I am on a quest to find what the average family spends a month on groceries! I polled a ton of people on Facebook and I would love input from my readers!

What do you spend a month on groceries for your house?

How many people do you feed?

Do you buy some, all or no organic foods?

Click the picture below and it will take you to Instagram so that you can be a part of the conversation! If you don’t have Instagram that is ok! Leave me a comment here!

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I’m doing a little research for my blog and would love for my readers to answer this question for me!! Leave a comment here or send me a dm please! Also knowing if you buy all organic would help too! #research #blogger #foodblogger #food #help #question #feedbackneeded #qa #answerthis #paleo #weightloss #budget

A photo posted by Jennifer Hodgkiss (@the_paleo_gypsy) on Sep 15, 2015 at 11:10am PDT

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The post What is your monthly food budget? appeared first on That Savage Life.

It’s no big secret that I am a southern girl who was born and raised in Texas. In the South we fry EVERYTHING! Seriously… have you heard of our famous state fair deep friend Oreos or deep-fried margaritas. Yes, that is a thing. Anyway, I digress. What I was really wanting was some good, southern fried chicken. Other Paleo fried chicken recipes with nut flours just weren’t cutting. They ended up soggy or had a strange texture. I wanted a good, crunchy, slightly salty, juicy, fried chicken. I was at the store buying our weekly 15 bags (they are tiny) of plantain chips and I had an epiphany. Plantain chip crusted fried chicken! We buy the Inka Chips brand that come in a green bag from Natural Grocers. I do not recommend the dehydrated plantain or banana chips. I have never had a good experience with them!

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I already had the boneless , skinless chicken thighs at the house so I rushed home, ground up the plantain chips (as my kids watched in horror as I crushed their favorite snack in the food processor), add some spices, coated and pan-fried the chicken. What happened next was a surprise to the whole family.  The paleo fried chicken was so good!! Like down home, southern fried chicken!  This is a MUST try!!

Now, I used four different types of oil on these to see which one crisped up the best and allowed the chicken to cook thoroughly without burning and I must say that animal fats take the cake for this recipe. I had a ton of bacon grease and it most definitely worked the best. I also tried avocado oil, grape seed oil and coconut oil. If I absolutely could not use animals fats I would go with coconut oil. It has a higher smoke point and can be used to fry with.

Ingredients: 
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (you can use breast)
2 cups ground plantain chips
4 eggs
1/2 TSP paprika
1/2 TSP garlic POWDER
1/2 TSP Herbs de Provence (found in spice aisle at most grocery stores)
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil (animal fat preferred)

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Instructions: 
Pour oil into skillet (about 1/8 inch deep) and heat on low-medium heat.
Using a food processor grind the plantain chips until they resemble flour. Set aside.
Mix spices into the plantain flour. Set aside.
Crack eggs into a separate bowl, whisk and set aside.
Dip thighs into egg and then into the plantain mixture.
Pan fry on medium to low heat until coating is darker golden brown and chicken is cooked thoroughly.
Lay out on a napkin or on a cooling rack with a paper towel under it to catch extra grease.
Serve right away with salad, in a wrap or as part of a spaghetti dinner. Can also simply be eaten with a side of vegetables!

The post Paleo Fried Chicken appeared first on That Savage Life.

No-cook fresh cranberry salad!

This year we are not able to go home for the holidays so I decided to try to make a few of my mom’s Thanksgiving recipes Paleo! This recipe is one of our family favorites. Most people have some sort of cranberry dish on their thanksgiving table. Most of which are the canned, jello-like “cranberry” or a cooked cranberry dish. This cranberry salad is made with fresh ingredients and is served cold. It is sweet with a slight nutty flavor from the pecan. I actually eat it right out of the fridge. I find that this is better after it sits for a day in the fridge, so it is perfect as a make-ahead Paleo dish for Thanksgiving.

Fresh Cranberry Salad

Ingredients:
1 bag of whole cranberries
1 green apple
1 peeled orange
1/2 cup of raw honey (melted)
1/2 cup pecans
1 cup celery

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Instructions:
Pulse the cranberries, apple, orange, pecans and celery in a food processor until course, not fine. I would do this individually and combine all in a large bowl.
Pour melted honey in bowl and mix well with the rest of the ingredients.
Refrigerate at least two hours before serving. Stir, then serve.

