Cereal!!!

One of the things I really miss is CEREAL!!! And I miss everything about it!!! I could eat a big bowl of cereal for every meal and be just happy. And my body would be miserable :-) therefore, I knew I had to come up with something acceptable!

Ingredients:
• Sliced almonds
• Coconut flakes
• Unsweetened banana chips
• Berries (I used strawberries, blueberries, black berries, raspberries, and mango!)
• coconut milk

Put all ingredients in a bowl and enjoy!

Whole30 - Day 8

Day 8 went really well! I am really feeling great and I know this is my bodies way of thanking me for eating the way we were designed to eat.

I actually came up with a tasty breakfast! I bought some shredded cabbage from whole foods and sauteed it in s little coconut oil. Then I threw in some (cooked) turkey bacon and finished it off with a hard boiled egg. I loved it, and it kept me full until lunch.

Breakfast: Cabbage mix
Lunch: Grilled chicken, sweet potato, green beans
Dinner: Herb crusted rotisserie chicken (Whole Foods), steamed okra

I also bought some banana chips from whole foods for a "cereal" that I planned on making for breakfast the following morning. The good thing about the banana chips: only 2 ingredients, bananas and coconut oil. The best thing about banana chips: tasty addition to grainless granola/cereal.

Whole30 - Weekend (Day 5, 6, 7)

If we are talking about food, only, my first weekend on Whole30 was a success!! I ate really well - most of my meals consisted of leftovers from the week, Whole Foods hot bar, chili (or rather ground beef, tomatoes and onion in a bowl :) etc. We even had "Cheat Night" at a Mexican restaurant with Iron Tribe and I stuck to lettuce, chicken, and pico. It was so much fun hanging out with all my friends from ITF, outside  of the gym! And, it was kind of odd seeing the girls with their hair down and make up on! Ha. I hope your weekend was good, as well!

Whole30 - Day 4

Breakfast: Chicken & Egg Frittata. I am still not tired of this!!! Love it.
Lunch: Leftover Pistachio pesto chicken pasta
Dinner: Captain chicken with Greek broccoli

Captain Chicken

The following recipe is adapted from the cookbook Well Fed. If you don't already have it, you should buy it. Every single recipe (except 1) is Whole30 friendly. And the ingredients in the one exception are actually squeaky clean. The only reason it isn't Whole30 approved is because it is a paleo-fied version of cobbler. And we aren't paleo-fying anything for 30 days, now are we?! :-)

Ingredients:

Ready to go in the oven

• 3 strips of high quality bacon
• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 3 large bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 3 gloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp raisins
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp curry powder
• 3 Tbsp toasted almonds, sliced

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cut the bacon crosswise into 1/4 inch wide pieces. Place the chopped bacon in a cold skillet, turn the heat to medium high, and fry the bacon until it's crispy. Remove bacon from pan and drain on a paper towel
3. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the coconut oil to the bacon fat in the pan. Add the chicken in a single layer, smooth side down - DON'T CROWD THE PAN! Work in batches if you need to, or use two pans. You want the chicken to form a crisp, brown, crust, so leave it alone for about 4 minutes per side. As the chicken browns, remove from pan and place in a (single) layer in a 13x9 baking dish
4. In the same pan, without draining any remaining fat, saute the onions, peppers, garlic and raisins until the veggies begin to soften. Spread them on top of the chicken and return the skillet to the stove
5. Pour the chicken broth into the hot skillet and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits. Add the curry powder to the pan and stir until the sauce begins to thicken, about 2 mins. Pour the sauce over the chicken and wrap the pan tightly with aluminum foil
6. Bake for 35 minutes, then remove the foil, increase the heat to 400 degrees, and bake an additional 5-10 minutes. Before serving, sprinkle with bacon and almonds.

I served this with Greek Broccoli!

