Paleo/Whole30 Spicy Pork Breakfast Sausage

If you've been following my blog, then you know that I was doing another round of the whole30 in January. I made it to day 23 before I had to go off plan. I am proud to say I didn't go off plan because I couldn't hack it, or because I ate something that I wasn't supposed to. I made a conscious choice to go off plan because I have an appointment today that I need to be at a certain weight for. One of the most important aspect of the whole30 program is to not weigh or measure yourself for the entire 30 days and I didn't want to violate that, but I had to step on the scale!

Today I will be meeting with a surgeon to see if they will do a replacement of my right knee. This is something I desperately need due to the amount of pain I am in constantly and the decreased quality of life. I am a few pounds off from where they wanted me to be. It is so hard to lose weight in a healthy way when you are so limited by the exercise you can do.

But enough of my pity party! A few weeks ago I tried my hand at making my own breakfast sausage. I love sausage, but with all of the preservatives that are in store brands, my body didn't love it. I read a few different recipes online and made them a few times before I feel like I got it right. Last Sunday I asked my son what he wanted for breakfast and sausage was one of the items he listed. I asked him if he wanted the sausage from the grocery store, but he said no and that he wanted my homemade sausage. What a mom victory! My smile was huge the whole time I was cooking!

The spices are what makes sausage yummy. Without the spices you
are just eating bland pork patties! I love sage in the sausage and my son likes his sausage with some spice, so we came up with a yummy compromise.

Paleo/Whole30 Spicy Pork Breakfast Sausage

Recipe by Sarah Golnik

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients

• 1 lb Ground Pork
• 1 tsp Sage (ground or dried)
• 1 tsp Fennel Seeds
• 1/2 tspGarlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
• 1/2 tspRed Pepper Flakes
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Paprika
• 1 tsp Coconut Oil (or other cooking oil)

Cooking Directions

1. Mix ground pork and spices in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add oil to a large skillet over medium heat.
3. While the pan and oil are heating, use your hands to create 8 patties out of the meat mixture. I normally roll them into meatballs and then flatten slightly as I am adding them to the pan.
4. Once all of the sausage patties in the pan, cook covered, checking often to make sure they aren't burning. Once the first side has browned, flip and brown the other side. At this time I add just a tablespoon of water and recover. This helps them cook a little quicker.
5. Once the patties are cooked through, remove from the skillet and place on a paper towel to soak up any extra grease.

Whole30 home stretch...Garlic lemon caper chicken

I am on day 22 of my second Whole30 which means I am in the home stretch. I'm through with all of the carb flu/sugar withdrawals and no longer craving chocolate. I am falling asleep earlier, sleeping more soundly, and waking up earlier feeling rested. My energy is higher and by default my house is cleaner...LOL. I have even started making my son's lunches with healthier options which he likes because they are more filling than the sandwich, chips, and applesauce that he has taken daily for many years.

Yesterday when it came time for me to make dinner I got a little flustered. I had been planning on making NomNomPaleo's Cracklin Chicken, but realized that the chicken thighs I bought were boneless and skinless and her recipe wouldn't be a good without the skin. So I had to think quickly to throw something else together utilizing those chicken thighs I had already defrosted. My dad makes an amazing baked dish featuring lemon caper chicken and rice. Being on the whole30, rice is out, but thinking about his yummy dish got the wheels turning and I came up with what is now my favorite meal. I love lemon and this chicken has such a good flavor and lemony kick. I didn't know I was going to share this recipe until after I tasted it, so I didn't take any pictures along the way...I didn't even write down the recipe at the time, but I believe I've remembered it correctly. ENJOY!!

Garlic Lemon Caper Chicken

Recipe by Sarah Golnik

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4-5 servings
Ingredients

• 6-8 Boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 1/2 tsp or 3-4 cloves, minced garlic
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 3 tbsp ghee, melted
• 1/2 cup chicken broth (bone broth preferred)
• 1 tbsp capers
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• salt as needed
• zest from half of a small lemon

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Coat baking dish with olive oil and then place the chicken thighs in the bottom of the dish evenly spaced apart.
3. In a bowl combine the remaining ingredients, except for the ghee and lemon zest. Add the melted ghee last stirring quickly. If the other ingredients are too cold, the ghee will solidify again, but if you stir quickly it will be in evenly distributed tiny clumps. 
4. Spoon mixture into the baking dish around the chicken thighs. Sprinkle the top with the lemon zest. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes until chicken is no longer pink when you cut it.
5. Serve over cauliflower rice or mashed potatoes using the juice from the dish as gravy.

Sweet Potato Bacon Burger Sliders

So last night was Saturday night and all I could think about was how good a burger and fries would taste. The creative juices got going and I came up with the most wonderful burger and the timing of the sweet potato buns worked out perfect with my oven zucchini fries.

