Paleo Sheperds Pie

Over the weekend I was craving some serious comfort food. I wanted something that would ring in the fall season for my kitchen but not bust my gut. I have always wanted to try Sheperds Pie and this recipe checked off every box on my wish list!! AND there are plenty of leftovers to last me for this weeks lunches! Score! You have got to try this out! 

This recipe has two ingredients you may or may not have heard of before - Ghee & Veganaise. Ghee is just clarified butter. You can make your own at home, use the links above to purchase, or buy at most every grocery store. It's kept near the regular butter. Veganaise is like mayonnaise but without all of the junk. just make sure you get the soy free version! 

**Start with a BIG sauté skillet.. I made the mistake of using a medium sized one and had to transfer to a larger one half way through cooking

Mashed Potatoes:

3 medium potatoes and 1 sweet potato (this is what I had in the house.. You can use 4 of either type or mix and match the two. I personally liked the way adding one sweet potato in tasted!). 

3 Tbsp soy free Veganaise

2Tbsp ghee

Salt and pepper to taste

Pie Filling:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (4Tbsp)

Veggies of your choice.. I used:

2 medium brown onions

6 carrots peeled and sliced

3 stalks of celery  (about a half of a bunch)

1 lb sliced mushrooms 

3 Tbsp minced garlic

2 Tbsp sea salt

1.5 Tsp Dried Oregano

6 Tbsp tomato paste

2 Lbs ground meat (I used turkey but beef would be awesome too!)

1/2 cup beef broth (no soy, no preservatives)

1 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce

Black Pepper (a few dashes)

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees

-Start boiling the potatoes and then proceed with the filling making...

-Add all of the veggies, garlic, EVOO, 1Tbsp salt to the LARGE skillet and sauté for about 10 min... After the veggies are starting to get soft add the tomato paste, the beef broth, the rest of the salt, pepper, Worcestershire Sauce, and all of the ground meat to the LARGE skillet. Break up the meat into small pieces and cook until no longer pink.

-While the meat and veggies are cooking take tender potatoes out of the boiling water and roughly chop them up in a bowl. Add the Veganaise, ghee, pepper and salt (I liked lot but start small and then add a little at a time until desired taste is achieved). Mash the potatoes.

**I left the skins on but you can remove prior to mashing if you prefer*

-Pour the meat mixture into a baking / casserole dish. Spread the potatoes on top in a thin layer leaving a quarter of an inch uncovered border around the edge. I sprayed the top of the potatoes lightly with olive oil to really get a little crunch on top - but that step is optional! 

Bake for about 45 minutes or until the potatoes start browning and the meat is bubbling up in the border area. It will be VERY hot out of the oven so let it cool before eating! There are so many variations that can be done to this so feel free to let loose and go wild!! Enjoy!

"There is no joy in soy" - My Paleo Journey Part 2

Happy Wednesday! Today I will be finishing my story on my journey to a Paleo life style. In case you missed the first part of this post read HERE to catch up!

So where was I... Oh yes I had just finished my 21 day elimination process and was feeling great. I lost my constant state of brain fog, my skin was glowing, my cravings went away, and I was losing weight........
TWENTY pounds to be exact! I mean I don't know about you but that number was huge for me! Especially in a month! I would have been happy to have lost that the whole year prior. (That year that I was working so hard and doing what I thought were all the right things and lost nothing). So I knew I must be on to something that was working for my body.

Once the 21 days was over I started adding some of the foods back in one by one to see how I felt. The foods that she suggests never come back into your diet are gluten, peanuts,and artificial sweeteners, so I wouldn't be testing those back in. The two foods I thought I'd have the least problem with were corn and soy. I mean they are plants right?? I should have known better after reading her book however; especially the chapter called "There is no joy in soy".  First I tried soy. I got a soy latte from Starbucks since I hadn't had a dairy filled coffee drink in almost a month! I don't really like the taste of soy milk but that was besides the point... More importantly I drank about half of it and immediately got a headache... that lasted 2 days! I also felt fatigued like I had been up all night long (when I hadn't). So right away I knew soy was out for me. I had been feeling so good that anything that made me feel less than perfect was not worth the trouble.

After this reaction I started to question if I wanted to bring ANY of these items back. I didn't miss most of them anyways. I knew I really wanted eggs back in my life though. They make breakfast so easy and are filling and quick. So I went ahead and had an egg and luckily I had no negative reaction to it. HALLELUJAH! Seriously - I was over joyed. I had already taken out a lot of foods I was comfortable with and I didn't need anymore no-no items. After this I decided I was done testing. I didn't want to knowingly bring on headaches, an upset stomach, lethargy, etc etc etc. My new plan was to wait until those foods made their way into something I was eating and see how I reacted. I ended up having some corn on the cob a few weeks later and had the same reaction as the soy. So corn was also out. I love corn you guys. It was a sad day. Milk crept into some scrambled eggs at a restaurant once without me knowing. A few hours later I started feeling that same sick feeling and knew that something was in there that I hadn't known about. I looked online and they put milk in their scrambled eggs. Lesson learned.. and I am still learning lessons daily. Thats why I like to call it a journey. My meal plans evolve and change. I want to keep getting better and better at life and more and more healthy.

