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!