S, S, S: Salmon, Soup, and Salad

Grilled Salmon: I seasoned mine with a dash of sea salt, ground black pepper, and a homemade apricot marinade that includes chopped dried apricots, coconut oil, herbs and spices (aromatic ones). Grill 6-8 minutes per side, basting with marinade on each flip. But, try not to flip too often or it will break apart very easily.

Word's Best Broccoli Soup: I changed this one up a bit... I used a recipe for "The World's Best Broccoli" to make the base. Place broccoli florets, chopped garlic and some olive oil on a cookie sheet and roast for 15 minutes at 425, or until the tips of the broccoli turn slightly brown. While that's cooking saute chopped onions and another chopped garlic clove in a soup pot with some oil. Add the broccoli to the soup pot and add 1-2 cups of stock made from chicken or beef. Let simmer for about 10 minutes. Then blend the mixture until smooth and add back into the soup pot and allow to simmer on low until you eat. Now if you want this soup to really kick ass add some bacon to the onion and garlic saute, or you could even add a ham hock and pieces of ham to make this soup a main dish with meat.

Salad: greens + avocado + onions and an olive oil-coconut milk dressing.

Enjoy!

Salads for anytime of day...

Salad is a great way to get some vege, not to mention a ton of vitamins and minerals into your diet.

Try mixing it up and add various items to spice up your typical dinner salad...

Pomegranate Barbecue Pork Chops w/ Grilled Veggies and a Pear and Raw Goat Cheese Salad to start

Starter: Pear and Raw Goat Cheese Salad w/ Lime Pecan Vinaigrette

Salad is easy: just toss some sliced red pear and some chunks of your favorite raw goat's milk cheese on a bed of greens. For the dressing soak finely chopped pecans in a mixture of olive oil and and a dash of coconut milk. Add about 2 teaspoons (+/-) of lime zest and the juice of one half of a fresh lime. Then add some of your favorite herbs and spices for flavoring: think aromatic like basil, cumin, and/or oregano. And don't forget to taste and experiment...

Main dish: Pomegranate barbecue pork chops with grilled veggies.

Marinate the pork chops in a mixture of coconut milk (1-2 Tbs) ,  dry mustard(1/2-1 tsp), dijon mustard (a few spoonfuls), Worcestshire sauce (a couple of good splashes from the bottle), fresh ground pepper, herbs of your choosing (but think cumin and good aromatic spices like that, again experiment, that's what I did), and pomegranate seeds from 1/4 pomegranate. Grill on medium heat 4-5 minutes per side (depending on thickness of the chops (middle should be in the 140-160 degrees area depending on how you like your pork). Make sure to add some additional seeds once you flip the chops so that the juices leak out and caramelize on the chops. Serve topped with seeds from the other 1/4 pomegranate (save the other half for a snack at lunch tomorrow!) For the veggies just cut up stuff you like, add sea salt, fresh ground pepper and some cayenne spicyness and toss in a grill tray. Cook for about 15 minutes stirring at 3-5 minute intervals. Try not to overcook the veggies: they should be firm to a fork, not mushy!

Enjoy!

Walnut Buttered Chicken with Broccoli

Broccoli: Steam it.

Chicken: pan fry it in a touch of oil (your choice but if you use Olive oil use a lower heat so it does not turn rancid) Just cook it enough so it's 85-90% cooked through then transfer to another dish and cover tightly with foil.

Walnut Butter: After you remove the chicken add 4-5 tablespoons of butter to the skillet with about 1/3-1/2 cup chopped walnuts. Cook until brown and the foam stops forming. Then stir in 2 chopped garlic cloves, a few fork fulls of drained capers, and a good squeeze of a quarter of a lemon. Stir for about 30-45 seconds. Stir in parsley flakes/finely chopped parsley and add salt and pepper to taste (but be careful tasting it because it'll be hot as all get out!

Serve: spoon the walnut butter over the chicken and serve with a slice of lemon.

Enjoy!

Pesto Chicken and Steamed Broccoli

Talk about EASY! Well, actually Austen made this one, she's fantastic: tending to the baby and making me dinner. I've pretty much got it made, eh!?

