Gyro Lettuce Wraps

I love gyros!  I first had one when I was young and we lived in Europe.  Everyone pronounced the sandwich differently, but I quickly decided that it was delicious - no matter how you said it's name. My husband and I have been cutting out some carbs, but I really wanted a gyro.  So instead of saying, we can't eat that, I decided we could still enjoy all those fantastic flavors without the bread.  And these did not disappoint!  In fact, I didn't miss the bread - and I love bread. These were also ridiculously fast to make.  I think I had dinner on the table in less than 10 minutes!

gyro meat
butter, Boston or bib lettuce
chopped tomatoes/cherry tomatoes
sliced cucumber
thinly slice red onions
Tzatziki sauce (homemade or a clean store bought option)

Warm the gyro meat and assemble the lettuce wraps by layering the meat, tomatoes, cucumber and onions into a lettuce cup.  Drizzle the sauce over top and enjoy!

(The picture doesn't show it with onions because my husband doesn't like them, but they are a good addition.)

BBQ Chicken Salad

When I first got married, a good friend of mine gave me a recipe box with a few of her favorite recipes.  This chicken salad was one of them.  It is easy to make and everyone I have made it for always loves it.  Depending on each ingredient you use, this can be personalized to make it processed free, paleo, keto, low carb, etc.  Even vegetarian if you omit the chicken!  That also makes this a good option if you need something for guests and you don't know what kind of diet they are on.

shredded chicken
lettuce/salad greens
tomatoes
bell peppers
avocados
black beans
corn
cheese
tortilla chips

Dressing is equal parts:
BBQ sauce (homemade or low/no sugar)
Ranch dressing (homemade or as clean as possible)

This can be assembled and tossed together in one big bowl or it can be individually put together by each person.  Then they can add as much or as little of each item that they want, kind of like a buffet-style salad.

Citrus Coleslaw

Have you ever wanted fresh fruits and vegetables in a non-heavy kind of slaw?  One that isn't mayonnaise based with lots of other chemicals lurking behind the scene?  Want it to be refreshing too?  Well, this is the recipe for you - it was for me!  I had this slaw at a dinner party and fell in love with it.  The host was clear on the ingredients list, but vague as to actual amounts because she felt you could add however much you wanted of any one ingredient to suit your own tastes.  Normally, I like a straight forward recipe, but this one is particularly forgiving and really great to make how you like it.  It is totally fresh and completely processed free.  I'll give some rough estimates for the ingredient list, but personalize this to your own tastes. 

1/4 to 1/2 head of shredded purple cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
1 zucchini, shredded
6 to 7 radishes, shredded
1/2 to whole apple, shredded (I like pink lady)
1/2 to 1 cup pineapple, finely chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh pineapple juice
zest of 1-2 limes and their juice
(optional: add a bit of freshly grated ginger)

Combine all in a bowl and stir - it's that simple!  I really have made this with lots of varying amounts and it has always tasted great.  I take a bite and see what else it needs and call it good. 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Protein Pancakes

My kids spent the night at their grandparent's house and when I picked them up in the morning, my mom had made them pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes.  They were delicious, but certainly not processed free since they came from a box mix.  I'm trying to add more protein to my diet that doesn't always involve eating meat, so I've been playing around with some recipes that can incorporate a high quality protein powder.  I knew I could incorporate that into a pancake recipe, but the thought of combining it with pumpkin and chocolate chips was too tempting.  Here is my version of an individual serving of pumpkin chocolate chip protein pancakes.

1/3 cup water
1 egg
1/4 cup oats
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 tsp. butter or coconut oil
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. Truvia (or sweetener of your choice)
1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
pinch of salt
chocolate chips (I like Lily's brand)

Put all the ingredients into a small blender, except the chocolate chips, and blend until smooth.  This will create your pancake batter.  Pour a small amount into a greased pan and sprinkle on some chocolate chips.  Flip and repeat the process until the batter is gone.   

This makes anywhere from 4-6 pancakes depending on the amount of batter you use. This is an individual serving, but this recipe is easily doubled or tripled to serve more.  I also like to use the Lily brand chocolate chips because they are sweetened with stevia and erythritol, but you can use whatever you like.   

