30, in my opinion!). It was actually a lot easier to make than I thought, and Ryan and I both loved it! I served it over roasted veggies, and with a side of roasted green beans topped with caramelized onions. Oh, and can I just say that I love when meals “plate” well, because it allows me to pretend that I am a chef. And it makes meals look more complicated than they are, which is especially great when you have company! ;)
Roasted Rack of Lamb:

1 Rack of Lamb

2 tablespoons ghee or butter

¼ cup fresh rosemary

¼ cup olive oil

4-5 cloves minced garlic

Garlic Powder

Sea Salt & Pepper

1) Preheat oven to 400  2) Set out rack of lamb, and sprinkle both sides with salt, pepper, & garlic powder and let rest 20-30 minutes 3) In food processor or blender combine rosemary, olive oil, minced garlic, and salt & pepper and set aside 4) Heat ghee or butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. 5) Once butter is melted & hot, add your rack of lamb (fat side down) and sear 3-5 minutes. Flip and sear other side 1-2 minutes. 6) Spread your rosemary/olive oil mixture over the lamb and transfer it to the oven (I use a cast iron so I can transfer it easily, or you can just move it to a roasting pan) for approximately 18-20 minutes (for medium) or until it reaches desired doneness. 7) Let rest 10-15 minutes before serving. Voila! Delicious.

Serve with roasted potatoes or veggies for a complete & healthy meal!

 

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We Survived Whole 30!

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^^Pulled Pork Sliders on Sweet Potato Buns! Absolutely amazing. Pulled pork recipe here. For the buns, cut a thick sweet potato in ¼ inch slices, drizzle with olive, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika; roast on baking pan for 30-40 minutes at 425.^^

 

So, we made it!! We survived our first Whole 30! Monday we finished our 30th day of super clean eating – no processed foods at all! No sugar, dairy, bread, legumes, and alcohol. While at first we felt really limited, we discovered there are so many healthy & delicious recipes, and we really didn’t feel too deprived! It just requires great planning and being intentional about your meals and your grocery shopping.

The pictures are some of the foods & meals that helped get us through. So many yummy options! Pinterest & instagram were definitely great for meal planning & inspiration.

While we did not do it for weight loss, we both lost several pounds and are feeling great! It’s a great way to kickstart healthy eating and really just hit the reset button. Feeling more energized and definitely eating more purposefully.

The hardest part for me was not having any dessert of any kind. Not even “healthy” versions of dessert. I never realized just how bad my dessert cravings are! While on Whole 30 I literally had dreams of brownies & cookies & ice cream. The first week was definitely the hardest, but it did get easier. The cravings never really went away… but they feel more manageable. Another challenging part was how much money we spent on groceries. Wow. It’s definitely mind boggling. BUT we ate out A LOT less and had three awesome & wholesome meals a day.

Of course, now that it’s over it’s not just going to be back to junk. We’re switching to Paleo 80/20. It’s very similar, just a little less strict. So more maintainable on a long term basis.

Cheers to being healthy!

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^^Simple Lettuce Wraps. Brown ground turkey over medium heat, then add in broccoli slaw, cilantro, and green onion. Top with fresh squeezed lime. Service with Iceberg lettuce pieces to make little wraps.^^

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^^The breakfast of champions! Cut an avocado in half and make the seed hole slightly larger and crack an egg into it. Top with salt & pepper and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until the egg is cooked through. Serve with Aidell’s Chicken Apple Sausage (one of our Whole 30 staples!) and fruit.^^

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^^Chicken wings marinated in Frank’s Red Hot and grilled low & slow for a nice charred outer skin. Serve with grilled zucchini & squash.^^

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^^A favorite lunch of mine. Mix a 12.5 oz can of chicken (or tuna) with ½ an avocado and mash together. Add in walnuts, sliced grapes, and salt & pepper and mix well. Serve on sliced cucumber to make little sliders.^^

Homemade Roasted Almond Butter

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Almond butter is one of my new favorite foods, and is definitely a staple if you’re on whole 30 or eating Paleo. It’s a great source of protein and is delicious paired with a banana or apple! It can get pretty expensive at the grocery store, so I decided to try making my own. This is also a great way to monitor ingredients so there’s no added sugar or oils. It’s surprisingly easy and all you need is a large bag of whole raw almonds, an oven to roast them in, and a food processor!

I’m super excited to experiment with different flavors & types of nut butter. Maybe an almond/hazelnut blend? Maybe try adding some honey & cinnamon…. vanilla & espresso bean would be divine. So many endless possibilities. I’m in nut butter heaven!

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Preheat oven to 350. Measure out three cups of natural whole raw almonds. Spread evenly across baking sheet or pan, and bake for approximately 12 minutes.

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Next, add the almonds to your food processor and begin processing.

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At first it will resemble almond meal. Keep processing, scraping sides as you go. It will then start to thicken and be very hard, almost cement-like. This is normal. Keep on processing! Don’t give up. Just continue processing to get the almonds to release their oils. After around 10-15 minutes it should start to get creamy. Keep going until you get to the consistency you want.

Then transfer to a mason jar or other container to store. It should keep in the refrigerator for around a month or so. (Though I’m not entirely sure as we go through a whole jar in just a few days!)

If you want to indulge a little bit – chocolate almond butter is pretty much amazing. Once the almond butter is ready I usually separate half into a mason jar for regular almond butter, and leave the other half in the processor where I then add in semi-sweet chocolate chips (between ¼- ½ cup) and process for a few minutes until blended and creamy. Then store in a separate mason jar… which you may want to hide in the back of your fridge so you do not eat the whole jar with a spoon. ;)

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Creamy chocolately goodness. Yes, please!