Catching up...

Let me apologize to you all for totally slacking off. :( I've had a bit of a rough week, what with my back acting up, and me finally breaking down and seeing a new chiropractor about it. I got x-rays done yesterday, and my doc called me to let me know, that there is some work to be done, but he's positive that all will be well soon.

In the meantime I've been eating chocolate and other sugary poison like a pig, and I drank a NorCal Margarita every single night this week. Yep, I was in BAD shape! But, as of today I'm doing a two week sugar detox with my very good friend, B. I don't have a clue, how I'm going to last a day... much less 14! But I committed to it, and now that I'm not doing this on my own, I better damn well, stick with it. Yes? Please wish me luck. Or better yet... JOIN US!! Be part of the challenge! Give up any and all sugar. This includes *gulp* fruit, honey, syrup, and any kind of sugar. Yep, I know, it'll be a tough one. But we will be feeling so much better on day 14! What do you say? Are you in? (Pretty please without cherries on top, because that's also a sugar!) Comment here or on my Facebook page, if you'd like to give this a try. Then check in on the Facebook page every day!!

Okay, enough blabbering about that. I made pan fried pork chops with parsley butter, only I changed the recipe, because I really didn't feel like breading the chops with coconut flour. Plus, in Germany we have thing called herbed butter. So I used stick of butter, added lots of parsley, and then seasoned it with paprika, garlic, salt, and pepper, mixed it with my handmixer and OH MY GOSH!! It was so very delicious. Served with broccoli and cauliflower that I cooked in the juices from the meat? Absolutely heavenly.
Big thanks to Things My Belly Likes for the inspiration. 

I also made pizza! This recipe has quickly become a family favorite. And I foresee making it every few weeks for sure. Paleo pizza ROCKS!! Don't get me wrong, I also like meatza, but it just isn't the same. There is simply nothing quite like picking up a slice of pizza with your hands and biting into it, and strings of cheese connect the pizza to your mouth, and you clumsily try to pull it in. Yum!!
And so, thank you once again to The Unrefined Kitchen.


Sadly I don't have a picture of the Whole Roasted Garlic Paleo Chicken... Well, I could take a picture of some bones and a little leftover meat, because that's all there is right now. We ate this last night, and I did use butter instead of coconut oil, because I felt like it. This was not on my weekly plan, but I really had a craving for chicken. This was easy to make and tasted very good. And I think everyone around here agrees! So, my thanks goes to paigebreak!

Well, that's what I got for ya for today!! Have a happy Friday! :)

Monday Madness

Any moms out there? Of maybe two or more children? If so, this picture needs no further explanation for you. Skip right ahead to the recipes. :)

For those of you not in the know... it's been one of these mornings. I love my brood, I really, truly do. I would not homeschool if it were otherwise. And most of the time, things are going well. Sure the kids have their little disagreements... sure, I get some preteen attitude from my daughter... sure, I sometimes wonder if my son's addiction to Minecraft should be a concern.

But generally speaking, we have things figured out pretty well. And then, on some days, like today, they seem to want to send me to the loony bin. They are at each other's throats like they're worst enemies. The name calling and bitching and fussing and bickering knows no end. And no matter what I say or do is received with more bickering and fussing, with eye rolling, sighing, grunting, and tantrums. "Not fair!!!" Wait, is that them or me calling this?  I finally retreated to the "office", closed the door behind me, and I swear I will hide her for the rest of the day. If I'm really quiet, maybe they won't find me!

 Well, this morning I finally got around to making a batch of green tomatillo salsa. I really didn't use a recipe. Just removed the husks from the tomatillos, cut them in half and put them in the broiler with a couple of serrano chili peppers. When they started turning a little brown/black, I turned them over, let the broiler do its thing for a few more minutes, and removed them from the oven.

I put everything into a blender with some salt, garlic, and lime juice, mixed it all up... et voila... it is finished. I love the sweet spiciness of this salsa. And it's super easy to make.

I also made granola, which was supposed to be the Grain Free Pumpkin Spice Granola, then realized I don't have half of the ingredients, so instead I mixed the nuts and raisins I had, added some honey, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice, and baked it all on a cookie sheet at 300F for 30 minutes.

I will definitely try this again. Another day this week, after I get the ingredients I need.

Hope your Monday goes a little better than mine. ;)

Week 4 Recipes

I really wish I felt like being upbeat and funny. But it's just not that kind of day. :) So here is my list of recipes to try this week. Looking forward to a full week of delicious new recipes. 

Roast Pork Loin with Herbes de Provence

Pan Fried Pork Chops with Parsley Butter

Grain Free Pumpkin Spice Granola

Braised Chuck Roast

Pizza

Grain-free Dutch Babies

Banana Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Can I have some cheese with that whine?

