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My Favorite Cooking Appliances and Utensils

1/25/2015

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Finding success on the paleo diet means being handy in the kitchen.  You need to spend time planning, prepping and cooking all your fresh ingredients.  That being said, there are certain tools in your kitchen that can take the drudgery out of some of the less exciting prep tasks and turn them from chore to score!  I have a few items in my kitchen that I find indispensable as they make prepping and cooking go so much faster.  Some are appliances, some utensils, and some are just "things" you need.

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Food Processor
This is the boss of my kitchen and the workhorse that I use almost every day.  I've had this Cuisinart food processor for as long as I can remember and it never disappoints.  I use this regularly to make my homemade pico de gallo, to puree my jalapeno green sauce, and to chop and shred all kids of vegetables.  I also use it to make certain kinds of paleo cookies and crackers.  The blade does an awesome job of chopping dates, nuts and anything else you want processed.  I also routinely made paleo mayonnaise in this before I found something I liked better.

This is the perfect investment for cooks of all kind.

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Mandoline
What's so good about a mandoline?  This tool can thin-slice, julienne, and (in some cases) waffle-cut fruit and veggies with consistent uniformity and precision.  Where a food processor may limit the size of the vegetable you can slice, the mandoline with it's broad base, can handle a variety of widths.  If you find a good, quality brand, there are no limits to how you can slice.  You can adjust the thickness of the cut or the style of cut depending on the blade (straight blade or wavy).  I love to use mine to make gratins, cucumber salads, french fries, french onion soup, or anything that requires lots of uniform slices.

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Handheld Immersion Blender


Another one of my favorite small appliances is the hand held immersion blender.  I bought mine at Bed, Bath and Beyond with the ubiquitous 20% off coupon.  It makes making paleo mayonnaise literally foolproof and is also nice when you have a big pot of soup you'd like to puree without having to pour it into a blender.  It's easy to clean and small so it stores easily.

Knives, sharpener, and kitchen shears
Probably one of the MOST important things to have in your kitchen is a sharp knife.  Working with poor quality, dull knives not only makes the task harder, but it also makes it more dangerous.  You can spend a lot of money on a good knife and there are a few I have my eye on, but will probably have to wait until next Christmas.  I have some good Henckle's knives that get the job done in the meantime.  I use my chef's knife the most and have that in two sizes.  I also have a Santoku knife that works similar to my chef knife.  Keeping these knives sharp is half the battle.  We purchased a Chef's Choice knife sharpener many years ago and it does an very good job of keeping a nice, sharp edge on my blades.  In addition to sharp knives, a pair of kitchen shears always comes in handy. 
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Spiralizer
This nifty little item falls in the "food processor" category.  What I like about this is that it easily spiralizes veggies so you can have veggie "noodles".  I use mine to make zucchini noodles, cucumber noodles and any other thing I want in long spirals.  This item is relatively inexpensive, but you will want to use it all the time.

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VitaMix Blender
This is the big daddy of blenders.  You can throw all kinds of stuff in the VitaMix and it will have no problem quickly turning it into a smooth, creamy concoction.  Mine is a basic style with just a "high" and "low" speed button.  I mostly wanted it for making smoothies and purees and wanted it to be able to blend ice well.  The motor on this machine is very strong and it takes no time to turn whole pieces of fruit and veggies into a smoothie.  I also like this for when I make pancake batters out of plantains because it purees everything evenly and nicely.

Big Scoops and Good Spatulas
Sometimes it's the little things that can make a big difference.  I have a variety of sizes of kitchens scoops and spatulas (flippers) and each one comes in handy and makes whatever task I'm doing just a little easier.  The scoopers are great for spooning batter into muffin tins or batter for pancakes or any other kinds of foods that are measured out and possibly fried in a pan.  (Egg foo young from Nom Nom Paleo for example).  Size does matter in this case and having the right tool at your disposal makes what you're cooking consistent and uniform.  Being able to squeeze out just the right amount with one hand makes it efficient as well.  I have different spatulas or flippers, whatever you call them, for different tasks.  I have metal squares and rectangles, some with straight edges and some with rounded.  I also have a really big round metal spatula for the times I'm frying two eggs in my small pan and I want to flip them.  I pour them onto the big spatula and then turn them back over into the pan, yellows intact.  Sometimes with a nonstick pan, I need a plastic flipper to do the job.  So you really can't have too many of these!
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OXO Vinaigrette Mixer

I found this nifty little gadget at Bed Bath and Beyond and I use it all the time.  It's like a measuring cup with a pour spout that you can mix up your homemade vinaigrette and then store the leftovers.  There is a little knob on the top that you can open or close to keep it airtight.  I'll make a big batch of balsamic or red wine vinaigrette and then use it over the course of the week.