I love bacon. I could eat it every day. Since I've started eating paleo, I've learned to no longer think of bacon as a side at breakfast, but have embraced it as a flavor enhancer...because let's face it...bacon makes everything better! The reason I needed dinner to be better was because I had been suffering from a migraine for three days and it finally went away right before I started preparing this. We haven't figured out what causes my migraines yet. Could be food, could be environmental, could be stress. They seem to happen so randomly though I have a hard time putting my finger on just what the cause is.

 Another thing I love about bacon is the grease it leaves behind as it is cooking. For this recipe I put it to good use and decided to use the grease from the cooking bacon to saute sweet onions. You can use yellow onions if that is what you have, but I think cooked sweet onions and bacon make for a great sweet/salty combination. At first I planned to put this combo on top of my burger, but then I figured it would fall off to easily. The solution was to put it in my burger!

 Time saver tip for the sweet potato buns: line your baking sheet with tin foil. If you are like me you probably have different size baking sheets and one of them is too big to fit in the dish washer. The solution is to line the baking sheet with tin foil. Once you are done, all you have to do is throw the foil away!

Sweet Potato Bacon Burger Sliders

For the bun: 2 fat sweet potatoes, cut into ½ inch slices (leave the skin on!) 1 tbs. melted ghee Salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper For the burger: ½ sweet onion chopped 4 slices of bacon, uncooked, cut in to ¼ inch pieces 1 lb. lean ground beef (or turkey) 1 egg ¼ cup of almond flour 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp dried parsley ¼ tsp cayenne pepper ½ tsp black pepper Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place sweet potato slices on a non-stick baking sheet. Brush both sides with ghee. Add a sprinkling of salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. Bake 20-25 minutes flipping half way. They should be brown and slightly crispy. While your sweet potato buns are baking, put the bacon in a skillet over high heat. Once the bacon generates enough grease, add the onion and continue cooking until the bacon is cooked and the onion is translucent. Drain excess grease and set to the side to allow to cool. Mix the ground beef, egg, almond flour, garlic powder, parsley, cayenne pepper, and black pepper in a large mixing bowl. Add bacon and onions. Mix thoroughly (I use my hands). Form in to patties slightly larger than the size of your sweet potato buns. Cook burgers on a grill or in a skillet 3-4 minutes per side. Serve bacon burgers on the sweet potato buns with spinach leaves and your choice of condiments.

Whole30 Day 14...Tiger Blood

 

"Days 16-27: Tiger Blood. Goodbye cravings, hello Tiger Blood! This must be what everyone is talking about. You’ve hit the downhill slope of your Whole30 and life is beautiful. Your energy is through the roof, you’ve kicked the cravings, you’re experimenting with new, delicious food, and you’ve finally got the time to notice that your clothes fit better, your workouts are stronger, and you are generally more awesome."         - See more at: http://whole30.com/2014/04/tiger-blood/#sthash.vwF8Jm9w.dpuf

I got tiger blood on day 10 this round. I woke up at 6:30 am without an alarm and spent all day Saturday cleaning my kitchen. I believe I cleaned areas in my kitchen that haven't been cleaned in the decade I've lived in my house and probably weren't cleaned by the previous home owner either!! I cleaned out my spice cabinet, organized it and refilled spices in my spice rack. I even went to the store to buy organizers for my cabinets! I know...crazy, right?!?

I figured that I need to put all of this energy to good use by working out a little harder. Both Monday and Tuesday this week I hit the gym at 6 am to get a workout in before work. I've been working out everyday during this whole30 in hopes that I would get even better results, but my workouts have been at home and have been centered more around physical therapy than sculpting, so it was nice to get back in to the gym. Today it is icy out so I'm planning on doing some arm and shoulder exercises with the dumbbells I have at home and doing some yoga/Pilates exercises for core strength.

Last night I tried something new for dinner as part of a challenge that was issued by several of the Paleo bloggers. I made NomNomPaleo's Spicy Tuna Cakes and served them with oven zucchini fries and my paleo ranch dressing. Making oven fries out of veggies is a great way to get your kids to try new veggies because they are in a familiar french fry shape and they are finger foods that are great for dipping.

Whole30/Paleo Oven Zucchini Fries

Makes 2-3 servings. Recipe can be easily doubled. 1 zucchini cut in to fry like pieces 2 eggs ½ cup almond flour 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp Italian seasoning ½ tsp salt 1 tsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush the olive oil on a large baking sheet and set aside. Mix almond flour, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and salt in a large bowl and set aside. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl. Dip the zucchini pieces in the egg and toss in the flour mixture. Place on the baking sheet. Repeat until all of the zucchini pieces are coated and on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes and then flip each fry. Bake for 10 additional minutes.

