Paleo Staples - Hard 'Ovened' Eggs

Well hey there and good morning fine people! I am super duper beyond pumped today! I barely fell asleep last night because I'm just so happy and excited! Literally I was up til past 2am on a Saturday night at home, in bed, listening to business podcasts and making some STELLAR business plans and plans on content I have in store for ya'll! I also met up with my podcasting cohost and I'm happy to report that Discovering You Podcast is BAAAAAAACK! So make sure to find us on iTunes because a new episode is live first thing every Monday morning AKA tomorrow in this case! Yippie kayay!

GAH BUT LIKE SERIOUSLY THOUGH I'M BURSTING WITH EXCITEMENT!!!!!

Okay I'm sorry, back to the task at hand!

So one thing I wanted to do was a series of "Paleo Staples" or basic Paleo recipes that everyone needs to know! I get SO many questions about Paleo meal prepping, how to stay on track with a Paleo diet, what you can and cannot eat etc - that I wanted to just share with ya'll some REALLY simple Paleo staples that you want to be able to make whenever at the drop of a hat.

Seriously though, I get it, I don't always want to cook AT ALL. For instance on those days where you're running late for work but you didn't pack a lunch, and you don't have time to eat breakfast, or you're just exhausted after a long day, and too tired to cook, and don't want to eat any of the random ingredients in your fridge because "there's nothing to eat" so you instead eat McDonalds or a chocolate bar... Yeah I'm hoping that a weekly Sunday meal prep OR really a quick meal prep any day of the week, of some Paleo staples will save you in those exact situations as they often do for me!

For those of you who aren't familiar with "meal prepping" or "batch cooking" it's when you prepare certain foods and meals for the week ahead in order to avoid some cooking during the week. Batch cooking is my fav and I like to turn it into a game where I cook as many things as I possibly can in just 1 hour! Bump some music, and make it a fun time - this shouldn't feel like a grueling chore AKA LAUNDRY AKA THE BANE OF MY EXISTENCE.

I'll probably make another batch today before I head out to watch my friend Stacy get married!!! I can't wait for her wedding! Anyway that's so not the point here...

For today's Paleo Staple I'm going to share with you how to make hard "ovened" eggs. I call them that because I think it's an appropriate name! These will turn out like hard boiled eggs, but they're not boiled, they're baked and legit the easiest and bestest thing ever especially when you're in a pinch during the week. Just this past week I grabbed 4 on my way out the door to teach a PiYo class an hour away. I ate two before class and two after and that way I didn't have to stop anywhere to buy random unhealthy food. Hard boiled or ovened eggs are an amazing grab and go snack full of good fats and proteins, plus choline, and so many other great nutrients.

Also PSA - please don't skip the egg yolks! Those things are packed with nutrients you NEED! It's the egg whites that don't carry much of a nutritional bang. If you want to read more about this then pick up one of my favorite books Eat The Yolks by Liz Wolfe!  Alrighty then, onto this crazy simple recipe!

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Hard 'Ovened' Eggs or Baked Eggs

Makes 12 hard ovened eggs.

Ingredients:

12 pasture raised, organic, or cage free eggs

Water

Ice

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (or 325 if your oven runs hot)

Place 12 eggs in a muffin tin, one egg for each muffin slot in order to prevent rolling and cracking. Once oven is fully preheated, put the muffin tin in the oven and bake the eggs for 30 minutes. While eggs are baking fill a large bowl with cold water and ice. Once the eggs are done immediately place all the eggs into the ice bath in order to stop cooking. From there just peel and enjoy! Put the eggs into the fridge once they are fully chilled from the ice bath! 

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Well I hope that just made your life about 10x easier because when you pull out this method, you're going to automatically level up in many people's eyes. Like for real doe!

Have an amazing Sunday and as always make sure to tag me if you decide to use any of my recipes or creations! Also please leave comments right here on the blog post if you have any questions or excitements or anything, I LOVE to hear from you!

And last but certainly not least, don't forget to share this recipe with your friends if you think it could help make their lives easier too!

I'll see ya'll tomorrow with a new podcast episode!

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Paleo Pumpkin Waffles & Pumpkin Pie Smoothie!

Yep, I think I officially have a waffle obsession. Either that or it's the only thing I care enough to post as a recipe on this blog! I like to turn just about anything I can into waffles because, well... Waffles are the best! I know I've shared at least two other varieties of waffles here, and I'm not sorry about it! I can guarantee that there will be many more to come!

The most important thing for me is that they don't irritate my skin because they're also nut free! Many people with acne and skin issues should try cutting out nuts, it was a game changer for me! 

