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A couple of years ago I posted a recipe for Chicken Tetrazzini, which was my very favorite meal growing up. The recipe I came up with wasn’t paleo, by any stretch, but it was a heck of a lot cleaner and healthier than the traditional recipes out there. My family loved it, too. Anyway, because it had dairy and grains (noodles), I never ate it. Today, I decided to figure out a way to make a Chicken Tet that was as Paleo as possible, since it is, after all, one my favorite meals!

I am excited to say, it turned out great!! EVERYONE in the family loved it! I was really surprised because they were used to the old kind. When I served the meal, I didn’t tell them it was “Chicken Tetrazzini” since I didn’t want them to have a mental comparison (marketing is everything you know!). But, Alice was quick to say that it tasted exactly like our old Chicken Tet. Yes, perfect! And, because I got everyone’s thumbs up, I was happy!

So, this is as close to Paleo as I could get without sacrificing any of the traditional flavors . I left out the Half-and-Half and noodles (I’m sure you can guess what I used instead of noodles.). And used my homemade mayonnaise  and Greek yogurt to give in a creamy texture. It turns out, even for people who are lactose intolerant, they can usually stomach Greek yogurt once in awhile because of all the good bacteria, which is comprised of live, active cultures that help digest the lactose. And there is less lactose in Greek yogurt than traditional yogurts. I like the Fage brand because it is only pure ingredients and tastes great.

The recipe also typically calls for Parmesan cheese. I did put some on top, but honestly, it really didn’t need any. For my serving, I just ended up just taking it off. I did use a raw cow’s milk cheese (from Trader Joe’s) which is also easier for our bodies to digest because all of the enzymes are not destroyed like they are in regular cheeses in the pasteurization process. I think it’s a better choice.

If you have any issues or intolerances with dairy, you should still use with caution. I’ll be the guinea pig though and as far as the greek yogurt consumption was concerned, I didn’t have any issues. But with that said, don’t go overboard. Just pay attention to your body and how you feel since we all react to foods differently.

But I’ll admit, I had a hard time not going overboard on this one. It has been YEARS people! I love my chicken tet!

Ingredients:

• 1 whole organic chicken (see recipe here) slow cooked or Whole Foods Rotisserie Chicken
• 1 spaghetti squash
• 1 cup homemade mayonnaise (recipe here) or Spectrum Olive Oil Mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp Ghee or Kerrygold butter
• 2 small 7 oz. containers (like pic above) Greek yogurt
• 1 package of celery, finely chopped
• 2 small or 1 large container of fresh mushrooms, chopped
• 1 medium onion (I used Trader Joe’s onion garlic shallot pack), chopped
• 1 tbsp celtic sea salt
• 1 tsp garlic (omit if using TJ onion garlic shallot pack)
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp white cooking wine

I started my slow cooker in the morning so the chicken would be ready to go, and all I had to do was the following…

Preheat your oven to 400F. Cut the spaghetti squash in half, scoop out all of the seeds, and lay each side face down on a cookie sheet. Cook for 20-22 minutes or until you can push on the back and it feels soft. Once it is done, reduce your heat to 350F.

While that is cooking, finely chop celery, mushroom and onions.  Add ghee or butter to pan and sautee onions and garlic until they start to turn brown. Then add mushrooms and celery and cook until soft. Then put them, butter and all, in a very large bowl.

Now, tear apart your chicken and put pieces in the bowl with the veggies. Next, while your spaghetti squash is either still cooking or hopefully cooling by now, make your mayo (or use Spectrum’s) and add that, both containers of the Greek yogurt, white wine, salt and pepper to the bowl and stir it all together.

Next, scoop out all of the spaghetti squash and add it to the bowl and stir so everything is well coated. Then, in a 9×12 Pyrex glass dish or whatever you have, add the mixture, top with parmesean cheese (if you would like) and cook on 350 for 20 minutes. Then, for the last 5, turn the oven to broil and let it get brown on top.

