Whole30/Paleo Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Yesterday I posted this picture of my lunch on Instagram and Facebook and quickly received requests for the recipe.  So I posted it to Facebook and made sure to note all the changes I made.  When I realized that my minor changes weren't so minor after all, I decided to post the recipe here.

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:
16 oz crabmeat
      (I bought the flaked kind in a package and minced it in the food processor.  Original recipe calls for canned crab)
24 oz baby bella mushrooms 
     (We buy 16oz of mushrooms and use the remaining crab mixture in omelets for breakfast the next couple of days)
1/2 C homemade mayo
3 Tbsp chives, finely chopped
1 tsp paprika
Freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method:
Combine crab meat, mayo, chives, and paprika.  Let rest for at least 15 minutes.
Clean mushrooms.  Remove stems and let dry.
Place mushrooms on baking sheets (if you're worried about them sticking, spray with EVOO or line with parchment paper)
Fill mushrooms with crab mixture
Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes (until top is slightly browned)
Let rest for 1-2 minutes.  Top with freshly squeeze lemon juice and serve.

To see the original recipe, more details, and *much better* pictures, click here!


Whole30 Mayonnaise

I have never been a fan of mayonnaise, but when we started Whole30 the first time, I realized that we needed something as a base for foods like chicken salad.  When I tried this recipe, I was shocked at how easy it as and even more shocked at how delicious it was.  I usually make a double or triple batch because it goes so quickly in our house!

Ingredients:
1 egg
     -The egg MUST be at room temperature so I usually leave it on the counter in a bowl of warm water for an hour.
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice (also need to be room temperature)
1/2 teaspoon mustard
3/4 cup LIGHT olive oil
salt and pepper


Method:
Combine egg, garlic, lemon juice and mustard in blender and blend until smooth.
Slowly pour in olive oil.  If you are doubling the recipe, I recommend pouring in 3/4 cup at a time, blending and then adding the second half.
Blend until it thickens.
Add salt and pepper to taste and combine.
Store in fridge.  
Mayonnaise will be good for one week past the expiration date on the egg carton. 

To see the original recipe and better pictures, click here!

Whole30 Meal Plan AND recipe

We're doing another Whole30! Our last attempt was derailed by a nasty stomach bug, but we are currently on Day 4 and going strong!  It helps, I think, that we're doing it with friends this time.  Per yesterday's post, we're doing this because we have found that we feel better when we eat better.   

Since it is the first time our friends have done Whole30, I made a meal plan to share with them.  I planned two weeks worth of meals which we will alternate (i.e. Weeks 1 and 3 of Whole30 we will eat the same meals).  Included are links to most the recipes I list!  You can access the meal plan here.

A few notes:

1. Please do your own research about Whole30 before starting.  My meal list might be a great resource for you, but it doesn't take the place of knowing what the "rules" are of Whole30.  Additionally, if a recipe calls for something like mustard, I'm assuming that you'll check the back of yours to make sure it is Whole30 approved.

2.  I have tried to do a different protein each day of the week so that you aren't eating chicken for every meal.

3.  On the last page of the meal list I've listed several alternate meals in case you didn't like one, couldn't find the right ingredients, or just needed a fresh idea.  I've also listed some ideas for snacks and add-ons to meals.

4.  I have listed things you can eat at a few chain restaurants, but (as always) you should check with your local restaurant before ordering it.

5.  You can access my Pinterest board of Whole30 foods if you need more inspiration!  Also, here is an old blog post where I listed some favorite meals from our first Whole30.   

Speaking of meal inspiration, last night we had one of our favorite Whole30 meals! We like it so much that we eat it often when we're not even doing Whole30!  I love that it is simple to prepare and I can easily run to the store to pick up salmon, a lemon, squash, and zucchini and have a delicious and healthy meal in a short amount of time.  :)

I have said it before and I will say it again: I am not a photographer, not a *food* photographer, and not good at writing recipes, but this meal is easy enough to prepare that you shouldn't need too many instructions.  If you do have questions, however, leave a comment and I'll try to get you a clear answer!

