Weekly Menu

Breakfasts:
banana muffins (updated recipe at the bottom), eggs, strawberries
sausage & sweet potato hash
banana blueberry egg muffins
coffee, creamer

Lunches:
leftovers
salami
carrots, guacamole
sweet potato chips
fruit

Kids' snack:
greek yogurt parfaits (plain yogurt, blueberries, splash of maple syrup)

Dinners:
Monday - chili verde (recipe tba), avocado
Tuesday - zucchini spaghetti with meat sauce, salad with dressing
Wednesday - paleo chicken parmesan, roasted green beans
Thursday - balsamic glazed drumsticks (oven or crock pot), peas & carrots
Friday - taco salad
Saturday - skillet supper
Sunday - crispy sweet potato chip chicken (haven't tried this yet), veggies

P.S. I may or may not have bought some of these on sale at Costco last week. Shhh. Sinfully delicious.

I have a little break from packing as many lunches as usual this week, yay!

Have a good week!

(more delicious GF ideas)

Off the Top...

Just some Saturday thoughts.

I think my body just shut down last night.  While the entire neighborhood was outside playing, I fell asleep in a dark room feeling very sick at 8:30 and slept 10 hours.  Cannot remember the last time that happened.  I woke up feeling great.  Phew.

Some interesting thoughts on the make-it-or-break-it difference for some people on 80% compliance versus 100% compliance with paleo.  If that hits home for you, the 100% compliance is worth it, if you ask me.

I wish I lived close enough for this girl to give me a make-over.  Love her blog.  Check out those before-and-afters.  Come ON!

We gave the Aldi fair-trade medium roast coffee a shake, and it is good (in my not-a-coffee-connoisseur opinion).  Especially at $4 a pound!

I am not high-maintenance or modest myself, so I really don't care that much... but I can't help but observe that it seems like a lot of moms wear spandex exercise clothes all around town.  I hope they are really working out that much so I can be jealous.

I've found this series "What does a real foodie buy at...?" helpful.  She covers Costco, Aldi, and online shopping.

These shoes look like a good fit for me.  I have to be very careful with shoes these days because of the pinched nerve I experience whenever I wear anything that stresses it.  Which is hard, because like most girls, I love cute shoes.

So many new paleo cookbooks have hit or are about to hit the market.  I've reserved some at the local library, but not all are available yet.  These are some of the ones I want to read:

   
(affiliate links)

Why snacking makes you weak, not just fat. Never thought about it that way before.

I need to come up with our loose schedule for summer.  And do the menu for next week.  And enjoy the fact that for 2 weeks I have no homework.  And wash clothes and actually put them away on the same day.

When your kids aren't used to bread, they might happily eat these unique spongy things for breakfast on the patio.  Yay for spring!

Happy weekend, check ya later!

Weekly Menu

Breakfasts:
fried eggs
pico de gallo
banana blueberry egg muffins
breakfast bread
coffee, creamer

Lunches:
leftovers
crunchy asian chicken salad (but w/ almonds)
mini chicken sausages
cottage cheese
strawberries

Dinners:
Monday - deconstructed gyro salad
Tuesday - leftovers
Wednesday - sweet potato chip crispy chicken, peas
Thursday - pineapple salsa chicken bake, roasted green beans
Friday - where's the crust pizza, salad
Saturday - easy jalfrezi chicken, broccoli

We are eating cheese this week, obviously.  We have given up milk for the time being, though.

I've been doing some reading and I feel a brain dump coming soon, just a warning!

Thanks for stopping by today.  Have a great week!

10 Easy Slow Cooker Paleo Meals

With a busy summer in mind, I am creating a round-up of tested and approved simple crock pot paleo meals that our family likes.

For additional ideas, see my old freezer meals post.  The soups on that old post are all crock pot friendly, but I am going to leave them there, because frankly, I don't hanker for soup in the summertime.  You can also check out Katie's Tastefully Simple paleo freezer meals for ideas.

tropical meatballs made with turkey

Below is my round-up of recipes I plan to reference for plan for our busy days this summer.  This list is a mix of long-time and fairly new-to-me recipes.  A few of them don't specify crock pot directions, but I believe they all can be slow cooker worthy :)

1. balsamic roast beef
2. sticky chicken or spice rub chicken (similar)
3. salsa verde chicken
4. balsamic glazed drumsticks
5. crispy carnitas - there are lots of various recipes for this (I use pork loin, and I do like to brown the pork under the broiler after cooking but before eating; it is easy.)
6. shawarma salad (Brown the meat and onions under the broiler after cooking but before eating, if desired.)
7. pork chops in creamy turmeric sauce
8. meatloaf (This is my favorite meatloaf, it is less tedious than making meatballs, you can leave out the almond meal if you want to, and yes, it works in the crock pot!)
9. tropcial chicken meatballs or meatloaf (I have not tried this yet in the crock pot, but I will.)
10. easy jalfrezi chicken

There you go.

Dump the ingredients in, set it, and forget it!  After a busy day, come home to your main dish waiting to be devoured.  Add a quick salad with dressing, raw or roasted vegetables, and/or some pre-made mashed sweet potatoes to round out the meal.

