“The Real Deal” Hamburger Buns (Paleo)

Hey Everyone!

Thanks for hanging in there during these times when I am not able to post much. I have just reached my first “break” for the NTP course through the Nutritional Therapy Association! So far it has been absolutely INCREDIBLE! I have learned so much and met soooo many wonderful, likeminded people! I highly recommend looking into it if you also have a passion for helping yourself and others heal by using the power and intuition of the body and nutrient dense foods.

While I think I have finally found a happy balance of doing school work again with my daily life activities, I tend to always tip the scale towards doing “too much” and running myself into the ground (at a steady rate). Just when I think I am pretty efficient at doing A-Z tasks, I realize there is always room for improvement. So, lately I have tried being less lackadaisical when it comes to meal prep (thinking that basic, quick, daily meal prep and shopping was the best route) and really focused on having one or a maximum of two full meal prep days where I make most of my meals (and my clients meals) in one chunk of time. Not only does this get me to plan more creative meals but also gives me a chance to try out new fun recipes myself and takes the extra hour out of other days that I would normally stop what I am doing to shop-cook-etc.

For the past MONTH (or so) I have been working on making a paleo hamburger bun that actually resembles a typical hamburger bun. Mostly I’ve gotten a lot of things that taste good but don’t have the right consistency, until now! By total accident, I made this bun with two types of flours, and to my surprise they both came out wonderfully. The cassava flour version of this bun is slightly less-moist and has an awesome macro-ratio for those that are following specific macro-oriented eating plans, while the cashew flour version is a bit more spongey and higher in fat (which is certainly not a bad thing, you need those good fats!). Try them out and let me know which version is your favorite!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 Cup Cassava Flour (or 1 cup Cashew Flour)
• 3 TB Psyllium Husk Powder
• 4 free-range, organic eggs
• 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
• 1/3 tsp. Natural Baking Soda
• 2/3 tsp. Cream of Tartar
• 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
• 1 tsp. Toasted Sesame Seeds (optional)

Instructions:

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

– In a food processor, combine all ingredients and blend until fully combined.

-Let the mixture sit for a minute to fully absorb the liquids, then with damp hands, form dough into 4 large balls (the dough will be wet and sticky but will hold a “hamburger bun” shape).

-Sprinkle the tops with sesame seeds if you’d like!

-Bake for 20-25 minutes until the tops start to turn golden brown.

-Let cool for 2-3 minutes and then cut in half and enjoy with your favorite burger!

Macros Counts:

Cassava Buns (1 bun)= 157 Calories, 4.9g Fat, 21g Carbohydrates, 6.8g Protein.

Cashew Buns (1 bun)= 265 Calories, 20.7g Fat, 12.7g Carbohydrates, 12g Protein

Sweet Potato Sloppy Joe Sliders (Paleo)

I’m not going to lie, the holidays are crazy, and so is my schedule right now! Instead of boring you with my weekly life-lessons and updates, we’ll just get right to the point. Here is a fun recipe that turns another childhood favorite into a more sophisticated, comforting meal. I hope you enjoy it as much as I (and a few taste testers) did!

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into 1/4″ thick rounds
• 1 TB. avocado oil
• 1 TB. coconut oil
• 1 lb. grassfed ground beef
• ¼ tsp. sea salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 2 medium yellow onions, diced
• 1 celery stalk, finely diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 TB. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• ½ tsp. paprika
• 1 TB. raw honey
• 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 3 TB. water
• 1 cup spinach leaves (optional)

Instructions:
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F)

-In a large bowl toss the sweet potato rounds in avocado oil, salt and pepper

-Place seasoned sweet potato rounds on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for about 30-35 minutes, flipping halfway

-While potatoes are baking, add the coconut oil to a large skillet over medium heat and cook the beef until only a little pink remains

-Add the onion, celery and garlic and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes

-Add tomato paste, cumin, chili powder and paprika to the meat mixture and stir for 1 minute

-Add the honey, apple cider vinegar, tomato sauce and water to the mixture, stir to combine and summer on low for 5-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper

-Once the sweet potatoes are done cooking arrange them on a serving plate with toppings of your choice! I like to add spinach leaves for a fun color pop (they also hold on the meat quite well) or you could use larger lettuce leaves as a “boat” for the sliders

AB&J Bars (Paleo)

If you were to name some of your favorite snacks from when you were a kid (who knows, maybe you still eat the same?!) what would they be? I can imagine somewhere between mac & cheese and grandma’s homemade cookies, you thought of peanut butter and jelly. There’s just something about the combination of bread, creamy peanut butter and sweet and tangy jelly that is hard to resist. While the bread, peanuts and conventional jelly may not be paleo approved, here’s a great trade off that will surely satisfy all the PB&J cravings you’ve ever had. 🙂

Ingredients:

• 2 bananas, overripe
• 3/4 cup almond butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/3 tsp cream of tartar
• pinch of sea salt
• 1/3 cup homemade jam
• 1 tsp coconut oil

Instructions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).

-Grease a 9×9″ baking sheet with coconut oil. I use a pre-divided pan which takes the hassle of cutting these right out! You can also use a muffin pan instead.

-In a large mixing bowl combine bananas, almond butter, honey, eggs, and vanilla. Mash and mix thoroughly until no chunks remain.

-Add coconut flour, cinnamon, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt to the banana mixture and stir to combine until smooth.

