Showing posts with label Whole60. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Whole60. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Sheet Pan Teriyaki Salmon and Vegetables + 30 Days of Dinner!!



We just finished our first successful Whole30 in a looooong time and I feel great! And, as I've done in the past, I've decided to just keep going for another 30 days. It's become routine by now and so much easier for me to continue on at this point. So all the meals this 30 days are Whole30 compliant. I tried a lot of new dishes, but have plenty of standbys sprinkled in. And we only dined out three times this entire month, which is a pretty amazing feat for our family.

I am not a big fan of cooking fish at home, but this Sheet Pan Teriyaki Salmon and Vegetables was so easy and so tasty that I picked it to share. Great for a weeknight meal!

Sheet Pan Teriyaki Salmon + Vegetables 

Ingredients
- 1 to 1 1/2 lb salmon filet
- 1 white onion, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced (you can really use whatever veg you want -- I used up some cherry tomatoes I had in place of the pepper)
- 2 to 3 cups brocoli florets
- 2 to 3 cups green beans
- avocado oil, for drizzling (olive oil works too)
- salt and pepper

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Add the vegetables to the lined baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, season with salt + pepper, and lightly toss to coat the veggies. Arrange them flat on the baking sheet and transfer to oven.
3. Roast the vegetables for 10 minutes.
4. While the veggies roast, combine the sauce ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Continue to cook, stirring often, allowing the sauce to reduce and thicken. Turn the heat off once it reaches a consistency you prefer.
5. When the vegetables finish, move them to the sides of the pan to make room for the salmon. Drizzle the salmon with oil and a sprinkle of salt + pepper.
6. Place the baking sheet back in the oven, and roast for 15 minutes longer or until salmon is cooked through. Once finished, drizzle the entire dish with teriyaki sauce.

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Day 1 (M) - Dijon Chicken Skillet (basically followed this recipe, but left out honey and sherry); cauliflower rice; salad 
Day 2 (T) - Crockpot Beef Chili (leave out maple syrup); green beans
Day 3 (W)One Pan Pork Chops with Apples and OnionsRoasted Brussels Sprouts and Bacon; roasted potatoes 
Day 4 (Th) - Beef Ragu (no gnocchi); baked potatoes; green beans 
Day 5 (F)Slow Cooker Crispy Chicken Carnitas (no tortillas); sweet potato fries 
Day 6 (Sat) - dinner out (steak, baked potato, brussels sprouts -- all plain)
Day 7 (Sun) - Dijon Chicken Skillet (same as above); baked potato; green beans 

Day 8 (M) - Slow-Cooker Kalua Pig; cabbage and kale mix; roasted sweet potatoes 
Day 9 (T) - brinner (poached eggs, bacon, breakfast potatoes, salad)
Day 10 (W) - Beef Enchilada Bake; cauliflower rice 
Day 11 (Th) - Garlic Lover Stew with Olives, Capers + Tomatoes; cauliflower rice; salad 
Day 12 (F) - grilled burgers; sweet potato fries; salad
Day 13 (Sat) - Pan-Seared Steaks with Chimichurri Brussels Sprouts (from Whole30 Fast & Easy Cookbook but see similar here -- use ghee or oil instead of butter); baked potato; salad 
Day 14 (Sun)Jalapeño Popper Chicken Chili; green beans 

Day 15 (M) - Trader Joe's frozen burgers (no one liked these, but they did the trick in a pinch); roasted carrots; potatoes 
Day 16 (T)Creamy + Smoky Chipotle Pork Chops (I didn't have time to make the sauce and the chops needed it); leftover potatoes; salad
Day 17 (W) - Paleo Beef Barbacoa; cauliflower rice; sautéed shaved brussels sprouts 
Day 18 (Th) - dinner out at CAVA (got all totally Whole30-compliant din, but my stomach still didn't feel exactly right after)
Day 19 (F)Beef and Plantain Skillet (a runner-up for the featured recipe!); sweet potato fries 
Day 20 (Sat) - grilled steak; Twice Baked Potatoes; Cauliflower + Carrot Puree 
Day 21 (Sun) - leftovers 

