Almond Butter-Coconut Milk Parfait!

• 1/4 cup almond butter

• 1/4-1/3 cup coconut milk (I think Native Forest brand works best for this because it’s already blended together. If using something else that separates, like Thai Kitchen, try heating it up a bit first to combine it.)

• Handful fresh or frozen/thawed berries 

• Sliced almonds (optional)

— In a dish, layer almond butter on the bottom, pour coconut milk on top,and sprinkle berries over.

Bourbon and Cider Pulled Chicken

One reason why everyone should own a crock pot or a dutch oven... to cook your meat in Bourbon. Don't worry, a little whiskey never killed any paleo nerds.

28oz. no-salt added diced tomatoes, drained

1/2 onion, diced

2tbs. apple cider vinegar

2tbs. cider syrup or 1/2c. apple cider
2tbs. honey

1/2c. bourbon

2tsp. worcestershire sauce

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2tsp. ground ginger

2 dashes cayenne pepper

sea salt to taste
3 large chicken breasts, about 2.5lbs.

Put everything but the chicken in your crockpot, stir briefly, then add the whole chicken breasts. Cook on low for 8 hours (so long, but sooooo worth it), until the meat is fall-apart tender.  Serve with your favorite size of veggies and enjoy!

Kitchen Basics: Knives and Cuts

Sweet Potato Hash

While there are many variations on a hash, this version is pretty basic and can be doctored up to suit your palate's desires, please feel free to add any veggies you may have hanging out from the produce order; cook them at the same time as the onion/peppers. This should yield about 6 servings.

2 Jumbo Yams (orange flesh)
1 large Onion, med dice
1 ea large red bell pepper, med dice
1 ea large green bell pepper, med dice
1 large garlic clove, mince

1 teaspoon cajun seasoning (recipe follows) plus extra to season.

Bacon fat

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel and dice Jumbo yams.

Heat 1tbs of bacon fat in a large, heavy bottomed pan (cast iron or wok is ideal). Add Bell Pepper and Onion once the pan is really hot (Test heat with one piece of bell pepper, it should sizzle immediately.) Stir constantly. Add 1tsp cajun seasoning. Saute until veg have a nice brown carmelization- to prevent burning, constantly stir!!!

Add garlic. Once fragrant, remove from heat and transfer into a separate container. Wipe pan with paper towels to absorb any excess fat, it does not have to be clean.

Back onto high heat, add another 1tbs of bacon fat. Once hot, add sweet potato cubes. Lower heat to Med-high. Stir and turn potatoes until all or most sides have a nice brown crust. This could take up to 10 mins.

If your pan is oven safe, stick it into the 400 degree oven to complete cooking of sweet potatoes. If not, transfer potatoes into baking sheet or casserole. Bake for another 10 minutes, or until fork tender.

Combine and toss with Onion/Pepper mixture, add more cajun seasoning if necessary.

Eat with your meat of choice and top with a couple over easy eggs :)

Cajun Seasoning:

2tbs Paprika
1tbs Black Pepper
1tbs Cayenne
1tbs Garlic Powder
1tbs Onion Powder
1tbs dried Oregano
1tbs dried Thyme
pinch of clove
1.5 tbs Sea Salt (Optional)

Combine well.

Sweet Potato Ginger Soup

 Sweet Potato and Ginger Soup

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 medium red onion, diced

1 1/2 pound of sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger *I learned something awesome recently. If you throw your fresh ginger in the freezer it makes it SO much easier to peel and grate. Try it out!

5 cups water

2 Tablespoons chopped scallions

Melt coconut oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and saute for about 10 minutes until golden and soft. Add the sweet potato to the saucepan and saute for 3 more minutes.

Add cumin, salt, ginger and water.

Lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 30 minutes.

Puree the soup until smooth with an immersion blender or by putting it into a blender in batches.

Sprinkle chopped scallions on top and serve.

Enjoy! 

(recipe, politely stolen from sweetcheekshq.com... thanks girls!)

Butternut Squash Lasagna!

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef, sausage or turkey
1 red onion
3 cloves garlic
15 oz pizza/tomato sauce
1/2 c roasted red peppers
1/4 c olive oil
few leaves of fresh basil
1 small butternut squash

Process:

- Preheat oven 400ºF. In a saute pan crumble the sausage and brown it, along with the onions & garlic. While that’s going, cut the top and ends of the squash off and peel it. Split it into 1/4′s. What I mean by that is, right where the squash starts to turn bulbous, cut it in 1/2, width-wise. Split those two halves in half, lengthwise. This will make it much easier to cut into planks. Pull out the seeds. Slice the squash into the aforementioned planks.

- Make the sauce by pureeing the pizza sauce, red peppers, olive oil and basil. If you don’t a contraption that will puree (blender, food processor, immersion blender), chop up the red peppers and just whisk everything together.

- Using a 9×9 oven safe baking dish, put down enough sauce to lightly cover the bottom of the dish. (This keeps the squash from sticking to the pan.) Next add the squash, trying not to overlap the pieces, then spoon on the sausage mixture, followed by the sauce. Repeat until all your ingredients are used up…trying to reserve enough sauce to cover the top of the lasagna.

- Bake for 45 minutes. You’re looking for a bubbly pan with a crispy, browned top. Right out of the oven, the lasagna may by liquidy, let it set for a good half hour before cutting into it, as it will solidify.

Thai Shrimp Curry!

Thai Shrimp Curry


1 pound peeled, deveined shrimp
1 tablespoon coconut oil
½ onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more if you like it really spicy)
3 teaspoons red curry paste
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 can coconut milk
5-10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
Cauli-rice, steps above

Heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil over medium high heat. Toss in the chopped onion and sauté about 3-5 minutes until the onion begins to caramelize and turn light brown. Add the bell pepper, curry paste, red pepper flakes and garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Grab your whisk and slowly add the coconut milk whisking frequently to prevent the curry paste from clumping. Lower the heat to medium and add in the shrimp, continue cooking for another 3-5 minutes. Check for seasonings, add more curry or red pepper flakes to amp up the heat and salt and pepper to taste. Cut the heat and toss in the chopped basil and serve over steamed rice or cauliflower rice.

