Paleo Rosemary Sweet Potatoes

Huge pot of Rosemary Sweet Potatoes

Alongside my two-scrambled-egg breakfast

Paleo Rosemary Sweet Potatoes 
Recipe adapted from my friend Chanel's

4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
2 tbsp dried rosemary
2 tbsp grass-fed butter, melted
1 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Combine all ingredients in a gallon-size bag and shake until well mixed. Coat baking sheet with 1 tsp olive oil - use hands to spread it on pan. Carefully pour mixture onto pan and roast, uncovered, for 1 hour until sweet potatoes are crispy. Stir every 20 minutes.

Review: Loved! Served a spoonful alongside two eggs for breakfast and it was wonderful. Will definitely be making this again. It makes a ton, too, so I won't be making it for a while! Could see myself making this once a week and serving alongside eggs or any protein/meat - great side!

Paleo Slowcooker Curry Beef Soup

Paleo Slowcooker Curry Beef Soup
Makes 6 Servings
Recipe found on Everyday Paleo

1 tbsp of Thai red curry paste
2 cans coconut milk (not light!)
1 cup chicken broth
2 pounds cubed stew meat
1 cup baby carrots
½ bag shredded cabbage
16 oz. sweet potatoes, sliced or diced
Optional: red pepper flakes to taste

Mix all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low 8 hours or until sweet potatoes and carrots are soft and stew meat falls apart.

Nutritional Information: 521 calories, 22 carbs, 33 fat grams and 29 protein grams.

Review: Thee difference between full vs. light coconut milk  is amazing - this was SO tasty and brothy - lots of good fat, and lots of protein, too, from the meat. And of course, the sweet potatoes helped beef it up, too. If you're worried about calories being too high, sub in 1 can of light coconut milk. I'm realizing with Paleo that calories just don't matter - it's low-carb, higher-fat and higher-protein which is so hard to get used to. However, recipes like this remind me why - it's so much more satisfying and filling to eat this way, and this is a great recipe that supports this Paleo-style eating!

Paleo Southwest Frittata

Southwest Frittata
Makes 6 Servings
Recipe adapted from Everyday Paleo

1 tbsp coconut oil
1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
1 small jalapeno, seeds removed and minced
2 tsp minced garlic
16 oz. sweet potato, peeled and grated
1 pound grass fed beef
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 cup salsa verde (I used Whole Foods Salsa Verde)
12 eggs
Sea Salt and hot sauce to taste
optional toppings: red, green, peach, mango, etc. salsa (for more calories - add avocado or guac)

Preheat oven to 350. In a large pan over medium heat, add coconut oil. Saute onions and jalapeno until onions are translucent. Add ground beef and cook just until it starts to brown. Add grated sweet potato and garlic. Cook until beef is browned and  sweet potato is soft. (consider adding 2 tbsp of water  Add chili powder, cumin, and salsa, stir and cook until heated through. Taste and season with a little sea salt and hot sauce if desired.  Transfer meat mixture to rectangular  baking dish and spread evenly. In a large mixing bowl, beat together 12 eggs with a bit of seal salt and hot sauce; pour over meat mixture. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake for an additional15 minutes or until the eggs are set in the middle.

Nutritional Information: 400 calories, 19 carbs, 24 fat grams and 27 protein grams.

Review: Yum! I loved the shredded sweet potatoes - first time having those! And I haven't had ground beef for breakfast either - but i'm a fan - this whole recipe was excellent and I loved that it made 6 servings and had a good bit of protein, too. This is a new favorite of mine - I also liked that you could top it with lots of different stuff to give it different flavors - so easy! I ate it plain the first day, then added green salsa the next. It also reheated very well!

