Rebellion Fitness

3 Reasons To Choose A Gym With Personalized Exercises

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 15:00:00 GMT

The post 3 Reasons To Choose A Gym With Personalized Exercises appeared first on Rebellion Fitness .

Sauna Vs. Cold Plunge: The Benefits Of Both

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 16:27:00 GMT

The post Sauna Vs. Cold Plunge: The Benefits Of Both appeared first on Rebellion Fitness .

5 Paleo Recipes With 5 Ingredients Or Less To Help Your New Year’s Goals

Wed, 05 Jan 2022 09:53:00 GMT

The post 5 Paleo Recipes With 5 Ingredients Or Less To Help Your New Year’s Goals appeared first on Rebellion Fitness .

Turning Your New Year’s Resolutions into Long-term Lifestyle changes

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 08:39:00 GMT

The post Turning Your New Year’s Resolutions into Long-term Lifestyle changes appeared first on Rebellion Fitness .

21 DSD – Fall 2015 Meal Ideas

Sun, 01 Nov 2015 11:25:00 GMT

The post 21 DSD – Fall 2015 Meal Ideas appeared first on Rebellion Fitness .

Paleo Super Bowl

Tue, 27 Jan 2015 11:54:00 GMT

The post Paleo Super Bowl appeared first on Rebellion Fitness .

Kyle's Famous Wings

Tue, 27 Jan 2015 07:16:33 GMT

Ingredients:

2.5 – 3 lbs chicken wings

Basting Mixture:

2 TBSP butter, melted

1 TBSP Cholula Hot sauce (or to taste depending on your heat preference)

Wing Sauce:

1/4 cup honey (a mild honey like orange blossom is best)

2 or more TBSP of Cholula (depending on your heat preference)

Directions:

Place chicken wings on a pre-heated grill. Mix your basting mixture together. Turn chicken wings frequently until crispy on both sides. Then baste with sauce once on each side during the last few minutes of cooking.

Whisk wing sauce together in a large bowl. Measurements for this really depends on how sweet and how spicy you like your sauce. Just keep adding and tasting until you like the taste and consistency. Remove wings from grill and add to bowl with sauce. Stir around until all wings are coated.

Enjoy!

Easy Paleo Recipe Ideas

Fri, 16 Jan 2015 07:24:54 GMT

To help you get started on our 2015 Nutrition Program I wanted to share some links to a few good recipes that are simple to prepare and don’t require hard to find, expensive ingredients.

The goal for the first two weeks of this program is to keep food as clean and uncomplicated as possible. Think whole foods (lots of meat, veggies, eggs and small amounts of fruit and nuts). Don’t make it complicated with paleo-fied comfort foods that require expensive, more processed ingredients (i.e paleo chicken pot pie, lasagnas, breads, etc). Those are fun for a treat when we move into weeks 3 and beyond (and I will post some recipes later on for my favorites), but avoid those recipes for the first 14 days.

Health Bent Roasted Chicken Fajitas (leave out the sugar) – this is a weekly go to of mine. Easy and good leftover too!

Nom Nom Paleo Cracklin Chicken – Her most popular recipe by far. Easy and really good.

Nom Nom Paleo Kalua Pig

Against All Grain Hawaiian Turkey Burgers

The Paleo Gypsy Bomb Paleo Chili – Shannon contributed this recipe. She also made it with these Paleo Corn bread muffins (but save them for week 3 or after).

Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole – suggested by Mary. I haven’t tried it, but it looks easy and tasty.

Bacon & Kale Paleo Pizza – Probably best to save this one for week 3 and after. Also suggested by Mary. I’ve made many varieties of paleo pizza crust, but never one with plantains so I am definitely curious. (Regular tomato sauce is fine if you’re not following AIP, but read your ingredients!)

Frugal Paleo Easy Thai Coconut Chicken – you can use red curry instead of green if you prefer.

Zenbelly Pan Roasted Chicken with bacon and apples – simple, affordable ingredients and lots of leftovers.

The Spunky Coconut Dairy-free Cheeseburger Soup – sounds crazy, but that cashew mixture gives the flavor of cheese. Seriously. Try it! I’ve also made her alfredo sauce using cashews – also delish.

Against All Grain Stuffed Sweet Potatoes – you barely need a recipe for this, but scroll to the bottom of her post if you want it. Use any leftover meat you have and add roasted or steamed veggies. Simple and cheap.

Paleo approved ketchup – Easy, but you need a few hours for it to cook so plan ahead. Once you make a big batch it keeps in the fridge for several weeks. You can also turn it into a tasty BBQ sauce by adding some spices.

My favorite paleo mayo . For whatever reason people get intimidated by the thought of making mayo, but this takes like 5 minutes and is so easy. Just make sure to add the oil SUPER slowly. And make sure you buy LIGHT Olive oil so that you don’t have a strong olive taste (unless you like that sort of thing).

Also here are 21 affordable meals that I posted during a previous challenge (modifications may be needed for the first 2 weeks)

If you’re looking for more ideas, my go to paleo blogs that always have delicious meals and won’t lead you astray with questionable ingredients are:

Mexican Lasagna (Paleo/Primal)

Sat, 26 Apr 2014 07:28:13 GMT

If you like the flavors in Mexican food, I’m pretty sure you will love this. I think I love it even more than my original lasagna recipe. Just like the other lasagna, I used paleo tortillas in place of noodles or corn tortillas. There are several steps here so this is definitely not a quick meal to make, but worth it! Save it for a weekend meal or make your tortillas and enchilada sauce ahead of time and then it will only take you about 30 minutes to prep and assemble everything.

Mexican Lasagna Ingredients & Instructions:

Paleo Tortilla‘s – you will need a triple batch for a 13×9 pan so I’ll save you some time and give you the measurements for that:

6 eggs

1 TBSP ghee, coconut oil or butter, melted (I use butter)

2 TBSP water (I found 3 was too much)

1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup arrowroot powder/flour

1 TBSP coconut flour

1/4 tsp salt

Follow the rest of the directions from the link above with these few notes:

*These can easily be made ahead and kept in the fridge.

*I noticed when I tripled the batch I had a lot more lumps than when I made a single batch. Just keep whisking until the lumps are gone.

*I buttered my pan and used 1/3 cup of batter for each tortilla

Filling:

1 cup bell pepper, diced. Any kind you like, but I prefer the baby bell peppers. You get a variety of colors and they have better flavor to me

1 onion, diced (any variety)

1.5 lbs ground beef

2 small cans green chilies

8 oz cheddar cheese, freshly grated (optional)

Enchilada Sauce: Simple and quick to make but if you are really short on time you can try this one (I get it at Target). I prefer the homemade, but this is the best of the store bought options.

4 TBSP butter

1/4 cup chili powder

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups water

2 TBSP arrowroot flour

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Steps:

1. Make your paleo tortillas

Follow instructions and link above

2. Make the enchilada sauce

In a medium saucepan, melt butter and add chili powder. Whisk until combined.
Whisk in water.
Sprinkle arrowroot over mixture and whisk so it doesn’t clump
Add tomato sauce and remaining spices and mix well.
Over low heat, stir constantly until bubbly and thickened. (About five minutes)

3. Make your filling

Sauté onion and bell pepper in butter over medium heat until soft.
Add ground beef and brown in skillet. Drain grease and set aside.

4. Assemble

Place just enough enchilada sauce into 9×13 pan to cover bottom.
Place 2-3 tortillas into pan, overlapping slightly (you can cut them to fit if needed).
Layer half your meat mixture, then half of the green chiles and 1/3 of the cheese
Add another layer of tortillas, then more sauce.
Continue layering with the remaining meat, green chiles, and 1/3 of the cheese.
Add final tortillas, cover in sauce, then place remainder of cheese on top
Cover with foil and bake at 375 about 35 minutes until cheese is melted and edges are bubbly

Enjoy!

Paleo Cookies

Fri, 18 Apr 2014 07:40:49 GMT

These are so good, really easy and you can make several variations. The only problem is that they are too good and a whole batch can easily disappear in minutes. I hope you have more self control than I do.

Original Paleo Cookie:

1-1/4 cups blanched almond flour (it has to be the blanched flour. Almond meal will give you a totally different consistency)

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp celtic sea salt

2 TBSP coconut oil, melted

4 TBSP honey

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Mix flour baking soda & salt in a small bowl. In a separate bowl mix melted coconut oil, honey and vanilla. Then incorporate dry ingredients into wet and mix well. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spoon small balls of your mixture onto cookie sheet (or use a small cookie scoop). Use the palm of your hand or a fork to flatten the cookie (they will not spread on their own like regular cookies).

Bake at 325 for 6-8 minutes (depending on size and your oven) or until slightly golden brown.

*variations*

I’ve made several variations of this cookie as well. And there are several more I’d like to try. Here are a few ideas:

Chocolate Paleo cookie: Everything the same as above, but add 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder to your dry ingredients. Chocolatey & delicious.

Grain Free, Dairy free Chocolate Chip cookie: so these aren’t paleo because of the chocolate, but they are still much better than a traditional cookie. Add a 1/4 of good quality dark chocolate chips to the Original Paleo Cookie recipe. *Your mixture will probably be a little warm from the melted coconut oil. Make sure to let it cool first before adding the chocolate chips. Trust me on this one.

Coconut Cake Cookie: add 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut and 1/4 tsp pure almond extract. I haven’t made these, but the idea popped in my head and I think they would be good. I’ll update this post when I try them.

Paleo Pecan Sandie: add 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans to the original recipe. Again haven’t tried yet, but in my mind they would be good.