* This dish can also be made with chicken in place of shrimp. Slice the breasts into thin strips and follow the same steps above. You can also toss in broccoli florets, snap peas or even frozen baby peas to really amp up your veggie servings. Just add the additional veggies at the same time as your protein.

What Paleo Isn't

Almost half way done with the challenge and I hope most of you are starting to figure this NEWtrition thing out. Whether your journey consists of strict paleo or zone-paleo, I'm sure you have been meticulously weighing, measuring, reading and cooking. With all of the knowledge you are taking in, it's easy to forget just how simple the idea of eating real food really is. Here is a little blurb from a one of my favorite blogs, everydaypaleo.com to help remind you. There is so much out there to learn in regards to paleo and clean eating. These ideas are always progressing, the work is never done. As information continues to become more and more abundant, detailed and ridiculously scientific, don't forget about the simplicity of the diet. It's fundamentals are so pure and easy to understand that it's truly hard to fuck it up. Go forth and feed your minds, hearts and stomachs appropriately. It all does a body good.

What Paleo Isn't 

By Jason Seib

Because our society is plagued with diets, most of which make no sense, many people come into this paleo thing with a few preconceived notions.  I would like to address some of these misnomers and get us back on the same page.  The following is a short discussion of the things paleo is often assumed to be, but in reality is not.

The most important one for me is that The Paleo Diet is not a diet.  I know, it really doesn’t make any sense when you say it like that, but it’s true.  The Paleo Diet is the modern nomenclature for human nutrition, and the fact that we need to name the concept of “human food” means we have reached a completely ridiculous place in the evolution of our species where we have forgotten who we are and where we came from.  It seems like I say this every time I open my mouth or sit down at a computer, but here I go again – humans are the only creatures on earth that use the word “diet” as a verb.  Animals don’t do diets, they have a diet.  They also don’t suffer from the extensive list of noninfectious diseases that we do.  What is the lesson here?  We need to try to find the ideal human diet in today’s modern world.  Or by definition, go paleo.

Another thing that paleo does not define is a macro nutrient profile.  The word “diet”, even in most research papers, is synonymous with weighing and measuring food, even if it’s only part of the intake that we’re interested in, like carbs or fat.  Paleo is simply food choices.  This means that higher carb paleo and lower fat paleo are completely acceptable as long as your goals reflect those choices.  For example, high carb paleo with lots of sweet potatoes, yams and butternut squash is still paleo, but it probably isn’t the best choice for fat loss.  On the other hand, if you are an athlete and you need more carbs for peak performance, there is no reason why paleo will not work for you and plenty of reasons why a more neolithic way of eating will be detrimental.

Paleo is also not inherently a weight loss or muscle gain plan.  It is a health plan. If you are over weight, getting healthy will mean getting leaner.  If you just gave up running marathons, getting healthy will mean gaining some muscle mass.  Beyond basic health, paleo and training can be tweaked for more muscle gain or fat loss.  That is not something that can be said for most “diets”.  Try packing on muscle mass on Weight Watchers sometime.

Finally, paleo is not an excuse to not exercise.  Proper nutrition is absolutely essential, but it doesn’t change the fact that the acquisition of food was inextricably tied to movement for all but the last miniscule fraction of time that our genus has been biped-ing it up on earth.  Since the kitchen, in all it’s glory, is is merely steps away these days, you will need to get out and mimic proper human movement.  Please note that I said “mimic proper human movement.”

Perspective is everything.  All this stuff will fall into place for you when your perspective is right.

Butternut Squash Apple Soup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced into 2 inch cubes
3 apples, peeled, cored and sliced.

1 teaspoon cinnamon
8 cups stock or water

Directions:

In a large pot warm oil
Carmelize onion, sautéing 10-15 minutes until golden brown
Add squash cubes, apple slices and cinnamon and cook for 10 minutes
Pour stock into pot and bring mixture to a boil
Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes
In a Vitamix, puree soup in very small batches (for safety)
Serve hot

Here are some notes on this recipe:

• Feel free to make this soup with other types of winter squash such as pumpkin, acorn, delicata, etc.
• I used a 2 ½ pound butternut squash for this recipe (weight is prior to peeling and de-seeding)
• Experiment with other warming spices such as ginger and nutmeg
• I used Braeburn apples in this soup; feel free to experiment with other types of apples

Squash is a very healthy, hearty, nutrient dense vegetable, full of carotenoids and other beneficial antioxidants. Further, it is thought that squash is both anti-inflammatory and helpful in regulating blood sugar.

(Recipe and notes can be found at elanaspantry.com.)

Jamaican Jerk Salmon!

I know you are all being super diligent with taking your fish oil to get those extra points for the challenge... right? Well, go that extra mile this week and cook up your own omega-3s and season it with this delicious Jamaican Jerk Rub, courtesy of Primal Palate.

Jamaican Jerk Salmon

Ingredients:

1 pound wild caught salmon, cut into 4-6 oz portions
1 teaspoon all spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
The juice of 1.5 limes

Process:

1. Rinse salmon under water and pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Cut salmon into 4-6 oz portions, and place in a gallon ziplock bag.
3. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together spices, olive oil, and lime juice.
4. Pour marinade over salmon, seal bag, and make sure the salmon is evenly coated in the marinade.
5. Marinate salmon for 2-4 hours before grilling.
6. Preheat grill to 400.
7. Place salmon on a fish plate, skin side down first, and grill for 4 minutes a side, flipping once.
8. You can also bake this in the oven, 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes, broil for about 8 minutes per side, or fry in a skillet.  This rub will taste delicious no matter how you cook the salmon, so do what you are comfortable with.

Crock Pot Roast

I am horrible at writing recipes. I'm true free spirit in the kitchen and hate to be bound by measurement and instruction. This recipe will be more conversational.

7-9# Roast- can be chuck, round, sirloin... The only thing I would say no to put in a crock pot would be a rib roast, which is better suited for a dry cooking method.