Crossfit Games 2012

So today marks the first official day of the Crossfit Games 2012. The Games eventually name the Fittest Man and Woman on earth, and they host an Open to prove this. It is a pretty awesome idea, actually. ANYONE in the world can register for the Open. As of Tuesday at 9 AM, 46,253 people had signed up - and on Monday alone 4,000 people signed up. I can only imagine what the number is like now. Athletes have until Sunday to sign up, when the first WOD is required to be submitted by. Every Wednesday, for 5 weeks, a new WOD will be announced and you have until Sunday to submit your time/results. At ITF, we will be doing the Games WOD on Thursday. So, today's WOD is 7 minutes of burpees. Oh. My. Gosh. This is going to be brutal. Not to mention the fact that we did burpee's in yesterday's WOD, AND we will be doing burpee's in tomorrow's WOD. I hope we don't do burpee's again for the next 5 weeks!

I did not sign up for the Open, but Adam did and I am really excited to see how he ranks among the worlds greatest athletes. At the end of the Open, the top 60 men and 60 women will advance to the Regionals. And from the Regionals, the best will go on to The Games where the fittest man and women will be crowned Fittest on Earth! I will be sure to post back on how Adam is doing :)

The website is games.crossfit.com and you should take a look there!

Whole30 - Day 3

I snacked a little too much today. I think that they don't want you snacking on Whole30, but I did. It WAS all paleo - just a few macadamia nuts, and a few pieces of butternut squash and parsnips as I was cooking dinner. I wasn't even hungry. I just snacked because it was right in front of me. This is something that I continually struggle with and I am working on it. Tomorrow I'm going to ensure that my meals are large enough so I don't need to snack in the day. Wish me luck on Day 4!

Breakfast: Chicken & Egg Frittata
Lunch: Left over Date & Shallot rosemary chicken
Dinner: Pistachio Pesto Chicken Pasta

Pistachio Pesto Chicken Pasta

So I made another one of Juli's creations from over at paleomg.com. You should really check her blog out. Her food is amazing. She is amazing. I wish we were friends :)

The pesto was such a nice touch to the typical spaghetti squash and chicken. I cannot remember the last time I have had pesto and I have  NEVER actually made it before. It was easy.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium spachetti squash
• 1 lb chicken, sliced - I used tenders
• 2/3 cups pistachios, unsalted and shelled
• 1/2 cup basil leaves
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil (+ or - depending on preference)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Cut spaghetti squash in half, lenthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the excess seeds and place open side down on a baking sheet. Sprinkle some water around the squash and cook for 25 minutes.
3. While the squash cooks, put pistachios in a food processor and pulse
4. Add garlic and basil to food processor and combine
5. While processing, add the olive oil slowly until the pesto becomes your preference of "thickness" and then add lemon juice
6. Heat up a large skillet under medium heat with a Tbsp of olive oil. Add chicken along with some S & P and cook chicken on both sides until almost cooked through, then add pesto to the pan
7. Coat chicken in pesto
8. When the spaghetti squash is done cooking and has cooled, use a fork to pull the threads out of the squash and place directly into your pesto chicken pan
9. Combine all together
10. Add to bowl, top with some leftover chopped pistachios
11. Enjoy!!!

I served this with a side of roasted butternut squash and cinnamon parsnips. I wish I would have made a little more pesto to save as a dip for my raw veggies!

Whole30 - Day 2

Day 2 went just as well as Day 3. I did feel a little hungry around 4:00 so I ate a small portion of pureed sweet potato's. It was actually baby food. Don't gag - it was actually decent and the few bites held me over until dinner.

Here are my meals for the day:

Breakfast: Chicken & Egg Frittata
Lunch: Left overs - ground meat with a salad and tomato sauce
Dinner: Date & Shallot Rosemary Chicken

Date & Shallot Rosemary Chicken

I wasn't so sure how Adam would react to this recipe since he is not the biggest fan of dates :) however, I love them so I attempted to change his mind. He did eat a few bites of them, so I think I was pretty successful! You can find the original recipe here. The chicken had a really nice flavor with the combo of different oils and vinegar's. Oftentimes, chicken will get over cooked and tough, but not these guys!!!!