Seriously however, this one is pretty easy. I think a monkey could be trained to steam broccoli. For the chicken simply saute a few chicken breast tenders in some butter, add pesto (either homemade or jarred), then near the end Austen likes to toss in a few chick peas and sun-dried tomatoes (yeah, I know, not technically Paleo, but unprocessed and they do not affect us negatively and add a lot of flavor). In place of chick peas add: nothing. In place of sun-dried tomatoes either add regular sliced tomatoes or nothing. Just Pesto chicken is good enough on it's own!

We served this little ditty up with a huge dinner salad of mixed greens, carrots, etc.

Enjoy!

Paleo Beef and Root Vegetable Stew

Brown some good lean beef cubes. You can either buy cubed stew beef or cut a nicer piece into cubes for the stew. Brown the meat with finally chopped garlic and onion and other seasoning that you like. I used ground black pepper, garlic powder, and a touch of cumin. Once mostly browned on all sides place in slow cooker. Then add chopped vege: parsnips, mushrooms, carrots, onions, celery, etc. Add 2 cups of beef broth and 1/2 cup red wine. Allow to cook on low for about 6-8 hours.

I had mine with a side of steamed spinach, which I eventually just mixed into the stew and it was awesome!

Enjoy!

PS: makes great leftovers for lunch too!

A great Paleo eatin' gift

So, my wife's aunt and uncle, and cousin and her husband, bought us a great gift to celebrate the birth of our son, Spencer James. The company is called Instead of Flowers and they deliver gourmet meals, to your doorstep! They were also very VERY friendly on the telephone when ordering. They allowed us to substitute extra vegetable for a rice dish. Sure, they did pack the dessert and the dinner rolls, but we just didn't eat those (in fact, we didn't even know they were coming, else we probably would have asked for a piece of fruit or extra salad.

The meal we ordered was the "Meal of the Week". It consisted of 2 lamb chops (per person) in a fig demiglaze. As our side we got a seriously generous helping (leftovers for my breakfast scramble) of brocollini that was cooked perfectly. . They also brought a spinach salad with a side of warm bacon dressing. Everything was packages in a wonderful insulate bag (which you get to keep). You then simply put the meal in the oven for a few minutes (15 minutes in this case) and microwave the vege and salad dressing. The meal was absolutely awesome. Not only was it easy, taking a great burden off of us while we are changing diapers and what not, but it was truly gourmet tasting. I would recommend this service to anyone looking for an interesting gift, but especially my Paleo friends.

Enjoy!

Paleo Beef Stroganoff and Oven Roasted Asparagus

Stroganoff: Brown lean ground beef with onions and garlic and any other seasoning you like. Toss it in a slow cooker. Add some fresh smashed tomatoes and canned (or fresh) mushrooms (about 2 little cans). Allow to cook on low for about 4-5 hours. Then add some "cream". Your cream can be coconut milk, heavy cream or sour cream. No matter what you choose allow it to cook on low another 1 hour.

Asparagus: Drizzle with olive oil and seasoning/spices. Roast in oven at 475 F for 15-20 minutes (depending on thickness of spears).

Cajun Blackened Salmon

Pear Walnut salad

Atop mixed greens of your liking toss some sliced pears and chopped walnuts. Dress with olive oil and a splash, the tiniest splash of balsamic vinegar. If you are on Paleo + Dairy add sliced cheese as well.

Easy change up for a dinner salad. Add some protein (e.g. sliced chicken breast) and this would make a wonderful lunch salad as well.

Enjoy!

Salad Tilapia with Bacon Oregano Dressing

OK nothing too special about tossing a piece of fresh tilapia over some salad greens with a few almonds, but that's not the key item here: it's the dressing. It's a Bacon-Oregano 'creamy' dressing. It's very easy to make. Simply combine olive oil and coconut milk (if you "do" dairy then you could add heavy cream, hopefully from grassfed cows). Then add some fresh ground pepper, a dash of salt, a sprinkle or two of Old Bay seasoning, chopped warm bacon and chopped fresh oregano. Oregano is very easy to grow in an herb garden and is loaded with anti-oxidants! If you like your dressings spicy add some cayenne.

Enjoy!

Wild salmon and Brussel sprouts

Too easy not to post.

Enjoy!

Meatballs and "The World's Best Broccoli!"

