Paleo Truffle Bites...Chocolate Love!

This stuff is AMAZING!!! Tastes like nutty dark chocolate and I am all about dark chocolate anything!

Chris and the kids are quite happy to eat the yummy Paleo dishes I serve, but all of them threw world class hissy fits when they learned that Paleo meant NO sugar...which in their minds meant NO dessert! I reassured my sugar junkies that Paleo eating DID NOT mean no dessert (are you kidding me)...Rox without dessert is a bad thing...a very bad thing!

It is a must for me to have paleo friendly treats on hand for Chris...he has a tendancy to raid the pantry & fridge after dinner on a search for all things sugary sweet.

After an afternoon spent "pinning" (you know what I'm talking about), I found a recipe for Paleo Coconut Fudge from Kara over at The Primal Home blog (which is Amazing...great resource for the Paleo family)!!! I tweaked the original recipe a tad and here is my version which, as you can see is no longer called fudge...Chris said while it was really yummy, it had more of a ganache consistency and mouth feel...thus the Paleo Truffle bite was born! I am thinking about using this as a filling for a wonderful chocolate tart, maybe a pecan crust topped with chocolatey goodness...yes please!

Paleo Truffle Bites

3/4 cup raw almond butter*
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup cocoa powder


Line a 8x8" baking pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on sides of pan.
Put all ingriedents in a mixing bowl and stir well to thoroughly combine.
Pour fudge mxture into prepared pan and put in fridge until firm. Using the parchment "handles" lift from pan and cut into 1" squares. You can dust the squares with cocoa powder for a true truffle experience or leave them plain...either way, you are gonna love em!

*Raw almond butter has a crunchy, almost grainy texture (which I love), but if you prefer a smoother chocolate go ahead and use creamy almond butter.

Shepard's Pie Paleo Style

Shepard's Pie is one of my hubby's favorite dishes...he loves it! Traditional Shepard's Pie is not very Paleo friendly, in fact it is downright Paleo un-friendly :)

To keep my family from getting bored to tears with chicken (a Paleo staple), I started searching for Paleo versions of my fam's favorite recipes. I stumbled across Health-Bent..an awesome Paleo blog and there it was...Paleo Shepard's Pie. I have modified the original recipe (I can't help myself...I tweak every recipe I try). Here is my version and let me tell you...it was a huge hit! Chris loved it (had two helpings) and so did my kiddos...yes, even Mr. Picky Pants! My Tori girl had seconds too...made me know it was a keeper!

Shepard's Pie Paleo Style

1 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced mushrooms
1/2 large red bell pepper, seeded & diced
1/2 sweet onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef (grass fed is best)
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper
1 cup chicken stock, plus 3 tbsp extra for cauliflower topping
1 tbsp potato flour*
1/2 can organic tomato sauce
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 egg
1 tbsp organic butter, melted



Steam cauliflower until tender, about 18-20 minutes. Drain and put into mixing bowl. Mash cauliflower with potato masher until smooth. Add egg, chicken stock, melted butter, generous pinch salt and 1/4 tsp each Italian seasoning and fresh pepper. Stir until well combined, set bowl aside.

Go ahead and preheat oven to 400 at this point.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add remaining veg and reduce heat to medium low. Cook veg until tender and onions are golden brown. Using a spoon, push veg to outside of pan and place ground beef in middle of pan. Break up beef with back of spoon and return heat to medium. Add Italian seasoning, a generous pinch of salt and 1/2 tsp fresh pepper. Cook until beef is no longer pink and well browned. Stir frequently so veg doesn't burn. Whisk together chicken stock and potato flour in a shallow bowl (don't worry about the lumps, they disappear during cooking) Add slurry and 1/2 can tomato sauce to meat & veg, stirring to combine and scraping all those brown bits of yumminess off bottom of pan. Remove from heat, taste for seasoning and add more salt & pepper to taste. Spoon mixture into a 3 qt casserole dish. Dollop mashed cauliflower over meat & veg and smooth evenly over the top with back of spoon.

Place in preheated oven and bake for 10 mintues. Turn oven to broil and bake 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and let sit 5-7 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

* Bob's Red Mill brand potato flour can be found in the baking aisle at HEB, Whole Foods, Kroger.

Grilled Orange Chicken...A New Twist On A Chinese Take-Out Classic

Who doesn't love Orange Chicken??? My kids request it anytime we order Chinese. I found a recipe for a healthier Orange Chicken online recently and since my family is following more of a clean/paleo lifestyle, I tweaked the original and here is the end (cleaner/paleo friendly) result. The hubby and kiddos LOVED it...the only complaint...Tori ran out of yummy orange sauce to dip her chicken into (ooops...my bad)! I served this with roasted vegtables and fresh fruit.

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups orange juice (I used fresh squeezed, but store bought is cool too)
the zest from one large orange
2 tbsp dark sesame oil
4 tbsp soy sauce (I used Tamari Organic & Gluten Free soy)
3 tbsp honey
1 clove garlic, finely minced
pinch red chile flakes*

In a gallon ziploc, combine everything but chicken. Seal and shake to combine, add chicken breasts. Let marinate in fridge 8-24 hours.

When ready to cook, preheat grill to medium high heat. Remove chicken from baggie and grill until cooked through and juices run clear, 18-20 minutes. Turn chicken frequently to prevent burning.

While chicken is grilling, heat reserved marinade in a medium saucepan to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook until sauce is reduced and thickened, 10 minutes or so.

When chicken is cooked through remove from grill and brush a bit of the sauce over chicken. Serve with remaining sauce (my kids used it as dipping sauce). Enjoy!

*Chile flakes are optional...for no heat omit flakes...if you prefer more heat, add more flakes.

Paleo Burgers...Time To Fire Up Your Grill!

I made these delish burgers last night for dinner and the whole crew gave them a big old two thumbs up...gotta love that! Chris and I ate ours in true Paleo style with no bun and the kiddos had theirs on gluten free buns with all the fixings. I served these juicy burgers with fresh fruit and roasted veggies (will post recipe here too).

Paleo Burgers

2 lbs. lean ground beef (or Bison, Turkey...whatever makes you happy)
2 tbsp. Worchestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder

Preheat gas grill to medium high heat.

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and gently mix together. Using your hands, form into 6-8 patties (depending on how big/thick you like your burgers). Place on grill and cook 4-5 minutes per side for medium rare, turning only once. remove from grill and enjoy!

Roasted Veggies

1 cup cauliflower florets
1 cup broccoli florets
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into thin strips
handful of sliced mushrooms
1 cup sliced zucchini or yellow squash
1 cup brussels sprouts, halved
olive oil
Your fave seasonings, salt and pepper*
Preheat oven to 425.

In a large mixing bowl, toss veg, a few tbsp olive oil and seasonings to coat veg. Pour onto large baking sheet (too keep from overcrowding, you can use two pans)...if Roast in oven 30 minutes.

* I love using Konriko Greek Seasoning blend right now...tastes delish and eliminates the need for extra salt and pepper. I also like using minced herbs, a pinch of red pepper flakes and salt and pepper...use what you love :)