(almond flour crust) QUICHE.

Sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, chives, shallots. delicious!

Ingredients – serves 8
(taken & crust slightly modified from cosmopolitanprimalgirl.wordpress.com)

Crust
- 1 Cup almond flour
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 egg
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt

For the crust:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix Melted butter, almond flour, egg, baking soda, and salt in large bowl.
3. Take crust and form in pie pan. Push up edges edges of plate
and form even layer.( hint, hint: Plastic wrap between your hand and the crust may
help) Poke a few holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork.
4. Place crust in oven until you have a lightly browned crust.
5. Remove crust from oven and set aside. No need to refrigerate overnight.

Filling
- 16 eggs
- 6 shallots – chopped
- 3-4 Cups mushrooms – sliced
- 2 Tbsp fresh chives – chopped
- 1 cup sun dried tomato
- 1/2 cup Broccoli florets (or any other veggies you fancy!)

Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 375
2. In a small bowl mix together ingredients
3. While crust is baking, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet and add the shallots, Once shallots have softened, add mushrooms and cook through
4. Add chives for the last 2 minutes of cooking the mushrooms. Set aside.
5. In a bowl, whisk together eggs
8. Pour the mushrooms/shallots into the bowl with the eggs and stir together.
9. Pour the egg mixture into the baking dish.
10. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes – or until the eggs are cooked (test with a fork..)

Coconut oil

Some good reading for the 17th day of the challenge. Also, it will give you something to think about while doing the Crossfit Games Open 11.2 workout. Longest 15 minutes of your life... Hahaha!

 Click on the picture to view this awesome article :)

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone.

IWC Day 16!

I love meat delivery day:)

Riceless Jambalaya - IWC Day 15

I made this one pot dish this past Friday night for some fellow PCF'ers and the result was a completely empty pot.

Many of you may or may not know that I have a professional cooking background, so I cook by instinct using my all my senses to gauge flavor. I don't really follow a recipe, nor do I measure, so I apologize in advance if the amounts seem "off." Cooking in pro kitchens we mesure by weight, not by volume, so my estimates will be by weight or by the each whenever possible.  Have faith that if you make it with love, it will be delicious.

6 chicken thighs (I leave the skin on. FAT=FLAVOR!!!)
4 chicken breasts (See above^^)
1# Andouille sausage (see Courtneyrose)
1# 30-40 peeled, raw Shrimp (this means there are 30-40 shrimp in a pound- it's the size of the shrimp)
4 Celery stalks
2 Green Bell peppers
1/2 large yellow onion
2 med. tomatoes, diced.
5 cloves of garlic
2 bay leaf
1 teaspoon of Worchestershire (I actually omitted this, but it's probably tasty)
1/2 bottle of lousianna hot sauce (I like it hot :)
1 tbls Coconut Oil
2 tablespoons of Creole Seasoning (recipe below. You can buy premade Creole seasoning, but I recommend making your own so you can control your sodium content)

Dice/Chop all veg into 3/4" pieces. Set aside.
"Smash" garlic. Set aside.
Slice andouille into pieces. Set aside.
Cut chicken breast into 1" cubes. Split the thighs into 3 pieces, using a meat cleaver. Or you can slice the meat off the bone. Sprinkle Creole Seasoning onto meat and massage the seasoning into the chicken. Yes, touch your meat!!!

Heat coconut oil in heavy bottom pot. Brown the sausage. Remove from pot. Add dice onion, bell pepper and celery. Saute over med-high heat, stirring constantly, for 5 mins or until onion is translucent. Add garlic. Once the garlic is"fragrant," add tomatoes and bay leaves. Stir well, scraping the bottom of the pan so you can loosen all the tasty, crusty bits of flavor.

Add all seasoned chicken pieces to the pot. Return sausage to pot as well. Add enough water to barely cover the meat. Add hot sauce to your taste (1/2 bottle was perfect!!!). Bring to boil, then drop heat to medium and "half" cover the pot, so water can evaporate and intensify the flavors.

