This is one of my FAVORITE lunches to take to work! I take a piece of fresh fruit or nuts if I get hungry later because these can tend to be not very filling for long days. 

INGREDIENTS
4 slices lean bacon (pork or turkey) cooked and chopped
1 medium tomato, diced
1 tbsp paleo mayonnaise
3 large iceberg or romaine lettuce leaves
1 Avocado

INSTRUCTIONS
Carefully remove 2 large outer leaves of a head of lettuce. If you rip or tear one, just save it for the 3rd leaf you need to shred. Shred the 3rd leaf and set aside. Dice tomato and set aside in a bowl. Combine diced tomato with mayonnaise. Place lettuce cups on a plate, top with shredded lettuce. Add tomato, avocado, and then bacon and roll it like a wrap and dig in!

INSTRUCTIONS
Use a slicing mechanism, or mandolin, that will magically make fettuccine just by pushing the zucchini through.

Boil a pot of water and add salt – add your “noodles” and cook for a minute – be sure not to overcook.  Remove and set into a pot of cold to stop the cooking process.

Then, heat a tablespoon of olive  oil in a large saute pan – throw in about 3 cloves of minced garlic, add in your freshly made "pasta", saute around until evenly coated – sprinkle with red pepper flakes (omit for AIP), and fresh basil leaves to taste.  Plate. Light healthy and delicious!

1 lb. ground turkey Italian sausage (I buy links that are Whole 30/Paleo approved, remove the casing and ground it myself)
1 ½  jars organic, gluten-free, dairy-free pasta sauce
9 uncooked almond-flour lasagna noodles (Capello's makes an amazing one)
2 cans white beans (I used northern)
1 egg
1 TBSP. dried oregano
6 oz. package fresh organic baby spinach
Sea salt
2 tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown meat in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally until no longer pink; drain. Mix in pasta sauce and set aside. Prepare noodles as directed.

Drain and rinse beans and place in food processor (I actually just used a hand masher as I was afraid they’d get to watery in my nina). Add egg, oregano and sea salt, to taste. Blend until mixture is smooth. Set aside.

To assemble the lasagna, lightly cover the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish that's been coated with cooking spray with sauce. Top with three noodles to cover the bottom. Spread with half the bean mixture, half the spinach and then half the meat sauce. Top with three more noodles. Repeat. Top the last of the noodles with the remaining pasta sauce and garnish with a few spinach leaves.

Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake about 30 minutes longer or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

We had some readers write in on the Nosh & Nurture Facebook Page and request what they are looking to add to their menus and we got a request for "meaty salads" 


This thai steak salad is refreshing and filling for a full summer meal. You may also add bean sprouts and a gluten-free hot sauce. I tend to stay away from sprouts due to contamination and my system doesn't care for spicy too often.

Ingredients
Olive Cooking spray
1 (1½-pound) flank steak, trimmed
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (omit if it is not well tolerated)
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon low-glycemin sugar, such as coconut sugar 
2 tablespoons gluten free lower-sodium soy sauce (Tamari) or coconut aminos
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
1½ cups thinly sliced red cabbage
¾ cup julienne-cut carrots
⅓ cup fresh mint leaves
⅓ cup fresh cilantro leaves
⅓ cup fresh basil leaves


Instructions:
1. Heat a large grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle steak evenly with pepper and salt. Add steak to pan; cook 6 minutes each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove steak from pan; let stand 5 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices.

2. Combine lime juice, sugar substitute, soy sauce and garlic in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. 

3. Combine cabbage and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Add 6 tablespoons juice mixture to cabbage mixture; toss well. Toss steak in remaining 2 tablespoons juice mixture. Add steak to cabbage mixture; toss to combine.

Another meaty summer salad requested by our readers! And this one is just beautiful! Enjoy!


Ingredients:
4 5-oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tbsp plus ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, divided
½ tsp sea salt, divided
¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper
Olive oil cooking spray
¼ cup nonfat plain yogurt (almond milk or coconut milk)
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
8 oz fresh baby spinach
½ red onion, cut into paper-thin wedges
½ cup pomegranate arils
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced

Instructions:
1.In a large, shallow bowl, add chicken and 3 tbsp lemon juice. Turn to coat. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp salt, and cayenne on all sides of chicken, dividing evenly. Set aside.
2.Place a ridged grill pan on medium-high heat and mist with cooking spray. Add chicken and grill, turning once, until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. If necessary, work in batches to avoid overcrowding pan. Transfer to a cutting board and set aside until cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes. Cut each chicken breast crosswise into thin slices.
3.Meanwhile, prepare dressing: In a small bowl, whisk remaining 1/4 cup lemon juice, yogurt, oil and 1/4 tsp salt. Set aside.
4.In a large bowl, toss spinach, onion and  pomegranate and divide among serving plates. Top with chicken and avocado and drizzle with dressing, dividing evenly. Serve immediately.

First, I have to talk about the salad the accompanied this dinner. I found a crisp organic arugula at Trader Joe's and tossed it with my apple-cider vinegar organic Paleo mayonnaise. I use it very sparingly but since "creamy" is a texture that is few and far between after saying goodbye to dairy over a year ago, this was a nice tangy, creamy treat. 

Ingredients:
4 turkey breast cutlets
3 organic carrots, cut into rounds
Earth Balance butter (soy-free, dairy free) or other healthy cooking fat
Thyme 
Sea Salt
16 oz. Arugula 
2 Tbs. Paleo Mayonnaise 

Instructions:
In a deep ceramic baking dish lay turkey cutlets along the bottom. Place 1 tsp of EB butter or cooking fat on each breast and place sliced carrots on and around the turkey. Season turkey and carrots with sea salt and thyme. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until turkey is fully cooked. Serve with a fresh bed of arugula tossed in your favorite dressing or paleo mayo. 

