Perfect Granola

I've always loved granola, especially the kind that is perfectly crunchy, dense, and full of extra goodies like nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. It's perfect on top of full fat yogurt, mixed in with a fresh batch of homemade almond milk, or let's be real here, just by the handful!! This recipe was inspired by one that I found on The Kitchn, and I have adapted and made it time and time again over the years. It makes a great gift too! 

Ingredients:

• 4 cups old fashioned gluten free oats (I used One Degree Organics, Sprouted)

• 2 cups raw mixed nuts and seeds (cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, and sunflower seeds are some of my go-to’s)

• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

• 1 cup unsweetened mixed dried fruit (blueberries, cherries, golden raisins, currants, chopped apricots, and cranberries are some of my favs) 

• 1 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp cardamom

• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted (or ghee)

• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (or honey)

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla. Stir in the salt and spices. Add in the oats and stir thoroughly to combine. 

2. Spread the oats out in a single layer over 1-2 large baking sheets lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

3. Bake at 350 for around 45 minutes (or to preference), stirring every 10-15 minutes.

4. When everything is starting to toast and is a light golden brown, add in the nuts and seeds. (This is usually at around the 30 minute mark for me.) Stir to combine, then pop back in the oven for 10 more minutes.

5. Pull it all out and add the coconut, then roast for 5 final minutes. Keep in eye on it, because that coconut will toast quickly.

6. Remove the pan(s) from the oven and stir in the dried fruit. Be sure to let the granola cool completely before transferring to a storage container.

Now just try not to eat it all at once!!

Meal Prep 1/2/17

Whew. I do love the holidays, but I'm glad they're over for the year! After so many busy weekends lately, we kept the weekend low-key. My Mister and I went on a long walk along the coast, shared a charcuterie board and nice bottle of wine for NYE, and drove up to Carlsbad to FINALLY try out the new Pressed Freeze that just opened! I had today off from work too, and it was all about self care. I had a vitamin C IV (part of my current anti-viral protocol in support of reducing my autoimmune markers), a scheduled infrared sauna, a long walk outside, no to-do list, a castor oil pack, and plenty of lounging. Starting 2017 off right!!

Breakfast: Protein Shake // 1 scoop Build protein by PureWOD and 1 scoop Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides, mixed with Native Forest Simple Coconut Milk, Bulletproof Brain Octane, and ice. On cooler mornings sometimes I skip the ice and blend it up hot instead!

Lunch: Venison Pesto Hash // Remember that time I packed 12# of meat in my carry on bag? While most of it was elk meat, there was a little bit of venison in there too. I cooked that up this week with nothing but a little bit of salt (I love the flavor on its own!), then mixed it in with some spaghetti squash (which I cooked in my Instant Pot for 7 minutes on steam), a 6 oz bag of fresh baby spinach, chopped, and some pesto. I usually make my own pesto based on this recipe, but my Trader Joe's was out of basil this week! Fortunately, I'm able to find an AIP compliant pesto at my nearby Grocery Outlet, so I used that instead. These "hash" style meals are super simple and I make them almost weekly for workday lunches. 

Dinner: Squash Lime Soup // After Christmas last weekend I was lucky enough to end up with all of the bones from the turkey, which I happily turned into 6 quarts of rich and delicious bone broth! Naturally I put a soup on the menu this week to take advantage. I've made this Squash Lime Soup before, but this time I added in a 6 oz bag of baby spinach and three scoops of Ancient Nutrition Bone Broth Pure Protein for an all in one meal.

Optional Snack: Artisana Coconut Butter Travel Packs

I hope that you had a relaxing weekend as well, and a Happy New Year!!

-Tracey

Meal Prep 12/26/16

This weekend was full of family, fun, and feasting. I did some Christmas cooking (these brussels sprouts, slightly modified // roasted carrots and parsnips with this brown butter vinaigrette // and a re-imagined version of this spice cake by The Paleo Mom) to add to the traditional turkey, ham, salads, etc. But while all of that food and festivity was delicious, I'm always happy to get back to the simplicity of my weekly meal prep! 

Breakfast: Protein Shake // 1 scoop Build protein by PureWOD and 1 scoop Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides, mixed with Native Forest Simple Coconut Milk, Bulletproof Brain Octane, and ice. I've been enjoying starting my days with these high fat protein shakes for months now because they keep me full for hours and don't give me any digestive symptoms! Plus, the prep is super easy. I also made a fresh batch of my homemade coconut milk yogurt this week. 

Lunch: Bison Stir Fry // You can find a recipe for a classic stir fry in my cookbook, Weeknight Paleo, but to be honest, most of the time I just wing it! This week I started by browning some ground bison from US Wellness Meats in a large pot. After it was cooked through I added in one head of chopped green cabbage (about 1.5#), 2 cups of chopped green onions, 2-3 tbsp chopped fresh ginger, 8 or so cloves of minced garlic, and let it cook, covered, until the cabbage was soft, about 15 minutes. Then I stirred in 2 cups of chopped cilantro and some Red Boat Fish Sauce (about 1 tbsp) and Coconut Aminos (about 3 tbsp) to taste! I'll serve this in some butter lettuce cups to add a little more veggie.

