I bought this awesome electric pressure cooker called an Instant Pot. This thing is king of the kitchen right now! It pressure cooks, sautés, steams, slow cooks, ferments, and lots more! The ability I am most excited about is being able to make cakes and bread in it! I thought this was so neat!! Most of the recipes I found for bread or cake are not Paleo compliant so I had to come up with one of my own! I used this steamed banana bread recipe and substituted ingredients for Paleo ingredients. The results were AMAZING! This pressure cooker Paleo banana bread is dense and moist! I am still incredibly shocked that this works in a pressure cooker!! You can get the Instant Pot IP-Duo60 7-in-1 Programmable Pressure Cooker here: Amazon

My mom used to make a very similar Pumpkin bread around the holidays! I plan to order more cassava flour and make a Paleo pressure cooker pumpkin bread! I am thinking it will turn out the same and that is really exciting!

Pressure Cooker Paleo Banana Bread!

Ingredients:
1/3 cup softened ghee
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1 egg (room temperature)
1 tsp vanilla
2 mashed, very ripe bananas
1 1/2 cup cassava flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1/3 cup cashew milk (or coconut, almond, etc)
1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

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Instructions:
Add alternative milk (can use coconut, cashew, almond, etc) and cream of tartar together in a small bowl and set aside. (This makes “buttermilk”)
Cream together butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and mix well.
Add mashed bananas and continue to mix.
In a separate bowl mix cassava flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gradually add to wet ingredients while mixing.
Add in the “buttermilk mixture” of alternative milk and cream of tartar.
Cover with foil. If you make a foil “tent” and spray with cooking spray it won’t stick!
In a greased 7 inch or smaller cake pan (I used my AMAZING 7 inch springform pan) add the mixture.
Add 2 cups of water to the instant pot.
Set metal trivet rack in the bottom of the Instant Pot.
Lower your pan filled with batter onto the trivet.
Close lid of Instant Pot and move knob on top to SEALING.
Press MANUAL 30 minutes. The Instant Pot will start to count down AFTER it has come to pressure.
When the Instant Pot beeps finished allow it to NATURALLY release pressure. Mine took 17 minutes, but this time varies.
When the pressure is gone and you can remove the lid do so.
Carefully remove the trivet and pan. Remove the foil. Allow to cool on a wire rack IN THE PAN. Once it is cool if will easily remove from the pan.
I let mine sit out until completely cool and then put it in the refrigerator overnight to enjoy with my coffee in the morning!

The post Pressure Cooker Paleo Banana Bread 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.

MMM. Brownies. Chewy, fudgy, thick chocolate goodness. We have tried several “paleo” brownies and just could not get into the texture or the taste of them so we decided to try our hand at Sweet Potato Brownies. We had an abundance of purple sweet potatoes lying around so we used those instead of the traditional orange ones. They don’t taste any different, but it does make the brownies LOOK darker instead of the orange tinge the traditional sweet potatoes give. I was a little skeptical of these when I was whipping up this recipe, but the results were awesome. The only regret is not having some raw milk on hand for these to go with!  My husband says he prefers these to any other brownies we have tried. We added chopped raw pistachios to ours, but you can omit those or add any nut or dried fruit of your choice! Try it out and let me know what you think!

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Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies!

Ingredients:
Two cups of sweet potato (cooked and peeled)
3 eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/3 cup raw honey
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 tbs coconut flour
3 tbs cocoa powder (we used special dark)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup Enjoy life chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped raw pistachios (optional)

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Instructions:
Bake and peel the sweet potato. Mash and measure out two cups.
Add egg, oil, honey, vanilla to a bowl and whisk until smooth.
Fold in coconut sugar, coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and chocolate chips.
Pour batter in a 9×9 greased baking pan.
Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

The post Fudgy sweet potato brownies! 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.

Purple Sweet Potatoes

Purple is probably one of my all time favorite colors. Boy was I surprised to find out that PURPLE sweet potatoes existed! We discovered them while looking through Pinterest and I asked our local grocery store to order them for me. It took them a few months to actually get them in, but I was so excited once I had them in my hands! These potatoes are so vibrant and fun to work with. Plus the kids think they are really cool!

Our favorite way to eat them is first baked, then pan-fried in coconut oil. Using this method to cook them does something magical to them. The outside gets a delicate, sweet crispy layer while the inside is bright and soft. They are crunchy, soft, sweet and we like to add a little salt to the outside to give it a little salty kick. These are so good that my husband request them for his lunch. He eats them cold right out of his lunchbox. Below is our method of cooking them, but I will also link you to some other amazing recipes that I am dying to try!

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Instructions:
1) Wash the purple sweet potatoes.
2) Slather coconut oil on the skin of the potatoes.
3) Place on baking sheet in oven.
4) Bake at 400 degrees until a knife is easily inserted into the potato. Usually this takes around an hour, but it will vary depending on the size of the potato.
5) Remove from oven and allow to cool.
6) Slice into round disks.
7) Put a few tablespoons of coconut oil in a frying pan on medium heat.
8) Fry purple sweet potatoes until the outside is darker and crispy.
9) Lightly salt if desired.
10) Enjoy right away or store in an airtight container.

