http://elanaspantry.wpengine.netdna-...ut_cracker.jpg



Paleo Walnut Crackers

http://elanaspantry.com/paleo-walnut-crackers/

I make my mac and cheese with white wine in the sauce...7 min pasta ( with well salted cookg water ) and some hot sauce in it...
then I bake it with the topping of... stale baguette into food processor with rosmary and chives....then tossed in melted butter ...
add to top of pasta ... bake on 400 for maybe 20mins ( assuming u just made the pasta and sauce )

if I ever find time... I can add a photo...
:))

I was wondering that too, Gemme.

Sounds delicious but I could not figure out how it could be low carb with bread and pasta. Oh and the sauce and butter.

:blush:

just off the top of my head, i think you could do low carb pasta, BUT!

You could probably do this to make it low carb: use cauliflower instead of the pasta, and use low carb bread OR use almond flour and add seasoning. that would give it a crunch to it. As far as the wine sauce, there is no way to make alcohol low carb, so you'd have to pass it entirely and probably substitute just heavy cream, butter, and the cheese. toss the cauliflower and cheese sauce together, and put the almond flour and butter stuff (or low carb bead crumbs with butter) ontop and bake.

It is low carb by eatg it in small quantities... with a huge salad to balance it all out ...and some fresh fruit...

:))

Hi femmeandstrong and thank you for joining us. :)

Generally speaking Paleo folks and low carbers try to stay away from breads, pastas etc. as much as possible. Salad and fruit have carbs as well so even if you eat the mac n cheese in small quantities, the carb intake for that meal is going to be high.

For example: 1 apple has 25 grams of carbs. This is why many who stick to a Paleo/low carb eating plan do not eat a lot of fruit, but do eat many different vegetables, meats, and healthy fats like coconut oil, nuts, olives etc. There is more information on the back pages if you are interested. :)

Well we (wife and I) finally started the Whole30-- we're on day 2. Actually we started Sunday, but didn't officially start recording our progress till Monday. I haven't noticed much of change from things except of how many cups of vegetables I'm eating and what I haven't been eating in the past. It's really insane.

Of what I've read about the whole30, I'm hoping it will help with a few issues I've been dealing with as of lately with my health. I don't share much but I've been out of work since November 2014 due to lung issues and have been on oxygen since. I'm hoping that by cutting out the inflammatory foods such as dairy (butter, cheese, cream), sugars (cane sugar, maple, honey) that I'll see or feel a difference within myself. I have also had issues in the past with elevated blood sugars. When I first started my paleo way of eating, I did notice that my levels started to decrease. But I hit a plateau and haven't moved much since then. My goal is to drop to normal ranges-not high normal but in middle of NR. I also would love to lose more weight-- but I'm not putting that as an high goal because I don't want to be let down if I don't lose the ideal weight I have in my mind. I think because it's a number and the larger the number the more one would freak- but I think how we feel and how our body image is a whole should matter. Before starting- I didn't step on scale or measure myself, but I did take a picture of what I look like in a mirror.

So-- I've been blogging everything down in my whole30 experience via fb and sharing pictures of what I've been eating and writing down how I'm feeling. It's only day 2-- nothing really to report as of yet. Only that I feel more full when I eat more veggies, and I am craving less 'snacks' during the day. It's especially hard because I'm home and I get bored so of course I just want to eat-- but nope, haven't felt that way yet.

Some meals we've been enjoying-- pork carnitas (crockpot) served over lime, cilantro cauliflower rice with green chile and topped with spinach/baby kale mixture. Rainbow chard w/ apples, sweet potato/zucchini hash, and chicken chunks. Spaghetti sauce w/ mushrooms, basil, beef, onion, garlic served over zucchini noodles. Tonight- I'm making a frittata or quiche w/ sweet potato crust, eggs, broccoli, garlic, green chile sausage served with either a salad or cucumbers.

Do you have any suggestions of recipes that are whole30 compliant? Don't know what the heck I'm talking about-- and want to know more, read here ---> whole30.

I'll try to report back more often--

Oh and Jesse, those crackers are good. Have you made them yet? They are super good with bacon & onion jam! :)

Ahk,

I haven't tried them yet. I just found the recipe a few days ago, but everything I have made from that her site has been good, so I figured these would be too. :)

Sorry to hear you have been having health issues. I hope you are able to resolve them in the near future.

I've read up on the Whole 30 but have not tried it. I have, however, gotten back into juicing (mostly vegetables) and find that I feel best physically and emotionally when I drink a 16 oz glass of that everyday. The other added benefit is that I have lost weight since I started doing this.

Do take care of yourself,

Jesse

True Dat! Good call, Gemme!

Thanks Jesse. Zenbelly also has really good crackers. Check them out!!