In the months since the 21 day elimination diet my eating has slowly transitioned into more of a "Paleo" mold. The similarities between the Virgin Diet and the typical Paleo diet are many and it was the natural next step in my journey. I started listening to podcasts while at work. They taught me the ins and outs of the Paleo diet. They taught me that every persons definition of Paleo is not the same. I started buying books and reading more and more Paleo blogs. I do not practice what most would call "Perfect Paleo". I am not a diet perfectionist. I have things that I will never eat again like gluten, soy, corn, peanuts, or artificial sweeteners. However, I eat brown rice (not typically considered Paleo), sometimes I throw black beans in to a rice bowl,  and occasionally treat myself to gluten free pancakes. It is all about a balance for me.

I have continued to drop pant sizes and have learned to love this new way of life for me. The best part of this whole journey so far is the freedom I feel from now being controlled by food. Food no longer dictates my mood or how awake I feel. It is there to nourish me and sustain me. I love food and have learned so many new recipes that I would have never have been exposed to had I not cleaned up my diet. I dont count calories or stress about eating too much. Its all a very natural process now. My body is properly nourished so I no longer crave snacks all day or crash after a big meal. I have never in my life had will power when it came to food, but now its not even a battle in my mind about "to eat or not to eat" because I know what makes me feel good and what doesn't.. and I always choose feeling good now! My mind body and soul have been cleansed of the toxins in our modern day processed foods and I am so proud of how far I have come in just 6 short months!

Next week I want to get into the details about what I eat, how I eat out at restaurants and some other nitty gritty details about getting back to the basics with my food choices! I am always open for questions so please feel free leave a comment or a message if there is anything you would like to know more about!

xoxo
Katie

Yes.... I am one of THEM....

I don't know how quite to say this. I feel like we are just getting to know each other and I am afraid that you will judge me once you know the truth. So promise me that you will hear me out before you come to any conclusions about me. I guess I can't stall any longer... so here it goes.... I don't eat gluten. OOOHHH AHHHHHH SHOCK AWEEEEEE GASP!! Feel free to take a moment to process this...

Ok hopefully you are back now! Let me explain. I actually don't eat gluten, dairy, soy, corn, MSG, or anything processed. I know I know... I sound all sorts of crazy right now. Like most people I encounter there are probably many questions swirling around in your brain right now about how this is possible.. Questions like "WHY???????" or "What DO you eat??". "How do you have such strong will power" (spoiler alert: I DON'T), "How did this start?". I will use this post to address the many questions I get daily from people on my not so weird eating habits. Most likely you aren't thinking "How can I do this too???". But I will answer that one too :)

My weight loss journey has been a long one.. But I will fast forward a little for now to April of this year. I have always been a milkoholic.. Actually a dairyoholic. Ice cream - Love it! Milk - Love it! Cheese - Love it! Pretty much if its dairy of any sort I love it. Early this year my stomach started giving me problems when I ate it. I kept trying to fool myself into thinking "ohhh you just ate too much this time - thats why your stomach hurts". But after a while I learned that the amount didn't matter. It was always bothering me now after eating dairy (mostly my beloved frozen yogurt).

Simultaneously I had been struggling to lose weight. For a while now. I would work out a lot. I was eating all the "right things" like whole grains, Greek yogurt, lean cusines etc. I was doing it all "right" (or so I thought) so what was the problem?!!? Well once the stomach issues started kicking in I started to search the internet for answers and ran across this book "The Virgin Diet" by JJ Virgin. It asks you to remove 7 foods from your diet for 21 days then slowly add some of them back in to see if you react. I am no Doctor but the basic science behind this is that when your body doesn't process some foods properly it causes inflammation. The 7 foods she asks you to remove are common inflammatory foods. This inflammation is what can cause headaches, eczema, holding onto excess weight, feeling sluggish, breaking out with acne and SO MANY more things. I have heard of severe things getting healed in the body from removing a food from your diet that your body reacts badly to.