I know it sounds like a few more steps that I typically make it but really wasn’t that bad to do and for me, to have my old favorite dish back, it was so worth it!!! I hope you love it as much as I do!

Oh and I wanted to do a little belated birthday shout out to my son Tate who just turned 6 years old. Hopefully by next year we won’t be counting with our fingers. Sweet little guy…

So if you haven’t tried spaghetti squash by now, I’m basically just forcing it on you at this point. Okay, I’m not really, but is so good, easy to make and super satisfying! I love that it really soaks in any flavors. Anyway I knew this was going to be a busy week and wouldn’t have much time to cook so I wanted to make things as easy as possible for myself.

I didn’t however know we were going to have this crazy snow storm!! Yes, I heard about the possibility like everyone else, but after decades of hearing the local news talk about the possibility of “snow”, which we rarely actually get, I think The Boy Who Cried Wolf scenario came into play.  Anyway, I hope everyone is now home safe and sound!!

So, anyway, I cooked one squash on Sunday and made two simple meals from it. This meal was kind of random but it turned out really great and know we will make it again and again. Alice, Scott and I loved it. Tate, my 5 year old, said it was ““Comme ci, comme ca” (pronounced “kohm see, kohm sah”) which means “so so”. Hmm, okay.  Anyway here is the recipe in full. This will make a pretty large amount so plan on having leftovers (which is always a bonus!) or freezing some. Or, you can always half the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground chicken (Whole food behind the counter or Publix no hormone/no antibiotic Greenwise)
• 1 package sliced Applegate ham, cut into pieces
• 1/2 lb mild ground sausage
• 1 medium spaghetti squash, halved and seeds removed
• 1-2 large handful of kale (or spinach or broccoli)
• 1 small onion, chopped (I used TJ onion, shallot, garlic mixture)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 can coconut milk (I used TJ’s green can)
• 2 tsp marjoram
• 4 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp celtic sea salt
• 1 tsp ground sage
• 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (optional if you eat dairy)
• 2 tsp coconut oil

Preheat your oven to 400. Cut the spaghetti squash in half, scoop out all of the seeds, and lay each side face down on a cookie sheet. Cook for 20-22 minutes or until you can push on the back and it feels soft.

Next, heat large pan on medium high heat, saute your chopped onion (or your TJ’s onion shallot garlic mixture) with some coconut oil for a few minutes. Then add in the ground chicken and sausage and cook until done. Now, add the raw kale (or spinach) and ham to your chicken/sausage/onion mixture and cook for just a couple of minutes so the kale can wilt and the ham can brown a little.  Then add in all of the spices, chicken broth, coconut milk, and parmesan cheese (if you eat dairy, which I don’t but know it would be a good addition) and stir well.

By now your spaghetti squash should be done. Scoop out all of your “spaghetti” into the same large pan, mix everything together until everything is mixed together, and enjoy. It does make a lot but it also makes for great leftovers. It gets better each day and is good for 3-4 days.

I hope y’all did get to get out and enjoy the snow! It was a blast!! George was smiling just as much as my husband and son were…

Oh Tate!!!

And then there was hot cocoa…Stay safe and warm out there!

Monday morning I knew I wasn’t going to want to cook. I had cooked a lot over the weekend, and, well, I just didn’t think I could clean the kitchen one more time. Not today anyway… But I also knew we had to eat dinner at some point. So before we left the house I grabbed what meat we had in the fridge, which happened to be some super thick pork chops, and tossed it in the dutch oven, with some spices and tamari for some slow cooking. Anyway, it took me less than 5 minutes to get the sauce and meat ready, and I took all of the easier routes (see the “or”s in parenthesis next to the ingredients list and you’ll see what I mean.).

Anyway, since MLK Day was such a beautiful day here in Atlanta, we HAD to spend the whole day outside. But, I had no idea that we would be gone all day long. I was lucky I did my 5 minutes of “work” in the morning before we left.

