My FAVORITE Easy Paleo Tip: Packing Lunch!

Dinner Tonight:

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Lunch Tomorrow:

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This is the practice that has made the biggest difference in making our Paleo lifestyle EASIER (for more tips like this one, check out my eBook).

I make dinner in my kitchen almost every night.  And every night I pack lunches for the following day.

What this means is that I have to consciously make the effort to prepare enough food for both dinner and for lunch the next day.  When dinner is done, I go ahead and put lunch-size portions in glass containers WHEN I put dinner on our plates.  While we eat, the lunch portions cool.

After dinner, I do the dishes, and put the lids on our lunches.  Dump some snack foods (carrots, jerky, nuts, berries, etc.) into your lunch box with them, and store in the refrigerator.

In the morning, lunch is ready to be taken to work – easy peasy.

(Note: This recipe is “The Best Chicken You Will Ever Eat,” from Melissa Joulwan‘s Well Fed, and pressure cooker sweet potatoes with grass-fed butter. DELISH!)

Super EASY Paleo Dinner!

I feel like every time I add a post, I need to apologize for how long it’s been since I last posted.  We have some pretty exciting changes and planning going on around here, and it’s funny how the non-essentials take the back burner when so much is going on.

I’m very proud to say that we’ve stuck to our commitment to make sleep a high priority.  I used to blog alot during late-night hours, but since my recent challenges, I’ve learned the value of going to bed early.  As a result, I have not had as much blogging time as I did before.

So if you’re still with me, thank you!  

Here’s a look at what’s for dinner tonight.  It’s one of the easiest meals to make, but it tastes gourmet, which is why I love it!  In fact, it is currently taking care of itself in the kitchen while I type this post.

 

Spice-Rubbed Sirloin Roast - This is one of our favorite recipes of all time.  We have probably made it over a dozen times already this year, and my husband asks me to make it more often.  To keep things simple, I pre-mix the spices and keep them in a glass jar.  When it’s time to get ready for dinner, I dump some in a bowl (just eyeball it), mix in the oil, and then rub on the roast.  Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of your roast.  Recipe here.

While that’s in the oven, I get out my pressure cooker, and make Robb Wolf’s Butternut Squash. It’s not actually a recipe, but a method.  Check out this video to learn how to cook butternut squash in the pressure cooker.  When it’s finished, I stir in a little coconut milk for creaminess, and season with salt and pepper.

And finally, Easy Broccoli, which cooks in the microwave.  Tonight I’m using frozen broccoli, and I just dumped a bag in my Pampered Chef Micro-Cooker with a little water, and let it cook for 5 minutes.  Then strain, add a hunk of grass-fed butter, and season.

Tonight I’ll probably have some watermelon on the side.  Happy Summer!

 

So when dinner is ready (the roast still has about 15 minutes to cook, and 15 minutes to rest), I will have spent less than 15 minutes in the kitchen, but I will have a beautiful meal for my husband and myself!

Just wanted to share… hope this gives you some ideas on how to keep things simple.

Big Goal #2: Be “Well Fed” (+ a giveaw...

UPDATE: I completed this goal!  Check out the picture post here.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out yesterday’s post, where I share my 8 BIG GOALS for these 43 days.

 And be sure to read to the end of this post to check out my exciting giveaway!

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Big Goal #1 will be expounded upon as I go through the month and re-read my highlights from It Starts With Food.  In short, we’re doing a Whole30 from now through the end of July.  I am so excited!

Big Goal #2 has already been super-fun, and I am so excited to share it with you!  Here it is:

In an effort to broaden my Paleo food horizons and experiment with some new styles of cooking, I’ve decided to make each and every recipe from Well Fed during the next 41 days (kinda “Julie and Julia” style, ya know?). 

We started our challenge on Tuesday, and our meals have been INSANELY DELICIOUS so far!  To be honest, I was starting to get into a little cooking rut – only cooking things that I’ve made a bazillion times (hey, they’re easy and delicious, so why not?).  But my sweet husband has hinted around a little lately that maybe we should try some new recipes.  That sounded like a challenge!

 

This kinda goes against one of the “keep it simple” tips in my eBook (Easy Paleo: 21 Practical Ways to Simplify Your Paleo Life, $4.99), but it’s just for a one-month challenge, so I can handle it!  Generally, trying to use a recipe every night isn’t the best idea… but this is going to be SO fun!

 

As I read through my new favorite book of all time, It Starts With Food, I learned that Melissa Joulwan’s Well Fed is completely Whole30-approved and recommended (except for one very desserty recipe at the end).  This was really exciting to read!  I LOVE Melissa’s work (check out my interview with her here – what a cool chic!).  She has an amazing website, and her book is so lovely.  I’ve made lots of recipes from her site (including Chocolate Chili), and they have all been delish, so I knew we were in for a treat!