Ingredients:

• ~ 2 lbs chicken breasts (I use and love the thin cut breasts from Publix!)
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
• 5 medjool dates, pitted and diced
• dried rosemary, as much or little as you like :)
• 3 Tbsp EVOO
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• S & P to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Place chicken in large glass baking dish
3. Top chicken with shallots and dates
4. Sprinkle with rosemary
5. Finish off by pouring the EVOO, balsamic and apple cider vinegar over chicken. Top with S & P
6. Bake for 30 minutes

I served this dish with a pear and butternut squash puree. It wasn't very good so I ate an extra portion of dates and chicken :) Oh the dates are SO good! They have a nice crunch and yet are chewy. They are sweet yet have a tang from the vinegar.....yum - I am glad I made enough for lunch leftovers!!!!

Whole30 - Day 1

Day 1 of the Whole30 program was good! It seems that all "programs/challenges/diets" start off that way. Ha. I haven't felt the need to snack - I am really trying to discern between my cravings: am I bored, does my body actually need water, am I truly hungry?

Here is what my day of food was like:

Breakfast: Chicken and Egg Frittata with strawberries
Lunch: Blackberry BBQ chicken with roasted cauliflower and a couple strawberries
Dinner: Ground beef with tomato sauce, bellpepper, and a salad

Blackberry BBQ chicken

I know I seem to say this a lot, but I think I tasted the best BBQ chicken last night - and I made it!!!! Never in a million years would I think that I would be capable of preparing a dinner other than grilled cheese, pasta, or pot roast. I literally surprise myself every night at how simple and fun cooking really is. I got the idea for a fruit BBQ from Juli's site at paleomg.com. I substituted the blueberries for blackberries, and the flavor was truly out of this world. I made enough for Adam and I to have leftovers for lunch, and I am so glad I did! The original recipe calls for maple syrup, but to make this okay by Whole30 standards, just leave it out! The fruit is actually sweet enough on its own - no need for added sweetener.

Sauce Simmering

Ingredients:

For the chicken;

• 2 lbs chicken. I used tenders but any cut will do
• 3 Tbsp bbq rub. Be sure to read the ingredients!
• 3 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp peper

For the BBQ sauce:

Seasoned Chicken

• 2 Tbsp EVOO
• 1/2 large sweet onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 1/2 cups blackberries
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup coconut aminos
• 1 Tbsp BBQ rub
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

Instructions:

Chicken Cooking

1. Heat EVOO in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onion. Cook for about 8 minutes
2. Add tomato sauce, blackberries, coconut aminos, bbq rub and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes
3. While the sauce is doing it's thing, heat a non stick skillet over medium heat. Heavily coat chicken with seasonings. If you need more seasonings, add more.
4. Place chicken in hot skillet and spoon some sauce over chicken
5. Turn chicken over at about the 5 minute mark and cook until done.
6. Plate cooked chicken with lots of BBQ sauce

I served mine with roasted broccoli and cauliflower with a little turkey bacon. 

Dinner is Served!

Chicken & Egg Frittata

Breakfast is the one meal that I struggle with most. Dinner is easy for me, and lunch is usually left over dinner or a big salad. But breakfast......I'm always rushed to get out the door in the mornings so I usually just boil an egg the night before and eat that with a piece of fruit. It will last me until lunch, but can get kind of boring. And I am trying to lose a few pounds, so I need to watch my fruit consumption. I recently learned that if you are trying to lose weight, limit your fruits. When you do eat fruit, stick to melons and berries. So, I will still have some fruit, but I am changing up my fruit choices. I cooked something Sunday night that will last me through the week....and it is so good and flavorful.

