Strategies for Meal Prepping

It is no secret that planning meals and prepping them ahead of time will set you up with a successful number of healthy meals and snacks ready, give you time during the week with your family, and even save money. However, it can be very daunting to get started and commit the time and work right away. But there is no need to be intimidated. I am going to share with you my strategies to help set you up for a successful meal prep session. 

#1 Make the time

You are going to need to set aside the time to cook for about 3-5 hours straight. If that means sending the hubby away with kids, or blocking out an afternoon, do it. It will save you a lot more time throughout the week from cooking and give you the time back to spend with your family. If you are unable to cook for a longer session (4-5 hours) then you can divide your time into two smaller (2-3 hours) sessions. During longer sessions, I am able to make 4-5 different meals with maybe a snack or two (for my toddler). For a smaller session, I would likely make 2-3 different meals. 

# 2 List, Plan, Shop

List: First, take stock of your kitchen (fridge, freezer, and pantry) and write down all the ingredients you have in your house.

Plan: Using first the ingredients you have found in your house, begin to plan your meals and snacks. As you plan your meals you will also begin to create your shopping list, including those items you are missing to complete a dish. This part is key if you are looking for ways to save money.

       

        Shop: Now that you have a list of exactly what you need you will be less likely to get things you don’t need because you already have the meals planned. An additional money saving tip: depending on what items are on sale, you can make adjustments to your menu should you have a meal(s) where there is a little flexibility. For example, you could  swap veggies (carrots vs squash) or even a protein (ground beef vs ground turkey for instance) that could be used in a recipe.

#3 Start with a Clean Kitchen

Do you ever notice how on cooking or baking shows and competitions their kitchens are always clean before they start? It is not just for appearance’s sake, it really does help set you up for a good cooking session when you start with a clean kitchen. How do I define a clean kitchen? This means an empty sink, cleared counters, an empty (or close to empty) dishwasher, and a floor cleared of toys (ok maybe that one is just for me). 

#4 Set the Schedule

This one changed my meal prep game completely. It may seem a bit odd to do this the first time, but once you do it, I promise you will notice a difference in your meal prep session. The concept is to plan out your session, as in make a tentative timeline of your prep/cook schedule. What does this look like? Here is sample schedule of a cook timeline for a meal prep day. I plan to make one oven meal, one Instant Pot meal, two stove top meals, and baked veggies.

Cook day schedule

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Prep meal #1 and place in oven.
3. Prep meal #2 and place in Instant Pot.
4. Prep veggies for oven, place on cooking sheets, and set aside.
5. Prep meal #3 and #4 (chop veggies and/or prepare meat)
6. Pull out meal #1 and allow to cool on table. 
7. Turn off Instant Pot and allow it to depressurize.
8. Drop oven temp to 350 F and place veggies in oven.
9. Begin to cook meal #3.
10. Clean up dishes from prepping.
11. Remove meal #2 from Instant Pot and pack away, place pot in sink to soak.
12. Finish meal #3 and pack away.
13. Remove veggies from oven and turn it off
14. Pack away meal #1.
15. Begin to cook meal #4, clean dishes while it cooks.
16. Finish meal #4 and pack away.
17. Pack up veggies .
18. Clean dishes and kitchen.

#5 Mise en Place

A French cooking phase meaning “everything in its place,” mise en place is a strategy you can use in any cooking session, beyond just a large meal prep session. In the template schedule above, you will notice I set aside to “prep” each meal. In order to keep things moving during cooking, you should pull out all the ingredients you need in a meal before starting. Additionally, chopping up all the veggies and pre-measuring ingredients before you start to cook, helps you move swiftly through a recipe. This is just one reason starting a meal prep session with a clean kitchen is so important.

#6 Clean as you go

Cleaning up as you go is just as important as starting with a clean kitchen. When you are finished with an ingredient or a cooking utensil, put it away or in the sink/dishwasher. If you are at a point where you have a number of things cooking and your kitchen is crazy, take a second and wash a few dishes. Once you pack up a meal, take a minute and soak or clean the dish it was cooked in. The more cleaning you can do along the way, the less you have to do at the end. This will save you from when you hit that wall near the end of cooking and you just want to be done. If you can clean as you go, you will have one to two things left to clean vs an entire kitchen worth of dishes.

