Paleo Mexican style, no really!

2012-01-24T15:57:00.000-08:00

Ok so anyone else out there get the hankerin' for some good mexican, I do all the time and this one is fantastic.

INGREDIENTS:
1-2 sliced bell peppers
1 sliced sweet onion
2-3 gloves garlic diced
2 tbsn olive oil
cumin, salt, pepper, paprika, and chili powder (I didn't give measurements because I like my seasoning not so hot and spicy. I use about 1 tsp of ea. and about 1/2 tsp chili powder)
1 lbs beef (cut thin and long)

Spanish Calirice:
1 head califlower shredded
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup chicken broth or water
1/2 can tomato paste
1 clove diced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Head of lettuce

Spanish Calirice:
take spreaded califlower and spread out on a plate, heat in the microwave for about 3 minutes to tenderize. In a pot put in 2 tsp olive oil and garlic on meduim temperature. Add the calirice and cook to brown a little (won't brown much). add all other ingredients for the rice (broth, tomato paste salt and pepper) stir in and cook to a boil.

Meat and vegys:
heat your 1 tbsn olive oil in a frying pan. Add 2-ish garlic, onions and peppers on med/high, saute until browning and tender. Add spices as you like for flavor, remember a little Cumin goes a long way so becareful not to over do that one. When they're tender remove from pan and set aside(leave all the scrappings in they rub off on the meat and it's tasty!)

Heat frying pan again on med/high add another tbpn of olive oil add the rest of the garlic and the meat, add spices as wanted cook until done.

Take a leaf of lettuce fill it full, wrap it up and eat. It looked so good I had to post the pic again. You can add to this with some salsa and/ or guac. Ill be posting a avacado salsa in a few weeks that would be tasty with this too.

Stuffed spinach chicken

2011-12-12T10:01:00.000-08:00

Found this one on the internet awhile ago and it originally calls for pomegranate juice instead of honey either would be fine.

INGREDIENTS:
2 chicken breasts
2-3 ready to eat dates sliced
2 cups spinach
6-8 slices of bacon cut up
1/2 onion diced
1 clove garlic diced
cumin
salt and pepper honey

In a sauce pan on med heat, saute the bacon onion and garlic until browned. Add spinach, dates and 1/2 tsp cumin, cook until spinach is wilty and dark green.
Cut chicken breasts lengthwise and add stuffing. Drizzle honey over the top and season lightly with salt pepper and a little bit of cumin. Put in oven safe pan and cook for 20 minutes at 375 degrees. MMMMMMM. You can add more dates if you want but 2 is pretty sweet as it is.

Chicken Fried caulirice

2011-11-30T06:01:00.000-08:00

Ok so I know in my last post I said chicken isn't my favorite, and honestly it's not, but apparently I'm going nuts with it this month. I made a chicken fried rice the other day that I just love, thanks to Carley and her wonderful use of cauliflower, I have been putting it in everything, a breakfast scramble, steak fajitas, stuffing, (all to be posted later). It is so veristale and just plain yummy. It took me forever to finally make this amazingly simple carb but now that I've tried it, I'm going crazy!!

INGREDIENTS:
1 tbsn olive oil
3 chicken breast cut into strips
2 tbsn olive oil
1/2 head cauliflower grated on a cheese grater
1/2 onion sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large carrots peeled and sliced
3 celery stalks sliced
4 small peices of broccoli minced
1 egg
1 to 2 tsp soy sauce. (I use wheat free soy sauce (tamara) found in super one, pilgrams and I think Fred Meyer.)

Grate the cauliflower and spread it on a plate microwave for 3 minutes. Season chicken with salt and pepper cook strips in 1 tbsn oil until brown, set aside. in frying pan or wok, add the rest of the oil, throw in garlic and onions and brown. Add all vegys and stir fry until they start to get tender, add soy sauce to egg and beat until mixed up than add egg mixture and cooked chicken. Stir until egg is cooked and serve hot!

This pic is without the chicken I actually made this as a side for some pork chops and it was perfect.

Just in time for Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T10:39:00.000-08:00

I used this recipe to stuff 2 whole chickens however it can easily fill a nice size turkey as well. This stuffing is actually my dads recipe as a clean choice for the holidays or whatever.

INGREDIENTS:
6 strips bacon sliced
1/2 medium butternut squash cubed
4 red delicious apples cubed
1 c. non added sugar raisins
5 stalks celery sliced
1/4 sweet onion sliced
2 cloves garlic diced
1 tsp rosemary, thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1 C chicken stock

On medium high on the stove top in a sauce pan cook bacon. Add garlic and onions, cook until brown. Add squash cook until tender. Add a celery, raisins, apples, and spices and broth. Cook until broth reduces a little. Stuff bird and cook according to bird directions or place in a oven safe dish and back at 400 degrees until top is browned.

Brooky's apple bottom banana custard

2011-11-18T10:23:00.000-08:00

So last night while I was cooking dinner Brook (for those of you that don't know is my 10 year old) asked if she could make dessert (clean of course.) Without my help she put together this custard recipe with garnishments and all (I helped her figure out the cooking temperature though). It was delicious, and tasted so much like a regular custard that her Grandpa had no idea it didn't have sugar or dairy in it. She quit the cook!

INGREDIENTS:
1 banana
3/4 C coconut milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 red delicious apple diced

Puree the banana add all other the spices and extracts. Whip up the 2 eggs until blended, stir into the banana mixture. In 4 ramekins put the diced apples on the bottom and fill halfway with the custard.

Bake on a cookie sheet (to prevent overflowing) at 425 degrees for 20 min and than reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 10 more or until toothpick comes out clean.

Brook covered her custard with some homemade plum jam and an almond flower with a blueberry center. MMMMMMM

The best baked chicken ever!!

2011-11-14T18:36:00.000-08:00

OK so this is my personal opinion, but I love this chicken (and I'm not a huge chicken fan to start with.) I got the original recipe from a Sunset magazine and altered it slightly to fit the paleo lifestyle. (The original says yukon potatoes and of course I put in sweet potatoes.)

INGREDIENTS:
2 tbsn olive oil
5-6 chicken thighs and/or legs or a whole cut up chicken
1 tsp salt and pepper
2 springs thyme
3 peices of bacon sliced (but I always use more you can never have too much bacon)
2 C. chicken broth
1 C. frozen pearl onions
6 cloves of garlic diced
2 large sweet potatoes cubed
1 container of sliced mushrooms

I use a cast ion frying pan for this recipe they are perfect to frying baking and just about everything

Season the chicken with the salt, pepper and some of the thyme. Put the oil in an oven safe pan on the stove top on med add the seasoned chicken,skin side down, until skin is crispy and deep brown (about 12 min.). Set chicken a side.
On med-low cook your bacon and garlic in the same oven safe pan, after browned add the onions, and the remaining thyme. Cook until onions start to carmalized. Stir often (about 5 min.)

Add potatoes, stir until mixture is brown (potatoes are almost soft.) Add the mushrooms and stock bring to a boil cook until the liguids reduced. Arrange the chicken on top of the vegys, skin side up and bake in the oven at 375, uncovered, about 20 min. or until the chicken is completely done (juices run clear.)

Scope out and enjoy!!!!

A perfect Fall stew

2011-11-08T17:52:00.000-08:00

Sorry there haven't been any posts here lately. Carly, our recipe guru, has been exceedingly busy these last several weeks so I am going to take over for her for a bit. Although my pics and recipes may not be as stunning or creative.

This is a new favorite at my house, it's quick, easy, feeds a lot and is a great choice for a crisp Fall evening.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH CHICKEN STEW
1 large sweet onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 large chicken breasts, cubed
3 tbsn olive oil
2-32 oz chicken stock
5 large carrots, peeled and sliced
12+ spears asparagus sliced
5+ stalks of celery, sliced
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
3 bay leaves
2+ tblsn of: Rosemary, Basil, Thyme
salt and pepper to liking

Start with a large stock pot on med-high. Saute the onions and garlic in the oil until brown. Add chicken and some Rosemary, and salt, and pepper. Cook until chicken is brown. Add stock and remaining spices ( I add a little bit of water if I think the stock is a little to strong.) Add all vegys, boil for about 5 min. Reduce temp. to simmer, cover and cook until squash is tender and has created a thickening effect on the broth.
I have used this recipe before with acorn squash but it doesn't produce the thickness of broth that I really like in the butternut squash. (Plus the butternut is easier to prepare than the acorn.)
This stew is enough to feed my household (2 adults and 4 kids) for 1 meal, which is about 10 very full bowl. But for those of you with smaller families, freezing is a great option too.

Blissfully Blessed: A guest post and delish recipe!

2011-07-29T12:27:00.000-07:00

Check out this post. My sister asked me to guest post on her blog. There is also a great recipe on there that I havent posted on this blog so check it!

Blissfully Blessed: A guest post and delish recipe!: "I am so excited for my first guest blogger because she happens to be my little sis! She is such an amazing cook and baker. And her recipes n..."

I Scream You Scream We All Scream For Blueberry Ice Cream

2011-07-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

This is a very simple treat, perfect for these hot days we have been having! You can substitute virtually any fruit in this recipe. If you have any brilliant concoctions please post them to the comments!

Blueberry Ice Cream

1 Can coconut milk

2 C. Frozen blueberries (or any frozen fruit)

1 Tbsp Honey

1 tsp Vanilla extract

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth, pour into 1/2 c size bowl and freeze until almost solid. If you freeze them too long they get a little icy and aren't as smooth. However I found that if you do freeze them too long just pop them in the fridge for a bit before you eat them and they will be a little smoother.

My First Fresh Steps Box

2011-07-27T19:11:00.000-07:00

There were several great things about my first experience with Fresh Steps. Here are the top 5 reasons why I love this company!

1. I got WAY more produce than I thought I was going to get.

2. All the fruit and veggies were ripe and ready to eat.

3. Nothing was old, bruised or in any way inedible.

4. They used a box with a plastic bag and they ask you to return the boxes at your next pick up making them an environmentally friendly company.

5. The variety was great and it inspired me to get creative with the meals I prepared (recipes to come!)

Here is what I got in my box:

1 huge head cabbage

1 huge head leaf lettuce

1 celery

2 yellow squash

3 bell peppers

1 bunch cilantro

1/2# cherries

1 pkg blueberries

4 Fuji apples

2 Oranges

2 apricots

3 nectarines

It was all organic and locally raised. I averaged out what I would have paid for the organic produce at the store and it came out to over $40.00 I got all the above mentioned produce for $22.00!!!! They are running a promotion for the first 4 boxes at that price! What a great deal! Go check them out, also Crossfit is hosting a pickup location so you can get it while you are at the gym, I know convenient right?!?! http://www.freshstepsonline.com

Fresh Tuna Burgers

2011-07-22T12:22:00.000-07:00

This is such a great recipe! I am not a huge seafood fan, but these burgers were to die for! They have the perfect amount of spice and because of the lime in them they taste a little tropical.

Tuna Burgers

Makes 4 good sized burgers

1# Tuna Steaks

2 TBSP Bragg's Liquid Amino's

1 1/2 TBSP Olive Oil

1/2 tsp Wasabi Paste (this is where the spice comes from if you like it hot add more)

Zest of 1 Lime

1/4 C Cilantro

2 tsp. Ground Ginger

1 TBSP Dijon Mustard

1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

Here are the lovely tuna steaks I found.

Chop the tuna steaks until large chunks and put in a food processor with all the ingredients. After you zest your lime squeeze the juice from 1/2 into the mix too! Process until it is well mixed and it starts to form a ball in the bowl.

Take the burger mixture and divide it into 4 equal parts by scoring it with your hand. This way the burgers are equal in size and they will take the same amount of time to cook.

Lightly grease a skillet or griddle and cook the burgers. It will only take about 2 minutes on each side for a medium burger, which is how I like mine!

I served it with some Bragg's liquid amino's and wasabi on the side.

Jalapeno's: Bacon Wrapped/Chicken Stuffed

2011-07-10T10:42:00.000-07:00

I took these bacon wrapped chicken stuffed jalapeno peppers to the CFLC BBQ/Hooverball game. The day was tons of fun and these peppers got lots of compliments. I thought I would share the recipe (as embarrassingly simple as it is) with all of you lovely people who couldn't attend our fun day. As a side note, the peppers aren't very spicy because I removed the ribs and seeds, if you want them to have a little kick leave some of the seeds. My hubby hates spicy food and he thought these were tolerable, (even mild salsa is hot to him!)

12 Jalapeno Peppers (or how many you want to eat, they are great reheated)
1# Chicken cut into pieces that will fit into the pepper, seasoned with your favorite seasoning.
Bacon
Cut the tops off of all the pepper and carefully scrape all the seeds out, the best way I found was to take a butter knife and put it into the center of the pepper and twist it back and forth, then just dump out the seeds.

Stuff the raw chicken into the pepper cavity and wrap with bacon. It takes one full slice of bacon to wrap the pepper properly (say that 5 times fast!). I have grilled them and cooked them in the oven. Grilling them is a little tricky because of the fat from the bacon, cook it up on the top rack if you have one or use indirect heat (turning on one side of the grill or putting briquet's on one side only). They took about 45 minutes to an hr depending on the size in the oven at 350 degrees. Just make sure the pepper is soft and the chicken is thoroughly cooked. I used a meat thermometer to make sure they were done enough. Aim for 170 degrees for chicken.

Fresh Steps is On-line!

2011-07-08T14:39:00.000-07:00

That produce delivery company now has its website up! http://www.freshstepsonline.com/. They are planning an debuting their business at the Rathdrum farmers market on the 16th of July. They will have boxes there ready to go at a promotional discounted price, along with some other products that they will be carrying from local businesses. Make sure go and check them out, I know I'll be going!!! Another exciting thing is that they will be adding recipes from the nutrition blog and linking us to their webpage!!!

Turkey Sausages with Apples

2011-07-08T09:43:00.000-07:00

This is a great recipe that I saw on ElanasPantry.com. It reminds me of the Aidell's sausages that I love so much. The great thing about this recipe is that you get the full flavor of sausage patties without all of the fat if you are concerned with that sort of thing. They are the perfect balance of sweet and savory and are a great addition to any breakfast.

Turkey Apple Sausage

Recipe from Elana's Pantry

1# Ground Turkey or Chicken

3/4 C. Dried Apples diced

1 TBSP Maple Syrup

1 tsp. each Salt and Pepper

1/4 tsp. Allspice (this is what gives it such good flavor)

2 TBSP Fresh Sage- chopped (this is what gives it a sausage taste)

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, take off your rings and get those hands in there!

This is what it should look like when you are done mixing.

Heat up a skillet with a little pan spray or a small amount of Olive oil, form the meat mixture into patties and cook over high heat for 3 minutes on each side.

This is about the color you are going for.

Moroccan Melts In Your Mouth Chicken

2011-06-30T16:10:00.000-07:00

I have heard the term "melts in your mouth" before, I had never actually experienced it until I made this dish. The original recipe is from Bon Apetite (fancy right) I just adapted a few things to make it clean and viola, you have the most moist, flavorful and yes, melt in your mouth chicken ever! I would imagine that this recipe would be easy to make in the crock pot. My sister Nicole is always looking for quick easy crock pot meals being a busy mom of 2 crazy cute boys, I have been trying to work on her request of more crock pot recipes! If you try it in the crock pot, post a comment and let me know!

Moroccan Chicken

1 Medium to Large Chicken

2 TBSP Olive Oil

2 Lemons

3 Cinnamon Sticks

6 Shallots thinly sliced (you could substitute red onion)

6 Carrots peeled and chopped into 1 1/2 inch pieces

12 dates halved

1 C. Chicken Broth

1 1/2 tsp Ginger

1 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Turmeric

1/2 tsp Paprika

1/8 tsp Cayenne

Salt and Pepper

1/2 C Cilantro

1/2 C. Sliced Almonds Toasted

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. In a dutch oven heat 1 Tbsp of the oil over medium-high heat. Put the chicken in breast up and cook for about 5 minutes to brown the skin. Flip it over and cook for 5 minutes on the breast side. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the chicken and put the rind into the cavity. Scatter the veggies and dates around the chicken, squeeze the other lemon on top and slice into a few pieces. Scatter the pieces of lemon in with the veggies. Pour over the other Tbsp of Olive oil. Mix all the spices together and sprinkle over the chicken and veggies. Nestle the cinnamon sticks among the veggies cover the dutch oven and cook for 1 hour. Raise the temperature to 425 remove the lid and cook for 45-1 hr more, or until the internal temperature reads 180 degrees. There will be the most amazing sauce on the bottom, this is the part that melts in your mouth, take the chicken out and slice it into pieces, serve the veggies on the side and spoon the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with cilantro and a few toasted almonds.

aren't the veggies so pretty?

Here is the look you are going for when browning the chicken

Wait until you smell all the spices! Your house will smell amazing!

I forgot to take a picture with the almonds and cilantro, it is a very pretty dish and worth making for dinner company.

This recipe is a little more work than most of the recipes that I make, but it is well worth the work!

Red, White and Blueberry Muffins

2011-06-27T14:57:00.000-07:00

Here is the perfect recipe for the 4Th of July, and patriotic to boot!

Red, White and Blueberry Muffins

1/2 C Coconut Flour

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3 Eggs

1/3 C. Honey

1/3 C. Coconut Oil *revision*

1 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 C. each Raspberries or strawberries and Blueberries

Mix all ingredients excluding the berries. Mix well, it will seem like a very thick batter. Add the berries last and mix carefully so you don't mash up the berries.

Put the batter into cupcake liners 2/3's of the way full. Bake at 375 degrees for 24 minutes.

A Gluten Free Kids Snack

2011-06-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

I know that as an adult it is hard to give up tasty little treats when I went Primal, I would imagine as a child it would be even harder. After all, they are tempted with junk food at school and at friends houses and they lack the will power of knowing the effects that gluten/sugar can have on our bodies. I was trying to think of a Paleo treat to make for my niece when I was babysitting, it has been so nice these last few days I wanted something like a Popsicle... Here's what I came up with last minute with the ingredients I had on hand. Banana Pops.

This is also the perfect little project for the kiddo's to help with! Make it a fun time in the kitchen and teach them the importance of eating healthy while your cooking. They will thank you for it some day!

Frozen Banana Pops

desired amount of bananas, peeled and cut in half

1 Recipe Fully Paleo Chocolate the recipe can be found here:

http://cflcfood.blogspot.com/2010/08/fully-paleo-chocolate.html

Popsicle sticks or sticks of some kind

Toppings, I used coconut and chopped walnuts

After you have peeled and cut the bananas, put a stick into the bottom of each one

I didn't have enough chocolate to dip the bananas so I just used the back of a spoon and smeared the chocolate all over the banana

Roll in your favorite topping and freeze for an hour

Fathers Day Blueberry Pancakes

2011-06-18T08:44:00.000-07:00

Maybe you want to make dad breakfast in bed to celebrate Fathers Day, if that's your plan then definitely include these on the menu. They have a really nice consistency, they are very similar to traditional pancakes.

Blueberry Pancakes

1/4 C. Coconut Flour

1 tsp. Baking Soda

A Pinch of Salt

1/2 C. Coconut Milk

2 Eggs

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1/2 C. Blueberries (or any other berry your heart desires)

100% Maple Syrup for serving

Mix all the ingredients excluding the blueberries together in a bowl until smooth.

Heat up a griddle and use some non-stick spray, wait until the pan is nice and hot to ensure your pancakes stay together. Sprinkle a few blueberries on each pancake.

Flip

Serve

A New Business Coming To Town

2011-06-16T15:40:00.000-07:00

I am very excited about this new business that will be coming to our area soon! It is based out of Blanchard, Idaho (supporting locals is so cool) and it will be run by a woman named Melissa and her husband Seth.

The company is called Fresh Steps. It is an organic produce and healthy food delivery service. They feature as much local produce and products as possible. The products are the best of the best because they offer what is in season. They also offer coffee, nuts, local honey and farm fresh eggs; they want to eventually offer quality meats, which pretty much makes this a one stop shop! The prices haven't been set yet, but I'm told by the owner that they will be comparable to or less than the prices at the local grocery stores! They figure out local delivery spots and will have a pick-up on certain days. They will offer a 10% discount if you are part of a group of 10 people or more who order boxes.

Basically, they make up boxes according to what you want, the boxes weight an average of about 15 lbs, and the best part is that it will be different stuff every time you order! Oh think of the variety and inspiration! I CANT wait for my first box! They will have a list of likes and dislikes so you wont be getting things that you wouldn't use. Like no mushrooms or potatoes for my boxes!!!

They will also sell boxes at local farmers markets, I will keep you up to date on when and where as I hear about it. If anyone is interested in more info or wants to try a box, leave me a comment and maybe we can get on with a group to get that 10% off!

Candied Walnuts

2011-06-13T13:24:00.000-07:00

Disclosure: These nuts are addictive!

k having said that, I made these as a topping for the strawberry spinach salad,you can find the recipe here: http://cflcfood.blogspot.com/2010/07/strawberry-spinach-salad.html. I used them instead of the toasted pecans. I must say it was very good! You could make this recipe with any kind of nut, and use them as a topping or just for a little treat! Go ahead, you deserve it!

2 C. Nuts

2 Tbsp Coconut oil

1 tsp Sea salt

1 tsp Vanilla

2 tsp Cinnamon

Toss to coat, bake on a cookie sheet at 350 for 5-8 minutes

Genetically Modified Cows

2011-06-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

This is a featured story on the news this morning. Cows are being genetically modified to produce milk that is similar to human milk. Ok, I don't eat dairy and boy am I glad that I don't! Basically what they are doing is cloning Holstein dairy cows and adding a little bit of human DNA to surrogate cows and then implanting genetically modified embryo's into the surrogates. Thus producing a cow that will have 20% more milk fat and their milk will include some of the milk proteins that occur NATURALLY in humans.

I hope that I never see the day that mothers are encouraged to use milk from a pseudo human-cow to feed their babies. God gave us our own milk makers, lets use them whenever possible!

I also have to wonder, if they are doing this testing, who is drinking the final product? What is their outcome going to be? And most importantly, what are we eating and drinking that has been tampered with that we don't even know about? All for the sake of science and people trying to change the perfect creations that God has made.

Why do we drink cows milk anyway? Human milk is for baby humans, cat milk is for kittens, shouldn't cows milk be for baby cows?

SCARY!

Read the entire story here: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/04/03/scientists-genetically-modify-cows-produce-human-milk/

Making The Perfect Bacon

2011-06-09T19:54:00.003-07:00

I don't know anyone who doesn't like bacon. Whats not to like? Its crispy, salty, fatty, yummy and piggy all at the same time. I do not however like the mess that it leaves all over my black appliances (black shows everything, it looks, nice but not worth it!). The solution, bake it! It is so easy and you can pop it in the oven and leave it to do its thing. Another perk, line the pan with foil for an easy clean up.

1 Package nitrate and nitrite free bacon

Line the pan with foil or parchment, put the bacon on the pan, put in the oven and set for 400 degrees. Make sure you start in a cold oven! Bake for 17-20 minutes depending on your oven and the desired crispness.

Simple Spinach Salad

2011-06-07T14:47:00.000-07:00

Nothing too fancy here, I needed a salad for a last minute lunch guest and pulled this one together in a hurry. The nice thing is that you only need to dirty one dish to make this, so clean up is a breeze!

Spinach Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette

1/2 a red onion sliced into rings

6 C. Spinach

1 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar

1/2 tsp. Dijon Mustard

1/4 tsp. Salt

1/8 tsp. Pepper

2 Cloves Garlic pressed

Make the dressing right in the bottom of the bowl, mix well. Add the spinach and red onion. Your done!

Make Your Own (You'll be glad you did!)

2011-06-04T15:31:00.000-07:00

At times in the past I have used pre-packaged taco seasoning in my cooking, I am vowing here and now to N-E-V-E-R never do that again. I will not be lazy and take the extra two minutes to make a healthy choice for me and my family! Ok, I'll admit that was a little dramatic, but check out the ingredients for a typical pre-packaged taco seasoning:

Say what? Do you really want to be eating all that junk? My rule of thumb is that if you can't say it, don't eat it! Plus did you see that it has MSG? Millions of people suffer from allergic reactions to MSG and aren't even aware of what causes their symptoms.

Now take a look at the ingredients below. Wholesome, healthy, I can say all the names and it is actually more cost effective to make your own. Plus, as a bonus the taste doesn't even compare. How long do the pre-packaged ones stay on the shelf anyway? Winning!

I Can Read The Words Taco Seasoning

1 tsp Salt

2 tsp Onion Powder

1tsp Chili Powder

1/2 tsp Red Pepper (or crushed pepper flakes)

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1/4 tsp Oregano

1 tsp Cumin

This Just In

2011-06-02T16:48:00.001-07:00

Breaking news! The government now has changed the food pyramid AGAIN... It started out like this:

Then it went to this:

Now it looks like this:

This is what my plate looks like:

(and there is nothing the government can do about it nener nener)

Caveman Mayo

2011-05-31T15:03:00.000-07:00

I have never been a mayo fan. Its funny how things change when you change your diet. I went primal about a year ago and haven't looked back! I'm happier, healthier and stronger than I ever have been. Now back to the mayo, as afore mentioned; Hello, my name is Carley and I'm addicted to dipping.

Having gone primal my favorite condiment (ketchup) was no longer an option. So I turned to other things. Having said that you might think, dipping in mayo? Gross!!! And I would have thought that too, before I made my own homemade mayo. It is so creamy, flavorful and a terrific fat to consume for energy! I have made various dips using the mayo as a base and they have been a hit across the board at parties and family functions (more to come on the dips soon.)

Homemade Mayo

Adapted from Julia Child Circa 1965

2 TBSP Lemon juice

A few grinds of salt and pepper

1 1/4 C. Oil (use light olive oil or grape seed for the best flavor)

1 tsp. Dijon Mustard (Julia Child's recipe called for 1/2 tsp dry mustard, I don't have any so I have always used Dijon.)

1 Egg

The first trick to making homemade mayo is to make sure that all the ingredients are at room temperature. This will give you a better texture and more volume, which makes it even more delicious.

In your food processor or blender add 1/4 C. of the oil, the mustard, lemon juice, seasoning and the egg and let er rip for about 1 minute.

I should look like this when the time us up. Now all that is left is to emulsify the remaining oil with the ingredients already in the processor. This is the tricky part and needs LOTS of patience. You want to add the oil VERY slowly, it should take you at least 3 minutes to add 1 C. of oil. Drizzle it from a small measuring cup, in a thin stream, as slowly as possible. Think honey from a stick and slow it down from there!!! You will be rewarded with creamy thick mayo for your eating pleasure. (As a side note, it is good in the fridge until the expiration date on the egg carton, make sure to check and label the jar.)

As Long As They Hold Salsa...

2011-05-28T11:21:00.000-07:00

I am a dipper, that change quite a bit when I went Primal. Everything used to be dipped on ketchup growing up, now I turn to mustard, salsa and homemade mayo based dips. I also LOVE chips and salsa, that was one of the hardest things to give up. Now I wouldn't say these are as good as tortilla chips, but they are salty and crunchy and the best part is they hold up to dipping!

Kale Chips

Kale

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Your choice of seasonings, I have used lemon pepper, homemade taco seasoning, garlic/onion powder, or some cayenne to give it a kick.

Super easy! Tear the kale up into small-ish pieces (they will shrink in the oven). I have an olive oil spritzer that I used to mist the kale with Oil. sprinkle with salt, pepper and spices of your choice. Bake 350 for about 7-10 minutes until they start to brown and wilt around the edges it happens fast so make sure to keep a close eye on them!

Look at that dip ability, amazing right?!?!

Fancy Chicken Fingers

2011-05-23T15:02:00.000-07:00

After I grossed you all out with the post on how chicken nuggets are made, I felt bad, like I was taking a little piece of your childhood away; or worse yet, making it so your children never experience the delightful chicken nugget. I had to remedy this by coming up with something even better than a nugget, and I think I succeeded!

Now I do realize that chicken don't have fingers just like chickens don't have nuggets but, I didn't want you to associate these tasty little morsels with the pink goo, so there you have it... Fancy. Chicken. Fingers.

Fancy Chicken Fingers

1/4 C. Sesame seeds
1/2 C. Coconut flakes
1/2 tsp. each: Paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt
1 C. Sweet potato puree (I used organic canned potatoes that I found in the health food section)
1 Egg
1# Chicken Tenders or breast meat cut into strips
Coconut oil-to coat bottom of skillet for frying

Cut your chicken into strips and season with the salt and a little pepper. Put the coconut in a blender with the sesame seeds and spices (excluding salt) and pulse until broken up, but not too long or it will turn into a paste. Mix the egg into the sweet potato puree. Set yourself up a station near your frying pan.

Dip the chicken into the sweet potato and coat well. Toss into the coconut/sesame seed mixture, again coat very well.

Heat the coconut oil, and keep it over medium heat. Fry the fingers for about 4 minutes on each side. I ate all the fingers before I got a final picture, on the bright side, they were REALLY good, on the sad side, you will have to take my word for it and make them yourself to see the finished result!

Hiatus

2011-05-14T15:20:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the posting hiatus. Don't worry, I'm back now! I let the busyness of school and the stress of finals get to me. Not to mention these cute little critters that we added to our furry family at the beginning of last week.

One of my finals for school was to write an essay on something that was important to me. It was supposed to be an argumentative essay, stating why I believe what I believe. I chose to write about obesity. It is a condition that we (crossfitters) aren't typically subjected to, however, we all know someone who is obese. The statistics are astounding! It is a good read and has some very good studies and statistics in it. It is very lengthy, but is well worth skimming through just in case you find yourself in an argument about why we eat what we eat or why we train as hard as we train.

Obesity

2011-05-14T15:06:00.001-07:00

Obesity: The Skinny

Obesity is one of the leading preventable causes of death in the world; however, over 34% of the American population is obese. In 2004, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranked obesity as the number one health risk facing America. Complications due to obesity result in 400,000 deaths a year in the Unites States alone. Obesity not only impacts lifestyle, but can also lead to low self esteem, depression, social isolation, and a variety of health complications. Obesity is a subject that is very near to my heart. I have several family members who suffer from obesity. It shouldn't be a struggle for American's to go through everyday life. However, I don't believe that obese individuals should be given special privileges or treated differently than the average person. All Americans struggle with stress, temptation, and an increasing amount of easily available poor food choices. It is hard to maintain a healthy life, healthy weight and good exercise habits. It is a daily battle for some; for others, they have simply given up.

Obesity and weight gain typically occur due to excessive calorie intake. A combination of eating unhealthy, highly processed and fatty foods, mixed with poor exercise habits are the major culprits of American obesity. However, some cases of obesity are linked to hormonal imbalance or genetics. For instance, genetic determinations such as the way a body expends energy, hormones that affect the way calories are processed, and other organ systems in the body can all affect appetite. For these reasons, today's doctors address a number of considerations when working with obese patients. Those considerations are increasingly going beyond calorie counting and exercise.

Heart disease, hypertension, sleep apnea, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, polycystic ovary syndrome, certain cancers and osteoarthritis are all increased in individuals whose body mass index is above 30. The most commonly used definition for obesity was created in 1997 by the World Health Organization. It is based on body mass index or BMI. BMI is found when you take an individual's mass or weight, and divide it by their height squared. A BMI between 18.5-24.9 is considered normal, whereas a BMI of 25-29.9 is considered overweight. The BMI chart goes on from there; individual's ranging from 30-34.9 are listed as obese. Any BMI ranging between 35-39.9 is considered clinically obese. If an individual's BMI is over 40 they are considered morbidly obese. Some nations have redefined obesity; the Japanese have defined obesity as any BMI greater than 25, while China uses a BMI of greater than 28. Of course, the BMI scale has its exceptions; a high BMI may not only be the result of increased body fat, but the result of increased lean muscle as well. An athletic individual will tend to have a higher BMI than a person living a sedentary lifestyle, due to a higher concentration of lean muscle mass. Aside from the BMI chart, obesity is generally defined as an excessive amount of body fat in relation to lean body mass. In numeric terms, obesity refers to a body weight that is at least 30% over the ideal weight for a specified height.

The obesity rate has increased more than 10% in the last 20 years. An even more startling statistic is that the obesity rate is 30% in children ages 2 to 19. This number has jumped 11% in the last 20 years. Obese children and adolescents are more likely to become obese as adults. For example, one study found that approximately 80% of children who were overweight at ages 10 to 15 years were obese adults by the age of 25.Another study found that 25% of obese adults were overweight as children. The latter study also found that if a child is overweight before 8 years of age, obesity in adulthood is likely to be more severe.

In the United States 1 in 7 children are obese, yet little is known about their health related quality of life. At The Children's Hospital and Health Center in San Diego, California, doctors performed a study on the quality of life in children suffering from obesity. The obese children were compared to children of the same age group who had been diagnosed with cancer. 106 children between the ages of 5 and 18 were studied between January and June of 2002. The children participating in the study had a Body Mass Index of 35 or greater. Child self-reporting and parental reporting using a pediatric quality of life scale ranging 0-100 was used in the study. The quality of life scale was administered by an interviewer for children ages 5 to 7 years old.
The children were tested in four areas; physical functioning, emotional functioning, social functioning, and school functioning. Higher scores indicate better health related quality of life. A total scale score and a psychosocial health summary score are calculated to provide a summary of the child's health related quality of life. The scores were then compared with the previous scores of healthy children, and children diagnosed as having cancer. The results of the study were shocking. When comparing healthy children to obese children, the obese children had significantly lower health related quality of life in all aspects of the study. The average score being 67 for the obese children; whereas, the healthy children scored an average of 83. Obese children were more likely to have an impaired sense of wellness when compared to children who were actually healthy. The doctors called this a "confidence interval." When comparing the "confidence intervals," the obese children had the exact same number as the children diagnosed with having cancer. Anxiety or depression was preexisting or subsequently diagnosed in 14 of the children, which is somewhat higher than the national childhood average.During the month prior to the study, obese children missed an average of 4.2 days of school; whereas, healthy children only missed 0.7 days on average. Obesity is one of the most stigmatizing and least socially acceptable conditions in childhood. Furthermore, obese children were four times more likely to report impaired school function than healthy children. This is consistent with a study in Thailand, which reported that overweight children in grades 7 through 9 were twice as likely to have low grades in math and language as healthy children. Doctors, parents, and teachers need to be informed of the risk for impaired health related quality of life among obese children. If American children don't know the true state of their health, how will they ever be inspired to make a change? It is sad to think that parents are subjecting their children to ridicule and shame. Growing up is hard enough without having low self- esteem, being bullied, missing school and having serious health issues.

While most people would agree that being overweight is hazardous to your health, others claim that being overweight is actually healthier than being thin. This is called the obesity paradox. The obesity paradox is a phenomenon in the medical world. The most well studied paradox is cardiovascular disease surgery survival among obese patients as opposed to a person of normal weight. Three other related paradoxes deal with pre-obesity, the "fat but fit" theory, and "healthy" obesity. A clinical study was performed by the American College of Cardiology between January 1994 and December 1999. The purpose of the study was to find out the impact of body mass index on the short- and long-term outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention, or PCI. The study was performed on 9,633 patients who were put into three different groups depending on their BMI. Obese patients were significantly younger and had consistently worse baseline clinical characteristics than normal or overweight patients. The obese patients also had higher incidences of hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia and smoking history. Despite all these facts, normal BMI patients had a higher incidence of major in-hospital complications, including cardiac death. After one year, overall mortality rates were significantly higher for normal BMI patients compared with overweight or obese patients. Pre-obesity presents another paradox. Prior to obesity, individuals who are characterized as overweight are in fact associated with decreased mortality risk compared with normal weight individuals. Another paradox occurs when fitness is taken into account; the mortality risk associated with obesity is then offset. The final paradox under consideration is the occurrence of obese individuals who are otherwise healthy. Consequently, a large segment of the overweight and obese population is not at increased risk for premature death. It appears that low cardio respiratory fitness and inactivity are a greater health threat than obesity. These studies suggest that more emphasis should be placed on increasing physical activity and cardio respiratory fitness as the main strategy for reducing mortality risk in the broad population of overweight and obese adults.

There is a fine line between being healthy and being under weight. The number on the scale isn't the only factor when determining healthy weight. As mentioned before, athletes tend to weigh more while looking thin. Some might argue that they are too thin, yet their weight may fall between 25-30 on the BMI chart. It is all about how you nourish your body, the amount of exercise you get and overall health of your body. Scales and charts can be misleading, I do believe however, that individuals of a healthy weight and BMI live better lives, are happier, more successful and more disciplined than obese individuals.

The question is, what can we, as American's do about the rising epidemic of obesity? I think that one major area of opportunity is through children. As afore mentioned, 80% of overweight adolescents become obese adults. Where is America going wrong with our children? One area of study and controversy are the breakfast and lunch programs in America's public schools.
New research funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture finds that children who eat school lunches that are part of the federal government's National School Lunch Program are more likely to become overweight. The same research study found, however, that children who eat both the breakfast and lunch sponsored by the federal government are less heavy than children who don't participate in either, and than children who eat only the provided lunch.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture oversees the federal lunch and breakfast programs. Through the USDA, federal government reimburses schools for a portion of school lunch costs and also donates surplus agricultural food items. While the USDA does require that the meals meet certain nutritional standards, schools choose the specific foods and menus. Schools also can serve individual food items a la carte, which fall outside the scope of the federal guidelines and allow students to choose additional foods. Typically these foods are junk food and provide little or no nutrition to the child. For their study, the researchers analyzed data on more than 13,500 elementary school students. Students were interviewed in kindergarten, first and third grades, and then again in later grades. The study was performed by Daniel Millimet, whose research expertise is the economics of children, specifically topics related to schooling and health.

First, it is very difficult to plan healthy but inviting school lunches at a low price, second, given the tight budgets faced by many school districts, funding from the sales of a la carte lunch items receives high priority. That said, it's comforting to know that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the federal school nutrition programs, takes the issue very seriously. The USDA sponsors not only my research, but that of others as well, to investigate the issues and possible solutions. (Millimet)

We need to take a more active role in what our children are eating during the day. New guidelines are becoming prevalent in some schools. These guidelines state that children are no longer allowed to bring bagged lunches and snacks to school. This is one area of control we do have over our children. How can we make sure our kids are being properly nourished if we can't even send them to school with a healthy lunch? These a la carte items that Millimet mentioned are most commonly junk foods that are high in sugar and fat. Our government needs to put more of an emphasis on schools making healthy choices not only available, but required for our children.

Judging from the results of the study, the food being served in school lunches may not maintain a healthy weight in children. The food in school breakfasts appears to be healthier, however. Technically, what is going on is that the federal government establishes nutrition guidelines for lunches and breakfasts if schools wish to receive federal funding, but there's evidence that school lunches are less in compliance with these guidelines than breakfasts. The other possible issue is that these days schools try to make money from a la carte items at lunch. And it's possible that even if the school lunch is healthy, kids buying lunch are more likely to tack on extra items that are not healthy. ( Millimet)

The National Student Lunch Program supplies meals to about 30 million children in 100,000 public and nonprofit private schools, according to the USDA. The School Breakfast Program gives cash assistance to more than 80,000 schools for about 10 million children. Through this study, it is clear that new restrictions and nutritional definitions need to be implemented in our school system.

Huge leaps and bounds have been made in the battle of obesity. Restaurants are now required to provide nutritional information. Although flawed, American schools are making an effort to provide healthier options for children. Federal funding has been provided to study the effect of obesity in families and children, and the health ramifications caused by obesity. With all the awareness of the dangers of obesity, why do Americans still continue to struggle? We need to come together and face these problems. Let's start with our children; they are, after all, the future of the great country we live in.

Works Cited:

Blair, S.N. "Obesity Paradoxes." Journal of Sports Sciences (2011): 1-10.

Cynthia L. Ogden, Ph.D., and Margaret D. Carroll, M.S.P.H. "Prevalence of Overweight, Obesity, and Extreme Obesity Among Adults: United States, Trends 1976–1980 Through 2007–2008." June 2010. CDC. 14 April 2011 <http://www.cdc.gov/NCHS/data/hestat/obesity_adult_07_08/obesity_adult_07_08.pdf>.

Gruberg MD, Lois. "The impact of obesity on the short-term andlong-term outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention: the obesity paradox?" American College of Cardiology (2002): 578-584.

Millimet, Daniel L., Rusty Tchernis and Muna Husain. "School Nutrition Programs and the Incidence of Childhood Obesity." The Journal of Human Resources (2010): 640-654.

Schwimmer MD, Jeffrey B. Schwimmer, MA Tasha M. Burwinkle and PhD James W. Varni. "Health-Related Quality of Life of Severely Obese Children and Adolescents." Journal of the America Medical Association (2003): 813-819.

Serdula MK, Ivery D, Coates RJ, Freedman DS. Williamson DF. Byers T. "Do obese children become obese adults?" 1993. Prev Med . 14 April 2011 <http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/references.html>.

Here's To The Baconator

2011-04-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

There happens to be a lovely girl (who dominates the kids class by the way) who is known as "The Baconator." She like myself, has a huge love for bacon. I saw the idea of wrapping meatloaf in bacon on Rachael Ray; although, she made hers with bread crumbs soaked in milk and various other poison's. I made mine squeaky clean, and I have to say it was delicious! This recipe makes a giant meatloaf and was enough food for 2 dinners for hubby and I, plus lunch for me...

Spinach Fire Roasted Tomato Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf

2# Ground Beef

1 C. Frozen Spinach- run under hot water in a colander and squeeze all the liquid out before measuring.

1 Can Fire Roasted Tomatoes- drained in colander

2 Eggs

1 Tsp Salt

1/2 Tsp. each Onion Powder, Garlic Powder and Pepper

1/2 Large onion- chopped finely

3 Cloves Garlic- minced

1 12oz Package Bacon

Mix all the ingredients together, excluding the tomatoes. Mix well and add the tomatoes last gently folding them in to keep them in large chunks.

Shape your meatloaf into a log on a cookie sheet

Cover with the bacon. I laid it across the top diagonally, slightly overlapping it. Lay strips of bacon around the bottom edge to keep the bacon from folding up on the sides.

Backe at 375 degrees for approx. 1 hour. I used a digital thermometer and cooked it until it had an internal temperature of 170 degrees. Once it is cooked through, turn the broiler on high and crisp up the bacon to your liking. I think the crispier the better!

Are you kidding me with how good that looks?!!?

Cocoa-nut vs. Cinnamon Coconut

2011-04-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

For your snacking pleasure; in one corner you have Cocoa-nut, in the other Cinnamon Coconut Crunchies. Whats your fancy? Of course I will choose Cocoa-nut every time because I'm a chocoholic! The cinnamon flavored coconut had a warm taste and was fairly mild. Either way its a PHAT fat (hehe) and a wonderful snack.

Cocoa-Nut

1 Lb shaved coconut

1 tsp Vanilla extract

1 TBSP Coconut oil

2 TBSP Cocoa powder

1 TBSP Honey- melted

Cinnamon Coconut Crunchies

1 Lb shaved coconut

1 tsp Vanilla extract

1 TBSP Coconut oil

1 TBSP Cinnamon

Bake at 375 on a cookie sheet lined with foil for an easy clean-up. You will need to babysit this snack as the coconut burns quickly and easily. Bake for a total of 8-10 minutes stirring several times during the cooking process to ensure an even browning.

Curry CauliRice

2011-04-11T18:26:00.000-07:00

This is the recipe that I made to accompany the tilapia dish from my previous post. It has great flavor and would be a good side for just about anything!

Pineapple Curry CauliRice

1 Head Cauliflower

1 C. Fresh Pineapple

2 TBSP Toasted Almonds- sliced

4 Green Onions- sliced

1 tsp Oil

1 tsp Curry Powder

Salt and Pepper

The easiest way to cut a pineapple is to cut of the top, then cut the sides off using a large knife to cut the skin away from the flesh.

Cut the pineapple into quarters and cut down the middle to remove the hard center. After you cut away the core slice the pineapple into bite sized pieces.

Heat a large skillet with oil and add the pineapple, saute until it gets browned and caramelized. Meanwhile, rice your cauliflower and microwave it for 3 minutes to get it partially cooked. Add the "rice" to the pan with the pineapple. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until its heated through.

Grilled Tilapia with Mango Salsa

2011-04-08T19:18:00.000-07:00

This just in, it was sunny today!!! Finally, I think we have had 3 sunny days previous to today this whole year here in N. ID. It was nice to get out and take a walk, do a little yard work and even get the grill cleaned up and going after a long winter hibernation. This was the perfect meal for a day like today. It was light, flavorful and made it feel like summer was right around the corner. I hope you enjoy this dinner as much as hubby and I did!

Grilled Tilapia with Mango Salsa

6 Tilapia Fillets

Marinade:

1/3 C. Oil

1 TBSP Lemon Juice

1 TBSP Fresh Parsley 3 Cloves Garlic -crushed 1 tsp. Dried Basil 1 tsp. Pepper 1/2 tsp. Salt

Marinade the fish for at least 1 hour to reap the benefits of massive flavor. Its best to marinade at least 4-6 hours or overnight if possible. Toss em on the grill, they only take about 4 minutes a side depending on how thick they are.

Mango Salsa:

1 Diced Mango

1/2 Diced Red Bell Pepper

3 TBSP Cilantro

1/2 Onion Minced

1 Jalapeno Seeded and Minced

2 TBSP Lime Juice

1 TBSP Lemon Juice

Salt and Pepper

Chop all the veggies and mix together with the citrus juices. Let set at least an hour in the refrigerator or as long as the fish marinades.

I served the fish with Curry "Rice" that I added pineapple to, it really completed the meal by adding another touch of fruit. I will post the recipe soon.

Best Fruit Choices

2011-04-06T15:04:00.000-07:00

The perfect Primal diet consists of lots of lean meat, healthy fats (pure oils,olives,nuts and seeds), plenty of veggies and some fruit. I am guilty of being a fruit glutton. I could eat a piece of fruit with every meal and at snack time, I just love fresh fruit. While that's all fine and dandy fruit still has natural sugars and spikes you insulin levels, a thing that is best avoided especially when you are interested in dropping a few lb's. All fruits aren't made equally, some are much higher in antioxidants and polyphenols (disease fighters). Some fruits also have a much higher sugar content than others. If you are having trouble losing weight on a primal diet or just cant get rid of that last pesky 5 lbs, you might think about taking a serious look at your sugar intake. Look at all aspects of this, the honey or god forbid the agave, fruit and especially dried fruit you are eating. Again as I have said before life is to enjoy and enjoy things in moderation including fruit. Below I included a nifty link to a graph that Prof. Loren Cordain published, it gives an in depth look at sugar content in fruits, veggies, sweeteners and a few other various items. It is a good tool to use when planning your meals or just making better choices. Fruits and Sugars Table

Tasty Balls

2011-04-04T18:11:00.000-07:00

These balls are so good! Hubby and I had a hard time not eating the whole batch. I did share with my sisters when they were over for girls day and they loved them too! I was imagining (while shoving yet another ball into my mouth) these would be really good with a little orange zest in them, maybe a tablespoon or so? Feel free to try it and leave me a note in the comments.

Almond Date Truffles

2 1/2 C. Whole pitted dates (Freddies bulk bins have the best price in N. Idaho)

2 C. Almonds- If you want the balls to be extra tasty toast the almonds before you add them!

1 TBSP. Honey

1/2 tsp. Sea Salt

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 C. Toasted Raw Coconut

Place all the ingredients into a food processor and let er rip until the mixture is pulverized and starts to form a big ball. (have I said "ball" too many times in this post?)

Take the mixture by tablespoons and form it into you guessed it, balls...

Roll the balls in the coconut mixture until coated well and try not to eat too many!

Mexican Shrimp Stew

2011-03-29T13:31:00.000-07:00

Although it is spring, you wouldn't know it if you looked outside here in North Idaho. It is 45 degrees and has been raining all day! It feels like a soup day! I made this soup for my sisters over the weekend, they both loved it and even had seconds! It is pretty spicy, if you don't like the heat you can omit the chipotle peppers.

Spicy Shrimp Stew

2 tsp. Olive oil

1 Onion

2 Stalks celery

4 Carrots

2-3 TBSP. Chipotle chile's in adobo (it is tricky to find these clean, but it can be done!)

2 tsp. Cumin

2 tsp. Chili powder

4 Cloves garlic

4 C. Chicken Stock

1 14.5 oz can Fire roasted tomatoes

1 Tbsp. Lime juice

Salt and Pepper

1 LB. Shrimp (I used medium raw)

Cilantro and avocado for garnish

Pre-chop all your veggies into even chunks. Heat the oil in a large pot, add the veggies, garlic, spices and chile's. Saute over medium heat for about 6-8 minutes or until the carrots just start to get soft. Add the tomatoes and stock. Cook until the veggies are soft, an additional 15-20 minutes.

Peel and rinse the shrimp and add them to the stew along with the lime juice. Cook for about 4 minutes until the shrimp are pink and cooked through.

Serve into bowls and top with cilantro leaves and avocado chunks.

MMM Meatloaf

2011-03-24T12:32:00.000-07:00

If you think that eating clean means giving up your favorite comfort foods you are mistaken. I have yet to find a favorite dish from my life prior to clean eating that I couldn't modify to be Paleo. I love meatloaf! This recipe is packed with veggies and protein, not to mention delicious!

Loaded Meatloaf

2 Lbs Ground Beef or Ground Turkey

2 Eggs

1 Green Bell Pepper -diced

1 Carrot -grated

1 Small Zucchini -grated

1/2 Onion- diced

1 tsp. each: Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, and Paprika

Either Salsa or Classico Spaghetti sauce for the topping.

Place all ingredients excluding the salsa or Classico in a large bowl. Get in there with your hands and get messy! Mix until all the ingredients are well combined. Put into a loaf pan and top with salsa if you like a little spice or for a more traditional taste top with Classico tomatoe basil sauce. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Enjoy!

Do Chickens Have Nuggets?

2011-03-18T16:49:00.000-07:00

What do you think this is? Does it look like delicious strawberry ice cream??? Well it's NOT... What you are looking at folks is mechanically separated chicken... Yeah, that's right CHICKEN! This is what we are eating when we put naughty food into our bodies like chicken nuggets, chicken patties and a range of other pseudo chicken products.

Basically what you have here is the whole chicken, blood, guts, eyeballs and yes even legs all mashed and ground up. It comes out looking like this pink cotton candy crap we have to the left. Next they wash it with ammonia, well more like give it a bath in ammonia. After its ammonia bath they re-flavor it to taste like chicken, because who wants to eat pink ammonia flavored goo. Lastly, they add artificial color to make it "look" like chicken again... Now next time you feel like going through the drive thru to get a 20 piece chicken nugget for $4.99, think of the pink goo and you just might make a healthier choice!

Fried Chicken, (dare I say the best ever?)

2011-03-17T14:55:00.000-07:00

There were a few things in life that I was adamant about before I went Paleo... Steak always cooked well done, chicken breast was the only cut of chicken I would eat and lastly I hated coconut and mushrooms. I like my steak rare now, chicken thighs are the best cut if you ask me, and I LOVE any and all coconut products.Ok, so I still hate mushrooms. Its funny how your taste changes as you eat differently. I guess its my inner cave woman coming out! This recipe is melt in your mouth good, I adapted it from Americas Test Kitchen on PBS and it is now my favorite chicken ever! Try it, you'll love it, I promise!

Pan Fried Chicken with Lemon Parsley Sauce

3.5 #'s Chicken Thighs, rinsed,patted dry and seasoned with salt and pepper.

1 TBSP Olive Oil
3/4 C Chicken Broth

Heat up a large skillet and fry the chicken in the olive oil over medium high heat. Make sure to have the skin side down for the first 8-10 minutes. NO PEAKING! This will ensure a nice even browning. Cook for 10 minutes, flip and add
the broth, cover and cook until the thighs reach 170 degrees. Remove from the pan and put on a plate, skin side up and tent with foil.

The chicken should have a nice golden brown skin like in this picture. Pour off the liquid from the pan and save it in a bowl. Wipe out the pan and add back in 1 tsp of Olive Oil. Heat and put the chicken back in the pan skin side down to give it a second good seer and a really nice crispy skin. Cook until it reaches 175 degrees this will take about 4-7 minutes. the picture below of the dark skin is what you are looking for. The crispier the crust the better!

Skim the fat off the liquid that you reserved, you can use a spoon or use a paper towel to skim off the fat like in the photo below. Add broth to make 3/4 C. liquid of you are a little shy.

To make the sauce, add 3 TBSP very finely chopped onion to the pan, (don't worry about cleaning it out the stuck on bits of chicken add all the flavor) let the onions saute a bit. Add 2tsp arrowroot, using a whisk add the reserved liquid to the pan, add 1 TBSP lemon juice and 1/4 C. Chopped fresh parsley. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until thick and serve over the chicken.

This is the finished dish. It was so good, the sauce has great flavor and the chicken is so moist. I served this when I had dinner guests, they couldn't get enough!

These are a few of my favorite things

2011-03-10T09:02:00.000-08:00

When I'm feeling like a little treat these are the things I turn to. My mom got me hooked on the lemon ginger tea and after trying that flavor I had to try more and found the raspberry which is my new favorite! And of course a girls got to have chocolate! Most of the varieties offered by Endangered Species are clean, just glance at the ingredients to be sure. They are sweetened with beet sugar and some of the proceeds go to help the endangered species in the world. I like the 88% dark the best, but the mint is a close second! If you live in North Idaho you can find all these things at Super 1 Foods, Fred Meyers and Pilgrim's Market.

Carnitas

2011-03-08T08:18:00.000-08:00

You asked for it and here it is, more slow cooker meals! This recipe is so easy I almost didn't post it, but my hubby was raving over how good it is so I thought I would share it. We ate this plain and on a lettuce leaf taco style. I also made a simple veggie slaw and topped it with the warm pork and it was to die for! Maybe you will think of a special way of eating it, post your ideas to the comments.

Pork Carnitas

1 large pork shoulder

1 large onion

salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 jar of your favorite clean salsa

Place the pork shoulder into the crock pot and season with liberal amounts of salt,pepper,cumin and chili powder.

Add the tomatoes and salsa and top with the onion cut up into large pieces.

Set your slow cooker on low for 6 hours. a bit

Use two forks to pull the pork apart, taste to make sure the seasonings are just right and dig in!

Out Of This World Banana Bread

2011-02-28T14:57:00.000-08:00

I brought some of this banana bread to Crossfit a few months age, Dan, Jenn, Scott and I all indulged after our WOD. I wanted to share the recipe, maybe you can indulge after your WOD too! It is a good source of healthy fats after all...

Banana Bread

1 Large Ripe Banana

1 C. Almond Butter

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Vanilla

1/4 C. Honey

1/3 C. Walnuts

1 Egg

1 tsp. Cinnamon

Mix all the ingredients excluding the walnuts in a bowl until smooth

Make it look like this:

try not to eat too much batter=)...

Pour the batter into a greased 8x8 inch pan, sprinkle with the walnuts, and bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes or until they are firm in the center.

Cut and share with your fellow crossfitters, they will love you for it!

Ragu

2011-02-24T19:07:00.001-08:00

Ok so this one has taken me awhile to get up but Carley keeps reminding me to get it done and I have finally gotten the pic downloaded.

So this is a recipe that my family has had around for years passed down from my grandma. My dad changed it to a clean recipe, taking out the baking potatoes and adding sweet potatoes during our last clean eating challenge and it worked out great.

This one is perfect for a bulk meal either lots of people or portioned into several different meals for those of us with crazy busy schedules (which is really all of us isn't it!) Great for freezing, and storing for later!

Ingredients:

2 lbs stewing beef or steaks cut into cubes

2 large sweet potates peeled and sliced thin

1 sweet onion sliced

1 lbs bag of baby carrots

1 package of bacon

1-2 tablespoons plus chopped garlic

lots of salt and pepper

cut the bacon into small pieces and fry on med high in a stewing pot with the garlic and onions until the bacon is cooked and the onions are soft and browning. Stir this constantly so it doesn't burn or brown too fast. You want the bacon and onions to make the bottom of the pot brown and sticky with cooked grease (this is the good stuff!)

You can choose to empty some of the fat from the bacon but I like the flavor and leave most if not all of it in. Add all the beef and brown all sides adding salt and pepper throughout. when the beef is totally browned and mostly cooked add the carrots and the potatoes about 3/4 cups water to cover the bottom of the pot and more salt and pepper.

Turn the temp down to medium low cover with a lid and let the water steam the carrots and potatoes. Check on it every once in awhile and stir them around. Waiting for the carrots and potatoes to be softened. Remove the lid when they get soft turn the temp up a little, just enough to boil the water down a little (5 minutes or so) to thicken up the broth.

YUMMY!!

Pork Thyme

2011-02-22T12:54:00.000-08:00

I was in a rush and trying to use up some of the random stuff I had in my fridge. I knew I wanted to use the crock pot, but I didn't have all day in fact it was 3:00 I wanted to be eating by 6:30. So here's what I came up with. I have to say it was really good. I had my sister over for dinner and she loved it!

Crock pot Pork with Apples

1 Onion-diced

4 Cloves garlic- minced or pressed

2 Apples-diced

1 lb Pork loin or chops-cut into 1/2 inch cubes

2 TBSP Dijon

1 C. Chicken stock

Salt and pepper

1 tsp Thyme

1/2 tsp Fennel seed

1 Head cauliflower- riced in food processor

Seer the outside of the pork in a little olive oil with onions and garlic in a saucepan. Don't worry about it being cooked all the way, just get a nice crust on the pork and bring out the flavor of the garlic. Put in the bottom of a crock pot.

Make a sauce by mixing the broth, spices, and mustard together. Pour over the Pork and onions that are in the crock pot. Cook on low for 2 hours. Add the apples and cook for 1 hour more.

Serve over the cauliflower rice.

No More Excuses

2011-02-17T08:56:00.000-08:00

I hear it ALL the time, "I'm too busy to eat clean during the week" or "Its too hard to pack a lunch, I'm so busy"... That is a lazy mentality and personally offensive, as if to imply me, being completely paleo has more time than others to prepare meals. This is not the case, I am a wife, I make 2 dinners almost every night (hubby isn't paleo), I work 40+ hours a week, I run a food blog, I crossfit 4-5 times a week, I'm going to school majoring in business, and I have a bunch of furry children (pets) who demand time, walks, brushing and attention... Now tell me again that YOUR too busy. OK now that I'm don't with my rant, let me tell you how I stay clean and pack not only lunches, but breakfast for work days.

1. I get a huge skillet and fill it with all sorts of frozen veggies. Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, mushrooms, asparagus, bell pepper strips. The list can go on and on and you can make different combinations so it doesn't get boring. I also season them well, I like to use homemade taco seasoning.

2. Separate them into dishes and these are ready to eat. I usually will take one of these veggie side dishes for lunch. Sometimes I take a little salsa to pour over the veggies to give them a little spunk.

3. Fresh veggies and fruit bags. Cut up your favorite veggies and put them I'm baggies, it gives you a little crunch and can be a good change from the sauteed veggies. I take one of these everyday to work as well and eat them with my breakfast. This is a good time to maybe peel some oranges or set aside pieces of fruit to grab on the way out the door.

4. Meat. I like burgers they are a very easy way to get your protein I usually take 2 patties to work and eat one for breakfast and one for lunch. I grill them on the BBQ, put them in separate baggies and freeze them. I take what I want out the night before work. I buy turkey burgers, salmon patties and sirloin burgers from Costco in bulk. If you aren't a burger fan you could get a rotisserie chicken and piece it out into containers or cook some steaks, cook ground beef, fish fillets... Anything you like just cook in bulk and plan ahead for the whole week, that way you aren't scrambling before bed to get something put together.

4. Hard boil some eggs. They are another good source of protein and a good snack for the afternoon.

5. Lastly, you need a little fat, as avocado half cut up with a little lemon juice will hold up or pack a bag of nuts and seeds or you could make a dressing with olive oil to dip your veggies in.

See, its not that hard, I can have all this done within 1 hour and I'm set for breakfast and lunch all week. You can do it, just give it a shot, your body will thank you!

Its A Soup Day

2011-02-15T08:47:00.000-08:00

If you live in my neck of the woods it is a soup day! I woke up to a blanket of white stuff outside, but spring is about a month away. I'm looking forward to planting my garden and all the creations I can think of involving a grill.

Somethings Fishy Tomato Soup

1 TBSP Olive Oil
1 Onion sliced into thin strips
2 Carrots
3 Ribs Celery
3 Cloves Garlic minced
2 Bay Leaves
1 28oz Can Crushed Tomatoes
1 QT. Chicken or Veggie Stock
1/2 C Chopped Parsley
1 16oz Can Salmon

Saute the garlic and onion in the oil until they are soft, meanwhile cut the carrots and celery into 1/2 inch pieces. Add the celery, carrots, bay leaves, tomatoes, and stock to the mix. Cook over medium heat until the veggies are soft about 25 minutes. Add the salmon and heat through. Add the parsley right before serving and enjoy!

Swedish Pancakes

2011-02-08T19:26:00.001-08:00

Growing up my mom used to make my family a breakfast that she called Swedish pancakes (Ive also seen them be called dutch babies). They were always one of my favorites; Fluffy, sweet and covered in apple syrup was how we liked em'. I wanted to re-invent this childhood memory in a clean form which meant getting rid of the sugar, white flour and milk. I am happy to report that my Paleo version turned out great and I think even mom would be proud!

Dutch Babies with Raspberry Sauce

For the pancakes:

1/4 C. Coconut Flour

6 TBSP Arrowroot

1/2 tsp. Salt

8 Eggs
1 C. Coconut Milk

1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Vanilla

Mix all your wet ingredients together, Slowly add in the dry ingredients and whisk rapidly for at least 1 minute. Thank goodness we all have big crossfit muscles!

Pour batter into a well greased 9x13 inch glass baking dish. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until the pancakes become fluffy and start to climb up the side of the pan like this:

Raspberry Sauce:

2 C. Frozen Raspberries
1 Tbsp Honey

1 Orange

Heat the Raspberries in a sauce pan until they are thawed. Zest the orange and add it to the berries along with the honey. Serve warm over the pancakes.

The Best Sweet Potatoes!

2011-02-04T10:42:00.000-08:00

Ah sweet potatoes. They are so versatile and nutritious, not to mention beautiful and tasty! This is yet another recipe that I saw on Rachel Ray, I love that girl!

Zesty Sweet Potato Mash

3 Sweet Potatoes peel, diced and boiled until soft.

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 TBSP Honey

Fresh grated nutmeg

Boil and drain the potatoes, add the nutmeg at this point, about 1/2 tsp. if its fresh a little more if you are using nutmeg that is pre-ground.

Zest the lemon and add it to the potato pot, add the juice from 1/2 the lemon and the honey and mash it up with a potato masher.

Look how beautiful and bright they are! This is a very light refreshing dish and kind of reminded me of spring.

Mounds of Primal Goodness

2011-01-23T08:29:00.000-08:00

Ok so don't we all have a sweet tooth? I know at least all of us here at Crossfit Lakecity do! I get everyone drooling while we stretch after a hard wod talking about the recipes I'm working on or something I had made. These were no exception, in fact I think we are planning a game night just so I can make these for the group...

I'm a sucker for chocolate and I never like coconut growing up, however since going primal almost a year ago I have grown fond of it. I have to say I've never eaten a mounds, but I imagine that they taste like these little bit of heavens that I made a few weeks ago. Enjoy and beware it is easy to eat way too much of these. The good side is they are chock full of healthy fat!

For the filling:
1/4 C. Coconut oil
1/8 C. Honey
2/3 C. Shredded coconut
1/4 C. Almonds

Melt the coconut oil and honey together in the microwave add the coconut, if you are using flake coconut you will want to pulse it in a blender or food processor a few times to break it down a bit. If its shredded coconut I think it would work as is.

Put the coconut filling into molds or small muffin tins. Toast the nuts until they are fragrant (don't skip this step, it brings out the flavors) You can use sliced nuts and sprinkle them over the coconut filling or like I did use whole almonds and chop them before adding them to the mix.

Chocolate topping:

1/4 C. Cocoa powder

2 TBSP Honey
1/3 C. Coconut oil

2 tsp. Vanilla

Heat in a bowl in the microwave and stir until it is smooth. Spoon over the coconut filling and chill in the freezer until set.

The finished product! These would be perfect for a Valentines day treat that is clean and delicious! I know I'll be making them for my Valentine, I found some cute heart molds at Michael's that will really add a nice touch.

Stuffed!

2011-01-20T14:40:00.000-08:00

Here I go with the squash again! I just cant get enough of this stuff, at least its good for you. I used some of the Aidells sausages that I got from our local Grocery Outlet for a screaming deal.

Recipe for 2:
1 Acorn squash
1 Tbsp Oil
1 Green bell pepper
1/2 Onion
10 Stalks asparagus
2-3 Sausage links- I used chicken apple
Salt and pepper
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
1/4 tsp Cayenne
1 TBSP Curry powder
1 lime

Cut the squash in half, remove the seeds and bake or microwave in a little water until its soft.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet. Slice the sausages and fry in the hot oil until they start to get a little crispy and browned. Chop and add all the veggies to the skillet. Add the spices and cook until the veggies are tender.

Scoop the veggies into the cavity of the squash and serve with a wedge of lime to squeeze over the top.

Garlicky Egglant Maranara

2011-01-18T07:35:00.000-08:00

I saw this recipe on Rachel Rays daytime talk show and with few tweaks it was squeaky clean and tasty.

1 head garlic
2 red bell peppers
1 eggplant
1 28oz can fire roasted tomatoes
1 large spaghetti squash

Take the garlic and cut off the top just far enough down to be able to see the tops of the cloves. Wrap it in tin foil and place on a cookie sheet. To the same cookie sheet add the peppers and the eggplant cut in half with the cut side up. Season the eggplant with salt and pepper. On a separate cookie sheet cut the squash in half and put cut side down add about 2 cups of water to the pan. Put both pans in a 450 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour.

At this point if the pepper doesn't have nice black charred spots put it over the flame on your stove turning frequently. Cut off the stem and scrape out the seeds.

The eggplant will look like this when its done. Spoon out the insides of the eggplant leaving the purple skin.

I used my handy dandy food processor, but you could use a good blender to puree all the ingredients together (excluding the squash!). Take the garlic out of the foil and squeeze the root side, the cloves will have liquefied and turned into a paste. Add the garlic, fire roasted tomatoes, eggplant insides, and the bell peppers and blend until it is smooth. Scrape the squash into spaghetti like strands. I cooked some ground beef and put it right on top of the squash and sauce.

Are You Sweet Or Savory?

2011-01-08T14:05:00.000-08:00

I Personally am sweet, not only in personality(hehe), I have a huge sweet tooth! I am waist deep in my love for winter foods right now. What says comfort like a nice winter squash? My personal favorite is a butternut squash. It is so sweet and I feel that it can be used interchangeably with pumpkin. Its a super food and is great for a post wod re-fuel. So pick your poison are you sweet or evil I mean savory?

Step 1: For either dish is to peel your squash, use those muscles and your patience for this job!

Step 2: I like to cut it into round disc's, then cube it or cut it into strips from there, you can see both ways here.

We will start with the savory version first. I like to use the cubed squash for this. Take about 3 cups of the cubes squash and put it on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Pour over a few TBSP balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. paprika, 1/2 tsp. cayenne (you can leave this out I just LOVE the added spice) and a few dashes salt and pepper. Give it a quick toss right on the pan and put into a 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes until the squash is fork tender.

Here is the finished product, it gets all nice and caramelized and is so tasty!

Now for the sweet this is simple and tastes like candy to me! Just take some of the squash and cut it into strips. Place on a lightly greased sheet pan and sprinkle generously with cinnamon and nutmeg. Add a little sprinkle of sea salt and put in the oven using the same directions as above.

Look at how good they look! They get a crust of tasty deliciousness and really are like candy trust me! I like to make a batch of both and snack on them throughout the week.

My take on a bibimbap

2011-01-04T16:48:00.000-08:00

I'm a big fan of making ethnic type foods and foods that I haven't tried or heard of. In saying that this dish was lovely. Its a clean take on a traditional Korean dish called a bibimbap which means "mixed meal". Traditionally it is made with rice, a variety of veggies, beef and egg. To clean it up I just substituted cauliflower "rice". It was so good and like nothing I had ever made before. Try this one its a winner!

Korean Bibimbap

8 oz Sirlion Steak cut into thin strips

2 tsp. Tamari Sauce (wheat-free soy sauce)
1 TBSP Fresh Ginger peeled and minced

3 Cloves Garlic minced

6 Green Onions chopped

1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

2 Large Carrots julienned with a veggie peeler

1/3 of a Cabbage cut into thin strips

1 1/2 tsp Sesame Oil

1 head Cauliflower grated to resemble rice

4 Eggs

Prepare all your veggies and set aside.

Make a marinade for the thinly sliced beef using 1 green onion, 1 tsp ginger, the garlic, tamari and the red pepper flakes. Let it all set and get happy for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile steam the remaining green onions, cabbage and carrots until they are crisp-tender about 4-6 minutes. Heat the sesame oil and add the sirloin cooking 1-2 minutes per side. Add the remaining ginger, the cauliflower and the steamed veggies and cook, covered, until the cauliflower is tender. This should take about 10 minutes. Uncover and make 4 indentations in the cauliflower with the back of a spoon. Crack 1 egg into each, and cook, covered, until the whites are set but the yolks are stilll runny, about 4 minutes.

Serve with an egg on top of each plate and stir in right before eating.

Appetizers

2010-12-21T15:45:00.000-08:00

Tis' the season for parties, special dinners and get togethers. It can be very hard to stick to a primal diet when going to and from family dinners, work parties and holiday festivities. With these 3 appetizers you may be able to help you and your family make some better choices when it comes to snacking and they are pretty and festive to boot. Oh and dont worry you will not miss out on flavor!

Proscuitto Wrapped Asparagus

1 3 oz Pkg Proscuitto
1 lb Asparagus
1 Lemon

Blanch the Asparagus for 5 minutes in boiling salted water. Pour right into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Bundle 3 pieces of the asparagus together and wrap with a piece of Proscuitto. Arrange on a platter, zest the lemon and sprinkle over the dish. Lastly juice the lemon and pour the juice over the dish right before serving.

Sweet and Salty Melon

1 Cantaloupe

1 Honeydew Melon

Prosciutto

Cut the melons into bite size pieces and wrap with a slice of proscuitto

BLT Deviled Eggs

12 Hard Boiled Eggs

2+ TBSP Clean Mayo

2 TBSP Grated Onion

2 tsp Dijon Mustard

A Few Dashed Paprika

1/4 C Crumbled Bacon

Grape Tomatoes and Lettuce for garnishing

Mix the the egg yolks with the ingredients listed above excluding the tomatoes and lettuce. Mix wll and season with salt and pepper to taste. Put filling into a zip top bag and cut a hole in the corner and pipe the filling into the center of the egg. Garnish with a few sliced of tomatoe and finely chopped lettuce.

Another Fabulous Find

2010-12-19T13:57:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love love LOVE Aidell's sausages and to my great pleasure found them at our local Grocery Outlet store here in Coeur d Alene Idaho. How exciting is that you are thinking to yourself... or maybe your thinking so what they sell them at all the local grocery stores... Well I'm going to drop this like its hot... $7.99 for the double pack!!! That is a serious savings considering you can get a double pack at Costco for $12.99. They also had various flavors on the 4 pack for $3.79 which is also a great deal I typically see them ranging from $4.99-6.99. I asked the manager of Grocery Outlet if this is a common item for them to carry and he said they have them almost all the time! The variates will vary, today they had Mango, Chicken apple, Hobenaro, Tomatoes and Cheese and some turkey sausage patties as well. AWESOME!

"The Best One Yet"

2010-12-19T09:14:00.000-08:00

I take the quote from nearly every one at our Crossfit holiday party. This is the best dessert recipe to date and could be dangerous to have around your house! It takes a little work, but in the end its totally worth it! The frosting is especially good and would be nice on a number of things it is very sweet, rich and creamy. You've got to try this one! I used coconut flour which is something I hadn't used before and was surprised how light and airy it was. Not to mention much more affordable than almond flour. I got a 1 lb bag at Pilgrim's for just over $5.00, It is so light that 1 lb looks to be at least 4 cups.

Chocolate Cake with Cashew Icing

2/3 C Almond Flour

1/3 C Coconut Flour

2/3 C Arrowroot

1/2 C Cocoa Powder

1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Baking Powder (Clabber Girl brand is clean)

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 Very Ripe Banana

3/4 C Coconut Milk

1/4 C Coconut Oil

1/2 C Honey

2 tsp Cider Vinegar

2 Tbsp Ground Flax

1 Pkg Gelatin

Mix the dry ingredients together and add the mashed banana mixing well.

In a small sauce pan over medium heat warm the coconut milk and coconut oil, add the gelatin and let it sit and thicken off the heat for about 5 minutes.

Add the gelatin mixture and the remaining ingredients to the dry mixture and blend together.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes in a 9 inch round pan that has been greased well.
Cool slightly and turn out of the pan to ensure it doesn't stick.

Icing:
1 5oz Jar of Cashew nut butter
1/2 C Honey
1/3 C Cocoa Powder

blend the ingredients together and stir until it is smooth and a little glossy. Ice the sides and top of the cake with the icing.

Banana Pancake Remix

2010-12-14T19:21:00.000-08:00

Back in the first few posts I did I made banana pancakes they were good, but I will admit they were very difficult to flip and didn't really have the right texture. I stumble upon a recipe on MDA and tried it with huge success! I did change a few things to suit what I like though.

2 Bananas- very ripe and mashed

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Salt

3 TBSP Almond butter

1 Egg

1 tsp Vanilla

Mash the bananas first and add the remaining ingredients mixing well.

Cook using oil of some sort on a very hot skillet.

Squash Your Hunger

2010-12-09T14:26:00.000-08:00

With this cold weather we have been having here in Idaho I have been eating alot of soup and this one has become sort of an addiction to me. It is smooth, flavorful and nutritious and it warms you right up!

Acorn Squash Soup with Kale and Bacon

1 Large Acorn Squash
1/2 Lb Bacon
1-3 Cups Water
1 Large Onion
1 Bunch Kale
Salt and Pepper

Bake or microwave your squash with a little water until its soft. Scoop out the buttery delish innards and puree them until they are velvety smooth.
Cut the bacon into 1/2 inch pieces and fry up until they are nice and crispy

Pour off most of the bacon fat but leave a little in the pan for flavor and saute the onions until they are soft. Cut the kale into bite size pieces and add to the onions. Season with salt (if needed the bacon makes it pretty salty) and pepper.

Add the squash into the mix and gradually add water until your desired thickness. Let the soup simmer for about 10 minutes and serve topping with the bacon bits.

Exciting News!!!

2010-12-05T10:36:00.000-08:00

Trader Joe's is coming to town! This is one of my favorite stores, think Pilgrims with three times the selection and retail costs of a whole lot less! They have a wide selection of organic produce, meat, eggs and ready to cook items. They have vitamins, green cleaning products and a great wine and beer selection. They keep their prices down by using their own consumer brand and I have yet to get an item at Trader Joe's that I don't like! They are scheduled to open in the spring on Spokane's South Hill at 29Th and Regal according to map quest that's 32 miles and 41 minutes away. Totally worth it for one stop shopping! Can you tell how enthused I am?!?!?

The Veggie of the Week...

2010-12-04T09:09:00.000-08:00

I missed the veggie of the week post last week due to the holiday I did make a wonderful dish to make it up to you! This week we are on E and I decided to do an eggplant dish. I had not ever used eggplant in cooking and was pleasantly surprised. It had a great flavor and was not as hard to prepare as I had previously heard.

Native to South East Asia eggplant is grown in tropical climates as a garden vegetable and is a staple in many middle eastern countries. It comes in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors including purple, black, white and striped. Eggplant is available in the US year round but is best eaten August-October when they are at their peak. Eggplants are part of the night shade family which include tomatoes, peppers and potatoes. Eggplants are a nutrient dense food containing over 80 nutrients, it contains high amounts of B vitamins and potassium.

Eggplant Lasagana

You can either make a sauce or use a pre-made one like Classico Tomato Basil which is what I did it makes this recipe simple! Heat up the sauce and add a few leaves fresh torn basil, this will make is taste homemade. In a hot skillet scramble 2 eggs and add to the sauce. I know this sounds wierd but trust me when I say that this makes the recipe. It actually seems like cheese when its all put together not to mention another way to get some extra protein!

Slice 2 eggplants to about a 1/4 inch thickness and about 6 roma tomatoes thinly, put on sheet pans and season with salt and pepper. Roast in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes crank up the heat to 450 and roast an additional 10 minutes or until the veggies are fork tender.

Make a layer of eggplant on the bottom of a cassarole dish, follow by adding a layer of your roasted tomatoes. add about 1/2 C of sauce and add 1# cooked ground beef, next add a layer of fresh or frozen drained spinach top with another 1/2 C of sauce. Over that add another layer of the tomatoes and end with a layer or the eggpant. Add the remaining sauce and bake covered for 1 hour in a 350 degree oven, it is best to let is set for an hour before serving to insure the layers stay together.

Sweet Potato Casserole

2010-12-03T08:21:00.000-08:00

This is the last recipe in my Thanksgiving holiday repertoire, but have no fear I have already started my Christmas menu!

4-6 Peeled, diced and boiled sweet potatoes
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 C Pure maple syrup + a few extra TBSP's
1/2 C Coconut milk
1 C Pecans

Mash the boiled potatoes with the spices and maple syrup until smooth. Slowly pour in the coconut milk and blend until its creamy. Put into a baking dish and top with the pecans and drizzle a few TBSP's of maple syrup over the nuts. Bake covered at 350 for 45 minutes uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes to toast the nuts.

Apple Pie

2010-12-02T09:12:00.000-08:00

Here is yet another recipe from my Thanksgiving spread. This one was the biggest hit out of all the food I brought to my family's house. My hubby loved it and made sure we had a big slice to bring home for later!

Crust:
3/4 C Pitted dates
1 1/2 C Almond flour
1 Tbsp Coconut oil

In a blender or food processor blend all the crust ingredients until they start to stick together and the dates are broken down. Press into a pie pan that is greased with coconut oil. Now I didn't bake the crust before filling but I think it would be a good idea. So lets say bake at 350 until the crust is firm and a little dry to the touch I would guess 10 minutes or so.

Filling:
5 Peeled and sliced apples I like to use gala or granny smith for a little tartness
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 C Honey
Juice of 1/2 a lemon or 2 Tbsp
A dash of cloves

Mix together and let set in the bowl for 5-10 minutes to get the juices flowing. Pour into crust it will be heaping this is a good thing we are going for mile high here!

Topping:

1 C Coconut

1 C Pecans

2 Tbsp Coconut oil

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Vanilla

Put in a food processor and give it a few pulses to break down the nuts and coconut. Pile over the apples.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes covered with foil. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes to get a nice golden topping.

A Clean Holiday Delight

2010-11-30T19:11:00.001-08:00

This was one of the recipes that I brought to my parents house for Thanksgiving dinner. It was a hit especially with my nieces they kept coming back for more!

Primal Eggnog

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1 Fresh Nutmeg

4 Egg yolks

3 C. Coconut milk

1 Tbsp. Pure maple syrup

In a sauce pan on meduim low heat 2 cups of the coconut milk with the egg yolks. This needs to be a very slow process otherwise you will have scrambled eggs. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the milk starts to thicken and coat the back of the spoon. Remove from the stove and place in an ice bath. Stir to cool for about 5 minutes add the remaining milk, cinnamon, maple syrup and vanilla. Transfer to a pitcher and cool for a few hours to thicken. Serve in glasses with fresh nutmeg ground on top.

The finished product yummy!

Happy Holidays in My Paleo World

2010-11-29T13:08:00.000-08:00

Wow Thanksgiving come and gone and less than a month until Christmas... Can you believe it??? Sorry for the post hiatus I have been crazy busy with preparing for the holiday at home and at work. Never fear I did have time to make some scrumptious dishes for Thanksgiving! I will post one today and the rest through out the week and maybe just maybe you out there will want to make some of them over the holiday season.

Holiday gatherings can be tough when you are the only (Paleo-ite Paleo-un Paleo-odian???) Whatever you want to call it... My family was so great this year, we all decided to take a healthier approach to traditional dishes. My sister ground her own wheat and used a fresh pumpkin to make her pies and my mom made a jello mold with completely Paleo ingredients (GO MOM). I contributed a Dutch Apple Pie, Sweet Potato Casserole, Eggnog and Bacon Mashed Sweet Potatoes. Everyone raved over the dishes and were amazed that they were made with Paleo ingredients!

My mom with her delish side dish.

My Mom Debbie's Holiday Cranberry Mold

1 20 oz Can crushed pineapple- drain and reserve the juice

12 oz Fresh cranberries

3 Envelopes unflavored gelatin ( I searched and didn't see why this wouldn't be considered clean)

1/2 C Honey

1 Orange peeled and cut into chunks

1 C Diced Celery

1 Tart apple-grated

1/2 C Walnuts-chopped

Mix the gelatin into 1/4 C. of the pineapple juice let set and thicken. In a saucepan over medium heat cook remaining pineapple juice with the cranberries for about 5 minutes or until they start to burst open. Add the gelatin mixture and honey and cook 1 minute longer to incorporate. Put the orange in a blender with 1 C. of the cranberry mixture and blend until it forms fine pieces. Add the remaining cranberry mixture and pulse a few times to slightly break down the cranberries. Pour into a bowl and add the celery, apple and walnuts. Pour into a glass dish or jello mold and chill until you are ready to serve.

Meal on a Budget 3rd Edition

2010-11-23T17:45:00.000-08:00

If you were at the Halloween Party this is the dish I brought to share with one modification I substituted Kelp Noodles for the spaghetti squash. Either way its a great dinner! As with the other "budget" meals I've featured this will feed a family of four for under $10.00 I'll break that part down further in the recipe. I did my shopping at Super 1 Foods

Spaghetti Squash with Sausage and Greens

1 Large spaghetti squash ($3.56)
1 LB Sausage ($.99)
1 Bunch spinach ($1.68)
1 tsp Crushed red pepper ($.20)
6-8 Mini peppers or 1 Large bell pepper ($1.25)
1 Onion ($.40)
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning ($.10)
1 C. Chicken stock ($.25)

I get these pepper's from Costco they are $3.99 for 2 LB's. They are crisp and flavorful and I love love LOVE them!
Cook the sausage and drain. In the same pan cut up all your veggies excluding the spinach and put them with the chicken stock and cook them with the spices until they are soft.

Add back in the sausage and let it cook together for a few minutes to let all the flavors mix. Put the spinach over the veggies and meat and stir together to wilt this will only take a few minutes.

In the meantime, halve the squash place in a microwaveable dish add 1/2 cup water and heat for 10-15 minutes on high. Repeat with the remaining squash half. Discard the seeds. Using a fork, comb the squash into strands into a bowl.

Spoon the sausage and veggies over the squash and serve.

The Veggie of the Week.... Diakon

2010-11-19T08:28:00.000-08:00

Diakon is a white radish from Japan, having a long root that is eaten raw, pickled or cooked. Its also known as a Chinese radish, Japanese radish, or an Oriental radish. From the Japanese word Dia (large) Kon (root) this vegetable is in fact a large radish and is mild, crisp and slightly sweet in flavor. Diakons flesh is fresh, juicy and white, while the skin can range from cream colored to black. It ranges from 6-15 inches in length with a diameter of 2-3 inches. Choose a diakon that is firm and had a smooth unwrinkled skin. One serving of diakon (3oz) provides us with over 30% RDA for Vitamin C and contains the active enzyme myrosinase. Here is some information on the enzyme http://www.answers.com/topic/myrosinase.

Pickled Diakon

Take a diakon radish and peel it with a veggie peeler, Cut into 1 inch cubes and put in a bowl with 1 tsp salt and give it a quick stir. Let the radish set out at room temperature for 30 minutes. You will notice that the radish will have released some liquid (pictured below) Rinse the radish to remove the excess salt and water and add 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar, 1/4 tsp pepper and 1/4 tsp sesame oil. Stir and refrigerate over night. The longer they set in the liquid the better they will be.

The finished results, I ate them as a little snack and they were crisp and yummy without the dye and chemicals you find in grocery store pickles.

A Fabulous Find

2010-11-17T12:08:00.000-08:00

I Love Costco, even though there is rarely Paleo friendly samples... This is my new favorite Costco find, It is clean and smokey and delicious! You can either heat it up on the stove or in the microwave. It contains 2 lbs of smoked pork goodness and costs $9.99, so worth it! I made it and ate some over sauteed cabbage and onions and then had some plain for lunch the next day. I bet it would be super fantastic to mix the pork with clean BBQ sauce and eat in a lettuce wrap yummy!

Beef Jerky 2 Ways

2010-11-15T13:10:00.000-08:00

I am always looking for tasty ways to get protein and its a bonus if they are easy to make and easy to take along to work or for a pre-workout snack. Both of these jerky recipes fit the bill. If you went to the Halloween party this is the recipe I used for the jerky I was handing out. I have a super sweet food dehydrator and its what I used to make the jerky, if you don't have one you can always cook it in the oven at 200 degrees for about 5 hours.
I got this dehydrator at Cabela's for $79.99 and Its been great! With the rectangular shape you can fit so much more on the screens then the round versions that you typically see.

For the traditional Jerky I used a roast that I had the butcher at Safeway cut super thin when it was on sale for $1.99 a lb. ( It happens often in the fall watch the ad's and stock up, jerky usually runs about $8.99 a lb so you save big when you make it yourself!). I made a marinade and soaked the meat for 24 hrs. 1/2 C Tamari (wheat free soy sauce), 1/2 C Pineapple juice, 1 tsp each Salt and Pepper, 2 tsp each Chili powder and Garlic powder, a dash of nutmeg and 1 Tbsp Vinegar (this helps tenderize the meat). I also made a little rub out of the dry spices and sprinkled it on the meat as I put it on the trays to dry.

For the ground beef jerky I mixed 1 lb of ground beef, 2 tsp each Salt, Garlic powder, Onion powder, Curry powder, 1 tsp Cayenne pepper and 1 tsp Black pepper.

with rolling pin roll it out to 1/4 inch thickness between 2 sheets of waxed paper.

Peel the back sheet of paper off and place on the rack then peel off the top sheet.

You have a few options here, you can either roll it into big sheets that cover most of the surface of the rack or you can make smaller pieces, you just have to roll alot more out! If you do it in a sheet cut a hole in the center to get better circulation.

Here is what they look like when I did them out of 1 Tbsp of meat and rolled them out to make medallions.

Here is the Jerky out of the roast when its all dry and ready to eat.

Here is the medallions, I found that its best to take the ground beef jerky out about 1/2 way and dab it with a paper towel to remove some of the excess grease.

This is the finished ground beef jerky that I made into sheets. I took a pair of kitchen shears and cut it into uniform pieces. I think this way looks pretty legit but I like the medallions better they just seem more caveman to me! You can see in the picture the grease that I had dabbed of the jerky during cooking. It really does need to be done I'm not sure how it would turn out if it was left.

Making jerky is NOT as hard as it seems and is totally worth it in the end! If you have a great marinade or recipe for jerky please post it to the comments for us to try!

The Veggie of the week is... Chayote Squash

2010-11-15T12:37:00.000-08:00

Chayote Squash: (Scientific Binomial Name: Sechium edule).
Pronounced: KAY-OH-TEE
Usage: Use like any other squash. Steam, bake, stuff, fry or even eat raw.

Also know as the vegetable pear or christophene, good quality chayote will be unblemished, firm and will have light to medium green skin. The skin can either be rough or smooth. Avoid squash that is soft or has a growth coming out the crack (its a baby plant). Chayote is available year round and peaks September-May.

Chayote squash is very low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. Its a good source of Niacin, B6, Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium and Potassium and a excellent source of Fiber, Vitamins C and K, Folate, Zinc and Copper.

Chayote is naturally grown in Mexico and is used in Spanish and Caribbean cooking.

Chayote Squash Stir fry with a Hint of Mexico

2 tsp Oil

4 Cloves crushed garlic

1 Chayote squash

1 Sweet Onion

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Chili flakes

Juice of 1 lime

Pepper

It doesn't get much easier than this! Saute the onion and garlic in the oil until they are caramely and delicious add the squash and spices and cook until slightly soft about 5 minutes. Squeeze a bit of lime juice over the top when you serve and enjoy!

Spiced Rubbed Chicken

2010-11-07T14:28:00.000-08:00

Rub:
1 1/4 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Thyme
1/2 tsp Chili powder
1 Lemon
1 3.5-4 lb Chicken
Rinse and pat the chicken dry. Pull the skin from the meat with your hand and liberally apply the rub to the meat. Sprinkle any extra rub on the skin

Cut the lemon in half and put in the chicken cavity

Bake at 375 for 1hr-1 hr 15 minutes or until a thermometer stuck in the thigh reads 165 degrees. Remove the lemon and squeeze over the chicken and let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Meal on a Budget Part 2

2010-11-04T12:09:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make another affordable dinner, In fact lets make this a trend... $10.00 meal for a family of four. My last 10.00 meal was the fish tacos, if you haven't made them yet DO IT! They are so good. I will try and post a few budget meals a month. We are going for simple, affordable and delish. I have been craving grilled cheese dipped in tomato soup, well I couldn't do the grilled cheese part but the soup is do able. It turned out great! It has so much flavor and is extremely easy to make. I did my shopping at Super 1 Foods and included the prices to prove how affordable this dish really is. Enjoy!

1 TBSP Olive oil (.25)
4 Coves garlic (.15)
1 Very finely chopped onion (.45)
2 28oz Cans crushed tomatoes ($2.40)
1 Box chicken stock ($2.00)
20 Leaves fresh basil ($1.98) I only used half the package so this technically is .99

In a 6 qt pot get the oil nice and hot, add the garlic and cook until it starts to brown. Add the onion and saute until it turns a nice caramely color. At this point I added a little sea salt and pepper.
Take the basil and tear the leaves from the stems. Roll the leaves into a little bundle. This is a method for cutting called chiffonade. It will help you get the basil into thin strips. Use a sharp knife and slice the basil as thinly as you can.

Lastly add the crushed tomatoes, stock and basil. Let simmer for 20 minutes and serve.

The Veggie of the Week is...

2010-11-02T12:11:00.000-07:00

This week our veggie needed to start with a B, I thought to myself... Broccoli, no that is too common. Hmmmm what could I use?!? I decided one something that has some people in a big stink (hehe) and whats even better I had never even had them before!

BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Brussels Sprouts are members of the cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower family. They are a cruciferous vegetable and contain 80 nutrients! They are high is vitamins K, C and A. They are higher in glocusinolate than other members of its family. Containing levels even higher than Kale and other greens. Glucosinolates are important phytonutrients for our health because they are the chemical starting point for a variety of cancer protective substances that our bodies create. Brussels Sprouts are good for healthy thyroid function and aid in digestion. They are best when harvested from autumn-spring.

Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts

2 Lbs Brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise

1 TBSP Olive oil

7 Cloves garlic minced

1/2 Bunch fresh thyme or 2 TBSP dried

1 Sprig rosemary or 1 tsp dried

2 tsp Fennel seeds

1 tsp Salt

1 TBSP Vinegar (I used white wine)

Wash the Brussels sprouts, cut off the bottom and halve lengthwise. In a large saucepan cook the sprouts, uncovered, in enough lightly salted boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain well and pat dry with some paper towels.

Place the saucepan back on the stove and heat on high for a few minutes . Reduce heat to medium. Add oil and garlic; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until it starts to turn golden brown.

Carefully arrange half the sprouts, cut side down, in the hot skillet. Top with half the thyme, rosemary, fennel seeds and salt. Cook uncovered 4 minutes or until the sprouts are well browned. Remove sprouts form the pan and repeat with the remaining sprouts and spices.

Repeat with remaining sprouts and spices. Return all the sprouts to the skillet along with the vinegar. Quickly toss to distribute the flavors.

If you are worried about offending your family with umm how do I say this nicely... Tooties? That's what the vinegar is for! It will help break it down so you wont be running outside for fresh air!

MDA's Reminder

2010-10-30T12:39:00.000-07:00

Today's Marks Daily Apple Challenge was save your pumpkin seeds. If you are carving pumpkins today or just have pumpkins out for decoration save the seeds!Bake the seeds at 450 for 20 minutes,sprinkle with sea salt and toss and there you have a great snack filled with protein, copper and zinc!

Super quick and tasty breakfast

2010-10-29T12:26:00.001-07:00

This is one of my go to breakfast's when I am in a hurry in the A.M. I bought these glass ramekins at Target they were $6.99 for 4 of them and they come with lids so you can take them on the go easily or make extras and heat them up in the microwave for later on in the week. This is a great choice for breakfast, it has protein and healthy carbs to get you through the morning!

1 eggs ( I usually make 2 when this is all I'm eating)

1/2 C Marinara sauce

Salt and pepper

Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Pour the marinara sauce in the ramekin add the egg top with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes. I like mine with runny yokes, just cook yours until your desired doneness. If you don't like a runny yoke I would break the yoke before you put it in the oven this will help it bake quicker. So simple and tasty!

Veggie of the day... or week... or month...

2010-10-25T13:42:00.000-07:00

So I have decided that there are SO many veggies out there that we never utilize, or never try because we don't know how to cook them or we get caught it the same groove of tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, mushrooms... You get the point! There is so much more available to us then that, I think we could all get a little more creative if we had the proper instruction and information. That's were I come in.

I will alphabetically be posting a veggie, it may be bi-weekly or monthly depending on how creative I am feeling! I will also include nutrition information and benefits of said veggie. Before we know it we will be cooking with all the colors of the rainbow! If there is something in particular you have always wanted to try but are unsure of how to go about cooking it or are just scared to try something new, leave me a comment and I will do my best to accommodate your request!

I'm going to start out on (your guessed it) A. And the veggie of the month is:

Asparagus

Asparagus is a member of the Lily family which includes onions, leeks and garlic. Its peak growing season is from April-June and in this season when the conditions are just right it can grow 10 inches is a 24 hour period (sounds like my great dane). Asparagus is a nutrient dense food and contains high amounts of Folate, Vitamin B-6, A, C and Potassium. At just 4 calories a spear you get 3G of fiber per 5 oz serving. To purchase the best asparagus look for firm, fresh spears that are uniform in size and have closed tips, the larger in diameter the more tender it will be. There is over 5o varieties of asparagus one of with is albino and is white in color due to sun deprivation. Now to the cooking! I went simple for the first one, don't worry I will come up with some pretty grubbin' stuff!

Oven grilled asparagus:

1 lb Asparagus

1 Tbsp olive oil

4 Cloves garlic-chopped

Salt and pepper

Place your asparagus on a cookie sheet and toss with oil, garlic and seasoning. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 35-45 minutes depending on how big the spears are.

And here is the finished product. In perfect time for Halloween, you wont have to worry about any vampires when you eat this!

Stop Saying Yuck!!!

2010-10-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

We all have food we cant stomach. Here are some sure fire tips for a one-way ticket out of Gagsville.

Reason: About one in four people actually tastes vegetable like brussel sprouts and broccoli as extremely bitter ( its a survival instinct to protect you from eating poisonous plants).

Solution: Taste buds detect sweet, salty, bitter and savory. Try to mask bitterness by playing up some of the other tastes. Don't over cook veggies- that enhances their sharpness. And instead of steaming or boiling try lightly sauteing them or grilling and always use a variety of seasoning.

Reason: Childhood associations influenced you. Maybe your parents disliked the food, or you had a bad experience ( you ate corn on the cob with a loose tooth and it hurt).

Solution: Wait until you're really hungry before trying food after a long hiatus. When you re that famished, your body will start to associate those flavors with a positive benefit: relieving your hunger. Smells change as we age too so maybe the food you've always hated won't seem as offensive as it did when you were a kid. Try to ease into it by plugging your nose for the first few bites.

Reason: Its a texture thing. There's nothing scientific that says why, but something about a slice of tomato or cooked cabbage makes you shiver.

Solution: Play with your food. If the texture is your biggest problem, try cooking the food to change its consistency. You may hate woody mushrooms or fleshy tomatoes, but spicy tomato salsa or mushrooms mixed in stir fry might appeal to you. When food aren't a surprise (like finding a chunk of unexpected tomato in your salad) You might not react as strongly as you might think.

No matter the reason... This trick works: Try the same food 8-10 times. incorporate it into several dishes throughout the week, in as many forms as possible- blended into soup, chopped in a salad or just with a clean homemade dressing.

Attack of the Sugar Monster!

2010-10-19T19:36:00.000-07:00

When you have an attack from the sugar monster and you need a little sweet pick me up reach for a " Better than Oatmeal Raisin Cookie. " If you came to the gym dock party a few months ago these are one of the cookies I made and brought to share. They are really good and have just the right amount of sweetness and as a bonus they are pretty darn easy to make.

2 C. Almond flour

1/2 C. Coconut

1/2 C. Raisins

1/4 C Applesauce

1 tsp Baking soda

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

2 Eggs

3/4 C. Chopped walnuts

1/4 C. Honey (optional)

Mix all the dry ingredients and spices, add the eggs, applesauce and honey if you are using it. mix well and add remaining ingredients. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.

Flame Grilled Fish and Slaw "Tacos"

2010-10-17T09:36:00.000-07:00

Fish Tacos are one on my favorite things on earth! Im from California so I know good Mexican food and this recipe although simple is absolutely delish and very affordable in the following picture is all of the ingredients I used:

This will make enough for a family of four and you will have a few things left over. I shopped at Fred Meyer and my bill looked like this. Lime $.25, Tilapia Fillets 12 oz $4.5o, Carrot $.15, Savoy cabbage $2.30 and Salsa Verde $1.29. That's a grand total of $8.49. WOW feeding a family of four for just over $2.00 a person!

Step 1: Peel and cut the red onion into 1/4 inch thick sliced and slap em on the grill for 5 minutes for the first side flip and grill an additional 3 minutes.

They should look like this when coming off the grill

Step 2: Season the Tilapia fillets with salt and pepper and grill for 6 minutes. No need to flip they will be done if you cook them with the lid on and no peeking!

Step 3: Saving 4 of the outer leaves of the savoy cabbage for your shell, thinly slice 3 cups of cabbage into a bowl, using a vegetable peeler shred the carrot and put in with the cabbage. Roughly chop the red onion and add to the cabbage mixture. Squeeze the lime over the slaw and mix. Flake the grilled fish into the slaw and toss. Place 1/4 of the mixture into a cabbage leaf and top with a little salsa verde and serve.

