I'm not a huge mayo fan so it took me a long time to actually start making mayo, but now that I do I typically have a batch in the fridge! This chicken salad is reason enough to make your own mayo.

The original mayo recipe comes from Paleo Comfort Foods - a cookbook and blog I love.

1 large egg, room temperature
juice from 1 lemon
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 cup light olive oil
1/2 cup garlic infused avocado oil (I find this at the international market in Itaewon) 

I use my Vitamix to make this, but you can also use a food processor.  When using the vitamix I just keep it on low.

Combine egg, lemon juice and mustard until frothy.
Drizzle the oil in SLOWLY.....I'm talking like a teaspoon at a time.
DO NOT RUSH.
That's it.
Seriously.
Put it in a plastic container and stick in the fridge. 
I keep it for about a week if it last that long.

You can mix up the flavor by adding different types of infused avocado oils, or just toss in different spices! 
Once you make your own mayo you will never go back.  ;)

Have I mentioned that I LOVE FALL?
It's true, I do.
I love all things that come with fall....cooler weather, snuggling with the one I love, beautiful colors, PUMPKIN and soup!

A few days ago I started craving a good steak soup, you know, a good hearty one.  Kind of like the one they sell at Texas Land and Cattle - the smoky sirloin steak soup or whatever it is called.  Not that I have had that soup in like FOREVER.  Anyway, it was on my mind so I decided to try to recreate it.  I'm not sure how close I am to the recipe, but I gave it a try and it turned out FABULOUS!  It got a thumbs up from every.single.person in our house - and that my friends is rare. 

3 lbs of stew meat (whatever you fancy...I used sirloin)
1.5 tsp liquid smoke
lots of fresh crushed pepper
1 onion - diced
6 cups of beef broth (I like to use homemade to make it clean/paleo)
1 - 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 small package of baby carrots

Toss stew meat (cut into bite size) & onion in a large dutch oven and brown the meat, while browning add liquid some and LOTS of crushed black pepper - just keep turning that mill!   Once meat is nice and brown add 6 cups of  beef broth & can of diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes.  Add carrots.  Turn heat down and simmer for 1.5 hours.

**I really think this would be a super easy crockpot meal as well....just toss all ingredients in a crockpot in the morning, cook on low 6-8 hours.  If you try it let me know...If not when I try it I will let you know! :o)

**I served baked potato and baked sweet potatoes on the side.  You can always throw potatoes in the soup...that's how they do it at Texas Land and Cattle.  :o)

Shut the front door.

Don't they look delicious?
I thought they were.
I was eating dough straight from the bowl.
At this point I knew they were going to be a hit.
I was also fairly certain NOT ONE SINGLE PERSON would guess the 'secret' ingredient.
AND
I was right.
No one guessed - well, no one except my friend Amber who is a pro at healthy eating and a pro at sneaking good for you stuff into food - and then it was only a guess.

Every last cookie was gone in NO TIME flat.

Here are the tally's from my house:
4 loved them and ask no questions.
2 thought they were just OK.
1 did not like them at all. 
(Yes, that does equal 7.  Yes, I do know how to count.  Grammy is visiting from the states!!)
Can you guess who didn't like them?  That's right, the one I made them for.  The one we are fearful is gluten intolerant.  She would have nothing to do with them.  In fact, she spit them out.  WHO DOES THAT?!?

Tally from Amber's house:
Totally WIN all the way around!
6 for 6 baby.

I got the original recipe here.  I modified it a bit to make it a little more sweet...
Next time I am going to double the recipe.

What you need:
Parchment paper
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained - that's right, I said CHICKPEAS!!
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 + 1 TBL maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350

Line 8x8 pan with parchment paper (Or you can use cooking spray, but I don't like that stuff.)

Toss all ingredients except chocolate chips in food process or (or vitamix) and blend those babies up!  It took me all of about 1 minute to complete this part from start to finish!

Once all your ingredients are mixed well fold in chocolate chips.

Bake for 25 minutes  - edges will be slightly brown and it will look undercooked.  Go with it anyway.

Cool on a wire rack for 15-20 minutes.

While they are cooling sprinkle a little sea salt on top for a little sweet/salty blend.  I totally forgot to do this part, but I imagine it adds a whole new beautiful element to the blondie.  If you forget, don't worry, they are delicious the way they are.

Cut with a plastic knife (these have the consistency of a fudgie type brownie)

Don't tell anyone the ingredients and serve for dessert.

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR.
These babies are good.
I'm going to go ahead and say it....
I think they are better than my peanut butter cookies with gluten in them.
True story.

