Salmon

I made SALMON!  You don't understand, this is HUGE!  I do not make fish, nor do I like it.  Well... until now.  It was delicious!  I did put lots of lemon on it, but it was totally edible-and I'd eat it again!  W even said it was better than lots of restaurants :-)  Sure, maybe he said it to be nice, but it made me feel good!  This was fresh, never frozen, salmon.  Maybe that is what made the taste so good.  I bought it fresh today, and cooked it within hours.

It was so simple.  I was inspired by my Rachel Ray magazine.  Surprisingly she has lots of Paleo-friendly recipes (or one's that can easily be converted).  Here's what you do:

Put some olive oil in a pan and heat it on medium-high heat.  Rub olive oil & salt and pepper on the salmon fillets.  Once the pan is heated, place the salmon skin side down for 3 minutes, then turn heat down to medium for another 3 minutes.  Flip over and cook until almost opaque in the middle.  The recipe suggested 1-2 minutes but mine took quite a bit longer than that.  Regardless, it was super moist and flaky.

Merry Christmas

We had W's Boss' Christmas party tonight.  They have a beautiful home and someone cell phone snapped this picture for us.  MERRY CHRISTMAS!!  (Tonight was our Christmas Eve!  Tomorrow we are celebrating Christmas here in VA.)

Burgers

Meals don't have to be complicated.  Sometimes the simplest things are the best.  If I judged on how quickly my children inhaled their food, this meal would be at the top of the list!  Ez even asked for more "nuggets!"  haha.  Never heard of beef nuggets, but ok!

For the meat: I Just squished some hamburger into patties.  No seasoning, sauces, etc.  Topped with some fresh grated grass fed cheddar cheese and tomatoes.  Yumm!

Yam fries: chop yams, spray on some olive oil (Love my MISTO), season with salt, pepper, and garlic.  Bake at 425 for 20 minutes or so, flipping half way through.  I made 3 large yams and everyone was begging for more.

Asparagus: simply steam!

Gingerbread Men

Last night we had a little "cookie party" with The Brown's.  They are like our kids adopted Auntie and Uncle!  We made some semi-healthy Gingerbread Men.  The kids had a blast.  Elliot said "this is the best night ever!"  We let them go CRAZY ;-) and each decorate a big cookie with all junk (I had a stash of sprinkles from last year).  Levi could hardly control himself.  He ate the whole leg off his man before we even baked it!  haha.

For round 2, we stuck to more Primal items.  They could use raisins, almonds, sunflower seeds, and 100% chocolate.  We also baked some plain (my favorite!)  

After dinner they were each able to eat 1/2 of their cookie.  I let them have the other 1/2 after lunch this afternoon.  This is when Ezra told me "Please give me my head back, Mommy!"  Cracked me up.  I had to tell him it in his stomach (or not.  HA!)

Here's the recipe we used from Primal Palate:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups blanched almond flour
• 1/2 cup molasses (if you have an aversion to molasses, another option would be to use yacon syrup, although the molasses is a key ingredient to getting the classic "gingerbread cookie" flavor and color.)
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons palm shortening (Coconut Oil works fine as a substitute!  That's what we did!)
• 1 tablespoon coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• gingerbread men/holiday cookie cutters

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a sauce pan, heat molasses to a boil.
3. Add maple syrup, palm shortening, and coconut milk to sauce pan.
4. Stir ingredients until combined, then remove from heat.
5. In a small bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
6. Pour dry ingredients into wet, and mix with a wooden spoon until batter is fully blended.
7. Roll out dough between two sheets of parchment paper, until about 1/4 inch thick.
8. Cut batter with cookie cutters of choice.
9. Bake for 10 minutes on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
10. Let cool, decorate as desired, and enjoy.

Chili

I'm not fartin' around, this was some seriously good Chili!  ;-)


Here's the recipe (my comments are *)

2 lbs ground buffalo (*really, who has buffalo?  Not me!  I used 1 lb. ground beef, 1 lb Italian sausage)
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves chopped garlic
2-4 Tbs fat (I use pork fat-*yuppers, so did I!  Love that can of bacon grease I have. HAHA)
2 cups canned chopped tomatoes (*I used 2 whole cans of organic diced tomatoes)
4 Tbs chile powder (*I did 2.5 and it was perfect, mild, very kid-friendly!)
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup water

Brown ground buffalo (*or other meat) with chopped onion and chopped garlic, in fat. Then add chopped tomatoes, chile powder, oregano, cumin, and salt. Add water, then simmer the mixture for at least two hours, until the meat is very tender and the tomatoes pretty much cook into the sauce. Four hours is not too much, but check to make sure it does not go dry. (*I did 4 hours and it was perfect!)

