Italian baked chicken

I found a good (easy) recipe for baked Italian chicken. It has a very refreshing taste to it because it uses fresh herbs. It sure beats chicken marinated in Italian dressing! I served it with bacon brussel sprouts (and some white cheddar- not paleo). 

Recipe: http://cleanfoodcrush.com/fresh-italian-herb-chicken-breasts/

Essentially you blend these things in your blender:

1/2 cup Olive Oil

2-4 garlic gloves (I did 4, and it was delicious)

One package of fresh basil (the package was the size of a dollar bill... that's the size you want)

1/2 package of Oregano

1/4 package of Thyme

1 tsp salt (or less if you're not into salt)

1/2 tsp pepper

Blend...

Then smother on top of 6 chicken breasts that you've washed and dried. 

Bake in the oven at 350 for 30-45 minutes (until the chicken is cooked--ie: clear juices come out of it, or use a thermometer). I used a foil lined dish for easy clean up.

I used it for a couple meals (served like this... cold on top of salad... I feel like you could even make a chicken salad out of it with tomatoes, mozz, and olive oil).

I found this cute little lunch container at the grocery store and it was the perfect size for my lunch! I packed my bacon brussel sprouts and chicken in one part (so they could be microwaved together... because who has time to microwave two things separately!), then I put grapes and a packet of almond butter in the other side.

All packaged up and ready for Monday!

... Plus I found this creepy grape. Something tells me these "organic" grapes are maybe not so organic. Oh well! It was delicious :-)

Refreshing summer green smoothie (paleo-zone)

I love smoothies, however, I rarely get them because they're loaded with fruit and other sugars that make them too carby. However, I was at my yoga studio the other day and they make this awesome smoothie that is refreshing and not too sweet! Below is my paleo-zone rendition...

Paleo-Zone Green Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1/2 a medium cucumber sliced (made about 1.5-2 cups sliced cucumber)
• 6 chunks of pineapple (I used fresh)... 
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup mint water (I used MetroMint)--you could also throw in a bunch of mint leaves if you have fresh... or maybe a few drops of mint extract?
• 1/3 of a frozen banana
• a scoop or two or ice...depending on how you like your smoothies

Directions

1. Blend thoroughly

2. Enjoy immediately!

This is roughly 1 block of carbs and 1 block of fat

Paleo-Zone Sweet Potato Hash

So far I'd say the Zone thing is pretty reasonable. I will say Memorial Day was not totally "in the zone", but I did alright. I also did a lot of working out this weekend- so I'm not going to beat myself up over it!

Anyway, this hash has become a go-to breakfast for me. I eat a little shy of 2/3 cup of this with a few sliced strawberries, 1 tsp almond butter, 2 eggs over-easy, and 1/2 of a chicken sausage link.

*I count the bacon in this as a block of fat per serving... The bacon I used was 5g of fat per 2 slices.. so 6 slices = 15g fat, divided over 7 servings is roughly 1 block of fat. I know zone counts bacon as a protein... but bacon has way more fat-blocks than protein-blocks per serving... so I've counted it as a fat here. I don't know if it's right-- it's just what I did. My bacon has 5g of protein per 2 slices... so 15g of protein in the entire recipe, divided by 7 servings is about 2g protein per serving, which is a fraction of 1 block of protein (literally 2/7). Thus, I count the protein from the bacon in this recipe as negligible.

I've seen mixed reviews on how to count sweet potatoes on zone-- I've seen it range from 1/5cup-1/3cup = 1 block of carbs. I went with the 1/3 cup estimate. You could use 4.5 cups of sweet potatoes to make 18 blocks of carbs if you think I've underestimated the carb-block value of sweet potatoes. Or not.

Sweet Potato Hash

21 blocks (about 2/3 cup = 3 blocks of carbs, 1 block of fat)

Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups of onion, chopped (1 block carbs)
- 2 cups bell pepper and/ or poblano pepper (use a mix), chopped (1 block carbs)
- 6 cups sweet potato, shredded (18 blocks of carbs)
- 6 slices bacon (see*)
- Salt/ pepper
- ½ tsp Cumin powder
- ½ tsp cayenne powder (optional)
- 1 tsp garlic powder

Directions
1. Cook bacon in large skillet/ pan.
2. Remove back from pan
3. Add onion, peppers. Saute until slightly softened
4. Add shredded sweet potato—allow to cook with lid, turning occasionally until potatoes are thoroughly cooked and browned
5. Add salt, pepper, cumin, garlic, and cayenne
6. Crumble bacon, add in to pan
7. Allow to cool, divide into 7 containers or just measure as needed (~2/3 cup = 3 carb blocks)

Why Paleo Isn't "Working"?!

Hello friends.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about the paleoness lately. I started trying out paleo back in 2010 in an attempt to lose a few pounds. I originally found that when I stuck to it in a really strict way (in the-- I can't even eat sweet potato fries because they are cooked in a soy-containing ingredient- way), I lost about 5 pounds. However, if I'm not being incredibly strict, my weight stays about the same... and maybe even creeps up over a couple months.

WHY?!

Well. Like any good researcher, I started to examine the issue... I kept a food diary so I could see what I was really eating. I know a lot of people aren't about calories in/ calories out... but to SOME extent- I do believe if you start taking in a LOT more calories (especially not high-quality calories often found in the "80% paleo" person's diet), you will not lose weight. You may even gain weight. Just my two cents.

Anyway... what did I find? I found that I ate a lot of red meat (ground beef, steak..grassfed, but still), processed meats (breakfast sausage, bacon), nuts and nut butters (in one day I ate a quarter cup of almond butter... wtf?), paleo "treats", and I eat out a lot- so I have a lot of "cheat meals". Sometimes to the point where it becomes dumb to call them cheat meals because they're so frequent, lol. Maybe we should just call them normal meals?

Anyway- no big deal. It is what it is. In thinking about how I wanted to rectify the issue I went through a variety of thoughts... maybe I should do strict paleo again? Should I just count calories like the rest of the world? Something else?

So I did a PubMed search and found:

1. Keeping a food diary is recommended, pretty much always
2. I didn't come across a single NEW study advocating a low-fat, high-carb diet. So everyone, please stop saying that's what is recommended by scientists today. The GOVERNMENT may recommend that with their food plate...but scientists do not recommend it. There's a difference. A really big one. Even when people do recommend carbs, no one is recommending white bread and pasta.
3. Bacon isn't good for you (neither is pork sausage). Even the nitrate-free bacon. I searched high and low trying to prove myself wrong... but alas, bacon is not good for you. (best case scenario-- it may not hurt you in moderation). I'm not saying you can't eat it... but I am saying, according to the research, you shouldn't eat tons of it.
4. Red meat is questionable. Lots of research out there saying red meat is not the optimal meat to put in your system. I couldn't find a lot of work done on grassfed beef (I'm sure it's out there... I just didn't come across it). Anecdotally I've heard it's better...but I heard that from the people who sell it to me, lol. I'm skeptical. I've also read red meat has lots of B-vitamins, iron, and other minerals, etc. Granted... leafy greens have those too....
5. Fish = good. Omega3's, lean protein... good stuff... no one is really that concerned about heavy metal poisoning. You'd have to eat so much fish everyday for that to be a problem... and 99.999% of people don't want to eat that much fish. Fresh-caught fish is better than farmed-raised fish... duh. Happy fish are better.
6. In fact, lean meats = good. Fish, chicken, turkey... good stuff.
7. Vegetables = winner. No surprise here. Eating fresh vegetables is really good for you. So is fresh fruit. I didn't find anything saying how much fruit though... or what kinds of fruit.

