Smoked Paprika Chicken Thighs

For the past week, or so, I have been honing in my diet. I had gotten pretty lax, especially on the weekends, and when it came to alcohol. I have felt SO great this past week and I am excited about the results that will come with strict paleo. I even celebrated my birthday this past weekend and ate mostly salads and had only 1 square of dark chocolate! I got affirmation this morning that this is how I should be eating by setting a Personal Record on my squat clean! All summer long I had tried to increase my weight, to no avail. Well, this morning I increased my weight on my squat clean  by FIFTEEN POUNDS! That means that I squat cleaned 130 pounds! I was so pumped!! I am certain that this had something to do with my clean diet. It's amazing what your body is capable of, if only you take care of it and feed it clean, nutritious, foods. This recipe is one that I made last week. Adam and I were both amazed at the flavor and we loved the crispy skin. It was so good that I had a thigh the following morning for breakfast, another at lunch that same day, then again the next day for lunch - that means that 4 out of my next 6 meals, I ate this!

Ingredients:

• 8 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs. Roughly 2 pounds or so.
• 2 Tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cayenne powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup EVOO

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, mix all spices. Stir in lemon juice and EVOO, until well combined. 
2. In a glass baking dish, place chicken thighs, then cover with marinade, and cover your dish with foil. Ensure that all sides of the chicken gets coated with this yummy goodness.
3. Allow to marinate for at least an hour, if you have the time to spare. If you don't then go ahead and pre heat the oven
4. Once they have marinated, pre-heat oven to about 420 degrees. With baking dish covered with foil, allow to bake for approx 35 minutes.
5. After they have cooked the full 35 minutes, uncover the dish, and broil the chicken for 3 minutes.
6. Remove from oven, and allow them to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
7. Consume, and try to save some for leftovers the next day.

I served this with roasted broccoli and sweet potato fries. 

Lemon Herb Chicken

I love using fresh herbs! Not only is the flavor more pronounced than dry herbs, but they make the kitchen smell so good! I don't always use fresh because, well, they are more expensive and I tend to let them go bad before I can finish them off. But occasionally I like to treat myself (and my taste buds) to fresh herbs! This chicken was SO flavorful and I just know it is because of the fresh herbs.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs chicken (I used thighs)
• 2 meyer lemons, juiced
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 1/4 cup fresh dill
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup EVOO

Instructions:

• Juice the lemons and roughly chop the fresh herbs
• Mix all ingredients, except the chicken, together in a small bowl. Put the chicken in a glass baking dish and cover with EVOO herb mixture. Let marinate in fridge for an hour or so.
• Heat skillet over medium high heat. Cook chicken for approx 6 minutes on each side, or until no longer pink.

I served mine with broccoli salad and mashed sweet potatoes.

Cinnamon Crusted Chops

This is another recipe from way-back-when that I have attempted (successfully!) to spruce up a bit. I will still say that the combination of pork and apples is still so strange to me. Apparently many others have paired these two foods together - for a long time. I still think its weird, but I am a believer! This new and improved recipe is amazing! The pork is seasoned with lots of cinnamon and it will melt in your mouth.

Ingredients:

• 4 bone-in pork chops
• 3 apples. Gala work great!
• 1/2 yellow onion, sliced thin
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
• Cinnamon
• Salt
• 1/4 cup white wine

Instructions:

1. Slice apples, use an apple corer if you've got one. #easy
2. Thinly slice onion and chop sage
3. In a skillet over medium high heat 3 Tbsp olive oil. Once oil is hot, add in apples, onion and sage. Sauté apples and onions for approx. 5 minutes. Apples should be soft and onions translucent. Remove from skillet
4.  Rub cinnamon all over your pork chops. Don't neglect them. You can't use too much. Next, sprinkle with salt
5. Heat remaining Tbsp of olive oil in skillet. Add pork chops and sear for 2 minutes on each side.
6. Pour 1/4 cup white wine in skillet and once it begins to boil, add the apples and onions back
7. Cover skillet and let the flavors intertwine and the pork chops finish cooking. This should take about 7 minutes.
8. Serve and enjoy!