Simmer for about 20 mins. Taste the broth. Test for salt and heat. Adjust as necessary. Stir in raw shrimp. Re-half cover and let the shrimp cook through, less than 10 mins.

NOw eat it!!

This recipe will feed 5-6 hungry Crossfitters :)

~Assassin

Creole Seasoning a la Emeril Lagasse:

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt (You may omit this!!)
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Thai Green Curry

I've been on a curry kick so I made this the other night and it was delicious. I got the recipe from everydaypaleo.com. I didn't use all of the same ingredients they used, but it still turned out wonderful. 

Thai Green Curry

1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into bite size pieces (I used cod fish. Random, but that's what I had thawed)
2 carrots, diced
1/2 a large head of green cabbage, shredded (I used cauliflower)
3 cups crimini mushrooms (Used zucchini instead.)
1 can coconut milk
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon Thai curry paste (if you are using red paste, start with 1/2 a tablespoon and add more later if you want it spicier – this stuff has a kick!  If you use the green paste, I actually use 3 to 3 1/2 tablespoons because it’s much milder and we like the extra kick – experiment and find the amount that works for you!) (I used red)
1-2 splashes of fish sauce or more to taste
1-2 splashes of coconut aminos or more to taste (didn't have this)
Cilantro (totally forgot I had this on hand)

In a large soup pot add the coconut milk and curry paste, mix until blended and bring to a boil.  Turn down to low and simmer for 5 minutes.  While the coconut milk and curry are simmering, dice up your chicken and chop your veggies.  Add the chicken, carrots, chicken broth, fish sauce, and coconut aminos to the coconut milk curry – mix well and simmer for another 10 minutes.  Add the cabbage and mushrooms and cook for another 3-5 minutes or until the cabbage is tender.  Top with diced cilantro.

IWC Day 12

Heading into weekend number two!  Keep the great posts coming!

Deniz's Famous Old School Meat Sauce Recipe

Go Italian tonight. Enjoy some delicious spaghetti squash with this fantastic meat sauce, compliments of our very own Deniz!

Deniz's Famous Old School Meat Sauce Recipe

2 lbs of ground beef/bison
1 medium size brown or yellow onion
Finely chopped garlic to taste- (i believe the miracles of garlic, hence I use 8-10 cloves of garlic.)
2 cups of tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
black pepper
salt
coconut oil

heat the coconut oil
add onions, cook until soft (very slightly brown)
add the meat
mix/stir on medium heat medium for a minute or until all ingredients are completely mixed (1 min)
add garlic, salt, pepper
mix/stir on medium heat medium for a minute or until all ingredients are completely mixed (1 min)
add the tomatoe sauce/crushed tomatoes
mix/stir on medium heat medium for a minute or until all ingredients are completely mixed (2 min)

bring to medium/low heat
cover
cook for 35-45 min

add the chopped cilantro- this is the secret:)
mix

serve over spaghetti squash (click here to see how to prepare spaghetti squash!)

Fried Egg and Kale Salad

Every once and awhile I'll open the fridge and realize that I forgot to put some meat out to thaw. It's late, I'm starving and I definitely don't want to go pick up food. This is when eggs seem to save the day. I made a massive salad using the kale from the market order, ,bacon pieces, walnuts, olive oil and the juice from 1/2 an orange. Served it with a side of fried egg and SHABAM!

I was unusually hungry tonight so I ended up eating a small sweet potato, too. :( But the main course was simple and quick and satisfying.  Perhaps I'll have another fried egg to get some more protein in there. Sometimes you just have to improvise.

IWC Day 9 on the books!

We should get together around the dinner table more often...