So really, nothing earth-shattering. This was not a systematic-review...so it's not exhaustive. It's not cited. It's not complete. It just what I found.

When I think about the typical diet of a 80% paleo person (which is most paleo-people I know)-- I see that they eat lots of burgers and sweet potato fries, paleo treats, trail mix, fruit, and bacon. I don't see a lot of them eating a lot of fish and vegetables. Yes- certainly they eat more than most of the population--and I think even the 80% paleo diet is better than the standard american diet (SAD)... but I don't really care about comparisons to SAD. I want the best diet that leads to the best health and best physical and mental performance. Is that paleo? I don't know.

Anyway- in short. I've been trying a lot of things to optimize my diet.

1. I've reduced (pretty much eliminated) paleo treats from my diet.  That means no paleo crunch or paleo cookies/ muffins, etc. That stuff is loaded with sugar, and sugar is bad. Doesn't matter if it's honey or maple syrup- it leaves me feeling hungry (hangry, really) in an hour... and if I eat that crap before I workout, I generally have a crappy, lethargic workout. It probably goes without saying-- but I'm avoiding non-paleo treats too...lol. Just to clarify. Not to say I'm not going to eat a slice of birthday cake or something-- but I've taken this out of my day-to-day diet. 
2. I've reduced the amount of red meat, bacon, and pork sausage I'm eating. This sucked. Chris and I bought a portion of a grassfed cow--and part of it is still in my freezer. So, it will get eaten eventually, just maybe not at the same pace as before. Have I noticed any differences in how I feel? Yes and no. I do feel like red meat kinda weighs you down... and it sits a little more heavy in your stomach than chicken or fish. I don't know that I noticed I feel better because I'm not eating as much red meat, rather, I feel better because I'm eating more fish. I don't know what it is... but fish just makes me feel healthy. Maybe it's just me. 
3. I did use My Fitness Pal to track my food, which automatically counts your calories... I tried playing this game for a couple weeks on and off... Counting calories is not a fool-proof way to lose weight. Very few people are out there weighing and measuring everything they eat, and accurately capturing their true caloric intake. Thus, this wasn't super useful to me. Plus, their recommendation was that I "net" 1300 calories a day... I can tell you I felt like garbage on those days. I workout a lot... sometimes I run before work, and then do a lifting session and a CrossFit WOD after work. Is 1300 calories enough to support that? Also- apparently you burn 0 calories doing strength exercises. Sorry, but I'm pretty sure I'm sweating my a$$ off when I do 30 back squats at 200 pounds... so I'm pretty sure I've burned off at least 1 tic tac in that period of time. Enough said.
4. Zone... So now I'm trying zone proportions of mostly paleo/ primal foods. I throw in some gluten-free stuff here and there, but I don't eat a lot of grains. So far the Zone thing is difficult, but I'm literally like 36 hours in. I just need to learn how to make a couple meals that are in the correct proportions, get my blocks right, and learn how to eye-ball portion sizes. I think for me, portion-size is key. I can put a lot of food down unfortunately... so keeping my portion sizes in check is critical for me. 

SO. In sum- if you are struggling with losing weight on paleo I'd do a few things:

1. Keep a food diary for a week... or at least 4-5 days, including some weekends. Just write it all down... no judgement. Write it down if you have a couple beers, cake, kale, whatever. Write everything down. If you lie on your journal-- you're just hurting yourself...and biasing your analysis!
2. Analyze what you're eating at the end of the food journaling period... 
1. Are you eating a LOT of vegetables? If not, you should be.
2. Are you eating tons of nuts/ nut butter? Maybe tone it down. If you're eating  trail mix-- does it have a lot of dried fruit? Dried fruit contains quite a bit of sugar... 
3. Are you eating paleo treats a couple times a week? Try making it an actual TREAT-- like once or twice a week. Not 4-7 times a week.
4. Are you eating any fish? Come on. At least once a week, if not 2-3x/ week.
5. This one is gonna sting.... how much bacon and sausage are you eating? Try coming up with some meals you like that don't focus so much on these things.
6. How much fruit are you eating? What kinds? From what I've read in the paleo books... the focus is supposed to be on berries because they're low in sugar. So maybe cool it down on the apples, bananas, and citrus for awhile, and see how it goes. 
7. How much water do you drink? Is it enough? (half your body weight in ounces + whatever you sweat out in workouts)
3. Make changes based on what you learned in the food diary... so what works and what makes you feel good... 

When I was complaining about not losing weight while doing Paleo to Chris... he was like... "well... you eat a lot of almond butter, maybe you should cut back"?.... Poor Chris. I, of course, got super defensive and told him he had no idea what it was like trying to lose weight because he was born with a perfect genetic disposition. And then of course- I pulled the... "are you calling me FAT?!". Poor Chris, indeed. You just can't tell someone who is hangry that they're doing something wrong when they're trying so hard. But really.... yes. I was eating too much almond butter. SO. If you read the above and you get super defensive...maybe that's an indication that you really do need to cut-back on whatever you paleo-vice is... You've got to be honest with yourself. Do you really NEED 6 slices of bacon for breakfast everyday? No. There's not a chance in hell that you NEED it. 

These are just some ideas... everyone's body is different. I'd be interested to hear what other people's experiences are like with plateauing on paleo-- or not losing weight (when you want to lose weight) on paleo. I know there are plenty of people out there that don't want to lose weight (or would rather gain)- so this isn't for you.

The BEST Salmon

Chris actually found this recipe awhile ago, and it is now a household favorite. Salmon has a pretty good flavor by itself, but these ingredients compliment the already delicious-ness of the fish! Plus this is super easy to make and even easier to clean up... good for keeping the cave clean!

from: http://fitpaleomom.com/garlic-dijon-baked-salmon/

Garlic Dijon Baked Salmon

Ingredients:

• 1# Salmon (preferably fresh, not farm-raised)... I know the original recipe says 1.5#...but I like a more concentrated sauce on my fish
• 2 TBSP Chopped parsley (fresh)
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 1.5 dijon mustard
• salt/ pepper
• 2-3 TBSP olive oil
• 2 TBSP Lemon juice
• lemon slices (optional)

Directions:

1. Set oven to 450F

2. Line your baking dish with foil

3. In a bowl-- put in the parsley, garlic, mustard, olive oil and lemon juice

4. salt/ pepper the fish

5. pour contents of bowl on fish... spread it on there to make sure the surface is touched by the delicious sauce!

6. bake for 12-15 minutes... depending on how thick your fish is... and how done you like it.

Enjoy!

I served with a kale salad with some almonds (olive oil/ lemon juice dressing) and plantain chips from Trader Joe's. SO much easier than making your own... and they're better than what I've made in the past, lol.

Breakfast Pizza

Well it's been a long time. I've got about 1 week left of school-- and then I'm done for the spring semester-- phew! Now it's crunch time with papers, presentations, posters, and wrapping up some graduate assistant activities. Needless to say... I am ready for summer time.