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Mini Non Stick Frying Pan
We have about 4 of these and I use them every day.  They are about 8in in diameter, which is the perfect size to make your eggs and spinach in the morning or heat up a single serving of leftovers.  I bought mine at Sam's and they are relatively inexpensive.  They last for a while and when I notice that the coating is wearing off, I simply Goodwill it and get another one.


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Parchment Paper
This is something I can't do without in my kitchen.  Whether it's for baking cookies (paleo, of course), lining a casserole pan, or used to line a roasting pan, this stuff is indispensable. When used for roasting veggies, fish or even marrow bones for stock, nothing sticks to it.  Veggies seem to brown more even and everything releases easily.  It's great for lining a casserole dish whenever you make an egg casserole or meatloaf because you have nothing sticking to the side of the pan.  Once you try it, you won't believe how you ever survived without it!

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Banana Chocolate Crepes

1/19/2015

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I just made the best paleo treat and wanted to share it as fast as I could.  The beautiful thing about this recipe is that it is grain and dairy free! (I used a green plantain instead.)  I based the recipe loosley off of the Plantain "Recovery" Pancake recipe but wanted something thinner and a little more pliable.  I just purchased a big bag of organic cocoa and was dying to put it into something.  I also had a rotting banana on my counter top that was begging for play.  It was then that I decided to try out a recipe for a paleo crepe.  I made these without any sweetener and I thought they were delicious.  However, if you like them a little sweeter, you have the option of adding about a tablespoon of honey. 

Chocolate Banana Crepes

1 green plantain
2 eggs
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. baking soda
1 ripe banana
1 1/2 T. melted coconut oil
1 T. cacao powder (I used Sunfood's raw organic cacao powder)
1 T. coconut cream or full fat coconut milk
1 T. water
1 T Honey (if not doing strict paleo and you like them a little sweeter)  I made my batch without honey though.


Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth and creamy.  On a griddle or in a pan, add about 1/2 t. coconut oil.  Carefully pour out a small amount of batter onto the surface and swirl with the handle or spread gently with a spatula.  Cook until edges begin to dry and bubbles break at the surface, about 45 seconds to one minute.  Carefully flip crepe and cook until done, about 30 seconds more.  For batter technique and flipping, see video below:
Fill crepes with whatever tickles your fancy.  Bananas and almond butter, fresh fruit or even real whipped cream and berries if you are doing a little dairy. 
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Plantain Pancakes (Recovery Pancakes)

1/10/2015

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Did I just say “recovery pancake”?  You heard me.  And it’s not because this pancake just came out of the Betty Ford Clinic.  This pancake is good recovery food.  It looks pretty legit, right?  It has a nice brown color, light fluffy texture, and a delicious crumb and chew.  Here’s the good part…it is sugar, grain, nut and dairy free!  I know what you’re thinking…”Then what the heck did you possibly make it with?”  Here’s my secret.  GREEN PLANTAINS.  If you are skeptical, then you are just like I was.  I saw a blog post from The Paleo Mom about making delicious pancakes with green plantains.  I thought there was no possible way this could be any good.  I watched her video on how to pick out the plantains and then headed over to Global Foods in Kirkwood because I know they always have good, weird produce.  (But I’m sure you can find plantains at most grocery stores.)  They had plenty of the big green ones so I paid for my fruit and headed home.  
I cut open the plantain and pried it from its skin.  Then I cut it into pieces and threw it into my food processor.  A blender would work fine too.  I added the eggs and the rest of the ingredients and gave it a try.  It. Was. Amazing.  Really!!  And believe me, I’ve tried A LOT of paleo pancakes, some of which have ended up in the trash can.  For all you athletes out there looking for something easy to eat post workout, these are great recovery food.  They are made with good fats from coconut oil, eggs, and plantains and are loaded with Vitamins A, C, and Magnesium.  Here’s what you have to do:


Plantain Pancakes

1 large green plantain (about 200g cut up without skin)
2 large eggs
2 t. vanilla  (I like Mexican vanilla)
1 1/2 T melted coconut oil
pinch salt
1/4 t. baking soda

Peel plantain and cut into cubes. Place in food processor or blender and puree.   Add eggs, vanilla, coconut oil, salt and baking soda and continue to process until it looks like pancake batter.  In a small skillet, heat up a teaspoon more of coconut oil on med to low.  Add pancake batter and cook about 3-4 min on that side, until it is bubbly and starting to dry.  Flip over and cook about 1 more minute on the other side.  Enjoy with almond butter, pure maple syrup or honey.  Makes about three 7-inch pancakes.  

