Shrimp and Mushroom Risotto (AIP, Paleo, Whole 30)

Sometimes I wing it and come up with a fun, easy recipe, this was luckily one of those times. This entire meal, from prep to table, will take 30 minutes and one pan (SCORE!). It is also Emily approved, meaning your kids should love it. Well, that is if they are as great an eater as my almost 10 month old. Regardless, this yummy, and totally AIP recipe, has the light fluffy creaminess you would get in a normal risotto. You won't even notice the difference. Ok maybe, but to me, it tasted exactly like it's SAD counterpart.

Shrimp and Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup of onion, diced
• 8 oz of mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon bone broth, divided
• 4 tablespoons of coconut cream, divided
• 1 packaged of Trader Joe's Frozen Organic Riced Cauliflower (approximately 3 cups of riced cauliflower)
• 1 lb of shrimp, deveined and peeled
• 1 tablespoon cassava flour

Instructions

1. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat.
2. When pan is hot, add extra virgin olive oil and let oil warm up for a minute.
3. Add onions to frying pan and cook for 2-3 minutes or until they become translucent.
4. Add mushrooms and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the have slightly softened. Stir occasionally.
5. Stir in 1/2 cup of bone broth and 2 tablespoons of coconut cream and bring to a boil.
6. Add cauliflower rice, cover, and allow it simmer for 5 mins. Don't worry if the is still in frozen clumps, it will break up on its own.
7. Stir in shrimp to fully combine. Cover again and let simmer for another 5 minutes.
8. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of coconut cream, 1 tablespoon of bone broth, and 1 tablespoon of cassava flour.
9. Stir in coconut cream mix into in cauliflower rice, mushroom, and shrimp saute and allow to cook for another 2-3 minutes on medium heat, or until sauce begins to thicken.
10. Enjoy!

Asparagus and Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken Breast (AIP, Paleo, Whole 30)

This recipe is a result of a few things going on in our lives. First, I have shared it on social media, but not on the blog yet. We decided it was best for our family that I would not return to work following my maternity leave. That means for last 6 months, I have been taking on my new role as a stay at home mom. This also meant, we went from a two salary income to a one salary income over night, with one extra warm body to care for as well. We have to cut a lot of expenses and find ways to save money. One of the few areas we have a lot of control in is our grocery and eating out budget. It was easy to say, no more eating out, but finding ways to cut groceries was simple at first, but also got me being more creative.

I am notorious for buying things that I want to use, and then avoiding using them because I don't want them to be gone. It is a weird quirk of mine. However, I am learning to cook all the food we have until the fridge is pretty bare, and then we go and buy what we need. I am happy to share we have kept in our food bugdet since we started, saving us several $100s in just the last 6 months.

The second thing that influenced this meal was the need for fast and easy prep since I have a 13 ½ pound, 6-month old permanently attached to my hip. It took me about 5 minutes to put this all together, and then I could just put it in the oven and forget about it until the timer went off.

Asparagus and Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken Breast

Ingredients

• 5-6 thin sliced chicken breast
• 1 bunch of asparagus
• 5-6 slices prosciutto
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ tablespoon dried thyme, or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• ½ tablespoon dried oregano

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degree F. 
2. If need be, pound chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap to ensure it is all equal thickness, around 1/4 inch thick.
3. Place chicken breast flat on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. 
4. Lay one slice of prosciutto on top of each chicken breast.
5. Rise asparagus and cut off 2 inches off the bottom of each stem.
6. Divide asparagus among each chicken breast and place in the middle.
7. Roll up the chicken and prosciutto around the asparagus and place the open side down. 
8. Lightly coat the chicken and asparagus ends with olive oil. Then evenly distribute the sea salt, thyme, and oregano among the wrapped up chicken breasts.
9. Cook for 25 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and let rest for a few minutes, then serve with your favorite sides, like Roasted Acorn Squash with Brussel Sprouts or Kabocha Tots. 

BBQ Beef Pizza (AIP, Paleo)

Last week, I was lucky enough to receive samples of KC Natural AIP Paleo BBQ sauce, and to say I was excited is an understatement. Don't get me wrong there are some awesome AIP BBQ recipes out there, but there is something so nice about having a pre-made version you can dig right into.

Immediately after getting the bottles, I had to open each to test them out. First, I tried the Primal Cherry. It has a nice sweet and smokey flavor which would be amazing drenched over some ribs. Then I tried the Mastodon flavor. It has this sweet, peppery kind of tone that I knew would make a perfect topping for either shredded meat or ground meat like in this recipe. It actually reminds me a little of a sloppy joe type of flavor. Both sauces have such great notes of flavor that make them so different, but really encompass that smokey and sweet flavor you want in a bbq sauce.

