Banana Blueberry Muffins

Ok, this recipe was originally a pancake recipe, however, I had the worst time trying to get them to flip without turning into a pile of mush. It smelled so good that I couldn't toss the whole thing; so I made them into muffins! The taste of coconut flour takes some getting used to, as it has a different texture, but we've gotten used to it and we love them!
 

Ingredients:
2 bananas
2 eggs
1-2 tbsp. almond butter
fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup walnuts (or nut of your choice), chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease muffin tray
2. Mash bananas in a bowl
3. Add eggs, flour, almond butter, blueberries, and nuts and whisk until well blended
3. Poor directly into muffin tray, not paper cups
4. Bake approx. 20 minutes

Tacos... always easy!

We used to buy the packet of taco seasoning at the store for our tacos, but why do that when there's plenty of spices to choose from without consuming the extra sodium!

Ingredients:

Ground beef or turkey
Spices to taste:
   Garlic powder
   Onion powder
   Red pepper flakes
   Oregano
   Paprika
   Ground cumin
   Sea Salt
   Pepper
Large lettuce leaves
Toppings as desired: chopped avocado, organic sour cream, salsa, shredded cheese, tomato, etc.

Directions:
1. Brown the meat
2. Add all spices and 1/4 cup water
3. Serve on lettuce leaves.

Pizza!!

A good slice of pizza is definitely something we have missed over the last few
months! When we found this recipe, it became our new Saturday lunch favorite. It makes for a fun "date" too! We put on our aprons and enjoy creating our own pizzas!

Ingredients:
1/3 cup Coconut flour, sifted
1/2 cup Coconut milk
1/3 cup Golden flax meal
4 eggs
1 can organic tomato sauce
1 can organic tomato paste
Seasoning (ex. oregano, basil, garlic, sea salt)
Mozzarella
Whatever pizza topping you want

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Place parchment paper over top pizza pan or large cookie sheet

3. In bowl, mix dry ingredients together (including spices)

4. In another bowl, mix wet ingredients

5. Thoroughly mix all ingredients together until it looks like pancake batter

6. Evenly spread batter onto parchment paper in shape desired

7. Bake for 10 minutes and then flip crust

8. Bake additional 10 minutes and remove crust

9. Add toppings to crust and then place back in oven and broil until cheese is melted

 

*This will make one small pizza, so if you want leftovers, double the recipe.

Gingery Beef & Broccoli

I make this when we are thinking, "oh, Chinese food would be so good tonight!" Ginger Beef is Frank's all-time favorite!

Ingredients:
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb petite sirloin steak, cut into very thin strips
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp flax meal
2 tsp freshly grated ginger
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 to 1/2 cup organic chicken broth
2 cups broccoli, cut into flowerets
1 green onion, thinly sliced

Directions:
1.Heat the 1 tbsp coconut oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add the sliced beef and 1/4 tsp sea salt, and brown. Remove beef from pan to a side dish, and get rid of excess juice left in pan.
3. In a small bowl mix lemon juice, flax meal, grated ginger, freshly ground black pepper and red pepper flakes with 1/4 cup broth.
4. Heat pan again over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp coconut oil when pan is hot.
5. Add broccoli to pan. Pour liquid ingredients on top and toss to coat.
6. Cook over medium heat until broccoli is tender.
7. Return the beef to the pan and add the green onions. Add the extra chicken broth if preferred.
8. Stir beef in until it's coated with sauce, and let simmer for a few minutes until beef warmed through.

Chicken Parmesan.... mmmmmm!!!

Chicken Parmesan is a weekly favorite for us!! Instead of using bread crumbs, try almond meal. It tastes good and I have found that it stays on the chicken a lot better. Coating the chicken gets messy as the almond meal mushes more than the bread crumbs... but really, who cares.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless (1 to 1½ lbs total)

2 cups blanched almond flour or almond meal

2 eggs, whisked

6 tablespoons salted butter

2 (7 ounce) cans Organic Tomato Paste

2 cups water

1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence

6 cloves garlic, sliced

Mozzarella cheese, enough to sprinkle over the top (1/2 small bag)

 

Directions:

1. Cut chicken breasts in half for thinner cutlets; pat dry
2. Dip cutlets in egg, let excess run off then coat with almond flour or almond meal
3. Melt butter over medium heat; then sauté chicken cutlets until deep golden brown on both sides
4. For tomato sauce combine tomato paste, water, Herbes de Provence and garlic in a pan; simmer for 15 minutes
5. Place ½ cup tomato sauce on bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish
6. Spread cutlets out in a single layer; cover with remaining tomato sauce, then layer with mozzarella
7. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes

I cut the chicken in half for thinner pieces so they stay moist, cook faster, and it allows for leftovers for lunch the next day! Isn't that always the goal?

* Most stores do not carry almond flour; it has to be special ordered. That's why almond meal is an good substitute as it is still better than bread crumbs.
*If you really wanted to do it right, you make your own tomato paste.... but I don't have time for that yet! Cans of organic will just have to do.

Blackened Chicken

oooooo spicey! I've only made this once and my husband loved it (cuz he loves spicey food!)... I'll have to try it again!

Ingredients:
2 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breast

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Mix spices
3. Dredge chicken in spices
4. Melt oil in large skillet over medium-high heat
5. Saute chicken for 3 minutes on each side
6. Transfer to shallow pan and cook 5-10 minutes or until cooked through.

Turkey Vegetable Meatballs

We love this Turkey Meatball recipe! It is easy, and although it seems like a lot of details, it is fairly fast. You can prepare the mixture ahead of time so that when you're ready for dinner, you just mix in the meat.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey or chicken
2 medium carrots (or a handful of baby carrots)

1 red or green bell pepper
1 handful of fresh parsley
1/2 yellow onion
1 clove garlic
2 tsp granulated garlic (garlic salt)
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350℉.
2. Combine carrots, bell pepper, onion, garlic, and seasonings in a food processor and blend until well chopped.
3. Empty the food processor into a large bowl, add the ground turkey and mix together completely.
4. Form meatballs and place on a non-greased baking sheet (about 1 1/2" - 2" each).  Bake for about 25 minutes, or until completely cooked.

This usually makes about 25 meatballs so there's plenty left for lunch the next day!! These go great with brown rice, so if you make extra, it is perfect for the next day's lunch! I love when cleaning up from dinner means packing lunches!