Manic Monday with A Recipe Review – Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

One of my favorite things about the Paleo blogging community is that everyone is so supportive of each other. Even if the bigger named bloggers don’t know who I am, or that I’m pulling out the pom poms and cheering them on; I’m beyond excited to pass along these amazing people. I follow them and I hope that you’ll check them out and consider following them as well.

Today is from ‘He Won’t Know It’s Paleo.’ Breanna fed her gluten loving husband for six months without him knowing that he was eating paleo! What a feat because my husband is aware and has never really been too happy about it. You can find her on Facebook, Instagram, and her website. I’ll link those things below. ^__^ This was so easy to do and had a smooth, drinkable texture. I know when I do smoothies with just almond milk and fruit, it often is like a thick frosty than a drink. It really was like drinking a pumpkin pie…minus the crust.

Here’s what you’ll need (or may already have on hand! I did!):

• 1/2 cup pumpkin purée
  
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
  
• 1 cup ice
  
• 1 banana
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
  
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves
  
• 2 tablespoons collagen powder (for 13g of protein) (I didn’t have this and just left it out.)
  
• Honey, to taste

Ready for probably the easiest recipe I may ever post?

Put it in a blend. Blend until you don’t hear big chunks of ice. Pour in a glass. This makes one regular sized glass up. Enjoy.

Isn’t that great? What can be faster on a Manic Monday for breakfast, quick snack, or just because. In fact, I may get done with this and run to the store for more bananas!

I hope you enjoy this recipe and check out Breanna! I’ve even done her dinner roles that are pretty darn convincing to this paleo gal. You can find her at http://www.hewontknowitspaleo.com or on Facebook! I hope you’ll come back next time and see who I’m jumping up and down for next.

-Ami M. Lee, Pom Pom Waving, Paleo Community Loving, The Common Sense Cook

Paleofied Chicken Strips

As my family, friends, and kiddos suspect…I am a little crazy! I could possibly even say that at times I feel like a mad scientist when I’m in my kitchen. I am always cooking up some evil plot to help my family eat healthier without them knowing…Or at least until they’ve finished plenty of their food. I am a big proponent of letting my kiddos know that what they are eating is good for them and try to get down on their level to tell them why. For instance, Madison knows that her almond milk is good for her bones and carrots are good for her eyes.
So how does this mom go about getting my kiddos to eat these healthy paleo meals? I make many things that look like old favorites. I call them “classics.” Many people worry when you don’t feed your kids conventionally that you’re stealing their favorites away from them. But, I believe it’s not only good for your kids to enjoy those favorites, but sometimes it helps us parents feel like we’re young at heart again.
For today’s recipe (and my go to kid pleaser) I am going to share the easiest meal that is cost effective, yummy, and good for you! Today is chicken strip and french fry night here! Wait…I know what you’re thinking…that is a kid favorite but how are you going to keep out grains, dairy…and are you using white potatoes! (Gasp!)
Here’s what you will need:
⦁ Raw Unsalted Almonds (Slivered, Blanched, or Sliced Almonds work fine.)
⦁ Pepitas aka Unshelled Pumpkin Seeds (I usually find mine at Wal-Mart.)
⦁ Shelled Sunflower Seeds
⦁ Chicken Breast Tenderloin Strips (This just makes it easier…But if you want to cut up some full size chicken breasts…Go for it!)
⦁ A healthy oil such as olive or coconut oil. (Not necessary if you bake.)
⦁ Sweet Potatoes (I usually do 2 to 3 for my two adults and three itty bitty kids.)
⦁ Seasoning Salt
That is an awful short list don’t you think? I take my favorite Ninja blender and put 1 cup of Almonds, and 1/2 a cup of each sunflower seeds and pepitas. If you have a nut allergy in the family you could simply use a mix of these seeds. Make sure to make this into a fine ground mix and not a paste. Over blending will give you a strange type of almond/seed butter.
Fill a large soup size pot with your oil (or if you have a deep fryer get it prepared and heated). Now you may be wondering about deep frying being healthy!? In paleo we believe that there is a healthy amount of fat that your body needs. I’m not saying make this dish every other night! It’s okay! Don’t fret. This really is the best method of cooking these. Baking them on 350 for 25 to 30 minutes works, and works well…it just isn’t “the best.”
The sweet potatoes are the toughest part of this recipe. Peel your sweet potatoes and slice them into french fry shapes. This takes some time and a very sharp knife, but take your time. The only thing to do at this point is throw them in the pot and deep fry them. Do these first because they leave very little residue in the oil. When you pull them out you can lay them on a paper towel on top of a cookie sheet. Lightly sprinkle with seasoning salt or whatever seasonings you like. Salt and pepper tastes just as good.
Dip the chicken into the almond/seed coating. This makes a beautiful crust. The crust gets very crispy and almost sounds like rocks when they’re close to done! Just cook them till they are a light golden brown. Don’t be afraid to open one up if you’re worried about them being done.
Voila! Now you have a fast yummy meal that looks like a “classic” meal your family is accustomed to without the gut irritants of dairy or gluten. Feel free to play around with this classic and find other sides or veggies you would like. When my budget is feeling generous I may even throw in some Amy’s gluten and dairy free Macoroni & Cheese (found in the freezer section at Kroger).
I hope you enjoy this recipe and am sending you warm meals and big kiddo smiles from my common sense kitchen to yours! Tune in next week…You never know what this mad scientist/common sense cook will think up next!
-Ami M. Lee, The Common Sense Cook