The post No Cook Fresh Cranberry Salad appeared first on That Savage Life.

Salsa verde pork loin recipe!

My friend was telling me about this super simple, delicious meal that she prepares for her family and I knew I had to try it! I used four ingredients, but you really could use only two and have it turn out fantastic! This would be an excellent main course for those who are pressed for time. It worked beautifully in my crockpot, but I am sure you could easily cook it in a pot on the stove on low. I added fresh, roasted green chilies and cumin to mine. If you would like to see the video about how to roast fresh green chilies CLICK HERE. You could also always use canned green chilies!

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Ingredients:
1 Pork loin
1 jar salsa verde (green salsa) fresh or canned green chilies (optional)
1 tsp cumin

Instructions: Place everything above in a crockpot and slow cook on low for 6 hours or until the meat is falling apart. See? Simple!

Serving suggestions:
Pulled salsa verde pork loin over a bed of fresh spinach.
Pulled salsa verde pork loin over zucchini noodles.
Pulled salsa verde pork loin “tacos” using romaine lettuce.
Pulled salsa verde pork over cilantro lime cauli-rice.
Pulled salsa verde pork in an omelet.

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The serving ideas are endless! Get creative! Heck, we re-heated it later and ate it as it was! It was insanely delicious and so ridiculously easy! This will definitely make it into our Paleo monthly meal plan!

This can also be made into puled pork by cooking until the meat is falling apart and shredding it with two forks!

The post Crockpot Salsa Verde Pork Loin appeared first on That Savage Life.

Supreme Pizza Smoked Fatty

Recently my husband bought a smoker and started to learn everything he could about smoking. For almost 5 weekends in a row we have had smoking parties and smoked every kind of meat we could think of. While on a few smoking sites we ran across fatties. Our imagination went wild with all the things we could stuff in ground meat and wrap in bacon. This is the first one we tried and it was a HUGE hit! This thing tastes just like a supreme pizza! I was really surprised how easy it actually is to put together! It takes a bit of time, but it will be so rewarding once it is pulled out of the smoker! I am pretty certain this could also easily be done in the oven, but you just won’t get the same smokey flavor.  Below I will post the ingredients and step by step pictures! If you make this please come back and let me know what you think of my recipe!

Ingredients:
1/2 can tomato paste
1/4 red bell pepper
1/4 yellow bell pepper
1/4 green bell pepper
1/4 small red onion
3 baby portabella mushrooms (optional)
8 sliced black olives (optional)
Italian seasoning
Garlic Powder
1 1/2 pounds Ground italian sausage
1 package of bacon
6 slices chopped Applegate farms pepperoni
Mozzarella or goat cheese if you tolerate it.
Norpro Cotton Cooking Twine
Heavy duty foil

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Instructions:
1) Weave bacon into a square.
2) Press out ground italian sausage (or meat of choice) to the edges of the square.
3) Season with italian seasoning and garlic powder.
4) Spread tomato paste on the middle 1/3 of the ground meat.
5) Add veggies, pepperoni and cheese.
6) Carefully fold, roll and mesh the sides together to form a log and seal the ingredients in.
7) Tie with cooking twine
8) Smoke at 275 degrees for 5 hours in an offset smoker.
9) Remove from heat, wrap in heavy duty foil and let sit for 20 min.
10) Slice and enjoy!

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Did you make this recipe? Come back and rate it!

The post Supreme Pizza Smoked Fatty! appeared first on That Savage Life.

Avocado Chicken Salad

In our house we have two favorites: chicken thighs and avocado. I was really looking for a way to make a Paleo friendly chicken salad to put into lettuce wraps, but all the recipes had mayonnaise in them. I still wanted the creamy texture of chicken salad so I decided to mash-up avocado with chicken and it was a total hit! I could eat this stuff right out of the bowl! This Avocado Chicken Salad is an ultimate summer salad and is so refreshing and delicious! Here is the recipe for the Avocado Chicken Salad we made:

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Ingredients:
1 whole avocado (Remove pit and dice)
2 chicken thighs (De-boned and chopped)
A squeeze of Lime juice
Garlic (powder or crushed)
1/4 cup Cilantro chopped
1/4 cup Red Onion chopped
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)

Instructions:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and serve immediately. We serve this with either iceberg or romaine or butter lettuce leaves or use bell peppers, cucumbers or carrots to dip in it.

