Another cold one!!!!

Molly and I did the Ugly Sweater Run in Forest Park on Saturday morning. Definitely the wettest, muddiest run I have ever done. It was cold and raining when we got there and it rained the whole time we were running

We ran on the track in the park and it was one muddy puddle after another.  The grass was no better and by the time we were finished we were absolutely soaked, cold and covered in mud!!!  We are still smiling though....

The race was not timed, but we ran in a little over 33 minutes, not bad at all.....

Anne's Thai chicken chowder recipe

Thai Coconut Chicken Chowder

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 cup frozen pea/carrot mix

1 cup green onions, white and light green parts, finely diced

3 tbsp lemongrass, peeled and minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp cilantro, stems & leaves, minced

2 tsp fresh grated ginger (or minced)

3 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade

3 cups cooked chicken, chopped (or about 1.5 lbs raw, boneless, skinless chicken breasts)

1 can coconut milk

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

½ tsp fish sauce

¼ tsp red pepper flake, or more to taste

Salt and pepper

Cilantro, green onions, and lime wedges for garnish (optional)

If starting with raw chicken, preheat oven to 350.  Place chicken breasts on a foil lined baking sheet and drizzle with salt, pepper, and a little olive oil.  Rub to coat the chicken, then bake for about 35 minutes, or until fully cooked.  Set chicken aside to cool.

In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat the coconut oil over medium heat.  Add the sweet potatoes, celery, green onions, bell pepper, and pea/carrot mix, along with a big pinch of salt.  Cook for about 10 minutes, until the veggies begin to soften, stirring occasionally.  Increase the heat to medium-high, add in the cilantro, ginger, lemongrass, and garlic, and cook for one minute, stirring frequently to avoid burning.  Pour in the chicken stock and increase heat to high.  Once it begins to boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook about 10 minutes.

Add the chicken, coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce, red pepper flakes and a bit of freshly ground pepper, stirring to combine and seasoning with salt to taste.  Let simmer about 5 more minutes.

Hot Chocolate Run 2013

Anne and I ran the Hot Chocolate 5K yesterday morning.  It was so cold that they sent out a warning to everyone about how cold it was going to be and how everyone should dress very warmly.  I even went out and bought a pair of running pants to keep my legs warm.  In the end, it turned out to be not too bad.  We were lucky that we got there just as the race was about to start so we weren't hanging around for too long.  Of course I had to take our before picture, we looked pretty wrapped up

We ran the whole way, apart from one small break when we walked a little bit. Surprisingly, it was because Anne needed to walk because her knees were hurting, I was absolutely fine....

We looked pretty good at the end

We ran in 32:03, pretty good for me.  I was happy with it anyway

Tropical muffins

Tropical Breakfast Muffins

Makes 12 large muffins

1.5 cups almond flour
1/2 cup arrowroot powder
3 tablespoons coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut, plus more for the tops, if desired
1/2 cup chopped pecans, plus more for the tops, if desired
1 tablespoon orange zest (about 1 small orange)
1/2 cup very ripe mashed banana
1/2 cup grated carrots (about 2 small carrots)
1/2 cup minced pineapple (fresh is best, canned is okay)
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a muffin tin with parchment liners.
2. Place the chopped pecans and coconut on a baking sheet and toast for about 5 minutes, until just golden.
3. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients; almond flour through pecans. Stir to combine.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients; orange zest through maple syrup.
5. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir to combine
6. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Top with additional coconut and pecans, if desired.
7. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until they bounce back when you lightly push the top.
8. Allow to cool on a wire rack before eating.

New pancake recipe

3 C almond flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t sea salt
2 T flax seed meal
1/3 C heavy cream or coconut milk
8 eggs, separated, preferable pastured
6 T melted butter or coconut oil, plus additional for frying pancakes
1/4 C honey
1 T vanilla extract

1. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
2. Combine the dry ingredients and stir with a whisk until well combined.
3. Combine the egg yolks with the other wet ingredients and mix well.
4. Combine wet and dry ingredients and stir to combine.
5. Stir in 1/4 of the beaten egg whites to the pancake mixture, and then gently fold in the remainder.
6. Heat a large pan or griddle to medium heat and add about 1 T of butter or coconut oil. Once it’s hot, ladle the pancake batter into the skillet.  If you were gentle with folding in the egg whites, the batter will be thick, and you’ll need to spread the pancake out a bit. Make them whatever size you want, but keep in mind they’re easier to flip when they’re small.
7. Cook the pancakes for 3-4 minutes per side, adjusting the heat if necessary.

Got to try making my own bacon.....

