2 recipes of baked oatmeal

We are having guests stay with us tonight and they will be leaving early the next day to go look for a new house. Unfortunately, I have to work early too, so I can't make breakfast for everyone. So I figured the next best thing was to make some baked oatmeal, that they could reheat in the morning. I ended up making two kinds because my friends husband can be kind of picky at times and I wasn't sure if he liked pumpkin or not. I really didn't have any but according to Dave they were both excellent but his favorite was the pumpkin. I would say that the secret ingredient if almond extract helps make it a winner. But he said the apple was really good too. If you're looking to make something for a lot of people, the pumpkin makes at least 16 servings where as the apple only makes 9. 

http://hasfit.com/clean-eating-claudia/what-i-eat/claudia-breakfast/baked-apple-pie-oatmeal/

http://freezeyourwayfit.blogspot.com/2013/01/clean-eating-pumpkin-pie-baked-oatmeal.html?m=1

Whiskey pulled pork

Since I have soccer tryouts tonight, I need something I can throw in the crockpot that is easy for the husband to assemble. We haven't had pulled pork in awhile, so thought I'd make something along those lines. I didn't want just your basic BBQ pulled pork, so when I saw this recipe, I figured I'd give it a try. I know alcohol makes the meat super tender & cooks out, so jaedyn could eat it and be okay. The pork by itself needed some salt, but if you make the whiskey BBQ sauce, then this pork is AMAZING! :) 

http://www.lifeasaplate.com/2010/11/02/whiskey-pulled-pork/

Paleo chicken tetrazzini

Last night I made the most amazing dish ever!! I wanted to make a casserole so we could have some leftovers and when this recipe popped up, I knew I had to make it. It really doesn't take that long to make - you just have to be patient while the spaghetti squash cooks & the cashews boil. I added a lot of extra veggies, a little more sea salt, and some red pepper flake. We only hVe one more serving left because we just can't stop eating it. :) 

http://www.plaidandpaleo.com/2014/01/paleo-chicken-tetrazzini.html

Grain free Chicago style pizza

My husband is from Indiana and went to school just outside of Chicago. One of the first places he took me to when I visited him during his masters year was Lou Malnati's. This place is known for their Chicago style deep dish pizzas. We rarely ever have pizza and since I had some free time on my hand and was really thankful for all the hard work Dave has been putting into the house, I decided to make him a Chicago style pizza. I found the recipe for this crust & then added my own toppings of turkey sausage, peppers, red onion, kale, spinach, mushrooms, and broccoli. Plus topped it with some fresh mozzarella  & Parmesan cheese. I used a store bought organic pizza sauce that had no sugar added into it. I also didn't add as much cheese to the crust because I didn't think it needed that much. 

This pizza turned out sooo good!! Dave loved it & so did jaedyn :)

http://www.gourmetgirlcooks.com/2014/04/chicago-style-deep-dish-skillet-pizza.html?m=1

Turkey basil artichoke meatballs

Tonight I wanted some meatballs to go with some asparagus & baked potatoes/sweet potatoes I had made. I didn't want just your ordinary kind of meatball, so when I saw this recipe from paleomg I knew I couldn't go wrong. Super easy & super tasty recipe. 

http://paleomg.com/turkey-basil-artichoke-meatballs-egg-free-nut-free/

Garlic butter "noodles" with turkey & broccoli

Tonight I was looking for something quick & easy. I also needed to use some ground turkey & a spaghetti squash. I wasn't really feeling spaghetti & meatballs so the google search was on. I found this one & immediately started craving thebrown butter broccoli at the old spaghetti factory that I used to get when I didn't care about eating healthy. This recipe definitely satisfied that craving & was so easy to make that I'll do it again soon :) 

http://paleoinpdx.com/2013/01/11/simple-supper-friday-garlic-butter-noodles-with-turkey-and-broccoli/

Chicken enchilada casserole

I know this post is way late as I made this super, delicious meal for cinco de mayo but this was soooo good I have to get this up on the blog so I can find the recipe again. This may take some time to make as you make everything from scratch, but it's well worth it. If you don't have gluten issues then feel free to use your own tortillas which will help save you time, but I promise these tortillas are worth making! :) 

http://www.theironyou.com/2014/03/primal-chicken-enchilada-casserole.html?m=1

Grain free banana bread

So I have a ton of very ripe  bananas right now and normally I'd just freeze them but I have so many that are frozen that I decided to make banana bread. This turned out super tasty. Next time I think I'll add some nuts for some texture. 

