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!

Whole30: Week 1 Day 4

This blogging business helps the days go by faster! Just when I've finished a days worth of meals, I'm working on stuff for later in the week. 
 

Breakfast

Sweet potato hash with fried eggs and bacon

This was such a simple breakfast and it was even more delicious than simple. I cooked 4 pieces of bacon. Two for the hubs and two for me.  After that was done, I kept the bacon grease in the pan and fried my eggs. After removing them, there was still a good bit of bacon grease left. I shredded two medium sweet potatoes (while the bacon and eggs were cooking) and threw them in greasy pan with salt and pepper. I let them cook without stirring (on medium heat) for about 2-3 minutes. Then, I flipped them over and cooked for a few more minutes. Finally, I stirred them all around and let them cook another 1-2 minutes. I like my stuff tender-crisp, but the hubs likes his veggies extra mushy. Taste them to make sure they are done to your satisfaction. I felt very satisfied with this meal this morning. 

The hubs had scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

I also decided to try Bulletproof coffee. It was amazing! I read about in on an email I got from Wellness Mama this morning and I just HAD to try it. WOW! I'm not sure I'll ever drink black coffee again.

 I just made my coffee like I do everyday in my lovely Bodum French Press. Once it was finished, I dumped it into a single serving Ninja cup. I added a tbsp each of coconut oil and grass-fed ghee. I hit the pulse button a few time and Viola! It was fantastical! The hubs was very pleased with it as well. I love that it MAY give me more energy throughout the day. With my P90X3 Challenge Group starting tomorrow, I'll need all the energy I can get!

Lunch
Meat and Spinach Muffins

I got this recipe from the cookbook Well Fed like I have so may other recipes on my blog. I think I actually made these exactly as the recipe says for once. They were delicious. The 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper may be a bit much if you don't like spicy food. It really gave it quite a KICK.

3 16oz. bags of frozen spinach; defrosted, 1/2 tbsp, coconut oil, 1/2 medium onion; diced, 1.5 lbs. grass-fed ground beef, 2 cloves garlic; minced, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper, and 3 large eggs. 

Preheat oven to 375 F. Squeeze ALL excess water from the frozen spinach. If you don't, you'll regret it and your muffins will not turn out right. Squeeze baby, squeeze! 
Heat the coconut oil on medium heat and throw the onions in to cook for about 5 minutes. Throw meat in the pan and chop it up so there are no large chunks. Add the garlic, salt, and both ground peppers to the meat and onions. Cook together until the meat is no longer pink. Remove pan from heat and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes. 
Scramble the 3 raw eggs and add them to the cooled mixture. I used the Kitchen Aid, but feel free to use your hands to get it combined REALLY well. 

I used my Pampered Chef muffin stone for this, so I didn't use paper liners. If you don't have a stone, use the liners or they will stick to your muffin tin. Take handfuls (seriously, this is what worked best for me) of the mixture and fill up the muffin cups.
Bake for 40 minutes until the tops are lightly brown.

 I made these a few days ago and froze them. They reheated wonderfully. Be sure to cool them COMPLETELY before throwing them in a freezer bag. 

We ate these with 1/4 of a delicious red bell pepper on the side.

Dinner
Paleo Chicken Fajitas

This recipe is SO simple. I love the fresh peppers and organic chicken together. This is a great leftover dish for lunches as well. I made this just for the hubs and I because the kiddos were gone for the weekend, but would have made MUCH more if they were here.

3 organic, free range chicken breasts, 2 green bell peppers, 1 red bell pepper, 1/2 large yellow onion, and paleo fajita seasoning to taste.

Slice chicken, bell peppers and onions. Be careful not to cross-contaminate. Saute chicken in coconut oil or EVOO oil. While chicken is cooking, sprinkle liberally with some of that homemade fajita seasoning. When chicken is no longer pink inside, take it out of the pan and set it aside. Add a little more EVOO and throw the peppers and onions in there. Sprinkle again with fajita seasoning. We chose to eat our "fajitas" without a wrap of any kind, but lettuce or kale would be tasty. Top it off with a few slices of tomato and avocado, and you've got yourself one easy, delicious Whole 30 meal!

This was all so juicy and tender. I find myself needing salt in a lot of these recipes lately, but maybe it's just me...

I'm SO ready for P90X3 tomorrow! I feel like I have a good nutrition thing going on and it's a great time to add that intense fitness. Here's to hoping that I still feel that way tomorrow. Haha!

