A simple one pan recipe that is full of flavor and absolutely delicious! I prepared the sweet potatoes and onions the night before, which made for a quick and easy time in the kitchen when it was time to cook. I love roasted sweet potatoes, so adding in apples and brussels to the mix turned out even more amazing. I accidentally added a tablespoon of cinnamon instead of a teaspoon, rookie mistake, but the chicken still turned out delicious. Just like the stuffed butternut squash meal this week, this meal is also fall tasting and very comforting. I will definitely be making this one again! ​

Sheet Pan Chicken with Sweet Potatoes Apples and Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat and lightly pounded to a relatively even thickness
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, divided
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 4 cups Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved (quarter if very large), about 1 pound
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 medium red onion, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1 medium Granny smith apple, peeled, cored and cut into rough 1-inch pieces (these pieces should be larger than the others)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Place the chicken breasts in a large, ziptop bag. Drizzle with 1 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, then add the garlic, 1 tablespoon rosemary, cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Zip the bag tightly, then shake and rub the bag to coat the chicken in the oil and spices. Set aside while you chop the vegetables and apples, or refrigerate for up to 1 day.
3. Once chopped, place the Brussels sprouts, sweet potato, onion, and apple on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, then sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Toss to evenly coat, then spread into an even layer.
4. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place on top of the apple and vegetables. Place in the oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 160-165 degrees, about 18 – 22 minutes or until done. Once the chicken is cooked through, remove to a plate to rest and cover with foil to keep warm. Toss the apple and vegetables on the pan, then return the pan to the oven and continue baking until they are caramelized and tender, about 10-15 additional minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary. Serve warm with the rested chicken.

​Original recipe found here

There are still some good looking Thanksgiving recipes floating around including this one! If you enjoy butternut squash then you will like this one for sure. However if you don't, then I don't suggest you try this one. Make sure to buy small squashes! I had way too much butternut squash in each of my meals that it was a bit overwhelming. Also, I didn't add parsnips to this recipe because I accidentally bought a turnip. Not the same thing. And it makes more sense to me now why the recipe calls for two large parsnips. Turnips are HUGE. Anyways, the recipe still turned out tasting great and I would definitely recommend making this if you are ever craving a good fall tasting meal.

Cranberry Chicken Stuffed Squash
Ingredients:

• 2 small butternut squash
• 1 tbsp coconut oil, plus more as needed
• 4 (boneless, skinless) chicken thighs
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 large parsnips
• 1 cup cranberries
• 1 tsp fine sea salt, or to taste
• ½ tsp black pepper
• Parsley leaves, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400º F. Slice the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Fill a large baking dish with an inch of water and place the squash face down in the water. Cook in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until soft wen pricked with a fork.
2. While the squash cooks, melt the coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken thighs for 5-10 minutes on each side until browned and full-cooked. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool.
3. Finely chop the onion and parsnips, or alternatively shred in a food processor. Cook in the same skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and burning, for 10-15 minutes until soft. Dice the garlic and add to the onions and parsnips. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes. Remove to a medium mixing bowl, and stir in the salt and pepper. Shred the cooked chicken into the parsnip mixture.
4. Add more coconut oil to the skillet if necessary, then cook the cranberries until soft. Stir into the chicken stuffing.
5. Remove the squash from the oven and carefully take them out of the water, taking care not to splash any of the boiling water. Turn the squash right side up and fill the center with a mound of the stuffing.
6. Top with parsley leaves if desired and serve warm.

Orginal recipe found here

My life would be complete if Chipotle had a sweet potato rice option. This meal turned out so delicious! I ended up changing the original recipe up a little bit to make this paleo, so if you like beans and corn check out the link below. Instead of those ingredients I added green peppers to the crock pot and topped with salsa and sliced avocado to complete this amazing paleo burrito bowl. I also used five sweet potatoes instead of three so I could get enough carbs in each meal (7.5oz of sweet potato in six meals). Since this ended up being a ton of sweet potato rice, I roasted it in the oven instead of adding it back to the crock pot like the recipe calls for. I have tried to fit this much sweet potato in the crock pot once before and my crock pot is just not big enough for all of that. Anyways, this burrito bowl turned out amazing! Try this one out and don’t forget to garnish with all your favorite toppings!
​
Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowls with Sweet Potato Rice
Ingredients:

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 2 green peppers, diced
• 1 cup chicken stock, divided, plus more if needed
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 large sweet potatoes (I used 5)
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro, to garnish
• 2 avocadoes, peeled, pitted and diced
• ¼ cup diced scallions
• Salsa

Directions:

1. Combine the chicken breasts, diced tomatoes, diced green peppers, half of the chicken stock, chili powder, salt, cumin, and oregano in the bowl of a slow cooker. Make sure the chicken is covered, and add additional stock if needed. Cover with the lid and cook on high for 2 hours.
2. Meanwhile, peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 1-2" pieces. Then, transfer the sweet potato to a food processor and pulse until rice-like, working in batches. Rice all of the sweet potato noodles and set aside.
3. Remove the lid and add the sweet potato rice and the remaining chicken broth. Replace the lid and continue cooking on high for another 2 hours. Cooking is done when the rice is tender.

​Original recipe found here

Alright I haven't done a repeat recipe in a while and I have been craving a good meatball and marinara meal, so I am bringing this recipe back. I posted this one back in February and have made plenty of other meatball recipes since, but this one is still my favorite one! I have also had a couple friends who made this and loved it too, so this one is seriously a must try! The ingredient list is super simple and the meal is done in no time. I chose to roast the zucchini noodles in the oven because I hate when day three come along and my zoodles are mushy, but that is just my preference. There is really no reason not to try this one out! 

Oven Baked Paleo Italian Meatballs with Marinara Sauce
Ingredients:

• 1lb ground pork
• 1lb ground beef
• 2 tbsps Italian Seasoning
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

Sauce:

• 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsps olive oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 tbsps parsely, finely chopped
• 1 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
2. Line a sheet pan with foil
3. Mix the meat, egg and seasonings together in a bowl, then form about two tablespoons of the meat mixture into even sized meatballs and place them on the lined sheet pan.
4. Bake in a 400f oven for 20 minutes, or until cooked through.

Marinara Sauce:

1. Add the olive oil to a pan and heat up on a medium heat, then add the chopped onion and saute for five minutes. Add the chopped garlic, canned tomatoes, bay leaf and pepper.
2. Cook on a low - medium heat for 20 - 30 minutes.
3. Serve over the cooked meatballs and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Original recipe found here 


Roasted Zucchini Noodles
Ingredients:

• 6 Zucchinis (Depending on how many meals you want to make. 6 Zucchinis gave me enough noodles for 6 meals.)
• Olive oil spray
• Sea salt (I actually use Garlic Sea Salt on everything I cook)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Spiralize your zucchini's into noodles
3. Spray baking pan with olive oil. Lay down noddles as flat as possible (please do not just dump a pile on the pan)
4. Add some sea salt
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Take out of the oven and move them around or flip them over. Bake for another 12-15 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. Again, just keep an eye on them!

Has anyone ever had Huli Huli chicken before!? I have never heard of the dish, but this paleo version was AMAZING. I accidentally forgot to add the tomato paste to the marinade/sauce, but still absolutely loved this and might not even add the tomato paste next time either. I also used chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken and it was still plenty flavorful. This is a chicken recipe you definitely need to save for your future meal preps! Plus, it was super easy to make, so there is no reason not to try this out. I paired the chicken with a sweet potato hash, which was just roasted diced sweet potato in bacon fat with some sea salt. When in doubt, roast in bacon fat; well that is what I seem to always do. Let me know if you try this one out!

Paleo Huli Huli Chicken
Ingredients:

• 1 14-ounce can of pineapple chunks, juice reserved
• ½ cup coconut aminos 
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp dijon mustard (I use Woodstock Organic Dijon Mustard, found at local grocery store)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 inch ginger
• 3 green onions, roughly chopped + more, for garnish
• 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 tbsp ghee or another cooking oil

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients, except the chicken and ghee, in the food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy.
2. Pat dry the chicken and place in a large resealable plastic bag. Pour the marinade in and seal. Massage the chicken to make sure it's coated and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.
3. Remove the chicken from the marinade and set the marinade aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
5. Heat ghee in a large oven-safe skillet over medium high heat.
6. Add the chicken, skin side down, letting it brown for 5 minutes. Flip and cook for 3 minutes.
7. Place the skillet in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
8. While the chicken is cooking, pour the marinade in a saucepan and let it boil on the stovetop over medium-high heat.
9. Stir the sauce frequently to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
10. Once the marinade is thickened, serve it alongside the finished chicken, or pour it over the chicken.
11. Garnish with chopped green onions before serving.