Day 22 (M)Spicy Beanless Chili (I wasn't a fan of this -- the heat was overpowering); salad
Day 23 (T)Zucchini Noodles with Avocado Pesto and Shrimp (I usually don't like zoodles, but the pesto made this dish delicious!); salad
Day 24 (W) - grilled flank steak (with this marinade - SO good); omelets; and sweet potato fries 
Day 25 (Th) - Slow Cooker Brisket and Onions (I prefer this slow cooked in the oven); brussels sprouts; potatoes 
Day 26 (F) - leftovers 
Day 27 (Sat) - Sheet Pan Teriyaki Salmon + Vegetables 
Day 28 (Sun) - dinner out (steak, carrots, and potatoes -- all plain)

Day 29 (M) - sautéed chicken; sweet potato hash; avocado 
Day 30 (T) - Fennel Crusted Pork Chops with Potatoes + Shallots; roasted green beans + broccoli 

Monday, July 3, 2017

Hawaiian Pork Bowl and 30 Days of Dinner!!



I just wrote a nice long intro to this month's 30 Days of Dinner and then lost it. I'm at the beach, so I'm not inclined to rewrite the whole thing. The gist is that it's summer for us, we're not on much of a schedule, and our dinners are all over the place. Plus, I tried Plated this month and am still deciding whether I want to continue with that a few nights a week. Some really tasty new recipes in the mix though, including this Hawaiian Pork Bowl that everyone loved! Happy summer, all!!

*          *          *

Day 1 (Th) - BBQ Salmon Burgers
Day 2 (F) - dinner out
Day 3 - (Sat) - Slow-Cooker Orange Chicken with Potatoes; green beans
Day 4 (Sun) - dinner out at friends

Day 5 (M) - One-Skillet Steak and Spring Veg with Spicy Mustard; brown rice
Day 6 (T) - Grilled Scallops with Creamed Corn 
Day 7 (W) - Chicken Spiedie Skewers with Italian Dressing
Day 8 (Th) - dinner out
Day 9 (F) - Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Day 10 (Sat) - dinner out
Day 11 (Sun) - dinner out at friends

Day 12 (M) - Salmon Citrus Salad with Avocado 
Day 13 (T) - BBQ'd burgers at the pool
Day 14 (W) - dinner out at Nat's game
Day 15 (Th) - Skillet Pizza Chicken
Day 16 (F) - Chicken Meatballs with pasta
Day 17 (Sat) - dinner out
Day 18 (Sun) - Massaged Kale Salad with Cherries, Pistachios, and Grilled Steak 

Day 19 (M) - Halibut with Spicy Sausage, Tomatoes, and Rosemary; green beans; roasted potatoes
Day 20 (T) - dinner out
Day 21 (W) - BBQ at swim meet
Day 22 (Th) - Grilled Chicken Breasts with Grapefruit Glaze; Southwestern Brown Rice Salad
Day 23 (F) - Grilled Skirt Steak Salad with Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce; sweet potato fries
Day 24 (Sat) - dinner out
Day 25 (Sun) - dinner out

Day 26 (M) - Hawaiian Pork Bowl
Day 27 (T) - Plated Green Chile Chicken Tacos
Day 28 (W) - dinner out
Day 29 (Th) - Plated Seared Steak with Cherry Tomato Viniagrette
Day 30 (F) - Grilled Chicken and salad

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Grilled Chicken "Tacos" + 30 Days of Dinner!!


Our last month of food has been one of extremes. We've gone from eating mostly clean to professional-chef-dining all last week on spring break. And we had plenty of other travel and dining out mixed in too. Needless to say, I'm in serious need of a round of Whole30, which I started yesterday. I originally planned on just going back to a 80-20 clean eating-indulging plan. But based on the number of pina coladas I consumed last week, more drastic measures are in order. Boo.

What's not boo? These delicious grilled chicken "tacos," which I serve to the kids as actual tacos and to the "adults" in our family as grilled chicken over cauliflower rice. They are super tasty and I love a grill recipe that doesn't require 8 hours of marinating. Weeknights don't have time for that. You should definitely fire up your grill for this recipe, but take what you will from our last 30 days of meals. I realize including over a week of eating out is not helpful, but it's what happened over vacation. And so it goes.


Grilled Chicken Tacos
(slightly adapted from Epicurious


Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, cut into wedges, keeping root intact 
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 lb, boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp olive oil 
- 1 tsp kosher salt 
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 
- 2 avocados 
- cilantro 

Directions
1. Prepare grill for medium-high heat. Toss onion, garlic, chicken, cumin, oil, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Grill onion and chicken until cooked through and lightly charred, about 5 - 6 minutes each side. 

