Beets, Quinoa & Kale Salad with Grilled Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

How often do you feel like your dinners are just on repeat and are boring the heck out of you and your family? Often it is hard to think of new ideas……especially at the end of a long day. Sometimes a good way to venture your mind to the unknown is to think of items that you have ordered at a restaurant, seen on a menu, or a cooking show. We were sick of the same old thing and wanted to venture out and try something new……so we made a salad that was different than our usual spinach and veggies.

This meal was seriously easy. The only thing it did was dirty a few more dishes than normal…..but that is okay when the end result is a delicious meal!!

Beets, Quinoa & Kale Salad

Ingredients:

Kale

Romaine (or other lettuce for mixing)

Bunch of Beets

1 Cup Quinoa

Balsamic Dressing *Recipe Below

Directions:

Wash and cut the kale and romaine into bite sized pieces. To make the kale softer you can wash it and cut it up, then toss it with some coarse salt. Rub the salt into the leaves and it will soften them slightly.

Peel and chop up the beets. Boil the beets for about 20 minutes over medium-low heat. You can test the beets for readiness by trying to poke them with a fork. If you can easily, then they are fully cooked.

Bring quinoa to a boil. 1 cup of Quinoa and 2 cups of Chicken Broth. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes.

Now, once everything is cooked it is time to toss. In a bowl put your kale and romaine, spoon in some quinoa, beets and balsamic dressing. Slowly add in beets and quinoa so that the proportions are to your desire.

ENJOY! It is truly an amazing salad!!!

Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

1 Clove Garlic

Oregano

Pepper

Salt

Directions:

Pour in Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar in a 3:1 portion. So it you use 3/4 cup of olive oil you would use 1/4 cup of balsamic. Chop/Mince up 1 large clove of garlic and add it. Crush in ground black pepper and salt to taste. I use just a little salt and more pepper…but truly alter this to what you prefer. Shack in some oregano and shake it up. Let it sit for roughly 15 minutes before using. It is best to give it some time for the flavors to combine.

Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:

2 Chicken Breasts

4 Chicken Thighs (boneless-skinless)

Olive Oil

Fresh Lemon

Pepper

Salt

Paprika

Directions:

Mix together some olive oil, the juice of a lemon and the remaining seasonings to taste. I use lots of pepper and paprika and just a touch of salt. Sautee the chicken in the marinade for about 20 minutes before grilling.

I will not tell you how to grill….but the breasts over direct heat and the thighs off the direct heat it takes about 20 minutes to grill them up to perfection 😉

Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 Large Sweet Potato

Olive Oil

Chili Powder

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375*. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Chop the sweet potato in either chip like slices or fry slices. Mix with some olive oil until the sweet potatoes are coated. Sprinkle with minimal salt, pepper and chili powder and toss. Place the sweet potato slices out on baking dish so that none are overlapping. Bake for 20 minutes then flip and bake for an additional 20 minutes. The cook time will depend on how thick you slice the sweet potato. Check on them at the 15 minute mark to ensure they are not burning. If they are already browned, flip them and watch them on the other side as well.

I hope you enjoy this delicious, easy, nutritious meal as much as we did!

#ourprimallife #beetrecipes #saladrecipes #kale #eatinghealthyathome

Fast & Easy Homemade Dinner

Looking for a quick dinner to throw together on a work night that tastes delicious and stands up to the health test?! Look no further! I have an easy, delicious and nutritious meal for you to make when there is very little time to get a good dinner on the table. This is the perfect dinner when faced with not having a ton of time and looking at takeout as your only realistic meal for dinner. Believe me good meals do not have to take FOREVER to prepare. Simple is always best!

I will let you know where I got the ingredients from as I list them so that you can see how painless this whole process can be!

Mahi-Mahi – Brussels Sprouts – Spinach Avocado Cilantro Lime Quinoa

Ingredients:

Mahi Mahi (Costco)

Brussels Sprouts (Costco)

Quinoa (Costco)

Avocado (Costco)

Spinach (Costco)

Olive Oil (Costco)

Himalayan Pink Salt (Costco)

Black Pepper (Costco)

Lemon (Whole Foods)

Cilantro (Whole Foods)

Lime (Whole Foods)

Paprika (Whole Foods)

Garlic (Whole Foods)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400*

Mahi-Mahi – coat both sides with olive oil, salt, pepper and paprika. Place the fish on a aluminum foil lined baking sheet and squeeze lemon over them liberally. Cook on 400* for 12-20 minutes depending on the size of the mahi mahi steaks.