Chicken with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce

*Disclaimer: Please do not let the poor quality of this picture keep you from making this dish. My iPhone and Instagram can only do so much*

Fall is here and for me, that means I no longer get weird looks for incorporating pumpkin into my dishes. I LOVE pumpkin and enjoy in year round. In fact, I always chuckle to myself when I hear people begin to rant and rave that the Pumpkin Spice Latte is back at the over-rated Starbucks. The world starts freaking out and going crazy when TheBuck releases it each year. Luckily for me, the local coffee shop that I frequent (The Red Cat) has pumpkin YEAR ROUND! Did you hear that???? Reason #352 to support local business. And if you're wondering what I get, its more-times-than-not a 16oz latte with an extra shot of espresso, *only* 2 pumps of pumpkin(otherwise it's too sweet), and cinnamon in the bottom. This is hands-down the best tasting and smelling latte in Birmingham. And, you don't have to tell me, I know that milk isn't paleo, kill me now, but I love it in my latte. If I happen to order plain coffee, I'll drink that black. #tiedballgame

Once again, I loved this dish. I've got to be the least picky eater in the world. I love practically every dish. Lucky me. Adam, however, is not a fan of coconut and if you aren't either, well then try it - you may surprise yourself, find something to replace it with, or skip this recipe all together. If you do the latter, you will be sorry. This dish made only enough for our dinner. Up the ingredient count if you want leftovers.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz chicken breast tenders
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil for sautéing
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil for sauce
• 1/2 tsp tarragon
• 4-5 Tbsp pumpkin puree
• A little less than 1 cup of coconut cream*
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. In a skillet over medium heat, melt 1 Tbsp coconut oil, then add the chicken. Cook for about 6 minutes, on both sides until no longer pink
2. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the remaining Tbsp of coconut oil, then add the tarragon. Allow the flavors to mingle for a minute or so
3. Add the pumpkin puree and stir around until it has combined entirely with the tarragon oil.
4. Add coconut cream a few Tbsp's at a time until it liquifies. Continue adding until all is well incorporated
5. Allow the coconut pumpkin cream to thicken a bit over the low heat
6. Plate chicken and top with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce

I served this with roasted veggies and fried plantains

BBQ Chicken Baker

Sometimes Oftentimes I am in need of a dinner that is delicious, satiating, and quick. That seems to be a trend with me - maybe this blog should be called Quick Paleo or Paleo In A Hurry....hmmm.

Anyways, when I was in high school, we would occasionally eat at McAllister's after church. Every now and then, I would order one of their chicken Spuds. If you aren't familiar with that, here is the run down. They would give you the biggest, white potato, you have ever seen with about a pound of chicken smothered in cheese, bacon, and bbq sauce. It is delicious and really, not that far from 'paleo'. I got to thinking about those the other day and decided that I wanted a Spud! I always have these ingredients on hand so I was able to whip this up in no time.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sized sweet potatoes
• 3 slices bacon
• 8-12 oz chicken
• BBQ sauce of choice

Instructions:

1. Wrap sweet potatoes in plastic wrap and microwave the sweet potatoes for approx 10 minutes
2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet.
3. In a separate skillet, cook the chicken on medium high heat for about 6 minutes on each side, or until no longer pink. I used left over rotisserie chicken which I warmed in the oven
4. When sweet potatoes are finished, cut lengthwise and open - scoop some chicken into the potato and top with bacon and BBQ sauce.
5. Consume!   

I served this with asparagus that I sauteed in the bacon fat. YUM.

Honey Sesame Tilapia

I know you don't care to hear me ramble about nothing....so here it is.

Ingredients:

• 5 tilapia filets
• 4 Tbsp honey
• 1/2 cup sesame oil

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, mix the honey and sesame oil until well incorportated
2. In a glass baking dish cover the Tilapia's with honey mixture and marinate in fridge for at least 30 minutes
3. In a skillet over medium high heat (#6) cook tilapia for 6 minutes on each side, until done

I served this with baked avocado! Quick and easy. 

