Gotta love the crockpot!

Kids went back to school today after 2 weeks off for Christmas and New Year...so the routine of getting lunches ready for the morning (I prepare most of it the night before), setting their alarm and mine for an earlier, less leisurely wake up time and having dinner planned in advance so we eat at a reasonable time. Breathe Heath, breathe! =) This is where the crockpot is a HUGE help. I can go to work and even get to Crossfit for a WOD and then come home and be Mom and wife. Today's WOD was Barbara BTW! That is my Mom's name but today I almost cursed that name and I almost threw up but thanks to my friend Ally who was working out next to me, we absolutely pushed thru it and I felt good about my time of 25:08! OK, enough about me and my day.

This recipe I shared during the Intro Cooking class that I taught at Canyon Crossfit but never put it on the blog so here you go! Enjoy! It's a good one. I serve it over sweet potato or yam with spinach. It is also great added into a scramble the next morning for a different twist on breakfast. As always let me know what you think, I won't be offended...I want to get better. Oh and as I am typing this is would be great with a Mexican flavored Cauli-rice-YUM!

Simple Chicken Salsa Verde

Whole30 & Paleo

3 lbs Chicken

1 t Salt
1 t Pepper
1 t Garlic Powder
2 t Cumin
1 Onion-sliced thin
1 Jalapeno-diced
1 Jar Salsa Verde from Trader Joe's

Place chicken in crockpot set to low heat. Add salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder, sliced onion, jalapeno and Salsa Verde. Cover and let simmer 4-6 hours. When done shred chicken and enjoy.

Makin' It Paleo!

I can't believe it has been almost a year since I completely changed the way I eat and the way I cook. January 2012, Canyon Crossfit introduced me to Whole30 when I signed up for a Performance Nutrition Experience. To say that it was life changing stills seems like an understatement because I am still CHANGING and still LEARNING!

I won't bore you with my story again (it's all in the blog) but I will say that as time goes on I am feeling more comfortable and confident that this will be the way I eat the rest of my life. I love how I feel, I love how good the food tastes and I am continuing to have a blast trying recipes and creating ones myself. So, here is the latest...

After taking my 11 year old daughter and her friend horseback riding we went to a great spot near the Orange Circle called Bruxies for a late lunch. This is the first time I have been back since I went paleo and felt confident I could find something to eat and not miss the trademark that makes them special-a waffle as the bread. Well, I did find something but I did miss the trademark so I left knowing that was my challenge for tonight's dinner-MAKE A SAVORY PALEO WAFFLE! Thank goodness for other paleo people that have gone before me because I resourced several websites to get an idea where to start! And here is what I ended up with....absolute YUM! But I must give you one warning-the recipe below is spicy so if you are not good with too spicy, cut the hot stuff in half but don't change anything else. =)

Savory & Spicy Waffle Burgers



Hamburger Patties

2 lbs lean ground beef
1 lb ground pork
2 T raw honey
2 T hot sauce (I used Tabasco)
1 t cumin
1 t organic cayenne pepper
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1/2 t Italian herbs
Salt & Pepper
1/4 t garlic powder

Mix well with hands and form into patties. I was able to get 7 GOOD sized patties-you could easily get 8 if necessary. If you don't like things too spicy cut the cayenne, red pepper flakes & Tabasco in half. Grill. I like mine medium rare. The mix of sweet and spicy in the patty is so YUM!

Waffles

6 large eggs
1/4 c canned coconut milk
1/3 c coconut flour (don't pack it in just scoop and lightly brush of excess with knife)
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 T raw honey
1/4 t chili powder

Beat eggs until well blended. Add other ingredients and mix with electric mixer making sure there are no lumps. Pour into prepared waffle maker. I used a little more than 1/2 cup for each waffle and made 3 full Belgium waffles. I set my iron to medium high heat.