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Place fresh salmon on a large sheet of aluminum foil (skin side down).  Drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add lemon slices on top.  Fold aluminum around salmon.  Bake for 20-35 minutes (depending on how thick your piece is).  Salmon should be light pink and flaky when it comes out.  Open packet and remove lemons.

Wash squash and zucchini and remove the ends.  Cut into 1/2 inch slices, then cut each slice into four pieces.  Toss in bowl with olive oil, a very generous tablespoon of garlic (or more if you're like me!), salt, and pepper.  Place in baking pan and cook for 20 minutes (turning the pieces a few times during the cooking time).

I usually prepare the salmon first and stick it in the oven to start cooking.  Then I quickly prepare the squash and zucchini and put them in the oven as well.  20ish minutes later, both are done cooking at the same time and the meal is ready to eat!

Let me know what you think if you try this!  And if you have any favorite paleo/Whole30 meals, I'd love to hear about them!


P.S. The blog is likely to be a bit quiet this week as we're sick and I'm working on another project! :)

Our (very low-key) Superbowl Party!

Last night we had my favorite kind of party!  We wanted to watch the Superbowl at home and cheer on my husband's beloved Broncos (no further mention of the actual game from hereon out because you KNOW how that turned out - so disappointing!).  We invited our good friends over for the evening, which always works out well because our toddlers wear each other out and we can all sit around and talk.  The kiddos share each others food and drinks and toys and, for the most part, play nicely together.  It's a little bit chaotic in the best way possible - noisy and messy, but full of love and laughter.

Back to hosting:  I love finding the perfect recipes that I think our friends will enjoy.  I love an excuse to clean the house really thoroughly.  I love knowing that our friends don't really care if the house is clean or the recipes turn out just right.  I love creating an environment that will be relaxing to our guests.  I love having friends who are comfortable opening my fridge and grabbing a drink.  I love knowing that our friends don't really care if the house is clean or the recipes turn out just right.   I love the mess that results, too.  There's something nice about a house that has been lived in and filled with happy memories.  

Here are a few iPhone pictures I took throughout the night.  I'm including links to the recipes I used too!

Waiting for our guests to arrive, Hadden played his favorite game of shutting himself between the glass door and the front door.  I'm not sure why he loves this so, but he does!

We don't usually drink bottled water, but I needed these little bottles for a project so I was happy to have people over to help empty them!

These pictures don't do justice to the food so you might as well visit the links.  These bacon wrapped sausages were GONE.  I thought we would have leftovers, but nope.  The major downfall was that the brown sugar burned so the pan is going to be a headache to clean.

The caprese garlic bread was delicious - the fresh basil and tomatoes reminded me of summer!  We will definitely make this one again.  Not pictured are puppy chow and cream cheese sausage dip (I substituted a can of corn for one of the cans of Rotel).  The dip got high praise from our friends, so I'll probably make it the next time we have a party.

I took 12 different pictures of the toddlers playing and this was the BEST one I got!  Such busy little people!

It was a sad night in the Glorioso-Mays house, but we are still had such a good time with friends.  What did you do for the Superbowl?

The Whole30 Challenge -- TAKE TWO

Back in September, my husband and I completed Whole30, a 30 day challenge of eating real food and eliminating addictions to sugar, wheat, etc.  It was hard, but GREAT!  I had far fewer migraines, hardly any fibromyalgia pain, lots of energy, cut out my sugar addiction, and ended up losing 20 pounds in the process.

We've decided to do another Whole30 in January!  We totally splurged on Thanksgiving and I've been paying for it the past few days with very achy joints.  So now I'm back to collecting recipes that are FREE of sugar, dairy, gluten, corn and legumes.  Can you say "Hello, Pinterest"?

Although you can start Whole30 at any time, they have three "scheduled" starts throughout the year including January 1st.  But since my husband's birthday is in January, we'll be waiting until after his birthday to start meaning we'll finish mid-late February.