2. Let chicken rest 5 minutes before slicing. Serve on top of cauliflower rice with cilantro and avocado. 

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30 Days of Dinner

Day 1 (F) -- dinner out 
Day 2 (Sat) -- dinner out 
Day 3 (Sun) -- Paleo Taco Skillet 

Day 4 (M) -- One Pan Balsamic Chicken and Veggies, salad, and kids had pasta too. 
Day 5 (T) -- omelets, Potato and Pepper Hash 
Day 7 (Th) -- Grilled Chicken "Tacos," Whole Cauliflower Braised in Tomato Sauce
Day 8 (F) -- dinner out in NY
Day 9 (Sat) -- dinner out in NY 
Day 10 (Sun) -- dinner out in NY 

Day 11 (M) -- dinner out in NY 
Day 12 (T) -- Corned Beef and Cabbage with Parsley-Mustard Sauce, mashed potatoes, carrots 
Day 13 (W) -- Crockpot Beef Chili 
Day 14 (Th) -- leftovers 
Day 15 (F) -- dinner out 
Day 17 (Sun) -- Grilled Steak Salad, sweet potato wedges 

Day 18 (M) -- Garlic, Lemon, and Herb Grilled Chicken Breasts, brussels sprouts, salad 
Day 19 (T) -- brinner 
Day 20 (W) -- dinner out 
Day 21 (Th) -- Paleo Taco Skillet (I used ground turkey and everyone seemed to love that more than the usual ground beef) 
Day 22 (F) -- dinner out 
Day 23 (Sat) -- spring break 
Day 24 (Sun) -- spring break 

Day 25 (M) -- spring break 
Day 26 (T) -- spring break 
Day 27 (W) -- spring break 
Day 28 (Th) -- spring break 
Day 29 (F) -- spring break 
Day 30 (Sat) -- spring break 

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Fennel-Crusted Pork Chops with Potatoes and Shallots + 30 Days of Dinner!!



Woohoo!! We just wrapped up our Whole60 a little over a week ago and it turned out to be a fabulous way to start the new year. We have completely reset the way that we eat. So that even though we've re-introduced some things (a bit of dairy (cheese!!), alcohol, and the occasional sweet), we still continue to eat super close to a Whole30 diet with no problem at all. I plan to loosen up a bit on a few upcoming trips, but I hope we can really stick with it long term.

This last month was pretty busy, so I have lots of basic meals in our dinners below. But the pork chops recipe definitely stuck out -- it's super easy and just a nice change from red meat and chicken. It's a perfect weeknight meal!

Fennel-Crusted Pork Chops with Potatoes and Shallots 
(slightly adapted from Bon Apetit

Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tbsp fennel seeds
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1 tsp hot smoked Spanish paprika
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 2, 1-inch-thick bone-in pork loin chops (about 1 1/4 lbs total)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lb small Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered
- 2 large shallots, cut into quarters with some root attached
- 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 2 tsp red wine vinegar

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450 F. Toast fennel seeds in a small dry skillet over medium heat, tossing often, until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Let cool.

2. Combine fennel seeds, garlic, paprika, and 2 tbsp oil in a small bowl. Season pork with salt and pepper and place in a resealable plastic bag. Add spice mixture; seal bag and turn to coat. Let sit at least 30 minutes.

3. Heat remaining 1 tbsp oil in a large ovenproof skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high heat. Cook pork chops until golden brown on 1 side, about 4 minutes; turn. Add potatoes and shallots to skillet; season with salt and pepper and toss to coat in pan drippings. Cook, tossing potatoes and shallots occasionally, until pork is golden brown on second side, about 4 minutes.

4. Transfer to oven and roast until potatoes are tender. If potatoes need more time, transfer chops to plate and continue to roast until tender; transfer chops back to skillet when potatoes are done. Remove skillet from oven and mix in parsley and vinegar. Let pork chops rest 5 minutes in skillet.

5. Transfer chops to a cutting board; cut meat from bones and slice against the grain. Serve with potatoes, shallots, and any pan juices.

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30 Days of Dinner

Day 1 (W) -- brinner/leftovers 
Day 2 (Th) -- Slow Cooker Paleo Jalapeño Popper Chili 
Day 3 (F) -- Paleo Brocoli Salad with Bacon, eggs, potato hash 
Day 4 (Sat) -- dinner out 
Day 5 (Sun) -- SuperBowl dinner! Salad, two kinds of wings (Paleo Buffalo Wings and Crispy Chicken Wings), and kids had nachos too. 