Korean Beef and Rice

One night I was looking through my fridge, freezer, and pantry trying to come up with a quick, last minute dinner idea.  I had not had time to plan ahead nor did I have much time to spend cooking that particular night.  I found some ground beef and decided that some of my typical ground beef dishes were just not going to cut it.  I did a little internet search and found a good alternative that sounded fast, hence the Korean beef.  I made a few easy swaps to make it processed free and dinner was served.  What I didn't expect was how much my family loved it!  I had a husband who said it was a new favorite and 4 children who gobbled down their dinner - which rarely happens!  This recipe was so ridiculously easy and fast, and for it to turn out to be such a crowd pleaser really made my mom heart happy and my dinner planning and execution schedule much lighter.  This is a recipe to add to your regular rotation for sure!

1 lb. ground beef
3 cloves of minced garlic (optional)
1/4 cup coconut sugar or sucanat
1/4 cup liquid aminos or low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. black pepper
cooked brown rice

optional garnish:
sesame seeds
sliced green onion

Brown the ground beef in a skillet and half way through the cooking process add the garlic and a little salt and pepper.  Once it is fully cooked add the coconut sugar, liquid aminos, sesame oil, ginger, and pepper.  Turn down the heat to low and stir to coat the meat evenly. 

Let this cook for another 5 minutes to concentrate and incorporate all the flavors.  Serve over brown rice with the optional garnish of sesame seeds and/or sliced green onion.

I think you really will love this as much as we have.  I have made this about 4 other times before posting the recipe and each time it's been the same result - happy eaters!  And I love that I haven't slaved in the kitchen.

Philly Cheese Steak Peppers

Okay, these pictures are not the best, but this little stuffed pepper, was SO good!!  We are trying to eat less grains around here for different health reasons, and this really gave us all the flavors of a Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich without the bread.  We lived in Pennsylvania for three years and grew accustomed to this great sandwich where they ask you, "Do ya want it wit or wit-out da wiz."  Those were good times. Now we can relive them with a great tasting, processed free version anytime!

4 bell peppers cut in half (any color)
2-3 Tbsp. butter
1 package of mushrooms sliced or diced
1 sweet onion thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
16 slices of Provolone cheese
1 package of thinly sliced Philly Cheese Steak Meat
(If you can't find this, thinly slice a tender cut of steak to mimic the traditional texture)

Cut the peppers in half and lay them in a lightly sprayed 9X13 baking dish.  Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.  While these are baking, saute the mushrooms and onions in the butter and season with salt and pepper.  Once these are soft, add the garlic and the meat.  Season again with salt and pepper and cook the meat until it is cooked through.  If there is any liquid in the pan, just keep it sauteing until the it has cooked down..

Once the peppers come out of the oven, line each of them with a slice of cheese and spoon the meat mixture in each one.  Top with another slice of cheese and place under the broiler until the cheese is nice and melted.

If you like Philly Cheese Steak sandwichs, I think you'll really love this bread-free version.  I recommend NOT adding "da wiz" aka cheese wiz to this so that you keep this processed free, but if that's how you like it, it may feel all the more authentic to you.  I, myself, was never a wiz girl.  But, suit yourself! Enjoy.

Black Beans and Rice

Thank you to my good friend Jill for passing this recipe along.  Not only is it processed free, it's delicious and cheap.  Definitely a budget friendly, meatless meal to add to the rotation.  My kids even told me I should make this again.  That means it's a winner.  I think you'll enjoy this easy dish!

Cooked brown rice (I cook 2 cups of brown rice in 4 3/4 cups water in my rice cooker -takes about an hour)

1 Tbsp. olive oil or coconut oil

1/2 onion chopped or pureed (use a whole onion if you want)

1 green bell pepper, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. cumin

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained (15.5 oz cans)

1 cup water

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

radishes

cilantro

Cook the onion, pepper, garlic, salt and pepper in the oil until it all becomes soft, about 5 to 7 minutes.  Then stir in the cumin for another minute or so.  Add in the beans, oregano, water and cover the pot.  Let it simmer for about 10 minutes.  Turn off the heat and add the vinegar.  Smash some of the beans to help thicken the mixture.  Serve this over the warm, cooked rice with radish and cilantro.

I like to chop up the fresh cilantro so that no one gets a leaf to big or a long piece of stem.  I also grate several radishes because they are easier to eat and lose some of the bite that is typically there when you just slice them.  

I think this will be a good, easy, fast, budget friendly meal for most people.  For us, it checks all the boxes!