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Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Paleo Nights

This is the phase in the Whole30 plan when I start getting used to the foods, but get a little pissy when I am making dinner.  TheHub is not doing this plan, because he has no weight to lose and no real health reason to do it. (Ask me one day about the man who would eat and entire box of ice cream sandwiches in one sitting and never gain an ounce. And I am not talking about doing it just once, I am talking about all the time. Life is unfair, huh?)
So as I do this for me I have to consider him in the food equation. The usual filler foods like pastas and rice are totally off plan for me, and quite frankly unless we are having spaghetti (mine over spaghetti squash and his over regular spaghetti noodles) it just tees me off to have to make something that I am not going to be able to eat. Enter the lowly sweet potato! It fills him and me and is plan compliant.  It does not bother me in the least that he has a baked potato swimming in butter, because I made a wonderful mixed spice blend just for  my sweet potato, and I don't share my spices with him. (Cause I am petty that way! Though I would share if he would nix the butter.)

Over the last couple of days several of you have written about making shepherd's pie and I have been craving it.  TheHub called to say he was going to be a couple of hours later than normal so I had a lot of time to make whatever we were going to be eating and I thought why not make the dish paleo compliant and satisfy my craving.



Savory Sweet Potato Mashed Potatoes
4 medium sweet potatoes chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon parsley
1/2 teaspoon powdered garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup almond milk

Toss the sweet potatoes in a pan and cover them with water, cook until soft, drain add the olive oil and mash with a potato masher. (If you prefer s super smooth mashed potato feel free to use a ricer) .
Stir in the seasonings and add the almond milk.  Set aside.

The Filling
3 carrots peeled and chopped into "coins" cooked (save cooking water)
1 lb frozen green beans, cooked
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 carton mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons ketchup (I use paleo cause, well, whole 30 and all)
1 1/4 lb ground beef, browned (I had mine browned and frozen. If yours is raw brown it in a pan then add the onions and the mushrooms when the meat begins to brown)
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon parsley
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
salt and papper to taste
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon arrowroot starch

Cook the carrots and the green beans until tender but not soft. (I am lazy and cook them in the same pan ) Reserve the cooking water.  Add the oil to a non stick sauté pan and wilt the onions, then add the mushrooms.  Add the ketchup and browned ground beef then add the herbs, salt and pepper.  Stir until it is piping hot, add the carrots and beans and let rest for a minute.  Meanwhile take about 1 cup of the cooking water and add the balsamic vinegar to it.  Bring it to a high boil and reduce by about a third. Mix the arrowroot starch with 2 tablespoons of water and add to the reduced liquid.  Cook until it thickens, pour it over the ground beef mixture and stir to combine completely.  Put the mixture into an oven proof baking pan and top with mashed sweet potatoes.  Bake at 350 until hot (About 20 minutes)

I cannot begin to tell you how delicious this was.  I served it with a simple green salad and sliced tomatoes and that was it.  It hit all bases.  It was comforting, warm, filling, and was fantastic tasting.
Son2 ate with us again tonight and all three of us has seconds. I am not pointing finger but someone had thirds. I was especially  thrilled that there are some leftovers. While doing this plan I am less than enamored by making breakfast, so I try to eat a little of whatever was leftover from dinner the night before. A nice bowl of this nuked for breakfast tomorrow will be great.

And this is the truth: TheHub asked me to make this again even if I am not doing Whole30.  Win?  You betcha! Yum plus!




22 comments:

  1. Sounds yummy, my heart goes out to you. Fortunately my Hubby has always had a weight problem. If I truly DIET with him I turn into a rake with clothes on but steroids put weight on me and I am constantly off and on steroids. balderdash!

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    1. I have decided I am going to use the word zaftig instead of fat from now on when I describe myself. It has a more continental flair!

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  2. Glad you found a dish that you can both enjoy. I wished I liked sweet potatoes. They are such a versatile, healthful food. But, alas, that's a dislike from childhood that has never gone away. It must be genetic because none of my siblings like them either.

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    1. I only like savory sweet potatoes. Those sweet souffle things that everyone loves are horrid to me.

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  3. Oh that looks great. Of course I prefer white potatoes but I am going to try it next week and maybe use portabellas instead of the meat. This week I'm cleaning out the freezers with leftovers. Both my fridges are old- almost 20 and garage one is 17) so I know one of these days, one will be DEAD. I'm dieting too and walking. We're going to Disney for a few days and I need my stamina haha.

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    1. I prefer white potatoes also but whole 30 prefers sweet potatoes. Good luck with the freezer cleaning/eating. I had my freezer down to a manageable condition and now I am slowly but surely refilling it.

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  4. It's funny how dishes pop up like that -- things you aren't sure they'll like and yet they end up requesting them again.

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    1. It is, and believe it or not this is much better warmed and served the next day. I only know because I am eating it right now as a breakfast/lunch meal.

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  5. I used to be able to eat anything and not gain weight. Then I took a medication that made me crave carbs. The weight piled on, and it's so hard to get it off. I lost forty pounds a while back and I think I've regained it all.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. I have never been one who could eat anything and not gain. I lose weight very quickly, unfortunately I am a really good finder too!

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  6. That is uncanny, I have a taste for shepherd's pie too and got the meat out to defrost just now. I think I might give your spicy mash a try with it too. Looks lovely. Anna

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    1. People in blogland have all eaten shepherd
      s pie this week and all of a sudden I had to have it. It really is good and easy to boot!

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  7. ooh!!! I love sweet potatoes but my husband is so picky picky...

    And I was like that in college. My metabolism was at an all time high then and I could eat a 10 piece McNugget or Potato Oles all the time without gaining anything. My mom thought I MUST be doing drugs because I was so skinny.. Nope! Just always on the run. As soon as I got married and making regular meals, I plumped up. darn.

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    1. OH you were one of those girls in college that I hated!

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  8. I feel you! I changed my diet drastically in the last two years and I was super grumpy at first because I basically had to re-learn how to cook, and none of my recipes would work for me anymore. Congratulations on your success. It looks wonderful.

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    1. Thank you! If I were just cooking for me it would not be an issue but I don't and having to consider others is harder than I thought it would be. So I am slowly leading them to the dark side .

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  9. That looks and sounds delicious!

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  10. Looks amazing! I have a picky eater. He has serious texture issues & cannot handle things mixed together. It makes dinner a huge frustrating challenge. But, I persevere. ;-)

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    1. I had one of those picky eater,s but he grew up and left home. Amazingly now he will eat just about anything.

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  11. I wonder what it would be like with ground turkey or chicken? Only one way to find out! Isn't it great when you only have to cook one meal for everyone?!

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  12. I think the turkey or chicken would do quite well. Might need to add a little chicken broth to the cooked ground chicken or turkey though.

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