Paleo Party Potato Salad...in the houssseee!!!

Hello hello!!

Who's excited?! The season is coming for beach days and pool parties!! If you're in San Diego like me, it's basically here already.. Not to brag or anything ;) Anyway, this was so yummy, I just had to share again. Enjoy!! Yummy yummy :)))

*********************************************

Ingredients (above):
6 medium sweet potatoes - 3 peeled, 3 with skin
6-8 slices of cooked bacon
4-6 small cooked chicken sausages
1/2 chopped, grilled, sautéed or raw onion
3 hard boiled eggs - chop the whites and set aside the yolks in a small bowl
2 diced celery sticks
3 minced garlic cloves
1" minced ginger
Small bunch of diced parsley
Salt, pepper & other seasonings to taste

Dressing:
3 egg yolks mashed into a creamy texture
4 tbsp avocado and/or olive oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
Mix together evenly and adjust ingredients to your preferred taste

Mix all of the above together, garnish with parsley and ENJOY!!

*********************************************

Remember you can always add, remove and alter recipes to make them fit your own preferences. The idea is to learn new, healthy ideas to incorporate into your own meal prepping.

Until next time... :)

Yours in health,
~Mimi~

"Apples on Top" Chicken Salad!

Last weekend was the baby shower for my soon-to-be grand baby. Yes, you read that right, I'm going to be a grandma!! And yes, I'm definitely too young to be! ;) At any rate, I'm SOOO excited to meet her within the next few weeks!! :)

The theme of the shower was children's story books. All of the hosts were to make a dish and a display that accompanied a children's book that involved FOOD. So fun!! My daughter and I chose Ten Apples on Top and of course a healthy recipe to go along... 

How cute was our display?! :)

Apples On Top Chicken Salad~

6-7 cored and chopped apples
1 pound cooked and chopped boneless, skinless chicken
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup unsweetened & unsulfured dried cranberries
2 large diced celery sticks
1/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
1-2 cups arugula
1/2 bottle of Trader Joe's cranberry walnut gorgonzola dressing

*please note that all of these measurements are guestimates and can be adjusted according to your preferences. You can also choose to take it a step healthier and make your own dressing.

ENJOY!!! 

Crock Pot Roast

4.5 pound roast

2 whole onions chopped into chunks

6 whole garlic cloves

2 chopped carrots

1C quartered mushrooms

1C broth

1 cup rosemary sprigs

Coat the roast in heavy salt & pepper

Pile all of the ingredients in slow cooker as pictured above.

Cook on low heat for 8 hours.

Voila!! :)

Kale Soup!

Holy kale! It has been a long time since I've posted any recipes for you all, so I hope this is a great ice breaker for the posts that are to come! Enjoy and let me know if you have any questions!

Ingredients:
1 large head of kale, washed and ripped into pieces
1/2 head chopped green cabbage
5-8 sliced celery sticks
1 quart organic vegetable broth
1.5 quarts filtered water
Juice of 1 lemon
3-4 tbsp. coconut oil
1 tbsp soy or teriyaki sauce
Fresh herbs from my garden (use yours of choice): chives, rosemary, basil & oregano
3-7 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp red pepper paste
Ginger powder
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
Saute celery, garlic & herbs in coconut oil.
Add the remaining ingredients. Kale may need to cook down, but everything should eventually be submerged in broth.
Once everything is submerged, simmer on medium-high for about 30-60 minutes, or until the veggies are to desired softness.

Serve with rice, quinoa or by itself.

ENJOY!! :)

Want a Paleogasm?! Winners announced!!!

AND THE WINNERS ARE....!!!!

KIM O'CONNOR

BRIEL MIER

Thanks so much for playing and for all of your support!! I hope Paleogasm brings you a new and exciting healthy eating adventure!! xoxo

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you've been keeping up, you know that our family has been on a Paleo journey for the past few months. Much of what we have learned and done has been thanks to my friend, Camille from The School of Inner Beauty and Paleo, Love & Transformation. She wrote this beautifully delicious Paleo cookbook and I'm so excited to have the opportunity to give one of the e-books away to a lucky new subscriber to my newsletter. Just sign up on the left of this page and you'll be entered!!

Last day to enter is October 22nd... Winner will be announced on October 23rd!!!

>>>ENTER HERE<<<

Cauliflower crusted pizza - first attempt - scored!!

