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Paleo Challenge {Prep Week: Meatloaf and Mashed Faux-tatoes}

July 24, 2013

Part of the Paleo Challenge Prep Week is experimenting with different recipes.  This week, we’re trying out various ingredients and substitutes to make our favorite meals.  Grass-fed ground beef and pureed cauliflower are the two staples of tonight’s Paleo practice meal.  
I’m using a combination of two recipes to create my own nut-free Paleo meat loaf.  One is the Paleo Correct Meat Loaf from The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain, Ph.D. and the other is Homestyle Meatloaf from Johnny at Eating for Idiots.  We’ll be using beef only and we have to use a substitute for the almond flour since my fiancé is allergic to almonds.
I first tried mashed “faux”-tatoes when my dad (awesome hobby-chef) made it during a holiday visit.  I never really loved cauliflower – I thought of it as a bland version of broccoli, but this was a buttery, creamy delight.  And it tasted just like creamy mashed potatoes!  Jacob and I later tried it on our own for a vegetarian meal with grilled Shitake mushroom steaks.  My carnivore dad’s reaction?  His cauliflower creation “was supposed to be the basis for a more healthy option and a nice mound to set a BEEF steak upon.”  Oh well, gotta love creative license, right?  Now I’m altering it once more to make it a Paleo side.  Instead of milk or cream, I’m using Coconut milk and I’m substituting butter with ghee.
Here is my own creation, but feel free to experiment with different dairy-free milks and herbs:
Nut-Free Paleo Meat Loaf
  • 1 1/4 lbs ground beef (grass-fed preferred)
  • 8 oz mushrooms, pulsed until finely ground in food processor
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 3 tbsp coconut flour
  • ½ of batch of ketchup (recipe from Eating for Idiots)
  • ½ onion, very finely diced in a food processor
  • 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1/4 cup of finely chopped cilantro
  • 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp Coconut oil to grease loaf pan

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease the loaf pan.  Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, using more or less coconut flour depending on consistency of the mixture.  It should be sticky and easy to form into a loaf pan.  Alternatively, form into a loaf in a glass dish.  After forming in the pan, take the remaining ketchup and spread over the top.  Cook for 1 hour.

Paleo Mashed Faux-tatoes
Almost half-way through the meat loaf cooking process, prepare the cauliflower.  This is what you’ll need:
  • 1 large head of cauliflower
  • 1 tbsp ghee (or grass-fed butter if preferred)
  • 1 tbsp coconut milk
  • salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

Start by washing and draining the cauliflower.  Cut the cauliflower into medium sized florets and steam them until tender, about 20 minutes.  Drain well and transfer to a blender or food processor.  Add all ingredients and blend well until smooth and creamy.

Serve and enjoy!  What is your favorite Paleo meal?  

Just joining and want to take a look back at my 4 Week Paleo Challenge?  Look below for the links to all my Paleo posts:

Prep Week
Prep Week: Why Paleo?
Prep Week: Meatloaf and Mashed Faux-tatoes
Prep Week: Introducing the Spaghetti Squash

Week 1 Daily Updates 
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4 (My Shopping List)
Day 5 (Paleo on a Budget)
Day 6
Day 7 (Week 1 Lessons)

Weekly Updates
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
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Filed Under: Meals, Uncategorized Tagged: diet, healty, meals, Paleo

Thrift Store Essentials: Perfect Jeans

July 24, 2013

I love great thrift store finds, but my absolute favorite are the perfect pair of jeans.  In the past, when I needed a new pair and decided to buy them at the mall, I was always disappointed.  The jeans shrink when I get them home and wash them for the first time, or the waist stretches out and I have to wear a belt.  But the most disappointing thing is that I pay way too much on them and only wear them a few times.  
These are my most recent pair that I found at a local second hand clothing shop for $9.00.  They are nearly brand new, but were made to look worn.  I don’t usually go with skinny jeans, but I needed something to wear with my favorite boots, and these were perfect!  These are stretchy, but not too stretchy that they’ll lose their shape.  Since they’ve been worn and washed, I know they won’t shrink on me.  With thrift store jeans, what I try on at the store is what I get when I take them home.   
Last year, a study was done showing that women spend an average of $125,000 on clothing in a lifetime.  If you want to start saving money on clothes, but buying something used gives you the heebie geebies, start with jeans!  Just this one item purchased at a thrift store can save you a ton in the long run.  
So how do you find quality jeans and get a great deal?

