1-2-3 Cook - Paleo Style

Lemony Yogurt Grilled Chicken

2012-01-10T12:55:00.000-08:00

Ok, Lemon Chicken has been the order of business lately and we have two more recipes to throw in the mix. We are having a veritable Lemon Chicken Smackdown, and its up to you all to vote for your favorite. Besides the Lemon Artichoke and Mushroom Chicken Breasts and the Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs, Ariel has tested out a fantastic recipe for Dad's Grilled Lemon Chicken from Everyday Paleo and I am marinating chicken for Lemony Yogurt Grilled Chicken. Do a cooking challenge at home and tell me what you think!

Lemony Yogurt Grilled Chicken
3 cups plain greek yogurt (not paleo but great protein)

2 lemons, juiced
2 tsp garlic
1 tsp sea salt
1 4-oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
chopped fresh herbs or a couple shakes of garlic herb seasoning

Mix all ingredients except chicken and reserve 1/2 cup. Put rest in a ziploc bag with chicken and marinate for 30 min to 6 hours. Heat grill to high, then reduce to med before cooking meat. Discard marinade and grill meat 4-7 min per side. Serve with reserved yogurt and a couple of fresh lemon slices.

Lemon Artichoke and Mushroom Chicken Breasts

2012-01-04T17:18:00.000-08:00

Wish I took a picture, this has to be the best chicken I have had in I can't remember how long. Tweaked a recipe from Allrecipes.com, my go to recipe site, and it is so full of flavor I had a hard time wrapping up the leftovers, wanted to eat it all in one sitting. Here is the recipe:

Lemon Artichoke and Mushroom Chicken Breasts

Ingredients:
1 tbspn butter (trader joes has a Kerry Gold butter that is made from the milk of grass fed cows - Melissa K swears by it!)
1/3 cup almond flour
1/4 tspn salt
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
2 lemons, juiced
1 cup chicken broth
2 tbspn worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup vermouth
1 tspn basil
1/2 jar artichoke antipasto from Trader Joes
1 container sliced mushrooms
1 tbspn cornstarch
1/4 cup water

melt butter in large skillet over med heat. gently press chicken breasts in almond flour to coat and place in pan with butter. Cook until browned on each side, about 10 min. Add lemon juice, chicken broth, worcestershire, vermouth, and sauteed mushrooms (I cooked these in a separate pan). Bring to a boil then cover and simmer on low heat for 15 min. Stir in Artichoke antipasto and continue simmering until chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 15 min. Mix cornstarch and water in small bowl and stir the mixture into the chicken, and continue cooking until thickened, about 5 min. I served this with roasted brussel sprouts cooked with bacon, pine nuts and onions. YUMMMMMMMM

Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs

2011-12-07T05:59:00.001-08:00

With the colder weather I have been spending a little more time in the kitchen. Recipe number two today is Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs. Made these for dinner last night and everyone came back for seconds. Super moist and tasty. Actually created this one on my own and I will definitely make it again.

Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs
1-2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 egg
1/4 cup almond milk
Almond flour (start with 1 cup and add more if you run out of breading)
1-2 Tbpsns Lemon Pepper seasoning
1 onion sliced
Olive Oil
2 lemons

Heat oil in skillet and add sliced onion. Saute for a couple of minutes. mix egg and almond milk and dip chicken in egg dip then drag through almond flour/lemon pepper mix. Lay on top of onions in skillet and salt to taste. Brown both sides and then transfer Chicken and Onions to a baking dish, squeeze lemon juice generously over chicken and bake in oven at 375 for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove from oven and serve with the butternut squash recipe below. Tasty!

Skillet Butternut Squash and Greens

2011-12-07T05:41:00.001-08:00

And the recipes keep coming! Thanks to some faithful paleo eaters I have been getting more good ideas. Melissa K tried this one the other night and I am a sucker for butternut squash so I can't wait to try it. This one comes from Everyday Paleo, a great site with lots of great recipes.

Skillet Butternut Squash and Greens
1 lb bacon, diced
1 medium sized butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 bunch chard, diced
1 zucchini, diced
Drizzle of olive oil
Drizzle of balsamic vinegar
Using a potato peeler, peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (you can get a bag of precut butternut squash at trader joes). Place in a large pan and cover with water. Boil for 5-7 minutes or until the squash is tender but not mushy (I recommend roasting in the oven for 20 min instead)
. While the squash is boiling, cook the diced bacon in a large skillet until browned. Drain the butternut squash and add to the cooked diced bacon along with the chard and zucchini. Saute for another couple of minutes until the chard is wilted. Drizzle with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar and serve.

Paleo Lasagna

2011-12-04T16:15:00.001-08:00

Lasagna was on the menu for the family Sunday dinner tonight and I thought I would try a paleo twist for my own portion, knowing full well that I would be the only one choosing the pan without noodles or cheese. Happily, it was very good and I have plenty of left over to feast on tomorrow night.

Paleo Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 cooked spaghetti squash

1 eggplant, sliced in 1/4 inch rounds

2-4 large portabella mushrooms sliced

2 cups of spicy spaghetti sauce (see recipe on previous post)

1 cup fresh spinach leaves

1/2 jar Trader Joes Artichoke Antipesto

(parmesan cheese and mozzerella optional - couldnt help a little sprinkle on top)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray pan with pam and lay out eggplant and mushrooms in a single layer. Salt & pepper and respray with pam. Roast for 15 minutes. In lasagna pan cover the bottom with spaghetti squash. Pour sauce evenly over squash. Remove vegis from oven and layer over the sauce. Top with a generous layer of leaf spinach. Then spread the artichoke spread on top. The ingredients in this spread are totally paleo so don't feel guilty pouring it on (even though the garlic may talk back to you tomorrow). Sprinkle cheese on top if you are at peace with dairy. Bake for 20 minutes and serve.

Spicy Spaghetti Squash

2011-12-04T16:06:00.001-08:00

Tonights recipe is a two for one special, Spicy Spaghetti Squash and Paleo Lasagna. My friend Bhairavi turned me on to this Spicy Spaghetti Sauce recipe a couple of months ago and the whole family loves it. You can spice it up or down depending on how heavy you go with the red pepper flakes. I actually simmer the sauce all day long in the crockpot and served it up with spaghetti squash for me and noodles for the rest of the family.

Spicy Spaghetti Squash
1 small spaghetti squash, halved and seeded

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup minced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, minced
12 ounces ground white meat turkey or lean ground beef
2 cups crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons red wine
2 teaspoons capers
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Place each squash half cut side down on a cookie sheet and bake uncovered for about 45 to 60 minutes or until a fork goes easily into the shell. Allow to cool and scoop out the strands of squash with a large spoon and set aside. (I microwave the squash according to the directions on the sticker)
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion, garlic and scallions and saute for 2 minutes. Add the meat and cook for 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and wine and bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the capers, oregano, red pepper flakes and parsley; simmer for 5 minutes. If the squash has cooled too much, reheat it in the microwave, covered for 2 to 3 minutes. Top the squash with the sauce and serve.

Avocado Chicken Salad

2011-11-28T17:28:00.001-08:00

Posting again, had a great idea to use up the turkey leftovers. Of course since I got home late all the turkey was gone so I went back to the original plan - chicken. I have this all made up for tomorrow nights meal and am planning on serving it on a bed of spinach

Avocado Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
4 cooked chicken breasts (I ripped apart a rotisserie chicken)
2 ripe avocados
1 stalk of celery
1/2 cup dried cherries or cranberries
1/4 cup avocado oil or mayo
2 tbspn lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Dice chicken and avocado into bite size pieces and chop celery into a very small dice. Combine all ingredients and stir until well mixed but avocado still is somewhat chunky. Either serve immediately or refrigerate for later. Serve in a lettuce wrap, over spinach or naked.

Egg Nog Shake

2011-11-23T09:12:00.001-08:00

Two posts in a week - can you believe it! Ariel inspired me to concoct a paleo friendly eggnog shake, so, I here it goes. Drinking it as I type and it is delish. I have become a big fan of the whipped vanilla flavor BSN Dessert Protein powder, so you will see it in alot of my recipes. Feel free to substitute with the vanilla protein powder of your choice.

Eggnog Shake

1 scoop whipped vanilla BSN Dessert Protein Powder
1 cup Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 tbspn ground flaxseed meal
1 raw egg
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp rum extract
1 tbspn honey
4 ice cubes

Stir the protein powder and milk together before pouring in the blender. Add flaxseed meal, egg (don't do this if you are aftraid of Salmonella - I have eaten enough cookie dough over the years that I feel like I am immune), nutmeg, rum extract, honey, and ice cubes. Blend and serve in a festive cup with christmas music playing in the background and a fire roaring in the fireplace!

Chicken and Vegi Artichoke Casserole

2011-11-22T18:45:00.001-08:00

OK, I am kicking myself for not taking a picture of this one, because it was pretty and soooo tasty! My daughter came home from college tonight so I decided I would stuff her full of all the vegis I am sure she has not been eating over the last three months. This one takes a little prep work, but great casserole dish and even better if you cheat a little and add some cheese.

Chicken and Vegi Artichoke Casserole

4 Chicken breasts cut in strips
3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (optional)
1 egg
1/4 cup almond milk
1 eggplant
2 red, yellow, or orange peppers
broccoli
cauliflower
1 Jar Trader Joes Artichoke Antipasto Spread
1/2 cup shredded asiago cheese (optional)

Cut eggplant in 1/4 inch circles, peppers in strips and broccoli and cauliflower in bite size pieces. Spray pan with pam and put vegis in oven to roast at 400 degrees. In the meantime heat pan with a little olive oil and dip chicken in egg and milk mixture. coat with almond flour and parmesan cheese mixture and pan fry until golden and mostly cooked through. Remove vegis from oven and arrange layer of eggplant,broccoli, and cauliflower and spread half of jar of artichoke spread, arrange peppers on top then lay chicken in single layer on top. Spread rest of artichoke spread on top of chicken and sprinkle asiago on top. Bake for 15 more minutes and serve. YUMMMMMM

Crockpot Beef and Satay Sauce

2011-09-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

Fall weather makes me want to get the crockpot out and do some slow cooking. Today I had 2 ingredients available so not much choice in what I was making, but it turned out delish! So easy and so tasty - give it a try!

Crockpot Beef and Satay Sauce

2 lbs lean beef stew meat cut in chunks
1 jar Trader Joes Peanut Satay sauce
1/4 cup almond flour
2 tbspn olive oil

toss meat and flour together and heat oil in pan. Brown meat and scrape all the yummy goodness into a crockpot. Pour over the jar of Trader Joes Peanut Satay sauce and cook on low 6 hours.

Chicken with Blueberry Sauce

2011-08-30T05:27:00.000-07:00

This recipe popped up on my daily email from Allrecipes.com and looked tasty so I thought I would give it a whirl. Nice use of savory and sweet and blueberries season is just ending so I wanted to get this one in while I could still find good blueberries.

Chicken with Blueberry Sauce

4 chicken breasts (I would pound out butterfly if they are too thick)

1 tbspn olive oil

1/2 cup spreadable fruit (I used peach preserves)

3 Tbspn dijon mustard (I used my favorite Trader Joes Garlic Mustard Aoili)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup blueberries

1.In a large skillet over medium heat, cook chicken in oil for about 4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Combine preserves and mustard; spoon over chicken. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.
2.With a slotted spoon, remove chicken and keep warm. Add vinegar to skillet; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 3 minutes or until sauce is reduced by one-third, stirring occasionally. Stir in blueberries.

Spicy Sweet Smoky Pork Tenderloin

2011-08-07T14:42:00.000-07:00

Hallelujah! A recipe recommendation from a faithful follower - Thanks for the recipe Bhairavi. She loves to shop at Trader Joe's too, and has stumbled across this great salsa - Trader Joes Spicy Sweet Smoky Peach Salsa. Can't wait to give it a try.

