Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!

Ok, so life has been ridiculously busy the last few weeks. Meal planning, work, etc... On top of that, my BIRTHDAY!!!! Yay :-) Although I turned 25 :-( boo. Easter tried to steal my birthday thunder again this year (April 8), which I already share with my puppy. And yes, she really was born on my 20th Birthday (The last Easter, lol)... I didn't make it up. I was pretty excited about that when I got her.  The Beau's birthday is coming up too (April 18), which is also our anniversary (Awwwwww). I'm really excited about the gift I bought him! Can't spoil the surprise though ;-)

In other big news: WE'RE MOVING BACK TO FLORIDA!!!!!!! Yes, for real, for real. We're slated to go late May/ early June (no later than the 10th), and I'm pretty damn excited!

I will post later with some more Paleo-ish stuff.  Recipes, etc that I have done recently. Some of the things I've come up with, I'm really excited to share, so keep an eye out!

Peace y'all!!

St. Patrick's Day Feast!

So St. Patrick's Day is one of my favorite holidays. Yep, I'm a green-bleedin' Irish Girl... So, Saturday was my annual fatty day, and I gorged myself. I'm not going to lie. I am not ashamed.

I started with Corned Beef and Cabbage in the Crock Pot, for dinner.  Of course, there was beer to be had.  The next morning, we finished off the Corned Beef in a similar manner to the sweet potato latkes which can be found here.

I will tell you the one thing I am slightly ashamed of.  I did a shitty job taking pictures... More like a non-existent job.  I do have a picture of the leftover Corned Beef "Hash" Breakfast, but not of the actual dinner. Sorry y'all.

Corned Beef and Cabbage in the Crock Pot

Here's what you'll need:

1 Corned Beef Brisket (I got a uncured, nitrate/nitrite free one a Trader Joe's)

1 head of cabbage

1 sweet onion

2 potatoes

salt & pepper

*Notes* I have a fairly small crock pot, so I wasn't able to fit everything in at once.  I fit 1.5 potatoes, and about 1/4 of the head of cabbage in at first.  When we were getting ready to eat, I braised the rest of the cabbage (which I'll tell how I did that) and added it to the pot, since there was more room at that point. I used the other 1/2 a potato Sunday morning for breakfast.

1.    Slice up the onion and line the bottom of the crock pot with it.  Top with about half of the potatoes, cubed.

2.    Add the beef on top of that, and put more potatoes and cabbage on the very top.

3.    Put the crock pot on high, and let it cook for about 5 hours.

4.    When you are about ready to eat, you can get the rest of the cabbage ready.  Heat some bacon grease or coconut oil in a skillet.  Add the cabbage to the skillet, and cook until tender.  You may add it into the crock pot, and let it cook all together for a while (10-15 minutes), or just serve it together.

That's it!

Corned Beef "Hash" with Eggs

My Corned Beef Hash with Eggs all mixed together. Yum!!

Here's what you'll need:

Leftover Corned Beef & Cabbage

That 1/2 a potato (not necessary)

Eggs

1.    Since I had a half a potato that still needed to be cooked, I cubed it, and cooked it up in some bacon grease.  I then added the corned beef and cabbage to the potato in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  If you're not using the extra potato, then just put the beef in a skillet with a little bit of fat over medium-high heat.

2.    Heat the hash until it is hot throughout, and getting crispy in parts.

3.    Top with eggs, and enjoy!!

Peace y'all!

Sweet Potato Latkes

Saturday morning I made up these DELICIOUS Sweet Potato Latkes topped with bacon and eggs.  They were filling, delicious, and fast! I'd say definitely a winner!!

Here's what you'll need for the latkes:

3 sweet potatoes

chopped onion to taste (I used a couple tablespoons)

2 eggs

cinnamon, salt, & pepper

coconut oil (I used extra virgin, although unrefined; or any fat would be good)

1.    Take the sweet potatoes and grate them.  I don't have a large-size grater right now (yeah, yeah) so I used my spiralizer and the roughly chopped up the spirals... It was close enough!

