Crockpot Spaghetti & Meatballs

I decided to try PaleoPot.com's "Stupid Easy Paleo Spaghetti Squash & Meatballs"

This is copied directly off that website:

 

What you need:

• One medium spaghetti squash.
• One pound of ground Italian sausage.
• One can of tomato sauce, I used a 14 ounce can.
• 2 tbsp of hot pepper relish (optional).
• 4 to 6 cloves of garlic, whole.
• 2 tbsp of olive oil.
• Italian seasoning (Oregano, Basil, Thyme) to taste, I used about 2 tsp

How you make it:

1. Make sure you use a large 6 quart slow cooker for this recipe.
2. Dump your tomato sauce, olive oil, garlic, hot pepper relish and Italian seasoning into your slow cooker and stir well.
3. Cut your squash in half and scoop out the seeds.
4. Place your 2 squash halves face down into your slow cooker.
5. Roll your ground sausage into meatballs, then fit as many as you can in the sauce around the squash. I was able to work in about a half pound worth.
6. Cook on High for 3 hours or cook on low for 5 hours.
7. Use a large fork to pull the “spaghetti” out of your squash, then top with your meatballs and sauce.
8. Garnish with parsley if you feel fancy, and enjoy!

It was my first time buying spaghetti squash so I didn't know what "medium" looked like, lol. So I grabbed whatever. I went to the local grocery store but they didn't have the spaghetti squash, because it's out of season apparently, and I needed Italian sausage. So I headed to Sprouts and picked it up there. I got the pork Italian sausage with red pepper flakes.

I prepared it without the relish, and a 15 oz tomato sauce can. I let it cook in the crock pot for 3 hours.

Right after I removed from the appliance. Spaghetti Squash Titties!

 

Dat sauce doe.

 

Freshly scooped out spaghetti squash.

 

 

 

My lunch :) The sausage I got was too spicy for me, so it was hard to eat, but everything else tasted great!

 

My brother suggested I use half the amount of paprika and replace the other half with chili powder to lessen the spicy, but add more flavor. And he loves the sauce so I'll definitely double the amount next time. I need to find a mild sausage, or prep my own. Either way, it's something I'll be making often!

Crockpot Paleo Meatloaf

I have been spending too much time not meal prepping that I end up cooking too late at night and not getting enough rest. My days usually consist of waking up at 6 am, cooking, getting ready for work, work from 7:30 am - 4:00 pm, quick power nap, WOD at 6 pm (I leave at 5:15 because of traffic), usually socialize and run errands after... so, I usually don't get home until 9:00 - 10:00 pm and by that time, I'm already beat.

 

So, I put my foot down, lol, and told myself, "I WANT TO SET IT AND FORGET IT!"

 

Thus, finding this Crockpot Meatloaf recipe from PaleoPot.com

 

This is taken directly off that website:

What you need:

• 2 pounds of lean ground meat (ground chicken works really well for this, as would lean turkey).
• 2 eggs, beaten.
• 4 ounces of bacon, crisped and chopped.
• 1/2 of a small white onion, small dice.
• 4 green onions, chopped.
• 2 stacks of celery, sliced thinly or chopped.
• 2 tsp of dried oregano
• 1 tsp of black pepper
• 1 tsp of thyme
• 2 tsp of smoked paprika
• 2 tsp of garlic powder

For the Tomato Sauce:

• 1 small can of tomato paste (can also use 1/4 cup of tomato sauce).
• 2 to 3 tbsp of dijon mustard.
• 2 tsp of smoked paprika.
• 2 tsp of garlic powder.
• 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar.

How you assemble your loaf of meat:

1. Cook your bacon until brown and crispy, then chop it up good.
2. In a large bowl combine your ground meat, beaten eggs, bacon, veggies and seasonings.
3. Mix everything together by hand, forming a loaf.
4. Place your loaf in your slow cooker and press it down so that the top is flat and you have about of inch of space between the loaf and the sides of the slow cooker.
5. Mix your tomato sauce ingredients together and spoon them over the loaf. Use a spoon or a knife to frost the loaf’s top as evenly as possible.
6. Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.

 

 

Now, let me tell you... I was rushing to get this done because 1. It was 4:12 when I started prepping. I had to leave and get ready for WOD at 5:15 pm. I had to wash all the dishes. With that being said, after I happily placed my mix in the crockpot and topped it with the sauce... I realized that... I forgot to add the eggs... and the apple cider vinegar...

 

So, Nancy asked me to go run errand with her before WOD, so I scooped out as much sauce as possible, and mixed in the egg, and took the opportunity to add the apple cider vinegar and finally reset it.

 

HOW DO YOU FORGET THESE?! I DON'T KNOW.

 

I got home around 9:30 pm last night, and around 10:00 pm it was ready. So I managed to get showered and ready for bed. I used ground dark turkey meat (I understand the lack of appeal when the fat is at the bottom making it look ugly), so next time, I'll use lean ground beef. Here's the final product...

 

I wish I had a better camera... It looks better than in the picture. See that gunk on top? That's some of the fat that seeped through the top... gross. But still good. LOL.

 

I'm not a paprika or mustard enthusiast, so I added an over easy egg on top of a slice seasoned with salt and it mixed very well.

 

Next time, I will use lean meat for sure, more bacon, add salt, less paprika, and maybe 1/2 of the suggested amount of dijon mustard... and maybe some salt mixed in the loaf. Other than that, it was a hit between my dad and my brother. I'll have Dan taste test it later when he comes over...

 

Enjoy! Trial and Error!