Stab the chunk of meat a bunch of times to make slits in the flesh. Insert slivers of a garlic into slits. Season very liberally with salt/pepper/garlic powder.

In a heavy bottomed pan (like cast iron!!) heated with a nice layer of grape seed oil or bacon fat or ghee (the shit should smoking!) brown the roast on all sides. You will need to stay near the pan and turn once a nice crispy crust has formed. Once that is done, place roast into crock pot.

With the hot pan on medium heat, add large dice of an onion, a leek, 2 celery, 2 carrot and 2 tomatoes. Stir constantly, scraping up all the good bits on the bottom of pan.

Turn heat on high. Deglaze pan with a 1/2 bottle of red wine or 12oz of a good stout beer. Scrap up the bottom pan for all the tasty bits. Once boiling, dump into the crock pot.

Add these final ingredients:

2 bay leaf
2 teaspoon peppercorn
1 whole head of garlic, peel and all
1 bunch parsley with stems
3 sprigs of thyme

Add enough water to cover a little more than half way up the roast. Cover and set crock pot to "Long Cook" or 10 hours or "Low" what ever the longest setting is on your dial is. Do not set to "High."

Come home from work/crossfit, take the roast out of the crock pot- let it be sexy for a minute.

Strain the cooking liquid, discarding everything, EVEN THE VEGGIES.

Bring cooking liquid to a boil and let simmer on med-low while you roast fresh veggies in the oven. The sauce should thicken slightly, making it an aus jus. 


Stuff the hungry hole in the middle of the thing you call your face.

Chocolate Avocado Mousse

3 Avocados
1/2c. Dutch Cocoa Powder
1/2c. Raw Honey or Agave
2Tbs. Vanilla extract (no added sugar or alcohol)
Pinch of Salt


Beat until smooth with mixer... or with your beat it by hand, cause you have the guns to!

Put in fridge to "set" for about 2 hours. Or if you're impatient like me, just pop in the freezer for 15 mins :)

Then gorge like a crazy bulimic :)

Farmer's Pie

I know what you are thinking. "The list of ingredients for this recipe looks ridiculous and I don't have the time." Well, guess what... you're wrong! The list is ridiculously short. You don't have to use 2 different kinds of meat and the vegetables can always be changed. If you have carrots, use those. Throw some beets in there. Celery is always delicious but so is cabbage. Anyway, point of this recipe is that it is a massive dish of random deliciousness (most things that come in your market order) that will last you almost the entire week. Only thing I will have to go buy is Worcestershire sauce (gluten free, of course). The rest... spices, vinegar and oil... I already have in my kitchen. They are essential and you should have them as well. Time to stock up! If you haven't gotten that spice rack, now is the perfect time. JUST DO IT!

Anyway, these types of dishes are my favorite. I find them easy because I can throw it all in a pirex (my favorite baking dish) and leave it for 30-45 minutes, go take a shower and come back to some delicious home-style cooking. This recipe is compliments of "Paleo Comfort Foods". If you haven't checked out their book, I highly suggest you do. Their recipes will save your life and comfort your heart. Plus, this pie freezes REALLY well and it's enough food to last all week. ENJOY!

Farmers Pie

1 tbs. coconut or avocado oil
4-6   cloves fresh garlic, chopped
2  pounds  ground lamb
1  pound  ground grassfed beef
2  cups onions chopped
2  cups carrots, peeled and sliced (I most likely WON'T peel them, I'm lazy.)
2  stalks celery, chopped
1  tbs. fresh rosemary, chopped fine
2  teaspoons dried thyme
1  small can (6 ounces) tomato paste
2  tbs. balsamic vinegar
2  tbs. Worcestershire sauce**
6  cups (1½ L) Mashed Cauliflower 

Directions

 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Heat a large skillet over medium/medium-high heat. Add the 1 tablespoon of the oil and once hot, stir in the garlic, being careful not to burn.
3. Add in the lamb and stir, combining with the garlic. Cook until the meat is browned.
4. Remove the lamb/garlic mixture from the pan, then add in the onions, carrots, celery, rosemary, and thyme.
5. Cook until onions are translucent and carrots and celery softened.
6. Add the meat mixture back into the pan, and stir in the tomato paste, balsamic, and Worcestershire and bring to a simmer. Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated off (especially if your tomatoes are really juicy).
7. Pour meat/vegetable mixture into a 9″ x 13″ (23 cm x 33 cm) baking pan, and with a rubber spatula spread a layer of the Mashed Cauliflower over the top, forming a solid layer of the mash.
8. Bake for 20 minutes or until the mashed cauliflower is slightly browned on top.

Kitchen Tools

And now... what you've all been waiting for. Our first video tutorial! We decided that since this whole cooking thing is new for MOST of you, our first episode would be a little rundown of all the kitchen items that will make this experience easier. Assassin, being the experienced chef that she is, showcases some of the important kitchen utensils and dishes, while giving a brief description on how to use them.

We hope you enjoy. Remember, this is our first experiment with the camera. Give us some feedback! We'd love to hear about what you guys want to see.

Produce!

Second day of the challenge is dwindling down. Are you starting to feel flustered yet? Tired, cranky, starving? Let us know and we'll do our best to give you tips on how to avoid all of those nasty things. Assassin and I have done this challenge before so cravings and withdrawals aren't new to us. We know just what kind of snack to make this easier for you.

Tomorrow is Wednesday which means... PRODUCE! I found this nifty little article with helpful tips on how to store your produce in order to keep it fresh and tasty. Click HERE to read. Also, if you have questions about the items we got this week, let us know. I'll post in the comments a list of the items once I pick up my order so you can google away, if necessary. Remember what Assassin said at the symposium... due to the organic nature of the food, be sure to eat the leafy greens and fruit first, as they won't last as long as the root vegetables.

If you aren't quite sure where to start my suggestion would be to chop up your broccoli, carrots and beets and roast them at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. I use a pirex but a regular baking sheet works just fine, too. I coat them with a little bit of olive oil and BAM... deliciousness for 2 or 3 dinners.

