Pumpkin Smoothies

Today Dave and I competed in a triathlon up in Burley, ID. We did this one as a team. Originally it was supposed to be Dave swimming, me biking, and my dad running, but my dad got hurt, so Dave swam & biked, and I ran. We actually did really well and ended up placing second in our division and third overall in the combined teams. 

Dave and I with our Spuds! 

Dave really pushed it on the bike, so much that he almost passed out when he finished. I'm so proud of him - he did AWESOME!! All I had to do was run a 10k (although I did run 3 more miles after) he swam a mile first and then biked 25 miles. No way I could that. Sure I can run and run for a long time, but I'm awful at swimming. If I did try to swim I'd be so tired from my inefficient technique that I'd have nothing left in the tank to do the bike & run. I have so much respect t for triathletes. I've done a duathlon and that was hard, so I can't imagine how the body feels swimming first. I'd still love to do a tri and eventually an iron man, but that's years down the road when we our kids are grown up & I have more time to train. So in the meantime, ill stick to my running :)

Anyway back to these delicious smoothies. When we got home later that afternoon we decided to grill which meant I didn't have to do any cooking. That's one thing I love about summer.  Don't get me wrong, I love to cook, but lately I've been so busy, that I've barely had time to do anything, so having the option to grill is great, not to mention tasty. Who doesn't love grilled chicken, steak, vegetables, pineapple, etc. ?? Exactly - you love it.  

After we finished eating & put jaedyn to bed, I asked Dave if he wanted anything sweet. Shoot I figured we'd earned it today - not that you need to to have dessert.. Just sayin 

Dave of course said he did and said he was craving a pumpkin smoothie. Its one that I've made a few times and we both have loved. It's like eating pumpkin pie without the crust. It's really easy too. Just need a frozen banana, pumpkin, almond milk, maple syrup, and spices. Throw that plus some ice in the blender and voilà  - a delicious pumpkin smoothie. 

Topped off with some coconut whipped cream. Enjoy! :) 

Pumpkin Smoothie

       ½ cup pure organic pumpkin

       1 cup unsweetened almond milk

       ½ frozen banana

       ½ tablespoons maple syrup (or Raw honey)

       ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

       ¼ teaspoon cinnamon (+ a bit extra more to sprinkle on top)

       1/8 teaspoon ginger

       1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

       1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

       1/8 teaspoon allspice

       1/2 cup (or more…depending on how smoothie-like you like your drink) of ice

 

This serves 1, so I doubled it for Dave & myself 

Steps for Smoothie:

1. Plug in your blender and blend all ingredients together until you get a smooth smoothie  .
2. Pour in a glass and top with Paleo Whipp (see instructions below) and a bit of cinnamon.

Paleo Whipp

      1 can full fat coconut milk

       1 teaspoon vanilla extract

       2-4 packets of Truvia (stevia extract)

Steps for Whipp:

Place mixing bowl and can of coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight.

Once coconut milk and bowl have been chilling for 24 hours, open can and pour milk and stevia into the cold bowl. Using your hand mixer, mix these two ingredients together (for around 25 seconds).

Add in vanilla extract and mix for another 25 seconds.

Whipp is complete!

Use Whipp right away, or store in a mason jar in the fridge for later use.

 * Serves 20

Recipe is from

http://www.amazingpaleo.com/2012/11/16/

paleo-pumpkin-smoothie/

Garlic Chicken with red pepper & mushroom sauce

I'm so excited to share this recipe with you. I know I pretty much say I love every meal, but this sauce is to die for. After I was done eating, I went back for a few bites of sauce and mushrooms because ITS THAT GOOD! :) Tge best part about it is the prep is fast & cooking time is short as well. I don't have much more to say other then you have to try this! :) 

Garlic Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper & Mushroom Sauce 

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
• 2 Tbs olive oil, divided
• 1/2 tsp sea salt (optional)
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 8-10 white button or cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 red bell peppers, sliced
• 1/3 cup coconut milk

Instructions

1. Marinate chicken in 1 Tbs olive oil, sea salt (optional), black pepper, chili powder and garlic. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Shortly before meal time, heat 2 medium skillets over medium-high heat.
3. In one, saute marinated chicken until browned and almost fully cooked.
4. Heat 1 Tbs olive (or coconut) oil in the other skillet. Add onion and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms and continue to cook until tender.
5. Add red pepper, coconut milk and browned chicken and stir. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the chicken is completely done.

