Tropical Chicken Salad

I am not one of those people that HATE mayonnaise, you know, those people that despise the word and the thought of seeing mayo would make them sick...... I actually liked it on some things (gasp!)! However, when I decided to adopt the Paleo lifestyle, it was the first thing I threw out. I didn't miss it much for the first few months...but then...the craving for chicken salad hit. There are about a million paleo recipes out there in cyberspace for paleo chicken salad and they all required homemade paleo mayo. SCORE!!! Except.....have you tried to make paleo mayo?? While it is possible, and pretty tasty, it is really time consuming and it doesn't take much to mess up and have to start all over again. Believe me. BUT I wanted chicken salad and that was what it required. Unfortunately for me, I am too lazy to make paleo-mayo chicken salad as often as I craved it.

That is, until now! I recently read on a paleo-bloggers website (If I could remember which one I would totally give them due credit here) that they used COCONUT CREAM as a sub for mayo!!! #brilliant This is, without a doubt, the best chicken salad I have ever had. And I have had a lot of chicken salad.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked chicken, cubed - I used left over rotisserie chicken (EASY!)
• 2 peaches, chopped
• 2 Tbsp dried, unsweetened cranberries
• 1/4 cup toasted walnuts
• A few shakes of dried chives
• A handful fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup chilled coconut cream *
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Mix the first 6 ingredients in medium sized bowl
2. *Chill a can of full fat coconut milk. I stuck the can in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
3. Once the can is chilled, open the can and scoop out the firm cream on top into small bowl
4. Using a fork, mix the creme around to loosen it up a bit
5. Mix the cream with lemon juice, salt and pepper, then stir into chicken salad
6. Serve on top fresh spinach leaves 

Best. Banana. Bread. Ever.

I've been making a lot of cookies and cupcakes lately and wanted to try something a little different. IMO, the great thing about banana bread is that it can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or as a snack....don't you just love versatile food??!?! I adapted the recipe from one at paleomg.com which called for 1.5 cups cashews. Well, I was about 1/2 cup short so I added in 1/2 Tbsp pine nuts and 1 Tbsp almond butter, because that is what I had. If you'd rather omit the pine nuts and almond butter, by all means use the full 1.5 cups of cashews; however, this is the recipe I used...and it was honestly the Best. Banana. Bread. Ever.

Ingredients:

• 2 large bananas, ones that are brown and spotty
• 1 cup roasted, unsalted cashews
• 1/2 Tbsp pine nuts
• 1 Tbsp almond butter
• 1 cup almond flour
• 2 Tbsp almond oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Put cashews/pine nuts in food processor and process until very fine. This should resemble flour
3. Once you get your cashew flour, add almond oil while processing, until it creates cashew butter. If you must, stick your finger in and taste it - but don't eat it all. It will be hard to refrain.
4. Peel the bananas and roughly break them into pieces. Add to food processor along with almond butter and process until liquidy. 
5. Next, in a large bowl, whisk the eggs then add almond flour, honey, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Mix thoroughly until well combined into batter
6. Grease a bread pan with coconut oil, pour batter into pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the bread  passes the toothpick test.
7. Remove from oven and let cool, then slice and serve. I promise you, you will want to eat the entire loaf. I had one piece, and then I split the loaf in half and sent some with Adam and took some to Irontribe. (I wish I had kept it all for myself)

Breakfast Pizza

Lately I have been getting a little tired of my normal breakfast routine. I have been eating the same thing for breakfast, during the work week, for the past couple months or so. I don't usually mind eating the same thing over and over.....but it was time to change things up a bit. The only requirement for this dish is that it last for the week. I like to make a big breakfast on Sunday nights and eat on it for the majority of the week. This Breakfast Pizza was amazing. I was so excited about how it turned out! I will definitely be making this again soon!

