Prawn, Sausage & Zucchini Casserole

This gourmet recipe is also one that I found reading Mark's Daily Apple. I bought a bag of uncooked shrimp with the intention of making some delicious paleo meal. They sat in the freezer for one whole month.. just as bad as Aaron with his salmon. So finally they have defrosted and are ready to be part of my best paleo meal yet!

I hope you enjoy this meal. It has such strong flavours and aromas I was a little upset there was no left overs.

INGREDIENTS

• 2-3kg Zucchini (I used four zucchinis)
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 6 slices baon (chopped into pieces)
• 200g Italian sausage (I used grass fed beef)
• 500g uncooked prawns (peeled/deveined/tails off)
• 2 eggs
• Butter, if needed for sauteing
• Optional seasonings

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 176C/375F
• You can either peel the casing from the sausage and cook with the bacon in a large pot or cook the sausage and set aside to cool, cook bacon in same pot, chop sausage into bite sized pieces and add to pot.
• When fats render, add onion
• Add sliced zucchini and stir to coat

• Turn to high so water from zucchini is cooked away so the s\zucchini can brown and caramelize rather than boil in its own water
• I had to add some butter at this point as my bacon and sausage did not give off enough fat so everything was sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning!
• The zucchini is done once it is slightly browned and there is no liquid sitting in the pot (I was too impatient and decided it was ready after 10mins of cooking
• Season with whatever you like
• Remove from stove and let cool
• Beat eggs in a bowl and pour over zucchini mixture
• Add uncooked prawns and stir to combine ingredients
• Add to casserole dish and bake for 30mins

Enjoy!

I did a bodyweight WOD today as I dont have easy access to gym facilities so they are taking up most of my workouts. My roomie, Johanna, joined me for this workout however she sub'd the HSPU for standard push ups.

-Warm Up-
2mins Double Unders
2rds of:
10x Air Squats
10x Push Ups

-WOD1-
21-15-9
Pistol Squats (total amount on each leg i.e.21 on left, 21 on right)
HSPU
Time: 7:06

-WOD2-
Tabata Burpees - 8rds of 20secs work, 10secs rest
Lowest rep score - 6

Eat Healthy, Feel Healthy, Live Healthy!

'Bene' Burgers

Today I made Bene Burgers. I got this recipe off Health Bent and it was supposed to be done with Chorizo sausages but do you think I could find any in this lovely small town? No. So I used mild Italian sausages hence the name 'Bene' meaning good in Italian.

These burgers were amazing! Mouth watering and I just wanted to keep going back for more! They were hard to eat as you couldn't hold them together with the typical modernised grainy burger so I just used a knife and fork and cut it up into bite sized pieces.

INGREDIENTS

• 500g mince beef
• 500g Italian sausage (casing removed)
• 2 onions (thinly sliced)
• 6-8 eggs (I used 6)
• 2 tomatoes (sliced)
• 2  avocadoes (sliced)
• 1 lime (sliced into wedges)
• 6-8 sliced melted cheese (I skipped this one)
• Salt & Pepper

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 204C/400F
• In a large bowl combine beef and sausage
• Mix well. Patty meat into as many burgers as you like. I made 11 small ones
• Place burgers on pan and salt and pepper them
• Bake for 10mins add cheese if you like and then bake until they are ready. This changes depending on how big you made your burgers. I had mine in the oven for a total of 30mins
• Over a medium-low heat saute onions until they develop a nice caramel colour. This took around 15mins-20mins!
• Once the burgers are out and cooling off, fry an egg to your liking in the same pan you used for the onion. I did mine sunny side up so the yolk spilt over the burger as I ate it.. YUM YUM!
• Serve topped with sliced tomatoes, avocado, a squeeze of lime juice and a fried egg

Enjoy!

I did a workout today which I got from Mark's Daily Apple. I wanted to do a sprint workout but I am not too keen on training outside in the -20C weather so I found a Stair Workout that looked like trying out.
I did this workout using two flights of stairs.