You guys might ask why the gluten free kick all of a sudden Trish? -- Well briefly:

Girl has always had tummy issues.  She is in the medical books.  Youngest child with giardia.  She developed 'issues' at 6 months old - it wasn't until she was 9 months old that they discovered she had giardia.   She was so young in fact that they had to MAKE an antibiotic for her.  We have no idea how she contracted it - we lived in Kentucky at the time and had NOT been out of the country.  Long story short I believe her 'issues' are related to this.  Call it mother's intuition.  Call it frustration, I don't know. I'm just looking for answers.  We have seen doctor after doctor after doctor.  We have seen specialist.  She has gone to physical therapy.  She has been on & off  meds her whole life.  It wasn't until I did the Whole 30 that it clicked....  Could food have something to do with her issues?  We took her off dairy for an entire month - symptoms let up, but didn't disappear.  Then we took her off gluten.  Symptoms are diminishing even more.  BUT do you know how hard it is to put an 11 year old on a gluten & dairy free diet when that said 11 year old LOVES, LOVES, LOVES dairy and gluten?  It's pretty damn hard.  We see ANOTHER specialist next week - I'm demanding they do allergy/food testing on her.  I'm tired of the doc's giving her meds and nothing else.  I feel bad that this is normal for my daughter. 

With that being said I have been scouring the internet for yummy recipes  I can make for her....well for us all since the entire family is trying to be gluten free (at home) with her.  I was a little leery of this recipe, but once I made them....HOLY GOODNESS!  They are a total winner!  I got the original recipe here.  You should make them even if you are not gluten free.

1 cup of natural peanut butter
1 cup of sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350
Place all 4 ingredients in a mixer and mix on low.
Using a cookie scoop drop cookie dough onto cookie sheet.
Flatten with a fork in a criss-cross design.
Bake for 10-12 minutes.
Cool.

For an added bonus, slap some marshmallow fluff in the middles of 2 cookies.
Your kids will give you extra hugs after they run off all that sugar.  :o)

As you all know, we LOVE pancakes.  But really, who doesn't?  Moving away from pancakes has been one of the hardest things for our family.  But once we realized all that gluten was taking a toll on Girl's intestinal track I was more committed to finding ways around it.  It has been a long hard road and I'm still working on perfecting the gluten free pancake, but while I'm working on it this one is works well for our family!  I found the original recipe over at Paleo Spirit, one of my favorite new blogs.  :o)

My adapted version of this recipe.

4 eggs at room temperature
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
1/2 cup of water
2 tsp vanilla
2 TBL honey
1/2 cup + 2 TBL coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
coconut oil

Preheat griddle over medium high heat.  (The pictures are in a pan, but the griddle is so much faster & easier!)
Beat eggs in a mixer till frothy! (I've tried mixing  by hand and the outcome is NOT as good - trust me.)  Add vanilla, milk, water and honey.
In a small bowl combine dry ingredients and mix well.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well. 
Make sure you batter is that of 'normal' pancakes.
Too thin? Add coconut flour 1/2 TBL at a time. 
Too thick?  Add water 1 TBL at a time.

Grease pan with coconut oil pour batter in pan.  Cook approximately 3 minutes until they start to bubble like the pancakes in picture #2.  Carefully flip your pancakes.  I have learned that using a thin metal spatula works best.  Cook an additional 2-3 minutes on the other side.

Serve with fresh fruit, maple syrup or honey.

Variation:
Once pancakes are totally mixed and ready to cook - add 1 cup of fruit, nuts or chocolate chips to the batter.

What the WHAT, WHAT?!
That's an oxymoron if I have ever heard one!

BUT.....aren't they things of beauty?
I mean look at them....beautifully browned pancakes.
It really makes you think you are going to be munching down on some pretty tasty gluten.

But don't be fooled, this is NOT a pancake; just eggs & bananas in pancake clothing.
Before serving to my family I made sure to warn them:
"These are not pancakes.  The texture is different.  Don't expect to bite into a pancake, but just know they are good."
(My family knows if I don't approve of something it doesn't make it to the table - and with this new Paleo venture several things have not made the cut...)

I was nervous. I watched as they all took their first bite. 
Hubby wasn't thrilled, but continued eating.
BUT THE KIDS.....the kids GOBBLED them up and ask for more!
WHAT?!?
True story. 
GOBBLED.THEM.UP!
They didn't even use syrup.
Ate them straight.
Ahhh, that warms this mom's heart.

Super hard recipe:
8 eggs
4 bananas

Toss in a blender and blend till the bananas are total mush.

Fry in coconut oil -  just like normal pancakes.

Top with Almond butter.

You're welcome. :O)

I drooled a little while typing the title - seriously - I should take  a picture of my shirt to show you, but I'm not going to because that is just gross.  Now I'm having some for breakfast - sweet potato soup, not drool. 

I made this recipe because Boy 3 had his tonsils taken out last week and there was no way I was going to let him live on popsicles alone for 2 weeks like his ENT suggested - because if one is eating popsicles, all are eating popsicles and since I don't do those high fructose corn syrup sticks anymore and 'good' popsicles are hard to find and when you do find they are super expensive and one can only make so many popsicles at a time with the limited resources one has....well, you see I could go on and on.....

Just make the soup, it will TOTALLY be worth it with or without tonsils.
And it will take you less than 30 minutes start to finish.