Ready to go in oven

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sweet potato
• 7 eggs
• 1/2 lb ground sausage
• 1 red bell pepper
• Spinach, a couple handfuls

Instructions:

Hot out of the oven

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Peel and slice sweet potato into circles. You want them to be pretty thin
• Line the bottom of an 8'' cake pan with sweet potato slices (I would recommend spraying the pan first with coconut oil) . Its okay if they overlap each other. They will shrink some in size while it bakes, so use more than needed to cover the bottom. Place cake pan in oven while you prepare the next steps
• In a medium skillet, brown the ground sausage
• Dice the red bell pepper while sausage is browning, and sweet potatoes are baking
• Once the sausage is done, stir in red bell pepper. Remove sweet potatoes from oven
• Beat eggs in small bowl and pour over sweet potatoes. Evenly distribute sausage/bell pepper mix over eggs and top with spinach
• Bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until eggs have set
• Cut into pie shaped pieces for easy removal   

Venison Sliders & Cinnamon Raisin Apples

Adam and I were the lucky recipients of smoked deer sausage! I couldn't decide exactly how I wanted to prepare it and thought for weeks, literally, about what to do with it. Then I thought, Why do I have to do something fancy???? Just be simple and cook it - let the natural flavors of the deer and the smoking process make the statement! That is exactly what I did, and it turned out fabulous! Now, any sausage will work and if you don't get it smoked, just add some fun seasonings! The deer sausage we had was in casing, so I just removed it then mashed all the meat together. I had a suspicion that the sausage was going to be a bit spicy for me, so I paired it with sweet apples and raisins, as well as homemade sweet potato fries.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs smoked deer sausage, casing removed
• 3 eggs
• 1 large fuji apple, diced
• 1 1/2 Tbsp raisins
• 1 1/2 Tbsp chopped pecans
• Cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Mix sausage and eggs then form patties to preferred size
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook deer patties, flipping a couple times, until fully brown on both sides. (approx 3-5 minutes on each side)
3. While the sliders are cooking, dice your apple. Once the sliders have finished cooking, remove from pan and add diced apples, raisins, and pecans to the same pan. Allow to cook and absorb the flavor of the drippings from the sausage, until the apples are soft. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon.
4. Plate a couple spoonfuls of apple/raisin mix on to plate, then top with venison sliders.
5. Consume!

Creamy Chicken Soup

Need a quick dinner to prepare after a hectic workday? I am here to save your night - there is no reason that you can't have a delicious, nutritious, meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken breast
• Italian seasoning
• Dried basil
• 1 14oz can coconut millk
• 1 14oz can diced tomatoes with chilies
• 1 1/2 cups veggie broth
• 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions:

1. Season chicken with as much Italian seasoning and basil as you prefer. I used a lot. Heat skillet over medium heat and cook chicken until no longer pink
2. Meanwhile, in a large soup pot heat coconut milk, diced tomatoes, and veggie broth. Allow to simmer until chicken is done. Add cilantro to soup, and some more basil if you'd like
3. Once chicken is cooked, dice it then add to soup pot. Stir and then serve!

Blackened London Broil

It hasn't been until very recently that I have started eating "spicy" food. I use the word "spicy" very loosely because my idea of spicy is probably no where close to your idea of spicy. My entire life I have HATED spicy food. I would avoid it at all cost. I was extreme - I would refuse pepper, most mints, some toothpaste, most mexican food, I would order my wings dry because even the BBQ sauce would be too spicy for me - the list goes on. I  hated anything spicy. To me, the feeling of my mouth on fire was not pleasant. I couldn't understand why anyone would enjoy that feeling. However, since I have been cooking a lot, I have been experimenting with different flavors.  I have found that "spicy" foods aren't bad at all - when I can control how much spice! I would have never thought that I would cook with cayenne pepper, chili powder, and even jalapenos! I am pleasantly surprised that the spices that I once considered 'too hot' are actually really good! I encourage you to experiment with new flavors and spices - you might surprise yourself!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lb london broil
• Blackened seasoning of choice - I combined the following spices for approx 1 Tbsp seasoning. Use however much or little of each spice you would like: garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper.
• Pineapple salsa

Instructions:

1. Heat large skillet over medium heat
2. Season meat with spices - don't be shy
3. Cook meat in skillet until done to your preference. I cooked mine approx 5 minutes on each side.
4. Put some pineapple salsa on your plate, and top with cooked meat! The sweet salsa really compliments the spicy london broil quite well!

