Apple and Raisin Oven Pancake

My apologies for the low quality picture in this post, unfortunately our computer has been broken for a while now (another reason my Kombucha post isn't up yet). So I have to do everything on my phone, which if you can imagine is a bit cumbersome, since I can only type letter by letter on a tiny screen. And I don't have access to all my photos either so I had to copy and paste this one from my Facebook page. All that to say we have really been enjoying this and just wanted to share it with you all. I've Been extremely busy with life and moving so i just took a few moments to put this post together. Like my Quick and Easy Oven Pancake this is still quick and easy! And because my children love to douse everything in pure maple syrup I don't add any to the batter, however you could try that if you're not going to be topping it with syrup. Maybe 1-2 TBSP, but honestly I haven't tried that yet, we love it just the way it is. Hope you enjoy and Merry Christmas to everyone!


Delicious Apple and Raisin Oven Pancake

2 very large apples thinly sliced (or 3 med/large apples)
1/2 cup organic raisins
2 TBSP coconut oil
1/2 cup coconut milk ( full fat milk)
1 tsp cinnamon ( I use Saigon cinnamon)
Pinch of allspice
Pinch of nutmeg

FOR THE BATTER:
12 eggs
1 3/4 cup full fat coconut milk ( or one can Thai kitchen 13.66 ounce)
2 cup almond flour
2 tsp cinnamon
4 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

Grease a 9x13 inch pan. Sauté apples in coconut oil for a few minutes over med- med high heat, until they start to soften. Add remaining ingredients and sauté until slightly thickened and reduced ( a couple of minutes). Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Pour apples and raisin mixture into greased glass pan and combine the ingredients for the batter in the following manner:
Combine the batter ingredients in a medium bowl, (not the butter) and beat for 1-2 minutes. Then pour into pan over the apples and raisins and top by drizzling the melted butter over it. Place in the oven and bake for about 40-50 minutes or until golden brown and done in the middle ( watch it near the end in my experience oven temps can vary greatly). Top with some maple syrup and some whipped coconut milk and you are in for a treat!

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Chunky Paleo Cranberry Sauce

My 15 year old daughter loves pretty much anything that's sour or tart.  So when it comes to tart cranberry sauce she is in love, and the more there is of it the better.  She will sit down with a bowl of cranberry sauce and a spoon and just eat it plain by the spoonful, she loves her cranberry sauce.  Funny thing is she never really liked it back when we used the stuff out of a can and honestly I can understand why, homemade is so much better!  This one is a collaboration of what we both enjoy in a Cranberry sauce and we hope you'll enjoy it for your holiday meals to, or actually any time of the year like we do!  When fresh cranberries are in season I buy them up and freeze them for later so we can enjoy our cranberry sauce.  I find that each recipe cooks down to about 1/2 the amount you started with, and I'm including two versions or portion sizes.  Obviously we love our cranberry sauce so we make a lot but I realize not everyone loves it like we do and not everyone has a large family like we do.  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Chunky Paleo Cranberry Sauce

(makes approximately 4 cups)

8 cups of fresh Cranberries
1 TBSP fresh grated orange zest
1 1/2 cups of fresh squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup + 2 TBSP thawed, frozen apples juice concentrate (no water added, just the concentrate) more if you like it sweeter
1 tsp. cinnamon (or to taste)

Combine everything in a large saucepan, bring to a boil over medium heat high heat and then reduce to simmer.  Stir occasionally, until desired texture and consistency.  I just let mine simmer while I'm doing other things in the kitchen so I do mine real low and slow and let it go 45 minutes to 1 hour. But if you were in a hurry I'm sure you could speed that process up.  I just like not really having to think about it, and letting it do it's thing and only stirring on occasion. That's it, remove from the heat, let it cool, store in a glass airtight container for later in the refrigerator and then serve when you're ready to eat it (although my daughter likes it hot, or warm too).

For Smaller Servings:

(about 2 cups )

4 cups fresh Cranberries
1/2 TBSP orange zest
3/4-1 cup Orange juice
1/4 cup Frozen Apple juice concentrate (no water added and for a sweeter sauce just add more)
1/2 tsp Saigon cinnamon (or more to taste)

Follow the above directions.