Nutrition facts per pancake (3 per batch) Calories – 188
fat – 10.3 g

protein – 5.2 g

carb – 21 g


Make ahead and stash in your gym bag.  Add a piece of ham (for more protein) and you’ve got a nice post workout meal.  This is a good starch for replenishing muscle glycogen.  The coconut oil is a good source of medium chain triglycerides that also aid in recovery and provide immediate fuel.  

To see the entire post from which my plantain eureka came, please visit the Paleo Mom blog here:   http://www.thepaleomom.com/2012/09/perfect-paleo-pancakes.html Be sure to watch her plantain video too.
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What's a Week Look Like?

1/10/2015

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Happy January folks! We're about to get lean and mean in 2015.   It's that time of year when everyone has had their fill of the excesses of the holidays and are ready to get back on track.  With this in mind, I wanted to create a post to show people what a week's worth of paleo meals might look like and recipes to go with.  For some people just starting out, going paleo can feel overwhelming. Whole food groups are missing for crying outloud.  It does take some planning and a willingness to experiment in the kitchen.  But like anything worthwhile, it takes practice.  And it does get easier over time! 
I logged all my meals for the first full week (M-F) in January and tried to remember to take pictures so you could see what a typical week looks like for me.  I hope this helps you see how to plan, make use of leftovers, and open your mind to the endless possibilities!

Sunday afternoon - I headed to the grocery store armed with a list of ingredients needed for some of the week's meals.  I knew I was going to be busier than a one legged man in a butt kicking contest preparing for the week ahead.

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When I got home, I made a batch of paleo mayonnaise, my favorite pico de gallo, and the best jalapeno green sauce you can get your hands on.  Strict paleo means getting creative with your food and pulling out all the punches in the condiment department.  Makes things interesting, the food tastes great, and your deprivation factor is 0.0.

I also made a batch of Breakfast Cookies from Against All Grain.  These little treats have no added sugar and are nice in the morning with a cup of coffee or during the day as a little snack.

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Sunday night dinner:  Crockpot Paleo Thai Stew from Against All Grain
I had to make a few adjustments to the recipe.  First, I added lots more broccoli and added in snap peas.  I like seeing more green in my dishes.  For the carrots, I bought the baby carrots and quartered them lengthwise.  Did not take the time to julienne them.  I used yellow curry paste instead of red because the red has shrimp in it and my husband is allergic to shellfish.  I'll save the red for the next time he gets on my nerves.  Kidding...

MONDAY
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Breakfast:  I know it looks sparse, but on M, W, F mornings, I have minimal time to eat and have to grab something quick in order to get my daughter to school and myself to the gym to teach my class. This is my "get 'er done" breakfast and will get me through the morning.

Boar's Head Tavern Ham, strawberries and a breakfast cookie.

Lunch:
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Since breakfast was small, and I didn't get my eggs, I decided to have eggs and spinach for lunch.  The eggs are from my backyard chickens and they never disappoint.  I added about 2 big handfulls of spinach.  Since it shrinks up so much, it is an easy way to get a lot of veggies in without getting too full.  Broccoli slaw made with paleo mayo, a side of strawberries, and a touch of the jalapeno green sauce round this flavorful lunch out.  With the broccoli slaw, I  simply bought a bag of rainbow salad which is basically shredded up carrots, cabbage and broccoli, added the mayo and a little Vom Fass Apple Cider Vinegar and called it a day.  The quick slaw version. 

Dinner  I marinated a grassfed flank steak and skirt steak (from my cow share through MAC's Local Buys) with my favorite "Olin's Marinade" which is my dad's recipe that we grew up on.  It literally makes all meat taste amazing.  Even though it was flippin' freezing outside, we grilled the meat on the gas grill.  I sauteed some red and yellow peppers and onions in olive oil, roasted some okra, and pulled out the slaw I made at lunch.  I served it with pico de gallo and green sauce on the side.  I made sure to grill enough meat for dinner and for lots of leftovers during the week.
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Tuesday
Breakfast
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Breakfast was easy since I was able to use steak from the night before.  Being able to wrap your head around eating things not normally considered breakfast food (cereal, bagels, and rolls) is the first big step in eating a healthy breakfast and getting a little more protein into the diet. 

