Naked Sliders

My mom used to make us "hamburger steak" all the time growing up. This is my take on her recipe. Experiment with seasonings and flavors that you enjoy; it's hard to go wrong here. I served these alongside a delicious Sweet Potato and Fennel Hash.

1 lb grass-fed beef

2 Tbsp butter or ghee

garlic salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

Worcestershire, to taste

Form beef into 8 sliders, sprinkle both sides with garlic salt and pepper and a few dashes of Worcestershire, all to taste. Heat butter in a skillet or grill pan over medium high heat. Grill burgers for approximately 6 to 7 minutes and then flip. Cook for an additional 6 to 7 minutes or until cooked to your preference. 

Hope to post a pic soon. 

Paleo Stuffed Zucchini

Well, obviously, I've already dropped the ball on meal plans. Womp Womp. Hopefully this tasty dish will ease some of your disappointment and keep you coming back for more. My husband asked for seconds of this before he'd even finished his first helping!

Zucchini Prep:
4 large (fat) zucchini
olive oil
salt and pepper

Stuffing:
1 lb ground sausage (beef, turkey, etc. will work too but you'll need more seasoning for flavor)
1/2 onion
1 small carrot or 4 baby carrots
2 cups spinach or other leafy green
3 cloves garlic
1 egg

Preheat oven to 400. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, brown sausage in large skillet over medium heat. As sausage browns, pulse veggies in a food processor then add to sausage mix. Saute sausage and veggie mix until veggies are softened and onions are cooked through. 

When sausage mix is finished, place in a large bowl to cool. Remove zucchini from the oven and reduce heat to 350. With a spoon, scoop seeds out of each zucchini half and put zucchini innards in the sausage mix. Add the egg and mix well. 

Fill zucchini with sausage mix and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until heated through. 

Makes 4 servings. 

Meal Plans are Back!

In an effort to post more frequently and help out friends who have recently joined Urban Acres (co-op style produce we've been getting for over a year now), I will be posting meals plans that utilize our lovely and fresh local organic produce. The meals plans are *mostly* Paleo and will typically include 5-6 days of the week as our weekend plans change frequently. I'd love to hear feedback on what you've tried, particularly if it's a new vegetable for you!

Produce	Recipe
Mustard Greens	Mustard Greens with Bacon
Beet Greens	Buttered Beets and Green with Dijon
Beets	Buttered Beets and Green with Dijon
Kale	Green Smoothie (Blendtec)
Lettuce	Salad
Broccoli	Chili-Garlic Roasted Broccoli
Daikon Radish	Spicy Radish Salad
Apples	Snacks
Oranges	Snacks
Grapefruit	Snacks
Celery	Snacks

Breakdown for the week:

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Breakfast	Eggs & Veggies	Eggs & Veggies	Eggs & Veggies	Eggs & Veggies	Eggs & Veggies
Snack	Carrots & Hummus	Carrots & Hummus	Carrots & Hummus	Carrots & Hummus	Carrots & Hummus
Lunch	Quinoa and Veggies	Quinoa and Veggies	Quinoa and Veggies	Quinoa and Veggies	Quinoa and Veggies
Snack	Almonds & Fruit	Almonds & Fruit	Almonds & Fruit	Almonds & Fruit	Almonds & Fruit
Dinner	Goat with Rice and Salad	Goat with Rice and Salad	Goat with Rice and Mustard Greens	Roasted Chicken with Beets	Roasted Chicken with Beets

As you may have noticed, we are creatures of habit and eat much of the same foods on a daily basis. This is mainly do to the ease created in knowing what we are going to prepare when life is hectic and lunches need to be made. 

Also, you may have noticed the Goat recipe included in this week's plan. Well, long story short, our dear neighbors often gift us with yummy food which occasionally means Ziploc bags of goat meat. Since we have over 7 pounds of goat meat in our freezer currently, I am preparing a crock pot dish this week that utilizes some of the meat. 

Lastly, the "veggies" we eat for breakfast and lunches are typically from a bag of organic frozen vegetables from Costco, mixed or stir-fry.

Mom's Spaghetti Sauce with My Spaghetti Squash

My mom is a genius with a pound of ground beef and various cans of tomatoes. This is one of her specialties and one of my favorite spaghetti sauces. Those of you doing a New Years Whole30, eat your heart out!

• Large spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise (be careful!!) and seeds discarded
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T fresh basil
• 1lb ground beef or turkey
• 1 can(6 oz) tomato paste
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1-2 T Chili Powder, or to taste
• 1T Italian Seasonings, or to taste
• Garlic salt, to taste

 To roast spaghetti squash: Heat oven to 375. Place squash cut side down in a large baking dish. Add water to the dish, about half an inch. Roast for 35-40 minutes or until squash can easily be cut with a knife. 

 

While your squash is roasting, brown beef very well then add Chili powder. Add other ingredients in order and cover. Simmer 20 minutes or until you are ready to eat, the longer the better though. 

 

Transfer squash to a large plate, hollow sides up, and set aside until cool enough to handle. Next, scrape squash out of rinds with a fork and transfer to a large bowl. Toss squash with olive oil and basil.