-Warm Up-
4x Warm Up @ 75%

-WOD-
2x Stair Sprint, stepping on every single step
2x Stair Sprint, skipping one stair every step
2x Hopping/Frog jump, jump using both legs one or two stairs at a time
2x one legged, one stair at a time
4x full speed
Time- 7:00

Eat Healthy, Feel Healthy, Live Healthy!

So much chicken!! Chicken Curry Clafouti & Cilantro Lime Chicken

Aaron and I bought a nice big packet of nice organic chicken breasts from Grants Quality Foods. Unfortunately everything comes frozen so I had a lot of defrosted chicken to use.

I looked up some recipes and decided on making Chicken Curry Clafouti which I got from the Primal BluePrint Cookbook from Mark's Daily Apple and the Cilantro Lime Chicken which is from Paleo Girls.

I was a bit sceptic about making the Chicken Curry Clafouti as it contained lots of butter and coconut milk. I always wondered what it was that upset my stomach - the grains or the dairy. It was quite a heavy dish overall so you couldnt eat too much in one go. And my stomach was fine afterwards :) Could be because I used unslated butter and organic coconut milk? Not sure..

INGREDIENTS

• 6 Eggs
• 6 tblsp melted Butter
• 3/4 cup Cream or Coconut Milk
• 4 cups Chicken (cooked & chopped)
• 2 tblsp Curry Spice
• Salt & Pepper to taste

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 204C/400F
• Butter a 10" round or 13x9" dish
• Whisk together Eggs, Butter and Cream (I used coconut milk) until frothy
• Mix in Chicken and Curry Spice
• Pour into baking dish
• Bake about 45mins or until top is golden brown and puffy

The Cilanto Lime Chicken was delicious! It had a yummy citrus finish and the Cilantro (known back home as Coriander) added a nice touch. Aaron however doesnt like it so much..

INGREDIENTS

• 4 bone in, skin on chicken thighs (I used two chicken breasts cut into cubes)
• 1 Lime
• 2 tblsp Cilantro
• 1 tblsp Ground Coriander (I didnt use this)
• 1 tsp Ground Cumin
• 2 tsp Sea Salt
• 1/2 tsp Ground Pepper
• 3 tbsp Olive Oil
• Zucchini (I threw this in as a yummy side)

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 190C/375F
• In a small bowl, combine Coriander, Cumin, Salt & Pepper
• Coat Chicken with Oil and spice mixture
• Pan fry Chicken on medium-high heat for 5mins. Transfer to oven and bake for 30mins
• Chop zucchini in half lengthways then in half again
• Season with olive oil & pepper and put in oven when there is 15mins left with the chicken
• Remove from oven when done and garnish with fresh squeezed lime juice and cilantro (I only used lime)

Enjoy!!

Eat Healthy, Feel Healthy, Live Healthy!

Salmon Chowder

Aaron has had this little slab of Salmon sitting in the freezer for nearly one month now. Last night, I decided it was time to cook it!

This recipe was inspired from Mark's Daily Apple - The Primal Blueprint CookBook actually called Arctic Char Chowder but I used Salmon instead of Char. I halved the recipe as we only had 200g Salmon



Salmon Chowder.. pretty good considering I dont like Salmon

 INGREDIENTS

• 200g Wild Salmon
• 1/8 cup Butter
• 1/4 cup chopped Onion
• 1/4 cup chopped Carrots
• 1/4 cup chopped Celery
• 1 cup Vegetable Broth (I used Chicken as I didn't have Vegetable)
• 14oz can Organic Crushed Tomato
• 1/2 teaspoon Thyme
• 1 whole Bay Leaf (I didn't have this)
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup Heavy Cream (optional)

METHOD

• Make sure bone and skin is removed from Salmon
• Chop into bite sized cubes
• Melt Butter in heavy pot over medium heat
• Add Onion, Celery and Carrot and cook for 5mins
• Add Broth, Tomatoes, Bay Leaf and Thyme
• Cover and let simmer for 15mins
• Add Salmon and Cream (I didn't use the cream)
• Stir and cook for a further 10-15mins, stirring occasionally
• Remove Bay Leaf
• Adjust Seasoning if needed (I added a dash of Basil)

Let it cool for a bit before serving because I burnt my mouth being an eager beaver!

Enjoy!