I put mine over steamed cauliflower because I had some in the fridge that I needed to get rid of & it just added that much more to the dish. I did serve this with a side of fresh green beans. 

I used this bowl because that's what my cauliflower was in and I didn't want to use another bowl. Ha! 

Recipe is from: http://www.paleoplan.com/2009/12-03/

garlic-chicken-red-peppers-and-mushroom-sauce/

Delicious, no sugar added, STRAWBERRY PANCAKES!

I'm a few days behind on my posts, which tends to happen as my life doesn't seem to stop these days. Anyway... We got home really late Sunday night from our trip to Colorado. This meant I was too tired and didn't have time to think of what kind of meat I needed to pull from the freezer/find a recipe for dinner. I also knew Monday would be busy between work, laundry (so we could pack Dave up again for his 6am flight Tuesday) and my girls soccer practice. And since Dave was leaving, I didn't want too many leftovers. I've been craving pancakes and bacon for a couple days and because I never have time in the morning to make breakfast like that, I decided that's what we would have for dinner. Plus making that is super easy & fast - my kind of meal :) I already had a recipe I wanted to try for pancakes because like I said above, I've been craving them for a few days and anytime I crave something, I look for a recipe to make that :) 

These pancakes honestly were to die for! I knew if the batter tasted good, they were going to be even better cooked. I didn't get any pictures because my first batch stuck to the pan for some reason. I put coconut oil on before I ever put batter  on, so it's beyond me why they stuck. The second batch Jaedyn was in my arms & I'm not that talented in flipping one handed while holding a baby. Needless to say all but one kind of became a scrambled mess. The third time around turned out perfect, but we were already half way done eating because it was 8 o'clock and we were starving. We served these with scrambled eggs and bacon. We topped the pancakes with extra strawberries & a little bit of organic maple syrup. You don't need much as these are already sweet. Hope you try them out.  I'm saving this recipe for another day when I'm craving pancakes 😃 I might change what fruit I add if any. 

Strawberry Pancakes 

3 eggs

1/2 cup milk (almond, goat, cow or coconut milk)

1/4 cup coconut flour

3/4 cup almond meal or flour (I used Trader Joe’s almond meal)

1/4 cup mashed ripe banana

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tbsp. gelatin (helps bind)

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar (helps the rise and enhances the flavor)

pinch of sea salt

4-5 strawberries cut into small slices

Severs 2-3 people 10 small to medium sized pancakes.

Instructions

Place all ingredients in the blender and blend on high for 30 seconds. Let the batter sit for 1 minute to let the coconut flour fluff up. Once fluffed up, fold in strawberries. Meanwhile, heat up a large skillet on medium heat with oil or butter. Pour the batter to make small to medium sized pancakes. Once a few bubbles pop on the pancakes flip to cook on the other side for 1 minute, or until the pancake center springs back when you touch it. Serve with a little maple syrup & extra strawberries. 

Recipe is from:

http://m.girlgonecountry.com/site/recipes-2/

best-paleo-pancakes/?imz_st

Pulled pork lettuce wraps

Playing on the lawn while daddy is trail running

Originally tonight I was going to make this chipotle peach chicken, but it had to marinate overnight or for 6-8 hours. Since we ate dinner so late Tuesday night, I was too tired to make my marinade & knew that there wouldn't be enough time after work to make it, so I needed to come up with something else. I didn't want something with too many leftovers since we are leaving Thursday night for Colorado and won't be home until late Sunday night. I also wanted something fast as Dave & I were going trail running (10 hill sprints) after he got off work which meant another late dinner. Oh well - it'll be worth it! :) 

As I was getting ready for bed, it dawned on me that I had a pulled pork in the freezer that I had made before Jaedyn was born. Perfect! Pull it out & let it unthaw, and then all I have to do is buy some lettuce wraps and bam! Easy dinner done in seconds :)   I also decided to have some sweet potatoes with it too since we need some more carbs with our races in two/three days. I pulled out the handy dandy crockpot and put them in on low for 5 hours. 