2.    Beat the eggs, and add the sweet potatoes, onion, and spices to them.

3.    Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat, and pile the potatoes in little "cakes".  I found it easiest to scoop them with my hands, and then pour a little bit of the egg on top, that way it got a little crust on the bottom, and could flip.

4.    Cook for about 3-5 minutes on each side, or until brown and cooked through.  I topped each latke with 1 slice of bacon, and 1 basted egg.  Keep reading to see how I did that...

For the eggs:

1.    Heat you skillet over medium low heat, and add a healthy scoop of bacon grease.

2.    When it gets nice and hot, crack your eggs directly into the pan.  *Note* Don't overfill the pan. I did two at a time.

3.    You want there to be enough grease to cover most of the egg white.  While the eggs are cooking, spoon some of the grease over the exposed white and yolk.  Do this until the egg is cooked to your liking. I like mine really runny, so it doesn't take very long.

4.  Scoop out, and you can save that grease for more eggs, or another time!

Latke recipe adapted from here: http://everydaypaleo.com/2011/12/22/sweet-potato-latkes/

Peace y'all!

Sausage and Cabbage Soup/Stew

So I took a mental health day from work yesterday, since I wasn't feeling so hot. Around lunch time I whipped up some soup for me and the man, and it was DE-LISH! Best of all, it was soo easy, and Paleo! Yay :-D

I only got one picture (on my iPhone).. The light in the kitchen was bad, and honestly I just didn't feel like getting my camera.

Cabbage and Sausage simmering away

Here's what you'll need:

1 head of cabbage

1 lb of sausage (I used hot sausage)

1 onion, diced

2-3 cloves garlic, chopped

~1.5 quarts chicken stock (I used what I had from this chicken)

Optional: tomato paste (I use the stuff in a tube. It's just tomatoes and salt)

Coconut oil, or whatever fat you want (about 1 Tablespoon)

1.    Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, and soften.

2.    When onions have become transparent, add the garlic.

3.    After a few minutes, add the sausage. I have also used beef, in a similar soup, and it is very good as well.

4.    While the sausage is browning, roughly chop your cabbage.  I find it easiest to quarter it, then cut out the core, and slice it up.

5.    When the sausage is browned, add the cabbage on top, and pour about 1 cup of the chicken stock in. Turn the heat up to medium-high, and put the lid on the pot. Let it sit for a few minutes. (I didn't time this, maybe 5 mins, or a little less?)

6.    Add the remaining liquid and about 1.5 teaspoons tomato paste, and stir everything up. You can use more or less liquid, depending on your taste. I used about 1.5 quarts, and my soup was more stew-like. It could have used more liquid, but we were hungry, and didn't feel like thawing any stock.

*NOTE*  I did not measure how much tomato paste I used, I just eyeballed it. I wanted a slight tomatoey flavor, and I added a few squirts, until it looked right. 1.5 teaspoons is just a guess. This could definitely be optional.

7.    Season to taste, and let it cook for about 10 minutes back at medium.  Cook until the cabbage is cooked to your desire. If you like it crisp, a little less; if you like it limp, a little longer.

I even brought some of the leftovers to work with me today! Yumm!

Hope you guys enjoy it as much as us.

Peace y'all!

Salad in a Jar

I got the idea from Pinterest, which is the best thing ever!!

First, I poured a little bit of this dressing in the bottom (only enough to cover the bottom of the quart jar).

Sidenote: I know it's not Paleo, but it's my FAVE dressing, and I couldn't bear to throw it out yet.. Don't worry, it's almost empty!

I took some of the leftover chicken, and chopped it roughly and put that in second. Then I added some carrots, peppers, and a tiny bit of onion. Last, I added a couple handfuls of baby spinach.

