Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms, by Cheryl

Well hello 2026! To welcome the new year, Jon and I are doing Whole 30 for our 7th year in row! Wow! I wanted to add some different Whole 30 recipes to the list so in comes these sausage stuffed mushrooms from Paleo Running Momma. These were just okay. I wouldn't make them again. My daughter didn't like the sausage mix so she only had the mushrooms. And to be honest I wasn't a huge fan either. Jon ate them up though! Yum?

Ingredients:

18 large white mushrooms

4 tbs olive oil, divided

sea salt and ground pepper

cooking spray

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 lb Italian sausage 

1/4 cup almond flour

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/3 cup almond milk cream cheese

1 tbps plain unsweetened almond milk

3 tbsp fresh parsley, minced

Directions: 

1) Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9x13 baking dish.

2) Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop them finely. Set aside. Place the mushroom caps in a shallow bowl and toss with 2 tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle with a bit of salt.

3) Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in pan on medium heat. Add the sausage, crumbling it with a spoon. Cook unti lits completely browned, about 5-8 minutes. 

4) Stir in the onions and garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the almond flour, seasoning, stirring to combine. Finally, stir in the cream cheese and almond milk. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

5) Arrange the mushrooms in a single layer on the pan. Fill each mushroom generously with the sausage mix. Bake until stuffing is browned, about 30-35 minutes.  

Healthy Roasted Veggie and Egg Breakfast, by Diane

 

While at the beach visiting a friend, I made breakfast using a few leftovers from the fridge. This turned out to be a serious hit, and I've been having it for lunches all week- Yum!

Ingredients (makes 3 servings):

2 zucchini, sliced into 1/4 rounds

1 yellow and 1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 small container portobello mushrooms, sliced (I used baby bellas and removed the stem)

10 or so brussels sprouts, halved and stem removed

6 eggs, cooked over medium

1 cup fresh tomato sauce, or eggplant pepper spread from TJ's

12 fresh baby mozzarella balls

Directions:

1. Roast the veggies with salt and EVOO until browned. Set aside in a bowl with the mozzarella balls, letting them melt into the veggies.

2. Cook eggs until yolks are just set, sprinkling with salt and pepper.

3. Combine eggs, veggies and cheese with sauce and enjoy.

Protein Crustless Quiche Lorraine, by Diane

 

I saw a recipe for cottage cheese added to eggs to make them more high protein and it gave me an idea to add it into a new egg bake- I love egg bakes for great easy lunches for the week! This week I decided to create a lorraine-style bake and honestly this was really good!

Ingredients:

12 eggs

1 8oz container high protein cottage cheese (I like Good brand)

Salt and pepper

cooking spray

1/2 lb thin sliced ham, cut into squares

1 small pack sliced baby bella mushrooms

1 bag spinach

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced into rings

EVOO

1.5 cups shredded parmesan

Directions:

1. Caramelize onions in a large saucepan over medium high heat with EVOO and salt until golden brown and wilted. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 375 and spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray.

3. Whisk together eggs, then add in seasonings and cottage cheese. Use an immersion blender until smooth.

4. Add in squares of ham (make sure they aren't clumped together), mushrooms, spinach and onions and mix until combined.

5. Bake for 45 minutes or until the middle is set, then top with parmesan cheese and bake for 10 min at 350 until golden brown on top.

Butter (or ghee) and Garlic Mushrooms, by Cheryl

For some reason I had a family size container of baby bella mushrooms that I had to use. I needed a quick and easy recipe in order to use them all. This recipe is so simple and SO delicious! If I had a shallot I would have chopped some of that up and put it in there. It was a hit with 3/4 of us so I'd say that's a win! It was a perfect side. Yum!

Ingredients:

Baby bella mushrooms

A few tbsps butter or ghee, salted

Parsley 

Minced garlic, a few tbsp

Directions:

1) Melt the butter in a pan. Add garlic and parsley. 

2) Next, add the mushrooms. Flip over to cover them with the sauce. Cook on low medium heat for a little bit on each side. 

3) Dust a little parsley on top when finished cooking. 

Fall Bowl, by Diane

I created this warm bowl for dinners this week and haven't wanted anything since!! It is SUCH a great combo of flavors and so freakin easy to meal prep and heat up during the week. And it's healthy to boot. Total win! Side note, this was my first time whipping up my own vinaigrette, and it was SO delicious. I was out of dijon mustard so I had to get creative, and I'm pretty impressed with the outcome. I think it's what makes the whole bowl shine, and I can see this used as a marinade or dressing for so many other recipes! I ran out of pecans which I was going to chop and add to this bowl for crunch, and I think that would be a good addition! I also added it over some kale one day as a salad, and one day there was some goat cheese in it. Yum!

