Slow cooker apple cinnamon pork tenderloin

Seems like most crock pot pork recipes always turn into some kind of mushy pork slop by the time they're done cooking. But I always have good luck with tenderloin, so it's pretty much the only cut of pork that I buy now. I love this recipe in particular because tenderloin is so lean that it can often turn out dry, even in the slow cooker. But the apples infuse the meat with moisture and flavor, and also make the whole house smell absolutely amazing!! I honestly don't venture out of my comfort zone much when it comes to new tenderloin recipes. But this one is always a hit, so I make it fairly often and nobody ever gets tired of it.

Ingredients

2 lb. boneless pork loin roast;

3 medium apples, peeled and sliced;

¼ cup honey; (optional)

1 red onion, halved and sliced;

1 tbsp. ground cinnamon;

1 cup chicken stock;

Cooking fat;

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper;

 

Instructions

1. Season the pork to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
2. Melt some cooking fat in a large skillet placed over a high heat and brown the roast on all sides.
3. Using a sharp knife, cut 3-inch deep slits into the pork.
4. Insert the apple slices into each pork slit.
5. Place half of the remaining apples in the bottom of a slow cooker.
6. Place the roast over the apples.
7. Drizzle the honey on top of the roast, then add the onion and remaining apples.
8. Add the chicken stock and sprinkle everything with cinnamon.
9. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Turkey stuffed peppers

I originally found this ground turkey mixture on whatiscookingnow.com. It was supposed to be a recipe for turkey zucchini boats, but after testing out the recipe the way it was originally intended I found that it turned out a lot better as a stuffed pepper recipe. I included the pictures of both versions for reference. If you still prefer to do stuffed zucchini boats all you have to do is reduce the cooking time by about ten minutes. These are also amazing with a single slice of Havarti cheese melted on top.
Being 15 weeks pregnant, I still get my cravings, and cheese is usually at the top of the list. It's not paleo, but I figure there could be a lot worse foods to crave, right? During my last pregnancy there were some days where it was literally the only thing I wanted to eat ALL DAY LONG. My cheese cravings aren't as strong this time around, but I still feel the need to add a slice here and there to some of the dishes I make. And I don't hear the rest of the family complaining, since these only lasted a day!
And just a little fun fact: any time you add dairy to a paleo recipe, it's considered "primal" rather than paleo.

Ingredients:
1½ lb lean ground turkey
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup almond flour
¼ cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
4 bell peppers sliced lengthwise

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add ground turkey, onion and garlic to skillet; cook 7 minutes or until turkey is no longer pink, stirring to crumble.
• Transfer turkey mixture to a bowl; mix in almond flour, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
• Scoop seeds of the peppers, and discard.  Stuff turkey mixture evenly into bell pepper shells.
• Place on a baking sheet or dish. Bake 35 minutes (25 min for stuffed zucchini) or until the peppers are tender.

Instant Pot Bone Broth

I used to always think that the term "bone broth" was so pretentious. I saw celebrities endorsing their morning bone broth in their super cutesie mugs, and all the wanna-be insta-famous girls quickly followed suit. I mean really, who pays twelve freaking dollars for a 16 oz carton of chicken soup without the chicken?? This is part of the reason why I've put off trying it for so long.
But let me tell you, there IS a difference!
First let me clarify the difference between broth, stock, and bone broth. Like many people, I thought they were all one in the same. They are all related, in that they all involve boiling some form of meat, bones, and seasonings, but they are all created for different purposes.

Traditional broth (not to be confused with bone broth) is mainly water boiled with vegetables, seasonings, and some bones. It is very light and flavorful, and stays liquid when chilled.
Stock is much thicker than broth. It is mainly water boiled with bones, sometimes with meat still attached, along with vegetables and seasonings. The point of stock is to extract the collagen and other nutrients from the bones, giving it a heavy gelatinous consistency. It must be watered down in order to be used for soups or other broth-like purposes.
Bone broth is the happy medium between stock and traditional broth. It is thicker than normal broth, due to the fact that the goal is the same when cooking a stock: to extract the nutrients and collagen from the bones. But bone broth is lighter than stock, making it easier to enjoy on its own, or in place of a traditional store-bought broth. In other words, bone broth is packed with all the nutrition of a stock, but with the convenience of a broth. The perfect hybrid.

Drinking bone broth has a multitude of health benefits. It's great for joints due to the fact that it's chock full of glucosamine, chondroitin sulphates and other joint lubricating compounds. It's also a great source of collagen; which has been known to make skin appear younger, along with strengthening hair and nails, helping them to grow more quickly. Others claim it has immune boosting and anti-inflammatory effects (although there is no scientific evidence to support this).
But honestly, the bottom line is that it tastes great, and what the hell...it can't hurt, right?

My bone broth recipe is less of a recipe, and more of a general guideline. Feel free to play with it. I had a leftover rotisserie chicken in the fridge, so I used that, but you can use whatever kind of bones you have lying around. All I did was pick the meat off, throw the bones in, and top with apple cider vinegar, veggies, herbs, and water before I turned on the instant pot.

Ingredients:
-2-3 lbs of Bones (as much or as little as you like, whatever kind you like, I used chicken bones)
-2-3 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
-Assorted vegetables (whatever you have on hand. I used onion, carrots, and celery)
-1 teaspoon sea salt
-Two bay leaves
-Whatever fresh herbs you have on hand

Instructions:
1. Just place the bones in the instant pot and top with ACV, herbs, veggies, and salt
2. Add water until the pot is about 2/3 full
3. Select the "soup" function and set to low. Manually adjust the cooking time to 120 min.
4. Once it is done cooking, allow the pressure to release on its own.
5. Strain all of the bones and vegetables out of the broth and toss them.