Oh and in case you are doubting their deliciousness, here is proof. They are kid-approved.

A week (or 3) in review – what we ate

Sun, 06 Apr 2014 13:17:00 GMT

The post A week (or 3) in review – what we ate appeared first on Rebellion Fitness .

Paleo Avgolemono (Greek Chicken Lemon Soup)

Thu, 20 Feb 2014 07:30:28 GMT

This is one of my favorite things to order when I eat at Nabeels or one of the many other Greek restaurants in Birmingham. Pronouncing it is another story. It’s one of those dishes that you just point to on the menu to avoid sounding like an idiot.

I was inspired to create a paleo version when I came across this recipe.

So here’s my version. I hope you enjoy this classic greek soup, paleo style.

Ingredients:

3 TBSP butter

1 large onion, diced

3 stalks of celery, diced

3 carrots, diced

1/4 arrowroot flour

salt and black pepper to taste

3 cups cauliflower, riced*

2-3 cups cooked chicken**

64 oz chicken stock (always more nutritious if you can use homemade, but if you use store bought buy one with good quality ingredients)

1/2 cup lemon juice, fresh squeezed (2-3 lemons, depending on the size and juiciness!)

2 T. honey

2 handfuls of fresh spinach

6 egg yolks, beaten well (and at room temperature)

*To rice cauliflower, cut into chunks and add to food processor 1 cup at a time. Just pulse until cauli is in rice size pieces.

**I like to roast 2-3 chicken breasts a head of time. Season chicken with salt, pepper and olive oil. Roast at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is 165 degrees. You can also dice up the white meat from a rotisserie chicken (check the ingredients).

To make:

Heat butter in a large pot over medium head and add chopped onion, celery and carrots. Sauté until the onions are translucent.

Add the arrowroot flour, salt and pepper and stir, cooking the flour for about a minute.

Add the chicken stock and fresh lemon juice and stir to loosen the flour and all the bits of caramelized onion from the bottom.

Add cauliflower and bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Then turn the heat down to medium low. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the chicken, spinach and honey. Taste and add more salt & pepper if needed. You can also add a little more lemon here if you want more lemon flavor. (I added a few extra tablespoons to mine).

You need a little patience for the next part. You want to temper the eggs very carefully so you don’t scramble them. Starting with a very small amount, gradually add some of the hot soup to the egg yolks, stirring constantly. Continue to add soup until your egg mixture is warm. Return the egg mixture slowly to the soup pot while stirring constantly. Heat through at a low temperature and make sure NOT to boil the soup once you have added the eggs.

Enjoy!

Grain Free Primal Lasagna

Sun, 02 Feb 2014 07:32:09 GMT

So a few weeks ago everyone was talking about how good these tortillas were from Stupid Easy Paleo. I sort of ignored all the talk because I’ve tried other paleo tortillas in the past and they were such a pain – didn’t hold together well, broke apart if you didn’t flip them just perfectly, stuck to the pan if the heat wasn’t just perfect, etc, etc. I don’t like finicky recipes so I was hesitant to try these. I am so glad I finally did! They are so versatile and really easy to make. I’ve made about 10 batches so far and not a single one has broken apart, stuck to the pan, etc. I accidentally left one cooking for like 5 minutes longer than I was supposed to while I was unloading the dishwasher and it didn’t even burn. They seem sort of indestructible. So anyways, the first time I tasted one the texture sort of reminded me of a noodle and a lightbulb went off that these would make an amazing noodle substitute in a lasagna.

So here’s the ingredient list and recipe…

Stupid Easy Paleo Tortilla‘s – you will need a triple batch for a 13×9 lasagna pan so I’ll save you some time and give you the measurements for that:

6 eggs

1 TBSP ghee, coconut oil or butter, melted (I use butter)

2 TBSP water (I found 3 was too much)

1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup arrowroot powder/flour

1 TBSP coconut flour

1/4 tsp salt

Follow the rest of the directions on her website with these few notes:

*These can easily be made ahead and kept in the fridge.

*I noticed when I tripled the batch I had a lot more lumps than when I made a single batch. Just keep whisking until the lumps are gone.

*I buttered my pan and used 1/4 cup of batter for each tortilla

Sauce:

1 red onion, chopped

4 spicy italian sausages (about 1 lb), casing removed

2 jars of marinara sauce (check the ingredients). You can certainly make your own marinara but this just makes life easy.

Filling:

15 oz whole milk ricotta

1 egg

2 oz fresh parmesan, grated

2 tsp italian seasoning

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

salt & pepper to taste

12 oz fresh mozzarella, grated (please please do not buy pre-shredded cheese. If you’re going to take the time to cook from scratch, take a few extra minutes and grate your own cheese! It tastes so much better and it doesn’t have all those nasty preservatives).

Instructions:

Make up your tortillas. Once they are cooled slice each tortilla into thirds (should be about 2 inch strips) and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375.

Heat a large pan over medium head. Add some butter or coconut oil and sauté your onion. As it starts to soften add the sausage, breaking it up as it cooks. Once the sausage is cooked through, add in your marinara sauce. Reduce to low heat and let simmer while you prepare the filling.

In a medium bowl, mix all filling ingredients except mozzarella until well combined.

In a 13 x 9 pan, add enough sauce just to fully cover the bottom. Add a single layer of tortillas and top with half of the ricotta filling and a third of your mozzarella. Repeat with another layer of tortillas, sauce, the remaining ricotta and another third of the mozzarella. Then add the remaining sauce and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake another 25 minutes. (If your pan is really full it’s a good idea put a larger baking sheet under your pan. I learned this after mine started bubbling over into my oven).

21 Easy, Affordable Meals That are 21DSD Approved

Sat, 11 Jan 2014 07:36:44 GMT

Planning is key to making it through a detox like this. You can’t rely on convenience foods or a drive through. You need to have a weekly meal plan and a fridge stocked with lots of options. Being that we are all short on time and on a budget, I scoured my favorite recipes and selected the top 21 that are tasty, but quick to make and budget friendly. I’m hoping these 21 meal ideas will be really helpful in getting you started. Most of them make enough for 4 people so if you’re just cooking for yourself or you and one other, take advantage of the leftovers for easy lunches the following day. Some of the recipes below are mine and some are from others, but all of them I have made many times so feel free to ask me any questions in the comment section. Enjoy!

1 – Zucchini Pizza Boats – Eliminate the nutritional yeast from her recipe and add some protein. You could add protein in a lot of ways. I recommend making a simple pizza sauce by sautéing 1/2 a red onion and adding 2 spicy italian sausages, removed from casing (I buy them from the butcher case at whole foods). Once sausage is almost cooked through add a jar of mainara sauce (read ingredients and make sure its detox approved) and let it simmer a few minutes. You can use this same sauce for spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles too. It has a ton of flavor and only takes a few minutes.

2 – Tacos – Lots of options and easy on the budget – you can make taco salad, taco lettuce wraps or even get fancy and make these paleo “tortillas”. Make 2 lbs of meat and save 1 lb for the taco soup later in the week.

3 – Paleo Caeser Salad – if you already have a batch of paleo mayo whipped up this will be super quick. Add any extra veggies you like and a protein like grilled chicken, rotisserie chicken or even steak and dinner is done.

4 – Marinated Roasted Chicken Fajitas – This is probably my #1 go to meal when I need something easy and quick. I usually have everything on hand and if you cover your veggie roasting pan in foil than the only pan you have to wash is the one you cook the chicken in. Leave out the sugar (you won’t miss it) and if you don’t have fresh ginger on hand you can leave that out to. This recipe has great flavor even without those two ingredients.

5 – Taco soup – if you have leftover taco meat from earlier in the week this will be super quick to make

6 – Philly Steak Bowl – Leave off the cheese if you’re doing level 3. It’s good even without it.

7 – Shrimp & Chorizo Bites – (Best place to buy the chorizo is from the butcher case at Whole Foods – they make it fresh and they don’t add sugar or other junk). Roast some veggies or make up some cauliflower rice to go a long with this.

8 – BLT – About once a week we do dinner for breakfast. It’s really fast, affordable and the clean up is easy. The roasted tomato and arugula in this recipe takes it up a notch, but obviously skip the english muffin. You can just eat this with a fork and knife (my preference for keeping it simple) or there are a couple of paleo bread options. Savory Herb drop biscuits on Pg 188 of the 21DSD book. These paleo sandwich buns – leave out the stevia and if you aren’t doing dairy you can sub full fat coconut milk for the cream and coconut oil for the butter. And in the new 21DSD cookbook there is a “buttermilk biscuit” recipe on page .

9 – Shepherd’s Pie

10 – Curried Cream of Broccoli Soup – I like her idea of keeping it a simple, one pot meal by just adding some leftover meat to this soup.

11 – Fritatta – the tastier (in my opinion) cousin of the omelet. It’s a great go-to option when you’re low on groceries or short on time. All you need is eggs and then whatever meat and veggies you have on hand (and an oven-safe pan – I like a cast iron skillet). Here’s several options, but don’t be afraid to create your own! Easy Paleo Frittata Hearty Spinach Beef Frittata Caramelized Onion Frittata Bacon & Tomato Frittata

12- Beef & Chorizo Chili

13 – Spicy Mediterranean Chicken Patties

14 – Chili dog with kraut – I always keep a package of Applegate Farms GrassFed Beef hotdogs in the fridge. They are great for quick lunches. Load up a few dogs with your leftover chili, 21DSD ketchup, mustard, Bubbies kraut and/or pickles & you have one of the easiest meals ever.

15 – Asian Meatballs

16 – Paleo Mexican Rice – add some protein with chicken breast or chorizo sausage

17 – Chicken Tortilla Soup – Cook and shred your chicken a day or two before and then the prep time for this soup is only about 10 minutes.

18 – Turkey Sloppy Joes

19 – Cinnamon Chili Rubbed Pork Tenderloin – Her apple salsa makes this pork really good, but if you’re going to use it, use a green apple and realize that it counts for your apple of the day. Also leave the honey out.

20 – Speghetti Squash Bolognese – This is my all-time favorite recipe of Diane’s. And because I know you will ask, you are allowed to use the wine in this recipe during the detox because the alcohol is cooked out

21 – Red Thai Curry with Chicken – 1 pot Thai deliciousness in about 10 minutes. You can’t beat that.

Sauces / condiments to make ahead and use during the detox:

21DSD approved ketchup

Taco Seasoning mix

Paleo Mayo

Bone Broth – Homemade bone broth is a mineral rich, super food. If you can make your own that is awesome, but if not check out Pacific Simply Stock which only contains chicken and vegetables as opposed to most store brands which contain a paragraph of ingredients, most of which aren’t paleo or 21DSD approved.

Turkey Sloppy Joes

Sat, 11 Jan 2014 07:35:13 GMT

Ingredients:

2 TBSP coconut oil or butter

4 carrots, coarsely grated

1 medium onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

salt & pepper

4 TBSP tomato paste

1 lb ground turkey (dark meat)

28 ounces crushed tomatoes (I like POMI brand as they have no additives and no BPA)

1 TBSP apple cider vinegar

1 tsp Worcestershire (I like this brand available at whole foods near the ketchup. It does have molasses listed on the ingredients,

but 1 tsp only has 1 gram of sugar so I’m OKing it for the detox).

In a large skillet, heat oil or butter over medium heat. Add carrots and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened (5 minutes). Season with salt & pepper. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add turkey, breaking up with a spoon and cooking until no longer pink (about 5 minutes). Add crushed tomatoes, vinegar & worcestershire. Cook, stirring occasionally until thickened about 15 minutes.

In the picture above I served the sloppy joes over Zenbelly’s plantain tostados which are amazing and paleo. But they aren’t detox approved so save those for when you finish your 21DSD.

Thai Red Curry

Sat, 11 Jan 2014 07:33:19 GMT

I love Thai food and I’m down for any meal that contains less than 10 ingredients and is cooked in one pot. I can’t take a lot of credit for this recipe though. It’s mostly inspired by the recipe on the back of the curry paste jar, with a few modifications that I’ve made over the years.

Let’s talk about those peas real quick because some of you may be wondering. Green beans and peas are both technically legumes, but are pretty widely used in the paleo diet. Unlike other legumes, they do not seem to cause digestive issues and inflamation for most people.

Ingredients:

20 oz full fat coconut milk (about 1-1/2 cans – I like Thai Kitchen brand the best)

4 TBSP red curry paste

1 small or 1/2 large onion, sliced thin

1 lb of chicken breast cut in 1 inch cubes (or shrimp)

1 cup of thinly sliced bell peppers

1/2 cup frozen petite green peas

2 TBSP fish sauce

Heat the coconut milk in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Once it starts to slightly simmer, add curry paste. Stir until curry paste is dissolved and continue simmering 5 minutes. Add chicken and onions and simmer another 5 minutes. Add bell pepper and continue to simmer 2 minutes. (I like my pepper to be a little crisp so I add it here. If you like it softer you can add it when you add the chicken and onion). Finally add peas and fish sauce and simmer just another minute or 2 until peas are warmed through. If you feel like washing a few extra dishes, it’s great served over cauliflower rice. If you’re lazy like me it’s really good all by itself.

Enjoy!

Homemade Taco Seasoning & Taco Soup

Wed, 08 Jan 2014 07:38:15 GMT

Before we get to the soup, I’m going to give you the recipe for my homemade taco seasoning. Because….have you read the ingredients on the store bought ones? Yikes.

Taco Seasoning:

(I usually like to double this so I don’t have to make it as frequently, but it just depends on how often you will use it).

2 Tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1 tsp paprika

1 Tbsp ground cumin

2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients. Store in an airtight container.

For Tacos:

Brown 1 lb of lean ground beef or ground turkey until cooked through. Drain. Return to pan and add 2-3 Tbsp taco seasoning, 1/4 cup of water and 1 can of fire roasted diced tomatoes (optional, but I think it adds flavor). If you don’t add the tomatoes you may need to add slightly more water. Simmer 5 minutes.

For Taco Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb of leftover taco meat

2 dried serrano peppers (optional – if you don’t like heat you may want to skip, but they add a lot of flavor). (Whole Foods carries these on a wall display between the produce and the seafood departments).

1 TBSP fat of choice (butter, EVOO, coconut oil)

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 can of fire roasted tomatoes (if you didn’t already add it to your taco meat)

26 oz finely diced tomatoes (I like the POMI brand in the cardboard carton. They are one of the only ones that are just tomatoes. Most of the canned tomatoes add citric acid, calcium chloride and even sugar plus the BPA from the can is leached into your tomatoes).

2-3 cups of chicken stock, depending on how thick/thin you like your soup (If you don’t make your own stock, look for Pacific brand “Simply Stock” – water, chicken and veggies are the only ingredients)

Avocado, cilantro, cherry tomatoes or any other toppings you like (optional)

Instructions:

Follow the soaking instructions for the serranos on the package. Mine says 10 minutes. I like to soak them for longer if I think about it ahead of time.

Heat fat of choice in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and pepper and sauté 5 – 7 minutes until onions are translucent.

Add the taco meat, tomatoes, chicken stock and serrano peppers to your pot. Let simmer for 15 minutes.

Top with slices of avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, hot sauce, etc.

Nutrition Challenge Winner

Thu, 19 Sep 2013 04:38:00 GMT

The post Nutrition Challenge Winner appeared first on Rebellion Fitness .

My 21DSD experience and why you should make a plan for your post-detox life.

Thu, 05 Sep 2013 04:45:00 GMT

The post My 21DSD experience and why you should make a plan for your post-detox life. appeared first on Rebellion Fitness .

Paleo Meatballs

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 07:39:41 GMT

Paleo Meatballs & Marinara

These may take a little longer to make than some meals, but they are great reheated and they freeze well. So make a large batch when you have some time and they will be ready to go when you’re in a hurry. It’s worth noting that marinara sauce is a great place to sneak in a lot of vegetables, whether for yourself or for picky kids. It’s also impossible to find in the store without sugar, so I always make my own.

For the Marinara:

2 TBSP Olive Oil

2 small cloves garlic, crushed or finely diced

1 large onion, diced

3 cups of any diced veggies you like (mushrooms, peppers, eggplant, zucchini are all good)

2 – 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes*

2 – 14 oz cans diced tomatoes*

2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (or more if you like spicy)

salt & pepper to taste

*Make sure to read ingredients on your canned tomatoes. You’ll notice many of them have sugar added

For the meatballs:

1 lb ground pork

1 lb ground turkey

1 lb ground veal (you can use ground beef if you can’t find the veal)

3 eggs

1/3 cup fresh italian parsley, finely chopped

1.5 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute for until it starts to get soft. Add garlic and saute for about two minutes until it begins to brown. Add any other veggies you chose and saute 5 – 7 minutes. (add additional olive oil at this point if you need it)

Add the rest of sauce ingredients. Cover and bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Continue to simmer on medium low heat while making the meatballs.

For the meatballs, add all ingredients into a large bowl. Mix with hands until everything is well combined. Roll mixture into balls (about golf ball size) and drop them into marinara. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.

In the picture above I served these over speghetti squash. You can also eat them by themselves or even in a lettuce wrap.

Enjoy!

Veggie you should try – Baby Bok Choy

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 04:59:00 GMT

The post Veggie you should try – Baby Bok Choy appeared first on Rebellion Fitness .

Paleo Pancakes - The Most Delicious Version Yet

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 07:42:06 GMT

I’ve probably made hundreds of batches of paleo pancakes over the last couple of years. Of all the versions I’ve created these are definitely my favorite. They are a little thinner and crispier than a traditional pancake, but they have a delicious buttery flavor (from the coconut oil) and I don’t taste the nut flour in them the way I do with other recipes. Topped with fresh fruit and a little pure maple syrup they are amazing!

Here’s the recipe (I usually double this – they taste great leftover):

1 egg

3/4 cup canned coconut milk

1 TBSP honey

2 TBSP coconut oil, melted to a liquid (<—-that instruction is just for you, Allison Cronin)

1 cup blanched almond flour (you can buy it here)

3 tsp baking powder (make sure you use baking powder, not baking soda.)

1/4 tsp celtic sea salt

1 or 2 TBSP coconut flour (just enough to thicken your batter to the right consistency)

1/2 cup fresh fruit (or frozen, thawed and well drained) *optional*

Wisk your egg in a medium bowl and then wisk in the next 3 ingredients. Combine your flour and dry ingredients in a seperate small bowl. Now mix your dry ingredients into the wet until fully combined and most of the lumps are gone. If you are adding fruit fold it in gently. If your mixture seems too thin, add a little more coconut flour 1 TBSP at a time until you get the right consistency.

Heat your griddle/pan on medium and grease with coconut oil. Pour about 1/3 cup batter onto hot griddle. Cook until golden brown and a little crispy, then flip. The second side won’t take as long.

*A couple of tips*

*Make sure your pan is very hot before pouring your mixture. This is key because they will spread too much if the pan isn’t hot enough.

