MMMmmm.. Bacon!

I LOVE BACON!

Ok.. I will calm down now :)

I only buy nitrate free bacon, which is hard to come by here unless I travel 40 minutes to an hour to the nearest Target or Whole Foods.  So, between the travel time and it being pretty costly,  its kind of a luxury around here.

We went to Whole Foods the week prior and I picked up a pack.  It sat in my fridge all week staring at me... just waiting for me to do something delicious.  So, for my bible study group, I figured I would make a yummy appetizer.  Ever go on pinterest and put "Bacon Appetizer" in the search engine???? Yeah, don't do that unless you want to be starving on the spot... for bacon!! lol

After tons of searching nothing was really reaching out to me besides some Bacon covered sweet potatoes.  That and a desire to have some blue cheese made me think of my newest appetizer.

Bacon Covered Chipotle Sweet Potatoes with Blue Cheese Sauce.

OHHH It was good, and pretty easy to make too!

Oh, and my potatoes are white because I used Japanese Sweet Potatoes 

Bacon Covered Chipotle Sweet Potatoes with Blue Cheese Sauce

For Potatoes:

2 Medium Sweet potatoes

1 Lb of Bacon 

2 TB Butter

1/2 TSP chipotle Chili Powder 

2 TSP Salt 

For Blue Cheese Sauce: 

1/2 c. Coconut milk (not canned)

1 TB Butter

1 TB White Wheat Flour 

2 Oz. Blue Cheese 

Dash of salt

Optional:  Honey

Directions: 

- Preheat oven at 350

-  Cut potatoes into bite size chucks. I quarter my potatoes into quarters length wise and then those quarters into fourths.  

-  Cut each strip of bacon into fourths. 

-  Melt butter in a sauce pan and stir in the chipotle powder and salt.

-  Toss potatoes in the butter mixture and then wrap bacon around potato, laying on the cookie sheet seam side down.  

-  Place in oven for 20 minutes

- Take out and flip over also placing a tooth pick through each of them to secure bacon from coming off (Sweet potato is too dense to stick the tooth pick in before you put them in the oven). 

-  Cook for another 20 minutes or until bacon is crispy and potatoes are tender.  

- While potatoes are cooking make blue cheese sauce.  Melt butter in a sauce man and whisk in flour. 

-  Cook the flour for 1-2 minutes stirring constantly.  Whisk in coconut milk until it is blended through. 

-  Simmer the mixture until it is thickened.  Take off heat and whisk in blue cheese until it has melted into the mixture.  Serve along side the potatoes.  

Optional:  Drizzle honey over the bacon wrapped sweet potatoes when serving 

Let me know if you make it!! :)  

Don't forget to check me out on Facebook for more recipes, motivation, and clean eating tips!! 

www.facebook.com/acleanappeite 

Potsticker Meatballs Please!

I have probably the best hubby out there.. 

I was in NO MOOD to cook.. but was having a hankering for asian food and I found a pin on pinterest for some potsticker meatballs and I was sold!  So, I batted some puppy dog eyes at the hubby and asked him if he would make them for me.  :)  He did, with no whining.. he's awesome! 

These suckers are AWESOME and were so great for my 10 month old which right now only has 2 bottom teeth.  I just pinched off little pieces and he gobbled them up, along with the baked sweet potato.  My 4 year old daughter also found them yummy! 

I adapted my recipe from  Saving Dinner since I didnt have everything for it.  

This is my version :)  

Potsticker Meatballs 

1 pound ground turkey
2 small carrots, grated
2 tablespoons Mrs. Dash Onion and Herb Seasoning 
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Gluten Free Soy Sauce
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger root
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Pinch red pepper flakes
1/4 cup almond flour
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons coconut oil

The original recipe calls for cilantro, and I was sad we didnt have that, cause it would have made a great addition! 

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix together all the ingredients except for the coconut oil. Scoop out a little of the mixture at a time to roll into medium sized meat balls. Lay the meat balls out on a clean sheet pan.

