Carrot Banana Muffins, Version 2

Carrot Banana Muffins Right out of the Oven

I originally posted this muffin recipe over two years ago after discovering it on Elana's Pantry. I made a few tweaks and shared my version of the recipe on January 20, 2011. I haven't made these in a while, but last weekend I decided to make some to share with my Aunt Dora and cousin, Paulette who were stopping by the cabin for coffee on their way to visit Paulette's son in South Carolina. Even though the original recipe is free of refined sugar, it includes a cup of dates and 3 bananas. I decided to omit the dates and use green-tipped bananas instead of ripe bananas. I used 4 bananas because mine were on the smaller side, and since I was omitting the dates, I thought I might need the extra volume for the recipe to work.  The result was fabulous and plenty sweet. No need for the dates to make it even sweeter. This is how I'll make them from now on. If you prefer a sweeter muffin, try the original recipe for Carrot Banana Muffins.

Carrot Banana Muffins, Version 2

2 cups blanched almond flour, packed

2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon finely ground sea salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon
4 medium bananas (I used green-tipped, rather than ripe)
3 eggs
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

¼ cup coconut oil, melted
1 ½ cups shredded carrots (don't buy pre-shredded carrots; they are too dry)

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1. In a small bowl, combine almond flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
2. Chop the walnuts and set aside.
3. Shred/chop the carrots in the food processor using the shredder blade. Remove carrots and set aside.   Rinse and dry food processor bowl for next step.
4. In the food processor, combine bananas, eggs, vinegar, and oil.
5. Transfer wet mixture to a large bowl.
6. Blend dry mixture into wet until thoroughly combined.
7. Fold in carrots and walnuts.
8. Spoon mixture into a greased muffin pan. I use coconut oil. Grease it well as these tend to want to stick. Paper liners work, but the muffins stick to the paper until they are completely cool.
9. Bake at 350° for 25-27 minutes for medium muffins. Bake 30-35 minutes for mini-loaf pan. Mini-muffins are done in 15-20 minutes. 

Makes 14-16 medium muffins or about 36 miniature muffins. Or 12 medium muffins and 1 mini-loaf pan.

These deserve a pretty plate, and so do you.

My New Favorite Food

Dirty Cauliflower Rice

My new favorite food is cauliflower rice. Back at the beginning of the year I discovered zucchini noodles and became a little obsessed with finding different ways to use them.  Now I'm hooked on cauliflower, specifically cauliflower rice.  Tonight I whipped up a skillet of "dirty" cauliflower rice using a bowl of leftover cauliflower rice from Sunday night's stir fry.  I added to it leftover ground pork & veggies from this morning's egg muffins. 

My leftover cauliflower rice had been steamed, so it didn't require cooking beyond just re-heating. I added it to the skillet first and seasoned it with salt and pepper.  Then I added the ground pork mixture (also pre-cooked), heated it through and voila.  Dirty Cauliflower Rice, a satisfying supper.

Note:  Dirty rice gets its name from the fact that it is cooked with a little meat (chicken, sausage, or whatever), and this gives it a dark or "dirty" look. 

Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry with Cauliflower Rice

Stir Fry with Cauliflower Rice

For dinner tonight I made a beef and vegetable stir fry with cauliflower rice.  I cooked steak and veggies in a little coconut oil and seasoned the dish with tamari (gluten free soy sauce), garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper.  To make the cauliflower rice, I rough chopped a head of cauliflower, steamed it for about 10 minutes (or less), then riced it in the food processor using the shredder blade.    The cauliflower rice soaks up the flavor of the stir fry and bulks up the dish, serving the same purpose as traditional rice at a fraction of the carbs and calories.  

By the way, it was not obvious to me which food processor attachment I should use to make cauliflower rice.  The first time I made it (last week), I used the standard S-blade.  This is a mixing/chopping blade that sits at the bottom of the bowl.  It is not the right blade to use for ricing or shredding vegetables.  Use the shredding disc that sits at the top of the bowl on a pedestal.  Then load the cauliflower through the feeding tube.  It gets riced and drops to the bottom of the bowl with no further processing.  Maybe this is obvious to you, but it was not to me.  I'm no wiz in the kitchen, but I eventually figured it out.

