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Monthly Archives: April 2012

Day #25 Happy Monday!

April 30, 2012
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It’s the start of another week and another day of Paleo food. Day #25 to be exact. Oh, and it is also Meatless Monday. My Monday shall remain meatless…and by meatless I mean my day will be absent of the term meatless.

Breakfast

Applegate farms chicken and apple sausage with scrambled eggs and sweet potatoes.

I have a strange need to scramble things into my eggs. I couldn’t just put the sausage on the side…. the eggs just call to them.

California Poppies

After I worked up an appetite frolicking through the poppies I decided on a salad for lunch. Surprise surprise.

Lunch

Chicken, spinach, avocado, olives, mango, salsa, bell pepper, red wine vinegar

After testing my patience, my avocados finally ripened. I took full advantage and applied them liberally to my salad. Oh avocados. How I missed you.

DInner

Sauteed red cabbage, smoked salmon, and avocado

For dinner I felt like a little something on the lighter side that didn’t require much effort because I knew I would spend the rest of the night baking this:

Apple Pie

I know… this is definitely not paleo friendly. It’s been awhile since my hands have been covered in flour in my home kitchen. It felt almost…wrong. However,  pie crusts and I don’t get along too well and I have to make an apple pie for my baking and pastry class midterm. For the sake of my grade, I decided to practice a bit at home. I won’t be missing pie crusts too much. They are like the Tourne cuts of dessert. A pain in the bum.

Happy Meatless Monday! Go buy some local grass-fed beef!

Day #24 The Art of Real Food

April 29, 2012
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Day #24 was a day full of sunshine…

Going Bananas

Bananas….

Vibrams KSO Trek

and my white gorilla feet. ( The breakfast is quite fitting isn’t it? ) It is hard to know what people are staring at when I run by. My lack of shoes, or lack of tan. My legs are a bit white with a shade of Casper ( which is a shade of ghost that is not so friendly on the eyes. )

After my run I headed over to the Auburn Farmers market and picked up a copy of The Art of Real Food.

I even got it signed…

I think I owe a lot of what I learned about cooking to these two ladies. Before I started culinary school I cooked a lot out of their first book.

Lunch

Pan fried Dover Sole over sauteed cabbage and asparagus

If you haven’t noticed by now… Sole is appearing in a lot of my meals. That is probably because we purchased a Duggar size family pack of it from Costco that needed to be used up A.S.A.P. ( and no I don’t buy beef from Costco )

Dinner

Chard with Pine nuts and Raisins

For dinner I used an idea from my new cookbook and sauteed some fresh chard with pine nuts and raisins…

I served it over some roasted sweet potatoes and topped it with the last of the Sole.

What are you cooking today?

Day #23

April 28, 2012
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Day #23! Word on the street is that the new Placer County cookbook The Art of Real Food is being released today at the Auburn farmers market. I was a fan of the first one so perhaps I will have to pick up a copy along with some fresh produce. Speaking of produce… remember when I said that I sometimes buy produce just because it will look pretty on a plate? I am kind of drawn to bright colors when it comes to food so the other day I couldn’t resist these purple carrots….

Purple Carrots

Kind of awesome right? Purple on the outside and orange on the inside. I was wondering if they would lose their color when cooked but to my surprise, they kept their color.

Now for the rest of the food!

Breakfast

Had to have my bananas...

I know it looks like I was just being my usual self with my odd combo of bananas and eggs but the jokes on you because I switched up the Almond butter. I discovered Artisana’s raw almond butter. I’m in love.

Lunch

Canned Salmon with a spring salad

There is something about spring that just says “eat a salad”. So I did. As I do on a regular basis. It was kind of a salad stew. I just used up whatever produce was on hand. I used bell peppers, olives, green onions, and tomatoes…I have two big old bags of unripe avocados sitting on the kitchen counter taunting me. They would of gone nicely with this salad… but instead they will remain incubated next to the apples and bananas testing my patience.