Watch out, for this will be a post laden with self pity. It's my blog, so I get to whine every now and then, right? You may tell me that I had it coming, as Crossfitters are ALL going to get injured at some point in their fabulous Crossfit "career".

Of course, not all injure their backs the way I did. I can handle the ripped up hands from the pull ups, and the bloody shins from box jumps, and I really don't mind the bruises on my hands and arms from the double-unders. They are all minor injuries, and they don't slow me down. A bandaid will fix it.

But an achy back? That's here to stay... in my case it's been two months, and I'm so sick of it, I am about to go a little crazy. I go through phases of enthusiasm and accept my fate. Even I can't sit and mope all day every day. But for cryin' out loud, two months? When will I ever get better? If picking up a heavy laundry basket makes me cringe, when will I ever do another deadlift?

Sure, it would be easy to blame Crossfit for it. But the fact is, I have no one but myself to blame for this. When I first felt sore in my lower back, I should have listened to my body and seen a chiropractor. Instead I deadlifted 185lbs... and two weeks later did the real damage with some clean and jerks. I know the exact moment it happened. My coach walked past me, as I didn't watch my form, and yelled, "Watch that form, Ute!" Alas, it was too late. Did that make me stop? NO! Something is obviously very wrong with me. Instead of acknowledging that I just hurt myself and stopping the WOD, I continued.

Two months later I'm a whiny mess. Sure, I go to Crossfit... about twice a week, ever so carefully completing my WODs, modifying them if there are any lifting moves or box jumps involved. But I'm used to doing this 4 to 5 times a week. I love doing Crossfit. It keeps me sane, and I love feeling stronger and fitter. Now, I'm just starting to feel like pudding.

I've seen a chiropractor, got massages, do stretches every day... but it appears that only time will take care of this for me, and sadly not soon enough. :(

Love lamb and Crossfit

Yesterday I went (as a spectator) to an All Women's Throwdown Crossfit competition, put on by Booties in Action and Crossfit Absolute in Sherwood, OR. I left the house around 9am and returned home after 4pm.

I've been hooked on Crossfit since January of this year, and to watch these women go out there and work hard and look awesome, was so inspirational. I very much wanted to compete in this one, but sadly, due to my back injury I don't see any competitions in my near future. Still, the vibe was amazing, and as always in Crossfit, it was the last girls to finish, who got the most cheers. What an amazing crowd. I do believe events like this will start taking place more often in the future, with Crossfit still up and coming. Someday I will get my chance and compete.

 As for my dinner yesterday, I'm proud to say that I remembered to throw some stuff into the CrockPot in the morning, and the lovely scent of this dinner drove everyone in the house crazy all day.

I made CrockPot Lamb Shanks, one of the CrockPot Contest entries on FastPaleo in September. Wow, what a treat! The lamb was so tender it fell right off the bone and melted in my mouth, and the sauce was to die for.

The preparations for this amazing dish took all of five minutes, and the outcome was phenomenal. And so, as week 3 of my one year challenge comes to an end, I can only say, that I have been impressed by almost all of the recipes I cooked during this time. The food was easy to prepare, and the meals and snacks always tasted delicious. I'm proud of our paleo crowd for being so creative with their food, and I'm grateful that they're willing to share it with the rest of us.

I'm also proud to announce that we have saved money in these past three weeks. Sticking to a plan made it unnecessary for me to go out and buy more food. I did run out of almond flour and fruit once and went back for that. But generally I spent a lot less time shopping for food, I saved money, and I felt so much more organized. Today I will choose recipes for a new week, and I can't wait to see what FastPaleo.com has in store for me.

I'll repeat my offer/request to you. Is there anything you'd really like me to try from FastPaleo? Comment here or send an e-mail to ute at fast paleo dot com.

Chocolate Chip Cookies and Mexi Cauli "Rice"

So, I decided to drop the counting of the days and just post the recipes instead. I'm cooking up a storm over here. In the past couple of days I've made some repeats like the pizza and the very delicious granola. The two new recipes I'm going to chat about today are the Almond Butter Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies (ABCCCC!) and the Beefy Mexi Cauli Rice.

Let's start with the ABCCCC. I really don't know why mine didn't turn out as pretty as The Unrefined Kitchen's, but who cares... because they were so friggin' delicious, that I had to stop my family from coming back for more... especially right before dinner!! The batter is super sticky, and if you put too much on the cookie sheet, they'll just turn huge (which in this house is just fine... the bigger the better). I had to bake them a bit longer than called for in the recipe, but that may have to do with the fact, that mine came out too big. ;) I highly recommend this recipe. It's super quick and easy... and well, yes, very very delicious!