Day 6 (M) -- burgers, Sweet Potato Fries (LOVE this recipe), salad 
Day 7 (T) -- Ginger Garlic Steak Tacos with Pineapple Pico de Gallocauliflower rice 
Day 8 (W) -- Lemon and Garlic Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes (leave out wine and sugar, and sub gluten-free flour); zoodles and kids had pasta
Day 9 (Th) --  Fennel-Crusted Pork Chops with Potatoes and Shallots; brussels sprouts 
Day 10 (F) -- Asian Turkey Burgers with Spicy Lime Mayo (I LOVE How Sweet It Is, but found these disappointing); salad 
Day 11 (Sat) -- dinner out 
Day 12 (Sun) -- Crockpot Pulled Pork Chili 

Day 13 (M) -- dinner out 
Day 14 (T) -- Valentine's Day! Steak and Baked Potato with Crab, Jalapeño, and Mint (leave out dairy if Whole30)
Day 15 (W) -- Roasted Chicken with Potatoes + Arugula (leave out dairy); green beans 
Day 16 (Th) -- Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole (everyone loved this!)
Day 17 (F) -- dinner out 
Day 18 (Sat) -- dinner out 
Day 19 (Sun) -- dinner out 

Day 20 (M) -- brinner: scrambled eggs, salmon pastrami, hash browns 
Day 21 (T) -- Grilled Rosemary and Balsamic Chicken (leave out sugar); salad; potatoes 
Day 22 (W) -- Slow Cooker Brisket; mashed potatoes; salad 
Day 23 (Th) -- Greek Lamb Burgers (no dairy); sweet potato fries; green beans
Day 24 (F) -- dinner out 
Day 25 (Sat) --  leftovers 
Day 26 (Sun) -- dinner out 

Day 27 (M) -- Paleo Beef Barbacoa (still love this); cauliflower rice 
Day 28 (T) -- Loaded Taco Soup (I thought this was delish -- the rest of the family seemed annoyed that it was soup instead of chili, and sort of ate it like chili. So next time I might let it simmer and thicken longer). 
Day 29 (W) -- brinner 
Day 30 (Th) -- dinner out
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Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Slow Cooker Paleo Jalapeño Popper Chicken Chili



As I mentioned in our last Friday Five, we just finished up our January Whole30 and I feel a gazillion times better than I did coming out of the holidays. So much so that I decided to extend it through February for a Whole60. I did one about a year and a half ago and loved it. And at this point, it's easier for me to keep plowing along.

This month's favorite recipe was definitely Slow Cooker Paleo Jalapeño Popper Chicken Chili. We all loved the spice (just enough to help us keep our sinuses clear without turning off the kiddies) and I liked the mix of chicken and beef. Plus it just could not be easier to make -- you literally just throw it all in the slow cooker and let it go. I made it once with sweet potatoes and the second time with yellow potatoes and both were delicious. Try either!

All recipes below are Whole30 or easily adapted. I tried to note where I made changes, but if I didn't, assume I always sub olive oil for cooking oil and leave out any dairy, legumes, grain, alcohol, or sugar. I often make a super easy vegetable to go with our main dish and I often forget to write that down. But rest assured, we didn't just eat plates of protein for dinner.

Slow Cooker Paleo Jalapeño Popper Chicken Chili
(slightly adapted from Julie Bauer's recipe on SkinnyTaste

Ingredients
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 jalapeños, seeds removed and diced
- 1 large sweet potato or 3 small gold potatoes, diced
- 1 lb 93% lean ground chicken
- 1 lb 95% lean ground beef
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1, 14 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
- chopped scallions, for garnish
- sliced avocado, for garnish

Directions 
Place all ingredients up to scallions and avocado in the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours (or high for 6 hours). When done, break up the ground meat with a spoon. Serve garnished with scallions and avocado on top. 

