Tag Archives: whole30

Homemade Meatballs

It has been a whirlwind of a few weeks. We have packed up seven years of our Brooklyn one-bedroom and moved to our beautiful cape on Long Island last week, and we are starting to settle in and unpack our boxes. Moving into our first home is nerve-wracking and exciting all at the same time. Of course, I could not wait to buy food for our fridge and freezer, and whip up dinners immediately. I had wanted to try making meatballs for some time and figured that it would be a very easy and hearty meal to break in the stove and oven on our first night cooking in the kitchen.

There are so many different ways people make meatballs, and I used to think that adding a medley of seasonings was the trick. In fact, I think the reason this recipe tastes so great is because of the simplicity of the ingredients. I kept it pretty traditional, but ensured that I used a generous amount of each flavor so that it was well balanced. I used grass-fed beef found at the store, and made a quick red sauce on the stove using tomato sauce and one can of crushed tomatoes (which simmered for a good 45 minutes to an hour; I added salt and pepper, basil leaves, and one packet of stevia for sweetener). I have a recipe of simmered Sunday red sauce that I’ll make in the fall, but for now, this one worked impressively well.

I started by taking the meat out of the fridge and letting it get to room temperature, Then, I aded the beef to a bowl, along with two eggs, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion salt, and oregano. Literally, THAT IS IT. I loosely formed the meatballs, eyeballing each size and pulled a little here and there to make sure I had an even 24 balls.

I preheated my oven to 325 degrees. After lining a baking sheet with aluminum foil, I sprayed it down with avocado oil and added the meatballs one by one, leaving some space between. The meatballs baked for 25 minutes, which is fine because they became a perfect brown and soft enough to put into the sauce as it simmered. I transferred the meatballs to the red sauce and let them finish cooking for a good 30 minutes more.

I served this with roasted cauliflower and broccoli and did not even miss the starchy pasta that usually accompanies meatballs. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did, and we’ll never forget our first dinner together in our new home — NOMaste!

Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs

Another night, another chicken dinner. Chicken can get so boring sometimes, and I forget how to get creative, because it’s either stewed chicken in a broth, cutlets, or something that I end up not liking. Standing in my kitchen last night, I glanced up and saw my crockpot staring at me, begging to be used. I’m also grateful to be off from work this week and was able to start the crockpot at noon rather than at 8am, but nevertheless, the crockpot came to the rescue!

I love using a slow cooker for many different purposes, and am sure I have yet to try a bunch of recipes, but the mere fact that I can throw in all the ingredients at once and it come out really delicious is a MAJOR win.

Chicken thighs are a great cut of chicken to use in the crockpot, whether they are on the bone or off the bone, because they are such a tender cut of meat they naturally release fat into the sauce which creates a glorious texture and flavor. This dish was simple in ingredients and it starts with seasoning, crushed tomatoes, and The New Primal classic marinade (found here!). The New Primal makes healthy alternatives to marinades and sauces, and is Whole30 approved – for my Whole30 compliant readers! Also, they make delicious jerky, so give them a try while you’re at it.

For the seasonings, I used sea salt, oregano, chipotle powder, garlic powder, basil leaves, and onion salt. I added one 28oz can of crushed tomatoes and 1/4 cup of the marinade, stirred together and topped with fresh thyme.

The crockpot I have has two settings: low cook or high cook. I chose low cook and set it for 6 hours and 30 minutes, when really, it cooked for about 7 hours. I stirred several times through, but did not open the lid until it was at least halfway done. I did add a touch of half and half to add extra flavor but that is totally optional. About an hour in, the chicken thighs started to fall apart so I stirred and used a wooden spoon to help break apart the pieces even further until they looked like clumps of string. I roasted sweet potato and vegetables to add to this amazing chicken and it was perfect! NOMaste 🙂

Power Banana Walnut Muffins

*UPDATE: I tried them again and added in 1/4 cup avocado oil, 1 tbsp maple syrup, and swapped cane sugar for coconut sugar and they came out insanely moist and delicious!!