So I find that sleeping in an extra 15 minutes is more intriguing than getting up 15 minutes early to make eggs for breakfast...so on Sundays I make the gigantic breakfast pizza in my most enormous, non-stick pan (I'm not sure what the diameter is... it's more than a foot... maybe 14-16"). It's super easy- you just cook all the stuff, throw in some eggs and let everything heat until the eggs are set... then you cut it up like a pizza, wrap in foil-- and put in the fridge or freeze for the week (or two!). This is inspired by the CF Breakfast pizza they had on the journal awhile ago... but I tweaked the ingredients.

Breakfast Pizza

Cook this in a big, non-stick pan (or perhaps a greased regular pan):

• 1# breakfast sausage (or whatever kind of sausage you want)

Once it's mostly cooked, add:

• 3 poblano peppers, diced
• 1/4 onion, diced

Cook that stuff until they're starting to get softer... add:

• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• a can of black olives 
• diced tomatoes (1 tomato is usually enough for me)
• 2 medium-size sweet potatoes, cut (microwaved and diced... or baked if you have time)

Let all the stuff cook... and add (or subtract) whatever ingredients prefer! I've added roasted red peppers, sundried tomatoes, banana peppers.... whatever is in the cabinet that I need to get rid of

Once all your stuff is cooked:

• beat a dozen eggs together, pour over the batter. It should bind everything together... depending on how many veggies you put in you may need anywhere from 10-14 eggs.

Here's what it'll look like: 

Let the eggs cook on low until they are set on top. Then-- (this is key)-- let the pizza and pan cool down until the pizza pulls away from the pan. Take a big cutting board that covers the top of your pan (or mostly covers), and flip the pizza onto the cutting board.... slice into 6-8 slices (depending on the size of your pan... or size of your appetite). Wrap each slice in foil-- and throw either in the fridge or freezer! I usually put 3 in the fridge for Mon-Wed and the rest in the freezer... then on Wed I pull out 2 more slices for Thur/ Fri. 

I generally just reheat in the microwave for ~60 seconds... I may or may not put cheese on there occasionally. That may require an additional 20-30 seconds in the microwave...

I hope this simplifies your morning routine! I know during the week, especially when I'm busy, it's tempting to stop at Starbucks and get an egg sandwich... which inevitably leaves me feeling guilty and less than satisfied. A little labor in the kitchen on Sunday will save you lots of time during weekday mornings (plus this is way more delish than some nasty sammie that makes you feel like garbage!). 

Go forth and enjoy. :-)

Ginger beef

We're slowly entering grilling season-- slowly, but surely. In light of that-- here is one of my favorite paleo-grill receipes!

Ginger Beef-- from Everyday Paleo

1 skirt steak (mine was 1.5#)

Marinade:
1/4 cup coconut aminos
1 TBSP fish sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger (or 1 tsp fresh ground ginger)
pinch of salt
Sriracha to taste (I usually use two squirts or so)

Mix the marinade ingredients together, and pour over the steak-- marinate for a 2-24 hours. Put it on the grill-- careful not to overcook since this is a thin cut of meat.

Italian Turkey Meatballs

I still love spaghetti with meatballs from time to time... and especially in this crazy weather, I could use some comfort food!


Meatballs

• 1# ground turkey
• 1 egg (beaten)
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1 TBSP oregano
• 3/4 TBSP dried rosemary (I tried to crush mine up into smaller bits)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp basil
• hot pepper flakes to taste
• salt/ pepper

Mix all of the above ingredients. Roll into 1-2 inch balls and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 350 for 25 minutes (or until meat is cooked).

I use a spaghetti squash instead of noodles-- just poke some holes in the squash and put it in the microwave for 10 minutes (turn it once around 5 minutes)...and let it cool before you handle it. 

Serve the hot "noodles" and meatballs with your favorite sauce... and maybe some fresh Parmesan cheese if you're feeling frisky. Pairs nicely with dark chocolate for dessert. :-)

Stuffed chicken

Last Sunday I bought some thinly sliced chicken breasts and decided to make some stuffed, baked chicken.

I got myself all set up and ready to stuff some chicken! You can use whatever you want... I settled on 3 varieties--
1- Ham + mustard + cheese
2- Bacon + greens + cheese
3- Tomato sauce + pepperoni + parm cheese

I just set my chicken breasts out, had my foil and skewers handy and just put the ingredients in the middle and rolled them up! I stuffed them in foil then poked them with a skewer to keep it all together... threw them in a baking dish and called it a day. 350F for 30 minutes, or until chicken is booked.

Tip-- I had thick-sliced bacon and I microwaved it for 2-3 minutes first just to get it a little cooked... It takes a long time for the inside of the chicken breast to heat up- and I wasn't sure the bacon would cook thoroughly by itself. I'd recommend just cooking your bacon all the way, and then stuffing it.

Foil + skewer

Finished! I made about 8 of these bad boys for the week!

Avo-Shrimp Salad- because it reminds me of summer!!

Delicious Shrimp Salad (AKA: I wish it was summer!!!)

I found this recipe on Facebook... and it looks super summery. And don't you know... in the dead of Winter (which, in Ohio, for me, occur in February)-- I need some summery thoughts. February is rough. It's cold. It's windy, snowy, slushy, and... just cold. Thankfully it's the shortest month and we're almost through it! Hurry summer!!


Shrimp and Avocado Salad:

Ingredients AND directions:

Combine in a bowl:
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
2 TBSP Olive Oil
2 limes, juiced (or just use lime juice from a bottle)
pinch of salt/ pepper

Let that sit for 5 minutes... takes some of the bite out of the onion

Combine in a bigger bowl:

1# large or jumbo shrimp, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 avocado, cut into chunks
2 stem tomatoes, cut into chunks
1/4 cup green salsa

Combine contents of both bowls... and add salt and pepper to taste, if needed


I like to eat this on top of a giant bed of spinach for lunch. You don't even need to add dressing because the dressing on the shrimp is so awesome!

Easy Baby Back Ribs

I am not a pork chef. Pork, to me, is one of the most difficult meats to cook. It can dry out very easily (there's a reason people always serve applesauce with pork chops)-- and when it's dry it's incredibly tough. I think pork is harder to cook than steak, fish...all of it. It's just temperamental. For that reason, I've never made ribs before... they're usually super expensive, and pretty fatty. However, Earth Fare had them on sale this week ($5/ pound)... so I decided... why not? Try new things... anyway, they turned out great and they were super easy! Granted, they weren't falling off the bone and oozing with sauce... but I did a dry rub because I hate having saucy fingers... I'm saucy enough!!

I served with a salad because we weren't that hungry, but this would be delicious with some mashed sweet potatoes. 

Easy Baby Back Ribs

Dry rub:

• 1 TSP Paprika
• 2 TSP Coconut sugar
• 1/2 tsp lemon (or orange) peel, dried (could use fresh zest as well)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix it all together, rub it on your rack of ribs... then plastic wrap the ribs to sit in the fridge for 2-24 hours. When you're ready to cook- preheat the oven to 300F. Put your ribs on a rack and bake in the oven for 2 hours, or until the meat is at your preferred temperature.

Eat all by themselves, or dip in your fav paleo BBQ sauce (perhaps this?)

This evening I also made another batch of Pizza Spaghetti Pie, Zuppa Tuscano, and Deep Dish Breakfast Pizza... I think that should get us through Wednesday... not bad for 2 hours of work!