IronTribe is awesome

The past couple months I have felt like I wasn't really progressing that much in my workouts at IronTribe. For the most part, that didn't really bother me. I had become complacent, but still proud, of what I was doing in the gym. I was still getting my butt kicked 4-5 times a week and pushing myself, to some degree. You see, I have a confidence issue. I have huge blinders on when it comes to looking at myself - I don't see my progress, yet others around me say I have progressed greatly in my year of IronTribe and eating Paleo.  Adam is my biggest advocate and I am so thankful that I have a constant voice of approval, motivation, and encouragement. He sings my praises; however, it is still hard sometimes when I don't necessarily SEE those improvements. Sometimes I just need something dramatic to get my attention for me to really see progress. And starting last week, that's exactly what I received. It was like the LORD had to shout at me - "are you kidding me??? You have been doing so great and I need you to be confident in who I have made you to be - let me show you."

Last week I accomplished something HUGE! I got my first handstand push-up!!!!!! I had never even attempted one because I "knew" there was no way I could do it. The only people that can do handstand push-ups are those rockstars at IronTribe - and I am far from that (notice my confidence issue). For whatever reason, I decided to flip up against the wall and give it a shot, totally expecting to fail. To my great surprise, I did it!!!!! Not only did I do one, I did handstand push-ups for the entire workout! That totaled about 25! That was one of my proudest moments so far at ITF. I still have some work to do on them but I gained confidence that day and I'm not stopping until I can do them with out any ab-mats under me (notice I have 2 in the picture).

Little did I know that another goal of mine would be coming to fruition just a couple days later. It has been my goal since I started IronTribe to get an unassisted pull-up by the time I had been doing Crossfit for a year. That year mark is at the end of August. Side note: The lovely thing about IronTribe is that EVERY MOVEMENT is scale-able. That means that if you cannot do a pull-up, then you get a box and do jumping pull-ups. The next step is to get a band (think really big rubber band) and use it to help you. There are various sizes of bands that offer various resistance. A couple months ago I advanced to the thinnest band which provided me with the least amount of help. Ever since then I have been trying every chance I get to get just one silly pull-up, to no avail. I was close, but still a couple inches away from getting my chin over the bar. I was beginning to think I wouldn't meet my goal of 1 pull-up by the end of summer. I was also beginning to get frustrated, and jealous! I mean, I was just looking for ONE pull-up. Not 5 or 10 - just one!! A couple of my other girl friends recently got their first pull-up and I was SO proud of them, yet jealous because I wanted to do it too!!! Then, last week, I was just "playing around" and I GOT IT!!!! I got my very first pull-up! I was thrilled - like a small child on Christmas Day. This was the moment I had been waiting on and looking forward to for almost an entire year! My coach, Zechariah, was also so excited for me and I loved that he was there to celebrate with me! He had been pushing me so hard and he believed in me the whole time. As badly as I wanted the pull-up, I know that it was my confidence getting in the way of my progress. After that first one, he ran and got the video camera and recorded me doing another one. And to my surprise, I did THREE!!!!! IN A ROW!!!! This time, I really couldn't believe it. Whoa! My confidence got a huge boost and now I can't wait for the next WOD that includes pull-ups! Again, I have some work to do to be able to do more in a row - but now I believe in myself (that was a lot of "to do"'s!)

And, my progress doesn't stop there.....this week I have RX'd two WODs! These have not been my first RX's, but both were really heavy days. The first one I had to over head squat 65# 75 times with some 400 meter runs thrown in there. Had it not been for my coach Luan and friend Chris, I don't know that I would have been able to keep the 65# going the entire time. They encouraged me the whole time and on my last set, were in my face cheering me on. I was the last one done, but I finished!!! This morning was another heavy day. We had to deadlift 155# 12 times, do 12 burpees, and run 400 meters....4 times!! That is 48 deadlifts, 48 burpees, and 1600 meters (a mile)! Once again, I didn't think I would be able to deadlift 155#, 48 times, but Zechariah believed in me and encouraged me the whole time - and I did it!!!

