Many Mini-Muffins!

Because it's impossible to not be happy when I think about these. I made lemon blueberry last weekend, and tonight I made apple cinnamon.



The recipe I ended up using was pretty close to Liz K's, and there's a similar one on Jen's Gone Paleo.

Base Recipe

• 1/2 c coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 6 eggs
• 1/4 cup raw honey
• 4 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 c coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Then add some of whatever you'd like. Last weekend, it was a tbsp of lemon zest, and a cup of blueberries. Tonight, it's cinnamon and apples.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl, wet ingredients in another. Add dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then fold in your fruit. Pour batter into lined or greased muffin tins. Bake 12-15 min.

This recipe made about 30-35 mini-muffins. The muffins were a little oily last week, so I decreased the coconut oil from 1/3 cup to 1/4 cup.

Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground or cubed meat (we've used beef, pork, venison, bison)
• 3 c beef broth
• 2 c diced mushrooms
• 1 c sour cream (grass-fed if available)
• parsley (garnish)
  
• Pepper to taste
  
• 1-2 packs of kelp noodles
  

Directions
Brown the meat in a large skillet, add pepper while browning. Add the beef broth and mushrooms, heat to a boil. Add kelp noodles, cook until softened, about 5-10 min. Stir in sour cream and heat through.

If you can't find the kelp noodles, this could probably be made as just a meat dish. We order our noodles by the case, and they keep in the pantry for several months.

Chicken Pesto

Ingredients

• 2 lbs chicken thighs, cubed
• 3 c fresh basil
• 1 1/2 c pinenuts
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/4 c grated parmesan cheese (optional)
• 1 c olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Add all ingredients except the chicken to a blender or food processor. Blend until well-mixed. Saute chicken in a large skillet until cooked through. Add the pesto sauce, simmer for 5-10 min.

Supposedly, the pesto sauce freezes very well. We still need to test this. I say the parmesan is optional because we made this meal a lot during our first Paleo challenge, and it works fine without the cheese. This week will actually be the first time we make it with cheese.

This Week's Menu

Since my first/last post, Jon and I have already failed at the Whole 30. Life happens, and a lot of it happened to us last week. We didn't make half the meals we'd intended to, but we're hoping to get back on track this week with our normal routine at least, even if we have to hold off on the challenge for awhile.

• Salisbury Steak
• Beef Curry
• Kebabs with Aioli
• Czech Meatballs
• Chicken Pesto
• Beef Stroganoff

Update: Had the Salisbury Steak tonight. Very good flavor, and a surprising hint of sweetness in the gravy.

Roast Pork Loin with Sweet Potatoes

Made this big pork roast tonight and it came out delicious! I followed the recipe below, without the butter and with sweet potatoes rather than potatoes. I fried them up in coconut oil on the stove before adding them to the pan. I'm not sure if this is the exact cut of meat the recipe was talking about, but it turned out fine anyway. Cut it off into separate pork chops, as shown above!

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roast-Pork-Loin-and-Potatoes-103438

The skin was crispy and brown and the fat right beneath just melted in your mouth. Loved it!