Post Workout Smoothie

I know it's pretty cold outside for a smoothie... but sometimes they're just delicious!

Here's a good post-workout one for ya:

In your blender:
1/2 frozen banana:
8-10oz unsweetenend cocoa almond milk
A scoop of ice cubes (~15 ice cubes)
1 TBSP almond butter
1/2-3/4 scoop choco protein powder (I use egg-based)

Directions: BLEND. Pour. Smile. Picture a sunny day with tulips and sunshine. Now go do something silly. :-)

Deep Dish Breakfast Pizza

The classy cave lady has been on a hiatus. Things are incredibly busy right now between work^2 (both jobs), school, researching, crossfit, training for the half marathon... oh- and cooking delicious foods!

Breakfast is tough. I hate taking time to make eggs (and then you have to clean the pans... and have all the meat/ veggies prepped... ugh!). So I tried the Deep Dish Breakfast Pizza from Crossfit.com.

Recipe

This is pretty easy- just have to have a large pan that can hold all this food. This is a paleo "zone" recipe- so that means the quantity is meant to be controlled (ie- if you cut into 8 slices, each slice is about 2 blocks of food).

If you've even been curious about Zone- here's a pretty good explanation: 

Here's the recipe:

ingredients (16 Zone blocks)

• 1 lb. hot Italian sausage (6 protein blocks)

• 1 large onion, diced (2 carbohydrate blocks)

• 3 poblano peppers, diced (2 carbohydrate blocks)

• 3 yams, roasted and roughly chopped (9 carbohydrate 

blocks)

• 3 c. mushrooms, sliced (1 carbohydrate block)

• 2 c. black olives, sliced (16 fat blocks)

• 3 large Roma tomatoes, diced (2 carbohydrate blocks)

• 10 whole eggs or 20 egg whites (10 protein blocks)

• Kosher salt, to taste

• Olive oil, as needed

directions

1. Heat a 14-in. cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Add Italian sausage in small chunks and cook until done, then remove from pan. (Use a little olive oil if necessary, but rendered fat should be a sufficient cooking agent.)

3. Add onions, a touch of olive oil, the poblano peppers and some salt and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add yams and mushrooms and salt lightly again. Cover pan with a lid or a piece of aluminum foil and cook 5 minutes longer.

5. While veggies are cooking, crack eggs into a bowl and whisk until uniform.

6. Remove lid from pan, add sausage, olives and tomatoes. Stir well, add eggs and cover again.

7. Cook until eggs are set, then remove lid/foil and broil the top side in the oven in order to dry it out and brown it slightly.

8. When finished, place a piece of parchment paper over the top, place an inverted sheet pan on top of that, and invert the skillet and pan together. Place on a counter and remove the skillet from the top.

9. Slice and eat immediately, or allow to cool completely, then slice, portion, wrap and freeze/refrigerate. 

Bacon Jalapeno Bread

This is awesome to serve with soup on a cold day... chicken "noodle", chili-- whatever you want. I ate it with my Zuppa Toscana.

Recipe: http://vahuntergatherers.com/2013/05/01/bacon-jalapeno-bread-gluten-free/

Ingredients
4 oz bacon (approximately 4 thick slices)
3 large jalapeños
6 large eggs
1/2 C ghee, melted
1/4 C water
1/2 C coconut flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp dried chives (optional)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp ghee to grease your baking pan

Directions

1. Bake the bacon and sliced jalapenos (I removed the seeds to make it less spicy)... bake for about 10 minutes, then flip and bake for an additional 5-10... depending on the thickness of the slices

2. Put the bacon/ jalapenos in a food processor-- chop it up in tiny pieces  (I suppose a blender would work too?)

3. Mix together wet ingredients

4. Add in the dry ingredients

5.  Mix in the bacon, etc.

6. Put all of this in a greased glass pan, or the bread pan of your choice

7. Bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes

8. Let cool for 5 minutes or so... then it'll slice easier. Enjoy!

Cold weather Paleo food

Here's my meal plan for the week. I had a request to post everything at once... so here's what I'm planning on... I'll update here as things get made. There will be pictures, of course!

Thoughts on the menu this week:

• It's going to like... VICIOUSLY cold this week.. so I wanted hot foods (hence the soup, spaghetti squash casserole, crockpot chicken...). When the "high" is projected to be sub-zero... I'm not putting anything cold in the tank.
• Also- a special message to Kent State... please close. my parking spot is a mile away from my office... frostbite of the face isn't cute, or useful in any way.
• I need to have breakfasts made this week because Kent never closes (and the hospital definitely never closes...) so I'll need to get up extra early and there will be no time for cooking eggs in the AM. 
• The crockpot chicken is TBA. I got a whole chicken for 99c/ # at Earth Fare... it seemed like a reasonable deal. Now I just gotta figure out what to do with this bad mamba jamba.
• I have a confession to make.... I purchased really delicious short ribs last week... then got too busy to make them... and had to throw them out because they were green and slimy... I want to lose 5#... but not like that... ugghhh

Dinner/ lunches
1. Buffalo chicken
2. Taco beef (salad)
3. Parsnip & Kale Zuppa Toscana Soup
4. Pizza Spaghetti Pie (again)--and really, it's a casserole, not a "pie"
5. Crockpot chicken...TBD... something easy, and with lemons.

Breakfast
1. Sweet potato hash
2. Deep dish breakfast pizza

Snacks
1. Cauliflower popcorn
2. Zucchini boats


Recipes--

Entrees
1. Buffalo Chicken

This one was super easy.... inspired by practical paleo.

I took about 2# of chicken thighs and sliced them. Put them in a frying pan with some coconut oil (2TBSP) + 1 tsp each of cayenne pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder + salt/ pepper to taste. If I were to do this again... I'd just cook the chicken in a bunch of frank's hot sauce. Now there's chicken ready to go in lettuce wraps (with diced avocado and cubed cucumber)

2. Taco beef for salads
http://everydaypaleo.com/cooking-demo-paleo-tacos-with-purple-cabbage-slaw/

1# ground beef
1 TBSP each: garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup green salsa

Brown the meat-- add the spices and salsa... enjoy. If you're going to put this in the fridge to eat later- DRAIN THE FAT. Otherwise you're gonna have a hard time getting it out of the container you put it in...

3. Parsnip & Kale Zuppa Toscana Soup

I ganked this from here: http://www.insonnetskitchen.com/seasonal-comfort-food-cookbook/

1 TBSP Coconut Oil
1# sausage
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 parsnips, thinly sliced (yields ~3 cups)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp EACH dried basil and oregano
5 cups veggie or chicken stock
1/2 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
1 bunch of kale (torn into bite-sized pieces)
salt/ pepper (easy on the salt, especially if your stock has a lot of salt)

• Put the oil in the pan brown the sausage,add onions and cook for ~ 5mins until the onions are softened
• Add parsnips, garlic, red pepper flakes and basil + oregano and bring to a BOIL
• Simmer down now, for 20 minutes, or until the parsnips are soft
• Add kale and coconut milk... let that simmer for an additional 10 minutes, or until the kale is tender
• Salt and pepper to taste
• eat!

Breakfasts...

1. Sweet tater hash

This is pretty basic... no frills here.