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30 Days of Dinner

Day 1 (M) -- Grilled Chilean Beef Skewers with Smokey Chimichurri; spaghetti squash 
Day 2 (T) -- Lemony Chicken Stir Fry; cauliflower rice 
Day 3 (W) -- Garlic Lover's Crockpot Beef Stew with Olives, Capers, and Tomatoes; mashed potatoes; green beans 
Day 4 (Th) -- Brinner: eggs, hash browns, sausage, and salad. 
Day 5 (F) -- Paleo Taco Skillet; spaghetti squash (kids had brown rice)
Day 6 (Sat) -- dinner out 
Day 7 (Sun) -- dinner out 

Day 8 (M) -- Greek Lamb Burgers (I used 1/2 lamb, 1/2 ground beef and left off all dairy and no bun); Brussels Sprouts with Sweet Potatoes 
Day 9 (T) -- Slow Cooker Paleo Jalapeño Popper Chicken Chili; salad 
Day 10 (W) -- Rosemary Balsamic Sheet Pan Chicken with Bacon and Apples
Day 11 (Th) -- Burgers, green beans, My Favorite Roasted Potatoes 
Day 12 (F) -- Cranberry Pot Roast; mashed potatoes; carrots 
Day 13 (Sat) -- dinner out 
Day 14 (Sun) -- Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Salad; Greek Roasted Potatoes 

Day 15 (M) -- Grilled Flank Steak with Cilantro Chimichurri
Day 16 (T) -- Chicken Skillet with Sweet Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts, and Sautéed Apples
Day 17 (W) -- leftovers/brinner 
Day 18 (Th) -- Slow Cooker Paleo Turkey Meatballs; Zoodles (and noodles for kids)
Day 19 (F) -- Roast Chicken with Kimchi Smashed Potatoes; green beans 
Day 20 (Sat) -- Weeknight Porchetta; brussels sprouts
Day 21 (Sun) -- Paleo Beef Barbacoa (everyone LOVED this and I doubled it so that I got a ton of leftovers from it); cauliflower rice (brown rice for kiddos)

Day 22 (M) -- Lamb Sliders; Paleo Broccoli Salad with Bacon (I am kind of obsessed with this salad, but the second time I made it, I ate half of the bowl. So I might need to lay off that one for a while!) 
Day 23 (T) -- Brinner: eggs, Breakfast Potatoes, sausage, and fruit (kids also had pancakes) 
Day 24 (W) -- Charred Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Oranges (this was a BIG family fav! I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts and it was still incredibly juicy)
Day 25 (Th) -- Paleo Taco Salad 
Day 26 (F) -- Slow Cooker Fajita Salsa Chicken; cauliflower rice (kids had brown rice)
Day 27 (Sat) -- dinner out 
Day 28 (Sun) -- Grilled Steak Salad with Beets and Scallions (I used cooked beets in this and it was yummy); green beans; kids also had past

Day 29 (M) -- Paleo Roasted Chicken with Figs and Olives; potatoes; salad 
Day 30 (T) -- Crock Pot Picadillo; we had ours over spaghetti squash; kids had brown rice and corn 

Monday, February 8, 2016

Squeaky Clean Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon + 30 Days of Dinner


I'm dreaming of the weather being just slightly warmer so that I can stand to stay outside and grill something for din. But until that happens, we'll keep cranking through slow cooked comfort foods. The kids LOVED this Bourguignon -- they chowed it down without noticing (or at least not caring) about all the veggies inside. I skipped thickening the broth (because I can't really stand many of the Paleo-friendly cooking starches) and just ladeled some of the broth over the meat when I served it. No complaints.

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Slow Cooked Maple Dijon Pot Roast + 30 Days of Dinner



As I mentioned yesterday, I'm only a few days into a winter Whole30 and I actually couldn't be more ecstatic to be off all the holiday junk (read: ready to lose my mind if you try to take my cashews). We had such fun fall and holiday seasons full of entertaining and celebrating, but we are ready to clean. it. up.

The majority of these 30 Days of Dinner are me just trying to hold it together in between bouts of celebration. But if you are looking to say bye bye to some of the bad stuff (even though it tastes sooooo good), things should be pretty clean around these parts for the near future. This Slow Cooked Maple Dijon Pot Roast is definitely a family favorite and I'm all about the slow cooker these days. So little hands-on cooking time and cleanup for such deliciousness. Fire it up!

Monday, October 5, 2015

Italian Drunken "Noodles" + 30 Days of Dinner


I generally try to share my most "family friendly" recipe of the month as the featured dinner. And, for my kids, that is almost always some form of pasta and meat. Despite the fact that we had to have yet another chat about not behaving like animals at the dinner table, and further affirmation that you do indeed have to eat your vegetables with no promise of dessert in sight, this meal was a winner. I served the kids' over papperdelle pasta and mine over ribbons of butternut squash "noodles."