*This batter spreads more than other pancakes (I think because of the coconut oil) so I try to keep each cake pretty small so they are easier to flip.

*Don’t flip them too early. They need to cook really well on the first side in order to flip them without breaking.

Enjoy!

A Few Tasty Links

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 07:51:34 GMT

Sorry that it’s been so long since I’ve updated this blog. Life has been a crazy roller coaster since November and the paleo blog took a backseat to everything else. I have been cooking lots of tasty meals and I’m always thinking “this would be great to share on the blog” but I just never have time to take pictures, edit pictures, write down the recipe, etc, etc.

No excuses right? I know, I know. I’m trying. So I thought I would share a few links of some other paleo blogs and meals that I have found recently and really enjoyed.

PaleOMG is my new favorite. First, she’s hilarious. Second, her meals are really amazing. And third, she seems to like maple syrup as much as I do. Oh and fourth, she isn’t cooking the same old stuff that you’ve seen 100 other times on every other paleo blog. Lots of originality. So far I’ve made her Carrot Cake Pancakes – amazing. Pistachio Pesto Chicken Pasta – so good! And Broccoli Fritters – like a delicious hush puppy, paleo style. Give her a try. You won’t be disappointed.

Last night I made this Paleo Key Lime Pie. I used pecans instead of almonds for the crust and honey instead of agave. It was delicious. I ate it for breakfast with my coffee this morning. But don’t do that. Eating dessert for breakfast sort of contradicts the whole point of paleo. Do as I say, not as I do.

Health-Bent is my other new favorite. Her butternut squash lasagna is amazing as well as her Mini Chorizo Meatloaves.

Tonight we are making paleo pizzas with a protein crust . It’s become my go to pizza crust recipe and I’ve tried a lot of paleo pizza recipes in the last few years. * A few notes. I don’t use almond meal. I use blanched almond flour instead. I like its texture much better. I also add garlic powder, onion powder and Italian seasoning to my crust for lots of flavor. Oh and usually a little water to make it spread easier. I haven’t made the sauce they use so I can’t vouch for that.

That’s it for now. I hope you try a few of these recipes! If you do, let me know how you like them!

Alima

Paleo Meal Planning

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 06:55:25 GMT

As we get ready for the paleo challenge I thought it might helpful to give you guys some tips for successful paleo eating.

My biggest tip for anyone is planning. Committing to eat paleo means popping a Lean Cuisine or Hot Pocket in the microwave is no longer an option when you come home from a long day of work and the gym. You have to plan ahead and make sure you keep your fridge stocked with lots of healthy, paleo friendly foods. Planning ahead also helps with cost. Eating lean meats and veggies is obviously more expensive than the drive-thru, but I have found that I can do it with a reasonable budget if I plan properly instead of stopping by the grocery store every night on my way home.

Planning 2 weeks worth of meals works best for me and is the most cost effective. I suggest that you at least do 1 weeks worth at a time. When you’re planning don’t forget to plan for all 3 meals plus snacks.

I also like to do most of my cooking at the beginning of the week (Mon – Wed) and then do leftovers and easy light-on-the-cooking meals for the rest of the week. I’ve never been a big fan of leftovers, but I’ve learned to like them as I am more tired and have less energy for cooking as it gets later in the week.

Ok so here’s what I do:

I make 1 big trip to the store on the first Monday of the 2 weeks. I buy all my meats for weeks 1 and 2, all veggies and fruits for week 1, and all non-perishables for weeks 1 and 2. Throw all meat for week 2 in the freezer when you get home. At the beginning of week 2, I just make one quick, small trip back to the store for my fresh produce needed for week 2. For whatever reason, shopping on this 2 week schedule saves me about $200-300 a month on groceries!

Just for a little inspiration I thought I would include the 2 week meal plan I just made:

Week 1:

Breakfast – paleo quiche and butternut muffins – Not a fan of cooking breakfast every morning. I always make 2 quiches and big batches of muffins or pancakes on Sunday or Monday. They are great re-heated.

Lunch – Roasted Turkey Breast (same thing – roast meat and veggies on Monday. Use for most of the week’s lunches along with some dinner leftovers)

Monday Dinner: Paleo Chicken Pot Pie (Paleo Comfort Foods)

Tuesday Dinner: Speghetti Squash with Sausage & Creamy Marinara – the sauce is a take on this recipe, but I do mine a little differently

Wednesday Dinner: BBQ Chicken Thighs (BBQ Sauce Recipe from Paleo Comfort Foods), Paleo Squash Casserole (also Paleo Comfort Foods)

Thursday and Friday are usually leftovers from Mon, Tues & Wed. Saturday we usually throw some steaks on the grill or something like that. Sunday we usually do breakfast for dinner just to keep it easy.

Week 2:

Breakfast: Veggie & Sausage Fritata, paleo pancakes

Lunch – Grilled Burgers / BBQ Pork Tenderloin (BBQ sauce from Paleo Comfort Foods)

Monday Dinner: Cajun Dirty Rice with Chicken & Sausage (Paleo Comfort Foods)

Tuesday Dinner: Butternut Squash Lasagna

Wednesday: Taco Salad.

Same as week 1 for the rest of the week.

Hope that gives you guys a few tips and a little inspiration! Let me know if you have any questions!

A Few Paleo Tips

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 08:23:43 GMT

Paleo can be overwhelming at first. For most people, it is very different from any diet they have ever tried and any way they have ever eaten. They are often trying to find foods in the store that they have never bought and never cooked before.

Often while I am preparing food, I think of little tips that would be helpful so I thought I would compile some of them here.

1 – At the grocery store stick to the perimeter and avoid the inside aisles. All the good stuff is on the perimeter – fresh veggies & fruits, meat, fish and eggs. The inside aisles are full of processed food so just avoid them. I go down aisles for about 4 things – canned tomatoes (diced or crushed depending on what I am making), coconut milk, olive oil/coconut oil and spices.

2 – Save money making your own almond meal, coconut meal, etc. These make great flour substitutes, but have you noticed how much they charge for them? I buy all my raw nuts from Costco in 3 lb bags and I grind my own meal using my food processor. It only takes a few minutes. I grind the whole 3 lb bag at once (it takes about 3 batches in my 11 cup food processor). Then I store the meal in a large tupperware container and it’s ready to go whenever I need it. A 3 lb bag lasts us about 1 month but we have a toddler who eats a lot of paleo pancakes so it would probably last most people longer. For coconut, I buy the ‘Lets Do Organic” brand -unsweetened and finely shredded at whole foods. It’s only a couple of dollars a bag. And I prefer to use my Magic Bullet for turning it into meal, but you could use the food processor too.

3 – Plan ahead. There is no quick drive-thru paleo food that I am aware of. So you have to be willing to cook if you plan to eat this way. Of course, everyone has busy lives and sometimes it’s hard to fit in cooking a fresh meal for breakfast or for dinner after a long day. I do a lot of cooking on Sunday afternoon to make my week run smoother. I always make a quadruple batch of paleo pancakes (told ya he likes them!) and 2 paleo quiches every Sunday. This feeds the 3 of us for breakfast all week and no one has to cook or do any dishes in the morning. We just throw it on a plate and reheat (or if you are Kyle you eat it stone cold – he’s weird like that). Also on Sunday I cook some sort of meat for mine and Kyle’s lunch for the week (pork tenderloin, chicken breasts, steak, hamburgers etc).

4 – Don’t get bored. In the south we love side dishes like hashbrown casserole, mac & cheese, fried okra, etc. When people try paleo for the first time and switch to steamed broccoli or spinach for a side dish they are quickly bored and unimpressed. But paleo veggies don’t have to be boring. I LOVE roasting veggies. It’s super easy and it really brings out all the flavor. Plus it’s an easy way to make sure you’re eating a large variety of fresh veggies without having to prepare them all seperately. Beets, carrots, parsnips, any squashes (butternut, acorn, etc), broccoli and cauliflower are all really delicious when roasted. Here’s how I like to roast them: Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Wash, peel, chop veggies (in about 1″ pieces). Throw them on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and salt & pepper and bake for 20 minutes or until a little crispy on the outside. If you make a big batch you can pair them with different meals throughout the week. They also make a boring salad really tasty (I just throw them on cold). If you have extra time and want to get fancy sometimes I make an herb marinade. Just grab whatever fresh herbs you have (my favorites are sage, thyme, rosemary & oregano), throw them in a Magic Bullet or blender along with olive oil and salt & pepper and blend. Toss veggies in marinade before roasting. (This makes a great marinade for meat too).

Grilling veggies is good too (especially if you’re already using the grill for steaks or hamburgers). Asparagus, zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes and onions are all good on the grill.

Oh and don’t forget about the magic of cauliflower! You can make cauliflower “mashed potatoes” (with a little coconut milk, olive oil, salt & pepper) and cauliflower “rice” to go with stir frys, curries or paleo jambalaya. Yum!

That’s all for now. As I think of more, I will post them. If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the comments.

Beef & Chorizo Paleo Chili

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 07:53:05 GMT

I don’t have a picture, but here’s the recipe, before I forget what I did.

1 lb of beef, cubed (I used grass fed stew meat. This recipe is perfect for stew meat, chuck roast or any cheaper cut because it gets really tender when you simmer it for so long) You can also use ground beef if you prefer.