My new favorite thing to do with the cauliflower is make "mashed cauliflower". It's SUPER easy. Break the cauliflower off it's stock and throw it into a pot. Add about 1 cup of chicken broth, 1/2 a tablespoon of rosemary and boil on high for 20 minutes. Blend until creamy and enjoy! (Go here for more detailed directions).

Typically, I use the kale for breakfast. I chop it up and saute it with onions and peppers for my egg scramble. I use the rest of the leafy greens for salads or as a bed for my meat. If it's a lettuce that is a bit on the bitter side, I saute with garlic until tasty unless I find a recipe that specifically calls for it. Cabbage you can roast, saute or use for enchiladas.

Please refer to the link above to see how to store all of these things. And if this is your first time ordering produce, don't get discouraged if you can't cook or eat it all before it goes bad. It will take a couple rounds before you get used to it. Trust me, it's no big deal.

Let us know if you have any questions!

Nom, nom, nom!

Let the games begin!!



Day 1 of the challenge and I couldn't be more excited! I hope everyone is prepared for what will be an amazing experience. As you can see, the nutrition blog is undergoing somewhat of a transformation as well. Being that today is the start of a new chapter in most of your lives, nutritionally, I thought it would be the most appropriate time to vamp up the site and make it more user friendly. Keep in mind that I'm not a computer nerd so you may see some F-ups with the layout from time to time. No worries though, things can be fixed.

In addition to the sexy new look of the blog, Assassin and I will be posting paleo recipes in addition to NEW zone-specific recipes for those of you out there who have chosen that path for this challenge. Assigned reading will be posted to further your education about nutrition and health and all things that we believe are worth knowing in order to obtain optimal performance (mentally, nutritionally and physically).

We will be posting a series of "How To" videos covering topics such as:

• What you'll need in your kitchen to cook better than Gordon Ramsay
• How to sear a steak
• How to properly cut veggies, etc... safety first kids. : /
• Whatever else the ninja and I think are important and helpful to you!

Please refer to the "Resource" tab for more information on how to take advantage of the meat, produce, fish oil and Brian's Bowls services that we offer through the gym. They are fantastic and will help you get the most out of this challenge.

If you need a "fresher-upper" on the guidelines for paleo and zone, please refer to the appropriate tabs. As the week progresses there will be more additions and changes made to the blog, so don't freak out and stab your steak if you see something missing. It will take a couple tries to make the blog perfect.

As always... if you have questions, please ask!

Your's in the kitchen,

Assassin and Jamie

Pumpkin Muffins!

I love fall! I love pumpkins and I love anything that tastes like a pumpkin. That pretty much sums it up. Enjoy this delicious recipe compliments of Diane at balancedbites.com. I used butter instead of coconut oil because I wanted to make sure the pumpkin was the strongest flavor. NOT saying the coconut oil version is bad, it's not. It's still delicious. I also added walnuts because walnuts are the shit. But I understand some peeps are allergic. These muffins are also delicious with or without nuts. :)

Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:


1/2 cup butter or coconut oil, melted (I used Kerrygold grassfed butter)
6 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (can be canned or fresh, if fresh, cook, cook and strain excess water from your pumpkin before using it in this recipe)
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup (I used maple syrup)
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 & 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice/nutmeg (I used 1/4 teaspoon of each)
pinch salt

How to:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Grease a standard muffin tray or use paper liners (paper is probably ideal).
Combine wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl together until well beaten: butter, eggs, vanilla, pumpkin and honey/maple syrup.
Measure dry ingredients (coconut flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, allspice/nutmeg) into a sifter and slowly sift into the wet ingredients, whisking as you do so that you don’t have lumps in the batter.
Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tins and bake for approximately 15-18 minutes or until slightly golden brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean.

Variations:
Add chopped walnuts and/or Enjoy Life gluten/dairy/soy free chocolate chips to the mixture before baking or place some on top.

Sweet Potato, Bacon and Egg Salad

Here it is! Finally got around to posting a recipe for the epic bacon sweet potato salad I made for the MOTHAF$%&#@ BOAT! It was discovered by my friend on livingpaleo.com and it is equally delicious served warm or cold. I made it twice so far, both times with homemade paleo mayo which I think is a must. :) Enjoy! Mama Diso

Ingredients

1 small to medium sweet potato, diced
2 eggs
8 slices of bacon, diced
1 Tbs coconut oil
4 Tbs dill, finely chopped
2 Tbs mayonnaise
2 Tbs lemon juice

Instructions

Place eggs in small sauce pan, cover with cold water, cover pan and place over high heat until just before boiling.
Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 13 minutes.
Immediately rinse in cold water, peel eggs, dice and set aside.
Meanwhile, dice sweet potato.
Heat skillet over medium-high. When hot, add bacon and cook for 5 minutes. Add diced sweet potato and continue to cook until potato is tender and bacon is fully cooked.
In a small bowl, mix dill, mayonnaise and lemon juice.
Add eggs, sweet potato and bacon, and mix. Serve warm or cold.

Mint Lamb Burgers

If you haven't pre-ordered "Make it Paleo," the new book my Bill and Haley over at primal-palate.com then be ashamed of yourself! Nah, just kidding! If you are interested in having A LOT of really awesome recipes at your disposal, I suggest ordering the book. If everything in the book is as good as these "lamburgers" look, then you are in a for a sweet treat.

Juicy Mint Lamburgers

Ingredients:
1lb ground lamb (or any ground meat you like)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 tbsp mint, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Grillin' it:
1. Heat grill to medium heat
2. Mix ground meat with minced garlic, shallot, mint, salt and pepper.
3. Form into 4 equal-sized patties
4. Grill lamburgers for approximately 4 minutes per side, turning once. Adjust cooking time for desired internal temperature accordingly.
5. Garnish lamburgers with mint leaf

Serve it up on a plizzz-ate or with a greek salad!

Scallops!

