I’m down to the last week of my Paleo challenge and I have to say… I am looking forward to enjoying some treats!   I will do a post detailing my experience soon.  In the meantime, here’s what’s eating in our house this week.  All dinners are paleo/primal compatible.

Sunday — Shrimp & Asparagus stir fry
To make this dish paleo, I’m going to sub coconut aminos for soy sauce, arrowroot for cornstarch, and EVOO/Coconut Oil for veg oil.  Also, I will serve over zucchini noodles

Monday – Braised Short Ribs with sauteed mushrooms and salad
To keep the ribs paleo, I’m going to sub arrowroot powder for the flour.

Tuesday– Jalapeno Dijon Chicken Thighs + green beans + asparagus

Wednesday – Spaghetti Sauce over Spaghetti Squash + salad

Thursday – Grilled Spiced Chicken + Peas & Corn (not paleo, but kids love’m)

Friday — Steak Salad or maybe just leftovers

Other foods that looked good and may make it into the meal plan next week:

Grilled Balsamic-Garlic Crusted Pork Tenderloin, Orange Chicken, Asian Beef Kabobs, Moroccan Meatballs with Citrus Glazed Carrots

Visit OrgJunkie.com for more menu planing inspiration.

Menu Plan Monday February 27th (Paleo eats) is a post from: The Meanest Momma

This week’s menu plan was put together by Mike while I took a Sunday afternoon nap.  I have to say, it was nice for someone else to just pick old favorites — when I plan the menu I spend way too long surfing the web, considering possibilities.   All meals are paleo/primal.

Monday – Autumn Stew — paleo-ified with turnips and parsnips instead of potatoes

Tuesday– Chipotle  Lime Salmon with asparagus and cauli rice

Wednesday– grilled spicy chicken breasts (no black bean corn salsa) with green beans (and any leftover cauli rice)

Thursday– Shrimp Tacos with guacamole

Friday– Burgers with onion soup mix and sweet potato fries

Visit OrgJunkie.com for more menu planing inspiration.

Menu Plan Monday February 20th is a post from: The Meanest Momma

It was my turn to bring brunch food to my mom’s group and I wanted to find a tasty Paleo-friendly dish to share with a decidedly non-Paleo crowd.  I started browsing Pinterest and got inspired to make a jicama salad with peppers and cabbage.   Credit goes to these two sources as my primary inspiration:

Guy Fieri’s Jicama Slaw and Julie’s Carrot, Jicama, Sweet Pepper Slaw

Jicama Pepper Carrot Slaw

Salad:

• 4 carrots, peeled and julienned
• 1 large jicama, peeled and cut into match sticks
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 head red cabbage, cored and  thinly sliced
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped

Dressing:

• 6 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 Tbsp coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
• juice from 1 lime
• 1 Tbsp Coconut Vinegar (or agave or honey)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:

Cut up all your veggies.  I used a julienne slicer for my carrots, but cut the other veggies by hand. I wanted the jicama to be match sticks so they would retain some crunch.   If you don’t know how to slice cabbage (I didn’t), there are plenty of handy how-to videos on the web.

In a separate bowl, combine dressing ingredients.   I used coconut vinegar to add some sweetness without adding sugar.   I didn’t want my dressing to have any chunks in it from the garlic or ginger, so I used my hand blender to blend everything together.

Because I was making this dish for a morning meeting, I did all my prep work the night before. I cut all my veggies, and I made my dressing, but I did not combine the two until the morning of.   When ready to serve, pour dressing over salad and toss to combine.

The next time I make this, I’m going to try adding either a chopped up jalapeno or some hot sauce to the dressing to give it a little more kick.

Feel free to play with the flavors to come up with a combination that works for you!