These waffles are the bomb dot com! And they're PUMPKIN!

Did you know that Pumpkin is actually very healthy? I mean you have to actually be using real pumpkin and not that gross fake canned pumpkin stuff, who's brand will not be named. I personally am not into baking real pumpkins bcause 'ain't nobody got time for that' BUT I do use good quality canned or boxed pummpkin! I make sure to get organic pumpkin puree who's only ingredient is organic pumpkin! It doesn't have to be the brand I linked, Trader Joe's makes a solid organic pumpkin puree as well! But the price for it on amazon sucks. So there's that.

The waffles are of course gluten, grain, soy, dairy, nut, processed oil, and refined sugar free AKA Paleo friendly! Yay! If you're not sensitive to nuts then you can sub almond milk for the coconut milk and it'll work the same! But I am sensitive to nuts, AND I just like coconut milk better! SO yeah!

These waffles are perfect to have on a Sunday morning while you curl up with some blankets and pillows since it's getting friggin cold outside!

Andddd for your pleasure, I also decided to make a protein and nutrient packed Pumpkin Pie smoothie to go along with these here waffles! Ew, why is that a saying? "for your pleasure". Gross. Okay movine on...

The smoothie is also totally Paleo friendly and I gave yo a couple different options depending on what you've got going on. It can be made 21DSD (21 Day Sugar Detox) compliant -  as can the waffles just by omitting the honey/maple syrup, both are nut free, and the smoothie can even be made AIP friendly by omitting some of the spices! Yeeeeehaw, options for everyone!

This meal isn't just like a really kind of unhealthy paleo version of treat yo self kinda thing - NOPE! You're actually getting a great nutrient packed meal especially if you pair it all with some of the extra options I listed below, PLUS delightful uncured sausage and or bacon!

Also on a totally separate but also related to curling up with blanket note - is anyone else here not thrilled that Hulu discontinued their partnership with CW? Now I have to manually go to CW's website on my laptop to watch my fun superhero shows like Arrow, Flash, Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, and Supergirl. And yes - I watch all those shows and then some! I find this whole switch super annoying since I can't watch it on my PS3 or TV anymore... RAWR! First world problems to the maximum today! I gotta say though fall TV being back is both a blessing and a curse - for now it's a blessing. But come back when I'm a million episodes behind on everything because I kind of have a life, and catching up on them becomes a chore on it's own! 

Okay I don't want to bore you with long and let's be real - totally unnecessary banter filled post today, so onto the recipe! Make sure you share it with your friends, and please leave some comments below if you try the out or make any substitutions! It might answer the next readers questions! Yah never know! <3

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Paleo Pumpkin Waffles & Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Makes 2 large Belgian waffles.

Waffle Ingredients:

1/4 cup Pumpkin Puree

3 tbsp full fat coconut milk

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp melted coconut oil (extra for waffle iron) 

1 tbsp honey or maple syrup (optional)

1/4 cup coconut flour 

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp himalayan pink salt

Dash of cardamom

1/4 tsp baking soda

Instructions:

Combine all wet ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl combine all the wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine. If you're adding additional stir ins like nuts or chocolate chips, now would be the time to fold them into the batter.

Plug in your waffle iron and coat lightly with coconut oil using a heat safe silicon brush. Once the waffle iron is fully preheated pour half of your batter on the waffle iron and cook according to the waffle irons directions. Mine has a light that turns on once the waffle is done. Each waffle should take around 4 minutes to cook depending on the type of waffle iron you're using.

Serve warm & top with some grassfed butter, ghee, nuts, coconut whipped cream, bacon bits, chocolate chips, maple syrup, and or any other toppings of your choosing and enjoy! 

Makes 1 large or 2 small smoothies

Smoothie Ingredients:

1 overripe banana (green tipped for 21 DSD)

1/3 cup Pumpkin Puree

2/3 cup full fat coconut milk

2 scoops Collagen Peptides

2 cups of ice

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp honey or maple syrup (omit for 21DSD)

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon (plus extra for garnish)

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground cloves

Dash of himalayan pink salt

Dash of cardamom

1/2 tsp l-glutamine powder

Optional: 1 tsp MCT Oil

**OPTIONAL: 1 scoop vanilla shakeology or vanilla protein powder of choice!

**NOTE: Without adding the protein or shakeology powder this  smoothie contains over 20g Protein so it's really not necessary for flavor or protein content to add them! They're just a bonus if you want to be an overachiever today!

