Fish Taco Lettuce Wraps + 5 More Easy Whole30 Dinners

Take me back, wahhhhhhhh.

September is long gone and our amazing trip to Hawaii has been over for 3 weeks.  I'm still dreaming of the pristine beaches and turquoise water... and endless sushi, loaded kalua pork fries, and pina coladas.  It's really no surprise that when vacation ended, I was unable to flip the switch back to sensible eating.  So after consuming 4 slices of pizza during a lunch meeting at work, I decided that it was time!

Tis the season for weekends full of Halloween parties and Thanksgiving feasts, so I honestly couldn't find any time to do a Whole30 (21, 14, 10... anything).  But because I believe something is always better than nothing, I am doing a Whole5!  It sounded kind of dumb when I first thought of it, but I'm excited for a quick kick in the pants!  I'm hoping to debloat a little and get back in a healthy eating frame of mind.

I'm really excited about my menu for the week, it's full of delicious favorites!  I didn't realize until afterwards that it was full of ground meat, but I like all the recipes so much I didn't want to change any and it will allow me to buy organic without spending a fortune.

Sunday

• Chicken & Zucchini Poppers with Guacamole and/or Homemade Ranch
• Roasted Turmeric Cauliflower
• Chopped Summer Salad (since I'm still pretending it's summer...)
• Cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, minced red onion, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), white balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste

Monday

• Fish Taco Lettuce Wraps with Cilantro Lime Slaw and Pineapple Salsa (recipe below!)

Tuesday

• Sun Dried Tomato Meatballs with Creamy Pesto
• Garlic Roasted Broccoli
• Sauteed Spinach

Apparently I've never felt compelled to take a photo of these meatballs.  Although they are delicious, they look pretty unattractive.  Maroon sun dried tomatoes + green basil = brown pile on top of your meatballs lol.  Don't judge the pesto goodness by its gross appearance!

Wednesday

•  Bahn Mi Loaded Fries (Omit honey and substitute a compliant hot sauce instead of sriracha to make it Whole30 compliant)

Thursday

• Zoodles with Shrimp and Bacon
• Balsamic Garlic Roasted Green Beans & Mushrooms (I'll add some onions to this too!)

Friday

• Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps (Omit honey & palm sugar to make it Whole30 compliant. I also skip the water in the dipping sauce, I find it doesn't need it.)
• Asian Cucumber Sesame Salad (Omit maple syrup)

And now, time for a new recipe!

Because ain't nobody got time fo making their own Paleo tortillas or breading and frying fish.  Like most of my recipes, this one is pretty loose.  I generally don't measure things while I'm cooking and to be honest, I don't really think you can mess this one up!  Just remember to taste things as you go and don't start with a heavy hand, you can always add more later.

Ingredients:

Fish:

- 1 lb of cod filet (or tilapia, mahi mahi, whatever you like)

- EVOO

- Lime juice

- Salt & pepper

- Garlic powder

- Onion powder

- Chipotle powder

- Cumin

- Cayenne

Cilantro Lime Slaw:

- Thinly sliced cabbage (shortcut: use a bag of coleslaw mix)

- Thinly sliced carrot

- Lime juice

- Chopped cilantro

- Salt & pepper

Homemade Pineapple Salsa:

- Diced pineapple

- Diced tomato

- Diced onion

- Minced jalapeno (optional)

- Lime juice

- Chopped cilantro

- Salt & pepper

Other:

- Romaine, iceberg, or butter lettuce for wraps

- Avocado

- Hot sauce (optional)

Directions: 

1. Cover fish with a splash of EVOO and squirt of lime juice and then sprinkle a generous portion of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chipotle powder, cumin, and cayenne on both sides.

2. Place in the oven at 400 degrees for approximately 15 minutes (or until fish begins to easily flake with a fork).

3. In a bowl, combine all slaw ingredients and place in the fridge.

4. In a bowl, combine all salsa ingredients and place in the fridge.

5. Prep lettuce wraps & slice avocado.

6. Pile all ingredients in lettuce wraps and prepare for a delicious messy feast!

Anybody interested in joining me for 5 days of clean eating?  It's only 5 days!