#7 Hydrate and Feed the Chef

Last but not least, keep a bottle or cup of water in the kitchen with you and drink some as often as you can. Also, have some snacks on hand or even sample some of those delicious meals you make. Remember, you are going to be prepping, cooking, and cleaning for 3-5 hrs. That is a lot of time on your feet, and a lot of going going going. You will need to keep yourself hydrated and fed to keep your energy up while you work in your kitchen. 

Real Fruit Gummies (AIP, Paleo)

Gummies, Gummies, Gummies

I am pretty sure Emily (who is nearly 2 now) is 50% made up of gummiess, the other 50% being clementines. She has a problem, we are working on it. Anyway, gummies have become a staple in our house. It is a great way to give her fruit when they are out of season, thank you freezer section, and I actually find them sometimes less messy then the actually fruit at times. Plus, she gets a good dose of gelatin. Each week, I make up a new batch of gummies for her to snack on through out the week. This is a great snack for kiddos of all ages, from beginner baby-led weaners to toddlers to pre-teens.

Real Fruit Gummies

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh or frozen fruit (such as blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, kiwi, or a mix of any of them)
• 1/2 cup of filtered water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup of gelatin
• 1 teaspoon of maple syrup (optional)

Instructions

1. Combine fruit, water, and lemon juice in a medium sauce pan.
2. Set sauce pan on burner at medium low heat. Use a wooden spoon to mash fruit as it warms up and stir often.
3. Cook down for about 5 minutes, or until the fruit softens.
4. Combine fruit, gelatin, and maple syrup (optional) in a blender. Blender until smooth.
5. Pour puree into gelatin molds or a 8 x 8 glass baking dish.
6. Let cool in fridge for at least 2 hours.
7. Cut up or pop out of molds and store in air tight container in fridge up to 2 weeks.

Italian "Breadcrumb" Baked Cod (AIP Modification, Paleo)

I recently had the opportunity to try out Mission Heirloom's Yucan Crunch Crackers now that is available to order on Amazon. Not only was excited about another AIP option on Amazon (Amazon Prime owns me), but also was so excited to try them out after seeing so many other bloggers sharing about them.

And I was not disappointed! Yucan Crunch Crackers are such an awesome addition to the AIP community. My absolute favorite way to have them is to crisp them up under the broiler and use them as crackers to shovel tuna salad in my mouth. But they are so versitile! And while I love using them as a cracker alternative, the recipe below is another fun way to enjoy these crunchy goodies. Emily is also a huge fan of them as well which means I am going to need to order some more asap!

Yucan Crunch for Me and for You

Mission Heirloom has not only given me an opportunity to try out their Yucan Crunch, but they are also allowing me to give away a 2-pack set of their Yucan Crunch to one of you! Head on over to my Instagram for details of how to enter.

Italian "Breadcrumb" Bake Cod

Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh wild caught cod
• 1/2 cup of broken Mission Heirlom's yucan crunch
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon fresh scallions
• 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/2 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil (use for AIP compliant recipe)
• 3 tablespoon of mayo (leave out for AIP compliant recipe)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
2. Pat dry cod and place on a parchment paper lined cooking sheet.
3. Add yucan crunch, sea salt, dried oregano, dried parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, fresh scallions and fresh thyme to a food processor. Pulse until it crumbs.
4. For AIP compliant recipe, lightly coat the top of cod with avocado oil. For non-AIP complaint recipe evenly spread mayo over the top of the cod.
5. Add an even layer of "breadcrumbs" on top of the cod.
6. Place cooking sheet with fish in preheated oven for 15-17 minutes, or until fish is flaky.
7. Turn on broiler and put cod under broiler for 2-3 minutes, or until browned. Keep a close eye so it doesn't burn.
8. Enjoy!

Disclosure: I did receive a complimentary 4-pack of Yucan Crunch; however, this is a product I have will happily purchased in purchase in the future. I would never recommend a product I didn’t stand behind 100%. 

Red Cabbage and Carrot Coleslaw (AIP, Paleo, Vegan)

It is really starting to feel like summer here on the East Coast, and I am pretty excited. After a less than impressive winter for our area, I am ready to play out side all day, take Emily to play outside all day and only come in for food and water (sometimes, but eating outside is super fun too).

