I have to share.....

I just made this recipe from Primal Mama's site and I can get enough of it. I changed it up a little, I added about a cup of fresh tomatoes because I didn't have the salsa, and I added an extra bell pepper and some chopped garlic.

It is so so good!

Hidden Veggie Spicy Soup

This recipe is one of my favorites, and I have tried it a few times, tweaking it each time so that I can make sure it is just perfect before I let you give it a whirl. It is very spicy- so if you don't like the heat, well, reduce the spices when making this! The reason why I named it the way I did is because the flavor is so strong in this soup, you can essentially add any veggie to the soup, and they will take the flavor, and before you know it, you're getting way more veggies than you ever bargained for! I know I have a hard time getting enough leafy greens down, so this was a great way to do it!

Here is what you'll need:
2 chicken breast, cooked and chopped
1 medium sized onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 4oz cans of diced green chiles
1/4 c chopped jalapeno
4 cups or one box of chicken broth, (TJ's has organic, free range!)
2 zucchinis, chopped in half-moons
Kale- as much or as little as you want.
2 TBSP Olive Oil
2 tea Cumin
1 TBSP Oregano
1/4 tea Cayenne (optional or cut in 1/2 if you're not a spicy-food lover)
Black pepper

Topper options:

Cilantro
Avocado
Green Onions

In a large pot, heat the oil and add the onions, garlic and zucchini. Saute about 5 minutes or so, until the onions become translucent. Next, add the jalapenos and green chiles and saute for about 2 minutes more. Then, add the chicken and the chicken broth, and all of the spices. Let the soup simmer on med-high heat for about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. At the very end, add in the Kale and stir for about 2 more minutes, or until the Kale is wilted. Serve and top with the ingredients of your choice!

CSA Week 4: Pork Chops & Persimmons

As you can see in the picture, there are green beans on the side, which also came from the CSA box, but are often frowned upon by many Paleo-followers so I will not speak of them... ha ha!

So, another week with those persimmons in the box and what to do?

Bake them with spices!!!

Here is what you'll need:
2 persimmons, peeled and sliced into 1" pieces
Olive oil (about 1.5 TBSP)
Cumin
Cinnamon
Pepper
Sea salt (gasp... another non Paleo item)
Garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small 8"x8" pan, place the persimmons and drizzle them with the olive oil. Sprinkle each of the spices on the persimmons evenly, be generous, but do not go overboard. I would say about 1 teaspoon of each (except the salt and pepper, for those use sparingly). Bake for 50 minutes.

For the Pork Chops, I bought the thin lean cuts from Trader Joes, I sauteed them for 3-4 minutes on each side in a pan with olive oil and a little salt and pepper.

Top the pork chops with the persimmons and enjoy!

Fruity Crisp

This was a delicious dessert that hardly tasted healthy!

For this recipe, I used both pears and apples, because I had them. I think any fruit would be tasty though.

Here is what you'll need:

2 c. Almond meal
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or nutmeg)
1/2 c Coconut Oil (melted)
2 tbsp Organic Honey
1 tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
4-5 apples, pears or whatever fruit you like, maybe add berries?

First, combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, that's the almond meal, cinnamon and spices. In a separate bowl, combine the honey, coconut oil and vanilla. Next, stir the wet ingredients into the dry. In an 8x8 greased pan, place the 1" apple slices into the dish, overlapping is okay. Sprinkle the crisp mixture over the top of the apples. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Serve warm and try to make it last more than one night! It's difficult!

CSA Week 2: What the Kale?

So, Paul and I are getting the smaller sized box from the CSA, which is just enough for us. This week, there wasn't anything too out of the ordinary in our box, except for those persimmons. We cut one up last night and ate it just like an apple. They are sweet, but in a different kind of way. They were good though.

Anyways, we sure did get some more Kale this week. A lot of us have trouble getting all of our greens in (speaking from experience here) but Kale is a great form of leafy greens to eat, I'm just still trying to figure out how to eat them and make them taste good! So, here is my recipe:

Kale Chips:

1 medium to large bunch of Kale
Olive Oil (about 2 tbsp)
Salt & Pepper to taste

**optional** parmesan cheese, chili powder, garlic powder

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Start by tearing the kale into bite sized pieces, about 1.5" wide. Spray a cookie sheet with some Pam or cooking spray and arrange the Kale on the sheet nicely so that none of the leaves are overlapping, drizzle the Olive Oil on the Kale and sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder or whatever other spices you choose. Bake for 10-15 minutes. My oven is a tad old, so they only take 10 minutes, and they will burn if they stay in the over any longer, so make sure to check them at 10 minutes just to be safe. To me, these Kale chips taste like pringles, mmmm!

***Also, if you are not able to eat the Kale chips in one sitting, place them in a container and just lay a paper towel over the top of the container. If you place them in a baggie or in an enclosed tupperware they may become soggy, mine have in the past. Hope you like them!

CSA Week 1- Spicy Sauteed Bok Choy

So, we started ordering fruits and vegetables from Tanaka Farms, a local organic farm out of Irvine at Crossfit South County and I am now going to commit to posting a recipe each week using something from the boxes that we receive. It's funny, because I told Paul last week, "I'm excited to get the veggies and fruits because I want to try new things, like Bok Choy" .... well ask and you shall receive! This week we got a HUGE head of Bok Choy in our box!

So, here is what I made of it...

