RECIPE FUN!

Hi everyone!

So, my new years resolution, among others, was to cook ONE NEW PALEO RECIPE a WEEK. This will help me eat healthy and stay on track... while mixing it up a bit and becoming a better cook!

In addition to my cookbook, there are millions of blogs online of people who follow the Paleolithic lifestyle and offer recipes to the public. It is hard to tell which recipes are good and which ones are bad. In addition, some blogs are false in their ingredients' being fully Paleo (for example, some may use olive oil... NOT Paleo...)

Some foods come out tasting like water or cardboard with no flavor, while others taste as if a professional at a 5 star restaraunt cooked it. There is a lot of trial and error involved with the Paleo cooking process.

When I cook something new, I always make sure I have a back up plan just in case... either something else to cook... or a good takeout menu on hand. 

... but when you find a good one... boy is it worth it. 

Here are two I think you all should try (both of which have been voted by both Jackson and I as the BEST ONES YET!)

SLOW COOKED CHICKEN

(No, not like the average ones... this one is better... and I do not know why)

2.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs

3 parsnips

3 carrots (I used one large bag of the mini- carrots... you get more veggies and easier prep)

4 celery stocks

1 red onion

10-12 whole garlic cloves

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon rubbed sage

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Prep:

• Cut parsnips, carrots (if you don't have the mini ones), and onion into large chunks... make sure parsnips and carrots are roughly same size for even cooking.
• Place chicken in crockpot and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper (I also put Garlic powder on there)
• On top of chicken, layer in onions, garlic cloves, parsnips, carrots and celery.
• In glass measuring cup, measure chicken broth, then mix in the coconut oil, thyme and sage (melt coconut oil first for better mixing)
• Pour in the mixture... mix a little bit... 
• Cook on low for 7 hours... let sit for 1 hour.

My favorite by far!

DELICIOUS and you don't need anything else with it... it is very fulfilling as is!

STUFFED PORK TENDERLOIN 

(serves 4)

2 lbs pork tenderloin

1 egg

1/2 medium onion, chopped ( I love onion so I used one full one)

6 Sun- dried tomatoes, chopped

2 Large artichoke hearts, chopped

1/2 tsp fresh sage, finely chopped

1/8 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped

1/8 tsp nutmeg

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 tbsp of coconut oil

Sea salt, fresh ground pepper to taste

Prep:

• In medium skilled on med-high heat, saute onion, sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts, sage, thyme, nutmeg and garlic with the coconut oil for 3-4 minutes until onions are slightly translucent and the tomatoes and artichokes beging to become tender. Remove from skillet for later use. 
• Place pork tenderloin in 9 X 13 baking dish. Rub coconut oil all over and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. 
• To stuff loin, create a seam in the meat by cutting it down center lengthwise. Essentially, you want to unfold the meat.
• Preheat oven to 450 F
• Once ingredients in skillet is FULLY COOLED (VERY IMPORTANT!), whisk egg and add into skillet. (MUST BE COOLED OTHERWISE EGG WILL COOK... you are using egg as 'bread crumbs' to stick it all together.. skillet ingredients must be cooled!)
• take stuffing and spread it across seam of meat. Avoid filling it too much as it will not fold close.
• Use toothpicks to hold it together.
• Cook uncovered at 450 for 30 minutes. Once 30 minutes passed, reduce heat to 300 and cook for 20 minutes. Then, turn off oven and let meat remain in there for another 15 minutes, with no temperature setting. (This will prevent meat from overcooking/ drying out!)

I served this with a sweet potato (better for you than regular.. not Paleo, but close...) and string beans marinated with coconut oil and pepper! SO GOOD!

YUM!

Enjoy and experiment with your spices. IF you don't like one over the other, etc... substitute! It is hard to mess these two up!

I will be posting more either tonight or tomorrow about a long, COLD run we are doing today....

XO

Never Give Up- 

Ali