​Paleo Chicken Pesto Spaghetti Squash
Serves 2—can easily be doubled, tripled, etc for a crowd!
 
*you will need a food processor or blender*
 
Ingredients:
 
-        2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (see The Easy Way to Make Shredded Chicken)
-        1 large spaghetti squash or 2 small, cooked (see The Easy Way to Cook Spaghetti Squash)
-        1 c fresh basil, tightly packed
-        1 c fresh parsley, tightly packed
-        4 cloves garlic, minced
-        ¾ c pine nuts
-        1 t salt
-        1 c olive oil
-        Optional garnishes—pine nuts, lemon wedges, parmesan (for Primal)
 
Instructions:
 
-        See The Easy Way to Make Shredded Chicken and The Easy Way to Cook Spaghetti Squash
-        After spaghetti squash is cooked, wrap strands in a dish towel or paper towels and place in bowl to absorb liquid (put wrapped squash in a container in fridge if cooking ahead of time)
-        For the pesto, combine basil, parsley, garlic, pine nuts, salt, and olive oil in a food processor or blender
-        Combine chicken, spaghetti squash, and pesto in a large skillet on medium heat and stir to coat chicken and squash with sauce
-        Stir occasionally until heated through, about 5 min
-        Top with cheese, pine nuts, etc
 
**Makes for great leftovers!
​​

Well I’m finally doing it!  I’ve been talking about creating a blog for years and, thanks to my husband’s encouragement and a nice camera for my birthday, here it is!
 
The impetus for this blog was to making cooking approachable and easier.  I especially want to show people that Paleo cooking doesn’t have to be complicated. 

​One of the things that kept me from going Paleo sooner was the difficulty finding the ingredients (or even knowing exactly what they were!)  I buy most of my Paleo ingredients on Amazon: nutritional yeast, coconut aminos, coconut oil, arrowroot flour, almond flour, coconut wraps, etc.  I'll try to let you know in my recipes where I buy the ingredients to make it easier for anyone making the transition. If I don’t specify, then I get them at a traditional grocery store (Publix, Harris Teeter, Stop & Shop, etc).

​The first thing people usually ask when I tell them we eat Paleo is, "But isn't it so time consuming?"  Honestly, I don't think it's any more time consuming than regular cooking--they both take a lot of time! In some ways, Paleo is easier because the recipes typically have fewer ingredients and are more basic.  The second question is always, "Isn't it so expensive?"  It is slightly more expensive, but at the same time you're not buying all the snacks, cereals, juices, and sodas of a traditional diet.  Also, we feel like our health is worth it!  I don't feel sick after I eat, I sleep better, I have more energy. and I perform better athletically.  I can't imagine ever going back!  

We do eat "cheat" dinners on Friday and Saturday nights.  It's nice to be able to go out with friends and not feel restricted.  Unless we get pizza, I don't usually go super crazy (Chas on the other hand...)  If we get Japanese for instance, I will have a few tempura vegetables and then usually hibachi.  The white sauce is my main cheat! 
 
When I post recipes, I’m going to try to always post a side dish with them.  One of my frustrations with meal planning is that I find a recipe for an entrée and then I have to search for a side to go with it too.  So you’re not just trying to come up with 5 dishes for the week, but instead more like 10+ with sides! 
 
There is also a section at the top of the website called “The Easy Way to…” which I will continue to add to and should make cooking just a little simpler.

Now onto the first recipe!   
 
I had planned on posting something else for my first recipe but my husband thought meatza was a good place to start as it is definitely a crowd pleaser and couldn’t be easier! 
 
Cheese is not Paleo but Chas and I do eat cheese once or twice a week.  And I ate a ton when I was pregnant!  We both tolerate it well so we don’t feel the need to cut it out completely.  I’ve eliminated it three times (when I went gluten free, when I did the Whole 30, and when I was breastfeeding), and I’ve never had a bad reaction when I’ve reintroduced it.  That being said, we still try not to eat much cheese.  We will have it on salads sometimes, in an occasional omelet, and always on meatza! 
 
