Hiatus

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and was able to enjoy all that goes along with it, including all the seasonal treats (in moderation of course).

I have taken a short break from blogging because I shamefully took a break from Paleo while trying to gain weight (bulk) for a figure competition. I figured that the standard American diet would help... It didn't. What it did do for me was make my skin break out, made me feel sluggish, and I got sick twice. I had to stay out of work two days. So needless to say the S.A.D. hurt my bottom line as well as made me feel crappy. Now I'm sticking to rice, steel cut oats, and potatoes for my starches. I already feel a little better and my skin is clearing up. I'm glad I went through the experience because now I know for sure that Paleo is the only way for me! I wasn't able to hit my goal weight but I'm still going to go ahead as planned and hope that the muscle that I gained was enough :)

While eating the S.A.D., I also lost my cooking bug for a while and had no desire to cook or be creative. Probably because of the sluggishness and being tired all the time. I'm not back 100% because of my work schedule but I promise that I will do better. Some of my recipes won't be original for a while but I will make sure to give proper acknowledgement to the recipe creators.

I was recently asked for a recipe that would be easy to make and eat on for the week. Something healthy, tasty, and reheats well. The first thing that came to mind was egg cupcakes. This is something that you can create to your own taste because you can put anything you want in them... Almost...

This recipe is from Paleo in a Pinch, I changed some of the measurements but this is not an original recipe of mine. I have made this recipe before and can attest that it is delicious!

Savory Sausage Egg Cakes

(Photo from Paleo in a Pinch)

Ingredients:

• 12 Eggs
• 1lb. Sausage
• 1 each Green & Red Pepper
• 1 cup Mushrooms
• 1 Onion
• 3-4 Green Onions
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup unsweetened Coconut Milk (Optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a fry pan, brown your Sausage on Med/High heat. Break up into small crumbles.
2. While Sausage is browning, chop all of your veggies.
3. Once Sausage is cooked, spoon out and add to the veggie bowl.
4. Add eggs and whisk together. If you are using Coconut Milk, add now
5. Line your cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Fill nearly to the top of the liner. Place in preheated oven and bake for 25-30 min.
6. Remove Egg Cakes from oven and let cool for 10-15min, before transferring to a cooling rack.
7. Serve or let cool to room temp and store in the fridge or freezer. Egg Cakes can be served warmed or chilled.

 

Breakfast Sausage

I was never a sausage eater in my younger days because all I knew was the kind that came in a roll that you cut into slices and when you bit into it there was always a chance of chomping on some gristle. Bleh! Then I came across a recipe on www.civilizedcavemancooking.com for a breakfast sausage that changed my mind. His recipe uses a pound of bison meat as well but since I didn't have that on hand I improvised. This makes about 20 patties depending on how big you make them. I made a bunch of small ones so it would last a while. I just made them into patties and stuck them in the freezer. Whenever I want some I pull them out and fry them up from frozen.

Ingredients:

• 1 Lb Grass-fed Ground Beef
• 1 Lb Ground Pork
• 1 ½ Tsp Thyme
• 1 ½ Tsp Sage
• ¾ Tsp Rosemary
• 1 ½ Tsp Salt
• 1 Tsp Black Pepper
• ¾ Tsp Nutmeg
• ½ Tsp Cayenne

Directions:

1. Combine all of your ingredients thoroughly with your hands in a large mixing bowl.
2. Form into 1-2 inch rounds and flatten into patties until all the sausage is used. If putting in tupperware, separate the layers of sausage with parchment paper to prevent from sticking together.
3. You can refrigerate the patties for up to 1 week and/or freeze for up to 3 months.
4. If you are going to eat them immediately, heat a skillet over medium-low heat
5. Saute until brown and cooked through, ~10-15 minutes
6. Serve with any other food you can imagine, breakfast, lunch or dinner
7. Enjoy