Walnut chocolate chunk ice cream

1 13-oz can coconut milk
1/2 cup walnuts
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup finely chopped dark chocolate
pinch of salt

Heat coconut milk until smooth.  Stir in walnuts, banana and salt.  Pour into a container and cool to room temperature.  Fold in chocolate.  Freeze, stirring occassionally.

Bacon-wrapped tenderloin for Christmas dinner!!!!

This was our Christmas turkey this year....

Ingredients

4 lbs beef tenderloin

8 rashers smoked bacon

1/2 cup of finely chopped fresh thyme, rosemary and sage

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

On a piece of parchment papers, layout strips of bacon side by side to for a bacon mat. The mat should be slightly shorter than the tenderloin.

Allow the tenderloin to come to room temperature. Salt and pepper the whole tenderloin. Rub the herbs all over the tenderloin.

Place the tenderloin on the bacon mat, so that the bacon strands are perpendicular to the length of the tenderloin. Wrap each piece of bacon around the tenderloin and secure with a toothpick. If the bacon is too short to wrap around the tenderloin, use two toothpicks. 
Place tenderloin on BBQ and grill until the internal temperature reaches 130F. This should produce a medium rare tenderloin.
Once done, move the roast to a cutting board. Remove all the toothpicks, tent the roast with aluminum foil, and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes. Carve and serve.

Broccoli soup with bacon

• 12 ounces bacon, uncooked and roughly chopped
• 6 ounces bacon, cooked and crumbled (garnish)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 large parsnip, peeled and diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 3-4 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
• 6 cups broth of choice 
• 1.5 lbs fresh broccoli, chopped
• 1 tsp ground pepper; 1 tsp salt  

In a heavy-bottomed pot, cook bacon on medium heat. While this is cooking, cut the onion and add to pot. Stir a few times. Cut parsnip, add to pot and stir. Do this with the carrot, garlic and celery as well. Let this mixture cook for about ten minutes.
Add the broth. Stir. Add the broccoli, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer covered for 30 minutes.
Using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth. If you do not have an immersion blender, transfer soup in batches to a standing blender and process until smooth. Taste to see if any additional salt is needed.
Serve in bowls. Add cooked bacon for garnish.

New idea for breakfast

 Sausage and Spinach Breakfast Casserole

1 head of cauliflower
3/4 c chicken stock or water

1 lb sausage
5 cups raw spinach
6 ounces full-fat coconut milk 

 4 eggs lightly beaten
juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 350 and prepare a 9X13 baking dish by greasing it with coconut oil.
Pulse cauliflower in a food processor and fry until tender
Brown and crumble the sausage.  Leave the sausage oil in the pan and add in the fresh spinach.  Stir until it wilts.
In a large mixing bowl,  add the coconut milk, eggs, and spinach mixture, stir well.  Add in the salt, garlic powder, pepper, and lemon juice and stir.  Add the cooled cauliflower-grits and stir well.
 Pour into the prepared baking dish, and bake for 45 minutes or until center is set.

Verdict:  It was OK, but won't replace the no-oat.  Needs less cauliflower and more sausage...

Thanksgiving 2012

I made paleo and non-paleo dishes for Thanksgiving, I thought I would keep everyone happy that way and it worked!!!  One of our guests made sushi for an appetizer-food and art.  Aren't they spectacular????

I made these sweet potato biscuits.  I made them ahead of everything else so I could free up the oven, we ended up eating them as an appetizer.  They were the best thing I made yesterday.  I will DEFINITELY be making these again.

I made the prosciutto wrapped pears as well. They were the best looking thing I made, but I didn't actually have any of them....
Overall, everything was really good, but I am not a huge fan of the broccoli-cauliflower casserole, it is very bland.  Going to find an alternative

OK, so we had apple pie and ice cream for dessert.  Definitely NOT paleo, but worth it for a change....

Sweet potato bake

5 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch rounds
2 small apples, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ cup 100% pure maple syrup
4 tablespoons organic grassfed butter
1 cup chopped pecans
Cook the yams in a pressure cooker for 6-8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, move the cooked yams to a large mixing bowl. To the yams, add the apples, butter, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and maple syrup and mix well. Spread the yam mixture evenly into a 11×7 glass baking dish. Top with pecans and bake uncovered at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole

Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole
2 ½ cups broccoli florets, finely chopped
1 ½ cups of cauliflower, finely chopped
1 shallot finely chopped
2 eggs
1/3 cup coconut milk
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon sea salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
In a medium sized bowl, mix together the shallots, broccoli and cauliflower. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut milk, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour the egg/coconut milk mixture over the broccoli, cauliflower and shallots and mix well. Bake in an 11’ round glass baking dish, covered at 350 for 45 minutes.

