Paleo Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

When I figured out how to make a couple of my favorite comfort foods into a paleo template that's when it became real to me that I could eat this way all the time.  My three things that I just couldn't live without were pizza, pancakes and biscuits.  I wasn't always a fan of biscuits with gravy but I have become one now that I make my own.  I didn't invent these recipes but I'd like to share them with you today so that you can find your own foods that will make Sunday morning a happy time for you to gather with your family and enjoy some good old fashioned biscuits and gravy and not have to worry about what it's doing to your gut.  

The best biscuits EVER come from Elana's Pantry Almond Flour Cookbook:

2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup oil 

1/4 cup agave 

2 eggs

1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Stir. Measure into 1/3 cup size biscuits.  Bake 350 for 15-20 min.

A couple of side note in regards to baking/cooking/following a recipe.  If I don't have something that is in the recipe I typically "make do" with what I have.  I use olive oil.  I have used honey instead of agave.  I've squeezed an orange instead of lemon.  My food typically turns out different each time I make it because when I want it, it's typically a craving and I'll make it happen using whatever I have in my pantry;0)  

And my all time favorite recipe for sausage gravy comes from Robb Wolf (robbwolf.com)

16 oz. country style pork sausage
2 tbsp arrowroot powder
1 can coconut milk (shake it up before you open it)
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp dried, rubbed sage
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt

1. Heat up a skillet over medium-high heat and brown the sausage. Break up the sausage into fairly small pieces so it will cook easily, but I like to leave some bigger chunks in there too. Once the sausage is thoroughly cooked, remove it with a slotted spoon and set it aside. Discard most of the fat, but leave about a tablespoon in there, and leave all the stuck-on brown bits of sausage in the bottom of the pan.
2. Turn the heat down to medium. Add the arrowroot and stir it into the fat & brown bits, whisking constantly for about a minute so it doesn’t burn. It will get pretty thick and almost dry.
3. Add the coconut milk about 1/3 of the can at a time, and whisk together with the “roux” you just made, incorporating it thoroughly. Some of the browned bits should start to come off the bottom of the pan, too. This is what we want. Keep adding in the coconut milk until it is all incorporated. Add the fennel, sage, cayenne, salt and pepper and mix it in.
4. Add the sausage back in and incorporate throughout the gravy. Cook for a moment so everything is heated evenly. Serve immediately over biscuits.

Once again, feel free to sub as needed.  I've used turkey sausage, chicken sausage and pork sausage.  I feel like I NEVER have the right spices...this past time I made it I added cumin, cayenne, cardomom, allspice, salt and pepper.  Be creative!  One thing you don't want to sub is milk from a box...like unsweetened coconut, almond or cashew milk!  You really need a can of coconut milk for this one to work.  

 

What I like to buy from Aldi's...

Grocery shopping is a HUGE part of my life.  I have several stores that I visit for many different items.  I always read labels and of course since I'm living on a budget I read prices as well.  In the next few weeks I am going to take you on my grocery shopping adventures.

Some of my favorite places to visit are (in not any particular order) Aldi, Fresh Thyme, Meijer, Garden Patch and believe it or not, WalMart.  I buy a few of my staples at Sam's as well!!

Today I have an exclusive on what I'd buy at Aldi.  Most of my options that I purchase are paleo friendly.  I also know that we all want to live life.  So keep in mind, if you are doing a whole30 some of these items may not be compliant.  If you are working to cure an autoimmune, some of these items may not be compliant.  BUT, if you are well and looking to eat good food and stay on the well end of the spectrum or if you are working to feed a family with giving your children the best options.  Then these items should help you get there!!

Grocery shopping 101:

These chips I buy as a "treat"  they are not sporting the best oil but I am well and I am not fighting an autoimmune so having these chips every once in awhile is ok.  Things to remember:  veggie chips are not vegetables.  These are a treat and should be treated as such.

Sugar free applesauce.  YUMMY.  Good for school lunches.

Organic Peanut Butter - What I like about this label is there is no added sugar.  You get peanuts and salt and they are non - gmo verified!

Organic agave - although my sweetener of choice for baking is local honey - I do have agave in my cupboard as a back up.

