Tuscan Garlic Shrimp, by Cheryl

Another winner from Paleo Running Momma! This was fairly easy to make and was really good! I had mine over cauliflower rice and Jon had his over some roasted potatoes, both which were good options! Yum! 

Ingredients: 

1lb medium shrimp, deveined, peeled

sea salt and black pepper

2 tbsp ghee

1 small onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp tapioca flour

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 cup full fat coconut milk

1/2 tbsp mustard

1.5 tbsp nutritional yeast

1.4 tsp Italian seasoning blend

1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped

2 cups baby spinach

chopped parsley for garnish 

Directions:

1) Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Add ghee to medium high heat skillet and melt. Add shrimp in a single layer and cook for 2 minutes per side. Plate and set aside. 

2) Add the onion to the skillet and cook for 3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for one minute. Whisk in the tapioca, then add the chicken broth and coconut milk, scraping the bottom of the skillet. Stir to combine, then add the mustard, nutritional yeast, and italian seasoning. Cook and stir over medium heat until it starts to thicken, then add salt and pepper for taste. 

3) Add sun-dried tomatoes and cook until softened, then add the spinach to wilt. Return the shrimp to the skillet and stir, then sprinkle all over with parsley. Serve over cauliflower rice or zoodles. 

Creamy Sundried Tomato and Basil Chicken, by Diane

I chose this as my dinner for week 1 of Whole 30. While the sauce was good, I had a few problems with the recipe. I didn't have a cast iron skillet, so that may have been part of it, but I had to bake the chicken significantly longer than the recipe stated (about 30 minutes more), and by the time it cooked through it was chewy and a bit dried out despite roasting in the sauce. I also had to add more salt and then some italian seasoning, and then burst the cherry tomatoes so they could add to the sauce too. Overall, this was a nice concept but the recipe didn't really come together.

Recipe by @everylastbite1


Ingredients:

1/3 cup almond flour 
1/4 tsp salt 
1/2 tsp pepper 
4 chicken breasts 
1 tbsp olive oil 
1 onion finely diced 
2 cloves garlic 
2/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes roughly chopped 
1 cup cherry tomatoes 
1 cup almond milk 
1 cup chicken stock 
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. Combine the almond flour, salt and pepper in a bowl and dredge the chicken breasts in the flour, making sure to evenly coat on all sides.

3. Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron skillet. On medium high heat, sear the chicken breasts until golden on both sides and then transfer to a plate.
 
4. Add the chopped onion and garlic to the skillet and cook for 3 minutes until the onion begins to soften. 

5. Add in the sundried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, almond milk and chicken stock, bring to a boil and let cook for about 5 minutes so that the sauce begins to thicken.

 
6. Return the chicken breasts to the pan and place the entire skillet in the oven to bake for approximately 15 minutes until the chicken breasts are completely cooked through.

7. Once the chicken is cooked, remove the skillet from the oven and stir in the chopped basil. Enjoy!

Honey Mustard Chicken, Bacon, and Avocado Salad, by Diane

I made this salad after seeing it on facebook to many rave reviews (link here). It was fairly easy to throw together in a large batch for the week's lunches, only the prep of each ingredient was time consuming but the rest came together in a breeze. The dressing was a bit too sweet and I had to double the recipe because there wasn't enough for more than two salads. I also added eggs because I love the extra protein and it went really well with this salad! Finally, I cooked the bacon in the pan first before the chicken (the recipe cooks the chicken first and then bacon) because I wanted more flavor in the chicken. I am posting the recipe below for 2 servings, if you want more for the week just double the dressing part.

Ingredients:

Dressing / Marinade (for 2 servings):

• 1/3 cup honey (I would use maybe 1 tbsp per batch here and then add as you go if you want it more sweet)
• 3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
• 2 tablespoons smooth and mild Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• Salt to season
• 2 skinless and boneless chicken thighs or chicken breasts

For Salad (for 2 servings):

• 1/2 cup diced bacon
• 4 cups Romaine lettuce leaves, washed
• 1 cup sliced grape or cherry tomatoes (I used sundried for the flavor)
• 1 large avocado, cubed
• 1/4 cup corn kernels
• 1/4 of a red onion , sliced
• 4 hard boiled eggs, quartered

Instructions

1. Whisk marinade/dressing ingredients together to combine. Pour half the marinade into a shallow dish to marinade the chicken for two hours. Refrigerate the reserved untouched marinade to use as a dressing.
2. Heat a nonstick pan (or grill pan or skillet) over medium heat with about a teaspoon of oil and sear/grill chicken on each side until golden, crispy and cooked through. (Grill in batches to prevent excess water being released.) Once chicken is cooked, set aside and allow to rest.
3. Wipe pan over with paper towel; drizzle with another teaspoon of oil and fry the bacon until crispy.
4. Slice chicken into strips and prepare salad with leaves, tomatoes, avocado slices, corn, onion strips and chicken.
5. Whisk 2 tablespoons of water into the remaining untouched marinade/dressing and drizzle over the salad. Sprinkle the bacon over the top and season with a little extra salt and cracked pepper (optional).