Note: this made about 4 bowls across the week, with some leftovers for another 1/2 bowl at the end of the week. For leftovers, I warmed up all the ingredients except the apple and the dressing.

Ingredients:

For the Bowl:

Chicken, grilled and sliced (I used 2 bags of pre-grilled chicken to make this easier)

2 crowns broccoli, cut into bite size pieces

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

4 portobello mushrooms

2 cups wild rice and quinoa mixture, cooked according to package directions (I used 1/2 cup warmed rice in each bowl)

2 sweet crisp apples, peeled and cubed (I used 1/2 an apple in each bowl)

EVOO

For the Dressing:

5 tbsp EVOO

2 tbsp white vinegar

1 tbsp shaoxing wine

1 tsp mustard powder

1 medium shallot, minced

1 stalk rosemary leaves, minced

5 stalks thyme leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tbsp fig jam

Instructions:

1. Toss the broccoli, sweet potatoes, and mushrooms in EVOO and roast until tender at 350. I made sure the sweet potatoes really caramelized on each side before pulling them out to add extra flavor. 

2. Whisk all dressing ingredients together and set aside.

3. Combine all ingredients and devour :)

 

Goddess Bowl, by Diane

 

I created this bowl specifically because of my Flower Child Sweet Potatoes, and I added the remaining ingredients from there. I called it a Goddess Bowl because I felt so damn healthy and glowing when I ate it for dinner tonight! I always see these creative bowls on instagram but avoid them because of all the prep of the ingredients, and this one did require a bit of prep. But now I have healthy easy bowls for the week and I'm pretty pumped about that! I used roasted mushrooms and beets along with my Burnt Broccoli and grilled chicken here, and for the rest of the week I have some greens I want to serve it over along with a dressing I want to create (I just ran out of time tonight!).

Ingredients:

Red and golden beets, cubed and roasted

Flower Child Sweet Potatoes

Burnt Broccoli

2 cups baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced into rings

1 chicken breast, cooked and sliced

Salt

Coconut oil

Directions:

1. Saute onions in a large pan with a sprinkle of salt and coconut oil over medium heat until browned, then add in mushrooms with another sprinkle of salt and cook until done.

2. Assemble your bowl with the mushroom mixture, sweet potatoes, broccoli, beets, and chicken.

Marinated Mushrooms, by Diane

I made these mushrooms for a salad I created for the week, and they were really good! This was a really easy recipe and would go well with a lot of things. The vinegar flavor was a bit strong for me to have eaten them on their own but they went great with salad!

Ingredients:

1 package cremini mushrooms

4 cloves garlic (2 smashed and 2 minced)

6 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

1/4 cup finely diced shallot

1/4 cup EVOO

2 tbsp each white wine and red wine vinegar

3/4 tsp italian seasoning

salt and black pepper

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1 1/2 tsp finely chopped parsley leaves

Directions:

1. Fill a large saucepan w 5 cups water, add smashed garlic, thyme, 1 bay leaf and 1/2 tsp salt and bring to a rapid simmer.

2. Add the mushrooms and keep at a simmer for 3-5 minutes until tender, then drain well. 

3. While the mushrooms cook, combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine well. 

4. Add the mushrooms while still warm, mix well, and marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 8 hours (up to 10 days).

Whole30 Chicken Cacciatore, by Cheryl

This was a solid recipe from Paleo Running Momma. I love chicken cacciatore and use my mom's recipe, but it's not exactly Whole30 compliant. This was a great option and it was so good! We had it over roasted spaghetti squash and it was very filling! Yum! 

Ingredients:

6 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on (I used boneless, skinless since that's what I had on hand)

Avocado oil

salt and pepper

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 large carrots, diced

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/3 cup chicken broth

28oz can diced tomatoes

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried thyme

Kalamata olives, optional

Directions:

1) Season chicken generously with salt and pepper.

2) Heat the oil to medium-high heat in a large heavy skillet, cast iron preferred. Add the chicken and sear for a couple minutes each side. Remove and set aside. 

3) Lower heat to medium and cook onion for 1-2 minutes. Add in garlic and saute until fragrant. 

4) Add the peppers, carrots, and mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes. 

5) Pour in the crushed tomatoes, broth, and seasonings. Stir.

6) Add the chicken back into the skillet. Cover the tops of the chicken with the sauce.

7) Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 25-30 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Add in the olives if desired. Serve with spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles, cauliflower rice, or just have it plain! 

Baked Eggplant with Mushroom and Tomato Sauce, by Cheryl

I needed to use stuff in my fridge in order to fit more food in it. This meal kind of just came together with the ingredients I had on hand. I had an idea in my mind of what I wanted to make with it and then used this recipe to help execute. I would have been fine with this as the main dish, but Jon needs some extra oomph to a meal so I added some pasta on the side. This was super delicious and very easy to put together! Yum! 

Ingredients:

1 peeled eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch slices

1 cup chopped onion

cooking spray

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp salt

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 (8-ounce) package of sliced mushrooms

2/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1) Preheat broiler. Arrange eggplant slices on baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Broil for 3 minutes per side.

2) Preheat oven to 375.

3) Heat a pan with oil and cook the onion and everything through the mushrooms for 7 minutes covered, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to high and cook for 2 minutes or until water evaporates. 

4) Spread half the mixture into the bottom of a baking dish coated with spray. Arrange half the eggplant slices on top. Sprinkle with pepper. Top with 1/2 cup tomato sauce and 1/3 cup mozzarella. Spread remaining mushroom mixture on top. Arrange the rest of the eggplant slices on top. Sprinkle with pepper. Top with remaining tomato sauce.

5) Cover and bake for 1 hour. 

6) Sprinkle with 1/3 mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. 

Coq Au Vin, by Cheryl

We had a little French theme going on in our household this week. With an endless summer full of no possibilities I felt like I needed something to keep us entertained besides our backyard and afternoon movies. I suggested a learning about different countries theme and J was super into it. She picked France as the first country to learn more about since she was just there. The kids loved coloring rainbows with the French names for colors, learning that the rooster and iris are the country's animal and flower (who knew??), and making fun Eiffel Tower snow globes!

Ok, back to the food. I made a French dinner with the help of my sous chefs and this was fantastic. It didn't take nearly as much time as I thought it would and the sauce and chicken were heavenly. I have never made such a flavorful crispy skin! I love a crispy skin. I will definitely be making this again when the cooler months come rolling in. I forgot to make a side of mashed potatoes so I cooked up some pasta to go with it. It was delicious. Yum!

Ingredients (recipe from here):

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 6 slices bacon diced
• 8 ounces mushrooms
• 6 small white onions cut in half or quartered depending upon size
• 2-3 cloves garlic mashed
• 2 carrots peeled and rough cut
• 1/2 bottle of full-body red wine
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 8 ounces Chicken Stock 
• unsalted butter
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 sprig rosemary
• sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 4 large skin on, bone in chicken thighs

Directions:

• Add chicken to a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag. Pour in one cup red wine and seal bag, pressing out air. Let stand while you prepare the remaining ingredients or overnight for the best results.
• Preheat oven to 350°
• In a large Dutch oven or rondeau, cook bacon over medium-high heat, stirring and reducing heat as necessary to prevent scorching, until browned and fat has rendered, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and, using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
• Remove chicken from zipper-lock bag, discard wine, and pat dry.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Return Dutch oven with rendered bacon fat to medium-high heat.  Add chicken thighs skin-side down, and cook until browned, about 7 minutes. Turn and brown the other side, about 5 minutes.   Don't move the chicken around while cooking, allow it to sear in place.  Use a spatula to get under the chicken when turning being careful not to rip the skin.
• Remove Chicken from pan setting aside until needed
• Add mushrooms to pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Add onions, carrots, and garlic and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add bacon, the remainder of the wine, tomato paste, chicken stock, thyme and rosemary and bring to a simmer, stirring up any browned bits.
• Add chicken back to pan, leaving skin side up and not submerged if possible. Transfer to oven and cook, uncovered, for 1 hour.
• Remove pan from the oven and take the chicken out of the pan.
• Add in two tablespoons of unsalted butter that has been rolled in flour, getting as much flour into the butter as possible.  This is called a beurre manie and will thicken your sauce. Mix the beurre manie in well and allow to simmer over medium heat.
• Return chicken to pot, spooning sauce on top. Garnish with remaining sprig of thyme or rosemary.  Serve with potatoes, pasta, or rice.

Summer Steak Kabobs, by Cheryl

I forgot to take a picture! This is from Taste of Home

I see a lot of kabobs in my future...