Sweet potato biscuits

Ingredients

• 1 large sweet potato or yam (equivalent to 2 cups mashed)
• 3 tablespoons Coconut Flour
• 3 eggs, whisked
• 6-8 strips of bacon, diced
• leftover rendered fat from bacon
• 3-4 tablespoons chives, thinly diced
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 415 degrees.
2. Poke holes in your sweet potato with a fork.
3. Place in oven and bake for 30-40 or until soft.
4. Once the sweet potato is done baking, turn oven down to 375 degrees.
5. When your sweet potato is almost done cooking, place your diced bacon into a skillet and brown until crispy. Then place your cooked, crispy bacon on a plate covered with a paper towel to soak up the excess fat. The fat that is left behind in the pan, you will use in your biscuits.
6. When your sweet potato is done, peel and place in a bowl and mash with a fork.
7. Then add in your eggs and mix well with your sweet potato. Then add your in your bacon fat and mix well.
8. Then your dry ingredients: coconut flour, baking powder, garlic powder, and salt and pepper.
9. Finally add your diced cooked bacon and chives. Mix thoroughly
10. Now line a baking sheet with parchment paper and use a large spoon to drop your biscuits on the sheet, shaping them as needed. Try to make them all equal in size so they cook the same.
11. Place in oven and bake for 22-27 minutes.

Dressing for turkey

1 lb mild Italian pork sausage
4 ½ cups mushrooms, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
6 celery stalks, diced
4 carrots, diced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon diced fresh sage
½ tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
½ cup dried cherries, finely chopped
½ cup slivered almonds
½ tablespoon garlic powder
4 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. In a large soup pot, sauté onions in olive oil until translucent. Add the sausage and brown. Add the carrots, celery, mushrooms, chicken broth, cherries, almonds, sage, thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix well, bring to a simmer, and cook for 5-10 minutes or until the veggies begin to absorb the chicken broth. Transfer to a large glass baking dish, cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Prosciutto Pears for Thanksgiving

I'm going to make these for Thanksgiving.  I made them last year and they were great.  I found some Balsamic drizzle at Trader Joe's a few weeks ago and this is a perfect opportunity to use it......

Prosciutto Wrapped Pears
½ red onion, very thinly sliced
2 pears
1 package of prosciutto di parma
Baby Spinach leaves
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
Preheat oven to 400. Heat the coconut oil in a small skillet and sauté onions until they are caramelized. (onions should be brown but not burnt). Peel and slice the pears into thick slices. Top each pear with a little bit of caramelized onion and one spinach leaf, wrap tightly with a piece of prosciutto. Grease a baking sheet with a little bit of grassfed organic butter, and place the pears on the baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. While the pears are baking, add the balsamic to a small sauce pan, heat over medium low until the balsamic is reduced down to a syrup like consistency, stirring often. Drizzle a small amount of the balsamic reduction over the pears and serve.

Sabotage!!!!!

I have been trying to get a start on a new Whole30 plan since October 1.  I signed up for the daily email program, it sends you an email every day with information and support.  I started not too badly and completed almost a week.  After that, I have only managed to do 2 or 3 days in a row.  Almost 2 months later, I have achieved almost nothing.  Even though I know that I feel better when I don't eat too many carbohydrates, I am still not making that much of an effort to rectify this.  So, the obvious question is, Why?  I don't have a clear answer for this.  Sam thinks that the Whole30 is too extreme, but honestly I'm much better cutting things out completely than having them every once in a while.  I'm not exactly sure how to deal with this, but I really need to do something.

So, I'll try to get back on track.  Maybe I should be a little more flexible instead of so extreme.  When I have one slip during the day, I just think I might as well eat whatever I want because that day is ruined already.  It's really starting to annoy me and made me wonder why I am sabotaging my diet on a daily basis.  So, here goes once again.....

Cross between breakfast and chili!!!!

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 to 3 cups beef stock
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled & diced small
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• salt
• 1/2 lb bacon
• eggs (one egg for each serving)
• avocado

In a large soup pot, brown the meat and and saute the onions until cooked through. Add in the tomatoes, sweet potatoes and stock, followed by all the spices. Let simmer until the sweet potatoes have cooked through, about 20-30 minutes.
Meanwhile, chop up and saute the bacon until crispy. Reserve until ready to serve. Then, fry or scramble one egg for each person you plan on serving.
Serve by scooping the chili in a bowl, top with the fried/scrambled egg, some crispy bacon & some avocado slices.

Weekend cooking....

I didn't make as many things this weekend as I usually do, but I still made quite a lot of food. I made a batch of no-oat oatmeal and honey muffins for breakfast. I made a huge batch of taro root chips on Sunday. I had to cook them in five separate batches and we ate them all as they came out of the oven, they didn't even have time to cool!! I have finally found a paleo food that everyone in the family LOVES!!!!

I made this paleo version of alfredo, made with delicata squash, bacon and coconut milk.  I cut up the breast from a Sam's Club chicken and added it to the sauce.  Then I used the chicken legs and carcass to make the base for chicken noodle soup for the kids.  I made some chicken patties with sweet potato and kale that we can use as a good protein source in the week.  Sam made hamburgers for dinner on Saturday night and I made a batch of cole slaw with red and green cabbage with carrots.  I made the best batch of mayo that I have ever done, I used apple cider vinegar and walnut oil to make it.

I also made this paleo dessert that Sam loves.  It really is not sweet at all because I used 100% cacao chocolate to make it.  The kids wanted to try it and Maggie made a face-I don't think we have to worry about them stealing it!!!!

Three strikes.......