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.

Vegan Portobello, Sweet Potato, and Sundried Tomato Saute with Reisling, by Diane

This is a creation based off my lunches last week, Sundried Tomato and Kale Salad. Experts say that you should constantly rotate your veggies and greens to get the maximum amount of nutrients, so I switched up the kale for spinach, the butternut squash for sweet potatoes, and the sauce from a parsely red wine vinaigrette to a reisling based tomato sauce (wine still has nutrients!!). The result was delicious, and easy to make- I actually ran out of time to cook my weekly lunches on Sunday but I was able to cook this Monday morning as I was getting ready for work without being late!


Ingredients:

2 tbsp. EVOO
2 large sweet potatoes, cubed (on the small side so they cook faster!)
2 packages sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 cup sliced sundried tomatoes
1 can black beans, rinsed
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp reisling
1/4 cup plain tomato sauce
Salt/Pepper
1/8 to 1/4 tsp each: turmeric, cumin, ginger, chili powder
1 large bag spinach


Directions:

1. Heat a large saucepan/medium size pot on medium high heat, add in EVOO and then first three ingredients. Cook until sweet potatoes have softened, then add in beans and garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.

2. Add the reisling in to deglaze the pan, then lower heat to low and add in tomato sauce and salt/pepper/spices, stirring well. Add the spinach on top of the pan/pot, then cover for 5 minutes.

3. Once the spinach has wilted and the reisling has evaporate, mix well and remove from heat.

Sun-Dried Tomato and Kale Salad, by Diane

I created this recipe with ingredients in my fridge, and it was a delicious and protein-packed lunch for me all week! It's simple to toss together, all ingredients (except the dressing) can be steamed or roasted as well.


Ingredients:

EVOO
1 butternut squash, cubed
1 package baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 cup sundried tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large head kale, chopped and deveined
1/4 cup fresh parsley
4 tbsp EVOO
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 tbsp tomato sauce (plain)
Sea salt and Pepper
1/2 tsp each: chili powder, cumin, turmeric

Directions:

1. Heat medium sized pot over medium high heat and add ingredients through garlic. Saute until browned, then add beans and mix until heated through. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Add the kale and saute with a bit more EVOO until wilted. Mix with squash mixture.

3. While the kale cooks, combine remaining ingredients in a food processor until well blended, and toss all ingredients together. 

Beef and Butternut Squash Stew, by Cheryl

This is another great recipe from Giada. It's perfect for a cold wintery night as it's a hearty meal and will warm you up in an instant. The flavors worked really well together and the beef was very tender. Serve with some rolls or crusty bread. Yum!

Ingredients:

3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
2 pounds stew beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
1/2 tsp pepper, plus more to taste
2 tbsp flour
1 cup Marsala wine
1 pound butternut squash, cut into 2-inch cubes
1/4 chopped sun dried tomatoes
3-4 cups beef broth
2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped

Directions:

1) In a large soup pot heat oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, thyme, and rosemary and saute until the onion are tender, about two minutes.

2) Toss the beef cubes in the salt, pepper, and flour. Turn up the heat to medium high and add the beef. Cook until the beef is browned and golden, about 5 minutes.

3) Add the Marsala wine. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir up all the brown bits off of the bottom of the pan.

4) Add the butternut squash and sun-dried tomatoes and stir to combine. Add enough beef broth to completely cover the beef and squash. Bring the stew to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for about an hour. Season the stew with additional salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with bread.

Poached Eggs with Polenta, Kale, and Sundried Tomato Sauce, by Diane

This is a recipe that I recently had at a cool DC brunch spot, and it was so healthy and delicious I knew I had to recreate it. You can change it up in a variety of ways, like frying the polenta into cakes and/or adding parmesan or any other cheese (I just made a quick polenta in this version). This recipe was for 2 (the polenta made extra though and could have been for 4). Very filling and great for weekend brunch!


Ingredients:
4 1/2-5 cups water
Sea salt
1 cup yellow corn meal
1-2 tbsp EVOO
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 large handfuls kale
1 tsp red chili flakes
Pepper
 Sundried marinara sauce (if you can't find any just make your own by sauteing sundried tomatoes and adding them in!)
4 eggs


Directions:

1. Bring 3 cups of water and some sea salt to a boil. Combine corn meal, 1 tsp salt, and 1 cup water and slowly pour into the boiling water, stirring constantly until thick. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 5 minutes.

2. While the polenta is cooking, heat a large saucepan on medium high and add EVOO and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes, then add kale, red pepper, salt and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so the garlic doesn't burn. Add 1/2 cup water and cover, stirring occasionally until the water cooks out. Kale should be slightly wilted but still green when finished. If it is not the desired texture, add 1/2 cup more water and repeat.

3. Heat marinara on the stove/microwave until hot.

4. Poach (or fry) eggs keeping the yolks runny.

5. Assemble: polenta, kale, eggs, salt/pepper, marinara. Enjoy!