Trying out a new breakfast quiche for my mom's breakfast this week! My mom has always loved quiches, so one way to keep her happy with all of her paleo food is to make meals with familiar names of foods she used to like. It works majority of the time at least. For this quiche I totally changed the original recipe below and used ingredients I thought my mom would enjoy instead. Specifically, I swapped the cubed pumpkin for sweet potatoes and kale for baby spinach, and I left the mushrooms out all together. This was a pretty basic veggie and pumpkin quiche, so you can make ingredient swaps to your liking just like I did. Maybe next time I will try the recipe as is and see how my mom likes it. Anyways, if you don't have time for breakfast in the morning then prepping your breakfasts ahead of time can really help you out during the week. These egg recipes are always simple and easy to prep, always turn out tasting good, and are a great on-the-go breakfast option!

Crustless Vegetable & Pumpkin Quiche
Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp. avocado oil
• 2 c. cubed pumpkin (I used sweet potato instead)
• 3 c. chopped kale (I used spinach instead)
• 1 heaping c. chopped mushrooms (I omitted these)
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 8 eggs, whisked
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add avocado oil and let it get hot, about 30 seconds. Add pumpkin and cook 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned and softened. Add kale and cook for another 1-2 minutes until slightly wilted. Add mushrooms and spices and cook for another 1-2 minutes until softened.
3. Pour mixture into a greased pie pan. Add whisked eggs and stir to make sure everything is mixed well. Bake for 25-30 minutes until eggs are cooked through. Enjoy!

Original recipe found here​

This recipe makes a pretty basic and plain chicken and cauliflower meal, then tops it with the Honey Sriracha sauce. I start by saying that because I honestly was not a big fan of the sauce, but would have still enjoyed the meal without the sauce. I doubled the chicken and cauliflower but left the sauce ingredients as is. The sauce turned out almost like a sweet and sour sauce and was really thick and sticky. I don't think 2 Tbsp of arrowroot flour is necessary whatsoever, so if you don't have that ingredient just leave it out. I also used a wing sauce instead of sriracha, so that might have changed the taste of the sauce. Anyways though, I did still enjoy this meal! I just don't think I would make it again with this sauce. I also paired this with the quickest and easiest Instant Pot sweet potato mash, which is my go-to for making a TON of sweet potatoes in little time. If you give these recipes below a try then please let me know if you enjoyed them!

Honey Sriracha Sesame Cauliflower Chicken
Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil, divided
• ⅔ cup honey
• ¼ cup coconut aminos
• 3 Tbsp minced garlic (or 4 garlic cloves, minced)
• 2-3 Tbsp sriracha (add more depending on how spicy you want it!) (I used PaleoChef Wing Sauce)
• 2 tsp minced ginger
• 2 tsp onion powder
• ½ cup cold water + 2 Tbsp arrowroot flour
• 2 Tbsp sesame seeds, plus more for garnish
• 1 tsp sea salt, divided
• ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper

For garnish

• Sesame seeds
• Chopped Scallions

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the cauliflower florets with 1 Tbsp melted coconut oil and sprinkle with ¼ tsp sea salt.
2. Roast cauliflower for 25, then cool for about 10 mins (otherwise it will thin out the sauce too much).
3. Meanwhile, pat the chicken dry and season with a pinch (about ¼ tsp) of salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet with the remaining 1 Tbsp coconut oil. Once hot, add the chicken pieces, and cook, turning every few minutes, until cooked through. This should take about 6-7 minutes. Remove the chicken from the heat.
4. Next, make the sauce on the stove while the cauliflower is still roasting: combine the honey, garlic, ginger, onion powder, coconut aminos, and sriracha in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Stir often.
5. While the sauce is simmering, make a slurry with the water and arrowroot flour. In a small bowl, whisk the water as your pour the arrowroot in, until it’s completely dissolved. Then, keep whisking while you stir the slurry into the sauce on the stove. Raise the heat and bring to a boil again, then lower the heat and cook until it thickens to your liking.
6. Take the sauce off the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes (while the cauliflower is cooling). The sauce will thicken as it cools.
7. In a large bowl, stir together the roasted cauliflower, cooked chicken, remaining ½ tsp sea salt, and sauce. Taste, and add more sriracha if you’d like it hotter! Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped scallions.

​Original recipe found here

Super Fast Instant Pot Sweet Potato Mash
Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes*
• 1 cup of water
• 1-2 tbsp of coconut oil or ghee (to your tasting)
• salt and seasonings to taste

Directions:

1. Peel your sweet potatoes and cut them into 1″ cubes.
2. Add sweet potatoes and water to the instant pot. Close pot and set to sealing.
3. Cook on manual, high pressure, for 4 minutes.
4. Immediately quick release the pressure as soon as the 4 minute cooking cycle has completed.
5. Use oven mitts to carefully remove the inner pot from the Instant pot, carrying it to a colander in your sink to drain the potatoes.
6. Quickly wash out the inner pot and dry it with a kitchen towel.
7. Immediately place the clean inner pot back into the instant pot, add the coconut oil/ghee and press the sauté button.
8. Once the coconut oil starts to sizzle, add your potatoes back to the pot along with any seasonings you desire. Use a wooden spoon to stir and turn your sweet potatoes, cooking until a desired consistency is reached. This step should only take a few minutes before you are ready to serve your sweet potato mash! Enjoy!