Baked Apples

Baked Apples
(modified from simplyrecipes.com using stevia as a natural alternative for sugar)


Ingredients

* 4 large good baking apples, such as Rome Beauty, Golden Delicious, or Jonagold

* STEVIA -6 packets OR 1/2 tsp liquid
(conversions for 1/4 cup sugar. see conversion table & more stevia info @ cookingwithstevia.com)
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/4 cup chopped pecans
* 1/4 cup currants or chopped raisins
* 1 Tbsp butter
* 3/4 cup boiling water


1 Preheat oven to 375°F. Wash apples. Remove cores to 1/2 inch of the bottom of the apples. It helps if you have an apple corer, but if not, you can use a paring knife to cut out first the stem area, and then the core. Use a spoon to dig out the seeds. Make the holes about 3/4-inch to an inch wide.

2 In a small bowl, combine the stevia, cinnamon, currants/raisins, and pecans. Place apples in a 8-inch-by-8-inch square baking pan. Stuff each apple with mixture. Top with a dot of butter (~1/4 of the Tbps).

3 Add boiling water to the baking pan. Bake 30-40 minutes, until tender, but not mushy. Remove from the oven and baste the apples several times with the pan juices.

Serve warm.

(full write up: livebeautifull.blogspot.com :)

IWC Day 8 - Chicken Pesto [no] Pasta!

Spaghetti Squash is the new black.

...and it has become a staple in my freezer. Make large batch, separate servings into freezer baggies and take them out whenever to accompany with stir fry's, fish, chicken, sauces....whatever!

Spaghetti Squash how to video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1dcMKCaXWw&feature=related


Farmgirl's Full Flavor Pesto ( slighty modified from: www.farmgirlfare.com)

Makes about 1½ cups pesto

1/2 cup (about 2½ ounces) raw or roasted whole almonds
4 ounces fresh basil leaves (about 4 cups packed. but it's best if you weigh it)
3 to 6 large cloves garlic, peeled
10 ounces fresh tomatoes (about 3 smallish) any kind, quartered
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or more if desired
1 1/2 lbs chicken breast (precooked and cut in bite size pieces)

Process almonds and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the basil, tomatoes, and salt and process until thoroughly combined and the consistency you like.

With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil through the chute. Add more salt to taste if necessary and more olive oil if desired.

Mix Chicken and pesto into saucepan to marinate/warm.

SERVE over spaghetti squash!

www.livebeautifull.blogspot.com

One Week In!

One day at a time is all it takes.  Soon it is one week, one month and one year.  The only constant is change.  The journey is the destination.  You know the story!  Work hard to improve one day at a time and you might be surprised how quick things start to happen!

 

From the Vault:  Diso circa 1999, looks like some late night BBQ!

Day 6 and Counting

Happy Saturday!  Stay strong through the weekend!

Day 5 already!

There are so many great blogs out there supporting the Paleo lifestyle.  Be sure to use them as guidelines and ideas.  A great site that can be used as a starting point is Foodee.com.  They link to all types of great Paleo websites and have a great search function.  Have fun hunting and gathering!

Roasted Curry Salmon with Tomatoes

For some reason I was compelled to buy grape tomatoes at TJ's last night. There were so many, they must have just gotten a shipment in. I don't even know what they taste like, honestly. I was gonna put them in my scrambled eggs... and then I found this recipe. It was meant to be, right?

There are so many ways to cook salmon, that's why I love it so much. You can have a completely different meal using the same fish and it's so quick and easy to make. Prepare, pop it in the oven and then go do laundry, hop in the shower, check PCF's blog, read an article about the paleo diet, whatever. So... pick some grape tomatoes up from TJ's and try this recipe out, I'm sure it's delish!

Roasted Curry Salmon with Tomatoes

1 pint grape tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

kosher salt and black pepper

1 1 1/2-pound skinless salmon fillet

2 teaspoons curry powder

1/4 cup torn fresh basil

Heat oven to 400º F. 

Meanwhile, on a rimmed baking sheet, toss the tomatoes, oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.

Nestle the salmon among the tomatoes. Season with the curry powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Roast until opaque throughout, 15 to 18 minutes.

Sprinkle with the basil and serve! 