Went out to dinner with a guest speaker last night.  Spinach & artichoke dip with tortillas for appetizer, pumpkin creme brulee for dessert and wine!!!!  I did have a salad in between, but not enough to redeem myself.  Definitely Three Strikes and back to Day 1!!!!!

Whole30, Day 4

Busy day today, ate out all day.  We went to the Fall Festival at the Lithuanian church this morning.  We had lunch there and I tried to be good.  Had some fried chicken (took the skin off), sausage and some cucumber salad.  Resisted the dessert table though.

We went to Empty Bowls tonight and I had mushroom bisque, but no bread or dessert.  So, not perfect day but could have been worse....

I made this oven omelet for in the week.  Sliced up some sweet potato and put on the bottom.  Fried bacon, added onion, mushrooms, asparagus & sun-dried tomatoes and put all on top of the sweet potatoes.  Added 6 scrambled eggs and cooked at 350 for 40 mins.

Whole30, Day 3

Well, I feel like I spent all day watching people eat pizza!!! Ben decided he had to get Pizza Hut pizza and breadsticks for lunch when we were in Target. Then, the three of us went to Dewey's Pizza for dinner. Sam and Ben had an enormous pepperoni pizza and I had salad!!!! I did get a latte at lunchtime,so not a perfect day, but better than it might have been.

We found more bacon-related fridge magnets in Five Below

Whole30, Day 2

Pretty good day.  Avoided Starbucks at the Galleria.  Had this pork and apricot slow-cooker recipe for dinner.  Usual stuff for breakfast and lunch

Pork recipe:  2 lbs pork loin, dried apricots, 1 onion, 1 tbsp Grey Poupon mustard, salt & pepper, 1 cup water.  Put in slow cooker on low for 8 hours.  I took the pork out and shredded it & put back in the slow cooker for a short while.

Whole30, Day 1

The day started off with no-oat oatmeal, of course.  I made it through until lunchtime without snacking and I went to Crossfit class at noon.  I was so close to getting a Starbucks latte on the way home and starting tomorrow (the daily emails won't start until tomorrow) but I decided to just drive home and make an omelet instead.  Little decisions like that make a huge amount of difference and I'm so glad I did it.  The omelet was really yummy as well....

Whole 30, Day 1, November 1.....

Well, I'm saying this YET AGAIN.  I'm trying round 3 of the Whole30 program.  I was so frustrated by my last effort and I have been trying to do the program again since October 1.  Might as well try again on November 1, Right?
I put back all the weight I lost during the last program, which is annoying.  I decided to subscribe to the Whole 30 email program this time.  They send you an email every day & you can report as to whether you did well or not.  I've been doing a few days here and there and ended up back at Day 1 several times during the whole of October.
So, now I'm starting the daily reporting again to see if it helps me.  I don't know why I stop and start all the time because it really IS NOT all that hard!!  I guess there are just way too many temptations around all the time and of course there's a Starbucks on every corner!!
I'm still doing no-oat oatmeal every morning and I never tire of it.  I did make a batch of tomato-basil soup last week, so I am back to having that for lunch every day, although I had taken a break from that recently.

Butter chicken curry recipe

Ingredients

4 pounds chicken thighs, chopped into 1-inch cubes
6 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons garam masala
3 teaspoons ground coriander
3 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon paprika
3/4 cup Greek-style (thick) yogurt
7 tablespoons butter, chopped
1 tablespoon white vinegar
3 tablespoons tomato paste
4 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
6 cardamom pods (crush pods slightly to release seeds and more flavor)
1 cinnamon stick
1 1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup fresh coriander, coarsely chopped

Cooking Instructions

Combine chicken, garlic, spices and yogurt in a covered container. Refrigerate for an hour or two. Melt butter in a deep pan. Add vinegar, tomato paste, tomatoes, cardamom and cinnamon. Boil rapidly, stirring until sauce is thick (approximately 20 minutes). Reduce heat to a simmer and add chicken. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally until chicken is cooked through. Add cream or coconut milk, simmer a few minutes more, and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Pork Fried Rice

6 rashers bacon
1 cauliflower, riced
1 bunch green onions
1/2 lb pork tenderloin
Mushrooms
2 eggs
Fish sauce
Coconut aminos
Garlic
Ginger

Fry bacon until crispy.  Remove from wok and cook 2 eggs.  Remove & cut into thin strips.
Fry garlic and green onions in small amount of coconut oil.  Add mushrooms and pork and cook until pork is done.  Remove from wok




Fry cauliflower with ginger  in some more oil.  Add egg strips and pork  mixture.  Season with coconut aminos and fish sauce.  Top with bacon.

Go! St. Louis Halloween 5K

Maggie, Greta and I ran the 5K on Sunday.  Maggie & I did it in 34:40.  I came 8th out of 45 in my age category, so I was very pleased.  Maggie ran her heart out.  She was fantastic and kept up with me the whole way.  She would get further and further behind when we were walking, but she ran with me most of the way.

Coffee creamer

I found a recipe for coffee creamer on the Internet & thought I'd try it.  It was 4 dates, 1 can coconut milk and some vanilla.  You just blend it all together in the blender and voila.  I had high hopes for it, but I'm putting it in the failure category.  I think that the almond milk is just as good and way fewer calories, so I'll stick to that.....

Vietnamese spring rolls

Janhavi made Vietnamese spring rolls for us last night. They were really good. Not really paleo because they use rice noodles and wraps, plus we dipped them in peanut sauce

They are still pretty healthy since they have all fresh ingredients.  She made them with shrimp.  They were easy to put together, but I bet it took her ages to chop everything.  Ben loved them too, they would be great "kid food"

It was Anne's 21st birthday party yesterday.  Ben & I ran over there for a while before eating with Janhavi.  We brought a Jell-O shot back for her.  I didn't want to drink it before I drove home

Happy Birthday Anne!!!!!

Bacon-related "stuff"

We were at Five Below (everything under $5) at the weekend and Ben found this car magnet which goes perfectly on our fridge.

Then Greta found this shirt that she just had to have!!!!

Actually, we don't eat as much bacon as you might think!!!!

Happy Birthday Sam.....

Well, he had to wait until after all the paleo stuff was over, but Sam finally got his birthday cake.....

My Whole30 year

Well, I have been trying to do paleo for the most of this year, sometimes with more effort than at others. I have done the Whole30 program with Leeny twice and I have tried doing it on my own twice and lasted about 3 weeks. The rest of the time I have hovered between being pretty good and completely hopeless. It's horrifying how quickly you can get back into your old habits. It's mostly because we are completely surrounded by processed food and sugar. Leeny had told me that she had been looking at my before pictures from January and comparing them to my after pictures last week. I had been looking at them myself and was reassured that I had been losing weight (better that it's fat) gradually over this year. I have lost 17 lbs in total (12.5% of my body weight) and some inches (maybe not as much as I'd like). I have noticed a change in my clothes and how I look. I need to stay on track to get to where I would ideally like to be.....

Look at all that fat on my back!!!!

Not bad, but still got that belly going on.....

Whole30, Round 2

My second go at the Whole30 program wasn't anything like as successful as my first time. That is mostly because I was traveling for so long at the end of the program. However, I could still have done better if I had really tried. Leeny had a pot luck party for the group and she awarded some prizes. These are the statistics from the group as a whole:
total lbs lost: 122
avg. wt. loss: 7.2 lbs
total inches lost: 69
avg. in. lost: 4
We look pretty happy about it......

There was some fabulous food there-I made these taro chips, my favourite at the moment.  Lisa (middle of the pic above) made some really yummy guacamole that went perfectly with the chips.

Apricot chicken-slow cooker recipe

• 4 Chicken breasts
• 4 sweet potatos cubed
• dried apricots
• 1 chopped onion
• paprika, salt, curry, pepper, ginger
• apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons
• Soy sauce or coconut aminos 2 tablespoons
• 1/2 cup cold water and 2 tbl spoons arrowroot powder

Chop onions into large pieces and cube sweet potatos and put into the crock pot as bottom layer. Lay chicken and apricots on top and sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika, curry and ginger. Mix together soy sauce (or coconut aminos!), apple cider vinegar and pour over chicken. Put the lid on the crock pot and cook for 6 to 8 hours.
Mix cold water and arrowroot powder and pour into crock pot, turn to high for 15 minutes to thicken .

Pizza crust

Going to try this suggestion from fast paleo recipes, just in case it works!!!

• 2 cups almond flour
• 1 cup arrowroot powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup almond milk

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a round pizza pan
2. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk to blend together.
3. Add eggs and almond milk to the dry ingredients. Mix well. (The batter will be runny–not like typical pizza dough.)
4. Use a spatula to spread batter onto greased pan.
5. Bake crust in preheated oven 8-12 minutes.
6. Remove crust from oven and top with sauce and desired toppings.
7. Bake for another 10-15 minutes.

Lemon Bars

We had these at Lenny's party the other night. The recipe is from Fast Paleo. Sam said we should make them in ramekins andput chocolate on the top. Chocolate-it improves EVERYTHING!!!!!

• 2 eggs
• coconut oil 1/4 cup
• honey 1/4 cup (for cookie)
• coconut flour 1/4 cup
• coconut flakes 3/4 cup
• fresh lemon juice 1 cup
• 6 eggs
• honey 1/2 cup (for topping)
• coconut oil 1/2 cup
• sea salt

Preheat oven to 350. In a food processor combine eggs, coconut oil, salt and honey. Mix to combine. Add coconut flour and 1/4 cup of coconut flakes. Again, process until well combined. Transfer to a bowl and stir in remaining coconut flakes. Grease a glass Pyrex baking dish (7 x 11) with coconut oil. . Press cookie batter base evenly into dish. Bake for 18 minutes at 350 until the edges are just starting to brown and center is cooked through.
Whisk lemon juice, eggs, salt and honey together in a sauce pan. Slowly add coconut oil while whisking over medium heat. Whisk until it starts to thicken. Remove from heat. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain the filling through a fine mesh to remove any cooked egg bits. Top the crust and refrigerate.