My husband and I both grew up in Pennsylvania (Dutch country area) and moved to Maryland once we got married. One of our biggest complaints we have when going out is that Maryland just does not know how to do make a proper coleslaw. There must be a pinch of sweet, a tang of vinegar, and a hint of salt. And try as many places may, they just can't seem to find that right combination. In truth, a proper slaw will use a mayo/vinegar base, in my recipe I use a combo of coconut cream, apple cider vinegar and avocado oil to create the yummy, creamy dressing that is true to a classic dutch style coleslaw.

Ingredients 

• 1/2 medium head of red cabbage 
• 2 medium carrots
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon  coconut cream
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1-2 green onions for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Finely shred red cabbage and cut carrots into match sticks. (I used my mandolin with no extra blade for the cabbage and a medium comb for the carrots.)
2. In a large bowl mix together red cabbage and carrots until the are well combined.
3. In a smaller bowl whisk together coconut cream, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and sea salt.
4. Pour dressing mixture over cabbage/carrot blend and toss until it is fully incorporated.
5. You can eat it right away, but it tastes much better if you let it sit for an hour or two. Even better, make it the night before and let it marinate all night, then toss again before serving.

Single Serving Chocolate Birthday Cake + A Special Giveaway (AIP, Paleo, Vegan)

A Year in the Life

This past weekend, we celebrated a very special moment. One year ago we met our beautiful little girl for the very first time. We brought her home to our house and introduced her to her three fur siblings and then thought, now what? LOL. Let's face it, no one knows what the heck they are doing as first time parents. It's nerve wrecking, and terrifying and wonderful all at the same time. As each month passed, my husband would say to me, "well we made it one more month." We all still had our fingers and toes and everyone, for the most part, was doing well. Those first few months felt like years of time as the passed. All the time and energy I spent trying to have a beautiful breastfeeding relationship with Emily now seems so distant and a drop of water in the ocean (read about our journey here).

Then in a blink, it was time to let Emily enjoy all my favorite foods as we began baby-led weaning. No surprise at all, she was a natural foodie baby and loved everything I gave her. If you don't already, follow me on Instagram where I often share pictures of what she is having each day. Right around 6 months, was the moment I am sure the world started spinning faster and time sped up because the next thing I knew, it was less than two months until her first birthday and it was time to plan to celebrate a whole year of her life.

To Smash Cake or to Not Smash Cake?

I must be honest, I was not even originally planning on having a smash cake for Emily's birthday. I just didn't see all the hype, and since she is such a fantastic eater, I didn't expect there to be any smashing. BUT after attending a few of her friends first birthdays I couldn't help myself. I wanted her to experience that as well, and then one day we can look back at those pictures and I can share the whole crazy day with her.

When I finally decided to have a birthday cake for Emily, I knew two things right away.

1. I will be making it from scratch.
2. It will use my most favorite flour ever, Otto's Cassava Flour.

Recently, I shared this AIP Chocolate Mug Cake recipe which was in inspiration for the cake. I decided to remove the sweeteners from the cake and add applesauce. This required a little adjusting of the other ingredients. For the frosting, while I knew a simple coconut cream frosting would work just fine, I really wanted something that was more frosting like in texture. While Emily does not eat strict AIP (she does eat eggs and many other paleo foods), I decided to keep this as an AIP cake so that I could use it for other occasions.

I have tested this recipe three times now and Emily has had it twice. I can say for certain it's a winner for both mommy and baby. What I also love about this cake (having tested it so much) is that both the cake and frosting can easily be separately  made ahead and assembled wherever you need them. Or you can make then entire cake ahead, freeze it, and travel to your destination. For Emily's birthday, I made the cake and frosting two days before the party and kept them in the fridge. Then the day before, I put the cake together and froze it and drove to my parents house (2 hours away) and it kept in their fridge until the party the next day. It turned out perfect!

Emily's Birthday Giveaway

Not only am I sharing this delicious birthday cake recipe with you all, but Otto's Cassava Flour has so graciously agreed to giveaway a 5 lb bag of cassava flour to help celebrate Emily's birthday. To enter for a chance to win a bag of cassava flour comment below who you plan to make this birthday cake recipe for next! The winner will be chosen on Sunday, April 23 at 12:00 pm EST. (for U.S. participates only). This giveaway is over. Congratulations, Rebecca Nicodemus for winning a bag of Otto's Cassava Flout. Thank you for all those who entered.

