Paleo Apple Crisp

We took Jackson apple picking for the first time yesterday and he loved it. I came home with about five pounds of apples, which I could probably eat in about two days if I served them in the form of this apple crisp.

When I first pulled the dish out of the oven the apples seemed a little dried out and I was bummed, thinking it was a bust. After it had cooled for a bit, though, they had softened and were perfect.

Jackson likes apples but when I gave him a bowl of this he just ate the topping and signed for more. I don’t blame him.

Paleo Apple Crisp

• 3-4 medium apples
• 1 1/4 cups almond meal
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1 tbs cinnamon plus a little more for sprinkling
• 3 tbs maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• pinch of salt

 

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Core, peel and slice the apples and layer them in an 8×8 baking dish. Lightly sprinkle them with cinnamon. In a glass bowl add the coconut oil and maple syrup and microwave for 45 seconds to a minute, until it’s completely melted. Then add the almond meal, coconut flour, cinnamon and salt. Spread the topping over the apples and bake for 50 minutes.

Paleo Sweet Potato Pie Muffins

Adapted from Civilized Caveman’s Pumpkin pie muffins.

You can use canned pumpkin too but lately I’ve been baking sweet potatoes in the oven and using that instead. The baby loves them too!

Sweet Potato Pie Muffins (Paleo)

In a food processor put:

3/4 cup baked/mashed/boiled sweet potato
1 Tbsp cinnamon
6 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup honey

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Full muffin tin and bake for 20 minutes

 

Crockpot Balsamic Chicken (Paleo)

I saw this recipe online somewhere but forgot to write down the source or bookmark it. If anyone knows the original source please let me know so I can link and credit them.

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons dried minced onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 24 ounces) or breasts
sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley

Combine the first five dry spices in a small bowl and spread over chicken on both sides. Set aside. Pour olive oil and garlic on the bottom of the crock pot. Place chicken on top. Pour balsamic vinegar over the chicken. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. Sprinkle with fresh parsley on top to serve.

Paleo Pumpkin Pie Muffins

Paleo Pumpkin Pie Muffins
adapted from Civilized Caveman’s Paleo Banana Bread

• 1/2 can pumpkin puree
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup almond  butter (or Sunbutter for nut free)
• 4 tablespoons grass-fed butter, melted
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• scant 1 tsp baking soda
• scant 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• pinch of sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tin with paper liners
2. In a food processor add the pumpkin, eggs, and nut butter, and grass-fed butter and process until completely smooth.
3. Add in your coconut flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, and sea salt and mix again until completely smooth.
4. Evenly divide the mixture to the lined muffin tin
5. Bake for 30 minutes

Cool and enjoy!

Paleo Toddler Muffins

Toddler Banana Muffins
adapted from Civilized Caveman’s Paleo Banana Bread

• 4 bananas (can be yellow or very ripe brown)
• 1 medium zucchini
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup almond  butter (or Sunbutter for nut free)
• 3 tablespoons grass-fed butter, melted
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp coconut flour
• 1 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
• scant 1 tsp baking soda
• scant 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• pinch of sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tin with paper liners
2. Shred the zucchini in the food processor with the shredding disk.
3. Replace shredding disk with regular blade and add the bananas, eggs, and nut butter, and grass-fed butter to the shredded zucchini in a food processor. Process until completely smooth.
4. Add in your coconut flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, and sea salt and mix again until completely smooth.
5. Evenly divide the mixture to the lined muffin tin
6. Bake for 30 minutes

Cool and enjoy!

Dutch Oven Pulled Pork

My new favorite pulled pork recipe!

Pulled Pork
adapted from Paula Deen’s recipe

2 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp black pepper
2 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp cayenne (or adjust to heat preference)
3-4 lb pork shoulder
2 cups 100% apple juice
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

Mix the salt, pepper, paprika, and cayenne and rub it into the pork. Cover the meat and place in the fridge for at least two hours (I did overnight).

Preheat the oven to 325. Add the pork to the dutch oven and cover with the apple juice, cider vinegar, chicken stock and garlic powder. Cook in the oven for 4 hours or until fork tender and shreds easily.

Breakfast Bake

Breakfast Bake
adapted from Foodie and the Family

3 apples, chopped (I leave the peel on)
2-3 ripe bananas, mashed
12 large eggs
14 ounce can pumpkin puree
14 ounce can full fat coconut milk
1/4 cup maple syrup (optional – omit for Whole30)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Directions
Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease a 9×13″ baking pan well with coconut oil. Toss chopped apples into the pan, spreading evenly over the bottom.

In a large bowl, mash bananas. Whisk in eggs, pumpkin puree, coconut milk, maple syrup (if using), vanilla, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Combine well. Pour over apples in pan.

Sprinkle the top of the mixture with sliced almonds. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes; until set. Let cool. Cut into 12 pieces and serve room temperature or refrigerate to serve cold.

Chili

I make chili kind of a lot and I was feeling in a bit of a rut with my recipe. I Googled around and took ideas from other recipes and settled on this – it came out fantastic. My new favorite chili! I made this for Superbowl Sunday and snuck a couple of servings in the freezer for safe keeping!

Chili

2 lbs grass fed ground beef
1 can kidney beans (omit for Paleo – I usually do one pot with beans for Patrick and one without for me)
1 Tbs fat for sauteing
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1- 14oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup good chili powder
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp cocoa powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chicken broth OR beef broth OR beer

Heat the fat and saute the onions and garlic. Add the ground beef and cook until browned. Drain off excess fat is there’s a lot. Add the spices and let them cook a couple of minutes. Add the beans, if using, then all the other ingredients. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer for 2 hours.

Sweet Potato Souffle (Paleo)

This is adapted from the Coconut Carrot Souffle here and which I made last week. I thought it was…ok. I certainly liked it enough that I ate it, but to me it was just very “cooked carroty”. That’s a thing. Anyway, I wouldn’t serve it to guests because I don’t think it would be universally well received, but I realized that if I made it with sweet potato it would likely be a huge hit. I tested it out this weekend and I was right. This is definitely making an appearance at Thanksgiving!

Sweet Potato Souffle
adapted from Things I Make My Husband’s Coconut Carrot Souffle

• 1 lb sweet potato, cooked (wrap in foil whole, place in 400 degree oven, bake 1-1/2 hrs)
• 1/4 cup coconut butter
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 2 eggs
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Blend thoroughly until completely smooth.
3. Pour the mixture into a greased casserole dish or 4 greased ramekins. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs (Paleo)

I love eggs and deviled eggs are one of my favorite appetizers! Adding smoked salmon just makes them a little fancier.

Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs

• 8 hard boiled eggs
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tsp yellow mustard
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
• 1 tsp dried dill
• 4 ounces smoked salmon, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

Slice eggs in half lengthwise and place the yolks in a bowl. Set the whites aside on a plate or tray, cut side up. Season with a little salt.

To the yolks add the mayo, mustard, lemon juice, chives, dill, salmon, salt, and pepper. Mix well until combined and smooth. Spoon the filling into a large ziploc bag and cut one of the ends off (to use like a pastry bag). Fill the egg whites with the egg yolk mixture. Place in the fridge to chill, then serve. You can garnish with a little more dill or chive or even a sprinkle of paprika.