The Grill- a modern day cavewoman's BFF

Tonight Matt and I had a couple friends over for a Memorial Day cookout b/c we certainly can't be Un-American and not grill on an ALL AMERICAN holiday. (how again is that related to honoring our veterans?)

Back to why the grill is my BFF. :)

One of the guys that came over is interested in the Paleo/Primal lifestyle (but as a pescatarian-health issues) and is actually starting this week to eat this way, going so far as to pay ME to make his meals. So I thought I'd go all out and show him what a feast we can have sans wheat, potatoes, legumes, dairy, or sugar.

As we know guys love the grill, love to be IN CHARGE of the grill, and love to eat virtually anything OFF the grill, so why not showcase meat and veggies that can be grilled up ahead of time and ready for the week?

We (meaning Matt) grilled:
1. 2 T-bones
2. regular steak (I forget which cut)
3. 2 chicken breast (on bone)
4. salmon fillet
5. link 41 (local sausage maker) mole sausage
6. turnips
7.radishes
8. yellow squash
9. red jalapenos
10. orange bell pepper

All the veggies and meat were seasoned w/ an herb blend and evoo in a large Ziploc gallon bag. (I'm ALL about easy clean ups)

Within 1/2 hr we had a huge grilled feast accompanied by the huge salad (made w/ 4 different lettuces, sprouts (sunflower and pea), purple onion, grape tomatoes, walnuts, and a kerns' vinaigrette) and roasted brocoli w/ evoo and garlic.

Side note-I found a new favorite veggie tonight- grilled turnips. I LOVED them. They have a unique taste but it is addicting and w/ evoo and herbs...they're amazing.

Needless to say we ate like kings, had PLENTY leftovers for the rest of the week's lunch, and MINIMAL cleanup.

This, my friends,  is why the grill is my BFF.

What about you? Got any tips to share or suggestions for other foods to try on the grill? I'd love to hear from you all.

Cooking paleo

So the Spring '12 Crossfit Brigade nutritional challenge has provided Matt and I MANY opportunities to experiment with flavors and food combinations.

He's successfully created paleo BBQ sauce to go w/ his smoked meats!
I've created several DELICIOUS frozen concoctions that only have ice, vanilla, banana, and maybe another fruit.
I've learned to cook fish in a way that I can tolerate it and even enjoy eating it!
I made my own Paleo ketchup to enjoy on burgers and other meats.
I made my own Paleo mayo/aioli to be enjoyed w/ said burgers and other meats.

I attempted Primal pizza w/ a chicharrones crust....the toppings were AMAZING, the crust not so much. I need to tweak it so it's not so crumbly.

I've made some larabar'esque snacks that Matt and I gobbled up. All they had in it were, dates, prunes, almond flour, coconut flour, vanilla, a bit on honey, and organic 99% cocoa... They were amazing.

Recipes will show up soon. I've been reading my random cookbooks and websites to glean ideas for me to try.

Spring Nutritional Challenge:April 29- June 10

So we at Crossfit Brigade decided to do another nutritional challenge for several reasons, a host of new friends @ the gym, the Crossfit Regional Games, and most importantly...swimsuit season! (....I think I'm being serious here...?)

I digress.

This challenge is more difficult- There is a COMPLETE ABSENSE of cheese.

I should stop right there for a moment of silence because that in and of itself used to be a deal breaker for me.

But there's more.

There are points to calculate. There is fish oil, 7+ hours of sleep expectation, AND organic/wild/ farm raised food componont.

You're shaking your head, did you stumble upon a Weight Watchers page? No my dear, you have not. We're just getting serious and determining what we're made of and to answer-can we make that switch to eating a more healthy, mindful way?

I don't know about you, but I'm still wondering HOW in the world am I going to make it? How HAVE I made it over the last 25 + days? It's been rough, especially the cheese part. I've caved in on May11th w/ goat cheese on a spinach and strawberry salad. It was DIVINE and I had NO regrets.

The point aspect has been pretty easy. Matt has been totally supportive with me earning points, especially since he can help me 'earn' a point in the activity section...

Seriously though, he's been great with making sure my fish oil and multi vitamin are consumed right before bed, which I might add is in enough time for me to meet the 7+ hour sleep requirement.

Have I told you how much I LOVE MY BED. Because I do. Not the little love, or really like, but LOVE.  I'm like a little kid with a treat when I lay down, I get a big smile as a snuggle in. No lie.

I've cooked alot and created a lot of meals/recipes that are twists to everyday meals. I will definitely share the recipes.

I've bought more organic, grass fed/range fed proteins than ever. I've even made a point to go to the market to by fresh, local veggies and fruit on Wednesdays and Sundays.

As you can see, this challenge has been more about transforming my lifestyle, more than transforming my figure (though that has benefitted from my diligence of ensuring higher quality foods are being bought and prepared).

If you think you can't do something so radical as paleo or primal because you work or have kids, you're short changing yourself and them.  Try it for 40 days and see. You won't regret it.

Long time, no see!

