Cinnamon Espresso Steak with Caramelized Onions and Spinach

Disclaimer, the following story involves bugs:

I know everyone likes a story so I will tell one. It's almost as bad as the fish story. I've been debating telling it but what the heck! So, I have been super busy lately and sometimes I rely a little heavily on nuts for survival. I had a container of hazelnuts in my pantry so I grabbed them and off to work I went. Throughout the morning I would take a handful of nuts and eat them. I made it to work and had the container sitting on my desk while I was eating them. I just so happened to look down and saw a little bug crawling on my desk. I am not terribly squeamish when it comes to bugs so I just squished it and went on with my business... Do you see where this is going yet? I nonchalantely went in for another handful and saw a bug crawling on the rim of the container... My stomach drops as I look in... There are little bugs swarming all over the hazelnuts! OMG!!! Then I had to convince myself not to get sick. Now I have to question if bugs are Paleo... Should I consider that extra protein? Not that I will ever knowingly eat them.

If I didn't gross everyone out I have a delicious recipe for you!

This isn't so much a recipe as it is just the way I like to eat my steak. I've been asking around to see if there was a "right way" to cook a steak because until the past couple years I didn't eat red meat. Most people said they always grill theirs but that isn't exactly feasible for me since I live in an apartment... on the top floor... and a George Foreman just doesn't have the same effect to me. That and I don't own one...

I know this sounds weird but I would rather eat this than a dessert, and that says something because I'm a sweetaholic.

Sorry for the awful picture. Maybe one day I will graduate from taking them with the camera on my phone.

Ingredients:

• 1 sirloin steak, as small or large as you want
• pinch of cinnamon
• pinch of instant espresso
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 sweet onion, sliced into rings
• large handful of baby spinach
• coconut oil for cooking

Directions:

1. Heat about a tablespoon of oil a medium skillet over medium high heat until melted. Cook onions in the oil until they are translucent and getting brown on the edges. Throw the spinach in with the onions and cook until just wilted. Set aside.
2. Honestly, I don't measure out the spices, I just sprinkle a little of each on top of the steak separately. So do that :)
3. Melt some more oil in the same skillet and cook the steak over medium high heat 2-3 minutes per side until it reaches your desired doneness. I like mine medium rare!
4. Plate the steak and top with the caramalized onions and spinach.
5. Devour!!!

The Hulk Buster Smoothie

I feel like I've been away forever! Please don't hate me! The Fitness Ninja is recovering from ACL surgery so I've been filling in at the gym morning and evening on top of my day job. No complaints here though because I love what I do! Although it doesn't leave much time for creating new recipes.

Update on my quest to gain weight: I lost a few pounds last month because I wasn't able to take in enough calories with my busy schedule but recently added in a ton of starches into my diet in hopes of getting my weight up. I've been given until the end of this month to gain 15 lbs or else I will be caned... I'm up to 160 and need to be at 175. Please pray for me!!

So... this is the holiday season and that means lots of yummy foods that aren't exactly diet friendly. These foods often leave me feeling very bloated and swollen and sluggish. In light of that, I have the perfect smoothie that helps get rid of the extra water retention that comes with eating less than optimal food. Now I'm not condoning eating all those holiday foods, but lets be realistic, we are all human. So if you do splurge and feel a little crappy, drink this green smoothie and you will feel loads better!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups ice
• 3-4 handfuls of baby spinach
• 3 stalks celery
• 1 cucumber
• 1 granny smith apple, quartered
• 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled
• 1 tablespoon MCT oil (olive oil or melted coconut oil would also work)
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup water (as needed to help blend)

Directions:

1. Wash and roughly chop the your and veggies.
2. Place everything into your blender or food processor and blend on high until smooth. I used a Vitamix so it took about 45 seconds and was very smooth. If you don't have a high powered blender it may take a little longer.
3. This makes approximately 2 servings so if you are not going to use it all place the remainder in a glass container in the refrigerator. Drink it within 24 hours.

Thanksgiving Recipe Round-up

I was going to try to come up with a few original recipes for Thanksgiving this year but alas, life has gotten in the way. Sometimes I wish there were just a few more hours each day to get everything done!!

So what I have done is visited a few of my favorite sites and compiled a feast of options that made my mouth water just by looking at the pictures! I'm sure they taste awesome as well or else they wouldn't be my favorite sites :) This is a tiny list compared to what is out there but I'm confident these will be great additions.


First, I'm going to start out with the turkey, what is Turkey Day without the turkey? This looks absolutely amazing! Just a few simple ingredients and the main dish is complete!

Roasted Rosemary Turkey by The Food Lovers Primal Palate




Next up will the cranberry sauce. I grew up eating the stuff from the can and thought it was the best thing in the world! I didn't want anything to do with the real thing. Looking back on it, I don't even know what I was really eating, was it really even cranberries? I have actually made this recipe and I have to say, wow, it's awesome!!

Tart Cranberry Sauce by The Food Lovers Primal Palate




 

Of course I'm going to include the one recipe I actually did convert! My poor picture looks so sad compared to these professional pics... But the taste is what matters!!

Sweet Potato Souffle

Honestly I have never tried this stuffing before but just by reading the ingredients, it looks and sounds amazing! Anything I have ever made from PaleOMG is delicious so I have perfect faith this will be as well!