Single Serving Chocolate Birthday Cake

Ingredients

Cake:

• 3 tablespoons cassava flour
• 1 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1 tablespoon carob powder
• 1/4 teaspooon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon applesauce
• 3 tablespoons full fat coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil

Frosting:

• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons cassava flour
• 1/2 cup of palm shortening (tallow  or lard can also be used)
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup

Option: fruit juice or vegetable juice to color frosting

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease two 4-oz ramekins or a muffin tray.
2. Start making the cake batter by sifting the cassava flour, coconut flour, carob powder, and baking soda into a large bow. Whisk to fully combine.
3.  Add applesauce, coconut milk, and avocado oil and stir to incorporate all ingredients.
4. Evenly distribute the batter between the two greased ramekins or two muffin molds. If using ramekins, place them on a sheet tray so they are easier to take in and out of the oven.
5. Place cake batter in preheated oven and back for 25 minutes, or until they pass the tooth pick test (stick a tooth pick in the center of the cake, and if it comes out clean, they are done)
6. While the cake is baking, you can get started on the first two steps to make the frosting.
7. In a small sauce pan, combine coconut milk and cassava flour and warm over medium low heat. Stir until it turns into a paste, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and transfer to a fridge safe bowl with a lid, and place in fridge
8. Using a standing mixer with whisk attachment or a large bowl and a hand-mixer, add the palm shortening and maple syrup to the mixer or bowl and whip on high until it is light and fluffy and peaks begin to form. About 10 mins. If it gets too soft and melted, place in fridge for a few minutes to firm up.
9. By now the cakes should be done. Remove them from oven and let them sit for 5 minutes undisturbed. Then carefully remove them from the ramekins or muffin tray and place on cool rack. You will want them completely cooled before your frost them. If you have time, you can allow them to cool at room temperature, or you can place them in the fridge or even freezer to cool faster.
10. While the cakes cool, finish preparing the frosting. Remove the coconut milk/flour paste from the fridge, be sure it is completely cooled. Add the paste to the bowl with the whipped palm shorting, and mix until fully combined and fluffy. About 10 mins. 
11. Once cake is cooled it's time to decorate. Carefully slice the two cakes in half, making four even layers. Begin building your layers. Lay the bottom layer of cake on wax or parchment paper (so you can easily move it to another surface after it's assembled), then add some frosting, then another layer of cake, and so on until you have built your 4 layers.
12. If you want to be fancy, you can first do a crumb coat. Which means you use a light layer of frosting all over the cake. It is just enough to catch all the crumbs so that you don't see them when it is fully frosted. If doing a crumb coat, place cake back in fridge or freezer to allow the frosting to set before doing the final layer of frosting.
13. Now you can be as creative as you want. You can simple use a knife and cover the full cake with thick layer of frosting. You could use a piping bag and make a fun design. You could even mix in a little fruit or vegetable juice (a 1/4 tsp or less) to color the frosting. Similar to what I did for Emily's birthday. 

Note; If frosting gets to soft, simply place in fridge or freezer to let it firm up a little. Or if you leave it in the fridge too long and it is hard, use standing mixer or hand mixer, to whip it back to fluffy goodness. 

Note 2.0: The cake and frosting can be kept in fridge for up to 3 days. Which means, you can make the cake a few days ahead and not stress about it as you finish all other preparations. Or maybe you all aren't procrastinators like myself?

Apple, Cabbage, and Kale Salad (AIP, Paleo, Vegan, Whole 30)

This is a perfectly refreshing salad to break up the "is it winter? is it spring? is it summer?" feeling we have been having the last few weeks. I almost always have these ingredients in my kitchen, so it just made sense to throw them together. It's a perfect salad to pair with almost any meal and is a little more fancy than just a pile of romaine.

