Recipes

Thirsty Thursday: Spiked Strawberry Mint Cooler

By Holly on May 17, 2012

I am no stranger to cocktail filled evenings spent outside on a patio wasting away the last few hours of summer light. Actually I have fond memories of evenings like that, but honestly these days with 3:45am wake up calls, workout filled weeks and action packed weekends, I can’t afford the morning-after consequences that come with those memories. But that doesn’t mean I want to be a complete tee-totaler and watch the season go by with nary an adult beverage, you know?

This beverage is my compromise.

Refreshingly devoid of sugary, syrupy mixers yet still packing the kind of punch that you hope for when reaching for a cocktail, this Spiked Strawberry Mint Cooler fits the bill to perfection. I have to warn you about two things though:

1. They go down easy

2. You actually need to starts brewing it up a few days before you drink it.

Enter: Strawberry Infused Vodka.

I followed this recipe to make the base of the cocktail, and just because it was super easy, I made some Pineapple Infused Vodka too (equally delicious!)

If you have 3 days, fruit, vodka and a dark closet — you can do this, I promise.

Once I had the strawberry vodka base, I wanted a mixer that was refreshing and low in caloric density. I can’t bust my butt all the time at CrossFit just to drink all my hard work away 500 calories at a time with a margarita, you know? (I prefer to eat my hard work away, remember?)

Enter: Mint Sparkling Water

By itself, I think peppermint sparkling is a bit of an acquired taste. It’s delicious, but just a little different, you know? However as a cocktail mixer?

HOLY HELL, IT IS AMAZING.

Add 3 Parts chilled Mint Sparkling Water to 2 Parts chilled Strawberry Infused Vodka, throw in a few frozen strawberries to make the whole ensemble, and drink up! I mean, using sparkling water as a mixer practically means you are hydrating while you drink!

Think Mint Sparkling Water sounds a bit crazy? Try Strawberry or Lime muddled with a little basil!

You won’t be disapointed.

*****

I’m certain that sparkling water coolers (with a bit of a kick!) are going to be making several appearances on my patio this season. How about you?

Grilled Marinated Flank Steak

By Holly on April 18, 2012

As much as I like to talk about making things from scratch and DIYing and…wait, I rarely talk about DIYing, that was a bold face lie. So, let’s start over — as much as I like to think about DIYing and taking the time to make things from scratch and “enjoying the process” and all that — sometimes I just really love convenience. In the kitchen, this translates to a love of meals that come together quickly, yet are still full of flavor. So now that the weather is heating up I want to talk about a MAJOR FAVORITE in our household.

Grilled Marinated Flank Steak.

Can we talk about Flank steak for a minute? I mean, why wouldn’t we be talking about Flank steak — what else do you talk about around the water cooler on a Wednesday, right? Flank steak is one of those long and flat steaks that come from the abdominal area of a cow, and because ab muscles are *supposed* to be all rock hard and stuff, it can be a little tough. But if you treat it right, it will make your night — and yes, that is a poem I just wrote. Who wants to offer me a book deal on my poetry collection?

What that means to you, my friends, is that flank steak loves a good marinade. And I’m going to tell you about the best one I know of. It’s originally from Simply Recipes (who I love because on top of being brilliant, she’s from Carmichael — AWESOME!) but I make a substitution to keep it Paleo. Yo. (That was poem number two. You’re welcome.)

The thing I love about this marinade is that it involves simple ingredients, it’s quick to mix up and you can drop your flank steak in there in the morning, on your lunch break, or even the night before as it imparts awesome flavor. Heck I’ve popped my marinating steak in the fridge at 4:30 when I get off work and still had dinner on the table before 7. So it is super versatile! (Just don’t do more than 24 because the acidity of the marinade will start breaking the proteins in your meat down. No bueno.)

Enough talk though, let’s get to the goods, shall we?

Grilled Marinated Flank Steak
adapted from Simply Recipes

Ingredients
* 1/3 cup olive oil
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
* 1/3 cup coconut aminos
* 1/4 cup honey
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 pounds flank steak
* Kosher salt
* Garlic pepper (or just regular black pepper and garlic powder)

Method

1. Score the surface of the steak with 1/4 inch diagonal knife cuts about an inch apart across the grain of the meat. Mix up your marinade and pour it over your steak in a large freezer bag. Pop in the fridge and leave for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

When it’s time to grill:

2. Grease your grill with olive oil (You can use a brush or just oil on a paper towel) and then preheat the grill on high for about 10 minutes. Flank steak likes high direct heat. This is awesome and practically fool-proof. Another reason I love this recipe.