Meatballs: Free-range, grass fed beef (1lb) mixed with 1-2 Tbs olive oil, 1 large egg, crushed/finely chopped fresh garlic (2 cloves), finely chopped onion (1/4-1/3 cup), Italian seasoning, and freshly chopped oregano. Mix well with hands and roll into 1.5-2 inch (diameter) meatballs. Heat on all sides, until cooked through in a pan with melted butter.

World's Best Broccoli: This is a recipe that was shared with me and so I am sharing it here and I have to say, it is pretty good! Place fresh broccoli florets on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, top with crushed/finely chopped garlic cloves (2-4 cloves, we used 3), salt and ground pepper to season. Bake in oven at 400 degrees F for about 15-25 minutes. It's done when the tips of the broccoli appear brownish.

Enjoy!

PS: Leftover meatballs make a great addition to breakfast the next morning! :-)

Roast beef and Egg salad

Grill some onions and fresh seasonal squashes. Then atop a bed of mixed salad greens throw the grilled vege, sliced hard-boiled egg, and rolled roast beef slices. You could dress this salad with olive oil (& vinegar if you do vinegar) or for a creamy salad dressing mix 1 raw egg with copious amounts of olive oil and spices (think salt, ground peppercorns, basil, etc). Blend until desired thickness. (can also use some coconut milk to fatten it up!)

Enjoy!

Salmon, Eggs, and Salad

Wonderful breakfast of pan-seared wild caught Atlantic salmon, 2 eggs, and a small side salad. Oh, and some green tea to top it off. Everything is seasoned fairly bland: a little salt and pepper on the salmon, cooked in butter and olive oil and garlic powder on the salad.

Enjoy!

Steak, Eggs & 6 grams of Carbohydrates!

Steak: Leftover filet mignon, cooked medium rare, as last nights dinner - it makes for a wonderful accompaniment to breakfast.

Egg Scramble: whisk together 2-4 eggs (I used 2 eggs + an egg white). If you want to add a little sweetness to your eggs add a splash of coconut milk, seriously, it's actually pretty good.

Serve with a side of steamed spinach.

Pork tenderloin with peach-tomato salsa and okra

This one is not only tasty but quite filling. First, start with a nice salad that included tommy toe tomatoes and avocado. Then grill a pork tenderloin until 160 degree in the center. Let stand for about 5 minutes after removing from the grill. I seasoned the tenderloin with olive oil, sea salt, ground pepper, and some garlic pepper seasoning. I also cooked with apple slices laid over the top. Apple and pork go together very well and the sweetness of the apples seeps out into the flesh of the pork making it very nice on the palette. I steamed my okra slices. I just like okra, but you could use any old vege you like. For the salsa, dice two very ripe peaches (no need to skin them, it's good for ya!), dice three roma tomatoes, finely dice 1/2 jalapeno pepper (can use more or less depending on how spicy you like things), dice a 1/4-1/2 sweet onion. Stir in 1-2 tbs of olive oil (or your favorite other good oil, e.g. coconut oil, grapeseed oil, etc), some whit balsamic vinegar (can also use the dark stuff, just add a few splashes). Stir in some cilantro and about 1 tbs of agave nectar. Taste. If you want it to be sweeter I suggest adding a 1-2 teaspoons of fresh raw honey or more agave. If you think you'd prefer it more savory add a few turns of sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Serve with peach-tomato salsa atop slices of the pork tenderloin. Voila!

Enjoy!

PS: Best if salsa is made several hours before serving and refrigerated. This will help the flavors to mend together and also give you the opportunity to re-season at the last minute if you feel it's missing something.

Honey-Sesame Glazed Salmon and Broccoli

Steam Broccoli. You shouldn't need a recipe for this.

For the salmon: Coat each side in grapeseed oil and season to your liking. I used fresh ground pepper, some seafood seasoning (just a mix of herbs and spices), and some garlic powder. Then grill flesh side down for 4-6 minutes. Then flip. Grill for another 8 minutes, then for the last 2-4 minutes drizzle the top of the flesh with some honey and immediately sprinkle some sesame seeds on there. Quickly close the grill cover. This will help sear the honey into the meat as well as toast the sesame seeds. I'd suggest using a sesame seed dispenser with holes: as you can see I basically ended up with a deluge of seeds on my salmon... it ended up tasting good though. It has a nice sweet touch from the honey, which is intertwined with the savory of the seasoning and the oil. You could also make a sweet honey sauce for this as well by mixing dried mustard (1/4 tsp) with 1 raw egg and 3-4 tbs of oil. Once thick, stir in some old bay seasoning and honey. We did not do that and I don't think it needed it. I think salmon only needs sauce when over cooked and dry.