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 1 1/2 Tbsp red onion, minced
• 3 Tbsp green bell pepper, minced
• 1 heaping handful of shredded carrots
• 1 small handful chopped broccoli
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• 12 oz cooked, shredded chicken
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• S & P to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a non stick skillet saute onion, bell pepper, carrots, broccoli and garlic until veggies are soft, approx 8-10 minutes
3. Add chicken to skillet, continue to cook
4. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and coconut milk until combined
5. Pour egg mixture in skillet and stir until eggs are combined
6. Transfer egg and veggie mixture to a greased 8x8 pan. Season top with S&P
7. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn oven to broil for 5 minutes until edges are slightly brown

Breakfast :-)

Whole30 Challenge

Starting today, I am doing the Whole30 challenge. This is a 30 day challenge where I will, in a nut shell, be eating only whole-foods. This will consist of lots of meat, veggies, some fruit, nuts and seeds. I will not be eating any dairy, grains, soy, etc. For the next 30 days, I invite you to join me as we reset our brains and bodies to eat healthy again. I have included a link below that goes into greater detail on this challenge. The website is full of great information and can answer any question you may have. Feel free to email me if you want more info or have any questions - leesa.jernigan@gmail.com !

http://whole9life.com/2012/01/whole-30-v2012/

Breakfast Sandwich

I had quite a few Paleo Buns leftover from Valentine's Day. I didn't want them all to go to waste, so I made a pretty delicious breakfast sandwich, if I may say so myself :)

Ingredients:

• 1 Paleo Bun
• 1 egg
• A few pieces chopped lettuce
• A spoonful of organic salsa
• A dollop of raw sauerkraut

Instructions:

• Toast paleo bun in toaster oven for a couple mins
• Prepare egg to your liking
• Layer egg, lettuce, salsa, and kraut on bun and ENJOY!  

Taco Salad

Need a quick and easy meal? I did and so I threw together some ingredients and out came an awesome taco salad.

I served this "meat sauce" on a bed of lettuce and topped it with this guacamole. 

Meat Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2  6oz cans of organic tomato sauce
• Favorite herbs - I used basil, oregano, rosemary

Instructions:

1. Brown meat over medium heat
2. Remove from skillet and saute garlic and bell pepper for approx 6 mins
3. Add back meat to pan. Add tomato sauce.
4. Simmer until heated through. Add herbs in about 5 minutes before serving.

Fun Food Friday's

I know that sweets (even Paleo ones!) should be NOT consumed on a regular basis. Treats are treats and should be treated as so (see, I DO love 'treats'.), but that doesn't mean they are not wonderful indulgences. And who am I kidding, I have the biggest sweet tooth! I should really try to avoid chocolate more than I do :)

Moving on... since I do, in fact, love chocolate, and my coaches at IronTribe, I decided to make them a little 'Paleo' treat for Valentines day. You know, to show my affection. I thought for a few days on the perfect treat to make and skimmed tons of recipes. I wasn't settled on any one recipe in particular, so I decided to combine a few of their ideas, with mine and make......Reese's Cups! Or, rather, a modification of them.

They are so simple, and so addictive. These are best if made for someone else so you don't eat them ALL. If you intend on making them for your household....well, I tried to warn you.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of Enjoy Life chocolate chips
• 1 cup almond butter (or any other nut butter, pecan would be good!)
• 1 Tbsp raw honey

You will also need mini cupcake wrappers or candy mold. The mini cupcake wrappers are so easy and less messy.

Instructions:

1. Melt chocolate in double broiler or microwave
2. Mix nut butter and honey until well combined
3. Line a muffin tin with the mini cupcake wrappers. Not necessary, but will make your life easier.
4. Pour a small amount of chocolate in the bottom of each wrapper. Just enough to cover the bottom. Freeze for 10 minutes
5. Form balls out of butter mixture and place on top of chilled chocolate in the mini cupcake wrappers. Be sure that there is chocolate visible around the edges. 
6. Pour chocolate to cover the nut butter in each mini cupcake wrapper.
7. Freeze for 10 minutes.

I like these best when served chilled, and this is now going to be my go-to dessert when I am cooking for others. Delish.