And now for the Beefy Mexi Cauli Rice! Vanessa at http://www.healthylivinghowto.com posted this recipe on FastPaleo.com. The verdict? Yum yum yum!!!

I did add some cumin and turmeric to the mix of spices, because that just belongs into my Germanized Mexican food. And because I had some fresh cilantro left, I added that as well ;) Instead of goat yogurt, I used sour cream. And yes, I also added a bit of cheddar cheese. Nomz!

We ate this yummy meal just as you see it on the picture. But it could also be enjoyed wrapped in lettuce leaves. A great potluck food, if you ask me. Yet again, we have a keeper. Thank you, Vanessa!

Here is a bit of information on cilantro from The Global Healing Center!

This herb isn't just a commonly-used leaf and seed ingredient found in many tasty and exotic recipes, it's also a powerful natural cleansing agent. Cilantro has been effectively used to help remove heavy metals and other toxic agents from the body.
The chemical compounds in cilantro actually bind to the heavy metals, loosening them from the tissues, blood and organs. Cilantro's chemical compounds then aid to transport these harmful substances out of the body through elimination.
There is also a large amount of literature suggesting that cilantro could be one of nature's best bonding agents, particularly for individuals who have been exposed to heightened levels of mercury. Mercury excess is a common problem that may be the result of metallic teeth fillings or over-consumption of predatory fish

The Paleo War

Has anybody else noticed the paleo war that's going on on the internet lately? Paleo against primal, primal against paleo, and paleo against paleo. After the first enthusiasm about this great new way of life has worn off, we now have a ton of paleo "experts" out there. Anyone who can create a blog shares their paleo wisdom. And because they're all experts, they know of course just what exactly is paleo, what is not, and will gladly judge anyone out there who doesn't do things just the right way.

Suddenly our paleo "community" is not so tight knit anymore. Suddenly one paleo dude is no longer good enough, because he's not fit enough, because she's not thin enough, because he drinks milk, and she eats cheese. More and more I find paleo internet "celebrities" having to defend their ways of doing things, so the mob won't lynch them.

You see, I sort of get the criticism by the non-paleo crowd. They feel as secure and certain about getting everything right, as us modern cavepeople do. Of course they'll defend their ways. And of course they'll attack others. Heck, a vegan will not only attack paleo people, but every other diet that allows animal products. That is the nature of a die hard vegan. Period. :)

What I don't understand is the hostility among this "community" we are so proud of. I frequently find Matt and Stacy, the super sweet Paleo Parents defending who they are or why they don't look a certain way. Hello!! Have you looked at their pictures? Have you seen the changes they've made and the amazing results they've seen? In my opinion they don't need to defend themselves AT ALL!! Nor does anyone else who subscribes to this lifestyle.

The fact is, I don't know anyone who went paleo who did not see positive changes in their body and minds. Weight loss, clearer skin, shinier hair, sounder sleep... the list goes on and on and on. Does it really matter that I like to drink wine? Are you really going to judge my friend who drinks raw milk? And if Peggy, the Primal Parent digs raw meat, more power to her. Who cares?
Paleo/primal is an amazing movement towards a healthier world.

I eat this way because it works for ME! I couldn't care less if your paleo differs from mine. If you're healthy and happy, then hoorah for you! Go eat your liver. I hate that stuff. Yuck! :)

Have a great, peaceful weekend!

Day 17... Brownies and Chicken Curry!

 Okay, is there anything better than dark chocolate and peppermint? I love the combination. I dig mint chocolate chip ice cream, chocolate mints, and now I also love Sour Cream Peppermint Brownies. This recipe was uploaded to FastPaleo by Cat at Things My Belly Likes.

Instead of using a 9x11 inch pan, I used my 8x8. This meant I had to bake the brownies for a good 20 minutes before they were done. What a treat!! As you can see from the picture, my daughter liked them too. Of course she also likes to pose. ;)

The Mango Chicken Curry is also a recipe by Cat. Sadly, I could not find any mangoes. So, instead I used pineapple, and because we don't eat any rice around here, and I was way too lazy to make cauliflower rice, I added spinach to the mix. Spinach is my personal super food, that, in my opinion, goes with almost anything. I add it to shakes, eggs, salads, and lots of dishes that require something green... a little more substance maybe.

Anyway, the curry tasted great, and enjoyed every last bite. Guess what! No leftovers!! ;)

Day 16... Bacon Wrapped Cinnamon Sweet Potato Fries

You see that picture? The steak is half gone! It was my daughter who had to remind me to take a picture of my food. What is it with my brain? After over two weeks, haven't I learned to take pictures of my dinner?

My daughter was also the one who said this, "Mom, how could anyone not love the three best foods put together into a meal?" And she's so right. Oh my gosh, sweet potato fries wrapped with bacon... served with steak! Wow! Yes, another keeper! We LOVED this meal. 

I actually was in a bit of a rush yesterday, because we had plans to see a movie last night. So I ended up baking the sweet potatoes for only 20 minutes rather than 30, then turned the oven to Broil and let it do its thing for another 10 minutes. They turned out perfectly!

So my thanks of the day for the Bacon Wrapped Cinnamon Sweet Potato Fries goes to Victoria at Lemons 'n Lyme. Nom nom!!

This afternoon I hope to be making the cookies or brownies, so my kids have something to snack on throughout the week. Stay tuned!!

Week 3 recipes!

And I'm back! Spent the weekend with my children at a place that has gigantic rocks sticking right out of the sea. ;) I love this place so much, and I keep going back for more. I must have about 50 pictures of this rock. Isn't it just gorgeous??

Let's not talk so much about the food I ate during the last couple of days. I had good intentions, I swear. But well, then you're out there, and they have this great new gelato place, and oh my gosh, how I love gelato. This week is going to be one day short. I'll start my list with today's recipe and will have a list until Saturday (this includes Saturday), but will go shopping again Sunday. I don't know why, but this just makes sense to me.

Bacon Wrapped Cinnamon Sweet Potato Fries I will make these tonight to go with steaks.

Crockpot Lamb Shanks, a great recipe for Wednesday, when the kids and I will be out of the house all day.

Beefy Mexi "Cauli" Rice This just looks so delicious. I have to try it.

Mango Chicken Curry I love the taste of something sweet in curry.

Crock Pot Smoked Beef Brisket because I didn't make it last week, and I really want to try it.

One of these days will be a leftovers kind of day, as I've had lots of leftovers in the past two weeks.
On that day I will prepare a dessert...

Sour Cream Peppermint Brownies I think the ingredients in this recipe are a winning combination!

Almond Butter Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies Perfect snack food for paleo kiddies. :)

Wish me luck! Oh, and hey, got any ideas for what I should try from FastPaleo.com? Enter it in the comment section or shoot me an e-mail at ute at fastpaleo dot com.

Want to participate in my challenge for a week? Two? Five? Or maybe more? Let me know in the comment section as well. :)

Day 14... pancakes!

Okay, so I didn't cook dinner tonight, but I made coconut pancakes... with raspberry and blackberry syrup this morning. So I'm definitely counting this as a FastPaleo day!

I did modify the recipe just a bit. I don't have vanilla egg white protein, so instead of that I added ground chia seeds. Of course this means my pancakes didn't turn out as white as the ones on the FastPaleo picture, but they were still just as puffy, and oh my gosh, they tasted amazing. A new favorite for my kids as well.

My thanks for this recipes goes to Kate from Kate's Healthy Cupboard. We will make these over and over and over... with varying syrups! :)

Now go have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Days 12 and 13...

I was going to deliver this post last night, but due to my unsuccessful flying practice down the stairs and hurting all over, I chose to spend the rest of the evening on the couch watching TV instead.

I don't even know why I fell. I slipped, and before I knew it I was halfway down the stairs. And because of my lower back injury (that takes forever to heal), I tried my darndest to break the fall by yanking my arm around the banister... Well, I broke the fall, but I sort of slammed into the rail, hurting my ribcage, then realizing this hurts like hell, let go of the banister and dropped to my butt, hence hurting my lower back... again. I'm not one to swear like a sailor, but last night I was pretty darn close. And this morning I'm hurting more than I thought I would. I am such a klutz.

Well, let's get to the good part of this post. Except, I also forgot to take a picture of last night's dinner. I knew sooner or later it would happen. I noticed right after enjoying my burger. Good fun.

Day 12 was 90 Second Tomato and Chicken day. This is a slow cooker meal that was submitted by slyder1z. 

While I wasn't actually there to eat it, my family's verdict for this super quick and easy slow cooker recipe was, "Mom, that was the most fantastic meal I've ever had." Okay, so I feel maybe a little bit offended, because in the past years I've created some pretty flipping amazing recipes. This recipe was so easy, it makes me wonder whether I should go all out ever again. Heck, 90 seconds of preparation time. Not too bad! 
Also, I put the chicken into the slow cooker frozen in the morning! By noon or so we were able to pull it apart, and we shredded it just before eating it. We had the leftovers for lunch yesterday.