Notes
*I always use at least 6 lbs of sweet potatoes, 2 cups of water, and cook it for 10-15 minutes.

Original recipe found here

My friend sent me this one and I am so glad she did because this meal turned out tasting amazing! Not to mention, it was super easy to throw together. If you don't have a pressure cooker there are also instructions for using the stove top, or you can brown the beef then throw everything in the slow cooker. I basically quadrupled this recipe below to get about 12 meals, swapped out the dried marjoram for oregano instead, and set my Instant Pot to manual for 30 minutes since I had a lot more food. The original recipe suggested adding rice to this as well, so I added Riced Veggies Cauliflower & Sweet Potato to the meal. I heated up 3 bags of that rice mix separately and measured it out equally into each of my meal containers while waiting for the Instant Pot to be done. Really easy and simple meal to make that turned out tasting delicious. I definitely recommend giving this one a try!

​Un-Stuffed Cabbage Bowls
Ingredients:

• 1 lb 93% lean ground beef
• 1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon dried marjoram (or oregano)
• black pepper, to taste
• 8 ounce can tomato sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• 1 medium head cabbage, cored and chopped (9 cups)

Directions:
Instant Pot:

1. Press the saute button on the Instant Pot. Spray with oil then add the beef and salt, cook breaking the meat up until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, marjoram and black pepper and stir. Add the tomato sauce, paprika, beef broth and raisins, cover and cook high pressure 15 minutes.
2. Quick release, add the rice and cabbage and cook 3 minutes high pressure. Quick release and serve with additional rice if desired.

Stove Top:

1. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, spray with oil then add the beef and salt, cook breaking the meat up until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, marjoram and black pepper and stir. Add the tomato sauce, 1/4 cup water, paprika, beef broth and raisins, cover and cook medium-low 25 minutes.
2. Add the cooked rice and cabbage and cook 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cabbage is tender. Serve with additional rice if desired.

Original recipe found here

Every New Year's I get together with my friends for a long-weekend trip and each couple is responsible for making one of the dinner or breakfast meals for everyone. This year I made one of the dinners and this is the meal I made. It was originally for the slow cooker, but I made this in the Instant Pot instead, so both directions are below. Not much prep or many ingredients to this meal and it turned out tasting delicious! We ended up doing a stuffed potato bar and had a bunch of toppings out for people to choose from. To keep it paleo you can top with diced tomatoes, green onions, bacon, or a paleo BBQ sauce. Honestly though, I didn't think this pork really needed any toppings because the pork tasted great on it's own, but that is just my opinion! In case you were wondering, I did also put out some non-paleo toppings and baked a couple white potatoes for my loving friends who always accommodate for me when they are cooking :). Anyways, the broccoli slaw also turned out tasting yummy and was a great pair for this pork. It was also really easy to throw together, so if you are ever in need of a quick veggie side I would recommend giving this one a try. I know I didn't technically make this one for meal prep, but I know I will be making it again for meal prep in the future because it really was so delicious! 

Slow Cooker (or Pressure Cooker) Pulled Pork
Ingredients:

• 3 lb pork butt (I used shoulder)
• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp molasses
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp turmeric

Directions (Slow Cooker):

1. Place pork in a slow cooker.
2. Rub down with garlic, thyme, salt, cinnamon, turmeric, and molasses.
3. Pour in balsamic vinegar, cover, and allow to cook on low for 8-10 hours.
4. Once tender, use two forks to shred the pork, then serve as desired.

Directions (Pressure Cooker):

1. Place pork in pressure cooker. (I cut the pork into chunks.)
2. Rub down with garlic, thyme, salt, cinnamon, turmeric, and molasses.
3. Pour in balsamic vinegar, cover, and cook on manual for 50 minutes. 
4. Remove the lid and push the “Sauté” button. Use two forks to roughly shred the meat while it’s in the pot. Let the liquid bubble away until it’s almost gone, stirring occasionally; this will take 20-30 minutes.
5. Optional: When there’s almost no liquid left, stir in a Tbsp of ghee. Continue to cook until the pork is browned in spots, about 5 minutes more. Press “Keep Warm/Cancel” to turn the Instant Pot off. 

Original recipe found here


Paleo Broccoli Slaw
Ingredients:

• 2 packages broccoli cole slaw 12 ounces each
• 1/2 cup diced sweet vidalia onions
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dill weed (or tarragon) (I ended up leaving this ingredient out all together)
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1 cup sliced almonds

Directions:

1. Place the broccoli cole slaw in a large bowl. Add the onions and mix. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl or shaker cup, combine the olive oil, vinegar and spices. Stir or shake well.
3. Pour the dressing over the colelsaw and stir to coat.
4. Just before serving, mix in the sliced almonds.
5. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate leftovers.