Bacon and Guacamole Sammies

Most of you embarking on this challenge are probably finding yourself more hungry than normal. To keep yourself from reaching for sugar, try these bacon and guacamole sammies from fitbomb.com. These are the ice cream sandwiches of the Crossfit world. My mouth is watering as I type this and I'm tempted to stay up late just to make them. Holy Moly Guacamole! I typically like to add onions, cilantro, tomatoes, etc to my guacamole but if you're short on time... here is a simple recipe.

Ingredients:
4 strips of thick-cut, nitrate-free bacon
1 medium-sized Haas avocado
1 lime
salt to taste

Mash up the flesh of half an avocado, and cut up the other half into half-inch cubes. Then mix both halves together in a bowl to get a nice blend of chunky 'n creamy. Flavor it with a squirt or two of lime juice and a generous pinch of salt. Enjoy!

IWC Challenge Day 2: The adventure Continues

A lot of people get stuck in the what you can't eat mindframe, but there are so many different foods you can try! Go to your local farmers market and see for yourself! Go online and make a recipe that sounds interesting. A classic example is using different root vegetables to substitute

for potatoes, such as: sweet potatoes, parsnips, celery root, rutabaga, turnips and kolrabi. I didn't even know those things existed a couple years ago and I am still discovering new things I love today!



Food is an adventure, embrace it! Just be sure to share your moments of glory and defeat in the comments below:)

Day 1 of the IWC Challenge!

Day 1

The IWC Challenge starts today! Time to get into the game, mentally and physically. The first couple weeks will be mostly a mental challenge (the hardest kind). Then after that, you'll begin to see how changing your diet has helped you gain so many strengths, physically. I hope everyone is as pumped as I am.

If you need to refer to the challenge rules or for a brush up on what is paleo and what is zone, click here and it will take you to Diso's post on 3/11/11. That post best explains everything. If you've been sitting on the fence about whether or not you want to participate... don't be a pansy, just do it. It's completely worth it. Now is the perfect time because there are so many other PCFers who will be suffering the same pain. The suck brings us all together.

Also, use this blog as a forum to share what you are experiencing. People love to hear how others are doing. Best way to keep track of your progression is to post EVERYDAY what you are eating, what you are struggling with, what parts are surprisingly easy, etc! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. :)

Good luck and happy eating!

In the kitchen with Charlie Sheen!

For those of you who need help in the kitchen... watch, listen and learn.

"My body is a lock box of diamonds, uranium and assasin nobility."

Have a lovely paleo weekend. :)

Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Bake

I won't lie... I rarely cook chicken because it scares me. I'm trying to get over that fear of  "is it cooked all the way?", "am I going to get sick?"... yada yada yada. I found this recipe on everydaypaleo.com and decided to give it a go. Well, it turned out delicious. I DID cook it a little bit longer than the recipe called for to be on the safe side but, hey, it's the beginning of my new relationship with chicken.

Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Bake

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half (I used the organic free range chicken breast tenders from Trader Joe’s)

8.5oz jar of julliane cut sun dried tomatoes

8 garlic cloves, sliced thin

2 tablespoons dried basil

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375. Place the chicken breasts in a large glass baking dish.  Sprinkle with the dry spices and mix well.  Sprinkle the sliced garlic on top and spread the sun dried tomatoes and the olive oil that it’s in the jar over the entire dish.  Seal tightly with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes (I've found that if you cover any meat dish you are baking with foil, it stays super tender instead of drying out, just a side note). Remove the tin foil and bake for another 15 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle.

I tossed the kale and strawberries we got in this week's market order to make a simple, yet yummy salad. I thought perhaps I would need to add a dressing but the strawberries were so sweet that all I added were blueberries, walnut pieces and olive oil. It was a great compliment to the SD tomatos. 

Enjoy!

