This casserole is seriously even more amazing and delicious then it sounds and looks! I have always loved the barbecue, chicken, and bacon combination, so anytime I find a paleo recipe with these ingredients I am going to try it. If you follow my blog some, you know my go-to options lately for BBQ sauce are either Tessemae's BBQ sauce or Steve's PaleoChef Peach BBQ, both sold at the Whole Foods near me. For this casserole I used Tessemae's BBQ sauce and absolutely loved it. I only had a few other notes about this recipe... First, make sure you buy a large spaghetti squash! Mine looked large in the store, but I was disappointed with how much spaghetti squash I actually got out of it after cooking. Side note, if you've never made spaghetti squash before check out these easy instructions for guidance (and definitely cook for 45 minutes). A second note I had was I didn't use a pound of bacon. As much as I love bacon, this casserole made me six meals and I did not want to eat a pound of bacon in six meals. I used 6 slices instead, but I think anywhere between 6-8 slices of bacon is plenty. Okay that is all. Seriously go make this recipe, you won't regret it!

Paleo Barbecue Chicken Casserole
Ingredients:

• 1 large spaghetti squash, cooked and shredded
• 1 pound beef bacon, divided (I used 6 slices)
• 1 red onion, diced
• 2 pounds chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 1/2-2 cups paleo bbq sauce (I used 1 cup of ​Tessemae's BBQ sauce)
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• salt to taste, depends on how salty the bbq sauce is
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 eggs, room temperature

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400° and line a 13x9 with parchment paper.
2. Place cooked spaghetti squash in a large bowl and pat dry with paper towel.
3. Cut bacon with scissors and place in a large skillet.
4. Cook on medium/high until crispy. Remove half onto a plate and add onion and chicken to remaining bacon.
5. Cook until onion is tender and chicken is cooked through.
6. Add chicken mixture to the spaghetti squash and then add the barbecue sauce. Start with 1 1/2 cups and add more if needed. Add the pepper, salt if needed, and garlic powder. Stir until everything is mixed well.
7. Add the eggs, stirring completely.
8. Place mixture into prepared pan, top with remaining bacon and bake 30-35 minutes.

​Original recipe found here

I am seriously counting down the hours until the next time I eat this week, well more then usual. Really though, both meals turned out exceptionally delicious and this weeks meal prep will be hard to beat! Both meals are also great Super Bowl party or tailgate food options. Just saying. Anyways, these Chicken and Zucchini Poppers are amazing!! I had them plain, but adding guacamole to them would probably be really good too. I doubled the entire recipe below to get me enough poppers for six meals (about 4oz of chicken per meal). Also, I used two zucchini's with doubling the recipe, so if you are making the recipe as is, one zucchini would probably be enough. I also suggest putting the zucchini(s), green onions, and cilantro in the food processor together before adding to the chicken mixture. I ended up baking the poppers, which turned out great, but I also roasted broccoli and sweet potato fries too, so that made for a long evening. I do not suggest you do that unless you have time! Let me know if you try this recipe out and if you like it!

Chicken and Zucchini Poppers
Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground chicken breast
• 2c grated zucchini (leave peel on)
• 2-3 green onions, sliced
• 3-4 Tbsp cilantro, minced
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• (optional: ¾ tsp cumin)
• olive oil, for cooking (or coconut oil, avocado oil, or ghee)

Directions:

1. Toss chicken with zucchini, green onion, cilantro, garlic, salt, and pepper (and cumin, if using). Mixture will be quite wet.
2. To cook on the stovetop:
3. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Use a small scoop or a heaped tablespoon to scoop meatballs into the pan. Cook 8-10 at a time for about 5-6 minutes on the first side. Flip and cook an additional 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown and the centers are cooked through.
4. To bake:
5. Drizzle a bit of olive or avocado oil onto a baking sheet. Scoop meatballs onto the greased pan. Drizzle a bit of additional oil over the meatballs. Bake at 400 degrees 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through. If desired, place under the broiler for an additional 2-3 minutes or until browned on top.
6. Serve with guacamole, salsa, or your favorite dip.

​Original recipe found here

​My Homemade Sweet Potato Fries
(Basically just 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.

