Paleo Chicken Meatballs

If you want to wow your friends and family with a dish packed with intense flavor and free of allergens, then you have to try this!  It falls into our 30 minutes or less group, making it truly one of our favorite go-tos for a healthy, quick and super satisfying meal. We have replaced all flour, gluten and dairy with allergen-free ingredients, and use zucchini noodles in place of pasta, so this healthy dish is gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free and Paleo. Score!

If you haven’t cooked with zucchini noodles yet, the main thing to watch for is not over cooking the “noodles”, so we toss the ribbons in at the last 5 minutes with this recipe so they have just enough time to soften up, but won’t lose their coarse texture that’s reminiscent of pasta. The easiest way to prep the zucchini noodles is with a mandolin or spiralizer (both will link to the ones we bought on Amazon). The mandolin is simple to use, once you get used to it, but just be careful to avoid the sharp blade, and definitely don’t let your kiddos use this one! If you prefer a spiralizer, this is our favorite! Sometimes I can be a big baby about the mandolin and want to use something easy, without sharp edge to worry about cutting myself on.

I can’t wait to hear what you think about this recipe, so please share your comments below!

Gluten-free, Paleo Marsala Chicken Meatballs

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4-5 servings

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup almond flour
  • 2 tablespoons coconut milk, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon Marsala wine
  • 1 lb ground white meat chicken
  • 1/4 cup grated manchego, plus extra for serving
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 large onion, minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons almond flour
  • 1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 4 large zucchinis, cut into noodles

Instructions

  1. Preheat the broiler to high.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together 1/4 cup almond flour, coconut milk and 1 tablespoon marsala.
  3. Let soak for 5 minutes.
  4. Add the chicken, manchego, egg, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper.
  5. With your hands, gently mix together the ingredients until just combined.
  6. Form into tablespoon-size balls and place on an oiled baking sheet.
  7. Broil for 5 minutes, or until the meatballs are beginning to brown and are just barely cooked through.
  8. Remove from the oven and set aside.
  9. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat.
  10. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the mushrooms are brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.
  11. Add the onions and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for another 2 minutes.
  12. Lower heat to medium and stir in the remaining almond flour and 1 tablespoon olive oil.
  13. Add 1/3 cup marsala wine and stir until smooth.
  14. Whisk in the chicken broth and simmer for 5 minutes.
  15. Add spiralized zucchini noodles to sauce and mix to coat.
  16. Add the meatballs and simmer for an additional 5 minutes to let the flavors blend.
  17. Serve hot, garnished with grated manchego.
http://inspiredeats.net/30-minute-meals-gluten-free-paleo-marsala-chicken-meatballs/

Gluten free Curried Chicken Salad

Recently I decided to launch a 30 minutes or less meal plan section, since most of what I’m asked about is how we prepare quick, easy, gluten-free and yummy meals.

To be honest, I’m not a fabulous chef. I’m not one of those amazing people who can whip up an alternative version of their favorite gluten-full foods. My brain doesn’t work like a scientist, knowing what percentage of an almond flour/tapioca starch/arrowroot/rice flour mix to use to replace with wheat flour.  And I don’t sit around my kitchen fermenting foods, or experimenting with cricket flour.

What I do know is how to avoid allergens with real food, and how to prepare foods ahead of time so I can use them to whip up delicious and quick meals throughout the week. I have also tried just about every product on the market, and I know which to use in order to save time, money and love what you eat, and I know which ones to avoid.

So, the posts in the 30 minute meals section will focus on meals that you can prep within 30 minutes (some in less time) and tips to prepare for the week so you can save time and still enjoy delicious, healthy meals.

One of my favorite (super easy) solutions when you’re in a food rut, is to whip up some curried chicken salad. It’s a nice change from the typical chicken salad, and will store in the fridge for several days.  I love to use a rotisserie chicken from the local market, but be sure to buy natural, organic chickens with minimal seasoning so you can void any hidden gluten.

Gluten free Curried Chicken Salad Ingredients:

2 cups chopped organic/natural rotisserie chicken

1 TB curry powder

1 cup organic mayo

1/4 cup diced apples

2 stalks chopped celery

Handful of raisins or dried cranberries

Salt + pepper to taste

Instructions: 

Mix a cup of mayo with a tablespoon of curry powder.

Add chopped rotisserie chicken, diced apples and celery and toss in some raisins for a sweet touch.

Season with s+p. Yum!

Notes: using a pre-cooked chicken, this meal should take less than 10 minutes. Serve on toasted gluten-free bread, in a lettuce wrap, or just enjoy plain, straight from the bowl. Store any leftovers in the fridge for several days.