http://mywholefoodlife.com/2013/08/20/grain-free-banana-bread/

Paleo strawberry shortcake

We were having our old landlord over for dinner so he could see the new house & so we could see how he was doing. I wanted something light & easy. I had just bought some huge strawberries from Costco so I thought a shortcake would be nice. I didn't add as much honey as it called for, added more strawberries, and thought they were plenty sweet. I saved a few extra shortcakes and froze the rest

http://www.perchancetocook.com/2014/03/26/strawberry-shortcake-paleo-gluten-free/

Crockpot paleo coconut curry pork stew

Now that title is a mouthful but if it's any conciliation this was super tasty & the perfect thing to eat on a rainy dreary spring day. Plus it's super easy to make. I bought precut squash from Costco, tossed in carrots, placed the pork on top, mixed the sauce together, dumped I to top, and set the crockpot for 6-8 hours. It was that easy!! I love my crockpot :) 

Definitely want to make this again soon. I steamed cauliflower and then mashed it and poured the stew over. I love cauliflower & curry :) 

http://ourfullplate.com/recipes/crock-pot/crock-pot-paleo-coconut-curry-pork-tenderloin/

Paleo baked chicken tenders

I needed a quick chicken recipe that I could quickly bake. I found a chicken tender recipe & thought that would be fun since I haven't had one in years. This was sooo good & jaedyn even loved them. Enjoy! 

http://www.allergyfreealaska.com/2013/04/15/easy-baked-paleo-chicken-tenders-with-honey-mustard-dipping-sauce/

I don't like mustard so I made a ranch dip. See previous post for recipe. 

Homemade dairy free ranch dressing

I was wanting to make a ranch dressing to go with the sweet potato fries & chicken tenders I was making for dinner. Plus one of the only ways to guarantee Jaedyn will eat meat is if she has "dip". Doesn't matter what it is, but if she can dip her food in something, most likely she will eat it. Ha! 

She, well we all, loved this one. I wish I had had more time to soak the cashews because I'm sure it would've been less nutty. Either way it was good & I'll definitely make it again :) 

http://mywholefoodlife.com/2013/04/08/dairy-free-ranch-dressing/

Tex Mex Crockpot Carnitas

It's crockpot Tuesday. I was craving Mexican and needed to use a pork roast. So this recipe was just what I needed. The flavors were amazing & this hit the spot. Dave had his in tortillas & I had mine in lettuce wraps. 

http://www.lifeasaplate.com/2011/10/19/texmex-crockpot-carnitas/#comments

Paleo sloppy joes

I finally was able to find this recipe again. I made this for Jaedyns birthday but never posted it on the blog. I've never been one for sloppy joes, but I absolutelylove this recipe. I only do 2lbs ground beef & then once it's all cooked, I throw it in the crockpot with 1/2-1 cup of water and then throw it on low for 4 hours. To me, sloppy joes are like chili. The longer it cooks, the better it gets. I served these with sweet potato fries - cut up & peel sweet potatoes, melt a little coconut oil & pour over fries; mix the fries until evenly coated. Add spices of choice (I did half a batch sweet, the other savory) and then bake at 450 for 10 minutes, stir around, and then bake another 10-15 min. They are that easy & that good :) 

A perfect compliment to the sloppy joes along with some steamed broccoli. 

http://www.paleoperfectly.com/2011/11/paleo-sloppy-joes-in-roasted-acorn.html?m=1

Paleo banana mug cake

Today, after my long run, I was craving something sweet. I had seen this recipe & has wanted to try it out. I figured I had some ripe bananas I needed to use, the only sugar added was 1T of maple syrup, so not a lot of sugar, but enoughit would satisfy my sweet tooth. :) plus I figured I needed some potassium, good fat (coconut oil & almond butter), protein (egg & almond butter), sugar (banana & syrup), and carbs (coconut flour & banana) and this satisfied it all. 

It's super easy & soooo good!! Jaedyn loved it too. You definitely could add some nuts or chocolate chips if you'd like. I was just wanting something plain & it was still so good. 

Going to make this again soon :) 

http://www.paleoperfectly.com/2012/02/paleo-banana-mug-cake.html?m=1

Pumpkin pancakes

Most Sunday evenings Dave & I crave breakfast. I was kind of in the mood for pancakes so I asked Dave what kind he would like & he said pumpkin chocolate chip, SO that's what we had. They turned out really good.Jaedyn I think ate as much as I did and wanted more but I made her eat some bacon. Lol. 

Enjoy! 

 http://mangiapaleo.com/2014/01/23/paleo-pumpkin-pancakes/