Thai Shrimp Stir Fry on Riced Cauliflower {all ingredients from Trader Joes}

Have you ever been in a food rut?  I feel like I eat the same meals each week and while I enjoy them, and they keep me on track, I'm SO sick of chicken, pork, and beef!  Can I get an amen?

I set out to Trader Joe's yesterday to add more variety to my life.  When I lived in Southern California I was SO spoiled.  I had THREE Trader Joe's in my city and TWO Targets.  Now I live in a small, historic town in North Carolina and while we have better options than in previous years, my nearest Trader Joes' is still 45 minutes away (and Target is easily 30 minutes).

I had so much fun shopping at TJs and spent a small fortune but I brought home some ingredients I haven't used in years!  I whipped up a quick, and I mean QUICK dinner tonight and it was so good I licked the bowl clean.... for real!  I thought I'd share with all the busy gals out there.  This took maybe 10 minutes tops and tasted like Thai take-out.

Here are the main ingredients, there's only four, well five if you count cooking oil... OK, six if you count the sliced avocado I added last minute to my dish.

Wild Caught Argentinian Red Shrimp $9.99 for 20-25 large shrimp

Stir Fry Vegetables sold in the frozen section and Riced Cauliflower sold in produce.

Thai Green Curry Sauce (by the way, NOT Paleo but I didn't have time to create a Paleo version from scratch so I decided to use this and then recreate down the line, when I do, I'll post a Paleo version here.)

Step 1: thaw frozen shrimp.  I placed my shrimp in my refrigerator in the morning and by 5 pm they were still frozen.  Aim for the night before.  If they are still frozen, place in a strainer, place the strainer in a larger bowl, and fill with COLD water and let the faucet dribble cold water over them for about 15 minutes or until thaw.

Step 2: heat up oil of choice in a skillet.  I used sesame oil but avocado oil could work well, or grapeseed oil.  Once the oil is heated, cook shrimp for 2 minutes then flip onto the other side for another 2 minutes over medium heat.  Once cooked I let them sit on a plate until I need them.

Step 3: place Riced Cauliflower  in a bowl and toss with 1-2 TBSP of olive oil.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and microwave for 3 minutes.  There are many different ways to cook Riced Cauliflower but I've researched them all and the consensus is that the microwave version resembles rice the best.  I agree.  I've roasted, I've sautéed, but the microwaved tastes and feels most like real white rice.

Step 4: heat up another TBSP of oil in skillet and add and sauté the frozen stir fry vegetables for 4-6 minutes stirring often.  

Step 5: add the Thai Green Curry sauce to pan of veggies and add back in the shrimp.  Heat the ingredients together and place on a bed of the heated riced cauliflower.  You could add a sprig of fresh cilantro and some diced avocado to finish it off, adding even more YUM!

I realize that this isn't from scratch, though I'd love to make a Paleo version of the sauce, but it tasted like restaurant quality and took only 10 minutes.  Win!  And the entire dish cost maybe $16.  This could easily feed a family of four or double the ingredients for a larger family.  

I hope this helps a busy mom out there.  Thai flavors were a nice detour from all of my usuals.  I will definitely be making this again.  If I can create this green curry sauce from scratch then this entire meal can be Paleo, and I'll have to use different stir fry veggies as these have edamame which is also not Paleo.  

I hope this was A Good Fit for you!  Please share.  And let me know if you try this recipe.

Paleo Pancakes {gluten free/grain free}

Mmmmm, pancakes!  I make them often for my daughter but since going Paleo in December, and doing the Whole 30 in January, I have been grain free for sometime.  How I don't cave and eat a bite of her's each time is sheer willpower I tell you!  Well, actually I don't eat her's because I know it will inflame my body and I quite like how I feel each morning being grain-free, so that is the true reason I am not tempted, BUT, I have craved pancakes for sometime now, however,  which recipe to choose when there are SO  many on the internet and Pinterest?

I started with the easiest, the Two-Ingredient Paleo Pancake.  It's just a mashed ripe banana and 2 organic eggs.  Whip together and griddle them up.  They were ok, kind of eggy-crepey when I was really seeking fluffier.  After that I tried the same recipe but took advice from other Paleo chefs and added vanilla extract and baking powder!  Ah ha!  Baking powder should help them rise making them more fluffy!  Not so much though.  They were only marginally better than the first recipe.

Since I've been making pancakes for over 40 years, I figured it needed some sort of flour and fortunately I had almond flour and coconut flour on hand.  Almond flour is a little too heavy and moist so going with my gut I grabbed the coconut flour.  If you are not a coconut fan you will hate the smell of coconut flour but I promise it cooks out.  In no way did my pancakes taste like coconut.

I basically took the second recipe and added a couple tablespoons of coconut flour and a splash of almond milk and the results were exactly what I was looking for!  Yay!  Fluffy grain-free pancakes that pack a protein punch and don't leave me feeling bloated and/or tired as regular wheat pancakes do.

There is a trick though, you have to make them small, around 3" diameter, and cook them on Low to Medium heat for 2 minutes each side.  Top with Kerry Gold grass fed butter and REAL maple syrup and you have yourself an ingredient list you understand, with no preservatives and no added sugar.

This is only a 10" skillet so they are under 3-4" each.

Get them good and golden brown so you know they're cooked on the inside.  

I'm going to make some for my family this weekend as the true test.  I absolutely love these and will be making them 1-2 a week for myself!  

Here is the recipe for 2 servings, it'll make around 8 pancakes but remember they are small so you can easily eat 4 each!

Ingredients: 

2 very ripe bananas

4 organic large eggs

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

2-4 teaspoons of coconut flour (you decide on thickness but too much makes them fall apart)

Splash of almond milk, possibly 1 TBSP 

Recipe:

In a non-stick pan (non stick works best, trust me, these will stick to your cast iron) heat up desired cooking oil (avoiding all vegetable/canola oils, corn, or soy), I use coconut oil but it does have a coconut flavor so you could use Avocado Oil or Grapeseed Oil.

Mash your bananas really well with fork or potato masher.  Add your eggs and whisk.  Add vanilla extract and baking powder, whisk.  Then add 2 teaspoons of coconut flour and whisk adding more if you like thicker, fluffier pancakes, but not too much more or they fall apart upon flipping.  I then add a splash of almond milk, just a splash (1 TBSP tops) because I like this consistency.  Eyeball it.  If too thin, add more flour, if too thick, add more almond milk.  Batter should not be too runny and it will have some small banana chunks which you don't noticed once cooked.

In a heated skillet, add batter until it's about 2-3" diameter.  These can be tricky to flip so the smaller, the easier.  When I made mine too large they ripped all apart during the flip.  Heat 2-2.5 minutes on first side, lift edge up with thin spatula to see if they're golden brown, if so, flip and heat another 2 minutes on the other side.  I top with Kerry Gold butter as they're still cooking and heat up REAL maple syrup (ingredients should only say "maple syrup" and nothing else).  

Plate, pour, and eat!  These are SO good!  Four small pancakes equal one serving as you're only getting 1 banana, 2 eggs, and a smidge of coconut flour.  Maple syrup does contain natural sugars so if you're trying to lose weight, go lite on the pour or top with fresh fruit!

I absolutely love these and will be serving them this with weekend to my family, with a side of bacon of course!  I won't tell them they are Paleo as not to influence their thinking.  I promise to report back and let you know what they think.  And please let me know what YOU think too!  I always appreciate feedback!

Didn't feel like wearing makeup this morning hence the filter BUT see how thick and fluffy they are?  Perfection!

Thanks for reading!  I hope this has been A Good Fit!