 So after reading the book and the testimonials I decided to dive in to this program with full force. I would say I don't have a lot of will power on my own when it comes to eliminating foods from my diet. But I was determined to find some answers this time... So in April of this year I removed dairy, gluten, soy, corn, peanuts, sugar / artificial sweeteners, and eggs from my diet for 21 days. And YES I went the FULL 21 days with out cheating!! For a while it was a huge adjustment. Getting rid of my "healthy foods" I mentioned before and replacing them with new and different foods- soup for breakfast say what?!!? Going out to eat with friends was the most difficult part of it. Passing up my old favorites and opting for the most basic meal. The worst part is not KNOWING what they were actually putting in my food. Did they cook this in butter? I would ask the servers a million questions and be THAT annoying girl. This however does get easier with time I promise!!

After only about a week I was already feeling more alert, less fatigued and full of energy. There was a huge difference in my focus levels at work and throughout the day. It was like I was FINALLY awake! Plus I wasn't getting tired at 8pm like usual. I was waking up feeling rested and able to power through my day with out feeling like a zombie. It was an incredible change let me tell you. After 2 weeks my skin was clearing up and glowing. I was feeling less bloated all the time and I never felt so full that I felt sick after eating a meal anymore. My hair and nails were becoming stronger and were growing quickly. After finishing the 21 days I was feeling incredible. Like a new person almost. There was some serious pounds shed too. But you will have to tune into the next post to hear how much!!! I am going to continue this story in a part 2 post and talk about reintroducing / testing the foods that I removed and how that has led me to how I eat today!

For the rest of the story read here!



Have you read the Virgin Diet book??? Does anyone else have that brain fog / fatigue that I was talking about???

Until next time....

Katie
XOXO

Five On Fry-Day

Yes it's Friday(!!) and I am also FRY-ing in this heat!! I live in one of the most amazing climates in the world though so I won't complain anymore!! :-) Speaking of amazing things... today on this Five On Friday Link Up post I am going to share five of my favorite things! Kind of like Oprah but most likely purchased at Target :) Oh and speaking of Oprah has anyone seen the Butler? I heard it was great! I want to see it soon. Maybe this weekend?? What are your thoughts on the movie?? Should I see that or The Family?

1-The first up is my Ninja MEGA Kitchen System. This is a blender / food processer / dough mixer. I use it for everything! I use it to make smoothies most often. It only takes about 10 seconds or less to blend down the ice or frozen fruit in them. Plus if I add kale or another leafy vegetable it always grinds it up into pieces that I hardly know are there. I usually use the small to-go cups to make my individual sized smoothies. Plus those come with a travel lid.  I also make salad dressings in the individual cups like the recipe I posted about here: Honey Vinegar Dressing.  Using the 8 cup smaller attachment I have blended cookie dough. I have even put whole almonds in there and made my own almond flour to bread fish! Usually if I am cooking something I try to incorporate the Ninja some how into the process. Its so easy and flexible. Oh and its also easy to clean which is a must for me! And yes I got it at Target :)

2- These two books are ones I read a few years ago but have completely opened my eyes to the difference between men and women. Its not one of those cheesy how to get along with men/women books. It takes a completely different angle that I have never heard before. It rocked my world seriously you guys. Especially if you are raising children I think these books are a MUST READ to tap into your child full potential as a male or female! The one about the ladies is called "Captivativating" and the guys one is called "Wild At Heart. But whether you are a male or female I think you should read them both. I learned a lot from each one of these! Go out and get yourself some weekend reads! And of course they sell them at Target.com ;)

3- Cocoroons. If you don't know what these are then you need to go out and try some! They are basically coconut cookies that are "Paleo" friendly. I personally like the homemade version myself but you can get store bought at Whole Foods or online (sadly not found at Target). I just googled a recipe and made my own and OMG they are life changing :) You can either make them "raw" or pop them in the oven for a few minutes. Both are delicious and you can very easily eat the whole batch in one sitting. "Cocoroons". Google it! :) Maybe I will come up with my own variation very soon and post that recipe!

4- I have been using this new shampoo & conditioner that I absolutely love! I have really thick course hair and it is always poofy unless I straighten it. When I use this shampoo it becomes straight and shiny in no time at all! My straightening time is cut in half and looks great when I am done! Oh and its very cheap at Target!

Suave Professionals Moroccan Infusion Shine Shampoo

Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion Color Care Conditioner


5- Last but not least I love love love the Trader Joes gluten free brownie mix! It is so easy to throw together  quickly and taste amazing! It is a great dessert to bring to friends to show them how easy it is to live the gluten free lifestyle. Best part is that they are also dairy free and soy free! That is so hard to find :) I usually add in some Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips (which are also dairy free) to make it completely decadent! This treat is easy, quick, cheap, convenient, ohh so tasty and doesn't make me sick like other gluten, dairy filled desserts would! JACKPOT!

Are you going to the movies this weekend? What will you be seeing? What are some of your favorite things???

xoxo
Katie

Zoodles

Yay we survived Monday! I don't know about you but it was a rough one over here! I am still powering through my very busy week. Juggling and balancing. Squeezing in workouts and quiet time. And yes I may or may not have fallen asleep at church last night because I was so exhausted... Don't judge!