When we got home, we reheated the meat, put in on the lettuce wraps, and topped them with the leftover avocado slaw from the night before and some salsa. Oh boy were they ever good. Definitely hit the spot! You could also serve this pork over cauliflower rice, quinoa, bed of lettuce, or just eat it on its own. :) 

Adobo pulled pork

Ingredients:    

• 1.75 lb lean pork center loin
• 1/3 cup coconut aminos (gluten free use tamari)
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 6 ground peppercorns
• 4 - 6 bay leaves
• 1 jalapeño, chopped (optional)
• 2 tbsp chopped scallions, for garnish

Directions:

Place pork, coconut aminos, vinegar, water, garlic, peppercorns and bay leaves (jalapeño if using) in the crock pot; cover and set to low heat 6 to 8 hours turning over half way through cooking.

Remove the pork, shred with two forks and put it back in the crock pot for one more hour to let the flavor get into the meat. Discard bay leaves and serve it how you like :) 

Not sure why its blurry, but it is. Also there is no sweet potato because I was so hungry after our run, I scarfed that down while I fed Jaedyn her sweet potato. 

Jaedyn loves her sweet potatoes! 

Recipe is from: 

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/08/slow-cooker-filipino-adobo-pulled-pork.html?m=1

Turkey sliders with an avocado slaw

Normally Tuesdays are crock pot days because I go down to my moms. Well the original meal I had planned for on Monday didnt happen because I went from work, to grocery shopping, to soccer practice - literally - so I had no time to make dinner. My only problem was that I had unthawed a pound of ground turkey, so I knew I needed to use it Tuesday. Part of me thought about finding a crock pot recipe for turkey, but decided against it because I had bought everything else to make my sliders & slaw and didnt want the fresh stuff to go to waste while we are out of town. This just meant I needed to leave my parents house by 3 so I could prep everything, go to spin class, and then come home & make it all. Well that's just what I did, except Dave beat me home, so he started on the sliders, while I fed Jaedyn & made the slaw. Im so thankful for my wonderful husband who is willing to help me out and not complain. Thankfully everything turned out wonderfully & he loved it because we didn't end up eating dinner until 7:45 that night. Oops. Oh well, guess that means just no time for dessert ;) 

This recipe, especially the slaw, is SUPER tasty & will definitely made again. My only complaint is that the slaw turns brown overnight & it's hard for me to finish off because of the color. It still tasted fine the next day, it's just hard for me to eat something brown in color. I added a few things & also exchanged things because its all I had. So if you want the original recipe, visit her website :) 

Turkey sliders with an avocado slaw 

Ingredients

For the burgers

• 1lb ground turkey
• ¼ red onion, minced
• ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
• ½ jalapeño pepper, diced
• ½ orange bell pepper, diced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground red pepper
• salt and pepper, to taste

For the slaw

• 1 small head of cabbage or bag of cabbage, chopped
• 2 avocados
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• ½ teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 garlic cloves minced 
• Little bit of diced red onion
• ½ heaping teaspoon crushed red pepper
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

First make your burgers

1. Add all your ingredients for your burgers in a large bowl.
2. Shape small burger patties.
3. Heat up a large skillet under medium heat and add your sliders. Flip after about 3-5 minutes or when you see the sides of your sliders begin to turn a white color (meaning they are cooking through).

Now make your slaw

1. Pull out your handy dandy food processor, add all your ingredients for the slaw other than the cabbage and pulse until smooth.
2. Pour your avocado “mayo” on the cabbage and mix. Top off with a bit of salt and pepper.
3. Place your cabbage on a plate and top off with your sliders!
4. Consume!