So my beautiful sister, Ashley, is not only a fitness inspiration to me but her recipes are always clean, healthy and delicious. Going to her house for dinner I know I won't have to worry about not having the right things to eat. She passed on this yummy tuna salad recipe and I had to share it with all of you.

Ingredients:
1 c. fresh organic romaine lettuce
1/2 c. natural albacore tuna packed in water (Mandi's note: I get mine at Sprouts.)
1 hard boiled organic egg
1/2 avocado 
a sprinkle of sliced almonds

Instructions:
Wash lettuce, toss ingredients and enjoy! Ashley mixed her tuna with a high quality Greek yogurt, but to be dairy-free friendly, she said lemon juice works well also! 

So, when I first met my husband he wanted to cook for me. On one of our first dates he made me a delicious meal known as a "foil dinner." It was chicken breast, veggies and gobs of butter wrapped in foil and baked in the oven then served with ketchup. It's a dish I missed since not only it was delicious but it reminds me of many early dinners in our relationship curled up in front of the fire or a movie.. so I improved upon the recipe and they are now enjoyed weekly in our home.

Instead of using aluminum foil as I am trying to detox metals from my system, I just use a ceramic baking dish. I still use the chicken breast and veggies, but instead of "gobs of dairy laden butter" I use olive oil, herbs and a small pat of dairy free butter on each breast for moisture. We also of course no longer use store brand ketchup because of the vinegar and sugar, I either serve it with fresh tomatoes or a wonderful Apple Cider Vinegar sugar-free ketchup I found at Sprouts which I will be reviewing later.

On with the recipe! PS. this serves two, so find someone who you like to share with ;) 

Ingredients:
2-4 chicken breasts (this also works great with turkey cutlets or pork chops)
two teaspoons Earth Balance soy-free, dairy-free butter or healthy cooking fat for AIP & Whole 30. 
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried basil 
olive oil
2 zucchini
2 ribs of celery
1 large fresh tomato (exclude for AIP)
sea salt


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a casserole baking dish place chicken breasts and drizzle olive oil on both. Add thyme, a pinch of sea salt, garlic powder and basil and any other seasonings you prefer. Oregano works great with turkey. Turn breasts over and apply olive oil and seasonings to the other side as well. 

Cut up zucchini into rounds, not too thin as they will cook down and chop celery. Add on top and around the chicken. Cook covered for 1 hour or until chicken reaches internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Serve with cool fresh tomato.

*I've also cooked the tomato sliced on top for an italian taste and it came out wonderful. 
** If you are feeling like adding some starch to the dish sweet potatoes make a wonderful addition as well. Cut up two sweet potatoes and add them around the chicken similar to cooking a roast. 

I was really missing soup. As I got away from all "ready made foods" due to gluten, MSG, sugar, salts, chemicals and all of the other lovely things found in food today I found myself longing for comfort food. Then I got a bad cold in January and the need for soup increased, haha. Then I came up with a recipe that was not only delicious, but it soothed me like soup did when I was a child. So if you feel the sniffles coming on, make a pot of this delicious "homestyle" gluten-free chicken zoodle soup. 

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp Earth Balance butter (substitute avocado or coconut oil for Whole 30)
4 carrots
2 celery ribs
8 cups chicken broth (I use Imagine Gluten Free, chicken or vegetable)
1 lb boneless, skinless  natural, organic, free range chicken breast, cubed
8 oz. of prepared zoodles (spiralize and blanch 2-3 zucchini until tender)
½ tsp sea salt
You may also add herbs of your choosing to give more flavor and color



DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large saucepan over medium high heat, add butter. Wash celery and chop into bite size pieces. Add to saucepan and stir. Peel and chop carrots into bite size pieces. Stir. Sauté for 3 minutes. 

2. Meanwhile, dice cooked chicken into bite size pieces. Add chicken broth and chicken. Cover and bring to a boil.

3. Add herbs and salt. Add prepared zoodles. Stir and serve!

INGREDIENTS
4 large green bell peppers, bottom trimmed, cap end cut off and diced, and seeds removed
1 large onion, diced
2 tsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil
1 lb. natural ground turkey or grass fed beef 
1/2 tsp. dried oregano 
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste (if tolerated)
1 C. Cauliflower Rice or brown rice if eating grains. 

INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare cauliflower rice for paleo/grain free/gluten free or traditional rice for just gluten-free and set aside. .

Preheat oven to 375F. Trim bottom of bell peppers so they have a flat surface to stand on. Cut off a fairly generous amount of the stem end of peppers, then remove seeds. Place hollowed-out peppers in a baking dish that you've sprayed with non-stick spray or olive oil. (A dish that's close in size to the peppers will work best.)

Remove stem part from the pepper caps and trim off any white membrane, then dice pepper caps and the onion into fairly small dice. Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a large skillet, then saute diced pepper and onion for 3-4 minutes, until they are starting to soften but aren't browned. Remove pepper-onion mixture to a bowl, add 1 tsp. more olive oil.. cook turkey until it's almost fully cooked.

Put the onion-pepper mixture back into the pan with the turkey, add the dried spices, and saute 2-3 minutes to blend the flavors. Then add cooked cauli rice, season the mixture with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste, and cook just long enough to warm, about 1-2 minutes.

Stuff the filling mixture into the hollowed-out peppers, using a spoon to press the mixture down so it's tightly packed into the pepper shell. If you have any extra filling, you can put it in a small ramekin and bake along with the peppers. Bake peppers for 45 min. Serve hot.