1# breakfast sausage
1 sweet tater- run through the food processor and shred (or shred it regular style)
1/2 onion-- diced up small
2 garlic cloves, minced/ pressed
salt/ pepper
Eggs

• Cook your breakfast sausage in a big frying pan... breaking it up so there are little chunks.
• Once it's fully cooked, remove meat- put in dish...leave the fat in the pan
• Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook about 5 mins (until onions get tender)-- you may need to add some oil if you're sausage was lean
• add your shredded sweet potato
• Cook the potato (don't stir too much- that'll make mashed potatoes!)-- just turn the potatoes now and then until they are fully cooked
• Add the sausage back in...
• voila!!  hash complete.
• I like to serve a couple scoops of hash with 2-3 poached eggs (MMMM)

2. Nick Massie's Deep Dish Breakfast Pizza

From CrossFit.com 

http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/CFJ_2014_01_Kitchen_Pizza.pdf

ingredients (16 Zone blocks)

• 1 lb. hot Italian sausage (6 protein blocks)

• 1 large onion, diced (2 carbohydrate blocks)

• 3 poblano peppers, diced (2 carbohydrate blocks)

• 3 yams, roasted and roughly chopped (9 carbohydrate blocks)

• 3 c. mushrooms, sliced (1 carbohydrate block)

• 2 c. black olives, sliced (16 fat blocks)

• 3 large Roma tomatoes, diced (2 carbohydrate blocks)

• 10 whole eggs or 20 egg whites (10 protein blocks)

• Kosher salt, to taste

• Olive oil, as needed

directions

1. Heat a 14-in. cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Add Italian sausage in small chunks and cook until done, then remove from pan. (Use a little olive oil if necessary, but rendered fat should be a sufficient cooking agent.)

3. Add onions, a touch of olive oil, the poblano peppers and some salt and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add yams and mushrooms and salt lightly again. Cover pan with a lid or a piece of aluminum foil and cook 5 minutes longer.

5. While veggies are cooking, crack eggs into a bowl and whisk until uniform.

6. Remove lid from pan, add sausage, olives and tomatoes. Stir well, add eggs and cover again.

7. Cook until eggs are set, then remove lid/foil and broil the top side in the oven in order to dry it out and brown it slightly.

8. When finished, place a piece of parchment paper over the top, place an inverted sheet pan on top of that, and invert the skillet and pan together. Place on a counter and remove the skillet from the top.

9. Slice and eat immediately, or allow to cool completely, then slice, portion, wrap and freeze/refrigerate. Meals like this will take you from feeling sickly to moving large loads long distances quickly

I don't have a large cast iron skillet... so I'm going to use a 5qt french oven.

Snacks and sides and such...
1. Cauliflower Popcorn
http://paleofood.com/recipes/veggies-roastedcauliflower.htm

2. Zucchini Boats
http://www.insonnetskitchen.com/zucchini-pizza-boats/?inf_contact_key=a2e22dd040aedf9344e9ef50cbe79708343d5332d79a5976748e27402a6f6c2d

3. Bacon Jalpeno bread
http://vahuntergatherers.com/2013/05/01/bacon-jalapeno-bread-gluten-free/

Three meals for week 3

I realized I never posted what we were going to eat... so in retrospect...

This week we ate:

Dinner/ Lunches:
1. PaleOMG Pizza Spaghetti Pie

2. Chinese 5-star Turkey Lettuce Cups (from Practical Paleo book)

3. Fish Tacos 

This was enough food for Monday-Thursday.... but we both went out for dinner on Wednesday, and we're going out tomorrow too... so, this was a pretty light week on cooking. I had a short rib recipe ready to go..but it's gonna have to wait til next week.

I mean... the fish tacos were my favorite tasting dish, but the pizza spaghetti pie was AWESOME and easy (minus the stabbing). I highly recommend making that one-- I feel like kids would even eat that stuff... it's just spot on.

1. PaleOMG Pizza Spaghetti Pie (recipe on link)

2. Chinese 5-star Turkey Lettuce Cups (from Practical Paleo book) (Meh....)

...but we decided THIS recipe is better...

3. Fish Tacos

GET IN MA BELLY, FISH TACOS!!!!

Turkey lettuce cups. Fail.

This is another meal I made on Sunday that we just ate tonight. They came from the pratical paleo book-- here's the recipe. Chris really didn't like them... When the first thing your spouse says is "what IS that?"... it's generally not because they think it's delicious.

Honestly. I didn't think they were that good either... if you're looking for a good meat + salad, THIS is much better. I skip the purple cabbage situation... it's not that good. Honestly, just serve the meat on top of salad with some smoky almonds... and you're good to go. If you want to be the "hostess with the mostess", then you can chop up cabbage, cucumbers, carrots, avocado... and throw all of that on top. I suspect some roasted sweet potatoes would also be every bit of EPIC.

I literally use this meat recipe for everything... stuffed peppers, chili... you name it... this is what I use.

Taco Meat

1 lb grass fed ground beef

1 tbsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp chili powder

1/4 cup green salsa (I use trader joe's salsa verde)

Brown meat, add seasoning and salsa, stir and eat on a lettuce.

This is super easy-- awesome for a weeknight meal when you just need something quick...and it's easy to prepare ahead of time. You've got to eat it hot though-- otherwise the fat from the meat solidifies and it's not appetizing. 

Pizza Spaghetti Pie

I made this Pizza Spaghetti Pie from PaleOMG earlier this week, but we just ate it last night. It is so good! My friend (also named Lauren!) also made this and gave it her stamp of approval. It also reheats nicely (even in a microwave)- so this recipe is getting an A (I should give it an A- because the squash tried to kill me, but I won't hold prejudice!). 

Here it is:

It's pretty easy.... basically cook the squash, then dump everything you want in a baking dish and bake for an hour at 350.

Ingredients

• 1 spaghetti squash, baked or microwaved-- then scoop all the "noodles" out
• to bake: CAREFULLY slice it vertically then put two sides noodle side down and bake at 400 for 30ish minutes- or until the noodles can be scooped out (skin will be pliable to the touch)
• to microwave: stick squash in microwave for 10 minutes, then let it cool down a bit before hacking it open with a knife (don't try to cut through the stem)... be careful!!
• 1 pound ground meat (I used sausage, but you could use turkey, beef, whatever)
• 1 cup pizza sauce 
• 1 tbsp oregano, dried
• 1 tbsp basil, dried
• salt/ pepper to taste
• 1/2 yellow onion- chopped finely
• 3 eggs (to bind it all together)
• pizza toppings of your choice 
• I added about 1 cup of mushrooms, leftover pepperoni, and Parmesan cheese (primal pie)

Combine the above in a greased baking dish. Bake for 1 hr at 350-- let it sit for a few minutes before serving. 

Insert food in face, preferably the mouth. Up to you though.

Do you ever find yourself talking in a meeting/ class/ social setting and, as you're talking, you are thinking "wtf am I saying... I'm totally bs-ing right now... I wonder if anyone notices.... what if I said meow in the middle of a sentence...say it... say it, meow.... SAY IT!!!!!"? That happened to me today in my behavioral theories class. Clearly I need to get more interested in behavioral theories- otherwise it may be a long semester.... Meow. There. I said it. 

