Paleo Chicken Scallopini - updated version

I made some great chicken scallopini last night for my darling fiance's homecoming - all organic and very yummy.
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 chicken breasts - thinly sliced in half - this will make 4 cutlets
1 cup white wine
2 minced garlic cloves
capers

1/2 c gluten free flour

salt, pepper and 21 season salute

Lightly pat dry your chicken breasts. On a plate combine the flour, salt, pepper, and seasoning. Dredge the chicken in the flour and set aside on a plate until your oil is hot enough. In the pan, heat your oil and garlic for a few minutes but take care not to scorch the garlic. You want to keep your heat in the low to medium range. once your oil is hot, add your chicken, the capers and wine. Let this simmer 3-4 minutes per side, flipping as needed. This should take 15-20 minutes - cut each piece to make sure it's fully cooked. If you find your sauce reducing too much, feel free to add more wine and 1/4 cup of water. That should keep the sauce from getting too thick while allowing your chicken to continue to cook through and stay moist. 

I like to serve mine over salad. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Ginger's Vegetarian Carrot & Leek Soup

Happy Saturday dear readers!

Today is a chilly, rainy day so our recipe is a yummy, warming soup!

Ginger's Vegetarian Carrot & Leek soup
What you'll need:
1Tbsp of coconut oil
1lb of carrots
1-2 leeks - finely sliced. 
minced garlic
1 container miso ginger soup from Trader Joe's
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
21 Season Salute 
Smoked Paprika
(and of course, as always, you can throw in your own spices that you enjoy!)

In deep 5 quart pot, saute your garlic in the coconut oil for a minute or so. Add the leeks and simmer for about 3-5 minutes. Add the carrots, miso broth, smoked paprika and other spices and bring to a boil - let it boil for 1 minute and turn heat to simmer until the carrots are soft. Once the carrots are soft using a blender, carefully ladle your soup into the blender and blend away until smooth! Again, carefully return the soup to the pot and simmer for a few minutes more adding salt and spices to your liking. I love to add cayenne to this to kick it up a bit. The combination of the ginger broth w/the carrots and leeks is really tasty. I've used fresh ginger in the past too, but since I found this broth and you need broth for this soup anyway, it's a great way to kill two birds with one stone. If you can't find the ginger miso soup or don't live near a TJs, use vegetable broth instead - it's usually found next to the boxed chicken broth. This also freezes extremely well, so feel free to stick those leftovers in the freezer to enjoy again later! 

This recipe is filling, delicious, healthy, easy and pretty low in calories. 

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! 

Orzo, peppers, squash and olives sauteed in coconut oil

Here's another great recipe that's healthy, easy and delicious. This veers off the paleo path a bit but you can substitute spaghetti squash instead. I really love the orzo in this, it's light and easy and I think you'll enjoy it!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole wheat orzo
1 T coconut oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/4 t. salt
1 zucchini, diced
1-2 yellow summer squash
1 tomato, cored and diced (I don't use this as I find it mushy)
1/4 cup chopped pitted Kalamata olives
2 bell peppers - orange and red
1/4 cup capers
seasonings I like:
Trader Joe's 21 Season Salute, African Smoke, Sea Salt, Crushed red Pepper

Cook the Orzo until al dente according to package directions. 

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes. Add the zucchini, squash, peppers, olives, capers and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in the tomato and orzo. Saute for a few minutes until the mixture is well seasoned and blended. Plate and enjoy! I have put this over sauteed spinach or fresh romaine. Delicious!.

Paleo Ranch - Oh yes, you read that right! Ranch for the Paleo Powered!

As promised, the Paleo Ranch recipe!

I got this recipe from a friend who linked me to Paleo Table. It's unbelievably good and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Paleo Ranch Dressing

By Paleo Table

• 1 cup paleo mayonnaise
• 1 cup canned coconut milk, shaken
• 1-2 Tbsp. fresh dill, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced into a paste with a bit of Kosher salt
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Whisk all ingredients to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Store in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks. But I'd be surprised if it actually lasts that long as you'll want to put it on everything from salads to chicken wings! Below is a pic of the jar I made tonight! So yummy!

