Paleo Archives - 2 Cats and Chloe

Paleo Almond Butter Kiss Cookies

Tis the Season for Christmas Cookies! My all time favorite Christmas Cookie is, and always has been, the Peanut Butter Kiss Cookie. However, I have cut peanut butter, sugar and crap out of my life. But it’s Christmas y’all! If you’re going to sneak a treat, this is the time to do it! That being said, I decided to peace out the peanut butter cookie and make a Paleo Almond Butter Cookie!

Before the Paleo Police hop all over me on this one… the actual Almond Butter Cookie IS paleo. It’s gluten free, processed-sugar free, dairy free… yadda yadda yadda. The addition of the Hershey Kiss is a must for me, because, in my opinion, the kiss makes this cookie a Christmas Cookie. I don’t feel like this needs to be stated, but the Hershey Kiss is NOT paleo. But, it’s Christmas. If your body can handle it, I say live a little!

Santa brought me my Christmas present a couple of days early this year! While I am a bit sad to not have anything exciting to open up on Christmas Day - having this Seafoam KitchenAid Mixer made cookie baking soooo much easier! (And yes, I’m well aware that the mixer matches my camper!)

Paleo Almond Butter Kiss Cookies

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

8 mins

Total time

18 mins

Author: Susan {2 cats & chloe.}

Recipe type: Paleo, Gluten Free, Dairy Free

Serves: 24 Cookies

Ingredients

1 Cup of Creamy Almond Butter
⅓ Cup of Pure Maple Syrup
2 Eggs
½ tsp of Baking Soda
5 Tbsp of Coconut Flour
2 Tbsp of Pure Vanilla Extract
1 Tbsp of Agave
½ Cup of Coconut sugar - to roll the dough balls in.
Hershey Kisses (optional!)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375*F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the Coconut Sugar and Hershey Kisses.
Mix well until for about 3 minutes or until it takes a less crumbly, dough shape.
Put the Coconut Sugar in a small bowl.
Roll the dough into 1 inch balls. Roll the dough balls in the Coconut Sugar. Place on lined cookie sheets.
Use a fork to gently press the dough balls down flat.
Bake at 375*F for approximately 8 minutes or until edges are more golden.
While they are baking, if you are going to use Hershey Kisses, start unwrapping these!
Remove from oven and gently press Hershey Kisses into each cookie.
Use a spatula to place each cookie on a cooling rack!
Delicious when served warm! Enjoy!

The finished cookie will have a more doughy, bready feel than a super crisp cookie. This is great because the Kisses just melt right into them!

Since these are not your traditional Christmas Cookie, you may not find them to be super sweet. Feel free to add a bit more Agave if you like them sweet and you do not plan on using the Hershey Kiss. I felt like though, with the addition of the kiss, they were plenty sweet enough for my liking.

Make ’em. Serve ’em. And don’t tell anyone that they are Paleo, Gluten Free or Dairy Free! While they are a bit “paleo” for non-paleo people’s norm… I don’t don’t think anyone would even notice!

What is your favorite Christmas Cookie? Are you doing any Paleo Baking this year?

Paleo, Whole30 Lemon Chicken Dinner

by Susan

This dinner is absolutely drool worthy and will become a regular on our meal rotations! It started on a whim, through a text message with my dear friend Cait. She is also living in a moment of transition… bunking up with her future in-laws after their move from Florida to North Carolina. Knowing that I can easily relate to conversations with older people, she texted me a debate over frozen chicken verse fresh chicken. Sounds like she is having the same daily chats with her “roommates” that I am having with my 91 year old “roommate!” In the end I asked what chicken recipe she was using and she sent me this Lemon Chicken pin. And of course, since it looked amazing, I used it as inspiration and had to figure out a way to make it paleo, whole30 compliant and gluten free.

With a few easy tweaks, changes and add-ons, I adapted JoCooks’ Lemon Chicken Piccata dinner to be something that my family would love and could eat without intestinal discomfort!

Please note that the original recipe and idea was not my own… but for those of us who have really strict diets - it needed a few tiny tweaks.