What you will need:
2 TBL coconut oil
1 small onion - diced
2 celery stalks
2 cloves of garlic - chopped
4 medium size sweet potatoes - peeled and cut up  (I used 2 raw, and 2 that I had previously baked) 
5 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 can coconut milk
A big pot
A pink plastic spatula for mixing
A stove top
An immersion blender

Melt coconut oil in the 'big pot' and toss in onions, celery and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes.
Add the chicken stock, raw diced sweet potatoes,  cinnamon and nutmeg and bring to a boil.  Boil for about 15 minutes or until sweet potatoes are nice and mushy.  (This is where I added my already cooked sweet potatoes.)

Remove pot from heat and blend with an immersion blender until smooth (If you don't have an immersion blender you can use a blender).  Put soup back on the stovetop on low heat and add coconut milk and mix with pink spatula until nice and creamy.

Put soup back on the stovetop on low heat -  add coconut milk and mix with pink spatula until nice and creamy.

Yes, breakfast.

Thank you Jan over at Jan's Sushi Bar for this FANTASTIC recipe! 
This recipe is Whole 30 compliant and knocks it out of the ballpark! 

Thank you Dalia!!
You had me at:  "Would you like to come over for breakfast?"
Just looking at it made my mouth water.
After my first bite I about fell off my chair.

Dalia is one of the best cooks I have ever met.  She is AMAZING, but never gives herself much credit.  She is one of those cooks that just does it.  No measuring required, she just cooks (while bare foot, dancing & lauging!).  So this recipe isn't an exact science as I was taking notes while watching her as we laughed and talked, but I'll share with you what I do.  My ranchero sauce is not nearly as good as Dalia's.  

Ranchero Sauce - which by the way is Whole 30 approved - clean living baby! (However after the ranchero sauce all bets are off.)

4-5 cups of water
2 pablano peppers
4 medium size tomatoes
2-4 jalapenos depending on how spicy you like it
1 medium onion
1 bunch cilantro
salt & pepper to taste
Red pepper flakes to taste (only if not spicy enough for you!)

Cut peppers and onions into large pieces and then toss all ingredients (except the salt, pepper & red pepper flakes) in a pot - leaving tomatoes whole and boil the heck out of it.

Once everything is nice and mushy turn off heat and blend with an immersion blender till nice and smooth. 
Add salt and pepper to taste.  And BAM, there it is......Ranchero Sauce! 

Ranchero sauce saves in the fridge for at least a week - maybe longer I'm not sure as it never last longer than a week in my house.  Serve it over anything that needs a sauce.  :o)

To make Huveos Ranchero:
fried Corn tortillas
refried beans
fried egg
cheddar cheese
ranchero sauce
lettuce
tomato
avocado

Layer beans on fried tortilla, add fried egg, cheddar cheese & lots of ranchero sauce.  Server lettuce, tomato & avocado on the side.

Happy eating!  :o)

This tasty little treat is the perfect little salad to pop in your ice cold cooler and take to the pool! 
The longer it marinades the more flavorful it is!

I found this awesome little recipe over at The Paleo Mom. 
I'm diggin' her site.

2.5 pounds cooked shrimp
3 avocados cut up into bite size pieces
4 TBL fresh lime juice
3 TBL olive oil
1/2 a bunch of cilantro
fresh crushed black pepper

Put all ingredients in a gallon size ziplock bag & shake it up!

Green leaf or Romaine lettuce - (whole leaves)
Wrap shrimp salad in leaves...and munch away! 
You will be the envy of all at the pool.  :o)
(Especially if you have a bottle of Pinot Grigio to go along with it - sorry, that part is not paleo or Whole 30.)

It wasn't until Day 29 of the Whole 30 when I finally made a pancake worth eating.  And I happened upon them by mistake on Day 27 when I made them as 'tortillas' for a dish called 'Pork Avocado Cream Enchiladas' created by Julie over at PaleOMG. So, I take absolutely no credit for these, OK, well maybe for changing them from a tortilla to a pancake...BUT I didn't change the ingredients or create them, so take it for what it is -  a tortilla pancake Paleo sort of thing.  If you are looking for a 'TRUE' pancake recipe, don't make these.  If you are looking to heal your gut, lengthen your life, feel better all around (no, I'm not a doctor and I have no proof these will lengthen your life - don't sue me) then make these and eat them every.single.day.  :o)

Even my kids like these.

6 egg whites
3 TBL coconut flour
6 TBL coconut milk
1/4 tsp baking soda
Put everything in a bowl and mix away all the lumps! 
I used an immersion blender....

Toss a little coconut oil on your hot griddle and cook till bubbly, like this:

Make sure they are nice and bubbly before you turn them or you will get a clumpy mess.

Bam, a plate full of piping hot Paleo Pancakes, just like Momma used to make....or not.  :o)
Eat them just like this with some pure maple syrup, or if you are doing the Whole 30 check out the next picture...

OH yeah.....make a breakfast sandwich out of them!! 
Spinach
Lettuce
Tomato
Fried Eggs
Panchetta (or the sugarfree bacon if you can find it!)

I like them WAY better like this!

Proof that healthy eating doesn't have to be boring!