A Perfect Valentine's

Yesterday was Valentine's Day and my day could not have been better. It started out with a tough workout, with Adam, at IronTribe. I also took off half a day from work so I could get a head start on getting dinner prepared. It was SO much fun playing in the kitchen all afternoon. I wish I could do it full time. It has been such a nice surprise to enjoy and love cooking as much as I have found I do. Here is a peak into our Valentine's Day evening....

Adam is not a huge sweet/dessert fan. That doesn't mean he doesn't enjoy sweets, he just won't eat a lot of it....like me. Besides cooking him dinner, I wanted to get him a little something else. Adam does, however, LOVE fruit. So I made him a fruit basket filled with his fav's, and I searched all over the internet for the perfect, personal touch. Fruit stickers! They said : I'm going banana's over you, Orange you glad you're my valentine, I love you berry berry much, We make the perfect pear, You're so sweet, and You're the apple of my eye. I thought these were adorable! I also got him a card that said You > (cupcake). Because he is :)

I tried to make our dinner a little fancier for Valentine's Day. We cook a lot and because of that, I wanted last night to somehow be different than our typical night in. I thought that creating a menu would do the trick, so that is what I did! I came up with four courses to prepare for him.



 The first course was an assortment of cheddar cheese on (homemade!) Herb Crackers.






The second course was Chicken Salad Crostini. This is basically toasted "bread" topped with chicken salad. Again, all homemade!  





For the third course, which was the entree, I cooked Duck!! My dad had gone bird hunting a few weekends ago and brought us back duck, quail, and chucker. Adam and I thought that duck would be good for our special Valentine's day dinner. It turned out great, although I think I cooked it about 3 minutes too long. I served it with sauteed apples and roasted broccoli.



The last course was dessert, and it was amazing!!!!!!! Chocolate & Raspberry Pot de Creme is a treat that I will someday make again. Although it is technically Paleo, it should still be considered as a treat and therefore I can't make it ALL the time! Because I would eat it constantly. I saw this on The Food Lover's page (link on the right) and knew I had to give it a try. Adam really loved this as well and was excited when I told him that there were 2 more ramekins in the fridge :) And that says a lot considering he doesn't eat too many treats!

He also surprised me with some beautiful roses and an awesome apron. It was so appropriate since I am cooking so much now, and I tend to make a mess when I do :) We had a wonderful Valentine's day together and I hope you had a good one, too!

Chocolate and Raspberry Pot de Creme

Ingredients:

• 6 oz good quality dark chocolate, chopped into bite-size pieces
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup of coconut milk
• Fresh raspberries

Instructions:

1. Blend chopped dark chocolate, eggs, and vanilla in a food processor until smooth
2. In a small saucepan heat coconut milk until almost boiling. You will see steam rising from the milk, but it should not be bubbling yet.
3. Slowly pour the scalded coconut milk into the food processor and process until smooth
4. Place 4 fresh raspberries in the bottom of  four 4 oz ramekins
5. Pour chocolate mixture into the ramekins. Raspberries should be covered
6. Cover each ramekin with foil and chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
7. Garnish with fresh raspberries before serving

Pan Seared Duck

Can you see the little pellet holes?!?

Ingredients:

• 4 skin-removed, bone-in duck breasts
• 2 1/2 Tbsp paprika
• 2 Tbsp salt
• 2 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp pepper
• 1/4 Tbsp cayenne pepper (bc I'm a wuss)
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp dried thyme
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all spices together and season duck
2. Add olive oil to saute pan over medium high heat
3. Once hot, sear duck, breast side down, for 6 minutes
4. Flip duck over and place on baking sheet
5. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes

Chicken Salad Crostini

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken breasts
• 3 slices sugar and gluten free bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/4 cup dried basil
• Garlic Mayonnaise
• Sundried tomatoes, for garnish
• Paleo Buns, halved 

Instructions:

1. Wash chicken and cook over medium high heat until done throughout
2. Shred chicken into large bowl and add bacon, basil, and garlic mayo
3. Lightly toast the paleo buns. Top each half with chicken salad and top with sundried tomatoes