DInner

All I see is my purple carrots

For dinner I pan fried some Dover sole seasoned with salt, pepper, and Penzy’s spices. I first steamed the carrots and then sauteed them for a few minutes just to add a little more flavor to them, and then served it over a bed of sauteed cabbage. Pretty simple but tasty.

Happy Saturday!

Day #22 and Dietary Cholesterol

April 27, 2012
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Hard to believe it is already day #22! And it is also hard for people to believe I am eating what I eat without expecting to die an early death due to heart disease. I get it. It is hard to believe it is safe to eat eggs, bacon, red meat..etc. after all these years of nutritionists, and doctors demonizing it. I am finding one of biggest areas of concern for people is dietary cholesterol. Understandable…considering Dr.’s love to dish out statin drugs like candy. So on that note, here is a good presentation by Chris Kresser on the truth behind cholesterol. If you are having any concerns PLEASE take the time to check it out. Right Now. Yep. Click, one, two, or three of these links. In this presentation he covers these important issues:

  • debunk the myth that eating saturated fat and cholesterol causes heart disease.
  • explain why LDL and total cholesterol are not useful markers for heart disease.
  • present three markers that are useful markers for heart disease.
  • demonstrate that low-fat, high carb diets promote – rather than protect against – heart disease.
  • show you how eating saturated fat and cholesterol can prevent heart attacks
  • tell you how to order a test that more accurately predicts your risk of heart disease

Enough with the health preaching and onto the food…where I belong.

Breakfast

Scrambled eggs with spinach, bacon, and sweet potatoes.

I am not afraid of eggs…or their yolks. Or bacon.

Lunch

Pan fried Dover Sole, spaghetti squash and broccolini.

Dinner

Salad with sauteed brussel sprouts and bacon, chicken, mango, bell pepper, and green onion.

CrossFit usually leads to a salad for dinner. It makes me a bit food lazy…but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t delicious. :)

What are your thoughts on dietary cholesterol?

Day #21 Dear Miss Michaels

April 26, 2012
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I almost used today’s blog to write a response to a recent post that Jillian Michaels posted on her Facebook page….( okay, I admit I am kind of a fan, but not a fan of her nutrition advice. ) but then I remembered that arguing diet advice is an exhausting battle and I am only here for the food. I will make a few points however.

Here was her post:

“Weight loss tip – So many people come up to me and tell me they can’t lose weight and yet, I haven’t ever met a person I can’t take weight off. You’re not counting calories. Forget all the fad diets for a moment and just focus on the basics. Weight loss will always require burning more calories than you take in. Calories in versus calories out. If you’re trying to lose weight I recommend 1200 cals a day for a woman & 1400 cals a day for a man. Only exception is green veggies. Eat as many greens as you want, but make sure they aren’t cooked in a fattening sauce. Don’t get hamstrung by fads like avoiding carbs or grains, going raw, and so on. It’s perfectly healthy to eat carbs, fat, and protein as long as they are not overly processed and loaded with chemicals like trans fats, artificial sweeteners, flavors and colors, hfcs, and so on. Eat real food with calorie control and you can’t go wrong.”

There are a few things that stand out to me in this post.

#1 Calorie counting and “calories in versus calories out”. – This subject is way too complicated for my simple mind but please check out a book called Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes.There are also plenty of articles on www.robbwolf.com on the subject. One hint on why I have a problem with the whole “Calories in vs. Calories out” theory: Hormones folks. Hormones.

#2 “Don’t get hamstrung by fads like avoiding carbs or grains, going raw, and so on.” – Ehem. Excuse me miss Michaels but considering humans have been eating a paleo/primal/ancestral diet for quite some time, I would hardly call it a fad. THE human diet, is not a fad.

#3 “I recommend 1200 cals a day for a woman & 1400 cals a day for a man.”- Is it just me or does this amount of calories make you hungry just thinking about it?

