Here are some pictures, he took his first bath with Maddie yesterday where they were really playing and he sat up the whole time without having to be held up :)
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Si is getting so big!
Our baby boy is growing up! He is sitting up on his own these days and is almost stable enough that he will not need a pillow behind him soon. He enjoys being on his tummy for longer periods all the time and has even scooted himself around a few times. He is constantly jabbering, trying to find his voice. It is all happening so fast and I am both thrilled at his progress and a little sad to see him leave some baby phases behind.
Here are some pictures, he took his first bath with Maddie yesterday where they were really playing and he sat up the whole time without having to be held up :)
Here are some pictures, he took his first bath with Maddie yesterday where they were really playing and he sat up the whole time without having to be held up :)
30 Day Challenge, Day 16
Breakfast was another egg scramble made by Jeff along with half a grapefruit.
Lunch was most definitely a product of watching a lot of cooking shows. I've been wanting to make a salad with an egg over easy or a poached egg for a while but just have not done it yet. Here it is, fresh spinach, cucumber, celery, tomato, crispy hot dogs, chipotle salad dressing and a fried egg with a wonderfully gooey yoke. I know, you think I am crazy but it was really good, if I still had all the ingredients it would probably be my lunch again today. By the way, Applegate is the brand that makes our bacon and hot dogs. Really good stuff, if you see it you should try some.
Dinner was grilled grass fed sirloin, asparagus sauteed with olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice and baked acorn squash.
Lunch was most definitely a product of watching a lot of cooking shows. I've been wanting to make a salad with an egg over easy or a poached egg for a while but just have not done it yet. Here it is, fresh spinach, cucumber, celery, tomato, crispy hot dogs, chipotle salad dressing and a fried egg with a wonderfully gooey yoke. I know, you think I am crazy but it was really good, if I still had all the ingredients it would probably be my lunch again today. By the way, Applegate is the brand that makes our bacon and hot dogs. Really good stuff, if you see it you should try some.
Dinner was grilled grass fed sirloin, asparagus sauteed with olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice and baked acorn squash.
Monday, January 30, 2012
30 Day Challenge, Day 15
Jeff and I were talking this morning about how exactly we are suppose to fit everything we are needing/wanting to do into our daily routine. We are eating well but it takes more prep and more shopping than it did before we began this challenge. We are both working out 5 or 6 times per week which we cannot not seem to do at the same time due to our 8 month old and our 2 year old :) Laundry has not been getting done every day which is bad with a family of four... we have somewhat of an embarrassing pile in front of our washer and dryer. I could go on for awhile with some of our other goals and having quality time as a family/couple on a regular basis. These are things we are working through right now. God is first and most important, we want to line everything else up so that we are honoring Him and we believe these current goals of learning how to be healthy are a part of that but it has been hard to figure out how to make it all fit into our 24 hour day. Just thinking out loud, we hope to find the balance soon :)
Breakfast is always super rushed on Sundays, we have a difficult time getting out the door for church even though we do not have to leave the house until 9:45. We all had different egg scrambles and I ate half a grapefruit again. Lunch was very similar to our fajita salad night but the meat was seasoned ground turkey instead of the sirloin. Dinner (pictured above) was stir fry, it turned out really good! I just used 2 chicken breasts, a ton of vegetables including a large amount of cabbage so that it would have some noodle like texture. The sauce was cashew butter, lemon juice, coconut aminos, fresh garlic and chicken broth and we topped it off with toasted cashews. All of us cleaned our plates and there was nothing left over!
Breakfast is always super rushed on Sundays, we have a difficult time getting out the door for church even though we do not have to leave the house until 9:45. We all had different egg scrambles and I ate half a grapefruit again. Lunch was very similar to our fajita salad night but the meat was seasoned ground turkey instead of the sirloin. Dinner (pictured above) was stir fry, it turned out really good! I just used 2 chicken breasts, a ton of vegetables including a large amount of cabbage so that it would have some noodle like texture. The sauce was cashew butter, lemon juice, coconut aminos, fresh garlic and chicken broth and we topped it off with toasted cashews. All of us cleaned our plates and there was nothing left over!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
30 Day Challenge, Day 14
Breakfast was a spinach, green onion and mushroom egg scramble with a slice of bacon and half a grapefruit. I am really loving grapefruit right now!
Lunch was another fun salad and hot dogs :) The bacon we have been getting is great and the same company also makes hot dogs with all approved ingredients. After shopping at Costco the other day Jeff and I were craving a hot dog so I thought they were worth a try and they are really good.
For dinner we used our himalayan salt plate again :) This time we heated it in the oven instead of on the gas range and brought it to the table to cook our meat. We had used our fajita marinade on a sirloin and sliced it to cook on the block, success! Tasted great and it was a lot of fun to cook at the table. We served it as a fajita salad with salad greens, grilled onions and bell peppers, diced tomatoes, avocado and homemade chipotle dressing. This was Jeff's favorite meal since we began this challenge.
As promised yesterday, here is my attempt at dessert last night. I sauteed apples in coconut oil with a little cinnamon and some raisins. Right when they were almost done I added some coconut milk letting it heat through and coat all the fruit. I topped it with unsweetened flaked coconut mixed with sea salt, coated with coconut oil and toasted in the oven at 350 degrees. It really felt like dessert, especially after not having dessert for so long! Next time we will add pecans or walnuts because it really did need some texture. Just so I do not take too much credit for this, go to Everyday Paleo's blog to find these recipes.