Spicy Sweet Smoky Pork Tenderloin

1-2 Pork Tenderloins
1 jar of Trader Joes Spicy Sweet Smoky Peach Salsa

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place pork in roasting pan and pour salsa on top. Bake until internal temperature reaches 150 (about 20-30 minutes). Nice and Easy!

Steak and Carmelized Peach Salad

2011-08-03T17:09:00.000-07:00

Anyone else in total peach mode lately? Peaches are perfect right now and the new carmelized peach salad at California Pizza Kitchen inspired me to play around with peaches for dinner tonight. I threw together a bunch of my favorite ingredients and came up with a FANTASTIC summer salad. I would put this up to CPK any day of the week.

Steak and Carmelized Peach Salad

3/4 pound beef stir fry meat (I bought presliced bottom round steak from Walmart - Skirt steak or any type of lean steak sliced thin)

2 peaches
bag of spinach

handful of pecans

1/4 cup of feta cheese, goat cheese, or no cheese for the paleo purists

handful of dried cherries

1/2 avacado sliced

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

optional seasoning - smokehouse maple grillmates seasoning

cut peaches in half, remove pit and place cut side down on cooking sheet and roast at 400 degrees for 15 min. Pour 1/2 the oil in a pan and saute the steak until cooked through (I seasoned meat with smokehouse maple and salt) . Remove from heat. cut steak in bite sized pieces, and add the rest of the oil and balsamic vinegar. Pour meat and warm dressing into bowl with spinach, cheese, nuts, cherries, avacado. Remove peaches from oven and cut in chunks and toss in salad. I did use a little extra balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing (Panera brand).

Eggplant Sliders

2011-08-02T16:55:00.000-07:00

I have been experimenting with some new vegetables lately, and keep coming back to eggplant. This purple skinned vegi is a great source of antioxidants as well as a good source of fiber,B6, folate, magnesium, and niacin. The menu for the family tonight was cheeseburger sliders, corn on the cob, and fruit salad. I opted for breaded eggplant rounds as a paleo sub for the hamburger bun and they were a hit with my husband and myself. I would definitely make these again to eat by themselves or as a bun substitute for burgers, chicken, or any grilled meat. Hope you take the time to try it.
Eggplant Rounds
1 eggplant cut in 1/2 inch slices
Egg
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tsp oregano
1tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic herb seasoning

Preheat oven to 400 and spray pan with Pam. Mix egg and oil in one bowl and all dry ingredients in another bowl. Dip eggplant slices in egg mix and then dredge through almond flour mix. Place in single layer on pan and cook for 40 min turning half way through. This is great with garlic aoli mustard as a dipping sauce or with a burger and your favorite burger fixings.

High Protein Banana Bread

2011-08-01T05:59:00.000-07:00

Back from a week of vacation and god bless my husband, back to a clean house! Only thing amiss was the bunch of overly ripe bananas sitting on the counter, which was screaming "banana bread" as I was scrounging around for breakfast this morning. If you follow this blog you have learned a couple things about me. I love my BSN Lean Dessert Protein powder, and while I love the paleo principles, I tweak a little to make the diet liveable, with things like Greek yogurt (dairy but so high in protein and low in fat I can totally justify it) and honey (a girl needs a little sweet). So, here is my high protein banana bread I created this morning. Turned out delish and it's packed full of protein! Gave it to the kids for breakfast and they loved it!

High Protein Banana Bread

3 ripe bananas mashed
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 egg
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
Stir all ingredients together

1 cup almond flour
2 scoops whipped vanilla BSN Lean Dessert protein powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
Stir together and mix into wet ingredients
Pour in 8X8 square pan sprayed with Pam and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until set.
(I covered with foil half way through so it didnt brown too much) Slice and serve

2011-07-21T08:37:00.000-07:00

Summer heat is weighing heavily on all of us, and visions of cool treats are definitely swimming around in my head as we knock out crazy wods in our unairconditioned crossfit gym. A couple of tasty treats you may want to pack in the freezer and throw in your gym bag for a quick post workout treat are frozen grapes or a frozen banana. I am experimenting with a frozen chocolate yogurt banana treat that I will get back to you on. Dig out some of the smoothie recipes on this site as well. Experiment with different fruits (peaches are great right now) - and let me know what your favorite concoctions are!

Ok, moving on - had a great conversation with Ariel at the gym today and she is slowly sliding into paleo but is looking for some seasoning options to spice things up. I was telling her about my new favorite spice - McCormicks Gill Mates Smokehouse Maple. I am using it on all of the pork I grill, as well as butternut squash. Just the right amount of tang and sweet to really bring out the flavor. This would also be excellent on chicken or salmon.

SmokeHouse Maple Butternut Squash

1 butternut squash peeled and cubed (or a bag already peeled and cubed - you can get at Trader Joe's or Walmart)
Pam Olive Oil Spray
McCormick's Smokehouse Maple Seasoning

Spray a baking stone or pan with Pam and spread out a single layer of cubed butternut squash. Spray again on top with olive oil spray. Season with Smokehouse maple seasoning to taste and roast in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20-30 min. Easy and a great side dish with any grilled meat.

Chicken Cherry Salad

2011-06-13T18:08:00.000-07:00

Before I start today's dinner I wanted to report back that the Swordfish turned out great! The pistachio crust was very easy and tasty, and I think it would go well with chicken, pork, or steak. Ok, on to Chicken and Cherry Salad. Hallelujah, bing cherries are in season and happen to be one of my favorite fruits. Besides being tasty, they are super healthy with plenty of antioxidents and are supposed to help reduce inflammation - a common affliction with us active crossfitters.

If you follow this blog, you will quickly figure out that this is a variation of one of my favorite standbys - coleslaw salad. Never the less, here is a fresh twist that is super delicious. Hope you enjoy.

Chicken Cherry Salad
Ingredients:
1-2 cups shredded cabbage (bagged coleslaw in the bagged lettuce section)
chicken breast cooked and chopped (I use a breast from a rotisserie chicken)
10-15 bing cherries pits removed and chopped
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese (optional)
Boathouse Blue Cheese Vinagrette Dressing

Toss all ingredients together and devour.

Pistachio Encrusted Swordfish Steaks

2011-06-12T14:34:00.000-07:00

I am almost embarrassed to update my blog since I have been on such a long haitus! Well, after a week in Mexico I am anxious to put the chips and margaritas behind me and hunker down for some healthy eating. Spending a week by the sea has awakened my seafood yearnings so today is Pistachio Encrusted Swordfish Steaks.

Pistachio Encrusted Swordfish Steaks

Ingredients:

6 swordfish steaks

1 cup veg. broth

Crust:

8oz dry roasted pistachios

1/3 cup cilantro - hand chopped

2 tbpn olive oil

salt and pepper

Pulse pistachios 20 sec to make a breadcrumb consistency. Mix in bowl with chopped cilantro, oil, and salt and pepper. Set aside

Preheat oven to 400. Salt and pepper both sides of steaks and place on foil lined tray. Spread crust on top of steaks and pour veg. broth at bottom of pan (steam from broth keeps the fish moist). Bake in oven for 8 min and then broil under high heat for another minute or two to brown the top.

I plan on squeezing a little lemon juice on top and serving with sauteed spinach and papaya chunks. I will report back tomorrow with a new recipe and let you know how the swordfish turned out.

Engagement Chicken

2011-04-05T07:15:00.000-07:00

Ideas for yummy paleo meals have not been flowing lately, so I have really been keeping my eyes and ears open for recipes that can be adapted to paleo. While watching the Today show this morning they aired a segment on "Engagement Chicken" which sounds super easy and really tasty. While the premise of this recipe is that it is so good it will get your man to propose, I am willing to settle for a man and children that don't roll their eyes and pretend to gag when I put the meal on the table. This one looks beautiful, and with the right sides you can please anyone with this dish! http://www.glamour.com/magazine/2006/07/engagement-chicken

Sausage "Pizza"

2011-03-29T16:32:00.000-07:00

Long time no blog! Vacation has curtailed my paleo cooking, but I am back in the kitchen and ready to cook. I defrosted Italian Turkey Sausage links tonight and decided sausage pizza would be the only way I could get the rest of the family to eat the sausage. I used eggs as the crust and did add cheese to the kids half (ok, to my half too, I like cheese!) But you can do this recipe strict paleo if you please. Here is the recipe - everyone went back for seconds!

Sausage Pizza

Ingredients:

1 pkg turkey italian sausage

10 eggs mushrooms sliced

spinach

any other vegis you like to add to pizza

mozzerella cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Spray pan with pam and cook sausage links for 5 min each side. Then cut in slices and cook until no longer pink. Crack eggs in bowl and whisk. Pour in a cookie sheet with sides ( I have a pampered chef stone cookie sheet that is perfect for this). Top with sausage, vegis and cheese and season. Bake in 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Remove when eggs are set. Slice and serve. I served with fruit salad. yummmmmmm

Buffalo Chicken Tenders with Saucy Spaghetti Squash

2011-03-11T06:18:00.000-08:00

Found some time to cook last night and thanks to Mike's recommendation of a great recipe site http://www.primal-palate.com/ I made a great dish that even the kids gobbled up. This recipe for Buffalo Chicken Tenders had a dipping sauce to go with it. I combined the sauce and spaghetti squash to squeeze in a vegi, and it turned out to be the perfect side for the spicy chicken. I rounded out the meal with a salad and cooked enough chicken for leftovers tonight. Hope you all enjoy as much as we did.

Buffalo Chicken Tenders with Saucy Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients:

1-2lbs chicken breasts cut in one inch strips

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup Durkees or Franks Hot Sauce

1/4 tspn cayenne pepper

1 tspn garlic powder

Heat coconut oil until it is liquid and mix in rest of ingredients. Place chicken in gallon size ziplock bag and pour sauce over chicken & shake thoroughly. (make sure you do this quickly, when the coconut oil cools it will resolidify)

Lay out chicken tenders in a single layer in a shallow pan or a broiler pan(not a cookie sheet without sides) and bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes.

Saucy Spaghetti Squash

1 spaghetti squash

1 cup greek yogurt

1 tbspn dill

1 tbspn garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/4 cup parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook spaghetti squash how you like. I have found that piercing it with a knife and microwaving whole for 6 min, let it sit for 10 min and then cut in half, scoop out seeds, and fork out into a bowl works well. You can also cut it in half, scoop seeds, then place open sides down in a shallow dish of water and microwave for 6-8 min. Mix rest of ingredients and stir in squash. I then reheat the saucy squash right before serving so it is nice and hot. Serve the buffalo chicken tenders on top and the combined flavor is wonderful!

Apple Pie Shake

2011-03-09T18:36:00.001-08:00

So, life still kind of busy for me lately and I again apologize for not adding more recipes. One thing I have been doing lately since I have been short of time is making protein shakes for breakfast. My current fave is an Apple Pie shake - easy as pie!

Apple Pie Protein Shake

1 scoop vanilla protein powder
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup coconut milk
ice
apple peeled and cored
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup of my paleo granola (or add some pecans, flaxseed, coconut
dried cherries, raisins)

dump in the blender and blend, pour in a cup and drink!

Apple Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

2011-03-01T07:18:00.000-08:00

Has it really been 10 days since I posted last? I truly apologize, life gets in the way sometimes. Needless to say my eating has not been stellar lately, but I am ready to regroup and jump back on that paleo wagon. Tonight is a crockpot night with Apple Stuffed Pork Tenderloin. Here is the recipe, I will let you know how it turns out.

Also, I have been hearing lots of yummy meals are being made by the next level challenge participants - would love to post some of these if you find some good ones. Dawn has a chicken pizza I will post - the crust is a pounded thin chicken breast - yumm!