OK, Enjoy!

Brats, Kraut and Grilled Veggies, easy dinner!

Here you go: an easy one that's sure to please everyone at your dinner table. Grilled turkey brats, sauerkraut and some grilled veggies. Easy as pie and tasty, too!

Enjoy!

Snack for the Movies

Paleo + Movies with snacks, uh, ain't gonna happen right? Wrong! Here's what to do: grab a handful of various nuts you have laying around (I know you have them laying around because you gotta make all that good Paleo shit you eat) and toss them into a zipper bag. Add a few, I mean a few, not loads, pieces of dried fruit - whatever you like. I added a few raisins and dried cranberries (store bought, whatever!). Then add a 1/2 scoop of ground flax and some chunks of super dark (75-85% cacao) dark chocolate. This snack is both satisfying and filling. I ended up bringing home 2/3 of what I packed because I satisfied my sweet movie tooth and was full on snacks.

This is way better than a handful of popcorn, candy corn, twizzlers (although they are so good), and even jelly beans!

Enjoy! And Enjoy the movie!

Steak and Scramble

Yes that is Fillet Mignon! No, I am not filthy rich! That's leftover Fillet from dinner a few nights ago. There was a sale so I bough extra to have for lunch and breakfast - got be creative on Paleo!

If you use fresh steak then simply season and grill, or pan fry, to your liking - I would recommend rare-medium rare. For the scramble: in a pan with just a touch of grapeseed oil begin to cook a mixture of spinach, onions, and peppers (I use frozen vege because it's convenient before I start to train Austen). Once the onions start to clarify add a few whisked eggs - 2-4 depending on how much your protein needs are. I garnished my breakfast with a few sliced fresh figs.

Enjoy!

Tilapia with spicy sesame dressing

This turned out to be a very decent lunch: start with a bed of mixed greens with fresh baby spinach. sprinkle some flaxseed, ground pepper, Old Bay style seasoning on it, as well as a spoonful of crushed walnuts (I just grab a few and crush them in my hand) and seeds (I used pumpkin seeds, because that's what I have). Pan grill a fillet of tilapia (again, I used flash frozen, frozen when caught fish from the supermarket). To make the dressing simply mix 1/2 tbsp of coconut milk with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add ground pepper, basil, seafood seasoning, and either cayenne or Old Bay seasoning. Mix well with a fork and taste to make sure it's to your liking. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and the fish. The fish, if cooked properly, should crumble under your fork allowing you to get a piece of fish and salad with just about every bite!

Pepper and Mushroom Scramble with bacon and salad

Breakfast for dinner, it just never gets old does it?

In a skillet brown some chopped garlic and onion in a splash of grapeseed oil. When the garlic and onion begin to clarify add chopped mushrooms and green bell pepper. Cook for another 5-7 minutes or so, until peppers soften. While all that's going on have your bacon cooking away. Add about 1 cup of Egg Beaters (or other brand of egg substitute) and stir frequently. You do not want the egg to stick to the pan. as your are mixing in the eggs add some spices: I added steak seasoning. When finished serve topped with homemade tomato and jalapeno salsa (chopped tomato, garlic, ground pepper and sliced jalapeno) and bacon on side. We also served this up with a salad of mixed greens, fresh fruit - strawberries and figs, and chopped walnuts. I also sprinkled some ground flaxseed on top and ground pepper.

Mesquite Wild Caught Salmon Salad, it's what's for lunch!