Ok, so maybe it wasn't perfect, but it was pretty dang close.. because well, come on, THE KIDS LIKED IT!! And especially for Eddie, that's saying A LOT. His absolute FAVORITE food is pizza and he has really missed it since going Paleo. I'm so happy to find some pizza that he can eat again - happy kids, happy mom!! :)

It's funny because my cooking almost always comes out the best when it's not planned or measured. So, I'll give you my best shot at sharing what I did tonight. If you try it, please let me know how it works out for you!

I'd also like to add, that our *official* Paleo Cooking at Home program is over. Tomorrow Eddie has an appointment with our family osteopath and we will be discussing diet further with her. There are definitely some things we'll be keeping around, such as some meats.. and then of course we'll still indulge in our occasional "treats."

All in all, I have been extremely pleased with where our Paleo venture has taken us. I think all of us have benefited from it in some way or another. It has taken me back into the kitchen and I am going to be sharing lots more of my ventures in food with you again. It is something I have truly missed over the past year and where my passion truly lies.

So, here's that crazy crust I threw together! :)

Cauliflower Crusted Pizza

1 small head of cauliflower, blended in a food processor or Vitamix.

1/4 C whole flax seeds

1/4 C coconut flour
(you can use your own choices of flours: flax, almond, coconut, etc.)

1/8 C or less nutritional yeast

3 eggs

3 oz. tomato paste (optional)

2-3 tbsp. coconut oil

Salt & pepper

Mix all ingredients together. It will have a thick, pasty texture.

Coat cooking sheet with plenty of coconut oil and spread the mixture thinly and evenly on pan.

Cook the crust by itself at 400* for about 20 minutes, until it begins to brown.

Take out and top with homemade pizza sauce and your favorite toppings. I was working with limited options tonight because I need to go shopping. I used a cheese blend because it was all I had, but I prefer shredding my own mozzarella. 

Bake again at 400* for about 10-15 minutes. 

Because this isn't your typical pizza dough, you might not be able to pick it up with your hands to eat it. It just depends on your toppings, your cooking sheet and how your oven cooks it. Either way, you should be able to serve easily with a spatula and ENJOY!! :)

Pachecos Go Paleo!!

I'm SO excited to share with you all this brand new Paleo journey that I'm taking my family on for the next 2 weeks!! I will be posting blogs, videos and pictures on FB and IG through all of my social media feeds and I would love for you to follow along. Bare with me, as this first post will be the longest as I tell you a little bit of our story as well as WHY we've decided to give this path a try.

If you know me, you know that I generally don't believe in "diets" or the idea that "one-size-fits-all" when it comes to what we should be eating. Every body has its own requirements and it's our job to figure out what foods provide us with the energy and vitality that are needed to live our fullest, healthiest life possible.

You may or may not know that I've been mostly vegetarian for the past 13 years. Sometimes I'm very strict about it, sometimes I'm not. I typically just go with how I feel because I deeply believe that our bodies will unfailingly tell us what we need through our levels of energy, how we're feeling, what we're craving, etc.

Sadly though, over the past 6+ months I lost my passion for being in the kitchen. Life got super busy and cooking (something that I truly love to do) became more of a chore than something that I enjoyed. I also got tired of making the same old things that never pleased the whole family (3 adults and 3 kids). So, I began to settle for less on what I was feeding everyone. I'd make separate meals which usually meant something healthier for the adults and something mediocre for the kids. Lately, it really started to get to me. My #1 commitment in life is to give my family the best in everything that I can, so how was I going to get over this major funk in the kitchen?

And then I no longer had a choice. I wasn't sure if I was going to share this next part of our story publicly or not, but one thing I know is that by sharing the REAL stuff in life then others can benefit in their own struggles. It is my hope that in sharing this part of our family's journey that you will gain something for your own life journey.

Last week we found out that our 8 year old son, Eddie, has Complex Partial Epilepsy. You may have followed some of his story over the past 8 years. His issues have been pretty minor and very manageable. However, more recently we began noticing something a little more concerning - periods of complete absence, loss of memory and/or knowledge of his current setting. (We'll keep this part of the story short for now.) And so the tests began (physicals, EEG, MRI, etc.) and our suspicions were confirmed.

Once the devastation settled, reality set in. Something had to change. I knew deep in my being that the kid who would eat pizza at every single meal if he could, had to change his diet. And that meant this mama was going to have to have a solid plan. Whatever the plan was going to be, it needed to include the entire family.