I'm already excited (and scared) to do another Whole30!  But one thing that is giving me extra motivation is that we have friends doing it with us this time!  We might not all start on the same date, but as of right now, we have four friends who are doing Whole30 in January!  My goal is to encourage 10 people to do Whole30.  It really did help me and I think it could do the same for you.  Do you want to join us??

our favorite summer recipes

At the end of April, I shared about our summer produce challenge where we decided to eat primarily vegetables for lunch.  We've done surprisingly well.  Obviously, when we were on our very long trip we didn't follow this plan...it's kinda hard to eat this way when you're either grabbing fast food on the road or eating at other people's houses.

Today I thought I'd share some of our favorite salads.  These are the foods that we haven't been able to get enough of this summer!

1)  Shauna Niequist's Watermelon Feta Salad


2)  Corn, Avocado, Tomato, Feta, Cucumber & Red Onion with a Cilantro Vinaigrette


3)  Spinach Strawberry Salad with Candied Pecans, Feta and Raspberry Poppyseed Dressing



If you can get your hands on Shauna Niequest's book Bread and Wine, I'd also recommend her play on mexican street corn (Elotes) - grilled corn, feta, lime, a touch of mayonnaise (i'm typing this from memory so i'm probably forgetting something).  It's really good!  Sometimes we use it as a main dish, but it's also good as a side to steak or grilled chicken.

One more "recipe" that comes from my sister.  We eat this almost every week.  Sometimes as a main dish.  Sometimes as a side.  Sometimes as a topping for mexican food.  Just mix corn, black beans, red onion, cilantro and lime juice.  Add a little salt and pepper and store in the fridge.  It lasts for a few days so we usually make a big amount and eat it several times.

Hope you find a new recipe and give it a try!

Watermelon Feta Salad (from Bread and Wine)

Last week I reviewed Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist and mentioned that I was going to try her Watermelon Feta Salad.  Well, we did and it was superb!  I made it for lunch one day as part of our summer produce challenge.

To be honest, when I was preparing it, I was nervous that it was going to live up to my expectations.  But it did!  I ate two bowls for lunch (which is really unheard of for me) and a couple hours later, I had a third bowl for a snack!!  Today I made it for lunch again and I'm already looking forward to the leftovers with dinner tonight!  :)

I've been telling people to try this recipe and they have responded with, "Well, send it to me!".  After a few Google searches, I realized that the recipe must not be online so I'm sharing it here.

Watermelon Feta Salad
From Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist

Ingredients:

8 cups watermelon, cubed
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
3 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
1/4 of a red onion, finely chopped
10 ounces arugula
2 limes
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
   salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cube 8 cups of watermelon, and let the cubes marinate in the juice of one fresh squeezed lime for several hours.

Vinaigrette:

Combine the fresh squeezed lime juice and zest from the remaining lime, white balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

At serving time, toss arugula with half the vinaigrette, and combine watermelon, feta, red onion, and fresh mint.  Layer the watermelon mixture over the arugula, and drizzle with remaining vinaigrette.

Serves: 6 to 8

dinner last night :)

I first spied this recipe last month and have been waiting for the perfect night to make it.  (Click on the link because those pictures are much better - I really need to stop using my iPhone as my primary camera).

The past few days I've had super high pain levels and it has been wearing on me a lot - truthfully I've felt pretty miserable.  After I tried all the usual methods to distract myself, I decided it was time to cook.  And this recipe came to mind.  Mac and cheese is comfort food, yes?

The Mister likes Kraft mac and cheese (yes.  i mean the orange kind).  Which is weird.  BUT...he also likes my versions of homemade mac and cheese (the last one I made was this buffalo chicken mac and cheese).  And he LOVED this recipe.  And requested that I make it again soon.  I'm slowly converting him.  ;)

This is super rich!  But that was okay because we've been eating mostly fruits and vegetables since summer produce has been available.  For the next couple of days, however, it looks like we'll be eating leftovers of this!

when you're having a bad day....

...you should probably accept the offer from your sainted husband to run to the commissary (grocery store, for those of you who don't speak "military").  And when he gets home you should use all those fresh ingredients to make homemade bruschetta.  Because who can resist this??

 1. Combine fresh basil, chopped tomatoes, a little olive oil, sea salt and pepper.  Leave it alone for at least an hour.

2.  When you're ready to eat, cut thick slices of a crusty bread and pan-fry in olive oil until crispy

3.  Layer tomato mixture on top.  If you're feeling particularly crazy, sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

And there you have it.  The most delightful and easy summer meal imaginable.