What you'll need:

3/4 of the head of Bok Choy- it was about 6 leaves
1/4 c water
1/4 teasp Red pepper flakes
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teasp powdered (or fresh) ginger
1 tbsp Tamari (gluten free soy sauce, tastes the exact same to me)
1 tbsp Coconut oil
1 tbsp Sesame oil

Heat the two oils in the pan over medium. As you can see, I sliced the stems of the Bok Choy in 1/2" pieces, and the same with the leafy portions. Toss the stem pieces into the pan first and saute for about 5-8 minutes, or until the whiteness turns a light green. In a separate bowl, mix the water, tamari, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes. Add the leafy greens to the saute pan and continue to saute to about 3 minutes. Remove all of the Bok Choy from the pan and set aside. Add the water/tamari/garlic/pepper/ginger mixture to the pan and heat up for about 3 minutes. Add the Bok Choy back in and toss to coat for about 2 minutes. Serve and Enjoy!

Shrimp Pad Tai

I was really surprised to taste this dish, it was even more delicious than I had ever imagined. I got the idea for this recipe from this recipe. It was a pleasant surprise and a nice change from the every day chicken recipe that I am used to.

Here is what you'll need:

For the shrimp:
1/2 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 T garlic powder
1 T lemon pepper (Trader Joe's has a great one)
2 TB Olive Oil

Mix all of the above ingredients and set aside in the refrigerator.

For the "Pad Thai"

3-4 zucchinis, sliced very thinly, slice those suckers as thin as you are able to.
2 TB Garlic Chili sauce
3 TB Almond butter (I used the kind that has flax seeds added)
2 TB Apple Cider Vinegar
Juice of 1/2 Lime
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 TB ginger, minced
2 TB bacon fat --- You can use olive oil or coconut oil if you don't have any bacon fat

In a large saute pan, start to cook the onion, garlic and ginger in the bacon fat on low, just until the onions become translucent. Next, add in the vinegar, chili sauce, lime juice and almond butter. Blend the sauce well with the onion/garlic/ginger mixture. At this point, mine was a little thick, so I added a couple TBSP of water, just eye-ball it. Next, add the zucchini to the pan and begin to saute the noodles so that they are soft. In a separate, smaller pan, saute the shrimp, making sure they are cooked through. Once the shrimp appear to be done, add them to the noodle/sauce mixture and saute for 3 more minutes. Top the dish with chopped green onion and a lime juice squeeze, and eat up!
Salt & Pepper

Just in time for the Holiday weekend!

American Fruit Salad!!!

This was the easiest crowd pleaser that I have ever made...

All you need are:

Strawberries
Blueberries
Dried Coconut Shavings**

Toss it all together, right before you're ready to eat it and there you go- a fresh, crisp side of fruit salad, in red, white and blue!

** Make sure to find UNSWEETENED coconut shavings. I buy mine at Mother's, or Henry's has a bag of the bigger, chunkier coconut pieces (which are seen in the picture).

Have a great long weekend! summer is officially over!

Spaghetti Squash Bake

A friend of ours, Kendra, from the gym gave me some great recipes to try using spaghetti squash. I have modified them a bit, so here is my first attempt. It was pretty darn good. And, just so you know, this is not totally Paleo because it has some cheese in it. You can try to make it without the cheese, but I think it is the cheese that really makes this entree delish!

Here is what you'll need:
1 spaghetti squash
1lb extra lean ground beef
5 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 c mushrooms chopped
1 cup skim ricotta
3 c organic marinara (from TJs)
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 Tbsp garlic powder .... what? I like garlic!!!
parmesan cheese (optional)
chopped basil (optional)

First, preheat the oven to 375. Cut the spaghetti squash lengthwise (or have a strong man do it, it was pretty hard, and kinda scary). Place the two sides face down on a cookie sheet greased with Pam or Olive oil spray. Bake for 40 minutes. When finished, set aside.
Next, in a saute pan, place olive oil, onions and garlic and cook until onions are semi translucent. Add ground beef, garlic powder and italian seasonings and cook until the meat is browned.
While the meat is cooking, "noodle" the squash by scraping the sides out of each half. Once all of the noodles are out, set aside. In a separate bowl, combine ricotta cheese, mushrooms and marinara sauce. The meat should be done by now, drain the fat from the pan and add the mixture to the sauce/cheese mixture, stir it up well, then add about 3.5 cups of the spaghetti squash.

Take the oven down to 325. Place the mixture into a 13"x9" baking dish and top with parmesan cheese if you like. Bake for another 15 minutes. We chopped up some fresh basil and threw it on top, it was quite a delight!

Curry Chicken

The picture may not look so good, but this was a spicy delight! It was weird, because as the chicken was simmering, the whole house smelled like Creamy Top Ramen, and it brought me back to my old college dorm days.... Oh the Carb-o-loading memories!

Here is what you'll need:
2 chicken breasts
1 TB Coconut oil
1 chopped white onion
5 cloves garlic chopped
1 Teasp red pepper flakes
1/2-1 can coconut milk
2 TB Curry powder

In a pan, start to saute the onion and garlic in the coconut oil, then add the chicken breasts. Cook each breast about 6 minutes on each side, then add the remaining ingredients. Stir the ingredients in the pan (maneuvering around the chicken breasts), so that all is mixed together. Place a lid on the pan and let simmer over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes. The thickness of your chicken should determine when the meal will be done. I served mine with broccoli, as always! Hope you enjoy!

Yum Yum Shish-ke-bobs

Spice up your life! Since going Semi-paleo, I have learned to work with spices. A LOT of spices. Sometimes when I'm feeling a little martha-y I will go to the spice aisle and just buy a couple, even though I don't know what they are. Some have been good, some, not so good, but I'm sure I will find a way to work with them some day. In this recipe, I used some pretty basic spices, however, I have never really put any seasoning on my shish-ke-bobs, I just put a skewer through them and threw them on the grill. This time, "marinating" them was phenomenal!