[Parts of our family meeting will be posted on Youtube.]

After conducting much of my own homework as well as already having some intuition telling me that Eddie needed to be eating more meat, I reluctantly decided it was time to start bringing more meat into the house. After a few very DRY and not-so-yummy attempts (I've never been one to cook meat), the first person I could think to help me on this path was my amazingly talented and passion-about-food friend, Camille from Recipe RX and Paleo Living.

It couldn't have been more perfect that she was literally JUST launching her own program to help people transition into a healthier lifestyle, called Paleo Cooking at Home: Fast, Easy & Cheap. I quickly jumped on her affiliate program last week, went shopping on Sunday and began our cooking journey on Monday (yesterday). No time to waste!

>>>>>Meet Camille here!!<<<<<

And now the journey begins.

Sunday we completely overhauled the kitchen... out with the crap, in with the real food!!

OUT with the enriched breads, pastas & processed carbs~

IN with the fresh produce, healthy fats and yes, the meat!!

Our first dinner was last night (Almond Coconut Crusted Chicken - holy heavens!!) and EVERYONE (yes, I said everyone) LOVED it!! So far, we have made last night's dinner, today's breakfast (plantain crepes) and lunch (tuna salad wraps), and all of them have been a hit!!

Words cannot express how exciting it has been in just 24 hours to make meals that the whole family loves! I'm seriously ecstatic!! I'm already thrilled to be back in the kitchen and I feel like this is exactly what our entire family needed to get on track.

Be sure to follow our 2-week "Pachecos Go Paleo" journey on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and now Youtube!!

Kombucha time!!

I have been meaning to write this post for at least a year and finally, here it is! If you know me, you know that I'm a big fan and advocate of kombucha. It's like magic tea and for me, there's just something so fun and rewarding about making my own. Not to mention it's much cheaper! So, I'm happy and proud to share this with you for your own Kombucha brewing adventure!

What you need to brew 1 gallon of kombucha tea:

4+ quart stainless steel pot

4 quart glass bowl

4 quart glass jug

Stainless steel mesh handheld strainer

Coffee filters

8 organic black tea bags

1 cup organic sugar

1 10x10 cotton cloth

1 large rubber band 

1 scoby with 1 cup kombucha tea

*All dishes, surfaces, hands, etc. should be very clean!
*Use ONLY stainless steel for brewing the tea and ONLY lead-free glass containers for harvesting!

Step one: Obtain your scoby, (AKA: Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast, or simpler said, your mushroom or fungus..) Your scoby should come with about 1 cup of kombucha tea. If you're not planning to harvest your kombucha within a day, you should keep it refrigerated.

Step two: Brew 4 quarts of organic sweet black tea (bring water to boil, add 8 tea bags and 1 cup of organic sugar. Let boil for about a minute, or until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let tea cool to room temperature.

*If your scoby is refrigerated, take it out and let it reach room temperature.

Step three: Once your tea and scoby are the same room temperature, add them both to your large glass bowl. Don't forget to add the 1 cup of kombucha tea! Cover with cloth, seal with rubber band and store in a dark, undisturbed cabinet. 

*I store mine in a high cabinet in my kitchen. Be sure there's still some amount of air circulation.

Step four: Let harvest undisturbed for 10-14 days. Shorter harvesting will be sweeter; longer harvesting will be more bitter. Personally, 14 days is perfect for my liking. 

*You will have to play around with the timing to see how you like it. Time of harvesting can be affected by climate. Warmer climates may need less harvesting time. Colder climates may need longer.

Step five: Set a timer or mark your calendar for your chosen "brew day" where then you will start back at step two.

*When you uncover your harvested kombucha, there will be a brand new baby scoby on top, which means you will now have a mama (bottom) and a baby (top)! I just love this part :) you can choose to brew two batches now, or you can share the komucha love. Each time you will have a new baby, so the love just keeps multiplying!

*Place a coffee filter in your handheld strainer and strain your komucha tea before drinking. 

*Remember to always include 1 cup of kombucha tea in your new batch!

*To keep scobys for later use, place in a large ziploc baggy with 1 cup of kombucha tea and refrigerate until ready to start a new harvest.

Step six: Drink only 4oz. per day for the amazing benefits of Kombucha tea! :)

Let me know if you have any questions!! 

