Wednesday, May 26, 2010

KIDS!!

So, you're trying to get the kids ready for school. It's easy enough to make them a paleo breakfast right? Some eggs, veggies, or fruit? Perfect. Now, lunch. That may be a different story. If you are like me, lunch is a difficult thing to make for your kids and keep it paleo. Oh yeah, and make sure they like it! Well, here are a few different ideas that you can incorporate into your own meal making that might make life just a little easier...and tastier!

Plantain Chips and Guacamole

3 ripe plantains (ripe when black)

1/4 cup coconut oil

4 avocados

juice from 1/2 a lime

garlic powder and black pepper to taste

Leave the peel on the plantain and cut off the ends. Still with the peel on slice the plantain as thin as possible lengthwise. Leaving the peel on while slicing will help prevent smashing the plantain. After the plantain is sliced, carefully remove the peel and place the sliced plantains into a skillet of hot coconut oil. Fry for about 2 minutes on each side, using tongs to flip, and being careful not to burn. Mash the avocados with the lime juice, garlic powder, and black pepper and serve with the plantain chips.

Lunchmeat Wraps

3 slices of nitrate, hormone, antibiotic free lunchmeat (I buy Hormel All-Natural in the box)

Whatever filling you'd like (veggies, raw walnut butter, lettuce, avocado)

Chicken salad

I take cold chicken from the night before, some dill relish, mustard, and some homemade mayo just omit the dill.

I put in some almond crackers (see below) and some veggies!

GRAIN FREE ALMOND CRACKERS

ingredients:
1 cup almond flour
1 egg white
1 pinch salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a bowl, mix together the almond flour, egg white, and salt until it forms a paste.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Make sure you use parchment paper, because if you don't you'll end up chipping your crackers out of the pan. Place the dough in the middle and top with another piece of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin (or any other cylindrical instrument), roll out the dough as thin as you can get it. Try to make it take up the whole cookie sheet if you can. Super thin. I mean it!

Peel off the top layer of paper and score the dough with a knife into whatever size crackers you want. Bake in the 325 oven for 10 minutes and then check on the crackers. You are looking for them to color ever so slightly. A little color means crispy, but a lot of color means burned nut taste, which is no good. If the edges have started to color nicely, remove them to a plate and put the remaining crackers back in the oven. Keep doing this, checking every 5 minutes and removing the golden crackers, until finally they are all baked to perfection.

Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

You can make many variations on thee crackers by adding in different seasonings to the dough base.


Another easy lunch, assuming you didn't do eggs for breakfast:


Hardboiled egg

Veggies (raw carrots, broccoli, etc.)

Almonds, cashews, or walnuts

Apple slices, orange slices...you get the picture! :)


So, there are a few helpful hints to make lunchtime prep easier for you Mamas out there trying to do better by your kiddos!



Monday, May 24, 2010

Can We Eat To Starve Cancer?

This is really interesting stuff guys! We are all touched by someone we know with cancer, or a scare of it. There are ways to live that can help us fight it! We must learn that the food we eat to sustain us is crucial to warding of disease.

William Li: Can we eat to starve cancer? | Video on TED.com

Monday, May 17, 2010

Salmon Cakes

Salmon Cakes with Homemade Dill Mayo

Salmon Cakes

3 cans of wild caught Alaskan Salmon

3 eggs

4 diced green onions

1 tbsp dried dill

a few shakes of red pepper flakes

about 1 tsp fresh ground pepper

a pinch of sea salt

about 1/4 olive oil

3 tbsps of fresh squeezed lemon juice

Shredded green and purple cabbage

Drain the water from the canned salmon and dump into a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, green onions, dill, ginger, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and salt and mix well. In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium to medium high heat – make sure there is more than enough to cover the bottom of the pan. You’ll know the oil is hot enough when it crackles after flicking some water into the pan – but do not get the oil so hot that is smokes. Form the salmon mixture one at a time into patties or “cakes” and place gently into the oil. Fry for 3 minutes on each side. IMPORTANT – do not mess with the patties once they are in the pan. Let them go for the full 3 minutes before you touch them or flip them or they will stick or fall apart. Serve the patties over a bed of the shredded green and purple cabbage with a lemon wedge and the dill mayo.

Dill Mayo

2 eggs

2 tbsps apple cider vinegar

1 tsp yellow mustard

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp white pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp fresh or dried dill

2 cups olive oil

In a blender or food processor place all ingredients except for the oil. Cover and blend on low while you count to 5. Continue to blend while you slowly add the olive oil. Once all the oil is in continue to blend while you again count to 5. Shut the blender or processor down at this point, and ta-da: home made dill mayo for your best salmon cakes ever!!

Enjoy!

*recipe tweaked a little, but thanks to Everyday Paleo for the recipe!