*Am I the only one who has one option when it comes to using old, over ripe bananas? I always think about making banana bread, but for some reason it never comes out right (I have said I am not the best baker…). I decided to bake, with no recipe, and bake from the heart. Let me say, I saw the broadway show, Waitress, and was inspired by the songs to bake today, as well as I had time to kill and figured why not? If they’re awful, I can always try again! Thankfully, these not only came out good, but were VERY tasty and so easy! My husband even loved them! *WIN*

I know the basics of a baking recipe include sugar, flour, and depends on the fat added, if any. I decided to skip the butter or oil and go with sugar, flour, eggs, ripe banana, walnuts, baking soda (which helps the muffins rise), vanilla extract, collagen power, and a pinch of kosher salt. The reason I am calling these POWER muffins is because they’re made with healthy alternatives such as organic cane sugar (Not very alternative but I wanted to get rid of the sugar I had, don’t judge me) and cassava flour. I also included a scoop of collagen power. The benefits of collagen is profound: helps with joints and muscles, hair growth, skin, and nails. It also helps with aging. YUP.

I started by adding sugar, 2 cracked eggs, and vanilla extract to a medium sized bowl and whisked. Then, I peeled and diced the bananas and whisked them into the wet mixture. In a separate bowl, I added the dry ingredients: flour, collagen powder, salt, and baking soda. The trick to getting these muffins very airy but moist is to whisk the egg/banana mixture until the batter becomes foamy/bubbly. The bubbles will help expand the muffins and hold moisture, causing the natural layers of the muffin and “bounce” to them. Add the wet into the dry mixture and whisk to blend. Throw in a handful of chopped walnuts and scoop into a pre-greased muffin tin.

Bake at 425 degrees for 11 minutes. I was aiming for 12 minutes, but at around 11 minutes I started to smell them and saw they were golden brown. I cannot wait to hear how you liked these ones, they’re definitely going to be made (and tweaked with) again! NOMaste 🙂

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Power Banana Walnut Muffins

Course Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine American, Healthy, muffins
Keyword banana, collagen, healthy, muffins, paleo, walnut
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 12 muffins
Author nomastehungry

Ingredients

  • 3 Bananas very ripe
  • 2 large Eggs
  • 1/2 cup Cane sugar organic
  • 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup Cassava flour
  • 1 scoop Collagen powder
  • 1 tsp Baking soda
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Pre-grease a standard muffin tin. Set aside

  2. In a medium bowl, crack two eggs and add the 1/2 cup sugar.  Mix together with a hand mixer or a whisk.  Add in the ripe bananas and vanilla extract.  Whisk until mixture forms small air bubbles and looks a little “foamy.”

  3. In a large bowl, add the flour, baking soda, collagen powder, and salt.  Mix together.

  4. Pour the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk to combine all ingredients.  Add in chopped walnuts and whisk again.

  5. With a tablespoon, scoop and pour batter into each muffin cup, fill with batter halfway to allow room to rise.  Bake for 10 minutes or until you can smell the muffins.  Let cool for two minutes.

“Brussels and Broc”

Peanut butter and jelly. Spaghetti and meatballs. Chicken and waffles. Classic and delicious combinations. I love a classic grilled cheese and tomato soup, but as I am on my reset (week three hollaa!), no bread for moi. However, I am obsessed with vegetables. Like, seriously. I love all green veggies, not just for the nutritional content, but because they taste so damn good. Another classic combo to add to the list: brussel sprouts and broccoli, or as I call it, “brussels and broc.”

This recipe is short, quick, and painless. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Start with slicing brussel sprouts in half, or cutting the ends off. Chop broccoli florets and rinse both veggies. Place into a large bowl and toss with your favorite oil… I prefer avocado oil (has a high smoke point and taste great). Season with salt, cracked pepper, and in my case, dried rosemary.