Almond butter - I prefer to get my almond butter at Sam's or Cotsco.  You get more bang for your buck.  I know they do add sugar to this brand.  So, maybe in an emergency I would purchase this but I do know you can find almond butter without added sugar.  It's so yummy!

Pickles - I have looked high and low and read every pickle label in the world for a pickle without any yellow dye!!  I finally found some at Aldi.  

Spicy mustard - I am a huge fan of mustard and an even bigger fan of spicy mustard - nothing beats a burger topped with egg, bacon, pickle, spicy mustard and avocado!!  You can be crazy like my hubby - he sprinkles pepper on his mustard to enhance the turmeric!  

Ketchup - I do not eat it but I do have a little gal who thinks nothing of putting it on everything she eats.  I am too lazy to make it so I try to make sure that what she is getting isn't full of crap.  This does have a lot of sugar in it.  

It's nice to know if my egg suppliers are running low that I can find cage free eggs on my normal shopping trip.  I believe these are $3.49 a dozen.  So, I only buy them if I've run out of local options or I am too lazy to go to another store!

I don't think their spices are organic but I do use them on occasion.

There nuts are some of the cheapest I've found.  I use them on salads and baking and to make homemade larabars so it's nice to have them in the freezer if I get a craving for baking!

Organic Apple Cider Vinegar;0)  Cure all!!

I found the best place to get a big old tub of coconut oil is Cotsco.  But will buy this as a back-up if needed.  My son has a Cotsco membership so I usually have to "put my order in, and wait!"

I'm not a fan, but I know a lot of peeps love La Croix:

Uncured Bacon:  Who doesn't love bacon?

This is my favorite salad blend.  I love the flavor and the different colors.

Between Aldi and Walmart - I can find grass fed beef around $5.50 a pound.  Sure beats what Fresh Thyme and the local farmers market are charging.  And honestly the taste is phenomenal - you can't beat a cow that's been fed the proper diet!!

So, that bacon up there wrapped around these huge dates with an almond stuffed in the middle = THE BEST TREAT EVER.  I also use the dates in my homemade larabars and as a sweetener for baking as well.  Ok, not gonna lie sometimes I just dip these suckers in almond butter and eat them straight out.  

Chicken breakfast sausage - these are a home run with the kids.  I literally heat them in the microwave for about 12 seconds and you have an easy protein that is good for them to eat with their breakfast!  I use them quite a bit as a snack option with a hard boiled egg and some fresh berries!  

If you are packing lunches for kids - this is a great option.  

I like making my own chicken broth - I do use this on occasion if I run out.  Watch out there is sugar added to it.  So, this would not be whole30 compliant.  

S

I love spaghetti and meatballs...spaghetti squash that is.  It's tough to find a store bought sauce that doesn't have added sugar... so when I find them, I like to share them!  I prefer making my own sauce when I have an overabundance of tomatoes from my garden.  But, I never seem to have enough to last me through the winter.  

Another thing that I buy quite often but I don't have a picture of is their unsweetened cashew milk.  

This is my Aldi's cart:  Let me know if you have any questions and next week, I'll feature a new store!!  ENJOY

Hearty Beef Stew & Almond Bread Loaf

I am so far behind on my recipes...

I doubled the recipe.  This made so much delicious soup and it was easy to reheat.  You could also freeze some for later.  I put lunch and dinner size servings in mason jars for easy reheating.

Hearty Beef Stew

Ingredients:
1# beef (I used swiss steak 2#)
coconut oil
1 onion (I skipped- not Jim's favorite)
1 minced garlic clove
2 sliced carrots
2 sliced celery sticks
1 cubed sweet potato
beef stock
1 can roasted tomatoes (I used 1 can whole tomatoes, it was in the cupboard;0)
seasoning of choice (I used italian seasoning, garlic, pepper and celery salt - I don't measure just shake and taste)

Directions:

1. Saute beef in coconut oil, add in vegetables and spices - continue to saute until meat is browned.
2. Add in 2-3 cups beef stock and 1 can roasted tomatoes and water if needed to desired thickness.
3.  Bring to a boil, then turn to simmer until veggies are cooked (35 minutes)
4.  Salt and pepper to taste.










