by Mandi | feature, recipes
As I continue on my new paleo lifestyle with The Mister, we are always looking for new recipes. Snacks have been a little hard – I can only eat so much fruit and almonds people!
I was talking with a friend the other day that started paleo a few months ago and he had this ahh-mazing looking granola mixture. I stopped him because all oats are not allowed and I had to know more. Turns out the oat looking things were actually slivered almonds.. He let me taste it, I fell in love and the rest is history!
Ahh-mazing Paleo Granola
Ingredients
- 5 cups nuts and seeds – I used 2 1/2 cups of slivered almonds, 1 cup pecans, 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, 1/2 cup flax seeds, 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds. Make sure to use 2-3 cups of slivered almonds as these take the place of oats. Make sure all nuts are unsalted and organic
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup organic grade B maple syrup
- 1/3 cup coconut oil – coconut oil comes in wax form. Remove the lid and heat in microwave for 1 min. Coconut oil is Jenn’s fav!
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 3/4 cup organic raisins
- 1/2 cup unsweetened dried fruit. I used blueberries
Directions
- Line a baking sheet with wax paper and Preheat your oven to 350.
- Combine nuts and fruit in large bowl, drizzle on oil, and mix to coat the mixture.
- Put the honey, syrup and seasonings into a small skillet pan on med-low heat until everything is mixed together. The longer you heat it, the crunchier it will be.
- Add the nut and fruit mixture to the skillet and stir everything to coat. (This reminded me of stirring rice-crispy treats – it will be a little sticky).
- Pour the entire mixture onto the lined baking sheet and bake in the over for 15-25 minutes. Everything will start to get a golden brown color.
- Immediately after removing the mixture from the oven, transfer it to a new bowl to begin the cooling process in the refrigerator. Make sure you take a few bites while it is warm though – just trust me – it will change a small part of your life!
- Enjoy, snack, have as dessert, have as breakfast, send with your kids, send with your Mister. It is healthy, it is paleo and it is AHH-MAZING.
by Mandi | recipes
2013 has brought new beginnings. New healthier beginnings.
I am putting more focus on healthier foods, getting more sleep, and getting more exercise. To jumpstart us off, the mister and I have agreed to three months of eating very healthy. No grains and no diary, basically the Paleo diet. It has actually been a lot of fun trying new recipes and cooking together. Below is one of our favorites yet.
Bacon and Pork Bite-Size Medallions with Mustard Drizzle
Ingredients
- MEDALLIONS
- 1 pork tenderloin
- 6 slices of bacon (you may need more depending on tenderloin size)
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
- salt and pepper to taste
- toothpicks to hold meat in place
- MUSTARD SAUCE
- 3/4 c yellow mustard
- 1/2 c honey
- 1/4 c apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon stevia or truvia sweetner
- 2 teaspoons tamari sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 375.
- Prepare the mustard dip by combining all ingredients together in a bowl and mix well. Make 24 hours ahead of time for best flavor.
- Set aside 1 c of the mustard sauce to use as the drizzle.
- Cut the tenderloin into 1/4 inch strips that are about the width of bacon. Lay the strip flat and then layer one slice of bacon on the strip of tenderloin. Start on one end and roll both into a pinwheel or medallion. Secure with two toothpicks.
- Cut the medallions in half to make two smaller medallions.
- Mix together the pecans, salt and pepper.
- Dip the medallions in the mustard and then coat with the pecan mixture. Lay on a baking sheet that has been lined with wax paper.
- Cook on each side for 7-8 minutes each, drizzle with the cup of mustard that was set to the side and serve.
These would be great for an appetizer or a finger food for your next party, but we used them as the main course for our meal. We also made sauteed garlic spinach, sauteed mushrooms and a side salad with homemade lemon garlic dressing.
If you think these look great, you should try some of our other recipes: chicken pot pie cupcakes / guilt free recipes / carrot and fennel soup
by Mandi | recipes
In 2013 I am making a real effort to get healthy. Last year I chose simple eating over healthy eating and it is time to stop!
For New Years we went to a friends house with a few others and had an amazing family style dinner. I was tasked with bringing the sides and was really happy with how they turned out. I made “Healthy Mashed Potatoes” and “Lemon Rosemary Asparagus”.
With the Mashed Potatoes – I substituted whole/dairy milk with Almond Milk (I used So Delicious) and butter with soy free/ dairy free butter (I used Earth Balance). They turned out really great and no one could tell the difference without the bad fats.
HEALTHY MASHED POTATOES RECIPE
- INGREDIENTS
- 10 lbs of yellow potatoes (you could use yukon)
- 4-5 garlic cloves
- 1/2 of an onion (I used yellow)
- Almond Milk to taste (this is to smooth it out)
- Dairy Free Butter to taste – I used about 6 spoonfulls for 10 lbs of potatoes.
- Salt to taste (I used Pink Himalayan Salt – You can read about why it is healthier here)
- Pepper to taste
- DIRECTIONS
- Wash and peal the potatoes – cut the potatoes in quarters and add to boiling salted water
- Add minced garlic and chopped onion to potatoes in the water
- Once the potatoes are soft, drain from the water and add to serving dish
- Mash your potatoes and add milk to get the consistency you like
- Add butter, salt and pepper to taste
Next was the Lemon Rosemary Asparagus. This was so light and fresh and I think everyone really liked it!
LEMON ROSEMARY ASPARAGUS RECIPE:
- INGREDIENTS
- 2 Bunches of Asparagus
- 1 Lemon
- A few bunches of Rosemary
- Olive Oil
- Salt (I again used the Pink Kimalayan)
- Pepper (I used the larger crushed pepper to add texture)
- DIRECTIONS
- Turn oven on 400 degrees
- Line a baking sheet with wax paper
- Wash and prepare asparagus (see more on this below) – line out on wax paper
- Drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste
- Thinly cut lemon and lay on top of asparagus
- Add rosemary to asparagus
- Bake for 8-10 minutes and then carefully flip asparagus over. Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes and serve immediately.
Ok – finally my trick to perfect asparagus. If you bend a stalk of asparagus, it has a breaking point. It will break right at the point of where it starts getting tough. Perfect Asparagus every time!
