Lemon Pepper Pork Sausage with Zucchini Noodles

Lemon Pepper Pork Sausage with Zucchini Noodles

Paleo, Autoimmune-Paleo, Whole30, Gluten Free
This delicious dish is sure to give you that pasta comfort without the carbs! The sausage gives it incredible flavor and the lemon pepper adds a nice light zing to complement all of the ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 lb Italian or spicy pork sausage, cut into bite sizes
• 4 zucchini, spiralized
• 1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat oil on medium heat in a large skillet. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add the sausage and cook for 8 - 10 minutes. Season with a dash of salt and pepper. Add zucchini and seasonings and cook for just a minute or two. Cooking the zucchini noodles longer will cause them to release water and become soggy, so remove quickly and serve.

Preparation time: 10min
Total time: 25min

Bone Marrow: Health Benefits + Special Recipe

Bone marrow is a creamy substance that is found in the middle of long bones. It is composed of enormous amounts of micronutrients, amino acids, stem cells, collagen and alkylglycerols (which protect the body from foreign invaders and force cancer cells to kill themselves, wow!). It is the ultimate brain food being fatty, nutrient dense and rich in energy. It is even considered a delicacy in many countries.

What is in bone marrow?

Amino Acids, Collagen + Gelatin

Supports skin, hair and nail growth, can help tighten loose skin and improve digestion.

Vitamins + Minerals

One of the main qualities of bone marrow is that it contains important microelements: calcium, iron, phosphorous, zinc, selenium, magnesium, manganese, and other mineral-Laden chemicals. It also contains Vitamin A in its complete form.
Stem Cells

Lipids

These are the alkylglycerols which are involved in the production of white blood cells in the bone marrow. They protect the body against infections and contribute to health maintenance of cells under serious immune problems such as cancer.

Recipe: Middle Eastern Spice Roasted Bone Marrow

Paleo, Autoimmune-Paleo, Whole30, Gluten Free
Well this was my first time trying bone marrow. I had been reading about it a lot and I passed by it in the grocery store the other day and just said "Hey, why not?" It was pretty interesting... I'm just getting used to this whole idea of fat being good for you so the texture was still a little rough for me to handle, but the flavors were delicious!

Ingredients:

• 8 pieces of beef marrow bones
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon corriander
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Mix all the spices together in a bowl. Place the marrow pieces in the bowl, toss and coat the spices evenly. Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes. It will start to bubble around the edges. Serve with a small spoon for scooping.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 5min
Total time: 20min

My Thyroid Story

How It All Happened

When I was around 5 years old, I went through a very traumatic experience when getting my immunizations at the doctor. I was a healthy "normal" kid with no weight issues, perfectly fit and had good energy levels. All of this changed at once. All I remember was screaming my brains out while being held down on all four limbs while nurses or doctors gave me 4 shots in each arm and leg, AT THE SAME TIME. That's insane is it not?? Come to find out years and years later, this triggered an attack on my own thyroid. I could tell you my views on immunizations and children, but I am going to leave it for a different post because this is about my struggle story with hypothyroidism.

Being a Child with Hypothyroidism

Fast forward two years later to me as a 90 pound 7-year-old, sick and tired all of the time. I remember just wanting to stay home from school a lot because I was so tired. This is definitely not normal for a 7 year old girl. A normal weight range for the age of 7 is in the 60 pound range... So my stepfather, whom was a psychiatrist who had sometimes tested patients with depression to see if they had a thyroid problem, had me get tested. Come to find out I had a severe hypothyroidism.

Back to "Normal"

Once I was properly medicated for my hypothyroid, I had regular energy again, started taking dance lessons and completely lost the extra weight! It was a night and day difference with my improvements in energy and weight.

Differences in Doctors

I had a great doctor (who was in California) growing up and one thing I really liked about her was that she always listened to how I felt when prescribing my medication... as well as taking regular blood test to monitor the TSH levels. When I moved to Arizona, it was a struggle with my doctors because they kept wanting to lower my medication levels... which was hard for me because instantly I could tell my energy levels were decreasing and decreasing, my weight was increasing and increasing, and there was nothing I could do about it... or so I thought.

Fighting Hypothyroidism On My Own... Naturally!

The doctors in Arizona had a good reason though because there are great risks involved with over medicating the thyroid. However, I was stuck with low energy and weight gain again... About 5 months ago, I changed my diet and chose to naturally treat my hypothyroidism and that has greatly improved everything.