Garnish

Saute 1/2 onion in ghee until light brown, add carton sliced mushrooms, salt & pepper to taste. I also added 1/2 t fish sauce but if you don't have it no worries-it just adds a nice flavor and BTW it is not a fishy taste. :) Top the burger with onion/mushroom mix and 1/2 an avocado sliced.

ENJOY!! And please let me know what you think after you try it!

New Year's Day & A Soup Kinda Day!

2013!

See ya 2012! It is a New Year and I am so excited to see what lies ahead! For those of you that don't know this about me, I am a PLANNER and don't be shocked when I tell you that I have planned so many things for the year already. Some are actual things that I plan to do with family and friends, some things are for work, and then there are the DREAMS...yes, I am a dreamer. More about my dreams for 2013 later...today is about my plan to blog more regularly and post recipes to share with you and hopefully encourage you to try cooking in a different and healthier way. I hope I can be a resource and encouragement to you!

Today was the perfect day for soup and it's a good thing because I had a recipe that I had been creating in my mind and I needed to give it a try....IT WAS SO YUMMY! It went great with the Herb Bread from Multiply Delicious (this time I used fresh basil instead of rosemary).

Oh and Happy New Year to all of you! Thanks for being a part of my life!

Italian Meatball Soup

Soup

3 T fat (bacon fat or ghee would be best)

1 onion-cut in half and thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic-minced 

2 cans plum tomatoes

2 cartons chicken broth (Imagine brand has no sugar)
2 sweet potatoes-cubed
1 cup baby carrots-halved

1/4 fresh basil-chopped

1 t dried oregano

1 t Italian spices

8 oz fresh spinach

salt & pepper to taste

meatballs (see recipe below)

 Heat fat at medium heat. Add sliced onions and garlic and saute until slightly golden. Add tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes-breaking up tomatoes with back of spoon. Add broth, spices, sweet potatoes, carrots & meatballs-partially cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add spinach just before serving.

Meatballs

2 lbs ground beef (lean)

3 eggs

1/2 cup almond flour

1/2 teaspoon of each

      oregano

      sweet basil

      Italian spices

      salt

      pepper

      garlic powder

Combine all ingredients and using hands mix. Form balls with meat mixture-size is up to you (I prefer larger meatballs) and drop in soup.



Recipe time...how about a Paleo gravy?

While I was preparing the food for the "Paleo for the Holidays" cooking class last week, I realized that I hadn't planned on making a gravy! Yikes! Big mistake, BIG! All Thanksgiving feasts need gravy. So I got busy REAL QUICK to come up with a gravy that would be tasty and also Paleo and possibly Whole30.

I am thrilled to say, it worked! Thank goodness.So here it is...sorry no pictures because I wasn't thinking after the panic set in! LOL

1T ghee or other fat (bacon fat would be good!)
1 onion-chopped
2 cloves garlic-minced
2 oz prosciutto-chopped
8 oz crimini mushrooms-sliced
2 T-coconut flour
3 cups broth (use what you can from turkey dripping first and then supplement with broth if necessary, I use Imagine brand)
roasted vegetable from bottom of turkey (not what you use inside the bird but on the outside)

Heat butter in saute pan at medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until onions are translucent, stirring often so that they don't burn. (Note:if garlic gets brown it will taste bitter, so stirring and medium heat is important). Add prosciutto and mushrooms and saute for another 4-5 minutes. Then sprinkle coconut flour over mixture and stir to coat. Once fully coated and a cook for a minute, slowly whisk in broth. Making sure that you whisk well before adding more to avoid lumps.

You will notice the gravy will thicken as you simmer and whisk but if you need to add more flour do it 2 teaspoons at a time, whisking as you add. Simmer for about 8 minutes to let flavors blend. Turn off heat.

Put all vegetables from bottom of turkey pan as well as your prepared gravy into a blender or Cuisinart and puree. This will make for a gravy that has depth of flavor and has a thickness that isn't too runny or too thick. Salt and pepper to taste as necessary but make sure you taste first because the prosciutto adds a decent amount of salt on its own.