Nightshades don't bother me so much as dairy does-- but thank you for the headsup. :sunglass:

I don't follow a lot of people/sites on facebook, but one that I do is "Low CarbZen". They posted a Pizza Spaghetti Squash Casserole. We finally made it the other night, and even though my arteries were clogging as I put all the ingredients together, the final result was delicious!


and in all honestly, the ingredients aren't all that clogging. it's 1 cup of cheese for the entire 9x9 pan, and I only used 11 large pepperoni slices (I get them fresh sliced from the deli). However, never time I think i'll add some marinated artichokes to the dish, just to give some extra vegetables. The servings are pretty big, and great with a side salad.


http://holisticallyengineered.com/20...casserole.html

Net Carb Count*: 8.05 g net carbs (for 1 serving)--makes 6 servings

Total Carb Count: 11.12 g total carbs (for 1 serving)

Good article.

http://whole30.com/2015/03/whole30-spiralize/

Enjoy!

Well we're 18 days into our whole30-- and it's going good.
I've learned how to make things from scratch -- bbq sauce w/ no sugar, ketchup, homemade nut milks, homemade nut butters, mayo, stir fry sauces, mustard.
I'm learning that I don't have headaches as I use too.
I'm learning that I didn't eat enough vegetables and fruit before.
I'm learning what my stomach actually does when its digesting food or when I'm actually hungry.
It's been fun-- but annoying too.

How is everyone doing? Ready for spring/summer foods and if so, like what? I've been eating asparagus like it's going out of season. and dill chicken salad.

An Easy Salmon Recipe for Weeknight Meals
 

Salmon and Anchovy Butter

I love salmon and anchovies, so I'm dyin' to make this. Gonna give it a shot this weekend.

Maybe I'll add asparagus or turnips on the side—something mild, I think.

Friday Five from the Slender Kitchen
 

Friday Five: High Protein Low Carb Breakfast Ideas

From the SlenderKitchen.com:

Lately it seems that more and more people are moving towards lower carbohydrate diets in some form. For some this means severely limiting carbohydrates and cutting out grains, legumes, breads, and even most fruit. For others it means making a more concerted effort to consume less carbohydrates, eliminate gluten, or just make smarter decisions about what types of carbohydrates they consume. Personally I try to make smarter choices about carbohydrates – choosing whole grains and unprocessed foods and also try to make sure they are more of a “side dish” to my meal as opposed to the main focus.

One meal I am doing this most days of the week is breakfast. I usually try and prepare a high protein, low carb dish and pair it with some fresh fruit. Reaching for something with a lot of protein is the key for staying full all morning. Here are some of my favorite high protein, low carb breakfasts? What are yours?

1. Turkey Sausage, Spinach, and Egg Wrap, 262 calories, 6 PointsPlus®

2. Greek Yogurt and Flax Pancakes with Berries, 235 calories, 5 PointsPlus®

3. Low Carb Almond Joy Pancakes, 266 calories, 7 PointsPlus®

4. Yogurt Chia Seed Pudding, 251 calories, 5 PointsPlus®

5. Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes, 118 calories, 3 PointsPlus®

My new favorite food is Mini Pepper Nachos! You know, those multi-color mini peppers in the produce section? Well, I wash them & then cut them in half and fill them with diced chicken, or cooked ground meat, diced tomato, green onions, black beans, diced avocado, a little salsa...really just whatever veggies you have on hand than can withstand being plopped into half of a mini pepper, sprinkled with cheese and placed under the broiler for 2-3 minutes. If you need a recipe just Google- Mini Pepper Nachos, there are numerous step by step recipes, but I prefer to do my own thing in this case. Enjoy!

P.S. Yes I realize beans aren't Paleo, but I like black beans and they are high in protein, so I eat them on occasion.

This is a good salad for breakfast or any other time. I add raw baby spinach to mine. :byebye:


http://fedandfit.com/2014/01/28/the-breakfast-salad-2/

I'm into Kale right now.

Kale chips.
Kale sauteed.
Kale in smoothies.
Kale that is massaged.

MMM, kale.

Thank goodness for farm markets open now. Our fridge has about 3 bags of kale in it-- and it had 4 bunches of rainbow chard but that was sauteed with green apples and onions. We eat that for breakfast.

I was lazy and just made a berry smoothie for lunch and a bowl of mixed nuts

I love kale too. I mostly juice it, but I do love kale chips! :)

Chard with Shallots, Pancetta and Walnuts
 

Had something similar to this recently and it was scrumptious.

Chard with Shallots, Pancetta and Walnuts

http://www.eatingwell.com/sites/defa...pes/SD5676.JPG

Description:
For this simple sautéed chard, flavored with rich-tasting pancetta and walnuts, we prefer the milder taste of green chard.

