This was amazing!! I deviated from the original recipe a tiny bit just for meal prep purposes, but I imagine making the recipe as is would be just as delicious. The two big changes I made was I roasted about 5 sweet potatoes and doubled the ground beef. Every other ingredient was as the recipe calls for with the exception of the eggs. I decided to leave out the last few steps in the recipe and did not add eggs at all. My main reasoning for that though was I wanted the meals to last six days. If I were making this recipe for breakfast or for family and friends I would have added the eggs. So if anyone makes this recipe as is, please let me know how it turns out! Again, this meal was absolutely delicious. You can really never go wrong with roasted sweet potatoes and bacon!

"Bacon Burger and Fries"
Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato (I used 5 sweet potatoes)
• 2 tsp olive oil (for roasting) + sea salt and pepper
• 6 slices bacon, nitrate free & sugar free for Whole30, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 lb grass-fed ground beef, 85% lean (I used 2 lbs of 90% lean beef)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• ½ cup chopped mushrooms
• 2 large handfuls fresh spinach, chopped
• 4 large eggs
• generous pinch sea salt and pepper
• slices scallions or chives for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Scrub (or peel) your sweet potato and cut it into ¾" chunks.
2. Toss with the 2 tsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, than arrange on the parchment lined baking sheet (or 2 sheets) in a single layer with none touching each other. This allows them to crisp up nicely instead of steam! Roast in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes or until soft on the inside and crisp outside.
3. While your sweet potatoes are roasting, heat a large, oven proof skillet (I used my favorite cast iron one) over med/med-hi heat. Add your bacon pieces to the skillet and cook, stirring to evenly brown, until about ⅔ of the way done*
4. Add the onions to the bacon and continue to cook until the onions are translucent, then add the ground beef (crumbled), mushrooms, salt and pepper and continue to cook, stirring until the mushrooms soften and the beef browns.
5. Stir in the spinach, then remove from heat. Once the potatoes are done, add them to the skillet and gently toss to combine.
6. Lower the oven heat to 400 degrees. Use a spoon to create 4 small grooves in the mixture (for the eggs), then carefully crack each egg into a groove. Sprinkle with a bit more salt and pepper, then bake in the 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until the eggs are baked to preference.
7. Serve for any meal and enjoy! Garnish with chives or scallions if you like.
8. If you make ahead of time, you can cook everything except for the eggs, then add the eggs before serving and bake until the eggs cook through. Enjoy!

Original recipe found here

Looking for a change from your typical meatball or chicken recipe? Look no further! This was a super quick meal to make and it turned out so flavorful and delicious! I ended up doubling the meatball portion of the recipe, but kept the sauce the same - it still made plenty enough to cover double the meatballs. I threw the carrots, red onion, and cilantro in the food processor together before making the meatball mix. I highly suggest doing that! Another note I have is that the meatballs cooked super fast for me, so keep an eye on them so they don't burn. I also paired the meatballs with an extremely plain cauliflower rice since I knew the sauce would be poured over everything anyways. The original recipe link below does have a link to a recipe for cauliflower rice if you want to check that out though. Shake up your typical meatball and chicken routine with this recipe!

Coconut Curry Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients:
Meatballs

• 1/2 cup roughly chopped carrots
• 1/4 red onion, chopped
• 2 tbsps freeze dried cilantro
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tbsps basil
• 1 tbsp coconut aminos (or soy sauce if not Whole30)
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp red chili flakes
• 1/4 tsp each sea salt and pepper
• 1 lb ground chicken

Sauce

• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 tbsp red curry paste
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp minced garlic

Directions:

1. Pre-Heat Oven to 400F

Meatballs:

1. Place all the ingredients (but the chicken) into a high-powered blender or food processor and pulse until chopped.
2. Add the chicken and mix well.
3. Roll into 1 1/2 - 2" balls and place them on a lined or greased pan.
4. Bake for 20 minutes, roll the meatballs and bake them for an additional 20.

Sauce:

1. In a large skillet, over medium heat, heat the coconut milk.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Putting It Together
4. Add the meatballs to the sauce, stir them around and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
5. Serve over cauliflower rice.

Original recipe found here

I haven't made a stir-fry in quite a while and forgot how simple and quick they are! I ended up doubling this recipe to get 6 meals for the week and made some pretty plain cauliflower rice to go with it (just heated up some cauliflower rice and added garlic powder, salt, and coconut aminos). If you want a more flavorful cauliflower rice to pair with this I suggest making this cauliflower "fried" rice dish. Also, I accidentally bought green chili peppers instead of red, but I am not really sure if that makes a difference. This meal turned out so flavorful and was unexpectedly not spicy at all. If you are looking for a quick and easy stir-fry type meal to make, definitely give this one a try! 