Whole30 day 8: Whole30/Paleo Chili

So...we had a crazy cold snap last night and it was 8 degrees outside this morning! I'm sure most of my readers are experiencing the same thing considering 80% of the country had below freezing temperatures this morning. When it get's cold, I start thinking about hot stews and soups that I can make that will warm me from the inside out. Chili is a go to for most people, me included. I am such a fan of my dad's chili, all full of kidney beans, but being on the Whole30 that is forbidden. I read over some interesting recipes for paleo chili. Some recipes had squash, some had unique ingredients like coffee or cocoa powder, but none really sounded like they would cure my craving for my dad's chili.

The first thing I needed to do was to put together some chili seasoning. Most chili seasoning that you can buy pre-made at the grocery store is laden with sodium and MSG, not to mention sugar and various types of flour. Chili seasoning is so easy to make and if you cook even a little you will find most of the spices you need for it in your spice rack already. Chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt are what you need. The measurements I've included in my recipe below are more guidelines than rules. That is what I start with and after the pot has simmered a bit, I taste it to see if I want to add any more of any one of those spices.

I thought about just making a meaty chili, but decided I wanted a hearty substitute for beans. Ultimately I decided to add a diced sweet potato. I also kicked the spice level up a little by adding diced jalapeno. I've always big a fan of mixing sweet and spicy, so why not try it in chili?! I wasn't disappointed! It is the perfect combination and it still tastes like traditional chili.

My favorite thing about the Whole30 program is that it encourages you to step out of your comfort zone. During my first whole30 I realized how much I truly love to cook. I enjoy experimenting with flavors and making meals from scratch. That is one non-scale victory that stuck with me after that 30 days and I have really been embracing for the last six months.

It is day 8 for this whole30 and I'm feeling pretty good. My ring that I always wear is too loose to wear on my ring finger and I expect in another week I'll be able to wear it on my middle finger. My arthritis has been horrible for the last two nights because of the sudden change in weather. I wish that I could be one of those people who could say they are pain free at the end of a whole30 round, but sadly I don't think that will ever happen to me. What I can expect though is a healthier me and I'm okay with that. This whole30 hasn't been as much of a struggle. I attribute that to eating one or two compliant meals a day since I completed my first round. I've also really plugged in to the community aspect of this. I am so excited to be talking to so many people that are also on this journey. It is so much easier when you aren't doing it alone!

Well....on to the recipe!!! Make a double batch and freeze some!

Whole30/Paleo Chili

2 lbs. lean ground beef 1 large yellow onion, diced 4 cups beef broth (bone broth if you have it) 1 tbs. chili powder 1 tsp. ground cumin ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper ½ tsp. onion powder ½ tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. salt ¼ tsp. black pepper 2 whole bay leaves 2-28 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes (I prefer no salt added) 1-14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes (I prefer no salt added) 2 bell peppers diced 1 jalapeno pepper diced (can use a small can of green chilies to save time) 1 sweet potato diced in to ½ inch cubes

Add beef and onions to a large stew pot over high heat. Break up meat and stir with a wooden spoon until meat is cooked through. Drain any unwanted grease. Add the spices, tomatoes, peppers and sweet potato. Cover and simmer 45 min. Optional: Serve with avocado.

Whole30/Paleo Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

What got me through my first whole30 was trying new recipes. Since I had never had many of the dishes before, I had no unhealthy version to compare it to in my mind and therefore I wasn't disappointed if it didn't taste as good. One dish that I saw online was Asian lettuce wraps. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that there would be a substitute for soy sauce and needless to say I was over joyed to see coconut aminos mentioned on the discussion boards on the Whole30 website. Coconut aminos and fish sauce are a great combination to use as a base for any Chinese dish you may be trying to adapt for the whole30 or paleo lifestyle. Most of the fish sauce options at the regular grocery store do have sugar in them. I was able to find several sugar free options at an Asian grocery store in a neighboring city. This combination of coconut aminos and fish sauce is also good if you love Chinese food like me, but are allergic to soy or MSG with are found in most dishes. The recipe I have come up with is so easy to make for a week night since it takes about 15 minutes. It is protein and veggie packed that side dishes are not even needed. My son loves this dish and asks for it all the time. I've learned that if a child can eat the food with their hands, they are much more willing to try something new.

The leftover meat makes a great salad when heated and served over lettuce and spinach.

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

2 lb. lean ground turkey 1 small onion chopped 1 tsp. minced garlic (3-4 cloves) 3 tbs. fish sauce 4 tbs. coconut aminos 3 tbs. red wine vinegar 1 tbs. Thai basil or cilantro ½ tsp. pepper ½ sweet potato shredded (optional) 1 bag of broccoli slaw Lettuce leaves for serving

Cook ground turkey, onion, and garlic in a large skillet. A little grease if fine, but if there is too much or you aren't using lean meat, drain the grease. Add the fish sauce, coconut aminos, vinegar, cilantro, and pepper. Cook 3-4 min. over medium heat allowing the meat to absorb the flavors. Add shredded sweet potato and broccoli slaw. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies are tender. About 5 minutes. Serve in lettuce leaves.

