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Day #30 The End?

May 5, 2012
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Day #30 has come and gone. It felt weird making my breakfast this morning and not snapping a photo of it before I dug in…so I snapped a quick photo anyways. I think I have created an odd habit. Taking pictures of my food has worked its way into my routine. Uh oh.

I may take a few days off from posting about my food but I have a feeling I will be back with more very soon…perhaps something a bit more challenging. We shall see. :)

Now on with the days food!

Breakfast

Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, dill, and sweet potatoes.

If you still have not tried smoked salmon in your scrambled eggs… you don’t know what you are missing out on. I suggest you try it immediately.

Not only did I survive yesterdays WOD but I also had the opportunity to cook lunch for my friend Laura and her little one Claire. ( well, Claire had a sandwich with almond butter and jelly ).

Salmon with red and golden beets, ( glazed with coconut oil, chicken stock, and raw honey ), and brussel sprouts.

I was a little nervous serving beets and brussel sprouts to Laura…little did I know it was the first time she had tried either of these vegetables. If you have had beets before, you know they have what we call in the culinary world an “earthy” flavor. A.K.A. it tastes like dirt. They are kind of an acquired taste…but luckily Laura isn’t a picky eater and enjoyed the beets and the brussel sprouts. Mission accomplished.

Another concern when serving fish is that people are not used to #1 eating the skin, #2 seeing it served skin side up, and #3 are used to it being served to them over-cooked. Laura asked me before she started eating “Can you eat the skin?”. Yes. You can indeed eat the skin. If it is served nice and crispy of course.

Dinner

Salad of of leftovers

For a post-workout meal I made a salad out of leftovers from lunch. The only thing I had to slice up was mushrooms and avocados. I added a bit of balsamic vinegar and dinner was done!

And that my friends concludes my thirty days of Paleo…or does it?

Day #29 and a WOD

May 4, 2012
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Hard to believe yesterday was day #29, only one more day to go…that is if Is survive this WOD  today…

WOD ( workout of the day )

50 Box jump, 24 inch box
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings, 1 pood
Walking Lunge, 50 steps
50 Knees to elbows
50 Push press, 45 pounds
50 Back extensions
50 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
50 Burpees
50 Double unders

I might die. Guess I better make some good food.

Breakfast

Bacon, eggs, and sweet potatoes…yum

 

Lunch

Left over London Broil and the usual avocado, mango, peppers, and olives

Dinner

More leftovers!

I love leftovers. I used the rest of the London Broil from the night before and sauteed some peppers, onions and mushrooms. I guess you could say I made fajitas..just minus the tortillas.

If there is no blog tomorrow its probably because I didn’t survive today’s WOD…or my arms, including my fingers are too sore to lift. Wish me luck!

Day #28 Where’s The Beef?

May 3, 2012
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I was kind of a slacker yesterday. I think I had an adrenaline hangover from the midterm the day before. I didn’t even make it to CrossFit. I know, complete and total slacker. I did however, get some time in the kitchen.

Yea…

Lunch

Sauteed chicken breast, carrots (and purple carrots), and brussel sprouts with bacon

I usually blanch, or steam my veggies before I saute them. In this case I steamed the carrots and brussel sprouts so that I am pretty much just warming them up and adding a little color in my pan while I season them. I seasoned the brussel sprouts with salt, pepper, and some white wine. The carrots are seasoned with salt, pepper, and fresh dill.

Dinner

I don’t eat a lot of beef. Not because I think it is unhealthy, but because I only eat grass-fed beef and it is kind of pricey sometimes. Well, I picked up a little treat from the Farmers market…

Yep, Grass-fed goodness courtesy of Flying Mule Farm.

Fun Fact of the day: London Broil is not a cut of meat…it is actually just a cooking process. What you are really getting when something is labeled London Broil is usually top round roast. Oh, and they have no idea what a London broil is in London. Yep, Americans just love to make this stuff up. :)

Here is another fun fact: Dogs go crazy for grass-fed beef. I think there is something different in the way it smells when its cooking compared to corn-fed beef. That should say something right?

Good thing there is a glass door between me and this hungry pup..I hadn’t even started cooking it yet.

There was a huge watermelon taking up space in our fridge so for the purpose of creating some more storage space I decided to use it up by making a gazpacho…

Watermelon Gazpacho

Along with the watermelon I used 1/2 serrano pepper, 1 tomato, 1/4 cup red onion, olive oil, dill, and a mix of apple cider vinegar and balsamic vinegar. Red wine vinegar would of been ideal but I was out. I just blended the pepper, tomato, onion, dill, and watermelon up in the blender until smooth and then added the vinegar, salt pepper,  and oil, to taste. After it I seasoned it to my liking, I placed it in the fridge to chill for a bit and served it topped with more dill, coconut milk and olive oil.

For the london broil: I marinated it with a mixture of balsalmic vinegar, coconut aminos, garlic, olive oil, and italian herbs. I didn’t want to make a liar out of the name so I broiled it in the oven until it was medium-rare. I served it with a side of mashed sweet potatoes and asparagus. Yum :)

What is your favorite cut of beef?

Day #27 Respect Your Food

May 2, 2012
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I almost feel relaxed today…compared to yesterday at least. As you might have read yesterday, I had my written and practical midterm for my baking and pastry class. We had to make biscuits, spritz cookies, a pie, and soft yeast dinner rolls in only a whopping 3 hours….and for the results:

My pie is kind of a hot mess....

I passed! My biscuits are pretty sexy, as are my rolls and cookies…my pie on the other hand, well… its a bit of a hot mess. -1 point. The pie was supposed to be a double crusted apple pie, but the chef decided to go with a cranberry apple pie with a streusel topping instead. How pretty can streusel really get? Okay, its still pretty ugly but it tastes better than it looks. (or so I was told :p )

Onto the real food!

Breakfast

Sometimes you just need some good old bananas and eggs to start your day.

Yep, bananas and eggs. Had to start the day off right…

Lunch

Canned salmon, avocado, bell pepper, mango, salsa, and olives with red wine vinegar.

Quick and easy…

Dinner

Shredded chicken and salsa, sauteed cabbage, avocado and mango.

Thanks to my roommate ( ehem* my Mom…:p ) there was some left over shredded chicken breast upon my return home. ( just chicken and salsa cooked in a slow-cooker all day and then shredded ) I was more than happy to take the rest of the chicken and placed it on top of a bed of sauteed cabbage, mango, avocado, and top it with some more salsa. Definitely quick and easy.

Despite the days of quick and easy meals I am not always about the quick and easy. ( that’s what he said ). I respect my body by putting good food into it, but I also want to make sure that I respect the food. I enjoy taking my time in the kitchen. Sometimes time doesn’t always allow for it, but cooking is not always about shortcuts and convenience. When time does allow, don’t be afraid to take your time in the kitchen, put on some music, relax, smile, live in the moment, and enjoy it.

Happy Cooking!

Day #26

May 1, 2012
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Today is Day #26 and also the day of my practical and written midterm exam for my baking and pastry class. Yesterday I watched ( and helped clean ) the rest of my group struggle to finish their practical part of the test on time… so naturally, I am a bit worried. For the practical we have to make: Dinner rolls ( yeast bread ), biscuits, spritz cookies, and an apple pie. Wish me luck.

Breakfast

Chicken and apple sausage, scrambled eggs and sweet potatoes

Lunch

Smoked salmon salad with avocado, bell pepper, mango, and red wine vinaigrette

Dinner

Time to study!

 

Happy Tuesday!

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?

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