Ingredients:
2 thin slices pancetta, (1 1/2 ounces), diced (see Tip)
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
1 pound chard, stems and leaves separated, chopped (see Note)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts, toasted (see Tip)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

1. Cook pancetta in a Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring, until it begins to brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
2. Add shallots, chard stems and thyme to the pan drippings and cook, stirring, until the shallots begin to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add chard leaves, water and lemon juice and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Cover and cook until tender, 2 to 4 minutes more. Remove from the heat; stir in the pancetta, walnuts and pepper.

Tips: Pancetta is an unsmoked Italian bacon usually found in the deli section of large supermarkets and specialty food stores. Regular or turkey bacon may be substituted.
To toast chopped walnuts: Cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.
Note: After washing the chard, allow some of the water to cling to the leaves. It helps steam the chard and prevents a dry finished dish.

Sounds good, Orema! I might try it.

carbs vs protein
 

Hi, I follow a pritiken based plant only diet, I do eat bread but make it myself and use spelt flour. I had open heart and nuerosurgery in 2013 and am also recovering from chemo and a bone marrow transplant.
I am on a very high daily dose of estrogen compared to most M-T-F's but i don't take anti-androgen's due to being XXY and having a orchidectomy.
I feel i get enough energy from a Pure Based Plant Diet, I am to exercise and
weight gain due to HRT has been minimal.

Mmm...chocolate chip cookies the Paleo way.


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CDYrfp9VEAAMaSO.jpg:large


http://elanaspantry.com/crispy-chocolate-chip-cookies/

These little date treats are super good and Paleo approved! As you will see from the webpage, you can roll them in a variety of mixtures. I like the coconut/walnuts, but I also like to make them with coconut and shredded dark chocolate.

[URL="http://www.mamaslebanesekitchen.com/desserts/dates-fudge-walnuts-coconut-recipe/#sthash.RDE6q0gt.1hWGj87u.dpbs"]

Here's another sweet snack that is Paleo friendly. I have not tried this one, but it has pecans in it, so I definitely will do so in the near future.

Cinnamon Pecan Brittle

http://cdn.stupideasypaleo.com/wp-co...7-1024x684.jpg



Watermelon Mojito Salad Recipe
Prep time: 20 mins Total time: 20 mins
Serves: Serves 6

Ingredients
3 cups seedless watermelon, cubed
1-1/2 cups seedless cucumber, cubed
2 tbsp thinly sliced fresh mint leaves
Zest from two limes
¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
1 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of black pepper
Instructions
Cut the rind off the watermelon and cut into medium-sized cubes (about ½-inch).
Peel the cucumber, if you prefer, and cut into similar sized cubes.
Slice the mint leaves thinly. To chiffonade, stack the leaves on top of each other. Roll them up lengthwise into a bundle, then thinly slice.
Combine these ingredients in a large bowl.
In a smaller bowl or a small jar, combine the lime juice, lime zest, olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir (or shake) well to combine. Pour over the watermelon and cucumber and stir well.

Courtesy of www.stupideasypaleo.com

Chicken and Brussels Sprouts with Mustard Sauce
 

Chicken and Brussels Sprouts with Mustard Sauce

http://img1.cookinglight.timeinc.net...?itok=FMNoJ1WK

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 3/8 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth, divided (certified gluten-free if necessary)
• 1/4 cup unfiltered apple cider
• 2 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard (certified gluten-free if necessary)
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 12 ounces Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°F.

1. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over high heat.
2. Add 1 tablespoon oil.
3. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper; add to pan.
4. Cook 3 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken; place pan in oven.
5. Bake at 450° for 9 minutes or until done.
6. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.
7. Heat pan over medium-high heat.
8. Add 1/2 cup broth and cider; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.
9. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 4 minutes or until thickened. Whisk in mustard, 1 tablespoon butter, and parsley.
10. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
11. Add Brussels sprouts; sauté 2 minutes or until lightly browned.
12. Add remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup broth to pan; cover and cook 4 minutes or until crisp-tender.
13. Serve sprouts with chicken and sauce.

Nutrition Information

Serves: 4 | Serving Size: 1 chicken breast half + 2/3 cup Brussels sprouts + 2 tablespoons sauce

Per serving: Calories: 350; Total Fat: 15g; Saturated Fat: 5g; Monounsaturated Fat: 7g; Cholesterol: 114mg; Sodium: 604mg; Carbohydrate: 11g; Dietary Fiber: 3g; Sugar: 2g; Protein: 42g

Nutrition Bonus: Potassium: 780mg; Iron: 14%; Vitamin A: 19%; Vitamin C: 126%; Calcium: 6%

----------------
Looks like potatoes are in the photo, but I'm not adding potatoes to my recipe.

This is the first year for CSAs for us-- and lately we've been getting A LOT of kale. I only can make so much sausage/butternut/kale skillet til I just can't take it anymore and needed to figure some new ways of making this delicious green. I always enjoyed my mom's creamed spinach growing up, so I figured I'd attempt to make it paleo and with kale. Here is my attempt and it was awesome!!

