Thanksgiving Turkey Breast

Ingredients:

• 6-7 lb fresh turkey breast
• Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup water or dry white wine
• Rosemary
• Sea salt
• Pepper
• Low sodium bacon

Process:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Rinse turkey (inside and out) with cold water. Pat dry with paper towel.

Drizzle olive oil over turkey, brush to coat. Sprinkle rosemary liberally over entire turkey.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Place turkey in shallow roasting pan and fill with 1/2 cup water or dry white wine.

Cook turkey approximately 2.5-3 hours.  Half way through cooking time cover turkey with 3-5 slices of bacon to keep moist.  Periodically baste turkey.  Turkey is  done when meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast reads 170 degrees.

Let rest for 10-20 minutes before carving.

Enjoy!! :)

A Very Paleo Thanksgiving !

The previous blogs are all recipes from my very first paleo thanksgiving.  I was so excited to take on this challenge and make one of the greatest, yet healthiest, meals I've had in a while! It was soooo worth it and so delicious! 

This would not have been possible without my dear sister, Megan.  She traveled from Virginia to Wisconsin to be with me on Thanksgiving.  I felt so thankful and blessed since the past 2 years I have not been with family on this holiday.  Thank you Megan!

We also spent a day on State Street in downtown Madison.  We explored the famous street (which doesn't allow cars down most of it!) and Capitol Square.  We even went into the Capitol building and took pictures of the beautiful architecture.

The Capitol building up close.

The top of the Capitol building with the American Flag!

The Capitol building from State Street.

The Capitol building from State Street.

The Capitol Building at night.

Although it wasn't paleo, we decided to hit up Ian's Pizza on State Street.  A famous pizza place that even one of Megan's student's told us to try.  I got 1 slice of mac-n-cheese pizza and 1 slice of fresh mozzarella tomato and basil pizza.  Megan got 1 slice of philly cheese steak pizza and 1 slice of cheesy potato pizza.  I think the mac-n-cheese was by far the best, but I think Megan preferred the fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil!

Wall Art in Ian's Pizza on State Street. YUM!!

As I close, I'd like to share a few things in which I am truly thankful for. 

1. My whole family - even though I'm far away I think of each and every one of you every day.

2. My friends, old and new for supporting me and helping me in times of need.

3. Remi, my dog, truly brought light to my life in a dark time and has showed me the meaning of "man's best friend".

4. My good health - especially this almost 5 month journey of Paleo!!

5. My new nephew, Lincoln!  I haven't met you yet, but I cannot wait!!

6. A great job, with supportive, helpful people that truly care.

Hope you all had a wonderful, memorable Thanksgiving!  Cannot wait to try some amazing paleo recipes the rest of this holiday season!

Eggplant Lasagna

 The most important key to success while eating Paleo I have found, is taking foods and dishes you traditionally love and making them Paleo friendly.  I have been very surprised I prefer these meals over the "normal" version.  I was a little skeptical that eggplant lasagna would not meet my exceptions but it far exceeded them.  This a a must for anyone who is looking craving an Italian dish.   

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant

1/2  onion, diced

2 oz mushrooms, diced

1/2 zucchini, diced

1/1 lb ground beef (or turkey or sausage or whatever you like)

1/1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp italian seasoning

1 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes

1 1/2 cups of fresh baby spinach

Preheat oven to 500 degrees and prep baking sheet with tin foil.  Peel and thinly slice eggplant to resemble lasagna noodles.  

Lay eggplant slices out on baking sheet and drizzle in EVOO, salt and pepper.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  

While eggplant is baking, in a large pot saute EVOO and onion on medium heat for 2 minutes.  Add zucchini and mushrooms and continue to saute for an additional 2-3 minutes.  Add beef, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and garlic to pot.

  

When beef is no longer pink add can of crushed tomatoes. Let simmer and thicken for 20 minutes.  

Once sauce is ready place a thin layer in the bottom of an 8x8 pan, followed by a layer of spinach leafs, and eggplant.  Repeat layering sauce, spinach, and eggplant.  

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Uncover and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.  Remove and let cool for 5 minutes.  

This is now my #1 favorite Paleo dish.   Give it a try.  

Enjoy!  

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

It is that time of the year when there is an abundance of zucchini available. After going to the Madison Farmer's Market I found myself with three zucchini's for only one dollar! Traditionally, I would use them to make breads and desserts. After a little research and found a wonderful recipe for stuffed zucchini boats on one of my favorite websites. Pinterest. I did do a little tweaking to the original recipe to increase the amount of protein.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium to large Zucchini
• 1/4 cup (34g) Feta ( I used a less to decrease the amount of dairy)
• 4 tbsp (66g) Tomato Paste
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp (5g) Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Sprinkle of Parsley
• 1/2 pound of Ground Turkey
• 1/2 chopped white onion

Process:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cut the Zucchini in half longwise. Scoop out the inside using a melon baller or tablespoon.

Chop any large zucchini pieces that you scooped out and place into a mixing bowl with ground turkey, feta, tomato paste, garlic powder, and oregano. Mix well to coat everything. The tomato paste, feta, onion, and ground turkey.

Put the zucchini mixture back into the zucchini boats. Top with parmesan and parsley. Bake for 25 minutes. Longer if you like a softer zucchini.

I doubled the recipe because I had one large zucchini and two smaller ones. I also baked for 35 minutes and they were perfect.

yummo! =)

Spaghetti and Meatballs... Paleo style

Yes-sir-ee! Exactly one week and a new primal meal as promised!

For our very first Primal Meal Post I wanted to do a comforting meal, most people love, but with a primal twist. So naturally I chose spaghetti and meatballs, yum!  As you may have guessed, pasta is not at all primal, but with this "pasta alternative" you'll be craving this version of spaghetti and meatballs week after week!

Ingredients:

• 2-3 Large Zucchini 
• 1 Can No salt added organic diced tomatoes
• 1 Can No salt added organic tomato sauce
• 1 Can organic tomato paste
• 2-4 cloves of garlic (this depends on size and how much garlic you like!)
• 1lb. ground turkey (or meat of your choice- grass-fed beef would be delicious)
• 1 egg
• 2 tbspn italian seasoning OR oregano
• 2 tbspn garlic powder
• 2 tbspn onion powder

Process:

Start out by prepping your "spaghetti".  Use a sharp knife to cut the zucchini into thin spaghetti-like pieces.  You can also use a julienne slicer if you have one! I did not, so a sharp knife worked fine!  You want to cut your zucchini and let it sit out for at least 3-4 hours.  This allows the "pasta" to dry out so it won't be a mushy mess when you go to cook it later.

 

Start the sauce around the same time as you cut the zucchini.  Empty the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and paste into a big pot.  Add diced garlic, 1 tbspn of Italian seasoning/oregano, 1 tbspn onion powder, and 1 tbspn garlic powder. Bring sauce to a boil, turn down the heat and let it simmer for 3-4 hours.

To prepare the meatballs preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Put the ground turkey, 1 egg, and remaining spices into a bowl and mix until well combined.  Use your hands to form 1inch balls and place onto an aluminum foil covered cookie sheet.  Bake for 30-35minutes.

When your ready to eat, throw the zucchini noodles into a pan with some oil or butter and cook until tender.  Don't cook it too long; you don't want your pasta to be mushy!

Now put it all together and Enjoy!!