Here is what you'll need:
2 Chicken breast- cubed
2 Bell Peppers (color of your choice)
2 onions, cut in "sixths"
2 c pineapple, fresh is better, but canned works
2 Zucchinis sliced in 1" slices

Whatever other veggies you like- mushrooms, tomatoes, asparagus, you name it!

For the seasoning:
Olive oil- I would say I used maybe 3 TBSP, maybe more
Granulated Garlic- about 1 TBSP
Pepper- 1 TBSP
Dried Parsley- 1/2 Tea
Chili Powder- 1/2 Tea

Put all of the veggies into a large bowl. (Not the chicken) Drizzle the olive oil and all the spices into the bowl. stir the veggies so that they all have a nice covering of spices.

Strangely, I did not season the chicken, but it came out just as tasty. Before placing the chicken and veggies on the skewers, I sprayed them with pam so that the food was easy to remove after being cooked. Once all the skewers were loaded up, I grilled them over medium heat for about 20 minutes, turning them every 5-7 minutes.

Guilty As Charged!

I have not been feeling very creative in the kitchen lately. Summer time has me lazy, falling back on the easy recipes from time to time. One thing I did want to share with you was this recipe from a blog that I follow... these little muffins are so delicious! Check out the whole blog, she has great recipes and ideas!

I hope to get some creative-ness from somewhere, sometime soon! I promise!!! Any ideas?

Guacamole Tomato Surprise Appetizer

These were a hit! I made them for a 4th of July BBQ and everyone ate them right up. I was kind of surprised, they were nothing special, just a few tomatoes and some guacamole...

Here is what you'll need...
Tomatoes- I used the "Amarosa" kind from Costco. They are a little bigger than a cherry tomato, but not as big as a roma, and nice and round. Get as many as you'll think you'll need, which depends on who your are making them for.
Avocados- I used about 5
1/2 yellow onion- chopped
Hot Sauce- used to your desired spicy-ness
Garlic Salt - 1 TBSP (tisk, tisk, I used salt for once. If you wanna be gnarly Paleo, use garlic powder)
Black Pepper (maybe 1 Teasp)
1/2 c chopped cilantro

In a bowl, combine avocado, onion, garlic salt/powder, pepper and hot sauce, mix well and cover, then place in the fridge while you prep the tomatoes. Place one or two of the avocado pits in the bowl with the mixture, it keeps the guac fresh- I think.

Cut the tops off the tomatoes and hollow them out. Make sure they are completely empty, then place all tomatoes with the hole-side down on a paper towel to drain excess tomato juice. Once all of the tomatoes are cut, hollowed and drained, pull that guacamole mixture out and start stuffing! Place enough guacamole in each tomato so that they are a tid bit overflowing, don't be chincy here. Once all of the tomatoes are filled, sprinkle the cilantro on top and there you go!

I think the hardest part about this recipe was figuring out how to transport them from Laguna to Huntington without having the tomatoes roll all over the trunk of my car. I smushed them all together on a platter, then made a rim out of tin foil to keep them in their place. The little suckers made it safely to our friends house and they were then enjoyed thoroughly!

Taco Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

This was one of those meals that I just kind of threw together at the last minute and it was a great one. Very simple, and not time consuming at all :) It was mucho flavorful.

Here is what you'll need:

For the meat:
1 lb extra lean ground beef (or turkey, if you like)
1 T chili powder
1 T garlic powder
1/8 T cayenne pepper
1/8 T paprika
2 Tbsp Trader Joes Jalapeno Hot Sauce (it's a new favorite/staple in our house, but you can use any hot sauce)

For the Salad:

Lettuce or spinach
Tomatoes
Green onion chopped
Avocado
Sauteed Bell Pepper
Cilantro
What ever else you like!

For the Dressing:
1/4 c Water
4 garlic cloves
2 c cilantro
Juice of two limes
2 TBSP Olive Oil
1 T Red wine vinegar



Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until the dressing is pourable. Enjoy!

Simple Chicken

I loved this entree because it was so dang easy. All I did was grill some chicken breasts and top them with this simple recipe and it was delightful.

Here is what you'll need:

Two grilled chicken breasts
1 c cherry tomatoes cut in halves
1/2 c green olives sliced
1/3 c sun dried tomatoes chopped
2 tbsp EVOO

Heat the EVOO in a pan and then add all ingredients, saute for about 5-7 minutes and viola! Dinner is ready. Hope you enjoy!

Broccoli Beef

This was sure yummy. It is one of my semi-paleo faves that I have tried. I say semi-paleo because I used soy sauce. To make this more paleo, you may substitute wheat free tamari for the soy sauce, but I did not have any at the time.

Here is what you'll need:

1 lb beef (I used the cubed stew meat from TJ's- but it was kinda tough, flank steak would have probably worked better)
1 head broccoli
2 TBSP Soy sauce
2-3 Tea Sesame Oil
1.5 Tea minced fresh ginger
5 Garlic cloves, chopped
6 green onions, cut in to 1" pieces

In a bag, mix the garlic, ginger, sesame oil and soy sauce and then add the beef. This time, I only let the meat marinate for about 3 hours, but next time I might let it marinate overnight. In a large saute pan, I added a small amount of the marinade plus about 1/4 c water and started to saute/steam the veggies. When the veggies were about done, I added the meat & marinade mixture and cooked until done (about 3-5 minutes). This dish would be great to serve with my Fake Fried Rice

Muscle Sprouts...

There are plenty of ways to make brussels sprouts, but I enjoy them this way. With a little added protein, why not call them muscle sprouts?

