October 30th WOD

Came home from school, in the mood to do a workout, and Chris had this one set up for us. I thought it was just perfect.

12 minute amrap

• 5 push press (10 lb. dumbells)
• 10 pushups
• 15 double unders

I got 8 rounds plus 8 reps

Meatloaf

The majority of this recipe is from Everyday Paleo’s “Everyday Meatloaf.” I’m still tinkering with the recipe. Right now I think it’s too dry.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb pork sausage
• 1 cup almond meal
• 3 eggs
• 6 oz tomato paste
• 1 red onion, finely diced
• 2 zuchinni, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbs basil
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1 tbs red chili flake
• lots of pepper, salt to taste, ketchup for the top (make your own, without the sugar, Everyday Paleo has a recipe for it)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients by hand in a mixing bowl. Place mixture into a 9×9 pan, and press evenly into the corners and sides. Bake for 40 min, or until no longer pink.

Mango Coleslaw

Normally I change several ingredients in a recipe, but this is a great recipe. I only added more vinegar. This was much prettier with the suggested red cabbage in “Kids Love Cabbage Slaw” in the book Everyday Paleo. It was a great meal though, paired with spicy chicken sausages.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups purple cabbage, diced
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 cup mango (I use canned), diced
• 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbs olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients, and stir.

Easy breakfast

No big surprises here. Scramble some eggs with the grease leftover from the sausages. Throw in some diced onion and tomato. It’s like having an omlette without all the work.

11 Days In

It’s my 11th day on the 30-Day Paleo Challenge. I’ve lost 5 pounds since day one! You should be aware there are two things wrong with celebrating that: A) I’m not supposed to look at a scale during this, and B) don’t have a weight loss goal. But I’m excited regardless. The whole point of this challenge is for me to reset my system, and be able to see what foods really bother me, and to lose fat.

Mostly, we’ve been eating “ingredients.” For example, steak and sweet potatoes, slow cooker pork loin with veggies, chicken with salad. Last night we had bunless burgers, sweet potato spears and spinach salad. These kinds of meals and recipes aren’t interesting posts. Most of my breakfasts have been boiled eggs and fruit/berries. Lunches are either leftovers or salad. I’ve got a snack drawer at work filled with nuts, fruit, jerky and tea.

I haven’t gotten over the bread cravings yet, which I find strange since it’s been out of my system for so long. I also still crave my glass of red wine. I haven’t been good at all about my workouts. I plan to work out three times this week. I’ve just been too busy and tired at the end of the day to fit it in lately.

Tonight I’ll be making a recipe-based meal, and will be sure to post it for you all tomorrow.

30 Day Paleo Challenge

Chris and I started our 30 day challenge on October 18th. We took our measurements tonight (the 20th). This is his second challenge. My first real one. We’ve been eating 95% Paleo for almost three months, and we both really like it. Since we already eat “clean” I don’t think we will encounter many of the complaints that people have…headaches, cravings, etc. The main thing I had to give up was my precious glass of red wine. I have been feeling extra hungry lately, but I think it might be psychological.

Today on my way home from work (I’ve got an hour commute each way), my stomach was growling. So I stopped at Sunflower Market. I picked up some roast beef deli meat, a banana, and some lemonmint water by MetroMint. That water is amazing! It was so refreshing, and the only ingredients are mint, lemon and water. I have found my substitute for a social drink. I will go back later this week to buy the other flavors. For those of you who live near a Sunflower Market, Wednesday is the day to go. They have double sales that day. Their deli is great. Try out their chicken sausages if you get a chance.

I plan to post at least one new recipe each week. I’ve been super busy lately with the new job, and classes, and commuting, and, and, and,…well you get the drift. I really want to encourage anyone that might be on the fence about starting paleo. It took me a while to stop making excuses, and just try it out. It’s a lot easier than I thought it would be.

One of the resources that I’ve found really helpful lately is podcasts. I listen to the Everyday Paleo Podcast, and The Paleo Solution. I’m in front of a computer all day, so it helps me pass the time, and inspires me to stick with it. Both programs answer questions from listeners, but I’ve found that all the questions I’ve had have been answered in the episodes already. Well I think I’ve rambled on enough for today. Good night, and thanks so much for checking my blog out. This has been a fun and rewarding experience. Please feel free to share comments/stories.

Take care,

Christina

Beanless Chili

I started with the “chili-as it should be!” recipe from Paleo Comfort Foods.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbs. coconut oil
• 1 tbs red chili flakes
• 1 lb stew beef, cubed
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs ground cumin
• 4 garlic cloves, diced
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (canned food section)
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 cups onion, diced
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• 42 oz. canned diced tomatoes
• 8 oz. tomato paste
• 3 cups bell pepper, chopped

Directions:

Heat a large sauce pan, with the coconut oil, over medium/high. When the oil is hot, add the meat and brown. Drain the fat, remove the meat from the pan and set aside.

Combine the olive oil, cumin, garlic, cayenne and chipotle peppers in a food processor. Mix for a minute, or until smooth.

Cook the onions and bell pepper in the sauce pan over medium until onions are translucent. Add the meat back in, and the spice paste. Stir to combine. Add in tomatoes, tomato paste, and beef stock. Stir to mix all ingredients and  simmer for 2 hours.

If you would rather fix in a slow cooker, just brown the meat, and blend the spices as above, then combine all ingredients in the slow cooker. I let mine go for 10 hours.

Don’t top with cheese if you are doing a 30 day challenge.

Easy Dessert Idea

No picture for this one…This is crazy good though, and will satisfy most people’s sweet toothes. Even my daughters love these.

Ingredients:

A bunch of seedless grapes

Directions:

Wash grapes, and put them into the freezer in a ziplock bag. They will keep for at least a month.

Top Secret Hashbrowns

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato, diced
• 1 tbs coconut oil
• 1 tsp dried dill
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp curry powder
• cayenne to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Steam the potato pieces for 10 minutes in a large saute pan, with a few tablespoons of water, and a tight-fitting lid. When the potatoes pierce easily with a fork, and the water has evaporated, add the oil, and saute for 5 minutes over medium high. Add the spices, and saute for 2 or 3 more minutes. We like to serve ours with a small dollup of sour cream.

Tomato Curry Chicken

This recipe is adapted from Sarah Fragoso’s “Better Butter Chicken” in the Everyday Paleo cookbook.

• 2.5 lbs  chicken breast tenderloins, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tbs coconut oil
• 1 white onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp. cardamom powder
• 1/2 tsp. coriander powder
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tbs curry powder
• 1 tbs red chili flakes
• 6 oz. tomato paste
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup almond slices
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 lb red or rainbow chard, chopped and steamed

Directions:

Saute the onion in the oil until translucent. Turn the heat down to low and add the spices to the pan. Stir in the tomato paste, then add the coconut milk. Turn the heat back up to medium/high. Add the chicken, raisins, and almonds, and cook on low for at least 15 minutes, or up to an hour. Serve over the steamed chard.