Meatza is pizza but with a meat crust.  Most recipes I’ve seen call for ground beef, but I like ground chicken best.  It has less flavor so it’s more like pizza—with a focus on the toppings.  If you’re a meat lover like Chas though, you might like ground beef better.  Either one is great! 
 
I like to make meatza on nights when I don’t have a lot of time to cook at actual dinnertime.  Every Tuesday I walk with some mom friends and it gets me home about 30 minutes before we usually eat dinner.  This makes meatza a perfect Tuesday dinner.  I also made it a lot when the baby was colicky and the “witching hour” occurred right when I was trying to make dinner.  It’s not a dinner you need to tend to or watch.  You can get each part ready when you have just a couple minutes throughout the day. 
 
You can prep the toppings ahead of time and store in the fridge or get them ready while the meatza is cooking.  This coleslaw is easy too and pairs well with the meatza.  It can be made ahead as well—it actually tastes better when the cabbage has had some time to absorb the mayo and vinegar.  I like both the next day too!
 
Some meatza combinations we like:
-        Barbecue Chicken
-        Spinach and Goat Cheese
-        Hawaiian Pizza
-        American cheese, caramelized onions, bacon, and mushrooms (no sauce)
-        Mushroom, fontina, and fried egg
 
Meatza advice:
 
1.     The fattier the meat, the thinner you need to make the crust because it shrinks up a lot!
2.     Speaking of fat, use a BIG piece of foil on the baking sheet—a lot of fat will be released when you bake the meat so use a big piece of foil to make clean up easy
3.     Cook the toppings beforehand: the toppings will only be in the oven for about 10 min and the cheese will burn before things like bacon or peppers can be cooked, so anything that you want to be cooked more, you will need to cook ahead of time; for example, if you want bell peppers on your meatza, saute them in a pan first so they are softened and then add them to the meatza with the other toppings.​

Meatza (Primal)

(serves 2)
 
Ingredients:

-        1 lb ground beef or ground chicken
-        Marinara sauce (Rao's Marinara or Cucina Antica are Paleo friendly)
-        Cheese
-        Pizza toppings (sausage, pepperoni, peppers, mushrooms, onions, etc)
 
 
Instructions:
 
-        Preheat oven to 400 degrees
-        Line a baking sheet with a large piece of foil so that it goes up over the edges on all sides (this will
​make cleanup a breeze) 
-        Place a piece of parchment on top of the foil
-        Line a second baking sheet with foil
-        Press meat down on parchment with fingers and shape into circle, square, or rectangle (whatever shape you want pizza—we usually do two small pizzas with different toppings)
-        Crimp edge up slightly so sauce and toppings will stay on
-        Bake for 20-25 min until meat cooked through
-        While meat is cooking, prep toppings: cook bacon, caramelize onions, saute peppers, cook fried egg, etc
-        When meat is cooked, pat dry with paper towels to absorb some of the fat and then gently transfer to the second foil lined baking sheet (I use two spatulas, very slowly!)
-        Add tomato sauce, cheese, and toppings
-        Put back in oven for 5-10 min or until the cheese is melted
-        Slice with a pizza cutter and pick up to eat
​​

​Bacon Coleslaw (Paleo)

(serves 2-3)
 
Ingredients:

-        1 bag coleslaw
-        5 slices bacon, cooked and chopped (see The Easy Way to Cook Bacon)
-        ½ c Paleo Mayonnaise (see The Easy Way to Make Mayonnaise)
-        1 ½ T apple cider vinegar
-        ½ t garlic powder
-        ½ t sea salt
 
Instructions:
 
-        Combine all ingredients except for bacon in a large bowl
-        Add more mayonnaise or apple cider vinegar as needed
-        Add bacon just before serving
​