Jicama Pepper Carrot Slaw is a post from: The Meanest Momma

Lessons have been a bit of a struggle at times.  Wendy claims she does not like them AT ALL and doesn’t want to take them and HATES piano.   However, she will frequently sit down on her own time to play pieces she’s learned.  I think what she hates is the difficulty of sticking with something that is hard and working through it until she overcomes the challenge.   We persevere and she is improving, but I am still waiting for the day when she agrees with me that it is worth it.

Sam likes practicing piano and is thrilled when he works his way through a challenging piece and masters it.   However, his practices are often filled with power struggles that have more to do with accepting instruction and following someone else’s plan to improve when his way doesn’t work.

The recital was held in a private piano studio.   It was an adjustment to play on real pianos, vs the electric keyboard we have at home.   The studio was a nice mix of intimate and formal.  Here are the video clips of their performance pieces:

Their piano teacher, Mr. Phil is wonderful.  He does a great job with them and is very patient.

Despite the harrumphing about practice, both kids were proud of themselves and enjoyed the recital.

I am super proud of them as well and hope they will continue to practice and enjoy piano for many years to come!

First Piano Recital is a post from: The Meanest Momma

Coconut Curry Shrimp Stir-Fry with Cauli-Rice

The stir fry recipe came from Nourishing Origins:

http://nurishingorigins.wordpress.com/2011/11/30/coconut-curry-shrimp-bowl/

My only substitution was to use asparagus instead of green beans.

The Cauli Rice recipe came from Elana’s Pantry:

http://www.elanaspantry.com/cauliflower-rice/

Verdict:  Both dishes were good and I would make them again.  I really liked the cauliflower rice, the kids weren’t too sure about it but didn’t hate it outright.   Anything with shrimp and asparagus is always a winner in our house (with the grown-ups, anyway).

Coconut Curry Shrimp Stir-fry is a post from: The Meanest Momma

We managed to chase away the sickies just in time to enjoy a yummy, albeit low-key Valentine’s dinner.

I made a delicious shrimp stir-fry with peppers, asparagus, onions, and garlic.

Mike steamed some more asparagus and grilled up some delicious grass-fed flat iron steaks.

Dinner was divine!

A Very Paleo Valentine’s Dinner is a post from: The Meanest Momma

So, the stomach bug hit our house last weekend, and didn’t leave until Valentine’s Day.   It started with our middle child puking Thursday night/Fri morning, and then progressively moved through our other two children. It also hit Mike pretty hard for a few days, while I remained operational.  Just when I thought I was out of the woods, I got served Monday night.   Thankfully, this particular bug, tho nasty, doesn’t stick around too long.

While I don’t have any great strategies to avoid the stomach bug (obviously, we FAILED on that front), I do have some tips to make it easier to survive.

The first one will always catch you off guard, but after that, you can be employ the Girl Scout motto and Be Prepared.

Tips for Surviving the Stomach Flu

1.  Stop Feeding the Sick Child — Including Water!

This ought to be a no-brainer, but the the no water thing is really hard.   After someone  vomits, they feel gross and dehydrated.  Our kids would ask for water, but even a tiny bit would send them back to puking a short while later.   I suggest letting them rinse their mouth out, but then spit the water out.   Usually, after throwing up, the child would be weak/tired and go to sleep.  When they woke later, I would give them a tiny amount of water (like 1 tablespoon in a medicine dispenser cup) and if that stayed down for 30+ minutes, then I’d add a little more.

But the first 4 -12 hours, they aren’t going to be able to hold down very much.

1.A.  Re-introduce Bland Foods Slowly

When the child does feel better and feels like eating, go with the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast.   The stomach is still delicate and you don’t want to re-upset it.   My kids would ask for food and I offered them toast or plain Cheerios, but not right away.  Usually, in the beginning of the day after, they thought they wanted to eat, but then they’d dose off or be otherwise distracted and not be interested in eating what I made.  Go with it, they will want more when they are ready for it, until then, less is more.