Ever since Jon showed me how to use the grill last fall I've been open to a whole new way of cooking. Kabobs have been a favorite for me this year and this marinade really hits the spot! We ate them as is with a tomato salad side, but on rice or in a tortilla like my daughter did is great too! You can change up the meat or veggies to your liking. Yum!

Ingredients (from here):

1/2 cup canola oil (I think I used olive)
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
2 tbsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1.5 lbs top beed sirloin steak, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms
2 medium onions, cut into wedges
1 red pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 green pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 yellow squash, cut into 1/2 inch slices
Hot cooked rice

Directions:

1) In a large bowl combine the first 6 ingredients. Add beef, turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

2) On metal or soaked wooden skewers, thread beef and veggies. Discard marinade. Grill kabobs, covered, until beef reaches desired tenderness, about 10 minutes. Turn occasionally.

“Cheesy” Cauliflower Risotto, by Diane

I have been getting really good at creating all types of “cheesy” sauces on whole 30 by using nutritional yeast. The other night I found a package of riced cauliflower with asparagus and mushrooms in the freezer, and decided to whip this up. I wound up eating it all for dinner and skipping the rest of my food! It tasted like pure comfort food, and I’m definitely making it again soon!


Ingredients:

Riced cauliflower, cooked
Diced asparagus, cooked
Diced mushrooms, cooked
2 tbsp coconut milk, warmed
5 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp arrowroot powder


Directions:

1. Mix the veggies together and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, add all the seasonings. Whisk together until well blended.

3. Add in the warm coconut milk and whisk until blended.

4. Sprinkle the arrowroot powder in the sauce and stir until it thickens, adjusting consistency with coconut milk or powder if needed.

5. Pour over the veggies and enjoy!

Cheesy Baked Chicken with Portobello Mushrooms, by Cheryl

This was so easy to make and delicious... what more could you want?! I made a couple of substitutions - an onion for the shallot and shredded cheddar cheese instead of sliced mozzarella. The chicken came out super tender and the mushroom/onion mix under the cheese was super yummy. It didn't come with a sauce and I thought it needed something so dipped it in some specialty BBQ sauces that Jon has been trying out, while the kids had it with ketchup, as per usual. I'm definitely making this again. Yum!

Ingredients (recipe from here)

2 boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 egg beaten
1 small shallot, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 slices mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 425.

2) Mix together bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a shallow dish.

3) Dip chicken in the beaten egg and then the bread mixture.

4) Place chicken in baking dish that's been sprayed with cooking spray.

5) Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium high in pan. Add shallot and saute until soft.

6) Add mushrooms, parsley, and pepper, cooking about 5 minutes.

7) Top chicken with mushroom mixture evenly over each piece. Place mozzarella slice over each piece.

8) Bake at 425 for 20 minutes or until juices run clear.

Creamy Butternut Squash Noodles with Mushrooms, Bacon, and Kale, by Diane

This was a total winner for lunches this week! The original inspiration for this recipe came from @everylastbite1's Instagram, but I added some other fun things and it turned out really good. I thought mushrooms would be a good addition, so I used shitake from my Asian market and a splash of truffle oil, I swapped the spinach for kale because I eat a lot of spinach in my morning smoothies, I used a bit of beef broth I had on hand instead of adding more and more oil to the pan, and I added a bit of nutritional yeast to the sauce for extra "cheesiness".  Fairly easy to come together as well! Overall, it tasted like comfort food which was a very good thing on this cold 4th week of Whole 30!

Ingredients:

Butternut squash noodles (I used frozen for ease!)
5 strips bacon
Oil of choice (I used coconut with a splash of white truffle oil)
1 pack shitake mushrooms, sliced thinly
3 cloves garlic
1 bunch of kale, leaves only, rough chopped
1/4-1/2 cup of beef broth (Whole 30 compliant- most have sugar!)
2/3 cup cashews, soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
Water

Directions:

1. Make the butternut squash noodles and set aside.

2. Cook the bacon in a large pan, set aside on a paper towel lined plate. Crumble when cool.

3. Leaving a tiny bit of oil from the bacon in the pan (as much as you want depending on fat/flavor), add coconut and truffle oil until hot. Add the mushrooms and 2 cloves of garlic and cook until browned. Add broth to the pan as the mushrooms absorb all the oil, scraping the bottom to incorporate the browned bits.

4. Add the kale to the pan and cook until wilted.

5. While the mushroom mixture cooks, blend the drained cashews, almond milk, remaining 1 clove of garlic, salt, pepper, and yeast until smooth. Add in water to reach desired consistency and adjust seasonings.

