Olive and Artichoke Stuffed Chicken Breasts

This week’s recipe is inspired by something Heather and I had when visiting my parents earlier this year. These chicken breasts were stuffed with a combination of kalamata and Spanish olives, marinated artichoke hearts, and garlic.

We decided to take on the task ourselves at home this weekend, and it did not disappoint. Normally, we’re more likely to prepare an entire chicken and stuff the cavity with aromatics, but this is a great option for batch cooking meals for the week or if you are strictly counting calories and macronutrients for health and performance goals. I’m dialing in my food at the moment to prepare for a couple of races in the fall, so we’ll see how it goes! More on that in a future post, but for now, enjoy the food!

Reverse-Seared Pork Chops

We haven’t made pork chops in a long time. A really long time. When I think of pork chops, I think of dry, chewy white meat smothered in apple sauce or gravy. That’s how they were served (at least to me) when I was a kid. But it doesn’t have to be that way!

Our new favorite method of cooking steaks is reserve searing, and it worked beautifully for these pork chops. It does take a while, but most of that time is the baking process. I like that because it means I can spend time reading to or playing with Otto while dinner cooks—parenting win!

Creamy Roasted Cauliflower and Mushroom Sauté

Creamy Roasted Cauliflower and Mushroom Sauté Recipe [paleo, primal, gluten-free, keto]

This week Heather is out of town for a business trip, so Otto and I are having a bachelor week. We’re super fortunate to have the support of our neighbors and community to help me with Otto’s drop off and pick up to daycare while Heather is away. Additionally, Heather and I did a lot in advance of her trip to keep this week low stress. One of those things was this recipe.

Otto, for some wonderful reason, loves umami flavors and is fairly indifferent to sweets. This recipe was a big hit with him, and he actually liked better as is than when we blended it up into a chunky puree for him. Regardless of how you take your solids, we know you’ll love this dish. It goes great with a big piece of steak or on its own.

Shrimp, Mushroom, and Asparagus Sauté

Shrimp, Mushroom, and Asparagus Sauté Recipe [paleo, primal, keto, gluten-free]

Heather and I are almost 13 months into our parenthood journey, and we’ve continued to learn about the need to have great time management skills (and to function on dysfunctional levels of sleep). While we enjoy cooking, and cooking together, the hazards of trying to do that with a waddling one-year-old in the kitchen or keeping him occupied has been a new challenge. As I write this, Otto is walking and crawling around the room and is anxious for me to be done.

We love this recipe because it is made quickly  in one pan and almost entirely with ingredients available at Costco. Taking advantage of frozen and bulk ingredients allows us to streamline our meal planning without sacrificing flavor or quality. We know you’ll love it. Even our little guy had seconds.

Pork Belly Buffalo Keto Bites

Pork Belly Buffalo Keto Bites Recipe [paleo, primal, gluten-free, dairy-free]

A few weeks ago Heather and I decided to pick up a large package of pork belly at Costco (never go to Costco hungry, folks). We had no plan for what to do with it at the time, but we went ahead and picked it up. Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs that shopping trip, so we ended up with way more food at home than we needed and it came to a point where we needed to cook or freeze this pork belly. Since I’ve been mainly following a keto diet for the past 5 months, I decided to pan fry some of the pork belly for fun. As a fan of spicy foods, I quickly tossed the fried pork belly in some Frank’s Red Hot, and I was blown away with how much these taste like tiny, boneless buffalo wings. They’re addictive and super easy—my favorite combination. My only warning is to wear an apron and use a splatter guard, as they kick up a bit of hot grease (especially if you’re making multiple batches).

Enjoy these as buffalo bites, or experiment with your favorite buffalo wing flavors (barbecue, curry, asian sweet and sour). We’ll do a follow up post some time soon with some variations. Happy eating!