Father's Day Recipe Round-Up

To be honest, I completely forgot Father's Day was this Sunday. Thankfully, my dad's birthday is a few days after so we just combined the two. Whew, don't have to worry about that now. ;) We did get him a card, though.

Your dad's birthday might not be in June, however, and you just might be looking for some Father's Day recipes to feed dear old dad. If your dad is anything like mine, steak, potatoes, and dessert are all it takes to make him happy. Oh, and action movies. ;)

This Father's Day, we'll probably have burgers on the grill, oven baked fries, and salad. And then my mom, sister, and I will send him downstairs to watch an action movie while we watch a chick flick. Just kidding! Or maybe not....

Cinnamon French Toast

Chocolate Chip Scones

Cinnamon Donuts

Pop-Tarts

Green Eggs

Bacon Wrapped Dates

Potato Chip Burgers

Meatloaf

Home Fries

Roasted Roots

Texas Roadhouse Sweet Potatoes

Where's the Lettuce? Salad

Cake Batter Ice Cream

Nutella Nut Balls

Almond Joy Larabars

Red Velvet Cake Balls

French Silk Pie

Inquiry of the Day:

Does your dad like action movies?

Don't get me wrong, I love the Marvel movies, Star Trek, Star Wars, Harry Potter, etc. But if there's too much action and hardly any plot, then you can count me out.

Potato Chip Burgers

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned before that my grandpa grinds his own meat. And nothing can really compete with fresh, juicy burgers. Especially the frozen kind, which are like cardboard compared to homemade burgers. Even Trader Joe's and Costco don't match up to my grandpa's beef. Whenever I go over to their house they make burgers. And I eat them with my grandma's homemade pickles and the onions they grew in their humungous garden... Okay, so maybe I'm a little spoiled. ;)

Anyways, in my world, there are two kinds of burgers: thick and juicy and thin and crispy. Both kinds, to me, are delicious, but it really depends on what mood I'm in. A few days ago I was in a "thick and juicy" mood. And frozen Costco burgers are not thick and juciy.

So, after lunch I pulled out a frozen bag of ground beef and let it thaw all afternoon. When I tried to form it into patties, the meat just fell apart! I don't know what I expected really. Maybe for it to magically stick together. But, obviously, it did not. So what to bind it with? Potato chips. :)

I know, I know- techinally, potato chips aren't Paleo. But they're something my family splurges on. Probably not a good thing for my waistline, but I love them. ;) You could say I have an addiction, but I'm working on it. Trust me, too many carbs are not good for my "pipes" or my hips! As an occasional treat they're definitely healthier than McDonald's fries or something like that. These burgers are definitely a treat. Good thing they're healthy! ;)

1 lbs. ground beef (Or pork, chicken, turkey, etc. I don't know if any meat-less meat would work, but you can try! Maybe even use black beans or something like that)
1 egg (or flax egg)
1/4-1/3 c. finely crushed potato chips (for a Paleo version, try using crushed pork rinds)

1. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredinets.
2. Form into patties. I made five fairly thick, but wide patties. However, you can shape them whatever way you want.
3. To cook them, you can either pan fry in a greased medium-high heat skillet (about 2-3 minutes per side, depending on the size and thickness of your burger) or grill them over high heat for about 2-3 minutes per side. Some pink on the inside of the burger is a good thing, you don't want them to be super tough and chewy.
4. Serve with a lettuce leaf for bun and whatever other toppings you want.

Inquiry of the Day:

What foods do you splurge on?

Sometimes, when my family goes out to eat, I'll order something that has grains in it or legumes, but for the most part I try to stay Paleo. I espeically like to splurge with Indian food. I love chick peas and their in almost every dish!

Cinnamon French Toast

Crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. That's how French toast should be. Add some cinnamon and a little bit of sugar and you have a pretty close replication of those frozen French toast sticks they sell at the grocery store. Without the laundry list of ingredients!  

About a week ago, my family took a weekend trip and the hotel we stayed at had a breakfast buffet. Surprisingly, it was pretty easy to stay Paleo there. I just stuck to the basics, eggs, sausage, hash browns, fruit, etc. And normally I'm fine with watching others eat gluten filled food, but the French toast sticks almost broke me down. They were golden, fluffy rods of pure sugar. What's not to like? Well... the gluten. That's what's not to like. But don't fret! I didn't completely lose my will power and have a bite. Instead, I went into the kitchen to create my own French toast (when I got home, that is).

To be honest, whenever my mom made French toast for my sister and I as kids, I didn't really like it. Unless, of course, it was drenched in maple syrup. I'm not sure why I didn't. It might've have had too much of an egg-y taste for me, but I'll never know.

However, this French toast doesn't have an egg-y taste whatsoever. And it's super customizable to any dietary needs. Don't care about grains, but care about the gluten? Use whatever gluten free bread you have on hand. Want some whole grains? Use whole grain bread. Need it to be egg free? Use extra milk (non-dairy or dairy). Vegan? Use egg replacer or non-dairy milk. Sugar free? Replace the evaporated cane juice with coconut crystals, date sugar, maple sugar, etc.

Like I said, super customizable. But 100% delicious!

*I used this recipe for the bread

12 slices bread (When I baked my bread I baked it in mini loaf pans, so if using regular sized bread, cut it into quarters)
1 egg (or 1/4 c. milk)
splash of milk
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. evaporate cane juice
1-2 T. cinnamon
oil to grease pan

1. Beat the egg in a small shallow bowl.
2. On a separate plate, mix together the sugar and cinnamon.
3. Heat your griddle to medium heat. When it's hot, grease your pan. I use either butter or coconut oil.
4. Dip the bread into the egg, then coat with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Lay into the pan. Do this with the remaining slices of bread.
5. When the underside of the bread is golden or dark brown in color, flip it.
6. After 30 more seconds to a minute, check to see if the other side of the bread is golden in color. If it is, remove the French toast from the griddle. If not, cook a little longer.
7. Serve with crushed pecans, maple syrup, chocolate chips, etc.

Inquiry of the Day:

Are you a fan of French toast? Was there ever a point in your life when you weren't?