This is an easy and fast stir-fry that I often make on busy nights. It has a lot of contrasting flavors and colors and we’re especially enjoying it now that our Broccoli is in season in the garden.

If your family isn’t used to these types of spices, start with half and work up from there

Ingredients:

• 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breast or thigh (or more for leftovers)
• 1 medium sized head of broccoli or 1 large bag frozen
• 3-4 carrots, very thinly sliced
• 1 onion, very thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder (I buy here)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder (I buy here)
• 1/2-1 teaspoon turmeric (I buy here)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup of chicken broth (or water, or coconut milk)
• Optional toppings: raisins and green olives
• Olive oil, coconut oil or butter for sauteing.

What to Do:

1. Chop chicken breasts/thighs into bite size pieces and saute in oil until cooked. I use coconut oil to saute.
2. Add  carrots and onion and cook about 5 minutes until starting to soften.
3. Cut broccoli into florets and add to pan. Saute for another 3-4 minutes.
4. Add spices to taste and broth.
5. Cook an additional 5 minutes until all vegetables are tender.
6. Top with raisins and green olives if desired.
7. Enjoy!

This is a similar recipe to my Meatloaf Cupcakes, but with more vegetables…

My kids absolutely love sweet potatoes and will eat them any way I fix them, so this is a good way to add in the extra veggies. This recipe also freezes well and re-heats well so it can be prepared ahead for busy nights.

Ingredients:

• 2 (or more) pounds of ground beef, turkey or other meat
• 4-6 medium sized sweet potatoes
• 1 bag of frozen mixed veggies (no corn! It’s not a veggie!)
• 1-2 onions
• large handful of Kale (a small bunch)
• 1 egg
• Seasonings to taste (I used natural beef bouillon, basil, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano and a little cayenne for meat and sea salt for sweet potatoes)
• 3-4 Tablespoons of butter
• cream cheese to top (optional)

How to Make:

1. Brown meat in large skillet and season to taste when cooked. Set aside.
2. Saute diced onion and kale torn into small pieces in skillet until somewhat soft. Set aside with meat.
3. Pour mixed veggies in the skillet to heat on low heat and in the meantime…
4. For sweet potatoes: either bake ahead for about an hour or until soft, or boil about 10 minutes in large pot of water until soft. I usually cook during a previous meal when I’m already baking sweet potatoes and then just re-heat the night I make this.
5. Mash sweet potatoes with butter and sea salt (or Himalayan salt) until smooth. (An immersion blender makes this go quickly!)
6. Mixed veggies should be cooked by now.
7. Mix the meat, onions mixed veggies, raw egg and any additional seasonings and put in bottom of 9×13 baking dish.
8. Spread mashed sweet potato mixture over it until smooth.
9. Bake at 350 for approximately 30 minutes.
10. When done, top with a small dollop of cream cheese (optional)
11. Enjoy

Possible variation: bake in pint sized mason jars for easy packable lunches!

Ever make Shepard’s Pie? Ever tried this variation? Let me know below!

This is one of those super-easy but really impressive chicken recipes that even kids seem to enjoy because of the hidden ingredients inside. It’s also an easy recipe to adapt and make grain free.

My kids ask for “Blue Chicken” often, and I hope you’ll enjoy it too!

What You Need:

• 4 chicken breasts
• 8 slices of nitrate free ham
• 4 large slices of provolone or swiss cheese (optional)
• salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard (optional)
• 2 teaspoons homemade mayo (optional)
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon tallow, coconut oil or lard, in liquid state
• spices to taste: garlic, salt, pepper, etc (I used about one teaspoon of each

How to Make:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Carefully cut the chicken lengthwise to make a pocket but not all the way through.
3. Roll the piece of cheese into a thin log, and make sure that it is shorter than the width of the chicken.
4. Wrap the pieces of ham around the cheese and roll it up, securing the ends, so the cheese won’t ooze out. (can do this without the cheese)
5. Spread the mustard and mayo inside the chicken (if using).
6. Beat egg and put in a bowl.
7. Add salt, pepper and other desired spices to the almond flour and put on a plate.
8. Place the ham and cheese roll inside the chicken, then dredge in the egg mixture and then in the almond flour to coat, making sure the seam is especially well coated.
9. Place in a well-greased oven safe baking dish.
10. Put in oven for approximately 45-50 minutes or until completely cooked.
11. When fully cooked, remove and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
12. Enjoy!