Paleo Garlic Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp ground mustard
• 1 cup Macadamia Nut oil
• 1 Tbsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 Tbsp dried basil
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. In a food processor, process egg, lemon juice and ground mustard
2. Slowly add in oil while processing to emulsify. This needs to be done VERY slowly. It will take some time. If you add in the oil too fast, it will not emulsify and the mayo will be ruined. 
3. Add S&P, rosemary, and basil and process until smooth

Paleo Buns

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 2 Tbsp coconut flour
• 1 Tbsp dried rosemary
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 5 eggs
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 Tbsp honey

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flours, rosemary, salt, baking soda)
3. In food processor, process eggs, honey, and apple cider vinegar. Add dry ingredients to food processor and process until well incorporated. Transfer to mixing bowl and add coconut oil. Stir until well blended.
4. Use a medium sized cookie scoop and drop scoops of dough onto baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Makes about 12 buns

Herb Crackers

Ingredients:

• 2 cups almond flour
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 Tbsp herb/spice of choice
• I used equal portions of Pizza Seasoning and Rosemary
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 egg white
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp coconut oil, melted

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Combine dry ingredients (flour, salt, herbs/spices) in mixing bowl
3. Whisk wet ingredients (water, egg white, oils) in small bowl
4. Incorporate wet ingredients into dry and combine well
5. Place dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll out to an even thickness, roughly the thickness of a cracker
6. Using a sharp knife, or pizza cutter if you have one, trim uneven edges of dough, then cut the sheet of dough into cracker size squares
7. Bake for 10 minutes. Then turn oven off and let crackers sit inside oven for an additional 10 minutes.

Crock Pot Short Ribs and a WOD rant.

So, yesterday I did something crazy. Something I have never done before, and I probably won't do it again any time soon. :) I did a WOD.....twice in the same day!!! Yesterday was the grand opening of IronTribe's downtown location and I just HAD to be there in the morning for the very first WOD. I have WOD'ed with the morning coach and I know that I really enjoy his coaching style, but I have never WOD'ed with the evening coach; therefore, I wanted to go to the night class, too, so I could see how I meshed with that coach. I also wanted to try the evening out because I figured that class was when some of my 280 friends would show up. I also thought it would be interesting to see how I performed in the morning vs. evening. I will say that in the morning, I felt a little more weak and dehydrated than I am used to feeling since I mainly WOD in the evening. I did beat my morning time by THREE seconds! Ha. I also really enjoyed the evening coach (not that I expected any different) so now I'm going to have to split my time evenly :)

Knowing that I would be WODing twice, and that I probably wouldn't be up for cooking, I whipped out the ol' crock pot sunday night. I really like using the crock pot over night, instead of during the day, because when it is done in the morning, I can just throw it in tuper ware and warm it up that night for dinner. I can also go ahead and clean it that morning and so I have very little to do at night. It's really refreshing. Whole Foods was having a sale on Short Ribs, and I knew they would be excellent cooking for a long period of time in the crock pot. And I was correct!! They were so tender, that when I pulled them out of the crock pot, the meat literally slid right off the bone. During dinner, Adam made it clear that he wanted me to flag this recipe as a very-successful one and to blog about it so we would always have this recipe on hand. He loved it :) and that makes me happy.

Ingredients:

• 2.5 lbs short ribs
• Coconut oil
• 1 15oz can organic tomato sauce
• 4 cloves smashed garlic (just smash with back of spoon)
• 1/2 TBSP dried basil
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Heat coconut oil in skillet on high heat
2. Sear all sides of meat for approx 1 min/side
3. Transfer ribs to crock pot and season generously with S&P
4. Place garlic directly on meat along with basil
5. Cover ribs with tomato sauce
6. Cook on low for 9 hours

I served this dish with green beans and a few berries. The green beans were very simple as well. Since it's Valentines Day, here is a recipe for the green beans :)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb green beans, washed and trimmed
• 2 TBSP pine nuts
• coconut oil
• S&P to taste

Preparation:

1.  Heat saucepan of water until boiling
2. Meanwhile, heat coconut oil in small skillet over medium heat
3. Once skillet is hot, add pine nuts and, stirring occasionally, saute until they begin to brown
4. Once water boils, add green beans and cook for 6 minutes
5. When green beans are finished season with S&P, transfer to plate and top with pine nuts.