Ingredients

• 2 lb. pork belly, skin on;
• 2 tbsp. sea salt;
• 1 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper;
• 1 tsp. dried rosemary;
• 1 tsp. dried thyme;
• 1 tsp. fennel seed;
• 2 bay leaves;
• 1 tbsp. raw honey (optional);
• 1 garlic clove, minced;
• 
  

• Preparation

  1. Rinse the pork belly and pat it dry.
  2. Combine all the seasonings in a bowl, except for the honey (if using).
  3. Rub all the seasoning over the pork. Place the pork in a big re-usable plastic bag with the leftover spices and the honey, if using, and shake well.
  4. Refrigerate the pork for one week, flipping the bag every day or so.
  5. After 7 days, remove the bacon from the bag, rinse it thoroughly, and pat it dry.
  6. Preheat your oven to 200F.
  7. Place the bacon in a baking pan and roast until the meat reaches 150 F., about 2 hours.
  8. Transfer the bacon to your cutting board and slice off the skin.
  9. Let the bacon cool down to room temperature, then wrap it in wax paper and refrigerate.
  10. When you’re ready for a delicious treat, slice the meat to whatever thickness you like, and cook it the same way as you would any other bacon.

Enchilada recipe from PaleOMG

Ingredients

For the tortillas

• 6 egg whites
• 3 tablespoons coconut flour
• 6 tablespoons canned coconut milk
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda

For the filling

• 1.5lbs pork rump roast
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1.5 cup vegetable broth

For the avocado cream sauce

• 2 avocados, pitted and insides removed (don’t put the skin in the food processor. duh)
• ¼ cup vegetable broth
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, stems removed
• 3 tablespoons canned coconut milk
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• salt and pepper, to taste
• juice of 1 lemon
• juice of 1 lime

Instructions

1. Ok so you got to start a day ahead of time with this meal. Slow cook that pork butt. Place onions in your crockpot, then rump roast on top, and then all the rest of the ingredients for the filling in your crockpot. Turn crockpot on low and cook for 6-8 hours.
2. Once your pork is doing cooking, use two fork to shred it to pieces. 
3. Now time to make your tortillas. Whisk all your tortilla ingredients together until all the lumps are gone.
4. Place a large skillet over medium heat and grease with a bit of oil. Pour a 4 inch in diameter circle in the center of your pan and tilt the pan around to spread the batter into a large circle.
5. Let the tortilla cook for a minute or so, until the tortilla bubbles and the edges begin to turn up. BEING VERY CAREFUL, circle your spatula under the tortilla pulling up all the edges before you flip it.
6. Cook on other side for another minute.
7. Place on plate to let cool. Repeat with leftover batter. You should get 5-6 tortillas from your batter.
8. While your tortillas are cooling, place all the ingredients for your avocado cream sauce into a food processor and puree until completely smooth. This may take a couple minutes.
9. Now turn on your broiler to high.
10. Grab an 8×8 glass baking dish, lay out a tortilla, place a little bit of your shredded pork along with a little avocado cream sauce (be sure to save some to put on top of the tortillas later) then curl the sides of the tortilla around to make a mini burrito. Repeat with all of your tortillas so they are lined up side by side in your glass baking dish.
11. Put your baking dish under your broiler and cook for about 6-8 minutes or until your tortillas become crispy.
12. Then remove baking dish from the oven and turn broiler to low. Cover the enchiladas with the rest of your avocado cream sauce then place back in the oven for 5-7 minutes.
13. Top with cilantro.

Sausage stuffed mushrooms

Ingredients

• 20 large button mushrooms;
• 1 lb. sausages, casings removed;
• 1 onion, thinly chopped;
• ½ bell pepper, thinly chopped;
• 2 cloves garlic, minced;
• 2/3 cup almond meal;
• 2 tbsp. fresh parsley leaves, minced;
• 2 tbsp. olive oil;
• Cooking fat;
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 325 F.
2. Remove the stems from the mushrooms. Chop the removed stems finely and set aside.
3. Toss the mushroom caps in a bowl with the olive oil, and set aside.
4. Melt some cooking fat in a skillet placed over a medium heat.
5. Add the sausages to the skillet and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, while breaking them apart into tiny pieces with a wooden spoon.
6. Add the chopped mushroom stems, onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the sausages, and cook for another 5 minutes.
7. Add the almond meal and stir until well combined with the other ingredients. Remove from the heat.
8. Add the parsley; give it a good stir, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
9. Fill each mushroom cap with a generous amount of the sausage mixture.
10. Line all the stuffed mushrooms on a baking sheet, and place in the oven.
11. Cook for about 40 minutes or until the stuffing is browned and crusty.
12. Remove from the oven and serve while warm.

New Challenge for December

This is my new fitness challenge.  I'm doing it with a colleague that I know from American Heart Association grant study sections.  We are running for 25 mins or 5K (whichever comes first) every day in December.

http://honor.americanheart.org/site/TR/FunRaiser/NAT-IFEFUNraise;jsessionid=DA67BA9F9F23E8E98938BA3EF5C8EA5E.app244a?px=3733113&pg=personal&fr_id=2320