Original recipe found here

This meal tastes exactly how it sounds and looks! It is a very comforting warm-spiced chicken meal. I replaced the sweet potatoes from the recipe below with shaved Brussels sprouts, and just baked the sweet potato fries separately. I do have to note that we got a new food processor that works really well, so now my shaved Brussels will just look like Brussel rice. Anyways, I loved this combination of foods and since I measure my sweet potatoes separately after cooking, and I have to make a ton of sweet potatoes for each of my meals, it was just easier to bake them separately. I also used about 3 lbs of chicken breast and 2 lbs of Brussels for this meal, which ended up being way too much food for one dish, so I split it up into two dishes and got 10 meals out of it. I also only used one of the servings of cooking oil (I used ¼ cup coconut oil) because I did not want too much fat in my meals since this is the meal I eat before working out. I thought there was still a ton of flavor without that extra serving of oil, so honestly if you don’t want to use that much oil in the meal then you don’t have to. Unless you do want all of that oil, then by all means add it all! This was a super easy and simple one pan meal to make for meal prep that I will absolutely be making again in the future. ​

​Warm-Spiced Roast Chicken over Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces by your butcher (I used 2-3 lb chicken breast instead)
• ¼ cup olive oil plus more for coating sweet potatoes (I omitted this)
• ¼ cup ghee or coconut oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp curry powder, mild
• 1 tsp cumin
• 4-6 whole sweet potatoes, washed, peeled and cut into cubes
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced into strips
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tsp fresh thyme
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley for garnishing

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Add diced sweet potatoes, sliced onions, garlic, and thyme to a lightly oiled baking sheet. Drizzle with just enough olive oil to coat all of the potatoes, tossing with your hands to combine. Spread the potato mixture evenly on the pan, making sure that it is in a single layer for even baking.
3. Lay each piece of chicken directly on top of the sweet potato mixture.
4. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup olive oil, melted butter, garlic powder, salt, paprika, curry powder and cumin. Whisk until uniform. Brush the sauce liberally onto the chicken pieces. It will run down into the potatoes. No worries – this is a good thing!
5. Move the pan into the preheated oven. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the thermometer reads 165 degrees at the thickest part of the meat.
6. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.

Original recipe found here

I bought this Paleo Baking Company Paleo Banana Bread Cake & Muffin Mix for my mom for Christmas so we could try new breakfast options for her. I actually bought her this mix and the blueberry muffin mix, only to realize that it is the same exact mix and you are required to add the ingredients that make it either banana or blueberry. What a let down... Anyways, as always I snuck a scoop of protein powder into the mix, but you do not have to do that if you don't want to. I also added some cinnamon and salt to this recipe, but besides those three additions, the recipe is what was on the back of the banana mix package. I actually noticed that my package directions differed from the ones below that I got online, so they must have updated their packaging at some point. Nonetheless, the package I received did not have the step below about microwaving the bananas, which I found extremely helpful, so I recommend following the directions below if you purchase this cake and muffin mix. I filled my muffin cups to the max and they did not rise much, but I think next time I would put a tiny bit less batter in. Filling it to the max got me 14 muffins, and I put 5 days worth in the fridge and the remaining muffins in the freezer. My mom absolutely loved these banana muffins and was really happy knowing this was her breakfast all week...which makes me think these definitely tasted like a treat! 

Paleo Banana Bread Muffins
​Ingredients:

• ​Paleo Baking Company Paleo Banana Bread Cake & Muffin Mix 
• 5 eggs
• 2/3 cup Coconut Oil
• 2/3 cup Honey
• 1/3 cup Water
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 bananas) 
• 1 scoop Protein Powder (I used this Paleo Protein), optional
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt coconut oil in a microwavable dish until liquid (about 60-90 seconds on high). Allow 2/3 cup liquid coconut oil to cool.
2. Peel and microwave bananas on high for 90 seconds. Allow to cool, then mash into a paste. Measure 1 1/2 cups mashed banana and set aside. Beat eggs on medium speed for 30 seconds, then slowly add cooled liquid coconut oil, honey, and water, mixing until combined. Add Paleo Banana Bread and Muffin Mix, scoop of Protein Powder, cinnamon, and salt to wet ingredients. Mix on medium speed until smooth, then stir in 1 1/2 cups mashed banana until blended.
3. Fill standard muffin pan cups with paper liners (or grease muffin cups), fill cups to full (batter will not rise). For bread loaves lightly grease four 4x6 inch mini loaf pans with extra liquid coconut oil, divide and spread batter evenly into pans.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes (muffins) or 30-40 minutes (bread) until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow muffins/bread to cool completely before moving from pan. Store for up to 5 days in refrigerator or 30 days in the freezer. Baking times may vary.

Recipe from Paleo Baking Company Paleo Banana Bread Cake & Muffin Mix package