Sausage and Egg Breakfast Medley

     I made this dish several days ago, and it has made for several breakfasts and snacks. This recipe makes a huge batch! You do not have to worry about waking up early to fix yourself a good meal in the morning before work/school. This can be ready to go in minutes! 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb nitrate free sausage
• 3 c fresh kale
• 1 c yellow onions
• 1/2 c carrots
• 8 eggs
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Preparation:

1. Begin to brown meat in a large skillet. While this meat cooks, chop your onion and carrots. Sprinkle a little pepper over the sausage if you want.
2. Once it is completely cooked (Be careful and be sure to thoroughly cook the sausage. This is a meat to watch when cooking.), mixed in the kale, carrots, and onions. Stir.
3. Cook your vegetables in with the meat for several minutes before finally adding your eggs. 
4. Add the sea salt and pepper while continuing to stir your dish. 
   

Paleo Sausage Balls

          The first Marshall football game kicks off this weekend, and I will be bringing these to tailgate! I have always loved having sausage balls at parties, games, and other events. Luckily, I found an awesome Paleo recipe that tastes even better! These made a quick snack for me between classes today as well. I hope you all enjoy them as much as we did.

Ingredients:

• 1 c almond flour
• 1 lb of all natural sausage
• 4-5 tbsp of pastured butter or ghee

Preparation:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Melt your butter/ghee in the microwave for about 10-20 seconds.
3. Mix sausage and almond flour in mixing bowl. You can mix it by spoon, but mixing by hand seemed to work a lot better for me.
4. Roll sausage into 1-1 and 1/2 inch balls, and place on baking sheet.
5. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes. My first batch cooked very quickly!
6. Serve and enjoy!! Don't eat too many at once. That is the mistake I made. ;)

Paleo Pumpkin Bread

          Fall is quickly approaching, and we all know what that means. There will be many holidays with a lot of good food. I love pumpkin and all types of pumpkin desserts. This Paleo Pumpkin Bread can really hit the spot.

Ingredients:

• 1 c almond flour
• 1 c pumpkin 
• 2 eggs
• 1/4-1/3 c water (may or may not be needed)
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tbsp allspice
• 1 tbsp agave/honey
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease baking tin with olive oil. You can always use Coconut as well. I use it quite often.
3. Mix almond flour, pumpkin, and egg in a mixing bowl. Add water here if this mixture seems to thick. 
4. Next, stir in the cinnamon, allspice, and agave/honey.
5. Pour batter into baking tin. I would use a smaller tin. Mine was too large, so the bread was very thin.
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes. The bread should be golden. Sprinkle the finished product with cinnamon and agave if you want an extra sweet kick!

                

          People always ask me about how much I spend on Paleo ingredients and what is on my grocery list. This is a typical grocery trip for me. Food can last up to one week, but I usually find myself shopping more than once a week to make sure I have everything I need. 

Crockpot Apple Pork Tenderloin

          Sorry everyone, I have been MIA for the past few days. It has been a busy week, and I have not been the main chef in the house. I have been fortunate to have delicious meals cooked for me! I will be posting some of Tom's great recipes soon. Here are a few photos that can sum up my fun filled week.
          This first photo is from my Crossfit box this past weekend. Crossfit Thunder hosted two competitions on Saturday. Many awesome athletes from all over came together to compete and work hard. I had a great time judging this fierce competition!

           The second photo shows my boyfriend, Tom, participating in the first WOD of the WV Open. I have very talented workout partners who always push me, and I definitely needed it through this one. (WOD #1: 100 calorie row and 100 push press at 75/55 for time)
           With classes starting back up, my schedule is about to get much more hectic. I will be taking full advantage of Crockpot recipes this fall! I have already found a breakfast casserole that I can not wait to try. This is a very simple and sweet to taste, protein packed recipe.

Crockpot Apple Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2-2 lb of pork tenderloin
• 2-3 apples
• 2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2-1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp raw honey (optional)

Preparation:

1. Core and slice your apples into 10-12 slices.
2. Add a layer of apples to the bottom of your crockpot and lightly sprinkle with nutmeg and cinnamon. My crockpot was large, so I did not cover the entire bottom with apples. I only layered the section that the pork tenderloin would cover.
3. Next, place slits in your tenderloin. I had to cut mine in half to get it to lay neatly in the bottom.
4. Place tenderloin over top the layer of apple slices in the crockpot. You will then need to place one apple slice into each slit of the tenderloin, so there will be apples in the meat as well as underneath it.
5. Sprinkle tenderloin and apple slices with nutmeg, cinnamon, and olive oil. *Drizzle honey over the creation here if you choose to use it!
6. Turn crockpot on low and cook for 2-3 hours. My crockpot still cooks quickly, even on low, so be sure to check. You may need to let your meal cook longer (4-6 hours).