Day 13 we had the The B**** Burger, a recipe submitted by www.katielettsscribbles.com. It was easy to prepare, and it sure looked delicious, but, and this is a very personal thing, dates and beef do not mix in my world. I have never been the sweet and salty kind of girl, and I think I'll stick with that for now. 

A word of warning for the weekend... I'm going to take my kiddos to the beach... to a hotel. No kitchen available. It's this summer's last big hoorah in the Pacific Northwest, and I'm dying to test my new camera at the beach. So while I will prepare some kind of snack from FastPaleo.com today, I will not be cooking Saturday at all. Sunday night will be the next bigger dinner I'm cooking. 

Day 11... Honey-Lemon Glazed Pork Tenderloin Medallions

My husband's reaction to this recipe after taking the first bite? "Mmmmh, this is good!" And I can only agree.

Honey-Lemon Glazed Pork Tenderloin Medallions is yet another mouthwatering recipe, that was enjoyed by everyone in the family.
Best of all, this was so easy to make, that I literally spent 15 minutes in the kitchen. I walked away from it while the pork was cooking, then came back after a while, turned over the medallions, let them finish cooking... et voila, done! This is just the kind of recipe I need on days like today, when we are out of the house from 10am until 4pm. Broccoli cooks in 5 minutes as well, and before you know it, you have a delicious meal. So easy a caveman can do it!! ;-)

A great big thanks goes to Chow Bella for this wonderful recipe! I will definitely try more of her stuff in the near future.

A word on honey, as it is used in this recipe. Please be aware that using raw honey is great, but once you cook it, some of its greatest benefits will be lost. The writer of this blog recommends not using your good, raw honey for cooking or baking and to just use regular, pasteurized honey instead. You can certainly do that.

As for me, I don't actually buy the pasteurized stuff anymore. I buy my raw (local) honey by the gallon, and even though I know that heating will make it lose some of its benefits, I feel better about using raw honey. The reason for that is, that often honeybees are fed high fructose corn syrup. I know for a fact, that my honey comes from bees that are not fed any HFCS. While I cannot prove that HFCS is actually having a negative impact on honey, I simply feel better about using the raw stuff. Plus, this recipe calls for only half a tablespoon... well worth it in my opinion.

Time to sit and relax! Tomorrow it's CrockPot day!

Day 9 and 10 and Happy Birthday to me :)

 So it's my birthday once again. I am 38 years old today, and I have about a hundred million things to be grateful for. Awesome family, truly amazing friends, my health, a strong and fit body, and since June a fantastic job that I love.

I love my life, I really do... with all the little bumps in the road, the challenges, the highs and lows. It's a great ride, and it keeps getting better.

 Yes, I'm older... not necessarily wiser, but full of ideas and full of energy. I'm just starting to grow up, and to understand who I really am and what I want.

Being paleo and doing Crossfit are probably the two biggest changes I've made in my life in the past two years. And both have made my life better, they have made me stronger, and I am healthier than I have ever been before. Yes, I've also thrown out my back lifting heavy weights... But well, it's just another lesson learned.

 Day 9: I made Paleo Granittle Cereal (paleo granola) submitted to FastPaleo by Meghan. It turned out beautifully, although I chose to add the raisins to the mix before baking. I love baked raisins.

This is an amazing snack, and I'll have to watch the family carefully, as they'll make it disappear in 24 hours otherwise. Can't have that! This makes for a great snack on the go! Carried in a small container it'll fit in a purse or backpack.

Day 10: Instead of baking an actual birthday cake for myself (that's just too weird), I decided to make almond zucchini bread, submitted to FastPaleo by mmanika.

We loved this bread the first two times I made it, and it is quickly becoming a staple in my house. Today, I felt the batter was just a little too runny, so I added three tablespoons of chia seeds! Turned out to be a fabulous idea, and it's good for you too! This bread can be eaten as is, or you can chocolate chips or raisins or walnuts. Everyone here just devours the bread, but let me tell you, that there is nothing quite as delicious as a warm slice with some butter. Decadent!
IMPORTANT: I don't use two pans but one bigger one. This means I have to bake the bread around 40 minutes. 

As some of you may know we are one of those weird, crazy homeschool families. To us this means, that tomorrow things are starting back up for us... homeschool classes, ballet, karate, field trips and such. Quite frankly, I'm not sure how to add the home back into homeschooling sometimes.
This means, that I may decide to write my blog posts every other day rather than every single day, really depending on just how crazy things are going to get.

Thanks to the CrockPot recipe contest on FastPaleo I will have lots of slow cooker recipes to choose from this fall. And I'll make very good use of them! I look forward to reviewing all of those recipes and sharing with you.