Looking for a quick and relatively easy lunch to keep on track? Try this: go to your supermarket and buy some flash frozen (FF), frozen at sea (FAS) fish. I got some wild caught Alaskan Salmon (I've read that the omegas make it, if flash frozen at sea). Toss it into a pan with a little bit of grapeseed or coconut oil and season to your liking, I used a mesquite seasoning here just to mix it up a bit. Cook for aboub 3-5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the piece you buy and the way you like your fish. While the fish is cooking throw a handful of mixed greens into a bowl, top with your favorite oil and some seasoning (think garlic, basil, cumin, whatever you like), some seeds (I used pumpkin seeds), crushed walnuts (i use just a touch), a sprinkling of ground flaxseed and sliced cucumber. Toss the salad. When the fish is done cooking place on top of salad. Now, I made this kind of boring and colorless: you could certainly jazz this up a bit by adding sliced tomatoes, fruit of some type, etc, but I wanted to keep it simple.

Enjoy!

Easy Paleo Steak Fajitas

So these are really easy. Take some leftover steak (or chicken or pork) and slice it up nice and think. I used some leftover fillet mignon from Sunday night dinner. Toss in a bowl with some peppers and onions (I actually used a frozen pack) and season with all the good stuff: cumin, cayenne or chili spice, ground pepper, garlic, etc. Toss the meat in the hot vegetables and voila an easy, fast Paleo fajita. The only thing that's missing is the tortilla and the sizzling sound.

Enjoy!

Heirloon Fig and Walnut Salad with Agave Vinaigrette

Throw chopped heirloom tomato, sliced fresh fig, crushed walnuts, and ground flaxseed on top of a bed of mixed greens. Make the dressing by combining 1 tbs grapeseed oil, 1 tbs olive oil, fresh ground pepper, cumin or allspice (but just a touch), basil, and a 1/2-1 teaspoon of Agave nectar. Mix well until the ingredients are combined well then add just a splash of coconut milk and continue to mix until the coconut milk and the oils blend into a very light cream vinaigrette.

Enjoy!

Afternoon Tea!

Looking for an easy, warm, afternoon snack that will help quell hunger until dinner? Try this:

Brew some decaf green tea, then add a few crushed juniper berries, slice of lemon and a dash of allspice. Aromatic, flavorful, and sweet.

Enjoy!

Egg White Protein Smoothie

This is a good one & high in protein that doesn't come in powder format.

Combine 1/3 cup 100% liquid egg whites, ice, a splash of coconut milk, some water (or juice), a frozen banana and some cinnamon. Blend until desired smoothness.
Has about 25 grams of protein.

Enjoy!

Lunch: MahiMahi Salad with Raisin Vinaigrette

Pan cook a fillet of mahi mahi - I season mine with a grapeseed oil rub then sprinkled with old bay style seasoning and ground pepper, sometimes a squeeze of lemon. Takes about 4 minutes per side at medium heat. Toss that fillet atop a bed of mixed greens that includes a few chopped walnuts and a sprinkling of ground flaxseeds. For the vinaigrette simply mix together grapeseed oil, ground fish seasoning, ground pepper, and a pinch of cayenne. Then add raisins, with a few chopped. Best if chilled over night, but good on the fly too. Also, if you mix the vinaigrette with a teaspoon or two of coconut milk it makes a creamy dressing, which is very nice on fish, I, however, spilled all of the last can of my coconut milk on the kitchen floor yesterday, so i went without.

Enjoy!

Citrus Juniper Chicken with sweet potato and steamed broccoli

The steamed broccoli and sweet potato are easy. For the chicken I marinated the chicken in a concoction of white wine (I used Chardonnay), 1 sliced lemon, 1 sliced lime, ground pepper, 1-2 teaspoons of juniper berries (crushed), and copious amounts of agave nectar. I then poured that whole batch into a hot frying pan and cooked for about 20-30 minutes on medium heat. I flipped each breast three times. I also tossed some uncrushed juniper berries, just a few, in while it was cooking. I served the chicken with some of the sauce spooned over the chicken. 

The aromas were amazing and the flavor was great! 

Enjoy!

Paleo Eggs Benedict(ish) and paleo waffles

Canadian Bacon, oven roasted green asparagus, two poached eggs (drop two eggs into low boiling water with a splash of vinegar in it, scoop out with a slotted spoon). Serve with mixed berries and Paleo waffle.

Breakfast, it's what's for dinner!

Road Trip Breakfast

We had to drive to Florida a few weeks ago for our baby shower and we wanted to get a quick jump on the road so that we 1) avoided traffic and 2) got there early enough for a nap! That doesn't leave much time to cook eggs, make Paleo pancakes, etc. So, we had to improvise. We hard-boiled a few eggs the day before and I had them with a slice of fresh pineapple, steamed (microwaved) Brussel sprouts sprinkled with flaxseed and a bowl of Mastadon Munch in a coconut milk - protein powder mixture. It hit the spot and kept me full for a good 5-6 hours until lunch!

Sometimes you have to get a little creative, but it's possible to "do" Paleo and still live a normal life!

Enjoy!

(Canned) Tuna Nicoise Salad

OK, this one's pretty easy and pretty cheap. On top of some mixed salad greens toss some canned tuna, chopped tomato, olives, hard-boiled egg, onion and just about any other vege you like. I topped with a little ground flaxseed, olive oil and fresh ground pepper.

Enjoy!

Crab-cake and shrimp salad with mango-blueberry salsa

Crabcake: buy real crab meat, i used claw meat, because i like the taste. White meat would also work. Mix with about 2-3 tablespoons of almond flour/meal, seasoning (think Old Bay), & 1 egg. Form into patties and cook on a griddle for about 4-6 minutes per side, depending on how thick you make your patties. To top the crab cake i made a paleo fish sauce: 1 egg blended with a few tbs of olive oil. Toss in some flaxseed oil too or ground flax seed then season to your liking. I used cayenne, salt, pepper, etc. To make a spicy aioli to top the crab cake.

For the shrimp i used a lime jerk seasoning and grilled them in a pan. Tossed them on top of a nice mixed green salad. As a side / salsa, i mixed fresh mango and blueberries with a lime and olive oil dressing (just a splash).

Enjoy!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Paleo Blueberry Pancakes

So here we go, a little twist from the normal waffles for breakfast: pancakes. I tossed in a few fresh blueberries to sweeten them up. And they were sweet. Here's how to do it:

Mix together ground almonds (about 15-20 almonds) with a few round walnuts, just a few. Add one to three tablespoons of water, the tiniest dash of salt, baking powder, and aluminum free baking soda. Mix in fresh blueberries (or any berries or added "stuff" you like). Spoon onto a hot skillet. Flip when bubbles start to come through. Top with raw honey or pure maple syrup.

Oh, and did I mention they are vegan too?
Enjoy!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Packable Paleos (tm)

Ketos, or Paleo PoW-R (post workout recovery) Packs, are what my partner Ryan and I are calling our vacuum sealed packaged jerky bags. They are almost 100% ketogenic in nature including only homemade beef jerky (free range beef, with more flavors in the making) and a few nuts. In some of them I added some dried fruit (some is not homemade, but that's about to change this week too now that i bought a dehydrator). These are the poor mans, less tasty version of Steve's Originals PaleoKits ( http://www.stevesoriginal.com/ ) there's no comparison to Steve's, seriously!

Our PoW-R Packs are High protein, high glycemic post workout recovery meal.

Newer versions contain homemade spicy jerky, dried fruits, fresh cooked vegetable (sweet potato and/or acorn squash). Some versions contain nuts, which aren't particularly great post-workout, but they sure are tasty.

Thanks loads to Ryan's Grandmother for donation of the vacuum sealer, THANKS MAW!!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

(Wild caught salmon) Fillet of Fish sandwich with steamed broccoli.

This was a great lunch. I pan grilled a wild caught salmon fillet and tossed it on some Paleo bread with some homemade Omega-3, Old Bay Seasoned Spicy mayo and served it up with some steamed broccoli. A lunch to contend with in my humble opinion. Easy too. It took me about 10-15 minutes to make it.

Enjoy!

Packable Paleo Pancake Mix

So, as promised some recipes for the traveling Paleo person. Right now, I'm calling these lil ditties "Packable Paleos". This pack here was made for a good friend, John Johnson, who also happens to be a beastly CrossFitter at My affiliate, CrossFit Gwinnett. John is vegan so this was a challenge, but like any good CrossFitter that meant it had to be undertaken.

This is actually really simple. In that vacuum sealed bag there are the dry ingredients to make a nice pancake or two if mixed with the right ingredients. If you are vegan it turns out (as John posted below) that the right ingredient is almond milk, and probably coconut milk would also work. In fact, I tested the pack with water and that worked as well. If you are non-vegan 2 eggs work perfectly and increase the protein content of the meal.

Wrapped up in there you will find: almond meal, pecan meal, walnut meal, a few pieces of walnuts and pecans, cinnamon, aluminum free baking soda, & the tiniest bit of salt.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Baked Cod with broccoli soup and root vegetable straws

Baked Cod with Broccoli Soup and Root Vegetable Straws

This recipe was inspired by a trip to IKEA, no seriously. I got to thinking about a cuisine we don't often have: Swedish Food. My wife and I love Sweden, not so much for the food as just it's a gorgeous place, so I figured I would try my hand at it. 

I posted the Broccoli Soup recipe previously, so I won't repeat that here. Just know that this soup can be served warm or cold, and the fish could be served either on the side, as we did, or actually in pieces in the soup. 

To bake the Cod simply place two large wild caught cod fillets into a glass casserole dish. Season with sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and some seafood seasoning (dried onion, dried garlic, dried lemon peel parsely). Bake at 350F for 35-45 minutes (the fish should flake easy with the push of a fork). Serve with a lemon slice garnish.

Root Vegetable Staws: shred and/or finely slice 1 sweet potato and 3 medium parsnips. Season with garlic powder, fresh ground pepper, and season salt. Spread relatively evenly on a cookie sheet and bake at 350F for about 45 minutes. These can go in the oven at the same time the fish is cooking. Bake longer if you like your straws crispy, like we do. I put my straws in the oven about 7-10 minutes before putting in the fish, then they both come out at the same time and the straws are crispy. Great for dipping in the soup!

Enjoy!

Poached Egg & Bacon-Wrapped Fillet Mignon on a Sweet Potato Pancake

Still inspired by my trip to IKEA (i.e. Swedish cuisine-ish), I thought I'd try to change up my breakfast. I have to admit, this turned out really good and was not nearly as difficult or time-consuming as I thought it was going to be. 

Let's start from the bottom and work our way up. 

Paleo Sweet Potato Pancake: Mix almond and walnut meal with the meat (no skin) of 1 small cooked sweet potato, and 2 eggs. Mix until lit forms a batter. Spoon batter onto hot skillet. Makes 4 small or 3 relatively large sweet potato pancakes. 

Bacon-wrapped Fillet Mignon: OK, I cheated here. The supermarket had a sale on Fillets so I bought a few extra and grilled them up for dinner a few nights ago. This was a leftover. :-) However, it could be pan grilled or grilled in about 10 minutes (medium rare), 5 minutes per side. 

Poached Egg: Bring a small pot of water to a boil, then reduce the heat so it's just on the verge of boiling. Add a dash of salt and a few drops of vinegar. Crack egg into a ramekin and then pour into water or crack directly into the water. Allow to cook for about 4-6 minutes, depending on the size of the egg. 

To serve place the fillet on top of the pancake and place the egg on top of the fillet. Pierce the yolk just a little so that some runs down on the fillet and pancake and then add a few chopped spring onions. 

Delicious new breakfast!

Enjoy!

Wild Rockfish salad with bacon and homemade apple chips

An easy and tasty lunch recipe. Lay down some mixed salad greens. Top that with some bacon, homemade apple chips (recipe coming soon), a few chopped mushrooms, walnuts and some pan cooked wild rockfish. I seasoned the rockfish with a citrus sauce. The sauce can easily be made by combining the juice of 1/2-1 whole orange with ground black pepper and some fresh chopped garlic. If you are into dairy you could eveadd a little melted butter. Delicious and easy!

Enjoy!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

MIddle Eastern Chicken Grill with Zuchinni "noodles" and steamed broccoli

Slice chicken breast cross-wise. Place in aluminum foil, which you will make a sack out of for the grill. Top with a mixture of chopped mango, chopped peach, coconut milk, cumin, ground black pepper, salt, and red pepper. (In the future I would add some sliced fresh hot peppers too). "Bake" in the aluminum foil (which you should wrap over tightly forming a shell around the chicken) for 35-45 minutes (juices will run clear when pierced indicating the chicken is cooked). While the chicken is cooking finely slice some green (In the future I'd also use some yellow for color and maybe also some red pepper) zuchinni. Bake this at 375 for 35-40 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and garlic powder. You could also make this spicy by adding some curry seasoning or crushed red pepper. You want your zucchini "noodles" to be cooked somewhat al dente. A little crisping on the edges is good, but you do not want these to turn into zucchini crisps. Start steaming your broccoli, although Austen and I both felt that the broccoli was over-kill and not necessary to round out this meal.