HAPPY BREWING!! :)

(*Note: Kombucha tea contains caffeine and trace amounts of alcohol, so people with sensitivities should use caution. It is also a mixture of bacteria and yeast, so be aware of your own health conditions/interactions. In other words, do your own homework!)

Some of the proposed benefits of Kombucha:
*Probiotics – healthy bacteria
*Alkalize the body – balances internal pH
*Detoxify the liver – happy liver = happy mood
*Increase metabolism – rev your internal engine
*Improve digestion – keep your system moving
*Rebuild connective tissue – helps with arthritis, gout, asthma, rheumatism
*Cancer prevention
*Alleviate constipation
*Boost energy – helps with chronic fatigue
*Reduce blood pressure
*Relieve headaches & migraines
*Reduce kidney stones
*High in antioxidants – destroy free-radicals that cause cancer
*High in polyphenols
*Improve eyesight
*Heal excema – can be applied topically to soften the skin
*Prevent artheriosclerosis
*Speed healing of ulcers – kills h.pylori on contact
*Help clear up candida & yeast infections
*Aid healthy cell regeneration
*Reduce gray hair
*Lower glucose levels – prevents spiking from eating

Want a Paleogasm?!

I'm very excited to introduce you to my amazingly exuberant and extremely talented-in-the-kitchen friend, Camille! I met her last year as our passion for the power of healthy foods brought us together through a mutual friend on Facebook. She has been an incredible inspiration to me ever since! She is on a mission to impact the lives of 100 million people! How many people do you know that have that kind of stand in life? Camille is far from ordinary, and my entire family just loves the bajeebers out of her! 

That's Camille in the middle! :)

"Camille is committed to transforming the lives of 100 million people in her lifetime by shifting healthcare from the medicine cabinet to the pantry, the doctors office to the garden." (excerpt from Amazon.com) 

I just think we need more people with that kind of mission on this planet!!

Because Camille is so awesome and because I stand behind what she's committed to on this planet, I am honored to support her in one of her many latest accomplishments... her first cookbook! 

While I will disclose that I do not follow the Paleo diet, I do own the e-version of this cookbook and it is absolutely stunning. The pictures are mouth-watering and the recipes are decadent! There are recipes in here for EVERYONE - from vegan to Paleo! 

If you're looking for something to spice up your kitchen and your recipes, you must make the investment in Paleogasm. I guarantee you will be thanking me later! ;) 

GET PALEOGASM HERE

And if you want to see more of Camille, check her out on Fitlife.tv or at her website Recipe RX and her Facebook page. And don't forget to tell her that Mimi sent you! :)

Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Roasted Roots~

Highly requested and extremely delicious... :)

Roasted brussel sprouts:

(approx. 6 servings)

2 pounds brussel sprouts cut in half

Approx. 2-3 tbsp. unrefined coconut oil (enough to cover sprouts)

1 tbsp. black pepper

1 tbsp. rosemary

1 tbsp. salt

Juice of 1 lemon

Toss all ingredients together in a bowl, then lie flat on a cookie sheet.

Bake at 400* for about 30 minutes, or until desired crispiness.

Roasted Roots

(approx. 4 servings)

1 medium size of each- red beet, yellow beet and 1 large carrot - chopped or sliced 

2 tbsp. unrefined coconut oil

1 tbsp. minced ginger (*or 1 tbsp. ginger paste)

Juice of 1 lemon (*or 1 tbsp. lemon grass paste)

1 tsp. garlic salt or minced garlic or garlic salt

Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl.

Bake at 400* for about 20-30 minutes.

(*Pastes can be found in the refrigerated produce section, near the salad dressings. 

I find mine at Albertson's.)

Lemon Ginger Saute

10 large mushrooms - sliced

5 leaves kale - chopped

1/2 red onion - diced

2 large cloves garlic - minced

LOTS of ginger :) 3 tbsp - minced

1 tbsp black pepper

1 tsp crushed red peppers

1tbsp sesame seeds

2 tbsp Bragg's liquid aminos

All of the above gently sautéed in 2 tbsp coconut oil and the juice of 3-4 lemons and/or limes.

Serve on a bed of plain cooked quinoa.

ENJOY!! :)

Raw Oat Ball Snacks

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup chopped raisins (alternative: other dried, unsulphured fruits)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 ripe banana
• 2 tbsp. coconut oil
• 2-3 tbsp. honey (alternative: maple syrup)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup flax meal (alternative: oat or coconut flour)
• 1/4 cup water, just to add a little moisture

Mash all ingredients together and form into balls. Refrigerate for an hour before serving. 

