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 :)

Red Velvet Cake...A Southern Favorite

This makes a wonderful addition to your dessert table...whether you choose to make a cake or cupcakes...it's all good!

½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
2 ounces red food coloring
2 tbsp cocoa (generous tbsp)
1 cup buttermilk
2 ¼ cups cake flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp white vinegar

Pre-heat oven to 350.

In stand mixer fitted with paddle, cream butter, sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. In a seperate bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, salt and baking soda. Turn mixer off and add food coloring. On low speed blend into creamed mixture. Turn speed to medium and add buttermilk and flour mixture, alternating the two and ending with flour. Add vinegar and vanilla and mix to combine 1-2 minutes. Pour batter into prepared 8" round cake pans. Bake 25-30 minutes, checking for doneness starting at 25 minutes. Remove cakes from oven and let cool completely before frosting with your fave cream cheese frosting.

*To make cupcakes...bake for 18-20 minutes.

Quick Breakfast Kolaches

My kids love, love, love kolaches for breakfast...especially from Shipley's! I on the other hand am not really fond of schlepping to Shipley's on school mornings...this is why the quick kolache was born! I am sure this is not a new idea...Moms everywhere probably make these tasty breakfast treats already :) The kids keep bugging me to post my quick kolaches on the blog...so here you go.

1 tube crescent roll dough
2 slices cheese, cut into quarters - use your fave cheese
8 slices deli ham or 8 Eckridge breakfast links

Preheat oven to 375.

On a baking sheet, lay out crescent rolls with wide end facing you. Place one cheese quarter in middle of each roll. Top with a rolled up slice of ham or one sausage link. Fold wide end of roll over filling and roll up. Reapeat with all rolls.

Bake 11-13 minutes, until golden brown.

My Family's New Fave Meatballs

You know you have a dinner winner when your thirteen year old is physically dissappointed when he finds out there are no more Paleo meatballs in the fridge! I have followed Clean eating as well as the Paleo lifestyle for awhile, but really got serious when my sweet hubby, Chris got sick. Ankylosising Spondolytis made me really change the way I cook for my family. I began really researching the realtionship between food and inflammation/health. Taking cues from both Clean and Paleo eating, I started adding more and more "super foods" (kale, spinach, papaya, flax, etc) and removing those inflammatory foods (gluten, dairy, red meat, processed foods, sugar etc). Don't get me wrong...we still love and eat juicy rib eyes, buttermilk chicken tenders and cupcakes! I have just tipped the scales towards more clean/paleo dinners. I found the original recipe for these AMAZING meatballs on Pinterest. I "cleaned them up a tad"..swapped out the ground beef and pork sausage & used olive oil instead of bacon grease. Here is the end result. The whole family is in love with these gems...and that makes for one happy mom!

Clean Paleo Meatballs

1 1/4 lb package ground turkey breast
1 package sweet turkey Italian sausages, casings removed ( 6 links)
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
2 eggs
2 tbsp ground flax seed*
1/2 cup Almond meal*
1 tbs Italian seasoning
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper

In a medium skillet heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Saute onions until soft, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and saute another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool 10 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground turkey, sausage, eggs, flax meal, almond meal, Italian seasoning,onions & garlic, a generous pinch of salt and 1 tsp pepper. Gently combine mixture with hands until well mixed. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Using a tablespoon, shape meat mixture into 2" meatballs, place in pan and saute until well browned and cooked through,turning meatballs frequently about 15-20 minutes. Transfer meatballs to a plate and continue cooking remaining meatballs. Enjoy!

*You can find both flax and almond meal in the baking aisle at HEB. I use Bob's Red Mill brand.

Chicken Pot Pie with Cheddar Cheese Crust

My sweet girl Tori LOVES chicken pot pie...it is one of her top dinner requests! This pie not only tastes amazing, feeds a HUGE crew, but could not be any simpler to put together. The "Super Mom" shortcuts get dinner on the table fast(with out sacrificing taste or nutrition)! If you aren't feeding a crowd, divide the filling mixture into two 8x8" pans, top each with a crust and stick the extra one in the freezer for later.

For The Crust

2 Pilsbury Ready Made Pie Crusts (one box)
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 tbsp half & half

For The Filling

1 Rotisserie Chicken, deboned and shredded*
3 cups chicken stock (homemade or store bought is fine)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion diced
6 stalks celery, chopped
5 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup diced carrots
8 oz white mushrooms, sliced
small can sweet peas, drained
7 tbsp flour (white or wheat)
1/2 cup white wine
2/3 cup half & half
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter with olive oil. Add onions, celery, thyme, carrots, mushrooms and 1 tsp kosher salt & 1/2 tsp pepper. Stir and cook until veg is softened, about 6 minutes. Add flour, stir to coat veg and cook 2 minutes more. Add wine and cook until wine is almost evaporated, 1-2 minutes. Add chicken stock, half & half, poultry seasoning and garlic powder, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and peas. Stir, taste and correct seasoning with salt and pepper. Pour filling into a 13x9" baking pan. Set aside.

Roll both crusts out onto large cutting board (or clean countertop), overlapping in center. Using a rolling pin, roll crusts into a rectangle (roughly 15x11" in size). Fold in half and carefully lay crust over baking dish, unfold to cover filling. Press crust down to seal in filling and fold excess crust into baking dish. Pinch between thumb and finger to create edge. Brush crust with 1 tbsp half & half. Sprinkle with cheese and create 3-4 slits in crust with sharp knife. Bake pie 35 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown. Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes before serving.

*You can use a rotisserie chicken, leftover roasted chicken or even that leftover holiday turkey.