Enjoy!

Julia Child - the Original Paleo girl - and her amazing paleo mayo!

So a lot of people who go or want to go paleo think, what about sauces? what about flavor? what about mayo?? Well to you I say, there is hope! And it's really not as hard as it seems. Long before we had massively processed foods, we ate normal stuff all the time and our grandparents cooked from recipes with real food. One of those amazing cooks and a woman who needs no introduction, Julia Child, provided an amazing recipe for mayo that is completely paleo. Use organic ingredients and be mindful of her instructions and you'll have delicious paleo mayo that you can use in so many dishes. For this recipe, use a very light olive oil unless you don't mind the olive oil flavor of EVOO. I made this in my Kitchen Aid last week and it came out amazing! This recipe requires patience. AND I mean it, be patient. Follow her instructions to the letter. Do not force the oil....go slow....droplets. Seriously. It's worth it. Enjoy!!
Oh and if you like ranch, I'll be posting a paleo ranch recipe for chicken wings that uses this mayo as it's base. But, one thing at a time. Have fun and have a great paleo day!

Ingredients

• Large wire whisk or electric blender
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon wine vinegar or lemon juice (more drops as needed to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dry or prepared mustard
• 1-1/2 to 2 cups of olive oil, other oil or a mixture of each. If the oil is cold, heat it to tepid; and if you are a novice, use the minimum amount. Macadamia oil works really well and has a milder flavour.
• 2 tablespoons boiling water

Instructions

1. Warm the bowl in hot water; dry it. Add the egg yolks and beat for 1 to 2 minutes until they are thick and sticky.
2. Add the vinegar or lemon juice, salt and mustard. Beat for 30 seconds more.
3. The egg yolks are now ready to receive the oil. While it goes in, drop by drop, you must not stop beating until the sauce has thickened. A speed of 2 strokes per second is fast enough.
4. You can switch hands or switch directions, as long as you beat constantly.
5. Add the drops of oil with a teaspoon, or rest the lip of the bottle on the edge of the bowl. Keep your eye on the oil rather than on the sauce. Stop pouring and continue beating every 10 seconds or so, to be sure the egg yolks are absorbing the oil.
6. After 1/3 to 1/2 cup of oil has been incorporated, the sauce will thicken into a very heavy cream and the crisis of potential curdling is over. The beating arm may rest a moment. Then, beat in the remaining oil by 1 to 2 tablespoon dollops, blending it thoroughly after each addition.
7. When the sauce becomes too thick and stiff, beat in drops of vinegar or lemon juice to thin it out. Then continue with the oil.
8. Beat the boiling water into the sauce. This is an anti-curdling insurance. Season to taste. If the sauce is not used immediately, scrape it into a small bowl and cover it tightly so a skin will not form on its surface.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Number of servings: 2-3 cups

Bacon Breakfast Cups!

Looking for a yummy breakfast that isn't bland, blended or boring? Then let me introduce you to Bacon Breakfast cups!!! Huzzah!! These yummy little cups will make your mouth sing and keep you feeling paleo powered all morning. below is my recipe but feel free to add your own fun ingredients to keep it interesting.

Bacon Breakfast Cups:

1 package of uncured bacon - I like Simple Truth
8-10 organic eggs
cupcake liners - you'll thank me for this later - it's a mess without them!
TJ's african smoke / pepper/ salt/etc.
You can also add tomatoes / onions/ cheese / bacon bits etc to really make it fun.

Preheat oven to 375
Line a muffin pan w/the cupcake liners
Line each cup w/a slice of uncooked bacon
Combine your eggs and seasonings/spices/extras in a bowl or pour-able pyrex cup
Then carefully fill each cup to about 1/2-3/4 of the way full
 Bake for 20 minute
Cool and enjoy!

This recipe sets me up for breakfast all week.
I package mine in small containers for work and just pop them in the microwave for about 30 seconds.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Stay fierce! Rawr!

Embrace Brussell Sprouts!

Hello! Tonight's delectable dish is brussell sprouts! Now, before you run away, it also involves bacon...aha! I see you're interested again. Below is my easy recipe. Enjoy!