Brussels Sprouts – cut the end off of the brussels sprouts and discard. Chop them all in half and wash thoroughly. Place in a bowl and pour some olive oil, salt, pepper and 2 cloves of minced garlic. Toss so the brussels are well coated . Line a baking dish with aluminum foil and pour the brussels out onto the baking dish. Spread them out so they aren’t overlapping. Cook on 400* for about 18-20 minutes.

Quinoa – Cook 1 cup of quinoa with 2 cups of chicken broth. Always use chicken broth when cooking quinoa, as it adds much more flavor. Cook the quinoa as according to the package directions. While it is cooking cup a cup or more of coarsely chopped spinach in a bowl. When the quinoa is finished cooking pour it immediately over the spinach. The heat will cause the spinach to wilt slightly.

Meanwhile, add about 1/2 cup olive oil, salt, pepper, clove of garlic, handfuls of cilantro, and juice of one (juicy) lime to a blender. When this is blending take the time to chop up an avocado.

Now you can plate it…..Put the quinoa and spinach mixture on your plate, add avocado over it and the cilantro lime sauce.

**the cilantro lime sauce is also delicious as a salad dressing or as a little extra flavor for the fish.

ENJOY! Just as simple as that you have a delicious and nutritious meal!!!

#ourprimallife #fishrecipes #30minutemeals #quinoarecipes #cooking

Fish for Dinner

My husband is the sweetest. He came home from a long workday and I had a rough day at home with our kids so he went right to work in the kitchen making dinner! I thought I would share this dinner with you because it was quick and absolutely delicious!!

INGREDIENTS:

2 pieces of white flakey fish (halibut, Mahi mahi, tilapia)
Green Beans
2 pieces of Bacon
2-3 Beets
Pepper
Chili Powder
Salt
Olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Rub the fish with olive oil and liberally season with chili powder, pepper and some salt. You can then either grill the fish or put it in a 400* over for about 12-15 minutes.

Cut the bacon into bite sized pieces, cook the bacon in a skillet on the stove. Once it is fully cooked, set the bacon aside and sauté green beans in the bacon fat. The green beans will cook down pretty quickly. When they are fully cooked to your liking remove from heat and stir the bacon into the green beans.

Boil your beets. Place beets in a pan and pour in water until beets are full covered. Bring water to a boil then reduce heat and allow the beets to simmer for about 45 minutes. Run under cool water so you can handle the beets. At this point you can easily remove the skin off the beets by just pulling it back with your hand. Chop the beets into bite sized pieces.

*start your beets first thing. Then move onto the fish and green beans/bacon!

Hope you enjoy this easy but absolutely delicious meal!!

#ourprimallife #easydinnerrecipes #homemadefood #fishrecipes

Hamburger Salad – SO Easy and SO Delicious!!!

How many times have you literally had 30 minutes to throw something together and feel like it is just not due-able? Lots of days I feel like I end up rushing to chop up veggies, marinade meat, get things in the oven, etc. Life is just crazy and most days dinner does not go as smoothly as you would have liked. The majority of us chose to get food on the run at a drive-in or at the airport or wherever instead of taking 30 extra minutes to put together a delicious and healthy meal. Believe me, you can make something that is delicious and it doesn’t have to take a ton of time. Last night we had to leave the house at 5:30 to get my husband to the airport so I had to work fast. Here is what was on the menu:

Hamburger Salad

Ingredients:

Grass-fed Ground Beef

Lettuce

Red Onion

Bell Peppers

Cucumber

Avocado

Chili Powder

Pepper

Garlic

Oregano

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vingar

Sriracha

Cheese Slices – of choice

Directions:

I bought 1.5 lbs of grass-fed ground beef. Put in a bowl add 2 cloves of finely minced garlic, chili powder and pepper to taste. Make into patties.

Chop a slice of cheese per patty.

Chop up cucumber, bell peppers, lettuce, and onion.

Mix the lettuce and veggies together in a salad bowl.

Use a large skillet over medium heat to cook the hamburger patties. Cook on one side until the meat is browned and about 1/2 way fully cooked, then flip. Once they are almost completely cooked add the cheese on top of the patties and put a lid over the skillet for a minute so the cheese will melt.