 

Whole30 Week 1 Day 3

As the hubs and I finished breakfast this morning, I realized we were already on day 3. I was thinking it was day 2. Not bad! I have a hard time staying off the scale and felt motivated this morning when I jumped on there and saw that I have already lost 4 pounds! I can't wait to see my results once I start X3 in 2 days. Whew! I'm finally going to hit my goals in 2014! Yeah, I'm feeling spunky this morning and I've only just started on the one and only cup of coffee I'm allowing myself. Haha. It's gonna be a good day. Happy Day 3 y'all!

 

Breakfast

Bacon Wrapped Breakfast Cups

I found this recipe over at Kate Updates and of course I tweaked it a bit. I have made breakfast cups before and they were a nice and easy way to get out the door quick. The family loved them also. I however, thought they were dry and boring. I have a hard time choking down eggs when they taste like eggs. But these little boogers were just delicious. They were moist and booming with flavor. I made them a few days ago and threw them in the freezer. They heated up wonderfully in the microwave. I love that there are hidden veggies in them. You can't even taste the mushrooms! 

12 eggs; beaten, 10 slices (approved) bacon, 1/2 red bell pepper; 1/2 cup shredded sweet potato, 3/4 cup baby Bella mushrooms, salt and pepper.

I used 11 muffin cups, and had one without bacon. 

Line the muffin cups with one slice of bacon each and throw em in the oven on 400 for about 15 minutes. Drain the bacon grease. You may need to take the bacon out and stand it back up a bit before pouring the egg mixture in. I didn't stand my bacon up and it just ended up in a pile on the bottom of each cup. We were perfectly okay with that.

 While the bacon is getting crispy in the oven, mix all of the other ingredients together in a large bowl. Once you get the bacon drained and rearranged to your liking, pour the egg mixture in the cups. Mine were pretty full. 

Bake on 350 for 20-25 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test. If you plan on freezing them, just be sure they are completely cool before throwing em in that freezer bag. BTW, mine didn't turn out looking anything like Kate's, but they sure did taste wonderful. Enjoy!

Lunch

Leftovers from Day 2

The hubs and I went to our other house and painted today. Having leftovers worked out well since we needed something quick to take with us. We just threw the food on the microwave and chowed down in the sheet-rock dust covered couch. 

 I decided to go with the leftover scotch eggs instead of the turkey pesto meatballs. I did put pesto on top of my scotch eggs though. Yum! I also had some raw broccoli dipped in the Paleo ranch I made the other day.

The hubs went with a little bit of each and some leftover roast from day 1. Yay! He's eating leftovers, and happily! 

Dinner  

Chocolate Chili and Kale Chips

This is seriously good food. My 13 year old made this on our last Whole30 journey, and the whole family scarfed it down. It's gotten quite cool here for Florida, and we figured this would be a nice dinner for warming us up. So, your ingredients are...

2 medium onions, 5 cloves garlic, 2 lbs. grass fed ground beef, 1 tsp. ground oregano, 2 tbsp chili powder, 2 tbsp. ground cumin, 1 and 1/2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa (seriously, just do it), 1 tsp. allspice, 1 tsp. salt, 1 6 oz. can (boxed if you can find it) tomato paste, 1 14.5 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes (the WF 365 brand has cans that don't use BPA). 1 14.5 oz. can veggie broth, 1 cup water.

Heat up the coconut oil in a deep pot. Add onions and cook until they are translucent. Throw the garlic in there and stir for about 1 minute. Add meat and continue to cook until no longer pink. 

While the meat is cooking, combine ALL the seasonings (not canned items) in a  small bowl. Add to the pot with the meat and stir like it's nobody's business. Next, add in the tomato paste and stir like crazy again.

Finally, add the fire roasted tomatoes, water, and broth to the pot. Stir well and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the chili finds a gentle simmer. Simmer for at least 2 hours. The secret is in the simmer my friends. Don't shortchange it. Enjoy!

 

I ate my chili on top of a few spinach leaves and with a little coconut milk mixed in. I also gave it some heat with my favorite hot sauce that passes my Whole30 test. I buy it at Tijuana Flats. It's called "Smack My Ass & Call Me Sally". Yeah sorry for the language, but that's the name of this all natural, yummy goodness! Have you had it?

 

Kale Chips 

We also had some kale chips with our chili. I love making kale chips and knowing that it's a fun healthy snack. The only reason that the hubs and I got to eat so many tonight is because the kids are at their granddaddy's for the weekend. Otherwise, they are gone as soon as they come out of the oven. 