ENJOY!! :)

Noodle-less Zucchini Lasagna

I was given a giant home grown organic zucchini the other day (Thanks to my friend, Tara!) and I thought what better to make a noodle-less lasagna with! 

Super easy, clean, fresh, almost-raw and delicious!

~Pour a 1/2 of a 16oz. can or jar of your favorite organic or homemade marinara sauce on the bottom of  your preferred baking dish

~I used plain, organic tomato sauce and sprinkled a layer of fresh diced herbs (oregano, basil & rosemary) from my new herb garden (Thanks to my grandparents!) :)

~4-5 regular sized zucchinis or 1 gigantic one - sliced into lots of thin slices - pile all of them in pan

~Add a layer of baby spinach

~Here you can also add diced garlic and onions (optional)

~Top with the rest of your tomato/marinara sauce

~Sprinkle lightly with feta cheese

~Bake at approx. 350* for 25 minutes. The idea is to not overcook and still get some crunch from the zucchini.

*On the side:

~Roasted zucchini slices ("chips") sprinkled lightly with garlic (or sea) salt and baked in the toaster oven at 400* for about 15 minutes, or until browning. (Keep a close eye.)

~Sautéed beets cooked in grape seed oil and Penzey's Italian seasoning.

Four Fab Fitters ~ Thursday

Breakfast from me~ Heavenly Healthy~

>> VIDEO Workout << of the Day from Better Believe Fit~

Snack of the Day from Go Mommy Go~

Snacktime! Greek Yogurt w/ 1/2 TBSP Peanut Butter & Handful of Blueberries

Dinner from Creating a Family of Lettuce Heads~

Four Fab Fitters ~ Wednesday

Workout of the Day from Yours Truly ~Heavenly Healthy~

Inspiration from Better Believe Fit~

Snack time from Creating a Family of Lettuce Heads~

Dinner made by Go Mommy Go~

Thai Spiced Chicken

***If you can't see the Full Recipe, it is posted in Go Mommy Go Notes

Super healthy, easy and quick chicken recipe - high in protein, low in fat - great muscle building recipe the whole family will love.

•6 chicken breasts cut in half
•12oz natural plain Greek yogurt
•2-3 tbsp Thai red curry paste
•4 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
•7.5 cm/3 inch piece cucumber
•Lime wedges
Cooking Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 375°f. Put the chicken in a shallow dish in one layer. Blend a third of the yogurt, the curry paste and three tablespoons of the cilantro. Season with salt (to taste) and pour over the chicken, turning the pieces until they are evenly coated. Leave for at least 10 minutes, or in the fridge overnight.

2. Lift the chicken on to a rack in a roasting tin and roast for 35-40 minutes, until golden. (To cook the chicken on the grill, reduce the cooking time to 25-30 minutes.)

3. Blend together the remaining yogurt and cilantro. Finely chop the cucumber and stir into the yogurt mixture. Serve with the chicken and garnish with wedges of lime.

I serve this dish with simple salad greens.

Protein:43g
Carbs: 8g
Fat: 3g

Four Fab Fitters ~ Tuesday

Quote of the day from Go Mommy Go:

Workout of the day from Creating a Family of Lettuce Heads~

Snack of the day from Better Believe Fit~

1 mini Jospehs Pita

1 tbsp maple almond butter

1/2 banana thin sliced

and a swizzle of honey

Dinner from Yours Truly~ Heavenly Healthy :)

Four Fab Fitters ~ Monday

I have had the pleasure of teaming up with four fellow health and fitness FB pages and awesome ladies to bring our fans a week of some fresh ideas. Each day we are each sharing our own motivation, workouts and recipes. I would like to showcase our posts here since I know that we all worked very hard to bring it all together and they came out great! Be sure to check out their pages, and ENJOY!! :)

Workout of the Day from Go Mommy Go:

Breakfast from Better Believe Fit:

Blackberry Cobbler Oatmeal!
1/2 cup quick oats
1/4 coconut almond milk
1/2 cup water
3 oz blackberries
1 tablespoon sliced almonds
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1 tbsp ground flax (optional)
swizzle of honey ; )~

Put quick oats, water, blackberries and spices together in bowl. Microwave for 1 min. (or longer depending on your microwave)
Stir in coconut almond milk and flax.
Add on top almonds and honey.