Make sure all ingredients are ‪#‎organic‬ and ‪#‎gluten free‬ for best taste and even better health!

xo

Jen

gluten-free whoopie pie

The other morning I caught a glimpse of a whoopie pie on a cooking segment on The Today Show that made this gluten-free girl jealous. There aren’t many deserts that I miss since the cravings went away years ago, but when I saw this delicious double layer chocolate cake with a cream cheese frosting smooshed in the middle, I had to admit. I wanted some.

gluten-free whoopie pie

Then they said that you can make these vegan or gluten-free too. Seriously? Could it be this decadence from my past could be enjoyed today?  Given the creativity of chefs today who accommodate food allergies I was pretty sure it could be done. The only concern I had was how dense they may be, since gluten-free flours tend to end up pretty dense. At least, they do when we bake them 🙂

Gesine Bullock-Prado is pastry chef and author of “Let Them Eat Cake,” says yes. In the quick today Show segment, she made it through a couple of her favorite chocolate dessert recipes — including cookies, whoopie pies and chocolate zucchini bread — with instructions on how to modify each recipe to make it vegan, gluten-free or just all around healthier.

She offers recipe variations for gluten-free or vegan versions for the Whoopies, Chocolate Zucchini Bread and her “Big Winooski”, and dense chocolate cookie  that I’m pretty sure our son will love.

gluten-free chocolate zucchini breadHead over to the Today Show to check out her recipes and the vegan and gluten-free variations to try.

I think I’ll be starting with the Whoopies!

Enjoy,

Jen

 

paleo curried shrimp

Curried shrimp and spinach

I ran across this recipe last year and it was a hit on the first try. I added some mushrooms in with the onions while sautéing (I’m a BIG fan of sautéed mushrooms) so when it came to the point of blending the onions and mushrooms mixture I left some in the pan to eat whole with the shrimp, and blended the other half as instructed. Either way, it was a delicious meal, and super easy and quick to make thanks to some frozen, de-veined shrimp.

Easy and delicious… two of my favorite things 🙂

paleo curried shrimp

Ingredients (Serves 4)

  • 2 lbs shrimps, peeled and deveined
  • 2 tbsp ghee or coconut oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 tsp curry powder
  • 2 tsp tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup gluten-free chicken stock
  • 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
  • 2 tightly packed cups shredded spinach
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation

  1. Heat a large skillet over a medium-low heat and cook the onion in the ghee, butter or coconut oil until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes.
  2. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, stir in the curry powder and continue cooking for a minute.
  3. Place mixture in a blender or a food processor, add the tomato paste as well as the chicken stock and coconut milk. Process or blend until smooth.
  4. Pour the mixture back in the skillet and bring to a simmer.
  5. Add the shrimps and spinach and cook, covered, for about 5 minutes, until the shrimps are just cooked.

Paleo BBQ chicken meatballs

If you’re following the Paleo diet, you know how important prepping your meals ahead of time is. Otherwise you find yourself coming home from work,  starving, and grabbing whatever you can find to eat instead of taking the time to make a healthy meal. That basically means we spend our Sunday afternoons prepping meals for the week, especially ones that can reheat well and still be as good as they were when first made.

Like these guys.

I love meatballs. I can eat them on top of zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash or all by themselves. I like to make this BBQ version to change up the typical Italian meat sauce flavor and throw in a little Texas kick to our meals. You can use pork or beef as well, but chicken makes a great option and the flavors work so well together that we usually just stick with chicken. If you change it up at all, be sure to share so we can try your version too – Paleo love!

Paleo/Gluten-free Meatballs
1 lb Organic, ground chicken 
2-3 TBS flax meal (or coconut flour)
1 large free-range egg

Fresh garlic and basil make great additions, or you can season with Italian seasonings, salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.  Season to your liking – I use around a dash to 1/2 tsp for each spice.

Instructions:

  • Preheat cast iron skillet to medium-high heat, and grease with coconut, avocado or MCT oil (best for high heat cooking)
  • Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
  • Roll into golf ball size meatballs.
  • Drop meatballs carefully into the pan and allow to brown on each side for a few minutes.
  • Roll meatballs with wooden spoon so all sides are evenly cooked, or of approximately 15 minutes.
  • Reduce heat to low, and add BBQ sauce to the pan.
  • Simmer at low heat for an additional 10 minutes. Serve with extra sauce for dipping.
  • Enjoy!

 

 

Paleo BBQ chicken meatballs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s one of our favorite recipes for BBQ sauce…

Paleo BBQ Sauce

1 Tbsp Coconut oil
3 cloves mince garlic
1/2 medium-large sweet onion, minced
1 Tsp organic spicy/dijon mustard
1 Tsp smoked paprika
1 Tsp chipotle seasoning (optional)
1 Tsp cumin
1 1/4 Cup chicken broth(can also use veggie broth or plain water)
Juice of 1.5 limes

1.5 TBS Braggs or Coconut Aminos
6 oz can of ‘no salt added’ tomato paste

Instructions:

  • Heat coconut oil in a pan.
  • Add garlic and onions and saute till translucent/soft.
  • Add mustard, paprika, chipotle, cumin and continue to cook.
  • Add remaining ingredients and whisk till smooth.
  • Bring to a light boil, reduce to simmer and partially cover with lid.
  • Simmer 45 minutes and let cool.

