Paleo Egg Pie

Weird title, I know. I can’t really call it a quiche, though, because it doesn’t have a crust.

We’ve had company in town this week and I’ve been trying to prepare both delicious, economic [boys can eat!], and still Paleo-friendly meals daily.

The first day, I laid out a feast – huge pans of scrambled eggs, a heaping plate of turkey bacon, sauteed sweet potatoes with onions, toast [both regular and coconut-bread, for me!], fresh fruit salad, organic yogurt, etc.

We had a lot of potatoes leftover and I didn’t want to just microwave them and reserve them [for shame, hostess!], so I got a little creative and made “Paleo Egg Pie.” Recipe below:

  • Approx 2 sweet potatoes, chopped into 1″ pieces.
  • 1/2 sweet onion, diced
  • 6 turkey sausages, chopped into small pieces
  • 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
  • 2/3 can diced tomatoes w/ chilis, drained well
  • 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack Daiya alternative cheese
  • 2 tbsp virgin, cold-pressed coconut oil

To start, microwave the chopped potatoes for about 90 seconds. This will reduce your cooking time IMMENSELY. Seriously, I do this with all potato recipes.

Place large skillet on stove. I had it around 60% heat. Throw the coconut oil into the pan and allow to melt. Add the onion and mushrooms and saute until transparent and tender. Add the potato and turn the heat up to around 80%. This will sear it a bit and make it nice and crispy on the outside.

Reduce the temperature back to 60% and add your chopped turkey sausage. I use the pre-cooked kind, so I’m basically just warming it up. Add the tomato/pepper mixture and stir until everything is heated through. At this point, I quickly scrambled 3 whole eggs and 3 egg whites and then poured the mixture over top of the pan. Make sure everything is evenly coated [all pan surface needs to be hidden.] If your pan is larger than the standard skillet, feel free to up this recipe to 8 eggs.

Sprinkle the Daiya cheese on top, reduce the heat to LOW, and cover the pan. Let sit for about 5-6 minutes, or until eggs set. Once set, remove pan from stove and slice into triangles, much like you would a pie. I served this with fresh salsa, chopped avocado, green onions, and more daiya cheese. The boys had NO CLUE it was Paleo!

For those who prefer more spice, feel free to add chili powder directly to the scrambled eggs and even some diced jalapeno into the mix!

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

Paleo Mint Chocolate Chip TEA!

OK, I know the name sounds weird, but don’t knock it before you try it.

This evening, I was craving something decadent and sinfully high calorie. I would have caved for that craving if it wasn’t 11pm at night and I’m allergic to Walmart. So I had to get creative in my kitchen stocked with healthy, Paleo-diet approved foods.

Well, it worked. I came up with Paleo Mint Chocolate Chip tea, which literally tastes like melted mint chocolate chip ice cream. It’s rich, it’s flavorful, and it’s less than 75 calories for the cup! Yessssss.

Here’s the recipe:

  • One cup [6-8 oz] boiling water
  • 1 tea bag organic, peppermint tea [steep until desired strength; I went DARK!]
  • 1 tbsp organic, unsweetened cocoa powder [only 10 cals!]
  • 2 tbsp organic, So Delicious brand vanilla coffee creamer [only 20 cals!]
  • 1/2 tbsp Enjoy Life chocolate chips [approx 35 calories]
  • One stevia/truvia packet, if preferred.

Steep the tea first, remove the tea bag, and then stir in the cocoa powder. Add the creamer so the liquid cools just a tiny bit, then stir in the chips.

Heaven in a cup!

Enjoy and bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

 

Paleo Cookies!

On Sunday night, as I was prepping my meals and snacks for the work week, I began to have a massive craving for chocolate.

What’s new, right?

Well, even though I was letting myself indulge freely on Sunday, it made me think about the fact that I am BOUND to have more cravings throughout the week. And, if I didn’t have a plan in place, I was bound to cave, splurge on something bad, and then feel regret/guilt.

So I decided to take proactive measures and look up a recipe for Paleo desserts.

I found a basic recipe for cookies and, feeling creative, decided to doctor it a bit. I am happy to report that the results came out AMAZING. My husband was INHALING the cookies by the handful and he’s not even a big sweets-guy, so that’s a good sign. I decided I’d share the recipe on here so that my fellow cavemen and women [or gluten-free friends!] can enjoy a tasty, easy to make snack!

Double Chocolate Chip Paleo Cookies w/ Walnuts:

Ingredients:

  • 2/3 cup coconut flour
  • 1/2 cup cold-pressed coconut oil [you may need to warm slightly to get soft enough to mix]
  • 6 eggs
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup raw honey or agave syrup
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened, natural cocoa powder [I went with Hershey’s but you can use whatever you’d like.]
  • 1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1/2 cup crushed walnuts [or whatever nuts you prefer]
  • 1/2 cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips [soy free, dairy free, gluten-free, etc!]

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degree.

I’m not a good student when it comes to following instructions for baked goods, so I just threw all of the dry ingredients into a big mixing bowl, then poured the wet ingredients on top, then stirred them like a BEAST for 2 minutes. Free arm workout!

I used a 1/4 cup scoop to make little cookie balls and then put them approximately one inch apart on a large baking sheet. This recipe makes a lot of cookies – probably 40-45 – so I ended up using two large cookie sheets to hold all of them.

I pressed the cookies flat, so they were roughly two inches in diameter and an inch thick.

Bake for 10-14 minutes to preferred texture. I like my cookies moist and chewy, so I aimed for 10 minutes and they came out perfect.

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Unfortunately, I didn’t do the calculations on calories, but I can tell you these little cookies pack a sweet punch, so my guess would be between 100-150 for every two cookies. They are very rich, however, so two cookies should satisfy even the most ravenous of dessert-munchers.

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

Breakfast of Champions

I’ve been told that the secret to overall good health and wellness is to eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a starving college student who has maxed out his credit cards.

Well, I may not be able to control myself like a starving college student at dinner time just yet, but I definitely have breakfast down.

This morning, I was craving something heavy, fatty, and delicious.

To satiate that craving but still be somewhat healthy, I prepared my own take on chicken and waffles.

Using Van’s gluten-free, wheat-free waffles as my base, I pan fried two eggs and a sweet apple chicken sausage link [these are amazing on their own, by the way] to create a breakfast taste explosion on my plate.

Seriously, these taste way too good to only be 150 calories!

Seriously, these taste way too good to only be 150 calories!

Photo Credit: SweetBay Grocery Store

I chopped and layered the sausage [just 150 calories for a BIG link] over one of the waffles [230 calories for two], then blanketed it with the two fried eggs [140 calories using pam spray]. On top of that, I put a tiny drizzle of raw, organic honey [30 calories for a half tablespoon] and then sandwiched it with the second waffle.

I admit, this packed more of a calorie punch than I normally eat in one meal, coming in at a whopping 550, but for a Sunday brunch it totally hits the spot. Considering I ate late, I will likely offset the heavier breakfast with a light lunch. On the bright side, I am full, happy, and fueled for a productive Sunday of sitting on the couch in my PJ’s and doing homework. YESSSS!

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori