Grilling Chops & Boys Cooking

I didn't have much of a plan for dinner today, so I took a bunch of random things we had around and made dinner out of it.  It actually turned out to be great-for many reasons!

The boys woke up from nap in a fantastic mood!  Either that, or my Bible study this morning ("Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed") made a huge difference in my attitude.  The lesson dealt with God choosing us and equipping us for this season of life!  How encouraging is that!  The challenge was to think about God in everything throughout the day.  So, I really just tried to love the afternoon and the moments we had.  Their behavior sure did make that easier :-)

Ezra was up first, so he wanted to help in the kitchen.  He seasoned the pork chops (salt, pepper, & onion flakes) then made the marinade (2 TBSP water, 1 TBSP balsamic vinegar, 1 TBSP olive oil).  We put them in a baggie, then back in fridge.

Next, he helped me with the cabbage.  Just cut it into wedges (1/8ths), sprayed with olive oil, then seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic.  Wrapped up tight in foil.

We washed up some mushrooms and lightly sprayed with Olive oil.  Recipes I read recommended doing this and refrigerating for at least an hour so the mushrooms retain moisture when they are grilled.

When it was time to cut up cucumbers and tomatoes Levi woke up.  I decided they could learn to use a knife.  They actually did a great job.  Ezra only tried to punch Levi in the face once ;-)  They only cut the cucumber then helped put the pre-cut tomato in the bowl.

They played wonderfully together while I got the grill ready.  Joel is teething and/or has a cold, so he wasn't too into hanging out by himself this evening.  I ended up strapping him in the Ergo while I grilled.  I LOVE being able to grill an entire meal!!



Here are approximate cooking times:
Cabbage: Medium heat, 20 minutes, flip, 20 more minutes
Mushrooms: Medium heat, 15-20 minutes
Pork Chops: Med-High heat, I have no idea of the time.  Recipes said 3 minutes-it took way longer!  :-)

(I forgot to take a picture before the pork chops were all cut up.  They actually looked really nice.)

Chunky Monkey Muffins

Would you like to chat about something amazing?!  Okay, good-it's this muffin. I actually think it tastes more like a brownie when all is said and done.  When we made the dough, I was pretty convinced they were going to taste awful.  The dough was super thick and goopey!  I was SO wrong and am very glad I didn't alter the recipe!  One of the best parts- the only things that sweeten this are dates and bananas (and a few chocolate chips on top!)

Ingredients

2 ripe bananas
1  C dates*
1/2 C roasted creamy almond butter (use MaraNatha brand sunflower seed butter to make these nut-free)
1/2 C coconut flour
1/4 C coconut oil, liquified
1/4 C palm shortening
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vanilla

Here’s where you choose your own adventure, for the la st ingredient you must decide the flavor you’d like! To the mixture add one of the following:
2 Tbsp Tapioca Flour (vanilla based muffins)
2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder (chocolate based muffins) (THIS is what we used!)

Topping (Optional):

1/2 C dark chocolate chips
1/2 C chopped walnuts

Instructions

1. ♥ In a food processor, puree together the dates and bananas until smooth
2. ♥ Add remaining ingredients to food processor and pulse until a thick batter forms (scrape sides to fully incorporate but do not over blend)
3. ♥ Spoon into lined muffin tin, filling cups 2/3 full
4. ♥ Toss topping ingredients together in small bowl, sprinkle on top of each muffin and press gently to get them to “stick”
5. ♥ Bake at 350 degrees for 16 – 18 minutes

*We prefer fresh medjool dates (usually found in the refrigerated produce section of the grocery store). We pit them ourselves and use them directly. If you are unable to find them (or find the cost too prohibitive) you can acquire a similar texture by re-hydrating dehydrated dates. Simply cover with boiling water for ten minutes, drain and use as instructed.

*I buy a huge bag of dates at Costco for around $5 and then soften them with the method above.  It works great.  I am going to try my Lara Bar recipe using this softening method.  Medjool dates are very expensive (IMO)

The above recipe is from the Paleo Parents blog.  Elliot got their book, "Eat Like a Dinosaur" for her birthday and we went to the book signing last weekend.  Do you know how fun it is for your kid to get to meet the author AND illustrator of a book they have?  OH, and meet other kids that eat like we do!?  She really soaked it all up.   She loves looking for recipes she wants to try. She helped prepare most of the muffins today.

Ribs

This post is long over-due and a little premature.  Does that make any sense?  Wes made me some awesome ribs for my birthday!  I've been meaning to post about it for a while.  Only problem is, he has the recipe and I keep forgetting to get it from him.  So, here's half a post: pic's of the ribs and my man.  Maybe I'll get you the dry rub recipe and his BBQ sauce recipe soon.  They were SO GOOD!

(Clearly there were some little helpers in the kitchen before I took this picture.)

Albondigas Soup

This soup was AMAZING, especially with our fresh ground grass-fed beef from the farmer's market!  It will be made again very soon!

Check out Everyday Paleo for the recipe!  The best recipe I've tried from this cookbook.

OH, I did cheat and use some diced tomatoes and some fresh ;-)

Apple Sausage

 This is a favorite around our house!  We have been buying Aidells Chicken & Apple Sausage (no hormones, no nitrates, no MSG) at Costco.  Definitely Elliot's favorite breakfast meat.

Slice and cook in a pan with a little bit of olive oil.

In another pan, melt coconut oil.  Sautee sliced apples and pecans.

Serve with eggs.

Mexican Breakfast

Take some of your leftover taco meat, and scramble it with some eggs and green peppers.  Top with guacamole and tomatoes.

Serve with a side of plantains fried up in coconut oil.

YUMM!

Tuna Salad (NO MAYO)

I was in the mood for tuna today (Before going Paleo I would NOT eat tuna-ever!)  I was also feeling too lazy to make mayo, so I improvised and came up with a VERY delicious recipe.  Probably the best tuna I've ever had!

Ingredients:
2 small cans (5 oz) tuna
2 boiled eggs, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
few tablespoons chopped onion
1/2 avocado, mashed
1 pickle spear, chopped
mustard
salt, pepper, paprika
cucumber, halved and seeded (optional)

Mix all ingredients together.  Add just enough mustard to make creamy (it doesn't take much!)  I'm thinking it would also be good with some chopped apple in it.

I thought it would be fun served in a cucumber boat.  It was cute, but needed way more tuna than what fit in a boat.  I ended up cutting the cucumber in chunks and adding a lot more tuna. The boys kept saying "This is goooood tuna, Mommy!  I want more."  This recipe fed me and two 3 year olds who had already eaten apple slices, ham, and pistachios!  In other words, it would probably feed a normal family of 5 :-)

PULL UP

I CAN DO A PULL UP!!  YAH, it is that exciting!
On another note: Baby Joel finally (almost 10 months old) can roll over from back to tummy!  It just clicked.  I put him down near the couch, went to fix breakfast, and he was by the fireplace.  I knew I should have been content with him just staying in place!  He was already fighting Ezra for a monster truck....they were both yelling!  haha

Cheats and Tummy's

We have had a few family "cheats" lately-and they have seriously backfired!  Last Saturday was super busy.  By the time evening came, no dinner had been prepared, and we decided to get wild and order a pizza.  First time in 4 months!!  I must say, it was delicious.  HOWEVER, I have NEVER seen my kids act so crazy after a meal.  They were loud & wild in a way that I've never seen before.  It was like a craziness possession.  I didn't put 2 and 2 together, so I asked Wes, "What is going on?"  He simply said "Sugar overload from excessive carbohydrates."  AHHH!  I guess it didn't help that as I was eating my pizza I had an instant headache!  INSTANT!

At midnight, as I'm sound asleep, I hear a little voice saying "wipe my butt!!!"  Sure enough, diarrhea for a 3 year old.  Go back to bed and feed the baby.  Then, some crying from the other room.  Wes runs out, and now puke all over Levi's bed!

Next morning, belly aching all around.  Ez was so grumpy and achy that he put himself down for a nap at 11am.

Fast forward to this weekend.....I took Elliot out to lunch after her OM competition.  It was great, and very paleo-friendly (steak, green beans, salad).  Afterwards, I had the brilliant idea of getting ice cream at Cold Stone.  Ice cream is my weakness!!  We actually each only got a "like it" size and didn't finish it.  I felt fine....until evening came.  I had an icky belly ache and she was complaining of one too.  Once the magical midnight hour struck, she was in my room.  She had puked-more than I'd EVER seen before, all over her bed!!  It was nasty!

This all makes me wonder about our body chemistry.  Do will build up a tolerance to gluten and dairy?  Are we all "allergic" to these 2 things?  Over the past 4 months of eating primal, I feel like we must have flushed out our systems and they are in proper working order.  As soon as something that's not good goes in, our bodies want to reject it!  Although you feel like crap, it's amazing to see how the body reacts to bad food once we have it in a state that it CAN react.

All this to say, we will not be eating ice cream or pizza for a really long time!!  Take out will consist of Charcoal Chicken for now on (and that IS yummy!)

Almond Butter Balls

I tried this recipe for Chocolate Almond Butter Bites this afternoon.  It was bad, but not bad enough to throw out.  My husband has a great affection for Peanut Butter Balls.  Part of his childhood, I suppose.  I decide to take this mess of almond butter goo, and try to turn it into a paleo-friendly "ball" for him.  I am a little impressed with the taste.  I hope you enjoy them.

Use all the ingredients from the original recipe above:
3/4 C Almond butter (I did 1/2 C regular, 1/4 C Trader Joes with flax and sea salt)
1 tsp pure Vanilla extract
1/2 TBSP Cocoa powder
1/3 C unsweetened shredded coconut

Then, I added:
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 C chopped almonds
1/4 C almond flour
1/8 C dark chocolate chips

Mix all of the above together.  Form into golf-ball sized balls.  Set aside

Melt 1/4 C dark chocolate + 1 tsp Coconut Oil.  Roll balls in the melted chocolate.  Put in freezer to set.


P.S.  I can now do 1 chin up ALL BY MYSELF!!  WOOT!

(No, Ezra's head is not through the ring, it's just behind it!)