6. Combine the noodles, bacon and sauce with the mushroom mixture and mix well.

Creamy Wild Mushroom Soup with Herbs, by Cheryl

Another recipe from Once Upon a Chef! This soup was fairly easy to make and was tasty! It was a good appetizer to our meal. If I made it again I would increase the number of mushrooms used in order to have more chopped ones in there. Otherwise each bite without them was good, but needed more oomph. That being said, it was a great compliment to the meal and warming on a cool night. Yum!


Ingredients:

4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup chopped shallots
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/4 cup flour
1.5 lb mixed wild mushrooms (shitake, oyster, portobello), stemmed and roughly chopped
1/2 cp dry white wine
5 cups chicken broth
1.25 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp finely chopped fresh sage
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives, for garnish
croutons, optional

Directions:

1) In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook 2 minutes more. Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute more, then add the mushrooms, 1/4 cup of wine, the chicken broth, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender.

2) Using a slotted spoon, remove about 2 large ladlefuls of the mushrooms and set aside. Using a handheld immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth.

3) Stir in the cream, the remaining 1/4 cup wine, the thyme, the sage, and the reserved mushrooms. Bring to a simmer, then taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary. Ladle into bowls and top with the chives and croutons.

Steak & Veggie Kabobs, by Cheryl

I made steak and veggie kabobs last night and they were oh so good! We had zero leftovers which I was happy and sad about. Happy that everyone loved them, but sad that I couldn't enjoy them for lunch today. Julia enjoyed putting the meat and veggies on the skewers and it kept her busy for a while! For my veggies I used onions and zucchini (was also supposed to have red pepper, but ate that earlier in the day), but you can put whatever you want on them. I marinated the meat in a soy sauce and honey mix that was great. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 lb flank steak
zucchini
onion
red pepper
mushrooms
whatever other veggies you want
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp honey
1/4 rice vinegar

Directions:

1) Combine the last 4 ingredients in a ziplock bag. Put the meat in the bag and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes - 8 hours.

2) Grab some skewers and start putting things on in whatever order you want!

3) Broil on high for 3 minutes each side. Eat on its own or with rice.

Paleo Salisbury Steak Meatballs, by Diane

YUM. This recipe is soooo good! I made these for dinners this week, because as it turns out my family and I love being on Whole30 so much we are staying on indefinitely (which means lots of new fun recipes!). They came together fairly quickly, and even though I hate pan frying meatballs in batches, I would totally make these again in a heartbeat! I was really skeptical about the mustard in both the sauce and the meatballs but it turned out really good. Have I mentioned these are good? Recipe from https://www.paleorunningmomma.com/paleo-salisbury-steak-meatballs-whole30/

Note: If you aren't doing Whole30 or Paleo, breadcrumbs can sub for almond flour, soy sauce for coconut aminos, and cornstarch for arrowroot powder

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs grass-fed ground beef 85% lean
1 egg
1/3 cup blanched almond flour
3/4 tsp fine grain sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp brown mustard 
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp coconut aminos
1/4 tsp liquid smoke optional
1 cup white mushrooms divided 
1 Tbsp ghee or other cooking fat
Parsley chopped, for garnish
12 oz beef bone broth divided (1 cup + 1/2 cup)
1 Tbsp ghee
1 med onion chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped
1 tbsp arrowroot powder or tapioca
1 tsp mustard
2 tsp coconut aminos
Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together with your hands the ground beef, almond flour, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, mustard, tomato paste, coconut aminos, 1/4 cup finely chopped mushrooms, egg, and liquid smoke (if using.)
2. Form into 1.5 inch balls while preheating a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp ghee to the skillet, then brown the meatballs all around. Transfer browned but not cooked through meatballs to foil lined sheet and lower the heat to low. 
3. Add the second tbsp ghee to the pan, then the onions and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
4. Add 1 cup of the bone broth, leaving a half cup to mix with arrowroot
5. Add the mustard, aminos, 3/4 cup sliced mushrooms and bring to a simmer, stirring.
6. In a small bowl, whisk arrowroot with the remaining 1/2 cup of broth, add to the pan and stir to combine.
7. Add meatballs back to the pan with the sauce, cover and simmer on low for 5-10 minutes until meatballs are fully cooked and sauce thickens.
8. Spoon sauce over meatballs, sprinkle with parsley and serve with mashed potatoes. Enjoy!

Pizza Spaghetti Squash, by Diane

Unfortunately my large mixing bowl is also orange!!!