One last link - pretty funny you tube video on memory - any of you over 40 people might relate. Check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzSaoN2LdfU

Apple Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients:
1-2 pork loins (mine came 2 in a pack)
2 apples chopped
4 celery stalks chopped
1/3 cup pecans chopped
1/4 cup dried cherries chopped
nutmeg
garam masala
1/4 cup apple juice

chop apples, celery, pecans, and cherries in chopper. Mix with spices, 2Tbspn apple juice. Butterfly pork tenderloins and beat thin between two sheets of waxed paper. Divide stuffing between 2 loins and rollup, place seam side down in crockpot (tie up if you have string). Top with remaining stuffing that didnt fit and pour rest of apple juice on top. Cook on low 8-10 hours. I served with roasted butternut squash and salad.

Salmon with Mustard Dill Sauce

2011-02-20T15:48:00.001-08:00

Its been a crazy weekend, and not much time to cook or get to the grocery store. If you all are anything like me, you probably have a bag of some type of frozen fish lurking deep in the back of the freezer. I had two pieces of salmon vacuum packed and ready to be released from freezer hell. Found this recipe on Allrecipes.com and liked it for the most part, although I would probably bake or grill the salmon next time instead of poaching it. The sauce was tasty though and I would use it on any type of fish.

Salmon with Mustard Dill Sauce
Ingredients:
2 salmon or other fish fillets
1 cup wine
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup greek yogurt (if you allow dairy)
1/4 cup dijon mustard (I used trader joe's aoili garlic mustard sauce)
1 tbspn honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tbspn chopped dill

put wine and water in saucepan and add fish. Poach with lid on for 10-12 min over med heat until fish is flaky. Meanwhile, mix yogurt, mustard, honey, lemon juice, and dill to serve on top.

POWER FOOD ALERT**

FYI, salmon is a fantastic source of omega 3's. Offering both DHA and EPA omega 3 acids, these can help lower triglyceride levels and blood pressure and may even alleviate symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Other nutritional benefits:

high in selenium, an antioxidant that protects healthy cells by fighting off free radicals
High in niacin, B6, B12, and Vitamin D

Make sure you buy wild Alaskan salmon over the farmed variety, it is safer and offers more nutrients.

FUN FACT - when wild salmon swim upstream from the ocean into rivers and streams to spawn they help replenish those freshwater habitats with nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus.

Beets N Sweets

2011-02-17T15:30:00.000-08:00

I have had a bunch of beets sitting in my fridge all week waiting for some attention, so tonight I am bringing out the beets. Allrecipes.com is my first go to recipe site because it has such a large library of recipes, and the comments and pictures are super helpful. I picked Beets N Sweets because well, I had all the ingredients, and I thought it would go well with the Carne Asada from Trader Joe's I am cooking tonight. I will report back after I test it out on the family.

Beets N Sweets

Ingredients:

3 tbspn olive oil

1 tsp garlic salt

3 beets ends cut and peeled, cut in cubes

1 large sweet potato - peeled and cut in cubes

1 sweet onion - cut in cubes

1 tsp sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 400. Toss beets in olive oil and lay out in single layer on cookie sheet - cook for 15 min alone. Meanwhile - toss rest of ingredients in a bowl and add to cookie sheet to bake for another 35-45 minutes.

Power Fuel Wrap

2011-02-15T06:04:00.000-08:00

Hey Folks, back from a long weekend in Winter Park, Florida with Margaret and Nikki for our Crossfit Level 1 cerfication. Great weekend! While we did not stay strict to Paleo this weekend, we had some AWESOME food and I came back with a couple of non-paleo meals that I will attempt to tweak for the cavemen followers out there. First up is The Power Fuel Sandwich - peanut butter, strawberries, granola, and drizzled honey served in a pita.

Power Fuel Wrap

Wrap Ingredients:

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1/4 cup egg whites

1/4 cup coconut milk

2 Tbspn flaxseed meal

Filling:

1 banana

2 strawberries

chopped pecans or paleo granola

drizzle of honey

2 Tbspn sunflower butter or almond butter

For wraps - mix ingredients and heat up a non-stick mini pan or full sized pan. Spray with pam if you have any sticking issue with your pan. For the mini pan pour in 1/2 the batter and tip pan around until full bottom is covered in thin layer of batter. turn when edges start curling up -(use a non-metal spatula) cook on other side until set and slide onto plate. Repeat with rest of batter or make one big crepe style wrap with a big pan. Spread wrap(s) with sunflower or almond butter, top with banana slices and strawberry slices, drizzle with a small amount of honey and sprinkle chopped pecans or paleo granola on top. Fold in half, roll, or just dig in!

Paleo Pizza

2011-02-11T08:34:00.001-08:00

I have been sitting here feeling guilty because I have not posted in a couple of days. My eggplant chicken and spaghetti squash with meatsauce have been holding me over the last couple of days so my cooking has consisted of reheating. Luckily Matt sent me a link to Paleo Pizza which he has tried and says turned out good. So - here is the link to the recipe on the crossfit genius website - PALEO PIZZA .

FYI, there is a little controversy on several of the paleo recipes that stray away from caveman like simplicity, attempting to recreate the processed modern dishes that have been the root of our declining healthy diet. Many of my recipes contain ingredients that should be considered "occasional" foods, and not mainstays of the daily paleo diet. These include almond flour, dates, fruits, sweeteners, etc. I personally need occasional treats like paleo brownies, paleo pizza, bacon-wrapped sweet potato fries to keep me on track with a paleo lifestyle. But because the treats are posted frequently don't mistake the importance of getting the majority of your nutrition from lean high quality protein sources, vegetables, and good fats.

I am off on a trip this weekend, but will be posting back next Tuesday with hopefully some good meat and vegi type dishes. PLEASE send me any good recipes you have!

Eggplant Chicken Sandwich

2011-02-08T15:25:00.000-08:00

Hold the Bun Please! I don't know about you all, but I can only eat so many salads before I start jonesing for anything that comes between two pieces of bread - you know, a sandwich! Meat just seems so much happier when its tucked inside two pieces of something, anything, to give it a warm happy home. Well, bread is a no-no for those of us trying to live a Paleo lifestyle so I have a couple of go to options for transforming my meals into "sandwiches". For burgers I love to roast a big portabella mushroom cap. Deli sandwiches are great wrapped in a couple of large pieces of lettuce (think Jimmy John's Unwich). Tonight I am trying an Eggplant Chicken Sandwich.

Eggplant Chicken Sandwich

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts - beat thin with mallet
olive oil or pam
favorite spices (I used garlic herb for 1/2 and lemon pepper for 1/2)
eggplant - cut in 1/2 inch slices
any toppings that you wish (I topped with spinach, garlic aioli mustard)

Preheat oven to 300. Pat breasts dry and rub with oil and spices. Lay in pyrex dish and bake for 30 min with a pan of water on shelf underneath (makes really moist chicken ). Cut eggplant in 1/2 inch rounds and lay out on a paper towel and salt. After chicken is done increase temp to 400 and place eggplant on sheet sprayed with pam. Drizzle olive oil over eggplant and roast for 15 min. while keeping chicken warm. Turn eggplant and broil for another 5 min. Spread with garlic mustard (or garlic mayo, sundried tomato pesto, get creative) and top with chicken, spinach, tomato, again whatever you want. Do me a favor - if you try this, comment on what you think and what toppings/spreads you tried.

Bacon-Wrapped Sweet Potato Fries

2011-02-06T06:32:00.000-08:00

Anyone who really knows me, knows that sweet potato fries are my ultimate weakness. If they are listed on a menu, they must be ordered! So, when I found this recipe on a paleo friendly website ( www.thefoodee.com/blog ) I started salivating immediately. My sweet potato slices are soaking as I type and I plan to bring these along with me to my superbowl party tonight - secretly hoping that I can hide them in a corner and eat them all myself.

Bacon-Wrapped Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:

2 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cut in thick matchsticks

bacon (I will let you be the judge of how much, I can't stomach too much bacon grease so I will use sparingly)

Optional dipping sauce:

1/2 cup mayo

1-2 chipoltes

juice of 1 lime

Soak sweet potato matchsticks for 6 hours in a bowl of cold water. This apparently removes most of the starch from the potatoes (you will see the white glob at the bottom of the bowl). Rinse and pat dry. Cut bacon slices in 1/2's or thinner lengthwise and wrap around sweet potatoes. Arrange leftover non wrapped fries around wrapped ones so the grease will spread. Bake at 425 for 25 min and then flip and cook another 10-12 minutes. Squeeze lime juice over the fries and serve with mayo and chipoltes pulsed together in food processor.

Superbowl Snacks

2011-02-04T06:44:00.000-08:00

Superbowl weekend is here and I am thinking we need to post some paleo friendly snacks for all the noshing we will be doing on Sunday. If you have any great recipes PLEASE shoot them to me in the comment section or email me. I will put my thinking cap on and report back today or tomorrow with hopefully some tasty suggestions.

Curry Chicken with Butternut Squash and Portabella Mushrooms

2011-02-03T05:08:00.000-08:00

It has been crazy around the Teague house the last couple of days with the "Historic" storm of 2011 - yeah, whatever! We ended up getting a couple of inches of ice pellets and maybe an inch of snow. What we also got was a houseful of teenagers for the last three days, with no end in sight. School is off again today and I have had a minimum of 5, max of 10 large smelly teenagers reeking havoc in my humble abode. Needless to say, my cooking has been limited to mac n cheese, ramen noodles, and eggs and bacon to feed the masses. We did have chicken n dumplings the other night and I managed to pull out a couple of chicken breasts to whip up my own creative curry dish with what I had left in the fridge. Here is my modge podge recipe, it actually turned out pretty tasty.

Curry Chicken with Butternut Squash and Portabella Mushrooms

3 chicken breasts boiled with onion
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 portabella mushroom caps, cubed
1 jar Trader Joes Yellow Curry Sauce

Cook the chicken breasts how ever you like. I happened to boil them along with some others I was using for another recipe. Preheat oven to 400. Spray pan with pam and lay out squash and mushroom cubes in single layer. Roast for 1/2 hour or until tender. Shred or chop chicken into bite size pieces. Mix chicken, curry sauce, and vegis and serve.

New cooking method for Chicken:

I met a very nice lady at Dierberg's the other day who got to talking with me about Paleo and other healthy topics and she sent me an email on her favorite way to cook chicken. Sounds great to me and I plan to try it next time I have a couple of chicken breasts.

Preheat oven to 275-300 degrees. Pound chicken breasts with a mallet until thin and rub with 2 Tbspn olive oil and cover with preferred herbs and spices. Bake in pyrex glass dish for about 30 minutes. **Place a pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven. Chicken comes out moist and delicious - can't wait to try!

Hope you are all fairing well in the ice and cold!!

Salmon with Mango Salsa and Sauteed Spinach

2011-01-31T16:22:00.000-08:00

Have I told you how much I am loving my new mini non-stick pan I got at Dierberg's the other day? It is probably about 6 inches in diameter and the perfect size for single size paleo meals, which happen frequently in my house of carb-lovers. Tonight I cooked a piece of salmon (you can by individually vacuun sealed fillets by the bag just about anywhere) in my handy little pan. Since it is non stick I simply put the thawed fish in, covered with a lid and flipped after 5 minutes or so. When it is almost done I added some mango salsa on top and replaced the lid to heat up the salsa and steam the fish. Easy and tastes great! Along with this I had the sauteed spinach recipe listed below:

Sauteed Spinach with Pecans and Goat Cheese

2 tbspn olive oil
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
1 1/4 lbs baby spinach
2 Tbspn sherry vinegar
1/2 cup pecans toasted and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese (optional)

Heat oil in large skillet over medium. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add spinach; cook, tossing until spinach has started to wilt about 2 min. Transfer to a serving platter. Add vinegar to skillet, and heat for 5 seconds. Drizzle over spinach and onion. Sprinkle with pecans and goat cheese and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Other ideas for spinach - sub garlic, pinenuts and chopped apple for onion and pecans(pictured)

Fun Facts on Spinach:

Loads of vitamin K, essential for blood clotting and bone health.
high doses of B6 and C as well as folate and magnesium
to get the most of spinach's fat-soluble nutrients, cook the greens with a healthy fat, such as olive oil.