After I made this meal, I was reminded of another meal prep and healthy lifestyle hack I thought I'd share. Make meals you absolutely look forward to eating!!! Eating healthy does not have to be boring or feel restrictive. This meal was the bomb and is perfect to make this fall! Also, if you've never gone apple picking and made your own applesauce, go do it! My boyfriend's mom makes amazing homemade applesauce with nothing but apples, which is what I used to make the mash. I also roasted some shredded Brussels sprouts with bacon and you can find that recipe here. I seriously cannot wait to eat this meal for lunch this week! 
​
Cider Glazed Chicken Bites
Ingredients:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into cubes
• 1 tablespoon lard or bacon fat
• salt and freshly-ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
• 1 cup apple cider
• 1 tablespoon honey

Directions:

1. Place the cubed chicken in a large bowl and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Add the rosemary and sage and toss until all the chicken pieces are coated.
2. Heat the lard or bacon fat in a heavy skillet over high heat. Add the seasoned chicken to the pan and cook, turning occasionally, until the chicken is well browned on the outside but still slightly pink in the center. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
3. Pour the cider into the hot skillet and bring to a boil. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the cider is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Stir in the honey.
4. Reduce the heat to medium and return the chicken to the skillet, along with any juices that accumulated. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the chicken is glazed and cooked through, about 5 minutes.
5. Serve immediately.

​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

Who doesn't love the classic beef and broccoli meal? I've made this version a couple times before and absolutely loved that recipe, but figured I would try out this simple crockpot one. The ingredients in both recipes are pretty similar, so believe it or not, this crockpot recipe turned out tasting similar too. I really think it's all about the type of beef you choose. Anyways, I added a lot more the a bunch of broccoli and also made some really plain cauliflower rice to pair with this. If you are a fan of beef and broccoli, definitely give one of these recipes a try!

Paleo Crockpot Mongolian Beef
Ingredients:

• 2 lbs stew beef
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch (I used arrowroot powder)
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp fresh grated ginger
• 1/2 cup coconut aminos
• 2 Tbsp fish sauce (I used Red Boat fish sauce, which I found at Whole Foods)
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 Tbsp honey
• 1/3 cup beef broth
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets

Directions:

1. Pat beef pieces with paper towel to remove excess moisture. In a small bowl, combine tapioca starch and pepper. Add beef pieces and toss to coat. Transfer beef to bowl of slow cooker.
2. In a small bowl, combine ginger, coconut aminos, fish sauce, water, honey and beef broth. Whisk to combine. Pour over beef.
3. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Add broccoli and carrots and cook for an additional 30 minutes.

Original recipe found here

As I mentioned last week, I explored The Real Food Dietitians blog some more and found another delicious crock pot recipe to try out. The original recipe calls for making sloppy joe sliders, but since I aim to get about 4 oz of meat and 6-7 oz of sweet potato in each meal, there was no way I was pulling off cute little sliders. This meal was really yummy though! There was plenty of leftover sauce in the crock pot that you can pour back over the pulled chicken to your liking. Next time I will probably make a slaw to also pair with this or just add more toppings to the sloppy joes. Overall, this was an awesome crock pot recipe with little prep time that you should definitely throw into the meal prep rotation!

Slow Cooker Chicken Sloppy Joe Sliders 
Ingredients:

• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 14 oz. can organic tomato sauce
• ¼ cup canned organic tomato paste
• 3 Tbsp. yellow mustard
• 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 3 dates, finely chopped
• ¾ cup shredded carrots
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• ½ tsp. onion powder
• ½ tsp. chili powder
• ¼ tsp. sea salt
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• 2 small sweet potatoes, sliced into ¼-inch rounds (I used 4-5 sweet potatoes)
• Avocado oil (such as Primal Kitchen brand) or olive oil
• Option toppings: pickles, onion, greens, broccoli slaw, etc.

Directions:

1. Place all of the ingredients in the slow cooker. Mix to combine.
2. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
3. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred with two forks.
4. Return back to slow cooker, stir to mix all ingredients, and set temperature to warm (or low) until ready to eat.
5. While the chicken is cooking, preheat oven (or grill) to 375ºF. Brush sweet potato rounds with oil and a dash with sea salt. Bake for 15 minute or just until soft. Remove from oven and cool slightly.
6. Place chicken between two sweet potato rounds. Add desired toppings such as pickles, onion, greens, broccoli slaw, mayonnaise, etc.

Original recipe found here

Found a blog post with some helpful meal prep tips if you are new to meal prep or find it overwhelming! I know I just share the recipes I make every week for my meal prep, but if you ever have any specific questions or need help or advice, please feel free to reach out. Anyways, this stir-fry recipe falls under the first two hacks that the blog post points out: incorporate basic recipes and use your appliances wisely. I haven't made too many one-pot or stir-fry meals this year and forgot how simple and quick those recipes are. I did alter the original recipe some by increasing some of the ingredients (noted below) and adding cauliflower rice, so check out the original recipe below for comparison. Also, if you saw or made the Paleo Egg Roll in a Bowl I made a few weeks ago, this stir-fry was extremely similar and just as delicious. Both are one-pot recipes worth incorporating into your meal prep for when you have very little time to cook!