Paleo Fish Tacos

Friends. I give you, Paleo Fish Tacos!!!! Really, it's a few recipes pulled together- but it turned out great. I'm totally biased, but these are better than any non-beer battered fish taco I've ever had. Period! In the future, I may try to dress up the soft taco shell a bit (add some pizzazz...), but they were fine just the way they were.

I used Mahi Mahi- I'm sure other white fishes would've been okay, but this is my favorite.

This is a good meal to cook and eat all in the same night. Fish does not reheat well. This is also something to cook when you have a little time... overall it took about 30 minutes to cook all of this. This may not be the thing to whip up when you get home at 9pm and you're starving... and you consider eating the entire block of cheese just because it's the first thing within reach on the fridge (this has never happened to me......... maybe).

I served this with some root vegetable chips, but plantain chips would've been epic with this. Epic, I tell you.


Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos- serves 2



For the soft tacos:
recipe: http://stupideasypaleo.com/2013/08/23/simple-paleo-tortillas/

• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon melted ghee
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
• 1 teaspoon coconut flower
• pinch of salt

For the fish:

Mahi-mahi fish (I had a little over a pound)

Marinade:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 1-1/2 teaspoon of Adobo seasoning (I use Penzy's)-- Jerk seasoning, or a similar one would work
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (omit if you don't like spicy food)
• 1 lime (juice), or 2 tablespoons of lime juice
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped 
• kosher salt and pepper, to taste

Taco fixins (here's what I used... but use whatever you like!):

• 1 tomato, diced
• 2 green onions, sliced
• little bunch of cilantro, chopped
• Napa cabbage, chopped
• Avocado
• Roasted sweet taters
• Sauce to drizzle (I used Creamy Chipotle Pepper Dip)... but any dressing will do. (these are really good: http://www.tessemaes.com/)
• Crumbled goat cheese (optional for the primal eaters)

Instructions

1. Make the marinade-- combine all ingredients in a bowl, stir, add the fish-- set aside for 15-20 minutes while you make the soft tacos
2. To make the soft tacos: 
1. Combine wet ingredients (2 eggs + 1 tsp melted ghee + 1 TBSP water), wisk
2. Add in dry ingredients (1/8 tsp baking soda, 1/4 cup arrowroot powder, 1 tsp coconut flour, pinch salt), wisk until smooth
3. Get an 8" frying pan nice and hot-- spray with olive oil (or your oil of choice)
4. Pour 1/4-1/3 mixture in pan (it cooks fast-- so you have to swirl it around fast)
5. Cook on both sides of the taco (just like making crepes)
6. Spray the pan between each use, lightly
3. For the fishies
1. Melt 2 TBSP coconut oil in large frying pan
2. Put the fish/ marinade in there
3. Cook the fish
4. Prep the taco fixings
5. Assemble those tacos!! (or let the diner's do it themselves...)
1. Put the fish on the taco, then put your fixings on there.... drizzle with sauce when complete
6. Enjoy!

Making the fish....

Some assembly required

1 down!

Voila! Fish tacos, Paleo (or primal) style

Bacon bundles

This weekend I went back to chopping and slicing... luckily no additional injuries to report. I had the stitches out today, and much to my disappointment, it still is pretty open. I thought everything would be good to go and sealed up... not so much. Sigh. I will be keeping Band Aid in business.

This recipe is a mash-up of 3 different people's ideas: I went to a PartyLite party 2 weekends ago and my friend Rosa served bacon wrapped sweet potatoes. They were downright DELICIOUS. I ate an embarrassing amount of them. Then-- my friend Jenni made something very similar for dinner with chicken. To top it off, Monica told me about an awesome chicken marinade she serves with bacon and avo... that her kids actually like (!).

...and then Bacon Bundles were born.

Bacon Bundles:

1 large sweet potato, sliced into thin wedges (about 1/2" thick)
1 package bacon, (nitrate free, not thick sliced)
1 package chicken breast tenders
1 avocado, sliced (for garnish)

Marinade (or sub Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing):
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, pressed in garlic press
1 tsp dijon mustard
dash of salt/ pepper

Potato dressing:
Olive oil
Rosemary
Kosher Salt

Preheat oven to 400F.

1. Prepare the marinade by combining all ingredients. Throw the chicken tenders in there. Marinate while you prepare the rest of the stuff-- or prepare before and let it soak.
2. Slice up your sweet tater into even wedges (about a half inch)
3. Put your tater slices in a bowl and drizzle olive oil on top-- then sprinkle rosemary and kosher salt to taste (you want to get the entire slice wet with the oil-- and there should be rosemary/ salt on every slice).
4. Get your bacon out...
5. Take a potato wedge, put a chicken tender on there... then wrap it up with a bacon slice... repeat. If you have more potato wedges than chicken-- no worries... just made bacon wrapped potato wedges!
6. Put on a rack with tray underneath (pictured above)
7. Bake for 15 minutes, turn, bake for another 15 minutes... make sure the potato wedges are fully cooked before removing.
8. Serve with sliced avocado.

I love the flavor these make. The sour balsamic mixing with the sweet potato and savory bacon... the soft potato + crunchy bacon...hot chicken + cold avocado... whoa!! I'm so confused but I'm okay with it!

Getting ready

Finished product- feeding time!

It's the weekend!

Well it's Friday afternoon, so I'll get to the point!

A brilliant co-worker of mine shared this recipe with me:
http://dessertswithbenefits.com/peanut-butter-protein-balls/

Peanut Butter Protein Balls (you can use almond butter- Paleo police!!)

Ingredients
32g (1 scoop) Vanilla Protein Powder (vegans, use soy protein)
42g (2 tbs) Honey or Agave
32g (2 tbs) Natural Peanut Butter (no sugar/salt/oil added)

Instructions
Put the protein powder in a bowl, then the honey and stir
Pour in the peanut butter (creamy PB is easier than chunky)
Stir until everything is incorporated (it takes a while, but if you need more honey or something, add it now)
Add any toppings you want
Roll into balls with your hands, and refrigerate to harden (if you are not eating it immediately)


I made an almond butter version- and it was pretty good. However, I also made a cookie butter (thank you Trader Joe's for this... it's peanut butter with crushed up ginger cookies inside) version with chocolate protein powder rolled in sliced almonds... and it was SUPER tasty. Definitely not paleo... I honestly think peanut butter tastes better than almond butter in this recipe- but it's up you and your dietary preferences.

The possibilities are kinda endless though. Protein powder + almond butter + honey + dried fruit (a PB&J sandwich!), mix it with instant coffee for a mocha, mix it with chocolate hazelnut butter... the choice is yours. Honestly, they're kinda nice for an afternoon pick-me-up... and they don't need to be refrigerated- bonus!

Chicken Bacon and Kale... and Smolov (Jr!)

Shalom.

Tonight we are feasting on Chicken, Bacon, and Kale (since we went out last night). Consequently-- we didn't do too badly eating out. We ordered smothered chicken-- which was 2 chicken breasts with cheese and veggies served on lettuce. It was tasty (but it could have used bacon, like most things).

Tonight's variation of CBS is.... Kale instead of spinach, and a jar of roasted red peppers instead of sun-dried tomatoes. I noticed we had about 4 jars of roasted red peppers in the pantry and decided it was time to start making a dent in the collection.

Honestly, I like the original recipe posted here better... but... gotta try new things.

