Hamburger Cauliflower Hot Dish

1 large head cauliflower
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup coconut milk (or heavy whipping cream)
1 cup chicken broth
2 eggs
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese (optional)
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the cauliflower into florets and discard the core, then cut the cauliflower into even smaller and more uniform pieces. Place a steamer pot over medium heat with a few inches of water, add the cauliflower into the top and season with salt. Steam the cauliflower until al dente (barely cooked) and then remove it from heat and set aside uncovered.

Place the ground beef and chopped onion in a frying pan over medium heat and season liberally with salt and pepper, cumin, paprika, and oregano. Break up the beef into small pieces with a spatula while cooking.  When the meat is mostly cooked remove it from the heat and set aside.

Beat the eggs, coconut milk, and broth together with a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl. In a baking dish layer the cauliflower and ground beef until it is used up. Pour the egg mixture over it, making sure the meat and cauliflower is covered.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the center is set. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and sliced almonds and broil for 2-3 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

4 servings.

Note: Omit the cheese to make this paleo/whole-30

{Recipe adapted from Grass Fed Girl}

Blueberry Almond Breakfast Cookies

2 bananas, mashed
2 eggs
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1 cup almond flour
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 pinches salt
1/2 cup blueberries
1/4 cup slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk together bananas, eggs, flaxseed, almond flour, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Fold in blueberries. Spoon onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, measuring about 2 Tbsp per cookie, making 12 cookies. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until puffed up and resembling a muffin top. Let cool on a wire rack.

{Recipe doubled from Clean Eating}

Jambalaya

1 pkg andouille sausage, sliced
1 lb chicken breast, cubed
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 yellow onions, diced
2 green peppers, diced
1 head cauliflower, riced
1 6oz can tomato paste
2 14oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups chicken broth or stock
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic until it becomes fragrant then add onion and green bell pepper to begin to cook down. Once onion in translucent, add cauliflower, broth, chicken, and sausage. Mix together. Cover and let cook for about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and spices. Stir to incorporate. Cover and let cook for another 5-8 minutes or until cauliflower is tender and meats are cooked through.

This makes great leftovers and freezes really well!

Serves 6-8

Notes: To rice my cauliflower I put it through the shredder attachment of my food processor. The only thing spicy in this recipe is the sausage - If you want it spicier add 1 tsp cayenne. Would be great with  shrimp added!

Slow Cooker Beef & Broccoli

1 lb. boneless chuck roast, sliced into thin strips

3 heads of broccoli, cut into florets (about 5 cups)

1 apple, peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 cup beef stock

1/3 cup soy sauce or coconut aminos

1/3 cup honey
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon tapioca starch (or corn starch; optional)

In a slow cooker, add the beef stock, soy sauce or coconut aminos, honey, garlic, and sliced apple. Add the sliced beef and stir. Cook for 4 to 5 hours on low.

In a small bowl, whisk the tapioca starch or corn starch with some of the liquid from the slow cooker. Pour it back into the slow cooker and whisk well. The apples will dissolve into the liquid. Add the broccoli and cook for another 30 minutes.

Serve on top of brown rice or cauliflower rice.

Serves 3-4.

{image and recipe adapted from Paleo Leap}

Slow Cooker Chicken Coconut Curry

1 can pumpkin puree (15 oz)
1 can chicken stock or broth (15 oz)
1 lime, juiced
1 Tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
4 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground ginger
cayenne to taste (optional)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 small onion, diced (or 1/2 large)
3 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (or 3 cups sweet potatoes)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 can full fat coconut milk (15 oz)
3 Tbsp arrowroot powder (or corn starch)
2 Tbsp water

Into a slow cooker whisk together pumpkin puree, chicken stock, lime juice, and all spices. Add veggies, garlic, and chicken. Stir to coat. Cook on low for 5 hours (stir once halfway through). At the 5 hour mark, in a small bowl whisk together arrowroot powder (or corn starch) and water until smooth. Add to slow cooker along with the coconut milk. Stir to incorporate. Cook on low for another 30 minutes up to 1 hour. Serve over rice or cauliflower rice.