I'm going to spend the rest of my day playing with my new toy (a really, really nice camera), getting a manicure from my daughter, chauffeuring kids to ballet and karate, and finally dinner at a German restaurant, where they have a great gluten free menu for difficult people like me!

This year I intend to become a better person... while I'm embracing who I am. Life is good.

Day 8...

I had the best intentions for creating this blog post last night. But well, then we had friends over for dinner... and then we sat and talked and drank champagne (which our friends brought for my birthday... which was unexpected, because this was just supposed to be dinner). And then it got kind of late, and there was only one place I wanted to be after they left... BED! So that's where I went.

Also? My apologies for the picture. The food, as you can see, is half gone, because I almost forgot to take a picture of it. What is this thing on the picture?

It is called Oven Baked Salmond with Bell Pepper Salsa, and it was uploaded to FastPaleo.com by Vanessa at Healthy Living How To! When I prepared this meal, the looks on people's faces seemed surprised. Bell Pepper Salsa was not what anyone expected to go with their salmon. Of course it looked gorgeous once it was served over salmon and with green asparagus on the side. And wow, it was unbelievably delicious. Everyone agreed. The salsa tasted fresh and light, the salmon was super tender, and the combination of the two... incredible. People had seconds... I had thirds... and yes, this recipe is most definitely a KEEPER!!

As for today, I may have to modify my plans just a tad, as I'm going out with the girls tonight. I still have last week's granola on my list though, so the day will not be lost on the FastPaleo front.

Have a wonderful day. I know I will. :)

Day 8... recipe list for week 2

Leftovers! Yes, I have lots of them! All from really delicious foods from this week, oh, and some very spicy chorizo burgers. ;) This is really convenient, actually, because this coming week, we are all going back to our regular routine.

This means, homeschooling is starting up again, plus all the classes we take, plus, ballet and of course karate. It'll be nice to have last week's leftovers for lunch next week.

A word of warning, there won't be any cooking around here on my birthday. That's Monday, the 10th. It's a family tradition to go out for food on our birthdays. And that is exactly what is going to happen on Monday. Of course I may break down and make a cake... because well, a birthday requires a cake in my world. We shall see.

Also, I had feedback on my Facebook page from someone who tried the Curry Lime Chicken Wings, and actually made them twice this week. They were a success! Yay!

Here are the other recipes I'm going to cook this coming week. Check them out... They all look absolutely amazing. I can't wait to try them and then tell you all about them.

Oven Baked Salmon with Bell Pepper Salsa

The B**** Burger (although I will likely not use jalapenos)

Honey-Lemon Glazed Pork Tenderloin Medallions

90 Second Tomato and Chicken (Slow Cooker)

CrockPot Smoked Beef Brisket

And likely I will make this...

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Ghee Buttercream Icing

The greatest thing about this week is, my shopping list is incredibly small! I have fruits, vegetables, and a few smaller items on my list. Everything else I bought in bulk before, and is ready to be used.

Let a new week begin!!

Day 7... let's not mention lunch, Southwestern Chorizo Burgers for dinner

Holy Shit!! My mouth is on fire, my nose is runny, and the wine is making my throat burn. I made Southwestern Chorizo Burgers tonight, which is a recipe by the fabulous Paleo Parents. Now, I'm sure this recipe is absolutely delicious... IF your chorizo is not fire breathing spicy! You know, funny thing is, as I stood at the meat counter at the store, I noticed the "mild" version for chorizo and thought, "What the heck. We're tough. We can handle it!" and bought the regular stuff.

I made the burgers without the eggs, because I had three eggs with bacon this morning, and there was no way I was going to eat eggs again! (Sorry for the sucky picture by the way.) I did add diced tomatoes, and for a side we had sweet potato fries.

I sat down for dinner excited about tasting chorizo for the first time ever. And then a fire was ignited in my mouth, and my children were simply unwilling to even give the burgers a try. Good thing we had hot dogs and bacon. I cooked up some dogs and bacon, and they happily devoured that with the sweet potatoes and tomatoes. Even our almost vegetarian guest enjoyed the meat. ;)

The husband liked the burgers, and he ate three of them. I guess he's the really tough guy in our family, having grown up on what my father-in-law proudly refers to as "real Mexican food". As for me... I WILL try this again some day... using the mild chorizo! That's right, I'm a big old baby.

Well, this was week 1!! Only... oh... well, lots of weeks to go. ;) You have an idea for what I should try from FastPaleo.com? Comment here or send me an e-mail to ute at fast paleo dot com.

Going to refill my wine....

Day 6, Greek salad for lunch,Chicken Tortilla-less Soup

This picture belongs to Paleo Comfort Foods!!

