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I love pork loin because it’s relatively easy to make. The worst part is just cutting off the fat, and that weird white thing on it, but then you just add any yummy spices and bake, roast, slow cook or grill. I also think it’s great to make because it make for awesome leftovers, and as you know, I love my leftovers!
 
Anyway, this was the first time I had made this Morcaccan style loin and Scott and I loved it. To be honest, the kids didn’t like the “stuff on the sides”, which was just the apples and onions, and they eat then all the time, so I’m sure not sure why they didn’t love it? You may want to give you kids just the meat and not top it with the juice and stuff that went with it. Or, maybe yours will love it. Personally, I thought that was what made this so good!
 
 
 
Here’s what you need:
 
  • 1 small apple
  • 1 small onion, chopped (I used TJ’s prepacked onion with shallots & garlic)
  • 1 small container or about 1/4 cup of apple sauce
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 2-3 lbs pork loin
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil or butter
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground paprika
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tsp celtic sea salt
  • 1 tbsp ground pepper
 

Here’s what you need to do to get ready:
 
1. Clean pork loin and cut off fat and set aside.
2. Mix spices together in a small bowl.
3. Chop apple and onions and set aside.
4.  Preheat over to 400.
 

 
Next you need to:
 
1. Rub spices onto pork loin well.
2. Turn large pan on high and add butter or oil. Add pork and sear on each side for about 1-2 minutes.
3.Put pork in large glass dish
4. Add chicken broth to the sides of the loin (so as to not pour off spices)
5. Pour apple sauce to cover the loins
6. Add chopped apple and onion on top
7. Cover with foil and bake for approximately 25-35 minutes until no longer pink. Be sure to not over cook. And enjoy!

  • Leslie - Hey – cooking this tonight! It smells awesome!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Hi there! Hope it turned out well for y’all! Loved your post today on the blue shades for spring. Good to see you posting again!ReplyCancel

  • Megan Case - Making this for dinner tonight! Looks awesome and I bet the kids will love it!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - I hope y’all like it! It’s a good one. This one is our favorite and super easy. If y’all like the ingredients of the pork loin, I bet y’all would love this: https://stiritup.me/?p=16
      Thanks for your comment! Looking forward to meeting you in Oct!!ReplyCancel

I think what my husband misses the most from eating Paleo (most of the time anyway) is biscuits.  So, on the weekends or every once in awhile, I will make these high protein, low glycemic biscuits, (inspired by Elanaspantry.com) for him and the kids.  He says “dip them in a little honey and they are perfect”.  My son loves them too, but lately I have been adding some dark chocolate chips since everyone seems to love them even a little bit more. What is nice about these is that they are a good portable breakfast, which is not always an easy thing to find in our non-processed eating world.

Anyway, here’s what you need to make these:

  • 1 1/4 cups blanched almond flour or almond meal (Trader Joe’s)
  • 1/4 teaspoon celtic sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
  • 2 tbsp kerrygold butter
  • 1 eggs
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • a handful of 70% cacao (Whole Foods brand) dark chocolate chips
Here’s what you need to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, salt and baking soda.

3. In a large bowl, blend together butter (melted in microwave for a few seconds), eggs and honey.

4. Stir all of the ingredients together.

5. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inches balls thick (and flatten out a little on top like biscuits) onto parchment paper on a cookie sheet.

6. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes, until biscuits are browned on the bottom edges.

7. Serve with some gravy, jelly or honey, or just enjoy them plain!

Now. instead of putting them on a cookie sheet, I decided to put them in muffin tins, and since we only had 1 six-muffin-hole-tin at the time, I tried to stuff them all in. So, that’s why mine looked a little big, and a little burned.  The problem was the outside was done, but the insides were not, so I don’t recommend using a muffin tin, or at least not filling it up to the top.  I’m sure they would actually be fine if you filled the tins only half way. If you do use muffin tins, be sure to coat them well with oil. Anyway, I hope yours turn out prettier than mine!

Enjoy and happy weekend!!

  • Whitney - What a great treat to wake up this am to this post. The Lewallens loved them!ReplyCancel

Let me start this post with saying that I don’t generally recommend sweets except for an occasional treat. But, when I am baking, I want to be smart with my choice of sweeteners. I want the most natural, most beneficial, and with the lowest (or lower) glycemic options, which is why I use these…

I’ve had a few people ask about sweeteners and they can be very confusing for sure since they all affect us so differently, and there are so many of them. I’m not going to go over my thoughts on sugar (click here if you don’t already know how I feel about this non-food), but I did want to mention the ones we use.

