The ingredients list is for dinner for 4. Size accordingly if you want to plan for leftovers. If you make it on Sunday, you could probably get through Wednesday lunch with the leftovers. But you can’t push it much further without the fries & asparagus going soggy.

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 6 Tbs olive oil
• 3 Tbs each dried sage, dried thyme
• 3 yams/sweet potatoes
• 1 lb asparagus
• 2 Tbs coconut oil
• salt, cracked black pepper

Into a ziplock bag or tupperware container, place the chicken, 3 Tbs of the olive oil, and the dried spices. Stir around to coat evenly, and let that all sit for a while to marinate. Even a half-hour is worthwhile, but a couple hours would be better.

Preheat your oven for 365. Slice the yams into oven fry shape, about 1/2″ thick. Toss in a bowl with the remaining 3 Tbs of olive oil, and a healthy dose of salt & pepper, maybe 2 Tbs each? If you’d like, about 2 Tbs of garlic powder is also great here. Once that’s all mixed well, lay onto a rimmed baking dish in a single layer. The more you can keep the fries from touching each other, the crispier they’ll get. Pop those in the oven and set your timer for 15 minutes. When that goes off, turn them over with some tongs, and back in for another 10 minutes or so.

At the same time you initially put the fries in the oven, throw your chicken on the grill. If you’re indoor-bound tonight, then you could also slice the meat into quarter-breast sized pieces, like chicken finger sized. You could then fry those up in a separate saute pan as you stir-fry your asparagus.

And speaking of asparagus, heat up a wok or saute pan nice and hot. By preheating the pan before adding the oil, it allows the pores in the pan to close up, giving it a more slippery quality. As it’s heating, snap any woody stems off of your asparagus, and cut the remaining stalks in half. Basically, you grab each end of each stalk (one at a time), and you bend the stalk. You’re trying to see where the naturally stiff bottom part stops, and the more supple top part begins. That’s where you snap. Depending on your batch of asparagus, sometimes it seems like you’re throwing away half of what you bought. It’s up to you of course, but if you’re not gonna enjoy eating that tough part, why torture yourself. Consider it a lesson learned, and next time, buy younger asparagus!

Okay, by now your pan’s hot. Turn the burner down to medium-high, add the coconut oil, and as soon as that melts, throw in your asparagus and sprinkle on some salt & pepper, maybe 1 Tbs each. Let that cook until you start getting a little browning on the tips, and the thick end of a stalk feels tender when you stick a knife point into it.

Enjoy!

Best. Stew. Ever.

This was my make-ahead lunch concoction for the week. Fully paleo-compliant, fully delicious! And maybe 15 minutes total prep time. I made it in a crockpot, but you could use the oven as well.

• 2-3 lbs sirloin, cut into 1 inch cubes.
• 1 Tbs coconut oil (optional)
• 1 large onion, sliced into thin rings
• 1 small to medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed into 1/2″ pieces ( Or just use half of a package of the precut butternut from Costco. I love that stuff. So convenient! )
• 3 large yams, cubed into 1/2″ pieces. I find the skins on Garnet yams too bitter, so if that’s what I’ve got, I peel ‘em. If you use regular yams or yellow sweet potatoes, feel free to keep the skins on.
• 8 oz coconut milk (I like Thai Kitchen brand, but any brand’s fine as long as it’s from a can, okay? Not that sugared-up, watered-down crap they sell next to the soy milk in the dairy cooler.)
• 4 oz red wine
• 8 oz beef stock (or chicken or vegetable stock if that’s all you’ve got handy)
• 2 Tbs fresh minced garlic
• 2 Tbs each: dried cilantro, basil, ground black pepper, salt

Heat a nonstick skillet nice and hot. Depending on exactly how “non-stick” your skillet actually is, feel free to drop in a spoonful of coconut oil in once the pan is hot. Or you can skip it…up to you.

Chop the steak into bite-sized cubes, sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt and black pepper, and add to the skillet. Stir it around quickly for about a minute. Our goal here isn’t to cook the  steak, just to get a nice sear on the outside. When that’s done, dump into a crockpot, or into a Dutch oven or covered saute pan if you’re gonna use your oven.

Add the wine, stock, onion, garlic and dried spices to the pot, give it a quick stir, and cook on low for about 3 hours. If you’re using the oven, set if for 325, and cook for about an hour.

