Southwestern Scrambled Eggs

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! Now it's back to the grind… and trying to lose that holiday weight! {insert sad face here}

This recipe is deceiving because it's actually pretty healthy, but it looks gloriously sinful as it's piled high on a plate and topped with sour cream. And, it's just a little spicy, but we all know that a little heat in the morning can rev up your metabolism for the rest of the day. Goodbye holiday love handles! ;) My favorite part of this breakfast is the kick of the jalapeño which is complimented nicely by the creaminess of the avocado. The protein content will also keep you feeling full well into lunch. I promise you that you won't feel deprived with this breakfast, but you're getting quite a wallop of veggies in every bite.

I'm excited to share this because it is one of my absolute favorite breakfast dishes. The first time I made it I loved it so much that I made it every morning for a week. But what's not to love: It's simple, it's easy and it's delicious!

It's also Gluten Free (in case you were worried).

What You Need:
Serves 2

• 4 eggs 
• 2 large or 3 small pieces of bacon, chopped 
• ½ small jalapeño, diced finely
• ¼ yellow onion, diced
• ¾ cup fresh spinach and/or arugula 
• ½ tomato, diced
• ¼ c shredded cheddar cheese, sharp
• ½ large avocado, cubed
• Optional: Salsa, sour cream

Cook the bacon per the instructions and set aside to cool, then tear into small pieces. If you want to save some calories use Turkey bacon and cook it in the oven! 

Over medium heat, sautee the onions and jalapeño. Once soft, add the spinach/arugula and cook until wilted. Toss in the diced tomato.

Whisk the eggs in a bowl right before you put them in the skillet-- it'll help them stay a bit fluffier. Add to the skillet with the vegetables and lower the heat to medium-low. I like to cook my eggs low and slow.

Add the cheese and half the bacon right on top of the mixture. Salt and pepper per your tastes.

Stir them in the skillet every minute or so until they are cooked through.

Serve immediately and top with the remaining bacon, salsa, avocado, and sour cream.

Bon appetite! And I hope 2014 brings you lots of good food and happiness (which are basically the same thing).

If you're wondering about the organic egg shortage then read this post from Lindsay Dahl: Organic egg shortage- what can we do to support organic production?

And check out Ribas with Love's Delicious Egg Souffle recipe!

Asian Inspired Salmon over a warm Bok Choy Salad

I freely admit that I have an obsession with a vegetable. I don't often see it in the supermarket or even the farmer's markets, but when I do you'd think that I just found the Queen's diamonds. I'll tip toe over to it, look around to make sure no one's watching and then snatch it up, clutching it to my chest! I know that if everyone else knew what I know, then people would be taking it from my hands. It's best to be sneaky.

So what am I talking about? Bok choy, of course!

Now don't get all hopeful and think it tastes like chocolate dipped in gold. Bok choy is Chinese cabbage, but it's so much more amazing than any cabbage I've ever had. It can be a little bitter if eaten raw, but steamed or sautéed and it's perfection! The leaves are similar to spinach, but it has a more nutty flavor and the stems will keep a little bit of crunch after they've been cooked. Ahhh… so good!

And bok choy is really good for you-- it has a mega dose of vitamin A and a decent amount of vitamin C, calcium and iron. And the best part: it's only 20 calories for cup of shredded bok choy! Yay!

Have I convinced you yet to try it? I hope so because it's delicious!

I've been making Salmon over Bok Choy Salad for years and I absolutely love it. I've converted it to a gluten free version from my original recipe, but I'll let you know what you can substitute if you wanted to do the regular version. I hope you like it as much as I do!

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Chicken with Chorizo Sausage and Sweet Potatoes

Hello my foodie friends! I hope you're ready for the holidays because I'm not! It's been a bit crazy with finals and shopping... and shopping. :)

But through all the stress something fun did happen! While procrastinating writing a school paper, I met a new blogger friend (Dirk, the sarcastic German) who happens to cook. Yay! He gave me his recipe for this yummy meal that I'm going to share with you today. Definitely check out the link-- he has other yummy looking recipes and I'm dying to try some of his German meals!