 

Top a portion of spaghetti squash with a generous portion of sauce. Serves 4-6. Enjoy!

Meaty Veggie Tacos

Love love love this taco meat recipe. It is one of my favorite ways to pack in lots of veggies and it is super simple.The following ingredients and methods are what happened while making Layered Vegetable Enchiladas from my Whole Foods app using taco meat instead of a bean paste and making tacos instead of enchiladas along with a few other tweaks.

 (This picture does not do this meal justice.)

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
•  2 T taco seasoning (I make my own from this recipe, but I also add cayenne pepper and quadruple the recipe)
• 1 cup frozen corn (leave out for strict Paleo)
• 1 bell pepper, cut in strips, optional (I don't usually buy these-organic bell peppers are so expensive)
•  2 T lime juice
• 4 T chopped cilantro
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 bunch Swiss chard or other leafy green, coarsely chopped

In a large pot over medium heat, brown turkey meat then add taco seasoning and stir to combine. Add yellow onion and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook until liquid is almost evaporated, about 10 minutes.

Serving options for taco meat: taco meat on its own or with rice; taco meat over lettuce; actual tacos with tortillas; layered between tortillas for "layered enchiladas". 

Depending on how this is served, the recipe will make 4-6 servings.

Paleo Shake Shake Shake

Yummy shake for breakfast or a filling snack.

• 1/2 cup milk of choice (I used almond milk)
• 1 frozen banana, sliced
• 1 T cocoa powder
• 1 T nut butter of choice
• 1 tsp cinnamon, optional

 Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serves one.

Paleo Carrot "Fries"

I don't crave many specific foods, but french fries, I'm always craving. This recipe takes the monotonous carrot stick to a whole new level. Yowza!

• whole carrots, peeled and sliced like fries
• olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• fresh or dried herbs, to taste (optional)

Preheat oven to 425. After you slice the carrots, place in a bowl, drizzle with desired amount of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Toss until all carrot sticks are well coated then spread evenly on a veggie sheet (a.k.a. a cookie sheet). Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. If you pull them out too soon, the outsides will be beautiful but the insides will be crunchy and too reminiscent of regular carrots, sad day.

Mashed Cauliflower with Garlic

I purchased a head of cauliflower on a whim today (I know, I'm so reckless) and made a huge batch of cauliflower rice and mashed cauliflower. We'll be eating the "rice" with lunches this week and I am going to freeze the mashed cauliflower for later. I could probably eat all of this in one sitting if I knew I wouldn't regret it ;)

• 1/2 head cauliflower (or 1 small), stemmed and coarsely chopped
• 2-4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1T butter or ghee (optional)
• 2T chicken broth or other liquid (optional) 
• salt and pepper to taste

Steam cauliflower and garlic cloves until tender. Transfer to a food processor with butter and broth and mix until desired consistency. Add salt and pepper. Voila!

Paleo Oven Roasted Okra

We have been receiving oodles of okra in our co-op share the past few weeks and I have made numerous recipes to include them, some good, some not so good. This is by far the easiest and one of the most delicious ways. So simple, yet so good. 

• 1-2lbs okra, sliced in rounds
• 1-2 ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1-2T olive oil
• sea salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat oven to 400. Toss okra and tomatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until okra is softened and starting to brown.

Serve as a side dish, pile on top of cooked quinoa, or plop down and dig in for a snack.

Paleo Meatloaf Cups

I followed this basic recipe but made several changes. The ketchup topping is key to this recipe so don't skip it! Try to use an organic ketchup from the store that has the fewest ingredients possible.

• 2 lb ground beef/turkey (or 1lb beef and 1lb uncased sausage)
• 1 ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1-2 zucchini
• 1-2 peeled carrots
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• other veggies you have on hand (squash, etc.) 
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 tsp fresh thyme, minced (or substitute dry)
• 1 tsp fresh oregano, minced (or substitute dry)
• ½ cup ketchup
• 1 tbsp honey, optional
• ½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 350 F. Pulse onion, zucchini, carrots, other veggies and garlic in a food processor until they are very finely chopped but not so fine that it is a paste. In a large bowl, combine the meat, salt, pepper, egg, veggie mix, red pepper, thyme, and oregano. Mix well, making sure to break-up the meat.
Lightly grease cupcake tins with coconut or olive oil and fill with 1/4 cup of the meat mixture. Place on top of a cookie sheet (sometimes the grease spills over the top and the cookie sheet catches it but also helps with moving the tins in and out of the oven) and cook for approximately 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine ketchup, honey and Worcestershire sauce to make the sauce for the top of the meatloaf. After cooking for 10 minutes, gently spread the sauce on the top of the meatloaf cups. Continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through and 165 on a meat thermometer.

This makes approximately 20-24 cups that freeze and reheat very well. If you want to freeze them, cool completely, arrange on a cookie sheet and freeze. Once frozen through, transfer to storage container of choice with wax paper between layers. To reheat, microwave for ~1 minute (we have an intense microwave so you may need longer).

Turkey Taco Stoup

This "stoup"(stew-soup) is thick and hearty and oh so delicious. I came up with the recipe during one of our budget-is-tight-so-what's-in-the-fridge nights. It is a combination of several recipe favorites (taco soup, mexican stew, and my mom's famous chili) using what I had on hand.