Check out these other interesting recipes for purple sweet potatoes:

Mashed Purple Sweet Potatoes:
http://jeanetteshealthyliving.com/2013/11/mashed-stokes-purple-sweet-potato.html

Purple Sweet Potato Muffins:
http://jaybirdblog.com/purple-sweet-potato-paleo-muffins-with-rosemary-golden-raisins/

Sweet Potato Gnocchi:
http://sarahlynnsmile.com/2014/01/08/paleo-purple-sweet-potato-gnocchi/

Sweet Potato Soup:
http://balancingpaleo.com/2013/12/15/purple-sweet-potato-soup/

Sweet Potato Brownies:
http://morethanpaleo.com/sweet-potato-brownies/

The post Purple Sweet Potatoes appeared first on That Savage Life.

I always see the banana pancakes when I scroll through Pinterest and wanted to try them. Bananas in our house never make it to the brown, banana bread stage. Heck, they don’t even make it past the green tip phase before my boys devour them! I bought some plantains to fry in coconut oil and never got around to it. I had these plantains sitting on the counter almost rotting so I decided to try a little experiment!

Did you know that plantains are higher in nutritional value than bananas?

Per 100 grams plantains have:
2% more iron
3% more magnesium
4% more potassium
16% more vitamin C
21% more Vitamin A

Besides the higher nutritional value of plantains I like to cook with them because they don’t get slimy like a banana does. They are dense and hold up really well to mashing and cooking. The key to sweet pancakes without added sugar is a super ripe plantain. The skin must be extremely black and shriveling before it is sweet. Cut lengthwise down the plantain to open.

These pancakes were quite the surprise! With only two ingredients they turned out fluffy and really delicious! My husband and I ate them plain, right off the skillet. The kids drizzled theirs with maple syrup. Either way they were wonderful and will be a Paleo breakfast staple around here!

Two ingredient fluffy plantain pancakes:

Yields 3 four-inch pancakes per plantain

Ingredients: 
1 BLACK SKIN RIPE plantain
1 egg
(optional) Pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
(optional) top with pure maple syrup

Instructions:
Mash together one plantain and one egg. (Add spices if you want) Once mashed together put in blender or use a stick blender to puree the ingredients. Mixture should be liquified and thick.
Heat a skillet on LOW heat with coconut oil.
Pour about a 1/3 cup of mixture into the skillet on LOW heat. When bubbles start to appear on the top of the pancake it is time to flip. Make sure it is on LOW. These burn easily. Low and slow is the key!
While cooking don’t mess with them or press them down. This will make them light and fluffy!
Serve and enjoy!

The post Two ingredient fluffy plantain pancakes! appeared first on That Savage Life.

My favorite stoneware can be found here: www.pamperedchef.biz/katiwoods

I am ALWAYS looks for some way to pack vegetables into our mornings. We are notorious around here for a strictly bacon and eggs breakfast. This spaghetti squash breakfast casserole does just that! With six different vegetables and protein it is the perfect paleo breakfast! This dish can be cooked the night before, cooled and refrigerated so that it can easily be sliced and reheated in the mornings!

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Instructions:
First thing first… cook the spaghetti squash.
Sauté the onions, pork, peppers until cooked and tender. Set aside.
Pull apart the insides of the squash with a fork. Set aside.
Mix all ingredients together thoroughly.
Pour into a 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish.
Bake at 375 degrees for one hour. Stoneware can be found here: www.pamperedchef.biz/katiwoods
The dish is ready when the center is firm and set-up.
Cool for about 5 minutes and slice and serve!

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Feel free to add or take away any of the vegetables! Kale works great in our family and I love that it does not have a lot of liquid in it after it is cooked. Did you decide to make this? Come back and tell us if you liked it!

The post Spaghetti Squash Breakfast Casserole 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.

Easy Paleo Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise is one of those food items that I crave, but unfortunately store-bought mayo is usually made with canola oil and is not a healthy option for Paleo eaters! I was so worried about how long it would take or failing miserably that it was months before I even attempted to make mayonnaise! One day I decided to try it, assuming I would fail, and to my surprise it was so easy I could not believe I waited so long to try it!  I found a recipe online and converted it to a Paleo version the best I could.

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Ingredients:
1 Egg yolk at room temperature
1 Tablespoon water
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
Juice from half a lemon
1 cup of Avocado oil (or Olive Oil)

Instructions: 
Add all ingredients to a cylindrical container. Insert a stick blender into the mixture and on low-speed begin to blend. Do not remove, move or speed up blender. Just be patient and allow the mixture to fully emulsify. I found the video below to be very helpful when I first attempted to make Paleo mayonnaise. This mayonnaise is also Whole30 and 21-Day Sugar Detoxcompliant.

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Did you make it? How did it turn out?

The post Easy Paleo Mayonnaise! 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.