Sauteed spinach, fried egg, leftover skirt steak, jalapeno green sauce

Lunch
This is a pretty basic lunch, easy to throw together, and tasty.  I grab 3-4 pieces of Boar's Head mesquite turkey, spread on a little paleo mayo, sprinkle some Penzey's Sandwich sprinkle on that (it is soooo good), and add some mixed greens.  Roll it up and chow down. After the first roll up, I decided that I wanted a little more of a kick. I recalled that my addicting hot sauce and pico de gallo were in the fridge, so I whipped them out and doused the remaining two.  Then I imagined I was eating tacos.
I also cut up half an apple and put some almond butter on the plate to dip in.  Yes, that's sea salt sprinkled on top! 

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Dinner
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Fry 3 pieces of bacon, cut into pieces. Add one chopped onion and green beans. Sautee for a few minutes. Add about 1 cup of water and season with salt and pepper and cook until al dente or desired firmness.
I baked a salmon (sprinkled with Penzey's seasoned pepper, dill and lemon juice and topped with lemon slices), made a mixed green salad with tomatoes and beets, and topped with a balsamic vinaigrette.
Green beans (haricort verts from Trader Joe's) with sauteed bacon rounded it out.  For a dipping sauce, I mixed my leftover paleo mayo with capers, dill, horseradish and pepper...no recipe, just a concoction of things that I thought would taste good in a dipping sauce.

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Mayo, 2 t. capers, 1-2 t dill, 1/2 T. prepared horseradish, a squeeze of lemon and salt and pepper to taste
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One of my favorite drinks: Sparkling water with a touch of POM coconut (or pomegranite). I don't add that much, just enough to give it a little flavor punch.
Wednesday
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Breakfast

No time to make a production on Wednesday mornings so it's another quickie. 

Hard boiled egg, slice of ham (that's all that was left or I would have had a bigger piece, and a small piece of apple. 

Lunch  Leftover Thai stew from Sunday night, leftover broccoli slaw, and a tossed green salad.
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Mixed greens with balsamic vinaigrette and beets and a side of liverwurst. Yes, I love that stuff.
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Dinner  
Our evening was busy and we were eating in shifts so I made some Buffalo Chicken Egg Cups to have for dinner and breakfasts later in the week and pulled out the leftovers we still needed to work on.  We made a big salad and grazed on egg muffins and whatever else was in the fridge.




Thursday
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Breakfast


Buffalo Chicken Egg cups, strawberries and a side of pico de gallo


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Lunch


Leftover salmon, broccoli slaw and salmon dip with a side salad of mixed greens, tomatoes and beets.
Dinner
I wanted to make something easy and with what I had on hand.  Luckily, I bought a head of cauliflower on Sunday and I always have ground beef from my cow share in my freezer so I had a good start.  I flipped through one of my favorite cookbooks, The Ancestral Table by Russ Crandall and came across a recipe called Loco Moco .  (I linked the recipe from his site but the version I used from the cookbook is just a little different).  You need to add his site, The Domestic Man to your favorites. His Shephard's Pie is amazing.  The Loco Moco is basically a hamburger patty with a fried egg that sits atop cauliflower rice and it has a nice gravy to ladle over the whole thing. 

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Friday  
It's the end of the week and we have dinner plans at a friend's house tonight.  Today is the day I try to finish up all leftovers and then head to the store over the weekend and do it all over again!
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Breakfast
Is this breakfast starting to look a little familiar?  It's my quick fix because Fridays are limited in the time department.  I also don't like to have a lot in my stomach before I work out so this is perfect and holds me over till lunch.
strawberries, hard boiled egg, Boar's Head ham, breakfast cookie

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Lunch

Spoiler alert:  My lunch looks very much like last night's dinner!  Grass Fed beef patty with jalapeno green sauce on top, leftover cauliflower rice, green beans, beets, and a buffalo chicken egg cup. I am crazy about leftovers and I don't even mind if they are cold.  This lunch is higher in protein and lower in carbs.  My goal is to lean out and improve body composition, but I don't want to under eat and I want to get adequate protein levels to maintain and improve muscle mass.