Whole30, Day 25

I have to say that traveling and eating healthy are pretty much mutually exclusive.  After having spent the past week or so away from home and doing a pretty horrendous flight to Calgary, my Whole30 diet has completely fallen apart.  We spent the long weekend in Little Rock for Richard's birthday.  So, I was faced with some of my favourite restaurants, plus a bunch of food at the party.  My major transgression was the Triple Treat Chocolate Malt at The Purple Cow in Little Rock.  Haven't had one in years and I shared it with Sam, but even so....

I am now at a meeting in Banff.  We had a 24 hour delay in flights and so I spent a whole day dealing with airport food.  The conference has catered food which is really good but mostly things I can't eat.  It's given me a new perspective on what most people eat on a regular basis.  It's ironic that a conference that is focusing on diet, lipids, insulin resistance & Type II diabetes should serve four different jars of candy, plus mini kitkats at break time!!!!  I am resisting as much as I can, but it's a good job they ran out of the white chocolate mousse by the time I had eaten dinner though!!!

Whole30, day 19

Wow, I can't believe it's been a week since I wrote about my diet.  Things have been really busy, but I have managed to stay on track for the most part.  Being in a challenge where you know you have other people with you really helps.  It's also a help to know you are doing this for a limited time.  I am painfully aware of all the opportunities I have to flinch and eat something that I shouldn't.  Ben made some blueberry muffins the other night, they looked amazing.  I had the tiniest bite just to make him happy, but I would have eaten the whole thing if I hadn't been doing the program.

The real challenge starts now.  We are going to Little Rock for the weekend and then I am going to a meeting in Canada for a week.  Eating away from home is a new level of difficulty.  Maybe I will enjoy the additional challenge.....

Sunday cooking

I had my usual marathon cooking Sunday. We were going to have salmon for dinner, Sam was going to grill it so I made up a marinade with oil,lime juice and dill. Unfortunately, it rained so we had to put it in the oven, but it was still good.

Sam wanted some honey muffins.  They are not part of the Whole30 because of the honey, so I made these banana pumpkin rock cakes.  They were OK,but the honey muffins are WAY better!!!!

Made the usual batch of no-oat oatmeal, Sam & I still eat this every day.

Since I'm still in my buffalo sauce mode, I made the buffalo chicken meatloaf recipe again.  This time, I added more hot sauce, used turkey instead of chicken and made the mixture into meatballs rather than putting it all in a loaf pan.  It made some very convenient snacks for in the week.

I also cooked some chicken chunks for Sam to have with salad and I made butternut squash curry with chicken.  We seem to eat a lot of chicken these days!!!!

Festival of Nations

While we were at the Festival of Nations on Sunday, Ben remembered that we had eaten at the Scottish booth two years ago. He had a great steakburger there and wanted another one. The meat is all from Highland cattle and grass fed.  This was the menu board, I wanted to try everything, plus it made me a little homesick.  We had mince N tatties every Saturday for lunch when I was growing up!!!

Here is Ben proudly showing off his steakburger, he ate the whole thing.

Of course, Maggie ate the bun and left the burger, so I got to eat at least some of it.  I was trying to get her to eat at least half of it, but she just threw it on the floor.  I really wish she'd stop thinking that she has to have exactly the same thing as Ben all the time, even when she doesn't like something!!!!

Sunday breakfast!!!!

I suspect that my "What not to eat" category could be swamped with entries about Greta!!!  It's not only what she eats, but how much of it.  We are going through OJ like it's going out of style and she definitely has the European sweet tooth.  Exactly like I was at that age.  We were rushing out of the house to go to the Festival of Nations on Sunday morning and she ate a Kaiser roll with Nutella in the middle and extra on top!!!!

She looks pretty happy about it, but it had no appeal for me!!!

Moroccan meatballs

Ingredients:
Meatballs:
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 pounds ground lamb

Sauce:1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 medium onions, diced (about 2 cups)
2 garlic cloves, crushed (about 2 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 medium tomatoes, diced (about 2 cups)
1 1/2 cups water
2/3 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced (about 2 tablespoons)

Garnish:1/4 cup roasted pistachios, chopped

Directions:1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the parsley, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper with a fork. With your hands, crumble the lamb into the bowl and knead until all of the ingredients are incorporated.
2. Moisten your hands with water and shake to remove excess. Measure a level tablespoon of lamb and roll into a ball between your palms. Line up the meatballs on a baking sheet until it’s time to put them in the sauce.
3. Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or pot. Add the onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan and stir about 1 minute. Add the water, tomato paste, and parsley, mixing to dissolve the tomato paste.
4. Bring the sauce to a boil, then gently place the meatballs in the skillet, cover, and reduce heat to simmer. Cook 40 minutes covered, then remove the lid and cook an additional 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Sprinkle each serving with a few teaspoons of chopped pistachios.

Buffalo chicken meatloaf

1lb ground chicken

1 egg

3 tablespoons coconut flour or 1/2 cup almond flour/meal (I used coconut flour)

3-4 tablespoons hot sauce (I used Red Hot)

2 stalks of celery, diced

1/4 small yellow onion, diced

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon celery salt

salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place all ingredients in a bowl and use your hands to mix thoroughly.
3. Plop mixture into two mini loaf pans OR one large loaf pan.
4. Bake for 25-35 or until chicken is completely cooked through.

Lamb Korma

Ingredients:

• 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
• 6 large cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 cloves
• 8 cardamom pods
• 1 TB coriander seeds
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder or leg, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 TB coconut oil or ghee, divided
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped (makes about 2 cups chopped onion)
• 1 cinnamon stick or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup cashews, ground to a powder using blender, food processor, mortar & pestle, or spice grinder
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup beef or lamb stock
• pinch of saffron (1/4 tsp)
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Prepare the ginger-garlic paste. Place the ginger, garlic, and 1/4 tsp salt in a mortar and pestle, food processor, or blender. Blend to a paste. It should result in approximately 2 TB of paste. Set aside until ready to use.
2. Prepare the spice mix, or masala. Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Add the large spices first to the dry pan: the cardamom pods and the cloves. Heat for 30 seconds, until fragrant but not burning. Shake the pan around and add the coriander seeds. Heat for 15 seconds. Add the smallest spice; the cumin seeds. Heat for 15 more seconds, or until all spices are nicely fragrant. Remove the masala to a plate to cool. When cooled, grind it to a powder using a spice grinder, mortar and pestle, or blender. Set the masala aside until ready to use.
3. Put the saffron in a small bowl and cover with 2 TB of boiling water. Let soak for at least 10 minutes and set aside.
4. Heat 1 TB of the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Rinse the lamb and pat dry with a paper or cloth towel. Season the lamb liberally with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the lamb to the pot and brown for 5 minutes or so, a minute or two per side. So as not to crowd the pan, we do this in two or three separate batches. Once the lamb is browned on all sides, remove the lamb to a plate.
5. Add the additional 1 TB of oil to the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low, and add in the onions. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
6. Stir in the ginger-garlic paste and cook for one more minute.
7. Add the spice masala, stir well. Return the lamb to the pot with any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Stir well to coat the lamb with all the spices.
8. Add the beef stock, the coconut milk, the ground cashews, the cinnamon stick, and the saffron with its soaking water. Stir in the turmeric powder and the 1/4 tsp salt. Bring the stew to a low simmer. Give it a good stir, cover and cook on low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Stir every once in a while during the cooking.
9. Uncover the stew, stir and cook down to thicken, if necessary, for a few minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
10. Remove the cinnamon stick prior to serving. Serve the stew garnished with chopped fresh cilantro.

Whole30, Day 12

Did Crossfit with Gini first thing in the morning, so I had a little no-oat before I went and then ate my regular amount when I got to work-half when I got there and half at lunchtime.  That pretty much kept me filled up all day.  I polished off the chicken meatloaf when I got home and that was me for the day.  Oh, I did eat a banana and shared another with Ben, they were on the turn and needed to be eaten.  Leeny says that's too much sugar for on a regular basis, but I rarely eat them now.

Whole30, day 11

Had no-oat oatmeal for breakfast.  I had some chicken meat loaf with buffalo sauce for a morning snack because I was so hungry.  I also had a chicken curry salad for lunch-working lunch and that was the best option.  Snacking for the rest of the day

Whole30, day 10

Had no-oat oatmeal for breakfast and chicken with hot/ranch sauce for lunch.  We had the chicken with mushrooms & walnuts for dinner and I made some brussels to go with it

Whole30, day 9

I went to Crossfit class this morning and so I ate a little no-oat oatmeal before I went and then I ate my usual amount for breakfast when I got to work.  I had chicken with my hot/ranch sauce for lunch.  I ate an apple after I got home and some corned beef for dinner.  Sam & I are a piece of cherry clafouti for dessert.  No other snacks.  Not bad.

Greta's afternoon snack

I wish I was 15 again!!!!

Vanilla ice cream

Chocolate ice cream

Strawberries

Nutella

No-potato potato salad

1 head of cauliflower

6 eggs, hard-boiled and diced

1/4 a medium sized red onion, finely diced

3-4 celery stalks, finely diced

dill pickles, diced

About 3/4 cups mayo with 1 tablespoons of dried dill and 1/2 teaspoon of crushed garlic added.

About 1/2 teaspoon of yellow mustard

Black pepper to taste

Cut the cauliflower into large florets and steam until just tender.  Rinse the steamed cauliflower under cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain the cauliflower well and pat dry with paper towels. Crumble the cauliflower into a large mixing bowl, add all of the remaining ingredients including the mayo, mustard, and pepper and mix well. Either eat right away or let chill for a couple of hours before serving. 

Whole30, Day 7

Had a major cooking afternoon.  Cooking a bunch of food at the weekend is time consuming, but really saves time in the week.  We have essentially snacked on food out of the fridge since Wednesday.

Anne came over and we cooked a bunch of stuff together.  She is doing the challenge with me and doesn't have anyone else at home that is participating.  We made this chicken curry clafouti (pictured), mainly for Maggie to eat in the mornings, a buffalo chicken meatloaf that Sam & I can snack on or eat at lunchtime, the chicken/avocado/apple salad that we will eat for dinner tomorrow, we prepped this chicken dish that we will eat on Tuesday, made no-oat oatmeal and then we cooked some chicken just by boiling it.

