Do you listen to Podcasts?  I’m currently addicted to them and they help my day at work go by a little more quickly, always a plus!  As I work away I plug my ears and listen the latest podcasts from my very favorites in the Paleo world.  Always great information! 

Here are some of the podcast I listen to regularly:

Balanced Bites Podcast

Underground Wellness Podcast

Robb Wolf Podcast

Chris Kresser

In a recent podcast from Balanced Bites, Diane spoke to Karen Pendergrass from Paleo Approved and I can’t even begin to tell you the interesting stuff in this talk.  It’s scary to think of what is on our shelves and what we think is “good” but in reality not good at all.  One of the things that stood out the most in the podcast was the talk about how grass-fed beef is labeled at the stores. So you see grass-fed and you think good, right?  In Karen’s talk I learned that if the beef is not labeled 100% grass-fed then it’s not truly grass-fed.  Ok, if you knew this I apologize for being so behind the game.  You have to remember it was only recently I start to purchase beef again.  Anywho, finding this out made me mad.  Shame on me for believing those signs in my local Whole Foods!  The reality is in the last 3 months they feed the cow corn and grain….so real…. it’s not 100% grass-fed.  So all this time when I head to Whole Foods and pick up grass-fed beef…..thinking it is 100%….I was wrong!  Scary, right?  Just a little note when you are shopping make sure you are getting 100% grass-fed beef.  From now on I’m going to make sure my freezer is well stocked with the good stuff.  Listen to the podcast because that is one of many valuable information Diane and Karen touch on in their talk. 

Ok, I’m tired and need some shut eye….but before I leave you, here is a yummy recipe for taco lettuce cups.  If you like a little spice then you will like the taco seasoning.  If you don’t want as much spice just don’t include the red pepper flakes.  These cups are easy and quick and a great way to not only get dinner on the table fast but also a great reheat option for lunch the next day.  Top with the garnish of choice and you have a great Paleo meal.  I happen to think guacamole makes these taste pretty spectacular….but I love guacamole!

Enjoy everyone!  See you back next week.  Thinking up some Valentine Paleo treats…

Taco Veggie Lettuce Cups

1 pound 100% grass-fed beef

1 bell pepper, diced (color of choice, I used half red and half orange)

2 to 3 green onion, diced

Taco Seasoning (see below)

Lettuce Leaves, washed and dried

Fresh Guacamole and Salsa

Cilantro, green onion, and bell pepper for garnishing (optional)

Taco Seasoning

1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons oregano

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes ( a dash or two)

Add all of the above in a small bowl and mix to combine

Instructions:

In a large skillet over medium-high heat add beef and cook until no longer pink.  Add bell pepper and green onion to beef mixture and stir to combine and cook for 2-3 minutes until veggies are slightly soft. 

Add seasoning to skillet and stir until evenly distributed.

Scoop beef mixture to lettuce leaves and garnish as desired.  Guacamole and Salsa is a must in my opinion.  Enjoy!

Makes about 6 to 8 servings

Happy 2012 everyone!  I hope everyone had a wonderful new years.  Mine unfortunately was spent with a little brush with food poisoning.  Ok, not a little brush….a big brush!  And let me tell you, it was not fun!  I pretty much felt like doing nothing at all so while the hubby ran around with the munchkins I stayed close to the bathroom and close to bed.  Booo!  Not what I envisioned the end of my vacation being like.  Luckily by new years day I was feeling a little closer to my normal self and actually got back into the kitchen to cook a new years dinner.  New years also marked the start of my MVT Challenge at my Crossfit Delray Beach.  Two plus months of a clean Paleo diet filled mostly with meats, veggies, and some training.  You know with all those Paleo rules, which you can find a great post by Fitbomb on “What the Paleo Diet is”.  I’ve been Paleo since July so it’s nothing really new to me, but it is a challenge I need after the holiday season where I had a few treats.  So I’m packing up the almond flour and coconut flour for a little bit on the blog and hope to bring you some of my MVT meals while I taking on the Crossfit challenge.  Are ready?  Are you excited?  Boy, I sure am!