Makes 6 servings.

This does not have a strong pumpkin flavor (if at all). The pumpkin puree just helps thicken the sauce in a healthy, nutritious way. You could also puree your own squash or sweet potatoes if you didn't want to use pumpkin.

You don't want to cook this more than an hour once the coconut milk has been added. If it's done cooking before you're ready to eat, make sure to turn the crock pot to "keep warm."

{image and recipe adapted from Table for Two}

Turkey Sausage Gravy

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp ghee or butter, divided
1 pound ground turkey
1 1/2 tsp ground sage
1 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp allspice
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp arrowroot powder
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 can coconut milk
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
Fresh ground pepper
Flat-leaf parsley, chopped (optional)

Add 1 tsp ghee to a skillet over high heat. Add ground turkey and sage, chili powder, 1 tsp salt, and allspice. Brown, breaking meat apart. Once browned, remove meat with a slotted spoon and set aside. Drain juices from pan. Return to burner, over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp ghee and onion. Saute until translucent, tender, and golden, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and arrowroot. Whisk and cook for about 1 minute, or until bubbly. Whisk in chicken stock, ensuring there are no lumps. Cook for an additional minute, until thickened and bubbly. Add coconut milk, remaining spices, and cooked turkey. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in parsley if using.

Serve over roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes, or cauliflower florets.

If you don't care about cooking paleo, you can use dairy milk instead of coconut milk and corn starch instead of arrowroot. Just don't use arrowroot with dairy milk or it will get gummy. Serve over biscuits for a special treat!

Very kid-friendly, just watch the amount of cayenne!

Serves 3-4.

Citrus Spice Stir Fry

Sauce:
1 tsp rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder*
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional**)
1 cup orange juice
6 Tbsp coconut aminos (or soy sauce to taste***)

In a small bowl mix the vinegar, garlic, five-spice powder, and red pepper flakes with a fork. Stirring continuously with the fork, pour in the orange juice, then add the coconut aminos.

Stir Fry:
Assortment of veggies of your choice (broccoli, pea pods, onions, mushrooms, carrots, etc.)

Heat up a skillet or wok with a little oil (I use coconut), then add a pound of diced chicken and cook, splashing with a little of the sauce to keep it moist. Remove the chicken and set aside, then add chopped veggies to the skillet along with the rest of the sauce and cook until finished. Add the chicken back in and heat. Serve on top of rice.

* Chinese five-spice powder has a distinct clove flavor, so use less if you think your kids might not be into it!

** The only thing that makes this spicy is the red pepper flakes. The Chinese five-spice power is not "hot" spicy - it's more of a clove/cinnamon spice flavor.

*** Using coconut aminos makes this Whole 30 or paleo approved, but if you don't have any on hand (and don't care about that) you could probably use soy sauce. Soy sauce is more salty than coconut aminos, so I would add a little at a time until you reach the flavor you want - it might not take as much.

Serves 4-6 depending on how many veggies you use.

Buffalo Chicken Chili

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp butter (or ghee)

2 lbs ground chicken (or ground turkey)

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

2 red, orange, or yellow peppers, seeded and chopped

1 large onion, chopped

3 ribs of celery, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp paprika

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper to taste

4 cups chicken stock

1/4 to 1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce (or other hot sauce)

1 15oz can tomato sauce

1 15oz can crushed tomatoes

Place a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and butter. Once the butter is melted, add the ground chicken and brown it, about 5-10 minutes. Add the carrots, peppers, onion, celery, garlic, paprika, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. (If the pot seems too full you can remove the chicken and cook the veggies  alone for a few minutes, then add the chicken back in.) Add the chicken stock, hot sauce, tomato sauce, and crushed tomatoes. Bring to a bubble, then simmer for 10 more minutes.