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a high powered blender. Blend for one minute on high or until all ingredients are combined and texture in smooth. Garnish with cinnamon on top, serve chilled, and enjoy! Cheers!

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Well folks I hope you just LOVE these recipes I created just as much as I do! Please leave comments, questions, reviews, or really whatever in the comments below! I don't forget to like, subscribe, and share so I can keep bringing you new recipes weekly! If you make em and post a pic on Instagram, make sure to use the hashtag #paleoballerina so I can see and share your pics!

Have an amazing, pumpkin filled weekend!

*Please note that any links above are affiliate links and I may earn a commission if you click them and make a purchase. This is, of course, at no cost to you, and I only share products that I use and love myself.

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Lemon Garlic Chicken <3

Okay so it's kind of old new at this point, but remember when I blogged about Prime Day a few months back? WELL I finally after wanting one for YEARS and not being willing to fork up the cash, bought an....

Drum roll please....

INSTANT POT or more commonly known as a INSTAPOT!!!

Okay I know it seems like NBD for most people but this was a huge upgrade for me considering that I have a hand me down crockpot that is too hot and cooks unevenly! I don't have many nice kitchen gadgets so this is now the fanciest "appliance" in my kitchen! 

Meeeeep so exciting! OKay so needless to say, I'm totally in love and I just HAD to use it right after opening it! For those of you who don't know what an Instapot is, it's a pressure cooker! But it can also be used as a slow cooker, yogurt maker, rice cooker, and so much more! The thing I love about it is that it takes slow cooker recipes and cooks them in half the time which is just amazing!

So anyway back to the night that I opened this bad boy....

I looked up a recipe based on what we had on hand and this is what we made!

Image from http://predominantlypaleo.com/instant-pot-lemon-garlic-chicken/

Instant Pot Lemon Garlic Chicken Full Recipe!

This recipe by Predominantly Paleo was seriously delicious and easy to make! The only change we made was to use organic bone in skin on chicken thighs which are our favorite cut of organic chicken for multiple reasons! First off we get that delicious skin on there, secondly cooking chicken with bones in automatically makes for some good ol skin healing, gut healing, gelatin! Last but not least, it's the most cost effective way (besides drum sticks which I'm not a huge fan of) to buy good quality chicken on a regular basis! SO yay!!!

Let me know if you try out this recipe and don't forget to share it with your friends! I plan to share another pressure cooker soup recipe that my husband and I are currently obsessed with over here very soon!

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EASY Paleo Waffles

Okay clearly I have a waffle obsession, and I refuse to apologize for it!! These Paleo waffles aren't AIP friendly today but they are freaking delicious and totally Paleo friendly!

I had my waffles with a friggin crazy healthy "mocha frosty" on the side! At least I call it a mocha frosty because that's exactly what it tastes like and the texture is like! It's magical! It's actually made with a ton of amazing things - but primarily vegan chocolate shakeology and cafe latter shakeology - plus I added even more amazing-ness for this masterpiece!

I made them the other day and had to make another  batch this morning for a mini brunch I wanted to have with my hubby but he ate beforehand... MEN! They are just silly sometimes! Anyway here are the adjustments I made to this recipe, gonna make this post short and sweet today!

• I used 1/2 cup of organic canned coconut milk from Trader Joes instead of 1/4 cup
• I used egg whites only because that's all I had on hand!
• I used honey because I was all out of maple syrup.

With my adjustments it make two super dense and delicious waffles opposed to more thinner and less filling waffles. They are honestly better than any gluten packed unhealthy waffles!!! I couldn't even eat finish one without getting full! Trust me that's very abnormal for me!!

These were seriously to die for, so go make em like NOW! I know I say this every time - but trust me I only share my FAV recipes on here, no random things will make their way onto my blog! Let me know if you try em using my adjustments and like em!

EASY ALMOND FLOUR WAFFLES {PALEO, GLUTEN-FREE}

PREP TIME5 mins COOK TIME 5 mins TOTAL TIME 10 mins

Recipe by:: Camilla Recipe type: Breakfast Serves: 6 waffles

Get the full recipe HERE and don't forget to use my adjustments above!!

Here's my pic that I shared over on IG!

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Protein Packed Gluten Free Banana Muffins!