Friday, January 27, 2012
30 Day Challenge, Day 13
This morning was another egg scramble, we've been doing different veggies in these every day so I have not gotten tired of them yet. We are going through 4 dozen eggs per week... this is amazing to me! Lunch was leftovers and munching on various fruits and veggies along with some cashew butter.
Eating this much produce means a weekly shopping trip, we just do not have enough space to keep things fresh any longer. I am used to shopping every 10 to 14 days so this is taking some getting used to.
Dinner was simple but really good and filling! I made mini burgers and topped them with a slice of tomato, caramelized onions, guacamole and bacon. I know we were missing bread but I really did not miss it all that much tonight. I also baked some acorn squash and finished it under the broiler with coconut oil, salt and a little cinnamon.
We are really missing dessert these days so tomorrow I am going to try something... will let you know how it works :)
Eating this much produce means a weekly shopping trip, we just do not have enough space to keep things fresh any longer. I am used to shopping every 10 to 14 days so this is taking some getting used to.
Dinner was simple but really good and filling! I made mini burgers and topped them with a slice of tomato, caramelized onions, guacamole and bacon. I know we were missing bread but I really did not miss it all that much tonight. I also baked some acorn squash and finished it under the broiler with coconut oil, salt and a little cinnamon.
We are really missing dessert these days so tomorrow I am going to try something... will let you know how it works :)
30 Day Challenge, Day 12
Jeff made another tasty egg scramble for breakfast. Lunch was the last of our squid sauteed in coconut oil with garlic, coconut aminos, salt and crushed red pepper (photo was our lunch). We ate it with spaghetti squash and the rest of our sauce from day 11.
Dinner was beef and sweet potato stew found on my friends blog here. We loved this stew and will be making it again!
Sorry for a short boring post...
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
30 Day Challenge, Day 11
Breakfast this morning needed to be quick so I just made scrambled eggs with salsa and ate a banana. Lunch was chicken vegetable soup and a spinach salad. I am so glad that my dear friend Tyne taught me that salads can be as interesting as you want to be creative :) I added cucumber, apple, celery, toasted pecans and homemade citrus vinaigrette, simple but good. I stocked up on Larabars today when I found a decent price so that was my snack and Jeff requested cashew butter so I made that again.
Dinner was stuffed braised calamari, spaghetti squash and sauteed swiss chard. For the squid I used Alton Brown's recipe to stuff it, found here and Anne Burrell's recipe for the sauce to braise it in found here. Per Whole30 we did not use breadcrumbs in the stuffing or wine in the sauce. I used chicken broth in place of the wine and just left the breadcrumbs out completely. We plan on making this one again!
Dinner was stuffed braised calamari, spaghetti squash and sauteed swiss chard. For the squid I used Alton Brown's recipe to stuff it, found here and Anne Burrell's recipe for the sauce to braise it in found here. Per Whole30 we did not use breadcrumbs in the stuffing or wine in the sauce. I used chicken broth in place of the wine and just left the breadcrumbs out completely. We plan on making this one again!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
30 Day Challenge, Day 10
One third of the way through, woohoo! I think the last couple of days have been the most Jeff and I have talked about wanting things that are not allowed. For the most part this has not been terribly difficult for us. In fact, it has made us get out of the rut we were cooking in and make things interesting. Right now we are trying to figure out if we feel better. I have not noticed a ton of difference in the way I feel but I do know that my clothes are getting looser and I wore a pair of pants on Sunday that I have not worn since before Maddie. Jeff really thinks that he will be watching his grain intake the most after all of this, he thinks that may be something that really affects how he feels.
I think this was my favorite breakfast so far. A little on the heavy side, so definitely not a daily breakfast but dinner tonight was really light so it made up the difference. We ate sweet potato latkes with eggs over easy, bacon and grapes. Recipe found here. I did not add the cinnamon but it would be good either way.
After a big breakfast I was not hungry for a long time but I did have a small bowl of chicken vegetable soup and then finished off the grain free granola with almond milk.
Dinner was Squid Ceviche with jicama fries and jicama chips. Ceviche is one of Jeff's favorite meals so when we saw squid at Costco there was no getting around making our own. Jeff used Alton Brown's recipe for Catfish Ceviche replacing the catfish with blanched squid. This was excellent! Our one note for you is that a whole red onion is a bit much, at least for us. The jicama was raw, cut into fries and seasoned with lime juice, chile powder and kosher salt. The jicama chips are just thin slices of raw jicama, great for eating salsa, ceviche etc.
I think this was my favorite breakfast so far. A little on the heavy side, so definitely not a daily breakfast but dinner tonight was really light so it made up the difference. We ate sweet potato latkes with eggs over easy, bacon and grapes. Recipe found here. I did not add the cinnamon but it would be good either way.
After a big breakfast I was not hungry for a long time but I did have a small bowl of chicken vegetable soup and then finished off the grain free granola with almond milk.
Dinner was Squid Ceviche with jicama fries and jicama chips. Ceviche is one of Jeff's favorite meals so when we saw squid at Costco there was no getting around making our own. Jeff used Alton Brown's recipe for Catfish Ceviche replacing the catfish with blanched squid. This was excellent! Our one note for you is that a whole red onion is a bit much, at least for us. The jicama was raw, cut into fries and seasoned with lime juice, chile powder and kosher salt. The jicama chips are just thin slices of raw jicama, great for eating salsa, ceviche etc.
