Here's a quick and easy recipe for cooking autumn veggies, especially root vegetables. Roasted autumn veggies are full of taste, nutrients, and this recipe uses only a few ingredients!


1. Wash and chop your favourite Autumn veggies.  I used sweet potato, eggplant, baby carrots, parsnips, delicata squash, broccoli & red onion.

2. Put on baking tray and drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt

3. Roast in oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 90 minutes

4. Enjoy with lean protein [fish, chicken, turkey, steak] or as a snack!

I made a FANTASTIC pot roast last night and I wanted to share what I put in it.  I just basically raided the fridge and threw in what I felt like… didn’t follow a recipe.  Slow cookers are perfect because I worked all day, taught back-to-back spin classes and came home to a ready dinner! Good for gym’ers who have limited free time.  Plus, LEFTOVERS!!!

Paige’s Perfect Pot Roast Recipe

In order of how I put it in the slow-cooker:
1. Bag of baby carrots – whole
2. Head of Celery – cut in thick’ish slices
3. Bag of small, halved potatoes (optional)
4. Monster piece of lean-looking pot roast beef
5. 4 or so green onions, cut up into small-ish pieces
6. 6 or so cloves of sliced up fresh garlic
7. Shaved fresh ginger (like 1/2 of 1 large root) – used a cheese grater for this – SMELLED AWESOME!
8. 2-3 cups of water (depending on size of the cut of beef)
9. Salt and Pepper
10. Bay Leaves
11. Then I put in 1/2 a jar of a roasted apple/garlic marinade… but that could have easily been replaced by 2 sliced apples… it was really just for the sweetness and added flavor

Cook low for 8+ hours in a crockpot.  Perfection!  Can be eaten as is or over whole wheat couscous.

*Editor’s note: Omit potatoes and couscous for a Paleo-Friendly recipe

The Irish, including Jen, grew up on Shepherd’s pie topped with a flaky crust and washed down with a Guinness.  That’s okay to eat when you walk into pub in a snow suit, but for those who work hard during these cold winter months to maintain their best physical and mental selves, here’s a recipe to enjoy on a frosty night: “Shepherd’s Need Not Apply Pie”  Pair this with a glass of red wine, kick back and keep up your Paleo lifestyle.

Shepherd’s Need Not Apply Pie

Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 5 carrots, sliced thin
- 1 bag frozen organic peas
- 3lbs. ground organic white chicken
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 8 large sweet potatoes
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- salt & pepper, to taste

Directions
- Peel and cube sweet potatoes
- Put sweet potatoes into large pot of water, bring to boil & let simmer for 20 minutes
- While potatoes are cooking, Heat olive oil on medium high heat in large sautee pan
- Add onions and carrots.  Sautee until translucent (5-7 min)
-  Add ground chicken, Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock and salt/pepper
- Cook on medium heat until chicken is cooked through
- Add frozen peas, cover, take off of heat and let sit 3 minutes.
- Drain sweet potatoes in a colander and pour back into pot.
- Add 1 whole egg yolk and mash until soft
- Pour chicken mixture into an 8×10 Pyrex pan, then spoon & spread sweet potato puree over the top
- Put oven broiler on high & put Pyrex in for 8 minutes, or until top of sweet potatoes brown (remember, everything else is fully cooked, so don’t overdo it)
- Spoon into a bowl and enjoy!!!

Jarrod Charbonneau, a spin instructor at Beacon Hill Athletic Club & a good friend of mine, shared this recipe with me.  It sounds DELISH!!  It includes potatoes, which can be a good source of carbohydrates for athletes looking to supplement a normal diet while in training season.

Shepherd’s pie recipe will feed 4 people easily and if you do everything simultaneously it should only take an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes TOTALLY PALEO FRIENDLY

Ingredients:
• 1 bag russet potatoes
• 2lbs of ground beef, bison, or turkey (I have tried all three and like the bison best)
• 1 Vidalia onion
• 2 carrots (or if you have baby carrots just chop up a dozen)
• 1 ½ cup of peas
• 1 can of corn
• 1 can of tomato paste
• Salt/pepper/(red pepper flakes if you like a little zing)

Instructions:
Start by peeling the potatoes and put them in boiling water (you can do everything else while they are boiling)
1. Start by chopping the carrots and onion
2. Put the onions in a fry pan, medium heat with a little olive oil and let them cook until they are a little transparent and add the peas/carrots/corn (stir often)
3. In a separate fry pan add a little olive oil and whatever meat you choose
a. Constantly turn and chop the meat with a spatula to help cook thoroughly
b. Add 1 tsp salt
c. 2-3 tbsp ground black pepper
d. Add 1 tsp red pepper flakes (if that’s your thing)
4. Once the meat has browned add all the veggies and mix thoroughly
5. Once mixed add a whole can of tomato paste and mix until everything has a pink/red color
6. Mash the potatoes with a little milk and butter
7. Take a Pyrex dish and coat the bottom with the mashed potatoes (a thin layer maybe ½-1 inch)
8. Add the meat/veggie mixture and spread evenly throughout the dish (you will have to press it down to fit it all)
9. Cover the meat mixture with a thicker layer of mashed potatoes (1-2 inches)
10. Bake in an oven for 20-24 minutes @350 degrees or until you start to see the top of the potatoes slightly brown
11. Enjoy the goodness!

Today my client Kara shared with me a recipe that she and her sister enjoyed recently.  They got the recipe online (www.skinnyms.com) and tried it at home- came out great!

Kara asked me what she could use as a substitute for pasta, and I suggested raw baby spinach.  I love putting a bed of spinach in a bowl, topping it with the hot portion of the meal.  It wilts the spinach just enough!

Here’s the recipe- I’m excited to try it!