1 lb chorizo (I buy mine from the fresh meat case at Whole Foods. You just have to slice open the casing and remove the ground meat)

1 bell pepper, chopped

2 medium onions, chopped

2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes

1 tsp cayenne

2 tsp garlic powder

2 TBSP chili powder (or more depending on preference)

salt & pepper to taste

Heat a large dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. Add in the cubed beef and let it sear on both sides (add a little salt & pepper to it while it cooks if you like). Add chorizo (after removing from casing) to the pot. Break up chorizo with a spatula as it cooks. Stir frequently for 3 minutes. It won’t be cooked through, but remove meat from pan (leave the grease).

Add your bell pepper and onion to the pot and let it cook until onions are soft and translucent. Add cayenne, garlic, chili powder, salt & pepper. Stir until combined and then add diced and crushed tomatoes.

Depending on how you like your chili you may want to add a little water here. I like mine a little thinner so I added about 4 oz of water. I would have used beef broth if I had it, but I didn’t.

Bring pot to a low boil, cover, turn to low and let simmer for 2 hours. Taste before serving (or during cooking if you’re me) and adjust seasoning to your liking.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Latte - Paleo Style

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 07:54:19 GMT

So it’s that time of year. I never go to Starbucks any other time, but for some reason the PS Latte calls my name. I love the pumpkin flavor, but it’s way too sweet and I’m sure it’s filled with so much high fructose corn syrup and other garbage that I don’t want to know about.

So I thought it would be a good idea to attempt my own – a paleo version (obviously).

This recipe isn’t perfect yet, but I keep getting requests for it. So I’m posting the current version and I will edit later if necessary.

First, Make your coffee.

(The milk mixture is enough for 2-3 cups of coffee. You can make that many or you can just make 1 and you can save the additional milk in the fridge for your next coffee).

Then make the Pumpkin Milk:

1 cup coconut milk (I like the full fat for this because it has a nice creamy consistency).

1/4 cup pumpkin puree (I don’t recommend more. I tried more today and it got too thick and almost muddy. eww)

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice blend, or to taste

1 or 1-1/2 tsp cinnamon, or to taste

1 tsp vanilla extract

Sweetener of choice*

*you could use several things here. I prefer the taste of maple syrup always (and especially with pumpkin), but it’s high up there on the glycemic index. Stevia (in liquid form – never buy the powder) is probably your best option because of its low glycemic qualities. Honey would work too.

Combine all those ingredients together in a small sauce pan and heat just until it’s warm. If you have a milk frother than you could make it extra latte-ish by frothing it. Then, fill 2/3 your coffee cup with coffee and 1/3 pumpkin milk and enjoy!

**Kyle and I both thought it tasted better after we let it sit for a minute or 2 to cool. I think that gave time for the flavors to mingle and for the spices to settle at the bottom of your mug so you dont get that dirt taste from the cinnamon.

Coconut Cilantro Chicken

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 07:55:41 GMT

This is one of the best chicken dishes I’ve ever had. It has so much flavor and the sauce is delicious!

Ingredients:

14 oz coconut milk

1/4 cup tamari or coconut aminos

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro

2 tsp minced garlic

2 jalapeno peppers (remove seeds if you like less heat)

2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger

grated zest and juice of 2 limes

1 Tbsp honey or coconut palm sugar

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut in half or pounded out so they are half the normal thickness)

Combine tamari, cilantro, garlic, jalapenos, ginger, lime zest and juice, and honey in a food processor, magic bullet or blender until combined

Transfer to a shallow dish, add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24.

Remove chicken from marinade but do not discard marinade. Add coconut milk to marinade and mix until combined. Grill chicken over medium high heat for 8-10 minutes, turning once. Baste chicken with marinade while cooking until the last 5 minutes. Bring remaining marinade to a boil in a small sauce pan over high heat and cook for 4 minutes. Serve the sauce over the chicken.

The Quickest Chocolate Cake You'll Ever Make (Paleo Style)

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 07:57:25 GMT

I never thought I would eat a dessert made in a microwave. I’ve seen them, but they just never appeal to me.

But when I came across this recipe I knew it would be super easy to convert to paleo and I was too intrigued not to try. So I did.

And yum. I’m glad I tried it. I will definitely be making it again. Sorry there are no pictures. It was devoured entirely too quickly.

Here’s my version:

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp coconut flour

2 Tbsp almond meal

1/8 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

4 tablespoons coconut palm sugar

1 large egg, beaten

2 tablespoons unsweetened dutch process cocoa powder

3 tablespoons coconut milk

3 tablespoons coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Grease a large microwave safe mug with coconut oil. In a separate bowl, combine your flours with your baking powder and salt until combined. Transfer to the mug. Add the rest of the ingredients to the mug and gently mix with a fork until blended. Don’t over mix, but make sure to get all the all the dry ingredients from the bottom of the mug incorporated.

Microwave on high for 1.5 minutes to 3 minutes depending on your microwave. (Mine took 1 minute 45 seconds). The cake should be moist, but not wet when it is done.

And that’s all. Super easy and delicious. This is enough to share between 2 people.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 07:58:47 GMT

I liked stuffed peppers. Kyle does not. So I came up with the idea of a stuffed squash in hopes that he would like them better than the peppers. He did and I actually liked them better too. After eating these I don’t know if I will ever go back to stuffing peppers. The combination of the slightly sweet acorn squash and the savory sausage stuffing was so good. And these are super easy to make!

You will need:

2 acorn squash

2 chorizo sausages (read your ingredients. we buy ours from the fresh meat case at whole foods).

1 bell pepper (whatever color you like), diced

4 oz mushrooms, diced

1 medium onion, diced

Cut your acorn squash in half (length-wise) and scoop out the seeds. Place them cut side down in a 9×13 baking dish and fill the dish with water (water should cover the bottom half of squash).

Bake squash at 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes. (Check them at 30 min. Cook them until still firm, but fork tender. Don’t overcook or they will fall apart).

While the squash is baking, make the stuffing. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, pepper and mushrooms. Cook until soft and onion is translucent. Add chorizo. {note: chorizo usually come in a sausage casing. I like to slice the casing open and just cook the ground meat. If you prefer you can leave it in the casing and just chop into small pieces.} Saute until sausage is cooked through. Set aside until squash are finished baking.

Remove your squash from the oven and dump the water out of the pan. Flip the squash over and fill them with the sausage mixture. Return pan to the oven for 5 or 10 minutes just to heat though and meld the flavors.

*adding salt & pepper is unnecessary because the chorizo has a great flavor on its own and the flavor carries over to all the veggies. If you sub the chorizo with a more mild sausage you may want to season to taste*

For All Your Raw-Chicken-Phobes

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 08:00:21 GMT

Until I started teaching cooking class, I never realized how many people out there have a phobia of touching raw chicken. So I thought I would share a little trick for making chicken or turkey burgers without ever touching the meat!

You will need:

Wax Paper and a large cookie or ice cream scoop (make sure it’s large. the standard size will make a mini burger)

Tear a large piece of wax paper (in the picture mine is probably 3 feet long) and scoop out your mixture, spacing each burger about 3 inches apart and lining them up through middle of your wax paper.

Once the wax paper is full fold your wax paper over to cover the burgers

Gently press your hand over each burger to flaten

Then tear your wax paper so each burger is individually wrapped (this makes it very easy to get them in the pan without touching them)

Next, just stack and refrigerate for 30 minutes before cooking. (Chilling them before cooking seems to help them stay together since we don’t use any breadcrumbs for a binder).

And that’s all! Once you have refrigerated them, open your wax paper and flip each burger into the pan. It’s an easy method and your hands stay clean!

Now I need to get my Greek Turkey Burger recipe posted so you can give this method a try!

Paleo Berry Shortcake with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Sun, 26 Jun 2011 08:01:56 GMT

Back in the good ol’ days, before I knew what paleo was and I could devour gluten and dairy without any guilt, I did a lot of baking. I made a homemade dessert at least once a week. In the summer, one of my favorite, quick homemade desserts was berry shortcake. I would bake easy drop biscuits, macerate strawberries (or any berry) in sugar and whip up some heavy cream. Throw it all together and you had a quick, delicious shortcake.

I haven’t made that in a long time. But after making the paleo biscuits and gravy I started wondering if I could use those biscuits and make a shortcake. I decided to give it a try for Father’s Day. Kyle loved it. I was still disappointed in how dry the biscuits were so I’ll be honest, I slathered mine in butter. �� Even with the dry biscuit, it was a tasty dessert. The berries were so good that next time I might just eat them alone with the coconut whipped cream or ice cream and leave out the biscuit.

OK here’s all the recipes:

For the berries:

1 pint fresh blueberries (or other berry)

1 TBSP orange zest

1 – 2 TBSP fresh orange juice (juiced from the orange you zested)

honey (optional)

Citrus works really well when you need to add flavor without using sugar. I especially love it in combination with summer berries. Just combine all these ingredients in a bowl. If you chose to use the honey, a little goes a long way. A drizzle is all you need. It can overpower the fruit if you use too much. Cover the bowl and refrigerate at least 2 hours. The longer the better.

Coconut Whipped Cream:

1 can of full fat coconut milk (refrigerated at least 4 hours. The longer the better)

pure vanilla extract

cinnamon (optional)

Open coconut milk (do NOT shake). Scoop just the thick cream from the top half of the can. Leave the watery part inthe can. (But don’t throw away. You can use it in a smoothie or other cooking). Add a few teaspoons of vanilla extract and a pinch of cinnamon (optional) and wisk by hand or with a mixer until thick and creamy.