However, I did make a few adjustments to his original recipe because that's what I do. Surprise surprise!

Orange Chicken with Chorizo Sausage and Sweet Potatoes

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Spice It Up: 9 Jalapeño Recipes (Gluten Free)

Recently I have come into the possession of quite a few jalapeños from SpaceGirl Organics. For a while The Man and I brainstormed about what I would do with all of these jalapeños, but somehow the ideas kept coming! We started by talking about salsas, sauces, stuffed peppers, and then moved on to ideas about jalapeño breads, jalapeños for breakfast, pickled peppers, jams, and could we do a dessert?! Oh, and what about a margarita with a kick?! The ideas kept coming! We reined ourselves in a bit and decided to stick with some tried and true recipes. We hope you like it!!

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Bock Bock... It's Time For Some Organic Chicken Stock!

I have to admit that I can be a bit lazy so I often try to find short cuts to make my life easier, but somethings just deserve to be done right. You know like how a man treats a woman (wink wink), a good piece of dark chocolate, making French pastries and cooking homemade chicken stock.

Lucky for us making chicken stock isn't actually hard. It just takes time. But it makes a world of difference in the flavor profile of what you're cooking.

And the best part is you can give away your recipe and don't tell them that you made your own chicken stock-- they will never be able to recreate it and you will be held up as a goddess of soup/risotto/gravy/whatever. Yay!!

It's always nice to be adored.

This is such a culinary staple and it is probably the easiest thing in the world to make. Homemade chicken stock is heaven in a tiny little bowl and it can take your dishes from yum to YUM!!
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Eating Gluten Free or Paleo on Vacation

How hard is it to eat right on a vacation? Practically impossible!! I know that by the end of my last vacation (a cruise) I came back weighing 5 lbs more than when I left! Eck!

Not only does my family have to worry about eating healthily, but also about food allergies, particularly gluten.

We've been Paleo for months now and love it! But when we did the Paleo elimination challenge we realized that we were definitely had a big problem with gluten. Luckily, we have found that it's not too hard to avoid gluten... as long as I cook! I wanted to make sure that we didn't take steps backwards in our health by eating out on this vacation!

Unfortunately, there aren't many paleo or organic restaurants so I researched gluten free eating establishments on our route from FL to TN. I wanted to make sure that we had places all up and down the road so we always had a place to go! I think that knowing that you can find a place that avoids your allergen or accommodate your diet is so important!!

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Saucy Pork Chops Inspired by Julia Child (Paleo)

I'm literally in the car on my way home from my vaca, but I thought I'd post this recipe for you guys while I'm on the road! We are in southern TN close to the GA border and this is what it look like outside my window:

It's a beautiful view, but it's been beautiful for a few hours so I am getting bored which made me hungry which made me think about my blog.

Oh, ADHD, how I love your tricky ways!

Being hungry made me think about how much I love, love, love French cooking. It's so rich and buttery! Mmmm!! Delicious! Did I mention I love french cooking?! I hate to admit it but I like to talk like Julia Child when I'm cooking, especially about anything that has to do with butter, bacon or wine.

How? Well, it's easy. You say something like "If you're afraid of butter, use cream" while waving a wooden spoon around wildly in one hand while you have a glass of wine in the other.

"Always cook with wine and sometimes put it in the food"!

 That Julia was one smart lady.

One of my favorite Julia dishes is her classic Beef Bourguignon. The meat melts in your mouth with a wonderful tang from the tomatoes, the sweetness from the wine and the delicious fresh herbs! It's hearty and rich and it makes you feel like your participating in something special by simply eating it.

But there are a lot of steps and it can take an afternoon to make. Don't get me wrong-- it's totally worth it, but ain't nobody got time for dat.