What is your favorite chicken dish? Share below!

OK, so I was just trying to make these sound fancy by calling them “Appetizers” but these are one of my favorite (and super easy) snacks. They also make great appetizers for parties though!

You could probably figure them out just by looking at the picture, but here’s what you need:

Ingredients:

• 1 cucumber (organic if possible since you are leaving some of the skin on)
• 1/2 cup strained greek yogurt (strain it through a cheesecloth or towel for a few hours and use the part left in the towel. You can also use cream cheese, but this version has probiotics)
• 1 teaspoon dried dill (or fresh)(optional)
• pinch of sea salt and sprinkle of pepper
• 10-12 shrimp (precooked)

How to Make:

1. Peel the cucumber in alternating strips to leave a striped look on the outside.
2. Slice the cucumber into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices and put on a plate.
3. Mix the strained greek yogurt or cream cheese with the dill, salt and pepper.
4. Put a small amount of the yogurt mix on top of each piece of cucumber and top each one with a (precooked) shrimp.
5. Serve immediately or keep in fridge up to six hours.

What is your favorite easy snack idea? Let me know below!

Being from the South, I’m pretty familiar with pork barbecue. I’m also familiar with the fact that most commercially available versions from barbecue places have high fructose corn syrup or other non-foods in their sauce.

Boston Butt is one of the easiest cuts of pork to cut and it is also one of the cheapest to buy. I’ve been able to find boston butt from pastured pork at great prices, and slow cooking this recipe makes it incredibly tender. It’s also an easy recipe to make on days when you are out of the house all day and need dinner to be ready when you get home.

For our family, one Boston Butt will easily spread 3-4 meals of leftovers and the kids love it. We’ve even done barbecue omelets with leftovers. If you’ve never tried Boston Butt before, I’d encourage you to try this recipe.

Ingredients:

• One (4-5 pound) Boston Butt
• One (15-ounce) can or one (whole) pineapple
• 2 large sweet onions
• 1 tablespoon each of: Chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, sea salt, celery salt and basil
• 1 tsp crushed black pepper
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups of barbecue sauce of choice (optional but good – find one without added high fructose corn syrup- I like this one)

How to Make:

1. Thinly slice onions and place in bottom of a 6-quart or larger slow-cooker.
2. Rinse the boston butt and place on top of the onions.
3. Sprinkle with spices and pour the whole can of pineapple juice over it. If using fresh pineapple, peel core and thin chop the pineapple and place over pork.
4. Put lid on crock pot and cook on low for 10-12 hours or until fork tender. Don’t open until at least 8 hours and then check for tenderness.
5. Shred with two forks to make pulled pork and top with barbecue sauce if using…

Enjoy!

Are you a barbecue fan? What is your secret recipe? Please share below!

This was a fun recipe that was born one morning when the kids couldn’t decide if they’d rather have bacon or sausage, and they were tired of our basic scrambled eggs and veggies. This has become a Saturday morning favorite, and there are endless ways to mix it up.

It’s easy to make and a fun way to serve the usual bacon and eggs. The ones I made are just basic sausage, eggs and bacon, but you could add cheese on the top for a more “pizza” texture, and even put salsa on top of the sausage before the eggs for a “sauce.” Any kinds of veggies would also be great toppings and I’m envisioning one topped with feta, asparagus and green onions…

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of ground sausage (pastured pork if possible)
• 6 eggs
• 4 slices of bacon
• other optional toppings: salsa, cheese, sliced green onions, finely diced onions, mushrooms, etc

How to Make:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Divide the pound of sausage into 8 even parts and use a rolling pin or the side of a flat glass to flatten to about 1/4 inch and place on baking sheet (you can do this on the baking sheet to make things easier. Put the bacon slices on the baking sheet as well and place the baking sheet in the oven.
3. The meat will cook for approximately 10-15 minutes in the oven, so while that is cooking, prepare any additional toppings and scramble the eggs in a pan.
4. When sausage and bacon are browned and cooked through, remove from oven.
5. Place one sausage “crust” on a plate, top with salsa (if using for sauce), scrambled eggs, chopped bacon, and any other toppings.
6. Serve and Enjoy!