Remove hamburger patties from the heat and set aside to cool down slightly.

At this point chop up the avocado and add over the top of your salad.

Chop up the hamburger patties and add to the top of the salad.

Drizzle on your dressing and some sriracha and you are ready to ENJOY!!!

***We like to make our own salad dressing because then you know what is in it AND it tastes so much better than store bought dressing!

Directions for Dressing:

2/3 Olive Oil

1/3 Balsamic Vinegar

2 cloves of finely chopped garlic

Pepper

Oregano

Mix all together in a jar and shack up to combine. We like to have fresh dressing in our refrigerator as often as possible so that we do not have to make it on the spot for dinners like this one. But it is quick and easy to make on the spot.

KIDS DON’T EAT SALAD?!?

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR KIDS WON’T EAT SALAD….make them hamburgers on a piece of lettuce with some fruit on the side. Typically our 9 year old LOVES to enjoy a salad, but last night she really just felt like a hamburger. So we put the hamburger over a piece of iceberg lettuce and she enjoyed it with some ketchup on top!!!

Delicious Dinner & X-Mas Tree

Last night was one of my favorite days of the year….the day we get our Christmas Tree!!! How much fun is it to go to a Christmas Tree lot and smell the sweet smells of Christmas and feel the holiday cheer. It is a time when your family gets together and truly feels the joy of the season!

The biggest debate is to get a Noble Fir or Douglas Fir. Decisions Decisions! We went with Noble Fir because ornaments hang on them better and we have some heavy ornaments! We got a little bit of a smaller tree this year, which is likely a good thing since we have a baby who is ALMOST crawling. EEK! The best addition to our Christmas decorations this year is a homemade hook rug tree skirt my husband was given as a gift. Isn’t it beautiful! Now we just need to find the time to hang lights and ornaments!

Because we were going to get our tree after work I had to get dinner prepared to pop in the oven when we got home. It would have been so much easier just to grab take-out but home cooked meals taste so much better and you feel so much better after eating at home. So, in our house as much as possible we try and eat at home. We just talked about needing to eat more fish so tonight fish was on the menu:

Fish & Vegetable Dinner:

Ingredients:

3 Halibut Steaks – you can use Mahi Mahi or Tilapia

Brussel Sprouts

Red Cabbage

Bell Peppers

Garlic

Paprika

Pepper

Chili Powder

Turmeric

Apples

Directions:

Chop brussel sprouts. Cut off the end and then cut in half. Set aside

Chop up 1/2 small red cabbage into small pieces. Set aside

Chop roughly 6 small bell peppers or 1 large pepper. Set aside

Finely chop up 2 cloves of garlic. Add to all the chopped vegetables.

Drizzle olive oil, paprika, chili powder, turmeric and pepper over veggies and toss.

Lay veggies out on a cooking sheet covered in foil (for easier clean up)

Drizzle fish with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and paprika.

Chop up apple. We used 1 Organic Pink Lady for the 3 of us.

Cooking:

Preheat oven to 375* – cook veggies for 20-30 minutes. Check them – it just depends on how many veggies you have on your baking sheet on how fast they will cook.

Drizzle some olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook fish about 3 1/2 – 4 minutes a side.

Now just ENJOY!

As simple as that you have a home cooked, delicious, healthy dinner. With this we had leftovers for my husband to bring to work and for me to enjoy at home for lunch! And we got to enjoy our Christmas decor and eat a delicious dinner!

Seasons Greetings to you and yours!! Happy Wednesday everyone!!!

#ourprimallife #holidaymeals #christmasdecorating #christmastree #healthymeals

Fall Family Fun – BEST Chili Recipe

What better way to spend time a few days before Halloween than carving pumpkins and eating chili. The holidays come and go so fast, it is easy to forget to embrace them and truly enjoy the process of the holiday. We are often so stressed through the holidays that we don’t take time to take a step back and really appreciate the time with our families and friends.

It is still hot out in Arizona, so making hot chili was pushing it a little, but my daughter requested chili with pumpkin carving so we went ahead and made chili. I mean, we have to set the fall mood, even if it is still in the 90s here!! The chili was delicious and extremely simple to make!!!