Paleo Avocado Chicken Salad Lunchbox

My husband took this in his Paleo lunchbox and really enjoyed it! I packed it with lettuce, bell peppers, grapes and Dang brand coconut chips. He says this will be his most requested lunch!

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Are you looking for more Paleo Lunchbox ideas? CLICK HERE!

The post Avocado Chicken Salad appeared first on That Savage Life.

Ah, Shepherd’s Pie. Shepherd’s Pie, also known as Cottage Pie, is traditionally an English dish made with lamb or mutton and topped with potatoes. We changed it up a bit to fit our diet and found it to be equally as satisfying. Spices are key in this dish. The recipe below is really modest with the spices. If you are like us and LOVE spices and tons of flavor, experiment and add more! This dish looks really complicated, but I assure you, it is not. This really is a Paleo comfort food! It is still cold here in Montana and this dish really hit the spot for dinner!

Ingredients: 
For the topping:
– 1 head of cauliflower
– 1 tbs parsley
– salt and pepper to taste
For the filling:
– 2 tbs tomato paste
– 1 orange bell pepper (chopped and de-seeded)
– 1 clove of garlic (peeled and diced)
– 2 cups beef broth
– 3 carrots (chopped)
– 3 sticks of celery (chopped)
– 1/3 cup yellow onion (chopped)
– 1 pound ground meat (we used grass-fed beef)
– 1 tsp paprika
– 1/2 tsp thyme
– 1/2 tsp rosemary
– 1 tsp black pepper
– 1 tsp salt
– 2tbs cooking oil (we used avocado oil)

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Instructions: 
For the filling: 
1.  Add bell pepper, garlic, onion, carrots and celery to a skillet with oil. Sauté until carrots are done (those take the longest).
2. Add ground meat and spices. Saute until meat is browned.
3. Add broth and tomato paste and sauté until the “sauce” thickens. Set aside.

For the topping: 
1. Core and chop the cauliflower.
2. Boil in a pan with a pinch of salt until cauliflower is easily mash-able.
3. Drain water.
4. Using an immersion blender (or other masher/mixer) start mashing the cauliflower.
5. Add salt, pepper and parsley.
6. Continue mashing until you have “mashed potatoes”. Some people like theirs chunky, others like theirs smooth. Do what works best for you.

Put it all together: 
1. Pre-heat over to 400 degrees.
2. Using a ramekin or casserole dish, layer the bottom with the filling mixture.
3. Scoop and spread the cauliflower mash on top.
4. Bake at 400 degrees until the top of the mash is browned and the filling is bubbling. This took us about 30 minutes, but every oven is different.
5. Remove from oven and let sit for about 5 minutes to let it cool and firm up.
6. Serve and enjoy! We ate this as a complete meal, but you could certainly add a side salad or other green vegetables. We also topped it with some green onions that we had.

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Did you make this recipe? Leave us a comment and let us know how it turned out!

** ADD your healthy recipe to our Link-up!**

The post Paleo Shepherd’s Pie appeared first on That Savage Life.

If you have been a reader here for a while you know we love SIMPLE and easy recipes that the whole family will love. These bacon wrapped chicken tenders are always in high demand with the kids. Ok, with the kids AND the parents. The bacon keeps the chicken tenders moist and delicious! These took just minutes to prepare and were devoured shortly after cooking!

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Ingredients: 
Chicken tenders
Bacon

(Yes, that is IT!)

Instructions: 
– Season chicken with what ever seasoning you like for chicken. This time we just did salt and pepper. I like to season first so that the seasoning stays between the chicken and the bacon and makes it much more flavorful!
– Wrap each individual tender with bacon and place in a skillet seam side down.
– You don’t need any oil because the bacon will make it’s own!
– The trick to making the bacon stick without toothpicks is to lay it seem side down and do not touch it or move it until the bacon on the bottom is crispy and “sealed” together!
– Once you see that it is done, flip and cook other side until lightly crispy.

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We paired this entree with a side salad and onion garlic green beans. All of which the kids loved! It is really a family friendly meal that is easy to prepare! I have seen people prepare Paleo mayonnaise or Paleo ketchup, but it tasted great without being dipped in anything.

