Whole30: week 1 Day 5

Wow! It's day 5 already? Lovin' it! I really NEED to stay away from the scale, but I just keep losing weight. Not complaining! Today was Day 1 of my P90X3 Challenge Group. I'm so proud of those Rockstars! They brought it! Join us if you dare! Grab P90X3 from me.

Breakfast

Ground Pork and Apple Sliders

We made these TWICE during the last Whgole 30 we did. My children (especially my son) go nuts over them. I got this recipe from Sarah Fragoso's Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook. I used the same ingredients, but I add bacon and prepare mine a bit differently. 

2 lbs ground pork, 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1 1/2 cup finely diced apple, 1 1/2 T Italian seasoning, 1 t garlic powder, 1 1/2 t sea salt, 1 t black pepper. 

 Cook bacon in pan. Place bacon on paper towels to drain. Use the bacon grease to cook the chopped onion until tender. Add the apples and stir for about a minute. Throw everything else (including the raw pork) into the Kitchen Aid mixer, then add the onion and apple mixture. Blend really well, then make into small, slider-sized patties. Saute each patty until cooked through. Make sure those babies are cooked all the way. It takes some time. Nobody needs to be munching on undercooked pork...yuck!

 I love that these are a different breakfast than eggs. Strangely enough, I prefer these babies cold. I ate them cold with a few leftover kale chips. I ate 3 of these for breakfast and felt satisfied until lunch around noon. They were the PERFECT post-workout meal for my first day of P90X3!

 

Lunch

Grilled Chicken Breast with Greek Broccoli

I just made a simple grilled chicken on the barbie with salt, pepper, rosemary, and garlic powder. I put several pieces in a bag and threw it in the fridge. This will be a great "go to" protein source in addition to our lunch. I also made a few pieces without sauce that I'll use in my chicken salad for tomorrows lunch.

1/2 c. water, 1 lb. fresh broccoli cut into bite size pieces, 2 tbsp. olive oil, 1 medium onion, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 cup fresh grape tomatoes, 1/2 tsp. dried parsley, 1/3 tsp. dried oregano, 1/2 tsp. paprika, salt and black pepper to taste. 

Bring the water to a boil and add the broccoli and cover with a tight fitting lid. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until tender enough for your liking. Drain and place broccoli aside.

 Using the same pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, tomatoes, parsley and oregano. Saute until the onions are cooked well and tomatoes begin to pop. Add broccoli, paprika, salt and pepper; stir well to combine. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes or until heated through.

The hubs took this for lunch and didn't have access to a microwave. He said this meal was great cold and that the Greek broccoli sort of resembled a salad.

   I bet you couldn't have guessed that I finished off those leftover kale chips from chili night. Haha

Dinner

 Paleo Shepherd's Pie

This recipe also came from Well Fed. We also made this twice on the last Whole 30 we did. One of my children's favorite comfort foods is traditional shepherds pie, so they were happy about this one and I was impressed that they liked it as much as they did. This is something I could eat on for days. Whole 30 or not.

1 Batch mashed cauliflower, 1.5 tsp. coconut oil, 1 medium diced onion, 2 carrots peeled and finely diced, 1 cloves minced garlic, 2 lbs. grass-fed ground beef, salt and black pepper to taste, 1 tbsp. tomato paste, 1 c. beef, chicken, or veggie broth, 1 tsp. liquid aminos, 1 tsp. dried rosemary, 1/2 tsp. dried thyme, 3 egg white, paprika for garnish.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Throw in the onion and carrots and cook until tender. Add garlic to the pan and stir until fragrant. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Season with salt and pepper. Be sure to taste the mixture at this point. Add the tomato paste, broth, liquid aminos, rosemary and thyme. Stir together and bring to a simmer. Let simmer until the liquid evaporates, or about 10 minutes. Set the pan aside to cool for about 10-15 minutes. Scramble egg whites until frothy and blend into the meat mixture.

Spread the meat mixture in the bottom of a large casserole dish. Use a rubber spatula to spread the mashed cauliflower on top of the meat mixture. Use a fork to rake lines in the top layer of the mashed cauliflower. Sprinkle with paprika.

Place in the oven and bake at 400 F for 25-30 minutes or until the top begins to brown. Let cool for a bit before serving. 

Mashed Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower, 1 minced garlic clove, 1.5 tbsp. ghee, 1/2 cup canned coconut milk, salt and pepper to taste.

Clean and cut cauliflower into small pieces. In a large pot, boil 1 cup of water over high heat. Cook cauliflower in boiling water for about 6 minutes, or until well done. Drain well, then pat cauliflower dry between several layers of paper towels. Throw cauliflower in your food processor with the coconut milk, ghee, and salt and pepper. Blend until pureed.

I really want to do this with roasted garlic next time.

I didn't act fast enough with this one to get a picture of it once it was done cooking. This is all that was left after my family of five ate dinner. I think you get the idea...

Enjoy!