Apple, Cabbage, and Kale Salad

Ingredients

• 1 apple
• 1/4 of red cabbage
• 3-4 stalks of kale
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 a lemon, juiced
• A pinch of sea salt

Instructions

1. Peel and core apple, and slice in to matchsticks. I used a mandolin to get this thin cut.
2. Slice the red cabbage very thinly. Again, I used my madnolin for a nice uniform thin slice
3. De-steam kale and discard stems. Chop up leaves and add to bowl. Mix apple, cabbage and kale until well combine.
4. Add olive oil, lemon juice, and sea salt and stir until well integrated.
5. You can enjoy this right away, but I will say it gets better as it sits. If you can, make it a few hours or even a day ahead, and it will be even yummier. 

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!

AIP "Chocolate" Mug Cake (AIP, Paleo, Vegan)

I have a confession to make, I have been sitting on this recipe for months, like before Emily was born months. The thing is, the only time I make this is a special after dinner treat, so I was never able to take a picture of it. I know, super lame. BUT I am sharing this simple mug cake with you now, and promise it was worth the wait. And before you begin to ask if you can sub this flour or that, trust me, I tried it. I have made this many, many times, with many different AIP flour combos, and this is the only combo of flours that I have found works for the perfect fluffy goodness.

As a friendly reminder, AIP treats are still treats, so it's important to limit them and not overdo it. I have made that mistake myself enough to know, it's not work with it.

AIP "Chocolate" Mug Cake

Ingredients

• 1 ½ tablespoons of cassava flour
• ½ tablespoon coconut flour, sifted
• ½ tablespoon carob powder, sifted
• 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• A pinch of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1 ½ tablespoons coconut milk (the thicker, the better)
•  1 ½ tablespoons avocado oil

Instructions

1. Whisk together all dry ingredients into a small bowl or mug.
2. Add in wet ingredients and stir to fully combined.
3. Place in microwave on high for 90 seconds. 
4. Allow to cool for a few minutes (the hardest part)
5. Enjoy on it's own or topped with some coconut cream.

Roasted Pumpkin and Caramelized Apple Soup (AIP, Paleo, Whole 30)

So who still has leftover pumpkin decorations they have no idea what to do with? We were gifted not one, but two cute sugar pumpkins to decorate with and to enjoy. And, if you can believe it, I have never actually cooked with real pumpkin. I have only ever used pureed pumpkin from a can. I knew I could simply roast it like any other winter squash, but since I am on a major soup kick, I wanted to make one that highlighted the naturally sweetness of the pumpkin. The caramelized apples are a nice accent, and bring the yumminess to another level.

Roasted Pumpkin and Caramelized Apple Soup

Ingredients

• 1 sugar pumpkin (about 2-3 lbs)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of bacon fat (or fat of choice)
• 2 medium apples, peeled and sliced
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 2 cups of bone broth

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degree F. 
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat mat.
3. Slice pumpkin in half and remove seeds and stringy parts.
4. Lightly season the inside with 1/2 teaspoon sea salt.
5. Place pumpkin halves on baking sheet, cut side down. 
6. Brush extra virgin olive oil over the skin of the pumpkin halves.
7. Roast in preheated oven for 45 min – 1 hour, or until soft. Remove the pumpkin halves and set aside to cool.
8. While pumpkin is cool, you can cook the apples.
9. Heat bacon fat in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat.
10. Once pan is hot, add apple slices to pan and allow to cook for 10-15 mins, or until they are soft and begin to brown. Stir occasionally.
11. When apples are done, add them plus the flesh from the pumpkin, cinnamon and bone broth to a blender. Mix until smooth and fully combined.
12. The pumpkin should still be hot enough to warm the bone broth, but if the soup is not warm enough, simply heat in a pot over medium-low heat on stove.
13. Enjoy.

Host an AIP Meal to Impress Your Friends

Recently, I had the honor of being on the Phoenix Helix Podcast to share my tips on saving time in the kitchen. If you haven't already, take a listen to get some great tips to cut down your time in the kitchen, without sacrificing flavor and balance in your meals. On the podcast, I shared one of my favorite batch cook meal ideas, make a lot of soup. I freeze each soup in multiple pint size jars and  then pull them out to make the base of a meal. The soup is topped with either leftover or also batch cooked protein options, veggies, and fun toppings. 