Manic Monday – Green Tacos for Lunch

It’s safe to say that my children’s favorite meal is taco night. It was one of the first meals that I was able to get my middle kiddo to successfully eat way too much of! I found myself, however, in a big dilemma. Corn tortillas, and flour tortillas are not paleo. I’m scavenging in my kitchen one day trying to throw lunch together and something whispered in my ear….”Tacos.”
I bought some romaine hearts to wrap around some yummy bison burgers. I used these as wrappers for the tacos! Of course, before I made three plates of these I had all three of them try one…and they liked it! I felt like I needed a pat on the back for that one.
Here’s what I assembled:
⦁ Finely chopped Chicken (I had cooked a whole chicken and stored it for such occasions.)
⦁ Organic Ketchup
⦁ Romaine Heart Lettuce
Three magical ingredients! I carefully peeled one leaf off at a time. Lay it flat on the plate. Add some chicken and a squirt of your favorite condiment. Ours just happens to be Simple Truth Organic Ketchup. You could add many more ingredients! The possibilities are endless. I think some caramelized onions would be fantastic.
My kiddos enjoyed these tacos with some plantain chips and some pickles. Feel free to throw some of those small goodies from the fridge on their plate. This could even be a great paleo lunch to pack for them to take to school.
I hope you enjoy this ridiculously simple recipe. Sometimes simple can be just as good as something with 30 ingredients. Cooking a whole chicken and storing it really saves time and sometimes money. I’ve been finding some great free range birds on clearance at Kroger. It’s only common sense to save time and money from my budget friendly Common Sense Kitchen to yours. Come back next week and you’ll find another healthy paleo recipe waiting for you.

Ami M. Lee, The Common Sense Cook

Chicken, Mushrooms, and Butternut Squash

I feel I am most creative on the edge of our budget. It’s that last day before you’re able to go to the store. You have miscellaneous things in your fridge that you don’t think can even make sense as a meal. What to do, what to do? Take it as a challenge. I’m all for positive thinking. Take it as a challenge and rise to the occasion.

Last night was that night. Now, I have to say it cooked for a long time and this shall go under, prep and fix early recipes. If you’re a busy mom, this may be a great fall dish to stick in the oven on a Saturday to make the house smell amazing. I thought that the smell and flavors that were here are very fall appropriate with squash, mushrooms, and rosemary. Rosemary is by far one of my favorite seasonings for chicken dishes.

Here’s what you’ll need for this great smelling dish:

• Chicken Breast Tenderloins (These are the strips of chicken breast. They cook much faster than a whole breast.)
• Half of a Very Large Butternut Squash, Diced
• Portobello Mushrooms, thinly sliced (A whole carton. I purchased Simple Truth Organic from Kroger.)
• Rosemary
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper

The best thing about this dish, even though the cook time is long, is that you are putting it all in the oven! You have your veggies and your chicken. No need to work on anything else unless you want a fresh salad to go with it. They don’t hashtag Paleo Recipes with #MoreVeggiesThanAVegetarian for nothing y’all.

Start out by prepping your veggies. I happened to have half of a squash that was already sliced and the seeds removed. If you’re starting from point 1, start by cutting off the ends. You don’t need to cut a bunch off. Then carefully, with a large, sharp knife, cut the squash length wise in half. Remove the seeds. A spoon is helpful here. Then turn over each half and use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin. Be careful though. If you have a peeler that the blade isn’t covered, these skins are tough and I have actually ended up with a blister on my finger from leaving it on the metal part for support of my cheap, but handy peeler. Next, rub your mushrooms on a paper towel. I do not wash them under water because mushrooms soak up plenty of water and it will lose flavor.