Once the chicken is done cooking, plate it, spoon any remainder mango-peach-coconut milk from within the aluminum cocoon on top of the chicken, top with the zucchini noodles, sprinkle with some fresh coriander and red pepper.

This was my first attempt at anything like this, with these types of flavors and it didn't turn out too bad. Certainly some things I would change next time, like I've mentioned above - adding more colored vege, more spicy to heat things up, etc. But all-in-all, it wasn't too bad of a meal.

Enjoy!

Green Pepper-Carrot Slaw

Combine finely sliced carrots and green bell peppers with coconut or olive oil. Toss in some dried fruit (raisin or cranberries), sesame seeds, chopped walnuts, salt, pepper, teaspoon of sesame oil, teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce and a dash of garlic powder.

It makes a nice summer side dish - cool, refreshing, clean.

Mochacinno!

So, it's hot here in Georgia! I hear it's hot just about everywhere this month. We got home from a little shopping for the yet unborn offspring, tentatively being referred to as Peanut, or as I like to call him "Paleo" Peanut and I thought I'd make an iced coffee for the wife and me. Then I was struck with an extraordinary idea: Mochacinno! This is about the easiest recipe, ever, and it taste's amazing.

Toss the following ingredients into a food processor or blender (I use a Magic Bullet):

- 1/2 frozen ripe banana
- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder (we use whey, but I think any would do and casein would probably add thickness
- 1/4 (or more :-) Cup Coconut milk (the whole fat canned stuff, not that goofy carton shite!)
- a teaspoon or so (depending on how you like the strength of your coffee) of instant coffee (or decaf)

Blend!
Voila! I topped ours with a nice sized piece of Packable Paleo Nut Clusters. Starbucks don't have much on us! LOL

Enjoy!

Grilled Acorn Squash

Slice and peel (cook in microwave first for a few minutes, it makes peeling easier) one acorn squash. Marinate in coconut oil, cinnamon, and all spice. Grill at a low temp for about 4-6 minutes per side. Drizzle with raw honey and if you like a touch more cinnamon. This is almost dessert-like...

Enjoy!

Lunch on the road

As a pretty die-hard Paleo foodie it's sometime difficult to get stuff while on the road. Panera bread may be an exception. I know, bread!? And don't they make sandwiches? Yes they do, and yes they do specialize in bread and pastries, but hey also make salads. They also have a very nice feature online called the Nutrition Calculator that allows you to figure out what proportion of fat, carbs, and protein you are getting. It's pretty cool because you can add or delete items to vary the percentages. 

Today I had the Fuji Apple salad, sans the Gorgonzola and Dressing on the side. I asked for extra chicken, but as luck would have it, they messed that up. So I paid for it, but just didn't get it. It's what I get for getting take-out/take-away without checking the package! It's a very nice salad. I get mine with an apple as a side (options are potato chips, bread, or an apple), which is really the only Paleo side. It's certainly better than fast food and if you don't have any Paleo Kits, CFG PoW-R Packs, or other Packable Paleos that are transportable self-contained forms of nutrition, it makes the cut. 


Enjoy!

The old standard for Lunch!

Before going Paleo I used to basically eat the same thing for lunch, just about every single day: A sandwich, a few leftover vegetables from dinner the night before, and a piece of fruit (usually an apple or pear, two of my favorites). Without bread in your diet this becomes troublesome, eh? Well not if you have Paleo bread. I've posted the recipe elsewhere.  This is actually the recipe for the burger buns, but pour this batter into a bread tin and voila, it makes bread instead of buns. 

So, I was able today to have a nice lunch, that stayed Paleo, but was reminiscent of the days of old... LOL   A turkey sandwich, Paleo Omega-3 Mayo, sliced cucumber, sliced tomato, lettuce, side of leftover grilled veggies, and an apple. Perfect!

Enjoy!