Hostess with the Mostess

When I first agreed to host an AIP meal with a few of my blogger friends, I didn't think too much about the menu. However, as the date grew closer, I started braining storming ideas. The meal needed to not be too much work to put together since I have a 6 month old needing my full attention, but it also needed to be something that all could enjoy. As I stared hopelessly into my fridge and freezer for inspiration, the idea emerged.

Make Your Own Soup

It sort of steamed from the build your own baked potato bar with an AIP twist. I love to build my own soups and be creative, and this meal allowed everyone to create your own Instagram worthy soup. Plus, everyone can pick and choose what goes into their meal. What was even better, was that over half the menu was already cooked and in my freezer. BONUS! 

I love to cook to impress, and when I didn’t have a little one to look after, this was not too difficult to achieve. Now, I am all about make the most of my time in the kitchen. Batch cooking has become a key to my survival. I was able to cook all the soup and protein options well in advance of this brunch and freeze them for later. Some things I made as a meal for my husband and I, and then froze the leftover. Other itemss I cooked up during a long batch cook day and froze for later.

This meal worked for a great fall/winter option, but as a nice summer alternative, you could do a build your own salad bar. 

Decorate

Again, keeping it super simple, I used what I already had in the house. Since it is winter squash season here, aka my favorite time of the year, I used some squash I had as part of a center piece along with some fresh picked apples and mandarins posing as mini pumpkins. To make it feel like a fancy restaurant style meal, I used a simple Microsoft Word template to make a menu for each person. If you have nice hand writing, you could even write out the menu yourself to make it even more personal.

Building the menu

When building the menu, I tried to stick with recipes I knew were simple, but when put together, make a delicious meal. I was also looking at what I already had in my house to cook with or items already prepared that go well together. When building your own menu, take stock of your kitchen and go from there. No need to go out and buy all new, fancy things, just keep it simple. Here was our menu for the brunch as an example of what you can do next time to impress your friends.

SOUP BASE

Butternut Squash, Carrot and Ginger Soup

Cauliflower Leek Soup

Creamy Mushroom Soup

Golden Beets and Caramelized Leeks Soup

(from The Paleo AIP Instant Pot Cookbook)

PROTEIN

Greek Inspired Bison Meatballs

Lemon Garlic Shrimp

Maple Bacon Balsamic Pulled Pork

(from The Paleo AIP Instant Pot Cookbook)

TOPPINGS

Avocado

Coconut Cream

Green Onions

Lemon Wedges

Parsley

Watermelon Radish

Rory from The Paleo Pi, Jaime from Gutsy By Nature, Angie from Autoimmune Paleo and yours truly.

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. 

Creamy Mushroom Soup (AIP, Coconut Free, Paleo, Whole 30)

I am a sucker for a big bowl of creamy goodness of the mushroom variety. Prior to my paleo/AIP days, I would go around testing all the the mushroom soups I could find. The richness of the cream, the earthiness of the mushrooms, it was on of my favorite flavor combo. Of course, since cream is a no go for me now, I had kind of written off attempting to make this soup. I have attempted only one recipes thus far, and while it was pretty tasty, it never quite seemed to work for me. Since most recipes use coconut cream for the creamy texture, it is sometimes hard to avoid the coconut flavor taking over a dish. Sometimes it works really well, but for mushroom soup, I found it to be too overpowering.

Enter: the cauliflower. One of my favorite soups to keep in the house is a this Creamy Cauliflower Leek soup by Paleogirl99. She uses the blended cauliflower to give the soup it's creamy texture. So, I figured, hey I wonder if using cauliflower would help give the creaminess to the mushroom soup, without taking over the flavor? And guess what, it worked! This soup is perfect blend of earthy creamy goodness, that will definitely satisfy your taste buds.

(and only more creamy for good measure)

Creamy Mushroom Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup shallots, sliced
• 2 tablespoons garlic, sliced
• 1 lb white buttom mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups cauliflower florets, fresh or frozen
• 2 ½ cups bone broth, divided
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

1. Set instant pot to saute and extra virgin olive oil to the pot.
2. Once oil is hot, add shallots and garlic slices and cook for 2 minutes. Stir occasionally.
3. Add mushrooms and allow them to cook down for 5 minutes or until the have reduced by about half. Stir frequently.
4. Cancel saute function and pour in half a cup of bone broth. Deglaze the pan and scrap up all the dark bits from the bottom. 
5. Add in the remaining broth, cauliflower florets, dried tarragon, thyme, and sea salt. Stir to combine.
6. Place lid on pot and be sure the valve is set to sealing.
7. Use the manual setting on high pressure and adjust the time to 10 minutes.
8. When it is complete, press cancel and open the valve to manually release the pressure.
9. Use an immersion blender to fulling blend all ingredients together.
10. Enjoy!