Important!! Make sure to put the spinach (or whatever green) on top, so it doesn't get soggy from the dressing.  When you're ready to eat, just shake.. Yep, just like those old McDonald's Salad Shakers.


You can add pretty much anything to the salad. Just make sure you have enough bulk to separate the greens and dressing. Be Creative!


Salad inspired by: http://www.fatgirltrappedinaskinnybody.com/2011/10/salad-in-a-jar-src/


Peace y'all!

My First Paleo Meals

  So like I said before, them man and I dove into Paleo hardcore this weekend. Here's a glimpse of some of what I've fixed:

Sunday Breakfast...

  It was pretty straight forward. Bacon, 1/2 an apple, 1/2 a grapefruit, and 2 eggs scrambled in bacon fat with spinach, onion, and mushrooms.

  I did not eat the mushrooms.. Gave them to the man. I'm not a fan of their texture, but I don't mind the flavor they impart on food.  As you can probably see, I like my eggs scrambled soft.. Fortunately, the man has perfected this technique. He is much more patient when cooking, so the eggs come out better when he does them :-)

Sunday Dinner...

  I cooked a whole chicken in my slow cooker.  It was super easy, the recipe for it is here.  On the side were fresh beets. I cooked the beets the night before.  I roasted the roots in a foil pouch at 350 for about 45 minutes (until fork tender), and refrigerated. Sunday night, I chopped up the stems and greens, and separated them.  We sauteed the stems first, in coconut oil with a little bacon fat.  When those were softening up, I added the roots, which I had peeled and sliced up. After a couple more minutes, we added in the greens, and cooked til soft. Personally, I LOVE beets!

Sunday evening, I also went ahead and prepared breakfasts for the next few days and made up a salad for the man and me for Monday.  The post is here about the egg muffins.  The salads were awesome, and you can find them here.

So there's a glimpse into what I've eaten the last few days!

Peace y'all!

Easy Egg Muffins

This is an amazing make-ahead breakfast. They are fast, easy, filling, and YUM.

Please excuse the shitty picture.. Clearly I had some egg overflow...

Here's what you need:

12 eggs

1/2 lb. sausage

Spinach

Onions

Peppers

Mushrooms

1.    Preheat the oven to 350

2.    Plop the sausage in a pan, on med-low heat, and start browning while you chop the veggies.

3.    Prepare the veggies (I just chopped everything up, and left in separate piles.

4.    Crack all the eggs into a large bowl, and whisk. I added salt, pepper, & (salt-free)creole seasoning to that

5.    Once the sausage is browned, remove from the heat.

6.    You can either line your muffin pan with paper liners, or grease.

7.    Add in your veggies. I did a few variates - all with sausage (spinach, onion, pepper; mushroom, onion, spinach; pepper & onion; and spinach & onion)

8.    Add in eggs. I used a quarter-cup as a scoop, but didn't fill it to the top.

9.    Add sausage, and bake for 20-25 mins, or until the eggs are set in the middle.

Here are the issues I had my first time:

• I used liners, and I'm gonna be honest.. The eggs stuck.
• The muffins were over-filled. It didn't seem so at first, but as they were cooking, I had some egg-splosion, as you can see above.
• The spinach was all on top, and kinda crispy. Not bad, but a little odd. I think this is because I added the ingredients in a different order than above. I did sausage first, then eggs, then veg.

Here is what I plan on trying:

•   I'm going to try adding some oil to the eggs to see if that helps the sticking. If that doesn't I'm going to try greasing the liners. I want to use liners, since it makes taking them on the go easier.
• I'm going to use a little less sausage and veg per muffin
• I'm going to add the ingredients in the order above. My logic is that maybe the sausage will weigh down the veggies.

You can also use bacon. If you want it crispy (yum), cook it first. If you like it chewy, then put it in the muffins raw.

Recipe is adapted from: http://everydaypaleo.com/2010/03/24/egg-cupcakes/

Peace y'all!