Salmon Cake's

Tuesday night's are Adam's bible study nights. He isn't home for dinner, so if I cook anything, it is something really easy and a lot of times not very glamorous. This week was no exception on the 'easy' part, but luckily it did turn out a bit glamorous! I plated the salmon cakes on top of some baby spinach and garnished with dried cranberries and a piece of bacon I cooked separately. I then cooked some asparagus in the bacon fat and I used a light dressing of EVOO and lemon juice to compliment the salmon.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sweet potato, mashed
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 6oz cans of salmon
• 3 slices uncooked bacon, diced small
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• zest 1/2 lemon
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp almond flour
• salt & pepper

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Patty the salmon mixture - this made 9 patties for me.
2. Heat a skillet over medium heat with some EVOO
3. Cook the patties for approx 3-4 minutes on each side. 
4. Enjoy!

A couple helpful hints: Wrap the sweet potato in plastic wrap and put it in the microwave for 7 minutes. You can then easily pull the skin away and remove the insides. Also, if you but the bacon in the freezer for about 10 minutes, this makes it much easier to dice the bacon.

Balsamic Steak with Garlic Zucchini

Quick and easy this recipe was! I am on a mission to get Adam to eat more veggies and so far I am doing a pretty good job (he even had asparagus for breakfast the other day!)! Here is a recipe for the meal I cooked recently and sure enough, Adam ate all his veggies :)

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp EVOO, divided
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 medium zucchini, cut into thin half-moons
• salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds london broil, or red meat of choice
• 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Instructions:

1. In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp EVOO over medium high. Add garlic and zucchini moons, season with salt and pepper to taste. Saute until zucchini is tender and starting to brown, approx 6 minutes. Remove from skillet.
2. Add remaining oil to the same skillet. Season meat with salt and pepper and cook until browned on all sides, approx 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil
3. Then, add balsamic vinegar, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper to same skillet. Cook, stirring, until reduced by half, approx 2 minutes. Drizzle balsamic reduction over steak and serve.

 I also baked sweet potato chips for an additional side.

Cherry Ice Cream

Ice cream was a staple in my house growing up. My family would have ice cream for dessert at least 3 times a week, and I am pretty sure my parents still do. I am not going to sit here and pretend that I haven't had real ice cream since deciding to eat paleo - because that would be a huge, and total, lie. I LOVE ice cream. But now, since I have this paleofied version, I don't feel as guilty indulging in my guilty pleasure! And one more thing, don't worry if you don't have an ice cream maker. I don't.

Ingredients:

• 3 frozen, ripe bananas, cut up
• 1 cup frozen cherries
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup coconut cream (chill a can of coconut milk, then scrape the cream off the top)

Instructions:

1. Place the bananas, cherries, vanilla, and coconut cream in a food processor
2. Process all the ingredients for 1-2 minutes or until consistency of soft serve
3. Scoop the ice cream into chilled bowls and consume immediately.

This recipe will make a decent amount, so put the remainder in tuperware and stick it in the freezer to enjoy later! Next on my list of flavors to try is cinnamon peach, strawberry, and chocolate chip-something.

Creamy Spaghetti Squash

One of the first "new foods" I learned about when I first researched Paleo was spaghetti squash. I am sure you all know what it is....but on the off chance you don't....spaghetti squash is a variety of squash that, when cooked, a fork can be used to shred the squash into spaghetti-like strings. The spaghetti squash has a really mild (almost bland) flavor that is a noodle substitute for all of us paleo-folk. There are probably a thousand recipes for Paleo Spaghetti that uses this type of squash, and I think I have made 100 of them.
Each recipe has been fine...but that is the problem, they were just "fine". No spaghetti squash recipe has ever made me jump up and down. I decided that I needed to try something different with spaghetti squash. And I hit a gold mine with this recipe! This was the perfect side dish and was rich and creamy - a combination I have really missed! This recipe makes a ton, which was fine by me! I ate on it for days :)

Ingredients:

• 1 spaghetti squash
• 6 strips of bacon (or more)
• 1 Tbsp arrowroot powder
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 6 eggs
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Instructions:

1. Cut the spaghetti squash in half*, scoop out the seeds, and place cut side down on a plate. Microwave for 10 minutes (this is much faster that 40 minutes in the oven!)
2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crispy. Once bacon is crispy, remove the bacon from heat and set aside.
3. In the same skillet over medium heat, whisk in the arrowroot powder to the bacon grease and let it cook for a few minutes.
4. While the arrowroot cooks and thickens, combine eggs, coconut milk, Italian seasoning, parsley, salt and garlic powder in a bowl until fully combined.
5. Pour egg mixture into skillet with arrowroot, stirring frequently, and cook eggs until cooked through, approx 3-5 minutes.
6. As the egg cooks, chop the cooked bacon.
7. Shred spaghetti squash with a fork to create "noodles" and add to large bowl. Add egg mixture to the bowl of noodles and mix to incorporate. Stir in bacon pieces
8. Enjoy as a side dish or even as breakfast!