Zoodles & Meatballs

I can't believe how long it has been since I have posted a recipe. The last recipe I posted was in AUGUST! It is now the 17th of September and that means that not one single recipe has been posted this entire month. Unacceptable. I just slapped my wrist. So I will get right to this recipe. I used Zucchini noodles for this dish and let me just tell you that they are SO much better than Spaghetti Squash noodles. As I have said before, I never was a big fan of spaghetti squash when used in spaghetti recipes. I have since found my replacement. You will need a Julianne peeler. Yes, you can use made the noodles without one, but do yourself a favor and spend $7.99. You won't regret it.

Ingredients:

• 4-6 zucchini squash
• salt
• 2 lbs ground turkey
• 2 eggs, whisked
• Spices of choice. I used:
• garlic powder (1/2 tbsp)
• salt & pepper (1/2 tbsp)
• smoked paprika (1/2 tbsp)
• cumin (1/2 tbsp)
• cayenne pepper (1 tsp)
• Jar of marinera

Instructions:

1. Slice zucchini with Julienne peeler until you reach the seedy center*
2. Put zucchini noodles on some paper towels and generously sprinkle salt over them. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. This allows the zucchini to sweat and removes excess moisture. Let sit for 20-30 mins, then rinse and pat dry.
3. In a large bowl, mix the ground turkey, whisked eggs, and spices until combined well. 
4. Make meatballs out of the turkey mixture about the size of golf balls. You should get a lot of meatballs.
5. In a large skillet over medium high heat, cook the meatballs until almost done. Work in batches.
6. Once all of the meatballs have seen time in the skillet, add all the meatballs back to the skillet, pour in the jar of marinara, cover, and let simmer for approx 10 minutes. 
7. Place zoodles in a bowl and top with meatballs and sauce.

* I found it easiest to thinly slice the zucchini lengthwise. then you can lay the zucchini, cut side down, on your cutting board and it won't roll around everywhere.

Smoky Burgers with Pineapple Teriyaki Sauce

This is a recipe from the newest Paleo Cookbook on the block - Practical Paleo. I loved the flavor combinations more than I can tell you. I really hope you make these, and make them soon. I think Labor Day would be the perfect opportunity. I mean, American holidays do require burgers.

Ingredients:
Burgers-

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 Tbsp cayenne pepper
• 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 Tbsp onion powder
• 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp sea salt
• 1/2 Tbsp black pepper

Sauce-

• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup chopped pineapple (I used canned)
• 1 Tbsp coconut aminos
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sesame seeds, for garnish
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Instructions:
Burgers-

1. Let meat come to room temperature, then mix in all the spices listed under the Burgers section
2. Preheat grill, or skillet, to medium heat
3. Form your meat into 8 patties and set on plate while grill/skillet is heated
4. Once warm, place burgers on heat and cook approx 6 minutes on each side or until the burgers reach the level of doneness you desire
5. Once cooked through, let the burgers rest for 10 minutes before garnishing and adding the sauce

Sauce-

1. In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients listed under the Sauce section, except for the sesame oil, and simmer over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until most of the water has cooked out
2. Place the cooked pineapple in a blender, and blend until smooth
3. Add sesame oil to blender and blend until well incorporated
4. Use the sauce to top the burgers

*Confession: I cooked and crumbled a couple pieces of bacon to add to the burgers

Salmon Cake's

Tuesday night's are Adam's bible study nights. He isn't home for dinner, so if I cook anything, it is something really easy and a lot of times not very glamorous. This week was no exception on the 'easy' part, but luckily it did turn out a bit glamorous! I plated the salmon cakes on top of some baby spinach and garnished with dried cranberries and a piece of bacon I cooked separately. I then cooked some asparagus in the bacon fat and I used a light dressing of EVOO and lemon juice to compliment the salmon.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sweet potato, mashed
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 6oz cans of salmon
• 3 slices uncooked bacon, diced small
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• zest 1/2 lemon
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp almond flour
• salt & pepper

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Patty the salmon mixture - this made 9 patties for me.
2. Heat a skillet over medium heat with some EVOO
3. Cook the patties for approx 3-4 minutes on each side. 
4. Enjoy!

A couple helpful hints: Wrap the sweet potato in plastic wrap and put it in the microwave for 7 minutes. You can then easily pull the skin away and remove the insides. Also, if you but the bacon in the freezer for about 10 minutes, this makes it much easier to dice the bacon.