Finally got motivated to do a workout today. My hamstrings have been crazy sore from the strength workout I did with Aaron a few days ago.

This workout took me about 45mins to prepare for as I had to set up the rings outside and it was -7C! So I kept escaping back inside to defrost for a few minutes!

-Warm Up-
2rds:
50x Double Unders
15x Air Squat
10x Push Up

-WOD-
100x Air Squat
20x HSPU sub: Right Angle Push Up
30x Pull Up
100x Air Squat
30x Pull Up
20x HSPU sub: Right Angle Push Up
100x Air Squat
Time: 15:55

Eat Healthy, Feel Healthy, Live Healthy!

Staff Christmas Party... Eek!

We had the Staff Chritmas Party last night. I was a little nervous about what would be on the menu but figured there will always be something that I can eat.

We arrived and there was a massive feast. Yummy finger buns with butter, salad and dressings, mash potato, more potato, pork, turkey, beef, steamed veggies and LOADS of delicious looking desserts!

What did I have with all this temptation around me? I had salad (no dressing), steamed veggies, turkey and pork. Yum, yum! Pat on the back for me! Aaron enjoyed some potatoes, a finger bun and chowed down on two of the desserts.. Havent quite got him fully on board with Paleo yet.. makes it hard to stay on track. I have been a little weak around the muesli bars which have granola in them. I have to find something better to snack on. Fruit and salad just doesnt appeal to me as much..

I was supposed to be working all day today but it turned out to be REALLY slow. No tables at all! So I got sent home at 11am. I thought I might as well order something with my staff discount but nothing was very Paleo friendly. The closest item I could find was the steak sandwich which was served with soup, fries or salad. I asked for the salad and for the sandwich to be made without the bread =) Not bad for $12

Until next time!

Eat Healthy, Feel Healthy, Live Healthy!

Bolognese Sauce

My staple dish back home was spaghetti bolognese but now that I am cutting out grains I can still make my bolognese sauce I just have to eat it with something else. So this time I am using left over salads from the Chicken Fajitas and having 'tacos'!

Bolognese Tacos!

INGREDIENTS

• 1kg Beef mince
• 1 can Organic Peeled Tomatoes
• 4 tablespoons Organic Tomato Paste
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 chopped Onion
• 2 Garlic clove (minced)
• 1 tablespoon Thyme
• 1 tablespoon Oregano
• 1 tablespoon Basil
• 2 cups Water
• 1 cup sliced Mushroom (optional)

METHOD

• Heat Oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add Onion and Garlic until Onion is translucent
• Add Mince, cook until brown
• Add Can of Tomatoes, Tomato Paste, Herbs and Mushrooms
• Simmer and stir for 5mins
• Add Water and let simmer on medium-low heat for 1 hour (I am too impatient and dont add the water. I just cook for a little longer)

Mmmm Bolognese Sauce

 I served in a Romaine lettuce leaf with left over Guacamole and Carrot. Enjoy!

Eat Healthy, Feel Healthy, Live Healthy!

Crave sugar and carbs much?

I have decided that being away from home actually makes the progression to Paleo easier.
Home = Routine = Cereal + Milk = Chocolate at work = Lemon Cheesecake and Potato bake at the folks place (I am getting so hungry talking about this!)
I am not in a routine yet which makes it easier to start a new one. I have found it easy to avoid cereal and milk and have been having bacon, egg, mushroom and tomato for breakfast or left overs from previous Paleo meals (tried them yet? How amazing are they?!) I also munch on some almonds occasionally with my breakfast.

Then I cook my amazing Paleo lunches then its tea time.... and I am usually working at Wildfire Restaurant with an amazing menu to choose from... last night I had lamb shanks. Super fatty but I had my asparagus, beetroot and capsicum which was good. There was some mash potato underneath my shank but I tried to avoid it as much as I could.. (maybe a little mouth full.. woops!) The night before I had Haddock which is a fish that tastes like snapper. This came with more damn mash potato and the same vegetables as the shank. Still getting my veggies, my protein and my good fats. Challenging, but it is amazing how you look at food now. I went out for a buffet lunch today and there was yummy mash potato and garlic pita bread and pasta salads.. The list goes on! Its crazy how much grains are out there and I would have never paid attention to it before! Evil grains....
I opted for some chicken curry, lettuce leaves (no dressing) and steamed vegetables. I watched people around me chow down on massive plates of hot chips with gravy and burgers... it made me feel a little sick actually.. weird hey?

