Summer's End Bake

I am long overdue to share with you one of my favorite Paleo dinners.  It's full of meat, meat and more meat!

I have a very busy life schedule so I need quick, easy AND healthy Paleo meals.  I've been meaning to share this recipe for quite some time.  It's delicious!!!!!!!!!!

I love meat!

SUMMER'S END BAKE

• 1 lb hot Italian sausage
• assortment of veggies (eggplant, onion, mushrooms, zucchini, etc.), chopped
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
• olive oil
• s&p
• fresh mozzarella or raw cheddar
• fresh basil, chopped

Method

Preheat your oven to 300ºF. Line a sheet pan with a silpat, if you have one, or parchment paper (just to keep the little buggers from sticking). Place the halved tomatoes, cut side up (skin side down) on the sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Place in the oven and let them cook down until the tomato edges are slightly crisp, curled up and the juicy insides no longer quite so juicy–about 20 minutes. Once the tomatoes are done, remove them from the oven and crank up the oven to 375ºF.
In a large saute pan, brown the sausage along with any other vegetables you’re using.
Now it’s time for assemblage. Get out an oven-safe baking dish, somewhere around 8×8, and start layering with the sausage/veggie mixture. Now add the oven roasted tomatoes, basil and cheese. Continue layering until everything’s all used up, trying to end with cheese and basil.
Stick in the oven and get the cheese melty and gooey, anywhere from 5-10 minutes.

If you are wondering why fresh mozzarella is ok in this recipe, it is the quality of the dairy consumed by those that can manage it that is very important. Full fat, organic, pastured (raw, if available) dairy products are okay for some individuals for a special treat!!

Enjoy!!!

Gluten

My friend Donni and I have started a business creating delicious gluten free baked goods.  Our business is called "Paleo Eats." Our yummy snacks aren't only gluten free but they are most importantly Paleo.  Many people don't know what Paleo is but they have heard about gluten free diets.  They've heard that gluten is "bad" and they should omit or limit gluten from their diets.

Wheat, so pretty yet so inflammatory!

My son Kellen, at age 2, was complaining of tummy aches daily.  He also had bloating and diarrhea.  Like his sister Gracie, I took him off dairy.  The symptoms were still there.  After 4 months of wondering why he never got over the flu, we spent hundreds of dollars testing his stools for a variety of causes.  Everything came back negative.  Then I decided to take him off of gluten.  He stopped complaining about his tummy aches, the bloating and diarrhea went away.  Not only did his physical symptoms stop but his behavioral issues also came to a halt. 

What is gluten?

Gluten is a type of protein. It’s found in wheat, rye and barley, so it is in a lot of bread products; it’s what gives our bread that chewy texture.




A nice big pile of gluten!



Gluten intolerance is the most undiagnosed disorder in the U.S.  Symptoms vary from headaches to infertility.

Why is this profound?  Two reasons:

1. There is no other autoimmune disease where the exact trigger is known.

2. Gluten and the damage it causes to the small intestine may very well be the root cause of other autoimmune diseases!

The Longer You Eat Gluten, the Higher Your Risk

A paper published by the New England Journal of Medicine advises that several diseases have the root cause as eating gluten:

-Osteoporosis

- Irritable Bowel Syndrome

- Anemia

-Cancer

-Rheumatoid Arthritis

-Lupus

-M.S.

- Other Autoimmune Diseases

-Depression

-Schizophrenia

-Dementia

-Epilepsy

As an MRI tech, I see patients with these conditions every single day.

In our Paleo baked goods business, we use almond flour or coconut flour and we LOVE it!!!  There are other options besides white and wheat flour.  It is very possible to omit gluten, you just have to make that change!

I have a strong desire to educate people and prevent these diseases from happening.  We really could meet somewhere else besides in MRI!  :)