2.  Layer Bedding so it’s easy to strip and wash.

Chances are, your child is going to puke in bed.  And then you are up at 2am, washing bed sheets, pajamas, and mattress pad.   But now that child has to lay down and try and sleep again, and odds are, the puking ain’t over yet.   What do you do?

What worked best for us was to use bath or beach towels as a protective layer over the bedding.  If you look in the photo above, we put a beach towel down over the sheets, then a bath towel over the pillow.   Then, we put the sick child in a washable sleeping bag, because that will contain the yuck and they are easy to throw in the wash.

Once I figured this out (by the second or third child), clean-up became much easier.

2.A.  Keep a Barf Bucket Handy

We’ve got a bowl in our house designated as the barf bucket.  It doesn’t get used (often) for cooking or food prep, but it gets pulled out in a hurry when someone says their stomach hurts.    Keep it on the bed, next to the child, and, depending on age/coherence, they might actually use it.

3. Clear the Splatter Zone

If you’ve got a sick kid and you are putting them back in bed, take a good hard look around and see what might be impacted if they sit up and puke again.   In our case, we have book bins under the bed, scattered toys on the floor and who knows what else.    Move everything AWAY from the yuck zone.

Ancillary note:  do not put the sick child in the top bunk!   (I won’t point any fingers, but hopefully that won’t happen again.)  Figure out a better solution, like moving the healthy child out of the bottom bunk to your own bed to clear room for the sicko.    Side note #2:  don’t put the sick child in your own bed — you WILL regret it!

4. Protect Yourself with Gloves

By child #3, I knew I didn’t want to get anywhere near the mess if I could help it.  When she puked, I threw some baby wipes at her and then ran downstairs for some disposable gloves.   I did not touch anything with my bare hands and washed everything in super hot water.   Any cleaning of any mess was done with gloves (and no touching of my own face!).

5. Wipe Down Surfaces

If I had been better at this, I might possibly have minimized the contagion.  Use Clorox Wipes (or similar cleaner, or green stuff if that’s how you roll) and wipe down all the common hand-touchable areas:  doorknobs, light switches, bathroom sinks and toilet handles.

I also removed the drinking cups from the bathroom as my kids tend to share indiscriminately.

Thankfully, although this bug is yucky to deal with, it runs it course quickly.  And for the most part, when the kids are actively puking, they lay low and sleep, thus aren’t too miserable to be around.

I am happy that we survived and are a healthy household again.  Hopefully these tips prove useful for someone else — though I hope you have no need of them!

This post is linked up to:

• Works for Me Wednesday, at We Are That Family
• The Mommy Club, at Crystal & Co

Coping Strategies for the Stomach Bug is a post from: The Meanest Momma

I have enjoyed making homemade chicken noodle soup for quite a while, but now that we’ve “gone paleo”, I’ve had to adapt my recipe a little bit.  After browsing various paleo blogs, I discovered you could make zucchini noodles using a nifty julienne peeler (hat tip to Nom Nom Paleo).

There several varieties available on Amazon, but I found this one at Bed Bath & Beyond (for $15):

Once I julienned some zucchini, I was ready to make my paleo-fied soup.

Chicken Zoodle Soup

Adapted from Emeril’s Simple Chicken Noodle Soup recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 (3 to 4-pound) whole chicken, cooked*
• 2 tablespoons butter (from grassfed cows, e.g. Kerrygold), or other healthy oil
• 4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 1 medium onion, diced (~1 cup)
• 2-3 medium carrots, sliced, ~1 cup
• 2-3 celery stalks, sliced, ~1 cup
• 3-4 cups chicken stock or broth
• 1 medium zucchini, julienned into noodles
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp 21 seasoning salute from Trader Joes (or your favorite spice blend)

Directions:

*Cooking a whole chicken: there are lots of ways to do this, pick whatever is easiest for you.   Emeril has instructions for boiling the chicken in chicken stock with carrots, onions, and celery for flavor.  It’s more work, but creates a delicious stock to use with your soup.  I usually just throw a chicken in the crockpot at the beginning of the day with whatever seasonings sounds good.   Once it’s cooked, I shred the chicken to use for the soup.  You can also cheat and just pick up a rotisserie chicken.