Thanksgiving Stuffing by PaleOMG





I always thought I would miss buttery mashed potatoes and I never liked cauliflower but honestly, I can barely tell the difference between the two. I actually crave mashed cauliflower now. Here is a great recipe for it!

Mashed Cauliflower by The Clothes Make the Girl






Mmmm gravy! Nuff said :) Plus is can go on the turkey, stuffing, and mashed cauliflower!!

East Paleo Herb Gravy by Nom Nom Paleo






Brussels sprouts, in my opinion, are an acquired taste. A taste that I am still acquiring actually. They have to be cooked a certain way in order to enjoy them. This is my go to recipe and I think it would be an awesome addition to any holiday table.

Balsamic Onions and Roasted Brussels Sprouts by The Food Lovers Primal Palate






Pumpkin pie is usually the staple dessert, right? Well I'm going to do you one better.... Pumpkin Cheesecake!!! I've personally made this. I made it for Thanksgiving last year and it was a huge hit! Even my family members that aren't Paleo loved it!

Pumpkin Cheesecake by Wellness Mama

Sweet Potato Souffle

First off, I want to apologize for the hiatus. I have been super slammed lately and being creative was put on a back burner. I basically only cooked to stay alive and it was the same old thing over and over because... well that's easy!

I don't want anyone to think I forgot about them so I thought of my favorite Thanksgiving side dish. The best part is testing it out and eating it before Thanksgiving!! Another awesome thing is that since I'm still trying to gain weight, it doesn't matter that this is normally what you would consider a huge treat :)

So, what is a Thanksgiving feast without sweet potato souffle? A crappy one in my opinion. This is the best part, aside from the pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce. I could make my meal off of that! My suggestion is to not do that though.

This souffle is so sweet and delicious. I personally prefer mine with the crust of candied pecans on top. I know some people put marshmallows on theirs but to me that's just wrong! Luckily for me, this is one of the easiest recipes to "paleofy" because you just have to exchange a few ingredients.

Ingredients

Souffle:

• 4 cups cubed sweet potatoes
• 1/2 cup palm sugar (found at Whole Foods)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons Ghee (Whole Foods)
• 1/2 cup coconut cream (Trader Joe's canned or any cream from full fat coconut milk)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Topping:

• 3/4 cup palm sugar
• 4 heaping tablespoons coconut flour (Whole Foods)
• 4 tablespoons Ghee
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Peel and cube your sweet potatoes and place in a steamer basket over boiling water and cook until tender, 15-20 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and mash them up! 
3. Then add in the palm sugar, eggs, salt, ghee, coconut cream and vanilla extract. Mix them all together until smooth. Transfer to a 9x13 inch baking dish rubbed with oil. 
4. To make the topping, mix together the palm sugar and coconut flour. Cut in the butter until the mixture is slightly coarse but almost pasty. Stir in the chopped pecans. Sprinkle the topping over the sweet potato mixture as best you can, it's a little sticky.
5. Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until the topping is lightly brown and it smells like Thanksgiving throughout your house!

I adapted this recipe from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/yummy-sweet-potato-casserole/

Spiced Bacon

Ahhh November.... The weather is starting to cool off, there are so many holidays coming up, my birthday is this month, what isn't to like?!

A while back I decided to do the Whole30 program, which was awesome by the way... everyone should do it. So that meant bacon was off my list of items I was allowed to have, I didn't realize bacon had sugar in it until then. After ending my Whole30 I just didn't have a taste for bacon, I know I know, that's ridiculous, but true.

Something I love about being in the Paleo community is we don't just limit bacon to breakfast. It's in EVERYTHING! I tried it in muffins once, it was ok but I didn't get it crispy enough. That might be my next mission.... Or maybe I need to get started on Thanksgiving foods!

This isn't so much a recipe but an idea of how to make bacon even better! What?! Is that possible?! It is in my opinion! I like my bacon with a little kick to it. I honestly have no idea why I started doing this but I'm glad I did because it makes the bacon even more delicious!

Ingredients:

• Bacon (as much or little as you want)
• Cinnamon
• Cayenne Pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay your slices of bacon flat making sure they aren't overlapping each other.
3. Sprinkle the cinnamon and cayenne pepper over the bacon. How much depends on your own taste. Remember cayenne pepper is spicy.
4. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake until crispy, about 30 minutes.
5. When you remove it from the oven, transfer the bacon to a paper lined plate to cool off a little.

Trying to gain weight with Paleo

For someone that is overweight it seems like one of the hardest things in the world to lose that weight. The words diet and exercise are dirty words. You want me to do WHAT?!  Does that sound about right? It is mentally and physically challenging to get out of your comfort zone to make the changes you want to make. One of the ways I kept my motivation up while trying to lose weight was looking at fitness models online and in magazines. That isn't exactly what would work for everyone but it helped me. It was the only thing keeping me from shoving chocolate down my throat at some points! I would look at the picture of a girl with a six pack and rockin' arms and say to myself, "this Reece's cup is not going to help me look like that." So I didn't eat it. For me it was that simple and that difficult.

