It’s the Weekend?
Days go by so fast when you have somewhere to be everyday. I’m in shock over the fact that tomorrow is Friday and I haven’t given a single thought to what we might do this weekend. I’m thinking it’s going to take some time before I start feeling like I’m in the groove of this new schedule. My plan to work out in the mornings has gone to the dogs… well one dog, Tessie. Here’s her impersonation of me when Michael tells me it’s time to wake up and work out:
Sad I know… I think I need to try something else, like going into work later, or even getting sweaty at lunch. Wah! Okay, enough whining, let’s talk about something exciting, like food! Lately there’s been a lot of chatter in the Paleo blogosphere about Coconut Pure Wraps, so I had to try them. These little Heaven sent creations have only 3 ingredients (coconut meat, coconut water, and salt) and are perfect for quick sandwich wraps at work.
They make me feel like it’s the old days, when I gorged on sandwiches, paninis, and all things sad (standard american diet), and they’re sooo yummy! You can purchase the wraps from their website here, or if you’re lucky you might find them in a local specialty grocery store.
Here’s some more pictures of our Whole 30 approved dinners from the week:
Left: Nom Nom Paleo’s Kalua Pig with Cauliflower Puree
Middle: Leftovers!
Right: Beef with Broccoli with Cauliflower Fried Rice
Week 2 Eats
We’ve been cruising along quite nicely through our Whole 30 with the first week completely behind us. The last few days have been pretty low-key around here with a lot of laziness and football. Michael and I have been procrastinating the packing of our apartment, even though we move on Tuesday to our new one bedroom (downsizing from living with a roommate). It’s really hard to find the motivation to pack when you’re only going to be walking your things across the street to a different building. Things will go much smoother if we just get off our butts and pack! Ah well… We haven’t been total bums though, we did manage a trip back to Muir Woods for a 4.5 mile hike up a mountain. Holy cow, hiking is tough! That was the best workout I’ve had in a long time.
Michael and I hiking at Muir Woods.
And now onto some food related topics… Below is our menu for week 2, followed by some more pictures of our recent meals. Enjoy!
Sunday
B: Egg and Veggie Scramble
L: Leftovers / Wing it
D: Chili with Baked Sweet Potatoes Fries
Monday
L: Leftovers
D: Hotdogs with Cole Slaw and Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Tuesday
L: Leftovers
D: Shrimp Scampi with Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower Rice
Wednesday
L: Leftovers
D: Seared Lamb Chops with Pesto and a Big Salad
Thursday
L: Leftovers / Wing it
D: Chinese BBQ Pork with Bok Choy and Sautéed Broccoli Slaw
Friday
L: Big Salad with Grilled Chicken Breasts
D: Pork Egg Foo Young
Saturday
B: Eggs and Veggie Scramble
L: Leftovers
D: Steaks with Grilled Veggies and Sautéed Mushrooms & Onions
Left: Egg, Bacon, and Veggie Scramble
Right: Apple with Pecan Butter
Left: Grilled Salmon, Roasted Carrots, & Salad
Right: Bison Burger with Jicama Home Fries*
*Note: Wow! Jicama used as fake potato is disgusting! I could barely scrape down a few bites. BLEH!
Casserole Heaven
Before we started living Paleo, I used to make these huge casseroles every Sunday for dinner so we’d have lunches for the week. The leftovers kept well, and tasted great re-heated. One of my favorites was a mexican lasagna that had layered tortillas, beans, meat, and cheese. Three out of four of those items are a no no, so that meal has been nixed for a while now. Recently, I came across a meat pie recipe that I thought would be a perfect Paleo casserole! It turned out really well, and the leftovers were awesome. This recipe is definitely going in our rotation.
Hamburger Pie
1.5 lbs grass-fed ground beef
2 lbs turnips, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp grass-fed butter
2 tbsp grass-fed cream
1 onion, diced
1 package frozen green beans
2 cans Italian style stewed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 teaspoon gluten free worcestershire sauce
1 tsp ground red pepper
1 tsp paprika
Salt & Pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 375. In a large pot, boil the turnips until they are soft. While the turnips are boiling brown the meat with the onion. When the meat is browned add the tomatoes, tomatoe paste, worcestershire sauce, red pepper, and paprika. Mix well and simmer until the green beans are heated. Pour the meat mixture into a large casserole dish and set aside. When the turnips are soft, discard all cooking water, and add the cream and butter. Mash and mix well until a mashed potatoe consistancy is reached. Pour the turnip mixture on top of the meat and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the turnips start to get a little color. Enjoy!
Weekly Menu and a Recipe!