Next week I'm going to try to get away from all the bacon-cooking. I feel like bacon-cooking is just too easy sometimes. Of course it's going to taste delicious- it contains bacon!! Now, cooking without bacon, or bacon fat, that can be a challenge to develop good-tasting paleo food. But I do love a challenge...muuahahaha....

We'll let you know what the game plan is for the week's worth of cooking is this weekend.... Fri or Sat.. Having only 1 fully-functioning hand doesn't stop a cave lady!! And certainly not a classy cave lady.

It should also be noted that the Coconut soup I posted earlier officially freezes, thaws, and reheats properly. Hurrah!

In other news--- I've been seeing a lot of this lately. Squats squats squats.

Given my temporary HANDicap (lol... I know), back squats are part of the daily fitness regime. I started the Smolov Jr squatting program in an effort to reintroduce myself into the world of squats. I've been doing an Olympic Lifting cycle for the past few weeks, but with a bum hand/ wrist... snatches and clean + jerks are not happening. I tell you what... nothing makes you strong like squats. That's a fact! We are big squatters (????) at our house. I kid you not... there is a weight room in our "family room" off the kitchen. This was a critical element we were looking at when purchasing a house-- a (heated) room for working out. Maybe that means Chris and I are obsessed (he has earned the name Chris Squatford, afterall), or maybe it means that I get my squats in while I'm making dinner... 

But I digress...

Smolov Jr is 3 week squatting program (also used for bench presses) based on the original Smolov (Russian weightlifter) program. Here's a link (this page also links to a calculator if you're looking to give it a try). http://joshmahony.com/weights/smolov_jr.php

Happy eating, happy squatting. Rinse. Repeat.  :-)

Chicken, Bacon, Spinach

There are a handful of standby paleo dishes I have where I usually have the ingredients on hand, and can make pretty quickly... Stuffed Peppers, Stir Fry,... and Chicken, Bacon, Spinach (we never really came up with a cool name... other than DELICIOUS).


Chicken, Bacon, & Spinach

5 slices bacon
1.5# chicken breast or breast tenderloin, cubed
5-6 handfuls of fresh spinach (could also use kale)
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes

Directions:
1. Cook the bacon in a big frying pan (has got to be able to fit everything)
2. Once bacon is cooked, remove bacon and crunch up in bits-- put it on a plate and save it for later
3. Cook your cubed chicken in the bacon fat
4. Once you chicken is cooked all the way through, add sun-dried tomatoes and spinach and bacon

You're done! Eat up. Makes delicious leftovers as well. I sometimes like to put smoky almonds on top as a garnish, or avocado if you're feeling frisky.

If you're feeling like you want to eat it with a starch, it's always delicious w/ mashed sweet taters. These are the greatest invention... mashed sweet taters from Trader Joe's. They're frozen mashed sweet potatoes, but they're frozen in these little discs that you pull out individually to use (so you can make as much or as little as you want).

http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article.asp?article_id=1346

Eating when you're injured

You know how it goes... you're going about your life, doing your "thang", getting your workouts in, making progress towards your fitness goals- and BAM- something comes up that prevents you from working out as much, or in the way that you want to. This can be an injury, an unusually hectic work schedule, or just other commitments that get in the way of your workouts.

Pic source: hummingbirdcreativedesign.com

One thing I'm always cautious about when I'm injured is how much (and what) I'm eating. For the past 2-3 weeks I've been doing 1-2 workouts every day... in fact, most days have been 2 (between CrossFit, hot yoga, running, and rowing), but that is reduced for the time-being. 

When you're not working out as much anymore, it's time to really dial in your eating. When you're doing two-a-days everyday, you can eat more food than when you're not working out with such intensity. However, when you're working out less, or working out at a lesser intensity, you're not expending as many calories, and you're probably not building muscle like you were before.

My general approach is to consume less carbohydrates than before. Since I generally eat pretty paleo most of my carb consumption comes from fruit, root vegetables, and paleo treats. After the initial post-hand slicing, "I'm-sad-and-upset-so-I'm-eating-this" meal... I'm cleaning things up, and just trying to drink more fluids and take in less food overall. I'm also trying to be diligent about eating plenty of vegetables and getting my omega 3's in. I don't have a specific scholarly article backing this-- but I suspect my body needs all the vitamins/ minerals it can get from healthy foods as it's trying to repair the hole in my hand. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I should just jam some french fries down my bandage and feed the wound directly. Probably not.

I'm not into supplements. Fish oil is about the only supplement I take in addition to post-workout protein (when I remember, and when I'm not going to be eating a meal immediately after). (I also take a probiotic--not sure if that counts-- but that's made a big difference for me...we'll talk about those later.) I've taken a whole lot of vitamins, supplements, shakes, pills, etc. over time. I've never noticed any significant positive change from taking a supplement other than post-workout protein. I get my nutrients from food. I get adequate sleep. I manage stress. I drink plenty of water.  That's way better than anything made in a lab that comes in a bottle. You can't "out-supplement" a crappy lifestyle. If you're not sleeping, if you're stressed, if you're eating unhealthy food-- your body will retaliate in one way or another. 

I'm not an exercise physiologist. I'm not a doctor. But I do know when I don't workout and I keep eating like I'm working out, I gain weight. I've run a few marathons, and you get in the habit of eating a lot of food when you're running 40 miles a week. However, when the marathon is over-- you have to make a conscious effort to eat less food in the following weeks when you're recovering and running less. The same is true for CrossFit or any other fitness regime.

When you're injured your job #1 is getting healthy. Don't do stuff to make your injury worse. I see it all the time when I'm at the gym-- people pushing THROUGH injuries rather than working WITH them. All for what? Unless you're training for the games or regionals (maybe), I don't see any  reason to push your injuries and potentially make them worse, or make it take longer to heal. I'm not saying "don't workout until you feel 100%", but I am saying don't workout if it's causing you pain (some discomfort- okay, pain-not okay). I can tell you the last thing I want to do right now is rip out a stitch because I needed to do some pull-ups so I wouldn't "lose capacity". Guess what... 1 extra rep, a few pull-ups...whatever, won't create a lot more strength or endurance. Yeah, maybe it gives you a mental boost-- but don't forget the mental frustration 

that comes when you when you re-injure an old injury, or rip out a stitch, or create a new injury. Be patient. This too shall pass.

So for anyone else out there that's feeling frustrated because something is keeping them out of the gym... have faith that you'll get back in there, and that you'll be well-rested and ready to move forward when you do. Give your body the time it needs to heal-- this is the only body you're going to get- treat it right.

Monday dinner

Last night was the first night of making meals on the fly. I have class until 8:15, so I get home around 9. Luckily Chris got home before me and started making our dinner... even more lucky- I had baked 2 sweet potatoes before the whole ER-visit thing on Sunday.

We made Turkey and Spinach Stuffed Sweet Potatoes. According to Chris they were not too hard to make, and they were pretty tasty! They're a nice blend of slightly spicy meat and slightly sweet potato-- for as simple as this was to make, it was surprisingly good-tasting! Bonus.

Recipe:
http://paleomg.com/clean-it-up-mondays-turkey-and-spinach-stuffed-sweet-potatoes/


The other dish I made on Sunday was Pumpkin Pie Chia Seed Pudding. Earth Fare had Chia Seeds on sale, and I saw this recipe as an opportunity to use up 1 of the 3 cans of pumpkin that I have leftover from the holidays.