We also made some paleo mayonnaise that I mixed with hot sauce.  I have been dipping chicken in the sauce and eating as a snack. It is really yummy.

Sam grilled salmon for dinner.  I marinaded it in safflower oil, lime juice and cilantro.  It was really good.  We ate it with salad and the kids had bread & butter with it.

I have now completed a whole week of the Whole30 program.  I'm feeling the same way that I did the last time.  It's amazing how different you can feel when you are just changing a small aspect of your diet.....

Whole30, day 6

We did the Color Run this morning, walked most of it, but it was fun.  I ate no-oat oatmeal before the run, I actually ate it cold because I didn't have time to sit and eat it.  It's OK cold, but not my number one choice of ways to eat it!!  I took it in the car with me & ate about half, then had the other half after the run.  I snacked for the rest of the day.  Had some chicken with buffalo sauce-mixed some red hot sauce with Sam's dressing & it was great. I bought mangoes last week & have been eating one a day-they may be my favourite fruit.  I made a clafouti for dinner/dessert, put cherries in it.  It's our favourite clafouti recipe.  We eat a piece for dessert throughout the week.  We have been snacking on left-overs out of the fridge for the last three nights.  I guess making a large amount of food at the weekend pays off!!

Whole30, day 5

I worked out with Gini Ford this morning and it inspired me to start going back to Crossfit classes again next week.  I had my usual no-oat oatmeal for breakfast.  We went to Pho Grand for lunch and I had chicken with coconut and curry sauce, probably fitted the Whole30 since it was just chicken and vegetables.  I had a mango, chicken and these taro chips for dinner.  Just coated them in olive oil, sprinkled some salt and baked at 400 for 15 mins.  They were great.

Whole30, day 4

Day off from cooking a lot.  I cooked up a chicken carcass last night and so made the kids chicken noodle soup for dinner.  I had no-oat for breakfast and soup with one of last night's chicken patties for lunch.  Going to snack tonight.  Maybe eat a mango and some no-oat after  I make a fresh batch

Whole30, Day 3

Pretty good day.  Had no-oat oatmeal for breakfast, tomato-basil soup and chicken for lunch, and these chicken patties with asparagus for dinner.  Sam made his dinner into a smiley face!!!!

Whole30, Day 2

Oh no, the program has started and I am back to my old routine of eating!!  Had no-oat oatmeal for breakfast, chicken and carrots at lunch and this Asian beef stir fry for dinner.  Whatever works.....

Whole30, Day 1

Here it is, day 1.  I'm am ready to do this again, just anxious about how I will do everything when I am away.  I bought a big hunk of pork loin at Sam's Club yesterday, so thought about cooking some in the slow cooker.  Going to try putting a recipe together:

2-3 lbs pork
1 Cup of Water
1 whole yellow onion
I cup dried apples
1 tbsp Grey Poupon mustard
Salt and pepper

Put pork in slow cooker.  Cut up apples and onions and add.  Add other ingredients.  Cook on low for 8 hours.

This turned out way better than I hoped for.  The apples and onions cooked down and made a nice sauce.  I made fried okra with it by tossing the cut okra in coconut flour and frying in coconut oil.  I had no-oat oatmeal for breakfast and chicken/carrots/apple for lunch.  We had been at the zoo all day, so packed my lunch.  The key to this program is to PLAN AHEAD!!!

Day 1 down, 29 to go....

Here we go again.....

Yes, for sure, I am doing the Whole30 again.  This time, I have the support of the new group of people that Leeny has gathered to do the program together.  Even though I am eating much better in general, I have slipped so far and I can now see why people do this program more than once.  I suspect I'll be doing it every time Leeny runs it in future!!!!  I went to her seminar yesterday and she did all the measurements etc.  I have lost another 5lbs since I did the program in January, so I have lost 14-15 lbs in total since the beginning of the year.
My goals for this go-around are to drink more water, eat more vegetables and less fruit and to exercise regularly.  It will also be interesting to see how well I can do when I have two trips and a major party planned in the next 30 days.
Roll on tomorrow.....

Slow cooker pork

Making this for dinner tomorrow....

3 to 4 pound boneless pork butt/shoulder roast

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 onion, peeled and cut into 8 chunks

1/2 can of coconut milk

Lime wedges for garnish

Coat meat with spices.  Add everything to crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours

Taro chips

I saw a recipe for Taro root chips the other week and I have been looking for it since then. I finally broke down and went to Global Market. I found it masquerading as malanga coco.  I peeled it and then cut it into slices with a mandoline.  They are almost too good looking to eat!!!!!

I sprayed a baking tin with olive oil, spread the taro chips out and sprayed them with oil.  I sprinkled some salt on them and baked at 400 for 10-20 mins.

