Carrot Ginger Soup

From "The Plan":

1.       Sautee a small red onion in olive oil until translucent.  I just chop in big chunks

2.       Chop up a zucchini (medium or large) and add.

3.       Add 1 large bag of baby carrots

4.       Add 1 can of coconut milk (full fat)- find it in the Asian aisle

5.       Add 4 cups of water

6.       Add a tablespoon of ginger (I use jarred)

7.       Add a teaspoon of chopped garlic (I use jarred and don’t like a ton of garlic in it)

8.       For spices:

a.       Cinnamon- 1 heaping teaspoon

b.      Cumin- 1 heaping teaspoon

c.       Fresh cracked pepper.  I don’t measure.  Just kinda grind some in there

d.      ½ teaspoon cloves

e.      ½ teaspoon cardamom

f.        ¼ teaspoon turmeric

g.       ½ teaspoon allspice

h.      ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (I like the spice with the sweet of the carrots/coconut milk)

9.       Cook for 45 minutes

10.   Let cool

11.   Puree in a blender

 

I normally freeze in 8 Ziploc plastic containers so I can grab and go. 

Bacon & Egg Stuffed Avocado

INGREDIENTS
 Avocado
2 eggs
2 strips cooked bacon, crumbled


DIRECTIONS
Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. Scoop out the avocado so the hole matches the size of your eggs. I didn’t do this the first time and the eggs were too big and oozed all over the pan.

Sausage-Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

Not even joking when I say "best breakfast ever". 


INGREDIENTS
1 pound mild ground pork sausage                               

1 pound hot ground pork sausage                               

1 (30-ounce) package frozen hash browns

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese                               

6 large eggs                               

2 cups milk                               

DIRECTIONS

1.  Cook sausages in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until sausage crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain well.
2.  Prepare hash browns according to package directions, using 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper.
3.  Stir together hash browns, sausage, and cheese. Pour into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
4. Whisk together eggs, milk, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Pour evenly over potato mixture.
5.  Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes.

Baked Tacos

INGREDIENTS
2 lbs ground beef or turkey
1 can refried beans
15 ounce tomato sauce
1 pkg taco seasoning (we use homemade)
1 – 2 cups shredded cheese
15ish hard taco shells
Your favorite taco toppings.


DIRECTIONS
1.  Brown ground beef. Drain off any fat.
2.  Add refried beans, tomato sauce, and seasoning.
3.  Spoon mixture into taco shells.
4.  Place filled shells into a 9×13 pan, standing up. Sprinkle with cheese.
5. Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes or until heated through.


Note:  sometimes we don't bake them, and just fill warm hardshell tacos with the mixture.  We then top with tomato, lettuce, and salsa/taco seasoning/avocado.

Taco Spaghetti

INGREDIENTS

5 oz. dried spaghetti, broken (we use quinoa spaghetti)
1 lb. ground beef (or turkey)
1 large onion, chopped
3/4 cup water
2 tbsp. taco seasoning (we use homemade)
11 oz. can whole kernel corn with peppers, drained
1 cup colby jack or cheddar, shredded
1/2 cup salsa
4 oz. can diced green chili peppers, drained
shredded lettuce
tortilla chips
tomato
sour cream, optional


DIRECTIONS
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a 12-inch skillet, cook beef and onion until meat is brown. Drain fat. Stir in water and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cooked pasta, corn, olives, half of the cheese, salsa, and green chili peppers.
3. Transfer mixture to lightly greased 2-quart round casserole. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake until melted.
4. Serve with shredded lettuce, tortilla chips, tomatoes, and sour cream, if desired.

Tortellini in the Crock Pot

INGREDIENTS
 1 (19oz) bag of frozen cheese tortellini
1 small bag of fresh spinach (I used about half of a 5 oz package, but more is better!)
2 (14.5 oz) cans of Italian style diced tomatoes, drained
1 block (8 oz) of cream cheese** (softened in microwave)
1 lb. of ground sausage or chicken/turkey sausage
3-4 cups of chicken broth (start with 3, add 1 more if it looks like it needs it)


DIRECTIONS:
1.  Brown the sausage and put all ingredients in crockpot,  chunking up the cream cheese.
2.  Cook on low for 4-6 hrs.


Notes:  *Keep an eye on your tortellini, it may be done sooner.
*If still soupy, leave lid off for the last half hour or so of cooking.

Paleo Breakfast Casserole

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 pound breakfast sausage
2 cups diced sweet potatoes (what I got from 1 large one)
3 cups baby spinach, chopped
3 cups egg beaters
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapenos
2 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
4 baby peppers, sliced thin for the top


DIRECTIONS
1.  Cook sausage in a skillet until no longer pink. 
2.  Microwave the sweet potato for 4 minutes. 
3.  I drained any fat off the sausage and then tossed in the sweet potatoes and cooked for another couple minutes (no onions in mine!). 
4.  Then just mixed it all together in my baking dish – and topped it with the cheese and the sliced peppers. 
5.  Mine took about 50 minutes to bake (my oven may be slow) so check yours after 30-40 minutes