30 Day Challenge, Day 9
We ate another delicious egg scramble made by Jeff along with half of a grapefruit for breakfast. We both ate various leftovers a for lunch.
Our snack was homemade cashew butter eaten with apples and celery. So, very, good!! Just chop cashews in a food processor until almost a powder. Add oil while the food processor is running until it is the consistency you want it to be, we used walnut oil, then add salt to taste. We used raw cashews this time but will roast them next time to see which way we prefer.
Dinner was scallops grilled on the himalayan salt plate, roasted butternut squash and brussel sprouts.
I also made a pot of chicken vegetable soup so that I would have something easy for lunch this week. I have about half of it in the fridge and about half frozen for later. I am learning that this way of eating does not have many quick and easy options and, while I love to cook, some other things in my home are suffering for the sake of scratch made food. You will see some lower maintenance meals and leftovers this week :)
Our snack was homemade cashew butter eaten with apples and celery. So, very, good!! Just chop cashews in a food processor until almost a powder. Add oil while the food processor is running until it is the consistency you want it to be, we used walnut oil, then add salt to taste. We used raw cashews this time but will roast them next time to see which way we prefer.
Dinner was scallops grilled on the himalayan salt plate, roasted butternut squash and brussel sprouts.
I also made a pot of chicken vegetable soup so that I would have something easy for lunch this week. I have about half of it in the fridge and about half frozen for later. I am learning that this way of eating does not have many quick and easy options and, while I love to cook, some other things in my home are suffering for the sake of scratch made food. You will see some lower maintenance meals and leftovers this week :)
Sunday, January 22, 2012
30 Day Challenge, Day 8
My sweet husband made breakfast this morning :) It was an egg scramble with the last of our pulled pork and some portabella mushrooms served on top of raw spinach garnished with crumbled bacon, tomato and avocado... I felt spoiled!
Lunch was leftover chicken curry from last night but I did make some cauliflower rice to pour it over. I like it both ways, the "rice" gave the broth some body and texture but did not really affect the flavor. I would say that if you would rather eat it like a soup to leave the "rice" off but if you want eat it like a saucy stir fry, make the rice.
For dinner we ate spaghetti squash with chunky tomato sauce and a spinach salad.
Chunky Tomato Sauce
I warmed some olive oil in the bottom of a pan and added chopped onion and bell pepper with some salt. I let the veggies sweat with for a few minutes until the onions were just starting to look translucent. I added a few sprinkles of crushed red pepper, 1 can of diced tomatoes, 1 can of tomato sauce and fresh crushed garlic (3 cloves). It was a little thick at this point and I knew I wanted it to cook down a little to develop flavor so I added about 1/2 a cup of chicken stock... just eyeball it so that the sauce thins enough to cook down and thicken up again. Bring it to a boil, reduce to a simmer for about 20-25 minutes. Add 1 lb of browned ground beef and salt to taste.
Maddie cleaned her plate! Success :)
Snow + a Hill + Sled = Maddie's Mirth
Yesterday ended up being the perfect day for sledding, not too cold, not so warm that it was slushy and lots of fresh snow. So, we decided to take Maddie out to a hill just outside Jeff's office. We had the hill to ourselves and were able to leave Si in the truck just a few feet away so that he could sleep straight through the whole experience.
On her first trip down the hill Maddie's hat fell over her eyes and I do not think she was really ready for what we were doing.
As soon as we talked her into trying one more time, she could not go enough and ended up having a blast!!
Si's adventure was spent dreaming away in the nice warm truck.
On her first trip down the hill Maddie's hat fell over her eyes and I do not think she was really ready for what we were doing.
As soon as we talked her into trying one more time, she could not go enough and ended up having a blast!!
Si's adventure was spent dreaming away in the nice warm truck.
30 Day Challenge, Day 7
I am realizing some of my weak points when it comes to food. At the end of every night, once Madeline has gone to bed, Jeff and I usually sit down to watch some TV I want dessert. What I have been doing for the last several nights is a cup of herbal tea and it is amazing how satisfying it has been. Of course, right now I have some very strict boundaries on what I am allowed to consume so it is much easier to make the choices I am currently making. It does make me want to think about how I want to handle "treats" when this is over. I do not plan to go with out chocolate or baked goods, but I think I need to pull back on how often I eat them and try not to eat things like that right before bed every night.
On to Day 7's menu:
I attempted a waffle recipe that fits within our guidelines. It was a failure... looks good in the picture though :) I will not even be sharing the recipe here, they were dense, they did not crisp up like a waffle should and they did not have much flavor. We wanted butter and syrup desperately! The topping was good, it was bananas browned in a little coconut oil with a toasted walnuts. The bacon was, of course, delicious.
For lunch we ate the pulled pork with barbecue sauce but this time we sliced an avocado on top and then squeezed some lime juice over it as well... the best version of the pork so far in my opinion.
For dinner we ate Chicken Curry, recipe found here. I really like curry, a lot. This was super simple and did not disappoint. I think the red curry paste we used was far spicier than the one in the recipe which suited me just fine. We garnished with green onion, fresh cilantro and fresh lime juice. I have a can of green curry paste in my pantry that screaming at me to make this again soon!
On to Day 7's menu:
I attempted a waffle recipe that fits within our guidelines. It was a failure... looks good in the picture though :) I will not even be sharing the recipe here, they were dense, they did not crisp up like a waffle should and they did not have much flavor. We wanted butter and syrup desperately! The topping was good, it was bananas browned in a little coconut oil with a toasted walnuts. The bacon was, of course, delicious.
For lunch we ate the pulled pork with barbecue sauce but this time we sliced an avocado on top and then squeezed some lime juice over it as well... the best version of the pork so far in my opinion.
For dinner we ate Chicken Curry, recipe found here. I really like curry, a lot. This was super simple and did not disappoint. I think the red curry paste we used was far spicier than the one in the recipe which suited me just fine. We garnished with green onion, fresh cilantro and fresh lime juice. I have a can of green curry paste in my pantry that screaming at me to make this again soon!
Friday, January 20, 2012
30 Day Challenge, Day 6
Today we tried a couple of things with our coffee. I made almond milk latte's this morning and there was still something that just felt off. So for my afternoon coffee I decided to make drip instead of espresso and liked the almond milk that way. I think I will still try a couple other options for creamer... I apologize for obsessing over this, but I really love coffee.
Breakfast today was egg muffins. This is something I have been making for a very long time, the main difference was not being able to use lunchmeat and cheese but it did not really make a big difference. You can put whatever meat and veggies you want but for these I used roasted chicken, red pepper that I sauteed for a few minutes in a little oil, green onion and tomato. I use one egg for every muffin, crack the eggs into a bowl (I like to use a large measuring cup so that they are easier to pour) and whisk them lightly with salt and pepper. Divide your veggies and meat between your muffin cups and pour the egg over them leaving a little room for them to puff while baking. If using cheese just place a slice over each muffin at this point. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. One of my husbands favorites, and great for company. You can throw this in the oven to bake while cooking pancakes (not while on this challenge though :).
Si had avocado for lunch today :) I ate a new batch of chicken salad (same recipe from Day 1) on some lettuce leaves. I discovered Larabars today and ate that as a snack, so so good.
This is a beautiful thing, a himalayan salt plate. My sweet husband spoils me by feeding my love of cooking, he bought this for Christmas and this is the first time it has been used.
Here is the block in action, cooking cinnamon steak skewers. You can heat it up on your cook top or in your oven and use it like a grill. Considering the amount of snow outside right now and how cold it is, an indoor way to grill is a wonderful thing! It also seasons your food with the Himalayan salt so don't be like me and put salt in your marinade when using one, it was the only thing wrong with dinner tonight.
And here is tonight's meal:
Cinnamon Steak Skewers
Four 6 oz steaks (I used 1 10 oz steak for Jeff and I), Juice of 1 lemon, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp cinnamon powder, 1 tsp curry powder, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, salt and pepper to taste
Because I used less meat I adjusted my marinade to suit what I needed but the recipe is as stated above
1. Soak wooden steak skewers in water for an hour prior to grilling
2. Cut steak into cubes and place in a 1 gallon ziploc bag
3. In a small mixing bowl whisk together marinade ingredients
4. Pour marinade over steak, seal ziplock bag and marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours
5. Skewer the meat. Grill on high for 12 - 16 minutes, turning every 3 - 4 minutes.
Yam
Peel, cube and boil 1 large yam. When soft enough to easily poke a fork into the cubes drain and return to pan. I added the same ingredients in the marinade for my meat leaving out the curry powder and replacing it with 1/2 tsp chipotle powder. Mash or puree until fairly smooth.
Brussel Sprouts
I cut them in half, coated them in olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper and roasted them on a sheet pan in a 400 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes.
I know this was another long blog, but we ate some really good food today and I did not want to leave anything out.
Breakfast today was egg muffins. This is something I have been making for a very long time, the main difference was not being able to use lunchmeat and cheese but it did not really make a big difference. You can put whatever meat and veggies you want but for these I used roasted chicken, red pepper that I sauteed for a few minutes in a little oil, green onion and tomato. I use one egg for every muffin, crack the eggs into a bowl (I like to use a large measuring cup so that they are easier to pour) and whisk them lightly with salt and pepper. Divide your veggies and meat between your muffin cups and pour the egg over them leaving a little room for them to puff while baking. If using cheese just place a slice over each muffin at this point. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. One of my husbands favorites, and great for company. You can throw this in the oven to bake while cooking pancakes (not while on this challenge though :).
Si had avocado for lunch today :) I ate a new batch of chicken salad (same recipe from Day 1) on some lettuce leaves. I discovered Larabars today and ate that as a snack, so so good.
This is a beautiful thing, a himalayan salt plate. My sweet husband spoils me by feeding my love of cooking, he bought this for Christmas and this is the first time it has been used.
Here is the block in action, cooking cinnamon steak skewers. You can heat it up on your cook top or in your oven and use it like a grill. Considering the amount of snow outside right now and how cold it is, an indoor way to grill is a wonderful thing! It also seasons your food with the Himalayan salt so don't be like me and put salt in your marinade when using one, it was the only thing wrong with dinner tonight.