Balsamic Steak with Garlic Zucchini

Quick and easy this recipe was! I am on a mission to get Adam to eat more veggies and so far I am doing a pretty good job (he even had asparagus for breakfast the other day!)! Here is a recipe for the meal I cooked recently and sure enough, Adam ate all his veggies :)

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp EVOO, divided
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 medium zucchini, cut into thin half-moons
• salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds london broil, or red meat of choice
• 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Instructions:

1. In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp EVOO over medium high. Add garlic and zucchini moons, season with salt and pepper to taste. Saute until zucchini is tender and starting to brown, approx 6 minutes. Remove from skillet.
2. Add remaining oil to the same skillet. Season meat with salt and pepper and cook until browned on all sides, approx 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil
3. Then, add balsamic vinegar, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper to same skillet. Cook, stirring, until reduced by half, approx 2 minutes. Drizzle balsamic reduction over steak and serve.

 I also baked sweet potato chips for an additional side.

Deconstructed Burger

This past weekend was a lot of fun. Saturday started out with a partner WOD and Adam and I partnered together. It was awesome getting to WOD with him because we don't get to do that much, anymore. We used to WOD at the same class time at the 280 location, but since the downtown location opened, I have started going there. I really miss having that time in the gym with him so Saturday was kind of special for me :) After the WOD, ITF offered a yoga class so I stuck around for that. We were pretty much all beginners and quite frankly it was humorous at times!  I think everyone that stayed really enjoyed it and I hope that ITF will begin to offer yoga more regularly. My friends and I were pretty hungry after all of that so we went and grabbed brunch at Another Broken Egg. I stayed paleo for that meal, ordering a grilled chicken breast, bacon, 1 egg, and some guacamole. However, I did enjoy a mimosa!! Saturday is usually my cheat day and after brunch, I totally indulged in some good cheats.
A group of us met up at Avondale Brewery and had several of their amazing beers followed by a no-way-was-it-even-close-to-paleo meal at Cocina Superior. I think the only thing that was remotely paleo in that meal was the veggies......that were smothered in cheese and wrapped in a tortilla. But man, was it good! I am all about an epic cheat meal every now and then!
On Sunday I was quickly reminded why I don't cheat (to this extent) very often, as I felt so bloated, groggy, sick, etc all day. In true fashion, the only thing I wanted to "help" cure the dreaded HO was a big burger!! I at least had sense enough to not drive to Milo's and instead made this amazing burger. It hit the spot and it was 100% paleo. I also baked some basil sweet potato fries that really completed the meal.
So, here is to sticking to paleo this week and being aware of what we consume!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs ground beef*
• 4 Portobello mushroom caps
• 2 toma tomatoes, sliced
• lettuce
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
• EVOO

Instructions:

1. Form 4 hamburger patties from ground beef. *Whole Foods actually had some pre-pattied in the butcher section so that's what I bought. 
2. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder
3. In a skillet over medium high heat, cook the burgers for approx 6 minutes on each side, or until done
4. Meanwhile in a separate skillet, eat a little bit of EVOO over medium heat. Once hot, add the portobello caps and diced onion and let cook until onions are soft. I let mine cook for about 8 minutes
5. Once burgers are done, put lettuce on plate, then top with a burger, onions, mushroom, and tomato.
6. Enjoy!!

Ginger Sesame Beef

The flavor of this meal is to die for. I let the meat marinate for a few hours and it was so juicy and tender. I have always loved coconut aminos, but recently I have become obsessed with it. I somehow feel the need to incorporate it into every meal. The ingredients used in this recipe create an amazing Asian inspired dish.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs red meat of choice, sliced thin*
• 1/3 cup coconut aminos
• 1/6 cup water
• 1 Tbsp ginger (can use fresh or ground)
• 3 + cloves garlic, minced. The more garlic the better (I used 5)
• 1 tsp each of salt & pepper, cinnamon & cumin
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp sesame seeds

Instructions:

1. Thinly slice the meat. *I bought some meat from Whole Foods that was already sliced in the meat dept. They call it 'fajita beef'
2. Combine remaining ingredients in gallon sized zip lock bag, or large shallow dish. Add sliced beef and turn to coat all sides. 
3. Allow beef to marinate in the fridge for as long as you have time.
4. Once marinated, put beef in skillet over medium high heat. Cook for approx 4-6 minutes on each side, or until done to your preference

I served this over a bed of lettuce with sauteed bell peppers and onions. We also had a baked avocado to go along with it. 