Loaded Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

Loaded Scalloped Potatoes
Recipe adapted from Skinnytaste.com
Makes 4 Servings

22 oz. peeled, raw sweet potato, sliced
3 tsp olive oil
2 tsp paprika
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp cumin
Sea salt to taste
4 slices turkey bacon
1 tsp minced garlic, jarred
6 oz. raw sirloin, diced into tiny pieces
2 oz. Cabot 75% reduced fat cheddar cheese
4 tbsp green onion
1 tbsp diced pickled jalapeno, jarred
2 tsp jalapeno juice (from jar)
4 tbsp reduced fat ranch, divided

Preheat oven to 400. Line two baking sheets with foil for easy clean-up. Lightly coat with cooking spray. Add all potatoes, olive oil, and spices (down to sea salt) to a gallon size bag. Toss to coat. Place potatoes in a single layer on baking sheets. Bake uncovered for 12 minutes; flip each potato over, then bake for another 12 minutes or until tender crisp. While potatoes bake, heat a large pan over medium heat. Spray with nonstick spray and add bacon. Cook about 2 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate and add garlic to pan. Stir for 30 seconds, then add steak and cook for 3 – 5 minutes until no longer pink. Add to plate with bacon. Dice now-cooled-off bacon into bite-size pieces. Remove potatoes from oven; place them into two piles in one large ovensafe dish. Top each of the two piles with 1 oz. cheddar cheese, ½ tbsp. jalapenos, 2 tbsp green onions, 2 strips diced bacon and 3 oz. steak. Spoon jalapeno juice carefully over the top of each pile and return to oven for 2 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Serve each serving with 1 tbsp ranch.

Nutritional Information: 339 calories, 39 carbs, 12 fat grams and 18 protein grams.

Review: Tasted great! Loved the idea and it had a lot of flavor from the potatoes, jalapenos and spices. I will say that because I used the food processor to slice, it made it to where you almost had to eat it with a fork (even though the original intention was "fries" that would be eaten with your hands). Oh well - we made it work and loved the loaded scalloped potatoes (even if the original name was texas cheese fries. hehe).

Sausage, Potato & Edamame Breakfast Scramble

Sausage, Potato & Edamame Breakfast Scramble
Recipe adapted from Slim Shopping
Makes 4 Servings

1 tbsp coconut oil
12 oz. sweet potatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup finely diced onion
5 links Chicken sausage, cooked
½ cup edamame, beans removed
4 eggs, cracked and whisked together
Siracha, salt and pepper (to taste)

In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp coconut oil. Add onions and sweet potatoes, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add bell pepper and 2 tablespoons of water and cover for about 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are softened. Add the edamame and sausage. Cook for another 5 minutes, covered. Remove from the pan, wipe it clean and cook the egg mixture. Serve on the side of the hash.

Nutritional Information: 328 calories, 23 carbs, 17 fat grams and 23 protein grams.

Review: Very good! Different, not what I would think of when I think for breakfast. You could easily sub in a lima bean or a butter bean, but the soy beans were great with the sweet potatoes. The sausage was great too, and went well with the sweet potato and beans. Definitely an easy one and it reheated well at work the next day!

Eggs & Sweet Potato Hash

Eggs & Sweet Potato Hash
Recipe inspired by Paleo Plan
Makes 4 Servings

2 tbsp coconut oil
12 oz. sweet potato, diced into 1/2" cubes
1 cup yellow onion, diced
2 links Jenie-O Sweet Italian turkey sausages, sliced
1 cup green bell pepper, diced
4 eggs
Dash of pepper
Optional side: mushrooms

In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp coconut oil. Add onions and sweet potatoes, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the sausages and continue to cook until sausages are browned and sweet potatoes are slightly softened. Add bell peppers and 1 tbsp of water. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are completely soft; stir frequently to ensure it doesn't stick. Meanwhile, cook eggs in remaining coconut oil. Season eggs with black pepper and serve on the side of sweet potato hash.

Nutritional information (per serving): 301 calories, 23 carbs, 17 fat grams and 15 protein grams.

Review: Amazing! Seriously - my first time using coconut oil and I will absolutely be using it again. It goes so well with sweet potatoes, and gave the hash an amazing, almost sweet, flavor. This reheated well, too - I just heated it for 1 minute on medium heat, then 30 seconds on high heat. I also had a steamed mushroom on the side, just for fun. :) Austins's mom gave me a steamer a while back, and i've been using it left and right for potatoes, veggies and more - good stuff.