And here is tonight's meal:
Cinnamon Steak Skewers
Four 6 oz steaks (I used 1 10 oz steak for Jeff and I), Juice of 1 lemon, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp cinnamon powder, 1 tsp curry powder, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, salt and pepper to taste
Because I used less meat I adjusted my marinade to suit what I needed but the recipe is as stated above
1. Soak wooden steak skewers in water for an hour prior to grilling
2. Cut steak into cubes and place in a 1 gallon ziploc bag
3. In a small mixing bowl whisk together marinade ingredients
4. Pour marinade over steak, seal ziplock bag and marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours
5. Skewer the meat. Grill on high for 12 - 16 minutes, turning every 3 - 4 minutes.
Yam
Peel, cube and boil 1 large yam. When soft enough to easily poke a fork into the cubes drain and return to pan. I added the same ingredients in the marinade for my meat leaving out the curry powder and replacing it with 1/2 tsp chipotle powder. Mash or puree until fairly smooth.
Brussel Sprouts
I cut them in half, coated them in olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper and roasted them on a sheet pan in a 400 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes.
I know this was another long blog, but we ate some really good food today and I did not want to leave anything out.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
30 Day Challenge, Day 5
I love the opportunity and the excuse to make as much from scratch as I possibly can but, today was one of those days that reminded me being a mommy of 2 little ones means that my time is not my own. Si is really teething, he did not want to sleep last night and was pretty fussy most of the day. My sweet husband gave me a break long enough to take a good nap but that one alteration in my plans for the day meant that the cinnamon steak skewers were not going to happen tonight :) Oh well, hopefully they will happen tomorrow.
Today breakfast was egg burritos just like we ate on Monday for breakfast. One of the biggest differences I am seeing while eating this way is that I am full for a very long time, which means I probably need to reduce my burrito to 2 eggs instead of 3 and get myself eating more frequently but who knows. I like the full feeling. I did not really eat lunch, I ate some grain free granola before I worked out and a banana after.
Dinner ended up being a super simple salad: lettuce, cucumber, tomato, carrots, green onion, roasted chicken from Tues night, sunflower seeds and citrus vinaigrette. It was simple but good, definitely glad to not be washing pots and pans right now!
Today breakfast was egg burritos just like we ate on Monday for breakfast. One of the biggest differences I am seeing while eating this way is that I am full for a very long time, which means I probably need to reduce my burrito to 2 eggs instead of 3 and get myself eating more frequently but who knows. I like the full feeling. I did not really eat lunch, I ate some grain free granola before I worked out and a banana after.
Dinner ended up being a super simple salad: lettuce, cucumber, tomato, carrots, green onion, roasted chicken from Tues night, sunflower seeds and citrus vinaigrette. It was simple but good, definitely glad to not be washing pots and pans right now!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
30 Day Challenge, Day 4
Today's post is a short one because we had leftover quiche for breakfast, grain free granola as a snack and I made a barbecue pulled pork salad for lunch.
Here is dinner:
Portabella burgers, inspired by Make it Paleo but I did it a little differently. Cook the mushroom caps in a pan with a small amount of oil, salt and pepper and use them as the base of your burger in place of a bun (you just want them to soften up but not become completely limp). I used grass fed ground beef seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder for the burger. Toppings were carmelized onions, tomato and lettuce. These were delicious! I mean really good! Try these :) We ate sweet potato fries as well.
The challenge is still going well. I have to say we are still using the creamer I posted about on Sunday but I am starting to dislike the aftertaste. I think that as long as I keep thinking of it for what it is and not wanting it to be half n half that I will still enjoy it.... but, I am also going to try some alternatives, will let you know if any of them work.
Here is dinner:
Portabella burgers, inspired by Make it Paleo but I did it a little differently. Cook the mushroom caps in a pan with a small amount of oil, salt and pepper and use them as the base of your burger in place of a bun (you just want them to soften up but not become completely limp). I used grass fed ground beef seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder for the burger. Toppings were carmelized onions, tomato and lettuce. These were delicious! I mean really good! Try these :) We ate sweet potato fries as well.
The challenge is still going well. I have to say we are still using the creamer I posted about on Sunday but I am starting to dislike the aftertaste. I think that as long as I keep thinking of it for what it is and not wanting it to be half n half that I will still enjoy it.... but, I am also going to try some alternatives, will let you know if any of them work.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
30 Day Challenge, Day 3
Day 3 was a little more difficult, not because I was tempted to eat anything that was not on the list but because I just feel tired and a little off. I do not know if I should blame the challenge or the fact that my baby boy did not want to sleep last night.
Jeff goes to work at 5 a.m. every day so it is important that he can just grab something quick to eat. Because of that I made this crustless Kale Quiche last night so that he could just heat it up before leaving for work. I would say that this is pretty good, not my absolute favorite. I think the only problem was that I did not cook the kale long enough before putting it all together. I will give it one more chance because the flavors were great, the texture was just a little off.
For lunch I made some barbecue sauce to go with the pulled pork from Sunday, some deviled eggs and a salad.