Eventually I reached my goal weight and size and I stayed there for almost a year before the desire to set another goal set it. I wanted it to be something that if I reached it, it would be a huge victory. Something that would be mentally and physically challenging and push me to my limits. I decided that I wanted to enter a figure competition!

When I started this I weighed in at 135 wearing a size 0  and I am 5'9" tall.

I have a LOT of work to do!

I was going to have to gain a significant amount of muscle weight. I'm tall and lean so that was possibly going to work against me. Every models body that I love is short with stalky muscles. There is no way I can obtain that exact look physically. So I found a few pictures of taller models to aspire to.

I gained quite a bit of weight right off the start by increasing my calorie and carb intake. I was seeing a huge difference in the size of my muscles, especially in my shoulders and back. I was working out only 3 days a week with heavy weight and super sets. Little to no cardio other than what I was getting from my workout.

As many of you know, I'm pretty strict paleo. I would say I'm 98/2 when it comes to strictness. My cheats are very few and far between. I just feel yucky afterwards so what's the point?

With this being said, gaining weight while eating clean is F*ING HARD! My body is basically refusing to gain. I keep losing!!! I was told to eat more... MORE?! I started eating more and I've finally stayed at the same weight for a week now, that's something... I thought losing weight was hard!

I got smart and started logging the food I was consuming and realized that I wasn't eating enough protein. You need protein to recover, duh! Now I'm drinking a protein shake with my meals. I don't tolerate dairy so I'm drinking beef protein called Carnivor. I have the cherry vanilla flavor and it is disgusting! The chocolate it better.

So, one upside to trying to gain weight is I get to eat all the time, I can eat basically anything I want within reason, I need to keep my ratios right at least. Lots of fruit and sweet potatoes!! Yummm!

I heard that adding a half teaspoon of baking powder to the water helps them peel easier, or is it baking soda? Is that true? Maybe I'll try it this weekend when I have a little time, just in case it takes forever. I hate when you peel the shell and the white comes off with it, very disappointing!

I hope this explains why my recipes have been less geared toward weight loss and a little more indulgent. I need the calories! There will come a day when my recipes are very simple and geared strictly toward fat loss. Meat and veggies!

Oh!! Good news!! Today is day 3 of restricting myself to one cup of coffee a day. Last night was a success!!! I actually slept really well and woke up feeling like I slept after only 6 hours. Of course the rest of the day I will be a zombie but yay, I slept!! Since I only get one cup, I make it especially delicious. I put a tablespoon of full fat coconut milk, a splash of vanilla extract, and stevia in it, give it a stir, and it tastes better than a Dunkin Donuts latte!

Right now I weight about 158 lbs and still fitting into my same clothes. I'll keep everyone updated on my progress :)

Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits

I was sitting down drinking a cup coffee a couple days go when it dawned on me; I should I should make my sweet potato biscuits into cinnamon raisin biscuits! (I wish I had this kind of epiphany every time I drank coffee, that would be many many times a day!!!)

You know those little cinnamon raisin biscuits from Hardee's that are so delicious and make your pants feel immediately tighter after eating them? I knew them very well in my previous life :-/ Well that's what they remind me of!

I decided not to use sweet potatoes for this, I don't know why really, I just did. I have a jar of applesauce in my refrigerator that was begging to be used, so I obliged. They are moist and delicious and if I didn't have the most self control of any person I know I would have eaten the whole batch!!

On a different note, I have decided to limit my coffee intake to one cup (or large mug) a day. Getting to sleep at night has been a problem lately so I'm going to try this out. Plus, it seems like everyone's doing it. Now my only problem is staying awake all day! For those that know me, I know you are in shock! The pumpkin spice tea from Trader Joe's has been my best friend! That is what I was enjoying while devouring these :D

Ingredients:

For the biscuits:

• 3 eggs
• 4 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1.5 teaspoons cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons sugar substitute ( I used Stevia in the Raw, it needs to be a cup for cup kind)
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce (I like the kind from Trader Joe's)
• 1 tablespoon palm shortening (If you haven't gotten this yet, you should! You can also use butter)
• 4 tablespoons raisins

For the glaze:

• 4 tablespoons Stevia in the Raw
• 1/2 teaspoon arrowroot powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 tablespoon coconut milk

Directions:

For the biscuits:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk the eggs together in a medium mixing bowl.
3. Add the coconut flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and Stevia and continue whisking until a dough  forms.
4. Then add the applesauce and continue mixing until well incorporated. 
5. Cut the palm shortening in, mix thoroughly, then stir the raisins in.
6. Scoop spoonfuls of the dough onto the baking sheet making 9 biscuit shapes.
7. Put in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

For the glaze:

1. Place all ingredients in a bowl and stir until smooth.
2. When the biscuits are done and cooled a little, drizzle on each biscuit and serve!!!

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Although I grew up in the South, sweet potatoes were never one of my favorites. I wanted white potatoes!!! Sweet potatoes were nasty unless they had brown sugar and marshmallows on them or made into biscuits! Although I'm pretty sure that negates the health factor.

Now that I'm an adult (most of the time anyways) I could eat sweet potatoes with every meal! They are soooo good! Sometimes with a sprinkle of cinnamon, sometimes without. I could probably incorporate them into just about any type of meal, sweet or savory.

