Kevin's Fried Potatoes

Potatoes are something we've been receiving in our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share. over the last month or so. Kevin came up with this beautifully perfect recipe that we've been using over and over each week and the whole family enjoys it.

Ingredients
1 medium onion (about 1 cup) diced
2 cups diced peppers (we've used multiple types due to whatever comes in the farm share)
1 1/2 - 2 pounds of baby potatoes (again baby reds or another type, what comes in the share)
Sea Salt / Pepper to taste
4 tablespoons of olive oil or your choice of fat


Cut potatoes into 1/2 - 1" cubes and boil for 5 minutes then drain

Dice peppers and onions and sauté in olive oil for 2-4 minutes

Add cubed potatoes along with salt and pepper

Cook until desired brownness is achieved (5-10 min)

Serve with your favorite protein and green veggies

Last night we Green Chicken with Roasted Garlic from Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook, potatoes and green salad.

Then this morning we used the leftover fried potatoes for breakfast with scrambled eggs and chorizo sausage. I topped mine with hot sauce and fresh tomatoes and a side of cucumber salad. Perfect.

A week or so ago Kevin used leftover fried potatoes for my special breakfast. The bottom omelet was eggs and bacon. Then he topped that with fresh tomatoes and fried potatoes. I can't even tell you how delicious this was!

I've also made a hamburger salad with fried potatoes in it. The burger was topped with onions and hot sauce / mustard dressing. 

The potatoes are so versatile that they are great to make ahead and just throw in with a meal. A great starchy carb for work outs also. 

Enjoy!

Yvonne

Cucumber Salad

This summer we've worked harder to eat by season. So between our garden and the farm share we purchased we've done pretty well. It has been a challenge here and there when you get the same ingridents over and over. You want to come up with something new and not always eat the ingredients the same way. I think we've been pretty successful overall. 

We planted about 6-8 plants of cucumbers this year and ALL of them grew. We had cucumbers coming out our ears. I gave a ton away, we picked a ton and then I still had a few pounds left. Earlier for a party I'd wanted to make an old fashion cucumber salad but didn't when I saw that the cucumbers had to be salted and sit for 2 hours. Well last weekend I had 2 hours to spare so I made the recipe. My mom had made it growing up and said that it froze well. We froze several pint glass jars that I'll pull out later in the fall. 

Kevin made another batch using the very last of the cucumbers that came from the garden as everything got pulled up. This batch I've been eating all week! It's stay crispy and yummy and I still have some left that I'll eat over the next few days. 

This is an old Betty Crocker recipe that we've edited for Paleo. 

2-3 medium cucumbers

1 tablespoon sea salt

1/4 cup vinegar

2 tablespoons coconut sugar

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Thinly slice the cucumbers and place in a shallow pan and salt in layers. Place a cutting board and heavy object on top of the cucumbers and let it sit for 2 hours. Because we did this recipe x 5 I used a 9x13 pan, cutting board, paper towel over cutting board then our food processor. Worked like a charm. This just sits out on the counter. 

After 2 hours drain the liquid and press out any additional. Combine the vinegar, coconut sugar, and pepper and pour over the cucumbers. Refrigerate and eat later. 

FREEZER instructions

To freeze in glass jars I filled the jars with the drained cucumbers then poured liquid over and left down about 1" from the top of the jar. This allows for expansion during freezing. I lightly put the lids / rings on and place in the freezer. After they are frozen then i'll tighten the lid. I've not had any of the frozen ones yet, however mom said it works. Based on how crispy the batch is that i made earlier this week I can't see this not coming out of the freezer perfectly!

Now for what to have your cucumbers with:

 Breakfast of: PaleOmg's Breakfast Bacon Maple Meatballs + cucumber salad + fresh tomatoes

Taco Salad - Lettuce, fresh cut tomatoes, cucumber salad, taco meat, onions and lime with hot sauce
The vinegar from the cucumber salad was beyond perfect for this salad!

Breakfast of: Taco meat, cucumber salad, diced tomatoes

I've also had the cucumber salad with pretty much every meal this week because there's so much of it. The rest of the family only likes pickles and doesn't care for the cucumbers any other way. Oh well, their loss.

Enjoy!
Yvonne

Kids Paleo Lunches

I've received a few questions lately about kids lunches. I wrote an article back in 2013 that you can find here. I'll expand on that with some new favorites the kids have. First let me say that I plan lunches based on what we are having for breakfast and lunch as we use leftovers for lunch.

Meatballs
Italian Meatballs - this can be sooooo many differnt types of meatballs, it's a long list! Meatballs are pretty much a weekly food in our house

Breakfast Bacon and Maple Meatballs - leave out bacon to make this cheaper

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Sundried Tomato Basil Meatballs

Marvelous Meatballs - I edit this recipe and make 1" meatballs and cook at 350 degrees in the oven for 30 min. I've tried the larger crockpot size and we don't care for them that way. 

Meat Rolls - We use clean ham / salami (just two different meats) roll together and stick with a toothpick for their thermos

Hot Dogs & Eggs - Sounds gross but this is a huge fav! I use Applegate hot dogs sliced up and cooked in with scrambled eggs

ABJ a.k.a. Almond Butter and Jam sandwiches made with paleo pancakes  or using this bread

Tacos using this seasoning. Taco meat can be mixed with several different things like diced cabbage and wilted in a pan; shredded and cooked sweet potatos; send along with letttuce boats for them to load at the lunch table

Chicken Salad

Brussel Sprouts & Bacon / Sausage

Baked Chicken

Chicken Nuggests

Chicken Fried Cauliflower Rice = use this recipe and I add in diced baked chicken and extra eggs (4-6)

Cauliflower Pizza Bites

Scotch Eggs

Sweet Potato Hash

Pulled Pork 

Hamburgers

Hot dogs - Applegate grassfed hotdogs

All these main meals are paired with a pretty standard rotation of green beans, carrots, celery, salad, apples, banana, berries, pear ect. They get a fruit and a vegetable picked from what we have in the house. Everything above minus the hot dogs and eggs I would make ahead and just re heat the morning of. Kevin and I spend about 30 minutes in the kitchen in the morning together making / reheating lunch and breakfast for the family of 4. Team work gets it done and everyone gets a great paleo meal that will be kept either hot or cold depending on the dish. A thermos and lunch box are the key!

Let me know some of your favorite kids lunches or if you have any questions.

Enjoy!
Yvonne