In a large skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Brown the meat balls in batches on all sides. Remove the browned meatballs with a slotted spoon and place back on the sheet pan.

Once all the meatballs have been browned place the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through. Remove from the oven and serve.

I served ours with baked Japanese sweet potatoes and steamed snap peas!

ENJOY!  

Wine and Cheese Please!

I have recently started a bible study group at my house.  Its a great "mommy's night out".  The hubbies take the kids and we get to chat, relax, unwind, and get a little closer to God.  I love my Friday nights!  The first time we met we did a Dessert and Wine theme and this time we did Cheese and Wine theme..  See a trend here?  ;)  I really think I could do a cheese theme every time!  I LOVE CHEESE!! Yes, its not paleo, but its ok to indulge now and again.. even if its going to bloat me to where I feel like I look like Im 5 months pregnant! lol  Its worth that yummy goodness!

We all picked a cheese and I went with goat cheese!  After searching pinterest awhile, I came across several recipes that looked great and easy (Simple is the name of the game with 2 kids) so I combined the different ingredients I liked out of them and made my own!

I introduce to you, Baked Goat Cheese with Toasted Walnuts, Honey, and Thyme! 

Absolutely delicious and there was NONE left by the time we ended!  

5 oz of Goat Cheese 

(I got the spreadable kind but thats not necessary) 

Walnuts

Honey

Fresh Thyme 

Preheat oven to 400

• Chop the walnuts until they are in smaller pieces.  Place them in a frying pan over medium heat stirring frequently until the walnuts are toasted.  Usually when you begin to smell them.
• Place the goat cheese in an oven safe dish.  Place the dish in the preheated oven.  Take out when the cheese is warmed through.  I had it in for about 15-20 min.  (times vary) 
• Take the cheese out and sprinkle with the fresh thyme leaves, toasted walnuts, and drizzle honey.  YOU'RE DONE! 

I served with toasted baguette slices.  Just slice, bread drizzle with EVOO, and rub each slice with a garlic clove that has been cut in half.  Place on baking sheet and broil till edges are lightly brown. 

Let me know what you think! 

Best Paleo Pizza Ever!!

I have tried quite a few different recipes for paleo crusts.  Mostly of the cauliflower kind and while I do love those too, cauliflower makes such a mess!  So I came across this recipe and I'm sold!! 

http://paleospirit.com/2014/barbecue-chicken-pizza-paleo-pizza-crust/

My daughter joined me in making the pizza and we were so amazed at how easy it was!  I even had all the ingredients on hand, so I didn't need to get anything special!  It's a great recipe to get the kids in the kitchen with you!  The crust was very pliable and could be held like a regular pizza.  No knifes and forks.. Just pick up and go! 

 I followed it to a tee with the toppings. Thinly sliced onions, BBQ sauce, chopped cilantro and I just used some rotisserie chicken.  I know cheese isn't technically paleo, but the Gouda cheese was a great touch!  A little goes a log way!  

This is seriously the best paleo pizza crust I have ever made!  We are even thinking about making it for a second night in a row! :) 

Thinking next time I might go Greek style.

Chicken, olives, roasted red peppers, red onion, pizza sauce, Wildree Greek seasoning, and feta!  YUM!  

Southwestern Shepard's Pie

A New Creation is born... :)

I have been getting a little creative in the kitchen lately.  I am trying to use up all the food I have before I go grocery shopping again.  I really want to cut back on wasting too much money on food I just let go to waste.  So, today I noticed I had 3 plantains (1 ripe, 2 unripe) and I really wanted to use them up.  I have made tostones in the past and also grilled plantains, but I wanted something different and something that wouldn't be time consuming.. cause my little one can get cranky toward the evening.  So this is what I came up with...

Please take in consideration, I threw this together.  You can really customize this to you and what you have available in your fridge and pantry.  Im also guessing at the measurements cause I didn't measure anything at the time of making it.. although I did eyeball what it looked like.

