A Calculated Whisk - Page 2 of 33 - Creative paleo and gluten-free recipes

Second Trimester Recap

November 12, 2018 By Becky 2 Comments

This is actually me at 34 weeks, but I was running low on images! Photos by Lindsey Lowe Photography.

I’m already well into the third trimester now, and I can’t believe it! (I wrote this post several weeks ago, when the second trimester was nice and fresh in my mind, but am just getting around to posting it now.) Time moved slowly at the beginning of my pregnancy, but seems to have been gradually picking up speed. Our little girl is due in just 6 weeks, and of course, she could come before then, too! With our December 23rd due date I’m hoping she’ll arrive a few days before Christmas so we can avoid spending the holidays in the hospital, but of course, she’ll come when she’s ready. Whenever that is will be the very best time.

Chicken Tikka Masala

October 29, 2018 By Becky Leave a Comment

This post is sponsored by Pomì.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken tikka masala is a favorite at Indian restaurants, but it’s even more delicious when made at home! Try it with my paleo flatbread.

Who else is a huge fan of Indian food? I think if I had to pick just one cuisine as my very favorite, Indian would be it. I just can’t pass up all the layers of spice and flavor! And while it’s great to go out and enjoy dinner at an Indian restaurant, it’s even more fun (and even tastier) to make it yourself at home. Plus, your house will smell amazing!

Gluten-free Pumpkin Sheet Cake

October 26, 2018 By Becky 2 Comments

This easy gluten-free pumpkin sheet cake with whipped cream frosting is the ideal dessert to feed a crowd at Halloween or Thanksgiving.

My most perpetual pregnancy craving has been and continues to be cake. Last week I was desperate for some, and became fixated on making a sheet cake. Sheet cakes are really the best kind when you’re baking to satisfy a craving. Why? They’re huge and fast. There’s no need to prep more than one pan or stack and fill layers. It’s a snap to make them look nice with no piping. They also bake and cool super quickly because they just have one relatively thin layer.

Instant Pot Short Rib Ragu

September 28, 2018 By Becky 18 Comments

This post is sponsored by Pomì.

This easy Instant Pot Short Rib Ragu is packed with rich, hearty flavor and is perfect for cool fall nights. Enjoy it with pasta, spiralized veggies, or polenta.

It’s officially fall, which means it’s time for warming comfort food dishes like this Instant Pot Short Rib Ragu. This meaty sauce gets its flavor from organic, 100% Italian Pomì strained tomatoes, a classic soffritto of onion, celery, and carrot, and of course, the short ribs themselves. If you haven’t tried short ribs before, you are in for a treat: after being seared and then pressure cooked to perfection in the Instant Pot, they shred into the most tender morsels of beef you’ve ever tasted. The sauce is finished with a handful of fresh basil for freshness, and a splash of heavy cream or coconut milk for creaminess if you’re so inclined.

Instant Pot Bacon and Sweet Potato Chili

September 21, 2018 By Becky 5 Comments

Instant Pot Bacon & Sweet Potato Chili (Paleo, Whole30)

This paleo & Whole30-compliant Instant Pot bacon and sweet potato chili is an old favorite made twice as fast in the pressure cooker. Make a big batch and freeze some for later!

I’m kind of a chili purist. I don’t like beans in my chili and I don’t want any tomatoes in there, either. I also don’t like it to be too soupy. Over the years I’ve tried many chili recipes, but my bacon and sweet potato chili is the only one I come back to again and again. Many of my friend have made it, too, and it’s always a hit. It freezes really well, so it’s a perfect make-ahead meal. I’m definitely planning to stock my freezer with some to have on hand once our baby arrives!

Easy Grain-free Skillet Cookie

September 8, 2018 By Becky 13 Comments

Easy Grain-free Skillet Cookie

This gooey grain-free skillet cookie is super easy to mix up right in the pan–no bowl required! What are you waiting for?

Something about September makes me crave chocolate chip cookies. It still feels a bit early for apples and pumpkins, but something warm and sweet and chocolatey sounds about right. If you feel the same way, this easy grain-free skillet cookie will be just the ticket.

The best thing about this skillet cookie, other than how wonderful it tastes (especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top), is how simple it is to make. You don’t even need a bowl–we’re doing everything right in the skillet, with one spatula or mixing implement of your choice.

First Trimester Recap

August 24, 2018 By Becky 4 Comments

Can you tell I’m excited to dress this little girl? Also, narwhals are the new unicorns.

At the end of my lengthy post on getting pregnant after an infertility diagnosis, I promised a recap of my first trimester. Here it is!