Recipe:
http://www.slenderkitchen.com/pumpkin-pie-chia-seed-pudding/

When I made this I quadrupled the recipe (to use the entire can of pumpkin) and omitted the maple syrup (I used a packet of stevia instead).

Chia seeds are a great food because they contain a lot of Omega-3 fatty acids that help cells grow. I'm all about supporting growth right now! Bring it, chia seeds.

Smoothie Review & Paleo Crunch

I love a good smoothie... I also have a strange disposition where, if I eat too much Vitamin C, I get ulcers in my mouth/ throat... so I'm always on the lookout for smoothies that don't include much citrus.

Here's one for you: http://paleomg.com/blueberry-chai-granola-smoothies/



This was pretty tasty... and, of course, easy since you just throw everything in the blender... Crushing the chia seeds was mildly inconvenient, but I just did a bunch so I can make this again really easily. I omitted the honey to save on carbs... it still felt sweet enough, especially with the paleo crunch on top...

Which...speak of the devil... my FAVORITE paleo crunch recipe:
http://civilizedcavemancooking.com/grain-free-goodies/caveman-crunch/

I use maple syrup instead of honey... It's AWESOME.

Spaghetti Squash, ER visits, and unexpected resolution-breaking

Well, friends. Let me tell you a story. 

I've been searching for spaghetti squash for about 3 weeks now. It's never at Earth Fare, and it was never at Giant Eagle when I went there...so finally I got to Beuhler's in Wadsworth- and voila-- there they are. Bring yellow and beautiful. So I bought 3. 

I got those suckers home, and on Sunday I started prepping my food for the week. I had just come home from running (prior to hot yoga-- bam! active Sunday like whaaaat!!) and I said to myself, "Self, let's put this squash in the oven real quick so it can bake while I shower". I thought about microwaving it so it'd be easier to cook... but that would take 5 minutes! No way! So, I'm cutting the squash as I'm congratulating myself on being so damn efficient.. and sha-ZAM! My hand slipped off the knife and I poked my hand from wrist to palm with the tip of my brand new knife. uugghhh.

At first I was like... no problem. It's merely a flesh wound... a band aid will suffice!

But then I took a second look, and I swear it happened in slow motion, the cut just peeled open way deeper than I expected and blood came gushing out.... ohhhhh no....

I squeezed the skin back together and started looking for Chris... who was in the basement... so I awkwardly yelled "uhhh... heeelp?" (I mean... is this the moment to play damsel in distress?)... but he didn't answer... so I stood at the top of the stairs and yelled "HELLOOOO?!?" (irritated damsel in distress)... still no answer... 

So now I'm just pissed. Here I am, probably going to die at any moment, and Chris's selective hearing is blocking me out in my MOMENT OF NEED!

I stepped down a few steps and yelled again, "CRAW. I need to go to the hospital... LIKE NOW."

Finally I heard him say "Whuuuut?!"... much like Scooby-Doo. I heard a bunch of things hit the ground and up the stairs he flew. 

"What do we do?" he asked.

"Hospital. We go to the hospital". He grabbed some towels and a bag of ice and off we went. Unfortunately all the cars were blocked by the truck... so we had to drive a big ass truck to the ER. Oh well. 

When these things happen, the things that roll through your mind (after "ouch" and "this sucks" are... kind of random. Examples below:

1. I realized I was wearing one of my favorite Lululemon running shirts. "They better not have to cut this thing off of me!! I'll fight it!!"
2. OMG HOW WILL I WORKOUT?! I am going to be so weak!!
3. What's the smell?... wait. I just went running and to hot yoga. I SMELL DISGUSTING. Now everyone will know my sweat doesn't smell like roses... OMG...
4. Does it count as blood doping if I have to get a transfusion? hmmm....

Luckily it was a short drive.

We arrived and didn't really know where to go... the signage wasn't exactly clear.. so we kept driving back further and further into the parking lot... and really, I have to say... they really ought to re-think the number of speed bumps on the way to the ER. I'm pretty sure my cut gushed everytime we hit a bump-- there were at least 4.

We finally arrived... the truck is kinda large... and hard to park, and poor Chris just pulled into the first spot he saw--which I guess was two spots because we parked diagonally across two spots. Oh well. I'm bleeding. Deal.

We got into the ER, and it was pretty empty. I was holding my hand is a striped dish towel and Chris had my enormous Kate Spade purse in tote. Note: Everyone looks good in a designer bag, fact. Someone came out immediately when they saw us... she gave me some bandages to stop the bleeding, then told us to wait in line. 

That was awkward...

I mean...  is that normal to be profusely bleeding from your hand and then, just... wait in line? I mean, I'm literally holding my flesh together... can't I just sit down while I do registration?! I've watched my fair share of surgeries and can deal with blood pretty well, but I gotta be honest, it's different when it's YOUR blood and YOUR flesh. 

Waiting....

Waiting....

Finally! Registration. Once I gave them every piece of data I have memorized and signed over my first born I was escorted back to a room... fancy. The registration guy was pretty much hilarious, so all is forgiven for the crappy intake process. Plus you get your own TV in your room! We don't have cable... so I was tempted to watch... but I don't know,  I was distracted.

Anyway, long story short. A nice doctor lady put 4 stitches in me, and then an awesome nurse got me all bandaged up (he also happens to live down the street- crazy!). 

We stopped and got some take-out burgers (no bun!) from the local fancy-burger place (The Rail). I may or may not have also consumed potato chips with beer cheese, bacon and chives. They may or may not have been delicious. Don't judge me.

I came home... and there it was... the spaghetti squash with the knife still stuck in it. 

Looks pretty murderous?! Doesn't it!!

No blood on the squash (and we took the knife out so as not to contaminate things)... so, this cave lady says I'm still going to eat it. Someone posted a thing on Facebook that said they weren't vegetarian because they loved animals.... they were vegetarian because they hated plants.... well guess what... I hate spaghetti squash and I'm gonna eat ALL OF THEM. grrr...

Anyway- now I've got a bandage the size of Texas (and probably a scar to match), and an embarrassing story. When people ask how it happened, everyone has said "I thought you hurt it at the gym". Fair enough.

I'm not sure how long these things take to heal. It's in an awkward place because I can't avoid using it (I'm left-handed...and it's my left-hand). Plus, it's in the crease of my wrist/ thumb. It's going to be awhile before I'm doing pull-ups, jerks, or muscle-ups again. It really stinks because I was going to work on Chest-to-Bar pull-ups this week!

Oh well. It's a great opportunity to take a break from my Olympic Lifting cycle and start a short squatting cycle. I can also work on pistols (one-legged squat), abs, GHD exercises... reverse hyper... maybe running, box jumps. Who knows. I just have to keep the wound clean and dry. The stitches come out next Monday.

All in all... this really isn't that bad. I don't even remember it hurting when it happened. It was just surprising. Yes, I won't be doing much at the gym with my hands for the next 2 weeks, but-- I didn't break a bone, I didn't slice a tendon, I didn't lose a limb... I just accidentally tried to make a filet out of my hand. 

SO. Needless to say, food is not prepared for this week. Resolution broken. Oh well.. I'll get through this week and start fresh next week.

This week I will be specializing in... FOODS YOU MAKE WITH ONE HAND!! Woohoo!!

<3 Thanks for all the extra love and support this week.