My poor little freshy, way cuter than the Easter Bunny! =) I can not even believe that Easter is this coming Sunday….are you kidding me?!? I swear it was just like St. Patty’s Day!!! Where does this time go….! Anyway, Easter will be at my house this year. I swear every year I acquire another holiday!! (I’ll just assume it’s because I’m such a fabulous cook?!? Yeh..let’s go with that!) =) I don’t mind because I am a small….(BIG) control freak in the kitchen. This is ESPECIALLY true during holidays or just special occasions we host! I like to cook everything perfect, I like to make moooooore than enough food, I like to set the table & prep the menu & clean & be a crazy person, in the kitchen, by myself. I know…psychotic. The point is, we eat good food & have an awesome time!….all craziness aside =) Every single holiday or occasion we have at our house is 99% Paleo. I almost use these occasions to help convince other “non-paleo” folks that this lifestyle is quite delicious & satisfying! Most of the time they have no idea that they are eating “Paleo” food. (I must just be that good huh??) Sooooooo, if you are not up for enjoying some fine Paleo cuisine, then do not even think about coming to my house for Easter =) I am even working on some candy-free Easter basket ideas!! (key word…”working”) I wanted to give you all an idea of what I will be having & preparing this Easter Sunday!! I hope I can give you some inspirations to share with your family!

Menu:

Appetizers:

Deviled Eggs (recipe not posted, just make your own mayo or use Veganaise, or even an avocado.. so tasty!)

Veggies & Guacamole

MAYBE a Veggie Fritatta (see how much energy I have left….)

Main Course:

Honey Glazed Ham

Paleo Zucchini Lasagna

Side Dishes:

The Yummiest Salad Ever! =)

Cauliflower Casserole

Roasted Garlic Mushrooms

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Dessert:

Carrot Cake or Chocolate Macaroon Pie (or both!!)

“Peanut Butter” Filled Eggs & Fruit & Nut Chocolate Bark

Now here is the lowdown…..

Ham (my mom always make this, so I don’t have recipe =(… Google??)

Zucchini Lasagna (such a simple, yummy dish for a group!)

   

about 2 medium size green zucchini (sliced long ways & thin on a mandolin, I normally do this a couple of hours in advance, place them in between paper towels to dry out a bit!)

1 1/2-2 lbs ground meat of your choice (I usually do beef & turkey mix!)

about 2-3 jars worth of sauce (I make mine homemade, this is just to give you an idea of how much) (My simple sauce consists of 2 28oz cans salt free tomato puree, 2 28oz cans salt free crushed tomato, 1 28 oz can of salt free diced tomato, 1 small can of tomato paste, salt, pepper, garlic. Saute garlic in EVOO over med heat, add all of your tomatoes, bring to a boil, while stirring, lower heat, simmer for about 20 minutes while stirring. Add your seasonings, maybe a little crushed red pepper?? And there you have it, Simple Sauce, 20 minutes later & it’s yummy!

veggies of your choice: I like to add mushrooms & onions!

salt & pepp, garlic powder, salt free Italian seasoning

Preheat your oven to 375. Now that you have your zucchini already sliced, you are going to want to cook your meat. Brown it in a large pan, then add what ever veggies you chose. Cook until meat is cooked & veggies are getting soft. You’ll also want to break the meat up as fine as you can, so that it’s not lumpy in your lasagna. Remove from heat & set aside. Grease a 9×13 glass baking dish, (for Easter I may use a bigger dish!) Add a little sauce to the bottom of the dish. Now put a layer of the sliced zucchini, edge to edge. Now you can mix your meat & veggies with the sauce! Keep adding layer by layer, sauce, then zucchini. You get the idea?? Finally for the top you’ll just want to have the meaty saucy mixture on the top!! Bake for 20 minutes covered with foil, and then about 20 ish minutes uncovered! You’ll want the zucchini to be soft! Enjoy!

Salad: This is honestly my favorite part! My salad I make is soooooo yummy! I’ve posted the recipe before, so here is the link you can look back on!

Sunday Funday!