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Paleo Pesto Chicken on Spaghetti Squash

We love Pesto!  I don't know what it is about it but we really love our Pesto sauce around here, and this has quickly become one of our favorite go to meals.  It's perfect for leftover chicken or turkey, or just keep the sauce in the fridge to use as desired on eggs, or other dishes.  Our family is so large and we are such big eaters that we polish this off in nothing flat.  So what I've started doing is doubling it or making the two different Pesto sauces so we will have some leftovers.  My oldest daughter and I love the Basil and Sun dried Tomato Pesto sauce, but those who don't particularly care for tomatoes prefer the Basil Pesto ( quite a few in family don't like tomatoes including my husband).  

I've also started baking my spaghetti squash earlier in the day or even the day before, cooking up a bunch and then refrigerating it for later.  When it's time to eat I just pull it out and reheat it by frying it up in a little bacon grease or coconut oil in a frying pan.  Makes dinner prep a lot quicker and provides quick lunches too.    Yesterday I baked up 4 large spaghetti squash (3-4 pounds each), served 2 of them with the pesto sauce, chicken, tomatoes and bacon.  And tonight we will have the rest of the spaghetti squash  with Mom's Homestyle Spaghetti Sauce, mmmmm...yum!  

A few weeks ago we cooked up a huge free range turkey that we had purchased from a local friend who raises them.  We had tons of turkey leftovers, so this was one of the re-created turkey meals we had, and boy was it good!  My husband says you know it's good when everyone cleans their plates, all the way down to the little ones.  So with Thanksgiving coming I thought I would share this with all of you, in case some of you may be looking for new ways to use up your leftover turkey after the holiday.

Though traditionally made with Pine Nuts, I make mine with either pecans or walnuts, for two reasons, one, it's two nuts I always have around and two, I find they are cheaper than using pine nuts, and taste great.  

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we have and do!

SPAGHETTI SQUASH:

In advance bake your spaghetti squash ( I usually do 2 large squash to feed our family of 9), see directions here: HOW TO BAKE SPAGHETTI SQUASH.  And don't forget to save your seeds and ROAST THEM just like pumpkin seeds.

BACON:

Next Fry up some bacon or BAKE IT IN THE OVEN, reserving the fat (it's like gold around here, I use it for everything!).  Crumble the bacon and use it as a garnish.

MEAT:

Then either grill some chicken breast or thighs or slice and pan fry your chicken in some bacon grease with salt and pepper (unless you are using leftover meat or seafood).  If you are pan frying your chicken, after slicing it please be sure to dab dry (I use paper towels for this) before placing it in the pan of hot bacon grease.   Oh, and I typically figure on one piece of chicken per person.

TOMATOES: 

Chop up some fresh ripe tomatoes to garnish your Pesto Chicken with if desired.

 PESTO SAUCE: 

3 cups fresh basil leaves, (you'll kind of have to shove them in there a bit)

1 1/4 cups whole walnuts or pecans (toasted*)

4-5 cloves of fresh garlic (depending on your taste)

2 TBSP lemon juice

1 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil ( a good olive oil can make all the difference in taste!)

salt to taste (I use approximately 1/2 tsp)

pepper to taste

Combine basil, nuts, and lemon juice in food processor, then adding the olive oil very slowly turn the mixture on.  My food processor has a little reservoir I fill and it allows a trickle to go in, which makes it much easier.  Mid way through add some salt and pepper and mix and then taste.  Mix until combined and the desired texture, it's that simple and sooooo yummy!  

* To toast your nuts preheat oven to 375 and bake for 8-10 minutes on a baking tray, mixing 1/2 way through.  Allow to cool before using.

Pesto Spaghetti squash with leftover turkey mixed in and bacon to garnish.