Bacon Sweet Potato Mash

2010-10-15T12:11:00.000-07:00

Oh man this was G-O-O-D good!!! One of my me and my husband's favorite clean recipes to date! Keep this one in mind for Thanksgiving-Paleo style. Scary that its not too far away right?!?!? I got the base for this recipe from a blog that I really like and changed it up a little can you say MORE bacon...

4 Sweet Potatoes peeled, diced and boiled or steamed until soft

1 LB Bacon

1 Red Onion, sliced thinly

1 tsp Cinnamon

Sea salt and pepper to your taste

Dice your bacon and cook on high heat until it is about 1/2 way cooked, drain off most of the grease and add your onions. Cook until the onions are limp and caramelized and the bacon is nice and crispy about 5-8 minutes should make it look like this:

Put your sweet potatoes in a big bowl or a kitchen aid if you have one and mash them until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and season to your liking. I served them with pork chops smothered in onions and applesauce with cinnamon and a few plumped raisins. It was a meal fit for a king and a good re-feed for a bad @$$ Crossfitter.

Favorite Fall Flavors

2010-10-10T19:49:00.000-07:00

Fall has officially arrived in North Idaho this week and I personally am LOVING IT! I love grilling, salads and fresh fruit in the summer, but by the time fall comes soup and warm comfort foods come my way! I love any food that seems like a treat, but is actually good for you like sweet potatoes and butternut squash. This is the perfect time for squash most stores will be having sales on it and you can get fresh organic butternut squash at the Farmers market for .37 cents a LB! And look at some of these handy uses I found for butternut squash:

As cool as the skull is, I personally like mine roasted in the oven for about 1 hour at 400 degrees and sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg before digging into it in right out of the skin!

Mediterranean Fish and Veggies

2010-10-06T19:50:00.000-07:00

I know for at least me that cooking fish can be very intimidating and I always feel like it comes out dry and flavorless well fear no more here are some sure fire tips to help you in your fish cooking journeys. There are a few common rules for cooking fish the first being: 10 minutes cooking time per 1 inch of thickness. I have come to find 8 minutes seems to be more of an accurate cooking dime due to carry over cooking ( food cooking a little more as it cools). the second is cook fish until it flakes. I think that if it begins to flake before you take it out of the oven that it will be dry and over cooked. Its better to take a thin knife to the center of the fillet after 8 minutes and check for an opaque color through out the fish. It will be easier to tell with a fattier fish like salmon or tuna - they also require less cooking time and can be eaten slightly undercooked.

2 Zucchini
2 Red onions
3 Tomatoes
1/2 C Pitted Kalamata olives
4 TBSP Olive oil
4 6oz White fish fillets (cod was my choice)
1 Clove minced Garlic
1 TBSP Lemon juice
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
1/2 C Fresh chopped parsley

Cut your veggies into wedges and toss in 1 TBSP oil add the olives and season with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Put in a shallow baking dish. Pop in the oven for 30 minutes at 450 until the veggies are soft. Brush the fillets with 1 TBSP oil and season with salt and pepper place over the veggies and put back into the oven for about 8 minutes more. Use the suggested methods from above to determine when your fish is done. Whisk together the remaining ingredients to make a dressing and pour over the fish before you serve it sprinkle with fresh parsley and enjoy!

Dressings Thrice

2010-09-20T18:05:00.000-07:00

Salad is a staple in my diet and its not too late in the season just yet to enjoy a nice, crisp and refreshing bowl of veggies. I go to a local fruit stand to get my produce, you can save a bunch and its great to help local economy. Alot of times you can ask if they are long on some items and get some killer deals, I got eggplant for $1.oo each. What a steal!!!

Here are a few of my favorite Paleo friendly salad dressing recipes. I believe these are from Loren Cordain's book.

Spinach Salad Dressing:

1 Tbsp Honey

1/3 C Lemon juice

A few grinds fresh pepper

1 Tsp. Tarragon

1/3 C Olive oil

1/3 C Flax oil

Honey Mustard (my favorite):

1/2 C Water

1/4 C each Flax and olive oil

1 tsp Mustard

Pepper

1/8 tsp Garlic powder

2 Tbsp Honey

Tomato Dressing:

1/3 C Tomato puree

1/2 C Olive oil

1/3 C Lemon juice

1 Clove minced garlic

1 Tbsp Honey

1 Tbsp minced onion

Directions for most dressings are as follows: Mix all ingredients except oil in a blender, food processor or in a bowl and whisk with those strong crossfit arms (channel double under wrist action). Slowly drizzle oil into the rest of the ingredients a few Tbsp at a time and blend until it is emulsified.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-09-13T13:40:00.000-07:00

Before the recipe I will indulge you in a little story I like to call "The Tail of Two Kitties" get it he he... Once upon a time in land not long ago there lived a girl who took in two stray kittens for a friend (you know who you are). As the kitties grew they became rambunctious and some might say evil. One day the kitties decided to play a prank on the girl and erase the file on her computer named " Paleo Recipe Pictures" The girl was so angry because she had worked hard on her recipes and didn't want to post blog entries without the photos. The girl went in search of the kitties and this is what she saw...

The kitties and the girl made a deal that if she didn't take the kitty out with the trash the kitty would be good from now on. And they lived happily ever after (at least for that day).

In saying that some of the recipes I will be posting will not have pictures but I assure you they are tasty and I have made each one at least once!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 C Chocolate chips - The recipe for Fully Paleo Chocolate is on the blog

1 C Almond flour

1 tsp Vanilla

1/4 C Honey

1 Egg

Dash of salt

1 tsp Baking soda

Mix altogether and place by rounded teaspoonful on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 9 minutes.

Who Needs Crust Quiche

2010-09-08T18:47:00.000-07:00

This looks like a slice of heaven to me! Eggs, Sausage and veggies you cant go wrong! I had the butcher at my local meat department make sure that the in-store ground sausage didn't have additives in this case it did not, but if your local sausage contains additives just ask for unseasoned ground pork and you can season it to your liking.

1/2 Lb Spicy sausage
Large handful spinach
1/4 C Onions- chopped
1/2 a Bell pepper-chopped
10 Eggs

Cook sausage and drain. Place all your ingredients in a 9 inch pie pan and make sure they are evenly distributed. It'll look something like this:

Crack and use those strong crossfit arms to beat the eggs. Add a few grinds of fresh pepper and sea salt, pour over the sausage and veggies. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until the center is firm to the touch.

Pumpkin Muffins

2010-08-31T14:43:00.000-07:00

Fall seems like it has officially began in Idaho. I guess its time for some fall flavors and soup!!! These muffins are so light and tasty you wouldn't know they are not made with traditional flour. The raisins do a good job of sweetening them so there is no need for honey or another sweetener.

1 C Almond flour
1 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Baking soda
1 C Pumpkin
1/4 C Applesauce
1 Tbsp Oil
2 Eggs
4 Tbsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Vanilla
2 Tbsp Almond butter
2 Tbsp Coconut
1 C Raisins

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet and mix only to incorporate the two together. Bake in well greased muffin tins at 375 for 20 minutes.

"Its so easy even a caveman could do it"

2010-08-26T11:49:00.000-07:00

There a few new faces at the gym (maybe some reluctant not so new faces.) So I thought I would post some tips for you that may help you make the dive into a Paleo lifestyle. Note that I say life style not diet Diets are always referred to as something temporary; something that will eventually change and a person can resume their way of life presumably with a smaller waistband. Diets fail because they are not permanent. Permanent results require permanent change. Going Paleo you are not going on a diet you are making a life style change prepare yourself your family and your cupboards accordingly. This is not a restrictive, uptight, take time out of your life change its a way to relearn how to take care of your body and the bodies of those dearest to you! Remember I just made this change in March of 2010 It was a challenge at first, but now I cant see going back to grains, dairy and processed foods!

Remove anything and everything from your house that does not promote your new way of life. This will include cleaning out your cupboards (think about donating dry packaged goods to your local food bank) Stick to the perimeter of the grocery store. If you cant read it don't eat it. This is a rule I live by.90% of ingredients you find in prepared foods are chemicals and additives, what do they do to your body?

Give it time. The first day will seem strangely easy,the next several days will be hell, prepare to have craving and even dreams of food, yes ask Jenn it happens! It takes 2 weeks to get rid of all the crap built up in our bodies. After the first few weeks you will start to view food in a whole new way.

Slip ups may happen. Tomorrow is always a second chance, if you fail today wake up tomorrow and do better! Feeling defeated wont help you, the goal is to have your moment and get right back up again, with a new sense of purpose.

Plan ahead. Having pre-chopped veggies, nuts and fruit easily accessible for snacks will help you when you have a craving or a hunger attack. When I first started I kept a Lara bar or some fruit in my purse for an emergency. I used it on more than one occasion!

Think of food as fuel. When reaching for food I think what does my body really need? Usually the answer is either water or protein. I make a rule that between lunch and dinner if I'm hungry I go to a protein source over fruit. In doing this you know its not out of habit or boredom to be eating but a necessity to keep your body going.

Replace dessert with fruit. Frozen fruit can be a tasty alternative to dessert while you are still trying to break old habits! Smoothies and coconut milk poured over strawberries or mango's are also simple and healthy choices to replace dessert.

Worried about calcium? I don't plan on living my elderly years with cracking bones and a hunch back. Do you ever see pictures of a Caveman living like that? Here is a great article to ease your minds over this subject! http://www.marksdailyapple.com/calcium-for-women/.

The 80/20 rule. I tend to jump into things and don't turn back, but for those of you who take a more gradual approach to life the 80/20 rule is something that Mark from MDA promotes. Eat strict Paleo 80% of the time and then other 20% be more relaxed that is 2 out of every 10 meals. I don't necessarily think this is the best way to go about it, but if its where you need to start to be able to convert you and your family great,as long as you eventually make the switch to fully primal.

Be creative. Just like all other aspects of like you need a little spice (pun intended). Vary your meals daily if possible,there are so many great recipes and blogs out there to check out, don't get stuck in a rut. Just like with our workouts our bodies do much better with a fluctuating food pattern.

If you bite it write it! I started out writing everything that went into my mouth the first 3 months of eating Paleo. This will help you detect patterns in your eating and also foods that your body may not like, or things that you may be lacking. Jenn is a great resource when it comes to changing your diet and going over food journals to make sure you have a good balance.

Good luck on your quest to a healthier happier body, please post question or additional tips and info in the comments.

Primal Pizza

2010-08-23T19:13:00.000-07:00

Pizza is one of those comfort foods that as a Paleo eater is hard to give up. Have no fear I have come up with a perfectly clean pizza that is loaded with protein and you can top it however you want! I made mine with sausage, bell peppers, onions, and olives.

Here is another great idea for a topping Taco Pizza, its one of my favorites! Make the crust and sauce the same and top with taco meat bake until warm and top with lettuce, olives, onion, tomatoes, jalapenos and salsa.

To make the crust:

Boil 2 chicken breasts until cooked through, Cut into 1/4's and put in your handy dandy food processor and blend until smooth add 3 eggs while its still blending it will form a thick paste. Add 1 tsp salt and a few pinches pepper. Line a pizza pan with parchment or if you are like me and don't have one a cookie sheet will do. Pour the chicken mixture into the pan and pat out to about 1/4 inch thick. It will look like this:

Pop the crust into a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top with Pizza Sauce: 1 small can tomato paste, 3/4 C water, 1 tsp garlic minced, 2 tsp. Italian seasoning, 1 tsp Olive oil a pinch of sea salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the toppings of your choice, mine looked like this:

Put back into the oven for 15 minutes more and enjoy! Here is the finished product!

Athlete Energy Bars

2010-08-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

I am thinking about competing in an Ironman triathlon in a few years and was bet that I couldn't run the race Paleo. In a quest to prove some gentlemen WRONG, I came up with a recipe for some bars that are made with nuts and fruit and provide carbs and fat and they are the healthy kind even (no pasta here). I hope these will also be utilized by Andy with is competing in Ironman CDA 2011. GO ANDY!!! They would also be a good snack, good for school lunches and just a bar on the go think Lara bar just more nutty! They are kid tested and approved thanks Brooklyn and Katie!

1 C Almonds

3/4 C each dried apricots and dates

1/4 C Orange juice

dash of sea salt

1/4 C each pumpkin and sunflower seeds

2 Tbsp Ground flax seed- optional but a very healthy addition

In your trusty food processor (did you get one yet? what are you waiting for?) mix the almonds until they are finely chopped add the dried fruit and mix again until it forms together add the O.J. and salt pulse a few times and lastly add the seeds and flax and pulse a few times more just to incorporate. Pat into a foil lined 8x8 inch pan and bake in a 300 degree oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cut when still warm. I cut them and wrapped them individually in plastic wrap and stored in the fridge for easy snacking.

Sun dried Tomato Alfredo with Spaghetti Squash and Shrimpies

2010-08-16T14:09:00.000-07:00

I think this is my favorite Paleo meal to date. Scott even had some and said you would never known it was made with coconut milk instead of heavy cream! You could make this over a bed of cauliflower "rice", kelp noodles or spaghetti squash as I did here. I had never had spaghetti squash and it was very very VERY good. I will definitely use it again! I'm looking forward to cooking some fall flavors pretty soon.

There are several ways you can cook a spaghetti squash the method I used seemed to be the easiest and with it being so hot the coolest as well! I cut the squash in half and put if flat side down in a small Pyrex dish with a splash of water and microwaved it covered with saran wrap for 20 minutes. It looked like this:

You can also bake it using the same method minus the saran wrap in a 350 degree oven for an hour. It is done when you can scape the inside and it comes out easily it will look like spaghetti and smell like a fall day!

Alfredo sauce:

1 tsp. Olive oil

4 Cloves garlic

3/4 C Chicken broth

1/2 tsp. Arrowroot (as a thickener)

1 tsp Sea salt

Fresh pepper

1/4 C Sun dried tomatoes chopped

1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

1/2 Can Coconut milk

1 lb Shrimp (de-veined and shelled)

Cook your shrimp in the olive oil and garlic, set aside. In the same pan add the chicken broth and whisk in the arrowroot. Once thickened add the coconut milk, seasoning and tomatoes. Add the shrimp back in and simmer until the sauce has become thick and yummy about 5-8 minutes.
Drum roll please... here is the final product soooo gooood!