Paleo, Whole30 Lemon Chicken Dinner

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

Author: Susan {2 cats & chloe.}

Recipe type: Paleo, Whole30, Gluten Free

Serves: Approx 4-5 Servings

Ingredients

3 Chicken Breasts (cut in half length wise to make them a bit thinner). I used approximately 2.5 pounds of chicken for this recipes.
3 TBSP of Olive Oil
4 TBSP of Real, Grass-fed Butter (or Ghee to make it Whole30 Compliant)
¼ Cup of ArrowRoot Powder (YES! This is Whole30 Compliant and a great option for thickening)
Salt + Pepper to taste
¼ Cup of Fresh Chopped Parsley
⅓ Cup of Fresh Lemon Juice
¾ Cup of Chicken Broth
¼ Cup of Capers
1 TBSP of Minced Shallots
1 TBSP of Minced Garlic

Instructions

Slice the Chicken Breasts length wise, and butterfly if needed. The thinner they are the better for cooking.
Season both sides of Chicken in Salt and Pepper (to your taste) and then cover both sides in Arrowroot Powder.
Add Ghee (or Butter) and Olive Oil to a large skillet over Medium-High heat.
Add Chicken to Skillet when hot. Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until chicken is cooked through.
Remove the Chicken and place on a separate plate when it is cooked. Now we will work on the "gravy!"
Remove the skillet from the hot burner. Add your lemon juice, chicken broth, capers, mince shallots and minced garlic. Stir together and with the sauce that was already in the skillet. Return skillet to heat and bring to a light boil. Taste the sauce and add salt or pepper if needed. You can also add a tablespoon of Arrowroot Powder if you want the sauce a bit thicker. (Again, this is still whole30 compliant!)
Add your Chicken back into the skillet, lower heat to Medium-Low, cover and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
Serve in the skillet or on a platter. Garnish with the fresh chopped parsley and lemon slices.
ENJOY!

2 cats & chloe: Paleo Lemon Chicken Piccata

As you have probably noticed, my Whole30, Paleo and Gluten-Free recipes have really been lacking on the blog lately. That is because this whole pregnancy thing has been ROUGH. At 20 Weeks and some change right now, I am finally starting to feel more like myself. I am actually able to eat a few veggies again! Hooray! I have been living on baked potatoes and fries. (I won’t be surprised if #BabyMagotes comes out looking like a potato!!) I sincerely hope to continue playing in the kitchen and creating healthy dinners again while I have the free time!

That being said, when you check out my lemon chicken dinner plate below - don’t be shocked to see real rice rather than Cauli-Rice. My wild rice IS NOT Whole30 compliant. (There is a debate as to whether or not rice is or is not paleo… but we are not here to debate that today! Baby just needs his/her rice and potatoes these days or Mommy will puke!)

I paired this paleo, whole30 compliant Lemon Chicken Dinner with steamed broccoli and wild rice. I also pour the gravy/sauce all over everything! And it was freaking amazing.

What Nana Said: Suzie! This meal tastes like it could be found in a French bistro! It is the best dinner I have had in a very long time! You could make this dinner if you ever had your boss over for dinner!

What Michael Said: It’s good, but very lemony. I would definitely eat it again though!

Well yes Michael, it is called Lemon Chicken after all…

So there ya have it! An easy, drool-worthy and delicious Paleo, Whole30 Lemon Chicken dinner! Thank you Cait and Jo for this dinner inspiration! It really isn’t that difficult to turn most meals into healthy, clean dinners. You just have to put your thinking cap on and be creative! Substitutions like Arrowroot Powder and Ghee are easy swaps that you will barely notice! So go for it! Have fun in the kitchen! Compliant, gluten-free dinners are just a few easy substitutions away!

Halloween Camping!

by Susan

Can you believe it is November First?! Where in the world has this year gone folks? (Don’t get me wrong, my current situation is not ideal, so I’m okay with time flying by right now - but a good friend, who is about 60 years older than me, once told me to not wish time away because you will never get it back… That being said, SLOW DOWN TIME! JUST HURRY UP THE HOUSE BUILDING PROCESS!)

For the last three-ish weeks we had one of my cousins in town from Switzerland. I’m pretty positive we did more local touristy things in the last three weeks than we have done in the last three years. It was great. But exhausting. I feel like I have so much catch-up to do, yet I am lost at where to start.

So here I am, blogging. Because what better way is there to avoid real life chores, other than the obvious, netflix or cheesy christmas Hallmark movie binging??

Last week my husband and I packed up Jellybean, our Shasta camper, and hit the road. We planned on taking the pups along, but unfortunately, we had to attend my grandmother-in-law’s funeral. And I am pretty positive the dogs would not have been welcomed. Chloe went to stay with our old neighbors in Newport News and Olivia went to play with her Gran-daddy in Chesapeake. (Truth be told, Chloe needs breaks from Olivia from time to time!)

Friday morning we rolled out of the camper, put on our funeral clothes and hit the road before the sun was up. Thankfully we did not run into any fellow campers because we were extremely overdressed for camping. Fun fact, traveling through the state of Virginia in the fall is one of the prettiest times to see our state. However, being pregnant while traveling through rolling hills laying in the midst of freshly manured farms is enough to make a girl vomit. I spent a portion of our ride inhaling scents from our chipotle lunch.

