Summer is rapidly coming to an end and I seemed to find myself busier than during the school year! It's harder to keep in a good rhythm of cooking without routine, but I managed to fit in a few noteworthy meals.
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| Impromptu Shepherd's Pie (Paleo) |
Shepherd's pie is one of my go tos since I usually have ground beef on hand. You can use any ground meat, and a combination of yam, sweet potato or cauliflower.
- Steam 1 head of cauliflower and 2 sliced large sweet potatoes.
- Brown 2 lb ground beef.
- Slice carrots and asparagus in food processor to make thin round discs (I kept the asparagus tips to cook tomorrow).
- Add carrots, asparagus and frozen peas to beef.
- Season with garlic powder, onion powder and Herbamare salt to taste.
- Top beef mixture with cauliflower/sweet potato mixture.
- Bake for 20 min at 350.
- Broil for 5 min on high.
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| Pork Stir Fry (Paleo) |
Stir fry is one of the quickest ways to throw together a reasonably healthy meal. In a pinch, I've heated up some precooked chicken and added whatever veggies I had handy.
This one used ground pork with asparagus (left from the shepherd's pie) & mushroom seasoned with coconut aminos, Herbamare, powdered ginger, garlic & onion.
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| Modified Mac n' Cheese (Perfect Health Diet) |
At the cousin's house, the kids asked for mac n' cheese. They had some in a box, but I ran home to get some ingredients to make something that actually resembled food.
I used rice pasta, shreded yellow squash, ground beef and added some cheese and butter. For a little added creaminess, I added some cottage cheese as well, and seasoned with season salt.
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| Vegetable Beef Soup (Paleo) |
The boy asked for "San Diego Souper Soup" and I had to do some digging to figure out what that meant. Turns out when he went to SD with his dad, they threw together some veggies with beef and broth.
I browned some ground beef and added some chicken broth, carrots, yams and sweet potatoes and cooked until soft. Seasoned to taste with onion powder, garlic powder, Herbamare, Basil and Marjoram.
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| Marinara Squash Casserole (Paleo/Primal) |
We had lots of squash to use up from the farm share, so I improvised. Summer squashes, carrots, chicken sausage, rice noodles, mushrooms, olives, chicken broth & a jar of marinara. Top with cheese if desired.
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| Plum Banana "Ice Cream" with Chocolate Chips (Paleo - ish) |
"Mom, it's yummy, so yummy! Probably the best thing you've ever had!"
- Food Process two frozen bananas until smooth.
- Add 1 chopped frozen plum.
- Add Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips.
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| Donut Experiment |
The boy and his cousin wanted to make "healthy donuts" but wouldn't use a recipe, so I made my own. Theirs won out two to one!
Their recipe involved instant oatmeal, squeezed orange, raisins, crumbled rice cake, water, and at my suggestion a bit of almond & coconut flour, baking powder, some coconut oil & eggs to make it stick together and not to the pan. Held together better than I thought it would, but a little soft in the middle.
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| Gluten Free S'mores with homemade marshmallows |
Home made marshmallows from stuff I already had in the pantry - free. Having s'mores for a highly allergenic boy on our camping trip - priceless!
Paleo Marshmallows - I did this without a candy thermometer (just let the honey melt fully) and a hand beater. Used a silicone mini muffin tin sprinkled with arrowroot to get the shape. They don't brown well in the fire, but they taste great otherwise - especially on top of hot cocoa (below)! I think I'll try some on top of yams for the holidays!
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| Hot Cocoa with Cayenne & Homemade Marshmallows! |
When I got back from our camping trip, I had some marshmallow fluff left over, so I used it in some cocoa. I added a little cayenne for a kick. I used real milk this time, but I've also been known to use coconut milk.
Warmed milk with 3-4 spoonfuls of cocoa powder, one spoonful of maple syrup and a couple sprinkles of cayenne topped with home made marshmallows (above).