After that time is up, stir in the squash, yams and coconut milk. Another 3 hours in the crockpot, or another hour – 90 minutes in the oven. Check to make sure a piece of yam is tender, and you’re good to go. Enjoy!

2 cans black beans (drained)
12 oz. ground turkey
1 onion
1 tbs. vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cans beef stock
1 small can tomato paste
1 tbs. thyme
1 tbs. basil
1 tbs. parsley
1 bay leaf
1 avocado

Saute the ground beef in a nonstick skillet. Chop the onion. When the beef is done, remove it, drain the pan, and saute the onion and garlic in the vegetable oil until the onion is translucent. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Stir well to help blend the tomato paste. Simmer for 20 minutes, remove the bay leaf, garnish with slices of avocado, and serve. Serves 4.

Blocks: 4
Calories: 475
Carb: 44g (41%)
Protein: 31g (29%)
Fat: 16g (30%)

Yup, spaghetti omelet…trust me.

3 cups cooked spinach spaghetti
4 eggs
1 cup broccoli florets
4 tbs. Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 oz. protein powder
2 tbs. fresh chopped parsley
2 tbs. fresh chopped basil
1 tbs. butter
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
pinch salt

Boil the pasta and steam the broccoli. Place the cooked, drained spaghetti in a bowl. Mix in the broccoli, parsley, basil, salt, pepper, protein powder and butter. When the butter is melted, stir in the cheese. While the mixture cools, stir occasionally. Beat the eggs, then add to the pasta. Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray, stir the spaghetti once more, then pour mixture into the skillet. Cook over medium-high heat. When the egg starts to firm up, flip the omelet. Serves 4

Blocks: 3
Calories: 310
Carb: 27g (38%)
Protein: 23g (33%)
Fat: 10g (29%)

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image courtesy of ccharmon

This is one of our family’s favorites. We eat it all the time in the winter. Even our normally picky kids love it.

1 1/2 lb. chicken breasts
2 large green peppers

2 cups onion
2 cups carrots
1 cup tomatoes
1 1/2 cups corn kernels
1/2 cup green chiles
1 qt. water
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 cups wheat flour
5 tbs. butter
6 cups milk
2 tbs. garlic powder
1 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tbs. cumin
1 tbs. Cajun spices
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tbs. seasoned salt
2 tbs. onion powder
5 tbs. chili powder

Start by broiling the chicken. When cooked, shred or dice it, and place in a large stock pot. Dice the peppers, onions, carrots and tomatoes.

Note, we normally add the chopped veggies to the pot now. But if you’ve got picky eaters at home, you could always give these a quick shot in the blender first. It’ll grind them up so they’re unrecognizable, but they still give the soup a ton of flavor, and some added thickness as well.

Add in all remaining ingredients except for the butter, flour and milk. Bring to a boil, then let it simmer on a low burner.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. In another saucepan, heat the milk until steaming, then remove from the burner. When the butter is melted, slowly whisk in the flour. Avoid lumps. As the mixture becomes too dry to work with, slowly alternate adding the flour and the milk. When you’ve combined all of the butter, flour and milk, whisk this mixture slowly into the simmering soup. Let the whole thing cook on low for another 20 minutes.

Makes 10 servings. It will keep in the refrigerator for about a week, and freezes well.

Blocks: 4
Calories: 390
Carb: 36g (41%)
Protein: 28g (31%)
Fat: 12g (28%)

Another winter family favorite, and one batch will also provide for several brown bag lunches.

1 14 oz. can kidney beans
1 14 oz. can black beans
1 14 oz. can red beans
6 medium tomatoes
2 large white onions
2 bell peppers, green or yellow
3 cloves garlic
2 lbs. ground turkey
8 oz. tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock
3 tbs. red chile
3 tbs. basil
1 tbs. parsley
1 tbs. cumin
2 tbs. black pepper
1 chopped serrano pepper (seeded)
red pepper to taste
4 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Brown the meat in a nonstick skillet, and then place it in a large stock pot. Chop the tomatoes, onions and peppers, and add to the pot. Press the garlic and add it, as well as the other spices. At this point, add about 1 tbs. of red pepper.