I've really been missing biscuits lately and then I thought "Hey, I could make sweet potato biscuits!" So I did! And they are so delicious that I made them for dinner one night and breakfast the next morning... No, I don't feel guilty, because they are grain and dairy free!!!

Makes 9 biscuits

Ingredients:

• 1 small baked sweet potato (about 3/4 cup)
• 3 eggs
• 4 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon palm shortening (you can also use butter if you are okay with dairy)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk the eggs together then add the coconut flour, baking powder and salt until a thick dough forms.
3. Mash the sweet potato then mix it in with the egg mixture.
4. Cut the palm shortening in with the dough and mix well. It will be a tad chunky.
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place small dollops on it. This should make 9 biscuits. I like to make mine round and even because I'm a little OCD.
6. Bake for 15 minutes until they are golden brown. 

Nutrition Info:

Per biscuit if 9 are made.
Cal-  65
Fat-  3.64g
Carbs-  3.24g (net)
Protein-  2.99g

Simple and Quick Breakfast Ideas

I would like to start this out saying that I had to do something the other day that was the hardest thing I've had to do in a looooooong time. Most of you don't know this but I have a fear of touching fish, especially ones that I have to cook and still have a head, tail, and scales. This one was still a little frozen so I was running it under the water to thaw it the rest of the way and IT MOVED!!!! At that moment I swear it was alive and it was going to eat me. I dropped it and screamed like a little girl. Then I took this picture:

I had no one to take over and I didn't want the fish to stay in my sink forever. I paced back and forth trying to figure out how to get over this fear, then I put some gloves on and threw it in a pan and fried it. It was delicious, but I still have no desire to do it again. At least not with a head and eyes staring at me. *shudder*

 



So now on to the real reason for this post!

I have been asked by several people lately to give some ideas for a quick breakfast. I'm a simple kind of girl so I thought of a few things you could do to make a speedy breakfast and even take it on the go if you need to. Skipping breakfast is BAD!

These aren't so much recipes as ideas that you can run with.

1. Bacon and eggs: pan fry the bacon, when done set the bacon on a paper towel and cook the eggs in the bacon grease. Served with some sauerkraut would be a nice well rounded breakfast.

2. Hard-Boiled egg salad: Hard boil eggs the night before, peel and refrigerate. In the morning, slice and serve on a bed of baby spinach with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

3. Leftovers: Eat your leftovers from the night before!

4. Eggs and spinach: scramble a couple eggs with spinach and season with salt and pepper. If you have time, cook some bacon first then cook your eggs in the bacon fat. Serve with avocado, yum!

5. Fritatta: Brown some meat in an oven save pan, when cooked add in some veggies and season with whatever spice you want. Whip up some eggs and pour them in with the meat and veggies. Cover and cook about 3 minutes then transfer to the oven on 350 and cook until the eggs are firm, 5-10 minutes. Slice like a pizza and serve.

6. Pumpkin Porridge: You can throw this together and cook within about 5 minutes.

7. Omelette: Brown some meat in a pan, toss in some veggies and cook. Whisk some eggs together and pour into a different pan. Cook a few minutes on one side then flip. Add in the meat and veggies and you have yourself an omelette.

8. Steak and eggs: This is probably my favorite, I could eat it any time of day. I like to eat this with sauteed spinach.

9. Microwave eggs: Really short on time? Whisk some eggs together and nuke em!

10. Turkey and avocado wrap: Take a few slices of avocado and wrap with turkey slices.

11. Protein Shake

If you have any great breakfast ideas please leave them in the comments!

Easy Meaty Dijon Greens

Have you ever had to go to lunch when you weren't hungry and then had to find something to eat? Well I had that problem and I wasn't hungry and happened to be running low on groceries. I had some ground beef, kale, and chard. Luckily, I was in the mood for something especially healthy so I threw this together. Sometimes meals that are a mish mosh of things happen to be the best! The Fitness Ninja gave it two thumbs up!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb meat of choice (I used lean ground beef)
• 2 tablespoons fat (I used grass-fed beef tallow from some bone broth that I made)
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 bag kale (from Trader Joe's)
• 1/2 bag rainbow chard (from Trader Joe's)
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons vinegar

Directions:

1. In a skillet on medium heat, cook your meat and season to your liking. I tend to go toward spices with more heat so I used cayenne, paprika, basil, garlic, and black pepper.
2. In another large skillet, melt your fat on medium high heat, then cook your onions in the fat until translucent.
3. Toss your greens in with your onions and cook until wilted (5-10 minutes). When wilted, mix the dijon mustard and vinegar in with the greens and toss until well coated. Cover and continue cooking another 3-5 minutes.
4. Mix the meat with the greens and EAT!

Serves: 2 hungry people - 4 regular people

* Try with any kind of greens, there are so many to choose from and they are so good for you!
* The greens cook way down so if you aren't using the bags from Trader Joe's make sure you cook enough. 1-2 large bunches chopped up should be good.

Warm Pumpkin Pie Pudding

Here I go again with the pumpkin recipes. I can't help myself. I'm not even close to getting tired of pumpkin yet. The day may come, but it isn't here yet! So, I was soaking some cashews to make my roasted cashew butter, but I have to say I'm a little scared to roast anything since I burned the crap out of my last batch. So I started to wonder what it would taste like to make cashew butter from the soggy cashews. It was actually pretty good! That's when I got the bright idea to mix it with... wait for it... PUMPKIN!!! The end result was a warm pumpkiny treat with a gooey center.