Here’s a look at what we’ve had so far, and a peek at what’s in store for the end of the week!

Monday

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Good grief, this was good!  Just looking at the picture makes my mouth water!

First on the list, Salmon a l’Afrique du Nord (Well Fed, p. 103).  Wow.  That’s basically all I have to say.  To be honest, I’ve never cooked salmon on my own before, so this was really a challenge!  And to top it off, the recipe has you cook the entire 2-pound filet in one piece… yikes!  So when I went to Whole Foods to pick up a few things, I stopped by the meat and fish counter and spotted a beautiful piece of wild-caught Alaskan salmon.  The clerk was even able to tell me exactly where in Alaska it was caught (Anchorage), and who the fishermen were… very cool!  This was not a cheap piece of fish, so I was a little nervous about botching the recipe!

I followed Melissa’s instructions to the letter (except for the fact that we don’t have a grill… I used my oven broiler instead), and the fish came out beautifully.  I’ll tell you how it tasted in a moment.

Next up, we had Cumin-Roasted Carrots (Well Fed, p. 115).  Wow again.  Who knew that carrots could taste so freakin’ good?  The spices blended perfectly with the salmon, and the carrots were juicy and succulent with the tiniest little crunch deep inside.  Amazing.

Finally, we added Turkish Chopped Salad (Well Fed, p. 141).  This blend of chopped, raw veggies is perfectly spiced, full of flavor, and so good for you!  And I loved the excuse to use raw radishes… YUM.

All in all, this was seriously the most gourmet-tasting meal I have ever cooked.  My husband and I were saying “wow…” with almost every bite.  And the best part?  None of it was difficult!  The most time-consuming part was probably chopping all the veggies for the salad… but turn on a good podcast, and you’re good to go.

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Tuesday

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On Tuesday, we had another delicious dinner!

First off, Meatza Pie (Well Fed, p. 77).  Now, this is what I call a pizza crust… MEAT!  This recipe does not look complex, but the flavors are insane.  I started off by making Melissa’s blend of Italian Sausage Seasoning (Well Fed, p. 49), and then pressing it into the beef before forming a crust in the bottom of a baking dish.  Once that is cooked, you make up the simple sauce recipe, which includes Pizza Seasoning (Well Fed, p. 49), and just toss on whatever veggies you have available.  I have ALOT of yellow squash right now, so I used that, some broccoli, some onions, and some bell peppers.  This dish was easy, spicy, and delicious!

As a side dish, we had Greek Broccoli (Well Fed, p. 117).  What a cool recipe!  I would never thing to toss broccoli with tomato paste and a bunch of fabulous spices, but it totally works!  We really enjoyed this dinner.

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Wednesday

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Last night’s dinner consisted of Grilled Chicken Thighs (Well Fed, p. 29) over Steam-Sauteed Veggies (Well Fed, p. 33).  As I mentioned above, we do not have a grill, so I followed Melissa’s “No Grill?” instructions… very handy!  Why in the world have we not been eating more chicken thighs??  They are DELICIOUS!  I don’t know why, but we usually spring for boneless, skinless breasts… and now I know that those are far less flavorful!  I picked up some organic thighs from Costco, and boy, they were tender and juicy!

As a side dish, we made a big salad with Creamy Italian Dressing (Well Fed, p. 59).  Most amazing salad dressing I have ever had.  Period.

My salad consisted of mixed greens, baby spinach, raspberries, blueberries, oranges, avocado chunks, slivered almonds, and cucumbers.  So, so, so good.  The dressing was so amazing that we actually “sopped it up” on our chicken thighs and scarfed it down.

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Thursday

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We didn’t get enough chicken thighs last night (seriously, we both wanted them again!), so I baked this again, but with a different spice mixture: Ras el Hanout (Well Fed, p. 47).  What an amazing spice blend!  It contains cumin, ginger, pepper, cinnamon, coriander, cayenne, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg.  Can you smell it already?  I can!  It is amazing.  I sprinkled the seasoning over the chicken before baking, and it gave it a beautiful flavor.

As a base, I also made Creamy Spice Market Kale (Well Fed, p. 111).  Have you ever had moist, juicy kale?  I hadn’t before tonight… the coconut milk in the recipe truly does make it creamy and wonderful.  But be prepared – it is definitely spicy!  We loved every bite.

We had a good amount of salad and dressing leftover from last night, so we were thrilled to enjoy that again!

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Friday

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Tomorrow night we are having dinner with some friends, and I’m bringing the food.  I’m making Shepherd’s Pie (Well Fed, p. 97), and I am so excited!  This will be my first experience with ground lamb, and I can’t think of many things I love more than mashed cauliflower (Well Fed, p. 113), so I’m sure it will be delish!

UPDATE: Check out the picture!  This was delicious… My lamb didn’t arrive in time, so I made the “Cottage Pie” variation from the book (ground beef instead of lamb).