Biscuits:

Use the same biscuit recipe found here

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream:

2 14 oz cans coconut milk (regular, not light)

2 whole vanilla beans

6 TBSP honey

(You will also need an automatic ice cream machine)

Pour coconut milk in a medium size bowl. Slice open your vanilla bean pods length wise and scrape out contents into coconut milk. Throw the entire pod in as well and let “marinate” for an hour or 2. Remove empty pods and add honey. Wisk until combined.

Pour into your ice cream maker (following their instructions for time, etc). Ours takes 25-30 minutes.

You can combine as many or as few of these different recipes to create an easy, tasty dessert! Enjoy!

Paleo Biscuits & Gravy

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 08:03:03 GMT

I should tell you before you get all excited….these are not your grandmother’s buttermilk biscuits. I know. Believe me, I wish they were. But really, when you are making biscuits out of coconut flour and almond meal can you expect them to be as good as grandma’s? They are definitely drier and they don’t really rise so they are more dense. However, when you’re eating paleo and you haven’t had bread in ages there is something tasty about anything that even comes close to bread. As far as this gravy, its so close to the real thing that I don’t think anyone would know the difference unless you told them. Amazingly delicious. Which brings me back to the biscuits. If you cover them in enough of this gravy, it adds enough moisture and flavor that you can close your eyes and pretend you’re eating a delicious buttermilk biscuit.

OK, enough disclaimer. On to the recipe.

For the Biscuits:

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup almond flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp cold grass-fed butter (or coconut oil if you prefer)

6 egg whites

a little coconut oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease up 6 cups of a muffin tin with coconut oil. Put coconut flour, almond flour, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for a minute to mix and then add the butter and pulse until the butter is incorporated. The butter pieces should be about the size of peas.

In a blender or stand mixer, whipthe egg whites until they are frothy. (You don’t want meringue, but I think the frothier you get them the lighter/fluffier your biscuits will be). Add them to the food processor and pulse a couple times until they

Tomatillo Salsa

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 08:04:23 GMT

To keep paleo meals interesting, you have to make them flavorful. In conventional cooking, people add flavor through a lot of sugar, cheese, cream, etc. When you eliminate those foods, it’s important to find other ways to add flavor. I love creating salsas and sauces that are paleo-friendly.

Tomato salsa is delicious, but it’s fun to change it up and play with other vegetables and fruits too. If you’re new to tomatillos, they closely resemble a green tomato in appearance, but not in taste. To me, the consistency and texture is more like an apple. The flavor is hard to describe, but give them a try. I’ve made this salsa for a lot of people and it’s always a crowd pleaser!

5 large tomatillos, husked and washed, 3 quartered and 2 coarsely chopped

1-2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

2 Tbsp finely chopped red onion

1/2 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

1 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

Place the quartered tomatillos and the lime juice in a food processor (a blender would work too) and blend until smooth. Place the coarsely chopped tomatillos, the onionand the jalapeno in a bowl, add the tomatillo mixture and toss to coat. Add the olive oil and honey and season with salt and pepper. Top with cilantro just before serving.

Enjoy!

3 Ingredient Paleo Chocolate Ice Cream

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 08:05:37 GMT

Easy and tasty, but first a disclaimer. Don’t go overboard just because this is “paleo.” As with all desserts, paleo desserts should be eaten in moderation and avoided if you are trying to lose weight.

2 14 oz cans coconut milk (regular, not light)

2/3 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (I love Penzy’s High Fat Cocoa Powder)

6 TBSP honey

(You will also need an automatic ice cream machine)

In a medium size bowl, mix the cocoa power with 1 can of coconut milk until combined (I like to sift my cocoa so there isn’t any lumps). You should get a fudgey consistency. Then add your other can of coconut milk and honey and wisk until combined.

Pour into your ice cream maker (following their instructions for time, etc). Ours takes 25-30 minutes.

Variations:

We have made several flavors now and they are all good.

Plain chocolate (recipe above)

Chocolate with toasted pecans and coconut (pictured above) – just chop your pecans and unsweetened coconut and put them on a baking sheet. Cook at 350 degrees. Watch them closely and the coconut can burn quickly. Should only take 5-7 minutes.

Chocolate Strawberry – Quarter strawberries and add them to the ice cream maker during the last 5 minutes. You could do this with any fruit or nuts.

Mint Chocolate (my favorite so far) – In a medium sauce pan bring coconut milk and a handful of chopped chocolate mint (we grow it in our garden. Not sure if you can buy it at the store) to a simmer. When it begins to simmer, remove from heat, cover and steep for 15 minutes. Refrigerate milk mixture for several hours until it is cool. Follow the rest of the recipe above.

Desserts

Fri, 27 May 2011 08:16:02 GMT

Berry shortcake with vanilla bean ice cream

Coconut milk ice cream (several variations)

Lemon bars

Quickest chocolate cake ever

Side Dishes

Fri, 27 May 2011 08:14:00 GMT

Cauliflower mashed potatoes

Flax seed chips with guacamole and pico de gallo

Greek vinegrette dressing

Roasted tomato & garlic soup

Sauteed spinach with caramelized onions

Sweet potato & beet chips

Tomatillo Salsa

Main Dishes

Fri, 27 May 2011 08:11:33 GMT

Cabbage Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chili with Beef & Chorizo

Coconut Cilantro Chicken

Eggplant Lasagna

Meatloaf

Shepherds Pie

Speghetti Squash with Meat Marinana

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Breakfast

Fri, 27 May 2011 08:07:26 GMT

Biscuits and gravy (a paleo soul food breakfast)

Chocolate banana paleo pancakes

Lemon – Blueberry Paleo Pancakes

Paleo Shepherd's Pie

Wed, 25 May 2011 08:17:40 GMT

Comfort Food, Paleo Style.

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower

2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil/ Buttter/ Coconut Oil

4 carrots, peeled and diced

1 to 1-1/2 zucchini, peeled and diced

5 oz. mushrooms, diced

1 large onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 lbs lean ground beef (you could use ground turkey too)

2 – 6 oz. cans tomato paste

1 tsp oregano

salt & pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

2 to 3 tbsp coconut milk

Cut cauliflower into large chunks, place in a medium size pot and boil for 15-20 minutes until tender. Once its tender remove from heat, DRAIN* and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Meanwhile, heat your fat of choice (EVOO/butter/coconut oil) in large sauté pan. I actually use my dutch oven just to have more room for everything. Saute the onion, carrots, zucchini and mushrooms for about 5 minutes. You may have to add more fat. Mushrooms really soak it up. Add in your garlic and salt & pepper (you can add more or less depending on how much you like garlic) and saute about 5 more minutes.

Then add in beef, breaking up with a spatula and cooking until most of the pink is gone. (It will cook more in the oven so a little pink is fine). Sometimes I add a little more salt & pepper. I like to season as I add things.

Next, scoop out the meat and veggies with a slotted spoon (leaving the grease behind) into an oven safe 13×9 pan. Mix in the tomato paste and oregano.

Add your well drained cauliflower to a food processor along with 2 TBSP of butter or EVOO and blend until smooth. Add salt & pepper and garlic powder to taste. If they are not blending well or you feel they need a little liquid, I add coconut milk 1 TBSP at a time until the desired consistency is reached.

Spread the cauliflower mixture over your meat and veggies and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

*the key to good cauli mashed “potatoes” is draining the cauliflower well so you don’t have a water-y consistency. I leave mine sitting in a strainer while I prepare the rest of this meal so they have plenty of time to drain. Usually I’ll press/mash them into the strainer with a big spoon too just to get out any extra water.

Eggplant Lasagna

Tue, 17 May 2011 08:18:49 GMT

This may be the best paleo meal I’ve ever made. I love italian food so I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner. Kyle was tempted to eat the entire pan. (I didn’t let him).

Ingredients:

2 large eggplant

1 onion, diced

4 oz mushrooms, diced

1 zucchini, diced

1 lb ground beef (or turkey or sausage or whatever you like)

1 Tbsp minced garlic

2 tsp italian seasoning

2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes

3 cups of fresh baby spinach

Preheat oven to 500 degrees and line 2 or 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Peel and slice eggplant.

I tried to slice it pretty thin. The idea is that it’s subbing for the noodles. You could use a mandolin, but I’m always worried I will lose a finger so I just used my knife. (I rarely find eggplant this large in the store. If yours are smaller, you may need 3 or 4).

Arrange eggplant on lined cookie sheets and drizzle with EVOO and salt & pepper. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, add EVOO to a large pot and heat on medium. Add onion and saute for 2 minutes.

Then add zuchinni and mushrooms. Continue to saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add beef, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Add garlic, italian seasoning and salt & pepper. When beef is no longer pink, add crushed tomatoes. Simmer on low for 20 minutes to thicken.

When sauce is ready, add a thin layer to the bottom of your pan.

Paleo recipes 030-f

(I love my Le Crueset lasagna pan, but a 9×13 glass dish would work too. Or if you are making for 1 you could half the recipe and use an 8×8 glass dish).

Next layer eggplant, another thin layer of sauce, then spinach, more eggplant, the remaining sauce and more eggplant for the top layer.

Paleo recipes 032-f

Cover with foil and cook on 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook for another 10-15 minutes or until bubbly.

Enjoy!

Lemon Berry Paleo Pancakes

Mon, 16 May 2011 08:20:21 GMT

We’ve been eating paleo pancakes pretty much everyday in this house since about October. I was getting a little tired of the chocolate-banana recipe and wanting to try something with some summer flavors! So I decided lemon blueberry would be delicious. But I didn’t have any blueberries so I used a bag of frozen mixed berries that I had in the freezer. You can use whatever berries you prefer.