Here is what you'll need:
1 bag brussels sprouts from TJ's (about 20 brussels all together), quartered
2 tbsp Olive Oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 c onion, chopped
1/4 chopped meat (prosciutto, salami, pancetta)
Pepper to taste

First, microwave your brussels for about 3-4 minutes, uncovered to soften them up. In a non-stick pan over medium, heat up the oil and then saute the onion, garlic and meat of your choice for about 3 minutes. Now add the brussels sprouts to the pan. Depending on your liking, you can add more olive oil at this point, and stir a few times. Cover the pan and let steam/saute for about 3 minutes, and then stir. Cover and steam/saute for another 3 minutes. Stir. Muscle Sprouts are ready when they are slightly toasted and a little brown on the edges. Eat up!

A day in the Life....

When eating in any "diet" make sure you are still allowing yourself to have fun or you might go crazy... Here we are enjoying some wine with friends at a wine tasting up North.

I have been eating mostly paleo style since the beginning of April. The reason for this being I was getting really tired of measuring all of my food on the zone, and to be quite honest, I just wasn't seeing any more results from the zone, I was at a plateau. Now, the way that I eat is what I like to call "semi-paleo" because I don't follow EVERY rule to a T. So here is an example of a day in my life and what I typically eat:

Wake up:
1 8oz cup of Vanilla Nut Coffee (black) before Crossfit

Breakfast:
3 eggs either scrambled or fried
1 c mixed berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries) or an apple
raw almond butter- usually 2-3 Tbsp depending on how hungry I am

Lunch:
4-5 oz grilled chicken breast
1.5 cup mini bell peppers
1/2 c grapes
sometimes I'll eat another serving of veggies depending on what I have that week
1/4 c mixed raw nuts (no peanuts!)

Snack:
1-2 oz beef jerky
1-2 oz dried fruit **** eat this sparingly, as there may be a lot of sugar... replace this with fresh fruit or veggies when possible
handful of cashews

Dinner:.... is usually always changing
Most of the meals on my blog are dinner entrees. I try to eat at least 4-5 oz of whatever protein I am making, and then fill the rest of my plate with the vegetables that I prepare whether they may be asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, bell peppers or zucchini. And I usually cook with enough olive oil so that I am getting enough fat in my meal. If I have avocado on hand, I might slice it up, sprinkle pepper on it and have it as an appetizer.

The one thing I have learned about Paleo is that you really have to listen to your body. About a week ago I was having a really hard time in the gym. I was sluggish, and I was weak. I was not eating enough. I began to eat a little more and I started to feel better. Every one is so different and the way that your body responds to a type of eating is going to be different from your spouse, your friend, your mother and your boss. Also, don't forget to take into account what you do aside from your normal workout... I have a very active job (teaching Adapted PE) so some days I might need some extra food to chase those little boogers around.... Only you know your body, so only you can make the decisions about what is right for you to eat. Think of food as fuel and fill 'er up!

MMMMMMMeatloaf!!!!

Yes, MEATLOAF! Growing up, I always hated certain dinner items such as meatloaf, sloppy joes and other gross meat-y things. However, my mom was not the best of cooks in the world... Sorry Mom, you know I love you, and we have talked of this before :)

Alas, now that I am older, I enjoy things that I once cringed at. Hence, MEATLOAF!

And by the way, yes, this is totally Paleo.

Here is what you'll need:

1lb lean ground beef
1 pkg spicy Italian Sausage (I tried to buy the sausages with the least amount of ingredients possible.)
1/2 green bell pepper chopped
1/2 c white onion chopped
1 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
2 eggs
1 c almond meal
5 garlic cloves chopped
1 4oz can organic tomato paste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the Italian sausage from the casing, and place the meat into a bowl with all of the other ingredients. Mix all of the ingredients by hand. Spray a baking dish with Pam and place the meatloaf mixture into the dish. I used a 9x9 pan and I had to mold my own "loaf" in the center of the pan, if you have a smaller pan, you can probably just smush the ingredients into the sides of the pan. Bake for 1 hour and serve.

I couldn't believe how flavorful this was. I thought to myself, "darn, should I add some more tomato sauce or something?" as I was placing it in the oven, because it looked kind of dry. However, after all was said and done, it was so moist and delicious. And, it even helped me to get a 30 second PR on my "Jeremy" time this morning. I hope you like it....

Sweet Jalapeno Chicken

This was pretty good. I wish it had tasted a little more spicy, but the marinade was yummy.

Here is what you'll need:

4 jalapenos
4 garlic cloves
1 tbsp fresh parsley (optional, I just had it so I wanted to use it)
1/2 T pepper
1 T red pepper flakes
1/2 c water
2 tbsp organic honey
1/4 T chili powder
3-4 chicken breasts.

Put the jalapeno, garlic and spices in the food processor and blend until everything is very finely chopped. Add water and process a little more. My honey was hardened, so I microwaved it for 15 seconds to make it a liquid. When the honey is a liquid, add it to the processor and blend everything.

Once everything is blended together nicely, place the chicken breasts in a ziplock and pour the marinade in. Place the bag in your fridge for 4-6 hours. When you are ready to eat, strike up the grill on medium heat and cook the chicken for about 10-12 minutes on each side.

*** NEXT TIME: I would like to save a little of the marinade to baste the chicken with while it is grilling, or maybe even to top the chicken with when it is plated. Hope you like it!


Sweet Jalapeno Chicken pictured with grilled bell peppers... so good!

Paleo Inspired Pesto w/ Zucchini Fettucini

We love Pesto sauce and used to eat it all the time- the old fashioned way. This recipe is simple, and Paleo friendly. There is no cheese in this pesto, but the flavor is enough that you will not miss it.