I served this over spaghetti squash.  (The picture is just the leftovers ready to go for W's lunch tomorrow). I finally found some at the grocery store last night for a decent price ($1/lb).  I was so excited I bought them all!  I cooked them today and am freezing the leftovers.  This way we can have spaghetti even when it's out of season.  

Served it all with some fried okra.  When the kids asked "what chu cookin' me Mommmy?"  I replied with "chili and okra."  The response I got was a VERY excited yell "YEA!!! OKRA!!!"  They devour it!  

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tis the season for BAKING!  Just because we are trying to eat Paleo, that's no excuse to miss out on fun traditions.  This morning the kids helped me make some chocolate chip cookies.  Yes, they are a little cheat, but so worth it for the fun and yumminess!  Just like old times, they each got to lick a spoon or beater :-)    The recipe was from here and is as follows:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Blanched Almond Flour
• 1/2 cup Virgin Coconut Oil, unrefined
• 1/2 cup Pure Maple Syrup
• 2 Omega 3 Eggs
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/2 cups Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl combine dry ingredients.
3. In a small mixing bowl beat eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla extract with a hand mixer.
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry and beat with hand mixer until combined.
5. Melt coconut oil, pour into batter, and continue to blend until combined.
6. Stir in chocolate chips.
7. On a parchment lined baking sheet, drop balls of cookie dough, about a tablespoon in size.
8. Bake for 15 minutes.
9. Let cool and serve with a cold glass of almond milk!

I didn't have enough blanched almond flour, so I did half blanched and half unblanched.  There IS a difference.  The cookies are still delicious, but the texture isn't quite the same.  Thankfully, we just placed a bulk order (25 lbs) of blanched almond flour to split with our friends who blog HERE ... and HERE. I can't wait to get it!

I also did all sorts of random chocolates.  I had some 65% chips left, chopped up some 85% chocolate bar, and also did some 100% chocolate.  Great combo.

Fajitas

Fajitas were on our menu for this week, and thankfully I decided to browse the recipe the night before-it requires a 24 hour marinade!  I whipped that up, and had very little prep the next day.  (We are usually in the kitchen at night preparing our bacon/sausage or breakfast for the next day anyway!  The kids our out-of-control, might die from starvation, when they wake up-so breakfast must be quick!)  This recipe was from our Make It Paleo cookbook (and is also on their website).  I love watching my 2 year olds devour their dinner just so they can get more guacamole!  (Please note: I put about 1/2 the amt. of pepper recommended for the marinade and it was quite spicy!  I also just sprinkled the seasoning on the veggies and it was fine.  If I had added anymore, I'm pretty sure the kids wouldn't have been able to eat it.  They were already saying it was "Picy!"

Steak Ingredients:

• 1 pound skirt steak
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• The juice of 1.5 limes
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon chipotle pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin

Steak Process:

1. Rinse skirt steak under cool water and pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Carefully remove any remaining silver skin from the steak.
3. Place steak in a gallon ziplock bag, and set aside.
4. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, salt, pepper, chipotle, cumin, and garlic.
5. Pour marinade over steak, seal bag, and toss to evenly coat the entire skirt steak.
6. Place in the refrigerator and allow to marinate for up to 24 hours.
7. Preheat grill to 500, 10 minutes prior to cooking.
8. Remove steak from the fridge and bring up to room temperature.
9. Grill steak 3-4 minutes a side.
10. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
11. Cut steak in thin strips, against the grain for serving.

Fajita Vegetable Ingredients:

• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 vidalia onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cups sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon each, salt, pepper, chipotle pepper, and cumin

Fajita Vegetable Process:

1. Heat olive oil on medium heat in a cast iron skillet.
2. Add vegetables and seasonings, and saute until onions are translucent, and peppers have softened. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Turn oven onto broil at 500, and raise oven rack to the top level.
4. Place vegetables in cast iron skillet under the broiler for 3-5 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie Spice

I have quite a few recipes that call for Pumpkin Pie Spice.  After paying $5 for a small container of it, I decided that was just TOO much. Considering cinnamon is the 1st ingredient, it can't be that hard to make!  After some very quick research (Google!) I had my solution.  It smells perfect!

The following will make enough to refill a small spice container with a little room left for shaking/mixing.

Recipe:

4 tsp Cinnamon
2 tsp Ginger
1tsp Nutmeg
1tsp Allspice

I think this is much more cost effective given that the HUGE container of cinnamon pictured was only about $3 at Costco.  I'm not sure how much ginger was, but Nutmeg & Allspice were each about $2.50.  I could make a LOT of these refills using all of these ingredients, bringing the cost down dramatically!

Rosemary Chicken

Need a super easy and quick dinner?  This meal is your answer.  Once again, my picture does it no justice.  I have a huge fear of undercooked chicken and have to cut every piece open to check for doneness.

