Quick and Easy Paleo Chili

It is February and cold out and I don't know about you, but nothing warms me up like a nice bowl of chili. If you know anything about paleo, then you know that strict Paleo does not allow legumes. The idea of chili without beans seems criminal to me - I love beans! As it turns out Texas Chili is known for not having beans so I thought I would give it a try. I was sure I would miss the beans and the chili just wouldn't be the same, but that didn't happen. I enjoyed the nice warm bowl of chili and never even missed the beans. This recipe turned out wonderfully delicious, but maybe a little on the spicy side so in the future I may adjust the spices depending on who I am cooking for.
The original recipe can be found on the Paleo Eats website.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

1 can organic tomatoes 14.5oz (petite-diced)

1 can tomato sauce (I added this because I wanted the chili to have more sauce)

1 green bell pepper, chopped

3-4 tbsp chile powder

2 tsp dry oregano

1-2 tsp ground cumin

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Add olive oil to a pan on medium heat, brown ground beef with chopped onion and minced garlic.

2. Add tomatoes, bell pepper, chile powder, oregano, cumin, and salt.

3. Bring the chili to a boil then simmer for 20 mins.

Enjoy! This recipe is definitely a keeper in my recipe box.

Paleo Crock Pot Chicken Meatloaf

Did I say meatloaf... in a crock pot? I sure did! This slow cooker, paleo, meatloaf which cooked about 5 hours turned out pretty well.

As I am trying to cook more pale things, I searched the internet for the best (and easiest) recipes and I came across this one and thought.. well why not?

The original recipe can found be on Paleopot.com.

Ingredients for loaf:

2 pounds of lean ground meat (I used chicken)
2 eggs, beaten
4 ounces of bacon, crisped and chopped
1/2 of a small white onion, small dice
4 green onions, chopped
2 stacks of celery, sliced thinly or chopped
2 tsp of dried oregano
1 tsp of black pepper
1 tsp of thyme
2 tsp of smoked paprika
2 tsp of garlic powder

Ingredients for sauce:

1 small can of tomato paste
2 tbsp of dijon mustard
2 tsp of smoked paprika
2 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of apple cider vinegar

Directions:
1. Cook bacon until brown and crispy, then chop into small pieces.

2. In a large bowl combine ground meat, beaten eggs, bacon, veggies and seasonings.

3. Mix together by hand, forming a loaf. Place your loaf in slow cooker.

4. Mix tomato sauce ingredients together and spoon over the loaf.

5. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

It maintained it's shape and came out delicious. I kept some out and froze the rest!

East Meatballs

These "fast and friendly" meatballs only required a few ingredients (my favorite kinds of recipes!) and were very easy to make.

They turned out pretty well! I am sure there are more tasty recipes out there, but as far as ease.. this one wins!

Ingredients:
1 (20 ounce) package ground turkey
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
Olive Oil spray

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with the olive oil, and place it in the oven while preheating.
3. In a medium bowl, mix ground turkey, egg, and bread crumbs using your hands.

4. Form the meat meatballs of desired size. Place about 1 inch apart in the hot baking dish. Press down to flatten the bottom just slightly.

5. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then turn them over, and continue baking for about 5 more minutes, or until somewhat crispy on the outside.

6. Enjoy with preferred sauce!

Butternut Squash Soup (Paleo)

It is cold out and I wanted to make a warm, smooth comfort food but it had to be Paleo. Searching for the perfect recipe, I came across a book called "Paleo Comfort Foods." It has all kinds of great recipes, which I am looking forward to trying. I was flipping through the book and found a recipe for a soup that I hadn't had before, so of course that was exactly the one I was going to fix!

I left the recipe as is... well minus the leeks.

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash peeled and seeded (I bought it precut it precut)
1 tbs olive oil
1 medium onion- diced
1 tbs ginger
5 cups chicken stock
2 tsp nutmeg

Directions:
1. Cut butternut squash into 1 inch cubes.
2. Heat large pot with olive oil and add in onions and leeks.
3. Add squash, ginger, chicken stock. Bring to simmer. Cook until squash is tender ~ 15 minutes.

4. Pour off most of the stock and reserve.
5. Add squash, onion, ginger mixture to food processor and purée.

6. Once puréed, add contents back to pot. Add in the reserved chicken stock until the desired consistency is attained.

7. Stir well and add in nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.

This soup definitely has a place in my recipe box!

Skinny Rules: Rule # 1

I am not a dedicated follower of the Biggest Loser, but what I have seen I have liked. As I was looking for motivation I came across this book by Bob Harper, one of coaches from the biggest loser.



He focuses his book on "permanent, non-negotiable, and simple" rules for losing weight. I listened to the audiobook (about an hour in length) and would recommend it to anyone who is trying focus and find motivation and lose weight.

In order to lose weight, you have to change your habits and lifestyle otherwise you will always get what you have always gotten. I won't go into the details he does on the importance of each rule and the rationale behind it - you'll have to read the book for that!


Rule # 1: Drink a large glass of water before every meal.

Water fills up, keeps you hydrated and increases metabolism.

I am going to try to work on one of these at a time!

Lil' Smokies - Barbecue Sauce

I made a second batch of Lil' Smokies with the base as barbecue sauce (instead of the sweet and spicy from my previous post) in order to compare and decide was MY recipe.
Which recipe won? Definitely this one - the barbecue.
The sauce came out thicker, which I think was an important factor. Either way if I make these again, barbecue is the way to go.

The original recipe can be found on crockpot365.blogspot.com. I shortened the cook time, but otherwise didn't change the recipe. I have only been to this site for this, but I think I need to dig further into it (especially when I consider how much I love my crock pot).

Ingredients:

1 pound Little Smokies sausage (I used turkey)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup barbecue sauce

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients in slow cooker.

2. Cook for 1 hour on low. If you cook for longer, the sauce thickens more.

Lil' Smokies - Sweet and Spicy

Lil' Smokies are one of those appetizers/finger foods that everyone loves! I have tried two different recipes (one sweet and one barbecue) to determine which one I liked better.

This post covers the sweet lil' smoke recipe. What is the secret ingredient? Grape Jelly! This recipe turned out well, but I think I liked the other recipe better. I would love to try this with mini meatballs.

The original recipe can be found on food.com.

Ingredients:

1 (12 ounce) bottle chili sauce (Heinz)
1 cup grape jelly
1-3 lb Little Smokies sausage (I used turkey)

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients in slow cooker.

2. Cook for 1 hour on low. If you cook for longer, the sauce thickens more.