First up a garlic herb tenderloin that is super easy to prep and even more to cook.  There is nothing better about using fresh herbs too.  Makes this tenderloin pretty darn delicious.  I partnered our tenderloin with roasted asparagus tossed with a little olive oil and a dash of balsamic vinegar and some sauteed diced sweet potato (sauteed in coconut oil).  It was a great meal to get back to normal after my brush with food poisoning.  And I can’t even begin to tell you how great it is to feel normal….don’t ever get food poisoning!  Ha!  Easier said than done, but I seriously don’t wish it on anyone.

Enjoy the tenderloin everyone!  And HAPPY 2012!

Garlic Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon)

1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

2 tablespoon olive oil, divided

1 pork tenderloin

Instructions:

Stir together garlic, sage, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small bowl.  Rub mixture all over pork.  Let marinate 30 minutes to 2 hours. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat a large, heavy, and oven proof saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add olive oil.  Add pork, and brown on each side, about 4 minutes on each side.

Transfer pan to oven.  Roast pork turning occasionally until an thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 145 degrees to 150 degrees, about 20 minutes.  Transfer pork to a cutting board; tent with foil, and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Serve along side your favorite sides and enjoy!

I’m very excited about today’s post and partnering with some very talented bloggers and Paleo mom’s, Stacy at Paleo Parents and Jenni at Urban Poser.

Stacy reached out to Jenni and I and we all tossed around some ideas and decided to each feature a “course” to give you a full New Years Eve menu.  I’m featuring an appetizer with these Sundried Tomato Herb Chicken Sliders surrounded by a Paleo Herb Bun.  Jenni took on the main course of a chicken pot pie – which sounds amazing!  I haven’t had chicken pot pie since cutting gluten out last January so I’m excited to try her recipe.  And the wonderful Stacy did a dessert – a take on Jenni’s marshmallows, a S’more Marshmallow! Yum!

Here is a glimpse at these fabulous ladies recipes.

Jenni at Urban Poser used leftovers to make an amazing looking main course, Chicken Pot Pie.  Can’t wait to try this!

Warm, savory and the perfect match to a cold winters day…Try this grain free rendition of the classic ‘Pot Pie’. These personal sized pies are chock full of hearty chicken, seasoned vegetables, and thick (grain free) gravy. Then they’re topped off with a flaky almond flour crust, just like my Grandma used to make…only better for you!

Now for Stacy’s fabulous dessert of Marshmallow S’mores….can you say YUM!  A great end of the year treat for your New Year’s Eve!

These marshmallows won’t have you missing anything. Especially the sticky burning goo on your fingers. Or the smoke in your eye. But, if you’re into that sort of thing, by all means – eat them beside a bonfire and let the chocolate melt in your hand instead of your mouth! But first, you have to make them…

Click the links and head to their sites for the full recipes!  You won’t be disappointed, I promise!

 Now to skip to the front of menu to the appetizer.  Here is the recipe for my Sundried Tomato Herb Chicken Sliders with Paleo Herb Bun with a Garlic Herb Aioli.

Sundried Tomato Herb Chicken Sliders

1 pound ground chicken

1/4 cup sundried tomatoes (packed in olive oil), chopped

2 slices bacon, just cooked and crumbled

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

1/2 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh garlic, finely minced

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Paleo Herb Buns

Fresh Baby Spinach

Garlic Herb Aioli (optional), recipe below

To make burgers:

Heat a nonstick grill pan over medium high heat.

In a large bowl, add chicken, sundried tomatoes, bacon, thyme, basil, garlic, salt and pepper.  With a fork combine the ingredients make sure not to completely over work the slider mixture.

Form mixture into small sliders and place on the preheated grill pan and grill sliders for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until slider is cooked through.

Garlic Herb Aioli

1 egg

1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon ground mustard powder

1/2 cup avocado oil

1/2 cup light olive oil

1/2 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 tablespoon rosemary, minced

1/2 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

To make aioli:

In a food processor, process egg, lemon juice, and mustard powder.

Slowly add the avocado oil and olive oil while processing to fully emulsify.  When the oil has all emulsified and you have a creamy mayonnaise, add salt and pepper, and continue to blend

Add garlic, rosemary, and basil and process until smooth.