1 bunch of kale; washed, dried and torn into pieces. Some people like their kale chips large, but we typically make them bite-sized.  

Throw the kale pieces on a cookie sheet or stone. You want to drizzle the leaves with a little olive oil. Don't use too much or the chips wont crisp up. Once you're done drizzling, use your hands and sort of rub the oil all over the leaves so they are well coated. You'll know if you have the correct amount when each "chip" is shiny, but not dripping with oil. This is a good time to sprinkle those leaves with a seasoning, herb, or just plain ole salt and pepper. *The possibilities are endless here. Be sure to look at your ingredients list to see if there is anything funky in the bottle. I used Penzey's Northwoods Fire seasoning tonight for the first time and they were SPICY! I love spicy, always have, but these were a bit much. I definitely need to tone it down next time. Nonetheless, I'll munch on them again tomorrow.

Bake in a 400 degree oven until they are crispy. I baked mine for 20 minutes last night, but it has often taken longer. It has a lot to do with how well you dry them off after their bath and how much oil is used.

 Let them cool for a few minutes before digging in. Mmmmm. Enjoy!

*We have used everything from garlic powder and lemon pepper to coconut oil with cinnamon. Try many different varieties and use them for all sorts of meals and snacks. 

Whole30: Week 1 Day 2

Breakfast

Berries, nuts and coconuts shreds

 1/2 cup raw cashews, 1/2 cup fresh berries, 1/4 cup coconut shreds

Be sure to choose RAW nuts since cooking them takes away a lot of the micronutrients that we benefit from with these nuts. Dallas and Melissa Hartwig, authors of It's Starts With Food suggest that cashews, hazelnuts, and macadamias are the best Whole30 choices for nuts. Today I went with these yummy cashews I found at Whole foods because they were already in my pantry.

I like to toast the coconut shreds with a couple shakes of cinnamon.               

You can choose to pour some coconut milk on top and eat it sort of like a cereal. I'm talking canned coconut milk, not the refrigerated stuff that has all the added junk in it.
Be sure to read the ingredients list of whatever kind you decide to buy. Shake it up good before using it. You can also do a refrigerated version and it make the coconut milk more like a whipped cream. Just throw the can of (full fat) coconut milk in the fridge and leave there overnight. When you take it out, DON'T shake it up. The coconut milk separates. The top layer is the cream. Just scoop it out and whip it a little with a whisk. Or simply scoop it and drop the thick cream-like coconut milk right on top of your bowl of goodness.
 

This meal sort of mimics cereal and on the Whole30, I know you're not supposed to make things that are like copycat recipes. I'm giving myself just a snag of leniency JUST because it is day 2 and I already had all of the ingredients on hand, but don't expect that out of me anymore.

 Mmm. Perfection. I was worried that this wouldn't fill me up, but I'm stuffed and ready to kill some TurboFire. 

Lunch

Scotch Eggs and Salad

I got this delicious recipe from the Well Fed by Melissa Joulwan. I've never thought of making anything quite like this before. When I first saw this recipe, I had two thoughts. I thought it looked awful and tasty at the same time. So, I just HAD to give it a try. After all, I have always thought that pork and eggs are a great pair! 

2 pounds ground pork, 2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. ground pepper, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, pinch cinnamon, pinch cloves, 1 tsp. dried tarragon leaves, 1/4 c. fresh parsley leaves, 1 tbsp. dried chives, 2 cloves garlic; minced, 8 large hard boiled eggs; peeled. It also calls for a 2oz. bag of pork rinds and raw eggs for coating, but I skipped them.

Preheat over to 325 F. Put the pork, salt, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, tarragon, parsley, chives, and garlic in a mixing bowl. I like to use my wonderful KitchenAid, (really it's my sisters and she couldn't take it to Japan with her. YAY ME!) but you can also mix it by hand. Mix until well blended. Divide the pork stuff up into 8 portions. Roll each portion up like a meatball, then flatten it. Wrap each portion around it's own boiled egg until it's completely covered and as smooth as much as you can get the darn thing. Bake these babies for 25 minutes, then increase the temp. to 400 degrees and \bake for 5-10 minutes longer. 

Grab a copy of this awesome cookbook if you can. There are FIVE other variations of this recipe, including Italian, Asian, Indian, Moroccan, and Tex-mex. Wow! 