Greek Inspired Ground Turkey & Chicken Liver Sauté with Mashed Acorn Squash and Steamed Asparagus (AIP, Paleo, Whole30)

First, I have to admit that I am a big fat baby when it comes to eating my liver. I have been able to tolerate many other types of offal, but liver has been my nemesis. Usually, I have to sneak it into meals or I just take liver pills. Trust me, I have tried at least half a dozen pate recipes and EVERY single time I basically spit it right back out. Right before our little Emily was born, I made another big batch of liver pate, thinking maybe pregnancy will change my taste buds, but alas, no such luck. So I frozen it up in 1 cup serving sizes, determined to do something with it.

Last night as I was trying to figure out dinner (this child thing is really messing up our meal planning, we will figure it out soon), I saw the liver pate in my freezer and decided tonight was the night. As a trolled the internet I found several great recipes to hid your liver in, but I was either missing something, or too lazy to make them (see: newborn mom). The only solution was to blend all the things I could find and like right now and cross my fingers it turns out well.

After my first few bites, I was like, "woah, this is pretty dang good." To which the hubby replied, "the olives work well." That's a success in my book! And since it turned out so well, I decided to share it with you. It's a mouthful of a name, but I know you will want a mouthful of this dinner. (har har, Mom jokes are already coming so naturally).

Greek Inspired Ground Turkey & Chicken Liver Sauté with Mashed Acorn Squash and Steamed Asparagus 

Serves 4-5

Ingredients

• 1 large acorn squash
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb of ground turkey
• ¼ to ½ a lb chicken liver pate (your preference, here is a great AIP aproved one)
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• ½ sweet onion, diced
• ½ teaspoon of sea salt 
• 1 ½ tablespoons oregano
• Juice from ½ a lemon
• Zest from 1 lemon
• ½ cup of kalamata or green olives, halved
• 1 tablespoon of capers
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped, divided
• 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 cup of water
• 1 lb of frozen or fresh asparagus

Instructions

1. First, get your acorn squash started. You can cook it one of two ways:
1. Via your Instant Pot
1. Rinse off squash and place in your instant pot on rack or veggie steamer basket, (leave whole)
2. Add one cup of water to the pot.
3. Close lid and be sure valve is set to sealing
4. Using the manual setting at high pressure, set it for 14 minutes
5. Once complete, manually release pressure and then remove from pot when done. 
2. Via your oven
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
2. Cut squash in half and place face down on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
3. Cook in preheated oven for 50 mins or until you can easily pierce with a fork.
2. While squash is cooking, you can start working on the sauté.
3. Start by heating extra virgin olive oil in a large frying pan over medium/high heat.
4. Once pan is hot, add the ground turkey to the pan and allow it to cook until there it is no longer pink, about 4-5 minutes.
5. Next add the chicken liver pate, onions, garlic, sea salt, and oregano to the pan and stir to combine. Let it cook until the onions and garlic begin to soften, about 2-3 minutes
6. Turn heat down to low and add the lemon juice, lemon zest, olives, and capers to the pan and stir to combine. Allow to cook uncovered while you prepare the asparagus. Stir occasionally.
7. In a medium frying pan bring 1 cup of lightly salted water to a boil.
8. Once boiling add in asparagus spears, cover and turn off the burner.
9. Allow to cook for 7-8 minutes for frozen and 9-10 minutes for fresh.
10. Once time is up, drain water from the pan and set asparagus to the side.
11. The acorn squash should be done by now and cooled a little. Carefully remove the skin by peeling if off and place the flesh in a medium size bowl.
12. Using a potato masher, mash the acorn squash. Sprinkle in a pinch of salt.
13. Layer a spoonful of squash on a plate, followed by a layer of asparagus spears.
14. Turn off the turkey and chicken liver sauté burner and stir in the parsley and thyme.
15. Spoon the sauté over the asparagus and acorn squash and enjoy!