Monday Happenings + Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash & Cheese

Tonight was productive!  Since it was 70 degrees, I figured I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take Puddin' for a nice walk when I got home.  I slapped on my reflective construction vest from work and checked out a new route by our house while breaking in some shoes I got for Disney.  (Did I tell you my team qualified for Nationals in December?!)  I'm officially a grandma... I bought Dr. Scholl's sneakers.  Comfort is everything!  Plus they were $29.99 and I don't think they look too dorky.

We also did some painting tonight!  We've been avoiding our living room for a few weeks now, but my dad is coming to help us paint on Black Friday.  We knew we had to finish the accent wall before then, so that the paint could dry and we could tape it off.  We're having a New Years/Housewarming party and I'm so glad we have some type of deadline to get the house in order.  It will always be a work in progress and everything won't be done by then, but I think it would be easy to keep avoiding a bunch of projects without the added motivation!

And last but not least I cooked dinner!  It doesn't sound like a huge accomplishment but with cheerleading 3 days a week, it doesn't happen all that often.

When I first started reading healthy living blogs, it seemed like quinoa was all the rage!  I tried it a few times and never really loved it until I found this recipe!  Anything that combines cheese and buffalo chicken is a huge win in my book.  Despite the delicious sauce, Dave still wasn't a huge fan of quinoa and I had all but forgotten about this recipe... until now!  I was browsing through my pinterest boards, when it caught my eye and I realized I could easily make a few substitutions to make this dish more Paleo friendly.  The milk is replaced with coconut milk, the flour with almond flour, and goodbye quinoa, let's replace you with a veggie.  The recipe does still contain a hearty amount of dairy (since I believe cheese is non negotiable in any "mac" & cheese), but overall it is a fairly healthy low carb option!

Buffalo Chicken Mac Spaghetti Squash & Cheese

Ingredients:

- 1 spaghetti squash, cooked and scraped out

- 2 lbs of chicken, cooked and cut into bite sized pieces, I used chicken thighs that I seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder
- 1 can of coconut milk

- 2 tbsp almond flour
- 1 cup Frank's Red Hot
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- salt & pepper to taste
- blue cheese crumbles

Directions:

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk the coconut milk and almond flour together until well combined.
2.  Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often, and let it cook for 1 minute.
3.  Turn the heat to low.  Stir in the Red Hot, butter, and cheese until the cheese melts.
4.  Stir in the cooked chicken and spaghetti squash.
5.  Poor the mixture into a glass casserole dish, top with blue cheese, and broil for 5-7 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the top is starting to brown.

It's simple, delicious, and you can customize it how you like... you want more cheese?  Do it.  A little less Red Hot?  Sure.  A different hot sauce?  Go for it.  I usually add scallions like she does in the original recipe, but to be honest I suck at using the rest of the bunch so I didn't feel like buying them.

You need this in your life.  Get cooking :)

Do you actually like quinoa?  Have you tried spaghetti squash as a pasta alternative?

A Few Weekend Pics + Pan Fried Chicken with Bacon and Caramelized Onions

This weekend was a good one!  It began with a happy hour date in downtown Phoenixville with Shayna and Puddin'.  We sampled their menu and some martinis, took in some live classic rock covers, and really took advantage of the perfect weather.  Puddin' even got a doggie ice cream treat :)

The rest of my weekend was spent being super productive.  Saturday was a serious day of cleaning!  Sunday was spent at church, running errands, and then starting our Folk Fest prep!  Dave even finished building our brand new industrial wagon.

Obviously we had to test it...

After busting my butt for two days, ordering dinner out started to sound pretty good.  But I had plenty of food in my fridge and I knew ordering out would lead to bad choices.  So we sucked it up, Dave was in charge a frozen veggie side, I made a salad and came up with a quick recipe that may end up in my regular rotation.

This is one of those recipes that I really shouldn't even call a recipe.  It is so easy and simple, but so delicious!  Who knows, maybe you've even made this before.  But if you haven't considered frying some chicken and onions in bacon grease, you probably should!

Pan Fried Chicken with Bacon and Caramelized Onions

Ingredients:

- bacon

- chicken breasts

- chopped onion

- salt & pepper

- garlic powder

- chipotle powder

- oregano

Directions:

1. Fry some bacon in a pan over medium heat.

2. While the bacon is frying, season your chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, chipotle powder, oregano, and any other spices that move you at the time.