The Perfect Omelet

So apparently, people have been making omelet's like this for ever. I am not sure how I only discovered this since my introduction to Paleo last August. Thanks for keeping me in the dark.

Nevertheless, these omelet's really are perfect. They are so simple, so fast, so tasty...so perfect. I will make these in the morning when I am getting ready for work as they do not require any supervision. Again, perfect. Here is what you do-

Ingredients

• 1-3 eggs per omelet, depending on how hungry you are
• Zip lock bag (freezer bags are the best)
• Chopped veggies of choice. My favorites are bell pepper, broccoli, mushrooms
• Chopped meat of choice. Sausage is really yummy
• Of course the veggies and meat is optional

Preparation:

1. Boil a pot of water
2. Break eggs into zip lock bags. Add veggies and meat
3. Seal zip lock bag and get as much air out of it as possible
4. Squish eggs around to break them and mix in veggies and meat
5. Drop zip lock bag in boiling water. Boil for 13 minutes.

The omelet will literally roll out of the bag when it is finished. It's a beautiful thing. So beautiful that I forgot to snap a picture of the final product.

A couple of suggestions: If you are making these for multiple people, it is okay to put all baggies in the boiling water at the same time. If the bags contain different veggies/meats, be sure to mark the bag so you can identify who's is who's. Also, I found it easiest to put the zip lock bag inside a cup, so it stands up straight when cracking eggs and adding other ingredients to it.

Hope you enjoy!

Spice Crusted Turkey Cutlets

It has been a really long time since I have cooked with Turkey Breast. Publix sells turkey breast cutlets and so I picked some up the other day. I knew I would be serving this dish with plantain chips and a salad with berries, so I didn't want anything that was very overpowering. I sort of missed the mark, a little. I really loved the spice combo, I just used WAY too much. I ended up getting a squirt of gluten free dijon mustard to help calm down the flavor. I would definitely give this recipe a shot, my only suggestion would be to sprinkle the spice blend on, instead of dredge the turkey in it, like I did :)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of turkey breast cutlets
• 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil
•  1 Tbsp cumin
• 1 Tbsp coriander
• 1.5 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp ground mustard
• 1 tsp ground garlic
• S&P 

Preparation:

• Mix together spices and sprinkle them on both sides of turkey
• Heat oil over medium heat
• Add cutlets and cook, on each side, approx 4 minutes

Overall, this was actually a really good meal. I love to have colorful dinners and the plantain chips and berries on the salad made that happen!

Smoky Bacon Chili

I have officially made the best chili ever. I'm not kidding. This stuff was amazing. I adapted the recipe from my new favorite blog: paleomg.com. You should check it out. The writer is HILARIOUS and has so many good recipes. Back to the chili.....why is it so good? Well, it has bacon in it. We all know that bacon makes everything better. It also has a nice smoky flavor to it. I've never had chili that has had a smoky flavor, and now I will never make my chili without it. Adam loved this so much that he asked if we could run back to the store to buy more meat (I had all the veggies on hand) to make more. I laughed and promised him I would make some this weekend so we can freeze it and he can warm it up anytime he liked. He loved it, too :)
You will not regret making this. The only thing I would do, is double the recipe. You can't possibly make too much of this.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 6 slices of bacon, cubed
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (14oz) can of fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 (8oz) can of organic tomato sauce
• 1 TBSP garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 2 TBSP smoked paprika
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 sweet potatoes*

Preparation:

                 Here is a quote from the original recipe: "This really ain't that hard people. Check this out. I served my chili over sweet potatoes because I think I'm cool like that. So do it." - Couldn't have said it better myself.