I ate this with some yummy salad topped with 

Sarah Fragoso's Balsamic Vinaigrette

 The trick to wrapping the raw meat around the boiled egg really is in how wet you can keep your hands. This was so simple. The hardest part was peeling those farm fresh eggs.

  I thought the pork layer was a bit bland. Next time, I'll add quite a bit more seasoning/herbs. I ended up dipping this in the pesto that I made (while the scotch eggs cooked) for tonight's dinner. That made it fabulous! These will be one the list for make-agains for sure.

 Balsamic Vinaigrette
3 tbsp. olive oil (or other Whole30 approved oil), 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp. brown mustard, 1 tbsp fresh dill (I actually used a couple shakes of dried dill here), and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk it all together and drizzle some on your salad. So easy and amazingly tasty! 

Dinner

Turkey Pesto Meatballs with Zucchini Noodles

Ok, so I was a tad hesitant about cooking two meatball-like meals in one day since my wonderful, hard-working hubs is quite picky about eating leftovers. Of course with the Whole30, we end up eating a lot of leftovers anyway so I reckon he better just try to get over it...hehe. I like this recipe because it's SO stinkin easy! I got the Paleo pesto recipe from Adeventure of E.

   

Paleo Pesto

1c macadamia nuts, 1oz of basil, 3/4c olive oil, 2-3 cloves of garlic (more if you like garlic, less if you don't), Salt and pepper to taste.

Add everything to the food processor,and blend for about 30 seconds.

This stuff will seriously make you wanna slap your grandma! And through this little recipe I have learned that pesto+eggs=stupid good. Can ya tell I have a thing for pesto?
 

  For the meatballs 

Use two pounds of ground turkey and the pesto. You throw them together in that handy ole Kitchen Aid (thanks again sis!) mixer and run that bad boy until everything is married. Roll em up into small meatballs (you can do them any size you want, but be sure to adjust the cooking time) and throw em on a cookie sheet or lovely Pampered Chef stone and let them hangout in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until they are no longer pink in the middle. 

Zucchini Noodles

 4 zucchini, 1/2 tsp. coconut oil, 1 tbsp almond flour, 2 tbsp oilive oil, 2 cloves of garlic; minced, 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, 1/4 fresh parsley; minced, salt and pepper to taste.

Use a julienne slicer to cut zucchini if you want them to resemble noodles. If not, do whatever you want with em. Place the raw zucchini in a strainer  and sprinkle with salt, generously. You want to leave them in the strainer in the sink so they can get rid of their water. After about 20-30 minutes, run under water and rinse the salt off the zucchini. Drain and then pat dry with a paper towel. If you don't do this, your "noodles" will be very soggy. Yuck! While the zucchini is sweating heat the coconut oil in a pan over medium-0high heat. Once it's melted, add the almond flour and a pinch of salt. Saute'. stirring often until it's toasty brown, about two minutes. Remove crumbs from the pan and save for garnish. Return the pan to the stove and throw those zucchini noodles in there. Saute' in a dry pan until tender, about 1-2 minutes. Push the noodles to the side of the pan and turn the stove down to low heat. Add the olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Shove the zucchini noodle into the oil and mix everything together. turn off the heat and stir in the salt, pepper, and parsley. Sprinkle the noodles with the almond meal yumminess before serving. 

 

Whole30: Week 1 Day 1

 My first morning waking up and prepping some fantastic meals for the Whole30 went well. I LOVE that I am preparing my body for the P90X3 Challenge Group that I am hosting. If you are interested in getting a super fitness routine going with the Whole30 journey, please grab a copy of P90X3 on my Official Beachbody Coach Website. Once you place your order, email me your full FACEBOOK name and I'll add you to my group of P90X3 Rockstars!

 BREAKFAST 

EGGS AND BACON WITH SAUTEED SPINACH

3 eggs; over medium, 2 pieces of bacon (Applegate Farms or other Whole30 approved bacon only) , a couple handfuls of sauteed Spinach, a tsp. coconut oil, and 1/2 of an orange

I saute the spinach in coconut oil, with whatever seasoning I am feeling that day. Today, I used the Tuscany Sunset seasoning from Penzey's and a little salt and pepper. 

I like to eat my eggs on top of the spinach so the yolk acts of a sauce of sorts.

After I was about half way done eating, I realized that I didn't cook the bacon. How can one forget bacon?!?!? I will have a

bacon make-up very soon! The spinach was awfully bitter today for some reason, but the meal was still quite yummy. I could only eat 2 of the eggs before getting full. I was trying to go by the "eat how many you can fit in the palm of your hand" rule, but it didn't work out so well for me. I'm sure that once I start the X3 program and my weekly running schedule again, I will eat more. I feel so good about putting healthy food in my body.  Started Day 1 off strong!