I feel like I haven't posted in forever! I looked back at the last post I did and it was ten days ago, my apologies everyone. I hope everyone survived. Ha, kidding. But seriously... sorry for slacking. Last week was busy. Anyway, I made a trip to Trader Joe's yesterday to stock up on some meat until I could place a legit order with US Wellness Meats and for some reason scallops ended up in my basket. I've never cooked scallops before. Hell, I've only eaten them a couple times in my entire life. They seem tricky but after doing some research, I've found that they are ridiculously simple to cook. If fish isn't your thing, venture out of your comfort zone, you never know what your taste buds might take a liking to.

Ingredients
About a handful and a half of scallops per person seasoned with salt and pepper
One handful of coriander
Two chilies (de-seeded and chopped finely)
Three cloves of garlic
Four tablespoons of coconut oil
Juice of two lemons or limes

Heat the coconut oil until its almost smoking then add the scallops and fry them for a few minutes before adding the garlic, chili and lemon/lime juice.  Turn them over and continue frying them for another minute or two before adding the coriander (you could also add a tablespoon of butter at this point if you wanted to). If a lot of water comes out of the scallops don't worry, just turn up the heat even higher to reduce it.

Primal Prescriptions!

The past few weeks I have been on the road to recovery from a minor shoulder injury. My recovery has included deep tissue massages, scaling down on upper body training and gaining a better understanding of how our muscles work in conjunction with each other. Diet is also key in recovery and lately my diet has been less than par, I won't lie. But, as a punishment, I'm totally feeling the wrath of it and not just in my gut. It boggles my mind how the nagging health issues and symptoms I had before I went paleo creep up on me so fast when I cheat.  Headaches, moodiness, bloating, stomach ache, sleep disturbances, lack of appetite... the list could literally go on. I'll end it there because well, none of those things ever make anyone feel strong (mentally and physically) or pretty.

Anyway, like the average person, I used to tackle these issues with the wrong type of thinking. Saw multiple doctors, drank a shit ton of pepto bismal, popped a couple ibuprofen, ate some disgusting comfort foods and BAM!... no results. And then like a dummy, I would repeat the cycle of ingesting over-the-counter drugs because that's what the commercials told me to do. That was until I went paleo. Paleo, being a change in lifestyle, not ONLY diet, helped me to cleanse my body of the yuckiness so I could start fresh and give it the right amount of attention it needed. I discovered that all I had to do was just listen. Imagine that!

I find it interesting that the moment I start slacking and ignoring my body, a friend in the paleo community blogs about it. Ok, ok... it wasn't about ME specifically, but the post hit home regardless. Mark's Daily Apple posted this little bit, reminding me how to listen .When in doubt, just let your body tell you how your food, sleep and training are benefiting/hurting you.

Listening to Your Body

by Mark Sisson

Question: what does your body feel like right now? Go ahead. Take an inventory. From the toes to the head, what’s going on in there at the present moment? How’s your back? How’s your stomach? Your head? How about muscles? Your energy level and mood? Is your thinking clear this morning? Good and bad, what signals are you getting? Beyond the here and now, what’s your body been trying to tell you lately? Any changes since beginning the Challenge? Most important of all perhaps – are you accustomed to listening to what your body has to say?

Everything about our culture, it seems, discourages us from doing just that. From the commercials insisting we don’t need to put up with that headache to the glorification of binge drinking, taking a body’s hint isn’t exactly at the top of most people’s list of talents or priorities. Why live with that pesky fever when you can simply beat it back with 1000 milligrams of extra strength head-in-the-sand? Indigestion from eating that second Big Mac today? Try some Pepcid AC.

Think about it. People bring a kind of pride to pushing through the pain (and I’m not just talking about childbirth or weightlifting here). People go into work sick as dogs (my personal favorite). They knowingly ignore with the clear physiological effects of chronic stress. They eat a diet for much or all of their lifetime that leaves them sluggish and overweight. It’s only when serious illness hits that we sit up and take notice. (Ironically, sometimes serious illness teaches us how to listen to our bodies, to discover how symptoms – however subtle – can be a crucial barometer for larger issues.) The body has – and shares – its own brand of wisdom. We’d do well to heed its cues before it smacks us over the head with a club.

Too often, of course, we surrender the power that comes from reading and knowing our bodies. We unthinkingly relinquish it to doctors and other practitioners, either because we genuinely believe that theirs is the only substantive opinion or because we don’t really want to take responsibility for our health. Owning your well-being is an unofficial but essential Primal principle. Appreciating your ability to listen to your body’s signals follows from it.

In yesterday’s post, I wrote about the potential (and fun) of self-experimentation. You’re your very own guinea pig. (Oh, the possibilities…) Ultimately, however, the crux of self-experimentation is self-assessment – physical assessment to be exact. A glucose monitor can be a handy tool. A heart rate monitor is a good gadget to have. A notebook and pen (or Word document) might be an even better set of instruments, however. (It all depends upon an open and perceptive mind of course.) I’ll venture to say that your body will tell you in its own way what the machine displays. By all means, take advantage of technology, but use it to help hone your own perception. What does a certain heart rate feel like? What sensations creep up when your glucose hits a certain number?

What does a headache mean? A backache? What precipitates foggy thinking or acid reflux? What confers a sense of lightness after lunch or a good night’s sleep? What choices seem to contribute to or prevent that infamous midafternoon slump?

Think about all the sensations that your body can produce – positive and negative: fatigue, foggy thinking, dizziness, digestive issues, rapid breathing or heart beat, skin flare-ups, back pain or general achiness, stiffness, stuffy nose, neck tension, dry eyes, constipation, dry mouth, headache – and the balanced, comfortable opposites of those symptoms like a clear head, steady energy, effective digestion, relaxed muscles, and regular bowel movements. (Don’t underestimate the gratification and importance of a good poop.)

Genuine health of course isn’t just the absence of obvious negative symptoms as it’s often thought of. Living a life in line with its genetic expectations goes a long way toward deciphering the softer signs. For example, lots of folks tell me it was only after going Primal that they were able to pinpoint food allergies or underlying chronic conditions. Going Primal finally allowed them to perceive the subtler signals that had previously been blocked out by bigger noise of a SAD, inflammation-promoting, digestion-busting diet, chronic cardio, or consistent lack of sleep. Most of us have had this experience on some level. Going Primal reveals long-term disruption we didn’t even know existed until we had the experience of living without its sources and subsequent misery.