The kids and I started off with a couple of games of tennis and then went on a great  hike down to the river with some friends.

A boy and his stick…Do you have any idea how cold his feet were on the hike back to the car?? Bad mom.

And the girl he was staring at. The boy has good taste…

And the other girl, he wasn’t staring at…

I grew up going to this place and climbing the rocks. Is so beautiful and there really is no better playground…

From the streets of Buckhead, this is our tough motley crew. Oh Tate, why did that front tooth ever have to come out way before it’s time? When do those front ones come in again? 7 or 8? Uggghhh…He’s such a bruiser.

When we got home, the kids and I were absolutely staaaarrrved!!! It was so nice walking in and having the house smell of a warm cooked meal, especially these Asian Pork Chops (but do a roast, read below under “directions”).

This is what I made…

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs pork roast or tenderloin (or chops if that is what you have)
• 1/4 cup Tamari GF soy sauce or coconut aminos
• 1 tbsp yellow mustard
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp diced fresh (or dried onions)
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh minced garlic (or garlic powder)
• 1 tsp fresh ginger (or ginger powder)
• little butter or oil for searing

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200. In a small bowl, mix ingredients above. Then sear both sides of your pork roast or chops with a little butter in the dutch oven, add the sauce, cover the lid to your dutch oven and go!

Now, I way overcooked this but that was because I cooked it like it was a whole tenderloin or roast versus chops (not on purpose) but it was still great. Alice ate it for breakfast this morning and then has some more for snack after school. Next time I would just use a whole roast. More leftovers is always a good thing too!

If you do cook a roast in your dutch oven then leave covered on 200 for approximately 6 hours. Or if using a slow cooker, cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.  If you do chops, cook them for about half the time, assuming they are each at least 1 1/2 inch think.

It looks dry, doesn’t it? Well it was a little. But that was because I cooked it for waaay too long. I think I cooked it twice as long as I should have but honestly we all completely devoured it and it was still great.

I did add some precooked rice and quinoa for the kiddos and my favorite spinach salad with avocado, pepitas roasted in grass fed butter, and slices of a Pink Lady Apple with some Tessamae’s Balsalmic dressing to complete this super quick and easy meal. We were actually all so hungry on the way home the kids said they wanted Willie’s for dinner but after dinner Alice actually said “that was soooo much better than Willie’s!!.” And I hardly did anything!! That was my kind of meal!

Hi all! I know it’s been quite awhile since I’ve posted any recipes but please be patient with me. I have been cooking…A LOT. I promise! And I have lots to share, but unfortunately it’s going to have to wait awhile, but please keep checking back!

So my friend Mary told me about a fun dish that I couldn’t wait to make (of course, because it had spaghetti squash in it!) . She said she got it from one of my favorite sites, PaleOMG. If you haven’t checked out Juli’s site, you need to do so immediately! Actually, no wait….don’t because then you won’t come back to my site. Hers is just so great!! Anyway, this recipe is fabulous because it is so versatile.

We made a few changes that were more specific to our taste, but hey, it’s pizza, well, kind of. You can add anything you like to it! There is a Whole Food’s mozzarella cheese on it for the kids along with a little raw cow’s milk Parmesan.  I just took the cheese off of mine and it was just as good!

Sweet, impatient little guy. While Tate, my husband and I really enjoyed it, my daughter said it wasn’t her favorite. That is her polite way of saying she didn’t like it at all. So there you go, majority wins on this one. You can’t win them all, all of the time, right? I think if I added more pepperoni and bacon, that might have helped. I know I would have eaten even more (assuming I actually had room left in my stomach)…

UPDATED: I made it tonight with a pound of ground chicken (Publix Greenwise since I don’t love WF’s Kosher)  also and added some extra dried basil, 1 large can (28oz) and 1 small can (15oz) of diced tomatoes instead of sauce, and salt and oregano. It turned out great and made LOTS, which is great for lunches for me for the week. And,I loved it even more this time!