Years ago when I first heard about agave nectar I thought it was a miracle sweetener, especially having hypoglycemic tendencies. Not having processed sugar in years, I was so excited to have an option that was low glycemic! Sounded too good to be true, and for me, it was. Agave is processed through our liver so our bodies digest it similarly to HFCS. The day after eating some, I felt like I was hit by a bus. I was exhausted, swollen, my mind was foggy, and I basically just had all of the old symptoms I use get with sugar, so of course I immediately knew it wasn’t for me. Now some people say (in moderation of course) that it doesn’t bother them which is great, but, others believe it is actually just as bad, if not worse, than HFCS. So, if you are consuming it or giving it to your family, I would suggest doing some more research.

When baking, I like to use either honey (mainly for the kids), raw coconut palm sugar, or stevia and here is why:

Honey is a natural and real food that actually has a small amount of minerals, amino acids, and vitamins. Honey can also improved blood lipids, lowered inflammatory markers, and has a reduced effect on blood glucose levels with lower glycemic levels, especially with darker honeys like Buckwheat or Wildflower. Buckwheat was also found to be the richest in phenolics and flavonoids. But, with all of this said, it is a sugar, so use it in moderation.

Raw coconut palm sugar (aka Coconut Crystals) is my personal favorite. It has very low on the glycemic levels and it’s a great sugar substitute for those watching glucose levels, or those monitoring lipid levels. It cooks well in place of sugars and it actually has potassium, magnesium, zinc and iron, vitamin C and some B vitamins. It has the consistency of a brown sugar and a great flavor. Now I haven’t ever had it say in coffee or tea, so I’m not sure it’s a good substitute for something like that, but for baking, it’s great!

Lastly, there’s stevia which is derived from the stevia plant.  The extract is a super-sweet, low-calorie sweetener that helps regulate blood sugar and actually supports the pancreas. It is great for anyone with diabetes and hypoglycemia since it has a super low glycemic index. The downside it is still processed, but since it’s 200-300 times sweeter than sugar, you don’t need much of it!

Oh, and Whole Foods has a wide selection of raw honeys, the brand of raw coconut palm sugar I like, and stevia although the stevia is cheaper through amazon. Anyway. I hope this helps some!

 

  • Amy French - I can’t wait to try coconut crystals next time I’m baking!ReplyCancel

  • Nicole - what about pure maple syrup?ReplyCancel

    • landriav - I actually like a good quality maple syrup. I just dont use it often for some reason. It’s great with our pancakes for sure. Thanks for asking!ReplyCancel

Who needs noodles when there’s spaghetti squash? I use to make this all the time back when I lived in San Francisco and honestly, forgot about how awesome, easy, versatile and satisfying this stuff is. And, it contains many nutrients, including folic acid, potassium, vitamin A, and beta carotene. On top of that, it is really low in calories, averaging 42 calories per cup, so dig in!

 
Here’s what you need:
     
    • 1 medium sized spaghetti squash
    • 1.5 lb chicken breasts (you could use a whole chicken which I will do next time; just double the ingredients or adjust accordingly)
    • 1 small box organic chicken broth (I used an individual 8 oz Pacific Natural pack from Whole Foods)
    • 1 pack chicken sausages (optional), cut thinly (I like Bilinski’s all natural with very few ingredients, also from WF’s)
    • 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
    • 1 can tomato sauce
    • 1 bundle of asparagus, chopped
    • 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
    • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
    • 2 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
    • 1 tsp onion powder
    • 1 tsp garlic powder
    • 1 1/2 tsp celtic sea salt
    • pepper, to taste

    Here’s how you make it:

      1. Put chicken breasts in crock pot with chicken broth and let it cook on low for 3 1/2 – 4 hours

      2. After 3 hours, cut up asparagus into small pieces (about 1-2 inches) and add to crock pot. If you’re not around, just cut, steam and add the asparagus at the end with the rest of the ingredients.

      3. Preheat over to 375. Stab your spaghetti squash a few times with a fork and put on cookie sheet. Cook for 40 minutes to 1 hour (until you can easily pierce it with a paring knife). The cut it with a knife, scoop out seeds, then use 2 forks to get the strand out. Click here for pictures if you are a visual learner. I promise, it’s so easy!

      4. After the chicken has cook approximately 4 hours (no more), take it out and shred, then put it back in crock pot.

      5. Then, add your spaghetti squash, tomato sauce, coconut milk and all of the spices to the crock pot with the chicken and let cook on warm for a bit longer (maybe 20-30 minutes) so the flavors can soak in.

      6, If you’re going to add sausage, now is the time to cut it into thin pieces and cook until brown, add to crock pot and enjoy!

      This might sound like a pain to make but honestly, its so easy. If you’re short on time, skip the asparagus and add spinach, and skip the sausage. And make plenty so you don’t have to cook for the next day or so!
       