Paleo Mongolian Beef, Scallion, and Ginger Stir-Fry
Ingredients:

• 1 lb beef sirloin tips thin sliced against the grain
• Cooking fat of your choice - ghee, coconut oil

Beef Marinade:

• 2 tbsp coconut aminos
• 1 tbsp Red Boat fish sauce
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil

Aromatics:

• 3 large cloves garlic finely minced
• 3-inch long thin sliced ginger, From index through ring finger quantity
• 2 red chili peppers (California fresno chili) remove seeds, slice to thin strips
• 3 bulbs scallions cut into 3-inch length. Separate white and green parts.

Directions:

1. Thin slice 1lb. beef against the grain. Add coconut aminos, fish sauce, and sesame oil. Marinate the beef for 20 minutes. 
2. In the meantime, prepare ingredients listed under “aromatics”.
3. Heat 1 tbsp cooking fat of your choice over medium-high heat in a skillet/saute pan. When hot, lower the heat to medium. Stir-fry the beef with the marinade until it’s no longer pink. Set aside.
4. Add a bit more cooking oil, saute the ginger, garlic, red chili peppers, and white color part of scallions under medium to medium-high heat until fragrant. Season with a small pinch of salt.
5. Add beef and green color part of scallions back to the saute pan. Toss everything to combine.

Original recipe found here

This was seriously the most amazing meal ever! Before you take a look at the ingredients and decide you can't or don't want to make this, I did alter it a bit and it's totally doable with what you already have at home. First, I have never heard of cardamom, so I used some nutmeg instead since it seemed like a spice that would belong in this recipe. Next, I only used the thick condensed part of the coconut milk, leaving the liquid part behind, so there was no need to add arrowroot starch. Also, while I cooked the chicken on the stove top, I roasted 6 sweet potatoes, cubed, for about 40 minutes in the oven (see specific recipe below). I highly suggest you pair this chicken dish with roasted sweet potatoes! I thought this combination really completed the meal and made it absolutely delicious. If you make this one, please let me know how you liked it!

Creamy Spiced Apple Pecan Chicken 
Ingredients:

• 4 large chicken breasts (I used about 2lbs)
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp cardamom
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 large apples, peeled and diced into ½ inch chunks
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1.5 cups full fat coconut milk
• 1 tbsp arrowroot starch
• 1 tbsp water

Directions:

1. Begin by heating a large skillet to medium high heat.
2. Prepare your chicken breasts by pounding them to be thinner, and possibly cutting them in half (if they are HUGE).
3. In a small bowl stir together the cumin, cinnamon, cardamom and salt. Coat or rub the chicken with spices.
4. Add 2 tbsp olive oil to your pan once hot, and begin to cook the chicken. Sear on each side for 2-3 minutes (depending on thickness of chicken). Chicken does not need to be fully cooked, but almost cooked. Set aside and cover with foil.
5. Place remaining olive oil in the skillet and add garlic, apples, and pecans. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until apples soften and pecans are fragrant. Continue to scrape the bottom of the pan to collect spices from the chicken.
6. Pour in coconut milk, and scrape the bottom of the pan to flavor the sauce. Add Chicken back to the skillet.
7. In a small bowl, mix together arrowroot starch and water. Pour into the pan.
8. Cover with a lid and let the mixture cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until the mixture is thickened and chicken is cooked through.

Original recipe found here

My Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:

• 4-6 Sweet Potatoes (Depending on how much you want to make. 5 medium sized sweet potatoes usually gets me 6 oz of sweet potato fries for 6 meals. I think my idea of medium sized is bigger than most though.)
• Olive oil spray
• Sea salt (I actually use Garlic Sea Salt on everything I cook)
• Optional: Cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Skin and cut the sweet potatoes into whatever shape you want. I either do fries, wedges or circles.
3. Spray baking pan with olive oil. Lay down sweet potato fries flat (please do not just dump a pile on the pan).
4. I fill my Misto with olive oil and lightly spray the fries, then add some sea salt (sometimes cinnamon too).
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Take out of the oven and move them around or flip them over. Bake for another 15-20 minutes.
6. Keep an eye on them, if they are thin bake for less time, and vice versa. Key is to move them around or flip them over half way through baking them. I usually make mine thicker, so I bake them for at least a total of 40 minutes.

I have to admit, this is not a typical meal I'd choose to make. I hardly ever make shrimp and try not to make too many sausage meals. Anyways, I took a chance and this actually turned out tasting pretty good! I was lazy though and threw all the veggies in a food processor, so that's why my meal just looks like mush. I would recommend making the zucchini into noodles instead. For the sausage I used Aidells Chicken & Apple Sausage, which I know sounds weird to use with this meal, but I thought it still ended up tasting great. If you make this one, let me know your thoughts and if you made any changes of your own!