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Balsamic and Basil Marinated Steak with Red Pepper Pesto + 2 Weeks of Dinners


We've eaten our fair share of steak for dinner over the past few months (you can see our first two months of dinner recipes here and here), but this one is most definitely our family favorite. It's super easy and the kids love helping make the pesto from garden ingredients (the pesto is incredibly delicious on a whole variety of breakfast dishes as well). If you're looking for a new way to grill this last month of summer, I'd give this one a go.

We're headed out on vacation soon, so I wanted to share our recent dinners before we split. Our clean eating is likely to be suspended for a bit, but we'll be back with another month of dinners soon. Enjoy!

Balsamic and Basil Marinated Steak
with Red Pepper Pesto
(slightly adapted from Planks, Love and Guacamole)

Ingredients
Steak Marinade
- 1 lb steak
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp onion powder

Red Pepper Pesto
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, packed
- 1/2 cup roasted red peppers
- 1/4 pistachios
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 large clove garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper

Directions
1. Marinate steak in a gallon-sized plastic bag overnight or a minimum of 4 hours.
2. Add all pesto ingredients to food processor and pulse until combined into a pesto texture.
3. Grill steak to desired temperature and top with pesto prior to serving.

*          *          *

2 Weeks of Dinner

Day 1 (M) -- Butternut Squash and Prosciutto Pasta with Lemon Garlic and Sage and roasted brussels sprouts.
Day 2 (T) -- tailgating at soccer game! Bunless burgers, fruit, and veggies.
Day 3 (W) -- Hawaiian Turkey Burgers, Roasted New Potatoes with Garlic, and leftover brussels sprouts.
Day 4 (Th) -- Roasted Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Rice Wraps (I LOVED these and also love making sandwich wraps with collard leaves as well) and leftovers.
Day 5 (F) -- Balsamic and Basil Marinated Steak with Red Pepper Pesto, leftover butternut squash and potatoes.
Day 6 (Sat) -- dinner out (steak and veggies).
Day 7 (Sun) -- Roasted Pork Loin with Grapes, and Apple, Pecan, Bacon + Butternut Squash Hash (this continues to be the only pork dish Joel will eat).

Day 8 (M) -- dinner out -- sort of. I ate only part of my strawberry salad with chicken before Cam had an adverse reaction to some medicine and puked into my hands and then all over me. At the restaurant. A lot.
Day 9 (T) -- Lemon Chicken with Olives, and Honey Balsamic Roasted Veggies (I used parsnips and red onion because it was what we had -- still delish).
Day 10 (W) -- leftovers.
Day 11 (Th) -- Balsamic Marinated London Broil, Maple Roasted Butternut Squash (can you tell we had a lot of squash left!?).
Day 12 (F) -- Italian Baked Eggs (sans cheese and bread), sausage, and a green salad.
Day 13 (Sat) -- out (delicious, and most definitely not Paleo, BBQ)
Day 14 (Sun) -- Sweet Potato Chili (a big fam favorite) and watermelon.

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Butternut Squash and Prosciutto Pasta with Lemon, Garlic, and Sage + 30 Days of Dinner


This "pasta" is by far my favorite new Paleo-friendly dish. It's incredibly bright and filling, so much so that I don't mind peeling and peeling and peeling the butternut squash (and then spiralizing and spiralizing and spiralizing ....). My kids wouldn't go near this one, but I can't get enough.

Despite the loveliness of this dinner, I'm happy to bid farewell to the strict rules of the Whole30/60. I just wrapped up the end of my Whole60 and I think I did remarkably well, especially considering that I was traveling and on vacation for much of the last 30 days. There was a little wine and a little soft serve in the last week, which technically means I didn't complete a Whole60, but I'm declaring victory. My plan is to stay pretty strict Paleo during the week and let up a bit on the weekends for the occasional cocktail and slice of 'za. Plus, we are headed to Italy soon and I heard that's a Paleo free pass zone.

In any event, here's the deeelish Butternut Squash recipe from The Roasted Root (I love her whole blog, actually) and my last 30 Days of Dinner -- since I was on vacation and some unexpected travel, there are lots of repeats, grilling, others cooking (yay!), and easy thrown-together meals, but I made it work. I picked up where I left off last month, on a Friday, so that's where my 30 Days start. But feel free to use the recipes however they work for you.