       

  • Catherine - Hey Landria, this looks really good! Couple questions: Is the onion minced? And is the first ingredient fresh garlic, then the next garlic salt?ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Hey! Sorry, I wasn’t clear, at all. Details are not my specialty!! 🙂 For the onion, I just used onion powder and for the garlic, that was only suppose to be in there once and it is garlic powder. Thanks for asking! I hope y’all like it!!ReplyCancel

  • shannon - Hey Landria, I’m going to use a whole chicken, so do you think I still need the broth or could I just use what the chicken makes?ReplyCancel

    • landriav - I don’t think you need any broth. You need it with the breasts because they are so lean, therefore dry, but a whole chicken is totally fine without. I hope it turns out well for you guys! 🙂ReplyCancel

  • Wilson - Hey Landria- This was absolutely delicious. The whole family loved it. ( : This will definitely be making my weekly rotation! I doubled it so that we’d have some leftovers. Thanks so much for all of the yummy Paleo recipes….I’d be lost without them!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - I love hearing that Wilson!!! Thanks for posting!ReplyCancel

  • Lara - Tried this tonight too! So yummy! This is a keeper!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - That makes me so happy to hear! Hey, did you ever get your blood work back?ReplyCancel

  • Jennifer - I wanted to make this dish since looking at it months ago and finally managed it the other night. My boys actually asked for seconds which is a miracle considering getting them to eat well is a great task. Im so excited to try more of your recipes! Thank you.ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Aww, that is awesome the boys liked it so much! Feels good, doesn’t it? 🙂 Thanks for posting!!!ReplyCancel

  • Andrea - Just curious, how many serving does this make? And do you use a large can on tomato sauce?ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Hey Andrea! I think it served 4 easily, if I remember correctly. As for the sauce, I just used 1 15 oz. can of sauce. I hope y’all like it!!ReplyCancel

Alright, clearly I don’t make squash chips enough.  I know I posted on these when I very first started this blog but these are worth a repost because for one, they are our favorite appetizer.  So much so, when I asked Alice if she wanted to make squash chips, she squeeled.  She actually squeeled!  And in case you don’t know my girl, she is not a squeeler. They’re that good, at least we think so.  And second, I have had some people say they just can’t get them cripsy or right so I wanted to offer more detailed directions so hopefully we can get this right.

Oh and I think we all have different ideas of crunchy so I wanted to clarify that first. When I make them, and I cut them by hand, and they get somewhat crunchy but not potato chip crunchy.  But, Alice wanted to do these completely on her own for the first time, from cutting them to putting them in the stove and I have to say, they were better than mine have ever been.  It could be she had the magic touch, or my new $18 mandoline (which I’m so excited about!) that really helped to get a consistent thickness.   Regardless, hers really were potato chip crunchy.

Here’s what you need:

  • 2-3 medium sized yellow squash or zucchini
  • Spray oil (I use coconut)
  • Celtic sea salt
  • Garlic
  • Parmesan cheese
Okay, so here’s what you do:
1. Preheating your oven to 450 degrees.
2. Cut squash chips as close to the same thickness. This is the tricky part as you don’t want them so thin they almost disappear into the cookie sheet once you cook them or so thick that they never get crunchy (although I think they are good this way too)
3. Spray the cookie sheet with your oil.  Don’t use parchment paper or they won’t get crunchy.
4. Lay squash flat on the cookie sheet.
5. Spray squash with cooking oil.
6. Add garlic, salt, and cheese, if desired.
7. Cook for 10 minutes (or so) on one side and flip them when they are starting to turn brown. Check on them often because we all have different ovens and these are a little particular so I think this might be the tricky part.
8. If you want them super crunchy, then just let them cook another 5 or so minutes (when they are just starting to turn brown). Then, turn off the stove and let them sit in there for an hour or two.  Just make sure to peek on them periodically so they don’t burn.  If you don’t want them as crunchy or don’t have the time, cook them an additional 10-15 minutes and you’re good to go!
Do make sure to check on them often, at least until you get the hang of it. Sometimes (without the mandoline), I’ll have to pick out some thinner ones that are ready before the others so they don’t burn. Okay, good luck! I hope they turn out for you guys!

The only problem with these squash chips is you’ll use 2 or 3 squash, cover your cookie sheet with them, and once they are done, they are gone in about 3 minutes!

  • Travis Ward - I’m definitely going to try this! We’ve also tried making kale chips, which my girls like but they were a bit too bitter. Any suggestions?ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Hey Travis! Make sure you get rid of the stems as that can be the bitter part on the kale. OR try the kale recipe with bacon and stevia. It’s one of my favorites and not bitter at all. As for the roasted kale, plenty of salt and evoo helps a lot! I hope you guys like the squash chips!ReplyCancel

  • Lara - Tried these tonight. Fabulous!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Awesome Lara!!! Thanks for posting!ReplyCancel

  • Recipes » Stir It Up! - […] Squash Chips in detail […]ReplyCancel

  • RebeccaCR - Finally remembered to try them today…thanks for the recipe!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Yay! I hope they turned out!! It can take some practice to get them right but this way seems to be the best, for us and my stove.ReplyCancel