Grilled Swordfish & Peach Avocado Salsa

I have once again found myself with peaches, galore! Last time I had an abundance I made this awesome chicken salad - which I also did this time around! Man, that stuff never gets old! My goal, this time around, was another simple recipe (surprise, surprise) and I found one on Juli's website, PaleOMG. This recipe included a fish that I had never had paired with a refreshing salsa! This salsa would be good on ANYTHING. I made enough of it so that I could enjoy the salsa right out of the container for a few days.

Ingredients:
For the swordfish marinade:

• 2 swordfish fillets
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp honey
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• pinch of cayenne
• pinch of salt & pepper

For the salsa:

• 2 peaches, diced
• 1 avocado, halved and diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 red onion, minced
• 1/2 jalapeno, minced
• Juice 1 lime
• salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Place all of the swordfish marinade ingredients, minus the swordfish, in a shallow bowl, mix together. Put swordfish in marinade, flip to coat both sides, then let swordfish marinade for 1-3 hours.
2. While swordfish is marinading, make the salsa by combining all salsa ingredients. Cover and refrigerate to chill.
3. Once the swordfish has marinated, place a skillet over medium heat. Cook swordfish for approx 5 minutes on each side. 
4. Plate swordfish and top with salsa. Enjoy! 

Amelia's Spicing Pecans

Every now and then I stumble upon a little gem. Case in point, these delicious spicing pecans. Adam and I actually bought some last summer at Pepper Place and LOVED them. We ran out pretty quick and honestly had forgotten about them until last weekend when we went back to Pepper Place. We spotted the booth and knew we had to buy them again. The man who own's it said they are starting to distribute to some local stores. The only one I can remember that he said was Earth Fare. He has other flavors such as coffee and chocolate, and another that I can't think of (not sure why I can't remember anything!!!); however, the Herb flavor is the only one with no sugar. SO if you are 'paleo' this is our only option. The other flavors are really good though! The chocolate flavor would be awesome sprinkled on ice cream, and I think the coffee flavor would be awesome crunched up as a crust on red meat.

I used the herb pecans this week on chicken. I think they would be really good on a mild fish, too. Maybe tilapia???

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless, skinless, chicken tenders
• 3 Tbsp honey
• 3 Tbsp dijon mustard
• 2/3 cup herb spicing pecans, crushed

Instructions:

1. Combine honey and dijon mustard. Marinate chicken in honey/mustard mixture for a few hours in the fridge
2. Remove chicken from mixture and sprinkle crushed pecans on both sides
3. In a large non stick skillet, over medium heat, cook chicken for approx 6 minutes on each side, or until no longer pink

Fish Tacos

I really love taco's. A lot. The other day I was trying to remember the last time I had a taco and I couldn't remember!!! In my book, that is unacceptable. At that moment, I knew I had but one thing to do. Make paleo tacos! I've been trying to branch out a bit from the typical chicken and red meat recipes, so I decided on fish tacos. The sweet man at the seafood counter at Whole Foods recommended using Cod since it is a sweeter fish and he thought that would pair good with spicier salsa. And he was right on! I used Against All Grain to help me some with this recipe. I have made coconut flour tortilla's before but liked the addition of almond milk AAG used: the tortillas weren't quite as coconut-y. They have great ideas and recipes on the website - you should check it out.