Stuffed Chicken Breast & prep for my cooking class

Tomorrow is the Paleo Cooking for the Holidays at Canyon Crossfit and that means tonight is all about prep! But my family stills needs to eat and so do I! So I had to come up with something that was filling, easy and tasted yummy and this is what I came up with...

Stuffed Chicken Breast

 





 

Prepare chicken breast by laying on cutting board and covering w a piece of parchment paper and then using a rolling pin firmly pound the breast until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Next layer with 1 slice prosciutto, fresh spinach, sliced roasted red peppers (I like the Trader Joe's brand in the jar) & either green or kalamata olives. Then roll the breast towards you and secure it with 2 toothpicks. Finally, heat 3 T coconut oil in pan at medium high heat and place chicken in pan & sprinkle w Everyday Seasoning from Trader Joe's. Cover and cook for approximately 15 minutes. You should probably cut into the chicken after 15 minutes and if pink, continue cooking covered for another 5 minutes. Tonight I served it over fresh spinach because of time but it would be so good with spaghetti squash. You could also add a few sun dried tomato slices to the "stuffing" and if you wanted to get really fancy you can top with a fresh marinara or jarred variety that is paleo or Whole30 approved. Make extra to have for leftovers. 

It's Chili Kind Of Weather-FINALLY!

For years I have been making this GREAT chili recipe that I got from a friend...19 years ago! It has become a tradition for me to make it on Halloween for our annual Halloween Party BUT it was not Paleo. So I took it upon myself to take my old recipe and research the possibilities and create this new one for all the enjoy!

It was debuted at the Intro Paleo Cooking Class at Canyon this past week and it was not a disappointment to anyone! Woohoo!

Heather’s Paleo Chili

Paleo (Can be Whole30 by omitting raw honey)

2 T Fat
3 lbs Chuck Roast
2 lbs Pork Shoulder or Steak
2 Red Peppers- chopped
2 Onions-Chopped
1 Pasilla or Anaheim Chili
10 Cloves Garlic-crushed
¼ cup Raw Honey
5 T Chili Powder
2 T Ground Cumin
1 T Oregano
2 T Basil
1 t Salt
2 T Pepper
1 Jar Herdez Salsa (I prefer hot)
2 Lrg Cans Crushed Tomatoes

Cube meat and trim excess fat, sprinkle w salt and pepper. In a large pot heat fat over medium-high heat, then add meat. Cook meat until fragrant and brown. Add peppers, onions & garlic. Saute until onions are translucent (about 5 minutes) and stir in honey, chili powder, cumin, oregano & basil. Continue to cook for 3-4 minutes and then deglaze pot by pouring in salsa and tomatoes. Stir until well combined and bring to a boil. Once at a boil, reduce heat and simmer at least 90 minutes to 3 hours.

In the Kitchen...

I am so EXCITED! Ok, I am also a tad nervous! I started a cooking class program at Canyon Crossfit where I have been working out at for the last 18 months! Woohoo!

For anyone that has followed this blog, you may remember that since January I changed my diet to a primarily Whole30 diet but also Paleo and in the process of learning how to shop clean, cook clean and eat clean I rediscovered my love for cooking. Along with that, I have become increasingly encouraged and challenged to learn more and the share that knowledge with other people. So, last month I met with the owners, Rick & Ray to explain my ideas and see if they were interested...they said "YES!"

Last week we hosted a free of charge Intro to Paleo class and had just over a dozen people come to check it out. I think it went well at least that was the feedback I got. :) LOL

Now it is full steam ahead...the first official class is this Thursday night...Paleo for the Holidays.  And tonight I am refining a few more of the recipes. I will let you know how it goes.

And if you have any thoughts on what I should include in future classes, I would like the input so I can make sure what I am making and teaching is relevant.