Have you made this meal? Leave me a comment and let me know if you love it!

The post Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders appeared first on That Savage Life.

The readers of PoorPaleo.com asked for a meal plan and this is our response! Our family is big on simple, easy, inexpensive Paleo meals that our whole family will eat. You won’t find a lot of “Paleo-fied” breads, muffins, or desserts because I don’t always have time to make these and I really think these should be classified as treats when they ARE made. A lot of readers ask me if my kids eat the foods that I feature here. The short answer is yes. In our house I (Jennifer) am the one and only grocery shopper and meal preparer. Basically if I don’t want my family to eat it, I just don’t keep it in the house. We don’t have anything in our pantry that is processed or in a box unless it is Paleo friendly. My youngest has food allergies and cannot eat anything with artificial dyes so there is absolutely none of that in our home. I try really hard to keep fresh veggies cut up in the fridge, fruits on the counter, nuts and other easy, healthy snacks handy in the pantry. Believe it or not, after the first month of the whole family being Paleo the kids just stopped asking for the junk we used to buy. This is our simple and inexpensive approach to whole family health…

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Breakfast (any combo of these)-

Eggs scrambled dry (no dairy)
Eggs fried in coconut oil or ghee
Bacon
Ham
Avocado
Sautéed vegetables (we have veggies with every meal)
Omelet or scramble (egg, meat, veggies)
Pork sausage

Lunch-

Buffalo chicken tenders wrapped in romain lettuce
Tuna avocado boats
Chicken legs and veggies (My kids love this)
Ham and green beans (Another kid favorite)
Meat roll ups with lunchmeat (Applegate farms) and veggies like peppers

Snacks (any combo of these)-

Boiled Eggs
Avocado
Guacamole
Banana
Apple
Almond Butter
Cashew Butter
Grapefruit
Tomato
Ham
Pepperoni (Applegate farms)
Summer Sausage (Organic Prairie)
Sweet mini peppers
Almonds whole and slivers (raw)
Cashews whole and pieces (raw)
Snap peas
Dehydrated fruits

Dinner:

Monday– Spaghetti squash with ground grass-fed beef and marinara
Tuesday– Beef fajita bowl with a side of Spanish Cauli-rice
Wednesday– Baked chicken legs and asparagus
Thursday– Paleo pizza (meatza) and side salad with balsamic vinegar
Friday– Paleo Chili in the crockpot and a side salad
Saturday– Paleo Chili leftovers and a side salad
Sunday– Grilled chicken thighs with grilled zucchini and squash.

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What is on YOUR meal plan this week? Leave me a comment and share your ideas!

The post Paleo Meal Plan Week 2 appeared first on That Savage Life.

We recently got three giant butternut squashes in our bountiful basket order and are working hard to eat them before they go bad. Bountiful Baskets is a great way to get fresh, seasonal produce at a discounted rate.  You should check your local area to see if there is a pick-up spot near you! It is like a box of chocolates… you never know what you will get until you go pick up your basket!  This week just happened to be butternut squash! Some people are afraid to cook squashes, but they are so easy! We have a method that requires very little work. Our family is big on simple meals that are quick to prepare! We love this stuffed butternut squash meal because it only has three ingredients! That’s right! Only three! Plus clean-up is a breeze since the meal requires a small out of dirty dishes!

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Ingredients:
Ground breakfast sausage 1/4 pound per person
Butternut squash 1 half per person
Bell or sweet peppers

Instructions: 
To cook the squash- Wash, dry and slice in half from the top to the bottom. Scoop our the seeds. Lay face-down in a baking dish and add about a 1/4 inch of water. No need to poke holes or add butter like other methods. Bake at 400 degrees until a knife can be easily inserted into the skin and flesh of the squash.  Turn face-up to fill.
While the butternut squash is cooking sauté together the pork and peppers. You can get fancy and add garlic, onion or whatever else you’d like. We just kept it super simple. When finished fill the hole in the butternut squash with the mixture and serve!

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My husband likes to mix it all together and eat it that way. I prefer to eat a little bit of meat and then a little squash. Either way it is a great Paleo meal and is really cheap to make.

Have you tried this? Leave us a comment and let us know!

The post Stuffed Butternut Squash appeared first on That Savage Life.