Monday, August 30, 2010

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!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

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!

Friday, August 27, 2010

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!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

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!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

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!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

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!

Monday, August 23, 2010

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!

Sunday, August 22, 2010

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!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

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!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

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!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

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!

Monday, August 16, 2010

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!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

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!

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Monday, August 9, 2010




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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!


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Saturday, August 7, 2010

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!!!

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(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!

Thursday, August 5, 2010

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.

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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!


Tuesday, August 3, 2010

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!

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Monday, August 2, 2010

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!

Sunday, August 1, 2010

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.