Coming Soon Topics on Hypothyroidism

The Natural Approach to Improving Thyroid Function
Autoimmune Protocol for Treating YOUR Hypothyroidism (+ other autoimmune disorders)
Risks of Over Medicating Hypothyroidism

Easy Paleo Lunches

3 of my Favorite Healthy & Affordable Paleo Lunches

I always try to bring my own lunch to work because I am less likely to eat something non paleo. In the mornings, I don't have time to cook an actual lunch while getting my toddler fed and ready for school, getting myself ready for work and putting together my morning protein drink for breakfast on the go. What I do instead is cook my proteins (chicken, steak and pork) on the weekend, or if I am making dinner with say chicken, I'll make a little extra, so I have some meat on hand ready to throw in a salad or eat alone.

The Protein Pack:

I love this combination of hummus and chicken...

3 ounces of cooked chicken or 1 hard boiled egg
3 tablespoons of hummus
1 handful of carrot sticks
2 ounces of blueberries

Easy Salad:

Always a classic combo for me.

3 ounces of cooked steak, or meat of choice
3 large leaves of romaine or kale chopped
1/4 cup of red onion, chopped
1/2 avocado, diced
6 black olives, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar

Onion Salad:

These caramelized onions are to die for... You get the sweetness with a noodle like texture that is just so satisfying! You'll want to cook the onions the night before and have them on hand in the morning.

2 cups of caramelized onions (post on this soon)
3 ounces of protein of choice (chicken, steak or pork)
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Left overs!

Shrimp + Avocado Salad

This salad is perfect on a warm Summer day (or a Spring day here in Arizona). It is light and delicate, while being creamy and flavorful, without mayo. Plus it's healthy and easy to make. It is basically all chopping and not much cooking, in fact none if you buy previously cooked shrimp!

First, let's talk about the main ingredient:

Shrimp

Shrimp is an excellent source of selenium and vitamin B12. It is a very good source of protein, phosphorus, choline, and copper. In addition, it is a good source of niacin, zinc, vitamin E, vitamin B6, omega-3 fatty acids, pantothenic acid, and vitamin A.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs shrimp, cooked & tails removed
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 avocados, pits removed & diced into 1/2 inch squares
• 2 cups of jicama, diced into 1/2 inch squares
• 1 1/2 cups of radishes, thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
• 1 cup of cilantro, chopped
• 3 tablespoons of lime juice
• 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

First season the cooked shrimp with paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Toss remaining ingredients together in a bowl. Be careful not to mash the avocado! Season with salt and pepper to your liking.

Serves 4 - 6

Prep Time: 10min

Total Time: 12min

Dual Recipes: Orange Tequila Carnitas + Avocado Cabbage Slaw

TWO recipes in this one and wow, are they good! These two dished complement each other like no other. The moist, slightly tangy carnitas with the crunchy cabbage and creamy avocado is just amazing AND we get to use the slow cooker which just makes life that much better.

Orange Tequila Carnitas

Paleo, Primal + Perfect

Serves 6

This Orange Tequila Carnitas recipe was adapted from the Frugal Paleo (one of my favorite cookbooks) recipe, Tequila Lime Carnitas. I loved the idea of using the tequila in the sauce, which I had never done before, but I wanted to use oranges because we have about 10 orange trees in our front and back yard, so we are constantly looking for ways to include them in recipes. This one was a definite success...

Ingredients

• 3 lbs pork shoulder
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
• 2 cups orange juice
• 1/2 cup tequila
• 2 cups chicken stock
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cut the pork shoulder into five even pieces and coat with chili powder, cumin and cayenne pepper, plus salt.
2. Brown pork pieces on all sides in a heated skillet on medium with oil of your choice.
3. Place pork in crockpot, add orange juice, tequila and chicken stock and cook on low for 5 hours.