In a bowl, mix the tomato paste and chicken stock until smooth, then add to the pot. Stir everything up, and cook on a medium stove for about 15 minutes so the flavors can start to mix. Give it a taste, and add red pepper as needed. Cook for about another 20 minutes, or until the kidney beans start to mash when you stir. Serve hot with cheddar on top. Makes 8 servings, and freezes well. 

Blocks: 5
Calories: 480
Carb: 45g (41%)
Protein: 35g (31%)
Fat: 15g (28%)

8 oz. chicken breast
2 cups chopped broccoli florets
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/2 cup canned bamboo shoots (sliced)
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tsp. sesame oil
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. soy sauce
2 tbs. water
1 clove garlic, minced

Start by slicing the chicken into bite-sized pieces and sauteing in a nonstick skillet with the vegetable oil and 1 tsp. of the sesame oil. While that’s cooking, steam the broccoli lightly. Let both cool.

In a bowl, combine the broccoli, sprouts, bamboo shoots, tomato, rice and chicken. Mix the vinegar, the remaining sesame oil, the soy sauce, water and garlic together, and use as a dressing. Serves 4.

Blocks: 3
Calories: 320
Carb: 28g (40%)
Protein: 24g (33%)
Fat: 9g (27%)

This is a nice brunch item, and it also works great for the lunchbox.

2 tsp. butter
3/4 cup onion
2 tsp. whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 cup 1% milk
2 cups cooked brown rice
3 oz. crumbled Feta cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 egg whites
2 cups cooked spinach
6 oz. precooked shrimp
cooking spray
2 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese

Steam and drain the spinach ahead of time. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt the butter in large skillet over medium heat. Chop the onion and saute it until translucent. Whisk in flour, salt & pepper, then gradually add milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook one minute or until slightly thick. It will want to lump and stick, so be sure to stir it constantly.

Remove the pan from heat and stir in the egg and egg whites. Mix well, then add the rice, Feta, spinach & shrimp. Pour the mixture into a 9″ pie plate coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and bake at 400 for 35 minutes or until it sets. After it’s solid, broil it for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Serves 6 as a light lunch.

Blocks: 2
Calories: 205
Carb: 20g (39%)
Protein: 15g (30%)
Fat: 7g (31%)

Make a batch on Sunday night and you’re set for the week’s lunches.

12 flour tortillas
4 cups frozen hash browns
3 cups cooked spinach
3 lb. ground turkey
3 cups onion
3/4 cup sour cream
6 oz. lowfat Monterrey Jack cheese
2 tbs. fresh chopped cilantro
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. black pepper

Dice the onion, and cook it with the ground turkey in a nonstick skillet, seasoning with the salt & pepper. When done, drain off any water or fat, and remove the turkey & onion from the skillet to a large bowl. In the skillet, cook the hash browns until done, but not browned. Add them to the bowl. Steam the spinach. When done, drain well, chop medium to fine, and add to the bowl, along with the cilantro and cumin. Mix well.

If you won’t be freezing the burritos, add the sour cream to the bowl and mix well. Place an oval-shaped handful of filling in the center of a tortilla, fold a side over and then roll the tortilla into a tube. Repeat for all of the tortillas. Place the burritos in a baking dish, topped with the shredded cheese, and bake at 350 until the cheese starts to brown.

This recipe will make 12 burritos. They’ll keep about 5 days in the refrigerator, or you can freeze them. If you plan to freeze them, don’t add the sour cream. Use it as a topping (1 tbs. per burrito) after heating. Makes 12 burritos.

Blocks: 4
Calories: 450
Carb: 38g (38%)
Protein: 31g (30%)
Fat: 16g (32%)

Same for this burrito…make a batch on Sunday night and you’re set for the week’s lunches.

12 tortillas
4 cups frozen hash browns
3 cups onion
3 lb. ground turkey
2 14 oz. cans black beans
8 oz lowfat shredded Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups salsa
2 tbs. fresh chopped cilantro
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. black pepper

Cook the onion & turkey together with the salt & pepper, then cook the hash browns. Mix the turkey & onion, hash browns, beans, cheese, cilantro, cumin and half of the salsa in a large bowl. Build the burritos, then top them in the baking dish with the other half of the salsa. Cook at 350 for about 20 minutes. Makes 12 burritos.

Blocks: 5
Calories: 520
Carb: 51g (42%)
Protein: 37g (31%)
Fat: 15g (27%)