After you’ve shredded your chicken into bite-sized pieces, julienned your noodles and cut up your veggies, you are ready to put this yummy meal together.

First, saute the mushrooms in a little butter (or oil), until they are browned (~3 minutes), then add your other veggies (carrots, onions, celery, but NOT zucchini) and saute them for ~ 2 minutes.

Now add the chicken and chicken stock to the pot, along with the seasonings and bay leaf.  Let simmer for ~10 minutes or so, then taste and adjust seasonings accordingly.   Add the zucchini noodles about 5 minutes before serving, stirring to combine.

This recipe has a lot of prep work but is easy to make, and easy to modify to your own tastes.  I like the 21 seasoning salute from Trader Joes, but feel free to substitute fresh herbs or your favorite flavors.  You could also do this recipe in the crockpot — simply do you prep work the night before and then throw it all together in the morning before work.

It’s healthy, flavorful and delicious — just the thing on a cold winter day.

Chicken Zoodle Soup is a post from: The Meanest Momma

I’ve been trying to plan this menu all weekend, but had to adjust and modify due to the non-stop battle we’ve been doing with the stomach flu.   Here’s what I’ve come up with — everything is paleo/primal friendly.

Monday – Chicken Noodle-less Soup

Tuesday– Braised Cod in Smokey Lemongrass-Chili Broth

Wednesday– Slow Cooker bbq chicken — using this SOG sauce.

Thursday– Barbacoa

Friday– dinner with friends

Visit OrgJunkie.com for more menu planing inspiration.

Menu Plan Monday 2/13 is a post from: The Meanest Momma

I bought some plantains recently and decided to figure out how to cook them.   After perusing Pinterest and other corners of the web, I tried a couple of recipes.

The first recipe called for a green plantain, and I found the recipe on A Cozy Kitchen.

Tostones

Ingredients:

• 1 green plantain
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• sea salt to taste

Steps:

Peel the plantain — this site gives good step-by-step instructions.

Slice the plantain into thick slices, ~3/4″ thick.   Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Place slices in the hot oil and fry on each side for 2-3 minutes — when you notice the edges start to brown, it’s time to flip.

Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel.

Using something flat to smash the plantains — I followed Adrianna’s advice and used the bottom of a mason jar.

Then return the flattened plantains to the hot oil and fry for an additional 2ish minutes.

Remove from oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

Verdict:  the kids didn’t like them, but Mike & I did.  Definitely a savory taste — seems like a good chip substitute to eat with guacamole!

Brown Plantains

Inspiration from The Healthy Housewife, The Kitchn, and Everyday Paleo

I also had some other plantains that had gotten considerably darker.   The flecks of white say to me that you probably shouldn’t wait quite as long as I did.

Peel the plantains and slice these, much thinner.  I used a mandolin slicer to get even slices — however, I couldn’t get my gripper thing to hold the plantain, so I did it VERY CAREFULLY with my bare hand <— not the recommended method, but I did escape injury.

I fried these up just like the other ones, ~2 minutes per side.

This time, I watched more closely and when I noticed the edges starting to brown, I flipped — I thought my first go round got too dark.

Because I sliced these thinner, I did not smash them, I simply transferred to a paper towel when done.

The darker plantains have a much sweeter flavor and would make a good dessert.   I took some and sprinkled them with cinnamon.

The other half, I squeezed lime juice over and sprinkled with sea salt.

Verdict:   Mike pronounced them the new “crack” and I was too busy shoving them in my mouth to argue.  Yum!   Very easy to make and the flavor is deelish!

My kiddos still weren’t wowed but that just means more for their paleo/primal parents.

Fun with Plantains — Sweet and Savory is a post from: The Meanest Momma