3. Take the steak out of the marinade bag and generously season both sides with salt and garlic pepper. Garlic pepper is so darn awesome, you should try it. But if you don’t have it – salt, pepper and garlic powder will work just fine. Again be liberal with these seasonings. They make a nice tasty crust on the outside.

4. Drop your steak on the hot grill. I use a gas grill and I grill the entire time with the cover open. The breakdown goes a little something like this for a perfectly medium rare steak:

Grill for 2-3 minutes, then turn the steak 90°
Grill for 2-3 minutes, and flip over
Grill for 2-3 minutes, then turn the steak 90°
Grill for 2-3 minutes, and you’re done.

Yes, I use a timer. Yes I enjoy criss-crossed grill marks. You might too?

4. We are a medium rare household, and it’s a good thing too because flank steak gets a little tough if you over cook it. Adapt your cooking time from the suggestion above to your household’s liking. Then take it off the grill and place it on a cutting board (it’s efficient!), then cover it with foil and let it rest for at least 10 minutes.

5. Slice across the grain, and at a slight diagonal and enjoy!

6. And if you REALLY like convenience, enjoy on paper plates out in the back yard like we did! CONVENIENCE FOR THE WIN!

*****

How do you usually prepare flank steak? I love this recipe so much, we hardly ever deviate. But I am totally open to suggestions! Pass your recipes along.

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

By Holly on April 9, 2012

Listen, this definitely falls into the “treat” category, but it is a worthwhile treat in my opinion. Usually I am an abstainer from treats and would rather just have the real thing. You won’t find a lot of recipes around here for Paleo Desserts and such, because I’d rather just not eat dessert and then every once in a while have the kind of dessert I *truly* love (read: cake. always. every time.)

But sometimes you need to shake things up a bit. This weekend I had a hankering to bake (which RARELY happens in my house, I’m much more of a cooker than a baker) so I tried my hand at this recipe. Frisky Lemon is such a fun blog to read, by the way, stop by and check it out!

Now back to the cookies: They couldn’t have been easier, and I have to tell you the addition of cinnamon to the batter almost gave the cookies a flavor reminiscent of caramelized brown sugar. I think without it, these would just taste like cookies made from almond flour. The cinnamon is the ingredient that really makes magic! So hat tip to Allison for coming up with some real baking brilliance.

Ingredients

2 eggs, beaten
8 Tbsp butter, melted in the microwave
1 Tbsp vanilla
1/3 cup raw honey
1 1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup dark chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line a baking sheet with parchment (always a must with Paleo baking!)

2. Mix melted butter, eggs, honey and vanilla in a medium sized bowl.

3. Sift together all of the dry ingredients (except chocolate chips) directly onto the wet ingredients, stirring occasionally to mix the batter.

4. Fold in chocolate chips.

5. Your dough will be sticky/gooey — that’s ok. Spoon 2-3 TBS of batter on the parchment for each cookie.

6. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Mine came out perfect at 16 minutes.

7. Enjoy with an icy cold beverage of choice!

Taco Salad: A Love Story

By Holly on April 4, 2012

You all, it’s time.

It’s time for me to admit that I have an addiction that you probably caught on to ages ago if you have ever read one of my meal plans.

I am completely addicted to Taco Salad

I literally MUST eat it every week and I know that is just the most boring thing. I want to feel bad about it. I want to change my ways and be that person who whips up magical salads that are diverse all of the time. But this salad just sings its siren song too often, so nary a week goes by when I don’t eat it.

It’s simple and no frills, but I think it’s high time I told you about it in case you need a new addiction. It’s a piece of cake.

Ingredients:

1 Head of romaine
1 Cup Cherry Tomatoes sliced in half
1 Cup Cucumbers
Red or Yellow Bell Peppers to taste (I’ll just slice up an entire pepper because I’m CRAZY…woo hoo)
Sprinkle of Shredded Cheddar
Half an Avocado, salted and diced
Thinly sliced red onion, if you don’t have a meeting right after lunch
4-6 oz browned ground beef, mixed with this taco seasoning

Method:

Uh…mix it altogether and toss with dressing. That’s all folks.