Original recipe found here

I haven't made a casserole in a while, so when I stumbled on this recipe I had to give it a try. I know this looks a little strange, but it turned out tasting amazing! I switched out the pound of sausage for two pounds of ground beef just so I could get more protein in the meal, but other than that I made the recipe as is. If you are a fan of a creamy, mushroom, and garlic sauce (like I am), then you will absolutely love this meal! Also, something about spaghetti squash is just really comforting. Anyways, if you make the recipe with sausage I guarantee it would turn out amazing as well. This was such a simple casserole recipe to throw together and only took about 45 minutes to make. There is no reason no to try out this one out!

Creamy Garlic Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Ingredients:

• 1 medium spaghetti squash
• 4 cups broccoli florets
• 1 lb sausage (I subbed for 2lbs ground beef)
• 2 cups mushrooms - diced
• 2 tbsp crushed garlic paste
• 16 oz coconut milk
• 1/4 cup arrowroot flour
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Slice the spaghetti squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place the two halves face-down on a baking sheet and place in the oven to bake for 30 minutes.
3. While the squash is cooking, get the sausage going. Heat a large pan over medium heat and add in the sausage. Break it into pieces with a spatula and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Reserve at least 1 tbsp of fat in the pan for the sauce you'll make later.
4. Remove squash from oven after 30 minutes and set aside to cool. Keep the oven on at 425 degrees.
5. While the squash is cooling, prepare the creamy garlic sauce. Heat the same pan you cooked the sausage in over medium heat. Once hot, add mushrooms and cook until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add in the arrowroot flour and crushed garlic and stir around to mix well with the mushrooms, about 1-2 minutes.
6. Next, add in coconut milk, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Be sure to mix well to dissolve all of the flour into the milk (you don't want any flour clumps). Use a whisk to mix if needed. The sauce will bubble and thicken, keep stirring to prevent burning. After 2 minutes turn heat down to low and simmer.
7. Now, put it all together. With a fork, scrape out the spaghetti squash "noodles" into a medium casserole dish. Add the cooked sausage, broccoli, and creamy garlic sauce. Mix everything together well.
8. Place back in the oven to bake for 15 more minutes. Remove and serve.

Original recipe found here

I ended up not having much time to meal prep this weekend, so I picked out two slow cooker recipes this week to make. I decided to try cooking this balsamic pot roast in the crockpot overnight, which I was nervous to do since I've never done that before, but it turned out perfect! This was seriously the most simple pot roast recipe in the world and turned out tasting absolutely delicious! Also, despite needing to be in the crockpot for 8 hours, it was a real easy meal prep recipe for such a busy weekend. I paired this with some roasted sweet potatoes baked in bacon grease to make the most delicious meal. I definitely recommend you trying this pot roast recipe or adding it into your meal prep routine. And don't forget to thicken the sauce and pour it back on the meat before serving because that really completes the meal!

Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast
Ingredients:

• 2 lbs boneless Chuck Roast
• 1 TBS olive oil

Rub:

• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Sauce:

• ½ cup high quality balsamic vinegar
• 2 TBS honey
• 1 TBS dijon mustard (I use Woodstock Organic Dijon Mustard, found at local grocery store)
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 TBS arrowroot powder

Directions:

1. Generously grease the bowl of your slow cooker. Set aside
2. Make the rub:
3. In a small bowl, mix together garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt and pepper. Set aside.
4. Make the sauce:
5. In a medium bowl whisk together balsamic vinegar, honey, mustard and beef broth. Set aside.
6. Putting it together:
7. Coat the roast in 1 TBS olive oil (I spread it around with my hands). Set in your slow cooker.
8. Evenly sprinkle the roast with the rub, pressing it into the meat so it sticks.
9. Pour sauce over roast and turn your slow cooker onto low.
10. Cook on low for 8-12 hours, occasionally spooning more sauce over the roast, until it is very easily shredded with a fork.
11. Shred and continue cooking on low for another 1 hour.
12. Just before you are ready to serve, remove the meat from the sauce and strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl (do NOT pour it down the drain)!
13. Transfer sauce to a saucepan and whisk in 1 TBS tapioca flour or arrowroot powder.
14. Cook on medium heat until sauce becomes thick.
15. Pour ¼ of the thickened sauce over the meat and save the rest for people to spoon on when you serve!
16. Eat and enjoy!