1 cup + 2 Tbsp almonds meal (I like Honeyville)

6 eggs

2 large (or 3 small) ripe bananas

2 tsp vanilla

zest from 3 lemons

1 to 1-1/2 cups of berries (if you use frozen make sure to thaw them completely and drain any liquid before adding to your batter)

Put all ingredients (except berries) in food processor and blend until smooth. Gently stir in berries. Pour or ladle onto a hot and lightly greased griddle or saute pan.

Enjoy!

Spicy Mediterranean Chicken Patties - Paleo

Thu, 12 May 2011 08:24:59 GMT

Ingredients:

1 pound ground dark-meat chicken

1 large egg

1/2 a zucchini, finely minced (this is acting as a binder in place of breadcrumbs so the finer you chop, the better)

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped parsley (if you don’t have fresh parsley sprinkle in a little dried italian seasoning or any dried italian herbs – basil, oregano, rosemary, etc)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (if you don’t like heat, you might want to do less cayenne)

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

3 Tbsp olive oil (EVOO)

Heat 1 tbsp of EVOO in a skillet over medium heat. Saute zucchini for about 3 minutes. Heat broiler, with rack in highest position. In a large bowl combine chicken, eggs, zucchini, onion, parsley, garlic, salt and spices. Use a fork to mix gently until well blended. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and drizzle with 1 tbsp EVOO. Divide mixture into 6 equal sized patties and place on baking sheet.

Drizzle 1 tbsp of EVOO over the patties. Broil until lightly browned about 4-6 minutes. Flip and cook until cooked through, another 4-6 minutes.

I like to service these in a lettuce wrap with tomato, cucumber and shredded carrots. If you are not doing strict paleo they are really delicious with homemade Tzatziki sauce.

Paleo Cabbage Soup

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 08:27:02 GMT

Don’t be turned off by the name, I promise it’s tasty!

*This make a lot of soup so if you are making it just for 1, you might want to half the recipe or be prepared to put some in the freezer for later*

You will need:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

8 cups chicken stock (or 6 cups chicken stock and 2 cups water works too)

salt to taste

black pepper to taste

1/2 to 3/4 head cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped

2 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, drained. (you can dice them if you like them smaller, but I left them big

6-8 large carrots, peeled and then cut into large pieces (2-3″ long)

1 lb ground turkey

Directions:

In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Stir in onion, carrots and garlic; cook until onion is transparent, about 5 minutes.

Add ground turkey, breaking up with a spatula or wooden spoon. Saute until no longer pink.

Stir in chicken broth, water, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then stir in cabbage. Simmer until cabbage wilts, about 10 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes. Return to a boil, then simmer 15 to 30 minutes, stirring often.

*I’ve never really been a fan of cabbage and Kyle doesn’t typically like soup, but we both really liked this recipe. One thing to note: Kyle would have preferred for the carrots to have a little more crunch to them. If you prefer crisper carrots then don’t add them in with the onion in the beginning. Wait and add them when you add the tomatoes.*

Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash with Meat Marinara

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 08:29:08 GMT

The March cooking class was so much fun! I am so mad at myself for forgetting to take pictures! But here are the recipes if you would like to try them!

Spaghetti Squash with Meat Marinara

1 medium size spaghetti squash

EVOO (I thought everyone knew what this abbreviation meant, but I found out at the cooking class that I should never assume). So for any of you who don’t know it’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil. ��

Salt & pepper

1 large onion, chopped

1 lb of ground turkey or beef or pork or whatever meat you like

1 Tbsp garlic, minced

2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

Fresh basil for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut squash in half, length-wise. Scoop out seeds and drizzle with EVOO and salt & pepper. Place cut side down on a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 40-60 minutes or until fork tender.

Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp EVOO in a large saut

Calcium - Myths and Lies

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 07:02:15 GMT

Really interesting article from Dr. Mercola this morning.

one of the first questions I get (usually from women) when I tell them about paleo is “how do you get enough calcium if you can’t eat dairy?”

I know that we have been told our whole lives that we need to drink milk to make our bones strong, but it’s truly a flawed theory. This article is great at explaining what foods really give you the best calcium for bone health.

To me this article is further proof why eating a paleo diet is the best for your overall health, including bone health.

Overview:

Gluten (found in many grains) can cause calcium and other nutrient deficiencies in your body.

Processed foods and many food additives (high fructose corn syrup and aspartame) contribute to bone loss.

Omega 3 is essential to bone health (and its a staple in the paleo diet)

Vitamin K is crutial for preventing bone health (Vitamin K is found in grass fed beef and fresh veggies)

Exercise helps to prevent bone loss.

Read the full article here:

The “Calicium Lie” Every Woman Should Know About

The Benefits of Coconut Oil

justin.zhou@wodify.com (Justin Zhou) — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 07:04:50 GMT

I strongly believe that the paleo diet is a beneficial lifestyle for almost everyone. But there are a few details that Loraine Cordain and I disagree on. One of those is coconut oil. It’s on his “bad list” as far as fats go because he feels the ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 is too high. I, however, have seen far too much research to support that coconut oil is extremely beneficial to brain health, heart health and more. I would argue that it’s probably one of the best fats you could feed your body.

So today Dr. Mercola posted this article about coconut oil relating to the prevention and reverse of Alzheimer’s. If you have a chance watch the video and read Dr. Mercola’s comments. https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/12/13/can-this-natural-food-cure-or-prevent-alzheimers.aspx

For more info on the benefits of coconut oil, check out other articles from Mercola.com or Westonaprice.org

Roasted Tomato & Garlic Soup

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 08:35:10 GMT

This soup is really delicious and perfect for this cold weather! It definitely has a fair amount of garlic, which is what makes it so delicious. But if you aren’t a garlic fan you might want to use less or avoid this recipe all together. Roasted Tomato & Garlic Soup: 2 heads garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling plus 2 tablespoons Salt and pepper 12 plum or Roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise 2 tablespoons fresh herbs, such as chopped fresh thyme, rosemary, parsley 1 onion, chopped 1 can Italian tomatoes or crushed tomatoes 1 quart chicken stock (if you can make your own, it is absolutely the most nutritious food). A generous handful of basil, shredded or torn Preheat oven to 425

Paleo Chicken Tortilla Soup

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 08:34:03 GMT

Well sort of… It’s paleo chicken tortilla soup, hold the tortillas. “Paleo chicken soup” sounded sort of bland and boring so I left tortilla in the title. It’s still got all the good mexican flavors of cumin and chili powder that a chicken tortilla soup should have but without those non-paleo tortillas.

Ingredients

2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil/Coconut Oil/Butter

1-½ teaspoon Cumin

1 teaspoon Chili Powder

½ teaspoons Garlic Powder

½ teaspoons Salt

1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil or Butter

1 cup Diced Onion

1/2 cup Diced Green Bell Pepper

1/2 cup Red Bell Pepper

3 cloves Garlic, Minced

14 oz can diced Tomatoes

4 oz can diced green chilies

32 ounces Chicken Broth (homemade is best, but if you have to buy it read your ingredients. I like Pacific brand)

3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

4 cups Hot Water

Garnishes:

Diced Avocado

Diced Red Onion

Salsa Or Pico De Gallo

Cilantro

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cumin, chili pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil (or melted coconut oil or butter) on chicken breasts, then sprinkle a small amount of spice mix on both sides. Set aside the rest of the spice mix.

Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Use two forks to shred chicken. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter or coconut oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add onions, red pepper, green pepper, and minced garlic. Stir and begin cooking, then add the rest of the spice mix. Stir to combine, then add shredded chicken and stir.

Add in tomatoes, green chiles, chicken broth, tomato paste and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 50-60 minutes, uncovered.

Check seasonings, adding more if needed—add more chili powder if it needs more spice, and be sure not to under salt. Turn off heat and allow to sit for 1o or so minutes before serving.

Ladle into bowls, then top with diced red onion, diced avocado, pico de gallo, if you have it! (The garnishes really make the soup delicious.)

Chocolate-Banana Paleo Pancakes

Sun, 05 Dec 2010 08:37:49 GMT

Breakfast was probably the hardest meal for me the first time I tried paleo. I’m not a big fan of meat first thing in the morning and I have to be in a certain mood for eggs. I forced myself to eat eggs most mornings anyway, but I got tired of them pretty quickly.

These paleo pancakes are quick and easy to make and are a great way to change up a normal, boring breakfast. I don’t advise eating them everyday as they are higher in carb and not as high in protein as eating some type of meat. But they are great for a Sunday morning treat or maybe a few times a week if you are eating them with meat (who doesn’t love pancakes and sausage)?

They are really delicious plain. My sister tells me they are great topped with fresh fruit and coconut milk. I think if you are having a little cheat day (a.k.a. not in the middle of a paleo challenge or trying to lose weight) they would be so good with a little butter and honey!

OK so here’s the recipe:

Chocoalte-Banana Paleo Pancakes

1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp nuts ground to flour*

3 eggs

1 large (or 1-1/2 small) ripe banana(s)

1 tsp vanilla

1.5 tbsp unsweetened, cocoa powder

Put all ingredients in a blender and spin until smooth. Pour or ladle onto a hot and lightly greased griddle or saute pan.

*Originally I made these with almonds, but after Aubrey started having a reaction to those we switched to pecans. I like the pecans even better. They are softer and create a fluffier pancake that has a more “real” pancake texture than the almond ones. I think you could use most any nut and they would be good. A magic bullet works great for grinding nuts, or a Vitamix or food processor (I use my food processor for the whole process).