This recipe combines my most favorite AIP pizza crusts, from The Healing Kitchen, and this new AIP product by KC Natural to make a yummy pizza that won't make you feel like you are missing anything.

BBQ Beef Pizza

Ingredients

• One Pizza Crust from The Healing Kitchen
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 medium carrots, finely diced
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 3 celery stalks, finely diced
• ½ a medium onion, finely diced
• ½ cup, KC Natural AIP Paleo Bbq Sauce, Mastodon
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate infused balsamic vinegar or just balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar or maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ packed cups arugula

Instructions

1. Follow instructions to make one pizza crust. This can be prepared ahead of time.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
3. Place pizza crust on a parchment paper lined cooking sheet and set aside.
4. Heat medium frying pan over medium high heat.
5. Add ground beef and sea salt to pan, and brown.
6. Once ground beef is cooked, add carrots, celery, and onions to pan allow to cook for at 5-6 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened.
7. Reduce heat to low and add bbq sauce, balsamic vinegar, coconut sugar, and garlic powder to the meat mixture and stir to combine. Cook for about 3-4. Stir frequently.
8. Remove meat mix from heat. 
9. Use extra virigin olive oil to lightly coat pizza crust. This will help keep the meat mix on in the pizza, but also prevent it from soaking into the crust.
10. Spread the meat mix on top of pizza. Depending on the size of pizza you make, you may have leftover meat. You can either super load up your pizza, or just snack on it.
11. Place pizza in preheated oven and cook for 8-10 minutes.
12. Remove from oven and top with fresh arugula. 
13. Devour and enjoy!

Lemon Dill Baked Salmon (AIP, Low-FODMAP, Paleo, Whole 30)

It may surprise some, but I have eaten a lot of fish throughout my pregnancy. I have easily had 2-3 servings a week of either salmon, sardines, anchovies, cod, or something similar. There is an old notion that consuming seafood while pregnant is a big no-no, but that is simply not true. Think about it, in many cultures around the world, seafood makes up a large portion of people's diets, and I guarantee they do not reduce their consumption while pregnant or breastfeeding.

While there are some concerns regarding the mercury in fish, there are actually far more beneficial nutrients that come from fish that outweigh the minimal levels of mercury actually present.There are two great pieces that go into the health benefits and importance of consuming fish both for everyone, and for pregnant women.

The first pice by Chris Kresser states "Based on the new understanding of selenium’s protective role, and the importance of DHA for fetal and early childhood development, pregnant mothers should be advised to eat oily ocean fish regularly." Read more about on what Chris has to say regarding eating fish here.

Additionally, Sarah Ballantyne, goes on to say something very similar " Not only is the mercury exposure from seafood a complete non-issue (with the exceptions of the few fish that are higher in mercury than selenium), but by limiting seafood during pregnancy, women are missing out on the best food source of DHA, an extremely essential nutrient for their health and the health of their growing baby.  In fact, a maternal diet rich in DHA has been shown to improve a baby’s IQ by 10 points.  The recommendation should probably be for a minimum of three 6oz servings of oily cold-water fish per week for these women, if not a diet that is heavily based on fish as a protein source (although, there still is a legitimate rationale for avoiding sushi)." Read more about what she has to to say about the importance of fish our diets here.

Since fish is not something you should avoid, but something you should actually include weekly in your meal plan, I am sharing my most favorite and super easy salmon recipe with you all.

Lemon Dill Baked Salmon

Ingredients

• 1 lb wild caught salmon, deboned
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped and divided

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Rinse salmon, pat dry, and place salmon on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
3. Brush olive oil all over the top of the salmon.
4. Sprinkle half dill over the salmon. Layer the lemon slices over the salmon. Sprinkle remaining dill over the salmon.
5. Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until salmon is cook (flaky).
6. Remove from oven and let cool for 2-3 minutes. Cut in to portions and enjoy with your favorite sides. Personally, I love this salmon with simple roasted asparagus and cauliflower rice.

Three Squash Beef Chili (AIP, Paleo, Whole 30)

What says comfort during the fall season then a delicious squash soup or a big bowl of chili? Well, I figured why not combine them to make a squash soup chili of sorts. It combines three of my favorite squash: butternut, acorn, and pumpkin. Hope you enjoy this chili as much as I do.