Warrior Dash - Any Takers??

2011-01-30T06:14:00.000-08:00

Hey Crossfit and Paleo Enthusiasts - Dawn W. clued me in to this race next October that looks like it would be right up our alley. The Warrior Dash takes place all over the country, and on October 15th, 2011 will be hitting the St Louis area. Go visit http://www.warriordash.com/ for all the details. If you are interested shoot a comment back to this post and lets get a group together to go experience this sadistic fun!

Paleo Friendly Hummus

2011-01-28T09:21:00.000-08:00

Ladies night at Crossfit Valley Park tonight and I am feeling the pressure to bring some tasty treats to maintain my foodie reputation. I feel like I have been pushing the sweets lately, so I am heading savory tonight with a paleo hummus recipe to serve with fresh vegis. Just finished blending up this recipe I found on http://libidiny.blogspot.com and I love it! Don't miss the chickpeas at all.

Paleo Friendly Hummus

1 zucchini peeled and chopped
1/2 cup unsalted raw macadamia nuts
2 T Tahini (found in a jar in the salad dressing aisle)
2T olive oil
2 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic minced
1 tsp sea salt
1 rounded tsp cumin
dash of cayenne pepper

Dump all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. For variety add roasted red peppers, pine nuts, artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, or kalamata olives. Serve with baby carrots, red, orange or yellow pepper slices, celery, etc.

Blueberry Muffins

2011-01-27T06:07:00.001-08:00

Have you noticed that blueberries are plentiful in the stores right now? I have been taking full advantage of this and have been going berry crazy! Had a taste for blueberry muffins this morning and couldn't find a good recipe so I concocted my own. It tastes great, looks great in the paper, but comes out a little mushy on the bottom. I just scraped the good bits off the paper - that works for me!

Paleo Blueberry Muffins

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use BSN Dessert line)

1 scoop almond flour

1 scoop flax meal

1 egg

1 scoop coconut milk (I use light)

1 scoop egg whites

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use your protein powder scoop to measure just about everything. Mix all ingredients together and spoon in paper lined muffin pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 min. Makes 6 muffins.

Roasted Papaya

2011-01-26T18:36:00.001-08:00

Still going with the hot fruit theme - tried roasted papaya tonight. Real easy, here is what I did:

Cut papaya in half and scoop out seeds. Cut again in quarters and roast in oven for 30 min at 450 degrees. I put a little a little drizzle of organic blue agave nectar on top but you don't really need it. After I took it out of the oven I topped it with some of my paleo granola, or you can use walnuts or macadamia nuts. Very tasty if you like papaya.

A couple of papaya fun facts:

Ripe papaya contains a three day supply of vitamin C and lots of vitamin A and E, all powerful antioxidants.
Papayas help improve skin and strengthen nails and hair.
The enzyme papain found in green papaya reduces the itch and irritation caused by mosquito bites - just rub the bite with a piece of the fruit.

Hot Fruit

2011-01-25T18:58:00.000-08:00

I have spent all day trying to avoid the oatmeal raisin cookies I made for my grandma this morning, who is 96 and is allowed to eat whatever she darn well pleases. Yes, I finally did succumb, but it got me thinking about the need for treats and what can fill that sugar void in the land of Paleo. The obvious choice is fruit of course, high in natural sugars, but also packed with nutrients and permitted in moderation. I have found lately, especially since it is so cold outside, that hot fruit really satisfies that dessert craving. I have a couple of recipes I have posted lately including the protein blueberry pancakes, and the apple blueberry crumble. Here are some other great suggestions:

grilled fruit - pineapple rings, peaches,
baked fruit - apples, papaya, pears,
chips - apple chips, beet chips, sweet potato chips, parsnip chips
fried - bananas
microwave - blueberries, raspberries, blackberries

Take some time and experiment and let me know your favorite combinations. Try adding cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, garam masala, nuts, almond flour/dried fruit crumble, coconut flakes, paleo granola. Also, try making your own applesauce or pear sauce. Skip the cookies and go for Hot Fruit!

Apple Walnut Pulled Pork

2011-01-25T05:25:00.000-08:00

The plan was to make the Apple Walnut Pulled Pork out of my leftovers from yesterdays pork, but unfortunately we ate it all up. I did have an extra tenderloin though so I subjected my family to day 2 of pork to try out the leftover recipe I found in the Post Dispatch. This turned out pretty well, but my family still added barbeque sauce on the pulled pork for a little more flavor. A nice easy dish for the crockpot.

Apple Walnut Pulled Pork

1 granny smith apple peeled and diced
1/2 cup apple juice
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 pound leftover pork tenderloin from last nights Apple Dijon Pork - shred with fork

Combine apple, apple juice, honey, and walnuts in a large skillet. Saute over medium heat for 4-6 minutes, until the juices reduce slightly. Stir in shredded pork, simmering for 3 to 4 minutes or until heated through. I served this with the fried cauliflower rice, and the family ate it on a bun with some bbq sauce.

Apple Dijon Pork Tenderloin

2011-01-23T16:16:00.000-08:00

Its the end of the weekend and turned out to be a perfect day to hole up and cook while the rest of the family vegged on the couch watching football. Friday and Saturday nights are typically eat out night for our household, which can be a challenge satisfying this Paleo girl. Truth is I LOVE to eat out and am not willing to sacrifice this pleasure, so I have made it my mission to hunt down restaurants that will accomodate my quirky requests. Friday night we hit Gulf Shores Restaurant on Olive - great spot we just discovered. A cajun seafood joint with lots of healthy fish options and sides that are interchangeable so you can double up on vegis no problem. Salmon, steamed spinach, and steamed mixed vegis - all so good I keep ordering the same thing each time. Next time I promise to try a new fish dish. Lets get some comments going on your favorite paleo friendly restaurants.

Ok back to Sunday cooking - the Post Dispatch had some great recipes for two nights in a row. Tonight is Apple-Dijon Pork Tenderloin with butternut squash and broccoli. Tomorrow night the leftover meat will go into Apple-Walnut Pork which I plan to serve with sauteed spinach and that cauliflower rice I made the other day. I am trying to organize the shopping and plan out my meals for the week. Love to hear what others do to plan for their busy weeks.

Apple-Dijon Pork Tenderloin
2 Pork Tenderloins
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup applejuice
1/4 cup dijon mustard
2 apples peeled cored and chopped

Brown pork tenderloins in pan and then transfer to crockpot. Mix applesauce, applejuice, and mustard. top tenderloins with mix and top with apples. I cooked for 4 hrs on high, but you could also do 8 hours on low. This had a good flavor, I might even add dried cherries on top during the last 1/2 hour or so, just to add a little more sweetness. Very easy meal to prepare.

Blueberry Protein Pancakes

2011-01-21T06:19:00.000-08:00

I know I just posted chocolate pancakes a couple of days ago, but my pancake experience this morning has forced me to blog on pancakes once again, because they were fantastic! I will confess, it is very hard to get a pretty protein pancake, but even if they break apart they still taste great and will leave you forgetting about the good old fashioned bisquick pancakes.

** Ok, I think I have perfected the sticking problem. Found a tiny non-stick pan at dierbergs that is the perfect size for 1 protein pancake. Make sure you use a plastic spatula to flip so you don't scratch the pan. It comes out picture perfect!!

Blueberry Protein Pancakes

1 heaping scoop vanilla flavored protein (I use BSN Lean Dessert brand - anyone tried Advocare??)
1/4 cup egg whites
1/4 cup coconut milk
2 tsp ground flaxseed
handful of blueberries
pinch of shredded coconut

Mix until a pancake batter like consistency. Play around with the liquid/powder combo until it seems right. Fold in blueberries. Heat skillet and spray generously with olive oil spray. Spoon out three mini pancakes and flip when it starts to come up around the edges. Be prepared to spray the pan while flipping so the other side doesnt stick.
Serve with a little paleo granola on top (and I admit I squirted 2 sprays of spray butter) Delish!

Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry with Cauliflower "Rice"

2011-01-20T17:14:00.000-08:00

With super lean stew meat sitting on the counter to defrost this morning Abby walked by and asked what we were having for dinner. How about beef and broccoli mom - well, can't refuse a paleo friendly request from my daughter so I went searching for recipes and found a great one on the Crossfit Santa Cruz Central food blog. Here is the link:

Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry with Cauliflower Rice

The whole family loved it, definitely a keeper for the recipe box!

Apple Blueberry Breakfast Crumble

2011-01-20T07:11:00.000-08:00

We woke up to a winter wonderland this morning! No school, no work, no crossfit - definitely time to hunker in for a warm comforting breakfast. The girls opted for waffles so I started searching the net for warm fruit ideas. Found this recipe for Paleo Fruit Crumble on another paleo blog you might want to check out. I modified it slightly for what I had in my pantry.

Apple Blueberry Breakfast Crumble

2 honeycrisp apples, peeled and chopped
1 tsp of lemon juice
1/2 cup of blueberries
1/2 tsp of arrowroot
1 tsp cinnamon
6 prunes
1/2 cup dried cherries
3/4 cup walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Peel and chop apples and lay in 8X8 baking pan. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Add blueberries on top and sprinkle with arrow root and cinnamon. Chop up prunes and cherries in food processor or mini chopper. Pulse in nuts at the end. Crumble topping over top evenly and bake for 20-30 minutes. Make sure it is bubbly. This was very tasty and the girls ended up having some on top of their waffles.

Sweet and Spicy Sloppy Joes

2011-01-19T11:00:00.000-08:00

I have gotten alot of complaints that eating Paleo is expensive. Well, yes buying fresh fruit and vegis and quality meat is more expensive than loading up on the cheap eats like mac n cheese, twinkies, and ramen noodles. This is part of the reason for the obesity problem in America. Statistics show that obesity is more prevalent in lower income areas. So, I admit, I don't buy all my food at whole foods and the farmer markets. I hit Walmart and Food for Less and would shop at Sams and Costco if I had the membership cards. I think it just takes a little time and education to figure out where you can get the best bang for your buck. So today - Walmart products rule as I make Sweet and Spicy Sloppy Joes in the crockpot. What is your opinion on the quality vs. value controversy?

Sweet and Spicy Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey (Purdue white meat on sale)
1 jar Calavo brand Salsa Lisa (sweet pineapple ginger salsa)
1 can tomato sauce
2 Tbspn apple cider vinegar
salt
garam masala

Brown the meat over med high heat and season with salt and garam masala. Add to crockpot with jar of salsa, can of tomato sauce, and apple cider vinegar. Cook on low 4-6 hours. Serve over spaghetti squash, roasted portabella mushroom cap, or buns for the holdouts in the family.

Easy Microwave Frittata

2011-01-18T06:04:00.000-08:00

I was looking for a way to spice up my typical egg and vegi breakfast this morning and found a great recipe on everyday paleo.com. Here is the link to the recipe and a beautiful picture.

Coconut Curry Egg Frittata

Ok, after trying it, I had to throw it away, because yukk, I really didnt like it. So take two on breakfast, I went back to my old standby and thought I would repeat the directions:

Steph's Easy Microwave Frittata

2/3 cup liquid egg whites
leftover meat (pictured with chicken italian sausage)
spinach
broccoli (again, any vegis you have on hand)
Salt
A little cheese if you are eating dairy (I used parmesan this morning, feta or goat cheese also good)
sliced avacodo

spray small casserole dish with pam and pour in egg. Layer in all ingredients except avacado and microwave for 4min 30 sec. Top with sliced avacado. Works every time!