After getting a positive pregnancy test on a Sunday morning in mid-April, I called my reproductive endocrinologist’s office first thing on Monday morning. When my hormones were tested a couple of months before getting pregnant my progesterone was extremely low, and adequate levels of progesterone are necessary to sustain a pregnancy. They had me come right in for a blood test measuring HcG (the hormone that confirms you’re pregnant) and progesterone. The results came back later that day: my HcG was 330 (pretty much any level of HcG means you’re pregnant) and my progesterone was 8. The nurse explained that my progesterone level was on the lower end of the normal range, so they wanted to supplement just in case. I was prescribed progesterone pills that I took until I was about 10 weeks, when the doctor said the placenta takes over progesterone production.

Peach Nectar

August 20, 2018 By Becky Leave a Comment

This peach nectar recipe is an easy and delicious way to sip on summer’s best peaches. If it’s a special occasion, add some prosecco and make it a bellini!

Here it is: the essence of summer peaches in drinkable form! This peach nectar is so simple to make and so, so good. Basically we’re blending fresh peaches with a little bit of lemon and honey to balance their flavors, plus a hint of salt and vanilla to round things out. I was going to call this a peach agua fresca, but it’s thicker than that and almost creamy (in the most delicious way possible).

Brown Butter Turmeric Chocolate Chip Cookies

August 17, 2018 By Becky 4 Comments

Get your turmeric fix in cookie form with these vibrant, grain-free brown butter turmeric chocolate chip cookies!

I’m super excited to share these unique cookies with you today! They’re inspired by the beautiful golden hue of the tea towel in the pictures, which was naturally dyed with turmeric by my friend Maggie Pate. Her first book, The Natural Colors Cookbook, just came out this summer and is packed with easy recipes for using food and food waste to dye all kinds of fabrics and fibers the prettiest shades of pink, purple, yellow, orange, blue, and green.

The Path to Pregnancy

August 8, 2018 By Becky 14 Comments

Photos by Lindsey Lowe Photography

I blinked and my pregnancy is already almost half over! I had my twenty-week anatomy ultrasound on Monday, and can feel the baby wiggling around in my belly almost constantly. For those of you that are interested, I wanted to pop in and share a bit about our journey to pregnancy. If you’re just hungry for a new recipe, swing back by in a few days!

I mentioned in my baba ganoush post a couple weeks ago that I received an infertility diagnosis just a few months before I got pregnant, and wanted to share more about it in case anyone else is going through something similar and also to help end the silence in which infertility issues are often shrouded.

Orange Chicken Skewers from Made Whole

July 30, 2018 By Becky Leave a Comment

These orange chicken skewers are packed with flavor and easy to throw together. They’re great on a salad or alongside grilled veggies!

I’m so excited to be sharing an easy and delicious recipe today from Cristina Curp’s brand new cookbook, Made Whole! The book has over 145 recipes that are all anti-inflammatory, paleo, and keto friendly. In addition to plenty of main dishes and several scrumptious-looking desserts, it has a big chapter of staples, sauces, and dressings that includes a couple of awesome paleo cheese recipes. If you’ve visited Cristina’s blog, The Castaway Kitchen, then you know she comes up with tons of creative low-carb recipes, many of which are Whole30 friendly, too.

Baba Ganoush with Spiced Lamb & Mint

July 16, 2018 By Becky 5 Comments

Turn silky smooth eggplant dip into a meal by adding a pile of fragrant meat on top! This baba ganoush with spiced lamb & mint will quickly become a summer favorite.

In case you missed my subtle Instagram announcements, I’m pregnant! For a few more hours, you can catch a glimpse of the growing bump in my stories. We’re expecting a baby girl right around Christmas, and both Ben and I are so excited.

This pregnancy is part of the reason I’ve been posting so infrequently the last few months. Even before I realized I was pregnant, I was hit with terrible exhaustion that lasted all of the first trimester and a few weeks into the second. Now, at 17 weeks, I finally feel like some of my energy has returned within the last four or five days. It’s funny because I fully expected to have morning sickness, but didn’t at all–I got off scot-free with no nausea–but was completely unprepared for how tired I’d be. I’ve never experienced exhaustion anything like it in my whole life! No matter how much I slept, I’d wake up still tired, and only become less energetic over the course of the day. I’ve never been a napper unless I’m really sick, but these past few months, I have napped like a champion. On days spent at home, I could nap from about 2-5, and still go to bed again around 10 pm and sleep through until 7 or 8.