Cauliflower Casserole: I found this tasty little recipe as I was searching for new ideas like a crazy person! I was going to do my normal Cauli-Mash, but tell me how good this looks!!! I will probably double or triple this recipe!

http://paleoporn.net/cauliflower-casserole/

Roasted Garlic Portobello Mushrooms:

2 lbs portobello mushrooms (cleaned & quartered)

EVOO

balsamic vinegar

5-10 (yum!) minced garlic cloves

pinch of cayenne pepper

salt, pepp, italian seasoning (can you tell these are my go to??), to taste

about 4 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 400. In a bowl, combine about 6 ish tbsp of EVOO, add about 3 TBSP balsamic vinegar, add seasonings (not parsley) & mix! Toss the mushrooms in your little mixture, you’ll want them fully coated! You’ll want to bake them in a single layer, so use whatever baking sheet or dish that will fit! Bake about 20-30 minutes, remove from oven & sprinkle with parsley! Mmmmmmmm mmmmm ❤

Roasted Sweet Potatoes:

Depending on how many people you are having, I would say like 1 small-med sweet potato per person. I don’t mind leftovers! I’m having 8 people, (some who will not eat these, but some who will eat double!!!!)

Slice about 8 sweet potatoes into about 1/2 inch rounds. Brush each side with a little EVOO, sprinkle with sea salt & pepper. Roast at 400 for about 40 minutes. You’ll want to flip these half way so each side will get golden-y delicious! They’re done when they are soft throughout! Enjoy!

Now….for the sweets department! I was so stuck on what to make & I still kinda am! Here are some ideas of what I may do! I wanted to do a dessert & then some Paleo-ish friendly candy type things!

Carrot Cake:

3 cups Almond flour (Nuts Online)

1 tsp celtic sea salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ginger

5 organic eggs

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup coconut oil

3 cups grated carrots (you can peel first if you choose!)

1 cup raisins

1 cups walnuts or pecans

Preheat your oven to 350. You’ll need 2 8 inch cake pans. Line the bottom with a piece of parchment cut into a circle. Trust me this will make your life much easier! Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl & wet ingredients in another. (without carrots, raisins or nuts) Then add wet to dry. Now add carrots, nuts & raisins! Split mixture between the two cake pans & cook for about 40 minutes. Make sure you check it will a toothpick to see if it’s done! Let cool, then add frosting!

Frosting:

I typically do a very basic frosting. Keep 2 cans of coconut milk in your refrigerator. Or you can buy just cans of coconut cream (trader joes). Let these get cold (overnight is best) Then open the cans, scoop out the  firm cream. Put it in a mixing bowl, with a little cinnamon & some honey or maple syrup (grade b). Whip with a hand mixer until fluffy! You can spread this between the 2 cakes, then top it with more frosting & maybe some toasted coconut!

Chocolate Macaroon Pie: I’ve never made this, but found this awesome recipe that I am definitely going to try! You will drool when you see this!

Chocolate Macaroon Pie

“Peanut Butter” Filled Eggs: So, I have not quite decided how I was going to attempt this baby. I may be posting a recipe & pic after the fact, just because I don’t know what the hell I’m doing yet!! Yikes! I do know I will be using either my Homemade Sunbutter, or Almond Butter & Dark Chocolate Coating! I just have to find an egg mold somewhere….maybe Michaels?!? If you are feeling adventurous & want to try it out, let me know!! ❤

Chocolate Fruit & Nut Bark: I’m trying to Paleo-ize Easter to the max…candy & all!! So this is why I have a couple of these chocolate-y treat ideas! This one is very simple. I personally love fruit, nuts & chocolate altogether! All you need to do is melt some dark chocolate with some coconut oil on the stove over low heat. Pour into a parchment lined baking dish (8×8 or 9×13 depending on how much you want to make and how much chocolate you used!). Then, sprinkle your toppings of choice! I will be using almonds, toasted coconut, cranberries & raisins! Let the chocolate harden in the fridge for a couple of hours, or over night! Then break up into pieces! YUM! Take that Easter Bunny! =)