Its only been a week but I feel great! My skin is improving and I haven't been bloated after any of my meals!!! I used to eat breakfast, get to work and be starving by 8:30am. Now I am satisfied until my next meal comes! I love it!

I am still having some mad sugar cravings but they will pass eventually.. its like going cold turkey with a drug addiction (not that I know what its like) but I am going mental! As nice as it tastes in your mouth, your body doesn't agree with you. I have to keep remembering that.

I did a WOD and a strength workout with Aaron at the resort gym this afternoon. It was pretty long and tiring and we were sharing an Olympic bar which was timely and everything is measured in pounds so we were constantly whipping out our calculator!

-Warm Up-
3rds of:
5x Strict Pull Up
7x HSPU
10x Squat
10sec L-sit on hands

-Strength-
OHS 75% x5, 80% x5, 85% x5+
Load - 20,25,29(10)
Weighted Lunge 2x12
Load - 17,17
Deadlift 75% x5, 80% x5, 85% x5+
Load - 50,55,59(8)
Romanian Deadlift 3x10
Load - 45,45,45

-WOD-
10,9,8.....2,1 reps for time of:
KB 'American' Swing @ 16 sub DB 'Russian' Swing @ 17
Burpee
Time: 6:01

Bolognese tonight! I will share my recipe with you tomorrow!

Eat Healthy, Feel Healthy, Live Healthy!

Chicken Fajitas & Guacamole

I made some guacamole yesterday just because I could... Aaron, my fiance, has been working during the day so I cook these meals for my lunch then he has them for dinner when I got to work at a restaurant. Bit crappy but its only for four days then I get some time off.. then we do it all over again!

The guacamole is delicious. An amazing blend of herbs and spices which Aaron despised
=( but I loved! More for me! But I will have to make some changes next time if I want him to get some good fats into his system!!

This is yet another recipe from Paleo Girls

Yummy Guacamole!

INGREDIENTS

• 3 Avocadoes (seeded & peeled)
• 1 Lime (juiced)
• 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne (I didn't have this ingredient so I didn't use it)
• 1/2 medium onion (diced)
• 2 tomatoes (seeded and diced - I just used the tomatoes from a leftover peeled tomato tin I had and didnt bother seeding them)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Cilantro (I had Cilantro paste so just squeezed in a heap of that.. maybe what Aaron didnt like??)
• 1 clove Garlic (minced)

METHOD

• Add avocado and lime juice to a bowl and toss together
• Add Salt, Cumin and Cayenne (if you are using it) and mash together using a potato masher (I used a fork as I did not have the luxury of this handy tool)
• Fold in Tomatoes, Onion, Cilantro and Garlic
• Refridgerate until ready to serve

You can use this Guacamole for so many things. I am going to use it for lunch to go in my chicken fajita, and I plan on using it again when I make bolognese and have tacos. You could have it with corn chips but we can't eat those! So maybe celery or sliced cucumber?

How to make CHICKEN FAJITAS!

INGREDIENTS

• 500g Chicken Breast
• 2 Capsicum
• 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup Water
• Fajita Seasoning (I have no idea what this is so I will include what I used below)

METHOD

• In a bowl, mix Olive Oil, Water and Fajita Seasoning. If you do not have this seasoning I improvised with 1 tablespoon Ground Cumin and 1 tablespoon Paprika and 1 teaspoon chopped fresh Thyme
• Cut chicken into strips or cubes and add to bowl
• Make sure the chicken is well coated and place in fridge for 20mins to marinate
• Cut 2 capsicum and 1/2 onion into slightly chunky pieces
• Heat pan to medium-high heat and add a tiny bit of Olive Oil (you dont need much because the marinate already has oil in it
• Cook chicken for about 2mins stirring frequently
• Add chopped capsicum and onion and continue to cook for about 8mins

• Remove from heat. You can eat this by itself stirred in with some guacamole but I it in a Romaine lettuce 'boat' with carrot, tomato, mushroom and some guacamole!