Barbecue sauce (from Make it Paleo)
1 tbsp coconut oil (I used 1 tbsp bacon fat because I had just cooked some bacon for Jeff's second breakfast), 2 cloves garlic minced, 2 shallots, 1 tsp each: organic spicy mustard, smoked paprika, chipotle seasoning, ground cumin and salt, 1 1/4 cups chicken broth, juice from 1 1/2 limes, 6 oz can of tomato paste. (1 tsp maple syrup is optional but not on the whole 30)
1. In a saucepan, heat coconut oil on medium heat. Add garlic and shallots and saute until soft and translucent
2. Add mustard, smoked paprika, chipotle, cumin and salt. Continue to saute for 30 seconds.
3. Add chicken broth, lime juice, maple syrup (optional) and tomato paste. Whisk all ingredients until smooth.
4. Bring to a light boil, reduce to simmer and slightly cover with a lid. Simmer for 45 minutes and let cool
Deviled eggs
I just hard boiled eggs and used some of the mayo that I made on Sunday along with some dried dill, paprika, salt and pepper. I have no quantities for you, it is all to taste
I generally have a cup of coffee in the morning and then another in the afternoon but today I kind of wanted a treat. This is a recipe I found a few days ago for a pumpkin chai latte and have been wanting to try. It was really good! I know that a little bit of sweetness from the maple syrup would have really made it great but I enjoyed it without, you still get some sweetness from the coconut milk. I will make this again but I think it is more like 3 servings than 2 and I am planning to try it with light coconut milk or almond milk next time.
Dinner was herb and garlic roasted chicken, brussel sprouts and cauliflower rice (Maddie ate all of this really well but particularly loved the cauliflower :). Really good! I accidentally left the oven on preheat instead of moving it to bake and my chicken turned out perfect, golden brown and juicy. I am sure you guys do not need a recipe for roasted chicken or brussel sprouts but here is the cauliflower rice (also from Make it Paleo):
1/2 head of cauliflower, 1 tbsp coconut oil, 1/2 yellow onion, 1 clove of garlic minced, salt and pepper to taste
1. Rinse cauliflower and break away from stem in large chunks
2. Using a cheese grater, grate the cauliflower to a coarse texture (think rice grains).
3. Heat coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until onion is relatively translucent
5. Add in the cauliflower rice and continue to saute for 4-5 minutes
6. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Jeff goes to work at 5 a.m. every day so it is important that he can just grab something quick to eat. Because of that I made this crustless Kale Quiche last night so that he could just heat it up before leaving for work. I would say that this is pretty good, not my absolute favorite. I think the only problem was that I did not cook the kale long enough before putting it all together. I will give it one more chance because the flavors were great, the texture was just a little off.
For lunch I made some barbecue sauce to go with the pulled pork from Sunday, some deviled eggs and a salad.
Barbecue sauce (from Make it Paleo)
1 tbsp coconut oil (I used 1 tbsp bacon fat because I had just cooked some bacon for Jeff's second breakfast), 2 cloves garlic minced, 2 shallots, 1 tsp each: organic spicy mustard, smoked paprika, chipotle seasoning, ground cumin and salt, 1 1/4 cups chicken broth, juice from 1 1/2 limes, 6 oz can of tomato paste. (1 tsp maple syrup is optional but not on the whole 30)
1. In a saucepan, heat coconut oil on medium heat. Add garlic and shallots and saute until soft and translucent
2. Add mustard, smoked paprika, chipotle, cumin and salt. Continue to saute for 30 seconds.
3. Add chicken broth, lime juice, maple syrup (optional) and tomato paste. Whisk all ingredients until smooth.
4. Bring to a light boil, reduce to simmer and slightly cover with a lid. Simmer for 45 minutes and let cool
Deviled eggs
I just hard boiled eggs and used some of the mayo that I made on Sunday along with some dried dill, paprika, salt and pepper. I have no quantities for you, it is all to taste
I generally have a cup of coffee in the morning and then another in the afternoon but today I kind of wanted a treat. This is a recipe I found a few days ago for a pumpkin chai latte and have been wanting to try. It was really good! I know that a little bit of sweetness from the maple syrup would have really made it great but I enjoyed it without, you still get some sweetness from the coconut milk. I will make this again but I think it is more like 3 servings than 2 and I am planning to try it with light coconut milk or almond milk next time.
Dinner was herb and garlic roasted chicken, brussel sprouts and cauliflower rice (Maddie ate all of this really well but particularly loved the cauliflower :). Really good! I accidentally left the oven on preheat instead of moving it to bake and my chicken turned out perfect, golden brown and juicy. I am sure you guys do not need a recipe for roasted chicken or brussel sprouts but here is the cauliflower rice (also from Make it Paleo):
1/2 head of cauliflower, 1 tbsp coconut oil, 1/2 yellow onion, 1 clove of garlic minced, salt and pepper to taste
1. Rinse cauliflower and break away from stem in large chunks
2. Using a cheese grater, grate the cauliflower to a coarse texture (think rice grains).
3. Heat coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until onion is relatively translucent
5. Add in the cauliflower rice and continue to saute for 4-5 minutes
6. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Monday, January 16, 2012
30 Day Challenge, Day 2
Day 2 of our challenge and I am feeling good, I have not had any of those crazy cravings that I expected... we'll see how long that lasts. Jeff has been doing great in the morning between breakfast and lunch but after lunch and dinner he just has not felt incredibly full. We are not sure why because it seems like he is eating plenty. We'll keep you posted on whether it gets better, worse or we just find the right filler.
Breakfast today was a "burrito". This is 3 eggs beaten well with a little salt. Add them to a large non-stick skillet with a tsp of coconut oil melted and cook on low with out touching them for 6-7 minutes and then slide it off the pan and onto your plate. Add what ever filling suits you. It is a lot like an omelet but much thinner without the fluffiness so that it resemble the effect of a tortilla. We used some of the pulled pork from yesterday along with salsa and avocado drizzle (also from yesterday). This was another recipe from Make it Paleo but I used pork in place of taco meat, another winner!