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons cashew butter
• 2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 dropper full of stevia
• 1/2 tablespoon chopped pecans for topping

Directions:

1. You can use store bought cashew butter or make your own. If you use store bought, warm it a little so it will mix well. To make your own, soak your cashews (I soaked a pound of cashews from Trader Joe's) in water for a few hours or over night. Drain them, then blend until you get a smooth consistency. If you need to, add a tablespoon of olive oil at a time until you get your desired consistency.
2. Save 2 tablespoons in a ramekin and store the rest in a jar in the refrigerator.
3. Mix the first 4 ingredients together in a ramekin until well combined.
4. Sprinkle the chopped pecans on top.
5. You can either eat cold or place in the oven (I used a convection oven) on 350 degrees for 10 minutes. You could probably warm in the microwave for ~30 seconds as well. I don't have a microwave to try that out.

Acorn Squash Breakfast Bake

This recipe has very few ingredients and is so simple to make. Simple meals happen to be my favorites because I'm a busy girl. I decided to veer a little from my recent pumpkin theme and used roasted acorn squash that I made and stored over the weekend. I'm a huge advocate of prepping food and storing it for the week ahead, this helps tremendously! For this week I made a double batch of Chocolate Chili and Thai Curry, riced two cauliflowers, roasted an acorn squash and a spaghetti squash, and made a batch of homemade Larabars. That should last me and the Fitness Ninja a few days :)

I don't know about the rest of you, but I sometimes just don't want to eat the usual eggs and bacon for breakfast. I want something that reminds me of a chilly morning with warm Fall flavors. That is when this recipe came to me. It is so good that the Fitness Ninja asked me if there was any protein in it at all! Yes there sure is! It is eggs incognito :) It tastes like a mix between a pumpkin bread and a souffle.

Sorry for the bad pic, I was in a hurry as always!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 of a roasted acorn squash (You could also use 1 can of pumpkin puree)
• 6 eggs
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 2 teaspoons stevia (more or less to taste)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place all of the ingredients into a blender, place the top on the blender, and blend on high until smooth (about 30 seconds).
3. Pour into a greased baking dish (I used ~8x12x2)
4. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the center is no longer jiggly and a toothpick comes out clean.

*Tastes great alone or with a little honey drizzled over it.

I added raisins, yum!
 

 

My transition to Paleo

I wanted to take the time to show everyone my transformation from the traditional American diet to the Paleo lifestyle. I always thought that I ate healthy according to what doctors said, I ate oatmeal or cereal for breakfast, avoiding eggs and bacon because they are "high in fat" and I ate my cereal with skim milk. For lunch I would have a sandwich or salad of some sort, and for dinner I would have some sort of chicken or fish with pasta or rice. I ate a lot of veggies, very little meat, lots of grains, and I usually had a beer with dinner as well. I went from wearing a size 4 comfortably to muffin topping a size 10 in the matter of a year. I tried so many diets and would go running a couple times a week if I could get the motivation up and I got bored with it very quickly and usually came up with an excuse of why I couldn't go running that night. I was miserable. I was always tired, my clothes were tight, and I had cellulite! I wasn't eating much, so I couldn't understand why I was still gaining weight. When I reached 160 lbs (I was 135 all through college) I was finally fed up.

I was then introduced to 4Balance Fitness. It was unlike anything I had ever done before. I was the typical girl only wanting to do cardio on a treadmill thinking that was how to get skinny. Boy was I wrong! My first workout practically killed me. Olympic lifting was a foreign language to me. You should have seen my first attempts at a power clean. It was atrocious! 

My trainer, Michael Cole, asked me the typical questions. What is my workout history, do I have any injuries, what are my short and long term goals. Then he asked me about my nutrition. I remember telling him that I needed help with everything but nutrition because I didn't eat much, maybe a couple meals a day, and I didn't eat red meat, so my gaining weight couldn't have anything to do with food. Sound familiar anyone? The look on his face will be forever burned in my mind! He told me I was gaining weight because I was under eating. I didn't even know that was possible. I thought I would be skinny if I was under eating. He then took the time to teach me about the Paleo diet and the benefits it would have for me. He told me I was "skinny fat" (gasp) then he told me to EAT!! He did a body comp and I found out I had 26% body fat. 

This was March 2011. My cousin's wedding was in April, 6 weeks away. I set my goal to be a size 4 in six weeks. Michael thought it was possible but only if I did exactly what he told me to with weight training and nutrition. Being always up for a challenge, I started reading "The Paleo Solution" by Robb Wolf and dove in head first. The first few days were fine, then the cravings hit. I was angry that I couldn't have bread or sugar. That was my body going through withdrawal. I remember one cheat day I wanted to eat Chick Fil A, so I disclosed to Michael that I was craving that. He told me that was a terrible cheat and if I was going to cheat I needed to at least make it worth it. It took me a while to understand what he meant because I wanted it so bad. There are SO MANY better cheats out there. Mexican and Thai being my favorites. 