Three Squash Beef Chili

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and diced into ½ inch cubes
• 2 acorn squash, - peeled, seeded, and diced into ½ inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 onion, thinly diced
• 1 cup pure pumpkin puree
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 ½ tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• ½ tablespoon ground savory
• ½ tablespoon ground sage
• ½ tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 cups bone broth

Instructions

1. Fill a steamer pot about 1/4 full of water, and add in/on steam basket. Add approximately 1 ½ cups of diced butternut squash and 1 cup of diced acorn squash to steamer basket. You want to steam about a third of the diced squash. Turn burn on high, cover, and steam for about 15 mins, or until squash is soft.
2. While squash is steaming, in large, deep pot over medium high heat  extra virgin olive oil. When oil is hot, add ground beef to the pot and cook until browned. 
3. Add onions to pot and cook until to just translucent. Turn off burner and set pot aside.
4. By now, the squash should be steamed. Add the cooked squash to a food processor, and blend.
5. Add squash mix to pot with meat and onions. Add the remaining ingredients from the pumpkin puree to bone broth to the pot. Lastly, add in the remaining raw cut squash to pot.
6. Stir ingredients to fully combine.
7. Return to burner, and set heat to high. Stir frequently and bring to a boil.
8. Once boiling, turn heat down to simmer (about a medium, medium low, depending on your stove), and allow to cook uncovered for 1 hour. Stir occasionally.
9. When it is done, remove cinnamon stick, and enjoy!

Recipe note: if you are able to get a hold of a cooking pumpkin, like a sugar pumpkin, you could leave out the pumpkin puree. Instead, peel, seed, and dice the pumpkin and steam and puree a third of it with the acorn and butternut squash. Then add in the raw to the pot with the other squash.

Balsamic Cherry Pulled Pork & Sweet Plantain Romaine Boats (AIP, Paleo)

For some reason I always struggle to decide how to serve pulled pork. You can obviously just serve it on it's own, but it always felt like something was missing. It is that starchiness and support of a roll to shovel the goodness in your mouth I just couldn't find. Good news, I have found a solution; fried plantains and romaine leaves.

Balsamic Cherry Pulled Pork & Sweet Plantain Romaine Boats

Ingredients

• 1½ cup pitted cherries (fresh or frozen), roughly chopped
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoon coconut aminos
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 5-6 pound bone-in pork shoulder roast
• 1 cup bone broth
• 1 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• 4 yellow plantains (not yet black, but can have a few spots)
• 1 head of romaine

Instructions

This recipe uses an Instant Pot, however, I have included modifications at the bottom for those using a slow cooker.

1. In a small bowl, combine cherries, vinegar, and coconut aminos, set aside.
2. Pat dry pork shoulder, and cut in to 4-5 even pieces.
3. Set Instant Pot on sauté and add avocado oil to pot. When pot is hot, brown all sides of pork. You may have to do this in a few rounds to make sure there is enough room for each to brown.
4. Once pork is browned, place back all pieces into instant pot and cancel sauté function 
5. Pour bone broth over pork, then the balsamic cherry mix, and lastly, sprinkle sea salt, ginger, and rosemary all over.
6. Set Instant Pot on manual and use the "+" to set it to 75 mins. Close the lid and make sure the valve is on steaming.
7. When pork is done, turn off the pot and let pressure release naturally.

While the pot is releasing pressure you can start working on the plantains.

1. In a medium cast iron skillet, warm coconut oil over medium heat.
2. Peel the plantains, and cut in thirds, then slice lengthwise, so they are about a 1/4 inch thick.
3. When oil is hot, add plantain slices in a single layer to pan, don't over fill the pan.
4. Cook on one side for 2-3 minutes, or until it gets a nice brown color, flip and cook for another 2 minutes on the other side. 
5. Remove from pan and place on a paper towel lined plate. Continue until all pieces have been cooked.

Now the pork should be ready so time to shred!

1. Remove pork from pot and place in large deep baking sheet or dish. Using two forks, shred pork and remove bone. 
2. Add shredded pork back to pot and stir to combine with juices and cherries.

Time to assemble!

1. Take 3 medium romaine leaves, wash and pat dry and set on serving plate.
2. Place 2 slices of the fried plantains on each leaf.
3. Spoon shredded pork and cherries on the plantains.
4. Enjoy!!

**If using a slow cooker you can make the follow modifications: use a large frying pan over medium heat to brown the pork and cook pork and cherries on low for 6 hours.**

Serves: 8

Stuffed Pattypan Squash (AIP, Low-FODMAP, Paleo, SCD, Whole 30)

Recently, I met my first pattypan squash. They were so cute and look like little pumpkins, what is there not to like about them? When I picked these up the other day at my local farm stand, I immediately knew I would stuff them. The question was, with what?