Butternut Squash and Prosciutto Pasta
with Lemon, Garlic, and Sage
(slightly adapted from The Roasted Root)

Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash, peeled and spiralized (about 6 cups worth)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp salted grass-fed butter (or extra olive oil if doing Whole30)
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh sage leaves, chopped
- 4 ounces prosciutto (torn or chunked)
- zest of 2 lemons
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- sea salt to taste

Directions
1. Spirazlize the squash (click here for The Roasted Root's easy to follow directions).
2. Heat the olive oil and butter over medium-low heat in a large skillet.
3. Add the garlic and sage, and sauté until very fragrant (about 2 - 3 minutes). Add the prosciutto, lemon zest, lemon juice, and butternut squash noodles. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the squash noodles are soft, but still al dente (about 12 - 15 minutes). Note: if you are having a difficult time getting your noodles to soften up, cover the skillet for a few minutes and allow them to steam.
4. Dish it up hot!!

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30 Days of Dinner

Day 1 (F) -- Whole Foods salad bar dinner out.
Day 2 (Sat) -- Back-Pocket Bolognese (from Dinner: A Love Story), which was easy and loved by the whole family and required just a tad of tweaking for Paleo-compliance. I had mine over Spaghetti Squash Pasta with leftover roasted veggies.
Day 3 (Sun) -- leftover Bolognese with "clean out the crisper kebabs."

Day 4 (M) -- Potato Breakfast Skillet with Bacon.
Day 5 (T) -- leftovers
Day 6 (W) -- Spiced Grilled Chicken and green salad.
Day 7 (Th) -- Balsamic Marinated Steak, sweet potato fries, and roasted brussels sprouts.
Day 8 (F) -- Paleo Burgers with spicy guacamole, grilled asparagus with lemon, and salad.
Day 9 (Sat) -- dinner out -- ahi tuna, steamed veggies, and baked potato.
Day 10 (Sun) -- My father-in-law's Salsa Salmon (divide jar of salsa evenly atop 4 salmon filets, poach at 375 for 20 minutes) with roasted veggies from the farmer's market.

Day 11 (M) -- Balsamic Grilled Chicken, grilled nectarines, and leftover roasted veggies.
Day 12 (T) -- dinner out -- burger and a side salad.
Day 13 (W) -- Ginger Chicken with Green Onions and Roasted Southwest Cauliflower.
Day 14 (Th) -- Italian Baked Eggs (sans cheese and bread) with green salad.
Day 15 (F) -- Grilled Flank Steak and Green Beans and Beets with Balsamic Reduction (leave off cheese if Whole30 -- SO GOOD).
Day 16 (Sat) -- Butternut Squash and Prosciutto Pasta with Lemon, Garlic and Sage, and Roasted Brussels Sprouts.
Day 17 (Sun) -- dinner "out" at O'Hare airport -- a salad from Frontera Grill.

Day 18 (M) -- Chicken Burgers (I had chicken so I used that instead of turkey) with Mint + Kale Pesto (see, I love The Roasted Root!!) and sweet potato fries.
Day 19 (T) -- dinner out -- roasted beet salad, steak, potatoes, and salad.
Day 20 (W) -- Salsa Salmon (see above) with Cauliflower + Carrot Puree.
Day 21 (Th) -- Paleo Burgers with Caramelized Balsamic Onions + Avocado, Roasted Potatoes, and veggie kabobs.
Day 22 (F) -- Roasted Spaghetti Squash with leftover pesto, roasted veggies and potatoes.
Day 23 (Sat) -- Paleo Burgers, grilled hot dogs, and salad (for the start of a week-long family vacaye!!)
Day 24 (Sun) -- Balsamic Grilled Chicken and grilled asparagus.

Day 25 (M) -- Paleo Turkey Meatballs and green salad.
Day 26 (T) -- dinner out -- scallops, steamed vegetables, and baked potato.
Day 27 (W) -- My father-in-law's shrimp scampi over veggie kabobs and asparagus.
Day 28 (Th) -- leftovers and sweet potato fries.
Day 29 (F) -- My father-in-law's grilled steak and roasted brussels sprouts and potatoes.
Day 30 (Sat) -- Fried eggs with salsa, turkey sausage, Roasted Potatoes, and avocado.