SUN DRIED TOMATO BASIL PESTO SAUCE:

 I WILL PREFACE THIS BY SAYING THAT I USE MY OWN HOME DEHYDRATED TOMATOES FOR THIS.  I TAKE MY FRESH HOMEGROWN TOMATOES, SLICE AND SPRINKLE WITH DRIED BASIL AND THEN PLACE IN MY DEHYDRATOR UNTIL DRY.

2 cups fresh basil leaves

heaping 1/2 cup dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)

4 cloves of garlic

1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt (to taste)

1 cup of toasted pecans * see note above*

1 TBSP lemon juice

pepper to taste

1 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil (good quality makes all the difference regarding taste!)

Place everything except the oil in your food processor bowl, while processing very slowly add the oil to the mixture.  Process until desired texture and taste.  

My apologies for the lack of photos, but I hope you'll try it anyway. Enjoy!

  

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Important News, Please take time to read this...

Things have been a little quiet around here lately and I thought some of you might be wondering why.    I initially started blogging about Paleo after reading Robb Wolf's book and my husband and I deciding to give Paleo a try.  Resources at the time were limited and a google search would yield a handful of blogs and not so tasty recipes.  Today that same google search yields hundreds if not thousands of Paleo blogs and it seems there are new ones popping up daily with an abundance of excellent recipes.  It has been 2 years now since I first started the blog, and it's been through a lot of changes in that time!   Originally it was called Budget Paleo, and I started it because I figured my closest family and friends would tire of hearing about Paleo on our family blog and I wanted to share some great tasting Paleo recipes.  I was so excited about what we were learning and experiencing.   A few months into blogging I became a business partner in a CrossFit Box (my husband had already been a partner for a few months prior), and at that time we decided shift gears a little and make the blog part of our nutritional information for the gym so it was linked it to our website.   December 2010-December 2011 the blog was primarily used as a part of our CrossFit business, and it took on the name Paleo Made Easy and then later on it had our business name before the Paleo Made Easy.  Most of the posts where done by myself, but one of our other business partners did some great guest posts relating to working out and nutrition, sleep etc (if you search the blog all those old posts are still there hiding).  It was very focused on Crossfit and workout nutrition during that time.

Then the blog once again took another direction when I left the business and the blog went back to being my own last December.  I redesigned it, and took a more personal direction with it, which is also when I combined the two names and made it Budget Paleo...Made Easy.   However this past year I had been struggling with my health so much that I haven't been very consistent with my posts.  Funny thing is I have written dozens of posts that never got published and have stacks of recipes that never made it to the blog.  It started to feel like Paleo was consuming me, it was becoming my life and pushing out other more important things.  It almost seemed that the sicker I got, the more I studied, read  and thought about Paleo.  I would read article after article, blog post after blog post, book after book constantly trying to stay "up" on the latest Paleo news.  I would even lay in bed and write posts in my head, dreaming of recipes and things I wanted to blog about.  I also realized that the blog was in desperate need of more technical upgrades and I was feeling the underlying pressure from myself that I needed to get something up on the blog more regularly.  At the same time my life has was going through a lot of changes.  Most of you know I was diagnosed with Lyme disease in June, low thyroid, Adrenal fatigue, Celiac and now most recently a co-infection called Bartonella.  The disease and it's treatment have taken away much of my energy and health.  I take lot's of naps, some days are better than others, some days I'm barely functioning, other days no one would be able to tell I was sick.  My cognitive abilities have been greatly affected and some days I feel like my brain just won't do what I want it to, and thinking straight is just not going to happen.   In addition to all that, I recently took over our family finances (trying to create a workable budget, we all know what a challenge that can be) and the finances of my husbands construction business.  Plus our kids started school, so most afternoons are spent doing hours of homework with the 4 girls who are in school and Fridays are a homeschool day.  Life is very hectic and busy (in fact this post is going to be a day late do to a day busier than expected), so we were faced with a decision and after much prayer and consideration we have decided it's time for me to take a sabbatical from the blog.  Right now we are thinking I will stop blogging and then we will reevaluate in 6 months to a year.  The blog may need to take yet another direction at that time, it may become less focused on recipes and more on just blogging, or I may be done blogging, we aren't sure yet. I would however like to keep the Facebook page going, there will just be a lot less activity on there, I may post some new recipes or thoughts on Facebook, I haven't really decided yet, we'll kind of see where things go.  The way Facebook is set up these days if I don't keep it active no one will really be seeing the posts, but for now it'll continue.

