Perfect Spring "Pasta"

So, have I mentioned in almost every post how much I love the blog Against All Grain?  In my opinion, Danielle Walker is a genius in the kitchen!  {I am just happy she's done the hard part and I can look good by recreating her recipes!}

 My favorite new recipe I tried this week was her Creamy Pesto "Pasta".  

Against All Grain

Y'all!  This meal is pretty heavenly!  The cream sauce is made from cashews and seasoned perfectly!  This delicious dish has some of my favorite ingredients :: prosciutto, mushrooms, asparagus, and tomatoes!  How can you go wrong with that combination? 

To be honest, I was a little afraid of serving it to my husband...he claims to not enjoy most vegetables and this dish is loaded with them!  I tried to have a candle-lit lighting situation in hopes that he would not notice the roughly chopped mushrooms.  He caught on that I was trying to be tricky...but he ate most of his dinner!  This is a win in my book!

My favorite part of this recipe was making the zucchini noodles!  I have used my food processor to make 'zoodles' but finally bought a Spiralizer this week and will never look back!  It is so amazing and truly gives zucchini noodles the pasta texture and look that you might miss otherwise.  It also makes being in the kitchen a little more fun!  {Wine helps with that, too!}

Amazing, right!?

So if you are looking for something new to welcome Spring - look no further than this recipe on Danielle's blog.  This goes on the favorites list for me!  Enjoy!

Hello Spring!!

Spring is here and I am so excited!  I am ready for warmer days, lighter layers, bright prints, wine on the deck, and being that much closer to summer!!  I have so enjoyed Spring Break this week and took advantage of this time to find new recipe inspiration, get back to my workout schedule, and tried to clean my house.  

My first stop of the week was to the bookstore!  I bought Make It Paleo 2, Well Fed 2, and some other lovelies that aren't food-related.  

One of my other recent buys that I am loving is the book Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo.  The information in her book has been a great refresher on Paleo principles and the recipes I've tried so far are delicious!  The ingredients are simple but the flavors are wonderful!  It makes weeknight cooking a breeze - and keeps me on track!  Even my husband has enjoyed the dishes!  

Here are a few pictures from our Practical Paleo dinners...

Chinese Five-Spice Lettuce Wraps

Hayley's Skirt Steak Tacos

As I go through my new cookbooks and try out the recipes, I will share my thoughts and pictures here and on Instagram!  

Happy Spring!

Crock Pot Catastrophe

   Well, the beautiful Thai Beef Stew I told you about was ruined!  My crock pot decided low was the perfect temperature setting for boiling and burning my dinner.  I was a little majorly sad but my husband saved the day.  He told me to go to my favorite fitness studio for a class and he would research crock pots for me online.  This is a man who knows my heart!  We trashed the stew-filled crockpot and I danced away my frustration. 

   The new slow cooker in my life is pretty spectacular...this is not an exaggeration.  It has a brown/sauté feature which is a huge time-saver and helps with clean-up.  You can also steam veggies and of course, use the slow-cooker feature.  It is a little expensive in comparison to most models but Amazon has a pretty great deal.  Totally worth the price!

My first meal in my slow cooker was Against All Grain's Chicken Verde.  It is a fabulous recipe from her Meals Made Simple book.  It is easy, delicious, and makes for great leftovers!  I also made her coconut-lime cauli-rice and cumin-garlic squash.  A perfect, simple supper.  It's even Whole30 approved! (just leave out the honey for the 'rice') 

**All three recipes are from Meals Made Simple.**

You Say You Want a Resolution...

Happy Sunday!

January usually brings new health and wellness resolutions.  My goal is to do more of the same...I want to continue eating clean, predominantly Paleo/Primal food, and working out consistently.  I did kick off the year with the Whole30 approach to reset my eating habits.  I definitely enjoyed gluten-free Rice Krispies and some lovely Paleo-fied treats over the holidays and need a break!  

It's Day 7 of my Whole30.  I miss wine.  I miss cheese.  I miss my Paleo French Vanilla Coffee Creamer from Danielle Walker at Against All Grain.  It is a delicious replacement for chemical-filled Coffeemate.  I don't mind black coffee but it sure does taste better with some of this dairy-free goodness!