This picture has nothing to do with lunch, but I do not have a picture of lunch because it was leftover chicken salad and veggies from yesterday and my baby boy is super cute :) I also had a snack around 4 of the Grain free Granola from yesterday but I ate it like cereal with unsweetened almond milk, I may like it even better this way but I think it all depends on what kind of snack I am in the mood to eat.
Dinner tonight was with some friends. She made chicken vegetable soup and even made her own stock, it was soooo good! Especially since the cold weather really hit today, perfect day for some tasty soup. My contribution was a simple salad but I did make the salad dressing. I juiced 2 lemons and 2 mandarin oranges, added 2 cloves of crushed garlic, salt, pepper and about 3/4 cup of olive oil. I made plenty so that we would have some for the rest of the week. I would try making your own vinaigrette even if you are not doing this challenge, it is so much better when it is fresh.
That was it for today, nothing to terribly spectacular but it was a good day :)
Breakfast today was a "burrito". This is 3 eggs beaten well with a little salt. Add them to a large non-stick skillet with a tsp of coconut oil melted and cook on low with out touching them for 6-7 minutes and then slide it off the pan and onto your plate. Add what ever filling suits you. It is a lot like an omelet but much thinner without the fluffiness so that it resemble the effect of a tortilla. We used some of the pulled pork from yesterday along with salsa and avocado drizzle (also from yesterday). This was another recipe from Make it Paleo but I used pork in place of taco meat, another winner!
This picture has nothing to do with lunch, but I do not have a picture of lunch because it was leftover chicken salad and veggies from yesterday and my baby boy is super cute :) I also had a snack around 4 of the Grain free Granola from yesterday but I ate it like cereal with unsweetened almond milk, I may like it even better this way but I think it all depends on what kind of snack I am in the mood to eat.
Dinner tonight was with some friends. She made chicken vegetable soup and even made her own stock, it was soooo good! Especially since the cold weather really hit today, perfect day for some tasty soup. My contribution was a simple salad but I did make the salad dressing. I juiced 2 lemons and 2 mandarin oranges, added 2 cloves of crushed garlic, salt, pepper and about 3/4 cup of olive oil. I made plenty so that we would have some for the rest of the week. I would try making your own vinaigrette even if you are not doing this challenge, it is so much better when it is fresh.
That was it for today, nothing to terribly spectacular but it was a good day :)
Sunday, January 15, 2012
30 Day Challenge, Day 1
Our first day went well!(there will be more recipes from today than you will normally see, I have a few staples to cover).
One of the deal breakers for me on doing this challenge was cream in my coffee! Not using sugar is one thing but I am just not a black coffee drinker. Another family doing this same challenge found this recipe for non-dairy creamer. The one note I will make here that they do not discuss on the blog is to make sure your egg is at room temperature and that after you melt your coconut oil you give it a few minutes to cool off before adding it to the mixture. It is definitely not half n half and has a coconut aftertaste that I am still getting used to, but it really is pretty good and I am grateful that it worked!
Our breakfast was Eggs Paleo from the cookbook Make it Paleo. I am sure you gather from the title that it is a riff on Eggs Benedict. This was really good and it was the most filling meal of the day for Jeff. Here is the recipe (recipe is for 1 serving, I multiplied it to suit our needs today):
2 strips of bacon, 1 large slice of tomato (I only had romas so I used 2 small slices), 1/2 avocado, juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 clove of garlic, 3 Tbsp water, 1 egg, pepper to taste
1. Cook bacon, cool crumble for later (as you can see in our picture I left the bacon whole, will crumble next time)
2. Slice your tomato
3. Place avocado in a food processor. Add lemon juice, garlic and water. Blend until the drizzle is a smooth consistency.
4. Poach eggs
5. Plate by stacking the egg on the tomato slice. Liberally dress with the avocado drizzle the sprinkle with pepper and bacon.
For lunch today we ate pulled pork (recipe found here) that I put into the crock pot last night. We wrapped it in lettuce leaves like a taco and dressed it with leftover avocado drizzle from breakfast, tomato and green onion. We also ate some raw veggies on the side.
Our main snack today (and probably for the duration of this challenge) was Grain Free Granola from the cookbook Make it Paleo. This is wonderful! It can be eaten like cereal with Almond or Coconut milk or dry like Trail Mix. Here is the recipe:
1 cup each raw: sunflower seeds, pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and sliced almonds; 1 cup each shredded unsweetened coconut, chopped medjool dates and raisins.
1. Soak nuts and seeds in warm water and a Tbsp of salt for 10-12 hours
2. Drain and spread onto a baking sheet. Set oven at 110 degrees F and dehydrate for 10-12 hours. (if your lowest setting is higher than 110 leave the door ajar) Coarsely chop and place in a large bowl.
3. Mix in shredded coconut, chopped dates and raisins.
For dinner we ate chicken salad with lettuce (really delicious). I roasted boneless, skinless chicken thighs seasoned with olive oil salt and pepper in the oven on a baking sheet for about a half an hour. I let the chicken cool and then chopped it up with 3 celery stalks, toasted pecans (maybe a 1/2 a cup), green onions, a little garlic salt and homemade mayo.