Southwestern Shepard's Pie

Ingredients:

For the ground beef mixture
1 lb ground beef
1 packet of Frontera Chipotle-Lime Fajita Skillet Sauce
2 TB of tomato Paste
1 TB of chopped cilantro

For the plantain mixture
3 plantains (1 ripe, 2 unripe)
1/3 c. Canned coconut milk (full fat)
1 c. chicken stock
salt

Toppings:  (Optional)
Cheese
Avocado
Salsa

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 375
Grease a 9 by 9 baking dish.. or any small square baking dish

1.  Brown the ground beef and then stir in the fajita sauce and tomato paste.  Let the sauce thicken up and then stir in the cilantro right before you add the meat mixture to the baking dish.

2.  For the plantains, peel the unripe plantains and cut into chunks.  Add the plantains to a saucepan and add the chicken stock.  Add enough water to cover the top of the plantains.  Bring to a boil, and boil till the plantains are fork tender.  For mine, at this point there was not much liquid in the pan so I just mashed the plantains in the liquid.  It soaked it up pretty quick.  Mash the plantains really good.   Add in the ripe plantain and mash through.  Then stir in the coconut milk. Season with salt.

3.  Add the ground beef mixture to the baking dish and spread the mashed plantains on top.  I also sprinkled a little cheese on top too.

4.  Put in the oven for about 30 min or until the liquid is bubbling along the edges of the pan

Please let me know if you make this!! It was SO GOOD!  My hubby even told me I need to make it again! :)

Cauliflower hummus and Zoodle Sauce

It's the last week of Whole30 and I've gone so far without potlucks or parties until now!  My daughter's preschool graduation party was coming up. So naturally I scoured Pinterest to see what I could find and there really wasn't too many kid friendly ones that interested me.  I finally came upon a cauliflower hummus recipe and decided to give it a try.  It turned out awesome!  I used the recipe in the link provided.  I did add a red bell pepper to the food processor too! 

Good thing I decided to make food I could eat cause I was super limited!  The only other thing there I could eat were apple and pear slices and the guacamole I made.  

I also found a delicious way to use this hummus as a sauce and that's the whole reason I decided to blog about it!  It is kid and hubby approved. The hubby even took the leftovers for lunch today! 

http://andloveittoo.com/roasted-red-pepper-paleo-hummus/

Hummusy Zoodles 

1 tb olive oil 

3 zucchinis julienned or spirialized 

8oz mushrooms 

1 can diced tomatoes 

1/2 c cauliflower hummus 

2 c. Chopped cooked meat ( we used some smoked pork we had but anything would really do good in it)

Super Easy!

Slice mushrooms and sautéed them with the cooked meat in the olive oil till cooked through. 

Then add the zoodles with the can of diced tomatoes. Bring it to a boil and let simmer till the zoodles are soft. Stir in the hummus and let everything heat through.

 

And that's it!! Yes, seriously... That's it! 

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!  Gotta get creative with Whole30!! 

Whole30 Approved Simple "Ketchup"

You know what I miss most doing the Whole30?? (Well besides my wine..wah!) I miss my dips!  I'm a dipping person. Love my ketchups, mustards, And BBQ sauces.  Yes, there are some recipes out there but I always seem to forget about them until I need them.  So here is a little concoction I threw together tonight and it's only 4 ingredients.  Super fast if you already have paleo mayo made (mine is from the well-fed cookbook). 

Ingredients:

(Measurements can be played around with to fit your tastebuds)

2 tbs paleo mayo

2 tbs whole grain mustard 

Dash of hot sauce (according to taste)

1 tbs of tomato sauce

Just mix together really well and let sit for about an hour for flavors to really meld together.  Even tasted great with our sweet potato fries! 

Want a simple sweet potato fry recipe? 

1. Cut up sweet potatoes into fries

2. Place in ziplock bag and put some olive oil, garlic powder, Mrs. dash onion and herb, salt, and paprika 

3.  Shake bag till everything is coated. 

4. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 min at 420 degrees or until fork goes in easily.  

Dinner was delicious and I was able to dip! 