First, know what you’re willing to spend.  I’ve never spent more than $15 on a pair of jeans, even when they’re name brand.  I’ve found the perfect pair of Levi’s at a Goodwill for $5.00, Lucky Brand jeans at a consignment shop marked down to about $15.00, and my all-time favorite were a pair of Paper Denim & Cloth jeans for $12.00.  But, don’t be afraid to branch out from the name brands.  
Know when to shop.  Goodwill has their half-off sale one Saturday a month.  Call to find out which Saturday it is and go early.  Higher-end consignment shops will mark down their clothing at the close of a season to make room for the next season’s clothes.  Sometimes jeans get a mark down, too!
Know your size and deviate from it!  Every pair is not made equally.  Remember, these jeans have been worn and washed (and shrunk), so the size you normally wear might not fit you when you start trying things on.  Go through the racks, grabbing your size as well as larger and smaller sizes.  
Inspect, Inspect, Inspect.  Try every pair on and spend some time in each one.  Take a walk down the fitting room hallway and sit in them to make sure they’re comfortable.  Check yourself out in the mirror and see where the back pockets are positioned – this can make or break  your look.  Always choose styles that are flattering to your figure and never settle on jeans that you don’t love.  And of course, look for any stains, missing buttons, tears, or holes in the fabric.  It’s okay to be picky!  Be sure you love them because you usually can’t return things from a thrift store.    
Don’t get discouraged if you don’t find the perfect pair of jeans on the first try.  You will eventually have that Eureka! moment and it will be well worth the wait.  Good luck and happy shopping!

______
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Filed Under: Budgeting, Uncategorized

{Live Well} DIY Dining Chair Cushion Makeover

July 22, 2013

Combining households inevitably means dealing with the old bachelor pad furniture.  What to do with the perfectly good dining set that has cigarette burns on the chair cushions can sometimes lead to a power struggle.  For my fiance and I, it meant a trip to the fabric store to finally recover those hideous cushions!

As you can see, they’re pretty simple chairs with a neutral tweed, and a nice burn spot right in the middle of the cushion.  These should be pretty easy to update.  For now, we decided to keep the wood as-is since we will eventually get a larger, more formal dining table and move this one into the office as a craft table.

We chose a fabric that goes well with the adjoining living room.  The most difficult part of this was removing all the staples in the back of the chair cushion.  You will need a flathead screwdriver and pliers for prying up the old staples, your new fabric, and a staple gun.  If you want your chair cushions to be more comfortable, you can also find a thicker foam to use.  Don’t forget batting if you need to replace it.

1. Unscrew the chair cushion from your chair frame.
2. Pry up all the old staples using the flathead screwdriver and pliers.
3. Cut the new fabric and new batting if you’re using it.  If you’re reusing the old foam, you can use the original chair cover as a template to cut out your new fabric.  If you’re using a thicker foam, be sure to cut the fabric in the correct dimensions.

4. Starting in the middle of one side, pull the fabric tight (but not too tight) and carefully staple it in place.  Working your way out from the middle, continue to staple along each side, leaving a little room at the corners.
5. Finish off the corners, tucking in the outer sides and forming a triangle in the center.
6. Screw the cushion back on the frame and check out your beautiful new chairs!

Easy!

A few things to remember:

  • If your fabric is wrinkled, iron it first.  You can also wash the fabric before doing this.
  • Watch out for splinters!  The plywood on my chair cushions was very rough and I kept having to pull out splinters from my hands.  So, you might want to wear gloves when you do this.
  • If you pull the fabric too tight, the foam may become indented.  Be sure to pull the fabric equally tight along the whole side.  
  • Don’t worry if you make a mistake – just pry out the last staple and redo it.

Here is the side-by-side before and after:

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Filed Under: DIY, Uncategorized

At Home

January 11, 2013

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Hi there!

Hello and welcome! I’m Jen, a proposal writer by day, blogger by night, happy wife and mommy. I live in SW Virginia with my husband, Jacob and our sweet girls, Julia and Jocelyn.

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