Okay I'm super excited about these!!! Lemmie tell you how these came about... I make my husband his protein and nutrient packed Shakeology shakes almost daily, but sometimes I'm just kinda lazy and want to mix it up a little bit! That's where this recipe comes in! Thanks to good ol' google I was able to find a delicious Banana Muffin recipe using Vanilla Shakeology by Adventures of a Shrinking Princess!!! Now if you want to mix up the flavors, you could totally make these with different flavor profiles, I just made hubby's with vanilla because vanilla is his favorite... BUT depending on what you're in the mood for, you can totally mix it up! Here are some ideas:

• Strawberry Banana Muffins using Strawberry Shakeology
• Banana Coffee Cake Muffins using Cafe Latte Shakeology
• Chocolate Banana Muffins using Chocolate Shakeology

Don't ALL of those options just sound freaking delicious?? I would NOT use the vegan versions of Shakeology for this recipe, and if you don't have Shakeology, then not only are you missing out, but I can also help you get some with a 25% discount! If you want these like RIGHT NOW and have another whey protein on hand then you could sub that for the Shakeology also, although I must admit you'll be missing out on a TON of essential superfood nutrients that are in Shakeology and not in other whey protein shakes. Because Shakeology isn't a protein shake, it's a superfood nutritional shake!

JUSSSSS SAYIN YA'LL!

Okay now moving on... You could also mix in some yummies to crank this recipe up a notch like:

• Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
• Nuts - walnuts, pecans, etc.
• Coconut Flakes
• Rasins, dates, or other dried fruit 

Delish right? The possibilities are endless depending on what you're craving! I wasn't able to try these today because they're totally too high in carbs for my bikini prep macros today PLUS I made them for my husband... But alas they got rave reviews!! He freaking LOVED THEM! One note, I did sub gluten free oats for the quick oats and it worked just fine!

Hubs is not Paleo or healthy or anything so that gives you a good idea of where his taste buds are and just how delicious these bad boys really were! Now, on to the recipe!

21 Day Fix Banana Bread Muffins

Serves 12

Prep time 10m

Cook Time 18m

Find the full recipe HERE!

Let me know how you like em if you do try them, AND what flavor combo you do!! 

xoxo - Harmony

Also here's my picture from snapchat today! Come find me on snap! Username Harrmooney

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Paleo Plantain Waffles

I think a lot of you know that I am obsessed with Costco! One of the things I always stock up on when I go there is organic bananas and plantains because they're both like dirt cheap!!! Especially if you're doing AIP or an AIP Whole 30 then platains are like a godsend! I first fell in love with their versatility when I did my AIP Whole 30 back in January of 2015 and my love for them has only grown. I should mention that this recipe is unfortunately NOT AIP friendly but it's still a winner if you can tolerate eggs!

I've been craving waffles for weeks but every recipe needed some kind of nut butter or some kind of milk (like coconut milk or almond milk) and I don't have any on hand at the moment. I'm also on a strict budget and those fall under a category of not cheap and not a necessity at the moment. So yeah.

Back to the plantains...

If you don't like them at first, trust me I'm sure there is some way or another that you will! Maybe at a different ripeness or prepared differently. I mean these things literally transform depending on how ripe they are and how you choose to use them!

They're also a GREAT Paleo friendly starchy carb option. I don;t know why people have this misconception that sweet potatoes are the only Paleo friendly carb out there... It kind of drives me insane! There's Yuca, Taro, Plantains, Spaghetti Squash, Jicama, Rutabaga, and a ton more! PLUS most of these options are LOWER in sugar content than sweet potatoes are so they're a more suitable carb source for those of you trying to get you insulin in check AKA my PCOS Cysters!!!

Okay enough rambling and onto this magical deliciousness!

I seriously like died, these were SO easy and SO good! I talked all about my process over on snapchat! I chose to oil my waffle iron with organic extra virgin coconut oil! Also my snapchat name is HARRMOONEY. Go find me like stat! You can also see all the unique ways I used my waffles since I didn't eat them with traditional syrup - I used them as a clean "bun" or "bread" option.... I'll be sharing more of those pics on my IG over the course of the next few days!

Today's recipe is from realfoodwithdana.com and these waffles are freaking LEGIT!!! Just look at her pic!

EASY PALEO PLANTAIN WAFFLES

PREP TIME 10 mins

COOK TIME 15 mins

TOTAL TIME 25 mins

Dana: Real Food with Dana

Serves: 4-5 waffles

Find the full recipe HERE

Let me know how you like them if you try em!!!

xoxo - Harmony

Aaaaaand of course here's my pic of it that I shared on IG this morning! More pics of how I used these beauts to come over on my IG!

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AIP "Chocolate" Cake

Hey errrrybody! So as most of you know, I'm no longer on the Whole 30!!!! *takes a bow* totally kidding about that being a big deal but, I am glad I got through it and it's honestly always an interesting process to add some things back in! I mean I eat Paleo or modified AIP mostly but I'm not about being crazy strict. It's more like I eat to nourish myself and for my best health. It's this magical thing called intuitive eating!