LUNCH

SWEET POTATO EGG SALAD IN LETTUCE WRAPS

The first time I made this, my family was a bit skeptical.  The entire brood chowed down every last bite. I have to admit that it may seem like an odd combination, but it is seriously amazing. The kids have been begging for this for days, so they were especially happy today.

 4 boiled eggs, 4 small sweet potatoes; peeled and diced, 6 slices of cooked bacon (be sure it's Whole30 friendly bacon), 4 tbsp. fresh dill, 2 tbsp. paleo mayo, and washed lettuce/kale leaves for the wraps.

Mix all ingredients together is a large bowl. I think it's best if chilled for a bit, so this would be a good recipe to make the day before or right after finishing breakfast. Place a few spoon fulls of the salad inside a lettuce leaf or kale wrap, and devour. Yum!

There are tons of Paleo mayo recipes out there in Pinterest world. My favorite remains to be from the most awesome Paleo cookbook author, Sara Fragroso. The coolest thing is that she has a YouTube video of how to do it. Check it out here. It's WAY easy. I use walnut oil in mine.

 I kinda overcooked these sweet potatoes so they ended up being a little more mushy than last time, but it was just as delicious.

This is not the best picture, but you get the idea.

I ate mine wrapped up in some fresh kale that I rubbed with a little bit of olive oil. I love how this day is panning out. Now only if this rain would go away so I could stop making excuses to not go for a run. 

Dinner
ROSEMARY POT ROAST AND CAULIFLOWER "BUTTER" RICE 

I snagged these recipes off the blog ThreeDietsOneDinner, and tweaked them just a little. This dinner was fantastic! My husband even said "I'd eat this off the Whole30", which says a LOT to me!
 

Rosemary Pot Roast
1 Tbsp coconut oil, 1.5 lb Top Round, trimmed of fat, 1 onion, chopped, 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  3 Tbsp Paleo Worcestershire Sauce (below), coarse Salt and Pepper


Scatter onion at the bottom of your crock pot.  Next, heat the coconut oil in a skillet to very hot. Combine salt and pepper and rub it all over the roast. Throw the roast into the pot with hot oil and brown it on every side. Throw the roast on top of the onions and pitch in those rosemary springs. De-glaze the skillet with the Paleo Worcestershire sauce.  Be sure to scrape all the particles off the pan. Pour the liquid and particles from the pan over the meat and onions. Yum! Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.Shred met with two forks. Serve on top of cauliflower rice.

Okay, so I changed it up quite a bit here. I got home way too late after getting a pedi with some of my girlfriends from work, and going to Whole Foods for my groceries. It was 2:30 before I could get the roast started. I knew that it just wouldn't work for me to throw this baby in the crockpot, so I'm trying the stove-top method. I sauteed the meat, then de-glazed the pan like the recipe said. Then I threw the onions in with the liquid and let them cook for about 2 minutes. Finally, I threw the roast on top and covered it with the rest of the whole recipe of Worcestershire sauce, water, and one can of veggie broth. Oh yeah, I also cut three slits in the roast, and stuffed a few cloves of garlic in there. Could that be the Italian in me? Yeah, I have a hard time following directions!

 Cauliflower Butter Rice
1 head cauliflower, 1 cup water, 1.5 tbsp. grass-fed ghee, and salt to taste. I personally like to salt my food after cooking instead of during.

Peel the leaves and stems off of the cauliflower. Chop cauliflower (remove the rest of the stem) into chunks about the size of a small fist and throw them into your food processor or blender. You may need to do half of the cauli at a time. Throw all of the cauli into a sauce pan with the cup of water and the grass-fed ghee. Bring to a boil and allow to cook uncovered for 10 minutes or until the water has been absorbed. Add salt and more ghee, if needed.

Paleo Worcestershire
I don't recall where I got this recipe, but I wrote it down in my Whole30 recipe file the last time we did the Whole30. It's a versatile sauce that's definitely Whole30 compliant, so feel free to use it where ya want to.
 
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp water, 2 tbsp liquid aminos, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp mustard powder, 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Place all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 1 minute. Refrigerate what ya don't use.

We also had kale since it was on sale at Whole Foods today. I always attempt to add a green veggie into each meal, so I challenge you to try to do the same even though it's not listed on my meal plan all the time.