Ah yes, let’s talk about dressing

So, as you know, pre-made salad dressings fall into the 20% for me of my 80/20 Paleo Rule. I enjoy making homemade dressings, but most often I prefer a bottled dressing for it’s convenience. I realize this means I end up ingesting some preservatives. For now, I’m over it. Not the hill I’m going to die on. So with that said — here are a few of my favorite ways to dress this salad — all are delicious!

Option 1: Carmen’s Habitual Habanero

I mentioned this back here, and it is still a favorite! (All of their dressings are! Seriously…GET SOME IMMEDIATELY!) And probably the most Paleo of all the salad dressings. Delicious and SPICY if you want a good kick!

Option 2: Bolthouse Farms Salsa Ranch Yogurt Dressing

It’s fairly new at my grocery store, but I’ve already gone through 2 bottles. You guys, I love this salad. Let the sheer volume of salad dressing I’ve used be a testament!

Option 3: The Don’t Judge Me Option

This is going to sound gross but I enjoyed it and loved it long before I ever knew what it was and now I can’t go back. This is how Garrett’s mom dresses her version of The Best Taco Salad Ever and indeed, it is pretty damn good! But let it be noted that she also includes corn, black beans and NACHO CHEESE DORITOS. So I mean, obviously it’s going to be the bomb.

Thousand Island Dressing mixed with Hot Sauce

I’m just saying — don’t knock it, ’til you’ve tried it!

And that, my friends, is my latest addiction.

*****
Do you have a favorite lunch that you MUST HAVE every week. Do share!

Say Hello To My Little Friend + 4 Must Try Smoothies

By Holly on March 29, 2012

So I bought a new toy.

It’s the Ninja Kitchen System 1100, and I have to say I’m officially in love.

You see, my old blender fell to its fiery death back in October and it just wasn’t high on the priority list of things to replace throughout winter. But with spring all up in my grill, I was really starting to miss my smoothies! Especially post workout — in the summer it is an ABSOLUTE MUST! Obviously I’d love a Vitamix or a BlendTec, and even though I KNOW how great they are and probably worth every penny, I just don’t want to spend $300+ on a blender. Call me cheap. It’s okay, I’ve been called worse.

So when The Ninja went on Sale at Costco and claimed that it could blend, juice, crush ice, make soup and knead dough, all for $97 — I decided it was time to take the plunge! Well, actually my mom bought it, I used hers for a week, AND THEN I decided to take the plunge. And I’m so glad I did! It’s been great to be able to make some smoothies these last couple of weeks and as such I’ve taken to pinterest, as you do, and found a few recipes that are destined to be Ninja-fied in the very near future. (click on the pictures to take you to the recipes)

Chocolate Banana Smoothie via Multiply Delicious

It’s a classic combo that never tastes bad! I like to freeze my bananas to make my smoothies extra cold. In the summer we end up going through BAGS of frozen bananas, it’s kid of crazy!

Vanilla Macadamia Smoothie via Green Lemonade

If you say macadamia nuts, I say LET’S EAT! Or..uh, rather drink in this instance. I’ve never met a macadamia anything I didn’t like.

Grapefruit Smoothie via Golubka

I think this looks delicious and sounds intriguing. Grapefruit? In a smoothie? I will definitely report back.

Blueberry Cucumber Smoothie via Paleo Diet Lifestyle

Another intriguing flavor combination that I’m looking forward to trying. Cucumbers are so refreshing and blueberries ALWAYS make a good smoothie ingredient, so we shall see….

Of course I’ve already made a million Green Smoothies, but that’s a given right? Whoever invented drinking spinach was a genius!

******

Got any To-Die-For Smoothie Recipes in your back pocket? Share ‘em in the comments!

Cauliflower Pizza with Bacon, Brussels Sprouts + Shallots

By Holly on March 27, 2012

On Friday night I had a somewhat empty refrigerator and only a miniscule amount of creative energy. Fortunately when I added the two together I came up with this:

It was the best faux-pizza I’ve ever made, actually. Hands down. It was a cauliflower crust topped with bacon bits, sauteed sliced brussels sprouts and a sprinkle of crispy shallots. When I took the first bite, I realized that this was one of those recipes that needed to IMMEDIATELY make it’s way to the blog.