Add your chicken to a large bowl and add a good drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary. If you’re using dried rosemary, be careful to not use too much because it can be quite powerful. If you’re using fresh, you still don’t want to go crazy, but in my opinion the dried form is almost concentrated. Mix it around. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty, but please remember to constantly clean your hands and utensils when dealing with raw meats.

Line each piece of chicken in the bottom of a glass baking dish. This is just what I used, but feel free to use whatever casserole with deep edges that you have. Spread the mushrooms over the chicken, then the squash. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place it in the oven and set your timer for 60 minutes (or 1 hour). I found that only 30 minutes, the chicken was still pink and the squash wasn’t quite cooked. If you would like, take a few minutes under the broiler when it is done to brown the top vegetables. This is completely optional if you feel comfortable sticking around a few minutes and keeping the closest eye on it.

Pull it out of the oven. Put a few pieces of chicken on the plate and add some of the squash and mushrooms over the top. This was even great to cool down, store in the fridge, and reheat the next day.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Even though it takes a long time to cook, it is tasty and easy to throw together. I’m sending you lots of love and warm fall dishes from my kitchen to yours. Come back next time and see what this Outside of the Box, Common Sense Cook will put in the oven next.

-Ami M. Lee, The Common Sense Cook

Manic Monday – Breakfast

While my children aren’t in school yet, I know come next August I will be sending two of my kiddos to Kindergarten. I am more than a little apprehensive about sending them to a public school for more than a few reasons, but most of all I worry about their food. I am working now on figuring out packing lunches, snacks, and teaching them to only eat what I send. I also know it is my responsibility to start them off right with a good breakfast in the morning. Cereal? No thank you…. Muffins….EHH!? Poptarts… Please…there’s no way I’m feeding my kids that empty calorie junk.

So for Manic Monday this week I want to share one of the easiest breakfasts I know. I was buying gluten free waffles, but I turned that box and low and behold….rice…corn….soy… Not paleo friendly. I’m actually a little sad about this. Thankfully, my kids are in love with eggs right now. Protein is a big deal in keeping us feeling full longer. The sausage I use doesn’t cook out a ton of fat, so they’re getting a healthy, moderate amount of fat, and on top of this  you can throw out a banana, or hide some onions, red peppers, tomatoes inside to send them some veggies. I will share my basic recipe and then you can play around with it.

Here’s what you’ll need to fish out of the fridge for this Manic Monday breakfast:

• Gluten Free Sausage (I use Jimmy Dean, marked GF. You have to watch for seasonings in these ground meats.)
• Eggs (I use 6 for me, and 3 little kiddos or 8 for all five of us.)
• Ketchup (I use Simple Truth Organic Ketchup from Kroger.)

Open your package of sausage and put it in a deep pan. Break it into pieces with a spatula. Brown the sausage and stir and break up. This shouldn’t take more than 5 to 10 minutes. It really depends on how hot and fast you are comfortable with cooking.

Now…here’s the interesting part. I actually learned this from my dad. He did this the best..and that’s saying something because he’s probably cooked for me only a handful of times growing up. I experimented with this for years and it just wasn’t the same…So I figured…What would Dad do that would be the most simple way?

Add your eggs right on top of the sausage. Depending on the quality of sausage you may or may not need to drain your sausage. Give it a minute to let it start cooking and then start stirring until the eggs are yellow, fluffy, and there are no “gooey” looking spots.

Divide them up in a bowl and top it with your favorite condiment. I like ketchup or mustard. As I mentioned earlier, if you have some pre-chopped (or minced) peppers and onions, that can add a little more adult flavor, and hide some yummy veggies in breakfast. If you love avocado, I enjoy cutting one up on the side.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and it keeps you sane when trying to feed your kiddos on a Manic Monday. If you try it out, feel free to come by and like the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/commonsensecook and remember, I love food pictures! I’m sending you full bellies that stay full for longer, from my kitchen to yours. I hope you’ll come back next time (I try for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with the occasional weekend post.). Come see what this Morning Glory, Common Sense Cook will feed her kiddos (and her hungry husband) next.