This is a perfectly paleo dish - just meat and vegetables.   Give it a try.

Cauliflower Rice

Call Me Crazy



Primal Pizza

Well you can count me among the truly crazy ones now.  I made a pizza with a cauliflower crust!  Yep, that's right.  Pizza with cauliflower crust. But guess what?  It's good!  And the crust even holds up reasonably well so you can eat it with your fingers like regular pizza.  Now before I share the recipe, I should point out that this is not a low-calorie recipe.  The primal/paleo label is not a license to stuff yourself on pizza (I'm talking to myself here).  So if weight loss is a goal, be cognizant of the calories consumed.  While not low-calorie, this recipe is a tasty, low-carb alternative to the real thing.  And it's easy to make.

Note:  there are lots of variations on cauliflower pizza crust.  I relied mostly on a recipe from Primal Girl's blog.

Primal Pizza

Ingredients for the Crust:
coconut oil or other fat to grease the pan**
1 head of cauliflower, approx. 2 cups when steamed and mashed.
2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup almond flour
Seasonings to taste

**I read online that you can use parchment paper instead, and that would save about 200 calories.  The crust will stick if you don't grease the pan or use parchment.  Note that I haven't tried using parchment, but I read that it works.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425.
2. Grease a large baking pan.  I used a 19x12" jelly roll pan as pictured above.  (I haven't made cookies or a jelly roll in ages, so this pan was happy to get out of the cupboard.)
3. Clean and rough chop the head of cauliflower. Steam it until tender - about 10-11 minutes once the water comes to a boil.
4. Process steamed cauliflower in food processor to create a mash.  I suggest leaving it with a little texture to it - about the consistency of rice.  You should have about 2 cups of cauliflower once processed.
5. Transfer 2 cups of cauliflower to a mixing bowl.  Mix in the 2 cups of shredded mozzarella, the almond flour, eggs, and any seasonings you want to add to the crust.  I added cracked black pepper and garlic salt to mine. 
6. Spread it out on the baking pan.  I used my hands to spread it to cover the entire pan.  It will be thin, but it will cover the pan.
7. Bake at 425 for 17 minutes or so. 
8. While the crust is in the oven, you can prepare the toppings for your pizza.  I used 6 oz tomato paste mixed with Italian seasoning, 6 oz ground pork that was leftover from the stuffed acorn squash I made last night, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and 2 oz more of shredded part-skim mozzarella.
9. Remove the crust from the oven when done. Reduce oven temperature to 350.  Top the crust with toppings of your choice and return to the oven. I cooked mine for about 10-15 minutes more. 
10. Let it set for a few minutes before serving.  The crust will hold up better once it has cooled a bit.

For the calorie conscious:  I calculated the calories in my pizza using Fit-Day.  For the full pizza, I calculated 1946 calories.  I sliced it into 16 small pieces, and I ate 4 of them (486 calories) for dinner (about the equivalent of 2 regular slices of traditional pizza).  So like I said, it's not low-calorie, but it is low-carb, and it is good.    You can shave a few calories by using parchment instead of oil to grease the pan.  Also, you could save calories by making it vegetarian and/or omitting the cheese on top.  I used 2 oz cheese on top, and I will omit that next time; I think it will still be very good without the added cheese.  But you can't omit the cheese in the crust.  That's what holds it together.

How is it leftover? I had two leftover slices the next morning for breakfast.  I can't remember the last time I had cold pizza for breakfast so this was a treat!  It was very good eaten this way as well; it felt like I was cheating, but I wasn't.  This recipe is a wonderful addition to my collection of primal/paleo recipes.  You might want to give it a try.

This is what the crust looks like once baked.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Stuffed Acorn Squash

To celebrate the first weekend of fall, I wanted to try acorn squash.  I've never cooked it before so I googled "acorn squash recipes."  Most of them involved adding brown sugar and butter to make it a sweet treat.  I had a different idea.  For some reason, I kept thinking of stuffing it with sausage so that's what I did.  Here's my recipe for "Stuffed Acorn Squash.".

"Stuffed Acorn Squash"

1 Acorn Squash washed and cut in half
dash of ground cinnamon
dash of ground ginger

~1/2 to 3/4 pound of ground pork
sea salt, cracked black pepper, red pepper flakes to taste
1/2 onion chopped
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1 egg, beaten
2 T mozzarella or other cheese, shredded (optional)

Pre-heat over to 350 degrees.
Place the squash halves cut-side down on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for 30 to 45 minutes until squash flesh is developing tenderness, but not cooked all the way through.

