Whole30 Shakshuka

Can we all admit that it’s so fun to say the word “shakshuka”? You know what’s just as fun? Eating it! In this recipe you can take a smart-cut by using a jar of Whole30-compatible pasta sauce, instead of making the sauce from scratch. You can also just use a can of diced tomatoes and then season it more heavily. Like a frittata, it’s hard to mess up shakshuka. Either that, or I’m just so hungry in the morning I am not too picky.

Ingredients:

• EVOO

• 1 small yellow onion, diced

• 1 red pepper, diced

• 1 tsp minced garlic

• 1 jar Whole30-compatible pasta sauce

• 6-10 eggs (however many you can squeeze in your skillet)

• Salt to taste

• Pepper to taste

• Paprika to taste

• Cumin to taste

• Parsley to taste

Directions:

1. Warm a cast iron skillet on medium heat.

2. Add a tsp. or two of EVOO to the skillet and warm.

3. Saute the diced onion until tender, about 3 minutes.

4. Add the red pepper and saute, about 3 minutes.

5. Add the minced garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.

6. Pour in the jar of pasta sauce and bring to a boil.

7. Reduce heat to low and simmer the sauce until thickened.

8. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350F.

9. Once the sauce is thickened and the oven is ready, make indentations in the sauce and crack an egg into each “well”.

10. Sprinkle each egg with salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, and parsley.

11. Place the cast iron skillet on the center rack of your oven, and bake for 10-15 minutes. 10 minutes will give you over easy eggs with runny yolks, and 15 will make the eggs over hard.

12. Serve, enjoy, and say the word “shakshuka” a bunch of times, because it’s just so much fun!

Paleo Pumpkin Loaf

I love fall! The crisp air, bonfires with friends, and, of course, pumpkin spice treats! While I love me some “sweata weatha” (Google that for a good laugh), I also love not having a million dishes to do after baking a fall treat. So, since I’m an #enneagram 1, I found a solution to my problem: Say hello to my blender paleo pumpkin loaf! So easy to make. So tasty. And just a few dishes to clean!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup pumpkin purée

• 3 eggs

• 2 tbsp almond milk

• 2 tbsp creamy cashew butter

• 1/3 cup maple syrup

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 2/3 cup almond flour

• 1 tbsp coconut flour

• 1 tbsp tapioca starch

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1 pinch salt

.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Put all ingredients into a standard-sized loaf pan. Seriously. Just dump it all in.

3. Using an immersion blender, slowly blend all ingredients in the pan. You might need to dirty a spoon and stir it a little to get the liquid and dry ingredients to incorporate.

4. If you don’t have an immersion blender, OR you want to make a double batch without measuring twice, you can throw everything into a blender or food processor and then transfer to the loaf pan(s). . . You’ll have more dishes to do, but it’ll accomplish the same goal.

5. Bake the loaf at 350 F for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

6. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

7. Using a knife or small metal spatula, loosen the loaf from the sides of the pan (and under, if your spatula can fit).

8. Place the pan upside down on the wire rack to remove the loaf.

9. Slice and serve warm, and save any leftovers in the fridge for up to a week.

EASY Whole30 Sheet Pan Italian Chicken

With four kids at home, I need dinners that are quick, easy, and enjoyed by all. I don’t always win at meal time, but this Italian Chicken checks all of the boxes. With simple ingredients that you likely already have on hand, it only takes a few minutes to prep, and once your oven is preheated, it cooks in 15 minutes! Throw it on top of a salad for a super easy, minimal prep meal. For a balanced, hot meal ready in under 30 minutes, add a second sheet pan of potatoes and veggies to the oven 10 minutes before the chicken, and finish cooking them at the same time. This is also a great recipe to batch cook, making it a perfect candidate for your weekly meal prep. Drop a comment if you make it and love it, and be sure to share it with your Whole30 accountability group! Enjoy!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F.

2. Cut chicken breasts into large chunks/slices. Make them bigger than bite-sized, but smaller than a chicken tenderloin.

3. Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix well, being sure to evenly distribute the oil and seasonings.

4. Spread out chicken on a large rimmed baking sheet in a single layer, so there’s space between each piece of chicken. (if you’re batch cooking, make sure you spread out over multiple sheet pans).

5. Bake the chicken at 425F for 15-16 minutes. Cut into a few of the largest pieces to make sure that the meat is white throughout.

6. Serve warm over rice (not Whole30, but part of your reintroduction), cauliflower rice, baked potatoes, or a bed of greens. You can’t go wrong!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 pounds chicken breasts

• 2 tbsp. EVOO

• 2 tsp. Italian seasoning

• 1 tsp. sea salt

• 1 tsp. garlic powder

• 1 tsp. onion powder

• 1/4-1/2 tsp. black pepper (use less if you or your kids don’t like strong peppery flavors.)

Whole30 Cilantro and Spinach Mini Turkey Meatloaves

My family survives on batch cooking! Our breakfasts are almost always prepped ahead, and I usually double my dinner recipes so that there are plenty of leftovers for the week. Meatloaf, though, is usually a “one and done” meal in my house because I only own one 9x5 loaf pan. Then I found a Mini BBQ Meatloaf recipe and it changed the game for me! My family loved that recipe so much that it inspired my Cilantro and Spinach Turkey Mini Meatloaves. With ground turkey being a more affordable protein option than organic ground beef, this recipe has become a regular in our house. I love that I can now batch cook meatloaf!

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp ghee

• 1 large yellow onion, chopped

• 2 tsp minced garlic

• 1 cup chopped cilantro

• 3-4 cups chopped spinach

• 2.5 pounds ground turkey

• 1/4-1/2 cup almond flour (I’ve included a range here, because some ground meat is fattier than others, and will require more flour)

• 3 eggs

• 1 tbsp coarse grain stone ground mustard

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 3/4 tsp garlic powder

• 3/4 tsp onion powder

• 3/4 tsp paprika

• 3/4 tsp dried dill

• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Warm a skillet over medium heat while you prepare your onion, garlic, cilantro, and spinach.

2. Add a large spoonful of ghee, about 2 tbsp, to the skillet and let it melt completely.

3. Add the chopped onion and sauté until translucent.

4. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant.

5. Add the cilantro and spinach and sauté until wilted.

6. Remove the skillet from the heat and let cool while you prepare the meatloaf mixture.

7. Preheat the oven to 350F.

8. Combine the remaining ingredients (ground turkey, almond flour, eggs, mustard, and spices) in a large mixing bowl, and stir until well combined.

9. Add the sautéed onion and greens to the mixing bowl and stir until well combined.

10. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

11. Scoop out about 1/2-3/4 cup of meat mixture, form into a mini loaf, and place on the baking sheet. You should be able to get about 10-12 mini loaves total.

12. Bake the mini meatloaves at 350F for 23-25 minutes, or until they are no longer pink.

13. Top with your favorite ranch dressing before serving.

Notes:

This recipe is a meal prep recipe and intended to produce leftovers. If you don’t want 10-12 mini meatloaves, simply halve all of the ingredients to make a smaller amount.