Deconstructed Burger

This past weekend was a lot of fun. Saturday started out with a partner WOD and Adam and I partnered together. It was awesome getting to WOD with him because we don't get to do that much, anymore. We used to WOD at the same class time at the 280 location, but since the downtown location opened, I have started going there. I really miss having that time in the gym with him so Saturday was kind of special for me :) After the WOD, ITF offered a yoga class so I stuck around for that. We were pretty much all beginners and quite frankly it was humorous at times!  I think everyone that stayed really enjoyed it and I hope that ITF will begin to offer yoga more regularly. My friends and I were pretty hungry after all of that so we went and grabbed brunch at Another Broken Egg. I stayed paleo for that meal, ordering a grilled chicken breast, bacon, 1 egg, and some guacamole. However, I did enjoy a mimosa!! Saturday is usually my cheat day and after brunch, I totally indulged in some good cheats.
A group of us met up at Avondale Brewery and had several of their amazing beers followed by a no-way-was-it-even-close-to-paleo meal at Cocina Superior. I think the only thing that was remotely paleo in that meal was the veggies......that were smothered in cheese and wrapped in a tortilla. But man, was it good! I am all about an epic cheat meal every now and then!
On Sunday I was quickly reminded why I don't cheat (to this extent) very often, as I felt so bloated, groggy, sick, etc all day. In true fashion, the only thing I wanted to "help" cure the dreaded HO was a big burger!! I at least had sense enough to not drive to Milo's and instead made this amazing burger. It hit the spot and it was 100% paleo. I also baked some basil sweet potato fries that really completed the meal.
So, here is to sticking to paleo this week and being aware of what we consume!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs ground beef*
• 4 Portobello mushroom caps
• 2 toma tomatoes, sliced
• lettuce
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
• EVOO

Instructions:

1. Form 4 hamburger patties from ground beef. *Whole Foods actually had some pre-pattied in the butcher section so that's what I bought. 
2. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder
3. In a skillet over medium high heat, cook the burgers for approx 6 minutes on each side, or until done
4. Meanwhile in a separate skillet, eat a little bit of EVOO over medium heat. Once hot, add the portobello caps and diced onion and let cook until onions are soft. I let mine cook for about 8 minutes
5. Once burgers are done, put lettuce on plate, then top with a burger, onions, mushroom, and tomato.
6. Enjoy!!

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cake

I know that I say this a lot, but this is the best paleo dessert that I have made. I have had many people confirm this truth, but I suppose there is always the chance they were just being nice. However, since I thought it was so good, I have made it 3 times in the past week. Don't worry, I didn't even have a bite of the second cake and only a (tiny) piece of the third. I made those cakes for friends. Although I can't promise that I didn't lick the batter clean off the spoon. And bowl  :) The first time I made this cake I used Ghee as my Fat of Choice. Ghee is not technically "paleo" since it is dairy, but it is clarified and has all of the milk proteins/casein removed. This is beneficial for those that have sensitivities to dairy. However, because I know that Ghee is a no-no to some, I decided to substitute it for a different FoC on the other cakes. I don't think that the texture or taste was altered significantly, so feel free to use which ever fat you would like. I think coconut oil would be a great choice, too! I used almond oil for the last 2 cakes and loved the extra hint of almond with the cherries. I also made some amazing paleo cherry ice cream (and I don't even have an ice cream maker!) that we ate along with the cake. Amazing!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups almond flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 cup ghee (or use almond oil or coconut oil)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
• 1 cup, approx, of cherries, halved and pitted.*

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix almond flour, salt and baking soda in a large bowl
3. Mix eggs, almond extract, ghee, and honey in a small bowl
4. Incorporate egg mixture in to flour mixture. Mix until well combined
5. Fold in chocolate chips
6. Spray bundt pan with coconut oil, or other non-stick spray. Place halved/pitted cherries cut side UP in bottom of pan.
7. Pour batter on top of cherries and place in oven to bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the cake passes the toothpick test
8. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 30 minutes. Then, place a plate over pan and flip the pan over to release the cake on the pan.
9. Slice and serve!

* I used approx 20 cherries, that I halved, minus a few halves that got consumed while mixing.