3. Remove the bacon from the pan when it is done.  Add your onions to the pan.

4. When the onions become translucent, add your chicken.

5. Cook the chicken, flipping throughout, until it is no longer pink inside (slice into it to make sure).

6. Serve the chicken and onions with your crispy bacon on top!

 

So easy, so tasty!  I think next time I'll be adding some mushrooms to the mix too.


How was your weekend?  Did you do anything fun?

Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

To be honest, a good hoagie roll is one of the few things I'm not sure I'll ever fully give up.  I could totally live without ever having a crappy grocery store hamburger bun for the rest of my life.  But a fresh Philly roll... chewy on the outside, soft on the inside... well, they still get me!  But as my wedding approaches (23 days!!!) I've been trying to bump up my veggie intake and avoid those evil processed carbs.  Enter stuffed peppers!

I was kind of bored in the kitchen so I hopped on Pinterest and rounded up some old faves that I forgot about and also some newbies!  I had pinned this recipe a while ago and never got around to making it.  I wish I could say I came up with the idea, but I did some tweaking and made it my own.  The other day I was clicking around on my blog and I realized pretty much all of my recipes are from my pre-Paleo days, so I guess it's time to fix that!

Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers
Inspired by Peace Love and Low Carb

Ingredients:
- 4 bell peppers
- 1 vidalia onion
- 1 handful of white mushrooms
- 1 lb thinly sliced or shaved beef
- 4 slices of bacon
- tomato sauce
- minced garlic
- salt & pepper
- garlic powder
- cheese

Directions:
1.  Cook the bacon in a large pan over medium heat until done to your liking.  Remove and chop when you have a chance.

2.  Dice the onion and plop it into the pan so it can fry in the bacon grease.

3.  While the onions are cooking, cut the bell peppers in half, deseed and devein them.

4.  When the onions are almost cooked, add diced mushrooms and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

5.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
6.  Add the beef and cook until meat is browned, pulling meat apart as it cooks.

7.  Add garlic (I used ~1 tsp), salt, pepper, garlic powder, tomato sauce (I used a chunky mushroom tomato sauce I already had in my fridge from Wegmans), and cheese to taste.  And don't forget that bacon!

8.  Arrange the bell peppers in a large pan.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer your awesome meat/veggie mixture into the bell peppers.  Top with more cheese!

9.  Stick the pan in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown on the top.

They are delicious!

Some notes:  I made this with 5 peppers and I wished I'd only used 4 so I could've filled each one to the brim.  We had company over, so I actually wish I had just doubled the entire recipe, so everyone could chow down (which they did) and we would've had an abundance of leftovers (which we did not).  I love cooking in large quantities to enjoy the leftovers for lunch or on a lazy evening.  Also, with the cheese they are not strict paleo, but you could easily omit it.

How often do you try new recipes?

 

Maple Orange Cinnamon Dressing

We've been getting so many greens in our CSA lately that we've been giving them to our neighbors as gifts.  Worst Halloween treat ever!  Honestly I'm not the world's biggest fan of salads, but this post caught my eye on pinterest and I've been obsessed with this dressing since.

Maple Orange Cinnamon Dressing
from the roasted root

Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt

 Directions:
1.  Whisk everything together.
2.  Enjoy over mixed greens, sliced apples, roasted butternut squash, pecans, raisins, roasted carrots, etc.

I made a double batch because I knew I would want extra!  I've made it with freshly squeezed orange juice before which I definitely recommend, but this time I only had clementines and I'm lazy :)

Enjoy!

What's your favorite salad combo?

Spinach, Artichoke, and White Bean Pasta

Cheer practice was cancelled tonight, so I got to go to happy hour and you get a recipe, double win!

I am mildly obsessed with pinterest and all of the mouthwatering recipes on it, but my favorite recipes are the simple ones.  A couple of ingredients, a few no fail steps, and bam you've got yourself a tasty and healthy dinner.

 

Spinach, Artichoke, & White Bean Pasta
(adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients:
- 1/3 of a box of whole wheat pasta
- 1 can of artichoke hearts
- 1/2 a can of white beans
- 1 handful of fresh spinach
- 1-2 spoonfuls of minced garlic
- 1 3 oz square of cream cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
1.  Cook pasta as directed.
2.  Drain and put pasta back into the pot.  Add in all ingredients except spinach and heat on medium until cream cheese is melted and all ingredients are heated through.
3.  Add spinach to wilt.