* To make this paleo or Whole 30 approved, use ghee instead of butter and use Frank's Red Hot brand hot sauce.

Serves 6.

{Adapted from Rachel Ray}

Paleo Mayonnaise

1 egg

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup plus 1 cup light olive oil *

Leave all ingredients on the counter for four hours to bring them to room temperature. This is essential to having this mayo turn out at the right consistency.

Place the egg and lemon juice in a food processor. Add the dry mustard, salt, and 1/4 cup of the oil. Whirl until well mixed, about 20-30 seconds.

Very slowly incorporate the remaining 1 cup of oil into the mixture. Do the skinniest drizzle you can possibly manage. This should take about three full minutes. If your food processor has a drizzle hole then use that! Seriously, go slow - this is key. Then you are done!

* You can also use avocado oil, but DO NOT use extra virgin or regular olive oil - the taste will be too strong.

{From Well Fed}

Cucumber Sandwich Spread

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup grated onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup grated cucumber
1-2 Tbsp mayonnaise *
1/4 tsp pepper

Mix all ingredients together. Serve on cucumber slices or on sandwiches.

* This recipe can be made gluten free or paleo if using gluten free mayo or homemade mayo

Slow-Cooker Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

2 cups carrots, peeled and sliced
2 packages sliced fresh mushrooms
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 cup fish sauce *see note
1/4 cup red curry paste
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cubed
3 cups chicken broth
2 cans (14 oz each) coconut milk
2 red bell peppers, sliced, then slices cut in half lengthwise
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
Sriracha to taste

1. In slow cooker add carrots, mushrooms, onion, sweet potato, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, and curry paste. Place chicken over vegetables in slow cooker. Pour broth over chicken. Cover and cook on low heat for 5 hours.

2. Stir in coconut milk, peppers, and basil. Cover and cook an additional 30-60 minutes.

Add Sriracha to taste to each bowl depending on spice preference.

Alternate: Add whole chicken pieces to crock pot (don't cube). At the beginning of step 2, remove chicken and shred or chop, then add back to crock pot before proceeding.

* Substitute fish sauce with 4 Tbsp soy sauce and 1 Tbsp dry sherry.

{Adapted from Betty Crocker}

Buffalo Ranch Chicken Stuffed Peppers

1 lb. chicken breasts

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 tsp each: dried parsley, dried dill, dried chives, garlic powder, onion powder

salt & pepper to taste

4 red, orange, or yellow bell peppers, tops cut off and seeds cleaned out

1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce* (or hot sauce of choice)

1/4 cup butter or ghee*

* indicates paleo or Whole 30 approved option

1. Preheat over to 350.

2. Mix together dried spices. Place chicken and chopped onions in a single layer on a greased or lined baking pan. Sprinkle spice mixture over everything. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from oven and (once cool enough to handle) cut into 1/4"-1/2" pieces. Place cooked chicken and onions in a large bowl. Make ahead tip: At this point you can put the bowl of chicken and onions in the fridge overnight and continue with the remaining steps the following day.

3. In a small saucepan melt the butter or ghee. Add the hot sauce and stir to combine. Add sauce mixture to the chicken and stir well.

4. Spoon chicken mixture evenly into all four peppers. Place filled peppers in a baking pan (make sure it has sides because juices will run). Bake for 35-40 minutes or until peppers are softened.

5. Optional: Serve with guacamole on top (highly recommended) and a side of roasted sweet or regular potatoes! These are surprisingly filling.

Do steps 1 and 2 the night before to save time at dinnertime. These make great leftovers as well. I like to make a batch of them and bring them to work for lunches during the week. Reheat in the oven or in the microwave. They are a little spicy so not sure what kids would think, but maybe you could find a mild sauce that still has the flavor? They are my favorite thing to eat these days!

{From Primally Inspired}