Easy paleo-friendly meals

I'm still processing my feelings about my month-long quest to not procrastinate, so I thought I'd put up a post on my favorite no-think paleo-friendly meals. 

 

 Chicken thighs and salad

I love chicken thighs. They are so tender and juicy, and nearly impossible to burn in the oven. W00t! I know conventional wisdom says don't eat the skin, but paleo says have at it! Fat does not make you fat, and thank goodness. The meat on the chicken stays tender, while the skin gets crispy. For the salad buy your favorite mix of greens. I went with a kale mixture because kale is a powerhouse when it comes to nutrients, and added some carrots and bell peppers for sweetness.

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken thighs
• Salt, pepper, and dried garlic to taste
• Salad greens
• Any vegetables you like
• For dressing I usually get a good aged balsamic vinegar and some olive oil. This is a good Texas balsamic vinegar.

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350º

2. Liberally season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, and garlic

3. Place chicken in oven for 1 hour.

4. Go do whatever else you need to do. Clean house. Write novel. Watch kids. Whatever.

5. When timer goes off, turn off the oven and turn the broiler on high. Leave the chicken in there until the skin turns golden brown. Take it out of the oven when you're satisfied with the crispiness.

6. Put together salad.

7. Enjoy.

 Eggs and veggies on the go

Okay, I admit this is not as pretty as the last picture, but I did take this at 4am or some other ridiculously early hour in the morning. This is my go-to lunch for work when I don't have time to put something else together. I usually boil a dozen eggs at the beginning of the week, and use them as quick protein throughout my work week. This is simple, healthy, cheap, and good. Bonus, you won't regret eating this at the end of the day. If you need something to dip your veggies in, there's always some baba ganoush, pesto, or if you're not doing paleo, hummus. Enough said.

Spicy Italian sausage with brussel sprouts

I didn't grow up eating brussel sprouts, so I don't have a kid-like aversion to them. If you havne't tried them in a while, might I recommend you take another go at them. This recipe is so simple. I love the way the fat from the sausage gets on the brussel sprouts, helping them to caramelize in the oven. So good.

Ingredients

• 1 package spicy Italian sausage
• brussel sprouts (I'd say about ½ cup per sausage, they will shrink a little in the oven)
• olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste
     
  Directions.
  1. Preheat oven to 400º
  2. Cut bottom end of brussel sprouts off, and cut them in half.
  3. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Put a liberal amount of olive oil on and mix together.
  5. Place sausage on top of sprouts.
  6. Cook for 30-35 minutes, or until sprouts are sufficiently tender and crispy

Shrimp Filled Avocado Boats

Mmmmm. Delicious avocado boats.

I love these avocado boats! They are rich and creamy, and taste absolutely decadent. This recipe is great if you are craving sugar, because healthy fats can help reduce sugar cravings (look here and here).

I came up with the idea by modifying a recipe I had at a sushi bar. The sushi bar had an avocado boat with shrimp, crab, and wasabi mayonnaise. I was going to try to replicate it, when my mind switched to other things I had in my refrigerator, such as cilantro and chipotles in adobo sauce. Instead of replicating the recipe, I decided to make a more “Mexican” version. And the result? It was sooooo good. Anyway, try it and let me know what you think.

What you will need to make these shrimp avocado boats

Ingredients

Chipotle Mayonnaise

• 2 whole eggs
• the juice of 1 lemon
• 2 chipotles in adobo sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup pure coconut oil, melted

Filling

• 8 oz cooked shrimp, deveined, peeled, and chopped (I just buy a bag of frozen peeled shrimp, and put some in boiling water until the shrimp are pink, but not chewy)
• 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
• 3 radishes, diced
• ½ lime juice
• 2 Tablespoons of chipotle mayonnaise
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 large firm avocado

Ingredients needed for the filling.

Directions:

1. In a blender, blend together the eggs, lemon juice, chipotles, salt, and pepper until smooth.
2. With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the coconut oil.
3. Voila! Chipotle mayonnaise.
4. In a bowl blend together the chopped shrimp, cilantro, radishes, lime juice, chipotle mayonnaise, salt, and pepper.
5. Cut the avocado in half, removing the pit.
6. Cut off the rounded bottom of the avocado, so it will sit easily on the plate.
7. Fill the two avocados with the shrimp mixture.
8. Squeeze left over lime juice over the top, if you like.
9. Enjoy!