I made this with our favorite almond bread "loaf"

Almond Bread Loaf

Ingredients:
2 cups almond meal
1T baking powder
1t salt
2T coconut sugar
5 eggs
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup oil

1.  Heat oven to 350.
2.  Mix ingredients in a mixing bowl and let batter sit 2-3 minutes to thicken.
3.  Spread evenly on cookie sheet.
4.  Bake for approx 20 minutes or until golden on top.
5.  Slice, add butter & honey, ENJOY!

And just like that, he's off his blood sugar medication!

The call came on Wednesday January 4th...It was Mrs. W and she needed help for her husband Mr. W.  I asked her what was going on and the first thing she said to me was, "they told me I can't cook with salt anymore and I don't even know where to start!"  I said, "wait hold on, who told you and what is happening?"

That afternoon when I spoke to Mrs. W I had no idea what I was getting into.

She was calling for her husband who had spent the better part of the last 3 months in and out of the hospital.  In October A fib  - kidney failure - blood clot in leg.  He was diabetic.  The list went on and on and she needed help.  Fast.

The last time he had been sent home from the hospital... he was told no more salt in his diet.  Lucky for us, a friend of Mrs. W. recommended that she call Dr. Angela.  This is where our story begins:

January 12, 2017

I go over to Mr. and Mrs. W's home and meet them for the first time.  A couple in their 80's and I form an instant like to them.  I can't help but compare them to my parents as I watch them interact.  In their first meeting, I have to tell Mr. W....who for 80 years has pretty much eaten his own way - that things were going to be drastically different.  I'm not going to lie, I was a little nervous.

From now on - you will no longer eat: grains, dairy, soy or sugar!

We were sitting at their kitchen table, when Mr. W. got up and walked into the other room.  I had no idea what he was doing, he just left.  He comes shuffling back in carrying a 1/2 eaten snack pack of Reese's Peanut Butter cups and a snack pack of mini KitKat bars, slaps them on the table, and says to me, "I might as well eat these while we finish our conversation because once you leave, they are done!"  I actually laughed out loud and said, "no, we have started already!"

And our journey began.

I left that day with so many feelings in my heart and thoughts in my head.  I knew in my heart of hearts I was put here for a reason.

January 19, 2017

It's been one week.  I promised Mrs. W. I would show her how to make spaghetti squash with hamburger and sauce.  I head over for meeting # 2.  We started our meeting with cooking the squash and as it baked we chatted over our next session.  I was reading his food log and saw that Mr. W. went from eating crystal light, candy, bread, pasta and milk on a daily basis - to the above protocol:  no grains, dairy, soy or sugar!

In one week his sugar readings showed significant change AND he lost 4.5#.

Hm.  Maybe we are onto something.

Every time I leave the sessions I get this warm feeling in my heart.  Losing my dad right before his 81st birthday may have something to do with it.  I love conversing with this couple.  Maybe I needed them as much as they needed me.

Today is January 29, 2017

I met with Mr. and Mrs. W this afternoon.
It's been 17 days since he started the protocol that Dr. Angela had advised for him.  On Tuesday, the 24th he went for a checkup and his family Dr. took him OFF HIS BLOOD SUGAR MEDICATION! Twelve days from the time he cut out all the bad food and he is already off one of his med's!

I almost cried, but instead gave him a big ole high five!

Today's topic was sleep.  So I asked Mr. W.  "how do you sleep?"  And he looks at me, without skipping a beat, and says "with my eyes closed!"

I left today, with that same fuzzy feeling in my heart.  If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I'd struggle to believe it, even though I've seen it time and time again.  I have worked with people and I have been changing lives for so many years now.  But, each time something like this happens, it feels like the first time.  At 80 years old, he has a whole new chapter beginning, and I get to be a part of it.  Today, I am so thankful that I met this man and his wife.

It's never too late to change and honestly, change is a mindset.  For this couple it became critical, but it doesn't have to be critical for you to start.  Make up your mind...and start today.

PS:  Mrs. W was happy to hear that she COULD cook with salt, I told her "just use the real thing!"