To complement your self-experimentation or just enhance your Challenge success, learn to hone your perception skills with regular practice and keen assessment.

• Keep a reminder with you. Psychologists often advise clients to keep a stone or other object in their pocket or on their wrist as a reminder to assess their well-being periodically during the day.
• Stop a few times a day – a few consistent times and any time you feel a peak or valley on the horizon. Put your hand on your heart if you need an added gesture to get into the spirit of the exercise. Take an inventory of every part, but don’t just look for the bad or use the “okay” as the measuring stick for good. Identify what sensations are associated with real vitality (e.g. relaxed shoulders, soft eye expression, a bright feeling in your upper body).
• Record the negative and positive feelings you observe. Think about what’s going on in the present moment. Where are you are? What kind of interactions and activities have filled this part of the day? What have you eaten in the last one to two hours? When was the last time you were outside? How does this compare to how you felt yesterday at this same time?
• Compare the sensations and connections to your self-experimentation project. Are you onto something? Write it down, and see if similar conditions the next day produce the same sensations or if changed circumstances interrupt the pattern.
• Think about where you’re at in your self-experimentation or Challenge transition. If you’ve chosen to overhaul your diet and finally ditch grains and sugar this week, the fatigue you may be feeling is possibly the low carb flu. If your goal has been to ratchet up your exercise but you’ve been overdoing it or not allowing for adequate recovery time, you might need to give yourself a rest period. The truth might be found in both the details and the big picture.
• Get in the habit of thinking through your physical sensation. Give the body its due as part of the intellect. Like all animals, we apprehend and interpret our environment bodily as well as abstractly. Ask the body in whatever manner of speaking you’re into, what do you need now? Movement? A nap? Some fresh air or sunlight? An extra layer of clothing? Maybe just a good laugh?
• Whatever you undertake in response, take time to read the subsequent signals. What’s changed? What happened to the old sensations? What new ones do you notice? Are parts of you affected that weren’t before? Maybe you didn’t notice any mental fogginess before, but now you realize how much clearer and sharper your thinking is after a brisk walk or a few minutes of play. Relish and repeat.

Bacon Jam!

An angel appeared to me last night to inform me that the most miraculous recipe had been created. A recipe that would excite the pants off of meat-eaters everywhere, restore good levels of fat to your body and satisfy every barbell lifting, kettlebell swinging, and double-under doing palate out there. A recipe from the Crossfit God's (or... just those two hilarious blokes over at Modern Paleo Warfare).

Behold... BACON JAM!

Ingredients1 large pack of bacon (cut up into semi-medium pieces)
One tea spoon of cacao (or cocoa powder :D)
Half a tea spoon of cinnamon
Half a tea spoon of allspice
Juice of two lemons
3-4 garlic gloves (mashed)
1 quarter of a large onion (finely chopped)
2 tea spoons of chili powder or one whole red chili
one small cup of strong coffee

Directions
Fry the bacon in a large pan until the fat starts to render.  It should still be floppy after a few minutes.  Drain off the bacon fat and leave that aside before adding everything else.  Stir it well and add back a few table spoons of bacon fat to lubricate the whole mess.  Cover and keep on a low heat for 2 hours.  You have to keep checking on it though every 10-15 minutes so the bottom of your pan doesn't burn.

After two hours (I bet your kitchen smells like heaven by now) stick the bacon mush into a food processor and blitz until its the consistency you like.  If it dries up too quickly don't worry - add another tea spoon of bacon fat to the mix.

As for me? I plan to smear this goodness on everything. Meat, sweet potatos, icecream... I don't give a f-f-f-fruit salad.

PTB Salad

I will admit, the ladies over at Sweet Cheeks HQ really know how to whip together an awesome salad. They are some busy busy bees, always on the go whether it's training, working, cooking, being awesome, or whatever. I can totally relate to this busy lifestyle and I'm most positive a lot you can as well. This is why their simple and delicious salad recipes are so appealing. The pictures grab your attention, you read the list of ingredients, browse the directions and think... "I can totally do this in no time at all!"

Here is their "Farewell to Summer Salad". Get them peaches, chow down and enjoy your last days of Socal awesomeness. :)

PTB (Peach, Tomato, Basil) Salad

1 Peach

1 Heirloom tomato

3-5 small basil leaves shredded

drizzle of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Chop all your ingredients, put them in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and let sit a few minutes before serving.

Butter Poached Salmon with Warm Tomato Relish

Another delicious looking salmon recipe from everydaypaleo.com. The relish sounds amazing!

Butter Poached Salmon with Warm Tomato Relish

Tomato Relish:

1 small red onion, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, diced
¼ cup kalamata olives, sliced
3 tablespoons capers
2 tablespoons grass fed butter (you can get this at Trader Joe's. Brand is called Kerrygold)
Fresh ground pepper to taste

In a small saute pan melt the butter over medium heat, add the onions and cook until the onions begin to caramelize.  Add the remaining ingredients and cook for another 2-3 minutes, remove from heat and set aside.  The relish is enough for at least 5 filets.

Salmon:

(This is how to cook one filet, obviously if you are cooking more than 1, you will use 2 tablespoons of butter per filet)
1 salmon filet, skin on
2 tablespoons of butter per filet
Sea salt and black pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Generously season both sides of the filets with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a small oven proof saute pan until the butter is hot enough to sizzle when you place the fish in the pan.  Place the fish in the hot butter, skin side down.  Let it cook for about 3 minutes.  Start basting the salmon with the melted butter (I just used a spoon to pour the melted butter repeatedly over the salmon.)  Continue to bast the salmon for approximately 4 minutes.  Finish the salmon in the preheated oven for another 6-8 minutes, dependent on the thickness of desired doneness of your fish.

Top the salmon with a big scoop of the tomato relish and enjoy!