Recipe is from: 

http://paleomg.com/southwest-turkey-sliders-spicy-avocado-slaw/

Sweet potato & spinach egg casserole

Tonight's dinner was a hurry and throw together meal. After church, Jaedyn & I took a nap since for some reason I woke up at 4:30 and couldn't fall back asleep. Dave was still at church as this was his week to lead worship. My original plan was to do some much needed cleaning while Jaedyn was napping as well as get things pulled out & prepped for dinner. Well my short 15 minute nap that I planned, turned into 45. Oops! Guess I needed the extra few zzz's. However, this left me with no time to clean the house as well as prep for dinner because it was lunch time - meaning feed baby, feed myself, and then feed baby her solids. I was in a hurry because I was headed straight for the gym once Dave got home. I really needed to do some cross training and stretching after running 3 races at a fast pace in less then 24 hours. I was limited on time too because I needed to go watch Dave swim up at Pineview before he and my brother went mountain biking. Needless to say, my afternoon was shot and knew that I'd have about an hour and a half to think of what to make for dinner & then to make it. Since it was Sunday and we love having breakfast for dinner, I decided I search for an easy egg casserole. We haven't had eggs in awhile and knew that there are some pretty easy casserole dishes out there to make. Somehow I stumbled upon this website for a sweet potato & spinach casserole. I was hoping to make something that used sweet potatoes because i was craving them - i love sweet potatoes as much as Jaedyn does, ha! I also picked this recipe because I had all the ingredients - thats always a plus when you are pressed for time. As i was looking in my fridge i saw some other things I wanted to get rid of/needed to use up so I let my experimenting begin :) I was really pleased with how it turned out. Dave loved it except he said the mushrooms threw it off a little. I actually thought the mushrooms added something to it, so if you make it, you can decide what you want to do. I love mushrooms, so maybe start without them and then you can decide for yourself what you want to do. 

SWEET POTATO & SPINACH EGG CASSEROLE

Ingredients:
- 10-12 eggs, beaten (I only had 4 eggs and then had a partially used egg white carton) 

- approx 1/4 C almond milk (I didn't have enough egg liquid to cover everything so I added almond milk - you don't have to do this but can't vouch for how it'll taste without it)
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, chopped
- 2 cups+ spinach
- 1 large sweet onion, sliced & chopped

- 1 bell pepper (I had an orange one)

- 6 oz sliced mushrooms 

- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
- Salt, pepper, & garlic powder, red pepper flake 

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Heat coconut oil over medium heat
3. Add onions & garlic and cook down for about 7-10 minutes until soft
4. Add sweet potatoes, pepper, mushrooms, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and cook another 10 min
5. When sweet potatoes are soft, add spinach and cook another 1-3 minutes until spinach wilts softly
6. Grease pan with coconut oil, and add veggie mixture
7. Pour egg whites (or beaten eggs & almond milk) on top of the mixture, and bake for 30 minutes or until set

8. Let it sit for about 5 minutes before serving. 

9. Enjoy! 

Before baking

The yummy results!! 

Recipe is from: 

http://sooopaleo.blogspot.com/2012/10/sweet-potato-spinach-egg-casserole.html?m=1

Sweet & Spicy Ginger Hamburger Helper

I've been so excited to try this recipe out. I probably found it about a month ago but i either would forget about it or wouldnt have ground beef. FINALLY I remembered about it so i made sure I had everything for it. I thought this also would make a great night before a race dinner. This recipe is super easy & fast and very flavorful. :) definitely want to make it again!! I served this over my quinoa concoction that I came up with as I was waiting for the meat to brown. 

Sweet & Spicy Ginger Hamburger Helper

 Ingredients

1 lb Ground Beef

2 T Coconut Oil

1 Onion, chopped

1 Bell Pepper, chopped

4 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 t Salt

1 heaping tsp Ground Ginger

1 T + 1 tsp Coconut Aminos

1 T honey

1, 16-oz bag Frozen Veggies of choice (i used green beans)

Directions 

Heat the oil over medium-high in a skillet and add the onion and garlic.
When the onion is translucent, add the beef and brown it well.
Reduce heat to medium and add the bell pepper, salt, ginger, palm syrup, and coconut aminos. Simmer for a few minutes to let the flavors marry.
Add the frozen veggies, stir to combine, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Serve over quinoa, cauliflower rice or as desired.