You know what I was thinking today, as I looked at the measly six days that I have been doing this, and the 359 days I still have ahead of me? "What the hell was I thinking? Good Lord, who does a ONE YEAR CHALLENGE?" On a day like this, when I finally went back to Crossfit after hurting my back (doing Crossfit), when temperatures hit 90F and I have nothing better to do than to walk to a frozen yogurt place... who wants to cook? And not just that! The only thing thawed was CHICKEN! *Insert nervous eyelid twitch here* So, what was for dinner tonight? Soup! Because we are not quite hot enough yet!

Okay, all the bad feelings subsided just as soon as the soup was slowly simmering on the stove, and the air was filled with cumin, chili powder, and cayenne. But, I will admit that I totally cheated. I just did not have it in my to bake the chicken for 45 minutes, just so I could shred it. Instead I cut it all into bite sized pieces, seasoned and cooked in my cast iron pan until slightly browned on all sides, then tossed it in the soup with the other ingredients. I let the whole thing cook for about 30 minutes on medium-low to low heat, and what can I say? It came out wonderfully. It's a good thing we all love chicken tortilla(less) soup. Not all of us like avocado though. So some of us passed on that and sprinkled some cheddar cheese on their soup instead.

It really was a delicious meal. Just imagine how amazing it would be in, say, October... when it's cold outside, and we return from a walk in the forest! As I'm looking out my window at green trees, a blue sky (okay, very dark blue as the sun is setting), and the window is wide open, I'm having a hard time imagining fall... and winter. But well, we live in Oregon. It'll be here... soon! Very soon!

Finally, a thank you to Paleo Comfort Foods for the yummy recipe and for sharing it with all of us on FastPaleo.com!

Day 5, leftovers for lunch, Crock Pot Short Ribs for dinner

Oh my gosh, these recipes just keep getting better.
But first things first...

I had to make a change in recipes, when I noticed that I had a total of 4 chicken recipes for this week. (Told ya I don't have the greatest organizational talent...) There is no way I'm going to feed my family chicken a whopping 4 times, especially considering that most of these lovely dinners come with plenty of leftovers. Note to self for next week: VARIETY!

Instead of making the chicken soup, I decided to go for one of the CrockPot Contest recipes, namely the Crock Pot Short Ribs, which was submitted by Shady Lady on the first day of the contest. And oh my goodness, they were soooo good!! Tender, fall off the bone, juicy yumminess. The whole family was absolutely in love with this meal, even my somewhat picky eater daughter, who, when it comes to ribs likes to make a face at it. Today, though, she chowed down the meal, and raved about it.

I don't know about you, but since I started eating this way, I've become more and more of a "caveperson"... Yeah, sure, I could have used my fork and knife to cut up the meat and eat like a civilized human... But in all honesty, I don't care to. I want to touch my food. And so I did... which is twice as funny now that I have these bright, green fingernails. But who cares... I dug in, and since my fingers were dirty already, I ate my salad without a fork as well. Yeah, back to the roots!

So, go ahead, give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!

Day 4, fast food for lunch, pizza for dinner

Ugh, I admit... I broke down and took my boy to eat burgers... with gluten free buns of course. I saw my chiropractor this morning and simply didn't care to cook lunch. Burgerville, the preferred fast food joint of Portland, opened a new location right down the street from us. And with my little birthday coupon of $5, the food became almost affordable. Yep, my birthday is coming up. Woohoooo! I feel tempted to bake a birthday cake. :)

Soooo, to honor all fast and comfort foods, I made pizza, using the pizza crust recipe, which was submitted to FastPaleo by The Unrefined Kitchen. I topped it with tomato sauce, cheddar cheese and ham and pineapples, because I absolutely LOVE Haiwaiian pizza!!

Well, what can I say? This pizza crust is absolutely amazing, and if I didn't know any better I'd probably make it about once a week. But, because I am a good cavegirl, this shall remain an occasional treat in my family. The pizza tastes fabulous, and you can eat it with your fingers. NO SILVERWARE REQUIRED! So, as soon as the next rainy, icky, must-have-comfort-food day comes around, this is the recipe I'll find in my little homemade cookbook. :)

Since I have your attention... just in case anyone missed it... there is a CrockPot recipe contest going on at FastPaleo.com. You could be the winner of one of five available really, really cool CrockPots, if you submit a CrockPot recipe right HERE! The contest runs until Saturday. The 5 winners are announced MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10... (my birthday!).

Full details on the contest can be found HERE! Good luck!!

Day 3... Picnic for lunch, Whole Lemon-Garlic Chicken for dinner

Day 3, Labor Day... It was another gorgeous day in the Pacific Northwest. Lots of blue skies and sunshine. And because it was beautiful and warm, we had a quick and easy picnic for lunch. Tomato salad with slices of turkey, hard boiled eggs, and pickles (because we all love pickles around here).