Breaking it down

I found this article on Crossfit Palo Alto's website. I browse it from time to time because Nomnompaleo and Fitbomb both go to that box and well... seeing what other boxes are up to is always fun. This little blurb explains in the most simplistic way what you should be eating and when in order to become an awesome athlete. It's important to know how your body breaks down what you feed it, especially after a workout. Planning my meals is super important to me and I like to get the most out of what I eat. With that said, read on... but don't plan super hard this coming holiday weekend. The gym will be closed Monday, which is Diso's way of telling you to take an f-ing break and rest. So do it!

As for me, I will be heading up North to visit the Moms. I have successfully convinced my little sister, sister-in-law and Brother to go paleo. So far they have had excellent results. I plan to cook all of our meals this weekend, browse my hometown's farmers market and check out their new gluten-free store. Coming from a place where Red Robbin is super popular, this will be really interesting. I accept the challenge. Mom's gone paleo and she doesn't even know it yet. I'll fill you all in as the weekend goes on.

Enjoy yours! :)

One of the biggest misconceptions about Paleo is that it has to be a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet. The truth is, athletes like CrossFitters need to eat more than they think in order to recover from our tough workouts, speed up fat loss, and build the most muscle possible.

What happens when I exercise?

Exercise is primarily a tool for increasing work capacity. This is achieved by increasing muscle mass, cardiac/respiratory endurance, and metabolism. On a cellular level, you are actually inducing micro-trauma in your muscles, and it’s vital to repair those tears so the muscle can grow larger and stronger. On a hormonal scale, exercise increases insulin sensitivity. This is a good thing, because insulin is a storage hormone that will shuttle protein and carbohydrates to where they need to go in the body to start the recovery process. When you don’t eat after a workout, you lose that optimal feeding window, and may crash and burn in the long-term.

Okay, so what do I eat?

Well, if you’re following the Whole9 Meal Simple Template, your meals consist of protein, lots of fresh veggies and healthy fat. And you should be eating until you’re satiated. Traditionally, the types of veggies that are recommended on the Paleo diet are low-carbohydrate, however there’s a certain danger associated with low-carb eating and CrossFit. Any time we tap into our muscle glycogen, we need to eat a good post-workout of meal consisting of protein and a starchy carbohydrate. If we don’t, we risk using all the glycogen in our muscles, then our liver, then our brain. If that happens, there are some pretty serious risks including dizziness, shakiness, coma and death. That’s why we take our post-workout recommendations so seriously (and cause we want you to be your best).

The protein in the meal does a couple of things: it starts the repair of all those micro-tears that we created during the workout. It also stimulates the release of a hormone called glucagon. Glucagon is an energy access hormone that allows us to use body fat for energy (a good thing!). The carbohydrate in the meal gets converted into glucose and goes straight to your muscles to refill those tanks.

Personally, I like to eat some scrambled eggs with veggies and a yam. It’s important to avoid fat in your post-workout meal, as fat slows down digestion (great for increasing the satiety in the rest of your meals, but not appropriate when we’re trying to get nutrients in fast). Also, avoid fruit in this meal as fructose (the main sugar in fruit) will cause all sugars to go to your liver instead of refilling your muscles glycogen tanks. And make sure that you can get this  meal in within 30 minutes of finishing your workout. If that means bringing your food to the gym with you, do it. Remember, this post-workout meal is a bonus meal that you get to eat in addition to your normal meals because you exercised. Trust me, you’ll feel the difference pretty quickly and you’ll wonder what took you so long to start making smart post-workout choices (I know I did!)

Your partner in STRENF!

Badier

Badier Velji is an active member of the SF Bay Area Paleo Community and writes about nutrition at The Lazy Caveman. Visit his website and follow @TheLazyCaveman on Twitter for more tips on how to improve your nutrition and quality of life.

Beef "Enchiladas"

Sounds way more appetizing than Red Cabbage Rolls.

Pre-heat oven 375 degrees

1# Beef Ground Beef
1 Green Bell Pepper, small chop
1/2 Red Onion, small chop
2 large tomatoes, med dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
S/P
Pinch of ground cumin

7-10 washed, whole red cabbage leaves

1 can red or green enchilada sauce (15oz.)

Brown ground beef. Set aside. In the beef fat, saute the pepper and onion until soft. Add garlic; once fragrant, add tomatoes. On med high heat simmer until the tomatoes break down. Return beef to pan. Season with S/P and cumin.

Cool this mixture.

Rolls:

Spoon about 3-4 tablespoons of beef filling into a dry cabbage "cups."

Roll firmly, tucking in the ends. Place seam side down in the casserole dish.

Cover with enchilada sauce. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 60 minutes, or until the cabbage is fork tender.

Banana Cinnamon Rolls!

I mentioned yesterday at the gym that I found this "cinnamon roll" type recipe and a couple people who shall remain nameless (cough, ahem, Thomas) freaked with excitement. I TOO am a lover of cinnamon rolls so I share that same old fashioned "fat kid" mentality. Caution: this recipe does contain a little bit of milk so if you are strict with the milk well... subsitituions and experimentations are in order. Without further ado...

Get this recipe and more from modernpaleowarfare.com. Two UK crossfitter who are not only geniuses in the kitchen, but absolutely hilarious. Hence, some of the measuring lingo is a bit, ermmm... different.

Ingredients:

 

one egg

one large banana

half a pod of vanilla (1/2 a pod equals 1/2 a teaspoon, I think!)

one table spoon of honey

a handful of sultanas (raisins)

an equal handful of almond flour

150ml of milk

a dash of cinnamon

a dash of nutmeg

- Choose some coffee cups, grease them up real nice with some butter and preheat the oven to 180.

- Mix all the other ingredients together and then spoon them into the cups.

- Stick them in a roasting dish and fill the dish with water  to reach around halfway up the cup sides.

- Bake them for 35 minutes (uncovered), let them cool then turn them upside down.  

- Drizzle with honey, dress with creme fraiche and grated nutmeg.  