Eek, the picture does not do this meal justice, but it was yum yum! I topped the noodles with TJ's Italian Chicken Sausage

Here is what you'll need:

1/3 c walnuts
1/3 c pecans
~ 1.5 c fresh basil
5-6 garlic cloves
1/4 c olive oil (possibly more depending on your desired consistency)
1/2 teasp pepper

I started out by blending the nuts and garlic together in a food processor, but I think it would have worked out better to first blend the basil and garlic together, then add the nuts and continue blending. Anyway, once everything was pretty finely chopped, I added the olive oil, while the food processor was still blending. You will have to stop the food processor a couple times and scrape the sides down, this is when you can add the pepper. The recipe made about 3/4 cup of the pesto sauce, but the flavor is intense. I used only about 1.5 tablespoons on my zucchini fettucini noodles. I refrigerated the rest and have put it on my chicken in my lunches for work. A little bit goes a long way!

For the zucchini fettucini- this is the most simple "noodle" recipe I have found since leaving processed foods behind. Simply take a zucchini, (I used green, but yellow works too) and peel slices off with a potato peeler. Careful that once you get to the middle of the flesh where the seeds are that you stop peeling, because the seeded parts become too soggy once they are cooked. When you have the desired amount of zucchini noodle, toss them in a pan over medium and sauté with olive oil and the seasonings of your choice. My staples lately have been garlic powder and pepper. The noodles will cook very fast, less than 5 minutes, so keep a close eye. Hope you like it!

Chicken Pizza Bake

So I was low on groceries and ideas, I just kinda threw this together and it happened to be amazing! When I took a bite and closed my eyes, it kinda, sorta tasted like PIZZA!

Here is what you'll need:

2 chicken breast
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup sun dried tomato
3/4 cup organic marinara ( got it from TJ's)
Parsley flakes
Basil seasoning
Pepper
Olive oil

First, I preheated the oven to 375... then...

I glazed the 8x8 baking dish with some pam, then added the chicken. I sprinkled a lot of parsley, pepper and basil on the chicken, then I added all of the other ingredients to the pan, except for the marinara sauce, and added more parsley, basil and pepper. Then I coated everything with a drizzle of olive oil, here is what it looked like at this stage:



Before putting it into the oven I added the marinara sauce to the pan, mainly just on the chicken breasts, with a little on the veggies in the middle and on the sides of the chicken. I cooked the masterpiece for 25 minutes, served it with some broccoli and it was delish... I am going to be making this again soon!





Enjoy!!!

I've been a bad, bad, blogger.

Man. I can't believe it has been so long since my last post. Life has been hectic (in a good way). Regionals, having company stay with us, having my nephews stay, Pretend City, closing out another school year, end of the year meetings, unplanned last minute professional development hours I need to start and finish, a bachelorette party in Vegas.... and do I really think it is going to slow down? Nope. This is life I guess, and I have to say I am so happy and lucky to have the things that keep me busy. So although I have not been able to share any new recipes please stay tuned as I am putting my kitchen mittens back on and trying to get back into the groove of the paleo recipes. Hopefully I can post a couple this week! Until then, have a great week!



Cheers to the Bride to Be, Vegas was a blast!!!!

Hawaiian Mahi Mahi

This was a pleasant surprise. I have been wanting to make a breading for meat with my almond meal, and I have not been very successful. Finally, with this recipe, I was! It was pretty good.

Here is what you'll need:
2 eggs beaten
1/3 c almond meal
1/3 c unsweetened coconut shavings (I told you I'm obsessed)
pepper
mahi filets (I got mine from Trader Joe's)

Heat your oven to 350. Rinse the fish and dry each filet with a paper towel. This is important so that the egg will stick to the fish, and the breading will stick to the egg. In a bowl, wisk the eggs and in another bowl, mix up the almond meal and coconut shavings. After all of the fish is dry, dip each piece into the egg several times so that the fish is covered. Then dip the fish in the almond meal/coconut mixture so that it is completely covered. Your fingers will get very messy, so just beware. Place the breaded filets on a greased cooking sheet or cake pan and sprinkle with pepper. Cook the fish for 10-13 minutes. Serve with your favorite veggie and enjoy.

Next time I might try adding coconut milk to the egg mixture. I'm loving all things coconut right now, so I hope you do too, because my blog is going to have coconut all over it. Have a great week! Regionals in 5 days whoot whoot!

Paleo Balls

I made these sweet treats for a nice night in with some friends.

What you'll need:

1/2 c pitted dates
2 tbsp natural applesauce
1 egg white
1 teasp cocoa powder
1 c unsweetened coconut, divided in halves
1/4 c walnuts
1/2 c almond meal

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all ingredients and place into your food processor, except for 1/2 c of Coconut and the Almond meal. Pulse the processor until the mixture is nice and smooth. You will have to scrape the sides of the processor a couple of times to make sure the mixture is blended enough.
Once you have a nice, smooth mixture, place it into a larger bowl and fold in the remaining coconut and the almond meal. On a greased cookie sheet, spoon up some small balls and place them in rows. Bake for 10 minutes.

** You may want to add your own ingredients, or more/less or the ingredients I listed. I have been loving coconut shavings lately, so I went a little heavy on the coconut***

Enjoy, try not to eat all of them in one sitting!

Clean Spaghetti w/ Meat Sauce

Mmmm... Pasta has got to be one of the meals that I miss the most. I'm sure I am not the first person most of you know who has subbed spaghetti squash for pasta noodles, but for those of you who are new to this idea, you should definitely try it. You can find spaghetti squash at most grocery stores. I got mine today at Mother's Market.