But I feel the need to make a slight disclaimer: my love for Paleo aside, I am firmly in the camp that pizza has no substitute. Pizza is doughy and bready and indulgent — well, at least the good kind is — and when I hear about things like Cauliflower Pizza Crust — I don’t care how good it is NOT REAL PIZZA CRUST. You will not sell me on the fact that this is as good a Real Pizza.

So I am not making that claim. I will not try to foolishly dissuade you from loving Real Pizza. There is no substitute.

But the thing is, we all need to eat our vegetables, and cauliflower *IS* a pretty yummy and versatile. So when you make that vegetable into something crusty and add some delicious toppings, it actually turns into a pretty amazing (guilt free!) dinner. And a pizza-like dinner, no less.

So even though I do not claim this is will all of a sudden replace your desire for deep dish, I will claim that this will be one of the best Friday night meals you’ve ever had when all you have in your fridge is a few vegetables and a couple slices of bacon.

Ingredients

1 Head of Cauliflower, chopped incredibly fine in the food processor
1 egg, beaten
1 cup of shredded cheese for the crust, more if you want to top your pizza with it as well
1/2 tsp each garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper
1 tsp salt and pizza (or italian seasoning)
Toppings of Choice — in this case: brussels sprouts, bacon and shallots

Method

Preaheat your oven to 400 degrees

1. Chop your cauliflower in the food processor until it is finely minced. It sounds like a pain but trust me it will be worth it. When it’s shredded into a fine powder, pop it in the microwave in a bowl for 6 minutes. No need to add water or anything. Let it cool for about the same amount of time.

2. Mix in your seasonings, shredded cheese, and beaten egg until it becomes more paste/dough-like

3. Spread on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper (a must!) until it is fairly thin and looks like a big ol’ pizza crust.

4. Bake for 40 minutes until crust is browned and crispy

Then it’s time for the toppings! Here’s what I did:

5. While crust is baking, fry up some bacon bits in a pan. You know how to do this, it’s easy — I only had 5 slices of bacon and I was fine. But if I would have had more, I would have added more. More Bacon=Better. I think it’s science. Pull those puppies out and lay them on a paper towel somewhere.

6. Then slice up about 8 clean brussels sprouts into ribbons and throw them into the hot bacon renderings. This is always delicious.

7. When they get nice and sauteed and have a little color on them, pull those out of the bacon renderings too. You can even throw them on your bacon bits sitting there. It’s ok to mix everything together — GET WILD.

8. Thinly slice a whole shallot and throw THAT into the bacon renderings. These renderings are really doing triple duty. Let them get so crispy they almost appear burned.

Wine Break!!!

(Your crust will still be cooking even though your toppings will be done.)

9. Pull out your crust when it’s browned, top with cheese (no sauce!) top with bacon, brussels and crispy shallots and then throw it into the oven for about 5 minutes just until everything is melty and delicious looking.

10. Let it cool about 5 minutes, slice, serve and enjoy.

11. Serve with a salad and then smugly realize you are eating A LOT of vegetables, even though it feels like you are having Pizza Night!

*****

Do you have any favorite variations on Cauliflower Pizza Crust?

Spinach Salad: The John Malkovich of Salads

By Holly on March 8, 2012

Here’s the thing about spinach salad: it’s seems slightly more exotic than your average salad, right? But in the end it’s just a salad, like every other salad: some green stuff, some other stuff, some dressing.

But it’s also the kind of salad that people have very strong opinions about. Most people either detest it with every fiber of their being, or have a strange fetish like love for the brilliant combination of raw spinach, salty bacon, and perfectly cooked, sunshine-yellow yoked eggs. I guess you can probably guess where I fall on the spectrum, can’t you?

Ordinary ingredients, but when you put them all together and dress them with a warm bacon vinaigrette — EXTRAORDINARY. Which I think is a lot like John Malkovich, who really is just a regular actor dude. But man, people either hate him or talk about him like he is George Clooney covered in gravy and OMG HAVE YOU EVER SEEN SOMETHING SO DELICIOUS, JOHN MALKOVICH HOLY CRAP?

I don’t know if I feel that extreme, but I have to say if he one day hopped on my elevator, I may just hit the emergency stop button. Who knows?

