The Paleo Mama

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Guest Post, Satisfying Eats: Yummy Coconut Blondies Recipe!

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I am so excited to let Melissa, from Satisfying Eats guest post today and share an AWESOME recipe! I’ve known Melissa for over a year now and her recipes have been so helpful to me and they are so delicious. I am so honored to have her share on my blog about how to survive eating Paleo with a busy schedule, active toddlers, and, even, with a newborn baby! Please give Melissa some love on her Facebook page or blog when you are done reading!  Let’s welcome Melissa!!!

I am the mama of a precious 21 month old son and expecting my 2nd son any day now!   I gave up grains over 18 months ago and I haven’t looked back!  I feel better and I am in more control of my body (and mind)! In less than 7 months after having my first son, I was able to shed the 60 pounds I gained during my pregnancy!  This is not a diet for me but a  lifestyle change!   I love to cook and bake and have enjoyed blogging my grain-free and low-carb recipes over this past year!  I just published my first cookbook, Satisfying Eats: Grain-Free, Sugar-Free & Hunger-Free (now available on Amazon) and I am currently working on my 2nd one! Food is my passion and feeding my family healthy & nutritious meals makes this mama happy!

My first son has been a pretty easy kid.  He sleeps well, eats well and “allows” me to do lots of cooking and experimenting in the kitchen.  I am remembering when he was first born, though,  how HARD it was to eat right so I have been (and still am) preparing for when baby #2 arrives.   I actually gained weight after my first son was born because I was unprepared and ate whatever I wanted (or whatever anyone brought over) which led to lots of digestive issues and also weight gain.  Post-pardum nutrition is so important, especially since I plan on nursing again!  Also, my husband really isn’t a chef (or even a cook) so I need to be prepared!

“How I am going to survive with a Newborn” Plan of Action:
  1. I have about 10 meals in the freezer and working on more that I can simply place in a pot with a little chicken stock to thaw and reheat.
  2. I purchased 20 lbs of breakfast sausage from the farmer’s market to have on hand for a quick breakfast.
  3. We recently purchased a grass fed cow and I am stocked up on ground meat for quick meals
  4. I am stocked up on Great Lakes gelatin, berries (which I have frozen), virgin coconut oil, etc. to make delicious protein shakes when I just don’t have time to cook a meal but need to eat!
  5. I have a few batches of my grain-free buns ready to eat a sandwich or take with me to a restaurant to eat their toppings on my bread! (Yes, I do this!)
  6. I have a few batches of grain-free granola and cereal to munch on during and after delivery.
  7. I have some grain-free waffles ready too.  I can just pop them in the toaster and eat in one hand and feed the baby with the other.
  8. I have made my homemade seasonings for Chili, tacos (taco salad) & spaghetti sauce (over cauliflower or just eating it as a soup) so that I can have dinner ready in 10 minutes!
  9. I purchased 4 or 5 chickens, ready to throw in the crock pot for a delicious soup and meat for chicken salad and other dishes.
  10. Boiled chicken eggs that I got from my MIL!  Instant protein!
  11. Roasts are in the freezer ready for the crock pot.
  12. If someone ask what they can bring over, I will ask for rotisserie chickens and veggies!
  13. Hubby can always throw a steak or burger on the grill along with some veggies like squash, zucchini and asparagus for a quick (and no dirty dishes) meal!
  14. I even have a few treats prepared, like these Coconut Blondies!  I will deserve them! 😉
Even if you are not expecting, hopefully I have given you some ideas to help you plan for success.  

Yummy Coconut Blondies (Dairy-Free)

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Ingredients:

Topping:
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Lube 8X8 inch pan with coconut oil and line bottom with parchment paper.

2.  Blend dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

3. Add wet ingredients and mix well with wooden spoon.  Taste for sweetness and adjust if necessary.

4. Spread out mixture into prepared pan and sprinkle topping over dough. Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Be sure not to over bake!