Ingredients

-       4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

-       2 14oz cans diced tomatoes

-       1 medium onion thinly sliced

-       4 cloves garlic

-       ½ cup balsamic vinegar

-       1 tbsp olive oil

-       1 tsp each: dried oregano, basil, rosemary

-       ½ tsp thyme

-       salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Pour olive oil on bottom of Crockpot, add chicken breasts, salt & pepper.  Place sliced onion on top of chicken and add dried herbs & garlic.  Pour in vinegar and top with tomatoes.

Cook on high for 4 hours, serve over angel hair pasta. [to make Paleo friendly, serve over a bed of spaghetti squash or raw baby spinach!]

This recipe was posted on the Lucky13Fitness Facebook page by a fan and I wanted to add it to the recipe page!!

Thanks for sharing, Jackie!

Asian stirfry:
- Sautee chicken with sesame oil, a little bit of orange juice and diced carrots.
- When chicken’s browned, add veggies of choice (I used onions, red peppers and carrots this time), grated/pressed ginger, fresh basil (I used several leaves and it could have used more) and diced pineapple.
- Add curry powder and a little cayenne (if you’re a lover of spicy food).
- I was going to add peanuts, but forgot. It can certainly be varied, but it’s delicious and light!

*Author’s note: This recipe is absolutely Paleo friendly… sesame oil is perfect for medium heat cooking, such as sauteeing.  The only thing that would cause this recipe to deviate from being Paleo would be the peanuts.  I can’t wait to try this!!!

Last night, as per usual for Sunday afternoon, Jen and I cooked and prepped our food for the week.  We decided to make chicken meatloaf & Jen took full charge of that, while I roasted sweet potatoes and made apple/cranberry sauce.

Jen did some research on a few Paleo websites to find a Paleo-friendly version of chicken meatloaf.  After browsing a few recipes, she ended up making her own… it came out ABSOLUTELY delish.  Better than any I’ve ever had…

JR’s Chicken Meatloaf

2 lbs. ground white chicken
1 medium sized onion
6 full sized carrots
1/3 cup almond flour
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp Cajun seasoning
2 eggs
2 Tbsp dried parsley
salt/pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 375.  Puree carrots garlic and onions in blender or Cuisinart.  Put entire blend (including water from the puree) into large bowl and add all remaining ingredients.  Hand mix well.  Form 2 loaves side by side on standard baking sheet. Top each loaf with 1-2 Tbsp crushed tomatoes.  Bake at for 45-50 minutes.

This past week, my sweetie made an AMAZING dinner- Cioppino.  For those of you who are unfamiliar, cioppino consists of various fish and shellfish in a tomato-based broth.  It is healthy, Paleo-friendly, and delicious!

Jen followed Giada De Laurentiis’ recipe:

CioppinoRecipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped
3 large shallots, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
5 cups fish stock
1 bay leaf
1 pound manila clams, scrubbed
1 pound mussels, scrubbed, debearded
1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/2 pounds assorted firm-fleshed fish fillets such as halibut or salmon, cut into 2-inch chunks

Directions
Heat the oil in a very large pot over medium heat. Add the fennel, onion, shallots, and salt and saute until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and 3/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and saute 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Add tomatoes with their juices, wine, fish stock and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the flavors blend, about 30 minutes.

Add the clams and mussels to the cooking liquid. Cover and cook until the clams and mussels begin to open, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and fish. Simmer gently until the fish and shrimp are just cooked through, and the clams are completely open, stirring gently, about 5 minutes longer (discard any clams and mussels that do not open). Season the soup, to taste, with more salt and red pepper flakes.

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

In the autumn & winter months, I love warm comfort food that tastes good!

Last night, I roasted a tray of cubed butternut squash, chopped yellow onion, and cranberries. It came out great!! It was savoury, yet tart. And a smidge sweet. The perfect side to dinner, or on its own as a snack!

Ingredients:
- 1 bag cubed butternut squash
- 2 chopped onions
- 2 handfuls of raw, whole, unsweetened cranberries
- olive oil

Pre-heat oven to 350.  Chop butternut squash and onions. Place on roasting tray and add cranberries. Drizzle olive oil generously and mix on tray. Roast at 350 for 60-75 minutes.

Here is the recipe for a dinner that I think is the PERFECT fall comfort meal.  It is completely Paleo friendly, and is very healthy.  I was lucky enough to have my better half cook it for me, and MAN it tasted great.  It was even yummy re-heated the next day! Hope you enjoy it!

Spaghetti Squash
Cut squash in half, lengthwise, scrape out seeds, & put on baking sheet.  Bake at 375 for 45-60 minutes.  Let cool, then scrape squash out of skin with a fork.  It will have a spaghetti-like consistency.

Pesto
In blender, combine:
2 cups spinach
1 cup basil
2-3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Blend until the mixture reaches desired consistency.

“Flash” Marinara
In medium sautee pan, combine:
6-10 chopped basil leaves (sub 1tsp dried basil, if necessary)
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
1-3 cloves garlic (to taste), sliced
salt & pepper to taste

On medium/low heat, cook until garlic is lightly browned, approx. 2-3 minutes.

Add 3 cans organic crushed tomatoes

Simmer and then immediately remove from heat.

*The sauce should take under 10 mins to cook, total.

Meatballs
In a bowl combine:
- 1 lb. organic grass-fed 90% lean ground beef
- 1/2 lb. organic ground pork
- Fresh or dried parsley, to taste
- Basil, to taste
- Oregano, to taste
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs [***to make this recipe Paleo friendly, sub 1/8 cup Almond flour/meal]
- 1-3 cloves crushed garlic
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped

Mix together and form small, equal sized meatballs.  Place on parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.