So there you have it folks, a “Trifecta” post with some very special ladies for a NYE Menu.  Now go and check out these recipes!  And most importantly HAPPY NEW YEAR!!  See you back here in 2012 for another fun filled year of recipes.

I’m a lover of pesto, but you add in sundried tomato and you have a pretty spectacular pesto in my opinion.  I usually make a spinach pestobut I think my new favorite is this sundried tomato pesto.  The tomatoes add a slight sweetness to the pesto.  Yum!  Now let’s talk meatloaf.  I have to admit I have bad memories of meatloaf from my childhood.  I was never a meatloaf fan or a fan of red meat.  You see back in 7th grade I had a horrible encounter with food poisoning after eating a hamburger and after that I swore meat off.  And let’s put it this way, it’s been a very long time since I’ve eaten red meat.  My husband is a huge lover of meat so when I adapted the paleo lifestyle he questioned, well are you going to eat meat?  I immediately said no, but after a lot of chicken and fish I started to reconsider.  Especially after hearing podcast after podcast from some of my favorite Paleo people about the benefits of eating grassfed meat.  With that being said, I decided to give this meat thing another try…..but in small doses of course.  So here is one of my first attempt at eating meat again.  I can’t say I’m full on board yet, but I can tell you this recipe made me have a whole new look on meatloaf.  The bacon wrapped around the meatloaf adds a lot of flavor to the meat and wraps in all the juices.  Pretty fabulous I have to say!  And that little side dish on the side….I’ll be sharing with you soon….I promise!  It could be a great addition to your upcoming Thanksgiving dish so come back soon to see that recipe.

See you back soon!

Sundried Tomato Pesto Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf Rounds

Print Recipe

1/2 cup sundried tomato pesto, plus 1/4 cup for tops (see recipe below)

1 tablespoon chopped oregano

1 tablespoon chopped basil

1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 pound fresh grass-fed beef

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup blanched almond flour

1 large egg

1/2 pound fresh ground veal

4 slices bacon

Sundried Tomato Pesto

3 cloves garlic

1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes (in oil if you can, rehydrate per instructions if dried)

1/2 cup fresh spinach

1/2 cup fresh basil (a small bunch)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Add the garlic, sun dried tomatoes, tomato paste and herbs to your food processor and blend. Stream in the olive oil until the pesto comes together.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, add veal, beef, almond flour, pesto, herbs, salt, pepper, onion,and garlic.  In a small separate bowl, whisk in the egg and add it to meat mixture.  With your hands or a spoon, combine the mixture until well incorporated.

Form mixture into 4 equal rounds and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Wrap bacon strips around each meatloaf round.  Top each round with additional sundried tomato pesto.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the meatloaf is cooked to desired doneness.

Makes 4 rounds

Ok, this recipe comes to you a lot later than I originally wanted.  Sorry about that.  Been super busy and headed to Atlanta this past weekend to spend some much needed time with my mom.  That also meant not much time spent in the kitchen so recipe posting may be a little light this week until I can get back into my kitchen and start cooking again.  You should see my refrigerator right now!  It’s the barest I’ve seen in a long time.  It also tells you the hubby and the kids did a lot of eating out when I was out of town.

Let’s talk brussel sprouts.  Normally I’m not a fan of brussel sprouts.  Actually when I was home this past weekend and told my mom I made brussel sprouts she almost stopped to feel my forehead to make sure I wasn’t sick.  She even asked if I was her child….funny!  And why I picked them up to make is still beyond me but I did and I can tell you they might be a new favorite of mine.  Of course, adding bacon may have contributed to this new liking too!  These are a great side dish even a great side for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.  Really easy to make too, which as you know is always a plus in my department.

Brussel Sprouts with Bacon

3 slices of thick cut bacon

1 pound brussel sprouts, trimmed and cleaned, then cut in half

sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare sprouts and set aside.  In a large cast iron skillet sauté bacon on medium heat until just cooked and crisp.  Remove bacon.  Add sprouts to cast iron skillet with bacon grease and toss to coat.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Place skillet in preheated oven and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

While sprouts are cooking cut bacon into pieces.  Add bacon to skillet and stir to combine.  Cook for an additional 10 minutes or until browned.

Serve along side dish of choice.  I served it along Roasted Chicken with Vegetables.

Enjoy!

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