This is week 3's installment of Whole30 dinners. It is easy to throw together for a quick weeknight meal, and tasty too! Recipe from @thewholesmiths

Ingredients:

1 large spaghetti squash, halved and de-seeded

EVOO

Salt and Pepper

1 lb. Italian sausage, cooked and sliced or crumbled

1/2 cup sliced black olives

1/2 cup roasted mushrooms

Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and nutritional yeast to taste

15 oz. can pizza sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425, roast the squash on a baking sheet skin side down until fork tender after brushing with EVOO and sprinkling with salt and pepper.

2. Shred the squash into a large bowl and mix in the remaining ingredients.

Marinated Mushroom Skewers, by Diane

My family always has a superbowl party each year, and we make the typical assortment of unhealthy foods to eat. This year, we wanted a healthier app to include in our spread, and we found two recipes for mushrooms that sounded good. I combined the two, taking the best out of each one, and formed this. You could also use regular white button mushrooms, or any other kind you like, and we thought this would be good with pesto and baby balls of mozzarella too!

However, we all tasted them and promptly threw the entire batch away. I'm not sure why this recipe failed as all of the ingredients seemed fool-proof when mixed together, but this was disgusting. Cheryl and I have a rule that we post whatever we have cooked no matter the outcome, so that's the only reason I'm even carving time out of my day to write this! Don't make this. :)


Ingredients:

3 containers of baby bella mushrooms, cleaned
1 package sundried tomato halves
3 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
3 shallots, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp EVOO
Salt and pepper


Directions:

1. Marinate all ingredients for 1 hour, gently mixing around 2-3 times.
2. Preheat the oven to 375.
3. While oven preheats, skewer mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, and shallots onto oven safe sticks. Reserve leftover marinade.
4. Place the skewers evenly spaced on a baking tray and brush with 1/2 of the leftover marinade. Bake for 15 minutes.
5. Rotate the skewers, brush with the other 1/2 of the marinade, and cook another 15 minutes or until mushrooms are cooked through and tender.

Healthy Chicken and Dumplings, by Diane

This Sunday I am going on day 13 of being sick with a devil cold, and I've been having a really hard time wanting to eat anything except broth, which I am frankly sick of by this point! So I created this version of chicken and dumplings in an attempt to convert what I would normally put in a healing chicken soup into an actual meal that I would be tempted to eat. I borrowed the dumpling idea from this website, but converted it into a quinoa flour dumpling boosted with fresh thyme to get some extra protein and healing herbs in here too! I used coconut oil throughout this recipe for it's antibacterial and antiviral effects, but other oils can be used as well. Finally, I used bone broth since it's renowned for it's healing properties, which I usually make but ran out of- and I was surprised to see that my grocery store carried a brand called Pacifica which makes it!

I can't write enough words in here to describe *just* how freaking amazing this turned out. I have never attempted chicken and dumplings before, and at the beginning before I let it simmer it looked like it was just going to be a clear, thin soup with lots of veggies and chicken in it with the occasional dumpling. But once I stirred it after an hour, I saw that it was transformed into a thick and creamy consistency very much like the chicken and dumplings I've had at restaurants in the past! I have no idea how this magic happened! The dumplings turned out to be soft, airy, herby pillows of goodness too! The combo of the texture and the flavors had me eating bowls of this stuff- my first real meals in weeks! Now if that isn't a testament to how good this is, I don't know what is. Make this NOW. Like, yesterday. Go!!!



Ingredients:

3 tbsp coconut oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 large carrots, sliced
2 large celery stalks, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
10 small baby bella mushrooms, diced
1.5 cups frozen green peas

2 cups quinoa flour
1 tbsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 cup milk (any type- I use unsweetened almond milk which accidentally was vanilla flavored but it still worked!)
1 tbsp dried thyme
3 chicken breasts, cubed
5 cups chicken broth (bone broth preferred)
1 tbsp poultry seasoning
Salt and pepper


Directions:

1. In a large soup pot over medium high heat, add in 3 tbsp coconut oil, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, mushrooms, and peas. Cook for 10-15 minutes until veggies are softened and onions are translucent.

2.  While the veggies are cooking, whisk together flour, soda, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add in 3 tsp melted coconut oil, milk, and thyme, and stir together well until combined. Set aside.

3. After the veggies are cooked, add in the chicken and stir well. Add the broth and bring to a boil.

4. When the soup is at a boil, drop in the dumplings by small spoonfuls (like making drop cookies or biscuits- they don't need to look nice!). Cook uncovered for 45 minutes, do not stir.

5. After 45 minutes, cover and cook for 15 more minutes.