Wow, this has gotten very off topic, hasn’t it? I’m sorry but sometimes while I’m washing dishes I have these very long involved tangents in this crazy brain of mine, and dammit I started a blog so I could share these tangents WITH THE WORLD!!!

You’re welcome.

Now let’s talk about the best spinach salad. The best spinach salad has 6 ingredients. Anyone can handle 6 ingredients, right? You probably keep them on hand anyway!

1. Spinach — bet you didn’t see that coming, did ya? Baby spinach, preferably. A giant mound of it. This is your foundation — make it a good one!

2. Perfectly Cooked Hard Boiled Eggs — I’m sure you have opinions on how to cook the perfect hard boiled egg, everyone does. Now don’t go being stingy with the egg. Make plenty because you can always eat them later. Chop them up in slivers and top with some flake salt and some course black pepper.

3. Way Too Much Bacon — If I’m using a bag of Trader Joe’s baby spinach, I’m thinking at least half a pound of bacon. What? Don’t judge. Bacon makes everything better. You will never feel like there is too much bacon on this salad.

4. Tomatoes — Little cherry tomatoes, Multi-colored baby heirlooms, chunks of juicy beefsteaks — it doesn’t matter. Just get some tomatoes in there. The sweetness and acidity cut through all of that bacon. And when you do add the tomatoes, salt them just the teeniest bit!

5. Cheese of Choice — Get crazy here. Sometimes I throw in shredded cheese just sitting in our fridge. Sometimes I do parmesan if that’s all we’ve got. Sarah does Blue Cheese and I think that sounds AMAZING but have never tried it (gasp!) Just get some cheese in there!

6. Warm Bacon Vinaigrette — If you are a person who likes red onion in your spinach salad — this is where you get the best bang for your buck! After you are done cooking your bacon and pulling it from the pan, mix those delicious bacon renderings with some chopped up onion or shallots. You only need to caramelize them for a second, then stir in some dijon mustard, a touch of apple cider vinegar, and a generous sprinkle of black pepper. Pour that baby straight from the pan right over the top of your greens.

After all of that, I promise that you will die happy. And if you pair it with a good John Malkovich movie and very full glass of red wine, you may even experience true spiritual enlightenment.

What’s In My Spice Cabinet + 4 Delicious Blends You Should Try

By Holly on February 28, 2012

I LOOOOOOOOOVE spice drawers. I mean, that’s my Pinterest porn flavor if you know what I mean. A well organized, well stocked spiced drawer makes my heart go pitter-pat.

My spice drawer, while well stocked, had gotten to epic levels of DIS-organization and it was making me want to pull my hair out. Wanna see it? I thought you would so I took a picture.

This is like THE OPPOSITE of pinterest porn. Now imagine having to find something with which to cook? ARGH. Such a mess! By the way, Garrett walked in on me taking a picture of my spice drawer and just mumbled, “I’m not even going to ask…”

I had reached my wits end last weekend and left the house to find a solution. I ended up finding it at World Market in the form of adorable little 99 cent jars. Can’t beat a deal like that with a stick! Now my drawer looks like this:

It sings to me when I walk by now, actually.

I repackaged all of my spices and slapped a handwritten label on them except for the ones from Penzey’s since those have recipes on the side and already come in pretty nice, non hideous containers. No need to print out anything fancy!

Anyway, this got me thinking that I should share 4 of my favorite herb blends/spice rubs with you. The ones that I use ALL THE TIME and are so easy to mix up yourself. So the next time you want to spice up your life a little, perhaps try one of these?

Homemade Taco Seasoning

I make this all the time because it is delicious, the recipe is for a huge batch and it works for a million different things. I brown meat for salads and mix it in. I add it to vegetables as a side dish with spicy food. I sprinkle it on taco salads when I want it a little extra flavor. So versatile!

Original Source: Food Renegade

Mix all of the following:
1/4 C. plus 1 Tbsp. Chili Powder
1 1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 1/4 tsp. Onion Powder
1/4 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1 1/4 tsp. Dried Oregano
2 1/2 tsp. Paprika
2 Tbsp. plus 1 1/2 tsp. Ground Cumin
1 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. Sea Salt
1 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. Black Pepper

Herbs de Provence

This is such a delicious mix and my absolute secret ingredient for the best tasting caramelized onions on the planet. Remember this recipe? Herbs de Provence is a MUST! It’s also really delicious and in eggs a fancy way to zshush up chicken. The lavender makes it interesting without being weird!