 I'm thankful there are so many blogs and great cookbooks available now days, which can offer lots of great help and wonderful recipes, it seems as though the original intent of the blog really no longer exists which makes me more comfortable giving it up.  While it is something I've really enjoyed and something I'll probably miss,( I love Paleo and I love cooking and get so excited about sharing it!).  I'm also looking forward to what's ahead, I trust that in being obedient to the what I feel the Lord is leading me to do it will be a blessing.  I want to thank you all so much for following my blog, it's been an honor and a privilege, I've really enjoyed sharing the gift it is to us with you all.  But I know I really need to focus my energy else where and not have the distraction of the blog.  Honestly I think it will be more profitable for for me to put the same time and energy into studying the word and encouraging my husband, children and friends in the word, that I've been putting into studying Paleo.  Children grow so quickly and I want mine to know my focus is on the word and them, not on Paleo.  Yes, Paleo is a way we eat to be healthy but...it is not our life.  Best wishes to you all in your Paleo journey,  I will leave you with a list of blogs you may be interested in following if you're not already.  There is no shortage of great blogs or great recipes out there, I do however, want to preface my list by saying that not all of them share my beliefs or standards, some have inappropriate language but wonderful recipes and I enjoy them for just that (skipping the reading and just using the recipes).  Again thank you all for your support, I really appreciate it.  God Bless.

Sincerely,
Sheilla Salinger

http://robbwolf.com

http://everydaypaleo.com

http://whole9life.com

http://beta.primal-palate.com

http://www.growinguppaleo.com

http://balancedbites.com

http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com

http://paleoslowcooking.com

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/#axzz28IehMrq7

http://paleoparents.com

http://www.thepaleomom.com

http://www.thefoodieandthefamily.com

http://paleocomfortfoods.com

http://civilizedcavemancooking.com

http://nomnompaleo.com

http://jensgonepaleo.blogspot.com

http://www.paleomagonline.com

http://fastpaleo.com

http://www.paleodigest.com

http://paleomg.com

http://cavegirleats.com/?ref=akagunduz.com

http://www.cleaneatsinthezoo.com/

http://www.chowstalker.com

http://www.elanaspantry.com/paleo-diet-recipes/




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Chocolate Pecan/Almond Nut Butter

I posted some pictures of this the other day on Facebook, and promised to get a recipe posted.  So... here it is!  I will preface this post by saying this, please do not expect this to taste like Nutella, funny thing is I really don't even know what Nutella tastes like!  I know funny, huh?  I've just never really eaten it, but this stuff is addicting and we LOVE it, I hope you will too!  And it's very simple to make and I have to confess, we have been eating it by the spoonful mostly (it's that good).

Still warm and fresh from the food processor.

Chocolate Pecan/Almond Butter

1 cup raw almonds
1 cup unroasted pecans
2 TBSP cocoa powder
1 TBSP honey (this can be adjusted up or down to your liking)
1 TBSP Extra Virgin Coconut oil (use a good one so you get that nice coconut flavor coming through)
2 tsp. real vanilla extract
Splash of almond extract (if desired, we really like it this way)
small pinch of sea salt if desired
pinch of ground cayenne pepper

Turn your oven on to 375 and allow to preheat.  Place almonds in a jelly roll pan and roast in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until nicely roasted.  You could roast your pecans also, but I didn't.  Remove the almonds from the oven and let cool just a few minutes, then add them to a food processor along with the other ingredients.  Let it run, stirring if necessary (a couple of times), until it is your desired consistency, it should look and sound runny, it'll thicken up a bit in the fridge.  That's it, really simple and easy.