Paleo Shrimp and Sausage Skillet
​Ingredients:

• 1 lb of medium or large shrimp (peeled and deveined)
• 6 oz of pre-cooked smoked sausage, chopped (I used the whole pack of Aidells Chicken & Apple Sausage)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 of a medium yellow onion, diced
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 3 zucchinis, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, diced
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
• Olive oil or coconut oil
• Optional garnish: chopped parsley

Directions:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with some olive oil or coconut oil
2. Season shrimp with Old Bay Seasoning
3. Cook shrimp about 3-4 minutes until opaque – remove and set aside
4. Cook onions and bell peppers in skillet with 2 Tbsp of olive oil or coconut oil for about 2 minutes
5. Add sausage and zucchini to the skillet, cook another 2 minutes
6. Put cooked shrimp back into skillet along with the garlic, and cook everything for about 1 minute
7. Pour chicken stock into pan and mix through to moisten everything
8. Add salt, ground pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste
9. Remove from heat, garnish with parsley and serve hot

​
​Original recipe found here

Since I made one meal for this week that I wasn't sure I'd like, I decided this second meal would be something I knew was delicious. I've posted this crockpot roast beef before and I will definitely be making it plenty of more times this year. It is extremely simple to make and tastes amazing! This time I used about 3.5lbs of beef roast and it took 4 hours on low in my crockpot until it was done. I paired it with some Brussels, which I roasted in the oven with some bacon fat and salt, and a sweet potato applesauce mash. I love making this mash when I need an easy way to mix up how I'm eating my sweet potatoes. Plus, I still had some extra homemade applesauce in my freezer that needed to be eaten. The recipe for the mash is also below. Anyways, this was a very typical Erika comfort meal that I absolutely loved!
​
CrockPot Roast Beef
Ingredients:

• 2-3 lb beef roast, I used a top sirloin roast
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, adjust to taste
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, adjust to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Season the roast generously with salt and pepper. Sear the meat in the hot skillet, about 3-4 minutes on each side, until the meat has browned. Sear the sides as well as the top and bottom of the roast. Remove from the skillet and place in the crock-pot. Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer into the center of the roast and place the lid on the crockpot.
2. Cook the roast on LOW until the temperature reaches 140 degrees. This took just 90 MINUTES for my roast. Depending on the temperature of your house and how hot your slow cooker cooks, it might take twice as long for yours. I set the alarm on my meat thermometer and couldn't believe it when it beeped so quickly!
3. Using meat forks or sturdy tongs, remove the roast to a cutting board and tent it (or cover it with a large mixing bowl turned upside down). Let the meat rest 20 minutes before slicing it as thinly as possible against the grain of the meat. Enjoy!

Original recipe found here

Sweet Potato Applesauce Mash
Ingredients:

• 2 pounds (1000 grams) sweet potato
• ½ pound (225 grams) apples or 1 cup unsweetened store-bought applesauce
• Generous pinch of sea salt
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) ghee, optional (I did not include)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
2. Roast the sweet potatoes for about an hour. Let them cool.
3. If you’re making the applesauce from scratch, do this while the sweet potatoes are roasting. Peel and dice the apples. Put into a small pot with a 2–3 tablespoons of water and cover with a lid. Cook over medium-low heat until the apples are very soft. Remove the lid and cook until most of the water has evaporated.
4. Peel the skins off the sweet potatoes. Combine with the applesauce in a large bowl and mash with a hand masher until it’s to your desired consistency, or use a food processor.

​Original recipe found here

This meal was so easy to put together and turned out tasting delicious! Of note, the recipe only yields 4 servings, but since I am leaving town this week anyways that was all the meals I needed. I marinated my chicken overnight and cooked on a cast iron skillet for 4-5 minutes each side. I then put the skillet in the oven at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes to roast a little more, but that was just my preference. I also made some cilantro lime cauliflower rice with the remaining cilantro I had and some extra juice from the limes. I made the cauli rice from memory, but included the exact recipe for that below. If you make this one, don't skip out on the mango avocado salsa! It was amazing and really pulled the whole meal together. I don't suggest you meal prep the salsa for a whole week, but it should stay good for 2-3 days with all that lime juice. Well that is what I am hoping at least.