Chili Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 white onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 jalapeño, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

1/2 poblano pepper, finely chopped

1 Large can tomato sauce

1 can Rotel Tomato chunks (whichever flavor you want)

2 cans Kidney Beans

1 can pinto beans

Salt

Pepper

Cumin

Cayenne

Chili Powder

Paprika

Olive Oil/Butter

Cheddar Cheese

Green onion – garnishments

Directions:

Sautee garlic, onions, jalapeño, poblano and red bell pepper in oil in large soup pot

Add ground beef and cook until browned – you need to season the meat with salt, pepper and chili powder.

once the meat and peppers are cooked, add in tomato sauce and can of rotel and stir

Add in all three cans of beans and stir

Season the broth – add salt, pepper, chili powder, paprika, cumin and a pinch of cayenne. The seasoning is really up to you. Be sure not to over season with spices as it will already have a kick to it.

Let the chili simmer for a couple of hours.

Serve hot with shredded cheddar cheese and green onion on top to garnish.

So simple and so yummy.

We either serve our chili with a spoon bread or just a tortilla with melted cheese or butter.

YUM!

Hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think 🙂

#notpaleo #notprimal #fallmeals #ourprimallife #80/20 #fallfamilyfun #chilirecipe

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Patrick and I decided that we should try new things in the kitchen. So this weekend we bought 4 whole large portobello mushrooms that we could either put on the grill and eat as a side dish or stuff and bake as our main course. It is fun to try new things to spice up dinners! Fun and intimidating.

Yesterday I found this recipe on the Everyday Paleo website from back in 2010:

http://everydaypaleo.com/giant-stuffed-mushrooms/

We used this recipe as our base but just adjusted for what we didn’t feel like and/or didn’t have in the kitchen. From the time we started preparation until we were sitting down eating the total time this took was roughly 80 minutes. Not bad at all.

From Everyday Paleo (www.everydaypaleo.com)

*this site and http://www.paleopalate.com are two of our favorite sites*

Giant Stuffed Mushrooms

4-6 BIG Portobello Mushrooms

1.5 lbs grass fed ground beef (we had to use 1 lb because that is all we had)

1 lb spicy Italian pork sausage – casing removed (we used 1.5 lbs to make up for less grass fed ground beef)

3 celery stalks diced – we opted to not use celery in our dish

½ green bell pepper diced – we used yellow and red bell peppers. I enjoy the flavor of the red, orange and yellow bell peppers more than green

1 red onion diced

Diced mushroom stems

1 tsp paprika

a few shakes to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

**Really you can spice it however you want! Use flavors you enjoy!

2 tbsp dried basil – oops we don’t have this, that is okay just improvise!!

1 tbsp tarragon – oops we don’t have this, that is okay just improvise!!

6 crushed garlic cloves

Pinch of sea salt

Black pepper to taste

1 omega 3 enriched egg – we added 2 eggs because the eggs weren’t huge and we just thought – more egg, more protein

1/4 cup olive oil – after thought we should have tried coconut oil…next time

1/4 cup coconut flour (or I’m sure almond meal would work just fine too!)

Preheat oven to 400.Use a moist paper towel to gently clean the mushrooms, if you run mushrooms under the tap to clean them, they get a little soggy… Remove the stems and set them aside and carefully scoop out the feathery insides of the mushrooms with a spoon. Rub the outsides of the mushrooms with olive oil and place cap down in a large glass baking dish.  Dice the bell peppers, onions, celery stalks, and mushroom stems.   In a large soup pot brown the sausage and ground beef, add the bell peppers, onions, celery, and mushrooms and cook until the veggies are tender.  Move the meat/veggie  mixture to a food processor and add all the spices, the egg, olive oil and the coconut flour.  Process until the mixture is finely chopped but NOT mushy, it should be chopped fine but still chunky. (we made it too mushy – oops, it was still delicious) Scoop mixture into the mushroom caps – make them really full. We literally piled the mixture all over the mushrooms. Spoon any remaining mixture around the mushrooms and cook your stuffed mushrooms in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until brown and bubbly.

Enjoy!

Everything in this recipe is so simple and it came out so yummy. We are from the southwest and like meals to have a little bite to them so I think I would encourage adding some chilis and/or jalapeno to this recipe to give it an extra spice. Just remember to have fun in the kitchen and improvise.