Thanksgiving Meal Ideas

Thanksgiving Meal Ideas

 

 

 

If you're like me, you're already planning for Christmas before Thanksgiving even arrives. Well, I wanted to make your life a little easier and give you a list of delicious Thanksgiving proteins, sides and gravy to make your tummy scream THANK YOU!

 

So, here's a list of what will be on our dinner table this year along with some extra goodies. Enjoy!

 

Chicken, or turkey! No Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner is complete unless there's a bird involved. My husband loves turkey and I love chicken so please use this recipe on either birds and enjoy because it is just so juicy and moist!

 

Then there's the gravy. This is honestly the easiest and most full-proof method I've been able to follow. Making the gravy nice and dark cooks out the flour taste and gives it a rich deliciousness that you need to smother the chicken with.

Hey you paleo and gluten free people.. I know corn starch isn't exactly paleo but substitute equal parts corn starch for the flour and you'll have an excellent gravy. You might try it with arrowroot flour but I've never had good luck with that for some reason. Corn starch is easier on my tummy.

 

 

 

The next item of business is a green vegetable. No matter how you cook your green beans, you need to try this blanching method before cooking. It truly makes life a lot easier. Give it a shot!

 

 

 

Hey, how about some dessert? Tired of the same old pumpkin pie every year? Okay, maybe not but if you are, give this delicious Sweet Potato Pie a try. It's so sweet and creamy. I love how it tastes right out of the oven but it's even better after it's been refrigerated!

Here's a paleo recipe for it, too.

 

 

Last, but certainly not least is sweet potato souffle. This is, by far, the best thing at our Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. Always good hot and/or cold and if I make a paleo/gluten free recipe, I'll be sure to post it.

 



 





There are a lot of other delicious meals so look at the search bar on the top right side of my page and type in an ingredient and I'm sure you'll find some great recipes there. If you have any questions or need any help with preparing a meal, feel free to leave me a comment below or shoot me an email at angelasglutenfreebakery@yahoo.com

 

Here's to a THANKFUL holiday season this year.



Stuffed Bell Peppers

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Printable Recipe

 

I haven't posted a recipe on this blog in a while because I have been working hard on my other two websites (The Girl Who Went Paleo and Angela's Gluten-Free Bakery) and I've been super busy preparing for our local farmer's market that I sell my gluten-free baked goods at. Thanksgiving is also around the corner and I've had to mentally prepare for that.

Other things I'm thinking about lately is opening up a food truck business (Paleo and GF items only), writing an e-book, and selling to one of our local mom&pop shops.

Life is busy, isn't it? Phew!
 

Well, here's a delicious paleo and/or primal meal all in one. It has the carbs, proteins and fats all in one pretty little package. Now, this recipe does include cheese so if you don't eat cheese, leave it out. Just add some salt and pepper and you're good to go!

 

Ingredients:

Serves 2

2 green bell peppers

1/2 - 3/4 pounds ground meat. beef, chicken, turkey, sausage.. whatever you like

3/4cup crushed tomatoes

1/2cup onion, diced

1/4cup bell pepper, diced (see notes below)

S&P (salt and pepper) to taste

1/4cup cheese, shredded

 

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and preheat a skillet over medium heat.
Slice off the tops of the bell peppers and reserve them for future use. Remove the seeds/ribs on the inside and discard. Using a knife, remove the stem from the tops of the bell peppers you just sliced and dice into bite sized pieces.

In a medium skillet, add the ground meat, onions and bell peppers and cook thoroughly (about 8-10 minutes) and season with salt and pepper. Drain the excess fat and place back in the skillet or clean bowl. Add the crushed tomatoes and stir thoroughly. Scoop the mixture into the bell peppers and top with cheese.

 

In an oven-safe dish, add a tiny bit of water - about 1/4 cup - and place the bell peppers inside and then bake about 40-45 minutes until the peppers have softened.

 

*Tip* If you want to make a lot of these and freeze them, make it all the way up to where you stuff the peppers then freeze them. When you want to bake these, transfer to an oven-safe dish and immediately bake. Do not defrost these. Baking times will be longer since it's frozen.

 

Eat and enjoy!