5. Serve warm or at room temperature.  Enjoy!

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Thai Shrimp Salad

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I miss and love good Thai food. I lived in Thailand for a year and grew to love the flavors and spices involved in making delicious Thai food.

One of my favorite dishes ever is “Som Tam“, which is green papaya salad. You take a unripe papaya, peel it, and then shred it. Add in some more veggies, shrimp, and special ingredients, and you have a very refreshing salad. I used to buy this salad off the street for less than $1! I loved my “Som Tam” Thai lady who thought it was funny to test my Thai language. The first time I ordered from her she asked me how I would like the salad…”spicy or a little spicy? ” she asked me in Thai. I responded to her in what I thought was proper tone (Thai has 5 tones) and said “no spice please.” I said the word spice with the wrong tone and it ended up coming out, “no sex please.”

She gave me the most memorable face, corrected me, and then we both roared with laughter. It was a joke from that day on that I don’t like no sex!

Anyways, I swapped out the papaya and am using shredded cucumber instead, which makes recipe  Whole 30 and 21 Day Sugar Detox approved. Green beans are ok on Paleo even though they are technically a bean, because they are more of a pod than a bean!

Shrimp Thai Salad

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1/2lb of cooked shrimp

2 cups of shredded cucumber or 2 cups of shredded green papaya

1 cup of very firm green beans (don’t overcook); cut in 1 inch pieces

1 cup of cherry tomatoes, cut in half

4 TB of sliced or mashed almonds

3 cloves of garlic, minced

juice of 2 limes

2 TB of fish sauce (or soy sauce)

handful of cilantro

1 TB apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: red chile pepper

Directions:

1. Lightly steam your green beans or eat them raw. Mine green beans were from the freezer so they were not too hard so I didn’t have to steam them. You want them to be crunchy.

2. Shred your cucumber and then place it in a colander to drain. Leave it to drain for like 15 minutes, then pat dry with a towel.

3. In a large bowl add your green beans, shrimp, cherry tomatoes, cilantro and chile pepper (if using).

4. Then add your wet ingredients: fish sauce, lime juice, vinegar, and garlic. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper.

5. Add cucumber to the bowl and mix. Taste and adjust seasonings.

6. Top with mashed or sliced almonds!

 

 

Affording Paleo & Fruity Kombucha Jell-O Bites

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Affording Paleo: On Any Budget

chickenI have a few guest posts out that I wanted to direct you all too. The first one is on the Paleo Parent’s blog and is about affording Paleo and making Paleo work for your budget. Included is my frugal technique of stretching 4-6 meals out of ONE CHICKEN! Please go check it out and get some great tips on affording Paleo for your budget.

Paleo Parent’s was my lifeline when I started Paleo over a year ago. They had kids and a baby and they were making Paleo work. After 30 days of eating Paleo, I, also, wrote this guest blog for them on how Paleo changed my life, helped my depression, and lowered my husband’s cholesterol so much that he is now STATIN drug-free!!!

Fruity Kombucha Jell-O Bites

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My awesome and hilarious REAL LIFE friend, Summer, over at The Dirty Floor Diaries asked me post for her. I love Summer and I love her blog. It’s so real and I just want to be like, “thank you…I’m not alone in how I feel.” Summer speaks my language!

I posted on these awesome Kombucha Jell-O bites that I had recently made for my kids. My kids keep devouring them and they are so healthy! Go check out my recipe on The Dirty Floor Diaries!!

Where can I get Kombucha? You can either buy Kombucha at health food stores, or you can easily make it yourself at home!

Click here to get Kombucha cultures to make at home.

 

Salmon Patties with a Creamy Lemon-Dill Sauce

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I’m always looking for budget-friendly ways to get seafood into my family. If I have the money in our budget I will buy fresh salmon, cause we all know that is the best. But, if I don’t have the money, I don’t stress, I just grab some canned WILD-caught salmon and find creative ways to use it. I get my salmon from Costco for a good price, along with a bunch of other things.

Last night, I made a great salmon patty with a cream sauce worth sharing. These are Whole30 and 21 Day Sugar Detox friendly!!! Hope you like it!