My last post was the day before my 35th birthday and since then, life has been a whirlwind of cooties, shopping/cooking for the family, more bday celebrations (1 sis has a birthday 6 days AFTER mine), and a slew of school activities and changes.

I don't know about you, but when I get a cold (sinus infection) it knocks me for a loop for 2-3 days and the household goes awry. Add a sick husband, and the household came to a stop.

Thankfully I had made a large grocery trip the week before and was set, but UNFORTUNATELY I didn't cook A SINGLE thing except the chili I made for the Meal swap, the sausage balls and bacon for the kids' lunch.

SIGH. We struggled ALL week (1/23-1/27)with eating at a decent hour and the kids bought lunch several times. (@ $3.25/day for JUNK!!!) But I didn't cheat...NOT ONCE!

Not when I went to FoodWorks for my birthday (did you know they have a gluten-free menu!!), and Not even when there were literally HUNDREDS of slices of NY cheesecake ALL AROUND ME (1-26 @ a school fundraiser). I smelled a slice for a good minute but I didn't even touch it. I SO appreciated the support from my friends that I texted with my dilema. I did work out at least 3 times though in a gym.

The next weekend (Jan 28-29) was MUCH better and I had EVERY lunch and dinner ready for EVERYONE for the week, all packaged neatly. It took me about 4 hours to do. I even did a kettlebell class on Jan 28th @ the Powerhouse.

So for the week of Jan 30th-Feb 3rd, we were set. I was feeling less puny but mentally and emotionally overwhelmed w/ a new task @ work. I only exercised 2x though - a WOD on Monday the 30th and 1 kettlebell class on the 4th. :( My heart wasn't there or maybe it was b/c nature came and tried to rip me a part for a few days. ;)

Over the last month I have found that exercising is alot harder for me to be consistent between the illnesses, after school functions, and other duties, than it is to eat Primal.

My children have been 75% clean this whole time. I chose about 3 weeks in to allow the weekends to be more lax b/c with kid parties, slumber parties, etc.... I think this has helped them cope with the meal changes in the week. My 16yr old has been the MOST resistant to this change.

I actually just informed him that when we start a 40-day church fast, the family would be back on this eating pattern. I'm hoping that this additional time will help me work out the kinks in grocery shopping and meal planning... I've hardly thrown anything away for spoilage, I just haven't branched out as much as I would have preferred.

One day soon, I will get back on with my shopping comparisons...right now they feel too tedious.

I wish I knew about other posts talking about families, eating primal, and going non-stop. :)

'Opa' chicken and squash

Saturday is the day I start to make the week's meals, but after spending 3hrs on making 2 batches of my 10-2cup serving chili I was WORN out.

So I wanted an easy meal with little prep time. I took a moment to take stock of what I had and would go well together. I got an idea!

All I needed was:

1. chicken
2. evoo
3. Wildtree Opa Greek Seasoning
4. salt
5. 3 yellow squash
6. finely grated Parmesan

I pulled out the 4 lg boneless, skinless chicken breast I had and pan fried them in evoo and Wildtree's Opa Greek seasoning. While that was happening I sliced up the squash and put them 3-layer deep in a square Pampered Chef stone baker and between each layer sprinkling the same seasoning. At the top layer I sprinkled the parm liberally and then drizzled evoo also rather liberally. I cooked it in the oven for about 20 minutes. About that time the VERY thick chicken breasts were finally finished. I cut them into large slices and layered them on top.

The family has been very happy with this dish with it's simplicity and very obvious ingredients. :)

Cheese crisps

So I was looking up a recipe for something crunchy I could eat w/ the chili I made. I remembered vaguely that there was a recipe for a cheese straw/crisp out there.

And so I found several how-to's online. They all pretty much said to get shredded cheese (your choice-though soft whites don't do well) and to make them either:

1. in the oven @ 350
2. in the microwave for a minute 3o sec
3. or on the stovetop

I chose to try it #2 and #3 with sharp cheddar bought pre-shredded. I also added a PINCH of Wildtree's ADOBE Seasonsing for added flavor.

I felt that the microwave produced better results and more consistent results. They were definitely tasty, though not as crunchy as I was having a craving for.

So I'm going to experiment with some hard white cheese and see what happens.

Beanless Beef Chilli with 'invisible' veggies

For the 10 servings of 2 cups, I used:

3lbs of ground beef

2 white onions

1 green bell pepper

4 pkgs of button mushrooms

5 cups of squash and zucchini

1/2 cup or more of minced garlic

2 jars of basic medium salsa (no sugar)

6 cans of tomatoes in a various forms (all no sugar, 2 had green chilis)

1/4 cup (or more) of cumin

salt

pepper

(I forgot the carrots)

How I made it:

I browned the meat with salt and pepper.

I softened the onions and bell pepper (in a skillet).

I used the food processer to make the veggies disappear. I added garlic and the beef grease to give them flavor.

I put all the ingredients into a large pot and cooked for about an hour on medium heat. (I was making another batch for the family)

Then I divy'ed it up into my 3 pot crock pot system and let it cook overnight until about noon.