Chocolate Protein Pancakes

2011-01-16T14:50:00.000-08:00

Its the weekend, and weekends definitely call for pancakes! After Dawn was telling me about these protein pancakes that Mandy told her about I had to give them a try. Measurements are all by feel, and truly an experiment, but they were not half bad and although I missed piling on the butter and syrup, it was nice to have a breadlike breakfast. You know me, I had to add sliced banana into the pancakes and smear them with sunflower butter, a well rounded breakfast with protein, fruit carbs, and good fat. I plan on trying these again with different flavored protein powder and different fruit. Thinking of vanilla powder and blueberries next time.

Chocolate Protein Pancakes

1 scoop chocolate protein powder (I use the BSN Dessert line - chocolate fudge)
about 1/4 cup liquid egg whites
a couple of tablespoons coconut milk
1/2 a banana sliced

Stir ingredients into a pancake batter like consistency. Add powder if its too runny or egg whites or coconut milk if its too dry. Heat skillit and spray generously with pam. spoon out into three pancakes and turn when edges start turning up. Spray again as you flip so they don't stick. Serve with almond butter or sunflower butter.

**Hey, if anyone tries any of these recipes, why don't you comment and rate them. It would be nice to know what others think and what you did to tweak the recipe to make it different or better. Lets give 'em a letter grade A through F just like school.

Butternut Squash Spinach Salad

2011-01-15T06:10:00.000-08:00

I was looking for a way to add green into my Chicken dinner the other night and decided to combine my butternut squash and bag of spinach which was just waiting to expire in a tasty little salad.

Butternut Squash Spinach Salad
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
salt and pepper
2 bacon strips - cooked to crispy, patted dry, and crumbled
bunch of spinach
pine nuts
dried cherries
Boathouse Olive Oil Vinaigrette w/ blue cheese

Preheat oven to 400 and layout the squash on a sprayed sheet. Spray the top, salt and pepper, (or salt and cinnamon) and cook for 30 min. For salad, in large bowl mix spinach, 1 cup of the hot cubed cooked squash, cherries, pinenuts, bacon crumbles and dressing. * You can use any dressing of your choice, and if paleo keep it simple. I have been loving this boathouse variety lately, so I use it alot!

Coconut Encrusted Chicken Fingers

2011-01-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

Whew, been busy the last couple of days, but let me share a couple of recipes from Thursday's dinner. For whatever reason, if I add the word "Fingers" to any Chicken recipe I make I get a much more positive response from my girls. So Thursday night was Coconut Chicken Fingers and they were tasty. Jeff and I used Trader Joe's Satay Sauce as a dipping sauce which was a perfect complement. The girls tend to gravitate to ranch dressing or bbq sauce, go figure.

Coconut Encrusted Chicken Fingers
1/2 can coconut milk
1/2 cup Almond flour
1/2 cup coconut
1 - 1/2 lbs of chicken breasts cut in strips
olive oil or pam
salt and pepper

dip the chicken strips in coconut milk and then roll in almond flour and coconut mixture (mix together in separate bowl). Heat olive oil in large sauce pan and brown fingers on all sides. I then put the fingers in the oven for 15 minutes to finish the cooking process, but I think you can fully cook in the pan. Respray pam before turning over to keep crust from sticking and falling off the chicken. Serve with favorite dipping sauce (we used trader joes satay sauce - warning: this is a peanut based sauce for strict paleo eaters).

Chicken Sausage "Pasta" with Asparagus, Red Pepper & Mushrooms

2011-01-11T16:46:00.000-08:00

I get a daily email from AllRecipes.com everyday, and this one caught my eye the other day. I decided to make it in two batches, half with bowtie noodles for the paleo holdouts and 1/2 with spaghetti squash for me. Mine looked just as good and everyone seemed to like it, even though my kids have a tendency to pick out anything red or green.

Chicken Sausage Pasta with Asparagus, Red Pepper and Mushrooms
Ingredients:
1 pkg of 5 Trader Joe Chicken Sausages
1/2 box of bow tie pasta for the family and 1/2 a spaghetti squash leftover from the other day
1 clove garlic minced
1 tbspn olive oil
1 bunch asparagus bottoms cut off and cut in 1 inch segments
1 red pepper diced
1 carton sliced mushrooms
1 cup chicken broth
1 tbspn basil
salt and pepper
olive oil
1 cup parmesan cheese

Boil the noodles and drain, prep the spaghetti squash and fork shred. In saucepan saute garlic in oil and then add vegis and chicken cut up in 1/2 inch rounds. Continue to saute for 5-7 minutes (I stirred the meat first to brown a little and then removed into a separate bowl while I sauteed and boiled the vegis). Then add broth and bring to a boil.Add back noodles, meat and stir all together. Remove from heat and fold in cheese and another tbspn of olive oil. (I split the meat/vegi mixture between the noodles and the spaghetti squash and added 1/2 cup cheese to each). No cheese if you are doing strict paleo, but sorry, not as much flavor either.

Why Sunflower butter?

2011-01-11T05:41:00.000-08:00

I have had a couple people ask me why I prefer sunflower butter over peanut butter. Well, first off, I was turned on to sunflower butter last year when we did our first Paleo challenge at the gym. Peanuts are considered a legume, which are restricted on the Paleo Diet. I tried both almond butter and sunflower butter, both acceptable alternatives, but found I simply like the taste on sunflower butter better. In researching the differences it looks like sunflower butter is nutritionally better containing the following nutritional advantages:

1/3 less saturated fat
27% of Vitamin E per serving
huge protein, fiber, and iron content
antioxidents Vitaman E and selenium
B Vitamins
copper and zinc
folate and phytosterols (helps lower cholesterol)
high in linoleic acid
high in essential fatty acids

Here is the link to my source. http://www.differencebetween.net/

Paleo Pumpkin Blueberry Muffins

2011-01-09T06:40:00.000-08:00

Woke up looking for a treat this morning and I have lots of leftovers in the fridge that went perfectly into this recipe.

Paleo Pumpkin Blueberry Muffins

1 egg
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup coconut
3/4 cup applesauce (i used my leftover pear sauce)
1/2 can pumpkin
2 tsp baking powder
1 squirt of honey
nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon to your liking
1 cup fresh blueberries

Mix ingredients and then fold in blueberries. Spoon into muffin pans lined with paper cups - yes, take the time to line them, they don't come out very well otherwise. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes for mini muffins - longer for bigger ones - just keep an eye on them.

I think these taste great, but they came out a little mushy this time. Jeff and Abby just thought they were ok.

** Something else I learned tonight - parsnips slow cooked in the crockpot with a roast are NOT good. Much prefer parsnips cut up as fries and roasted or real thin like chips.

Turkey Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms

2011-01-08T15:44:00.000-08:00

When I opened the refrigerator door this morning to get my morning sunflower butter I noticed that the mushroom fairy had hit the Teague house. A mysterious large bag of big monterray mushroom caps was sitting there on the top shelf. I decided not to look a gift fungi in the mouth and started thinking mushroom recipes. Turns out the Monterray Mushroom Co is a client of my husbands and he brought home a sample bag. I have had a box of TGIF spinach artichoke sitting in my freezer left over from New Year's eve which spurned my taste buds toward spinach artichoke. Here is my creation, it is cooking as I write so I will let you know how it turns out.

Turkey Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients
16-20 mushroom caps
1 can artichoke hearts chopped
1 box frozen chopped spinach
1/2 lb turkey breast chopped fine
2 tbspn mayo
2tbspn trader joe's aioli garlic mustard sauce
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 400. Spray cookie sheet with pam and lay out single layer of washed mushroom caps. Spray caps with Pam. Mix the rest of the ingredients except the cheese. Stuff the caps and sprinkle cheese on top if you are permitting a little cheese. Bake about 30 min or until it looks done.

** Here's the review - Jeff and I both really enjoyed these. Only thing that would have made them better was maybe using crab instead of turkey. Make sure you let them cool for about 5 minutes or they will burn your mouth!

Roasted Vegetables - Tips

2011-01-07T16:03:00.001-08:00

Ok, today is leftover day and I am too tired and cold to head out to the grocery store so I am heating up all my bits of leftovers and roasting some broccoli to go along with it. As I am cutting up my broccoli and spreading it out on the pan my 13 year old daughter is very dramatically telling her friend about this CRAZY paleo diet her mom is on and how I make these weird dishes all the time. The entire time she is telling the story she is sneaking broccoli off the cookie sheet. Pretty sure she crammed in a full serving of vegis as she dissed my eating - the evil plan is working!!

Roasted Broccoli, parsnips, carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, asparagus, brussel sprouts, butternut squash or any other vegi that comes to mind

Ingredients:
Pam olive oil spray
Mrs dash Garlic and Herb seasoning or Lemon Pepper, or Caribbean Jerk
Salt

I use a pampered chef stone but any cookie sheet will do. Spray with pam and then place a single layer of vegis on the sheet. Spray generously with Pam (or toss lightly in olive oil) and load on the Mrs Dash (its salt free and adds lots of flavor). I do salt slightly because I am a salt freak and have not wrestled that demon yet. Place in preheated 400 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes. EVERY member of my family will eat vegis cooked this way. Not soggy like steaming, microwaving or boiling.

Crockpot Pork and Sweet Potato Curry

2011-01-06T08:46:00.001-08:00

Ok, its thursday after a great crossfit workout and Im inspired because someone has actually looked at some of these recipes - Hey Jamie!! Today I looked in the fridge and cupboard and came up with the last pack of meat I have (pork short ribs - lean cut). So, here is the crockpot creation I am trying tonight - will let you know how it turns out.

Crockpot Pok and Sweet Potato Curry

Ingredients:
1 lb lean pork cut in cubes
4 sweet potatoes peeled and cut in chunks
1 tbspn olive oil
1/2 can of light coconut milk
1 jar trader joes Curry Simmer Sauce

Brown meat in pan with oil. Transfer to crockpot with potatoes and pour coconut milk and curry sauce over the top. Cook for 6 hours.

This recipe was a winner with me, my husband and the girls - everyone gave it two thumbs up.
I served it with pear sauce - peeled 6 pears cubed and cooked with cinnamon and 1/4 cup honey. Blended in the blender for 10 seconds and refrigerate. Just like applesauce.

Roasted Tomato Soup

2011-01-05T06:50:00.001-08:00

Just wondering what recipe to post today when Janet forwarded this healthy tomato soup recipe from Jillian Michaels. Sounds tasty to me, let me know what you think!

Roasted Tomato Soup
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs large tomatoes cut in half crosswise
1 med sweet onion cut in half and peeled
3 garlic cloves
4 tsp Olive Oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups reduced sodium chicken or vegi broth
1/4 cup tomato juice
1 tsp tomato paste
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
1 tbspn basil
**I added half a can of light coconut milk for a little creamier consistency

1. Preheat oven to 400. Coat sheet with pam
2. Toss vegis and garlic in bowl with oil and seasoning. Then roast vegis on cookie sheet for 30 minutes. Let vegis cool enough to handle.
3. Peel and seed tomatoes. Strip off onion ends and peel garlic. Place vegis in blender with 1 cup broth and 1 tsp oil. Pulse to desired consistency
4. Transfer to large pot and add remaining broth, juice, paste, worcestershire, basil(and coconut milk)
5. Simmer over med heat and serve.

Pumpkin Turkey Burgers

2011-01-04T06:29:00.000-08:00

Tonight I plan on experimenting with pumpkin. I found this recipe for Pumpkin Turkey Burgers and plan to try it out with a couple of paleo tweaks. Will let you know how they turn out.

Pumpkin Turkey Burgers
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup onion, minced
1/4 cup almond meal
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and form patties. Grill and eat!

