Beef and Bacon Cottage Pie

You guys, this is so so good!!!!  My friend Claire shared it with me and I am so glad she did!!!! 

Beef & Bacon Cottage Pie

PREP TIME 15 MINS • COOK TIME 50 MINS • SERVINGS 6”

1 medium butternut squash (2 1/2 pounds)
2 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil
sea salt and black pepper
8 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, plus more for garnish if desired
2 medium carrots, diced (1 cup)
1 cup diced green beans
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced (1 cup)
2 pounds ground beef, bison or venison
4 tablespoons Smoky Spice Blend (see below)
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Peel the butternut squash with a vegetable peeler and cut in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and chop into 1-inch pieces. Set up a pot with 1 to 2 inches of water and a steamer basket. Steam the squash over high heat until fork-tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. While still warm, transfer the squash to a food processor and blend with the ghee or coconut oil seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
While the squash is steaming, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until the fat has rendered off, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the bacon from the skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the bacon fat in the pan. Add the carrots and green beans to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the onion and continue cooking until the carrots just begin soften, about 5 more
minutes. Crumble the ground meat into the pan and sprinkle with the Spice Blend; use a spatula to break up any clumps of meat and to mix the meat and Spice Blend together. Cook until the meat is just browned and the carrots are cooked through.
Transfer the meat mixture to an oven-safe baking dish, either a deep pie plate or a 9-by-13-inch rectangular dish. Arrange the bacon pieces on top of the meat, reserving a small handful for garnish, then top with a layer of the butternut squash puree. Bake for 20 minutes or until the top just starts to brown. Garnish with extra bacon.”“sweet potatoes instead of butternut squash as the topping.


SMOKY SPICE BLEND
1 tablespoon chipotle powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon sea salt”



Excerpt From: Sanfilippo, Diane. “The 21-Day Sugar Detox Cookbook.” Victory Belt Publishing. iBooks.
This material may be protected by copyright.

5 Minute Mommy Breakfast for 1!

Before Paleo, I never really ate breakfast...  didn't want it, didn't need it, whatever.  But, my 10am I was always snacking on chips or candy or something totally inappropriate!  :)  Now days, when the girls get on the bus, I always eat something.  It may simply be a handful of nuts or a lara bar, but most days it is eggs and something. I never get sick of eggs.... you can boil scramble omlet, fry, whatever... and they are SO easy to do.

Today, I want to share the super quick mommy breakfast I made this morning just to show you how easy a nice paleo breakfast can be!

We made the shrimp and sausage skillet for dinner the night before last (it is super amazing) and so I had an entire link of smoked sausage just hanging out with nothing to do... plus our grocery list this week has lots of zucchini on it, so you can spare a little!

5 Minute Sausage, Zucchini & Egg Skillet

about 3 1/2 inch slices leftover smoked sausage 
about 4 1/2 inch slices zucchini
1 egg
EVOO

turn small skillet on med high heat and drizzle with EVOO.  While it heats, quickly quarter your sausage and zucchini.  toss zucchini in skillet and let cook for about 1 minute.  Add sausage and let cook about 2 more minutes while stirring.  Shift everything to one side and drizzle a little more EVOO on the empty side.  Crack and egg on that side, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and cook until fried egg is finished the way you like it, over easy, over hard, or sunny side up!!!!

Have a great Morning!!!!

30 Day Dinner Meal Plan and Grocery Lists

Wow!  What a response to my offer of sharing my meal plan with everyone!  I'm happy to do it, and I put so much time and effort into it that I'm glad it will be used by many!!!!  A few notes:

-This will be a continual work in progress, so if you see a mistake, something doesn't work right, etc let me know!  I want to continually improve upon this list so it is user friendly to everyone.

-This meal plan is for dinners only.  I also have a suggested breakfast/lunch and snacks sheet to correspond, but it is much simpler.  I do most of my cooking at night.

-Meals can be moved around, if you need a crockpot meal on a different night than the night listed, just go for it!

-The grocery lists may look long, but alot of items you will already have on hand.  I just completed Grocery List 1 today (as well as several fresh fruits and a few lunch add-ons) and by shopping the sale adds and using a few coupons, I was able to spend right at $100, which for paleo dinners for 4 is pretty good.

-All of the recipes can be found on pinterest in my 30 Day Paleo Plan Board

-You will see alot of "venison" items on here.  Look folks, we eat ALOT of deer meat around our house.  It's fresh and totally organic and best of all free!  But, if you just can't do it, or don't have access to it, just sub it for buffalo in grass fed beef

-All of the sides are interchangeable.  If you see some type of leafy green you just can't handle or if you are running short on time, frozen veges do the trick.  Just grab a bag of steamable broccoli or green beans and call it a day

-On the grocery lists you may notice places I have noted (Costco) or (T Joe's) beside an items.  That is just where I have found the best prices for certain things.  You definitely don't have to go to those places to get the items though!!!!

-One last thing!  I don't check this blog a whole lot, so if you have any questions, feel free to shoot me a private msg on facebook!

Hope you guys enjoy!

RP

30 Days of Paleo Dinners

Grocery List Week 1
Grocery List Week 2
Grocery List Week 3
Grocery List Week 4

Saute Vegetable Medley

So easy, quick and delish!!!!


2 zucchini chopped
2 summer squash chopped
1 onion diced
1 TBSP minced garlic
Greek seasoning
olive oil
salt pepper

Pour a generous amount of EVOO into your skillet and heat up over medium high heat.  Add onion zucchini and squash and stir.  saute for about 5 minutes and add garlic, greek seasoning and salt/ pepper to taste.  Saute until done!!!!

Hot Bacon Dressing Salad

8 ounces young spinach
2 large eggs

4 pieces thick-sliced bacon, chopped

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper


Boil the eggs

While the eggs are cooking, fry the bacon and remove to a paper towel to drain, reserving 3 tablespoons of the rendered fat. Crumble the bacon and set aside.

Transfer the fat to a small saucepan set over low heat and whisk in the red wine vinegar and Dijon mustard. Season with a small pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper.

Divide the spinach between 4 plates or bowls and evenly divide the egg among them. pour warm dressing over spinach and season with pepper, as desired. Serve immediately.

Greek Chicken Salad

Paleo Greek Dressing
1 cup White Wine Vinegar
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
 Juice of 1 Lemon
1 Tbl Greek Seasoning
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper

Paleo Greek Salad
4 cups Chopped Romaine
leftover rotisserie chicken meat
1  cup diced tomato 
1 cup Cucumber Chunks
¼ cup Chopped Purple Onion
¾ cup pitted kalamata Olive
¾ cup Pepperoncini Peppers (optional)
1 cup Paleo Greek Dressing
Directions:
Paleo Greek Dressing
Combine all ingredients together in a large measuring cup and stir well.  Mix other ingredients together in a bowl and pour dressing over the top.  Enjoy!

Oven Baked Zucchini

Easy & Quick Zucchini Recipe

2 Zucchini
4 TBSP EVOO
t tsp garlic
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 350.  Thinly slice zucchini.  Place sliced zucchini, EVOO, garlic and salt and pepper in a bowl and toss to combine.  Lay zucchini on aluminum foil lined baking sheet in a single layer.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.