Paleo Baked Chicken Ziti (Kid Friendly and Great for a Busy Night)

I gave lots of options to make this adjustable for the entire family.  In our house, I cook the chicken and divide it between one large dish and one small dish.  Our son suffers from uncontrolled acid reflux, so I pack his with veggies and omit the onions, garlic, peppers and sauce.  I add a little of the broth the chicken cooked in, basil and oregano for extra flavor and then melt cheese over his. I generally prepare this a day or two early and then just put it in the oven the night we are eating it.  For an even lazier approach grab a rotisserie chicken on the way home, remove the skin and shred the chicken.

 10 Chicken tenderloins or 4-5 boneless skinless chicken breast baked or slow cooked, remove when the chicken is just short of being cooked through

Tip- I prefer to cook chicken for casseroles in a slow cooker with about 1/2 carton organic reduced sodium vegetable or chicken broth, it is really tender and falls apart.

Chop or shred chicken and place in a large casserole dish lightly greased with FOC or sprayed with sunflower oil
Add a bag of frozen vegetables of choice or any vegetables you have on hand, zucchini, squash, broccoli, etc.
Optional- Large handfuls of cherry tomatoes
1  jar organic tomato sauce (because Organic sauces generally contain less sodium and sugar, you will need to add a few seasonings)
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder (more to taste)
1 Tbsp Oregano or Basil or combo of both (more to taste)
Optional- chopped green bell pepper, chopped onion or minced garlic

 Pre-heat oven to 375 and bake covered for about 25 minutes or until lightly bubbling, check to see if veggies are tender crisp, if not cook additional 10 minutes.  time will vary drastically depending on what veggies you use.  To decrease cooking time, you could steam veggies for a minute or two in the microwave before adding to the casserole.

Optional- Depending on if you follow Paleo or prepare healthy lower fat meals, add 2% mozzarella cheese over the top or vegan mozzarella cheese and return to oven until cheese in melted.   

Paleo Italian Tomato Chicken Soup

10-12 chicken tender loins or 4-5 chicken breast thawed and chopped
1 12 oz can organic no salt added tomato sauce
1 12 oz can organic no salt added diced tomatoes drained or 2 ripe tomatoes diced and drain excess liquid
1 Tbsp each, Basil, Oregano, Thyme
1 tsp  each black pepper, garlic powder, Rosemary and Marjoram
1 Tbsp fresh minced garlic
1 12-15 oz package of organic baby spinach washed and patted dry


All seasonings can be adjusted as needed

Spray a crockpot with oil of choice
Place thawed chicken in the crockpot, lightly season with pepper
Pour in sauce and tomatoes
Add all seasonings so it covers all of the sauce, you are not stirring it in yet
Cook on low for about 4 hours, stir well
Add spinach and stir well again
Cook for an additional hour or until the chicken is cooked through (my crockpot cooks faster than most, so you may need to cook for 5 hours before stirring and adding spinach).
Optional- when you add the spinach if you want more broth, add 1/2 to 1 cup organic reduced sodium vegetable or chicken broth (you may want to add a little more garlic powder, basil or oregano to boost the low sodium broths)
Optional, serve with vegan mozzarella cheese melted on top

Paleo Pulled BBQ Chicken (very low fat, lower sodium and full of protein)

8-10 Frozen chicken tenderloins or 5-6 boneless skinless chicken breast

This is great on a salad, by itself or for BBQ Chicken Pizza (if using for pizza, make extra sauce to use on the crust)

Place chicken in the crockpot, fill with water so chicken is covered
Cook on low for about 5-6 hours, check for doneness (time will very greatly depending on the size of the chicken pieces)
When it is done pour chicken into a colander, wipe out any fat from the crockpot
Shred chicken with two forks
Return chicken to the crockpot and pour BBQ Sauce over the chicken and stir well


Paleo BBQ Sauce
The spices can be adjusted as desired, depending on if you what a sweeter or spicier taste
This recipe is a milder version, so bring on the extra seasoning.  Adding extra seasoning, will also help offset the "tomato" flavor.

1 6 oz can organic tomato paste
 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup molasses
2 Tbsp raw honey
1 healping Tbsp coconut oil
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Starting here, any of these can be adjusted for your taste as you cook it-

1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp-1 tbsp. chili powder (again up to you)
a few dashes crushed red pepper
1/4 to 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp. liquid smoke (hickory works well) (or 3 Tbsp)
1/2 tsp black pepper or more as you cook it
Optional- Several dashes of hot sauce

Heat all ingredients in a sauce pan stirring frequently for about 15 minutes on medium low, adjust seasoning as needed

Optional- For a sweeter taste add any sweetener that you allow in your kitchen, a few pinches of raw sugar for example