Take a baking sheet and cover with aluminum foil. Spray oil onto the foil and pour the veggies onto the baking sheet. Bake for 17 minutes, then turn the oven off and let the veggies stand still for another three minutes. You’re welcome 🙂

Cauliflower “Fried” Rice

Bienvenidos semana tres de Reset. For those who are confused, I did not move to Spain. I am currently approaching week THREE of my reset and am super excited to see subtle changes to my body as well as my overall health. I am feeling more energized, my pants fit easier, and my face doesn’t look like I am carrying acorns in my cheeks. My reset isn’t about dropping weight as it more of just looking and feeling like my best self. I weighed myself, and was legit depressed for two days about the number, but honestly, it is JUST A NUMBER. I want to get back to health and healthy foods, something I have a major passion for. I wanted to try incorporating cauliflower into my meals and this was the best way, making a “rice”.

I bought store bought, so sorry for those who want to make it from scratch. I have done this and I’ll tell you, it’s a mess. Buying store-bought cauliflower rice is the easier way, and it’s hassle free! I accidentally ordered a Misfits Market box of 18, yes 18 POUNDS, of vegetables, so there is virtually no excuse not to use them. We got Anaheim peppers (which are milder than jalapeño peppers, but can depend based on origin), cabbage, onions, jalapeño peppers (8 of them… hello salsa!), string beans, avocado, and more. I’m grateful to have received (and been able to keep) the produce even if it were by accident. If anyone is willing to try, and be open for whatever is delivered, definitely check them out!

Cauliflower rice is not so different than traditional fried rice, except it holds more moisture. I started by chopping an onion, carrots, cabbage, one Anaheim pepper, and green beans. I heated a large sauté pan and added avocado oil (my favorite brand is Primal Kitchen). I tossed in the chopped onion, pepper, and carrots to simmer and sweat. I then added in the chopped cabbage, let it seam, then after five minutes, threw in the green beans. I cooked with a cover so everything can wilt and render down, mainly for the cabbage to bring out its moisture.

Afterwards, I pushed all the vegetables aside so I can add in the egg, there is no excluding this part, it is the best part of fried rice. I scrambled the egg and tossed it together with the veggies. My last step was to add the cauliflower rice, so with a helping of garlic powder and salt added, I poured in the bag of cauli-rice and stirred. This sat cooked for 8 minutes, so the cauliflower can begin to sweat (there’s a lot of sweating happening in this dish).

I seasoned with a generous helping of coconut aminos and sesame oil and continued to let it cook for another 5-7 minutes. Turn the heat off and let stand still, then ladled into large bowls for my lunch for the week. The taste of this dish is very umami and while it does not taste 100% like the real fried rice, it is a pretty darn delicious rendition! NOMaste 🙂

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Cauliflower “Fried” Rice

Course Dinner
Cuisine Healthy, Meal Prep, Vegetables
Keyword dinner, healthy, meal prep, veggies, whole30
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 8 cups
Author nomastehungry

Ingredients

  • 1 package Cauliflower Rice
  • 1/2 large onion chopped
  • 1 cup carrots chopped
  • 1 cup red cabbage chopped
  • 1 cup green beans chopped
  • 1 Anaheim pepper chopped and cleaned
  • 2 eggs lightly beaten
  • 2 tbsp avocado oil
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 3 tbsp coconut aminos
  • garlic powder to taste
  • sea salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Prep all vegetables by slicing and roughly chopping the onions, carrots, pepper, cabbage, and green beans.  Separate the cabbage and green beans from the onions, etc. Set aside

  2. Heat a large sauté pan, add in avocado oil, then stir in the onions, carrots, and pepper.  Stir and coat with oil for five minutes.

  3. Add in red cabbage. Cover and let sit for five minutes. Stir once or twice to prevent burning.

  4. Add in green beans.  Cover and let sit for five minutes. Stir to prevent burning.

  5. Push vegetables aside, and add in the egg.  Scramble egg and stir in with the vegetables.  Season with garlic powder and sea salt.  Cover and let sit for three minutes.

  6. Pour in cauliflower rice.  Stir to mix together. Cover and let cook for eight minutes, stirring occasionally.

  7. Add in coconut aminos and sesame oil. Stir together.  Let cook for another three to five minutes.  Serve immediately.

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