Ingredients:
For the tortillas:

• 6 egg whites- use the real kind; from eggs. Not a carton.
• 4 Tbsp coconut flour
• 4 Tbsp almond milk
• 3 Tbsp water
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt

For the fish:

• 1 lb fresh cod
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1 egg, whisked

Instructions:

1. Marinate the fish in lime juice, salt, cumin, and chili powder for at least an hour
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and mix all of the tortilla ingredients in medium sized bowl.
3. Heat a non stick skillet over medium high heat and spray with coconut oil (or other cooking spray)
4. Pour some of the batter (approx 4 Tbsp) in skillet. Wiggle the skillet back and forth a bit to help spread the batter out to preferred tortilla size. I prefer my tortillas small and on the thin side. I like to taste the fish - and not all tortilla.
5. Let the tortilla cook for about a minute and then, using a spatula, flip it over and let cook for about 30 seconds. If you can't get the spatula under the tortilla, let it cook for a few more seconds. Continue cooking the remaining batter. This made about 8 tortillas for me.
6. Remove fish from marinade and cut into strips that are about 1 inch wide and short enough to fit in your tortilla. Dip the fish in whisked egg, then roll in shredded coconut. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet
7. Bake in oven for 5 minutes, then flip and bake for another 5 minutes. Turn the broiler on and broil for 4 minutes, rotating sides each minute
8. Assemble each tortilla with fish and toppings of choice. I used cabbage, salsa, and guacamole!

Curry Cashew Chicken

Adam and I are getting ready to leave for Mexico in a couple days! I have spent all weekend shopping, organizing, doing laundry, and anything else I could do to help prepare us for our trip. We are going with some really good friends of ours and are really looking forward to this much needed vacation. I still have a long list of things to do and pack so lets get to the point....Oh, and Adam said this is one of his top meals. He insisted that I blog this recipe asap so I wouldn't forget anything.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken (mine was 1.16 and I used chicken tenderloins)
• 1/2 cup dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 cup Curry Cashews. I found these at Earth Fare. They are worth the trip

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In your food processor, grind the cashews until they are small pieces*. Transfer to shallow bowl
3. In a shallow bowl mix together dijon mustard and honey
4. Dip chicken into dijon/honey mixture, then roll in cashews
5. Lay chicken in a greased, glass baking dish
6. Bake for 25 minutes, or until cooked through

*I didn't want to have to clean my food processor after grinding, so I put the cashews in a zip lock bag and took a meat tenderizer to it. This was just as successful, although it may have taken more time. Do whatever works for you.

Tropical Chicken Salad

I am not one of those people that HATE mayonnaise, you know, those people that despise the word and the thought of seeing mayo would make them sick...... I actually liked it on some things (gasp!)! However, when I decided to adopt the Paleo lifestyle, it was the first thing I threw out. I didn't miss it much for the first few months...but then...the craving for chicken salad hit. There are about a million paleo recipes out there in cyberspace for paleo chicken salad and they all required homemade paleo mayo. SCORE!!! Except.....have you tried to make paleo mayo?? While it is possible, and pretty tasty, it is really time consuming and it doesn't take much to mess up and have to start all over again. Believe me. BUT I wanted chicken salad and that was what it required. Unfortunately for me, I am too lazy to make paleo-mayo chicken salad as often as I craved it.

That is, until now! I recently read on a paleo-bloggers website (If I could remember which one I would totally give them due credit here) that they used COCONUT CREAM as a sub for mayo!!! #brilliant This is, without a doubt, the best chicken salad I have ever had. And I have had a lot of chicken salad.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked chicken, cubed - I used left over rotisserie chicken (EASY!)
• 2 peaches, chopped
• 2 Tbsp dried, unsweetened cranberries
• 1/4 cup toasted walnuts
• A few shakes of dried chives
• A handful fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup chilled coconut cream *
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Mix the first 6 ingredients in medium sized bowl
2. *Chill a can of full fat coconut milk. I stuck the can in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
3. Once the can is chilled, open the can and scoop out the firm cream on top into small bowl
4. Using a fork, mix the creme around to loosen it up a bit
5. Mix the cream with lemon juice, salt and pepper, then stir into chicken salad
6. Serve on top fresh spinach leaves 

Best. Banana. Bread. Ever.