They came out really well, much better than my attempt at sweet potato chips and I like the taste of the taro better too

Lemon-basil pound cake

Ingredients
2/3 c Coconut Flour
6 Eggs
1/2 c Coconut Butter
1/3 c Honey
1/2 t Salt
1 t Baking Soda
Juice and Zest of 1 Lemon
1/3 c Chopped Fresh Basil
Instructions
Beat the eggs and add coconut butter, honey, salt, baking soda, lemon zest and juice, and basil.  Add the coconut flour a bit at a time, beating all ingredients until well combined.  Batter will be thick.
Bake in a loaf pan at 350 for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

Bistro Hamburger au Poivre with Fresh Tomato Leek Sauce

Ingredients
2 lbs ground round
4 shallots, chopped
2 tbsp capers
6tbsp red wine
1 tsp salt
4tbsp Dijon mustard
4 tbsp ground peppercorns

Tomato leek sauce:
$ tbsp butter
2 small leeks
6 plum tomatoes
4 tbsp brandy
2 1/2 tbsp fresh tarragon
6 tbsp cream
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix ground round, shallots, capers, wine and salt in a bowl.
Divide into 6 burgers.  Coat outside of each with Dijon mustard and crushed peppercorns.
Let sit for 30 mins and cook on grill
Melt butter and cook leeks until soft.  Add tomatoes and cook for 3 mins.  Add brandy, tarragon and cream and cook until sauce thickens.

Cantonese Roast Pork and Fried Rice

The Cantonese roast pork is something that I haven't made in a long time. We used to eat it all the time, not sure why we went off it. Maybe because Sam isn't too keen on pork any more. It is easy to make though. I mixed chopped shallots, Chinese five spice, crushed garlic and crushed ginger with some sherry, soy sauce, Hoisin sauce and oil. I poured over the cut up pork tenderloin and left in the fridge overnight. Then, I cooked in the oven at 400 for 30 minutes. For the fried rice, I cooked some bacon in the wok, then added green onions, mushrooms and asparagus and cooked them in the bacon grease.  Then I added the grated cauliflower and cooked until done.  It was yummy and Sam ate the leftovers for the rest of the week.

Sweet potato and kale chicken patties

2 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into tiny little cubes
2 1/2 cups kale, finely chopped (leaves only)
1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 egg
2 tablespoons coconut flour

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat with 1 teaspoon coconut oil or avocado oil (or bacon grease) add green onions and cook until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add sweet potatoes and cook for 4 to 5 more minutes, until barely tender. Add kale and cook until wilted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.
Add chicken to a food processor and process on pulse until ground. Transfer meat to a large mixing bowl. Add salt, garlic, paprika, Dijon mustard, rosemary, egg, coconut flour, and sweet potato mix. Mix together with hands until well combined.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or even better overnight.
Divide your chicken mixture into 6 to 7 even patties.
Coat a large non-stick pan with coconut oil or even better bacon grease to just coat the bottom (not a lot). Add patties and cook until golden crust forms, about 5 to 6 minutes, then flip to the other side and cook until golden and cooked through.

Trying to get out of the paleo comfort zone

I think I'm in a "paleo comfort zone".  To me, that means that I eat paleo when it's convenient and relapse when it's not.  I am pandering to my sweet tooth and eating a lot of fruit, muffins and no-oat oatmeal just because they are technically paleo.  However, they are definitely not optimal.  We are also eating the same limited repertoire for dinner, I need to explore some new recipes.  Luckily, Leeny is starting a new Whole30 challenge in August.  I am beginning to see why you need to do a challenge a couple of times a year to stay on track.  I'm looking forward to getting out of this comfort zone.  It's amazing how easily you can fall back into old habits.  We went to Crave for coffee for a special occasion the other week and now we're going almost every day-after I didn't have any coffee from there for over 5 months.....

Taro chips

• Taro root, peeled
• Coconut oil
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Thinly slice the peeled taro using a mandoline slicer.
3. Brush the slices lightly with coconut oil and sprinkle with salt and any other seasonings you are using.
4. Arrange the slices in a single layer on a greased baking tray and roast for 12 minutes. One taro root can make a lot of chips. Because of the single layer, it is necessary to use several baking sheets or work in batches, greasing pan again if necessary in between batches.
5. After 12 minutes, check to see if they are crispy all the way through and no longer soft in the center.
6. Remove to cool and sprinkle with salt.

Leeny's watermelon salad recipe

Ingredients

 1/2 Watermelon
1 cantaloupe
1/2 Jicama
1 English cucumber
cilantro
1 lime

Fresh cracked pepper

2 t. Tajin seasoning (or 1 t. chili powder and 1 t. salt)

Cut jicama in half and peel away the thick skin. Cut into thin, medium length pieces, about 1 1/2 to 2 inches. Place in large bowl.

Cut watermelon in half. Remove rind and cut melon into thin, medium length pieces.

Chop cucumber into smaller, bite size pieces. 

Cut cantaloupe and cucumber into bite sized pieces and add to the bowl. 

Mix up the fruit in the bowl and add the juice of one lime and about 2 Tablespoons of chopped cilantro.  Sprinkle Tajin seasoning over the top and mix again. If you don't have Tajin, use salt and chili powder instead.   Finish with a few shakes of fresh ground pepper.

Healthy lunch with Walk to Madrid team

We are in the middle of our Walk to Madrid challenge at SLU.  Our team is currently in 6th place.  One of the challenges during the program was to take a picture of the team having a health lunch. We got lunch from Bread Co.  I think we all had salad.  It wasn't as good as I was hoping, I think the salads are much better when you eat there rather than getting to go.  Still, it was fun to get us all together.