Slow Cooker Chicken Soup with Sweet Potato and Spinach

I'm a big fan of hearty soups in the winter time. I love the way they warm you from the inside out, while also filling the house with savory smells. This one is my current favorite because it meets my four main recipe requirements: easy to make, full of protein & veggies, no added sweeteners (including paleo sweeteners like honey and/or fruit juices) and it requires simple ingredients that most people already have on hand. If you don't have frozen spinach, you can always substitute fresh, or use a different green leafy vegetable like kale. 

*I would NOT recommend substituting the garlic herb seasoning for garlic salt (if that's all you have), because it could easily end up too salty. Better to just omit the garlic seasoning all together in that case.* 

Ingredients 

2 large or 4 small sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces

1 package frozen spinach 

1 1/2- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs

2 32-oz boxes low-sodium chicken stock

3 teaspoons sea salt

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

2 teaspoons garlic herb seasoning

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 

Instructions

1. Combine all the ingredients in a 6 quart slow cooker (or instant pot set to "slow cook" mode). Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6, or until the sweet potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked through and very tender.

2. Remove the chicken and shred with two forks. Return to the slow cooker and stir to combine. 

Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

With the holidays upon us, schedules can get hectic. Sometimes figuring out what to make for dinner can be the last thing on our priority list. Between last minute Christmas shopping, holiday parties, kids events, and family get-togethers, there's barely time to pour yourself a glass of eggnog at the end of the day. 

I found the original version of this recipe on whatgreatgrandmaate.com, and added a few of my own changes. I'm not typically a fan of buffalo chicken, but these meatballs are AH-mazing!! Easy to make, minimal ingredients, and leaner than typical meatballs made with beef & pork. Just don't expect to have leftovers. They're THAT good! 

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb ground chicken or turkey 
• ¾ cup almond meal
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 7 tbsp hot sauce
• 6 tbsp butter
• chopped green onions, for garnish

• Preparation
• -In a large bowl, combine your meat, almond meal, salt, minced garlic, and green onions.
• -Use your hands to combine everything together
• -Roll the meat into small balls about 1-2 inches wide.
• -Grease the inside of your instant pot with some of the coconut oil, and set it to sauté. 
• -Working in batches, place the meatballs into the pot, turning periodically to brown on all sides.
• -While the meatballs are browning, combine hot sauce and butter and heat them in the microwave or the stove top until the butter is completely melted. Use a spoon to stir. This is your buffalo sauce.
• -Once all of the meatballs have been browned, place them into the instant pot and cover evenly with your buffalo sauce
• -Cover with the lid, and close the steam vent. Set your instant pot to the poultry setting (15-20 min) 
• -Once done, garnish with more green onion and enjoy! 

Instant Pot Green Chili Chicken

This is one of the simplest recipes you could possibly make! All you really need is chicken and green chili enchilada sauce. Serve with rice and it tastes just like chicken enchiladas!

Ingredients

1-2 lbs chicken breasts or thighs

1 15oz can green chili enchilada sauce 

Preparation

Simply place your chicken in the instant pot, and pour the can of sauce on top.

Seal the lid and press the poultry button. 

Once the chicken is done and the steam has vented, remove the chicken breasts from the pot and set aside. 

If you would like the sauce to be thicker, you can stir in a tablespoon or two of arrowroot powder before pouring over your chicken. 

Top the whole thing with salsa and/or cheese (if you do dairy). 

Simple as that!!

Paleo Crustless Chicken Pot Pie!

This is easily one of my new all-time favorite recipes. I LOVE chicken pot pie (I mean, who doesn't?). It's one of the best cold weather comfort foods, but to make it from scratch can be time consuming. Not to mention, making a paleo crust for any kind of baking recipe can be a huge pain. This tastes just like chicken pot pie without the crust, and it was also extremely simple to make. You don't even have to thaw the chicken beforehand! If you're really craving some kind of starch to soak up the broth, you can serve with some paleo honey biscuits to make it extra filling.

Ingredients 

• 4 large chicken breasts
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 bag of frozen mixed vegetables
• salt and pepper
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• 1 cup coconut cream
• 2-6 Tbsp. arrowroot flour (depending on how thick you like your broth)

Preparation

1. Put your chicken breasts, chopped onion, salt and pepper and 4 cups of the chicken broth in to the Instant Pot.
2. Lock the lid, and using the manual setting, set your Instant Pot to cook on high for 15 min. If you're using frozen chicken, set the timer for 30 minutes.
3. Once the chicken is done cooking, use the quick release to vent out the steam and open the pot.
4. Remove the chicken and cut it into chunks before returning it to the pot.
5. Turn the Instant Pot to the "Saute" setting so the broth will start boiling. Add your bag of frozen veggies and more broth if you need to (depends on how much of the veggies you add) and allow the mixture to come back up to a boil.
6. While the broth is heating up, in a small bowl mix 2 tablespoons of the arrowroot flour with the coconut cream, and add the mixture to the broth. 
7. If you want to thicken your broth even more, you can make a slurry using additional arrowroot flour. (I recommend) Simply spoon out about 1-2 cups of the liquid from the instant pot, and in a small bowl stir in 3-4 tablespoons of the arrowroot flour before returning the mixture to the pot. 
8. Allow to simmer 2-3 minutes before serving. 

                            

This would be even better served with Paleo Honey Biscuits to really make it a meal!!