This was super tasty!  I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about the beans, because I'm not a huge bean eater (yet?) but they were fine.  The artichokes were my favorite part, they are so yummy.  Just a little warning, the meal was great for dinner but when I tried to reheat the leftovers in the microwave the next day, it wasn't so great.  Cream cheese does not become insta-creamy when you microwave it.  So just grab a hungry friend and gobble it all up!  And feel free to add some random spices, I threw in a little garlic powder and oregano!

Are you on pinterest?

Breakfast Pizza

I love brunch.  And I love pizza.  So why not combine the two into an epic Saturday morning feast?

Breakfast Pizza

Ingredients:
- Crescent Rolls
- 6 Eggs
- Splash of milk (optional)
- Cheese of choice (I used cheddar)
- Veggies of choice (I used green peppers, onions, mushrooms, and spinach)
- A little butter to saute the veggies in

Directions:

1.  Chop veggies and saute in a pan with desired amount of butter, 1 tbsp is plenty.  Put the spinach in right at the end just to wilt it. 

 
2.  While veggies are cooking, place crescent rolls in a greased baking dish.  Stretch them out a little so they cover your entire pan and press the seams together to create your crust.  I usually save a little dough so I can patch any holes at the end.  To avoid eggs sloshing all over your oven, use a baking dish with sides on it or if you don't have one, create sides using tinfoil.

3.  Crack your eggs into a bowl, add a splash of milk (optional to make them more fluffy), and beat with a fork.

4.  Layer veggies, eggs, and cheese in the pan on the crust.

5.  Bake at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes or until eggs are set throughout.

This recipe is so versatile... you could add any vegetable you want, potatoes, meat, different types of cheese.  I've also made this for a large group of people using 2 packages of crescent rolls and a dozen eggs, it just takes significantly longer to cook.  I also cover it with foil for the first half of cooking when I'm making the larger quantity.  I'm honestly not sure how long I cook it for, but it's easy to tell when it's done... just check for when the eggs don't jiggle!

Man I love me some bfast, wish this would appear magically tomorrow when I wake up for work!  Kitchen fairies, where art thou?

What's your favorite brunch?

Weekend Shenanigans & Taco Dip

Despite being sick this weekend, Dave and I still had some fun.  He had tickets to the Flyers game on Saturday afternooon, so we cancelled our Friday night plans to stay in and get some rest.  Saturday morning we got up and took the train into the city and for some strange reason, we got to ride the regional rail for free both ways, win!

The game was a bummer because the refs were awful and the Flyers were not playing well.  We left at the end of the second period when the Flyers were losing 0-6.  But of course after we left they scored 4 goals and the refs actually let them fight.  Womp for us!  To drown our sorrows we headed over to Nodding Head Brewery to grab a drink with one of my friends from work.  It was a pretty cute place and the beer was tasty.  And omg, the fried mac and cheese!

The rest of Saturday we did some more bumming around because we were prepping for our Super Bowl Party... aka my family of Giants fans yelling in the living room.  Even though our little shindig wasn't anything too fancy, we had a great spread: wings, pizza, and some taco dip!  It's so easy to make that you don't even need a recipe but you're in luck, I'm giving you one anyway!

Taco Dip

Ingredients:
- Cream cheese
- Queso
- Salsa
- Mexican blend cheese
- Chopped lettuce (I used a prechopped bag because I am lazy)
- Tomatoes (I used canned, fire roasted - make sure your drain them!)

Directions:
1. Spread the cream cheese on the bottom of your pan.  You can use sour cream but the dip can end up watery.

2.  Lay all ingredients as you wish.

I tend to add some random layers of cheese throughout.  You can't go wrong with cheesy layers!

3.  Enjoy with whatever chips you like.  I recommend some Scoops, we love the whole grain version!

This recipe is so great because there are so many possibilities.  You could add some refried beans mixed with some taco seasoning, black olives, some guacamole, some avocado chunks, maybe some onions and peppers, whatever you want!  I love making things that you can't mess up.

And now it's Tuesday, I'm still relishing in the Giants' win and I'm not sick anymore!  Well I'm still friends with the tissue box, but I'm feeling a lot better!  I even made it to the gym last night and went for a run tonight, woot!  I hope your week is starting off on the right foot :)

Did you do anything fun this weekend?  Did you watch the game?  What's your favorite party food?