Sausage and Roasted Sweet Potato

                                     

          We competed in a team Crossfit Competition on Saturday, and this is what fueled my body the night before. Tom made this delicious dish for us, and it is definitely a favorite already. It can make a good dinner or even breakfast. I may add some egg to the pan next time!

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet potatoes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 20 0z nitrate free sausage (I found mine at The Wild Ramp. It is the best!)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Preparation:

1. Pour olive oil into pan, and begin to warm at medium heat.
2. Add the sausage to the pan along with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. While the sausage begins to brown, dice your sweet potato into 1 by 1 inch pieces and mix in with the sausage. You may want to add more salt and black pepper to taste.
3. Cover pan with lid for 10 minutes, stirring every few. Next, you will continue to cook it uncovered for another 5-10 minutes. The sweet potato and meat will be crisp.
   

                                      

Paleo Lasagna with Zucchini Noodles

          A few months ago, a fellow Crossfit friend, Marla, made an amazing Paleo Lasagna at GOD Wod, and I have been dying to make my own ever since. Also, Marla gave birth to a little boy last night. Congratulations to her and her family! I had some extra fresh tomatoes and zucchini from my Grandpa and The Wild Ramp, so I decided what better time to make it then now!

Ingredients:

• 3-4 zucchini
• 1/2-1 c almond flour
• 3-4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 package of all natural ground turkey (20 oz)
• 4 oz mushrooms
• 1 c of diced tomatoes
• 1 can of tomato sauce
• 6 oz can of tomato paste
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1 tbsp basil
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp black pepper

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Slice zucchini lengthwise. Try to get the slices as thin as possible.
3. Add zucchini to large Tupperware bowl, along with 1/2 c-1 c almond flour and 1 tbsp olive oil. Put the lid on the bowl then shake the mixture to cover all zucchini in almond flour. Set aside. 
4. While the zucchini noodles set, begin browning meat at medium heat over stovetop.
5. Add onions, mushrooms, and garlic to the meat. Continue to brown the meat, and then add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, chili powder, cayenne pepper, thyme, and parsley.
6. Get out a separate baking pan to cook lasagna in, and lather in olive oil to prevent the dish from sticking.
7. Add layer of zucchini noodles on the bottom of the pan then next add 1/3 of the meat sauce  to cover the noodles.
8. Continue adding meat sauce, and another layer of zucchini noodles.
9. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

        
          What are you all cooking up today? Send me your photos or tag me in them. Enjoy!

Two Breakfast Sides: Paleo Cinnamon Apples and Garlic Roasted Tomatoes

         
          I ran across this photo on Facebook yesterday, and I think it is the perfect motto for my blog. I try to keep the recipes all relatively easy to make with not too many ingredients, but all of the credit goes to the wholesome quality of the food itself. The best part about the Paleo Diet is knowing that the food you are eating is real. These next two recipes are as simple, and tasty, as it gets. Breakfast is always my favorite meal of the day, and I am constantly looking for new sides and recipes to spice up my morning meals.

Paleo Cinnamon Apples

Ingredients:

• 2 fresh apples
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp coconut or olive oil

Preparation:

1. Pour olive oil into small pan on stove.
2. Dice apples into 1x1 inch pieces.
3. Sprinkle with cinnamon and cook for 5-10 minutes at medium heat.

Garlic Roasted Tomatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 large fresh tomato 
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 pinch of sea salt
• 1 pinch of pepper
• 1 tbsp coconut or olive oil

Preparation:

1. Pour your oil into pan.
2. Chop your tomato into thin slices.
3. Sprinkle with garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper.
4. Flip tomato slices, and season the other side as well.
5. Continue to cook for 5-7 minutes at medium heat.

          This is what I am eating this morning; eggs with kale and mushrooms, bacon, and roasted tomatoes. This tomato came fresh from my Grandfather's garden yesterday. I had personally never had tomatoes for breakfast until going to the beach this year. I just love them! If you all are looking for fresh and locally grown fruits and veggies, The Wild Ramp has a great selection. Look out for the fresh peaches!