Beet & Sweet Potato Chips

Sun, 05 Dec 2010 08:36:22 GMT

I bought a bag of these at Publix the other day and they were so good so I thought I would try making my own! It was easy and they are delicious. I will caution you that it is tempting to eat the whole batch in one sitting so don’t make these if you have no self control! �� Beet & Sweet Potato Chips: 1 sweet potato 2 beets Extra Virgin Olive Oil Celtic Sea Salt Slice beets and sweet potato in to thin slices (a mandolin works well if you have one. Or if you are too lazy to get it out of the cabinet like me you can just slice them by hand.) Throw them in a bowl and drizzle EVOO. Toss around to coat. Spread in a single layer on 2 baking sheets. Place 1 baking sheet on the middle rack and the other on the lower rack of oven and bake at 400 degrees for around 25 minutes. Turn chips once during cooking. When finished cooking, sprinkle lightly with salt. *The crispier, the better in my opinion. Some of my sweet potatoes turned a little brown and almost looked burnt, but they tasted good. The ones that didn’t get cooked as well weren’t as crispy the second day.

Tailgate - Paleo Style

Sun, 05 Dec 2010 07:06:36 GMT

Football season and tailgating usually go right along with chicken wings, pizza, beer, chips and many more non-paleo items. But it doesn’t have to! Don’t let football season be your excuse for losing sight of your nutrition goals. You can enjoy delicious tailgate food that is paleo-friendly.

Last night we celebrated the SEC Championship with a feast of hamburgers topped with carmelized onions and paleo ketchup and flax seed chips with guacamole and pico de gallo. It was delicious and we didn’t wake up with a carb hangover this morning.

Here are the recipes:

Hamburgers with caramelized onions & paleo ketchup:

2 lbs ground beef

celtic sea salt & black pepper

garlic powder

small onion, very finely chopped

1 can of crushed tomatoes or fire roasted tomatoes

4 tbsp tomato paste

celtic sea salt

1 tsp honey (optional)

1 large onion

Combine ground beef with salt, pepper, garlic powder and chopped onion. Make sure to go light on the salt. Divide into 8 portions and form into patties. Grill to desired temperature.

While burgers are cooking, combine crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, salt & honey (honey not recommended if you are trying to lose weight) and slowly heat until warm. Remove from heat and let cool.

Also while burgers are cooking, heat EVOO in a skillet over medium heat. Slice onion and saute in pan slowly until soft & golden brown. (Do not add salt as this will make the onions sweat instead of caramelizing).

Guacamole:

2 ripe avocados

juice from 1/2 a lime

garlic powder

celtic sea salt & pepper

1-2 tbsp of pico de gallo (from recipe below)

Mash avocados and combine with other ingredients. Serve with flax seed chips or with sliced veggies (cucumbers, carrots, bell pepper) or just eat right off the spoon!

Pico de gallo:

3 vine-ripe tomatoes

half of a jalapeno (membrane & seeds removed), finely chopped

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

chopped cilantro (to your taste)

celtic sea salt & pepper

juice from 1/2 a lime (or to taste)

Chop tomatoes finely and combine with all other ingredients.

Flax seed chips:

1 cup flax seeds

1 tbps EVOO

any seasonings you like (we like garlic powder, cayenne pepper & ancho chili powder)

Soak 1 cup of flax seeds in a large bowl of water for 6 hours. (you need more water than you think. The flax seeds will soak up a lot. You can always drain any excess after 6 hours). Drain Flax seeds, combine with desired seasoning & EVOO and blend in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and smooth flax mixture onto parchment (you want to spread the mixture even and thin). There are two ways to bake these.

The ultimate is to bake overnight on your ovens lowest setting (ours is 170 degrees). In the morning, take them out, flip over and bake on that side for an additional 20 minutes.

The other method (if you need them sooner) is to bake at 200 for 5 hours. Then flip and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Once they cool a little you can break them up into chips.

Nutrition Secrets from Caveman

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 07:08:34 GMT

From Mercola.com….

Scientists have begun exploring what can be learned from the diet of cavemen who lived ago, based on vegetables, fruit, nuts, roots and meat. Cereals, potatoes, bread and milk were not featured at all.

It was only with the dawn of agriculture (around 10,000 years ago) that our diets evolved to include what we think of as staple foods now.

Research will focus on how the food eaten by hunter-gatherers could enhance modern day nutrition.

In contrast to the cereal crops we rely on now for the basis of our food, the pre-farming diet contained fewer carbohydrates, less fat and more vegetables. So was it a healthier diet?

“It seems so,” Mark Thomas, professor of evolutionary genetics at University College London, told BBC News. “Paleolithic man may have died earlier than we do now, but he didn’t die of bad nutrition.”

“We need to decrease our reliance on refined sugar and a heavy carbohydrate diet, and replace some of the things we have lost,” says Professor Monique Simmonds, head of the sustainable uses of plants group at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in the BBC News article.

Continue reading the article here

Tips for an easier transition

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 07:10:08 GMT

It is important that you keep it simple when transitioning into the paleo lifestyle. I often see people make a big mistake early on that often leads to an excuse for failure. The big mistake is as follows,attempting to make all the things you normally eat paleo. This is both costly and counter productive. Lets talk about cost. Buying expensive paleo flours (almond, coconut, etc) is most peoples excuse for bailing out of paleo. They want to use these items so they can make paleo breads and desserts. This will end up costing you more money. Many people see the grocery bill and decide that they can not afford to eat paleo. To see the best results from your new paleo lifestyle try to avoid the aforementioned trap. Simply eat lean meats, fruits and vegetables with some healthy fat sources. Keep the meals simple and the grocery bills manageable. Save tasty treats like paleo desserts to a minimum just as you would with non paleo treats.

eat the following items in extreme moderation:

1. Honey (none if you are trying to lose weight)

2. Wine and Gluten Free Beer (none fo you are trying to lose weight)

Why am I reading this?

Fri, 26 Nov 2010 07:11:29 GMT

You may be asking yourself that question at this second. The answer is simple, you want to learn more about your health and fitness. This blog will keep you up to date on the latest information regarding those topics. We encourage you to read the articles posted here and expand your point of view. I challenge you to read with an open mind and positive attitude. Some of the things you read will go against what you think of as mainstream. If you are comfortable with living a mainstream life then read no more. However, if you look at all the mainstream folks and don’t really like what you see, read on.

Paleo Meatloaf

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:31:00 GMT

I like this recipe because it’s easy to make with whatever ingredients you like. You can use a number of different veggie and meat combinations. Get creative!

For the meatloaf:

1 medium onion, diced (the smaller the dice the better)

8 oz mushrooms, diced (the smaller the dice the better)

2 lbs ground meat (you can use whatever you like – turkey, beef, pork). I like a combo of 1-1/2 lbs beef and 1/2 lb pork.

2 eggs

2 cloves minced garlic

salt & pepper

For the Paleo Ketchup:

1 14 oz can of crushed fire roasted tomatoes

A couple of tablespoons of tomato paste

Make the paleo ketchup first:

Add the fire roasted tomatoes to a small sauce pan. Add 3-5 tbsp of tomato paste, depending on what consistency you like your ketchup. The more tomato paste, the thicker it will be. Let it heat through. Voila! Paleo ketchup!

Now for the meatloaf. Add some olive oil or butter to a large skillet over medium heat. Throw in your diced onion. Stir it around a minute or two. Then throw in the diced mushrooms. Sometimes I add more olive oil at this point because the mushrooms really soak it up. Season with salt and pepper and saute until tender.

Throw the onions and mushrooms in a large bowl and let them cool a few minutes. Then add the meat, egg, garlic and season with some salt and pepper. Add in 1/3 cup of your paleo ketchup and mix with your hands.

Place the mixture onto a large baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper. Shape it into a loaf shape. Mine is usually about 9 inches long and 5 inches wide. I like this method better than using a loaf pan because the grease doesn’t get trapped. It can drain away from the loaf and then you get that nice crust on the outside of your meatloaf instead of soggyness!

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 45-50 minutes or until 160 degrees. Baste meatloaf with ketchup twice during cooking. And I like to serve extra on the side for dipping too!

Paleo Lemon Bars

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:32:12 GMT

This might be the best paleo dessert I’ve ever had. Well….it might be a tie between these and Paleo Strawberry Pie. Both are AMAZING!

I found this recipe several months ago on a completely non-paleo blog. I was super excited when I read the ingredients and realized it was paleo friendly because lemon bars are one of my favorite treats! If I would have known how delicious these were going to be I would have made them a lot sooner.

Ok so here’s the recipe and a picture of the ingredients you need:

Paleo Lemon Bars

Filling:

3 whole eggs

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup coconut oil

Crust:

1 cup of raw almonds

1 cup of raw pecans (any other nut you have on hand would work too)

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup of melted virgin coconut oil

2 eggs

1 teaspoon sea salt

Filling Directions:

1. Blend the eggs, honey, and lemon juice together in a small sauce pan until thoroughly combined.

2. Turn the heat on to medium high and add coconut oil, mixing regularly until the oil has melted.

3. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens and bubbles.

4. Remove from pan and place in a bowl in the refrigerator to cool and thicken further.

Crust Directions:

1. Place nuts in a food processor or blender and pulse until finely chopped, but not pureed. You may have little chunks of nuts, and that is fine.

2. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse again until well combined.

3. Spread over the bottom of a greased 8 x 8 inch pan. (lining the pan with parchment paper will make the pan easier to clean)

4. Bake for 15-18 minutes in a 400 degree oven, until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

5. Cool completely before layering the filling over the top. Return to the refrigerator until ready to serve.