• 1.5 TBS of fat of choice (I used no-sugar bacon grease)
• 2 medium clove garlic, minced
• 2 medium sweet onion, chopped
• 16 ounces kale leaves cut into bite sized pieces
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
• Pinch fresh grated nutmeg (to taste)
• ¾ cup coconut milk (canned)

Instructions

PREP:

Begin by mincing garlic and chopping onion.
Next, clean and stem kale. Cut the kale leaves into bite sized pieces and set aside. Measure coconut milk and spices.

COOK:

• Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add in fat of choice.
• Add garlic and onion, sauté for 5 to 6 minutes, until softened.
• Add kale, stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until leaves begin to wilt.
• Finally, add in salt, white pepper, nutmeg and coconut milk. Cook, stirring frequently, for an additional 4 to 5 minutes until kale is soft and coconut milk is thickened.
• Taste, adjust seasoning if necessary

** I added a bit more coconut milk towards the end, stirred, tasted, seasoned again, stirred, placed the lid on, turned heat to low and let it come more together.

Do any of you do a CSA? Don't know what one is -- looky here.

http://paleoleap.com/pictures/choppe...imp-main-p.jpg

Chopped Salad with Shrimp and Curry Dressing Recipe

Servings SERVES: 4 - Preparation time: 25 min. - Cooking time: 4 min.
Ingredients:
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 bunch purple kale, stems removed and chopped
6-8 leaves Napa cabbage, chopped
1 carrot, shredded
1 bell pepper, diced
1 avocado, peeled and diced
2 mangos, diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1⁄3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp ghee or coconut oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients for the coconut curry dressing:
1 cup full-fat coconut milk
Juice of 1 lime
1 1⁄2 tbsp coconut aminos
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 tsp curry powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper, or more to taste
Sea salt to taste

Preparation:

Whisk all of the ingredients for the dressing into a medium bowl.
Taste and adjust the seasoning if desired.
Place the dressing in the refrigerator while prepping the rest of the salad.

In a large salad bowl, combine the kale, cabbage, carrot, bell pepper, avocado, mango, green onion, and cilantro. Toss to mix well and set aside.

Heat a large skillet with the ghee or coconut oil over a medium-high heat.
Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and add shrimp to the skillet.
Cook 1.5 – 2 minutes on each side or until the shrimp are opaque in the center.
Place top shrimp on top of the salad, drizzle with the desired amount of dressing and serve.

http://images.food52.com/mXSrmQyLnQj...90109F_672.JPG

Zucchini Pancakes

Serves 2
Ingredients:

2 cups grated zucchini
1/2 cup grated potato
1 egg
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 pinch breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sour cream or yogurt (optional)

Preparation:
Grate your zucchini and potato using the largest hole on your grater. Let stand in a colander for at least 30 minutes to drain. They will hold together better when you drain out maximum moisture. Salt generously. In a bowl, beat egg, chopped parsley, and lemon zest. Add pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Roll and squeeze zucchini/potato mixture in a towel to soak up moisture. Add pinch of bread crumbs to soak up any leftover wetness. Combine zucchini / potato mixture with egg mixture. Stir well and coat. Turn on oven to 200 and place cookie sheet with foil in there to keep your pancakes warm as you make them. Heat 13" skillet on medium high heat. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter. You can use olive oil if you prefer, but butter is delicious. When foam subsides, drop a spoonful of your pancake mixture in. You don't really need to form it in advance, but pat it with a spatula and try to flatten it out as much as possible -- it'll be more crispy that way. Cook 2 at a time until golden brown on each side, then place in oven to keep warm to make additional pancakes. Serve as soon as possible, with a dollop of sour cream or (drained greek style) yogurt on top for extra richness.

Note from Jesse: These are really good as a side dish with chicken or grilled shrimp. Be sure to follow draining instructions. What I do different:
1. Sweet potato in place of the regular potatoes.
2. Leave out the breadcrumbs.
3. I usually add 2 eggs instead of one and cook the pancakes in an iron skillet.
4. I also prefer the greek yogurt with a little cayenne pepper blended in.

Found this yesterday Jesse. Thought you might like to try this?

http://www.afternoonrecipes.com/the-...3-ingredients/

Making these today...will let you know how they turn out.....
 

Flakes of coconut are just larger --> here.

I'd wonder how much sugar/carbs are in those tasty little orbs of goodness.

No worries, Clay. This recipe likely would fit better on the vegetarian thread though because Low carb or Paleo eating plans do not include some of the items in the recipe, even though it does sound good. :) If you want unsweetened coconut you can buy it online or at your health food store. The stuff carried by most grocery stores has sugar added, same with dried fruit.