Sweet Potato Pie

Sweet Potato Pie

Printable Recipe

 

 

I really enjoy baking in the fall. Summertime baking is fun, but baking those fall desserts really makes me happy. I love it!

My mom has a great sweet potato pie recipe and I asked her for it. Hope it's okay to share mom! I made a paleo version of it so if you'd like that recipe, check it out at my other blog "The Girl Who Went Paleo." So here is the sugary version made with a wheat crust. It's just so delicious! I love this pie warm but it's even better after it's been refrigerated over night. Can't wait to make this again so I can eat the whole thing!

 

Really.

I'm the only one here who will eat it. SCORE!

 

Ingredients:

Makes 2 pies

Find my pie crust recipe here.

 

4oz. unsalted butter, softened (1/2 stick)

2cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes

2cups granulated sugar

1 - 5oz. can of evaporated milk (1/2cup + 2Tbsp)

1tsp vanilla

3 eggs, beaten

1 1/2tsp cinnamon

 

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350degrees.

In a large bowl, mix the butter, potatoes, sugar and milk until well blended. Add vanilla, eggs and cinnamon and mix well. Pour into the unbaked pie shells and bake for 1 hour or until set.

 

Tip: If you'd like, you can assemble the pie and freeze it, un-cooked. When you're ready to bake it, let it thaw out completely and bake accordingly.
Also, if you bake this pie and want to freeze it, cut the remainder of the pie into slices and wrap individually in plastic wrap. Freeze. When ready to eat, thaw at room temperature or microwave it for 15-20 seconds until thawed. It's delicious warm or cold.

 

 

 

Enjoy!

Paleo Breakfast Scramble

Paleo Breakfast Scramble

Printable Recipe

 

 

Who gets tired of eating the same thing every single breakfast? I know I do and I just had to mix it up this week. I started by cleaning out my fridge. Anything that needed to be consumed that day was going into my breakfast. It's a fun way to reinvent breakfast and use leftovers from previous meals.

 

Here's what I did for this super fast and tasty breakfast.

 

Ingredients:Serves 1

1 small handful diced red potatoes

5-6 broccoli heads, diced

1 small bell pepper or any pepper of choice

7-8 slices of turkey meat

2 eggs

S&P (salt and pepper) to taste

1tsp cooking oil of choice, I prefer olive oil here

 

Directions:

In a skillet, heat up the oil on medium heat and add the diced vegetables. Saute until warmed through and add the turkey meat and cook until slightly browned. Next, add the eggs and scramble in the pan with the vegetables and turkey and cook thoroughly. Add salt and pepper and eat!



Delicious Angel Food Cake

Delicious Angel Food Cake

Printable Recipe

 

 

I can't tell you why I've never tried to make an angel food cake. I guess  making it was a challenge since I'm not the best at "folding" ingredients together, especially when egg whites are involved. Nonetheless, I went on towards reaching a goal and success! The first two angel food cakes I made were amazing. I also made some down right delicious gluten free cakes and they were also great. The GF ones fell a little but they tasted great regardless of the way they looked.

Today's recipe is for a regular wheat-based cake but I will be providing a GF cake recipe one day when I have enough time. This blogging thing really is a lot of work. It usually takes an hour or more for one blog post. (In case you didn't know.)

 

Any who, let's get to the recipe, shall we?

 

Ingredients:

2cups superfine sugar (granulated, fine sugar)

1 1/3cups sifted cake flour

1 1/2cups egg whites at room temperature (I used liquid egg whites)

3/4tsp salt

1 1/2tsp cream of tartar

3/4tsp vanilla extract

 

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Make sure your oven is ready to go or your cake will fall flat.
Combine 1/2cup sugar with the flour and sift together 4 times. This really does make for a light and airy cake so I highly recommend doing this.
Place the eggs whites, salt and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat with the whisk attachment on high speed until stiff peaks form, approximately 1 minute. With the mixer on medium speed, add the remaining 1 1/2cups of sugar by sprinkling it over the egg whites. Whisk until thick and shiny then add the vanilla extract and whisk until thick, about another minute. Sift the flour mixture into the liquid mixture 1/4 at a time and fold into the batter with a rubber spatula.
Pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan, smooth the top and bake 35-40 minutes until it springs back to the touch. I baked mine 45-50 minutes so please watch your time carefully.
Remove the cake from the oven and invert on a cooling rack until completely cool.