I was never a gourmet chef before, I burned everything... My first attempt at Paleo cooking was okay at best. It was carrot bread, or something like it. It was grainy... I didn't let that stop me though. There weren't as many resources when I first started so the recipes weren't great. I mostly stuck to simple meals of grilled chicken with a green vegetable or fish. Then the strangest thing happened, I wanted red meat. I hadn't eaten red meat in about 7 years and never had the first craving until I changed my diet. 

The body fat started melting off of me. I was working out 5 days a week, I had one cheat meal on Saturday, I was not eating any grains or sugars other than that one meal, and I was seeing results. When I went to my cousin's wedding, I was a size 2 and 135 lbs! I was looking and feeling amazing! I no longer felt like I needed to eat bread or sugar because when I did I felt awful. 

By July 2011 I was fitting into a size 0 jeans and I was the strongest I have ever been. I felt confident in a bathing suit when I went to the beach. I ran my first 5k and did my first mud run and I didn't feel like I was going to die. 

So, I challenge each and every one of you who doesn't believe that you can change your life by changing how you eat to give it a try. I promise you will see results if you just do it! What do you have to lose? I honestly don't feel like I'm missing out on anything at all. I still have cookies, cake, ice cream, pudding, whatever it is I want. I just choose a healthier version of it. It just takes a little effort. DO IT!! :)

Pre-Paleo

Muffin topping

Look at those hips!

Saggy Booty

Post-Paleo

6 weeks after changing my diet and working out

At my cousin's wedding

July 2011, 4 months into the Paleo lifestyle (15% body fat)

No more saggy booty (7 months into the Paleo lifestyle)

 

Sam's Spaghetti

I think I could probably live on spaghetti every meal for a week and be completely happy, is that weird? I grew up loving this meal, although a slightly different version. It was definitely a rare treat at my house, one that I always looked forward to. Now I can eat it all the time if I wanted and it is 100% guilt free! Actually... it's healthy! Of course this doesn't taste exactly like pasta, it's made with a squash, but it you are wanting the comfort of spaghetti with the wrap around the fork goodness, this is it! I personally like this better than with regular noodles.

Makes 4 large servings

Ingredients:

• 1 Spaghetti Squash
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 tablespoons bacon fat or your choice of oil/fat
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 6 oz can tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons coconut cream (the cream from the whole fat canned coconut milk)

Directions: 

1. Prepare the spaghetti squash by cutting it in half lengthwise, scooping out all the seeds and strands, place cut side down on a baking sheet, putting enough water in the baking sheet to cover the bottom completely and roasting in the oven on 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until a fork easily pierces the skin. Set aside to cool.
2. While the squash is roasting, place the ground beef in a pan and cook until browned. When finished, place in a strainer in the sink to drain the fat.
3. In a medium to large saucepan, melt the bacon fat then pour in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 40 seconds.
4. Toss the onions in with the garlic and cook until translucent.
5. Throw in the bell pepper and mushrooms and cook another couple minutes.
6. Place the oregano and basil in your hand and rub your hands together over the pot to release the fragrance of the herbs. Mix everything together thoroughly.
7. Add the meat back in along with the tomato sauce and tomato paste, stirring until well combined.
8. Simmer for 30-40 minutes on medium low. If it gets too thick add in 1/4 cup water and continue simmering. 
9. About 5 minutes from being done, add in the coconut cream and stir until dissolved.
10. Scoop out the spaghetti strands from the squash with a fork into your bowl and top with a serving of spaghetti sauce.

Steak and Spinach Salad

Often, there are days that I just don't have time to think about preparing a recipe, finding all the ingredients, then actually setting out to cook. I just stare into my refrigerator and think "what is in here that I can throw together really fast before I get angry". This came from one of those moments.

So, this isn't so much a recipe as a desperate attempt to get food into my belly as quickly as possible. It turned out delicious so I figured it was worth sharing, especially since it took less than 10 minutes to cook and throw together. That's my kind of meal!

This will serve 1 but can easily be doubled or tripled.

Ingredients:

• 4-6 oz sirloin steak (or meat of choice)
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 mandarin orange, peeled and slices pulled apart
• 1 tablespoon pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Place steak in a pan and cook to your desired doneness. I personally like mine medium.
2. While the steak is cooking, toss the other ingredients together in a bowl until everything is coated with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
3. When the steak is done, slice it into bite size pieces and toss with the salad.
4. Eat!!!

Homemade Larabars

Have you ever gotten home from a hard workout and thought to yourself, "ugh, I have to cook something and that is going to take forever and my trainer said I'm supposed to eat some carbs within 10 minutes of working out"? I know I have! I keep these around for just that reason. They are made with real food so I don't have to worry if I'm eating a bar with a bunch of extra junk in it. Also, these are so much cheaper to make yourself than to buy the ones in the store. The time it takes to make these is also less than it would take you to drive to the store. Pretty awesome huh!

(Shown here is chocolate cherry)

Here is a recipe for the base then you can add other ingredients to make whatever flavor you want.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup pitted dates
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in your food processor and blend until it is in tiny pieces. Almost the consistency of almond butter but still a little grainy.
2. Scoop mixture into a small bakewear dish, approx 4x6 in., and press firmly to all sides.
3. Cover and place in the refregerator for a couple hours then remove and cut into bars.