To prepare the squash:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Poke the squash several times with a fork, then place in a baking dish. Bake for 40-50 minutes. Remove the squash and let it sit for about 10 minutes, it will be very hot! Once it has cooled a little, cut the squash in half, lengthwise. Remove the seeds and stringy-like stuff with a spoon. Next, scrape the flesh of the squash (the walls on the inside of the squash) with a fork. This will create the string-like "noodles". I scrape mine down to the skin, I try to get the most out of each side of the squash. Set the "noodles" aside.

For my meat sauce:
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T Olive Oil
1/2 T Herbs de Provence
1/2 T Dried Parsley
1/2 T Garlic Powder
4oz can Tomato Paste
4 oz can water
1/2 c organic diced tomatoes

In a pan, add olive oil, onion and garlic and sautee until the onions are translucent. Next, break up the ground beef and drop it in the pan, add all of the spices. In a separate bowl, mix together the tomato paste and the water, so that it is a nice smooth consistency. Add tomato sauce to the meat, garlic & onions, as well as the diced tomatoes. Turn the burner to low and let simmer for 5-10 minutes.

I hope you enjoy this ... Paul said it needed salt, but I told him "No extra added salt on Paleo!" ... he said "I hate Paleo", and he then took a sip of his glass of milk (not so paleo) haha... I guess it is not for everyone, but, we're trying our best. Have a great week! 11 more days until regionals....

Italian Tilapia with Spinach

Happy Friday everyone! Here is a light and fresh meal, adopted from the Paleo Diet newsletter's Recipe of the week. This recipe was made for two people.


Recipe adopted from here

Here is what you need:
Fish
Fresh or frozen Tilapia Filets
Lemon Zest (approx 1 tbsp)
Pepper to taste
Olive Oil

Heat your oven to 375. Spray your baking dish with pam and lay the fish filets nicely in the pan. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with lemon zest and pepper. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

"Brushetta"
1 c chopped tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes)
4-5 leaves basil shredded
1 clove garlic chopped
2 tbsp white onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp Lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, then spoon onto fish. Delish!

Spinach
Loads of Spinach, I used probably 6 or so cups
3 cloves garlic
1/2 c mushrooms
2 tbsp olive oil

Heat a large non-stick pan with the olive oil for about 1 minute over medium heat. Add chopped garlic and mushrooms. When mushrooms are cooked to your liking, add the spinach. Place the fish on top of the spinach/mushroom mix and enjoy!

Straying off the straight and narrow....

We all do it from time to time. Some call it a "cheat meal" some call it a "cheat day" and unfortunately, some of us have "cheat weekends". What do these do for us? I'll tell you what they do for me...NOT MUCH! Although I had a great weekend up North with my best friend for her "21st" (wink wink) birthday, I sure did pay for it in the gym this morning. Do you ever have cheat meals/days/weekends? Are they worth it? Do you think they help your performance at all? Let me know what you think...

Well, here is a recipe to help you get back on track, if you might have had a weekend like me.

"Back on Track Chicken Dinner"



Here's what you'll need:

2 chicken breast
Pepper
4 tbsp Tomato Paste
~4 Tbsp water
1/2 c Artichoke Hearts
1/4 c Sun Dried Tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 375, and spray your 9" x 9" baking dish with Pam. Sprinkle the chicken with some pepper and place into the baking dish. Arrange the artichoke hearts and sun dried tomatoes in the pan, around the chicken and a few on top of the chicken. In a separate bowl, mix the tomato paste and water. When the tomato paste is a nice smooth consistency, pour over chicken breasts. Depending on your chicken breast thickness and whether or not it is frozen or fresh will determine the cook time. Mine are, frozen: 40 minutes and fresh: 25 minutes.

Also, in the picture you will see my "Busy Lady Broccoli"

2 crowns of broccoli
2 tbsp olive oil
seasonings of your choice

Throw the ingredients into a ziplock back and DO NOT CLOSE IT. Place the bag on a plate and microwave for 3 minutes. Enjoy!

I hope everyone has a great week, for those of you Crossfitters out there I hope you are getting ready for Regionals and the Affiliate Cup.... I know I am! It's time to get real serious!!!!

Please, don't quote me.....

Happy Tuesday to everyone! As I said, I would love to hear from any and all of you if you may have some suggestions. Today I talked to my best friend who recently lost 20 lbs following a "modified zone diet" and a moderate exercise plan. She has reccommended my site to her friends, who have shown interest in the zone diet and the implementation of physical fitness, but they have no idea where to get started.

Now let me just start by saying that I am no Barry Sears, but I have been following the zone for some time. Here is a link for you to follow if you would like some basic tips on the zone, in a nutshell:

Zone Tips

However, you may want to start with something a little more reasonable. Here is a simplistic way of starting out on your road to "zone eating"...

1. Eat fresh fruits and veggies
2. Eat lean meats
3. Do not eat grains (even if they say that they are WHOLE WHEAT)
4. Eat healthy fats: nuts, seeds, olive oil, avocado (in moderation)
5. Do not eat sugar
6. Drink plenty of water
7. Make sure that you have a protein, a carb and a fat at every meal (see the zone website link if you want to get really technical)

Also, feel free to email me with any questions that you may have. As I have mentioned before, I am not a doctor, I am not a nutritionist and I am not the most knowledgeable person out there about diet/nutrition, but I am willing to learn as much as possible, and if I cannot give you an answer, I will surely try to help you find it.

Good luck on your journey in what ever it is that you may be doing, and give yourself a pat on the back for taking a step in the right direction towards an active and healthy lifestyle!

Fiesta, Fiesta!

I was in the mood for something spicy- but something new. I usually make my naked fajitas (fajitas sans tortillas), but I wanted something more, and I didn't want to have to eat a truckload of bell peppers just to get all of my carbs in. So, I made a couple of other items to compliment my spanish themed-meal.

