Healthy Vegetable Soup #Paleo #Diabetes #vegetarian #South Beach

Big batch of healthy vegetable soup!

One thing I have always loved is soups.  I have started making them in the crockpot and pretty much throwing in all the veggies I have and letting it be different every time. I eat it before dinner so that I get vegetables and it fills me up so I don't eat as much for dinner.  

I made a big batch of this the other day and then froze individual portions to have at a later time. I also sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top before I eat it.

I always put two things in for the base. One large can organic diced tomatoes,and one box Trader Joe's Organic Hearty Vegetable broth.

This is what I put in the soup this time.  Trader Joes sliced crimini mushrooms, a whole bag, two organic golden beets peeled and sliced, one organic sweet potato sliced, one sweet mayan onion sliced, one large organic broccoli crown broken up,  three organic carrots peeled and chopped, & three stalks celery chopped, some organic green beans cut in half, a couple of yellow summer squash and at the very end, a half a bag of organic spinach.  I like big chunks of vegetables in my soup so I do a rough large chop. I try to buy everything organic.  I season with S&P, lots of grated fresh garlic, Louisiana Hot sauce and  SPIKE .

This was the finished product in the crockpot! It's really good! Use your imagination. Cook on low in the crockpot 8 hours or 4 hours on high, depending on how crunchy you like your vegetables.

What's for Paleo breakfast, Part Two!

These are another variation on eggs in muffin tins.

This time I used one of my new favourite things, chicken apple breakfast sausages by Aidell, sliced them up and put a couple slices in the bottom of each of the sprayed muffin tins. For the 6 muffins, I cut up 3 green scallions, and divided those between the 6 muffins.  I then took 3 eggs and about 3/4 cup of egg whites, beat those with some S&P, put in a handful of shredded cheese and poured in some Louisiana Hot Sauce, to taste.

You can also make these by dicing up a bunch of veggies like peppers, green onion, broccoli,mushrooms, artichokes diced up & use canadian bacon or ham all diced and added into the sprayed muffin tin, then just beat the eggs that you have added the shredded cheese & S&P, i also add hot sauce, pour OVER the veggies & meat, and bake at 375 for about 20-25 minutes.   

What IS for breakfast? Paleo conundrum!

Breakfast - it can get boring, but you can make a lot of variations of this dish.  This is what I had this morning.

Baked eggs & turkey bacon in a muffin cup 

Pre-heat oven to 375

I sprayed the muffin cups with non-stick spray and lined them with one piece of turkey bacon.  You could also use real bacon or canadian bacon or even some ham. I wanted to use up my turkey bacon, because I do eat real bacon.

I took 2 eggs, 1/2 cup egg whites, a handful of shredded cheese, Mt. Olive sliced jalapeno peppers, S & P.  Whipped that all together and divided amongst the four muffin cups. 

Sorry this is a bad photo, the muffin tin is one of those flexible ones, and it's red! you can take the extra ones out and put in a plastic bag to eat the next day or freeze them if you make a big recipe. Let hem cool for 20 minutes before you put them in the fridge (they will keep for a week) or freezer.

**You can also make these by dicing up a bunch of veggies like peppers, green onion, broccoli,mushrooms, & use canadian bacon or ham all diced and added into the sprayed muffin tin, then just beat the eggs that you have added the shredded cheese & S&P, i also add hot sauce, pour OVER the veggies & meat, and bake at 375 for about 20-25 minutes.   

From Clinton Kelly on The Chew, Pork Chops and Apple Compote from his Grandma!

PALEO Pork chop and Apple Compote a la Clinton Kelly on THE CHEW

I adapted The Chew's Clinton Kelly's recipe for his Grandma Annette's Pork Chops and apple compote, for last night's dinner.  Mostly because I didn't have the cabbage at home, I had everything else, and I was hungry.  For the entire post, including the braised cabbage, which would have been wonderful, go to this link:  Clinton Kelly's Grandma Annette's Pork Chops.

For Christmas, I received a great present all the way from FLORIDA, of a Lodge cast iron skillet, allowing me for the first time ever, to be able to start a dish on the stove and then finish it off in the oven, which is what I did. However . . .  I have to keep reminding myself that the handle is H O T!!! and to use an oven mitt!

