This meal was so amazing! The Citrus Beef was full of delicious citrus flavor and the Caribbean Roasted Vegetables are a tasty must-try. Super simple slow cooker recipe and an easy sheet pan roasted veggie recipe, especially if you purchase pre-cut vegetables. I ended up making the Citrus Beef in the Instant Pot on the slow cooker setting and just boiled down the excess broth and juice on Sauté mode at the end. I think this helped keep a ton of flavor. The Caribbean Roasted Veggies were inspired by the recipe linked below and it was a fun twist on roasting up a variety of vegetables with spices and flavors that complimented the Citrus Beef pretty well. I will definitely be making these vegetables again to pair with other citrus and Caribbean style meals in the future! I also thought this shredded beef could easily be thrown into a tortilla to make for a delicious citrus taco. This meal takes me back to the Florida Keys and gets me excited for warmer weather! I will definitely be making this one again soon. 

Citrus Shredded Beef
Ingredients:

• 2-3 lbs grass-fed beef roast we used a blade roast
• 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
• 1 lime zested & juiced
• 1 orange zested & juiced
• 1 small onion diced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp ground cloves

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a crockpot on low heat for 6-8 hours.
2. Once beef is falling apart tender, remove the beef and drain the broth. Shred the beef with a fork. Be sure to pull out the cloves! Add back enough broth to keep it moist but not wet.

Notes:

• If the lime and orange aren't juicy you may need up to a ¼ cup of water. Have restraint! You don't want it to be soupy.
• Depending on the shape of your roast and the crock pot size you may need to cut the beef into large chunks.
• AIP Compliant

Original recipe found here

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Caribbean Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 lb Brussels, halved
• 1 lb Zucchini, chopped 
• 1 lb carrots, chopped to 1 or ½ inch chunks
• 1 large red onion, halved and cut into thick 1 inch pieces
• 4 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoon ground coriander 
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grab a large (11x17-inch) or 2 smaller sheet pans and set aside. Prepare the veggies: peel the carrots and cut into large chunks (if they are thick do 1 inch chunks if they are thinner do 1-1/2 inch chunks), remove the outer leaves of the brussels and halve them, chop the zucchini, and halve the red onion and cut into thick 1-inch pieces.
2. Place all the prepared vegetables in one even layer (do NOT overlap or you'll steam the veggies instead of roasting them) on the prepared baking sheet(s) and add the herbs and spices. Add the olive oil and toss well, evenly coating all the vegetables with the seasonings and oil. (Add 1-2 more tablespoons of oil if the vegetables seem dry.)
3. Place on middle rack in oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, flipping the veggies 20 minutes into baking time.
4. Remove from the oven and enjoy immediately. 

Inspired by this recipe

An extremely simple, light, and tasty meal! All made in one pot and the only ingredients are chicken, zucchini noodles, ghee, salt, Italian seasoning, lemon juice, and either garlic or garlic oil. I tripled the recipe below and actually did the chicken in three batches, then dumped a ton of zucchini noodles in a large pot to cook. Paired this with some rice noodles this week since the store was out of my favorite sweet potato glass noodles. There is a ton of flavor in the chicken and zucchini noodles, but not quite enough to cover the serving of rice noodles I added in there. We still really loved this meal though! Just next time would probably toss the added noodles in with the sauce too. This was a quick and tasty recipe to whip up that I will for sure be making again! 

​Paleo Whole30 Garlic Butter Chicken Bites
Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons garlic oil
• 1/4 cup ghee
• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken, cut into bite size pieces
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 lemon juiced

Directions:

1. Add the garlic oil and ghee to a large skillet and heat to medium/high heat. Add the chicken and sprinkle with salt and Italian seasoning and cook 5-10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. 
2. Push the chicken to one side of the pan and add the zucchini noodles. Cook 3-5 minutes, until soft but not mushy. 
3. Squeeze the lemon over the whole dish, turn off the heat and serve. 

