Paleo Bacon Butternut Squash Soup With Chorizo Recipe

The weather is cold outside and there is nothing like a good bowl of soup to make you feel all nice and warm. The spices from the chorizo give it a little kick, but it’s not too spicy.  I don’t like spicy food and I loved the way this came out! If you want more of a kick add the red pepper.

Bacon Butternut Squash Soup With Chorizo Recipe

1 package all natural Chorizo

1 package nitrate free bacon

1 large butternut squash

kale leaves

2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional if you like it really spicy)

1 large yellow onion

1 can full fat coconut milk

11 cups water

Boil 11 cups of water in a large soup pot. While that is boiling peel your butternut squash with a potato peeler and sharp knife, cut off the ends, scoop out the middle and chop into bit site pieces.

Boil for 30 minutes till soft. While that is boiling chop your onion and cut your bacon into bite size pieces. Cook together on medium to high heat for about 30 minutes until bacon is crisp. If you want it extra spicy add you red pepper when it’s almost done cooking. Pour your bacon/onion mixture with the bacon fat into your soup mixture once your squash is soft. Then take the casing off the chorizo and cook over medium to high heat for about 8 minutes. When that is done, pour all of that into the soup mixture. Then add your can of coconut milk and stir over low heat. While that is mixing, rinse your kale (use as much or as little as you like), and tear pieces of it and add in your soup. Cook over low for 5 minutes and you are all done. Enjoy!

Paleo Bacon Butternut Squash Puree

My husband recently took me out to eat for my birthday at a really nice steakhouse and I ordered their butternut squash puree and was blown away by how good it was.  I don’t think it was really Paleo because it tasted like it had heavy cream in it, so I had to make a Paleo version, and I must this, it came out really good!

Paleo Bacon Butternut Squash Puree

2.5 lbs butternut squash

3/4 cup coconut spread or butter, melted

1 small yellow onion

1 package nitrate free bacon

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 cup gluten free chicken broth

4 tbsp coconut nectar or sweetener of your choice

Bake butternut squash in oven on 350 for about 1 hour 15 minutes till soft. Let cool. Peel the onion and throw in a food processor and mix well.  Scoop out seeds from the squash and scoop out the squash and throw in the food processor. Cook your bacon over medium heat on the stove until crispy. Add the bacon into the food processor along with the rest of your ingredients. Mix well. Enjoy!

Baby Weight Loss Journey-What I have been Eating!

Here is a summary of what I have been eating to help you get an idea of what to eat. I don’t worry about calories or serving size, I just eat a sensible portion until I’m content.

Breakfast-

-Eggs with nitrate free bacon avocado and spinach leaves

-Eggs with all natural sausage, avocado and spinach leaves

-Eggs with nitrate free hot dog, spinach leaves and avocado

-Eggs with chopped sweet potatoes and all natural chorizo with spinach leaves

As you can see, lots of eggs! Try to get farm fresh eggs if you can.

Now for lunch and dinner.  These 2 are combined because usually lunch is leftovers from dinner the night before.

Lunch/Dinner (all Paleo)

Neaty Spaghetti Squash Casserole https://glutenfreepaleo.wordpress.com/2013/02/07/paleo-meaty-pasta-bake-recipe/

Chicken Alfredo Casserole https://glutenfreepaleo.wordpress.com/2013/01/23/broccoli-chicken-bacon-alfredo-recipe/

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf with Mashed Parsnips and Steamed Broccoli https://glutenfreepaleo.wordpress.com/2013/01/22/bacon-wrapped-italian-meatloaf-recipe/

Chicken Pot Pie https://glutenfreepaleo.wordpress.com/2013/04/10/paleo-chicken-pot-pie-recipe/

Chicken Wings with Broccoli and Avocado https://glutenfreepaleo.wordpress.com/2013/01/24/paleo-garlic-honey-chicken-wings-with-steamed-broccoli-and-sweet-potato-fries-recipe/

Chili With Hot Dogs and Spinach Leaves https://glutenfreepaleo.wordpress.com/2013/03/05/paleo-chili-pie-with-hot-dogs-and-pork-rinds-recipe/

Rib-eye Steak with Baked Sweet Potato and Steamed Broccoli https://glutenfreepaleo.wordpress.com/2013/03/27/what-we-had-for-dinner-easy-paleo-steak-dinner/

Bunless Hamburger with Avocado, Grilled Onions, Spinach, and Fried Egg on Top  https://glutenfreepaleo.wordpress.com/2013/02/11/paleo-bacon-hamburger-recipe/

Apple Spinach Stuffed Chicken Thighs With Steamed Broccoli https://glutenfreepaleo.wordpress.com/2013/04/19/paleo-apple-spinach-stuffed-chicken-thighs-recipe/

Meaty Lasagne – https://glutenfreepaleo.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/paleo-easy-meaty-lasagna-recipe/

Zuppa Toscana Soup https://glutenfreepaleo.wordpress.com/2013/02/08/paleo-zuppa-toscana-soup-recipe/

Meatballs with Spaghetti Sauce  https://glutenfreepaleo.wordpress.com/2013/02/05/paleo-italian-meatballs-recipe/

What We had for Dinner? Easy Paleo Steak Dinner

This is one of our favorite and easiest Paleo dinners.  Ribeye steak with sweet potato fries and steamed broccoli.  Ribeye steaks are our favorite types of steaks, because of all the fat in it.  It makes for one juicy piece of meat.  Enjoy!