Mustard Greens

This week's produce order contained my first ever batch of mustard greens. It's VERY spicy, much like arugula. I don't know about any of you but this stuff really has a bite to it. You could just sautee it down with some oil and garlic but I thought maybe this soup recipe with sweet potatos, yellow split peas and mustard greens would be way more fun. Plus, I'm looking for any excuse to use my new handmixer. If any of you mothers need paleo baby food, give me a call. ;)

Yellow Split Pea Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Mustard Greens

What goes in the pot:

2 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 large onion (chopped)
4 clove garlic (minced)
2 teaspoon cumin
2 cups dried yellow split peas
5 cups water
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
3 ripe plum tomatoes (seeded, peeled, diced)
1 med. Sweet potato (peeled and cubed)
½ lb. Mustard greens (coarsely chopped)

How to do the damn thing:

- Heat olive oil over medium heat, add onion, cook 4 to 5 minutes, until onion is soft. Add garlic and cumin, cook one minute more. Add split peas, water and broth, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cook about 1 hour until peas have broken down.
- Add tomatoes, sweet potatoes and mustard greens, simmer until vegetables are tender – approx. 25 minutes. Season as desired with salt and pepper.
- Blend with a handmixer to make creamy or serve chucky as is. That's your call.

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Sidenote: Check out this coconut flour recipe website here for some ideas on paleo breadmaking. Coconut flour drop biscuits would be great to accompany this recipe!

Mashed Cauliflower

Here is a lovely "blurb" followed by an instructional video and of course, directions on how to make mashed cauliflower. Just to warn you, this dish will make your house/apt smell like Thanksgiving. Garlic plus rosemary plus chicken broth makes my hungry heart flutter.  Anyway, enjoy this awesome recipe from Paleo Comfort Foods. If you like it as much as I did, show your support and preorder their new cookbook here.

 Cauli mash (aka “faux potatoes”) is one of the most versatile side dishes you can create. Add-ins that we’ve used/tried to change up the flavor have ranged from chipotle sauce, paleo mayo (for creaminess), bacon crumbles, sundried tomatoes, roasted garlic, jalapenos, Italian parsley, and for those of you putting some dairy in your life, try these with some goat cheese, butter or some heavy whipping cream. There are so many ways you can flavor these – experiment and see what you like!
A few tips and tricks:
- Cooking the cauliflower in chicken stock really adds some nice depth of flavor to the mashed. While you could just steam the cauliflower, I think the flavor is completely different when cooked in the stock.
- Cauliflower has a pretty high water content, so when we cook ours in the chicken broth, we try to get it almost dry (without burning). This usually gives us the creamy texture we personally like.
- If you are more of a chunky mash kind of person, just use a hand masher to retain some of the lumps in your mash.
Watch the video here if you need more detailed info on the “how.”

Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower, leaves removed, stem and florets chopped into similar sized pieces
- 1 cup chicken stock or broth (more for a particularly large head of cauliflower)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1-2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves


Instructions
1. Place all ingredients in a medium sized saucepan or Dutch oven and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to medium and cover, allowing to cook for 15-20 minutes or so, or until the cauliflower is very tender and easily mashed with a fork.**
**You may need to add more stock if everything dries up and your cauliflower is not yet cooked through. Keep an eye on things as it cooks to see if you need to add some more.
3. Once cauliflower is tender and cooked through, pour off any excess stock that remains and reserve.
4. Pour all contents into a food processor and mix. If the cauliflower seems too dry, add in some of the reserved stock.
Add in any spices, herbs, or “mix-ins” that you’d like as discussed above.

Organic Cantaloupe on sale at Whole Foods!

Hey kiddos! Whole foods is have a Friday ONLY sale of organic cantaloupe... 2 for $3. What a great steal! It's tomorrow only though so skip over there on your lunch break or right after work to get some good ones. Here is a simple summer cantaloupe recipe so that you can enjoy them over the weekend, perhaps at a BBQ or picnic. Summer is ending, gobble these fruits up while they last. :)

Cantalope Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups (approximately) cantaloupe balls

1/4 cup mint leaves, packed

1/4 cup lemon juice (about 1 and 1/2 lemons)

Olive oil drizzle

chopped red onion (optional, but gives it a little spice)

Directions:

- Next, using a melon baller, scoop about 2 cups of cantaloupe into a large mixing bowl and set aside. If you don’t have a melon baller you can always cut up the cantaloupe into about 1-1 1/2″ squares.

- blend mint and lemon juice in a blender until mint is finely chopped.

- Pour a SMALL amount at a time of the mixture and drizzle olive oil over the cantaloupe pieces and combine well. Do this a little at a time to make sure you get the right flavor. Some like more mint flavor and some don't... palates are different. You can be the judge, it's your salad. :)

- Serve right away, or cover and refrigerate until needed.

Brian's Bowls!

Hey kids! I've got some cool news for you all...

A couple weeks ago while I was visiting another box, I met a lovely young lady who told me about this frozen food delivery service that she and a friend have just started up. Best part is, it's all Paleo. How cool, right? The company is called Brian's Bowls. Here is a little blurb from their website that pretty much sums everything up...

"Our all-natural grain-free frozen meals are made from scratch to order once a week, and delivered to your doorstep. While the meals have varying levels of "paleo strictness," they always avoid 3 main items: 1) Grain of any kind 2) Industrial Oils 3) Artificial Ingredients. Our ingredient lists are shockingly short and we intend to keep it that way."

I'm writing this post on my lunch break after just consuming my first bowl of jerk chicken, sauteed kale and sweet potatos. It was delicious, not a bite left! I can't wait to try the beef curry tomorrow. Anyway, Paradiso does a lot to provide us with fresh food every week and this service could be a great addition to that. (Especially for those who don't have as much time to cook for every meal) We understand that work schedules can be hectic and food preparation is sometimes overwhelming. So, for those moments when you are forced to choose between "eating out" for lunch or starving, Brians Bowls is a great solution. It's really a fantastic idea and in my opinion, a huge step towards helping people with their nutritional struggles. I won't go into a "save the world from diabetes" rant right now, but I will say that what they are doing is super cool.

Browse the website. As of right now they only deliver to the South Bay but if there are enough people interested in ordering, they would be willing to make PCF a new delivery stop. That is, if you're responsible enough to leave payment with the Diso's ahead of time.

Let me know what you guys think, perhaps a discount rate could be applied for large orders! :)