Notes:

• If you don't need this low FODMAP then use all ghee and 2-3 garlic cloves, minced 
• You can use butter flavored coconut oil if you don't tolerate ghee

Original recipe found here

Not only was this recipe called the best paleo pumpkin chili, but it also had some raving reviews, so I had to give it a try. Glad I did because this turned out just as tasty as it smells! I didn't get too much sense of pumpkin while eating this, but it was still very comforting, flavorful, and delicious. Plus, super easy to whip up in the Instant Pot! There are also stovetop directions if you don't have an Instant Pot. Now we aren't big soup people in this house and we've been experimenting with making meals low fod-map, so I left the broth out of this one, along with the onions and garlic. I also tripled the recipe below and it completely filled my 8 quart Instant Pot, so there was no room for anything else anyways. The original recipe said they made this with a combo of ground beef and ground turkey, but I went all ground beef this time. Paired this with spaghetti squash because it's super easy and a great "pasta" substitute. I also love boiling up some Sweet Potato Glass Noodles or Rice Noodles as a quick carb option and another "pasta" substitute. Serving this over roasted sweet potatoes would also be super delicious and comforting too. We enjoyed eating this one all week long and will definitely be making again soon!

​The Best Paleo Pumpkin Chili
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons avocado oil
• 2 pounds ground meat 
• 1 large yellow onion diced
• 8 garlic cloves minced
• 2 green bell peppers diced
• 28 ounces fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cacao powder
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups bone broth
• 15 ounces canned pumpkin
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:
Instant Pot Instructions

1. Set the Instant Pot® to the high sauté setting. Heat oil; add ground meat(s) and cook until they have browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the meat as it cooks. Drain excess fat and set aside.
2. Add, onion, garlic and bell peppers to the Instant Pot®. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they are all tender, about 4-6 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, cacao powder and spices.
3. Stir in broth, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
4. Stir in pumpkin and ground meat; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Select manual setting and adjust the pressure to high. Set the time for 10 minutes.
5. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
6. Garnish with your favorite toppings and taste for salt and pepper seasoning if needed. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Stovetop Instructions

1. Heat a large soup/stock pot over medium-high heat and add oil. Once oil is heated through (1-2 minutes), add ground meat(s)). Cook until they have browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the meat as it cooks. Drain excess fat and set aside. 
2. Add, onion, garlic and bell peppers to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they are all tender, about 4-6 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, cacao powder and spices.
3. Stir in broth, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
4. Stir in pumpkin and ground meat; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook over medium low heat for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
5. Garnish with your favorite toppings and taste for salt and pepper seasoning if needed. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Original recipe found here

This Sweet Potato Smoothie turned out tasting amazing and just like pumpkin pie! ​I accidentally bought canned sweet potato puree a while ago and finally looked up a fun recipe to put it towards. I froze the remaining sweet potato puree in a 1/2 cup freezer tray and actually enjoyed this smoothie more using the frozen sweet potato. I personally only used 1/2 cup of coconut milk and added a scoop of vanilla protein powder instead of the hemp hearts. It's certainly been a tasty post workout drink or snack, and can easily be a great breakfast option as well. Tastes like pumpkin pie, packed with nutritious ingredients and anti-inflammatory spices, I mean what's not to love? 

Sweet Potato Smoothie
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cooked sweet potato , tightly packed
• 1 cup coconut milk (or milk of choice)
• 2 to 3 Medjool dates , pitted
• 1/2 inch knob of fresh ginger (or 1/4 teaspoon dried ginger)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon hemp hearts (optional, for added protein; or add a scoop of protein powder)
• ice , as needed to thicken

Directions:

1. In a blender, combine the sweet potato, milk, 2 dates, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, and hemp hearts, if using. Blend until very smooth.
2. Taste the mixture, then blend in another date if more sweetness is desired. Once smooth, add in a heaping cup of ice cubes and blend until they are totally broken down. You can add more ice if you'd like a thicker shake, but keep in mind that more ice will dilute the overall flavor.
3. Serve chilled right away.

Notes:
If you’d prefer to skip the dates, feel free to use any other sweetener you like. I’ve made this smoothie with a frozen banana instead, and with a splash of orange juice, and it’s hard to go wrong. 
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Original recipe found here