It’s been a long time since I posted a new article, but in my absence, the world has been doing a lot of changing. What hasn’t changed, is E.J. and my commitment to paleo eating, and we’ve been relying quite a bit on the favorites we’ve accumulated over the last few years and put over on the Favorite Recipes page to keep us on track even in the strangest of times.

You may have noticed one or two additions in the last year or so on that favorites page – and even a few that have disappeared. Unfortunately, the Internet is a fluid thing, so when I detect that a favorite recipe has disappeared from its original host, I’ve been posting my own copy of the recipe so my friends can continue to use this site as a hub for tried-and-true Paleo recipes.

As far as sticking to the plan goes, we’ve been pretty good…. I’ll admit to enjoying more than a few non-compliant glasses of wine over the last 6 months, and we may have leaned a little heavier on the Paleo chocolate chip cookies, but overall we’ve been able to basically maintain or at least only experience minimal backsliding into old habits.

That being said, we managed to enjoy a socially-distanced 2 week vacation where we overlanded/car camped up one side of the Rocky Mountains and down the other side, and that much sitting over that long a time is bound to put on a few pounds. So, we are now going into the 4th week of another Whole 30, and things are starting to right themselves in our health and weight again.

In fact, I think we’ve really upped our game when it comes to Whole 30 meals this time, and I’ve discovered some new recipes that I think are worth sharing with my fellow paleo peeps because they’re so healthy and don’t compromise on flavor, so here goes:

Buffalo Meatballs (Whole30, Keto, Paleo)

Hang in there, everyone!

Well folks, I’m 3 days from finishing up this latest Whole30… E.J. and I decided to tackle another one for June, and I’ve almost made it to the end.  Yes, it was really hard at the beginning, but I’ve lost about 5 lbs, my clothes all fit better, and I’m glad I did it.

Interestingly, the last 2 weeks of this one was accomplished with EJ out of town on his annual training exercise at Fort Hood for the National Guard.  I wasn’t sure if it would be easier or harder without him, but I actually found it to be fairly easy with this latest recipe I found which he would hate… you see, E.J. believes cheese does not belong on hamburgers… and I think, he’s nuts.

So, this was the perfect opportunity to try Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole… and I’m sooooo glad I did.  The flavor is amazing, and while I’ve actually eaten it several different ways, the picture above is my favorite.  A bed of lettuce, warm casserole, and a fried egg to crown it.   Even though this is called a casserole, it’s more like the consistency of Hamburger Helper (which is also a long time favorite of mine), and the cheese sauce is so tasty, I have half a mind to serve it like queso dip for one of our weekend get-togethers this summer.

I know, I know… “nutritional yeast” as a cheese flavoring sounds absolutely awful, but I’m really glad I got past that and tried it anyway.   I can’t wait to have it again tonight for dinner!

Hey guys, I don’t know if the rest of the country is feeling it, but we’ve had a steady run of highs in the mid to upper 90’s down here in Houston since E.J. and I returned from vacation.  I’m not generally a fan of the heat – my idea for surviving June-September is simply moving between A/C and the pool, but warmer temperatures do mean it’s time for grilled meats and fresh summer produce.  The strawberries we’re getting in the stores this year are amazing, and I’m looking for new ways to incorporate fresh fruits and veggies into some lighter dishes.

Here are some of the summery dishes we’ve really enjoyed recently:

• Sweet Potato Salad – this one has been on my Favorites page for awhile, but it continues to be a crowd pleaser.  I broke this out for EJ’s National Guard leaders when they came over one evening during their Annual Training and they all loved it.
• Asparagus Basil Salad – As a Whole30 compliant side dish, this one is amazing.  I served it as a side for Prociutto wrapped Cod.  The dijon mustard and spices blend well with the avocado and tomatoes, and I’m sure this will be making several more appearances this summer.
• Coconut Lime Chicken – I used the Instant Pot method for this recipe and was pleasantly surprised… the flavors are a bit different than what I’m used to, but with enough salt to balance the sour and spicy, it’s really, really good.  I will definitely make this again.
• Spinach and Strawberry Salad – I’ve been making this one for awhile, and it’s a great use of those fresh strawberries I mentioned. I like to top it with pecan or walnut oil and a blueberry or date balsamic vinegar.

Enjoy!

I can’t believe spring is already here – well, here in Houston, at least.  I think it was 50 degrees in Dallas today, but a high of 81 here…

Anyway, we had a lovely Easter break, complete with some relaxation with a fishing trip out in Galveston Bay on Friday, and a good old fashioned fish fry on Saturday.  If you’ve ever wanted to try some paleo fried fish, we’ve pretty much decided the perfect recipe is a half & half mix of cassava and almond flour, dredged in egg (or not, still works), and served with this tartar sauce.  We managed to catch some black drum fish during this trip, so I also made some of the pecan butter sauce from this recipe to top the fish, and it was fantastic.

Then of course, we shared an Easter meal with our friends and family on Sunday, which is another opportunity to try out some new recipes (and feature some old ones).  Fortunately, Easter is a little easier than some of the winter holidays since we’ve all pretty much settled on ham as the main course (and I can serve it cold).

Here are the rest of the dishes we served for the big meal:

• Green Bean Casserole 2 – This is the most recent paleo version of the classic recipe I’ve used, and this time I took even more shortcuts by skipping the blending step on the mushroom soup and just sauteeing the bacon and onions without the messy battering and frying.  Fortunately it still got rave reviews even with my cut corners
• Creamed Spinach – I used this recipe as a starting point, and subbed out the regular flour with a smaller amount of coconut flour for a keto-friendly side dish with tons of flavor.
• Sausage Cream Cheese Dip Mushrooms – Ok, this dish was just heavenly.  I’m a big fan of stuffed mushrooms any way I can get them, but this cheesy version is just out of this world.  I used coconut flour (small amount) as a sub for panko to keep it keto, but I think you could use almond flour or crushed pork rinds also.  I’m adding this one to the favorites list.
• Cheddar Garlic Biscuits – this one is still awesome.  We discovered it several weeks ago when we made these to go with a lobster dinner with friends.  Total new favorite – so easy to make and so delicious
• Paleo Lemon Tart – OMG, this one is amazing.  It has quite a bit of honey in it, so it’s definitely a “special occasion” sort of dessert, but is quite pretty and got 2 thumbs up by everyone who tried it.

We rounded out the meal with deviled eggs and a paleo sweet potato casserole provided by my friend Anita, and enjoyed every bite.  It’s funny – now that I’ve gotten used to paleo/keto cooking, I really don’t miss the old favorites anymore.  There’s no doubt that it’s easier to whip together the old Campbell’s green beans and some sugary desserts, but everything that was served had so much flavor, I just can’t see myself ever going back.

The danger here, of course was still in quantities on my plate and the glasses of wine I managed to enjoy throughout the weekend, but all in all I came out ok.  I got my workout in this morning (Monday) and plan to get in 3 full running sessions this week and watch my carbs more closely to compensate.