2 other easy ideas:
Precook chicken in the crock pot, shred, and then-
1. mix with 2 ingredient paleo BBQ sauce, warm and serve with coleslaw on the side.
OR
2.  mix with salsa and pineapple and stick in the oven for this pineapple salsa chicken bake.

Something else:  I don't have squash this time of year because it is expensive, but if you do... did you know that you can just stick the whole thing in the crock pot with a little bit of water and let it cook all day?  So easy.  And makes it much easier to cut in half!  Remove the seeds at the end.

OK, what else am I missing?

I hope these ideas help you and me get a homemade paleo supper on the table while enjoying all that summer has to offer!

(sharing menu ideas here!)

Make Ahead Sweet Potatoes

...To go with supper any day of the week.

I really love sweet potatoes that are peeled, chopped, and roasted in coconut oil and seasonings like these.

But sometimes I don't want to peel and chop, and I need a no-brainer.

So, here are the steps to my shortcut.

I start this process when I get home so that they bake while I get the rest of supper ready.

1. turn on your oven to anywhere from 350 on up, depending on how fast you want them to bake
2. wash the potatoes (probably not required, but I do it)
2. poke each one a bunch all over with a fork
3. put them all on a pan and bake (I use my stoneware cookie sheet.  Sometimes they ooze.)
4. you an smell them caramelize a bit as they bake
5. I take them out of the oven when they are plenty soft to the touch
6. let cool a little so you don't torch your fingertips
7. when handle-able but still hot, slice in half
8. squeeze the innards out into a bowl (I use my kitchen aid mixer for the mixing, but you could do it by hand.)
9. add coconut oil (or butter) and spices (For 3lbs. of potatoes, I use 1/2 t. each of salt, pepper, dried onion, garlic powder, and chili powder.)
10. mash, mix, and serve

The bonus is they are easy to put in a bowl and keep for a day or two in the fridge, or stick in the freezer for awhile!

Who has that color of towel?  Oh wait, I do.   I might move it to the cleaning rags basket right now.

Weekly Menu

kale chips in the making

I'm sorry that I've been a bit absent this week, just holding on until summer! :)

We bought the majority of the groceries at Trader Joe's this week, having been sucked in by the latest Fearless Flyer.

Breakfasts:
eggs, kale
bananas
coffee, tea, creamer*

Lunches:
mini tacos (for the kids, from the freezer)
uncured hotdogs, sauerkraut
grilled chicken/pico de gallo/avocado salad
roasted red pepper & tomato soup
sweet potato chips
strawberries

School snacks:
fruit leather, string cheese

Dinners:
Monday - tropical turkey meatballs (alter this), sweet potatoes
Tuesday - leftovers
Wedesday - shawarma chicken salad (the recipe I never thought I'd love so much)
Thursday - grassfed beef hamburgers, peas
Friday - salmon burgers, broccoli
Saturday - BBQ babyback ribs, applesauce, gluten free fries
Sunday - korean beef (paleofied), stir fry veggies

Dessert:

gluten free birthday cupcakes

*A few weeks ago I said I was just putting straight coconut milk in my coffee because it was easier than making the creamer, but now I am back to the creamer.  It is getting warmer outside, I am drinking my coffee cold, and I think the creamer tastes much better than plain coconut milk.  And the vanilla is a must!  Maybe a splash of maple syrup, too :)

Though I'm thinking I have no real reason to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, I do love Mexican food sales! :)

Have a great week!

sharing here.

Weekly Menu

the usual: Costco, Aldi, & Trader Joe's

Breakfasts:
sausage & sweet potato hash
scrambled eggs, salsa
banana blueberry egg muffins
strawberries
coffee, creamer

Lunches:
deli roll-ups (my version of these)
veggie chips
kale chips
apples & sunbutter or cream cheese dip
pistachios

School snacks:
raisins, corn tortilla chips - no pirate's booty at Costco :(

After school snack:
not gonna call it this...

Dinners:
Monday - pineapple salsa slow cooker chicken - my own experiment :)
Tuesday - leftovers
Wednesday - zucchini spaghetti w/ meat sauce
Thursday - smoked pork loin, scalloped potatoes, & green beans (a freezer meal by someone else from the party I attended, borderline primal - I'll take that!)
Friday - sticky chicken, sweet potatoes, peas (make stock, use for the chili)
Saturday - chocolate chili, guacamole
Sunday - leftovers

All of a sudden, I am really wanting to get to a gym to get some coaching, I want to get stronger, and to have someone to educate and push me.  I know exactly where I want to go... now just need the $$$.  Story of our lives, right? :)

Summer is going to have a routine of its own around here, and won't slow down much.  But it will still be a change, and I am definitely looking forward to that!

If you missed it earlier, check out this new post by Katie on paleo freezer meals as promised! (I added a random, long ago photo at the last minute so that it would be pin-able... it's a little embarrassing that I am letting that photo circulate, but I think it serves its purpose.)

Maybe I'll make some fudge today.

(visit for more ideas)