winter Archives - A Calculated Whisk

Instant Pot Short Rib Ragu

September 28, 2018 By Becky 4 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 Leave a Comment

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!

Paleo Meal Plan Week One

January 6, 2018 By Becky 2 Comments

This paleo meal plan will help you grocery shop, prep, and enjoy a week’s worth of delicious, real-food meals that are perfect for this time of year.

Whether you call them resolutions, intentions, or goals, a lot of us are striving to do better at something this time of year. Anyone set a goal around meal planning? I definitely did! Planning has never been my strong suit, but over the past few years I’ve been working hard to get more organized, and this year I’m determined to meal plan as much as I can to minimize the nights when I get home hungry and succumb to take out or sad, last-minute, clean-out-the-fridge creations.

Inspired by Pinch of Yum’s Sugar-Free January, I created a simple meal-planning template and a meal plan for this week, complete with a chart of the week’s meals, a grocery list, a game plan to get everything ready, Whole30 modifications in case you’re in the midst of one, and space for your notes. In case you don’t like exactly what I like and want to make some changes, I’m including both Word and PDF versions. And in case you want to start completely from scratch and just need a convenient planning method, I’m including the blank template in both formats as well.

Since this is my first time sharing meal plans, I’d love your feedback! Do meal plans interest you? Is there anything you love about this one or anything you think I should change? I’d be thrilled to hear from you in the comments section below, or you can email me (becky(at)acalculatedwhisk(dot)com).

You don’t have to sign up for my email list to get the plans, but I’d love it if you did, and that way you’ll get notification of future meal plans sent right to your inbox!

You can get the plans right here:

Week 1 Paleo Meal Plan (PDF) | Week 1 Paleo Meal Plan (docx)

Instant Pot Fesenjan (Persian Pomegranate Chicken)

January 5, 2018 By Becky 48 Comments

This aromatic Instant Pot fesenjan, or Persian pomegranate chicken, is packed with flavor thanks to pomegranate molasses, toasted walnuts, and spices, and will warm you right up on a winter’s night!

Here it is: the first new recipe of 2018! This sweet and nutty Instant Pot fesenjan has already become a big hit over here, receiving rave reviews from both my husband and my mother, who came to stay with us for a week around Christmas.

I want to share a bit about my year here, but if you’re hungry, feel free to scroll right down to the recipe details!

The biggest highlight of 2017 was of course getting married–Ben and I had such an amazing time at our wedding, and we got to see so many family members and friends that we hadn’t seen in a long time. Even though we’ve been married for almost four months now, I still haven’t had a chance to put together a post about our wedding, but plan to do so soon! I can’t wait to share all the details with you.

Lemon Vanilla Slice and Bake Cookies

December 20, 2017 By Becky 12 Comments

This post is sponsored by Rodelle.

These lemon vanilla slice and bake cookies are the perfect grain-free treat to share with family and friends this holiday season or anytime! Their buttery crumb and bright lemon flavor will have you coming back for bite after bite.

I’m here with one more delicious cookie recipe to tide you over until after Christmas! These grain-free lemon vanilla slice and bake cookies are so fun to make and eat. They’re packed with both lemony and sugar-cookie flavor thanks to Rodelle‘s lemon extract and vanilla bean paste along with plenty of fresh lemon zest, and have a wonderfully tender shortbread-like texture. A simple glaze made with fresh lemon juice tops them off and provides an ideal counterpart to the buttery cookie.

32 Paleo Comfort Food Recipes for Winter

December 11, 2017 By Becky 26 Comments

This collection of paleo comfort food recipes will keep you warm and nourished all winter long!

Raise your hand if you could use some comfort food right about now! Between the cold weather and the seemingly incessant parade of Christmas treats, I’ve been craving healthy, hearty, hot dinners. In case you have been, too, I put together this collection of my very best and favorite paleo comfort food recipes. Between all the cookies and the shopping and whatever else you’re up to, I hope you can find time to share some of these dishes with your family (or just make them for yourself!). Many of these recipes are great to make ahead and/or Whole30 compliant, so I’ve noted details like that below. Which one will you try first?

Here’s to a healthy and happy holiday season filled with plenty of satisfying meals!

6 Ways to Top Roasted Sweet Potatoes

November 22, 2017 By Becky 22 Comments

This post is sponsored by the North Carolina SweetPotato Commission.

With these six ways to top roasted sweet potatoes, everyone will be sure to find something they love. Pick one or two to make for dinner or go all out and try all six!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve! I’m here today to tell you about a delicious meal idea that, while not necessarily meant for Turkey Day itself, is certainly perfect for any busy night (or day or even morning) of the year when you need some fast and healthy grub.

Bok Choy Salad with Apple and Persimmon

November 14, 2017 By Becky 6 Comments

This vegan and paleo bok choy salad with apple and persimmon is healthy enough for a detox but beautiful and tasty enough for your Thanksgiving table!

Is anyone else in need of something delicious and fresh, but still kind of festive? I’ve got you covered with this bok choy salad with apple and persimmon. Amidst all the pie and stuffing and mashed potatoes and even a few early cookies, I am fairly sure that we all could use something like this.

If you’re surprised that bok choy can be eaten raw in a salad, you are not alone. I just learned this recently myself. A couple weeks before our wedding I decided to do Alisa Vitti’s four-day detox, and this bok choy salad is based on a very simple one that she shares as part of the cleanse. I was initially quite suspicious that a combination of raw bok choy, onion, and apple could ever taste good, but since I get bok choy all the time in my CSA and it cooks down to almost nothing in a stir fry, I decided to give the salad a try.