What is your favorite creative way to do breakfast? Please share below!

This recipe was inspired by the Paleo Parent’s recipe for meatloaf cupcakes. It is such a cute idea and the kids love the small size of these mini-meatloafs.

Meatloaf cupcakes also cook much faster than regular meat “loafs” and are easier to pack for lunches or on-the-go. Check out the Paleo Parent’s original recipe here for a great variation!

Ingredients:

• 1.5-2 pounds of ground beef (grass-fed if possible)
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup almond flour (or enough to thicken- this will depend partially on the fat content of the meat and the texture of the almond flour)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 medium onion
• 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• 5-6 sweet potatoes
• 1/4 cup butter or coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt or Himilayan Salt

How to Make It:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Finely dice the onion or puree in a  blender or food processor.
3. In a large bowl, combine the meat, eggs, flour, basil, garlic powder, pureed onion, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper and mix by hand until incorporated.
4. Grease a muffin tin with coconut oil or butter and evenly divide the mixture into the muffin tins to make 2-3 meat “muffins” per person. If you don’t have a muffin tin, you can just press the mixture into the bottom of an 8×8 or 9×13 baking dish.
5. Put into oven on middle rack, and put a baking sheet with a rim under it, in case the oil from the meat happens to spill over (should only happen with fattier meats if at all)
6. For sweet potatoes: if they are small enough, you can put them into the oven at the same time, if not you can peel, cube and boil them until soft.
7. When meat is almost done, make sure sweet potatoes are cooked by whichever method you prefer, and drain the water if you boiled them.
8. Mix with butter and salt or pepper if desired and mash by hand or with an immersion blender.
9. Remove meat “muffins” from the oven and remove from tin. Top each with a dollop of the mashed sweet potatoes to make it look like a cupcake.

Do you make any recipes kid-friendly? Share below!

When my husband and I first started dating, we had the chance to travel around Europe a little. We tried as many new cuisines as we could, and one of the best meals we had was at a delicious Greek restaurant in downtown Brussels, Belgium. I’ve never been able to find Greek food that good since then, so I’d been experimenting with recipes.

This is my take on Greek Meatballs with Cucumber sauce or Keftedes with Tzatziki Sauce as it was called over there. I love the subtle flavors of the fennel and mint, with the slight citrus hint. My kids even liked this recipe, and I’d encourage you to give it a try!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey (or other ground meat, but turkey is best in this recipe)
• 1 large onion, grated
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fennel greens
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fennel bulb
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• pinch (1/4 tsp) fresh mint, very finely diced (or dried, use slightly less)
• 1 clove of minced garlic
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• Sauce: 1 cup greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon minced garlic or 1/2 tsp garlic powder, pinch of salt, teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 cucumber( finely chopped)(makes enough for 4 servings)

How to Make:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix the grated onion, ground turkey, almond flour, fennel greens, fennel bulb, egg, lemon juice and zest, mint, garlic, salt and pepper with hands. Add any extra almond flour if needed to make thick enough to form into meat balls.
3. Form into about 1 inch meatballs and place on an oiled baking sheet or in a large baking dish.
4. Place in the oven for approximately 30-40 minutes or until cooked through.
5. While baking, mix the ingredients for the sauce and prepare salad of choice.
6. Serve meatballs with the yogurt sauce and salad on the side. The yogurt dip also makes a great salad dressing.
7. Enjoy!

What is your favorite kind of food? Ever traveled to another country? Tell me about it below!

This is one of my favorite dessert recipes. Ever. Many thanks to reader Wanda who made the gorgeous one above and sent me a picture! (It always gets eaten before I can take a picture around here)

I used a Cinderella Pumpkin for this recipe. It weighed about 25 lbs and barely fit in my oven. I roasted it in the oven on 325 for a few hours until it was soft and peeled the skin off. The flesh was enough to make more than 10 pies/cheesecakes and some Pumpkin Lattes.