Friday, May 14, 2010

Weekend Fiesta?

Ok, so alcohol is NOT paleo friendly, but some of us would like to enjoy a drink or two on the weekends, so here is a paleo friendly margarita recipe for you to try at home. Enjoy!

Margarita

Alton Brown

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2009


Ingredients

  • 2 ounces 100 percent agave silver/blanco tequila, divided
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt (can be omitted if you are trying to avoid salt)
  • 4 limes, divided
  • 1/2 small Hamlin or Valencia orange
  • 2 tablespoons light agave nectar
  • 3/4 cup ice cubes, about 3 to 4

Directions

Pour 1/2-ounce of the tequila into a small saucer. Spread the kosher salt in a separate small saucer. Dip the rim of a martini or other wide rimmed glass into the tequila. Lift out of the tequila and hold upside down for 10 seconds to allow for slight evaporation. Next, dip the glass into the salt to coat the rim. Set aside.

Halve 2 of the limes, cut a thin slice for garnish from 1, and set aside. Juice the halved limes into the bottom of a Boston-style cocktail shaker. Cut the remaining 2 limes and the orange into quarters and add them to the juice in the shaker. Add the agave nectar to and muddle for 2 minutes until the juices are release. Strain the juice mixture through a cocktail strainer into the top of the shaker and discard the solids.

Return the juice to the bottom of the shaker, add the remaining 1 1/2 ounces of tequila and any remaining on the saucer. Add the ice to the shaker, cover and shake for 30 seconds. Strain the mixture through a cocktail strainer into the prepared glass, garnish with reserved lime slice, and serve immediately.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Easy Mid-Week Dinner

Here's an easy mid-week meal that you can stick in the crock pot in the morning and leave it in all day. The squash soup is souper easy too! :)


All Day Crockpot Chicken


Ingredients

Directions

  1. 1
    In a small bowl, combine the spices.
  2. 2
    Remove any giblets from chicken and clean chicken.
  3. 3
    Rub spice mixture onto the chicken.
  4. 4
    Place in resealable plastic bag and refrigerate overnight. (I usually skip this step because I'm always in a hurry).
  5. 5
    When ready to cook, put chopped onion in bottom of crock pot.
  6. 6
    Add chicken. No liquid is needed, the chicken will make it's own juices.
  7. 7
    Cook on low 4-8 hours.
  8. 8
    Note: I highly recommend a pop-up timer in the chicken because some crock pots cook faster/slower than others (my crock pot cooks this recipe in 4-5 hours).


Paleo Butternut Squash Soup

26102009

Ingredients:

Large butternut squash

32 oz box of chicken stock

½ tsp Corriander

½ tsp Allspice

¼ tsp Cayenne

1 tsp Cumin

½ cup coconut milk

Seeds from squash

1 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp paprika

Directions:

Take a cleaver and place lengthwise along the squash. Use a small rubber mallet to tap cleaver blade through the squash. Once it is split, pull out the seeds and pulp using a spoon. Set seeds aside.

Put a tsp of olive oil on a foil-lined baking sheet and spread around. Place the squash flat side down on the sheet. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Once squash is soft and caramelized, remove from oven and let cool slightly. Use an oven mitt to flip over and scoop out the center using an ice cream scoop.

Put into a stock pot and add in chicken stock and spices. Use a stick blender to puree the squash into the broth for a creamy consistency. If you don’t have a stick blender, puree in batches in the regular blender and then pour into the pot. Heat over medium heat until soup is warmed through.

In the meantime, wash the goo off of the seeds. In a bowl, combine seeds with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and paprika. Lay flat layer on baking sheet that you have lightly greased with olive oil. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Once soup is heated up, stir in ½ cup of coconut milk. Serve with toasted spiced seeds on top for garnish.

Thanks paelomama!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Crepe Creation

EVERY MOVING THING THAT LIVETH SHALL BE MEAT FOR YOU; EVEN AS THE GREEN HERB HAVE I GIVEN YOU ALL THINGS. GENESIS 9:3

I love crepes. Here's a paleo version of them and then a creative way to make a beautiful brunch, or dinner recipe using them!

Basic Crepe Recipe:

4 eggs
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch cinnamon
1/4 cup coconut milk.

Mix all together to form batter, let sit 5 minutes. Oil pan with a little coconut oil, heat over medium. Pour 1/4 cup batter for each crepe, heat until golden brown and flip. You can fill it with fresh fruit for a lovely sweet breakfast, or fill it with avocados and sausage for a savory crepe. Enjoy!