Dinner: Green Flatbread + Braunschweiger + Pineapple // You can find my classic Green Flatbread recipe here. This week I used arugula, cilantro, parsley, pumpkin seeds, ginger, sweet onion, and some Guiltless Superfoods Superseed Flour. I'll have this with some nutrient dense Braunschweiger from US Wellness Meats and some fresh pineapple (which didn't make it into the photo)! I've been eating a LCHF diet for many weeks now, and am experimenting to see how I feel best. I've been doing 1-2 carb ups per week, but this week I'm going to see how I feel with a little carb up each night with dinner instead! 

Optional Snack: Almond Butter Fudge // One part almond butter, one part coconut butter, plus cinnamon and salt to taste! I did about 1/2 cup almond butter/coconut butter, 1 heaping tsp cinnamon, and 1 heaping 1/4 tsp salt. I bring a couple of these with me each day and usually have one after lunch and one after dinner. 

That's all for me this week! What are you cooking up??

-Tracey

Meal Prep 12/19/16

Hello there! As you can tell, I like routine and simplicity, because many of my meal plans look very similar :) I know that I feel my best when I stick to the foods that work for me, and keeping things pretty straightforward certainly helps with that! I'm still following a lower carb high fat plan, but with less of an intermittent fasting time frame, per the recommendation of my naturopath. Here's the lineup:

Breakfast: Protein Shake // 1 scoop Build protein by PureWOD and 1 scoop Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides, mixed with Native Forest Simple Coconut Milk, Bulletproof Brain Octane, and ice. This week I have a couple with golden milk spices (see more here), one with matcha, and one with extra cocoa powder and peppermint! Worth noting: I've discovered that when I use my homemade yogurt in my shakes instead of the plain coconut milk, they taste like cheesecake, which is a total win in my book!!

Lunch: Beef Sausage with Greens and Roasted Veggies // The beef sausage links from US Wellness Meats are such a convenient start to an easy meal! This time I took the casings off, cut the links into pieces, and cooked them in my Le'Creuset. When they were done, I pulled them out but left the grease behind to cook the greens in. While all this was going on, I was roasting the yellow squash and daikon radish in the oven at 425 with a generous amount of ghee until golden! 

Dinner: Green Soup with Collagen Peptides and Avocado // I've had my eye on this soup by The First Mess for a while now. (Her presentation is stunning, so it's worth hopping over to her page just to see it!) I pretty much followed the recipe exactly, except I used homemade bone broth in place of the vegetable broth, doubled the greens, and started with pre-ground spices for convenience. I also added in some Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides for a little bit of extra protein, and will be topping each serving off with a small avocado! 

Optional Snack: Artisana Coconut Butter 

And that's a wrap! Have a great week!

Meal Prep 12/12/16

Last week's meals were all from my freezer stash, so it was nice to get back into the kitchen this week! Each time I make a meal and have an extra portion, I freeze it in a single portion serving. I pull these out when I'm short a meal here or there, or just to mix in variety. Last week I had enough in my freezer to not have to do any cooking at all, which was perfect after a weekend out of town! I also needed to clear out some space since we brought back several pounds of Colorado elk meat from my parent's house in Texas. It doesn't get much more grass fed than that! 

Breakfast: Protein Shake // 1 scoop Build protein by PureWOD and 1 scoop Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides, mixed with Native Forest Simple Coconut Milk, Bulletproof Brain Octane, and ice. Current favorite flavor: GOLDEN MILK! To the vanilla base, I add in 1 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, and a dash each of pepper and cloves. I've also been enjoying matcha shakes! And when I use the chocolate base, I add in an extra tbsp of cacao powder and a drop of peppermint essential oil. Seriously though, try the golden milk version. You'll love it!

Lunch: Pesto Pork Skillet // I started with the pork sausage from US Wellness Meats for even more flavor! I used two bags of organic baby spinach from Trader Joe's instead of the kale, and also added in 1.5# of chopped organic zucchini to increase the volume. This is one of my favorites! 

Dinner: Green Flatbread + Braunschweiger + Radishes/Cucumber // This combo is one of my "no-cook" go-to's. I buy the braunschweiger from US Wellness Meats (I also love their liverwurst), and find it to be a super convenient way to increase my intake of organ meats. You can find my original flatbread recipe here. For this batch, I used about 3 cups each of cilantro and parsley, 7 oz of wild arugula, 1/3 cup of sarifoods nutritional yeast, 1/3 cup hemp hearts, and 1/2 cup Go Raw sprouted pumpkin seeds. It's super nutrient dense, and I love the flavor! I like to add the fresh veggies to bulk up the volume a little bit. 

Optional Snack: Artisana Coconut Butter + Homemade Peppermint Chocolates // I could eat coconut butter by the jar, so these single serve packets are not only great for travel, but also for portion control! The homemade chocolates (not pictured) are simply equal parts cacao butter, coconut butter, and cacao powder, with stevia to taste. I added a drop of peppermint essential oil to this batch, because it's the season for all things peppermint! I usually have one after lunch and one after dinner, because I LOVE chocolate, and have some every day.

Another week prepped and ready to go! Excluding chopping time, this really only took me about an hour to prep my shake jars, set up my flatbread to dehydrate, portion the braunschweiger, and make the pesto pork!

Have a great week!