Recipe is simple: take 3 chicken breasts, rub with some olive oil, press on 2 cloves of minced garlic & 2 tsp fresh Rosemary (love the bush of it we have out front), lightly salt and pepper.  Bake at 400 20-25 minutes. Pour 1/4 C of Balsamic Vinegar on top once to of oven.  The great flavor really surprised me!!  I loved it!

Thank you Make It Paleo cookbook for another great meal!  I served this with a kale, mustard green, spinach mix and mushrooms, onions, & squash.  It was all wonderful.  Big boys LOVED the greens tonight!  I can't tell you how much my kids love good food.  It makes me so happy to see them eating mushrooms like they are candy!

And, since they're so cute and I'm on Facebook strike, I will share pics of 2 of my 4 on here.....
Playing "build a castle"....

 Working at Daddy' office (after L ran straight into the glass wall.  It was hilarious and sad!)....

Getting ready to eat their Paleo lunch we brought (leftovers).  The Secretaries treats ruined the whole "Paleo" aspect.  haha...

Turkey Loaf, Parsnips/Turnips, & Broccoli

Turkey loaf has always been a staple meal around here.  I've had a recipe I love for a few years now.  Did you know that a loaf tastes the same without the milk and bread crumbs?  After I made it "paleo" the 1st time I couldn't figure out why we always add those 2 ingredients!  All you need it about 2 lbs of turkey and 1 egg.  Other than that, you can get creative.  I switch it up a little every time, but always add about 1/4 tsp of ginger (maybe more) for a nice flavor.

Tonight's Recipe was:
2 lbs turkey
1 egg
some ginger, salt, and pepper
1/2 onion chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
1.5 carrots chopped

Bake at 375 for at least 1 hr.

The MASHED PARSNIPS & TURNIPS were amazing!  Nice hearty substitute for mashed potatoes.  I'd never bought either of these veggies before, in fact it took me about 5 minutes to find them sitting nicely next to the carrots at the grocery store!

Recipe is simple:
3 C parsnips
2 C turnips
1 onion
salt and pepper to taste

chop them all, roast at 400 for 45 minutes (turning every 15 min.)  Mash up in food processor, blender, or by hand. They are super thick. You are probably gonna think (like me) "Boy, these could use some milk and butter" but I promise, they are very good without it.  They were so tasty!!

For the Broccoli:  Just chop and throw in steamer!  Super easy meal!!  Can't wait to eat the leftovers for lunch (I had to fight my hubby for them-but they're mine.  YEA!)

Lasagna

Okay, another GREAT recipe from the cookbook Make It Paleo from the folks at THIS SITE.  Seriously, you gotta check out the site.

This totally took care of any lasagna craving I had.  I grated some mozzarella cheese on mine and the kids.  Hubs' was plain.

The picture looks pretty terrible.  In fact, I debated putting it on, but I had to.  I almost forgot to snap one, so this was after I fixed the kids plates.  Yes, I took them straight out of the middle so they could have half with cheese, 1/2 without.  Random, I know.

The original recipe is this:
Ingredients: 
2 zucchini's sliced very thin. 
1 1/4 Cup Sliced Mushrooms 
1 LB. of ground beef
3 cloves of Garlic, minced
1 small green pepper, Chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 can of tomato paste (6 oz.)
1 can of tomato sauce (15oz.)
1 TBS fresh parsley
1 TBS fresh basil
1 TBS oregano
Sea salt and pepper to taste

*If you are in a hurry- you can use a jar of pasta sauce rather than the last 5 ingredients. Go for one with the most natural ingredients and one that has no salt or salt listed towards the end of the ingredient list. We like Classico tomato and Basil. 

1.) Brown ground meat in large skillet on medium heat, stir often. 
2.) Add Peppers, onions and Garlic to the meat and allow to simmer for 5 min. 
3.) Stir in tomato paste and sauce, fresh herbs and salt and pepper. Continue to stir often. 
4.) Bring sauce to a light boil, remove from heat.
5.) Grease a 9"x13" baking dish. (Paleo- use coconut oil)
6.) Place a thin layer of meat sauce (1/2 inch) in the dish.
7.) Layer Zucchini over sauce, the mushrooms, and repeat, alternating layers. 
8.) Cover with tin foil.
8.) Bake at 325 F for 15 minutes, remove foil, increase temperature to 350 and bake for another 15min.



I used Italian sausage instead of ground beef, it was a great substitution.  I also used yellow squash.  2 big squash provided enough for me to nearly double the recipe.  I also cheated and used dried herbs.  


Happy eating!

