It’s been a minute since I posted some of my favorite healthy meals.  The first two, in particular, were perfect for the lunar new year, which perhaps was a subconscious inspiration, or can be a wonderful meal for your partner, your kids, or a dear friend.  I made all these dishes for my family, since my husband is not a meat eater. I was inspired to get back to my protein and vegetable days of eating. That’s where I feel the best, but that doesn’t mean it’s for everyone.  Some people thrive as a vegetarian or vegan, so it’s good to know what kind of foods nourish you the most.  Nonetheless, if you like protein and vegetables, these recipes are keepers!

These 3 recipes verge towards paleo, meaning there is no dairy or gluten. I have made these recipes twice, so I will put in my two cents and suggestions.

Beef with Broccoli

I pretty much never want this at a restaurant, because I want good quality meat and I don't know what I am getting.  This was the easiest of the three recipes to make.  I bought a nice piece of flank steak. The first time, I followed the recipe and cooked it on the stove top and it made a mess. The second time, I threw the whole steak on the barbeque, let it rest, then cut it up for the final place in the sauce.  Coconut aminos are used versus soy sauce.  Soy can be an allergen for people, as well as a GMO crop. Soy sauce tends to be high in sodium, unlike coconut aminos.  But what are coconut aminos? First of all, it tastes nothing like coconuts at all. It’s extracted from the sap of the coconut palm and has a similar flavor to soy sauce, thus used as a substitute. Arrowroot powder is also substituted for flour in this recipe too.  It makes the sauce nice and thick, and helps with stove top browning.  Pre-cook the broccoli in a steamer or boil it so it is also ready to go. Preparation is everything, as it cooks fast, so get everything ready to roll.  It made amazing leftovers as well!  RECIPE

Lemon Chicken

How many lemons do you have right now?  We still have a full bowl from our generous lemon growers in our family, and they are perfect.  Thus inspired lemon chicken.  This is also a paleo recipe, so you will be using your coconut aminos and arrowroot flour from the first recipe.  Good thing you bought them! You can also use that broth from the first recipe as well! I reduced the honey from 3 tablespoons to only 1, and it was plenty! You can make a side of cauliflower rice, or your favorite vegetable(s). This is a bit more time intensive, but worth it. The chicken breast cut into pieces, soaked in egg, then dredged in arrowroot flour takes time. Again prep will be your friend here, but once prepped and dredged, it will be fast. This recipe is kid tested and approved. The second time I made it for my 8 year old niece and she had seconds.  Compliment, right?  This recipe is best day of, but I did have leftovers for breakfast one morning, and although the crispiness of the chicken doesn’t hold up, the flavor is still spot on.  RECIPE

Shepards Pie 

I took Alton Brown’s recipe and mixed it up.  Shepards pie is usually made with ground lamb, but too much lamb can be gamey. So for the 1.5 pounds of meat, I made half with ground lamb, the other half with ground grass fed beef. I only used fresh peas. I omitted the yolk and cream for the potato topping, but I did use grass fed butter, which is not paleo, but has other benefits. You can also use ghee to make it non dairy.  I also loved finishing the potato top with some diagonal fork tines. It is nice and decorative when you get that golden brown finish to serve.  You can also substitute the added flour with arrowroot again.  I wouldn’t call this a quick dinner, but I doubled the recipe and made two at the same time.  It made delicious leftovers for many people, or great to freeze one for another day.  Super hearty, tasty, healthy and can be made without allergens noted above.  RECIPE 

So hope you enjoyed some cooking inspiration. These are tried and tested in my own mouth and kitchen!  My family enjoyed it as well, and I hope to pass that forward to you!