Paleo Quiche Lorraine:


Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup yellow onion, sliced
  • 1/2 cup veggies (broccoli, zucchini, kale, spinach)
  • 4 strips cooked bacon, crumbled or cooked chicken sausage diced
  • 8 eggs
  • 12 ounces coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
  • 6 Basic Crepes (recipe above)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small saute pan, sweat the onions until translucent add in veggies. In a small bowl, mix the onions and crumbled bacon or cooked sausage together. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and coconut milk, and season with pepper.

In a large, non-stick, 6-cup muffin tin, place one crepe into each cup. Make sure that the edges of the crepes are slightly pleated and overlap the edge of the tin slightly. Spoon the filling mixture into each cup. Pour the egg mixture into each cup so that all of the quiches are the same size. Place into a preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the egg mixture is completely set.




Thursday, May 6, 2010

Tomorrow is Friday!! Woo-hoo! This is what I am stuffing in the Crockpot and leaving till dinner time. We'll have plenty of leftovers for the weekend. :)

2 lbs lean ground beef (I look for 90/10)

1 large steak cut into chunks (or stew meat, whatever you prefer)
1 large can crushed tomatoes (look for the one where the only ingredient is tomatoes)
1 can diced tomatoes and chilis (again, look for natural here)
1 small can tomatillo salsa (in the Mexican food aisle, look for natural ingredients in this…I think the brand starts with an E)
large onion diced
1/8 cup almond flour (this is optional for thickening, omit if you have a nut allergy)
about 2 cups of beef broth
3 cloves garlic minced or about
2 tsp garlic powder1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbs ground cumin
3-4 tbs chili powder
olive oil

Put about 2 tbs olive oil in a pan and get it screaming hot. Sear the chunks of steak in batches (don’t crowd or it won’t brown). It doesn’t have to be cooked at this point, just brown and pull it out. Add a little more oil if needed and add diced onion to kind of brown a bit. Add the beef stock and let it cook until it is reduced by half (this gives a really meaty base). Add in ground beef and almond flour. Stir until it browns a bit. Add garlic, spices, tomatoes, and steak chunks. Simmer on low heat for a couple of hours. It gets better the longer it cooks.

I serve with diced red onion on top. It’s good without it too.

*recipe from paleomama.wordpress.com

Chicken Wings

Paleo Friendly Chicken Wings!

Ingredients

1 cup almond flour
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon thym
1/2 teaspoon paprika powder
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 teaspoons lemon pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2kg chicken wings
olive oil spray

Instructions

Preheat oven to 220°C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Combine flour, onion powder, garlic powder ,paprika powder, peppers and herbs in a large plastic bag.

Spray chicken wings with oil. Add one-third of wings to almond flour mixture. Shake until well coated. Place onto prepared baking trays. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Spray chicken with oil again. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until crisp and cooked through. Serve with a fresh green salad!

*Recipe thanks to paleo-recipes.com

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Carbs...What's to Them, What Do They Do?

I am including this article off of Mark's Daily Apple, a blog I follow. If you are considering a primal or paleo way of eating, please read on to what he has to say about how our current eating (ie. the way we've always learned...."balanced diet", the food on the food pyramid, etc.) is affecting our bodies. As Mark put it in this week's post: "We do know that inflammation, especially chronic, systemic inflammation seems to be involved in nearly every disease under the sun. Obesity, cancer, heart disease, autoimmune disease – if it’s killing people, increasing health care costs, and reducing quality of life, inflammation is bound to be involved at some level. That makes things easier, in my opinion, because we have a good idea how to avoid chronic inflammation, and that should take care of half the battle. Avoid sugars, grains, legumes (that includes peanuts), and processed vegetable oils. Eat lots of healthy animals and their fat, along with vegetables, and fruits and nuts on occasion. Get plenty of sleep. Exercise and keep chronic "cardio" to a minimum. Get regular sun and don't stress."






What Happens to Your Body When… You Carb Binge?


Carb BingeAnother day, another co-worker’s birthday (and the obligatory cake in the break room). Elaine Benes was right: this is insanity.

You’re into the Primal style of eating, so it’s easy to resist this stuff, right? You ignored the dirty looks when you turned down that piece of fudge-smothered bundt cake offered by your boss’s wife at their employee open house. You don’t mind gnawing on the few anemic carrot sticks left at the annual holiday party. Dessert just isn’t part of your vocabulary.

But would it hurt to indulge this once? This guy’s birthday? Well, you like him well enough, and the cake is a lemon cream after all. And it’s the end of the work day. Seriously, it’s not like you’ll suddenly burst into flame and melt in a fiery, torturous death, leaving nothing but a smoldering spot on the carpet. You’re disciplined. You can more than make up for this later. The worst that can happen is a sugar rush, and you spent half your time at summer camp walking (well, running) around in that state. Those were good times. Oh what the heck, gimme a slice. Yeah, sure, a little ice cream too.

