Dinner, Food, News, Pork, Recipes

Kids Picks and Pot Roast

Maybe a few of you can relate, but it could be that I am just extraordinarily weak, but a secret about me: If I happen to have – oh I don’t know, something like chocolate ice cream in my house – I will eat it every time I set my eyes on it until it’s gone.  Why?  Because IT’S THERE!!!  I am a strong woman, I take charge, I love eating paleo, I love feeling healthy, and gosh darn it I love ice cream.  This doesn’t make me bad – nor does it mean that I lack motivation or will power or whatever other buzz words the “diet” experts like to throw around out there, it just means I like ice cream.  So, what’s the solution to my dilemma?  I rarely let ice cream find it’s way into my home.  Instead, if we want ice cream, we leave our house and go to our favorite ice cream joint, and I eat one little scoop, and move on with my life.  So – how does this relate to my title of Kids Picks?  Well, the same is true for kids.  If you have a bunch of crap food in your house that you do not want your kids to eat, guess what – that’s what they will want to eat because it’s THERE!!  Solution – rid your house of the foods you do not want your kids, or yourself to have and replace these items with healthy choices.  My kids are total foodies and love to help create, choose, and pick what they want to eat.  And I can let them because in my home, they do not have a unhealthy option to pick from.

Pictured is the lunch created yesterday by my 6 year old, and the dinner cooked solely by my 14 year old (lettuce wrapped burgers with grilled onions and sauteed brussel sprouts.)

Also, here is my new favorite pot roast recipe that I adapted from a recipe that I saw on the Food Network.

Pork Pot Roast

1 Boston pork roast (4.5 lbs) or beef chuck roast

6 carrots

5 celery stalks

2 leeks

2 yellow onions

6 fresh thyme branches

6 garlic cloves

2 14 oz cans of diced organic salt free tomatoes

2 cups red wine

1 1/2 cups organic free range chicken broth

4 tbsp organic butter

1/4 cup coconut flour

Sea salt and crushed black pepper to taste

In a large soup pan or dutch oven add the olive oil and heat over medium heat.  Sprinkle a bit of  sea salt (if desired) and the crushed black pepper all over the roast. Roll the seasoned roast in the coconut flour.  Sear the roast in the large soup pan for 4 minutes on each side (make sure you get the top and bottom of the roast seared as well).  While the roast is searing, chop the veggies into large pieces.  When cutting leeks, make sure to cut in half lengthwise and rinse well because they are full of sand and dirt in between the layers. Remove the roast from the pan and add  all the veggies and cook in the drippings from the roast until the onions and leeks become tender.  Add the wine, chicken stock, canned tomatoes, thyme branches (tie them together with some cooking twine so they are easier to remove later), and a bit more sea salt and pepper.  With the flat part of your knife blade, crush the whole garlic cloves (as pictured) and toss those in as well.  Stir well and bring to a boil.  In the meantime, place your roast in a crock pot (this will only work if you have a big crock pot).  Pour the vegetable mixture over the crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours and on low for 1 hour.  If your crock pot is not big enough, you can cook the roast in a dutch oven or large roasting pan at 325 for 2 1/2 hours and then turn down to 250 and cook for another hour.  After the roast is done, remove  the roast from the vegetable mixture.  With scissors, remove the string holding the roast all together, and slice thin.  Remove the thyme branches from the vegetable mixture and pour half of the veggie mixture into a food processor or blender, add the butter, and blend until smooth.  On a large serving platter place the sliced meat and top with the remaining cooked veggies and pour the blended sauce over all of it.

This recipe is a good one to make on a weekend when you have a bit more time.  I made this for my sister and her family and in my haste, I forgot to take a picture of the final product but it turned out so good, I had to share it with you all anyway.

Enjoy!!

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Sarah Fragoso

Sarah Fragoso is an international best selling author of 6 books, co-owner of the Chico, CA based gym JS Strength and Conditioning, and founder of the Everyday Paleo franchise. Sarah is the co-host of the popular Sarah and Dr. Brooke Show podcast and she also conducts workshops and retreats on the subjects of nutrition, lifestyle and fitness.