For an appetizer, I made what I will now name, Ali's Ceviche, after my friend Ali, who gave me the great idea!

Here's what you'll need:

2 c tomatoes, chopped
2 c cooked shrimp, chopped
1/2 c red onion, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
Juice of 2 limes
Roughly 1/2 c cilantro, chopped
1/2 of a jalapeno (a little more than 1 tbsp) chopped
1/2 avocado

It's simple, just combine all of the ingredients (except the avocado) in a bowl and refrigerate for about an hour before serving. When you're ready to serve, chop up the avocado and place it on top. I used cucumber slices instead of tortilla chips, but it was also tasty by the fork-full. Here is my presentation, doesn't it look mucho authentico?





As a side, I made Spanish Cauli-Rice, it was SO GOOD. I gave some to my co-worker (who is doing strict paleo), and she said, "it tastes so good, I feel like I am cheating!" It was delicious, the picture just does not do it any justice.

Here is what you'll need:

1 head of Cauliflower
3 tbsp tomato paste
~ 3 tbsp water
1 4 oz can diced green chiles
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 c cilantro, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp olive oil

Chop the cauliflower into very small pieces so that it resembles rice, or, place it in the food processor, and set aside. In a non stick pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil, onions and garlic until the onions become translucent, then add chiles, tomato paste and water. Stir the mixture so that it turns into a paste-like consistency. Microwave the cauliflower for 3-4 minutes. Once the cauliflower is done in the mirco, add it to the pan and mix well, turning the burner to a low heat. At this time, add the cilantro. You can also add other veggies if you like. Next time, I think I will add fresh chopped tomato.



And finally, my finished product was my naked fajitas over the cauli-rice. Naked fajitas are really easy to make. Just sautee some sliced bell pepper in 1 teasp olive oil, and grill up some chicken, with the spices of your liking. I covered my chicken in chili powder, garlic & onion powder, and red pepper flakes. The meal was great! Ole!

I'm Alive! .... And yes, I do have recipes!

Well, as some of you may know I have spent the past 2 days and 2 nights babysitting my nephews. They are 4 and 1. Let me just say WOW. First of all, I will say they are very well behaved, but boy did I learn a lot. It's hard! I am not gonna lie. I'm giving a shout out to all parents right now because kids are sure a handful- especially two of them. Overall, I had a great time, and next time you see Paul, call him the "Baby Whisperer" because that is his new nickname. It was a great experience and I am very confidant that one day Paul is going to be a great daddy, and I guess I won't be too shabby of a mom either!

The good news is, I was still able to make a couple healthy meals while the boys were here. Friday night's dinner has got to be one of my faves. Here is what is was:



Agave Mustard Chicken, Bacon Wrapped Asparagus & Cinnamon Sweet Potatoes. To. Die. For.

For the Chicken:
Place two chicken breasts in a large ziplock bag. Add 2 Tbsp Agave Nectar and 4 Tbsp Mustard. You can use which ever mustard you like, I use this kind from Trader Joe's which is a aioli garlic mustard, it's yum. Next, zip up the bag and smash everything together, make sure that you thoroughly cover the chicken and the mustard and agave are mixed well. Let that marinate for about 10 minutes. In the mean time, strike up the grill on a medium heat... Chicken cooking times will vary depending on what you use. We usually cook ours on the grill for about 9-12 minutes each side.

For the Aspargus:
Snap the ends off of your asparagus then bundle them together by wrapping one piece of bacon around them. I think I did bundles of 8 or 9. 12 asparagus spears is 1 block according to the zone so it wasn't quite one block, because I was saving room for sweet potatoes. Throw the asparagus bacon bundles on the grill once you've flipped the chicken. Try to rotate the bundles every 2 minutes or so. The bacon does a great job of flavoring the asparagus- and you don't even have to eat the bacon if you don't want to- I didn't.

For the Sweet Potatoes:
I used one sweet potato for Paul and I to split. Scrub the potato, leaving the skin on. Then slice the potato in 1/4 in slices, so they look like little round patties. Spray a cookie sheet with pam and spread those puppies out. Drizzle 2 tbsp of Olive Oil on them, then sprinkle with cinnamon. Preheat the oven to 400, cook for 30 minutes. Zone says sweet potatoes are an unfavorable carb, weighing in a 1/3 of a potato for 1 block. I eyeballed-it, thinking I had close to my 3 blocks of carbs with the asparagus.

The dinner was delish, and we were able to enjoy it with the baby in bed, and the 4 year old watching Alvin and the Chipmunks. But the fun didn't stop there!

Saturday morning what did the kids want for breakfast? PANCAKES!!!! (And Bacon, I swear my 4 year old nephew is going to turn into a piece of bacon, he loves that stuff!)



So, I got to the kitch and started by gathering the following ingredients:

2 eggs
1/2 c milk
1/3 c oats
1/2 banana


Just blend all of the ingredients together and you have yourself a zone-ish style pancake batter! The whole batter itself came to 3 PRO blocks and 3.5 CHO blocks. Add a little butter for your fat, and there you go. I wasn't too concerned with feeding the kids in "zone portions", but I was happy to use healthier ingredients than your average Bisquick box of badness. Anyway, I just used my electric skillet on 350, flipping each pancake after about 1 minute. And, I topped the cakes with Sugar Free syrup. Probably not the best for you, but maybe better than the stuff with sugar? Who knows? That's a whole other can of worms that I am not going to get into right now...

Well, there you go! I hope you enjoy the recipes and there will be more to come! By the way, I got some great feedback from some friends about this blog over the weekend, if you ever have any questions/comments, please let me know!