Original Source: The Herb Gardener

Mix all of the following:
5 tablespoons dried thyme
3 tablespoons dried savory
2 tablespoon dried marjoram
5 tablespoons dried rosemary
1 ½ tablespoons dried lavender flowers

Paleo Friendly Mesquite Seasoning

I love the smokey sweet combo of mesquite but most blends have lots of added sugar. This one has great flavor, but only incorporates a bit of palm sugar. Truth be told, I have made it without and it’s completely delicious!

Original Source: Cooking with Cory
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. ground chipotle pepper
1/2 tsp. dried, crushed rosemary leaves
1/2 tsp. dried marjoram leaves
1/4 tsp. dried sage leaves
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. ground dry mustard
1 tsp. palm sugar (optional)

And last but not least,

The Best Chicken Rub Ever.

I am totally obsessed with this recipe. It’s such an interesting combination of warmth and flavor and it makes grilled chicken breasts seem like the most interesting dish in the world. And if you know me at all, you know I am much more partial to the chicken thigh…so if I’m saying that, you know it’s a must try!

Original Source: The Clothes Make the Girl

Mix all of the following:
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mel’s cookbook Well Fed is actually a pretty awesome repository of great spice blends. It’s one of my favorite things about it!

******

So do you have any MUST-TRY spice recipes that you use regularly in your kitchen? Leave them in the comments, I’d love to try them out!

Porkapalooza — 15 Paleo Recipes For Those Who Love to Pig Out

By Holly on February 16, 2012

The other white meat is surprisingly versatile and in my area, seemingly always on sale! Here are some breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas to make you want to lick your chops and pan sear them too!

1. Pan Grilled Ginger Honey Pork Tenderloin (sub coconut aminos for soy sauce)
2. BBQ’d Pulled Pork (NOT in a crockpot)
3. Pork Fried Rice
4. Paleo Al Pastor Tacos
5. Pork Tenderloin with Cilantro Pesto
6. Garlic Crusted Pork Roast
7. Pork Adobo
8. Thai Caramel Pork
9. Whiskey Pulled Pork
10. Asian Pork Lettuce Wraps
11. 3 Olive Tapenade Pork Chops (use this tapenade recipe, the one in that post doesn’t work.)
12. Stovetop Pork Carnitas (I LOVE THESE – well as much as one can love a pork dish.)
13. Carmelized Italian Pork Chops with Sweet Onion Jam
14. Mediterranean Stuffed Pork Loin
15. Turnip and Pork Hash

Kitchen Inspiration: 5 Recipes I’m Dying To Try Right Now

By Holly on January 26, 2012

Sometimes there is just too much inspiration and not enough meals! Here are some fun things on my recipe radar that I thought you might like too.
*****

1. Braised Brisket Stew

Sizzle posted about this recipe recently and I thought to myself: Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. PIN THIS RECIPE IMMEDIATELY. And I did. I’ll be substituting sweet potatoes for white potatoes and enjoying every delicious looking bite!

2. Slow Cooker Coconut Ginger Chicken

I looooooove Thai flavors almost as much as I love my Crockpot, so this recipe is definitely going to make an appearance in an upcoming meal plan soon. I will use a different thickener, but I think the spice blend looks divine!

3. Lime Infused Honey Crusted Chicken

This recipe comes originally from Sunset magazine, which HELLO, is basically my bible. Gone are the days of Cosmo! It’s such a simple marinade that will impart a ton of flavor, I’m sure of it. And as soon as Garrett gets us some more propane (HINT HINT, babe!) these puppies will be hitting the grill!

4. Orange Peel Shrimp

This recipe will take some tweaking (arrowroot for cornstarch, maybe sub OJ and honey for store bought marmalade??) but it just made me crave some citrus-y shrimp. Layered over a heaping pile of cauliflower rice, I can almost taste the sweet heat!

5. Paleo Brownies

AndreAnna posted this on Facebook earlier this week and it looked like a fun sweet treat — perhaps for Valentine’s Day? I have high hopes for this recipe because I would love a little grain free chocolate indulgence.