** These turned out great, very moist and good flavor.

Easy Egg and Vegetable Bake

2011-01-03T16:46:00.000-08:00

two recipes in one day, almost forgot about the great breakfast I had this morning. This is not a new one for me, but super easy and a great way to get your vegis in in the a.m. Again, I cheated and topped with a little greek plain yogurt - dairy = non paleo:( , but as I said before, this is a personal cheat I am adding back in, because it is no fat and mega protein.

Easy Egg and Vegetable Bake

1/2 cup egg whites
meat (ham, turkey, chicken, steak, whatever is leftover)
handful cherry tomatoes, cut in half
handful of mushrooms
spinach
anything else you have - be creative! (onion, red pepper, broccoli, etc)

Spray a round small casserole dish with Pam olive oil spray
Add egg whites and any vegis you have in the fridge. Salt and Pepper if you like and microwave for 4min 30 sec. Turn over onto plate, top with sliced avacado and a dollop of yogurt if you want.

Roasted Lemon Dill Parsnips, Butternut Squash, and Carrots

2011-01-03T16:40:00.001-08:00

Today was all about using up the half empty bag of all my random vegis in the fridge, which happened to be carrots, parsnips, and 1/2 of a butternut squash. This turned out great and since my family was not courageous enough to try it I have leftovers for tomorrow!

Roasted Lemon Dill Parsnips, Butternut Squash and Carrots

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbspn dill
Garlic Herb seasoning
salt
2-3 parsnips peeled and cut in bit size pieces
1/2 a bag of baby carrots
1/2 a butternut squash peeled, seeded and chopped in bite size chunks

Preheat oven to 400. Mix olive oil, lemon juice, dill, spices in big bowl. Add vegis and toss to coat. Spread out in single layer on cookie sheet (I use a 9X13 stone from pampered chef for just about everything I roast/bake). Roast in oven for 30-40 minutes until fork tender and they look done.

Scallops and Spaghetti Squash

2011-01-01T16:33:00.000-08:00

First day of the new year and I am going to try and be diligent about blogging the paleo recipes I experiment with - the good, the bad, and the ugly. New Year's Day off to a good start with a yummy main dish and super easy.

Scallops and Spaghetti Squash

1 pound fresh scallops
1 tbspn olive oil
1/2 lemon
1 spaghetti squash
1 Tbspn Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 cup greek plain yogurt
3 tbspn toasted pine nuts

saute scallops in olive oil. Season with old bay and squeeze lemon over top. Cook spaghetti squash in the microwave (I pierce it and cook it whole for about 6 min. then I cut it in half, scrape out seeds, and place two halves down in shallow dish of water and microwave 6 more minutes.) Fork out in bowl. Add scallops, greek yogurt and pine nuts. Toss and enjoy.
** Technically, no dairy on Paleo diet. I am leaving greek yogurt in the diet since it is fat free and has an ungodly amount of protein. Can't figure out what could be wrong with it, so it stays!

Paleo Pumpkin Muffins

2010-12-23T05:34:00.001-08:00

Paleo Pumpkin Muffins

Here is a recipe I tried and the muffins turned out great. They may not look pretty, but they are moist and tasty.

1 egg
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 can pumpkin
3/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp each cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, pumpkin pie spice
couple handfuls mixed dried fruit of your choice

Mix ingredients and spoon into sprayed muffin pan or muffin paper cups. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes.

Paleo Granola

2010-12-21T05:05:00.000-08:00

Paleo Granola

Here is the recipe I am trying today - found it on the magical internet. I will let you know how it turns out.

Paleo Granola

5 cups nuts and seeds (pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, pecans, sunflower seeds, slivered almonds
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup coconut oil
2tsp vanilla
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp nutmeg
1 cup raisins or other dried fruit
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
mix honey, oil, vanilla and spices in saucepan until boiling. Remove from heat and cool. Spread nuts over greased cookie sheet and pour honey mixture over nuts. Mix it around to get well coated then bake at 300 for 30 minutes. After it has cooled slightly move to a bowl and Mix in coconut and fruit. * If you want to make bars mix it with almond or sunflower butter and press into a pan and pop in the fridge.

2010-12-15T09:27:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, December 15th

Christmas crazy is in full swing and so are christmas eating habits! Went to a cookie exchange last night and managed to have nothing but a glass of wine. However, the minute I got home I scarfed several cookies - ughhh! What is everyone elses downfall? Mine is definitely sugar. Trying to get back in the paleo swing, here is a new chicken recipe I made last night that turned out pretty good.

Creamy Chicken and Spaghetti Squash
4 chicken breasts, cubed
1 tbspn olive oil
salt, pepper, paprika
3 tbspn lemon juice
1 container greek yogurt plain
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
spaghetti squash

cook chicken in oil over medium high heat until cooked through. Add seasoning and lemon juice and simmer on low. Then stir in yogurt and parmesan cheese. Cook just until heated through and remove from heat. Serve over cooked spaghetti squash. Seems to rich to be good! Note - I have made my own decision that dairy needs to stay in the diet if I am going to try to stick with this. Need my cheese and yogurt!!

c

2010-12-02T05:52:00.000-08:00

Thursday, December 2, 2010

5am - 1/2 banana and sunflower butter

5:30 - crossfit - worked on kb cleans and snatches. WOD - 5 rds SB drag,10 jump squats, sbdrag, there and back wtd lunges 25#.

7:30 - greek yogurt, pomegranate seeds, honey

2010-12-01T05:52:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, December 1st

Wow December already! Ok, its official - I have been crossfitting for a year now and what a difference a year makes. Many new goals for next year, this has been a major shake up in my fitness routine and has really forced me to address my weaknesses. Now I have to figure out how to balance my running - not feeling good about that right now. And winter is here - ughhhh!

5am - 1/2 banana and sunflower butter

6:15 - 6 miles on treadmill

7:30 - protein shake - choc protein powder, water, yogurt, coconut, 1/2 banana, flaxseed, ice

9:30 - crossfit 5X5X3 oh presses and push press WOD - partners - 120 swings, 120 bj, 120 situps, 50 sb carries

11:30 turkey slaw

5:30 - chicken, cauliflower, spaghetti squash with greek yogurt and parmesan cheese - yummm

2010-12-01T03:02:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, November 30

banana and sunflower butter

5:30 - crossfit - 5X8 backsquats with 4 jump squats after - 123# max - 10,9,8 etc of ring pushups WOD 5 rds of 5 pullups, 10 kb swings, 15 squats

7am - paleo chili

12:00pm cpk moroccan chicken salad

3:30 larabar

6:30 salad, crab cake, beef carpaccio - flemings - glass of red wine

2010-11-29T11:26:00.000-08:00

Monday, 11/29

5:00 - banana and sunflower butter

6:15 - 1/2 hour on stationary bike

9:00 - protein shake with banana, pomegranate seeds, greek yogurt, coconut

12:30 - harvest salad at deweys

4:00 - crossfit w/o - practice cleans and toes to bar - WOD 40-30-20 db thrusters, ttb 10:54 (2-20# thrusters)

6:00 - egg scramble with spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, feta and turkey sausage

2010-11-28T15:27:00.000-08:00

November 28, 2010

Well, Thanksgiving is over and the indulging must stop! Back on track today with a couple of new recipes:

6am - banana and sunflower butter

6:15- 4 miles on treadmill

10:45 - eggwhite scramble with spinach, turkey, mushrooms, tomato, feta, avacado

1:30 - handful of walnuts and dried cranberries

5:00 - Paleo Mama's Chili and Pomegranate Spinach Salad (see recipes). Both were great. I used 96% lean ground beef and stew meat. Added a can of beans for my non-paleo family and they all loved it.

2010-11-12T06:09:00.000-08:00

Friday, November 12th

Haven't written in awhile - took a break and went to Florida for a little vacation - which always puts me on a backslide on my eating! Going again next week, so this may be shortlived!

5:00 - banana and sunflower butter

5:15am - bootcamp - circuits and step

6:30 - crossfit - top of each minute for 20 minutes - 1 thruster, 2 shuttle runs, 1 pullup 2 shuttle runs next minute - alternate until 10 of each. second wod - 1 kb swing, 1 kte, 1 shuttle run - add on kbswing & kte each minute - finished 11 rounds.

8:00 - breakfast - my new go to easy meal - turkey apple salad (see recipe on recipe page)

2010-10-28T06:09:00.000-07:00

THursday, Oct 28th

5:00 banana and sunflower butter

5:30 crossfit - FILTHY FIFTY!!! 20:22 double under work is paying off! Day 10 - 100 double unders.

6:45 - Endurance workout - 5 - 800's with 2min rest in between 3:12, 3:10, 3:10, 3:09, 3:02

8:00 - Chicken and vegi scramble and watermelon

2010-10-28T06:07:00.001-07:00

Day 9 - 100 double unders
Wednesday, OCtober 27th

5:00 banana and sunflower butter

7:30 chicken and butternut squash

9:30 - crossfit - cleans wod: 7 rounds 10 wall balls 14# 10 pullups 9:26

12:00 - steak salad at molly darcys

3:00 larabar

6:30 - dinner at chevys - 2 fish tacos and 1/2 of a sopapilla for dessert - YUM!

2010-10-26T06:34:00.000-07:00

7:00am - banana and sunflower butter

7:30 - run wod - 1 mile warm up, 5 rds 800m run, 15 KTE, 10 pushups - 26:34

8:30 - mini lara bar

9:00 - crossfit - warm up 500m row, 4X10 backsquat, ring rows, abwheel work (tough!) WOD: partner with Jamie - each do 500m row, then 12 sandbag drags together, then I do 30 pullups, 30 dbthrusters, jamie does 30 burpees, 30 kb swings, then 12 more drags and each 500 m row: 13:56 i think!

10:30 - mini lara bar

12:00 Crazy bowls and wraps - high protein bowl - steak, chicken, vegis

3:00 - choc chip cookie

7:00 - munchies at highland brewery and glass of wine

2010-10-25T05:49:00.001-07:00

Monday Oct 25th

5:15 banana and sunflower butter

7:30 - chicken and vegi egg scramble, canteloupe

9:30 - crossfit workout - renegade rows and romanian deadlifts, wod: 2min on/1min off
row cal, burpees, sdlhp, ring pushups

12:30 - cpk - moroccan chicken salad

3:00 - chocolate chip cookie

6:00 - lean hamburger no bun, corn, butternut squash

8:00 - chocolate chip cookie

2010-10-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

Sunday, Oct 24th

slept in!

7:30 - banana and sunflower butter

10:30 - 1/2 sandwich thin round with sunflower butter and honey
11:00 - crossfit HOA wod - 20 min length
12:00 - lunch - hamburger (no bun) squash and corn, iced tea
2:45 - 100 Double Unders - day 6
3:00 - watermelon
4:00 - spicy cheese taquito at QT - WHAT came over me??
6:00 - chicken, green beans carrot, salad
8:00 watermelon and handful of cashews

2010-10-23T06:37:00.001-07:00

Saturday, Oct 23

6:00 banana and sunflower butter

6:30 - 6 mile run with darby and dawn - great weather, great company!!
100 double unders - day 5

7:30 protein shake with banana, pineapple, greek yogurt, coconut

1:00 - barbeque sandwich and vinegar based coleslaw

4:00 carrot sticks & canteloupe

7:00pm - lean hamburger with portabella and guacamole, squash, corn - glass of wine

9pm - choc covered strawberries

2010-10-22T06:32:00.000-07:00

Friday, Oct 22nd

5am - banana and sunflower butter

5:15 - bootcamp - ab work, 100 double unders

7:30 - mango chicken slaw

9:30 crossfit - windmills and ringwork - Fight Gone Bad - 280 rx

12:30 - salad with chicken, iced tea

4:00 - larabar

6:30 - steak salad at corner bar and grill

8:00 - handful of raisenets at the movies - social network, good flick!

