BLT Salad

2-3 slices bacon
1 (1 oz) slice deli turkey, cut up with scissors
3 cups lettuce
2 plum tomatoes, sliced
1 Tbsp mayo (or bacon mayo)
salt to taste

Cook bacon as desired. (I microwave it in a pie plate, covered with parchment paper for 3 minutes, or 1 minute per slice).  Cool and crumble.  Mix salad.

Spicy Kraut Slaw

I have spent the last 5 years having a love-hate relationship with sauerkraut.  I want to love it, but I hate it.  I tried making my own from scratch, but I don't need one more thing to make from scratch.  I tried Bubbies, which was definitely better than mine, but I still had to force myself to eat it.  Then one day I threw it onto a hamburger patty with some mayo and sriracha, and YUM!  I'm kind of on a jag right now, but this is my new topper for salad.  Throw some green lettuce on a plate, top with Spicy Kraut Slaw, add some protein, and voila, instant lunch.

Serves 1

Bubbies sauerkraut (about 1/2 cup scooped from jar with a fork)
Mayonnaise to taste (anywhere from 1 tsp - 1 Tbsp, depending on how much fat you want)
Sriracha Hot Sauce* to taste (I use about 1 tsp)

Mix together.  Or just pile on a plate and mix as you eat.

*Yes, I know Sriracha isn't paleo.  But it's a very tiny compromise that makes me happy.  You know what else isn't paleo?  When I'm burned out and don't feel like making mayonnaise so I eat Duke's in all its soybean oil-laden glory.  Still better for me than a drive-thru at McD's.  Live life and move on!

Meatza

Google "meatza" and you will discover an abundance of different recipes.  It's yummy.  It really satisfies the pizza craving, especially if you are going to have "real" pizza in the house and need something else to eat!   Also a great way to use up leftover veggies.

Meat "Crust"
1 lb ground beef
1 tsp sage
1 tsp marjoram
1 tsp salt
1 tsp basil
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp onion powder

(alternate: 1 lb beef, 1 egg, 1/7 of 4" link of chorizo)

Pizza Sauce
you can use jarred sauce, as long as it has no sugar
8 oz tomato sauce
6 oz tomato paste
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp basil
3/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Toppings
should be pre-cooked
steamed broccoli
sauteed mushrooms
squash
sliced tomato (raw)
olives
pepperoni
etc

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix meat with spices; press into a small square baking pan.  (I line my pan with parchment paper to make lifting it out easier.)  Bake 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes.  Lift meat from pan, being careful to pour grease back into pan.  Place meat on a baking sheet (again, lined with parchment or foil - I hate washing dishes!).

Top meat base with pizza sauce and veggies.  Put back in oven for a few minutes, until warmed*.

*I usually put mozzarella on half the meatza for my kids, so I pop it in the oven until the cheese is melted and starting to brown.

Souffle Frittata

Original recipe from "Primal Blueprint Quick and Easy Meals"

This souffle is great when you need something different to do with eggs.  It is light and almost flaky.  It tastes just as good as  leftovers, or at room temperature if you need a portable meal.

2 Tbsp butter, melted & cooled
6 eggs, separated into yolks and whites
filling, such as 8 strips bacon

Preheat oven to 350.  Cook filling.  (You can microwave bacon.  Place 4 strips in a glass pie plate.  Cover with wax or parchment paper.  Cook 4 minutes.  If not done, cook in 30 second increments until done.  You can also cook it in a 12-inch oven-proof skillet you will use later to cook souffle.)  Cut into small pieces.

In a small bowl, mix cooled butter with egg yolks.  With a mixer, beat egg whites until stiff.  Fold the butter-yolk mixture and the bacon filling into the whites.

Heat 12-in oven-proof skillet on medium-high.  Add a little of the bacon grease and heat a few seconds.  Pour souffle into skillet; let cook 2 minutes.  Move to oven and bake 15 minutes.

Oven Baked Shrimp & Squash

Makes 2 servings

6-8 oz raw shrimp (shell on)
4 medium-sized summer squash (or 2 large ones), sliced thin
4 Tbsp coconut oil (olive oil, or butter)

Quick-thaw frozen shrimp by placing in a bowl of cold water.  Change water every 5 minutes until thawed.

Heat oven to 350.  Pour oil in rimmed baking sheet (line with foil or parchment for easier cleanup).  Spread shrimp and squash over pan.  Sprinkle with seasoning of choice (like Old Bay).  Toss shrimp to coat with seasoning and oil/butter.  Bake 15 minutes... Check periodically - shrimp will cook at different rates depending on size.*

*I baked large shrimp (21/25 per lb) for 25 minutes.  I like my shrimp just slightly over done.  If you like them plumper, reduce the time, or just check periodically.

Sauteed Tilapia

You can use this technique to cook almost any fish filet.

4 servings

4 (4 oz) tilapia filets (I buy the frozen bag at Costco), thawed
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter

Quick-thaw the filets - place in a bowl of cold water.  Change the water every 5 minutes until thawed.