Whole30/Paleo Easy Shepherd's Pie

Who doesn't love an easy casserole?! It doesn't get much easier than shepherd's pie for a quick and healthy meal. What makes this meal quick for me is that I make extra mashed potatoes with dinner the night before I make this and used leftover mashed potatoes. This meal is easy customize and a great way to sneak in extra veggies. For my shepherd's pie tonight I added grated carrots and diced spinach. I have learned that if you have a meal with tomatoes, it is easy to sneak carrots into a meal because the tomato flavor masks the taste of the carrots and if you dice spinach small enough most people will over look it as a spice. 

Brown 1 lb. lean ground meat, diced onions, grated carrots, and seasoning in a large skillet.

Add a can of diced tomatoes, green beans, and spinach. Stir well to mix.

Top with garlic mashed potatoes and bake.

For maximum flavor while keeping to Whole30 guidelines, make your mashed potatoes with chicken broth, sea salt, and a 1/2 tsp. of mined garlic. If you aren't Whole30 you can add cheddar cheese into the garlic mashed potatoes or top with Parmesan cheese.

Easy Shepherd’s Pie
1 lb. ground meat (beef, turkey or lamb) 1 small onion chopped 1 large carrot grated ½ tsp. Italian seasoning 1 can of petite diced tomatoes (14.5 oz) 1 can of green beans or 16 oz bag of frozen green beans ½ cup fresh spinach leaves chopped 3 cups garlic mashed potatoes	Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook the ground meat, onion, grated carrot, and Italian seasoning together in a large skillet until meat is thoroughly cooked. Mix in tomatoes, green beans, and spinach. Add mixture to a casserole dish. Top with mashed potatoes. Bake for 30 min.

Paleo Ranch Dressing Recipe

A Whole30 buffalo chicken salad with homemade paleo ranch.

Ranch dressing is a one of the dipping sauces paired with the most appetizers in the South. It is served with fresh veggies at parties, served with buffalo wings, sliders, and frickles (fried pickles) at bars, and of course if a favorite for many on salads. I love ranch dressing! During my first whole30 experience I started experimenting with different ranch recipes that I found online. There is something about the creamy goodness of ranch dressing and I figured if I could figure out how to make it myself, the whole30 experience and transition to a mostly paleo life would just be so much easier.

I often make my own olive oil mayo using the recipe from "It Starts With Food" and love to make my ranch dressing just after I finish making a batch of mayo. This recipe is great because it is simple, dairy free, and preservative free. You can pronounce everything in it and probably have the spices in your spice rack already. Hope you enjoy!

AuburnGalNC's Paleo Ranch Dressing
1/2 cup olive oil mayo 1/3 cup coconut milk 1/2 tsp sea salt 1 tsp each of the following: garlic powder onion powder dried dill dried parsley pepper fresh chives (optional)	Wisk or blend all of the ingredients together. Keeps for up to 10 days when stored in an air tight container and refrigerated.

Whole30 reintroduction delays...

Happy Monday! Friday was the start of my reintroduction phase following the completion of my first

Eggs scrambled with peppers, onions, prosciutto, and cheddar

Whole30. I added dairy back for each of my meals, but by Friday night I was at the urgent care getting antibiotics. I had been sick earlier in the week and my weakened immune system allowed for an infection to creep into my lungs. So needless to say, since I was already feeling horrible, I knew that I wouldn't be able to really gauge the effects of adding milk back Friday. I have gone back to eating whole30 again while the antibiotics do their work. Tonight I am going to reintroduce non-gluten grains as long as I continue feeling better. I will not try milk again until the end of my reintroduction so that I can get an accurate assessment. I can honestly say though from eating it on Friday, that I haven't missed it! My chai tea tasted strange with milk instead of coconut milk. I have always loved cheese, but I didn't feel like the cheese made my omelet taste any better. I did enjoy the sprinkling of Parmesan on my meatballs at lunch. So if nothing else the revelation that I have made is that if my body can handle milk products, they should be more of an accessory rather than a main ingredient.

So the rest of the weekend I tried to rest in between taking my 12 year old to a mud run and archery practice and trying some more new whole30 recipes. Some of the new dishes were big hit like a pizza casserole I made using a recipe posted by PaleOMG and making some modifications. My son, who normally doesn't eat leftovers, requested it for lunch the next day as well! Dinner last night was my favorite meal of the weekend. I made grilled Jamaican lime chicken breasts served with fresh mango salsa and roasted garlic sweet potatoes (done on the grill). I will be adding these recipes to my recipe section soon!!

Wishing you love and sunshine,
Sarah