Recipe is from: http://fastpaleo.com/sweet-and-spicy-ginger-hamburger-helper/

My quinoa concoction

1/2 c dry quinoa

1 C chicken stock or water or vegetable broth

Approximately of the following (I didn't measure)

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp ginger

Pinch red pepper flake

Squeeze of half a lime

Himalayan sea salt & pepper to taste 

Soak quinoa in water for 10 minutes & then drain. Place rinsed quinoa in pot with 1 cup of liquid of choice. Turn stove onto medium high heat & bring to a boil. Once it starts to boil, cover & let simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid is gone. Remove from heat & let stand for 5 minutes and then fluff with fork.  Next put in your olive oil, ginger, red pepper flake, lime, & salt. Mix together & serve :) 

Yum! Perfect dinner before my race. Notice my coconut water - best kind of natural electrolyte sports drink :) 

Crock pot salsa pork

I know, I know. Normally it's crock pot Tuesdays not Wednesdays, but this week I didn't go down to my mom & dads because we just got back from Indiana and I have a lot of house work that needs to be done. So I was able to actually cook a meal :) normally on Wednesdays I have time to cook, but I switched coaching days from Monday to Wednesday because I wasn't feeling very well - thus I needed a crock pot recipe. I was in the mood for pork & something that didn't need to cook too long because I don't have much time after work & before practice. I found this easy salsa cumin pork recipe & decided on it.  It wasnt a spectacular recipe but it wasnt bad either. The pork was really tender and moist and had a lot of flavor, but I don't know, it just wasnt something that blew my socks off. However, i would make it again because its easy & will make for good leftovers on my salads :) but next time I need to come up with a great side dish, more then just steamed green beans. But hey, when you don't eat dinner until 7:45, you don't really feel like eating that much anyway. 

Anyway if you want something easy, are in a hurry & a little spicy, give this recipe a try! :) 

Crock pot salsa pork chops 

4 pork chops with fat trimmed (I used pork loin sirloin chops, remember the guideline for 10% fat or less if you're making this for the South Beach Diet.)
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt 
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper (or less if you're not a pepper fan) 
1 T olive oil (or less)
1 cup salsa (I used Costcos organic salsa)
2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice

Directions:

Trim all fat around the edges of pork chops and discard fat.  Combine ground cumin, garlic powder, salt, and fresh ground black pepper in a small bowl; then use the spice mixture to rub the trimmed pork chops on both sides. 

Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan, add pork chops and cook over medium heat until well-browned, about 5 minutes per side.  (The pork chops don't need to be done clear though, but they should be nicely browned.)  

Spray sides and bottom of the slow cooker with olive oil.  Put browned pork chops into the slow cooker, pour over salsa-lime mixture, and cook on low for 4-5 or on high for 2-3 hours, or until the pork chops are very tender when pierced with a fork.  

Serve hot, with a little sauce spooned over each pork chops. - enjoy!

Recipe is from: http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2011/03/crockpot-recipe-for-salsa-pork-chops.html?m=1

Apple Roasted chicken sausage, sweet potato, peppers, onion, and mushroom

Wow... That's a mouth full. I'm not sure what you would want to call it though. Yesterday at Costco I saw some chicken sausage and decided i should get some since i wanted some to use in our hobo dinners for our next camping trip. Just as I was about to get the sweet Italian, I saw the apple chicken & thought to myself - apples and sweet potatoes go well together, why not get these & experiment with a recipe I'd done before. So that's what I did. I've made this recipe from skinnytaste before and both Dave & I loved it. I knew I wanted to change it up a bit since I was using apple chicken & sweet potatoes, so I went with what I know is good with sweet potatoes - spicy & sweet :) 