I've been making a lot of cookies and cupcakes lately and wanted to try something a little different. IMO, the great thing about banana bread is that it can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or as a snack....don't you just love versatile food??!?! I adapted the recipe from one at paleomg.com which called for 1.5 cups cashews. Well, I was about 1/2 cup short so I added in 1/2 Tbsp pine nuts and 1 Tbsp almond butter, because that is what I had. If you'd rather omit the pine nuts and almond butter, by all means use the full 1.5 cups of cashews; however, this is the recipe I used...and it was honestly the Best. Banana. Bread. Ever.

Ingredients:

• 2 large bananas, ones that are brown and spotty
• 1 cup roasted, unsalted cashews
• 1/2 Tbsp pine nuts
• 1 Tbsp almond butter
• 1 cup almond flour
• 2 Tbsp almond oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Put cashews/pine nuts in food processor and process until very fine. This should resemble flour
3. Once you get your cashew flour, add almond oil while processing, until it creates cashew butter. If you must, stick your finger in and taste it - but don't eat it all. It will be hard to refrain.
4. Peel the bananas and roughly break them into pieces. Add to food processor along with almond butter and process until liquidy. 
5. Next, in a large bowl, whisk the eggs then add almond flour, honey, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Mix thoroughly until well combined into batter
6. Grease a bread pan with coconut oil, pour batter into pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the bread  passes the toothpick test.
7. Remove from oven and let cool, then slice and serve. I promise you, you will want to eat the entire loaf. I had one piece, and then I split the loaf in half and sent some with Adam and took some to Irontribe. (I wish I had kept it all for myself)

Venison Sliders & Cinnamon Raisin Apples

Adam and I were the lucky recipients of smoked deer sausage! I couldn't decide exactly how I wanted to prepare it and thought for weeks, literally, about what to do with it. Then I thought, Why do I have to do something fancy???? Just be simple and cook it - let the natural flavors of the deer and the smoking process make the statement! That is exactly what I did, and it turned out fabulous! Now, any sausage will work and if you don't get it smoked, just add some fun seasonings! The deer sausage we had was in casing, so I just removed it then mashed all the meat together. I had a suspicion that the sausage was going to be a bit spicy for me, so I paired it with sweet apples and raisins, as well as homemade sweet potato fries.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs smoked deer sausage, casing removed
• 3 eggs
• 1 large fuji apple, diced
• 1 1/2 Tbsp raisins
• 1 1/2 Tbsp chopped pecans
• Cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Mix sausage and eggs then form patties to preferred size
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook deer patties, flipping a couple times, until fully brown on both sides. (approx 3-5 minutes on each side)
3. While the sliders are cooking, dice your apple. Once the sliders have finished cooking, remove from pan and add diced apples, raisins, and pecans to the same pan. Allow to cook and absorb the flavor of the drippings from the sausage, until the apples are soft. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon.
4. Plate a couple spoonfuls of apple/raisin mix on to plate, then top with venison sliders.
5. Consume!

Blackened London Broil

It hasn't been until very recently that I have started eating "spicy" food. I use the word "spicy" very loosely because my idea of spicy is probably no where close to your idea of spicy. My entire life I have HATED spicy food. I would avoid it at all cost. I was extreme - I would refuse pepper, most mints, some toothpaste, most mexican food, I would order my wings dry because even the BBQ sauce would be too spicy for me - the list goes on. I  hated anything spicy. To me, the feeling of my mouth on fire was not pleasant. I couldn't understand why anyone would enjoy that feeling. However, since I have been cooking a lot, I have been experimenting with different flavors.  I have found that "spicy" foods aren't bad at all - when I can control how much spice! I would have never thought that I would cook with cayenne pepper, chili powder, and even jalapenos! I am pleasantly surprised that the spices that I once considered 'too hot' are actually really good! I encourage you to experiment with new flavors and spices - you might surprise yourself!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lb london broil
• Blackened seasoning of choice - I combined the following spices for approx 1 Tbsp seasoning. Use however much or little of each spice you would like: garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper.
• Pineapple salsa

Instructions:

1. Heat large skillet over medium heat
2. Season meat with spices - don't be shy
3. Cook meat in skillet until done to your preference. I cooked mine approx 5 minutes on each side.
4. Put some pineapple salsa on your plate, and top with cooked meat! The sweet salsa really compliments the spicy london broil quite well!