While the squash is baking, brown the pork in a skillet.  Season with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.  Remove to separate bowl.  Using two tablespoons or so of the pork drippings, saute the onion and celery.  Add celery and onion to the pork and mix together.  Add 1 egg beaten to the pork mixture. Mix well.

Remove the squash from the oven when starting to develop tenderness.  Turn the squash over (cut-side up) and place in a baking dish that supports the squash and prevents the halves from tipping over. Lightly sprinkle the squash flesh with cinnamon and ginger.  Divide the pork mixture between the squash halves.  Return to the over and bake for another 30 minutes or so until squash is tender all the way through. 

If desired, sprinkle each half with a tablespoon of shredded mozzarella or other cheese.  Return to the over for a few minutes to melt the cheese.

Fill Up on This

Mexican Chicken and "Rice"

It's time to get back to cooking some good-for-me food. I found this recipe for Mexican Chicken and "Rice" on Elana's Pantry.  This is my first time making cauliflower "rice," and I am pleasantly surprised at how it turned out.  It really bulks up a dish without adding all the carbs that rice or another grain would.  Plus cauliflower is so much more nutritious than rice.  This is a spicy, filling dish that cooks in one skillet and will be great for leftovers.  I recommend it.  Here's Elana's recipe with a couple of tweaks by me.

Mexican Chicken and "Rice"
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup celery, finely diced
1 head cauliflower, trimmed
1 (4 ounce) can green chilies, diced
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and diced into 1-inch pieces
salt, pepper, ground cumin, oregano and chili powder to taste
avocado
salsa

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat
2. Saute onion over medium heat for 10 minutes, until soft
3. Add celery to skillet and saute for 5 minutes
4. Place cauliflower in a food processor with the "S" blade and process until the texture of rice
5. Add cauliflower to skillet and season to taste with salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and oregano.  Cover and cook 5-10 minutes, until soft
6. Mix chilies and chicken into skillet and cook until heated through
7. Serve topped with avocado and salsa

Shepherd's Pie

Ever since I got my food processor, which enabled me to make good cauliflower mash, I have been thinking of making a Shepherd's Pie.  Sunday night I made a quick and simple skillet meal of ground beef, vegetables, and seasonings.  Monday night I used the leftover ground beef concoction to form the base of my Shepherd's Pie. Then I steamed a head of cauliflower.  Cauliflower mash is simple to make if you have a food processor.  When I tried making it without a food processor, I was never happy with the results.  Just toss crisp-tender steamed cauliflower into the food processor along with ~2 tablespoons of butter, a splash of half and half, sea salt, and cracked black pepper.  Process to your desired consistency.  Spoon over the ground beef mixture and bake at 375 until heated through and starting to brown on top.

Note: One small head of cauliflower was enough for an 8x8 casserole.

Chicken Fingers

Oven Baked Pecan-Crusted Chicken Fingers

This recipe is from Emeril Lagasse with modifications to make it more paleo-friendly. I made these on Friday night for dinner. I think they are even better left over and eaten cold. Melvin likes them too.

Oven Baked Pecan-Crusted Chicken Fingers

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2 cups pecan pieces
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons Emeril's Essence, available in the spice section.  It contains paprika, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, and thyme.   Or you could season to your own taste.
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut lengthwise into strips 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the pecan pieces and 1 tablespoon Essence (reserve 2 tsp for egg mixture).  Pulse for 1 minute to combine. Pour into a shallow dish. In a bowl, beat together the eggs, olive oil and remaining 2 teaspoons of Essence. One at a time, dip the chicken into the egg mixture then dredge in the pecan mixture, shaking to remove any excess. Transfer to the baking sheet and bake, turning once, until the chicken is cooked through and the crust is golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

You can make a sauce for dipping if you like. I like them without a sauce.  Emeril's recipe included instructions for making a Honey Mustard Sauce, but I passed on that.