The western diet and lifestyle and diseases of civilization

For all of you paleolithic nerds out there, here is a great article I found today. MORE IMPORTANTLY, if you're new to this paleo thing... you should read it, too. Then read it again in a month. It's on scientific side; sometimes you have to take that stuff in small doses.  (Click below)

"The Western Diet and Lifestle and Diseases of Civilization"

FAUX PHO {Sphaghetti Squash}

A delicious soup incorporating Spaghetti Squash as noodles! Here's the quick glance recipe:

In a CROCK POT: (modified from recipe book PRETTY DELICIOUS by Candice Kumai)

-Chicken Broth (4 cups)
-Garlic (3 cloves finely minced)
-Ginger (2-3 teaspoons grated)
-Shitake Mushrooms (~7 shitake mushrooms chopped)
-Celery (~2-3 stalks sliced)
-Carrots (1 large sliced)
-Salt (1 teaspoon)
-Soy Sauce (optional-low sodium-2 tablespoons)

PRE MAKE:
*boiled eggs
*bake Spaghetti Squash (for noodles)

*** @ serving time, add in (all items optional):
-Fresh Spinach leaves
-EGG (Pre-boiled, cut in half, for added protein
-Sprinkle with chopped scallions
- 1/2- 1 cup of cooked SPAGHETTI SQUASH as noodles.

Bon appetite!
(check out www.livebeautifull.blogspot.com for full recipe blog)

Scotch Eggs

I saw this recipe for "Scotch Eggs" the other day on sweetcheekshq.com and it was the most beautiful plate of food I had seen in awhile. I'm all about breakfast... and you should be too. Try these scotch eggs and enjoy.

Click here for recipe.

Also, see C-Rose for some good quality sausage from Jodi Maroni's Sausage Kingdom or see Diso, if you're interested in ordering discounted grassfed meat! 

Upcoming Event ALERT! -
Diane Sanfilippo, a Holistic Nutritionist specializing in Paleo nutrition, blood sugar regulation, food allergies and digestive health will be holding a Practical Paleo Nutrition Workshop on April 2nd in Irvine (hosted by Crossfit Irvine). If you have no idea who she is, check out her website, balancedbites.com. She is well known in the paleo world and I gaurantee you that this workshop will be awesome.

Click here for more info on how to register. :)

Squash that spaghetti!

I made my first paleo version of spaghetti tonight. It was a success!!! The squash was surprisingly a great substitute for noodles. So happy, spaghetti is such a delicious dish. 

Preparing the squash

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Cut squash in half (lengthwise). Gut out the seeds. Place cut-side down in a baking dish. Cover with foil (important, helps it get soft) and bake for 45 minutes. Turn over after 45 minutes, add about 1/2 inch of water and cook for 10-15 more. When it's done, fill the dish with a little bit more water and fork the squash out of the shell and into the dish. Using a fork, separate the pieces of squash.

Ingredients for sauce: (please feel free to experiment here, I added broccoli)

1 lb ground beef (I made meatballs, but regular "meat sauce" style works too!)
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 14 oz can diced or crushed fire roasted tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
2 tsp dried oregano
pinch of dried rosemary, optional
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes
1 tsp sea salt


Heat the olive oil and brown the ground beef, onions, and garlic over medium heat. Add all the remaining ingredients. Bring to a bubble, partially cover and simmer on low heat for 35 minutes. Place sauce over your noodles and ENJOY!

How to Keep Feces Out of Your Bloodstream!

The name of this article alone should make you want to read it. (Not just because it contains an awesome excerpt from Robb Wolf's book.)  If you have started to read a bit about the Paleo diet and are wondering why grains are so bad... here is a great explaination. It's a long article but it outlines everything perfectly.

Click HERE!

Also, if you haven't already, go buy Robb Wolf's book, "The Paleo Solution." It's a great read. He'll answer all of you questions. You can also find a crap load of information on his website, robbwolf.com (includes some awesome podcasts as well).

Ok, enough promotion that I'm not getting paid for... read this and get smart!

And remember... Bacon is RAD, Gluten is BAD!