Wow, holy busy busy busy-ness! Michael and I have been going non-stop for the past month and I think I need a vacation. Hopefully soon. In the mean time, here’s our menu for the week and a recipe:
Sunday
B: Eggs & Sausage
L: Brats & Coleslaw (Coleslaw Recipe Below)
D: Grilled Pork Chops & Roasted Broccoli
Monday
L: Chuck Roast w/potatoes, carrots, & celery
D: Sauteed white fish with Asparagus & Mushrooms
Tuesday
L: Chuck Roast w/potatoes, carrots, & celery
D: Garlic Ginger Chicken & Salad
Wednesday
L: Garlic Ginger Chicken & Salad
D: Grilled Sirloin w/Lemon Carrot-Cauliflower Bake
Thursday
L: Chuck Roast w/potatoes, carrots, & celery
D: Stuffed Portebellos & Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Friday
L: Mushrooms & Brussels Sprouts
D: Out
Saturday
B: Banana Pancakes
L or D: Chicken Curry & Roasted Veggies
For an easy side dish we threw together a batch of coleslaw. I can’t believe how yummy it turned out, we’ll be making this again soon!
Easy Coleslaw
1 bag cole slaw
1/4 cup homemade mayo
1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
4 strips of bacon cut into bite sized pieces
Salt & Pepper to taste
Mix the above ingredients together and chill for 30 minutes. Serve and Enjoy!
Our Sunday Dinner!
Chicken Soup Stir Fry
Lately I’ve been having trouble coming up with creative ideas for meals. To break my dry spell, my sister suggested using recipes from my pre-paleo days with primal modifications. This turned out to be a fabulous idea!!! My first attempt was from this Rachel Ray recipe found here. WOW! You must try this, so good!!
Chicken Soup Stir Fry
1 rotisserie chicken
3 celery stalks
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup diced carrots
1 diced sm. white onion
1 roasted and shredded spaghetti squash
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. ground red pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. grass-fed butter
Salt & Pepper to taste
Pull apart the rotisserie chicken into bite sized pieces, sit aside. In a large skillet heat the olive oil. Add the onion, celery, parsley, salt, pepper, and carrots to the pan cooking until your desired tenderness is reached. Finally, add the frozen peas, butter, and chicken pieces stirring until everything is heated through. Serve on top of a big scoop of shredded spaghetti squash. If you’re not sure how to roast a spaghetti squash, some simple instructions can be found here.
Stick to the Plan
Life has been crazy these past couple of weeks. I feel like Michael and I have been running in circles on two giant hamster wheels, and I for one am ready for a vacation! During busy weeks it’s more important than ever to keep to an eating plan. Without a plan it’s easy to let cheats creep in, especially sugar. Last night I put together our meal plan for the week and am pretty excited to try some completely new recipes!
Sunday
B: Hard boiled eggs
L: Chicken salad
D: Paleo Chicken Noodle Stir Fry
Monday
L: Leftover Paleo Chicken Noodle Stir Fry
D: Bacon Cheeseburgers & Grilled Sweet Potato Sticks
Tuesday
L: Leftover Cheeseburgers
D: Slow Cooker Pork Butt Roast & Mashed Turnips
Wednesday
L: Leftover Pork & Turnips
D: Sautéed Mahi-Mahi & Roasted Green Beans
Thursday
L: Leftover Pork & Salad
D: Paleo Beef Stroganoff w/Zucchini Noodles
Friday
L: Leftover Stroganoff
D: Eating on the road to a wedding
Saturday
Wedding out of town
And now for your visual enjoyment, some pictures of the food we’ve been eating over the last week.
I found this recipe for Chicken & Mushrooms here. I added asparagus and fried the chicken in butter before baking.
I called these Gyro Meatballs…AMAZING! The recipe can be found here. We made the Cucumber Raita with sour cream, it was so good.
You can’t go wrong with chicken salad. I used my recipe with a few modifications. I added 2 hard boiled eggs and a big scoop of relish, best chicken salad ever!
Brussels Sprout Scramble
Last week Michael and I finally ordered some meat from U.S. Wellness Meats, and I’m so glad we did! My freezer is stocked full of a variety of grass-fed goodies. Right now I can smell 5lbs of short ribs braising in our slow cooker and I can’t wait to try them. We also ordered some grass-fed beef franks which were perfect for this brussel sprout scramble.
Brussels Sprout Scramble
1 package no nitrate beef franks or other type of sausage, cut into bite sized pieces
1 lb brussels sprouts
1 diced onion
2 tbsp. grass-fed butter
1 tsp. ground red pepper
3 cloves of garlic
Salt & Pepper to taste
Steam the brussels sprouts till slightly tender, then cut in half. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the garlic and sprouts, cook until you see a bit of color on the sprouts. Add the onion and sausage, cook until the desired tenderness is reached.