It's guaranteed to make a bad day a little bit better.  ;)

come into my kitchen: oatmeal craisin cookies

 

These are some of my absolute favorite cookies - oh my word!  I found a recipe, but wasn't completely satisfied so I changed a few things.  Since they contain oatmeal, craisins and pecans you can kind of fool yourself into thinking that they are healthy.  It's dangerous.  Trust me on this one.  ;)

 

Oatmeal Craisin Cookies

Cookies:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar (packed)

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups oatmeal

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups craisins

1 cup chopped pecans (approximately)

Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons almond flavoring

Milk (maybe 1 - 2 tablespoons??)

Cream together the butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla.

Sift the flour, oatmeal, powder, soda, and salt together.  

Add to the butter mixture about 1 cup at a time.

Add craisins and pecans.

Roll into balls.  (At this point, the cookies could be frozen and saved for another day)

Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes (mine took a little longer)

Remove from cookie sheet and allow them to cool completely.

While cooling, mix the glaze together.  It should be thick, but you can change the consistency by adding more milk or powdered sugar to make it less think/more think respectively.  Put glaze into a small ziplock bag.

When the cookies are completely cooled, drizzle the glaze using the ziplock bag (cut off one corner of the bottom and drizzle the frosting from there).  

Allow the glaze to set before storing cookies.

**Recipe adapted from All Recipes

Update on Pizza (with pictures)

I posted last week about our chevre mushroom pizza and wanted to follow up since we made pizza again today for lunch.  This time I snapped a couple pictures with my phone so I could upload them.  I rarely make a recipe unless I see a picture of it (I know that other people feel similarly).  My goal is to get better about taking pictures of what I bake/cook.  This will probably be easier in a couple weeks when my new phone gets in.  For now, I'm working with a very limiting camera phone and my own very limiting creativity.

More information on the dough:  This week I made the dough on Saturday night and put it into an oiled zip-lock bag which was then put into the refrigerator (this step takes the place of letting it rise the first time).  This morning before we left for Church, I pulled the dough out of the fridge and transferred it from the zip-lock to a mixing bowl.  The bowl was then covered and the dough rose while we were gone.  It worked out well because when we got home from Church, lunch was already halfway prepared.  :)

We're trying to set a pattern of being ready to host guests after Church.  Of course, we just moved here and we're just getting to know people at our Church, but we'd like to have our home/meal prepared so that we could invite people over after Church if the opportunity arises.  It creates an interesting challenge for me to find a meal that could easily be "expanded" if we had guests and need to stretch the food.  But at the same time, we don't want to be wasteful and prepare food that will go uneaten.  This is where the pizza dough came in!

Since it was just Caleb and I only used about 2/3 of the dough that was prepared for our pizza (we really could have used 1/2 of it).  The remaining dough was put back into the zip-lock and I plan on using it to make breadsticks later this week.  That way nothing was wasted and we'll have homemade breadsticks without the hassle of making them right before dinner.  I'll probably pair the breadsticks with homemade soup or salad (depending on the weather).

From the pictures it clear that we did one side white bread and one side with a marinara sauce.  I whipped up the sauce when we got home because we didn't have any pizza sauce on hand. 

 

Before the oven

Ready to eat!

come into my kitchen: chevre mushroom pizza

***Click here to read an update on this post and see pictures!

Alright, so the disclaimer to this recipe is as follows:  my family doesn't really follow recipes very well.  It's a lot more of how it "looks" or "feels" than what is actually written down.  So...ye-ah.  Hopefully yours will turn out well!  :)

This is our basic recipe for pizza dough.  So delicious!  It's a family favorite (and we're Italian, so that gives this recipe bonus points or something).  On our honeymoon, they had this amazing chèvre (goat cheese) and mozzarella pizza on the cruise boat.  I think Caleb and I had it at least four of the seven days!  When we got settled here in Biloxi I decided to try to recreate it (and at the same time make a few changes/additions to the recipe!).  This is a "white bread" pizza so it doesn't have sauce.  Enjoy!  :)

Pizza Dough:

1 tablespoon (1 packet) yeast
3/4 cup of warm water (NOT hot water)
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3-4 cups of flour
olive oil

Dissolve the yeast into 3/4 cup of warm water and let sit covered in a warm place.