For the mayo (also from Make it Paleo):
1 egg, 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1/4 tsp ground mustard, 1 cup unrefined macadamia nut oil, salt and pepper to taste
1. In a blender or food processor, blend egg, lemon juice and mustard
2. Slowly add in the oil while processing to fully emulsify
3. When the oil has all emulsified and you have a creamy mayonaise, add in salt and pepper. Continue to blend until combined.
Whew, that was a lot. I do not blame you if you did not read every recipe :) I plan to do more recipes that do not involve using a lettuce leaf but today I wanted to prepare some things that would be good as leftovers for lunch this week. I have to say that I really enjoy the "homemade" aspect of what we are doing, as long as I have time I love to do things from scratch!
One of the deal breakers for me on doing this challenge was cream in my coffee! Not using sugar is one thing but I am just not a black coffee drinker. Another family doing this same challenge found this recipe for non-dairy creamer. The one note I will make here that they do not discuss on the blog is to make sure your egg is at room temperature and that after you melt your coconut oil you give it a few minutes to cool off before adding it to the mixture. It is definitely not half n half and has a coconut aftertaste that I am still getting used to, but it really is pretty good and I am grateful that it worked!
Our breakfast was Eggs Paleo from the cookbook Make it Paleo. I am sure you gather from the title that it is a riff on Eggs Benedict. This was really good and it was the most filling meal of the day for Jeff. Here is the recipe (recipe is for 1 serving, I multiplied it to suit our needs today):
2 strips of bacon, 1 large slice of tomato (I only had romas so I used 2 small slices), 1/2 avocado, juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 clove of garlic, 3 Tbsp water, 1 egg, pepper to taste
1. Cook bacon, cool crumble for later (as you can see in our picture I left the bacon whole, will crumble next time)
2. Slice your tomato
3. Place avocado in a food processor. Add lemon juice, garlic and water. Blend until the drizzle is a smooth consistency.
4. Poach eggs
5. Plate by stacking the egg on the tomato slice. Liberally dress with the avocado drizzle the sprinkle with pepper and bacon.
For lunch today we ate pulled pork (recipe found here) that I put into the crock pot last night. We wrapped it in lettuce leaves like a taco and dressed it with leftover avocado drizzle from breakfast, tomato and green onion. We also ate some raw veggies on the side.
Our main snack today (and probably for the duration of this challenge) was Grain Free Granola from the cookbook Make it Paleo. This is wonderful! It can be eaten like cereal with Almond or Coconut milk or dry like Trail Mix. Here is the recipe:
1 cup each raw: sunflower seeds, pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and sliced almonds; 1 cup each shredded unsweetened coconut, chopped medjool dates and raisins.
1. Soak nuts and seeds in warm water and a Tbsp of salt for 10-12 hours
2. Drain and spread onto a baking sheet. Set oven at 110 degrees F and dehydrate for 10-12 hours. (if your lowest setting is higher than 110 leave the door ajar) Coarsely chop and place in a large bowl.
3. Mix in shredded coconut, chopped dates and raisins.
For dinner we ate chicken salad with lettuce (really delicious). I roasted boneless, skinless chicken thighs seasoned with olive oil salt and pepper in the oven on a baking sheet for about a half an hour. I let the chicken cool and then chopped it up with 3 celery stalks, toasted pecans (maybe a 1/2 a cup), green onions, a little garlic salt and homemade mayo.
For the mayo (also from Make it Paleo):
1 egg, 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1/4 tsp ground mustard, 1 cup unrefined macadamia nut oil, salt and pepper to taste
1. In a blender or food processor, blend egg, lemon juice and mustard
2. Slowly add in the oil while processing to fully emulsify
3. When the oil has all emulsified and you have a creamy mayonaise, add in salt and pepper. Continue to blend until combined.
Whew, that was a lot. I do not blame you if you did not read every recipe :) I plan to do more recipes that do not involve using a lettuce leaf but today I wanted to prepare some things that would be good as leftovers for lunch this week. I have to say that I really enjoy the "homemade" aspect of what we are doing, as long as I have time I love to do things from scratch!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
30 Days... We can make it 30 days, right?
Jeff and I have been trying to figure out some things regarding our family's eating habits. Many of the things we have looked into have been convicting but we have yet to really follow through on them in our home. We have decided to take the 30 day challenge, removing all sugar, dairy, beans, legumes and grain for 30 days. Our main reason for using this as our starting point is that we would like to limit processed foods in our daily eating and want to go through a "detox" before adding them slowly back into our routine. We want to know how these foods are making us feel and if we really need to eliminate any of them completely. I personally struggle with taking things like this to an extreme but 30 days sounds reasonable and I really need to try and get away from how much sugar I have been eating. I do not see us maintaining this as a forever lifestyle... who knows, maybe we will feel so good that we will not want to stop. What I am hoping for is that we come out on the other side with better habits. Maddie will be eating mostly the same meals we are eating but we are not removing dairy for her and I will be letting her have some grain. We have purchased a cookbook and there are also a few blogs that have some recipes. A friend has been sharing her family's 30 day challenge on her blog and I have really enjoyed it so I will be sharing ours here.
A few of the documentaries we have watched that made us think about our way of eating:
Food Inc
Food Matters
Fat, Sick and nearly dead
A few of the documentaries we have watched that made us think about our way of eating:
Food Inc
Food Matters
Fat, Sick and nearly dead
Monday, January 9, 2012
Christmas 2011
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