For dinner I made my friend Peter's super delicious Smoky Whole Lemon-Garlic Chicken. Oh, what a treat!! The recipe was super easy to follow, even though it's missing instructions on what to do with the other half onion and the garlic. But I'm sure, he'll fix it just as soon as he reads my review. ;)
Well, as for me, I added the garlic to the butter mix. Then I sliced the second half of the onion and spread it across the chicken, then baked the whole thing. The chicken came out tender, and absolutely amazing.

As a side I cooked asparagus in a cast iron pan. I used bacon grease and splashed a little balsamic vinegar on it, then simply cooked it on medium heat until it was nice and soft. The perfect addition to the chicken. Nom nom! What a great way to end a perfect day!

Thank you, Peter!

Day 2, Italian Prunes and Braised Beef! Yum!

Where I grew up in Germany, Italian Prunes were the fruit of late summer and early fall. We'd go crazy making preserves, cakes, freeze them, eat them fresh from the tree. And so, for me, eating Italian Prunes is not just about eating a fruit... it brings back precious childhood memories. 

Then I moved to Phoenix, Arizona and didn't really get much fresh stuff at all, and most certainly no Italian Prunes. Only when we made our move to Oregon, I was finally able to indulge again. Every year we go to a upick farm and pick at least 20lbs of the prunes. Of course, what would I do without my beloved cake? So I took my German cake recipe and made it Primal friendly. Notice I said Primal rather than Paleo. That's because I choose to use butter in this recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cups almond flour
1 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup coconut crystals
2/3 cup raw honey
2tsp baking powder
6 eggs
a swish of vanilla extract
1 stick and 3tbsp soft butter
2.5lbs of Italian Prunes

Preheat oven to 350F and grease a cookie sheet.
In a bowl combine all dry ingredients and set aside. In a separate bowl combine all wet ingredients and mix with a handmixer until fluffy. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined.
Spread the dough onto the entire cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and cover the cake with the prunes. Be sure to put the skin side down, otherwise the juices will soak into the dough and turn the cake into mush.
Bake the cake for about 40 minutes, turn the oven off, open the door a bit and leave the cake in for another 10 minutes or so. It's best if you let the cake cool a bit before you eat it. It tends to fall apart when it's very warm. Everyone in my German/American family quite enjoyed this yummy treat!!

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For lunch we had leftover chicken drumsticks from last night. I cut the meat off the bones and cooked them with zucchini in my cast iron pan. I added some more coconut aminos and red curry paste for flavor. Then I served it all over spinach salad. Quick, easy, delicious.

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For dinner we ate Merlot Braised Beef, a recipe by Esther from Paleo on Main. I really didn't make any changes, because I don't have a whole lot of experience with beef roasts. I did use my dutch oven to cook the roast.

As you can see, there is plenty of sauce on the plate with the meat. We have lots of sauce and some meat left. I am definitely going to keep the sauce to pour over another meal soon.

This was an amazing meal, and so easy to make. Took all of 20 minutes to prepare. Then the oven did the rest. I used lots of celery and carrots, so a side was unnecessary. But, I think next time we'll add some cauliflower and turnips to the sauce about an hour before the roast is done. The vegetables will soak up the sauce, and it'll taste even better I'm sure.

Well, Day 2 was another hit! We all loved it, and now I'm off for a piece of that delicious cake.

Day 1: Curry Lime Chicken Wings

Woooweee!! Day 1 is over, and I made the Curry Lime Chicken Wings.

The verdict? Definitely a keeper! They were juicy and delicious, with just a hint of spice!

I tweaked the recipe just a tad, and here's how:

The recipe says to cook the wings any which way you like (she baked it in the oven). Well, it's summer and warm, and I decided to throw my chicken on the grill (I used drumsticks rather than wings). I preheated the grill, then turned down the heat to low, and threw the drumsticks on without any seasonings. I then made the sauce, according to the recipe, BUT I added the coconut oil to the sauce, because I know that the grill has a tendency to dry out the meat. As soon as the sauce was boiling, I took it off the stove and used a brush to coat the drumsticks.
After a few more minutes, I turned over the chicken and covered the other side with the sauce. I had just enough to cover 15 drumsticks.
 
As a side I made a simple green salad with a tomato. For my dressing I use 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 3 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. I usually like my salads with a little more oomph... but, with this chicken a nice mild salad was just the way to go.

Day 1 was a complete success, and my thanks goes to "mamaelf" at http://mypaleorecipebox.wordpress.com/!