Ribeye Steak Recipe

I don’t season or marinate my steak at all, I feel it takes away from the taste of the meat.  I read something about letting your beef rest before cooking, so I let it sit out for 30 mins before cooking. My husband cooks them on a gas grill about 475 degrees, 6 minutes each side for medium steaks.

Steamed Broccoli Recipe

1-2 heads Fresh Broccoli

sea salt

Using a double boiler chop up all your broccoli and top with a bit of sea salt.  Boil for 16 mins on high.  The sea salt really brings out the flavor in the broccoli.

Sweet Potato Fries

1-2 sweet potatoes

Olive oil

cinnamon

sea salt

pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut sweet potatoes into thin “fries”.  Lay on flat cooking sheet, I lay foil on the cooking sheet to make clean up easier. Drizzle olive oil on top of fries and sprinkle cinnamon, sea salt, and pepper to taste.  Cinnamon is great at regulating your blood sugar, so I try to use as much as I can in my cooking.  Bake for about 45 mins to 1 hour, time varies depending on how many you have.  Just check with fork to see if it’s soft.  You can turn oven to broil if you want them to crisp up.

Substitute For Mashed Potatoes- Mashed Parsnip Recipe

 

While eating Paleo it’s highly recommended to stay away from potatoes.  They are higher in carbs and you can get more vitamins with other vegetables like sweet potatoes, parsnips or cauliflower.  I had started making mashed cauliflower, but it really wasn’t that great, then I found the parsnip.

A Parsnip (shown below) is in the carrot family and is low in carbs,  and high in Vitamin A,  C, fiber and folate. You can basically use them any time you would use a potato.  It has a bit of a sweet flavor to it. Everyone who has tried my parsnips have like them, so they are sure to be a hit when you serve them.  We eat them about once a week and they can be found at your local grocery store for about $2. One bag will feed 3, unless you’re feeding my husband, then it will only feed 2. Enjoy!

Mashed Parsnip Recipe- (you can follow this recipe or use your same old recipe as making mashed potatoes)

1 bag parsnips

gluten free chicken broth (or coconut butter, or butter)

sea salt

pepper

Set a pot of water to boil.  While you are waiting for that, peel and chop your parsnips so they will cook faster.  Toss parsnips into boiling water and boil for about 30 mins till soft.  When done, remove and strain.  I then use my handy dandy food processor, (you can use hand mixer), to puree it.  I then add a little chicken broth and salt and pepper till i’m satisfied with the texture and flavor.  Sorry, I can’t give you exact measurements, but just the same as when you make mashed potatoes, you eye ball it. Enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped Italian Meatloaf Recipe

This is by far one of the best meatloaf’s I have ever had! I must warn you though, it smells so good, that it might make you get up in the middle of the night wanting to get more.  Maybe that’s just me being pregnant though, but luckily, I resisted and went back to bed.

Bacon Wrapped Italian Meatloaf Recipe

1 package  bacon (preferably nitrate free)

1 pound ground beef (preferably grass fed)

1 pound ground Italian sausage (make sure it’s gluten free)

1 small white onion

1 egg

2 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp thyme

salt to taste

pepper to taste

olive or coconut oil for sauteing

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Dice up onion and saute in pan with olive or coconut oil for about 5-10 minutes and set aside to cool. (I like to saute it, because it gives it a sweeter taste)

2. Lay all the bacon in a pan as shown below.  I foil the pan because it makes clean up a lot easier.

3. In a large bowl mix all your ingredients together including your onions. Put it on top of bacon pan and shape to meatloaf mixture.  Then wrap the bacon around the meat mixture as shown below.

4. Bake on 400 degrees for 75 minutes till bacon is crispy and let sit for at least 5 minutes before cutting.  Enjoy! (The picture below is what it looks like when it’s done, seeing how juicy it gets, it’s easier to wrap your pan in foil.

Kale Coconut Butternut Squash Soup

This is a soup I made yesterday with things I had in my fridge. Butternut squash is in the pumpkin family and has a good dose of fiber, potassium, Vitamin B6 and folate. It can be used in both dessert or dinner recipes.

Kale Coconut Butternut Squash Recipe

Ingredients:

1 can full fat coconut milk

1 cup gluten free chicken broth

2 small white onions

1 medium carrot

1 medium cooked butternut squash (bake for hour on 350, scoop seeds out and use inside, just like cooking a pumpkin)

Chopped parsley

Half of bunch of kale leaves

salt and pepper

Olive oil or coconut oil

Directions:

1.  Use food processor to grind onions and carrots.

2.  Saute onions and carrot mixture with olive oil or coconut oil for 15 mins.

3.  Sprinkle a bit of chopped parsley in.

4.  Add squash to the mixture and cook for about 7 mins with salt and pepper to taste.

5.  Throw kale leaves back into food processor and add soup mixture and puree till soft.

6. Enjoy!

I use a food processor almost every day. It’s a must have in my kitchen, I just bought a simple one from target, nothing pricey, I just needed my food grinded and pureed.