Heat skillet on medium-high.  Add butter; heat until melted and bubbles have stopped (but before it starts to brown).  Add olive oil and heat 20-30 seconds.

Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper.  Place in hot oil.  Cook a few minutes until lightly browned; they are ready to flip when the release easily from pan.  Repeat on other side.

Cover pan.  Turn off heat.  Let sit on warm burner for a few minutes to gently cook fish all the way through.  Fish is done when it flakes easily.

Broiled Chicken Patties

Based in part on Emeril's Chicken Patty-Pockets.  This is a yummy quick lunch.  These taste slightly like something you would stuff a pita with.  If I ate pitas.

1 lb ground chicken (thighs/dark meat)
2 large egg whites
1 T coconut flour
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp cumin
olive oil

Preheat broiler.  Mix all except the olive oil.  Mixture will be really gooey.  Form into 8 patties on a foil-lined baking sheet and flatten to about 3/4 inch.  Brush/drizzle tops with olive oil.  Broil for 4 minutes, or until lightly browned; flip.  Broil 4 more minutes, or until browned.  Turn off broiler and let sit in warm oven for 5 more minutes, or until done.  (I check periodically to see when they start to look crispy).

Asian Chicken Salad

3/4 lb chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
1/2 cup almonds, sliced
1 cup carrots, shredded
2 cups greens, shredded (bok choy, cabbage, kale, etc)
garlic powder
ground ginger
salt

Mix all together.  Sprinkle with garlic, ginger, and salt.  Top with Soy Dressing (light and thin) or Not Peanut Sauce (thick and creamy).

Soy Dressing
1 Tbsp coconut oil (or olive oil)
1 Tbsp soy sauce (good quality tamari, or coconut aminos)
1 Tbsp rice vinegar

Not Peanut Sauce

Baked Chicken Breasts

This is our basic, kids-will-always-eat-it, chicken breast recipe.  I usually bake a large batch and use the leftovers in other meals.

chicken breasts
salt
garlic powder
onion powder

Season chicken with salt and spices.  Bake (on a foil-lined baking sheet) at 450 for 25 minutes (30 minutes if breasts are large).

Homemade Spaghetti-O's

Okay, obviously this isn't PALEO!  But it's cheap and fast, and kids love it. This falls into my "at least it's not fast food" category...

1 lb ground beef

garlic powder

salt

3 cans tomato soup (please use one without HFCS)

8 oz cheddar cheese, grated

1 lb macaroni

Brown ground beef and season with garlic powder and salt. Boil macaroni. Heat tomato soup with cheddar cheese and stir until melted. Mix all together.

Marinated Zucchini

1 lb zucchini

olive oil

salt and pepper

Julienne zucchini.  (Or use peeler to slice off thin strips.)  Sprinkle with salt and let sit for 15 minutes.  Squeeze dry with paper towels.  Drizzle with olive oil; sprinkle with pepper.  Let sit in refrigerator 1 day to soften.

This is a good quick filling for omelets or paleo crepes.  It's also good with Savory Cashew Cheese on top for a quick snack.

Salmon Croquettes

I made this one day for my kids as a tribute to my Nannie, and they loved them. My base recipe is Alton Brown's Tuna Croquettes.    Another yummy version is Salmon Cakes With Homemade Ginger Mayo.

1 large can salmon (10-14 oz)

2 tsp dijon mustard

2 eggs

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

2 pieces stale bread (or 3/4 cup bread crumbs)

olive oil

Remove the large bones and skin from the salmon. Stir the rest vigorously to break up smaller bones (these can be eaten and are great for calcium, but you don't want little ones getting one caught!). Add mustard, eggs, lemon juice and salt.

Use food processor to grind up bread pieces into crumbs. Mix in with salmon.

Heat olive oil in a saute pan, enough to cover bottom. Use an ice cream scoop to dish out scoops of salmon mixture into the oil. Let cook until brown, then flip, and flatten (2-3 min). Let cook a few minutes (2-3 min), then flip back over and finish cooking (2-3 min).

PALEO OPTION: omit bread crumbs; use 1 T coconut flour.  I also use Ezekiel Bread crumbs as a compromise.

ALLERGY OPTION: use paleo option; replace eggs with Flax Eggs*

*Flax Eggs: 1 egg = 1 Tbsp ground flax seed in 3 Tbsp hot water; let sit 2-3 minutes until gelled.

Curried Carrot Salad

4 large carrots, peeled and shredded

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (optional)

1/4 cup tahini

1-2 tsp curry powder*

1 oz lemon juice

1 oz maple syrup

pinch of kosher salt

dash of cayenne

Combine carrots, raisins, and seeds in a bowl. Mix tahini with rest of ingredients; pour over carrot mixture and stir to combine. This keeps for a long time in the refrigerator, so I make a large batch.

*add curry to your taste. If you love it, add 2 tsp. If you prefer a subtle flavor, add 1.

Alternatively, you can mix the sauce and keep it separate, using it as a dip for carrots, celery, etc.