Through my research online, I found most recipes used rice as a main ingredient in the stuffing. Of course this wouldn't work, so I had to get creative. On top of that, I couldn't use cauli-rice again, because the hubby said he won't eat it anymore (whatever, I could eat it every day, but to each their own). So what to rice? After looking through what I had in the kitchen, I settled on diakon radish because it basically my new favorite snack. I am super excited how well these turned out, and even the hubby approved!

Stuffed Pattypan Squash

Ingredients

• 8 small pattypan squash
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 lb grassfed ground beef
• 2 cups diakon radish, cubed
• 3/4 cup bone broth
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup frozen spinach

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and place cooking sheet in oven to heat as it comes to temperature.
2. Wash and dry squash, and slice the top off about a ½ inch from stem. Level out the bottom of the squash by cutting of a little so it sits flat.
3. Scoop out the squash seeds and flesh, leave about a ½ inch shell. Reserve the flesh. 
4. Lightly coat the cut parts of the squash with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.
5. Remove cooking sheet from oven and place squash on the sheet, opening side down.
6. Roast for about 15 mins or until it is tender and the flesh side is brown.
7. While the squash heat 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat in a large frying pan.
8. Once pan is hot, add ground beef and brown.
9. While meat is browning, place cubed radish and squash flesh in a food processor or blender, and pulse in 2 second intervals until it is riced. About 5 times.
10. When beef is browned, add in the riced radish and squash flesh and bone broth. 
11. Bring to boil and let simmer for 5 mins or until most of liquid is gone.
12. Add spinach and sea salt and stir to combine. Cook for another 5 mins over medium heat.
13. Remove from heat when done
14. When squash is cooked, remove from oven and flip them over so opening is face up.
15. Spoon stuffing mixture evenly into the squash rounds. 
16. Serve and enjoy!

Harvest Ground Turkey Stuffed Acorn Squash (AIP, Paleo, Whole 30)

I love Fall. It is by far one of my favorite times of there year. Cold mornings, leaves changing colors and the awesome fall produce. I just love all the winter squash available and love trying different soups and recipes with them. When we came home from the grocery store a few weeks ago with two giant acorn squash, I immediately started my Google search.

After search and looking through a bunch of recipes online and not finding what I was looking for, I decided to take the plunge and make my own. The gorgeousness below was the result.

Harvest Ground Turkey Stuffed Acorn Squash

I started the recipe creation as many of us usually do, looked at what was in my fridge and went from there. By combining some of my favorite fall flavors together, I created this healthy and delicious Harvest Ground Turkey Stuffed Acorn Squash recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 medium to large acorn squash, halved and seeded
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 – 1.5 lbs of ground turkey (depend on packaging)
• 2 large carrots, sliced
• ½ large onion, diced
• 1 apple, cored, peeled, and chopped
• 1 ½  cups of cranberries (fresh or frozen)
• 2 cups of fresh spinach 

Instructions

1. 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
2. Place squash halves face down on a cooking sheet tray and place in oven for 50 mins or until you can easily pierce with a fork.
3. Prep veggies while squash is cooking, or you can even prep them up 3 days ahead of time.
4. When the squash has about 20 minutes left to cook, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat,
5. Add ground turkey to preheated pan and allow to completely brown. 
6. Once meat is cooked, add onions, carrots, apple and cranberries to preheated pan. All them to cook down for about 10-12 minutes or until the cranberries start to pop and carrots start to cook down. Stir frequently.
7. Lastly, add in fresh spinach and cook for another 2 minutes, or until spinach wilts.
8. By now your squash should be done and start to cool out of the oven. Drop the oven temp down to 350 degrees.
9. Flip squash halves over and scoop out a little over half of the flesh from each half. You want to leave a nice layer around the shell so they don't collapse. Add flesh to pan with turkey and  veggies.
10. Fully incorporate squash with turkey and veggies. Once well combined, divide the mixture and place it back into each of the squash halves.
11. Please back in the oven and cook for 10 more minutes.
12. Remove, and let sit for about 5 mins. Then enjoy!

Share and Give Thanks

The recipe makes four, big portions, so you can really have just one and be good. I served them with a small slaw and also with nothing on the side. It’s really up to you. And of course share this beauty with someone. Here is the hubby enjoying his squash. He claims it tastes “healthy.” I think he just says that when he knows it’s actually good for him, but it actually tastes good and doesn't want to give that away.