#4 “Eat real food”- I couldn’t agree more. Lets get on it!

Breakfast

Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, sweet potatoes and sauerkraut

Yep, the new usual.

Lunch

Sauteed chicken breast with steamed spaghetti squash, and sauteed brussel sprouts with bacon.

For lunch I rendered some bacon and then sauteed my brussel sprouts. I also made some spaghetti squash.

Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash is a great substitute for spaghetti. They named it spaghetti for a reason. You can sub the squash for spaghetti noodles and make spaghetti out of it, or you can simply steam it, stir in a little coconut oil, salt and pepper and enjoy it as a side.

put a fork in it

After you steam it, roast it, etc… just grab a fork and scoop out the spaghetti strands.

Chicken breast with sweet potatoes, and sauteed purple kale.

Did you know there was purple kale? Pretty awesome right? I have found that most people have a love-hate relationship with kale but how can you hate kale? #1 it tastes amazing ( especially sauteed with bacon, onions, and garlic ) and #2 it comes in green and purple. I love colorful produce. Sometimes I will buy produce just because it will look pretty in a dish. I guess this purple kale doesn’t exactly look pretty but it did before I cooked it…

So what do you think of Jillian Michaels weight loss tip?

Day #20 Easy as Pie

April 25, 2012
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I don’t really know where the saying “easy as pie” came from. If you have ever actually made pie it’s not really all that easy…its kind of a pain in the bum actually. Baking requires a little thing called patience..something I don’t have a whole lot of. However, the finished product is usually worth the wait…even if I am not going to eat it.

Bon Appetite

Can you tell the people in our group are all savory students? The one the left is mine.

Most of these pies went into the garbage afterwards. I would say that it is a sad waste of food but come to think of it, they are all empty calories anyways…they are not really capable of nourishing any hungry stomachs.

Onto the real food!

Breakfast

My new favorite breakfast

I am kind of stuck on the smoked salmon in the eggs breakfast, try it and you will see why. :)

Lunch

only cool people eat salad

I was running a bit low on time and ingredients for lunch today. I settled for canned tuna and a salad with olives, green onion, tomatoes, and mango. Honestly, I wouldn’t really recommend this salad. Here is an example of what NOT to eat… even though you can. Okay, so it wasn’t that bad, but its not something I would go out of my way to make. It could be that I am just not a fan of canned tuna.

Dinner

Whole Foods Dinner

I had a few things to pick up at Whole Foods on my way home so I decided I might as well pick up dinner while I was there. It is great that they have a food bar but when it comes to sticking to Paleo 100% it is pretty darn near impossible. Most everything they have has some sort of canola or soybean oil in it. Whole Foods, why must you fail me? I did what I could to make my dinner as Paleo friendly as possible with some sort of chicken curry, fruit, sauteed veggies and a spring mix salad.

On that note, pay attention to the oils you are using folks. Here is a good article on which fats to use, and which to avoid. Click Me.

Happy hump day!

Day #19

April 24, 2012
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Yesterday was not only Day #19 of more paleo food, but it was also “Meatless Monday”. I was reminded by a teacher from the Art department of our school who came in asking the culinary students for assistance in a Meatless Monday poster they are putting together. The poster will showcase different types of pizza…different types such as vegan, meat lovers, etc. etc. I feel a rant coming on but I will try and keep it short and sweet.