Snack from Yours Truly :) ~Heavenly Healthy~

Dinner from Creating a Family of Lettuce Heads:

Place 5 boneless skinless chicken breast in crockpot that is heated on low.
Season with smokey paprika, cumin, oregano, ancho chili powder and garlic powder.
Add one sliced sweet onion, one sliced green pepper, two sliced jalapeños, 1 cup frozen corn, and 1 tub organic salsa. (no sugar added, I used mild)
1/4 cup water

Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hrs.
Shred the chicken while still in crockpot, and add one can of organic low sodium black beans(drained and rinsed). Heat until beans are warm and serve!
This can be served over brown rice, in tortillas, over organic flax seed tortilla chips.
We put it in Ezekiel tortillas with avocado slices and it was FANTASTIC!!
Two of the little lettuce heads ate THREE fir dinner and one asked to have left overs for lunch today!!! 

Sweet Potato & Tofu Tacos

I get about half of the kids to dig on this one. I'm determined that it won't be long before they all love it! ;)

What you'll need:

2 medium sized sweet potatoes
1 package of firm tofu
1 can black beans
1/2 white or yellow onion
3 large cloves minced garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
Lemon-pepper seasoning, to taste
Bragg's Liquid Amino's

Corn tortillas
Lettuce or kale
Tomatoes &/or salsa
Avocado or guacamole

• Chop sweet potatoes into squares and sauté in grape seed oil. As the potatoes begin to soften, add the tofu and chop/scramble it into crumbles (as pictured above). 
• Add chopped or diced onion.
• Add minced garlic.
• Add Bragg's (squirt from the bottle in a circle around the pan one time).
• Add juice from 1 lemon. 
• Continue to sauté on medium-high until everything is cooked and begins to brown and become slightly crunchy.
• Season with lemon-pepper (or spices of your choice)
• Add black beans (they're added just long enough to get warmed up)
• Warm corn tortillas on stove top skillet so they become slightly crunchy without being fried (no oil needed).
• Top with taco mixture, avocado, tomatoes and/or salsa, and chopped romaine lettuce or kale.

ENJOY!! 

Roasted Veggie Party Tray

Choose any array of your favorite veggies, season them, roast (or even grill) them and arrange them on a tray. A healthy and tasty snack that even the kids will enjoy.

Here, I coated two extra large cookie sheets with grape seed oil. On one sheet, sliced sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts. On the other sheet, sliced eggplant and kale leaves.

(*If you have smaller cookie sheets, I suggest doing one veggie on each in the following order: sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts take close to the same amount of time. Then the eggplant, then the kale. Personally, I'm going for crunchy, so I go for longer cook times. It's best to stay close and watch them until they're at your desired crunchiness.)

I love roasted veggies because they're so easy and versatile. You can really choose any of your own favorite spices and veggies to use and it will come out fantastic.

Here's what I did:

Sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts: toss in refined coconut oil, sea salt and cracked rosemary. Cook at 400* for about 45 minutes, or until brussel sprouts become soft & brown, and sweet potatoes become crunchy.

Kale: Rub with coconut oil and sea salt or garlic salt. Bake at 400* for about 15-20 minutes, or until crispy, like chips.

Eggplant slices: lemon juice and black pepper. Bake at 400* for about 30 minutes, or until desire consistency. Again, I prefer slightly crunchy.

Other veggies you can do this with: Broccoli, cauliflower, other varieties of potatoes, sliced zucchini and squash.

Mimi's version: Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

*Coat a 9x13 cake dish with green enchilada sauce.

*Layer the bottom of pan with corn tortillas and spread more enchilada sauce over them.

*Spread the following sweet potato mixture on top of the tortillas:
3 medium/small sweet potatoes - boiled or baked, then mashed with the following:
2 cloves minced garlic
Salt & black pepper to taste
Rosemary
Cumin

*(You may choose to add another layer of tortillas here to separate the sweet potatoes and the beans. Personally, I only like tortillas on the bottom and top layer.)

*Layer 1 can organic black beans on top of sweet potato mixture.

*Thin layer of cheddar/jack cheese mixture on top of black beans.

*Layer of green enchilada sauce.

*Layer corn tortillas with more enchilada sauce on top.

*Another thin layer of cheese mixture, sprinkled with chili powder.

*Bake at 400* for about 20 minutes, or until the top is bubbling and golden brown.