Salmon Patties with a Creamy Lemon-Dill Sauce

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Ingredients:

2 (6-ounce) cans of wild salmon

4 eggs

1 TB of mustard

1 cup of almond flour

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 onion, finely diced

1/2 ts pepper

1/2 ts salt (optional)

1 ts dill

2-4 TB of coconut oil/or butter/or lard

Directions:

1. Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat with your fat/oil of choice.

2. In a bowl, whisk your eggs, then add the onions, garlic, almond flour, salmon, pepper, salt, dill, and mustard.

3. Shape into 8 patties. Fry them on both sides; about 3-4 minutes per side.

4. Transfer to a plate. If you would like, you can pop them in the oven for an additional 10 minutes (450 degrees F) while you make the cream sauce. This will make sure the middle is cooked through.

Creamy Lemon-Dill Sauce

1/2 cup of thick, full-fat coconut milk (I used the thick part off an unshaken can). If you do dairy, you can use sour cream.

2 TB of lemon juice

1 ts of dried dill

Few shakes of black pepper

Directions:

Whisk all the ingredients together. Pour over the Salmon Patties and enjoy!

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Raw Strawberry Ice Cream (Paleo, Dairy-free)

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I’m in the middle of The 21 Day Sugar Detox so I did not eat this…I have had it before, but not right now. I’m being a good girl! But my kids ate it and loved it! Actually they had the soft, smoothie part of it for breakfast, and then later after it was frozen, they had the ice cream.

An ice cream maker is optional. I didn’t use one this time, but I have in the past. Enjoy!

Raw Strawberry Ice Cream

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Ingredients:

1 (15-ounce) can of full fat coconut milk

2 cups of fresh or frozen strawberries (if using an ice cream maker, you won’t have to wait for the mixture to chill if you use frozen)

1/4-1/2 cup of honey or maple syrup

3 PASTURED egg yolks (this recipe is raw, so please use farm, fresh eggs)

1 ts of vanilla

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in a blender and puree till smooth.

Pour into your ice cream maker (if using one) or pour into a bowl (if not using one).

If not using an ice cream maker, freeze till firm.

Enjoy!

 

Spaghetti Squash Goulash

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This is extremely hearty and extremely delicious! I am in heaven with this bowl of Spaghetti Squash Goulash sitting in front of me. My kids devoured it and hubby had thirds, so I think that is another one for Mommy! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do. This is a HUGE recipe, so, please, divide and conquer if you need to. I usually make the full recipe and freeze half. Or I take this recipe to a pot luck since it serves 6-10 people.

Spaghetti Squash Goulash

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Ingredients:

3lbs of ground beef
2 onions, diced
3 cups of stock (I usually use my homemade chicken stock, but you can use beef stock too) or water
1(29 ounce) can of tomato sauce or homemade marinara sauce
1(29 ounce) can of diced tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 bay leaves
2 TB Italian Seasoning
3 TB of Coconut Aminos (soy sauce)
1 TB of Seasoned Salt (I use this homemade version)
1 ts salt
1 ts pepper
1 ts garlic powder
1 large or 2 small Spaghetti Squash*

Directions:

1. In a large Dutch oven or pot, saute the ground meat over medium-high heat until cooked through.
2. Add the onions to the pot and saute them until tender; about 5 minutes.
3. Add 3 cups of stock (or water), tomato sauce, tomatoes, garlic Italian seasoning, bay leaves, Coconut Aminos, salt, pepper, seasoned salt, and garlic powder. Stir well and then cover the pot and cook for 20 minutes of medium-low heat.
4. Turn the heat to a simmer and cook for another 15 minutes.
5. Remove pot from heat and cool for 15-30 minutes.
6. Either stir in the cooked Spaghetti Squash or just place the mixture on top of the squash on a plate.

*While you are making the goulash mixture, cook the Spaghetti Squash in the microwave or in the oven.

**I served this with Almond Bread.

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