Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

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!





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Tuesday, September 10, 2013

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


Friday, September 6, 2013

Five On Friday

I am so excited its Friday!! Mostly because, well its FRIDAY! But also because its my favorite blogging day of the week! I love doing the Five On Friday link up with Darci at the Good Life Blog! It makes me feel so blessed talking about the happy things around me!




1- Fall is right around the corner!! Can you even believe that? It has been in the high 90's every day here and I cannot wait for some fall breezes to blow on in here! Plus I am starting to see all sorts of fall inspiration outfits popping up on pinterest right now! Must. Go. Shopping! (Take a look at my recent pins to the right and then go follow me!!).






2- I have been loving this new salad dressing recipe I made this week!! Its basically rice vinegar (1/4 cup), honey (2 tablespoons), Dijon mustard (1.5 teaspoons), walnut oil (3/4 cup) and salt (1/4 teaspoon) and black pepper (to taste) blended together well. It turns my salad frown upside down! I honestly have never been so excited to eat a salad in my life! I double the batch so I can use it all week long. Try it!

3- Short work week! Yes I am still enjoying the after effects of the long holiday weekend. This week has flown by and I still maintain my belief that every weekend should be a 3 day weekend! 

4- I am running a small local 5k this weekend that I do every year. It is the 9/11 Heroes Run. Its mission is to unite communities internationally with the goal to never forget the sacrifices of the heroes of September 11th and in the wars since: Veteran, First Responders, Civilians, and Military. They also try to raise awareness and honor the Fallen. I love being a part of such a great cause and getting my workout in at the same time. Heres to hopin' its not 100 degrees while I run!!

5- Audible.Com This app allows you to listen to books on tape. You pay a monthly fee (less than the price of one book) and with that fee you get credit for one free book a month. So basically as long as you are listening to one book a month it pays for itself! I have been getting more than my one book a month because I can listen during the days as I work. It is a great trick for multitasking and getting in the books you want to "read" and just don't have time to get to!


Do you have any apps that you love? How do you get thru hot workouts? Id love to know!!


xoxo
Katie
















Thursday, September 5, 2013

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?!? :)