*Try changing up the nuts and using cashews, pecans, pepitas, sunflower seeds, or even a mixture of several ones.

*To make chocolate bars add 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa, or more to taste.

*Try adding different dried fruits such as apricots, raisins, cherries (mmm chocolate cherry would be good)

*If you are going to add raisins or cherries, blend the other ingredients until well combined, then add the raisins or cherries and pulse a few times to incorporate.

*The key is to keep the nuts to dried fruit ratio 1:1

Pumpkin Cocoa

I was sitting at my kitchen table after a long day and week of working 14+ hour days in a state of delirium and I randomly wanted some hot cocoa. Then I had a moment of brilliance... pumpkin cocoa!!! My first attempt was so thick that I could only take one sip before I poured it right back in the pan to add more water. But my final attempt was pure pumpkin chocolate decadence. Mmmmmmm! It hit the spot right on. Then I passed out on the couch and didn't wake up until 10 hours later, and only then because the alarm was screaming at me to wake up.

 

 

This recipe will make 2 servings.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups water
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup Stevia in the Raw, more or less to taste (the liquid would work as well, just taste test it to get your desired sweetness)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
• pinch of salt

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat to medium low.
3. Whisk in the cocoa powder until dissolved and there are no lumps remaining.
4. Add in the pumpkin, stevia, vanilla, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice and whisk until smooth.
5. Add the coconut milk and salt, continue whisking until everything is incorporated.
6. Serve in a mug and don't burn your tongue like I did!

Roasted Cashew Butter

Who out there grew up eating peanut butter and eats it with a spoon right out of the jar? Me me me!!! I love the stuff! When I was told it was forbidden in the Paleo lifestyle I think my heart stopped beating. What would I eat with my bananas?? While I have learned to like almond butter, it was never a favorite of mine. It was always just okay. I feel the same way about sunbutter, it's okay but it just doesn't taste right to me. I always loved cashews but I thought they were forbidden until I started researching a little further. According to whole9.com, they are a good eating fat.

Cashews are high in phytic acid so it is best if you soak and rinse them first. They are also higher in Omega 3's and lower in Omega 6's than other nuts such as almonds, pecans, and walnuts. 

Cashew butter just might be better than peanut butter in the taste department, well at least its equal, and that says something!

Warning: This is not a low calorie food!!! It is very high in calories and deliciousness (bad combination). But as an occasional treat and to replace other nut butters this is the one you should reach for.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb raw cashews (I use Trader Joe’s)
• Water (enough to cover cashews in a bowl)
• 3 Tablespoons light olive oil or coconut oil (Make sure it is the light tasting olive oil or else it will change the flavor)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Pour your cashews into a medium sized bowl and fill with water. Soak them for at least 30 minutes to 2 hours, you can also soak overnight. Strain all the water out and rinse well.
2. When you are ready to roast, heat your oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Pour the cashews onto a cookie sheet in a single layer and place in the oven
4. Cook for 10-20 minutes, depending on your oven, stirring occasionally until they are golden brown. Be careful not to burn them.
5. Take them out and let them rest until they are cool to the touch. Try not to eat them all before you make them into butter :) (Yes, I've done that)
6. Place the cashews in a food processor or blender, put the lid on, and turn it on.
7. Process until the nuts are chopped finely, about 30 seconds. They won’t turn into butter without the help of oil.
8. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the light olive oil and salt in with the cashews and continue processing until smooth. If it doesn’t reach your desired smoothness add the other tablespoon of olive oil and continue processing until it is how you like it.
9. Place in a container and store in your refrigerator until you are ready to eat this little taste of heaven!

* I also like to make chocolate cashew butter by adding 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa and stevia to taste.

Things I keep in my pantry at all times

I have been asked many times what foods I eat and what I keep in my pantry at all times. Well I finally decided that I would start writing down all the items that I refuse to run out of because they are daily staples in my diet and life. I learned my lesson when I ran out of shredded coconut while in the middle of baking cookies, which called for shredded coconut, and I forgot I had used it all. I just stared at the empty container willing more to magically appear at that moment. Tragic I know. Then I did the only logical thing to do, I went and bought a few pounds at Whole Foods. What can I say, I wanted the cookies.

First I would like to say that I like to only keep foods in my pantry and refrigerator that I can eat. I don't want to have to think about it or have a weak moment when I look in my cabinet and see chewy chips ahoy cookies because, well, I will eat them.... ahhh cookies (I found a paleo version that I like even better than the store bought stuff that I will share soon). I bet you guys didn't know I was such a dessert freak. Well I am. That's why it is a good thing I eat this way now because I would have been a hundred pounds heavier if I didn't.