On Sunday I completed the 9/11 Heroes 5k (3.1 miles). It was hot outside but I powered through and managed to get a best time there! This is my 4th time running this course and the PR was only by 10 seconds but considering the heat I was very proud of myself! Before you start thinking I'm some running star let me set you straight.. I AM NOT... (yet)! Running is a serious struggle for me. I spent my whole life watching my Dad run marathons thinking to myself "WHY!?!?". "Why would anyone do that to themselves". "It must be so boring! And painful!". But one day I got the idea in my head that I was going to get out there and try it. And slowly but surely I built up to running 3 miles at a time.

The pride I felt from those runs was bursting over at times. When I would finish with a best time (AKA veryyyyy slow but not as slow as the day before), and my face would be all red and my brain was about to burst out of my head I would be so thrilled! It is the strangest phenomenon but it is all about pushing yourself farther than you thought you would go. People say that it gets easier the more you do it.. Well maybe it has gotten "easier" since I started running a year and a half ago, but it is no where near "easy" for me yet. I still get out there and get the mileage in. It never fails that during the first mile I think to myself  "I am never going to finish today.. my body just isn't made for this".. And as I push on through that and get to the other side of one mile I am usually more in my zone and ready to go! I have done a few local 5ks and hope to soon complete my first 10k (YIKES!). I am thinking maybe on Thanksgiving morning when it is nice and cool I can do a turkey trot 10k? I will keep you posted on which I decide to do though!

Ok on to my recipe which isn't really a recipe!  I have been seeing "zoodles" all over the internet recently and I just HAD to try them. Zoodles are zucchini noodles. I don't normally like zucchini so I really wasn't sure of how this would go.You have to use some sort of tool to create noodle strips out of the zucchini (PS you can use other veggies too like squash!). I took the recommendation from The Paleo Parents and bought this Vegetable Spiralizer to use. Yes I bought a tool I have never even heard of to make a meal I had never even tried from a vegetable that I don't even like. :)  I have heard you can also go the cheaper route and by this julienne peeler. Once you figure out how to use the spiralizer it is super easy! Just cut the ends off of your zucchini, peel the skin off, and run them through the machine to get your noodles.

This is the part that is a recipe but isn't really. It is just so easy i don't think I can justify calling it a "real" recipe. I just went with the most basic way to cook these that I could come up with and I plan on coming up with new "real" recipes once I spend a little more time with these zoodles!

After making my zoodles I squeezed them with a paper towel to get out any extra moisture. Then I heated up a skillet, tossed in some onion, extra virgin olive oil & garlic and tossed the zoodles in that for a few minutes. I sprinkled with salt and pepper and THAT IS IT! It really took only about 5 minutes to saute. I didn't want them too mushy so I pulled them off the heat once they had softened a little but you can cook them to your liking! I was really impressed with myself on how awesome these guys came out! They even were good the next day for left overs. SCORE! :)

I almost wasn't going to post this photo because the quality is so awful but I wanted to show you how noodle-like they really are. You can go onto pinterest and find some prettier pictures I am sure.. And I promise to work on my photo skills!

I hope you try this recipe and love it like I do! Next time I plan to pour marinara sauce over them to have a full on spaghetti like Paleo moment! Oooooh or adding bacon! I.can.not.wait! 

Have you tried zoodles before? Do you have any awesome variations to this? Do you struggle with running like I do?? Tips?? :) 

xoxo 

Katie

Peaches & Cream Paleo Smoothie

Happy Thursday!

I have to share this recipe I came up with recently. It has been so hot here the past month and sometimes a protein shake is all I can muster up the energy to make! And this one is easy and oohhhh soooo tasty! You can eat this for breakfast or dinner or dessert... or lunch.. or snack... or just because! It is THAT good! And the best part is that it is so simple!

-Frozen Peaches- about 8 peach slices (so about 1 cup??)

-Coconut Milk -1/2 can*
-Maple Syrup- About 1/2 tablespoon
- Vanilla Extract (1 teaspoon)
-Protein powder 1 scoop (optional) **
-Cinnamon to taste (I like a lot)

Then just blend and enjoy! Make sure you put them in the the blender in the same order I have listed above or the consistency won't be the same! I use one of the small cup attachments on my Ninja Kitchen Systems Blender and it works great!

*Coconut milk- Find a brand that does not have guar gum!! Trader Joes has a brand that I love for only .99 cents a can.

**Protein powder- I use this brand of pea protein. It has no wheat or soy or any other artificial junk in it. I got it at Whole Foods but I know you can buy online too if you don't live near a Whole Foods.

I hope you enjoy this summer treat!! How do you stay cool in the summer time? Do you have any secret shake recipes you want to share with me?!? :)