Totally Paleo and Totally Satisfying

Pot Roast, Cauliflower Mash, and Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts



For dinner on Friday, I made a delicious meal of pot roast, cauliflower mash, and brussel sprouts.  Totally paleo and totally satisfying. This may be the best meal I've made since going paleo.  And so simple.  The roast went in the crock pot Friday morning. I just plopped the roast in the pot, added an inch or so of water, salt, pepper, 3 garlic cloves, an onion coarsely chopped, and a couple of carrots.  The garlic, onion, and carrot were for flavoring the broth; I tossed these out when the roast was ready.  If you want to do a pot roast along with root vegetables, you certainly can; but you would want to add the vegetables mid-way through the cooking process so they don't get too mushy.  I just wanted a nicely flavored beef broth that I could serve Melvin.  Besides, my day was too busy to stop mid-way and add the vegetables. 

To complete the meal that evening, I made the cauliflower mash and roasted brussel sprouts.  The cauliflower mash is really simple.  Just steam the cauliflower to crisp-tender, and then combine it in a food processor with butter, a splash or two of half and half, salt and pepper.  Make it the same way you would mashed potatoes.  You can omit the half and half and just use butter, salt and pepper.  Process until it's the consistency you want.  Add more salt and pepper as needed for your taste.   I tried making cauliflower mash before I had a food processor.  It was just okay.  The food processor makes all the difference.

I tossed the brussel sprouts in a little bacon fat, seasoned with salt and pepper, and then roasted in a 425 degree oven for maybe 20 minutes until brown and tender.  

Zucchini & Sausage Casserole

This recipe is inspired by one that I found in The Primal Blueprint Cookbook by Mark Sisson.  I made a few changes to his recipe and renamed it.  He called it Zucchini Egg Bake.  I like my name better.

There is a ton of grated zucchini in this recipe, and it creates a wonderful, soft, comforting texture for this casserole.  It reminded me a little of stuffing.  Definitely a keeper.

Zucchini & Sausage Casserole

4 T butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 pounds zucchini, washed and trimmed
3/4 pound or so of ground pork sausage (Whole Foods has a good ground pork sausage, sold by the pound in the butcher's case).
3 eggs
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
salt and pepper for seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Grate the zucchini.  I used the food processor shredder blade, and it worked just fine and made quick work of the 2 pounds of zucchini.

In a saute pan, melt the butter.  Add onion and zucchini.  Season with salt and pepper.  Saute on medium heat until zucchini is tender, 5-7 minutes.  Remove zucchini to a colander to allow any excess liquid to drain. 

Add sausage to saute pan and cook until almost done.  Combine the sausage and zucchini in a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, beat 3 eggs with salt and pepper.  Add the beaten eggs to the zucchini and sausage mixture.  Mix well. 

Pour into an 8x8 glass baking dish.  Top with grated cheese.  Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes.  Allow to cool for 15 minutes or so before serving.

Makes 4 servings.

Five Spice Beef and Broccoli

The other night I was craving something different from my usual standbys.  I wanted a satisfying dish, full of flavor.  I found this recipe for beef and broccoli in The Primal Blueprint Cookbook.  I liked it but preferred it without the garnish of fresh herbs.  I bet it would also be good served over cauliflower rice instead of the bean sprouts.  I might try that next time.   If you are craving some Chinese flavors, maybe give this a try before calling Golden Buddha for a delivery.

Five Spice Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry
~ From The Primal Blueprint Cookbook

Ingredients:
1/2 lb flank steak
3 T wheat-free tamari
1 T sesame oil
1/4 tsp Chinese five spice powder
2 tsp grated ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1 head of broccoli, cut into florets and steamed (crisp tender)
6 oz (a few big handfuls) mung bean sprouts
I prefer it without the following:
1/4 cup finely chopped mint
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

Servings: 2 - 4

Instructions:

Mix together a marinade of tamari, oil, five spice powder, ginger and garlic. Slice the meat into thin strips. Marinate at least 15 minutes or up to several hours if you have time. Heat a saute pan or wok. Add meat and marinade to the pan and saute 3 - 5 minutes, stirring a few times so the meat cooks evenly. Add the steamed broccoli and saute a few more minutes. Add bean sprouts and remove from heat. Garnish with fresh herbs if desired.  I found the strong flavors of cilantro and mint did not compliment the other flavors.  I liked it best when I had it the second time without the garnish of fresh herbs.