Cashew Beef Stir-Fry 
Ingredients:

• 1½ lbs grass fed ground beef (I used 2lbs)
• 1 large bell pepper, sliced (I used 2 peppers)
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 can water chestnuts, drained and sliced (I did not add these)
• 1 head cauliflower, riced
• ½ cup raw cashews, toast on a dry pan for a few minutes until browned (I used 3/4 cup)
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tbsp fresh garlic, grated
• 4 tbsp coconut aminos
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Stir fry beef until lightly browned.
2. Add ginger, garlic and coconut aminos. Saute until fragrant.
3. Add bell pepper, onions and water chestnuts. Cook until vegetables are soft.
4. Add cauliflower rice and cook until soft.
5. Adjust seasonings by adding salt and pepper.
6. Turn off heat and mix in toasted cashews.
7. Serve.

​Original recipe found here

A lot of my friends and family don't like mushrooms, but I absolutely love them and this recipe looked too good to not try. If you are a fan of mushrooms or mushroom stroganoff you will definitely enjoy this meal! I paired this chicken dish with cauliflower rice and roasted asparagus, both made with just olive oil and sea salt. I know that might sound plain, but the chicken recipe has plenty of mushroom sauce to cover everything and provide more flavor. This was a delicious and simple one skillet chicken dish that turned out amazing and is definitely worth the try!

One Skillet Creamy Chicken with Mushrooms
Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts
• 2 heaping cups brown mushrooms
• 1-2 shallots, diced
• 1 tsp. crushed garlic (2-3 garlic cloves)
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 can full-fat coconut milk
• 2 cups chicken broth + more if needed
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 tsp. dried parsley
• ¼ cup + 4 tsp. white wine

Directions:

1. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat ½ Tbsp. olive oil. Add the diced shallots and allow to cook until soft, 2-3 minutes.
2. Add garlic and mushrooms and allow to cook for 3-4 minutes, then add a few spoonfuls of coconut milk and 4 tsp. white wine. Add a pinch of salt and few grinds of pepper.
3. Cook until mushrooms are soft. Remove from the pan, set aside and cover with foil to keep warm.
4. Generously salt and pepper the chicken. In the same skillet, heat ½ Tbsp. olive oil and add the chicken breasts. On medium heat, cook the chicken breasts on one side, allowing to get brown and crispy. (About 8 minutes).
5. Flip over and cook for another minute and then add the coconut milk, chicken broth, thyme, parsley and white wine.
6. Cover and cook for another 5-6 minutes, then add the mushrooms and continue to cook until the chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Serve with the mushroom sauce over the top.

Original recipe found here

Stumbled on this recipe and realized that it's time for all the squash, pumpkin, and sweet potato recipes to come out! My favorite time of the year. This pumpkin chili turned out delicious and was an awesome recipe to kick off the fall season. I did tweak the recipe some and added roasted sweet potatoes once the chili was finished, and I may be biased, but I thought that made the meal even better. I also have to admit that I was expecting the chili to have more of a pumpkin flavor, but the sweet potatoes might have taken away from that or I might just love pumpkin too much that I need a lot of it. Either way though, the chili still turned out tasting amazing and I highly suggest this recipe to anyone! 

Also, make sure to check out the original link below. That blog had a lot of awesome looking recipes that I plan to sort through and will probably make in the future!
​
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chili
Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp coconut oil or pure beef tallow (such as Fatworks Pure Tallow)
• 2 cups chopped yellow onion (about 1 large onion)
• 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ½ pounds grass-fed ground beef or bison
• 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
• ½ 6-oz. can tomato paste
• 1 14-oz. can pumpkin puree
• ½ - 1 cup chicken broth or water (homemade or store-bought)
• 2 ½ tsp. dried oregano
• 1 ½ Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• ½ - ¾ tsp. sea salt
• ⅛ tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil and saute the onions and peppers, stirring occasionally, for about 7 minutes or until onions start to soften.
2. Add the garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds or until fragrant.
3. Add the ground beef. Use a spatula or large spoon to break it up as it cooks. Cook until meat is nearly cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.
4. Transfer meat mixture to the slow cooker.
5. Add remaining ingredients and stir.
6. Set heat to LOW and cook for 6-7 hours. Serve with desired toppings.