ANYWAY so not the point here! The point is that yesterday was my brothers bday!

YAYYY! Okay so my brother has actually been doing really strict AIP (Autoimmune Paleo Protocol) for about 3 months now for an autoimmune condition! He and his wifey boo have been totally killin it and I think it's amazing!!! I did an AIP Whole 30 once and it was hard AF but also a really great experience. It's ever since then that I eat a "modified" paleo/AIP diet. I love all things AIP, I just sometimes want something that has an egg in it and I know it's not going to kill me.

So back to this recipe.... My sister in law made a bomb ass AIP "chocolate" cake! For those of you who don't know - you can't have chocolate on AIP because it's a seed!!!! But this cake tastes chocolatey and delicious so I of course had to find the recipe myself!

The best part besides the amazing taste?

It was super quick and easy to make! About as easy as making a smootie since you just throw everything into a blender! Turns out the recipe is from A Clean Plate and dayum did she do an amazing job coming up with this one!!! You've gotta try it!

"Chocolate" Cake

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SERVINGS: 12 pieces PREP: 5 minutes COOK: 30 minutes

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Find the Full Recipe Here

If you try it you'll have to let me know how you like it!!! ALL of us loved this including my totally non paleo husband so I'd say it's a keeper!

Until next time, have a great weekend everyone!

xoxo - Harmony

OH and in case you were wondering what the piece I ate looked like..... It also had the AIP frosting and a scoop on coconut milk ice cream on top! DELISH!

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Whole 30 Recipe Highlights - Paleo Tortillas

Oh heyyyyyyy everyone! I wanted to share with you guys one of my favorite paleo recipes EVER! I use this one all the time (when I allow myself to eat eggs) especially with some tuna salad making delicious little wrap moersels! Or of course taco meat, or really anything else! Okay I don't know why I'm getting weird now, but seriously these are awesome and you should try them!

The one thing in this recipe I substituted in these bad boys to make them nut free was subbing the almond milk for full fat coconut milk!! My favorite coconut milk is split between these two - Aroy-D or Native Forest!

View fullsize

Paleo Tortillas

Yield: 7 small (taco) or 2 large (burrito) tortillas

Click here for the full recipe from Paleo Porn:

http://paleoporn.net/paleo-tortillas/

ENJOY and let me know how you like these!

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Whole 30 Recipe Highlights - Tarragon Chicken

As a lot of you know, I'm currently doing a Paleo Whole 30! I'm on day 5 and despite some struggles and cravings here and there I must admit that everything so far is going well! I am also incorporating Vegan Shakeology into my Whole 30 meal plan for many various reasons that I explained over on my IG the other day (there's a link to my IG at the bottom of this page). Because of my Whole 30-ing I thought it would be fun to create a section on my website where I share some of my favorite recipes with you! Some of them will be my own unique recipes and others will just be ones I found and loved! I'll tell you in the post any modifications I made so that you can do so as well if you have similar sensitivities that I do!! Alright guys so the first recipe I'm sharing here today is one that my sister in law made in the past and I just about died it was so freaking good! Okay not really, but it was DELICIOUS!

I bought all the ingredients on Sunday and I'm planning to make it later today! I do plan to sub grass fed ghee for the butter that the recipe calls for BUT you could also totally make this with some good ol Kerrygold butter which is my personal favorite grass fed butter if you're not on the Whole 30 and or if you tolerate some high quality dairy! ALSO I think this is obvious BUT I'll say it just in case it isn't! You should use your own homemade bone broth instead of a store bought broth if you can!!! This is especially true if you're doing the whole 30! I mean if you have NO other option then go for it but get the highest quality you can get, I'm no Paleo perfectionist, BUT making homemade broth is easy and SUPER nourishing so I would recommend giving it a shot! In a pinch I do sometimes use THIS organic chicken broth. I can't speak for any of their other products though as I haven't tried or looked into them so don't get mad at me if they aren't up to your standards! 

This Paleo friendly recipe is surprisingly from Martha Stewart! The details can be found below! Let me know if you make it and how you like it! I think it's seriously AWESOME!

Braised Chicken Tarragon

Chicken braised with wine, tarragon, and leeks is tender, aromatic, and delicious.

• PREP: 10 MINS
• TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR 15 MINS

Here's the link to the full recipe:

http://www.marthastewart.com/343649/braised-chicken-tarragon

Enjoy!!! <3

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