Warm the milk, vegetable oil, sugar and salt in a saucepan until the sugar is dissolved.  Let cool completely.  If this is too warm, it is kill the yeast and your dough won't rise.

Combine the yeast mixture and the milk mixture in a large bowl.  Add flour.  The amount of flour you need depends on where you live and what the weather is that day, so I always start by adding about 3 cups (it's easy to add flour later if the dough is too sticky).  Turn onto counter and knead for a few minutes.  If dough is too sticky, add flour.  If it is too dry, add a little bit of olive oil.

Place dough in clean bowl (I always put about a tablespoon of oil and rub it around the sides of the bowl).  Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 25-30 minutes or until dough has doubled.

Press into well oiled pan (it makes enough to fill a 13x9, I think) and let it rise again for about 10-20 minutes.

Bake in a hot oven (about 450 degrees) for about 10-15 minutes.

Remove from oven.  Add toppings and sauce.  Broil on high for a couple minutes (until the cheese is nicely melted)


Pizza Toppings:  (all measurements are approximate - let your tastebuds and personal preferences guide you!)

1-1 1/2 cups chopped mushrooms (sauteed with garlic and olive oil)
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 tomato, thinly sliced
1 - 2 cups chèvre (found in the deli section of the grocery store)
1 - 2 cups mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning

I started by brushing a thin coat of olive oil.  Then I sprinkled Italian seasoning across the top along with Parmesan cheese.  I put on the vegetables next, then the chèvre, and ended with the mozzarella cheese.

a recipe - grilled cheese and "ta-MAH-toe" sandwich

If I was super cool...I'd have neat pictures to go along with all this.

But I'm a college student who doesn't own a camera.

And I make this in my cafeteria (which involves jumping into at least five different lines to collect the necessary ingredients). The bolded directions are the quick version. The other notes are tips for people who go to Cedarville.

Step One: Get two pieces of homemade bread. Sometimes the bread is kinda smashed, but if you're careful you can stretch it a little bit. (bread line)

Step Two: Get lots and lots of cheese (mixing different kinds is always good) and slices of fresh tomato. Break up the cheese into smaller pieces so you make sure that the entire piece of bread is covered. (Sandwich line)

Step Three: Put a little bit of Caesar dressing on the inside of each piece of bread (and some in between the cheese, if you like that) (Salad Line - NOT the main one)

Step Four: Sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese on there (Pizza line)

Step Five: Sprinkle some basil and a little garlic salt on it as well (stir-fry line OR vegetarian line)

Step Six: Put it in the sandwich smasher until the outside is crispy and the cheese seems to be melty (yes. that is a word. sorta.)

thanks to Megan who every much helped me figure out this sandwich. We make it (or a variation of it) almost every time we eat together (and many other days as well!)

it would also be great with a slice of prosciutto (a major shout out to my italian heritage). but again, i'm making this in a college cafeteria. i've never seen prosciutto there.  ;)

oh so good.  wish i could have one of these right now!

cinnamon-sugar-pull-apart-bread

"Chocolate cream pie! You know what I love about cooking? I love that after a day when nothing is sure and when I say nothing, I mean nothing. You can come home and absolutely know that if you add egg yolks to chocolate and sugar and milk, it will get thick. That's such a comfort."

Julie and Julia

Today was just one of those days where pain and discouragement are much more prevalent than peace and contentment.  So I came home, exercised and decided to bake.  Baking is cathartic.  There is something so serene about kneading dough by hand, washing dishes in hot sudsy water, checking on dough rising, smelling sweet aromas from the oven.  If I had another life, I would probably open a bakery.  I found this recipe today so that's what I decided to bake.  Doesn't it look delicious??  I'm waiting for the dough to rise, so I can't report on it quite yet.  But if you're looking for a diabetic-suicide, this looks like the recipe to do the deed!  I'm leaving out part of the sugar, because it just seems a bit over the top.  :)