Sheet Pan Salmon and Delicata Squash

January 2, 2017 By Becky 4 Comments

Sheet Pan Salmon and Delicata Squash #30MinuteMondays #glutenfree #paleo #whole30

This easy sheet pan salmon and delicata squash takes just half an hour and one pan to make. It’s also paleo, dairy free, and Whole30 compliant!

Happy 2017! I hope your new year is off to a wonderful start. If you’re doing a January Whole30 or just trying to clean up your eating a bit this month, I have just the recipe for you. Sheet pan salmon and delicata squash is a super flavorful dinner that only requires four ingredients, half an hour, and one pan. I used homemade Creole seasoning on the squash and the fish, but store bought Creole seasoning or your favorite spice blend would also work.

This recipe is part of my 30 Minute Mondays series, which has been on hold for a while now. However, this month I’m back to sharing quick and easy recipes for you each Monday, and am going to keep them all Whole30-compliant for January.

Sheet Pan Salmon and Delicata Squash #30MinuteMondays #glutenfree #paleo #whole30

Since we’re roasting and then broiling for this recipe, I recommend using a high-heat cooking oil like duck fat, ghee, or avocado oil. I buy Epic duck fat and La Tourangelle avocado oil from Thrive Market and make my own ghee. Both duck fat and ghee impart extra rich flavor to the dish, while avocado oil is more neutral. The higher smoke points of all three of those fats make them ideal for roasting and searing, whereas other fats like olive oil are best used raw or in low-heat cooking.

Smoky Maple Margarita

December 26, 2016 By Becky Leave a Comment

Smoky Maple Margaritas

If you’re looking for a uniquely delicious drink to ring in the new year, this smoky maple margarita is just the ticket!

If you celebrate, I hope you had a wonderful and Christmas and a fabulous first night of Hanukkah! My mom flew down to Chattanooga and arrived on Christmas Eve, and we have been having the best time hanging out with my in-laws and nieces. The girls are beyond excited because they got a trampoline yesterday. In between eating all the holiday treats, it was really nice to bounce a bit.

Smoky Maple Margarita

Today I’m just popping in quickly to let you know that I’m sharing a recipe for a smoky maple margarita over on SoFabFood. It’s pretty much a classic margarita with two important upgrades: it’s sweetened with maple syrup and laced with smoked paprika. It’s not enough to make the drink spicy, but just enough to give it an enticing smoky flavor and aroma that’s perfect for this time of year. Wishing you and yours a fabulous and delicious 2017!

Click here for the smoky maple margarita recipe!

No-Bake Gingerbread Buche de Noel

December 19, 2016 By Becky 4 Comments

This gluten-free, no-bake gingerbread buche de noel is an icebox cake yule log that’s beyond easy to make and tastes amazing. No one will guess you didn’t even turn on your oven!

A few years ago when I spent my first Christmas with Ben’s family in Chattanooga, we started a tradition of making a yule log cake. These cakes are the modern-day version of an actual yule log, a giant piece of wood that for centuries was placed on the hearth and burned for all of the 12 days of Christmas in many European households. Since we don’t have a hearth or even a fireplace and since I really like cake, I’m glad this tradition went the way it did.

Every year for the past three years we’ve made this Chocolate Peppermint Roll from Joy the Baker, but this year I laid eyes on her Chocolate Peppermint Icebox Yule Log Cake. My ears perked up, because “icebox cake” means no baking is involved. I like to make Christmas cakes with my three nieces and while they all love baking, it’s a lot of work to bake both the cake and the meringue mushrooms while making sure everyone gets a turn to do everything at each stage of the process. I wanted to roll with the icebox idea but change up the flavor profile, so I created this no-bake gingerbread buche de noel.

Pomegranate Roasted Jerk Chicken

December 7, 2016 By Becky 29 Comments

This paleo pomegranate roasted jerk chicken is ideal for those who want a festive holiday main with a bit of a kick. Served with baby potatoes, it’s a complete, one-pot meal. This post is sponsored by Frontier Co-op.

I especially enjoy spicy foods in the winter–I’ll take all the warmth I can get when it’s cold outside. This pomegranate roast chicken is perfect for warming up both your kitchen as it roasts and you when you eat it. If you’re spice-averse, though, don’t worry. You can customize the heat level by adding fewer habanero peppers.

The peppers aren’t the only thing bringing heat to this chicken. Spices like cinnamon, allspice, and smoked paprika also have a warming effect. Peppers and spices are combined with a hint of tart sweetness from pomegranate juice, grassy freshness from the scallions, and the savory fragrance of fresh thyme. All of those flavors come together to create a perfect Jamaican jerk paste that’s equally delicious on chicken and potatoes. Roasting the chicken at high heat for the first few minutes and then reducing the heat for the remainder of the cooking time ensures crispy skin and juicy meat.

I created this recipe in partnership with Frontier Co-op, my favorite source for spices and seasonings. Frontier is encouraging everyone to #CookWithPurpose this holiday season and all year long. I care a lot about where my food comes from and how it’s grown, which is why I get most of my produce and meat from local farms that use sustainable practices. It’s important to me to think just as carefully about where our ingredients come from as we do about which delicious dishes to cook up for our families. With spices, though, it can be trickier to know what goes on to get these essential flavorings from farm to table. It’s impossible for me to source things like cinnamon and allspice locally, so I love being able to turn to Frontier Co-op to be assured that I’m getting spices that were grown sustainably and sourced with fair trade practices.