Still here, still paleo

Well then, that was quite the break from blogging, wasn't it?  Originally, I had no intention of taking a break.  But then Brandon went on a work trip at the beginning of November for 10 days, during which the little dudes and I all got the sicky/achey/yuckies.  Jack stayed home from school for the entire week.  We ate McDonalds drive-thru for dinner three straight days because all I could muster the energy to do was strap the kids in the car and it was the only thing Sam would eat.  And if you ever been around a sick, tired, cranky, hungry kid, you would give him anything to make him not hungry.  Everything is worse when you're hungry.  Definitely not my proudest parenting moment, but reality none the less.

Anyway, once Brandon returned and we dug ourselves out of the pit that we were living in, the holidays were in full swing and something had to give.  So, off the blogging wagon I fell.  However, other than those dark McDonald days, we have no plans to ditch the paleo lifestyle.  We did chill out a bit during the holidays and allowed ourselves to enjoy (and enjoy we did!) treats and things that we don't normally indulge in.  And it was very enjoyable.  Not guilt ridden in the least.  I think that food is something to be enjoyed and savored.  Often times, we kill ourselves over restrictions and rules, but we fail to actually enjoy what we're eating.  There is so much to enjoy about the holidays -- family, friends, events, gatherings -- and food is often a big part of that.  And that's not a bad thing!

However, the one thing that eating like that does is to make me feel a little "off".  I definitely lacked energy and just didn't feel great.  To be honest, I felt like I used to feel all the time.  I never realized how "off" I used to feel until we went paleo.  I thought I just felt like any other mom of young kids feels, but I didn't realize how much my eating had to do with how I felt.

Alright, lots of thoughts floating around in my head and stuff to share, but that will have to wait until another night.  I've got some meal prep and laundry yet to do tonight before my love gets home from work.  I'll leave you with a rough recipe of the one thing I managed to make when the boys and I were sick all the way back in November...

This was as close to comfort food and I could get with my limited energy.  Cooked and chopped chicken, thrown in a pot with a head of chopped up broccoli, some chopped carrots, a head of shredded cauliflower, chicken stock, garlic, and salt. And then finished off with a bit of heavy cream at the end. It was delicious, comforting, easy, made lots of leftovers, and - most importantly - not from the drive-thru.

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

The other day, I was looking for something different to do with the over abundance of tomatoes in our CSA basket.  As I've mentioned before, we have been getting lots and lots of tomatoes each week.  So, here's what I did with them this past week...

I chopped up the bigger tomatoes, but left the small ones as is.  I also sliced up an onion and threw in several garlic cloves.  I drizzled the whole pan with some olive oil and sprinkled it with salt and pepper and popped it in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

Once it was all roasted, I tossed it all in our Vitamix along with a hefty dose of basil and pureed it until it was smooth.  And it was delicious.  It would go great with a batch of paleo crackers.  Perfect comfort food for a rainy day!

Paleo Zuppa Toscana

Last week we got a bunch of kale in our CSA bin.  My favorite way to eat kale is, by far, this recipe.  It's basically a copy cat of Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana, but without the potatoes and cream.  Although we didn't this time around, you could easily add some parsnips to this recipe to make it feel a little closer to the real thing.  You could also add some heavy cream or half and half if you don't mind a little dairy.  However, it definitely doesn't feel like it's lacking anything to begin with.  It's good and simple.  And very fall-ish.

Kale is a good source of calcium.  This is important to note if you have kids and don't eat dairy.  Cooked kale is a great way to get some calcium into those little bodies.  In this particular soup, the kale really takes on the flavors of the soup and doesn't have a heavy, mushy, bland taste.  And if you're pediatrician gives you a hard time about your little dude's calcium intake, rest assured that, if they are eating some greens and nut and seeds and a little fish, they are doing just fine.  Contrary to popular belief, there are other sources of calcium besides milk!

Paleo Zuppa Toscana

1 1/2 lbs Italian sausage (links or ground is fine)
5 slices bacon, diced
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch kale, torn into bit sized pieces
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup water, as needed

In large soup pot, cook bacon and sausage.  Add in onions and garlic and cook until soft.  Add in kale and stock.  If you want you soup to be a bit "soupier", add in the water.  We tend to like our soup a little on the thick, stew like side, so we skip that.

If you are going to add in parsnips, wait to add in kale until the soup is about finished.  It only needs a couple of minutes to cook and this will keep it from getting overcooked.

If you are going to add in any cream, add that in toward the end as well.

Green Chile Chicken Soup

This is one of our standby recipes. It's quick, easy and full of flavor. We pretty much always have the ingredients on hand, so we usually make it when time or energy is lacking. And it's pretty foolproof, so add more chicken, a different veggie, or more or less spice and you will still have a winner on your hands. Truth be told, I'm not really a measurer by nature, so I usually just eyeball it anyway.

Green Chile Chicken Soup (such a terribly creative name, huh?)

1 lb chicken, diced (or more if you are feeding more people)
1 Tbsp olive oil or oil/fat of your choice
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp cumin (or more)
1/2 Tbsp onion powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 onion, diced
1 12 oz jar of Salsa Verde
5-10 carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup chicken stock (or more if you like your soup a little "soupier")

This is our not-so-secret ingredient. The ingredients are fresh tomatillos, green chili, water, onions, fresh jalapenos, salt, and spices. Obviously, you could make your own tomatillo sauce, but this little jar of goodness saves you the trouble!


Instructions:

In large sauce pot, heat oil. Add chicken and spices and cook over medium high heat. When chicken is just about cooked through, add onion and saute until tender. Finally, add carrots, salsa verde and chicken stock and simmer for about 20 minutes or until carrots are tender. Top with salsa or avocado and enjoy!