Avocado Cabbage Slaw

Raw, Vegan, Vegetarian, AIP friendly, Paleo, Primal + Perfect

Serves 6

I came up with this RAW Avocado Cabbage Slaw simply because we had a head of purple cabbage and cauliflower that needed to be used up. I whipped this one up using key ingredient Mexican flavors like cilantro and green onion, and it turned out to be the perfect compliment to the carnitas. The thinly sliced/chopped cauliflower adds a nice texture and actually looks like crumbled Mexican cheese, cotija, which was just a bonus. Plus it is just so easy

Ingredients

• 6 avocados, pit, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 heads of cabbage, thinly sliced or shredded
• 1 head of cauliflower, thinly slice or coarsely chopped
• 7 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
• 2 tablespoons of lime juice
• 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Prep all ingredients and place in to a bowl. Mix well but do not mash the avocado. Season with salt and pepper to your liking

How I Keep Track of my Toddler's Eczema

When my son was 4 months old, I decided it was best for my family if I went back to work and it was at that point, I (regrettably) stopped breast feeding. We first switched my son over to regular formula and he all of the sudden had eczema AND he had a dairy allergy, so we had to feed him the soy formula.

Well now he is 16 months old and we have his eczema down most of the time, but I notice, when things change in his life (like recently starting pre pre school) it tends to break out. So this last time was pretty difficult to get under control... but I've come up with a routine that has been making his skin 100% better.

Here is what we did:

NOT Coconut Oil 

Surprisingly, coconut oil wasn't helpful to my son's skin. I wouldn't say it made it worse, but it definitely didn't make the eczema better despite what everyone told me.

Magnesium Sponge Baths 

I noticed a big improvement after we starting doing sponge baths every other day, alternating quick 2 minute baths one day (using a natural baby soap, like this one here) and a full on sponge bath with a magnesium tablet broken up into a bowl of warm water on the other day.

Pycnogenol (very small amounts) 

Pycnogenol is the US registered trademark name for a product derived from the pine bark of a tree known as Pinus pinaster.
I started putting just a tiny bit of this supplement into his morning oatmeal (no, my son is not 100% paleo).

Vitamin D drops

Vitamin D is very beneficial to everyone's skin, but vitamin D deficiency is so common now, that it is now recognized as a pandemic.The major cause of vitamin D deficiency is the lack of appreciation that sun exposure in moderation is the major source of vitamin D for most humans. Very few foods naturally contain vitamin D, and foods that are fortified with vitamin D are often inadequate to satisfy either a child's or an adult's vitamin D requirement. Vitamin D deficiency causes rickets in children and will precipitate and exacerbate osteopenia, osteoporosis, and fractures in adults. Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with increased risk of common cancers, autoimmune diseases, hypertension, and infectious diseases.
Everyone should be taking a vitamin D supplement unless you spend the majority of your day outside in the sun for long periods of time.

Natural Products + Creams 

Here are my favorite:
Desert Essence
Honest Organic Healing Balm
Vaseline

Since I work full time and am a single mom at the moment, I really have no time to make breakfast during thing week. Instead I stick with my morning cinnamon + pea protein shake because it's yummy and satisfies me with enough energy to get me through the morning until lunch. So on the weekends, I tend to put in extra effort to my breakfasts because it's the only time I get to have a nice whole breakfast with my family.

Sweet Potato + Turkey Sausage Hash

Paleo, Autoimmune-Paleo, Whole30, Gluten Free
This delicious breakfast skillet is packed with amazing nutrients and leaves you satisfied.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 carrots, chopped to similar size of sweet potatoes
• 10 oz turkey breakfast sausage
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• salt + pepper to taste

Optional:

• 3 springs of fresh or 1 tbsp of dried thyme, stems removed
• 4 Eggs

Instructions:

Heat oil on medium heat in a large skillet. Add the breakfast sausage, turn up the heat to medium/high and break it up with the back of a wooden spoon into little chunks, brown sausage for 3 minutes. Then add sweet potato, onion, garlic, cinnamon, thyme, salt and pepper, stir frequently and cook for about 10 to 12 minutes or until your sweet potatoes are nice and tender. May be served with eggs done you favorite way.

Serves 4 - 5
Preparation time: 10min
Total time: 25min

Painting Class + Wine + My Mother

For my mother's birthday, I took her to a painting class where a artist teaches you how to paint a painting... And you get to bring your own wine to share! What could be more

Well it was a blast! And the paintings didn't turn out so bad either. I chose this as her present because I wanted to share something I loved to do (painting) with my mom. She hasn't had much experience with painting. Plus my mom loves wine so it was pretty much the best present ever. 

I recommend these painting with wine classes for anyone needing a date idea. It's really fun to just let go for an hour and get creative with a close friend, family member or significant other.

End photo coming soon!