So, what will happen? To your body, we mean. Once the plastic fork (with its spongy contents) hits your mouth. What goes on in there anyway? And why are you suddenly thinking of Willy Wonka and that kid who gets sucked down the garbage chute?

First off, the good news. There’s no purple suited man to pull an ominous lever. Nor is there any other permanent fate awaiting you. You’ll leave work a live, generally functional human being. They’ll be no curse or pox on your house or even truly long-term risk elevation for that matter. Nonetheless, you’ll likely regret your decision.

Within a matter of 10 quick forkfuls, you’ve gone from small doses of quality carbs wisely spread throughout the day to possibly 100 or more grams of pure sugar in one sitting. O.K., some guilt is setting in…. But that’s not all that’s happening.

The Domino Effect

Domino Effect

Within a few minutes, your pancreas kicks into overdrive and sends out a flood of insulin to try to sop up all the excess glucose that’s suddenly rushing through your bloodstream. Remember, while glucose is muscle fuel when it’s in the muscles, it’s toxic sludge when it stays in your bloodstream. Your body knows that and does everything it can to get it out of there. Perhaps you’re feeling flushed, a little high, spastic, or nauseous depending on how much you ate, how big you are, what your normal carb load is, and how acutely you tend to “feel” the effects of sugar and other substances. Ironically, if you were insulin resistant, you might not even notice these sensations, but you’re not. You’re a clean-fuel-burning primal specimen.

And it continues. The gush of insulin now creates a see-saw effect. If your glycogen stores have room, some of the sugar goes into muscles. If there’s no more room, the excess goes into fat cells, where it is stored as fat. In reaction to this quasi-emergency that looks like another life-threatening stress, the body steps up its efforts to achieve homeostasis by releasing both epinephrine (adrenaline) and cortisol from your adrenals. Your heart is racing, and you’re starting to feel uncomfortable, maybe even sweating. And we’re still likely within the first hour after you finished off that cake!

A bit more time passes. Burnout settling in yet? That’s called a sugar crash – when all the glucose is gone from the bloodstream and you start to feel sluggish, off-kilter, like the internal circuits are all fried after sparking in a heap of now smoldering wires. Hmm. Maybe that spontaneous combustion image wasn’t so far after all.

But there’s more…. The havoc that sugar rush set off – the swing of glucose and insulin, the cortisol and adrenaline – they’ve sent your immune system into a tailspin. Research has shown that the function of immunity-related phagocytes is impaired for at least five hours after intake of simple sugars. Free radicals have their heyday as well within the first few hours after sugar increases oxidative stress on the body. Your blood even thickens as a response to the stressors.

Wait, you aren’t out of the woods yet. You get home and try to sleep it off, but you toss and turn as your heart continues to beat faster than normal. Hmm. Little surprise there. The old hormonal system is confounding in its interconnectedness. You lay there cursing not just that cake but the entire cultural custom of birthday celebration. As the sun comes up and you roll out of bed, you think you should be done with this sugar business by now. Maybe. Maybe not. Unfortunately, a hefty dose of sugar can compromise the immune system for more than 24 hours. Groan. The images flash before you. The flu your daughter brought home earlier this week. The miserable cold (that incessant cough!) your boss has. Passing plans or reports around the meeting room. Shaking hands with the new clients who came by yesterday. Your toddler’s insistence on drinking from your cup last night. Suddenly you’re seeing your week in a new (and dimmer) light. Your immune system might have handled it all quite easily before the sugar incidence/insult. That’s one birthday cake that keeps on giving!

As bad as this sounds, it could be worse. If you follow the Primal Blueprint regularly and the lemon cream was just a detour, you’re a generally healthy person. You’ll experience the effects, and you may feel them more acutely than you did before you chose the low-carb path. (This isn’t a bad thing.) Nonetheless, after the dust settles, the worst thing you can end up with is maybe a cold you wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. Your system will realign itself pretty readily. Within a couple of PB style days you’ll be as good as new.

But if this is a normal day? Sigh. This presents a much bleaker picture. That see-saw of insulin and glucose? The process breaks down in your body until you develop insulin resistance. That rush of adrenaline and cortisol? That hormonal havoc over time fries your adrenal system. Your body is constantly in a state of “fight,” and inflammation becomes a constant state of affairs. Enough sugar over enough time (with the lack of exercise to boot), and you’ve gotten yourself into quite a pickle. (Maybe a pickle would’ve been a better snack choice….)

The Primal Blueprint offers up a plan to help guide our everyday choices as well as information to help us weigh the compromises we choose to make along the way. How we take care of ourselves each and every day can ameliorate the more taxing damage from occasional concessions we make for personal and social reasons.

And so we conclude the Willy Wonka journey.

Willy Wonka