Paleo BBQ chicken meatballs

Paleo Chocolate Chili

In an experiment to get my husband to try the Paleo lifestyle, I picked up copy of Well Fed and left it on the counter. It sat there for a while, untouched.

So I decided to make a grocery list using recipes from it, and then asked him for help with one of the meals for dinner that night. Surprisingly, that worked, because before I knew it he was flipping through the book, landed on a recipe he liked, and was in the kitchen prepping it in no time.

He’s really the cook in the house, though I tend to drive the choices we make. I would cook. I do cook. But he’s definitely better at it.

I can say that we’ve made our way through about 4 or 5 recipes in there so far, and every one of them has been amazing. I’ll share some pictures of our meals soon, but in the meantime if you’re looking for healthy (or Paleo) recipe options, you can’t go wrong with Well Fed. The author, Melissa, clearly lays out what to prep in advance, what her Paleo kitchen looks like, and how she makes living Paleo as easy as possible. Even if you’re not Paleo, the recipes in here are so delicious that you probably won’t miss the grains, gluten or dairy. Trust me.

Click the image below and head over to Amazon to pick up a copy on Prime. I hope you’re a Prime member. If not you should be – it’s probably the greatest value from any online company I can think of.  Oh, and start with the Pad Thai. You’re welcome.

   Paleo Chocolate Chili

21 Meals With Tons Of Protein And No Meat

Ran across this article for 21 Meals With Tons Of Protein And No Meat on buzz feed and had to share! I’m always looking for ways to add more protein to my diet without eating meat, and some of these look amazing. With at least 18 grams per serving, these meals give vegetarians, and those of us who just prefer not to eat too much meat, plenty of protein options!

Check out this one: Black Bean, Arugula, and Poached Egg Stuffed Sweet Potatoes – really?? I know what i’m having tomorrow for breakfast 🙂

Black Bean, Arugula, and Poached Egg Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Buzzfeed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click the image below to head over to Buzzfeed and plan your next fave meat-free meal….

 

21 Meals With Tons Of Protein And No Meat

Buzzfeed

zucchini burgers are gluten-free, paleo

Just ran across those guys thanks to Facebook, and I can’t wait to try them next week! One Lovely Life has created Chicken & Zucchini Poppers that are gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo and whole30 approved so just about anyone (other than my veg friends) can eat these too. Check out the recipe here and let me know if you get around to making them before I do!

I mean, come on… how good do these look??

zucchini burgers are gluten-free, paleo

I don’t know about you, but one of our challenges around here is getting our son off to school in the morning with a healthy, non processed breakfast without having to wake up an hour ahead of time to do so. 6:30 is plenty early as far as I’m concerned, and should be enough time to get us all out the door with a healthy breakfast, but the reality is I often fall short of that unless I’ve prepped ahead of time. 

Enter these fabulous little egg muffins we recently discovered! They can be made ahead of time, and stored for 3-4 days, are super easy to reheat and pack a powerful protein punch. Satisfying a Paleo, gluten free, dairy free diet, they’re delicious, healthy and convenient.

Perfectly inspired foods for a great start to the day – enjoy!

 

Paleo, gluten free Egg Muffins

Yield: 12 to 16 muffins

Serving Size: 1 muffin

Paleo, gluten free Egg Muffins

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/4 cup carrots, grated
  • 1/2 cup fresh spinach, chopped
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh basil, diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  • 10 – 12 pastured eggs

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
  2. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan with coconut oil
  3. In a medium bowl, combine red bell pepper, shredded carrots, spinach, and basil
  4. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, salt and pepper
  5. Add egg mixture to the veggie mixture and stir to combine
  6. Using a measuring cup or a ice cream scoop fill muffin cups with egg mixture being sure not to fill cups to the rim (about 1/4 to 1/3 cup in each cup)
  7. Bake the egg muffins for 20 to 25 minutes or until eggs are set in the middle
  8. Muffins can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days
http://inspiredeats.net/paleo-gluten-free-egg-muffins/

paleo sauces

Whether you’re new to a low sugar, gluten-free or Paleo diet or been at it for a while, figuring out how to spice up your dishes can be a daunting task. Sometimes we get bored or lazy when prepping food, or we simply just forget about those we loved. So to keep it all in one place, here are some of our favorites that we’ve discovered over the last few years.

These were modified from various cookbooks and online sites to fit our specific needs, so remember to always adjust seasoning to taste and adapt these to suit your needs and tastes as well. I often take them with me when we eat out, so be sure to invest in some good small containers to store individual servings in. Also, remember that these recipes won’t last as long as their store-bought versions since they’re preservative-free and will only last for a few weeks.

Enjoy! paleo sauces

 

Paleo Mayonnaise 

Paleo gluten, dairy, soy and preservative free mayonnaise recipe.
Makes 1 Cup
1 egg
1 TBSP Fesh lemon juice
1/4 Tsp Dry mustard
1/2 Cup Olive oil
1/2 Cup Flaxseed oil

Blend egg, lemon and mustard in blender for 3-5 seconds. Continue blending as you add oils. Blend till thick.
Store in air tight container for up to 5-7 days.

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