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.

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!!!