Did I mention we saw the sunrise and the sunset while on the road? While it was an emotional day for everyone, seeing God’s artwork all around us was a great reminder of the joy that surrounds us daily.

We arrived at the campground after dark, only to find our friends and family already there, with dinner and a campfire waiting for us. While our dinner was good, the dinner that really smelled great was wafting from the site across the way from us… I think my mom was so tired of her pregnant daughter craving whatever it was that they were cooking that she went across the way (at 10pm) and offered them breakfast bacon for a bowl of their stew. #ThanksMom

Saturday started with breakfast over the fire… a paleo brekkie of bacon, bacon and some more bacon. Oh, and eggs with gluten-free pancakes for everyone else.

We all hit the road and did our own things for the day. The boys went go-carting. I dropped the ladies off at a wine festival and then went on my merry little way to look for maternity clothes. (I finally decided I should not walk around with unbuttoned pants anymore…)

Believe it or not, the picture above was their sobber-selfie.

When shopping, drinking and carting wrapped up - we worked on the fire, the paleo dinner, the halloween decor and the football streaming.

Have you ever made tin-foil dinners? These are the absolute best dinners for camping. Easy to pack ahead of time - simply bring tin foil, olive oil, meats, veggies and spices, then let everyone make their own dinner foil ball of food! Toss the ball over the coals for about 20 minutes and then enjoy! We had steak, chicken, peppers, potatoes (pre-poached in the microwave since they take a long time), onions, garlic and tomatoes. This dinner is always a hit! I promise you and your family will love it too!

The coolest part of this festive Halloween camping trip was when all of the kids and adults dressed up in costumes and went from camper to camper, trick-or-treating. I kept my costume simple and was a “Pumpkin Smuggler” with #BabyMagotes.

All in all, it was a great weekend with the family and friends. Three campsites, tons of candy and lots of laughs. Such a fun way to spend the holiday. I cannot wait until Magotes arrives and we can continue camping traditions with the next generation!

What did you do for Halloween? Did you dress up or go to a party? Better yet, did you enjoy the smell of a campfire and roasted marshmallows?

The Soiree: Paleo Margarita Mocktail

by Susan

Yay! Welcome to another Celebrate Southern Soiree! I’m really beginning to LOVE Thursdays because it’s all about the party! If you’ve been following along, you know that J and I opened up this linkup, asking for other gals (and any guys out there too) to be party hostesses!

I’m super excited to introduce you to Brita this week! She has opened up her blog for the Soiree today!

If you haven’t heard of her or checked out her blog B.Britnell before, let me just say that I was extremely flattered she wanted to join this fun. Brita’s blog is one that I oogle over every day. Her recipes are amazing and her photography is outstanding. So go show her some love on her blog or on instagram! Then link up for today’s Celebrate Southern Soiree - because you will be visible on not just one, but three blogs today!

Now on to the show! Last night I went out with my sister and my BlogFriend-turned-RealFriend, Heather, for our photography class and margaritas. You know, I’ve been trying to cut bad things out of my life (I’m not currently on a Whole30, just trying to live the paleo life to it’s fullest) and honestly, I’ve kinda decided that if I am going to be drinking - it better be something that I really love. And while I used to love a good margarita… after a night of full of margs, wine and cigars with J a couple years ago, margaritas have just never been the same.

So when I was pondering our dinner and how I kinda wanted a margarita but not really… I decided I wanted to create a Margarita Mocktail to get me through.

I pulled some “ingredients” out and decided to play. And now I’m obsessed with this drink. It was a trillion times more refreshing than a real, sugary margarita.

Paleo Margarita Mocktail

Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

Author: Susan {2 cats & chloe.}

Cuisine: Beverage

Serves: 1 glass

Ingredients

1.5 small limes
½ medium lemon
1 tsp light agave
a glass full of sparkling water
ice

Instructions

Squeeze the juice of 1-2 small limes into the glass, then pull out the pulp and add it to the glass.
Add half a lemon and it's pulp to help balance out the sweet/sour ratio.
Add your light agave.
Use a spoon to smash the pulp and mix the juice with agave.
Add your sparkling water, to taste. If you want it less sweet, add more.
Pop a few ice cubes in there and watch the beverage froth up!
Enjoy!

I was really surprised at how frothy this Paleo Mocktail became. It was a great twist to my normal sparkling water. When I totally forgot I was just sipping on water I decided that this would be perfect for a summer soiree!

While I normally prefer cocktails to mocktails… sometimes a girl just needs a break. Before my Whole30 followers jump on board with this, let me say that this IS NOT Whole30 compliant. Because of the agave. But, if you want to leave out that teaspoon of sweetener, this mocktail does become Whole30 approved! Try adding some mint or other fruit to this beverage to mix it up even more!