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Here's another drink option for you.  It's a quick pour of Vom Fass Apple Cider Vinegar mixed with sparkling water.  You can probably use any cider vinegar, but the Vom Fass kind is sooooo smooth.  (Vom Fass is an oil and vinegar shop in Maplewood and if you haven't splurged on one of their vinegars, you should.  It makes all salad dressings taste better.)  Another option is a nice balsamic vinegar with the water.  It adds a unique flavor and is supposed to be good for digestion.

I like to sip on this during the day or in the evening when I want something other than plain water or tea.
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Dinner
For dinner, we were invited over to a friend's house with some other couples we hadn't seen in a while.  Luckily, one of the other couples going to the dinner was also on a Whole30 so we were in the same boat.  When we got there, my friend Steve asked if I was going to have a drink.  He jokingly said he was looking for absolution and if I did, he would.  I held firm and told him I was still running with my post holiday motivation, so we both enjoyed a nice glass of water, relieved to have structure to keep us on the straight and narrow. 
They say when you go to a dinner party, you should always bring something you know you can eat.  I wasn't sure what my friend was making but I told her I would bring fresh berries.  Luckily, she made a beautiful salmon, some delicious green beans and a tasty salad.  I had to pass on the potatoes that looked divine but were filled with cheese and cream.  Next time...


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So here it is, Saturday morning and I look back on my week of paleo meals.  Did I feel deprived?  Not once.  Was I counting calories or fretting over macronutrient breakdown?  Not really.  My plan was to prepare delicious meals and to be prepared.  I started with a protein and filled my plate with veggies and a little fruit.  I ate when I was hungry and ate slowly until I was full.  Between meals, I would have a few prepackaged cashews or almonds from Trader Joe's, a hard boiled egg, one of the breakfast cookies or egg cups I made earlier in the week, or a piece of apple and almond butter.  My goal is to make this thing autopilot.  And after a 30 day reset, good habits will be set into place and I'll be feeling great for it.  I can't wait to see how my physical goes in February!
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Buffalo Chicken Egg Cups a la Leeny

1/7/2015

3 Comments

 
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I was flipping through facebook a while ago and came across Diane Sanfilippo's Balanced Bites site.  I love her book Practical Paleo and the thoughtful way she has implemented 30 day plans for almost anyone who is looking for something specific.  Her book is a great paleo resource as well as a wonderful cookbook.  On her Facebook page, she had a recipe for Buffalo Chicken Egg Muffins and I was intrigued.  I have made veggie egg muffins and sausage egg muffins, but had never embarked on a buffalo chicken egg muffin adventure before.  So with her recipe as inspiration, I made the muffins, but with little changes to suit my hot N spicy taste buds. I used ground chicken instead of shredded and added 4 cups of spinach to up the veggie count.  I also like a little more hot sauce.   These are delicious and when made ahead, an easy breakfast to grab on the go. These are also Whole30 compliant in the event you are doing a 30 day challenge.

Buffalo Chicken Egg Cups a la Leeny

1 lb ground chicken
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 dozen eggs
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. Penzey's California seasoned pepper or plain black pepper
4 T. Kerrygold butter (clarified if doing a Whole30) or ghee
1/3 Cup Frank's Red Hot hot sauce
4 cups spinach (or 4 big handfulls)
1 bunch green onions, sliced

In a frying pan, saute ground chicken with chopped onion and garlic till cooked through. Set aside to slightly cool. 
In a large bowl, blend together 1 dozen eggs, garlic powder and pepper.  Slowly add the chicken mixture stirring into the eggs to temper the egg mixture slightly. 
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In the frying pan, melt the butter and add the Red Hot.  Stir to blend.  Add spinach and wilt.  It will shrink up considerably.  Add spinach mixture to the egg and chicken mixture and stir to blend.  Spoon mixture into two muffin pans filling each cup about 3/4 full.  You can line cups with non stick parchment cups or use a good non stick pan like Sur la Table's Platinum muffin pan.  Nothing sticks to this and you can bake in it unlined.  Sprinkle tops of muffins with chopped green onion.  Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until egg muffins are set.  Makes about 18.

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Recipe inspiration courtesy of Diane Sanfilippo of Balanced Bites.
www. Balancedbites.com
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    Author

    My name is Leeny Hoffmann and I am paleo curious. Come out of the "Standard Diet" closet with me and let's find out what the paleo lifestyle is all about.

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