I plan on keeping this list up to date with things that I may have forgotten because believe it or not, I am human :) So keep checking back. Without further ado, here is a list of my must haves:

Pantry

• Almond flour - Whole Foods baking section
• Coconut flour - Whole Foods baking section (I usually make my own)
• Baking powder - Baking section
• Baking soda - Baking section
• Arrowroot powder - Whole Foods or Fresh Market in the spice section
• Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips - Whole Foods, Fresh Market, Publix in the baking section
• Ghee - Whole Foods or Fresh Market in the baking section
• Canned wild tuna and salmon - Most grocery stores
• Canned pumpkin - Most grocery stores in the baking section with pie filling
• Unsweetened cocoa - most grocery stores in the baking section
• Coconut Aminos - Whole Foods in the ethnic section
• Coconut butter - Homemade is best or Whole Foods, Fresh Market, or online
• Dried fruits - Trader Joe's has a good selection
• Shredded coconut - Whole Foods has it in bulk
• Canned coconut milk - Trader Joe's is my favorite place for this
• Coconut oil - I buy in bulk online from Swansons but Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and Fresh Market also have it
• Curry Paste - Whole Foods, Fresh Market, Publix in the ethnic section
• Local honey - Most grocery stores and flea markets
• Mustard - Any kind that is free of sugars
• Fish Sauce - Whole Foods or Fresh Market in the ethnic section, Red Boat brand
• Nuts/seeds (Almonds, cashews, hazelnuts)
• Nut butters - Avoid peanut butter, sunbutter is allergy friendly, I personally like making my own roasted cashew butter
• Olive oil - Buy high quality
• Olives - Good for snacking, Trader Joe's has good ones
• Stevia in the Raw - Most grocery stores carry this in the baking section
• Liquid Stevia - Whole Foods has many flavors in the baking section
• Salsa - Make sure it has no added sugars
• Tomato (sauce, paste, diced) - No added sugars
• Palm shortening - Whole Foods in the baking section (the tub says vegetable shortening but the ingredients are expeller pressed palm)
• Vinegar (coconut, balsamic, apple cider)
• Tons of spices

Refrigerator/Freezer
Protein

• Chicken breasts/tenderloins
• Grass fed ground beef
• Grass fed steak
• Ground pork
• Bacon
• Sausage
• Pastured organic eggs
• Roast
• Whole roasting chicken
• Wild caught salmon
• Wild caught tuna steaks

Vegetables

• Acorn squash
• Arugula
• Asparagus
• Avocados
• Bell Peppers
• Broccoli
• Brussels Sprouts
• Buttercup Squash
• Butternut Squash
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Cucumbers
• Frozen mixed veggies
• Garlic
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Mayonnaise, homemade
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• Shallots
• Pumpkin
• Spaghetti Squash
• Spinach
• Sweet Potato
• Tomatoes
• Zucchini

Fruit

• Apples
• Bananas
• Blueberries
• Dates
• Grapefruit
• Lemons/limes
• Strawberries

Thai Curry

One of my favorite places to eat is this little Thai restaurant down the street, they have the most delicious red curry I have ever eaten!! It was a tradition to go there once a week to get my fix. That also meant I was consuming white rice, which leaves me feeling bloated afterward. I was determined to find a recipe that satisfied my craving for red curry while meeting the following stipulations: 1) quick to prepare, 2) tastes good, and 3) doesn't leave me feeling bloated afterward. While this doesn't taste exactly like the dish from my favorite place, it is still awesome! This meal takes less than 30 minutes from the time you start prepping to the time you are eating it. What more could you ask for?! To add an extra notch of awesomeness, pair it with cauliflower rice cooked in chicken broth.

The original recipe is from Everyday Paleo and it is a little bland for my taste so I played with the spices and found that the flavors of Sriracha sauce pairs nicely with this curry. A little bit goes a long way so start with a little and add more as needed. You can always add more but taking away is impossible a little more difficult :)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb meat (Pork, chicken or shrimp), cut into bite sized pieces.
• 1 lb vegetables (I made it easy on myself and bought the bag of stir fry frozen veggies but you can use fresh), if using fresh, cut until bite sized pieces
• 1 can full fat coconut milk
• 0.5 oz Thai Kitchen Curry Paste (You can get this in the Asian food section of Whole Foods or Fresh Market. I think even Publix carries it)
• Fish Sauce (Look for a brand without sugar, I use Red Boat found at Whole Foods and Fresh Market)
• Salt to taste
• Sriracha Sauce to taste (optional for spicier curry, I used about 2 tbsp for the entire recipe)

Directions:

1. Start by preheating a large pot or wok. Crank it to high and get it smoking hot. 
2. Gather all of your ingredients and have them ready on the counter to use. Some of the steps happen pretty fast. 
3. Open the can of coconut milk. DO NOT SHAKE IT! You want it to be as separated as possible. Scoop the thick cream out (should be about the top half of the can) and carefully place it in the hot pan. This step is called “cracking the coconut” and it is crucial to getting proper curry. Heat/boil/stir the coconut cream for a good 3 minutes. You want it to reduce and break. You will see a change happen where the coconut oil breaks out as the water is evaporated. At this time add your curry paste and mix well to blend it in. The hot coconut fat will do magic on the curry paste and cause the essential oils in the paste to break out.
4. Add the meat strips to the bubbling goo along with a few splashes of fish sauce and a couple pinches of salt then stir-fry until mostly cooked, about 6 minutes.
5. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to transfer the meat out and replace with the vegetables. If you can keep both in the pan, great. With the vegetables in the pan, add the remainder of the coconut milk from the can. Add a couple squirts of Sriracha sauce if desired, mix well, then simmer another 4-5 minutes or until everything is cooked.

Adapted from www.everydaypaleo.com