I think it turned out really good. I just need to make sure to have less ingredients in my mixing bowl, so the spices get distributed evenly. I also want to do half chipotle chili powder & half regular next time for some more spice. :) 

Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

2 medium sized sweet potatoes (roughly 2lbs) peeled & cut into chunks

3 peppers of choice; cut into chunks (I used 1 red, 1 orange, and 1 yellow) 

1 large yellow onion, quartered

4oz (roughly - I'd do more next time) sliced portobello mushrooms

5 apple chicken sausage links (I'd add 2 more next time)

1 heaping tsp garlic powder

1 heaping tsp chili powder 

1 heaping tsp cinnamon 

2 tsp dried rosemary 

Salt & pepper to taste

Misto spray

Directions: preheat your oven to 375.  Cut up all your vegetables and toss into a bowl. Next spray or drizzle them with olive oil. Toss around with hands until the veggies are well coated. Next add all you your spices and again toss with your hands until it is evenly distributed. Finally add in your sausage & stir around. Place your sausage & veggie mixture on a cookie sheet and make sure that they are spread out and not sitting on top of each other. I had to use two cookie sheets because I had so much :) 

Put in the oven for 15 minutes and then pull out & toss them around.  Place them back in the oven for about another 15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.  Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your potatoes and sausage, keep an eye so they don't burn.

I served mine with a side of fresh steamed green beans. 

Recipe is inspired from: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/10/roasted-potatoes-chicken-sausage-and.html?m=1

Deck of Cards workout

Finally a workout post. I've been meaning to post some of the fun workouts I've been having my clients do as well as a 30 day ab challenge and 30 day push up challenge. I haven't finished the push up one yet, but have the ab one, so ill post that one soon. Anyway back to today's work out with a deck of cards. Awhile ago I saw this done on the Biggest Loser and thought to myself, I need to do this one day for my clients. Well then I had a baby and went on maternity leave and forgot all about it. Then last week one of my coworkers had a deck of cards in her hand & told me she was going to use it for her clients workout that day. I'm so happy she did that workout because too many times do I see something fun or a great new exercise but don't write it down then completely forget about it. The great thing about this workout is that you can change it to each client as well as gym specific (meanings weights or machines) or one you can do at home. I decided to do one you can do at home/road since its summer and everyone is traveling - although I did throw in the jokers at the last minute and chose an exercise which required a dumbbell.  :)

Here's your deck of cards workout: 

Spades- push ups

Diamonds- burpy

Clubs- sit ups

Hearts - squat jumps

Joker - 25 dumb bell swings

Everything is face value for reps except aces. 

Ace=20 reps

Time yourself and record it so the next time you do it, you have something to beat. Although it will be a different workout since every shuffle puts the cards in a different order :)

Banana bread

Banana bread - yum!! As a kid I loved when my mom would make it. The smell it would leave in the house as well as being able to eat a piece fresh out of the oven.  I don't know what it was about it, but its something that I have memories of. Ever since I changed my eating to clean eating and for the most part cut out foods with gluten in them, I've missed things like toast & sweet breads/muffins for dessert. Well the other day I had so many ripe bananas that I decided instead of freezing them (already have over a dozen frozen bananas) I'd find a paleo/clean eating banana bread recipe. I wasn't actually surprised that when i googled paleo banana bread that i found so many recipes, since people who eat paleo use bananas so much for treats & things like pancakes. Anyway I reviewed many of the recipes & knew that I was short on time so wanted something easy & fast and ended up picking one from tgi paleo.com. I liked it because it had no sugar in it, had just a handful of ingredients, and I could make in 10 minutes - this doesnt count for baking time. I thought it turned out really good, but I think ill add some chopped walnuts next time for texture. Other then that, it was really tasty and satisfied my craving for something sweet. :) 

Ingredients

• ⅔ c Coconut Flour
• 1 t Salt
• 1 t Baking Soda
• 1 t Cinnamon
• 1 t Allspice
• 3 Ripe Bananas, mashed
• 6 Eggs
• 2 t Vanilla

Instructions

1. Whisk all of the dry ingredients together and set aside.
2. Mash the bananas and beat the eggs and vanilla.
3. Add the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
5. Pour batter into a greased and parchment lined loaf pan.
6. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Pre baking photo

The end results! :) 

Recipe is from: http://www.tgipaleo.com/2013/06/05/no-frills-banana-bread-version-2-0/

Crock pot Tuesday: chicken pad Thai

Hooray! It's crockpot Tuesday. I love easy meals. I also love trying new things. I've never had pad Thai before, so I thought it would be fun to try. Plus this means I get to use my vegetable slicer again :) I really love that thing if you couldn't tell. 

