• 4 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 2 cups whole almonds
  

Herb seasoning:

• 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
  
• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
  
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  
• 1/2 teastpoon pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325
   
2. Spread the oil on a jelly roll pan or flat baking sheet
   
3. Stir the nuts and seasonings together and place on the baking sheet
   
4. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally
   
5. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain ona paper towel

Here in New England we are hunkered down and getting a ton of snow.  Upwards of about 30" in some areas!!  Im not sure what the most snow fall at once has been in my lifetime, but I will say, this is the most I remember!  We have our tape measure ready to go, so we will certainly be measuring!  There wasn't anything left on the ground, so it will be easy to figure out :)  A lot of folks were told to stay home from work (although it was odd, being called out at 7am when I look out the window and saw no snow...but I'm not arguing!) but as soon as it started to come down, its been coming down at a good clip.  
Trying to take advantage of some "free" time, we are removing the  blue and dreary wallpaper from our kitchen so we can brighten up the room with happy, bright paint. (The paint we picked is called "Spiced Butternut", may have been paleo inspired, haha!)  But anyone who owns a home, or has every done any sort of house renovations - NOTHING is easy.  Taking down wallpaper seemed like such an easy task!  Nope.  4 layers of wallpaper have been accumulated on the walls through the years.  4 LAYERS!!!  It will be a huge sense of accomplishment when we are done!  I can't wait to brighten up these kitchen walls.  After all, we do spend a decent about of time in there... 
So now into the recipe!  In an effort to try and keep Joe warm in-between snow blowing, I thought turkey soup would be great.  Its super easy and freezes well so it can be made in a big batch and kept for left overs.

What crazy weather we are having here in New England!  Yesterday reached nearly 60 degrees in the afternoon, but when I was leaving the gym at night, it was snowing!! Either way, I'll take the warm weather.  It's a mild 25 today.  Great for a run!
This recipe was inspired by a great crockpot paleo site called paleopot.  Joe and I both love meatloaf and hadn't had it in a while. This is not your traditional meatloaf, but it's really yummy!  When I see these recipes online, I think about what I like about it and how I can make it even better!  Most of the time, it's a success.  I have had a few trial and error type meals, but hey! Cooking is an art.  Sometimes you learn as you go.  Speaking of trial and error... Joe went to trader joes the other night and they now have full fat coconut milk.  I opened a can (recipe to come soon, don't worry!) and omg. Deee-lish!!! I could have sat there and ate it out of the can!  Joe also picked up ghost pepper chilli powder. I can't wait to try it!

This is a super easy way to make a traditional condiment.  Unfortunately, High Fructose Corn Syrup finds its way into EVERYTHING these days. 

• 1 Can of tomato sauce (make sure there is NO strange added ingredients.  Thats why we are making this right? :)
  
• 1 Tablesoon of Apple cider vinegar
  
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
  
• 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
  
• 1/4 teaspoon of all spice
  
• Few dashes of cinnamon
  

1. Add all ingredients in to a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer.  Stirring occasionally.  After a few minutes of simmering, take off heat and let cool.  Fee free to taste occasionally as well.  You may need to add a little salt, and to give a flavor boost add more cinnamon.  Make sure to add only a little at a time, its powerful!

Our heads are hanging low here in New England -  There will not be a New England Patriots Superbowl this year, the Ravens just out played us.  So football season is nearing a close, but now as a football fan – you may be planning a Superbowl Party!  Well what a time for junk food!  I have a great recipe that is a hit with not only the kiddos but adults as well.  Nugget bites!   Who doesn't love nuggets? These tasty little treats are great for a get together, football game, snacking, anytime! I used turkey, but you could use chicken, or even beef.  I would suggest a very lean beef though because you wouldn't want a pool of grease when your baking them. They can be a bit time consuming, so I would recommend making ahead of time for a party if you are making a big batch.

This is a VERY simple recipe, and tastes great!  It does use honey, so if your watching your sugar intake you may want to use less than the reccomended amount. 

• 1 Part Honey
• 1 Part Yellow Mustard
• a dash of pepper

1. Combine ingredients in a dish and mix vigorously with a fork until smooth.  Feel free to play around with the ingredients to get it tasting to your liking!  

Looking for an extra kick?  Add some red pepper flakes!

This is going to be a shot and sweet post today, but I wanted to get this recipe out there.  For everyone out there doing Whole30, this is a great recipe!
I think one of those most glorious flavor combinations is the marriage of apples and pork. The apples provide a sweet, but not over powering flavor that the pork just absorbs it so well.  This recipe comes with a warning... It will make your house smell so wonderful that you should make extra.  We were doing some work around the house and the aroma was just amazing, we just couldn't wait to eat!  I would say it was the most anticipated dinner as of late!  I did get the idea for this, from one of my favorite recipes, Paleo Pulled Pork.  (This is basically the non-crockpot version)  We paired it with some Brussels Sprouts, and a small side salad.  DELISH!

I want to start this post off with, I love my crock pot!  Theres nothing better than coming home from a long day at work, a tough gym workout and having dinner pretty much ready to go.  Typically, there are lots of leftovers as well - so then you have some great meals again.  
I really haven't made too many chicken dishes in the the crockpot, because they have a tendency to get really dry. I think the key ingredient is adding a little liquid, but not just water - but broth.  I still have some homemade turkey broth so I used that, and even after 9 hours, it was still moist.  I would HIGHLY recommend homemade chicken or turkey broth because the health benefits are undeniable (especially in this horrendous flu season!).  If you don't have it on hand, the canned broth will do - but next time you make a chicken or turkey, save that carcass!

With this chicken we made chicken tacos, but you can make lots of things with it!  Its great for a chicken salad (using paleo mayo) or a chicken a top a bed of greens. What will you do with your chicken?

Ingredients: (small batch)

• 2 Tomatoes
  
• 1/2 Jalapeño
  
• about 1/4 Red Onion
  
• 1 or 2 Garlic Cloves
  
• Dried (or fresh if you have it) Cilantro to taste
  
• Salt
  
• Pepper

1. Throw all ingredients except tomatoes in food processor, plus a few times
2. throw in tomatoes and pule a few more. 

There you have it!!  Much healthier than store bought, and delicious too!  It will keep in the fridge for about a week if tightly closed.

Happy New Year everyone!  So how many of you have a resolution to get healthy and lose weight?  Well, my resolution is to try and help YOU keep that promise to yourself!  When your healthy and eating right, everything else around you is better.  When your happy, you have a better outlook on the world and look at it in a different light.  Not that I wasn't happy before eating paleo, but feeling better about yourself helps you love others and in turn makes you happier.  Making goals and accomplishing them also makes you feel great!  My Comp team coach for CFCM, Ryan Carbone, has a great blog and yesterday posted an article about how to set smart, attinable goals and keeping them.  Its a great read.  You should read it and then write down your goals – http://cfcm.blog.com/2013/01/02/goal-setting-in-the-new-year/

With that being said, are they any request for any recipes?  I do have my on going list of things I have made and want to post.  Some may need perfecting, some need a picture and some – I need to remember when I found the original recipe!  There really are so many awesome sites out there with delicious recipes.  I strive to be one of them! So if you would like to see something, let me know!  I will see what I can do!

Now, for a recipe – its a version of Paleo Stuffed Acorn squash.  The original recipe I found was on Fast Paleo and I just made a few tweaks.