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Saturday

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On Saturday, we’re going to visit some Paleo friends who live near our beef farmer, so we’ll pick up an order on the way!  Blair and I met through my Facebook page, and we’ve had lunch a few times.  We’ve had so much fun, that we decided our hubbies should meet as well!  Three cheers for Paleo meet-ups!  Blair is cooking for us, and I’m bringing a few side dishes (probably the Cumin-Roasted Carrots and Turkish Chopped Salad recipes that I tried earlier in the week – they are definitely winners!).

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Sunday

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On Sunday, I’m making Waldorf Tuna Salad (Well Fed, p. 67).  I have recently fallen in love with tuna, so this is sure to be delicious!

Update: Here’s the picture, and YES – it was amazing!!

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Also, as a snack this week, we enjoyed Carmelized Coconut Chips (Well Fed, p. 153).  I cannot believe how much these crispy little goodies taste like popcorn!  I will definitely be cooking up a batch before our next movie outing.  Fo’ sho.

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Who loves a GIVEAWAY?

 

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Seriously, people… not only is Melissa Joulwan a culinary genius, she is also such a sweetheart!  She emailed me today and offered a SIGNED COPY of Well Fed to one lucky winner… cool, huh??  I’m also throwing in a copy of my eBook, Easy Paleo: 21 Practical Ways to Simplify Your Paleo Life.  What a great combo!

Here are the rules:

1. Commit to doing a Whole30 yourself!

2. “Like” the Easy Paleo Facebook Page

3. Either “like” The Clothes Make The Girl on Facebook, OR follow Melissa on Twitter (@melicious)

4. SHARE this giveaway post with your friends on your own FB page (I will be able to see the “shares” under the post).

(The “share” button is directly under the FB post ON FACEBOOK – right beside the “like” button).

5. Comment on this post, letting me know that you’ve done all the steps above, and the dates of your own Whole30.

Easy peasy, huh?  Get on it!  You NEED both of these books!

Drawing will be done on July 1st, 2012.

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Be sure to check out the next post: Natural Skin Care!

Food Diary: EASY Mashed Cauliflower

I sometimes miss mashed potatoes.

Let me re-phrase that… I used to miss mashed potatoes.

A few months ago, I discovered the magic of mashed CAULIFLOWER!!  Have you ever tried it?  It is amazing!

I actually prefer the light creaminess of this recipe to regular mashed potatoes.

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Easy Mashed Cauliflower

Chop cauliflower florets off the base of the vegetable (I use two heads of cauliflower so we’ll have some leftovers).

Place in a steamer over boiling water, and steam until the cauliflower is soft (around 7 minutes).

Drain, and dump florets into a high-powered blender (you can do this with a hand mixer, food processor, etc., but I really believe that the secret to the smooth results I get (see picture above) is my Vita-Mix Blender).

Add about 4 TBS of grass-fed butter per head of cauliflower, a dash of salt, and a dash of pepper.

Blend until smooth.

ENJOY!

EASY Sweet Potatoes

We LOVE sweet potatoes.  Like, with a passion. 

They are great in almost every form… sweet potato fries, baked sweet potatoes, boiled sweet potatoes, sweet potato cookies, sweet potato hash, sweet potato pies… I could go on!

However, most of the time I find that sweet potatoes take some effort.  Most of the time they have to be washed, peeled, and then diced/chopped/julienned/speared, etc.  Sometimes I just don’t feel like spending that much time on one vegetable!

Last night I tried something new, and it definitely tops the list as the easiest way to prepare sweet potatoes.

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Easy Sweet Potatoes

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Chop each potato into three equal parts (or 4 if you have a large sweet potato)… you don’t even need to peel them!

Place the potatoes in a pressure cooker with about 1 inch of water.

Seal the cooker, and heat on HIGH until the regulator begins to rock.

Reduce heat to medium, and set a timer for 15 minutes and walk away!

Place the pressure cooker in a sink full of cold water to release pressure.

When the pressure releases, remove the potatoes, top with a generous portion of grass-fed butter, and a little salt.

DELICIOUS and EASY in 15 minutes!

Food Diary: Secret Liver Burgers

I have heard so much about LIVER lately!

Check out this article by Chris Kresser… Liver: Nature’s Most Potent Super-Food.

Click Here for another great article from Balanced Bites.

Why does liver seem so gross?  Maybe it’s the texture… maybe it’s just because it’s an actual organ… I don’t know.  But I’ve been pretty intrigued, and very eager to incorporate this super-food into my diet.

I found this recipe, and we gave it a try last week.

It was DELICIOUS.  We actually couldn’t even tell that any liver was in it at all.

We served the burgers with lettuce, sauerkraut, homemade ketchup, tomatoes, avocado, and bacon (of course!).

I’m still on a quest to find more ways to incorporate liver on a more regular basis.  I’ll be sure to share ideas as I run across them!