Paleo Grilled One Pan Low Fat Fajitas

2 pounds flank steak cut into strips
1 tbsp Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy or Southwest Chipotle ( I use more but it is spicy)
A few dashes of pepper
cooking spray, coconut oil or grape seed oil
foil
1  red, yellow or orange bell pepper sliced into strips
1 green bell pepper cut into strips
1 onion sliced into rings or strips
1/2 bunch of broccoli florets
1 handful cherry tomatoes chopped
Optional- corn or black beans if cooking low fat but not Paleo
Salsa
Homemade Easy Guacamole- 2 mashed avocadoes, a few dashes of garlic powder, dash of pepper, 1 chopped jalapeno, 6-8 cherry tomatoes cut in half, juice of 1 lime.... Mix all ingredients well

• Mix all ingredients except salsa and guacamole in a zip lock bag and shake well, marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours to overnight
• Heat grill to high and lower to low
• Wrap 13 x 9 inch metal pan in foil outside and inside
• Grease the inside foil with spray, coconut oil or grape seed oil
• Pour contents from ziplock bag into pan and spread out evenly, and cover with additional foil
• cook on the grill for about 10 minutes, stir and cook an additional 10 minutes.  If the meat and veggies seem to be getting tender in the first 10 minutes, check at 5 minutes.  Cook until veggies are tender crisp and the meat is medium with slight pink or desired doneness.  Flank steak is lower in fat, so do not overcook or it will get tough.
• Serve meat and veggies with Guacamole and Salsa

Paleo Spicy Grilled Shrimp Kabobs with Grilled Zucchini, Squash and Tomatoes

1 bag frozen medium to large 40-60 count shrimp, peeled, deveined with tail on

6-8 skewers

4 Tbsp Organic unsalted butter

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Defrost shrimp, thread onto skewers and place in a 13 x 9 in dish

Melt butter in a small sauce pan and add seasonings, stir and turn off the heat

Brush all of the butter onto the shrimp

1 large zucchini

1 large yellow squash

10-12 cherry tomatoes

Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy seasoning

Chop the zucchini and squash thick so it does not fall through the grates, place in a large ziplock bag, add the tomatoes and seasoning

Toss well to coat

Put the dish and the bag into the fridge for at least an hour or longer

Heat grill to high, Spray the grill grates and lower heat to low

Start grilling veggies right on the grates first after a few minutes add the shrimp and cook the shrimp on each side until opaque, about 3 minutes per side

Paleo Crock Pot Beef Stew

2 pounds chopped chuck roast
1 onion
3 carrots chopped
3 celery stocks chopped
2 cups green beans
3 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 carton Pacific Organic Reduced Sodium Tomato Soup, (more is fine)
1 Tbsp Savory (more to taste or add optional seasoning)
1 tsp pepper or more to taste (more to taste)
You may need to add Organic Reduced Sodium Beef, Chicken or Vegetable Broth, it will depend on how thick or thin you want the stew. 

Optional- 1 cup spinach or 1 cup mushrooms
Optional- for a twist use broccoli, cauliflower or both

Prepare a crock pot with cooking spray or with a liner

Add all vegetables, soup and seasoning and cook on low for 3 hours, add meat and stir (after the meat has cooked for about an hour, stir and add a little broth if needed, stir again and cook for 2-3 hours or until meat is cooked through.  My crock pot cooks really fast even on low, so my cooking time was 5 hours

Optional Seasoning, Garlic Powder, Basil, Oregano or Parsley

Paleo Zucchini Lasagna

1 very large Zucchini or 2 or 3 medium Zucchini
2 pounds ground beef or turkey or 1 pound ground beef and 1 pound ground sausage or turkey sausage
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 onion chopped
2 cups sliced and washed mushrooms
1 15 oz can organic no salt added tomato sauce
1 15 oz can organic no salt added diced tomatoes drained well
1 6 oz organic tomato paste
1 large handful spinach rinsed and patted dry
Optional- 1 package Daiya shredded mozzarella cheese, it is dairy, soy and casein free

Here you will adjust to your personal taste, more or less of any seasoning will still taste yummy

1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp Oregano
1 Tbsp Basil
1 Tbsp Thyme
1 Tbsp Rosemary
1 Tbsp Marjoram

If you do not have a liking for any of these seasonings, just reduce the amount or omit and add more of the others. 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350

Grease a large skillet
Brown the meat with the bell pepper and onions, drain, and pour the meat back into the skillet
Add sauce, tomatoes, paste and seasonings, stir on medium heat
Taste and adjust all seasonings as needed
Turn the heat off

Slice the ends off of the zucchini, and then slice lengthwise into strips to resemble lasagna noodles
(keep them thin)

Spray generously a 13 x 9 inch glass dish
Layer half the meat, zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, zucchini, then the rest of the meat on top

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, with a fork check to see if the zucchini is tender and the sauce is bubbling, if so, spread the cheese over the top and bake until the cheese is melted.  About 10 more minutes but check at 5 so the cheese does not burn.  If the zucchini is not tender when you check it, bake for another 5-10 minutes before adding the cheese.

Let it sit for a couple minutes.  When you cut into it, it there will be a lot of liquid in the bottom of the dish from the zucchini and mushrooms.  They create a lot of liquid as they cook.  It will still stay together and will not mess up the recipe.  There is no way to avoid this.  My only tip is to drain diced tomatoes well, pat spinach and mushrooms dry after washing them and drain the browned meat, onions and peppers well.