Sauteed brussell sprouts and bacon

1 pkg uncured bacon
1 pkg frozen or fresh brussell sprouts
pepper
sea salt

Prepare your bacon as you normally would - sauteing in a large frying pan until golden brown but not yet crisp. I use frozen brussells, so I heat them in the microwave for 3 minutes and then add them to the bacon so they don't have to thaw. Saute the bacon and brussells together until bacon is crisp and brussells have nice browning on the outer leaves. Season w/pepper and sea salt as you see fit. Also, add other spices you enjoy..be creative! Plate and enjoy! This also heats up really well for work.

Bacon really does make everything better. Even Brussell Sprouts!

Have a great night!

Meatless Monday dish: Sauteed Mushrooms & Shrimp over Spinach

Today before I worked out, I made dinner for tonight and lunch for tomorrow. Tonight's meatless dish is below.

Sauteed Mushrooms & Shrimp over Spinach

12-15 frozen, de-veined shrimp

8 oz of crimini mushrooms, sliced

1 bag of frozen spinach

3 cloves of garlic, pressed/finely minced

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp EVOO

Sea salt

Pepper

African Smoke from TJs

21 season salute

cayenne pepper

smoked paprika

Makes 3 servings

Saute the garlic in a deep frying pan w/butter and evoo for about a minute over medium heat. 

Add mushrooms and saute slowly until they start to brown. Add the spices as you like. Then add the shrimp and saute for 10 minutes until the shrimp are done and season as needed to your taste. Remove from heat and set aside in a dish. Add the spinach to the pan with some evoo and season, cover w/lid on medium/low heat until done. Plate the spinach and top w/the shrimp and mushrooms and enjoy! 

I really like this dish. It's healthy, delicious and super easy which is very important to me after a long day at work. Now, if you work in an office like I do, and fear heating up any kind of fish so as not to incur the wrath of your coworkers due to the stench, this meal eats great out of the fridge. I usually get it out about 30-45 minutes before I'm going to eat lunch and then it's at room temp when I'm ready to have it. 

I hope you like it as much as I do!

Have a fabulous primal day!

Lent is not for wussies...

So, today is the start of Lent. For those of you unfamiliar w/Catholicism, Lent is a time of fasting leading up to Easter and lasts about 6 weeks.  Lent is also a great time to refocus on our fitness while being observant of our faith. I used to joke about giving up hope for lent but in all seriousness, I usually try to find something to give up that I find difficult so that it really matters.This year, I'm giving up the following:

• Sugar/snacks - I don't eat tons of this but I could do better
• Cheese - i love cheese, no it's not paleo but I do love it so.
• No meat 3x a weeks
• Alcohol - I love wine but it's a great one to give up!
• I also plan on writing a letter a week to someone I care about - likely my grandmother since she's not on email

Not only do I plan on giving up things, I also plan on ramping up things - namely my workout and the variety of workouts. Getting into a workout rut is easy and can actual demotivate us. By adding variety, we challenge other muscle groups and keep our interest level up. 

While you may look at my list above and think, whoa, what the heck will you eat? Never fear! There are plenty of paleo options for me to choose from. On the 3 days I forgo meat, I'll eat fish or eggs. But one of my favorite things is spaghetti squash. It's high in fiber, filling, easy to make and can be seasoned a variety of ways. Black Truffle oil from Trader Joes is one of my favorites to season it with. There's also great things you can do with cauliflower. I'll try to post my recipes along the way so you can try it for yourself!

Savory Spaghetti Squash:

Preheat over to 400

Microwave whole for 2 minutes

Using a large knife carefully cut in half lengthwise and scrape out seeds

Place the halves into a deep rectangular Pyrex / baking pan 

Use Olive Oil (I like EVOO) and rub all over the inside and then season w/salt, pepper, and any savory spice you like. I really like South African Smoke and 21 Season Salute from Trader Joe's.

Bake for an hour and cool for 10 minutes

Using a fork pull "spaghetti" from the skin until you have removed nearly everything from the inside 

I usually put mine in a large serving bowl and toss it to spread the oil and spices around

Plate and serve! 

Enjoy!

Have a great primal day!