Messy but AMAZING!

I went snowboarding for an hour today but besides that I had a Rest Day.

Eat Healthy, Feel Healthy, Live Healthy!

Elk Sausage Stuffed Capsicum

I went and checked out Grants in Invermere and they had Elk sausages which I just HAD to try!!! It was $12 for 5 sausages (ouch) but I have never tried it before and it was good quality meat.

I also found this recipe on Paleo Girls website. However I substituted the Italian sausage for Elk so you can pick whatever flavour sausage you like!

The final product which I served with spinach leaves.. SOOO tasty!

INGREDIENTS

• 4 Red or Green Bell Capsicum
• 0.5kg sausage of your choice
• 1/2 cup onion (chopped)
• 1 teaspoon fresh chopped Thyme
• Fresh Ground Pepper, to taste
• Sea Salt, to taste (optional - I didn't use)

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 190C/375F (I keep listing it in farenheit because the ovens here are in farenheit but back home they are in celsius)
• Prepare capsicum by cutting off the tops, and discarding tops and seeds
• Peel the sausage skin off the mince and throw out
• Mix sausage mince with onion thyme and salt & pepper
• Stuff the meat mixture into the capsicum, and place them upright in a baking pan
• Bake for 45mins until the capsicum has softened

Take note that the capsicums hold a lot of juice so they leak a bit on your plate. I added the spinach leaves underneath the stuffed capsicum to soak it up. Looks good too!

Eat Healthy, Feel Healthy, Live Healthy!

Spaghetti Squash with Marinara Sauce

It is quite hard starting out on the Paleo diet when you are away from home and don't have your comfortable kitchen setup. I am working in Canada and am in a loft with 7 other people and we dont have many utensils or appliances. I have bought a few things but am just modifying recipes if they need a blender or something I dont have with me. I also dont have alot of my herbs =( so I have stocked up on a few but could still do with more. It is also hard as well because I am not familiar with the town yet so I have been asking around hoping to find a place that sells grass-fed meats and organic foods. I have been successful and found Grants who has delicious grass-fed meets and gluten free muesli bars with no added sugar so I can eat those yay! I also found Springs Organics which have fruit, vegetables and nuts and skincare yay! Both which are in downtown Invermere (about 25mins drive from where I am living)

I stumbled across an amazing blog Paleo Girls about two sisters who have been on Paleo and are enjoying its benefits. They also had lots of recipes which is really helping me stick to Paleo. Here's one of them.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Spaghetti Squash (I dont think we have these in Australia but I will be looking when I get home!)
• 1 tablespoon Oregano
• 1 tablespoon Basil
• Fresh Ground Pepper and Sea Salt, to taste

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 190C/375F
• The Spaghetti Squash needs to be cut in half and then placed face down into a baking dish
• Fill with enough water that 1/2inch of the spaghetti squash is immersed in water
• Cover with aluminium foil and place in preheated oven for 45mins until the squash is easily pieced with a paring knife
• Turn over the squash and recover with foil. Bake for another 15mins
• Remove from the oven, uncover and allow to cool

• Using a spoon, remove the seeds and discard

• Use a fork to gently pull the strands of squash away from the peel and place the strands into a mixing bowl
• Add ingredients above and gently toss with tongs

MARINARA SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

• 1/8 cup Olive Oil
• 1/2 Onion-diced
• 2 cloves garlic-minced, chopped whatever..
• 1 tablespoom Basil
• 1 tablespoon Oregano
• Small tin of whole organic tomatoes with their juice
• Ground Pepper and Sea Salt to taste

METHOD

• Place olive oil, garlic and onion in a pan and cook until translucent and soft
• Add all other ingredients and let simmer - the longer the better. I let it simmer for about half an hour.

• Gently mix in with Spaghetti Squash

Viola! Spaghetti Squash with Marinara Sauce and it tastes just like pasta! Defintely making this one again!

I ate this with a side of vegetables but you can use it with fish, chicken, meatballs whatever you like.