 

 

Notes: The top of the cake is slightly crunchy while the remainder of the cake is light and airy. Cut any remaining pieces and wrap individually in plastic wrap and freeze up to 6 months. Remove from freezer and thaw on counter or microwave a few seconds until warm.

Eat this delicious treat and enjoy!

Paleo and Holistic Cold Remedy

Paleo and Holistic Cold Remedy

 

"Let food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be food." - Hippocrates

 

My kids have been sick a lot this year with colds and ear infections. I'm not a fan of sickness (but who is?) and hate it when my kids get sick. I hate it even more when two of them are sick.. and I hate it even more if they get sick and then heal and then I get sick. HATE IT!

I was on a quest for finding a holistic and paleo cold remedy and luckily, I had the mixture right inside my pantry. Fresh, local honey and ground cinnamon. I usually find anything I want to make on pinterest. Everyone said it worked so I tried it early this year when the kids got sick. My throat started feeling scratchy and my lower back started to ache - which for me is the ultimate sign of sickness coming on.

I took the specified concoction and I was surprised that it worked. It warded off the cold and I only had a few aches the first day and I was more tired than usual on the second day and by the third day, I felt normal again. No cold! 

 

So, how does honey and cinnamon work to heal you? Well, let's take a look at the two elements.

First, honey is the only food in the world that will not spoil. Did you know that? I didn't until recently and thought, "wow.. those bees sure do know what they're doing!"
Second, honey is an antimicrobial, which means that it kills microorganisms that carry disease. In other words, it will feast on the germs and kill them before they spread into your body.

And how about the cinnamon? What does that do internally?

Cinnamon treats antiviral infections. Research has shown that it is an antiviral remedy which will kill the cold and flu virus internally.

We put the antiviral (cold fighter) and the antimicrobial (germ fighter) together and the most precious sickness fighter you can imagine has been created.

 

I've tried this twice this year and the benefits are amazing. I am proof that this does work and will continue reaching into my pantry instead of a medicine cabinet from now on. If you look for naturally safe solutions, you will find it. Just keep looking and digging and experimenting.

Cold Remedy Ingredients:

Makes 3 servings (take 3 times a day)
1Tbsp local, raw honey
3/4tsp ground cinnamon

 

Directions:

Stir the honey and cinnamon together in a small container and take 1tsp 3x's daily until all cold/flu symptoms are gone.

 

I mixed up several days worth of this mixture and gladly ate all of it.

I am not a medical professional. This is my own assessment and I will not be held for any misuse of this remedy.
 

Please let me know if you try this and how you like the results!

~Angela

 

Homemade Gourmet Marshmallow's

Homemade Gourmet Marshmallow's

Printable Recipe

 

 

During my visits at being a vendor at my local market, I thought I'd give marshmallow making a try. The first recipe was a flop ... do not use pectin!
The second, third, fourth etc.. were awesome and spot on every time. This recipe is so simple but I must warn you, you need to have a stand up mixer. This will need to mix 15 minutes and I honestly don't know if you could do it with a hand-held. That's all you have? Give it a try and come back and let me know how it worked!

 

These pictures were from the marshmallow's I made for a beach-themed baby shower and the lucky lady was having a girl. Apparently when I left, the last few were fought over because they were so good.. and yes, they're so much better than store bought and taste amazing roasted! MMM!

 

 

Ingredients:

1.5cups water (3/4cup in sugar mixture, 3/4cup in gelatin mixture)

4 envelopes of unflavored gelatin

3cups granulated sugar

1 1/4cups light corn syrup

1/4tsp salt

2tsp vanilla extract

1cup (more or less) powdered sugar

 

Directions:Lightly spray a large jelly roll pan or 9x13 pan with any oil and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixter, combine 3/4cup water and the 4 gelatin packets.
Over medium-high heat, combine 3/4cup remaining water, granulated sugar, light corn syrup and salt and bring to a boil until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer.
With the whisk attachment on the mixter, carefully pour the hot mixture into the gelatin/water mixture on high speed for 15 minutes. The mixture will be light and fluffy and very stiff. After 15 minutes, add the 2tsp vanilla until completely incorporated.
 