Having been a vegetarian for quite some time I was a big advocate for Meatless Monday….”it’s just one day out of the week!” I’d say….Yes, true. Certainly anyone can survive a day without meat, or even 5 years ( not optimally of course ) …but I think I have had enough meatless Monday’s for a lifetime. I have a bit of a beef with meatless Mondays. The meatless Monday campaign promotes that “By cutting out meat once a week, we can improve our health, reduce our carbon footprint and lead the world in the race to reduce climate change.”The problem I have with this is that although it may be saving some people from eating industrialized meat, it is most likely sending them to the nearest “meat substitute” made of GMO soy, corn, etc…which is the same stuff they feed those animals that you are “not eating”on Monday. So in reality, instead of eating meat fed GMO soy, it is being fed to you. Yum. Eat up.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not completely against meatless Monday’s. If people are going meatless yet sticking to real foods without the soy and meat substitutes than that’s fine by me. If it helps people to become more aware of the food they are buying and eating than I would consider that a pretty awesome accomplishment. However, I’d say that being a responsible omnivore by buying organic local food, grass-fed beef..etc. etc. everyday could have a bigger impact than just one meatless day. What do you think?

Maybe a Grass-fed Tuesday would be more effective…

Onto the food!

I started off my meatless Monday the right way…with bacon.

Breakfast

Scrambled eggs, bacon, sweet potatoes, and sauerkraut

I love sauerkraut. Don’t judge me.

Lunch

Canned Salmon, avocado, tomato, mango, green onion, and balsamic vinegar

Nothing like a good salad for lunch. Oh and its easy…

Dinner

Canned salmon and left overs with a side of sweet potatoes

I was pretty busy baking some more gluten bombs at school today so I didn’t get home till late. Canned salmon and left-overs it was! ( stir fry left overs ). Oh and a side of sweet potatoes because I wanted something sweet that wasn’t as sweet as these….

Found my inner house-wife

Happy Grass-fed Tuesday?

Day #18

April 23, 2012
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Being the responsible adult that I am…I left my homework until last minute ( yes, there is homework in culinary school ) which cut into my blogging time for today. In other words… you get a few shady food pics of my lazy day of cooking.

Breakfast

Smoked Salmon and scrambled eggs with sweet potatoes

 

Lunch

Left over stir fry from the night before and some sauteed chicken breast.

Dinner

Canned salmon with avocado, sweet potatoes, sauerkraut, and left over cauliflower rice

Just in case you are feeling lazy I  gave you a days worth of lazy food ideas….okay so it wasn’t intentional but everyone lacks a little luster in the kitchen sometimes right?

Happy Monday!

Day #17

April 22, 2012
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It’s day 17 and I am not only loving food these days but I am also loving the weather. It is almost hot out… I love it. It is nice to be able to step outside without a jacket, and I think I might have even gotten a slight sun-tan burn. Yesterday I started my day off with a run in my Vibrams…it has been awhile since I have gone for a run in them. ( the freaky looking gorilla feet shoes a.k.a. barefoot shoes if you are not familiar ). Running barefoot ( or nearly barefoot ) is quite liberating, I forgot how good it felt. Hopefully naked won’t become the new barefoot..my feet are ugly enough. You can most definitely take the whole primal/paleo thing a little too far.

Breakfast

scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and chives, sweet potatoes, and Raw Sauerkraut

Yesterday I discovered that smoked salmon tastes amazing with scrambled eggs. You should definitely try it if you haven’t already. I topped it with some chives ( wish I had dill actually ) and a side of sweet potatoes and raw sauerkraut. Looking at this dish in the eyes of the culinary world,  I wouldn’t normally serve my sweet potatoes like this to anyone else..but if you haven’t noticed I like them well done…and my patience for breakfast is abnormally low. Potatoes = blast pan with high heat, throw in the potatoes, cover with lid, and let them cook while I make everything else. I guess my “preference” is more of an excuse for neglect. :)

Lunch

pan fried salmon with sauteed asparagus, sauerkraut and an avocado tomato salsa

I pan fried some salmon with a little Penzy’s Arizona Dreamin spice and threw some asparagus in the pan with it. I served it over some sauerkraut and topped it with a tomato and avocado salsa.

I have been kind of missing Asian food lately, and if you didn’t know soy sauce has both wheat and soy in it. Both a Paleo no no. However, I did a little research and found this little gem of a product…

Coconut Aminos

It is basically a paleoified soy sauce. No soy, gluten, dairy, GMO free… heaven. It tastes a lot like soy sauce but its actually made out of fermented coconut sap. It is a little different I will admit but it is similar enough to suit any stir fry craving. I had to try it out!