         (Burger is on portobello bun)

It was even hubby approved!  He's such a sport for doing the Whole30 with me! 

My Whole30 Wrap Up!

What a wonderful 30 days!! 

Yes, that first week was torture but once you get past that "hangover week" it gets much much better! In fact I felt amazing!  So much energy, face cleared up, and my digestive system has never worked better!  

Its hard to believe this was me just 4 months ago!  The whole30 really helped with this last couple pounds to get back to my pre preggo size.  Granted, my composition has changed, so I still have lots of toning and muscle building to do to really get to where I was at.  

I wanted to share some of the recipes and tips that really helped to simplify the diet.  Lets face it, I have 2 kids now, newborn and preschooler... I am still learning how to take care of both.  Its so much different having 2 versus 1!   Got to hand it to all the moms of multiples out there.. its no joke!  

What did my daily food log look like?  VERY SIMPLE! 

Breakfast:  Usually eggs scrambled with leftover veggies and meat from the night before and avocado.. I love avocado!!! 
Lunch:  Salad with veggies and meat
Dinner:  Grilled meat, veggies, and sweet potatoes  
PWO:  I had shakeology with a banana (sometimes almond butter) and water 

(Yes, I know that Shakeology is not 100% compliant, but the benefits outweigh any reasoning to cut it out.  I have seen it help with so many medical conditions ... it is part of my lifestyle!  Plus, the vegan is dairy free, gluten free, no preservative, artificial fillers or sweeteners, sweetened with juice and stevia, contains over 70 super foods, and nothing in the drink is synthetically made.. all from whole food sources) 

My Fave Recipes...  

 (honestly I wouldn't call them recipes, Im a throw things together type of person)  

Coconut Mashed Sweet Potatoes  

Mine might look a little different.  Here in Hawaii there are lots of Japanese sweet potatoes so that is what I use. They are white inside instead of traditional orange.  They are really good!  So how do I make this delicious recipe?  Too easy!  Cook the potatoes like you would for regular mashed potatoes and then while mashing them, add some full fat coconut milk and mix it in!  TA DA!!  This is my daughters FAVORITE side dish and the first thing she eats.   Know what else is good?  Take any leftovers the next morning and make a patty out of it.  Pan fry it and top it with an over easy egg... or as I call it a "dippy" egg! :)  Delish!! 

My Asian Marinade 

Yeah.. this isn't rocket science! lol 

Like I said.. I throw things together.  This marinade works well with pretty much any type of meat.  During the diet I used it on chicken, steak, and ahi tuna.  They all turned out yummy!  

In a ziploc bag combine;

2 cloves of garlic minced

3 TB of coconut aminos

2 Tsp.  sesame oil 

1 TB minced ginger 

Toss the meat in and let marinate for at least an hour.  Longer is better!  Too easy right?  The amounts of the ingredients can really be played around with too! 

Probably one of the hardest things for me to follow on the diet is... no wine!  Wahhh!! :)

I am a water drinker so that wasn't too bad.  I also added some green tea and dandelion tea to my diet to give a little change of pace.  A cup of dandelion tea at night was very relaxing plus its a great liver detox.  

I also ordered myself some bulletproof coffee!  I love it!  A very smooth coffee that doesn't upset my stomach at all! 

A great tool I think everyone should have is a vegetable spiralizer.  I have a little hand held one I bought off of amazon that works great with making some zucchini noodles.  This helped to make some great spaghetti!  Yum!! 

There are a couple other recipes that I plan on implementing this time around that should help me out even more!  They are all found in the cookbooks Practical Paleo and Well Fed!  Really recommend checking those out!! 

So yes.. round 1 was down now on to round 2!! 

Know whats even better?  I get to share the ups and downs with a bunch of amazing women in my challenge group.  I seriously don't know how I succeed in anything before I came upon challenge groups.  It helps SO MUCH having people who are doing exactly what you're doing and being able to share our good and bad days together!!! 

Best believe I had that glass of wine after that last round of Whole30.. just happened to be my hubby's birthday too! :)