Ginger Sesame Beef

The flavor of this meal is to die for. I let the meat marinate for a few hours and it was so juicy and tender. I have always loved coconut aminos, but recently I have become obsessed with it. I somehow feel the need to incorporate it into every meal. The ingredients used in this recipe create an amazing Asian inspired dish.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs red meat of choice, sliced thin*
• 1/3 cup coconut aminos
• 1/6 cup water
• 1 Tbsp ginger (can use fresh or ground)
• 3 + cloves garlic, minced. The more garlic the better (I used 5)
• 1 tsp each of salt & pepper, cinnamon & cumin
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp sesame seeds

Instructions:

1. Thinly slice the meat. *I bought some meat from Whole Foods that was already sliced in the meat dept. They call it 'fajita beef'
2. Combine remaining ingredients in gallon sized zip lock bag, or large shallow dish. Add sliced beef and turn to coat all sides. 
3. Allow beef to marinate in the fridge for as long as you have time.
4. Once marinated, put beef in skillet over medium high heat. Cook for approx 4-6 minutes on each side, or until done to your preference

I served this over a bed of lettuce with sauteed bell peppers and onions. We also had a baked avocado to go along with it. 

Grilled Swordfish & Peach Avocado Salsa

I have once again found myself with peaches, galore! Last time I had an abundance I made this awesome chicken salad - which I also did this time around! Man, that stuff never gets old! My goal, this time around, was another simple recipe (surprise, surprise) and I found one on Juli's website, PaleOMG. This recipe included a fish that I had never had paired with a refreshing salsa! This salsa would be good on ANYTHING. I made enough of it so that I could enjoy the salsa right out of the container for a few days.

Ingredients:
For the swordfish marinade:

• 2 swordfish fillets
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp honey
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• pinch of cayenne
• pinch of salt & pepper

For the salsa:

• 2 peaches, diced
• 1 avocado, halved and diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 red onion, minced
• 1/2 jalapeno, minced
• Juice 1 lime
• salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Place all of the swordfish marinade ingredients, minus the swordfish, in a shallow bowl, mix together. Put swordfish in marinade, flip to coat both sides, then let swordfish marinade for 1-3 hours.
2. While swordfish is marinading, make the salsa by combining all salsa ingredients. Cover and refrigerate to chill.
3. Once the swordfish has marinated, place a skillet over medium heat. Cook swordfish for approx 5 minutes on each side. 
4. Plate swordfish and top with salsa. Enjoy! 

Blackened Ribeye

Adam offered to cook dinner one night and I happily agreed. Don't get me wrong, I love making dinner for us every night, but a break from the kitchen was really appealing. He came home with some beautiful Ribeye Steaks, carrots, asparagus and bacon!

Ingredients:

• 2 rib-eye's
• Magic Seasoning Blends, blackening steak magic

Instructions:

1. Heat a skillet over medium heat
2. Season the ribeye with the seasoning to your preference
3. Cook ribeye for approx 6 minutes per side, or until done to your liking. 

We also had Cumin Roasted Carrots and Bacon Wrapped Asparagus.

It was a delicious meal, and it was also quick & easy. We have really enjoyed the blackening spice we found and have used it on all sorts of meat, not just steak. This particular brand can be found at Publix, WholeFoods, etc.

Eating Paleo Out

A lot of people think that eating paleo out at a restaurant is difficult. I am here to tell you that it is NOT! The biggest thing that you should know is that it is OK to ask your server how the food is prepared. Part of their job is to know this information - and if you don't like how it is prepared, ask them to cook it differently. A lot of times, for instance, restaurants will cook their veggies in tons of butter.You can simply ask the server to have them cook the veggies without butter. Restaurants are used to taking special requests all day. I used to be afraid to ask for changes, but I quickly got over that once I realized that no one ever cared! Of course, the easiest modification are basic substitutions. You can always ask for a double serving of veggies, or extra cucumbers on your salad, etc. I like to get extra cucumbers instead of croutons on my salads because the cucumbers still give me the crunch that croutons provide.

Recently Adam and I went to DoDiYo's and I had no problem at all eating Paleo. I ordered the chicken kabobs and it came with a salad, and two sides. I asked that my salad have no cheese/croutons and for my dressing I asked for some EVOO. I also asked that I have two sides of the steamed veggies.

Some of my favorite places to eat Paleo around town are.....
In no particular order....

• Village Tavern: they have awesome spaghetti squash, with some modifications and a few good salads
• Whole Foods
• Taco Mama: they have an entire section on their menu for "The Tribe and Workout Warriors" that is paleo
• Vino: think sauteed crab claws, tuna skewers, fresh fish, etc
• Flip Burger: you can get the burger lettuce wrapped
• Urban Standard: specifically breakfast
• Chick-Fil-A: grilled chicken tenders/nuggets and fruit. Or for breakfast, a side of scrambled eggs, grilled chicken patty and fruit
• Another Broken Egg: grilled chicken breast, side of eggs, baked bacon and guacamole

Additionally if you find yourself at one of these places here is an idea of what you can order:

Steakhouse - steak and veggies. EASY.

Mexican - salad with steak/chicken/shrimp or fajitas and ask them to hold the tortillas

Italian - grilled chicken breast, grilled onions and veggies

Burger joint - bunless burger with all the toppings. Guacamole or avocado if they have it!

The point of this is that eating Paleo is not difficult even when you are away from home.