This is the food processor I'm using if you're interested (Costco also sells it I believe):
Cuisinart 11-cup Food Processor

For the Roasted Almond Butter, here is the link to an earlier post on how to make your own nut butters, it's really fun to experiment with all the different nuts and seeds.http://budgetpaleo.blogspot.com/2012/06/how-to-make-your-own-almond-meal-and.html


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New and Improved Fluffy and Tasty GF and Paleo Pancakes!

So this morning is the morning of my grocery shopping day, I only shop once a week and sometimes by the end of that time we are running low on nearly everything.  This is one of those weeks, yesterday was my actual grocery day, but I was feeling worn out and decided to postpone it until today.  When we got up this morning the kids (4 younger ones) all wanted pancakes.  No problem I thought, I'll just whip up a batch of my Tasty Grain Free Pancakes, only problem was I didn't have any sparking water left.  What to do, so I subbed in some canned full fat coconut milk and the results were even better than the original!  Maybe some of you have already tried this but if you haven't I really suggest trying it.  They are extra thick and fluffy, and mmmm, so good!  The other thing I like about these is that this addition will make them "stick with" my kids longer giving them more energy for their day.  Here is the revised recipe I hope you enjoy it:

Tasty Grain Free Pancakes

Serves 4-6

2 cups almond meal
4 eggs
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk from a can (I use Organic Native Forests)
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1-2 TBSP maple syrup (optional, but it will affect the taste greatly if you don't) 
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon (optional, I like to use Saigon Cinnamon)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda (measure scant, closer to 3/4)

In a medium mixing bowl combine all of the dry ingredients and mix well.  Then add the all the remaining wet ingredients and mix to combine, then using a hand mixer beat the batter ingredients for 1 minute, this will help make a fluffier batter and better pancakes.  Set aside and preheat your griddle to about 325 degrees (depending on your griddle).  Grease your griddle well with coconut oil and pour the batter making small-medium size pancakes, turning when they start to bubble.  I like to top them with some applesauce and berries, but you may top them with whatever you like.  


* You may halve this recipe for 2-3 people if you would like.  But if I were you I would make them all and then you can just pull them out of the fridge as needed.* 

Yum!

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Slow Cooker Asian Pork

Slow Cooker Asian Pork   
  I tried a new recipe last night that I found on chowstalkers, it's from the blog, http://hollywouldifshecould.net/2011/04/easy-weeknight-paleo-crockpot-recipe/. 

It's really quite good, there are just a few changes I made to make it more to our liking.  
And I might add, that last night it was nice and juicy, but today it seems to need a sauce.  I think that my Faux Thai "Peanut" Sauce, makes it even better!  With those few changes it's a winner.  I used Pork Sirloin Roast and cooked it for 5-6 hours on low, shredded it,  put it back in the crock pot and cooked for about another 30 minutes on high.  Then served it, we liked it with grated cabbage, shredded carrots, sliced almonds and chopped cilantro.  Oh and a dash more of the hot chili sauce, yummy!

Here is the modified version of her recipe:

For the meat:
2-3 lbs of pork shoulder or any type of pork roast 
Liberally salt and pepper
 3 smashed whole garlic cloves.

For the sauce:
Mix all of the following:
4 TBS Coconut Aminos
1/4 cup Almond Butter 
1 TBS Honey 
2 TBS Vinegar (I used the Bragg's apple cider vinegar)
2 tsp Sesame Oil
2 TBS A Taste of Thai Garlic Chili Pepper sauce 
1/2 tsp of Black Pepper
1 TBS minced ginger 

Recipe 
 Put prepared meat in crockpot, with the salt, pepper and garlic.  Combine ingredients for the sauce and pour over the meat. Then set it on low and forget it.  She suggests 4-6 hours, I found mine took about 6-7 hours.   I cook mine, shred it and put it back in for another 1/2 hour.   That's it, you can prepare all of your toppings or garnishes before hand to save time to, and the leftovers make great leftovers for lunch.  I even like it cold the next day!

When it is done cooking serve a top your favorite garnish.  You can use whatever toppings you would like these are just some suggestions-- jicama, cilantro, shredded carrots, shredded cabbage, green onions, sliced almonds,Kelp noodles, etc.. 

 Toppings

 Ingredients I used

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