Just as an aside, I do use a lot of Dean & Deluca spices, because I think they are the best, but for sure the cinnamon is the most fragrant, sweetest cinnamon powder you will ever find, in my opinion.  I also added a few raisins to this. Trader Joe's has a Jumbo Raisin Medley that doesn't have any added sugar & they are really kind of tangy sweet different tasting, so I threw a handful in while it was on the stove and I did add a little more water while it was cooking.  I put the recipe as THE CHEW had it, but I seldom stick to a recipe. 

ingredients:

• For the Pork Chops:
• thick cut pork chop 
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 
  

• For the Apple Compote:
• 3 granny smith apples (peeled and large diced)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon Dean and Deluca cinnamon
• 1 lemon (juiced)
• salt to taste
• 
  

•   

What to have for lunch ... Paleo + diabetes

My biggest conundrum is what to eat for breakfast, lunch and snacks in order to keep my blood sugar from not dropping too low during the day with my meds. 

Once I make a big dinner, I have that left over for other meals, but I need to have more things prepared that I can grab and throw together when I'm starving. Which I am a lot of the time.

Today, I was in a lot of knee pain and not moving too quickly after running some errands, it was later in the day, so I had to find something quick . . .  with protein and veggies. 

I still had some of my veggie soup left that I made.  I hadn't blogged the making of the soup, since it was the first week of, during detox from grains, sugar, processed foods & bad crap.

This is what I did for the soup though, and you can use any vegetables you have in your house. . 

i put some olive oil in a big pot on the stove. 

Then I cut up veggies that i had in the house, all pretty chunky
fresh green beans
golden beets, peeled and sliced
Crimini mushrooms sliced
red onion sliced
yellow summer squash
broccoli flowerets
and sautéed them for maybe 5 minutes or so

i would have added a can of organic diced tomatoes, but all i had was a small can of tomatoe sauce and one box of Trader Joe's vegetable broth so I added that then let it simmer covered until it was done.

S&P, fresh grated garlic and a ton of SPIKE which is a seasoning.

For lunch, I had one leftover turkey meatball from the other day, so I chopped that up and put it into the soup and heated it up on the stove.  Voila!  Hearty, healthy, Paleo lunch.

Paleo modified Turkey Sausage Meatballs

Before Cooking

After Cooking

I decided to go on a modified Paleo diet working with some friends on a specific program that we will start after the first of the year.  I started the elimination of the 'bad' foods on my own, the day before Christmas, because I decided that detox'ing from sugar, grains & processed foods would be good to do on my own.

My cousin Judi gave me the basis for this recipe. She is the one that said to use the mushrooms chopped fine.  She was right!

Last night a made Paleo modified Turkey Meatballs. I call them modified as I don't think they are strict paleo.  They were fabulous.   In order to not forget what I did, because I don't cook with recipes, I'm going to document it here.

1 pound ground turkey
1 pound ground hot italian sausage
2 eggs
1/4 cup ground almond meal
4 oz. finely chopped crimini mushrooms
1/2 red onion finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves grated
salt, pepper,
Dean & Deluca Spices greek oregano & cumin

Made fairly large meatballs then placed them on a piece of parchment paper schmeared with olive oil and baked them at 425 for about 45 minutes. They got a wonderful crust on them and tasted fantastic.  Ate them with some red sauce.  Now that I know this recipe works, I would maybe serve them with some spaghetti squash.

I had some sauce, but if I didn't, I think I might have made this:

Cindy’s Quick Sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive Oil
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 (12-ounce) can of tomato sauce
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, or plum tomatoes in puree, chopped
• 1 can of tomato paste and hot water
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
2. Stir in the tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper (add red pepper flakes if you decide to use). Bring to a boil.
3. Add in your can of tomato paste and fill can with hot water and using a spool scrape all of the paste. Stir until tomato paste has dissolved, cover and lower to simmer.
4. Add the meatballs to the pot and let them do their magic!

OR put the whole thing in a crockpot on low for 8 hours and do it that way!