Jerk Chicken and Mango Avocado Salsa
Ingredients:

• 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts

Marinade:

• 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tablespoon freshly minced ginger
• 1 jalapeno 
• 1 sprig of fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 date, seed removed
• juice from 1 lime
• 1 salt and pepper or to taste

Mango Salsa:

• 2 large mangos, peeled pitted and diced
• 2 avocados, diced and pitted
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• juice from 2 limes
• 2 tablespoons chopped jalapeno pepper

Directions:

1. In a high powered blender or food processor, combine all of the marinade ingredients and process until fully combined and smooth.
2. Coat all four chicken breasts with the jerk paste. Place in a large ziplock bag and place in the fridge to marinate for a minimum of 20 minutes, preferably 2 hours.
3. When you’re ready to cook, take your chicken out of the fridge. Preheat a grill or skillet to high heat. When it’s up to temperature place the chicken on the hot grill or skillet. Cook each side for 4-5 minutes until it’s no longer pink in the middle.
4. Remove the chicken from the heat and let it rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting in. While it’s resting you can make your mango salsa.
5. Make your mango salsa by combining all the ingredients in a medium bowl.
6. Serve the chicken with rice or cauliflower rice and top with the mango salsa and enjoy!

Original recipe found here

Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower (I used two heads)
• 1 lime
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 handful chopped cilantro

Directions:

1. Remove the leaves from the cauliflower, and cut the head in half. Remove the cauliflower from the core so you only have the florets. Place half the cauliflower into the processor and process until only small pieces remain. Remove from the processor and place into a pan. Process the remaining cauliflower repeating the steps.
2. Mince the garlic and add to the cauliflower in the pan. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. When cauliflower is slightly toasted, and garlic cooked, remove from heat.
3. Toss with cilantro and juice from the whole lime.

Original recipe found here

Just like the jerk chicken recipe I made this week, this is another super easy one-skillet chicken recipe that only yields 4 servings. Again, I am out of town later this week, so I didn't need a full week of meal prep. If you do, I would suggest increasing the servings a tiny bit. Anyways, I am usually not a fan of lemon based chicken marinades or flavor, but I really enjoyed this one. I decided to throw in some asparagus into the skillet and roast the sweet potatoes on a separate ​baking sheet with all the same lemon, rosemary, and garlic seasonings. I only did this because I used 3sweet potatoes, which would not fit into my skillet. If you need a new quick, simple, and delicious chicken recipe, give this one a try!

Lemon Rosemary Chicken
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 1/2 sweet potatoes, cubed (I used 3 and baked separately) 
• 1 large lemon, squeezed
• 1 large lemon, sliced
• 2 Tablespoons rosemary
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Add olive oil to a large cast iron skillet or to a roasting pan, and heat over medium-high heat. If using a roasting pan, you may need to use it over two burners.
3. Sprinkle desired amount of salt and pepper over chicken breasts. Then place the chicken breast sides down in the pan. Add the cubed sweet potatoes, and cook in pan/skillet for 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is browned.
4. Turn the chicken over and pour lemon, rosemary, and garlic over the chicken and potatoes. Top with sliced lemons.
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until the chicken is done. This varies for each oven.

Original recipe found here

I can't believe I have offically blogged my meal preps for one full year now! Time has flown by. I started meal prepping paleo meals exactly four years ago and it has changed my eating habits and lifestyle entirely! “If You Fail to Plan, You Plan to Fail.” I highly suggest anyone that is starting to eat better, or trying to get back on track with their nutrition, to meal prep. Having the meal already made only increases your chances of making the right choice when you get hungry and it's time to eat!

Anyways, I was out of town this past weekend for the New Year, so I pre-orded Power Supply meals for lunch this week. For the second meal, I chose this crockpot pulled pork to make while I was at work. I already had some extra paleo Tessemae's BBQ sauce around and baking sweet potatoes in the oven doesn't take much prep time, so this meal was easy to throw together once I got home and turned out delicious! I had some extra time too, so I roasted some green beans in the oven with some salt and olive oil once the sweet potatoes were done. This was another simple and super easy crockpot meal that I will definitely use again when I am short on kitchen time!

Pulled Pork Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. boneless pork loin
• 4 large sweet potatoes, washed
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup beef stock
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. paprika
• ½ tsp. ground cumin
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup homemade BBQ sauce, plus extra for drizzling (I used Tessemae's BBQ sauce - Paleo, Dairy Free and Gluten Free, and Whole 30 approved)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, cumin, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Rub the mixture evenly over the pork.
3. Place the onion, garlic, pork, and beef broth in a slow cooker.
4. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
5. Preheat your oven to 400 F.
6. Put the sweet potatoes in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
7. Remove the meat from the slow cooker and place in a large bowl. Use a slotted spoon to remove the onion chunks and place in the same bowl as the pork. Using two forks, pull the meat apart.
8. Add the BBQ sauce and the apple cider vinegar to the slow-cooker, and cook the sauce for another 30 minutes on low. Once the sauce is done, mix it with the pork.
9. Slit each sweet potato down the middle.
10. Fill each sweet potato with the pulled pork. Sprinkle with green onions, and drizzle with extra BBQ sauce to serve.

​Original recipe found here​