I originally got this idea from Jimmy Moore’s Livin La Vida Low Carb Blog, and adapted it to our tastes. Play around with the stevia and spices to suit your taste!

Healthy Pumpkin Cheesecake Ingredients:

Crust

• About 1 cup of almonds, pecans or hazelnuts, finely powdered in blender or food processor
• 2 Tablespoons of coconut oil or butter
• 1 egg
• cinnamon to taste
• honey or stevia to taste

Filling

• 12 ounces pumpkin puree (about 1.5 cups of homemade or about 1 can store bought)
• 2 Tablespoons of coconut oil
• 2 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese at room temperature
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spices (to taste) or 1 tsp cinnamon and a sprinkle each of nutmeg and cloves
• 1 tsp vanilla (optional)
• stevia or honey to taste (I used 2 tsp of powdered stevia leaf from the garden)

[Note: The above recipe can be doubled to fit in a 9x13 baking dish]

How To Make Pumpkin Cheesecake:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Finely powder the almonds or pecans in food processor or blender.
3. Mix with cinnamon, stevia, egg and coconut oil and use hands to press into bottom of pie pan.
4. Put in heating oven for 10-15 minutes until crust is slightly toasted.
5. In the meantime, mix the pumpkin puree, cream cheese, spices, coconut oil, eggs, vanilla, and sweetener (if using) with a mixer or immersion blender (or just throw in a blender).
6. When crust has started to toast, remove from oven and pour filling into pan.
7. Return to oven and cook for 35-45 minutes or until top doesn’t wiggle in center and starts to slightly crack on sides.
8. Remove and let cool.
9. Chill at least 2 hours or overnight before serving.

What is your favorite dessert? Tell me about it below!

Chicken Pot Pie was one of those dishes I didn’t love as a kid (store bought version) and then loved as an adult (homemade version) and had to say goodbye to when we switched to real food. (Flour and vegetable shortening crust…not so much!)

I just recently attempted a healthy version of Chicken Pot Pie and the kids loved it! It sneaks in some veggies that aren’t typically kid-friendly and some healthy fats. It’s also pretty filling and great for active kids.

What You Need:

• 3-4 chicken breasts (cooked and chopped) or 1 whole chicken (cooked and deboned)
• 1 cup celery (finely chopped)
• 1 small turnip (finely chopped)
• 1 small parsnip (finely chopped)
• 1.5 cups carrots (finely chopped )
• 1 cup fresh green beans (finely chopped)
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 1 bag frozen peas (about 12 oz)
• 1/2 cup butter or coconut oil
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 cups almond flour (this is the only brand I use)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (optional)
• 1/4 cup  butter (optional)
• spices to taste: garlic powder, sea salt, pepper, basil, oregano, turmeric

How To Make:

1. Pre-cook chicken in oven or skillet until cooked through and set aside.
2. Peel turnip and parsnip and finely chop.
3. Heat a couple tablespoons of butter in large skillet until melted, then add the turnip and parsnip.
4. Finely chop celery, carrots, green beans and onion and add to pan.
5. Saute over medium heat until all have started to soften.
6. Add frozen peas and continue cooking until peas have defrosted.
7. Chop chicken into 1//2 inch cubes and add to pan.
8. Spice to taste with garlic powder, salt, pepper, basil, turmeric  and oregano (I use about 1 tsp each)
9. Add half of the coconut milk to the pan and continue cooking until it has started to evaporate and remove from heat.
10. Preheat the oven to 350.
11. In a separate bowl, mix almond flour, parmesan, egg, butter and remaining coconut milk to form a “crust.” You may have to add slightly more milk or more flour, depending on the dryness of your almond flour (I cook with Honeyville, but some brands don’t absorb as much liquid).
12. Can also add a sprinkle of garlic powder and sea salt to the crust for flavor. It should be somewhat thick but spreadable.
13. Transfer the chicken mixture to an oven safe baking pan. (I cooked in two pie pans or two 8×8 dishes so that one could be frozen for another meal)
14. Carefully spread the “crust” mixture over the chicken mixture.
15. Place in oven and bake 15-20 minutes until crust has started to harden.
16. Serve and Enjoy!

Do you like Chicken Pot Pie? Let me know below!