​Original recipe found here

Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:

• 4-6 Sweet Potatoes (Depending on how much you want to make. 5 medium sized sweet potatoes usually gets me 6-7 oz of roasted sweet potatoes for 6 meals. I think my idea of medium sized is bigger than most though.)
• 3-6 slices Bacon
• Sea salt (I actually use Garlic Sea Salt on everything I cook)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Skin and cut the sweet potatoes into whatever shape you want. I did 1 inch cubes for this recipe.
3. Place bacon slices on baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes (until crispy or to your liking)
4. Remove bacon from pan and set aside. Place sweet potato cubes on the greased backing pan, sprinkle some sea salt, and spread sweet potatoes around to cover in bacon grease. Make sure sweet potatoes are all laid down flat (or not on top of another).
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 the sweet potatoes are smaller 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 30-40 minutes.

My not so looking sesame chicken still turned out tasting delicious, I swear! Plus, I paired this with my all time favorite cauliflower rice dish, so I absolutely loved this meal. If you check out the original link below for the sesame chicken, it was supposed to turn out looking exactly like sesame chicken. Also, my friend who shared this recipe with me had hers turn out looking like true sesame chicken too, so I am not sure what went wrong with mine. The only ingredients I changed with this one was using chicken breasts instead of thighs and omitting the coconut sugar. Anyone know if that would be enough to make my sesame chicken not turn out brown? Anyways, I only left this in my crockpot for about two and a half hours since I used bite sized chicken breasts. This was a super easy and fast meal to put together! 

Paleo Slow Cooker Sesame Chicken
Ingredients:
Chicken

• 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1/2 cup arrowroot powder
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3-4 tablespoons coconut oil

Sauce

• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
• 3 tablespoons coconut sugar (I did not use)
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1.5 tablespoons arrowroot powder (left from dredging the chicken)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 2" piece of fresh ginger, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Cut the chicken into small bite size pieces. In a large bowl with a lid stir together the tapioca, salt, and white pepper. Toss in the chicken and shake to coat.
2. Heat about 3 tablespoons of coconut oil in a large skillet (I use my wok) over medium-high heat. Working in batches fry the chicken 2 minutes per side until golden and crisp (it will not be cooked through). *You may need to add more oil for the second batch.
3. In the slow cooker whisk together the sauce ingredients. Toss in the chicken, cover, set to low and cook 3-4 hours.

Original recipe found here

Best Cauliflower Rice Dish Ever
Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower, grated
• 1 package, shittake mushrooms
• 6 green onions
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
• 1tbs garlic
• 3 Tbsp coconut aminos (I use Bragg Liquid Aminos)
• 3 eggs
• Sesame oil
• Meat of choice (I used the jerk chicken)

Directions:

1. Grate the cauliflower using a food processor (or if you have time and the patience of a saint, a box grater).
2. Prep the veggies (slice the green onions and mushrooms thinly and mince the shallot/ginger).
3. Heat a large skillet/wok to high heat. Add a spoonful or two of sesame oil. Saute the mushrooms, shallot, ginger and garlic for ~3 min or until they begin to soften, stirring often.
4. Add meat to the wok, and cook, stirring frequently for 3–4 minutes, or until the meat is mostly cooked. (Since I paired this with the paleo jerk chicken, I did not add meat to the wok and just skipped to the next step).
5. Add the cauliflower, green onions and coconut aminos. Saute for ~5 min.
6. Push the veggies to the side of the skillet and create a well. Crack the eggs into the well and scramble (yes, kind of like you’d do with fried rice). Stir everything to combine.
7. Top with a meat of your choice.