Tuesday's Tip: Make your own laundry soap...

A few years back I attended a home, health and beauty seminar at Dr. Angela's office.  I never knew or even thought about the fact that I eat clean food, gluten free, soy free, dairy free, I avoid corn and other products yet daily I could be putting these same things I don't want in my system on my body!  Everything touches your skin and can be absorbed, laundry soap, lotion, deodorant, toothpaste, etc.

Since then I have been making my own laundry soap.  It's so easy.  I know the 4 ingredients and what's in them.  No chemicals, no dyes.  Just something that gets my clothes clean and is safe for my skin.  This past Christmas break, Brookie came home from school and asked me if I would help her make some laundry soap to take back to school, she noticed from the time she left in September until now that her skin was itchy and the only change she had made was using store bought laundry soap on her clothes.

So Jim whipped up a batch for us to share.  The other thing I really like about this soap is the fact that it's literally dirt cheap!!  I paid less than $10 for all of the ingredients and it will last me 3.5-4 months before I'll have to make it again.

Ingredients:

6 cups Borax
4 cups baking soda
4 cups washing soda
2 bars Fels Naptha, grated

Mix all ingredients together and store in a large tub.
Use 2 Tbsp per load.

Paleo Sloppy Joe's and Sweet Tater Tots

F is for Food Friday!!

One of my go to's when I need to make a meal that is substantial ...(read too much training need lots of food) and QUICK!!

Paleo Sloppy Joe's

Ingredients

I didn't have honey this time so I used maple syrup.

1 T coconut oil
1lb of ground beef, chicken, turkey
1/2 T minced garlic
1/2 tsp real salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp chili powder
4 T's tomato paste
8 oz tomato sauce
1T honey
1T balsamic vinegar

Optional Ingredients

1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 of an avocado cubed
1/4 cup diced onions

Heat oil in frying pan add in ground meat and brown.
Add in onions and mushrooms and cook until the meat is done.  (I personally do not use these.)
Add the remainder of the ingredients (saving the avocado for last) and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes.
Either add avocado at the end of simply top your Sloppy Joe with it afterwards.

I always serve our sloppy joe on a bed of spinach...topped with avocado!

Sweet Tater Tots

Ingredients

3-4 Sweet Potatoes
coconut oil
1T cinnamon
1T chili powder

Heat oven to 425.
Peel sweet potatoes and cut them into cubes or "chunks"
Coat with oil, cinnamon and chili powder.
Spread out on parchment paper covered cookie sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes or until done.

WOW - Work Out Wednesday

I love this time of year...everyone is ready to make a fresh start!  

Often times when you take on a new exercise program you think that you have to be able to do what everyone else is doing in order to make progress...but I want you to wonder today what did everyone else do to get where they are?  

Have you ever watched a baby that is trying to take his first steps?  They fall over and over and over, but the most awesome part to watch is that they also keep getting back up.  I have the pleasure of watching two little boys that are approximately 1 month apart.  This past November I watched both of them learn how to walk.  If we all kept the determination of a 1 year old this world would be a much different place (but I'll save that for another day!)  My point here...

You don't start out running.  You start out pulling yourself to stand using furniture, then you figure out how to stand in the middle of the room, then you take a step and fall, and take a step and fall, and then you might get two steps...BUT each and every one of us has been there!  You don't run before you walk and you aren't fit before you try to become fit!!

So quit looking around the gym at who is "fitter" than you and just focus on how you can get fitter yourself.

  

Today, I have attached 5 different push-up progressions: 

1.  Wall push-ups

2.  Modified (knee) push-ups

3.  Military push-ups

4.  Deficit push-ups

5.  Clapping push-ups

Pick your poison for this weeks WOW!  

Workout:

Death by push-ups...

min 1 do 1 pushup

min 2 do 2 pushups

min 3 do 3 pushups

and so on and so forth until you cannot do the allotted # in that minute!!

Let me know how far you get and what level you did.

1.  Wall Push-ups      

2.  Modified Push-ups

3.  Military Push-ups 

4.  Deficit Push-ups 

5.  Clapping Push-ups