 

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a lightly oiled spatula. Let rest 10-15 hours.

Sprinkle powdered sugar on top of marshmallow's and then flip out onto a cutting board (powdered sugar side down). Then sprinkle again on top. Cut into desired shapes and roll into remaining powdered sugar to prevent sticking.

 

I added about 10 drops red food coloring and swirled it in for a pink baby shower marshmallow.

I went a step further and dipped these halfway into chocolate and toasted coconut. I made some for the kids with mini chocolate chips on top of the dipped chocolate and also did a chocolate/white chocolate swirl.
*Note: If you dip these in chocolate, dust the excess powdered sugar off first or the chocolate won't stick.
These can be stored 2-3 weeks in an airtight container in the pantry or about 6 months in the freezer if tighly wrapped.

 

 

These also make excellet rice crispy treats as well as smores and can be placed on top of your coffee or hot chocolate. So good!

Eat and enjoy!



Paleo Mayo-Baked Chicken

Paleo Mayo Baked Chicken

 

I'm a big fan of baked chicken when it's cooked right and not dry; which has been what my past baked chicken dishes have been. It's so sad when a great piece of chicken turns out dry. You miserably eat it and regret all the time you put into prepping it.

Thankfully, I made my own concoction of a delicious and simple mixture to spoon on top of chicken then bake it off. It was honestly as simple as putting a few ingredients in a bowl, stirring to combine, spreading on top of the chicken and baking. That's my idea of cooking right there.

Check out my recipe here at The Girl Who Went Paleo: Paleo Chicken. MMM!

 

Perfect Paleo Red Potatoes, Two Ways

Perfect Red Potatoes, Two Ways
Find this recipe at my Paleo blog: The Girl Who Went Paleo

 

 

There are a lot of people who don't eat white potatoes because it may be a problem for them with the starch and glucose and what-not. There's a long post about potatoes here that you can read if you'd like. It's from Mark's Daily Apple and I happen to like some of the stuff he's written. Although he's primal, it seems that he agrees that a large part of our population can not internally handle tubers (potatoes).

I love potatoes and we eat red potatoes about twice a week. I can handle it and it seems that my boys handle it well, too. Only time will tell for them as they're little ones but when they get older, they can decide to continue eating potatoes or eliminate them from their diet.

So, for any of you red-potato-eating-folks, here's a double whammy recipe for you:
1) Baked red potatoes

and

2) Skillet fried red potatoes

 

Paleo Baked Red Potatoes:
Printable Recipe
One small bag of red potatoes washed and cut into quarters

Salt and pepper to taste, approximately 1tsp salt and 1/2tsp pepper
2Tbsp olive oil, or oil of choice
1Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
1Tbsp fresh parsley, minced

 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400degrees.
Wash and cut red potatoes into quarters and place on a baking sheet. Coat generously with oil of choice and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake approximately (according to the size of the cut pieces) 25-35 minutes flipping the potatoes once half-way through the baking process.
When finished, sprinkle with rosemary and parsley and eat these delicious potatoes.

 

Paleo Pan-Fried Red Potatoes
Printable Recipe

Use remaining ingredients from the above recipe, which are the cooked red potatoes. In a cast iron skillet, heat 2Tbsp olive oil (or bacon fat, or any fat of choice) until the pan starts steaming. When it's hot, place the potatoes in the skillet and cook 15-20 minutes until browned on all sides. Stir and flip potatoes every minute or so. Keep your eye on this as it could burn easily.

Sprinkle with fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme or parsley. Eat with whatever condiment of choice you'd like (we prefer ketchup!) or sprinkle with cheese and melt then add some chili or sour cream. Yummy in my tummy!

The first recipe is great for a lunch or dinner while the second recipe is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Please enjoy and let me know how you like these two recipes.

Eat and Enjoy!

Paleo Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies

Paleo Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies

 

On my new paleo blog, The Girl Who Went Paleo, I posted a paleo creation for pumpkin breakfast cookies. The texture is chewy and the cookie is hearty. It's great for a quick grab-n-go snack and wonderful for the kids.