I started off by making a marinade for my chicken. I mixed together some olive oil, coconut aminos, lime juice, garlic, raw honey, and ginger and marinated my chicken in it for about an hour in the fridge.

Then for the good stuff. Cauliflower egg fried rice, and zucchini noodles in my new wok.

Step 1

Saute your onion and peppers in a bit of coconut oil until tender, then add your garlic, ginger cauliflower, and coconut aminos. Saute until the mixture absorbs most of the coconut aminos.

Make a well in the center of your pan and pour in a couple of beaten eggs. ( I used a whole head of cauliflower that I had put through my food processor.) Mix continuously until the egg has set and been fully incorporated into your rice. If it looks soggy, keep it on the heat, and keep stirring it until the eggs set up and the “grains” look more separate

Your rice will look something like this when done. Make sure to taste it and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper…etc. Use your intuition, add or subtract what you like.

For the noodles I added in some bell pepper, onion, broccoli, mushrooms, garlic and ginger.

Onion, bell pepper, broccoli

First saute your onions, bell pepper, and broccoli in some coconut oil until tender.

Add mushrooms

Add in your mushrooms and saute until slightly browned. Then add in your garlic and ginger.

Add in your noodles. ( I know it looks like a lot but they shrink! ) Saute for about 30 seconds and then add in some coconut aminos.

Saute your noodles until tender, but not soggy. No one likes a limp noodle…

Adjust your seasonings to taste and serve!

Marinated chicken with mango sauce, over cauliflower rice and zucchini noodles

Along with the chicken I made a mango sauce similar to the one I made for lunch the other day only this one included mango, cilantro, onion, garlic, lime juice, white wine vinegar, and ginger. Just blend all the ingredients up in a blender, season to taste and serve with your chicken.

Not too hard right?

Happy cooking!

Day#16

April 21, 2012
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I woke up to a little surprise this morning. I am sore. Not in the usual I “worked out my triceps and biceps yesterday” kind of sore..but like in an “everything is sore and I can’t specify any exact muscles” kind of way. I am sore from about the neck down. I love it. As you may have guessed I went to CrossFit again yesterday. It was much harder than the first day but it felt amazing afterwards. I haven’t been pushed that hard since my high school soccer days. I know it seems weird but I haven’t had one long run that seemed as hard as a high school soccer practice. Not even those 20 mile long runs seemed as hard. It was nice to be pushed to that level again. Can’t wait for some more! Onto the food!

Breakfast

One of the two usual breakfast's of choice

Bored of this breakfast yet? I actually switched it up this morning a bit…stay tuned.

Lunch

Roasted Chicken with mango sauce, sauteed cabbage and roasted cauliflower

For lunch I just sliced up a little left over roasted chicken sauteed some cabbage and then roasted some cauliflower seasoned with smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. The mango sauce ( which could also be mistaken for nacho cheese ) is just a few mangoes pureed with some coconut milk, white wine vinegar, garlic, and paprika. I probably would of opted for some lime juice in the sauce but I was fresh out.

Dinner

Pan fried salmon and asparagus with a mixed salad

If you think about it, salads are kind of amazing. They are quick and easy, yet nutritious. Normally you have to sacrifice nutrition for quick and easy but not when it comes to salad. With just a little prep work and a protein you are done in no time. Salmon is probably my favorite protein. Both to eat and to cook…it also has skin that tastes pretty darn good…if it is crispy that is. I pan fried my salmon and then tossed it over some sauteed asparagus, mixed greens, radishes, avocado, bell pepper, and olives. I made a balsamic vinaigrette to go with it simply because the balsamic vinegar was already conveniently sitting in front of me, but feel free to dress your salad as you wish.

What are you cooking up this weekend?

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