This oatmeal raisin granola is gluten and dairy free, and tastes just like an oatmeal raisin cookie. This was my first attempt at granola and I’m very happy with the results, and how easy it was to make a large amount. This recipe is a very budget friendly and convenient alternative to breakfast bars and gourmet granola, and is great for meal planning since it makes a ton of granola! Seriously, you will have enough for the week as well as some to give away to family and friends. Even though I did use natural sweeteners, granola is still high in sugar and should be consumed in moderation or even as dessert. I think it would taste just as delicious over some vanilla ice cream as it would over yogurt.
In a mixing bowl add coconut sugar, sea salt, vanilla extract and maple syrup. Mix so there are no clumps of sugar. Then, add in coconut oil.
In another large bowl add rolled oats, then pour wet mixture over oats and stir in so everything is covered.
Line a baking sheet in parchement paper, then pour granola onto cookie sheet and spread it out evenly with a spatula. Pat it down with spatula to pack it in or compress it together.
Then bake for 40 minutes, and then let cool for an hour.
When cool, use a spoon or fingers to help you break up the granola.
If you love strawberries, then you will love this coconut basil ice cream with strawberry sauce. It’s paleo friendly and naturally sweetened with honey. With strawberries now in season, this guilt-free dessert is especially good. I’ve also eaten it without the strawberry sauce and just added some chopped strawberries on top instead. But honestly, a freshly made strawberry sauce makes every dessert taste better, and my husband (who is also my official taste tester) agreed.
I’m really happy with the way this dessert came out, and the ingredients are so healthy you could even eat this for breakfast. Which I just did 🙂 In all seriousness, this recipe was a tricky one that required a lot of trial and error and me eating a lot of green ice cream. My first batch did not have enough basil, but this batch has a nice subtle basil flavor that tastes amazing with strawberries. The coconut cream and avocado are mostly there for texture and color so don’t be put off by them. You also can taste a nice honey flavor, which is what I used for my sweetener, so make sure you use a really high quality honey.
In a high speed blender, add coconut milk, avocado, ½ cup of honey, and chopped basil. Blend until smooth.
Then add mixture to ice cream maker, follow your ice cream maker instructions.
Transfer mixture from ice cream maker to a large container and then freeze overnight.
Chop strawberries, then transfer to a pan with 3 tbsp of honey, and the juice from ½ lemon. Cook on medium heat for 10-15 until some of the liquid is cooked off.
Transfer strawberry sauce to a container and keep in fridge overnight or until sauce has cooled down and thickened up.
Let ice cream sit out for 10-15 minutes so it is easier to scoop, then add strawberry sauce on top.
(optional) Garnish with some extra freshly chopped strawberries.
This chicken and avocado soup is a really easy variation of my normal paleo friendly chicken soup. It was actually my husband’s idea, and it looked so pretty and delicious I decided to post it for you guys. I had some leftover chicken soup in the fridge, which made it really simple to throw in some avocado, cilantro, and lime juice and have an instant dinner. It literally took me five minutes total. Shout out to all my meal preppers! This recipe is for you.
Wrap baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup.
Grease baking sheet with olive oil, then lightly salt and pepper chicken and bake at 350 for an hour.
When chicken is finished, remove skin and bones and add to slow cooker, then shred chicken breasts and set meat aside.
Add one medium sized carrot, a dried bay leaf, and half a yellow onion to slow cooker. Fill slow cooker with water.
Cook chicken bone broth for 24 hours on low. Then strain broth and set broth aside.
In a large pot, combine chopped carrots, chicken bone broth, and shredded chicken and bring to a simmer. Continue to cook until carrots are desired firmness, about 15-20 minutes.
Taste test and see if soup needs salt. Add if necessary.
Then transfer soup to serving bowls.
Slice an avocado and add to serving bowls, and add the juice of half a lime to each bowl.
Garnish with chopped cilantro and add some fresh ground black pepper.
This spaghetti squash stir fry was actually my husband’s idea. We had a lot of paleo friendly leftovers from the week and decided it would be delicious all together as a stir fry and it was! Everything was made ahead of time, from the slow cooked spaghetti squash to the shredded chicken and chopped vegetables. The last time I was at Whole Foods, I noticed that Coconut Secret which makes coconut aminos came out with a teriyaki sauce! It’s soy, gluten, and GMO free and completely organic and vegan. Be sure to salt your food though, unlike soy sauce or conventional teriyaki sauce, it doesn’t add any salty flavor.
2 cups of chopped bell peppers (yellow, orange, and red)
½ cup chopped onion
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tbsp Coconut Nectar Teriyaki Sauce
1 cup of water
Instructions
Add a cup of water to slow cooker and steam spaghetti squash for 3 hours on high.
Wrap baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Grease with olive oil.
Then add more olive oil to chicken and then sprinkle with salt and pepper
Bake chicken for an hour at 350 degrees. When fully cooked shred chicken and set aside.
When spaghetti squash is done, lift from slow cooker, carefully it will be hot.
Then, cut spaghetti squash in half and scoop out seeds. Then peel out spaghetti squash and set aside.
Dice bell peppers and red onion.
Then, in a large saute pan or wok stir fry squash, bell pepper, onion, and shredded chicken together on medium to high heat for ten minutes with teriyaki sauce.
This sweet potato and mango smoothie is a Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and betacarotene powerhouse. I had some leftover baked sweet potatoes (that were on the small side) in the fridge from dinner before, and turned it into breakfast the next day. The sweet potatoes also help give the smoothie a nice creamy texture. I will definitely be making this again in the future!
The night before bake sweet potatoes. Wrap them in foil and poke a few holes in them to let out steam. Bake at 350 degrees fahrenheit for an hour and a half.
Let them cool down overnight.
In the morning, scoop out orange sweet potato flesh and add to blender.
Then add in frozen mango and pineapple, then water and blend.
For a thicker smoothie add less water, for a thinner smoothie add more. Enjoy.
This is my basic go-to recipe for fingerling potatoes. It’s really hard to mess up, plus it tastes fantastic, looks gourmet especially next to a juicy steak, and reheats like a dream. I know potatoes aren’t the most paleo friendly root vegetable, but I’ve been eating them more and more. If weight-loss is your goal, I don’t recommend them, but if you struggle to maintain your weight because you eat crazy healthy paleo food all the time (yes I am referring to myself) and you can tolerate it, go for it.
I also love to make these ahead of time for breakfast since they reheat easily in the oven. I bake them at 350 Fahrenheit for ten minutes before serving. I serve them with some eggs and a side of fruit and it’s very little work for an impressive result. You could also go fancy for a special occasion or holiday, and they can easily be made ahead of time.