I did an "Annie" workout this morning from the Crossfit Darwin site. It is too cold to workout outside (about -5C) so I worked out in the Common Room of Staff Accommodation. It was a bit hard doing Double Unders because Aaron broke my rope, skipping outside in the winter weather and it snapped! Curious at the reason for why he was using my rope?? I used his which is a bit big so I had to wrap it around my hand which wasn't very comfortable. Pretty happy with my time though. I beat my last Annie workout by 20 seconds. Yeeha!

-Warm Up-
2rds of:
1x Stair Sprint
10x Sit Ups
10x Push Ups

-WOD-
"Annie"
50-40-30-20-10 reps for time:
Double Unders
Sit Ups
Time: 7:03

Eat Healthy, Feel Healthy, Live Healthy!

Lemon-Dijon Pork Chops

This recipe I found on the Paleo Girls website. It is supposed to be done with pork tenderloins but I only had pork chops and they still tasted amazing.
I never really knew how to do pork other than roasting it and doing a yummy apple sauce, which dad always did so I have no idea how it is done..

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Lemon (zest grated)
• 4 freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Good Olive Oil
• 6 cloves Garlic
• 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped Rosemary leaves
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped Thyme leaves
• 2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
• 3 pork tenderloins (I used 5 pork chops)
• Ground Pepper and Sea Salt, to taste

METHOD

• Combine lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, mustard and salt into a strong resealeable plastic bag (or a marinating container if you have one)
• Add pork and make sure it is all coated with marinade
• Seal bag and put in fridge for at least 3 hours preferably over night (I just had mine in for 3hrs and it was still great!)
• Preheat oven to 204C/400F
• Remove pork from marinade, discard marinade but leave herbs on pork
• Sprinkle pork with ground pepper
• Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large oven proof pan over medium-high heat
• Cook pork chops on all sides until golden brown (about 2mins each side)
• Place pan in the oven for 10-15mins (mine took 20mins)
• Remove and cut in diagonal slices and serve with salad.

Delicious! Got the thumbs up from the fiance too so success! Yay!

Sorry I didn't get photos of this one but will remember to from now on!

Eat Healthy, Feel Healthy, Live Healthy!

The newly discovered road to a Paleo Lifestyle

As a crossfiter at the Crossfit Darwin box, I was exposed to a new Paleo Challenge. A challenge of the food you eat, and if you have a slip than you get punished with burpees!! So what is Paleo? I have heard of Atkins, Jenny Craig and loads of other fad diets but never this one.

So what do you do when you want to find something out? Google it! I got this definition from Wikipedia. The modern dietary regimen known as the Paleolithic diet (abbreviated paleo diet or paleodiet), also popularly referred to as the caveman diet, Stone Age diet and hunter-gatherer diet, is a nutritional plan based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that various human species habitually consumed during the Paleolithic—a period of about 2.5 million years duration that ended around 10,000 years ago with the development of agriculture.

So what does that mean? Do I have to move to Africa to hunt lions and live off the land? Do I have to wear Flinstones clothes and walk around with a baton? No...

To follow a paleolithic diet you need to eat meat as it was back in the Stone Age. So not processed, not grain fed and not pumped with drugs. So organically grown grass-fed animals that are not confined to a tiny little spot in a dense shed. Free Range so to speak. That goes for fruit, vegetables, nuts, herbs and spices as well. Organic - no fertilises, no chemicals, no preservatives... all natural. There was no dairy back in this era and there were no processed grains i.e. bread, cereal, cookies, chocolate =( so none of that..

I thought this diet would be quite hard considering I like to use packet ingredients and just add it to my meat. And the fact that I have ALWAYS had cereal and milk for breakfast and also that I am probably the most sugar addicted person on the planet!! Bit of an overstatement I know..

But I wanted to give this diet a shot as I want to be a healthier person. I battle painful blind pimples, severe bloating and sometimes stomach upsets after meals. I also have crazy hayfever - constantly sneezing, itchy eyes and throat and runny nose. And to top it off I get indigestion (heart burn) accommodated by thousands of hiccups!

I have read many success stories of people following the Paleo way of life so there is no harm in trying right? Let's see how I go..