-Add half of the batter to the greased pan (which ever type you decide to use).

-Then add then jam (make sure it’s laid out evenly and somewhat flat) over the banana mixture.

-Add remaining batter over the top to cover the jam completely.

-Bake for 25-30mins or until these start to become golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before taking a butter knife (or toothpick) to ensure the edges are not stuck and remove from the pan.

-Cut into 12 bars and enjoy! *Be careful, these are addicting!*

Macros! If you are counting or keeping track, the macronutrient profile for 1 bar is: Calories (210) Protein (6g) Fat(11g) Carbohydrates (23g)

 

Turkey Stuffed Bell Peppers (Paleo)

My life has been pretty darn hectic lately with a lot of big changes. Normally change has been a cause of anxiety for me (and lets be honest, at times it still gets to me!) but I have been doing the best I can in taking things day by day, moment by moment, and seeing the positive in each situation. For instance: I’ve recently accepted an offer on my house, which is great! It was only on the market for 5 days before I got my first offer and signed the P&S after 9 days! Now, pending inspection, things are moving quite fast and it seems that the closing date is going to be MUCH sooner than I anticipated. After having JUST gotten settled at my new job, new gym, new weightlifting program, and new schedule, of course another curve ball comes my way. BUT- I knew it was coming, eventually. The only thing that has changed is the timing, which, in the grand scheme of thing, isn’t a huge deal, right? Well, I keep telling myself that. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason (as corny as that sounds) and therefore stressing over things like this serves no purpose. I’ve always been one to take life by the horns and run with whatever is thrown at me so even though my plans for the future aren’t clear at this point in time, I know that it will all pan out as it should and I will be able to look back and appreciate these moments as they are the ones that spur growth, acceptance, and self discovery.

So, how does this rant tie into Stuffed Peppers? 😉 Easy- stuffed bell peppers are a pretty mindless meal that you can throw together quite easily with just about anything you have laying around in your refrigerator. Not only will it look like you created this fancy meal (because you did) but if you know the basics of meat and seasonings that go well together they are bound to taste good as well! This is one of my go-to variations because most of these ingredients are almost always found in my fridge (less things to forget at the grocery store) and you can also add some kind of sauce like coconut aminos, thai ginger, peanut, curry, teriyaki, etc. to easily kick these up another notch. It’s a great recipe for when life is cray and you don’t have any brain power left to get too creative. Try them out and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

• 5 bell peppers, tops cut off and seeds removed
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 TB coconut oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup white mushrooms, chopped
• 2 cups cauliflower, riced
• 1/2 cup spinach, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
• chopped fresh scallions, for garnish

Instructions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F)

-Place bell peppers, upright, on a rimmed baking sheet and set aside

-Melt coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions become translucent, about 5 minutes

-Add garlic and ground turkey to skillet and cook until no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes

-Add the cauliflower rice and mushrooms to the ground turkey and sauté for about 5 minutes. Then add spinach and cook until soft, about 2 minutes

-Remove skillet from heat and add in parsley and cilantro, stirring to incorporate

-Carefully stuff each bell pepper with the turkey mixture and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the peppers are soft

-Optional: after 20-25 minutes set the oven to broil and broil peppers for 2 minutes to get a little crispiness on the tops!

-Garnish with scallions and enjoy!

Hasselback White Sweet Potatoes (Paleo)

As an athlete it’s important to fuel your body appropriately in order to maximize your performance and recovery. Having an active job along with a dog that requires a long hike or run daily and somewhere between 1-2.5 hours of training each day, the amount of carbohydrates my body needs is sometimes overwhelming. Being on the go so often my sources of carbs are often the quick and easy varieties such as rice and gluten-free oatmeal, but when I have the opportunity to be in the kitchen for a period of time, my all-time favorite source of carbs are white or japanese sweet potatoes (Japanese have red skin and domestic have golden skin). These tend to get crispier than yams and orange sweet potatoes as they are higher in carbohydrates but still contain a vast amount of micro nutrients. This cooking variation is not only delicious but a sure way to raise some eye-brows and get some “fancy” remarks from your friends and family- as a bonus, it’s also super simple! You can also do this with any potato, but if you’ve never tried white sweet potatoes… you definitely should!

Ingredients:

• 3 large white sweet potatoes
• 1 TB melted ghee
• dash sea salt

Instructions:

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees

-Line baking sheet with foil (or parchment paper)

-Thoroughly wash sweet potatoes and with a sharp knife start making vertical cuts from end to end leaving about 1/4 inch from the bottom of the potato all the way across

-Place potatoes on baking sheet and brush with melted ghee then sprinkle with sea salt

-Bake for about 60 minutes or until the potatoes are soft

-Remove from oven and top them with something tasty! Some options are crumbled bacon (you can add this before cooking, simply cook bacon most of the way in a pan, chop finely and sprinkle over potatoes), grass-fed cheese (if you can handle dairy, this can also be added when there is about 5 minutes of cooking time remaining), or something a little more complex like garlic and herb butter (2 TB ghee or grass-fed butter, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 tsp fresh chopped rosemary, 1 tsp fresh thyme and 2 tsp fresh scallions.. add to a small bowl and stir together!)

Enjoy! 

Photo by Billy Wilbanks. DSMP marketing. Instagram @wbanks85