Original recipe found here


My Homemade Sweet Potato Fries
(Basically just 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.

My friend made this one last week and really enjoyed it, so I had to give it a try! This took me under an hour to make, which was perfect because I did not have much time to cook. My go-to BBQ sauces lately are ​Tessemae's BBQ sauce and Steve's PaleoChef Peach BBQ, both sold at the Whole Foods near me. I have attempted making my own paleo BBQ sauce a couple times, but found that picking up a paleo-friendly one at Whole Foods is just way easier. For the cauliflower mash I did not add any ghee or fat as the recipe calls for, but instead added the thick part of canned coconut milk. That is just a personal preference though and I often add coconut milk to cauliflower and sweet potato mash anyways, so I knew it would turn out tasting good. This meal not only had very few ingredients, but it was simple and fast to make, and turned out tasting delicious! Definitely worth trying!

Paleo BBQ Meatballs with Cauliflower Mash
Ingredients:
BBQ Meatballs:

• 1 1/2 lb ground beef (I used 2lbs)
• 11/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp bacon grease or olive oil
• 1/2 cup Paleo BBQ Sauce (I used Tessemae's BBQ sauce - Paleo, Dairy Free and Gluten Free, and Whole 30 approved)

Cauliflower Mash:

• 1 large cauliflower
• 4 tbsp ghee or bacon grease (I used Coconut Milk)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder

To serve:

• 2 shallots
• 4 handfuls fresh spinach leaves

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, warm a large skillet to medium heat and bring water in the bottom of a steamer basket to a boil.
2. In a mixing bowl, use your hands to mix together the meat and all salt and dried spices, being careful not to over mix so that the meat becomes gummy.
3. Melt the bacon grease in the skillet.  Use your hands to shape the meatballs into small round balls.  Pan sear them in the skillet for 4 minutes, rotating so that all sides are browned.
4. Place them in a baking dish, with sides touching.  Drizzle the BBQ sauce over the top of the meatballs.  
5. Bake the meatballs for 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, chop the cauliflower into individual florets or chunks.  Place in the steamer basket for 15 minutes or until tender to touch with a fork.  Remove the steamer basket from the boiling water, allowing any excess water to drain out.
7. Add the cauliflower to a blender along with the butter, salt and garlic.  Briefly blend until smooth.
8. In the skillet that you seared the meatballs, sauté the shallots and spinach until cooked.
9. Assemble your bowls by adding a scoop of cauliflower mash, a few meatballs and your sautéed shallots and spinach.  Top with extra BBQ sauce and fresh cracked black pepper, if desired.

Original recipe found here

I finally got to break out the spiralizer again to make some sweet potato noodles! The last time I made sweet potato noodles was for this Thai Coconut Curry Turkey Meatballs over Sweet Potato Noodles meal, which after looking at again I realize I definitely need to make again soon. Anyways, I ended up pretty much doubling the original recipe to get six meals. The garam masala and ground nutmeg really make this hash complete; it turned out so flavorful and delicious! The only part I would change is adding some kind of spice to the chicken as well. Other then that though, the sweet potato, apple, spinach, and raisin combo is absolutely amazing. If you don't have a sprialzier you can roast some diced sweet potato or probably even make this into a salad. 

Sweet Potato and Chicken Hash
Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp ghee (I used bacon fat)
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used 3 chicken breasts)
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and spiralized (I used 4 medium sweet potatoes)
• 1 gala apple, cored and diced (I doubled this)
• 1 cup water, divided
• 1 cup baby spinach leaves, chopped (I used 2 1/2 cups)
• 2 tbsp organic raisins (I doubled this)
• 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt (I doubled this)
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper (I doubled this)
• 1 tsp garam masala (I doubled this)
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg (I doubled this)

Directions:

1. Melt the ghee in a large skillet placed over medium-high heat. Once the fat is nice and hot, add the chicken and cook until golden brown, about 6 to 8 minutes total.
2. Add 1/2 cup water and deglaze the pan, then stir in salt, pepper, garam masala and freshly ground nutmeg.
3. Add the apple and sauté for about one minute, or until the apple is slightly softened.
4. Throw in the spiralized sweet potato, add another 1/2 cup of water and cook, stirring delicately until the sweet potato is soft and water is almost completely evaporated.
5. Kill the heat, throw in the chopped spinach and raisins. Stir delicately until the ingredients are evenly distributed and spinach is sufficiently wilted.
6. Serve without delay.

​
Original recipe found here