-Ami M. Lee, The Common Sense Cook

Tuna Stuffed Avocados

I was searching through “the pinterest” the other day searching for yummy, but few ingredient dinner ideas. With paleo, you can really get into some expensive ingredients including nut flours. I came across the idea of stuffed avocados, but I’m sure you can guess by me calling it “the pinterest” I had no clue how to actually go to the recipe. It’s okay. I promise I’m 26…and Yes…I eventually figured it out.

However, I loved the idea and I got the jist of it from the picture. So here I go…Making stuff up again… You know the more I write that the more I realize….I make stuff up a lot. Ha ha!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 Large Can of Tuna (Depending on how many people you are feeding.)
• As many avocados as  people you are feeding. (I used 5.)
• Taco Seasoning (I just posted my mix just before this. Go check it out!)
• Half of a Yellow Onion, cut into thin slices
• A quarter of a Bell Pepper, minced

Cut up your onions and bell peppers. Add olive oil to a pan, heat (medium works well with my glass cook top) then add the peppers and onions in. They should sizzle as soon as they hit the pan. Cook them until they start to brown then add the tuna and seasonings. Mix continuously so it doesn’t burn, similar to a stir fry. Once heated through and the tuna begins to cook through, it’s done!

While you’re peppers and onions were getting started you can open up those avocados, pull the pits out, and scoop out that creamy, green yumminess! Reserve it in a bowl until you’re ready to plate.

Now, I’ve done this two ways. The simple way is to just throw some avocado in the bottom of a bowl then pile on some tuna, peppers, and onions. But, if you’re feeling fancy, schmancy… Stuff some avocado and tuna mixture into the avocado shell. This was great for lunch. If you add a side dish, it would make a great, light supper as well.

This was so fast to throw together and very yummy. 2/3 of my kiddos loved it and the 3rd…well let’s just say he’s 3 years old and hasn’t been feeling well lately. But, I do hope you’ll enjoy it. If you happen to try it out, come on by and like my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/commonsensecook

I hope you’ll stop by and read next time. You never know what this Quick Draw Dinner Fixer, Common Sense Cook, will make up with her brain next time. I’m sending you healthy fats and a quick meal from my house to yours.

-Ami M. Lee, The Common Sense Cook

Mushroom Broth

It’s getting so close to fall here in Arkansas. If you live anywhere north of us, it may already feel like fall. It’s time for pumpkins and stews. Oh, I love a good stew. I made a great beef & butternut squash from Autoimmune Paleo last night that was soooo delicious!

However, one day, I was going through my pantry and happened to pick up a box of my “favorite” organic box of chicken stock. I’ve been buying it for years. Ingredients are clean and organic but wait…what the heck is this y’all!? Allergen warning: May contain wheat. -____-
Unfortunately for me, being pretty allergic to gluten, I can’t use it. I was a bit furious at the time because the ingredients didn’t list anything that was a known gluten product, except the “natural flavors” and most companies distinguish between, produced in the same facility as, or produced with an ingredient that may have. So what did I do? I made. Stuff. Up. (Are y’all seeing a theme yet?)

Here is what you’ll need for this gluten free broth:

• 1 package of portobello mushrooms
• A lotta water (Enough to fill a big soup pot. Store the extra!)
• Bay Leaf
• Salt and Pepper
• Rosemary

In my DDP Yoga guide they mentioned using mushroom broth but didn’t leave a recipe. This is so easy. It stores beautifully in the fridge for you to pull out whenever you need it.

Simply add everything into a big pot of water. My regular sized soup pot held about 15 cups of water and I ended up saving 2 quarts, plus the 2 cups I used for supper that night. Bring everything to a slow boil and turn the mushrooms every so often. This really shouldn’t take more that 20 to 30 minutes. We’re basically making brown, flavored water. Don’t let it boil over, just let it bubble away until dark brown.
Transfer this dark brown liquid into a storing container and let it cool. If you want a stronger flavor you could leave the mushrooms to sit in the broth over night. Then, pull them out and discard them (or save them for your friends compost pile :)).

I’ve put this in stews, chilli, soups, and even used it with a can of green beans to pull out that canned flavor. My mom even asked if they were fresh green beans! This is a great staple to keep in your fridge. I believe I kept mine for a week or two in the fridge and it worked out fine every time. It’s also a great way to sneak in other veggies into the family diet.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. If you give a try come on over to the Facebook page (www.facebook.com/commonsensecook) and show me a picture! Really, if you’re a beginner cook, this one is just too easy to mess up. Come back next week to see what this crazy hippie gal Common Sense Cook makes up next.

-Ami M. Lee, The Common Sense Cook