Check out the recipe here, and let me know what you think!

 

 

 

Enjoy!



Pumpkin Muffins with Dark Chocolate Chips

Pumpkin Muffins with Dark Chocolate Chips
Printable Recipe

Anyone else ready for the fall to roll around? This summer in Florida has been very hot, humid and extremely rainy. So much for being called the Sunshine State. I'm always ready for spring and fall and enjoy watching summer and winter go away.

Who's in the mood for pumpkin? Who's ready for sweater and scarf season? I know I am! My girlfriend requested an order of pumpkin bread so I made her mini loaves and put dark chocolate chips in them. So delicious!

I also made a paleo version of it ... then I made breakfast cookies with the pumpkin. MMM! Be on the lookout for those recipes.

Ingredients:
Makes 1 loaf or 10-12 muffins
1 1/2cups organic all purpose flour
1cup organic pumpkin purée
1/4cup olive oil
2 eggs
1/2tsp salt
1/2cup sugar
1tsp baking soda
1/2cup water
1tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4cup (or more) dark chocolate chips

 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sift together dry ingredients into a large bowl. Combine wet ingredients in another bowl and add to the dry ingredients. Mix well. Pour into a greased loaf pan for bread, muffin pan for muffins or any size pan you’d like to use. Sprinkle with dark chocolate chips.
Bake at 350degrees for 40-50 minutes for a loaf pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes for muffins. Bake 20-30 minutes in any 8x8 or 9x9 or 9x13 pan.

Eat and enjoy!



Paleo Meatloaf

Paleo Meatloaf, Electric Ignition Style

 

Photo Courtesty: Electric Ignition

Christina, over at Electric Ignition, made an awesome looking meatloaf with bacon.

Uhh, #1. I LOVE MEATLOAF!
#2. I LOVE BACON!
#3. I love how easy this recipe is.

Since I'm related to this fine lady, I know how important it is for her (and me) to make recipes that are quick, easy, and kid-approved. And apparently, her kids (twins) loved it. They scarfed it down and enjoyed every bite of it.

I'd love to give you the recipe here, but I want you to stop by her page and say hello! Check out her recipe and enjoy eating it. Then come back and tell her how tasty it was.. come tell me too :)

Photo Courtesy: Electric Ignition

Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil Giveaway

Update, August 6th:
Kristen R. has been selected as the winner of this product. This give away has been closed.
Thank you to everyone who signed up!

Win 1 quart of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil! See below on the giveaway instructions.

Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil . Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website. Click on the picture below to find out what virgin coconut oil is.

You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:

Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil.

Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR WINNING:
Please read ALL of the instructions.

*In order to be entered into the giveaway, you *must* sign up for their newsletter here.


*Next, "like" Easy Peasy and Tropical Traditions on facebook and share this post to be included in the giveaway then come back and comment here or on facebook telling me you've shared my post and why you'd like to win the quart-size sample of coconut oil.


*Follow me on Twitter @AngelaSchrader and follow @troptraditions and/or @ttspecialdeals

This giveaway is only open to the US and Canada.

That's it! I'll announce the winner on Monday, August 6th by noon. Good luck to everyone!

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Blueberry Sauce

Blueberry Sauce

Printable Recipe

My husband and kids are in love with pancakes whether it has chocolate chips inside or some sort of liquid topping such as maple syrup of a fruit sauce. My husband loves fresh blueberry sauce on his pancakes and asked me to make him some the other day and his tummy is very happy that I did.

This recipe comes together in 5 minutes or less so while you're making your pancakes, get this recipe started on the stove. You'll be happy you tried it!

Ingredients:

Makes 3 cups

2cups fresh or frozen blueberries (any fruit will work)

1/2cup water

1/2cup sugar, I used organic cane but you can use maple syrup or white sugar instead

2Tbsp lemon juice

2Tbsp arrowroot powder (or corn starch) mixed with 2Tbsp cold water

Directions:

Over medium heat, add the blueberries, water, sugar and lemon juice to a pot and bring to a simmer. Once small bubbles form, stir in the arrowroot powder mixture and stir until thickened, approximately 1 minute.

Serve over your favorite pancakes or french toast and enjoy a tasty treat!