This morning was going to be a super busy morning. I had one client then had to hurry home to eat, feed Jaedyn, and throw everything in the crock pot before 8, so we could get down to my moms for a pool party (and a work out too). Thankfully the hardest/longest prep for this was slicing my zucchini and I was waiting to do that until I got home because my crock pot cooks high and knew the veggies would be a soggy mess if I put them in there.   So I threw everything in there & then placed the chicken on top (my chicken was frozen - didn't have time to unthaw it) set it on low for 6 hours and headed out the door. Once I got back from my moms, I put the carrots & zucchini through the slicer and then carefully placed them on top of the meat & turned the crock pot back on low for 30 minutes which turned out to be perfect timing before Dave got home. 

This turned out super tasty & had a bit of heat at the end :) my veggies still turned out a little soggy, so next time, ill just steam them on my own, but definitely another winning recipe! Enjoy! :) 

• 2 to 3 pounds of chicken thighs or breasts (skin removed). 
• 2 medium zucchini.
• 1 large carrot.
• 1 handful of bean sprouts (optional).
• 1 small bunch of green onions (for sauce and garnish)
• 1 cup of coconut milk.
• 1 cup of chicken stock.
• 2 heaping tablespoons of SunButter (sunflower seed butter, to replace peanut flavor).
• 1 tablespoon of Coconut Aminos (or wheat-free tamari, to replace soy sauce).
• 2 tsp of Fish Sauce. I use Red Boat fish sauce, which is paleo-friendly.
• 2 tsp of powdered ginger (or about 1 tbsp freshly minced ginger).
• 2 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced, or 1 tsp of garlic powder.
• 1 tsp of cayenne pepper.
• 1 tsp of red pepper flakes.
• Salt & Pepper for seasoning the chicken.

How you make it:

1. Season your chicken with salt and pepper, and a little bit of the cayenne pepper and ginger powder. If you have time, brown your chicken in a cast iron skillet to get the flavors going. This step is completely optional.
2. In your crock, add your coconut milk and chicken stock. Stir well. If you are using a full-fat coconut milk, make sure you stir until the coconut milk is fully dissolved into the chicken stock.
3. Add your SunButter, coconut aminos, fish sauce, ginger, garlic, 2 green onions chopped including the whites, cayenne, and red pepper.
4. Stir well until your SunButter is completely dissolved.
5. Place your chicken breasts or thighs into your base liquid.
6. Turn your zucchinis into veggie noodles with your spiral slicer, shred your carrots, and wash your bean sprouts.
7. Toss your zucchini noodles, carrots, and bean sprouts together on your counter to mix them well.
8. Nest, or balance your veggie noodles on top of your liquid and meat base in your slow cooker, and press down every so slightly. The goal is for them to be steamed, not stewed.
9. Cook for 3.5 to 4 hours on low if you are using a 4-Quart Slow cooker.
10. Cook for no more than 6 hours on low (5 is ideal) if you are using a 6-Quart slow cooker.
11. To serve, remove the noodles first and set aside, making sure they are strained of any retained liquid.
12. Removed your chicken breasts or thighs. Debone if necessary, then chop into strips. Add back some of the remaining sauce/broth from the crock to the meat and mix well.
13. Place your meat and sauce over your noodles, and garnish with green onions (scallions), chopped cilantro, and chopped cashews. Enjoy!

Recipe is from:

http://paleopot.com/2013/05/paleo-slow-cooker-chicken-pad-thai-with-veggie-noodles/