No More Excuses

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!

My take on a bibimbap

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

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.