So I took inspiration for Julia's Beef Bourguignon and I decided to make a dish with a lot of the same flavor base, but with only about an hour of cook time, plus it's paleo friendly! I hope you like it!
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Bridal Shower with Gluten Free or Paleo Foods

Oh, Bridal Showers, how I love you. I especially love my dear cousin who is getting married in October!!

My heart gets little palpitations when I think about it. I can still remember her as this tiny little girl sitting on the floor with a head full of dark curls screaming because she wanted something that I wasn't about to give her. ::sigh:: Oh, cousinly love.

It's amazing what a beautiful woman she's grown up to be and I'm so happy that she found such a wonderful man to share her life with. So, of course, I was excited when I was recruited to help with her bridal shower!
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Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten Free)

As some of you know I have been gluten free for a bit of time now and I am loving it! However, I do have a sweet tooth and sometimes, just sometimes, I splurge and make something chocolately. Because, come on! A girl needs chocolate!

I have a soft spot for chocolate chip cookies and I've had a really hard time finding a paleo/gluten free recipe that made me happy. Eventually, I gave up and just started experimenting with batters until I came up with this recipe. It's buttery, soft, and oh so chocolately! Mmmmm!! Delicious!

 

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Date and Bacon Chicken with a Tomato and Green Onion Salad (Gluten Free/Paleo)

I hate to toot my own horn, but this is pretty darn good AND super easy. The sweetness of the dates pairs perfectly with the saltiness of the bacon and when you add the shallots, garlic and that creamy goat cheese.... well, it's basically heaven in my mouth. And it's ready in less than 20 minutes.

Bam! Take that Food Network!!

Seriously, this is so easy and so delicious! I was inspired by a meal card at the grocery store and I thought that it really had some potential to be a delicious paleo meal, so I made a few alterations and now it is a delicious, easy, go-to Paleo dinner which is perfect to make when you don't have much time.

What You Need

• 1 lb Chicken Tenderloins
• 1 TBSP Chicken Seasoning (I like Weber Garlic and Herb)
• Salt and Pepper (if desired)
• 6-8 dates, pitted and chopped
• 1 shallot, sliced thin
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 2 slices of bacon, coarsely chopped (I used Turkey)
• 1 cup of white wine 
• Goat Cheese (optional, but highly recommended)

Season the chicken with the herb seasoning and add salt and pepper if desired.
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Paleo Chocolate Cake with Ganache with a Paleo Nutella Mousse Recipe

Inspiration comes in all shapes and flavors

I stumbled upon this cafe in Orlando called the "Drunken Monkey" and with a name like that how can you not go in, right?!

I was just amazed that they had all these desserts for people on special diets-- vegan, vegetarian, gluten free.... yada yada. It was like my own little corner of heaven!

Doesn't it look yummy?!

So, of course, after I got home I was so inspired to make something delicious and paleo that isn't traditionally "healthy" and included chocolate.

Lots and lots of chocolate.

How about some Paleo Nutella, y'all!

Oh, and cake. ::wink::
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Paleo Pizza: Thin Crust

Lately I have felt like the world was torturing me with commercials about pizza. Since I've started the Paleo diet, I haven't been able to eat traditional wheat and even though my body is feeling better because of it, my mind misses it. A lot.

I've experiment a bit until I found a recipe that I was happy with and here it is! I really hope you like it as much as we do!

The crust is thin, soft, yet crunchy with mild flavors of herbs and garlic. If you're looking for a pan pizza, then you've come to the wrong place! But for a thin crust pizza, this is pretty darn good.
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7 Paleo Breakfast Ideas (Gluten Free)

I have always been a foodie, but it took a bit of time after I went paleo to really start to play with recipes and make my own creations. The hardest transition was breakfast because I had always eaten carb heavy meals first thing in the morning and with paleo it seemed like egg "muffins", scrambled eggs and fried eggs were going to be my life.  I needed to figure out new, improved ways to make breakfast!

Here are some of my favorite recipes. I hope you like them!
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