Quick Pickled Radicchio, Radish, and Apple (AIP, Paleo, Whole 30, Vegan)

For the recently holiday weekend, Emily and I packed up my car (to the max) and ventured up to visit my parents for the week. They live about 2 hours away and we don't get to see them too often, so we decided to make it a nice long visit. One of my favorite things to do while home is shop at all the amazing discount grocery stores. They have nothing like them where I live, so I always stock up when I am in town.

On our last day there, we stopped in at this place called Ebenzer's Groceris. It has this huge freezer full of fresh produce, half traditional and half organic. The best part is the prices. I left with at least 5 bags of fresh produce for under $40. One item I picked up was two pretty decent size heads of organic radicchio, which were two for $1!!! Since this is something I don't normally buy for us, I wasn't sure what I would do with it, besides add it to a salad.

Then, the other night, after I pulled it out and stared at the radicchio for a while, I said to the hubby, "I want to make something with this, but I have no idea what." To which my brilliant hubby said, "why don't you pickle it?" And that was it, I knew exactly what to do. Thus the quick pickled radicchio, radish, and apple recipe was conceived.

Quick Pickled Radicchio, Radish, and Apple 

Ingredients

• 2 cups radicchio, shredded
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup, red radish, cut in to matchsticks
• 1 apple, chopped
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Add shredded radicchio to a medium bowl and sprinkle sea salt all over and let sit for 2 minutes.
2. Stir radicchio up and then add in remaining ingredients
3. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 3 days to enjoy later. 

Tropical Tuna Salad (AIP, Paleo)

Ok, so it's been a while folks, but I promise I have a really good excuse. Her name is Emily Rose and she was born on April 15 and has become my everything. It has been a very emotionally and physically exhausting last two months, but I am so happy to finally be able to hold her. Nothing you do will ever prepare you for what it is like when they let you leave the hospital with this new life. I am working on a post to share just what we have gone through.

Now on to the food. I do not even want to admit how much tuna I have consumed since little Emily came along. It is such an easy protein and requires almost no effort to eat. After having it in all the ways I normally do, I felt the need to change it up.

Recently, I was watching some cooking show (can't remember which one, there are so many) and the challenge was to create a dish using kitchen. This got my mind running because in the paleo lifestyle it is emphasized to use everything you can and to not let food go to waste. So when bought a pineapple this week, I knew I was going to challenged myself to use the core in a new recipe. This tropical tuna salad includes pineapple core and some other yummy favorites. Plus it is super easy to make, which makes this new momma happy.

Tropical Tuna Salad

Ingredients

• 1- 7 oz can of tuna
• ½ cup pineapple core, finely chopped
• ½ cup mango, chopped
• ¼ cup red onion, finaly chopped
• 1 tablespoon of fresh dill, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons coconut cream (the solid part of coconut milk when left in the fridge overnight)
• 1 avocado, diced
• Himalayan sea salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Combine tuna, pineapple, mango and red onion in a medium mixing bowl.
2. Add in coconut cream and fully combine ingredients.
3. Fold in avocado and dill, and sprinkle with sea salt.
4. Enjoy on its own, on top of a bed of greens, or with some plantain chips.

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!

3-Ingredient Carob Pudding (AIP, Paleo, Vegan)

This pregnancy has brought back my sugar dragon like it's no bodies business. I have done my best to fight it off with veggies and all the good stuff, but sometimes you just need something sweet and chocolaty. Since I have not had any success reintroducing chocolate, carob has become my best friend when the sugar craving comes along. The other thing that is becoming very clear, I am always tired now, guess that is what the third trimester does to you. With this in mind, I often want quick and easy, and this treat meets my needs.

3-Ingredient Carob Pudding

Makes 2-3 servings

Ingredients

• 1 can coconut milk stored in the fridge over night
• 2 tablespoons carob powder
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Instructions

1. Remove the cream from the coconut milk and add to medium size mixing bowl.
2. Using a hand mixer, whip until it fluffs up.
3. Sift in carob powder, and add maple syrup. Mix in both with a spoon.
4. Serve in a bowl or simply eat out of mixing bowl.