Against All Grain

Even though I am cleaning up my diet a bit, it doesn't mean I'm missing out on flavorful meals!  This morning I prepped one of my all-time favorite recipes for the crockpot.  Against All Grain's Crockpot Thai Beef Stew is simply amazing and Whole30 friendly.  A little prep work in the morning makes for a beautiful supper tonight!  My kitchen smells wonderful right now!!  3 more hours to go!

Against All Grain

Here is my sous chef, Sophie, helping with meal planning for the week.  She always has to know what's going on!!

 I'm prepping a large batch of taco meat to be used in a few recipes this week as well as enough to freeze for a busy day.  I'll chop some veggies for the frittata I'll make in the morning for a few day's worth of breakfasts.  I have another recipe to use in the crockpot that will make great leftovers.  My goal is to always plan meals that will be enough to spread throughout the week for lunch and dinner leftovers.  Chopping veggies today that I will use this week is a huge timesaver on busy nights.  I've also seen great ideas like making salads in mason jars for the week.  

Tone It Up

I also like to schedule my workouts for the week in my planner so I treat them like appointments.  Tone It Up shares weekly workout schedules on their website each week.  This is a great resource and keeps me motivated!  

What do you like to do to help prep for a successful week?

Kitchen Essentials

Whether clean eating is important to you or you just love to cook, there are some tools that make things easier!  Today, I'm sharing some of my favorite kitchen essentials with you. 

My absolute favorite piece is my KitchenAid Mixer in green apple!  I love having this out on my kitchen island for a fun pop of color - and I use it several times a week so it is a permanent fixture on the counter top!

This is my newest obsession - my Breville Sous Chef food processor!  It is amazing!

It was a Christmas gift last year and a total surprise!  I may or may not have cried when I opened it! It literally can do everything!  It comes with a tool kit of different blades as well as a mini processor bowl.  I use it to make doughs, zucchini noodles, sweet potato fries, bread, shred vegetables, make Paleo mayonnaise, etc.   

Hi, my name is Kalee and I am an Anthro addict!

Anthropologie is my favorite store for all things!  Here are a few kitchen items that I love!

Flower Patch Measuring Spoons

Dining Room Measuring Spoons

Maelle Baking Accessories 

I really want these…my husband says I use too many dishes for him to clean!
You Cook, I'll Clean Dishtowels

 Here are some of my other kitchen essentials::

I cannot say enough good things about Danielle Walker!  Her recipes have inspired me to continue a Paleo lifestyle long after I finished my Whole30!  She has a true talent with cooking and her website and cookbooks are truly essential!

Danielle Walker's Against All Grain

Danielle Walker's Meals Made Simple



PaleOMG is another great resource for Paleo recipes and advice.  Juli Bauer has 2 cookbooks but this one is my favorite!

PaleOMG - The Paleo Kitchen

If you are interested in beginning a Paleo lifestyle and really clean up your diet, I suggest starting with the Whole30 program.  Here is the book written by the creators, Dallas and Melissa Hartwig, It Starts With Food.

A must-read for taking on the Whole30 challenge!


I hope that some of this has been helpful to you!  I would love to know what you consider to be your kitchen essentials!  Let me know!!

I'm off to plan my Thanksgiving menu!  Have a great night!

Welcome!

Hello!  My name is Kalee and welcome to my little blog!

I have always loved cooking and being in the kitchen.  Earlier this year, I dramatically changed the way I cook and eat.  I started living a Paleo lifestyle.  I began this journey with the Whole30 program.  It was an intense introduction to this new way of life and I loved it!  It was such a great way to eliminate damaging foods from my diet and truly learn how my body reacts to certain ingredients.

During this time, I also found an amazing resource that has helped me continue this way of life beyond those first 30 days.  Against All Grain is a wonderful website with delicious grain-free and Paleo recipes.  Danielle Walker has been such an inspiration for me!  Check out her blog for yourself!  You will be so happy you did!

So excited to meet Danielle Walker at her book signing in Nashville!

So, my goal with this blog is to share with you what's on my plate.  I can honestly say that I've never had more fun in my kitchen and I hope you enjoy, too!