2010-10-21T06:16:00.001-07:00

Thursday, October 21st

5:00am - banana and sunflower butter

5:30 - crossfit - 4X max reps of pullups (6,5,4,5) 3X max pushups (15,15,15) 2X max strict KTE (10,8) 3 rope climbs . WOD 400row 40 squats 300row 30 situps 200 row 20 pushups 100 row 10 pulllups. CFE - 3min run @7.5%incline 7mph, 3 min rest, 2 min 7.5, 2min rest, 1 min 8.0mph, 1 min rest, 2 min on, 2 off, 3 on.

100 double unders (44 unbroken!)

8:00am - beef, green beans, canteloupe

12:45 - roasted veggie sandwich with mushroom, red peppers, goat cheese & bread (couldnt get around it!) and salad

4:00 apple & cashews

6:oo salmon, broccoli, cupcake from jilly's cupcakery (my major sin of the day!)

2010-10-20T04:31:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, October 20th

5am - banana and sunflower butter

5:15 - bootcamp - arm/leg circuit and 100 double unders (day 2!)

7:30 - chicken mango slaw

9:30 - crossfit w/o - behind the neck presses 3x5 3x3 58#, side lunges. WOD - thrusters, ohlunges, row

12:00 - badabing salad with chicken at pi

3:30 - larabar

6:30 - beef, squash,

8:30 - banana and sunflower butter

2010-10-19T06:16:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, October 19th, 2010

6am - banana and sunflower butter

6:30 - crossfit - practice hang power snatch - needs work!! Blaster wod - 2X 50 squats, 50 lunges, 20 jumping squats, 20 jumping lunges - 7:54.

8:15 - chicken and vegi egg scramble

12:30 - steak salad at Molly Darceys

2:30 - 100 double unders - Day one of self imposed double under challenge - 100 double unders every day for 30 days.

4:00 larabar

6:00 - chicken breast, yellow squash, broccoli

8:00 - licked the bowl of banana bread

2010-07-22T09:57:00.001-07:00

Thursday, July 22nd

Training this week -

Still up to date on 100 day burpee challenge..
Runs - on Tuesday ran the 20 minute 90% tempo with Mike B - went well. Today we ran our 8X200's - (38,37,36,36,36,36,36,37).
Crossfit - M,T,W,Th so far this week. All good workouts. Hands ripped, body sore - the usual!
Biking - 20 miles this morning easy on grants trail. less than a week until RAGBRAI - can't wait!
Nutrition - Could be better. Most of my meals I do pretty well, but ice cream keeps calling my name and cookies continue to be my downfall.

2010-07-17T14:41:00.001-07:00

Saturday, July 17th

6am - 8.3 mile run at al foster trail - long slow hill and back down again. Good run, felt hard but good.

2010-07-16T06:26:00.000-07:00

Friday, July 16th

5am - banana and sunflower butter
5:30 - boot camp - swiss ball class

7:45 - CFE workout #2 for week 1: 4x400 at the track with 4min rest in between. 1:28,1:27,1:30, 1:28.

8:15 scrambled eggs with turkey, tomato, avacado, and watermelon.

2010-07-16T06:25:00.001-07:00

Thursday, July 15th

5am - ride bike to crossfit. filthy fifty 23:45. Ride with Ragbrai gang 38 miles total - HOT!!

Car still not ready! No run today, lunch and a movie with Lexie and resting in the air conditioning. Muny opera - Damn Yankees - still hot! good show, long day.

2010-07-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, July 14th

9:30 - Crossfit - push presses 3x5 and push jerk 3x3 93#s. WOD 5 rounds of deadlifts@123# and 10 burpees 4:44. Rode bike from Glendale chrysler to class and home.

*back a little sore. No running today. Chocolate cake for dessert - bad girl!

2010-07-13T06:14:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 13th

With Ultimate Helen over its time to think about putting the next event on the calendar. I am feeling a little renewed on the running front and have decided to sign up for the Lewis and Clark 1/2 marathon on October 3rd. Usually training for a race I will loosely follow a hal higdon plan and ramp up my long runs each weekend. This time I am going to try something a little different. I found a 12 week Crossfit Endurance training plan for a 10K/1/2 marathon that I am going to follow and keep track of on the blog. I am hoping some of my crossfit buddies jump in and do this with me, since misery always loves company! I will add a tab to the blog with the training plan. Maybe we can plan some group runs as well.

So, the nitty gritty of this training plan - follow your traditional crossfit strength and conditioning workouts 4-6 days a week. They suggest a 3 on 1 off schedule, but whatever has been working for you up till now. Running workouts are 2-3 times a week and are ideally done atleast 2 hours pre or post crossfit workout. I am having issues with this because its easier to get it all out of the way and get on with my day, but will work on that. Running workouts are typically one time trial/tempo type of workout and one interval workout with an optional second interval workout.
Oh yeah and did I mention the 12 week plan starts this week?

5:00am - banana and sunflower butter

5:30am - crossfit - alt bench press, windmills, ring pushups. WOD - 15 min amrap prowler, 10 sdlhp, 10 push press (53#).

7:00am - CFE workout - 3 miles. This was supposed to be a 5K time trial. Did not run this as fast as I should have, one of the drawbacks of not waiting atleast 2 hours. If you are going to follow the program it would be a good idea to get your time so you can chart progress and calculate what your pace for interval workouts.

2010-06-22T14:01:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, June 22nd

I kind of fell off the blogging, eating, and exercising wagon for the last week of vacation, but back in St Louis now and ready to regroup. Vacation was awesome! Jumped right back into the Paleo diet on Sunday and have been doing well so far. Browned some ground beef on Sunday and mixed with mango salsa from Sams - has been a tasty protein the last couple of days that I either eat solo or scrambled up in my vegi scramble. Started back at bootcamp yesterday and added a class - 5:30 and 6:30 on Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays. Have some new ladies and some returning people, looking forward to a great summer session. Back to work too yesterday - BUSY day! After work I did the 5pm crossfit class - front squats (103#) 5x5 and killer wod - must have sweated off 5 lbs. 3 rounds of 20 pushups, 20 leapfrogs, 20 dumbell thrusters2-15#), 20 sdlhp(53#) 12:29. Sore today!

This morning crossfit 5:30 - one arm ohpress and romanian deadlifts. max 25# and 85#. Wod was 20min of 3 pullups, 6 box jumps, 9 situps and rest until the start of the next minute. Ran 2 miles after class to measure out mile loop. Hoping we can get the Ultimate Helen 5K going - July 10th - start talking it up and sign up!!!
Headache and really sore right now. Got uverse installed today - all good but our phone doesnt work. No worries, only people that call are sales calls anyway!
Good to see my crossfit buddies back in class - Dawn is a tan goddess and Mike B looks more ripped every time I see him! Looks like all the crossfit men got a group discount on haircuts too.

2010-06-15T06:40:00.001-07:00

Sunday - No crossfit today so I ran for about 55 minutes - need to run more, feel like I am losing some of the running conditioning. After our run we headed to the green owl for breakfast - diet has officially gone by the wayside and I thoroughly enjoyed the french toast, eggs and sausage. After breakfast we shopped around town then headed back for an afternoon at the pool and beach. Dinner was at the Office on the strip - a themed restaurant that was ok, but way overpriced! After dinner we headed across the street, led by a faint rumbling of reggae music. Stumbled upon a huge open air stage/bar area inside a courtyard of an italian restaurant. Band was great and unfortunately we only caught the last 15 minutes of their set.

Monday - back to Crossfit in the morning - 5 rounds of 3 minutes of cindy with 2 minute rests in between (5 pullups, 10 pushups, 15 squats) - ripped my hand open again - this sucks! Good workout though, headed home (drove Jeff and mark to golf today so in my car) and becky and I headed into west palm to meet the family at the marriott. The new timeshare is really nice and we had a very expensive lunch poolside - shrimp avacado wrap - yummm. Great to be back with the kids, had a low key afternoon and then headed into city place to see the karate kid and eat at cheesecake factory.

Tuesday - last day in Delray - last crossfit at CFDRB - 10 rounds of 3 powersnatches, 4 oh squats, 100m run, 100m walk - 19:19 (53#) In warm up - 5 rds of 20 sec double unders, 20 sec alt lunges, 10 sec rest
Sarah is the owner, Cheryl, Hugh was in the dreds, Rob was the other teacher.

2010-06-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

Saturday -

Rode to Crossfit and found out class doesnt start until 9 today! Rode around for an hour killing time and then headed back for a monster team WOD - some kind of battle or war name, can't remember. Fun set up though - here's how it went: team of 4(me, scott, john, and suzette) each row 500m (or run 400m) then off to "battle station" where we each had to do 15 burpees hopping over ab mat, 15 box jumps, 15 barbell thrusters(33#) and 15 kbswings(35#) then we went to first at war station had to choose between 50 toe to bar or 50 chest to bar pullups between the 4 of us (only 2 could go at a time). Then back to battle station (15 burpees, bj, kbswings, thrusters) then second war station - 50 cleans or 50 push press (we did push press 85#). then battle station 15 of each, then war station three (8 rope climbs or 12 muscleups - we did muscleups and we could sub three pullups and three ring dips for one muscle up) then back to final round of 15's. 33:33 was our time - whew!

That out of the way I rode back and had vegi omelet with becky and hung out at the pool the rest of the morning. The guys played golf and met us back about 12:45. At 2 we rode our weekly bike rentals back to the bike shop and headed to Johnny's on Atlantic to watch the usa/england soccer game and have some lunch. Tie game lucky goal for us, pulled pork and sweet potato fries and LOTS of iced tea - i think i might float away. Now everyone else is napping and I am totally hyped up on caffiene typing my trip highlights so I can recall this week some day since my memory is totally shot. Wish I had a video blog of my whole life, I can't remember anything!!

2010-06-11T07:06:00.001-07:00

Friday

Mark and Becky come today! Will be great having our friends visit for the weekend and take the kids over to my parents in West Palm so we can have some adult time. It has been a great week. Off to Crossfit again this morning, bench press (5X5 - 75#) and then "Grace" 30 clean and jerks 4:26. Took a long bike ride home afterwards and came back and ate my mango chicken slaw. Time to get everyone up and start the day.

Great Day! Picked up mark and becky at the airport and stopped off on Atlantic to have some awesome fish tacos at the Oyster Club. then took the kids to West Palm. New Marriott looks nice, should be a good week over there. Back to Delray to hang out by the pool and then off to dinner at DaDa - really cute house type restaurant off of swinton with outside lanterns and seating and awesome mojitos. Had Salmon, fennel and green beans - all great. Showing our age- opted against the club scene and headed back to the house to hit the sack.

2010-06-10T07:20:00.000-07:00

Thursday -

Last night long bike ride with girls and pizza at the mellow mushroom. Great ride with my ladies, they actually didnt complain. Ended the evening with So you think you can dance - LOVE that show!!

Thursday morning - off to crossfit - Wod today was 5 rounds of unbroken deadlifts, pushups, kte, and double unders. You have to get atleast 10 to count your numbers so I got zeros on all my doubleunders since I couldnt do them unbroken! 176 I think - deadlift was 125#.
Biked to the Green Owl to meet my family for breakfast - resisted the pancakes and got a vegi omelet and fruit. LOVE Delray! Pool and lunch then a long afternoon ride with Jeff. Took him around lake Ida. We stopped at Johnny's for an iced tea and then swung by the beach shop to buy the dress I wanted yesterday -what the heck, I can wear it down here right! We showered and changed (yes into the dress) and went to the Gulf Stream B&T for dinner. Beautiful view, but food was just ok. We then headed into town for some ice cream at Kilwins and then sat outside at Johnny's to hear a band called the Feeders. They were good and played great 70's that Jeff and I loved and totally bored the kids! Back to the house to watch so you think you can dance and then off to bed.