The human body is amazing. We are built to be pushed and that is what IronTribe does. You are pushed further than you ever think is possible (with great coaching along the way). It truly does work. And it doesn't just work for me. It can work for anyone. It does take time (obviously) and it does take commitment, but I believe it is the greatest gym ever. It changes your life and touches every aspect of your life. I am so thankful for what IronTribe has done for me and the relationships I have built because of it. Now, here is a picture and video for your enjoyment :)

(Shameless plug - if you are interested in IronTribe, leave a comment or message me on facebook. I would love to talk to you more about it. On June 30 from 9-10:30 there is a Bring A Friend Day that I would love for you to come to. It's a warm-up and workout that will give you a little taste of IronTribe. It is a ton of fun, and a FREE workout! No excuses.)

*I can't get my video to display.....I'm working on it*

Pineapple Protein Muffins

I love the fact that you can get SO much fruit from a pineapple. I have been eating and making recipes off this pineapple all week and I still have leftovers! I wanted to make a tropical muffin to have a little variety at breakfast. Since I plan on eating these in the morning, I wanted to add a little more protein, besides the egg, so I added powdered protein! They turned out amazing!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup protein (I used Progenex belgian chocolate)
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 heaping tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp raw honey
• 1/2 tsp melted coconut oil
• 2 tsp almond butter
• 2/3 cup pineapple, diced *

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix dry ingredients, then mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl
3. Mix wet ingredients into dry
4. Fold in pineapple
5. Scoop batter into a lined muffin tin - these will rise, a lot. Scoop batter accordingly.
6. Bake for 18 minutes

 *This recipe will work with just about any fruit. If you are using a fruit that has a lot of water in it (like blackberries or raspberries) use 2/3 cup. If you are using a fruit like blueberries or apples, use 1/2 cup

Pineapple Salsa

There is a new health foods store in town, Earth Fare. I have been a few times and for the most part, I like it. There are a few things in which I prefer the Whole Foods way, but all-in-all its good! One of the awesome things they do is send you amazing coupons! So far I have gotten, FOR FREE, a 4lb whole chicken, a pint of blueberries, and a pineapple! The blueberries were used in this recipe, the chicken is in the freezer for a meal later on in the week, and so it was time to cut up the pineapple! I have never cut a pineapple before, but it's really easy. Just Google it. I should have taken a picture of each step - that's what a good blogger would do....

I decided to make salsa with the pineapple because I LOVE salsa. This would be a great topping for chicken, steak, or fish as a light summery meal; or if you aren't "paleo" have it with some tortilla chips! Now THAT would be good :)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pineapple, cut into rings
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 small red onion, minced
• Juice of 1 lime
• Fresh cilantro, for garnish

Instructions

1. Cut the pineapple into rings, then in a skillet over medium heat, grill the pineapple rings for approx 3 mins on each side. You want the pineapple to have a slight golden color.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the bell pepper, onion, and cilantro
3. Once all the pineapple rings have been seared, cut them into small pieces
4. Mix pineapple, bell pepper, onion, lime juice, and cilantro in bowl
5. Consume!

Pork with Blueberry Sauce

I have no idea why I haven't posted this yet. I have made this numerous times and this is the dish we cooked for Adam's mother and grandmother while we were in Dallas over Christmas break. The blueberry sauce makes this the perfect summer meal, especially when the blueberries are on sale! Next time I make this, I may switch the fruit up - I'm thinking blackberries or cherries! I have typically made this with Pork tenderloin but switched it up this time and used boneless butterflied pork.

Blueberry Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3 boneless, butterflied, pork chops
• Mrs. Dash grilled chicken spice rub
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 Tbsp EVOO
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (if using frozen, thaw first)
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp honey

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Season both sides of pork with spice rub, salt and pepper
3. Put pork in baking dish and bake for 25 minutes, or until done
4. While the pork is baking, heat EVOO in saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and let them cook for about 5 minutes
5. Add blueberries, apple cider vinegar, and honey. Allow to cook until sauce has thickened
6. Once everything is done, plate the pork chop and pour the blueberry sauce over it!

I served this with Cumin Roasted Carrots and a salad with pears, walnuts, and dried cherries.