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 2 T taco seasoning
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 large yellow squash, coarsely chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 can (14oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 can tomato paste
• optional: 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 cups water or broth

 In a large soup pot, brown ground turkey over medium heat. After turkey is browned, add taco seasoning and onion and cook for approximately 3-5 minutes. Next add squash and carrots, stir well and let cook for another 2-3 minutes to give flavor; add remaining ingredients. Simmer for at least 20 minutes, longer is better if you have the time though. Serve as is for 4 servings, or over rice or quinoa for 6+ servings.

Colorful Kale Salad

This recipe is my version of a recipe from the Whole Foods app. It is mostly "my" version because we went grocery shopping half an hour before the grocery store closed on a Sunday and couldn't purchase many of the original recipe's ingredients (whoops!). Oh, this makes a TON of salad so you may want to half the recipe if you aren't so sure about kale yet.

1 bunch of dinosaur kale, stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped

1 small head of red cabbage, shredded

2 navel oranges, segmented and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup dijon mustard

1/4 fresh orange juice

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

salt and black pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine kale, cabbage, and oranges. In a small bowl, combine mustard, orange juice, and balsamic vinegar. Add mustard mix to kale mix and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and keep refrigerated for up to 3-4 days (depending on age of kale and cabbage).

Spicy Bok Choy (with Sweet Asian Meatballs)

Here is a yummy dish that made use of our co-op bok choy. In my search for an Asian protein recipe to accompany it, I found PaleOMG's Sweet Asian Meatballs. 

• 1 bunch bok choy, chopped (white and green parts separate)
• 1 T olive oil
  
• 1 T sesame oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T coconut aminos
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional) 

In a small bowl or cup, stir together the olive oil and sesame oil. In a separate larger bowl, stir together the water, ginger, garlic, coconut aminos and red pepper flakes. Set this aside. 

Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the bok choy stems (white parts) first; stir fry for a few minutes or until the pieces start to turn a pale green. When stems are almost cooked, add the leaves; cook and stir until leaves are wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer the bok choy to a serving dish. Pour the sauce into the skillet or wok, and set over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce has thickened slightly, about 3 minutes. Pour over the bok choy and toss lightly to coat.

Serve with Sweet Asian Meatballs and eat up!

Paleo Frittata

I'm sure you are all wondering, "What will I do with this leftover Easter ham?". You've come to the right place! We used the leftover ham graciously bagged for us as we were cleaning up at my aunt's house to make a frittata for dinner. You can use whatever meat you have on hand and whatever veggies sound good (I used frozen asparagus).

1 T coconut oil

1/2 red onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

~8 asparagus spears, chopped

1 cup ham, chopped

4 eggs, beaten

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat your oven to 350. Heat the oil in an oven safe skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the asparagus and saute for a few more minutes. Add the ham and cook until heated through. Next add the eggs to the skillet and quickly stir to ensure all the good bits are mixed well. Cook on the stove-top for 2 minutes to help the bottom set. 

Transfer skillet to the oven and let cook for 10-15 minutes (or until eggs are set in the middle and bounce back when poked). Turn the oven to broil for 2-3 minutes, or until the top of your frittata is puffy and brown. 

Slice and enjoy! This recipe made two hearty servings and can easily be adapted to accommodate more people or hungrier bellies.

I hadn't even finished photographing the food before Jeremy finished his plate!

Whole30 Week 4 Meal Plan

Again, sorry this took so long to post. Seeing as how we finished our Whole30 a month ago!  I will post results from our Whole 30 next!!

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Breakfast	Scrambled Eggs with Veggies	Scrambled Eggs with Veggies	Scrambled Eggs with Veggies	Scrambled Eggs with Veggies	Scrambled Eggs with Veggies	Scrambled Eggs with Squash and green beans	Spinach and Bacon Frittata
Snack	Guac (F) Carrots (V) Deli Meat (P)	Guac (F) Carrots (V) Deli Meat (P)	Guac (F) Carrots (V) Deli Meat (P)	Guac (F) Carrots (V) Deli Meat (P)	Guac (F) Carrots (V) Deli Meat (P)	Lara Bar	n/a
Lunch	Wholly Guacamole Chicken Salad	Wholly Guacamole Chicken Salad	Wholly Guacamole Chicken Salad	Wholly Guacamole Chicken Salad	Wholly Guacamole Chicken salad	Spinach Salad with sausage	Soup Leftovers
Snack	Almond Butter Fruit (V) Sausage (P)	Almond Butter Fruit (V) Sausage (P)	Almond Butter Fruit (V) Sausage (P)	Almond Butter Fruit (V) Sausage (P)	Almond Butter Fruit (V) Sausage (P)	n/a	n/a
Dinner	Chicken and Turnip Curry	Out to eat at Chili's-Steak with double Broccoli	Leftovers	Fish Packets with Squash	Muffin Cups with Squash	Rotisserie Chicken with Leek and Sweet Potato Soup	Chicken and Mustard Greens with mashed cauliflower