2010-06-09T14:24:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, June 9th

I believe I left off yesterday afternoon on our way to a movie. Saw Date Night - pretty funny, and totally unbelievable. We headed to Atlantic to shop the beach shops and everyone managed to find something but me. Might have to go back and get the cute sundress, but really - where will I ever wear it! Dinner was rotisserie chicken and vegis and a large glass of wine - watching the ocean with a glass of wine and my hubby - not too shabby.

Wednesday morning - off to crossfit on the bike for my new daily routine. Today was front squats 5X5 - max 95lbs. Worked on deeper squats - something I am not good at. WOD was 15 min amrap of 10 one handed russian kbswings, 50 meter farmers walk with bell in same hand, 10 swings other hand and walk back other hand. completed 7.1 - and yes florida is still stinking hot!! Headed back home but took my time and rode around the streets of downtown delray to scope out the dinner options for tonight. Leftover chicken salad for breakfast, pooltime, salmon, capers, tomato, cream cheese begal thin for lunch, and apple for a snack. Long afternoon walk on the beach and way too much sun today. Played cards in the pool with the girls and Sheila - we have waterproof plastic playing cards - how cool is that:) I think we are opting for pizza tonight, not sure if I will be good with a salad or splurge on pizza -

2010-06-08T10:17:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, June 8th

Last night we went out for dinner on Atlantic and found that our old Elvis joint had been spiffed up a little with an expanded menu. Great casual menu with open air seating and the band was setting up for neil diamond and johnny cash covers -didnt stay quite long enough for that! Pulled pork and sweet potato fries - a worthy splurge - skipped the bun, does that make it ok?? Back to the house and chilled for the rest of the night.

This morning did the new routine - up at 7, banana and sunflower butter, and on my bike to crossfit delray beach. today was Kelly - 5 rounds of 400m run, 30 box jumps (24#), 30 wall balls(14#) - they have a lower line for girls, but in true VP fashion I threw to the guys line since I knew I could. 32:01 - Hot Hot Hot! Must have lost 5 lbs of sweat, but got it done. Rode my bike back and made a vegi omelet and strawberries and blueberries. Slipped on the new bikini and headed to the pool where my hubby was lifting weights and getting ready for a beach run. Tagged along and we ran barefoot along the beach for 45 minutes - I am definitely now jelly and done with exercise for the day. We are headed off to see Date Night and Letters to Juliet at the matinee, looks like the storms are rolling in.

2010-06-07T07:22:00.000-07:00

Monday, June 7th

7:15 banana and sunflower butter and off to CFDRB for my workout. Different instructor today, great guy - looked like lead singer of a reggae band. We did clean and jerk warm ups and 5X5 of clean and jerk with push press last set 85#. WOD was 1,2,3..10 sdlhp, push press (55#) then immediately to 10,9,8...1 ring dips and pullups. Already forgot my time, but good workout! Class not as big today, instructor nice, but people not as welcoming as we would be! Bike back home, eggwhite vegi omelette and strawberries, bikini, book, and beach!

2010-06-07T07:15:00.000-07:00

Sunday, June 6th

8:00am - Crossfit is closed today so I woke up to my typical banana and sunflower butter and then did my own workout by the pool. alternated between bentover rows and romanian deadlifts - 3 sets of ten close elbow rows, reg rdl, 3X10 wide elbow, staggered leg, 3X10 one arm lawnmower rows, one leg touch downs. Then WOD - 3rounds of 10 shuttle runs (about 50m), 100m lunges, 25 situps.

Time to relax! - took easy ride with sheila, finished my book, made rotisserie chicken mango slaw for lunch, kayaked in the afternoon with the girls, and picked Jeff up from the airport at 5:30. Randy bbqd porkchops, corn on the cob and squash/carrots. Off to ben and jerry's for a little ice cream dessert - it is vacation, right?!

2010-06-07T07:04:00.001-07:00

Saturday, June 5th

Woke up this morning and decided to ride my bike over and check out crossfit delray beach. 4 miles from our place, perfect warm up ride. Sarah is the owner of CFDRB and the place was packed! Gym was smaller than ours and there were probably about 16 people in the class. We did a 800m warm up run and then went straight into instruction for the wod. Turkish getups - never have done them before - but an interesting move. Basically holding a kb with one arm straight up overhead as you are lying down. Then you methodically get to a standing position while keeping the weight straight up and looking at it the whole time. WOD was 21 right hand turkish getups(15#), 50kbswings (35#), 21 LH KB OH Squat(15#), 50 KBSWINGS, 21RH KB OH squats, 50 KB swings, 21 LH Turkish getups. Time was somewhere around 21 minutes. No log book so I am going to blog my workouts this week!

Really liked the place so she is going to let me workout for the week. Also got a tshirt, may have to buy another one, they have some good shirts. Rode back to the house and hit the pool with my girls. Should be a good eating week, I love love love this kind of vacation - lots of fish, fresh fruit and vegis, reading, walking the beach, bike rides, and games. Wish we could stay all summer!

We went to the bike shop this afternoon and rented three more bikes for the rest of the week. Took a bike ride around Lake Ida and rode the bikes back to the house while my mother-in-law drove the car back. For dinner we went to Two Georges Restaurant on the marina side - great restaurant - reggae band playing in the bar and swing seating for us (two swing benches with a picnic style table in between) - girls got a kick out of it. Had the blackened dolphin and mixed vegis and wayyyy too much tea - couldnt get to sleep. Off to the grocery store after dinner to stock up for the week and then off to bed with a good book.

VACATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-06-07T06:44:00.000-07:00

Thursday, June 3rd

Left at 6:30 for Florida with the girls and a full car and my bike tied on back. First stop was Murray State University in Kentucky. Got there right in time for our 11am appointment and we were given a walking tour of the campus which was nice, but dead since school is not in session. We really liked the dorm setup (residential colleges - each dorm kind of like their own fraternity with separate intramural teams, govt, etc). The head of the nursing school though was not our favorite and I think made Jamie's decision not to attend Murray. Abby really liked it however, so maybe in a couple of years we will go back.

After that we got back in the car, and drove 7 more hours to Macon GA where we stayed the night. Woke up and did my own little crossfit wod - 4X 800m run, 20 pushups, 50 flutter kicks, 30 dips. My calf muscle is REALLY tender!

Eight more hours to Delray Beach and arrived just in time for dinner. Jeff's parents are joining us for the week and had rotisserie chicken, rice, and vegis all ready. Good to be here!

2010-05-25T05:15:00.000-07:00

Tuesday

5am - banana and sunflower butter

5:30 - crossfit - CrossFit Total - 1 max rep back squat (165#), OH press (63#), deadlift (163#) and 500m row (1:52)

2010-05-25T05:13:00.000-07:00

Monday

Swim wu 250m, 5min on , 2 min off X2, 1min on , 30 sec off X5

Crossfit - 1 mile run with Christy and 20 minute amrap of 15 squats, 10 pullups, 15 kb swings, 5 burpees. I think 8 rounds - totally ripped my hands - ughhhh

2010-05-23T07:33:00.000-07:00

May 17-23rd

Life has gotten too busy to log my food daily, but I am going to try to track my workouts. Food has been pretty good, have added cheese back into my salads for some flavor, and will have a sandwich once or twice a week. I am not staying strict paleo anymore, but am trying to eat as close as I can and still enjoy food and keep some moderation in my life.

crossfit just about every day this week - pretty heavy on lunges and situps this week, my legs are definitely feeling it.

Tuesday, May 18th - bike ride from CFVP up marshall into kirkwood - about 12 miles, wanted to get a hill in and accomplished that.

Friday, May 21st - 8 34 second hill repeats at the middle school. Working on midfoot strike - hill work a great way to accomplish that - hard for your heel to strike going up hill. Bought some lightweight shoes at lunch today at ghisallo.

Saturday, May 22nd - Met up with Todd's training group at kehrs mill and clayton to bike the hills of wildwood. Stayed with the group for part of the way, but just dont have my legs yet and bob, bao, and david and I cut out at Hardt and headed back getting 30 miles in. Good challenging ride for me. Need to pick up the biking training to 2 times a week.

Sunday, May 23rd - Headed to Fenton Park to test out a 5k route. Looking for possible options for the 5K running challenge we are looking to run this summer at the gym. Wore my new shoes and clocked the 5K under 24 minutes. Really trying to keep my form up and think about my positioning with each step. Will take a while for this to feel comfortable, but felt like I was getting in a groove. Definitely harder on the calves and hamstrings, my legs will need to adjust.

Plan for next week:Crossfit monday, tues, wed, thurs. Swim Mon and wed, Bike tues and thurs, run wed and fri. Off to state for Jamie this weekend and rest on saturday. Maybe katy trail bike ride with family on sunday and UCity 10k run on Monday.

2010-05-18T06:07:00.001-07:00

Tuesday

5:00 - banana and sunflower butter

5:30 - crossfit - 4x5 deadlift 143#, ring dips, WOD - Karen - 150 wall balls 7:15

7:30 turkey mango slaw with broccoli and spinach and hardboilded egg and chopped pecans

2010-05-17T07:00:00.001-07:00

Monday, May 17th

Just got back from the crossfit endurance cert in chicago last night and pumped about working on my running technique. They gave us a six week program of drills and skills to help us work on technique and phase us into a CFE way of training - less miles, more intensity. Bummed that I found out we are hosting this cert next month, but Melissa H and I had a good time and soaked in good knowledge. Im really interested to see if anyone else wants to jump on board with me and work on running this summer.

5:00am - sunflower butter on half of a sandwich thin round

5:15 bootcamp

7:30 - turkey, cabbage, carrots, egg, walnuts, apple, 2Tbs mayo, apple cider vinegar - all mixed up

8:30 - running drills barefoot - need to get some minimalist running shoes - innov-8, nike free, or vibrim 5 - going to shop this afternoon. Found out I am a big time heel striker - lots of bad impact jarring up my body with every step!

12:30 - salad with chicken, cranberries, goat cheese, pine nuts at deweys

4:00 - crossfit w/o - ohead squats (45lbs) and bent over rows (25# dumbells) WOD - 123..8 dumbell thrusters (2 15#'s) 5 pullups, 10 kte, 20 lunges

5:30 - beef curry with spinach and butternut squash

8:00 - apple and sunflower butter

2010-05-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

Day 5 - Thursday

5:00am - banana and sunflower butter

5:30 - crossfit - 5X5 oh presses with wtd lunges and skin the cat 58 lbs - tried 63 - just couldnt do it. WOD 3 rounds of 500m row and 15 burpees 6:09 I think - heart was pumping!

7:15 - chicken, spaghetti squash and trader joes punjab spinach sauce. good sauce, not as spicy as the curry - is some milk in the ingredients though if you are staying pure paleo. Papaya

8:15 - went and cancelled out my golds membership (still active until july) - I guess I am now officially a crossfitter! Did tabatas on bike 20 sec on:10 sec off - 1o rounds for speed, 10 hill rounds. Swam 500 meters easy. Hydromassager.

9:30 larabar

I am cooking a turkey in the crockpot - hope it turns out

1:00 - fuji apple chicken salad breadco and diet coke

6:00 - crockpot turkey turned out great. Just took a whole turkey and rubbed one package of lipton soup mix over and under skin. cut up an onion to put in cavity and sprinkled with thyme, oregano, onion powder. Cooked on high one hour then low for 7. Removed skin and served - fall off the bone tender. Served with Cauliflower "Brown Rice" - just put a cauliflower head in the food processor and pulsed until it was the consistency of couscous. heated 1Tbsn of olive oil in a pan and sauteed one of the onions from the turkey - add cauliflower and season with garlic and onion powder and paprika. Good substitute for rice. Also had summer squash

8:00 - tried to make a paleo dessert concoction - processed raisins, apricots, walnuts - added cocoa powder, coconut, almond butter. - Tasty and rich but didnt really hold together in a brownie like I thought it would.