And for those of you who want to make it “stronger” and more adult? Add some Agave Tequila to keep it clean and paleo!

Paleo, Whole30 Lemon Lime Mocktail

I cannot wait for my mid-afternoon pick me up later today so that I have an excuse to make another paleo margarita mocktail!

Join the fun and linkup below! And don’t forget to go back to yesterday’s post to WIN LIFE CHANGING SHAMPOO!

Be-te-dub. If you want to open your blog up to get a bit more visibility as a Celebrate Southern Soiree Party Hostess - please fill out this form! It’s a first come, first serve thing! We are looking forward to partying with you in the coming weeks!

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The Soiree: Burger Bar Party + Giveaway

by Susan

I really wanted to do a post this week about a super fun spring party. I also wanted to take pictures of my food in manual mode (since I’m rocking my photography class with Heather!) I also had to go out of town to meet with a client for a few days. I also have a dog that still cannot be left alone without supervision. (Dear God, please heal my border collie. I cannot keep up with her, but this forced-slow pace is killing us both!) All of that being said - today we are going to talk about burgers. Because what really screams “shindig” better than burgers? (Well, other than booze of course!)

The problem with burgers + shindigs? My family. 2/5 of us eat beef. 1/5 of us will not eat ANY meat. And the remaining 1/5 will only eat meat that comes from animals that walk on two feet or less. Weird right? The solution? A burger bar! Give everyone options! Serve up beef patties, chicken patties and as much as it breaks my heart and all my soy-hating rules, Boca Burgers. Then chase your beef options with tons of toppings! I used this burger bar idea a few years ago as an impromptu birthday party and it was a hit!

Now, to combine all things I love into this one post (party ideas, photography, whole30 food and grilled pineapples) I give you these burger inspiration images for the Soiree Linkup this week! Don’t they just make you drool?!

Junk-Free Burgers!

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

15 mins

If you are looking for an easy, go-to burger that is Whole30 compliant and still have flavor - you will love this recipe!

Author: Susan {2 cats & chloe.}

Recipe type: Whole30, Paleo, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Dairy Free, Junk Free

Cuisine: American

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 pound of grass-fed ground beef
½ TBSP of minced garlic
1 TBSP of coconut aminos
½ TBSP of onion powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
Lettuce for the wrap
Toppings that you love

Instructions

In a bowl, mix your beef, garlic, coconut aminos, onion powder, salt and pepper. Use your hands and be sure the seasoning is blended well.
Form patties with the meat. One pound should make 3 or 4 patties.
Cook on the grill for 10-ish minutes or until burgers have reached desired level of doneness.
Use the lettuce as a wrap and add any and all toppings that you love. The more the merrier!

2 cats & chloe: Paleo Burger Bar for a Party

Lifehack: When I was complaining once about how tough it is to know how much seasoning is too much seasoning for burgers (since the meat is raw until it comes off the grill!) one of my friends told me that she takes a small spoonful of seasoned burger meat and pops it in the microwave for a minute or two, obviously until its cooked, to sample it! If you think it needs more seasoning or flavor - go for it! (This also works for meatloaf!)

Some of my favorite burger bar toppings include, but are definitely not limited to: fresh grilled pineapple, sugar free bacon, sautéed onions, pickles, guac, tomato, jalapeno peppers, lettuce and mushrooms!

If you want to mix it up a bit, while staying gluten free - consider using a roasted portobello mushroom cap as a “bun!” This is beyond easy and the flavor is excellent! You simply scrape the gills out of the mushroom (they totally freak me out anyway!), cover both sides with your fat or oil of choice (I use coconut oil, olive oil or bacon grease) then season with your favorite herbs. Last week I used Jane’s Krazy Seasoning and it was awesome! Roast the mushroom caps for 10 minutes at 400*F on one side. Flip them over for another 10, and then you’re done! Easy peasy right??

We paired our burger bar with (Whole30 Compliant) Sweet Potato Fries and grilled zucchini with this steak seasoning on it! Man, it’s so, so, sooooo good y’all!

So tell me, what are your favorite burger toppings? Do you use anything special to replace a traditional bun?

Before you scoot out of here today, don’t forget about the Celebrate Southern Soiree Linkup! It’s a linky party about the party! Share a recipe, DIY, home decor or any entertainment post with us below! If you are interested in being a party hostess and having the linkup on your blog one week, please fill out this form! It’s a first come, first serve thing! So hop to it!

PS! As a “party favor” this week… don’t forget to enter this Kate Spade giveaway:

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Paleo Almond Butter Kiss Cookies

Paleo, Whole30 Lemon Chicken Dinner

Halloween Camping!

The Soiree: Paleo Margarita Mocktail

The Soiree: Burger Bar Party + Giveaway

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