Ham Soup

The other night we had a wonderful Spiral Ham, Sweet Potatoes, and Green beans for dinner.  Delicious! There was plenty left for leftovers for lunches as well as the bone (which we left lots of meat on).  I would normally make a ham and bean soup, but beans are now a no-go.  So, I just made up a recipe that would work. It went something like this:

Ingredients:

Ham bone
1 onion chopped
5 carrots chopped
4 celery stalks chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
some seasonings (pepper, thyme)
1 carton Trader Joe's Free Range Chicken Broth
2 cans organic diced tomatoes
1/2 package of shredded cabbage

What to do:
Combine everything in a stock pot.  Add enough water to cover the ham bone.  Simmer for an hour or until meat falls off  ham bone.  Eat. (I originally put mine in the crock pot for 4 hours and it didn't work.  Either my crock pot is broken, or I just don't know how to make soups in it-the carrots weren't even tender yet.  I transferred it all to the stove for about 30 minutes and it was great!)

You can add so many things to this, or take them away!  So simple and it was yummy!  Kid approved!

W's 1st Month Paleo

 Dubya Here. Just recently completed my first 30 days of eating "Paleo" and thought I'd share on the experience.  I read Robb Wolfs "The Paleo Solution" where he explains that the purpose of eating Paleo is for health, longevity & performance.  He's both a Fitness Guru and a bio chemist so his perspective is unique.  He explains the science (sometimes in painful detail) of why consumption of grains, legumes and dairy creates hormone imbalances, decreases insulin sensitivity and causes systematic inflammation of your intestines whether your aware of it or not.  These 3 things either alone or in combination are the root cause of most things that ail us.  I.e. everything from allergies and autoimmune conditions to cancers, infertility & heart disease.  He encourages you to try it for yourself for 30 days and see what happens.  People may initially resist or debate some of the science but most people agree that eating meats & vegetables for 30 days isn't going to kill you so why not give it a try and be able to speak from experience.

Well here's what I've experienced in the last 30 days. I should mention that I haven't changed anything other than what I eat. I did my best to avoid grains, legumes and dairy but I wasn't perfect.  I typically average 3 crossfit workouts a week and 1 other workout like a short run and maintained that same level of activity for the past 30 days.

I sleep much better.
I have more energy and drink much less coffee.
My skin is better; I had an issue I've dealt with on my upper back that has completely disappeared.
My physical performance is improved.  I set new personal records in all the barbell lifts we've done in the past month (push jerk, snatch, clean, front squat). I've noticed improved stamina and speed in the MetCons too(metabolic conditioning workouts)
Normal portions of food satisfy me! (hormone correction)
My blood pressure has gone from "high normal" to well in the normal range.
I've lost 14lbs of body fat, don't feel like I've been dieting and haven't counted any calories.

All these things directly relate to explanations provided in "The Paleo Solution."  Definitely encourage you to try it for yourself. I must say that it would have been much more difficult if E had not jumped on board and got excited about this way of cooking and eating.  It's gotten easier for the family now that the kitchen is "switched over" and stocked with the right ingredients.  I think the best part of it all is hearing my kids beg for more tangerines, nuts, grapes, mushrooms etc. vs. junk.  We don't have any reason to stop now and intend to continue on!

Happy Eating!

Chicken Parmesan

Oh my goodness, we just has the best dinner!  I have had some serious cravings for some ooey gooey cheese lately (AKA Pizza) and have NOT given in to the cravings.  I saw a friend post on Facebook that she was making chicken parmesan and I couldn't wait to make some!  

I think I remember a recipe a long time ago that used a meat mallet.  I have one, I've never used it, I have no idea what it's really for, but I decided tonight would be a good time to try it out.  I took out the chicken, covered in plastic wrap, and just kept beating it with the mallet.  Not sure if it did any good, but it sure was fun!

After that I dipped it in a mix of almond meal, ground flaxseed, and Italian seasoning.  Then, I seared each side in a pan with olive oil.

Then, my little helpers came in!  HAHAHA.  Elliot and Ezra were on cheese grating detail.  They actually did pretty good together.  After I chopped up cucumbers and tomatoes, Levi placed them one by one into the bowl.  They were very happy and busy, and thankfully Joel was content in the bouncy chair.

Back to the chicken: I placed it in a baking dish, covered in spaghetti sauce, and then put the fresh grated mozzarella all over the top.  LOTS of it (and VERY un-Paleo.)  I just baked Wes' chicken, no cheese or sauce (although, he did later use sauce for dipping).  Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes.

For sides, we had the cut up cucumber/tomato, spinach, and mushrooms/squash.  I just sautéed the squash, mushrooms & half an onion in some olive oil.  For the spinach, I sautéed the other half an onion & some garlic in olive oil. Then, added the spinach and covered over medium heat for about 6 minutes. Once done, I squeezed the juice of an entire lemon on top.  It was so good (I've never liked spinach before!)

The plate to the right was the final product!  Yes, that is my plate, yes I ate it all, yes I had seconds on chicken!  YUMM YUMM!  I will definitely be making this again when I need a pizza fix.  In fact, my kids kept calling it pizza while we were having dinner.  Did not miss this breading, or pasta as a side at all!