Breakfast On-The-Go!

More often than not, if someone is going to skip a meal, it is going to be breakfast! We've all been guilty of it, rushing out the door late for work/school/life in general. But you know the saying, breakfast is the most important meal of the day! So eat up. These little muffins are so simple to make, you'll be glad you did. If you have 20 minutes to spare, you can easily wisk these suckers together. (Pun intended, ha ha).

Here is what you'll need:
Eggs- depending on your muffin tin, I have a 12-hole muffin tin, so I used 11 eggs
Veggies- what ever you like! I used bell peppers, onion and asparagus
Salt & Pepper to your liking
Anything else- Cheese (for the non-paleo eaters) and I used Canadian Bacon, which was yum!

Heat the oven to 350. Wisk the eggs together in a bowl, then add the other ingredients and mix well. Place cupcake liners in your muffin tin and fill each liner about 3/4 full. Place the tin in the center rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Keep a close eye on your muffins near the end of the cook time, all oven temperatures do vary.

There ya go. Now you have no excuses for not eating breakfast. Tomorrow when you're rushing around the house getting ready to leave, grab a couple of these and re-heat them, or eat them cold with some fruit and nuts and you're golden!
* Each Muffin = 1 block of Protein

Hello and Welcome!

Hello to all of my new followers! I am excited to start this new blog, and I am looking forward to sharing my thoughts and recipes with you. You will have to excuse me, I am very new to this stuff, and my computer skills are not too great, so please bear with me, I'm learning :) I am starting this blog for many reasons:

1. In a month, I will be done with school, which means, I am going to need to fill my time with something.
2. A lot of friends frequently ask me things like "what's a healthy recipe you have?" or "what do I need to eat to be healthy?"
3. I love food.
4. It's fun
5. It keeps me accountable for the things that I put in my mouth. (sometimes)

So I'm not even sure how I want this blog to be, recipes only? thoughts on life? thoughts on fitness? day to day meals that I eat? I don't really know... but what I do know is that I will try my best to keep it current, and healthy!

I hope everyone had a great Easter! Today I am back on track with the zone and ready to tackle a great week off for Spring Break. This morning I had my usual zone smoothie for breakfast... mmmm In case you're wondering, here's what it is:

8 oz water
1/3 of a banana (1 CHO)
~10 strawberries (2 CHO)
4 teasp of mixed nut butter (6 FAT).... I double my fat intake because I get hungry if I don't...
1 scoop chocolate protein (3 PRO)

and now I am feasting on my lunch, the perfect little zone meal:




Egg Salad made with 3 eggs, 1 tsp mayo, and 1/2 tsp mustard (3 PRO, 3 FAT) spread out on some crispy romaine leaves
10 mini bell peppers & 1 apple (3 CHO)
9 Almonds (3 FAT)

What a delicious way to get rid of those pretty little Easter eggs!

Hashini Browns

Mmmmm... Who doesn't like some good old hash browns? These are a yummy version that have less carbs than your average potato hash browns.

Here is what you'll need:

2 cups grated green zucchini
3 green onions, chopped
1 egg, beaten
Salt & Pepper to taste

After grating the zucchini, place it in a paper towel and ring it out, get as much water out of the zucchini as possible. Place the zucchini into a bowl with the chopped onion and beaten egg, and mix all ingredients together. Scoop a small amount onto your grill or pan (over a medium heat of course) and flatten out as much as possible. After about 2 minutes, flip the little patty over. The zucchini patty should be brown on each side when done. Enjoy!

Fake Fried Rice?

Here is what you'll need:

1 medium head of Cauliflower (finely chopped)
1/2 c mushrooms (chopped)
4-6 green onions (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
2 eggs
2 Tbsp Olive Oil

Microwave the chopped cauliflower for about 3-4 minutes so that it is soft. In a pan, heat the olive oil and sautee the onions, garlic and mushrooms for about 3 minutes over medium heat. Wisk together the 2 eggs in a bowl, then add to the pan with the onion/garlic/mushroom mix. Before all of the egg is cooked, quickly add in the cauliflower so that the eggs and cauliflower can take up each other's flavor. Mix all of the ingredients in the pan together. Continue to sautee the mixture until the cauliflower turns a light brown color. Serve with your favorite protein and fat!
Zone info: 4 c of cooked cauliflower is 1 block. This recipe makes about 4 cups... be sure to serve with some more carbs!

Shell-Less Tacos

Shell-Less Tacos

These are a delicious alternative for your average, greasy, carb infested, processed tacos!

What you'll need:

Extra Lean Ground Beef

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 Yellow Bell Pepper (sliced)

1 Orange Bell Pepper (sliced)

1/2 c Cherry tomatoes (cut in halves)

Romaine Lettuce

Seasoning of your choice: I used Chili Powder, Garlic Salt, Paprika and Pepper

Optional:

Avocado, Cilantro, Cheese, Salsa

In a pan, over medium heat, sautee the ground beef with the seasoning of your choice, add about 1-2 tablespoons of water so there is a small amount of juice made from the seasonings and the grease from the meat. stir occasionally, should cook in less than 10 minutes. In a separate pan, heat the 1 tbsp of Olive Oil and add sliced bell peppers, season to your liking and stir so that the peppers all have a nice thin olive oil coat. Cover and let cook for about 8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes so that the peppers do not burn.

Separate the Romaine Lettuce leaves so that they are able to hold the ingredients for your tacos. Fill each leaf with the amount of meat, veggies, cheese and other topics that you desire. I made sure to measure my ground beef out to 4.5 oz=3 PRO blocks for women. The peppers and lettuce were probably about 1 block of CHO, so serve with a small salad.

Enjoy!