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!

Meat Muffins with Pepper-Carrot Slaw and Grilled Acorn Squash

First: Brown some ground beef with onions, garlic, salt and pepper. I also added some seasoning: Montreal Steak Seasoning, because I love that stuff! 

Second: while the meat is browning, make some Paleo burger bun batter . When scooping the bun batter into the muffin tin just put a dollop in the bottom, because you will want to top the meat too. Fill them about 1/2-3/4. Let the batter settle so that the top is flat.

Third: Spoon the (cooled off slightly, i.e. not piping hot!) ground beef mixture on top of the muffin batter trying to leave an edge of batter visible. This means you might have to make a depression/indentation in the batter to spoon your beef mixture into. Also, when scooping your beef mixture from the pan you browned it in, use a slotted spoon so that the juices stay behind in the pan. We are going to use that next. Put another dollop or two of batter on top of the meat. Place meat filled muffins into the oven and bake at 350F for about 20-30 minutes. (PS: I didn't use the muffin tin, instead I used some non-stick bunt ramekins I have, and they worked perfect for a 1 serving size portion.)

Fourth: Go back to that frying pan which should contain some small pieces of meat and the juices from the spices, onion, and garlic and what not. Start heating that up again and as you do add some chopped tomato, fresh chopped garlic, dash of salt, some fresh ground pepper. You might need to add a little bit more oil. Saute that down into a thick tomato sauce. If it won't thicken you've essentially got two options. Option 1 add some tomato paste and that will help it turn into a thicker red sauce. Option two add some coconut milk and a touch of almond flour and baking soda (aluminum free) (or you could add a pinch of creme of tartar) and this will make it more of a pink creamy sauce. If you wanted to get really outrageous, you could add a few splashes of quality vodka and you've got a nice pink vodka sauce to serve over your meat muffins. 

I served this with grilled acorn squash pieces and a green bell pepper and carrot slaw.To grill the acorn squash simply remove seeds, slice into either chunks or long pieces. Remove skin; this can prove difficult, but easier if you half cook in the microwave first for about 4-8 minutes (depending on size). Marinate the squash pieces in some oil, cinnamon, and allspice. (You could also add a touch of Stevia natural sweetener if you wanted, but I wouldn't advise adding too much). When you serve it drizzle a touch of honey over it and some more ground cinnamon. For the slaw, mix finely sliced green bell pepper and carrots with homemade coconut oil. Toss a few dried fruits in (raisins or dried cranberries) for sweetness. Also, toss a few chopped walnuts, onions, and sesame seeds in. Mix well and refrigerate.

Enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped Fillet Mignon with Grilled Vege and Carrot and Pepper Slaw

So, I love me some grilled red meat so when I saw that the fillets were on sale at the market, I snatched a few up. I wrapped them in bacon for some added fat and flavor and served them with a side of grilled vegetables: eggplant (if you don't know, grilled eggplant is amazing), squash, and onion. To season the vege simply toss in a bag with some high heat oil (think coconut or walnut or grapeseed oils) and a dash of salt or seasoned salt, fresh ground pepper, fresh smashed cloves of garlic, Italian seasonings and some crushed red pepper flakes. Cook to your desired texture, we like our about 1/2-3/4 cooked so they still retain a bit of a crunch! Also good if you toss some whole baby mushrooms in too, but our market was out of 'shrooms. I've even tossed broccoli florets and / or asparagus spears in, equally good. For some additional high density carbs, say post-workout try tossing in a few thinly sliced sweet potatoes, yams, jicama, or acorn squash.

I also made a large salad that included, amongst the mixed greens, chopped walnuts, flaxseeds, fresh blueberries, halved grapes, 1/4 chopped fresh Georgia peach, and cucumber. Dress with olive oil and it's quite nice!

Enjoy!

Peaches and "cream" (of coconut)

Dessert or late night snack: Peaches and Cream, sort of. Easy enough, too. Simply slice up a ripe peach, hopefully yours will be better than mine, which felt ripe, but it wasn't that ripe and juicy. Place in a bowl, sprinkle with cinnamon (and/or allspice) and some crushed nuts (think pecans) or flaxseed (I used flaxseed). Pour a few tablespoons of coconut milk over the top and stir well. If I could get my supermarket to carry unsweetened flaked coconut, I would have tossed some of that on it as well. If you fancy some chocolate then you could add shaved or grated dark chocolate. You could also add a scoop of coconut milk ice cream. Very flexible and adaptable.

It might also be cool to add some Nut Clusters, which are brilliant (recipe coming (again) soon)!

Enjoy.