Her message is from the heart and she carries a genuine desire to help other families looking for guidance. These attributes have contributed to her successes and provide the drive to keep the discoveries coming.

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21 Comments

  1. crockpot recipes says:

    I love crockpot recipes,too! Pot roast? YUM-O! Your son is so cute, I have a 6-year old twin boys, but I’m not seeing any inkling with pots and ladles! You can count on them though, to sit around the counter to taste test your dishes! And boy, do they have opinions when it comes to my recipes, lol!

  2. Vik says:

    Your site is amazing. I have a question – where do you get coconut flour? I finally have shredded coconut and coconut oil from Whole Foods, but I’ve never seen coconut flour. Thanks!

    1. Sarah says:

      Hi Vik!
      I do not have a whole foods here but I would imagine that they would carry coconut flour. If not, I buy mine from Raley’s. Also, my local health food store carries it as well. It’s the Red Mill brand. Good luck! : )

      1. Michelle says:

        Vik,
        We just recently bought coconut flour in the bulk section of Whole Foods and I found that it was much cheaper that way. Good luck!

  3. candace says:

    does anyone thing almond flour/meal would make a difference from the coconut? I’m still new to subbing almond flour, and I’m not familiar at all with coconut flour. (or oil, for that matter) Can’t wait to try this!

    1. Sarah says:

      Hey Candace!
      If you do not have coconut flour, I wouldn’t sub with the almond meal because of the consistency. I would just leave it out entirely, the roast will still be amazing!

  4. I just found your website! I’m so excited to see it – our little kids eat like this and I am so used to being the only person who’s daughter will give everyone a lesson on high ‘frookted’ corn syrup’ and how you should never eat it, not ever ever ever. =)

  5. I am new to the Paleo techniques, and noticed you used coconut flour. Is this a good substitute for something like sauteed chicken…or other proteins that you would like to create a bit of a crust? Thanks!

    1. Hi Marshell,
      Yes, coconut flour is a great sub for what you mentioned, as is almond meal!

      1. Or other ground nuts for that matter, I especially like breading chicken in crushed pecans…

  6. This is the pot roast in the book, right? I made it tonight and served the sauce on the side as a soup. My 3 year old said “Mommy, this is a good soup you made for us!” That’s a big thumbs up. I look forward to trying more of your recipes out.

    (He then proceeded to whine “I don’t want to eat dinner” while shoving handfulls of pork into his mouth, but hey, that’s a 3 year old for you.)

  7. Stacey says:

    I would like to cook this in my crockpot on low on day while I am at work. Are there any changes I should make? I wonder how it would taste if I seared the roast, put it in the crockpot, and then put the raw veggies in the pot, then the liquid and just let it cook all day.

    1. Sarah says:

      I think it would still taste good, you will have all of the same flavors and you can always take the liquid out at the end of the day to make the sauce as suggested!

  8. pot roast

  9. Stephanie says:

    I made it last night for the first time and we had guests over. The sauce turns out amazingly well, and I agree that it would make a perfect soup. I pulled it up on your site today to see if you or the comments said anything about all the extra liquid. Did you divide that evenly with the veggies? Do you strain it away? I’m tempted to puree all the veggies next time.

  10. Tracy P says:

    I made this for my family tonight and it turned out so well! Thank you for sharing the recipe. I used my dutch oven instead of the crock pot because I started it too late and I used 2-1lb. top round steaks. I cooked it in the oven exactly like you said and the meat was so incredibly tender! The sauce was yummy too!

  11. I was wondering about all the extra liquid as well. This recipe is amazingly delicious but I found there was too much liquid in the end, Do you discard it?

    1. Sarah says:

      Save it and make soup!!

  12. Making this for dinner and didn’t quite leave enough time to adjust temp before we leave for dance class. Will anything terrible happen if I bake in my dutch over for two hours at 325 and then one and half hours at 250?

    1. Sarah says:

      NOthing terrible at all except for dinner will be ready!

  13. SnazzyGina says:

    Making this for dinner. Going to have some mashed cauliflower on the side and pour some of that gravy on top. Cannot wait. Thanks so much for this recipe!!

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