Country Time Chick & Taters

I finally had the chance to meal prep for the rest of the week! I'm so glad I made Cappello's Gnocchi Dish last week, I shared with my brother and it lasted me until yesterday!

 

Last night, I just messed around with what ingredients I had at home. I have a bad habit of not using the groceries right away... can't be throwing away money!

 

Ingredients:

4-5 chicken thighs (trim as much fat as possible)

dried rosemary, garlic, salt

2 tablespoons coconut oil

 

1 head of cauliflower

2 tablespoons of melted ghee

garlic powder, parsley, salt

4 strips of diced bacon, cooked

 

3-4 medium or large sweet potatoes

 

Prep:

1. On medium heat, melt the coconut oil, then place your chicken in the pan; cook thoroughly! When your chicken is done, remove from oil and set on paper towel in a bowl or plate, or even a sieve to drain excess oil

2. While that's cooking, prep your sweet potatoes (Prep here! Click me!)

3. Split your cauliflower into "smaller trees," fill pot with water, and bring cauliflower to a boil
4. Make sure both the sweet potatos and cauliflower are soft enough to the point where you poke a fork and it'll slide off
5. Drain the water completely from the cauliflower... mash it! (using an egg masher, a fork, whatever!)
6. Save 1/2 cup of the boiled water from the sweet potatoes, then drain the potatoes... mash it! And add that same water to desired consistency
7. Let both mashes cool.

.....

8. The cauliflower mash needs some more drainage. It looked soupy after I mashed it, so it took me some time to squish it against the pot and tip one side to get the water flowing, I scooped what looked less wet into a big bowl.
9. Season cauliflower to taste, and add the melted ghee a little at a time to get the desired taste AND consistency.

(mind you, I still really hate cauliflower but I need to force myself to eat more of it, lol)

10. Stir in your bacon chunks/bits (I used 4, but next time I think I'll use 6-8 strips...)

And... you're done!

I didn't follow any recipe for these really, so it was mostly trial and error...
 

 

Cookin' dat chicken.

 

Dat cauliflower mash right after I drained as much as possible.

 

Fin.

Cappello's Gnocchi

So, I pretty much made up another one, but is very similar to my previous dish.

 

Ingredients:

1 pack of Cappello's Gnocchi

1 x 8 oz tomato sauce

1 can of diced roasted tomatoes with garlic

1 bag of Fresh Express baby spinach

5 fresh large champignon mushrooms, sliced

1 lb of grass fed ground beef or turkey of your choice

2 tablespoons of curry powder

1 teaspoon of salt

 

Prep:

- Mix in salt and curry powder into meat

- Boil water and follow directions on back of gnocchi pack (bring water to a boil, add salt, and let gnocchi boil until they float to the top... let float for a few minutes)

- Drain gnocchi

- Add tomato sauce and roasted tomatoes and mushrooms

- Saute until mushrooms are soft

- Add more spices to taste

- Mix in baby spinach and simmer on low for about 10 minutes

 

Put it this way... this was so fast to make that I got home from crossfit and errands at 10 pm, showered, then cooked, and was in bed by 11:30 pm.

 

I hope you enjoy!

 

 

 

I added a lot of curry... my friend said it looked gross, but it totally doesn't and it totally tasted yummy, lol.

Cappello's Fettuccini with Beef & Tomato

So, I received my Cappello's Sampler last week on Thursday. I decided to make a dish using the fettuccini noodles. Here's the ingredients: almond flour, cage-free eggs, tapioca flour, potato starch, xanthan gum, sea salt

 

This gluten free and grain free pasta was absolutely delicious. It says to cook for 45 seconds once the water is at its boiling point and to rinse off with cool water. Me being me, I didn't do that. And the salt used in the water left a yummy flavor to the noodles themselves.

 

I just randomly brought these ingredients together. Trial and error! The package serves for 2 people, but I had about 1/4 of it for lunch and it was very filling.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 package of Cappello's Fettuccini Pasta
• 1 lb of grass fed ground beef
• 1 x 8 oz of tomato sauce
• 1 x 14 oz can of diced tomatoes with basil, oregano (I think that's the size)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 white onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, diced
• Italian seasoning (usual dried spices), salt and pepper

Preparation:

• Mix in 2 eggs in the meat
• Apply italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste
• In a pan, add about 3-5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (or fat of your choice)
• Pan fry the garlic and onion, until onions are transluscent
• Pan fry the ground beef and mix in with the garlic and onion (I like my ground beef as chunks)
• Have a pot boiling for the noodles, take your time... add enough water so the pasta can be submerged. Add salt.
• Once the ground beef has browned and theres very little pink left, pour in the tomato sauce and the diced tomatoes and stir, and let simmer
• Once the water is at its peak, make sure the fettuccini noodles are separated and submerge for 45 seconds as directed
• Drain in colander, and rinse (I didn't do this, lol)
• Using the same pot to boil the noodles, drain of excess water, replace the noodles and pour in the meat/tomato mix and stir to evenly distribute
• Let cool for 2 minutes and serve

BOOM.

 

My eyebrows look ridiculously high, lol. But here's the noodles!

 

Dan, the helper man! While watching cartoons...

 

Nom nom time.

Not-Paleo Duck Tacos

On Sunday for brunch, my brother and I headed out to El Segundo to grub and to hit up Whole Foods. I wanted something different so we ended up going to Sammy's Wood Fired Pizza and Grill.

 

I guess this featured picture of the wild Steven and the mini duck tacos would be considered primal despite the actual taco shells. It was so delicious.

 

As paleo as I want to be, this is a MUST TRY!

 

 

I'm finding new recipes and new conconctions so I hope to give you guys something new soon!