1. Get a large pot and add cubed bacon to it. Let it cook until crispy
2. While bacon is cooking, chop up all the veggies
3. When the bacon has cooked, add the veggies and let cook for about 6 minutes. Add ground beef and spices
4. Mix well and let meat brown
5. Once brown, add the can of fire roasted tomatoes and tomato sauce. Mix well.
6. Cook on low, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, or until ready to serve.
7. While the chili is heating through, throw the sweet potatoes in the microwave and cook as directed
8. Cut the sweet potato in half, place in bowl, and pour chili on top.
9. Eat your heart out

*If I am cooking sweet potatoes to eat whole (not cutting up for fries, or something else) I will buy the kind from Publix that are wrapped in Siran Wrap. There are directions attached to the sweet potato on how to cook it - its only like 7 minutes. If you want to buy the regular sweet potatoes, you will need to cook them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. Make sure you poke some holes in the S.P. and this should be step 1.

Ginger garlic chicken

To be totally honest, I LOVED this chicken. It has a different flavor than I usually prepare. The skin got nice and crispy. The meat was tender and juicy. I adapted the recipe from The Food Lovers. You can get to their website on the right.

Ingredients:
• 5 chicken legs (leftovers!!!)
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 5 cloves garlic, minced (I used a little bit more because I love garlic that much)
• 1 Tbsp ginger
• 1/4 cup coconut aminos
• 1 tsp fish sauce, gluten free

Preparation
• Heat oven to 425
• In saucepan, melt coconut oil. Add garlic, ginger, aminos, and fish sauce
• Heat until mixture bubbles then remove from heat
• Place chicken legs in baking dish and pour sauce over meat
• Bake in oven for 45 mins or until done

I served this with my favorite broccoli. I also diced up 2 carrots I had in the fridge and added them in with the broccoli to roast. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

Tilapia Topped Salad

Below is a quick and tasty dinner I made the other night.

Ingredients:
• 2 tilapia filet's
• salt and pepper
• lettuce
• pear, sliced
• walnuts
• craisins
• dressing of choice

Preparation:
1) heat skillet over medium heat
2) season Tilapia with salt and pepper
3) cook Tilapia until done. Approx 6 mins on each side
4) arrange lettuce on plate and top with pear, walnuts, craisins, fish. Drizzle with dressing

Bell Pepper Fried Eggs

This morning at IronTribe was Bring A Friend Day. I knew that I would need a good breakfast to help me through the WOD, and I woke up feeling a little creative, which is SO rare, so I spruced up my normal eggs. Typically I scramble my eggs but decided that I wanted them fried!! Here is the creation:

Ingredients:
• 1 bell pepper, sliced into "flowers"
• 4 eggs (that's how many slices I got out of my bell pepper

Preparation:
1) heat skillet over medium heat
2) lay bell pepper flowers in skillet
3) crack egg inside bell pepper
4) cook for about 4 mins on each side or until done how you like

I served mine with chicken sausage and raw sourkraut This meal was a success and definitely got me through my early morning work out!

Turkey Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries

Do you ever get tired of eating the same meal?? There are only so many ways you can spruce up the ole turkey spaghetti (squash) recipe. I had some ground turkey in the fridge that I needed to use, but refused to make turkey spaghetti (squash) again. I decided to try something different, and just attempt to 'wing-it'. I came up with some delicious turkey burgers!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 egg
• 1/2 yellow onion, minced
• 2 celery stalks, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, minced
• 1 Tbsp Coconut Aminos
• Garlic powder, Sea Salt, and Pepper to taste (I didn't measure this, I just added what I thought was enough to season all the meat)
• Coconut Oil

Preparation:

1. Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl
2. Heat a stick skillet over medium heat and melt coconut oil
3. Make patties out of the meat
4. Cook patty for approx 6 minutes on each side, or until done

I also cooked up some sweet potato fries (and a Greek salad that will be posted later) to go along with the burgers. 

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• Sea salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Line a cookie sheet with foil
3. Toss sweet potato in oil and sprinkle with spices
4. Bake for approx 40 mins
5. If you'd like, broil for the last couple minutes