Noodle News

Zucchini Noodles are my new favorite food!

My new favorite food is zucchini noodles.  I slice these using my Martha Stewart mandoline and then steam them just a few minutes until tender.  Then I toss them in a bowl with a little butter or olive oil and salt & pepper.  You can use these as the base for anything you would serve over pasta.   The noodles can be roasted instead of steamed; roasting yields a dryer noodle which is good for things like lasagna.  Steaming yields a wetter, softer noodle that is good for things like marinara sauce or meatballs.  Steaming is a quicker option than roasting.  Either way, I think you will like them.   

A Lot Like Omelets, Only Better

My Frittata with Spinach, and Smoked Gouda

I recently discovered frittatas, and I am loving them.  Frittatas are a lot like omelets, only better.  They are easier to make and the leftovers are perfect for quick meals, even meals on the go.  Leftover slices can be eaten cold, with your fingers, like a slice of pizza.   I make my frittatas in a cast iron skillet.  I start them on top of the stove on low heat, and finish under the broiler.  I use 6 well-beaten eggs as the base, seasoned of course with a little salt and pepper.   I add to that mixture whatever I want.  Favorite ingredients include ground pork sausage from Whole Foods, chopped fresh spinach, and cheese.  For the paleo-purists, you can easily make this 100% paleo; just choose ingredients accordingly.

Stuffed Peppers

Paleo Stuffed Peppers

Here's a simple paleo recipe:  Stuffed Peppers.  For mine, I made a meat sauce using grass-fed ground beef, cauliflower "rice", onions, garlic, mushrooms, and canned tomatoes.   I cooked this all up in a skillet and then stuffed the peppers with the meat sauce.  I baked the peppers at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes.  During the last few minutes of baking time, I topped with a little parmesan cheese.  I served these with Sauteed Spinach with Toasted Pepitas and Cherry Tomatoes.

A Kick in the Behind

"Free Spirit"
by Duy Huynh

My annual physical was a few weeks ago on October 1. I just received the results from the blood work on Monday, and my fasting blood glucose was borderline high (101 and the top of the range is 100). What?! I gave up sugar (in addition to all grains) on July 25, ten weeks earlier so how can this be? In all my 49 years of eating mostly crap most of the time, my blood glucose had never tested high. I even remember thinking, "how am I getting away with this?" And by "this" I mean eating all this sugar and still reporting normal blood glucose? Well, it's no surprise that I wasn't getting away with anything. In order to maintain normal blood glucose levels in spite of my horrendous diet, my pancreas was pumping out insulin like crazy all those years, resulting in my current insulin resistant state. Of course that's my own diagnosis after spending the last year learning about nutrition and metabolism. My doctor isn't going to diagnose this. She'll just keep testing my blood and let me know when I've moved into the diabetic range. At that point she'll give me a low-carb diet to follow.

I looked back in my food diary to see what I had eaten the day prior to the 11am appointment. We were between challenges, and I was a little looser with my diet than I had been in previous weeks. I was enjoying a bit of a break from the close scrutiny, but was still eating mostly primal. Dinner the night before the appointment was Paleo Night at Urban Pl8. I remember commenting to Damon the next day that it was richer and sweeter than I was used to eating, and I felt it. That same meal would not phase someone with a healthier metabolism than mine. Their body would have blood sugar levels back to normal within an hour of eating that meal. My body was still working on getting it under control more than 12 hours later.

So what do I make of all this? Well, for one, it explains so much. It explains why the weight isn't coming off as fast as I would like. I'm insulin resistant. Duh! I guess I knew this already, but there's nothing like seeing it in black and white after 10 weeks of eating a diet designed to improve the very thing I'm seeing in the report. It underscores just how important it is for me to keep carbs low; even "good" carbs need to be kept in check. And when I do splurge, it needs to be in moderation, followed by a walk or some activity to help my body bring blood sugar levels back to normal. Having this new information is a kick in the behind -- just in case I was starting to wonder what's so bad about a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast seven days a week.

Celebration Lasagna

Celebration Lasagna

To celebrate the end of the eight week nutrition challenge, I decided to prepare a special meal. I wanted to make something delicious and satisfying but still within the bounds of primal, low-carb, paleo-ish nutrition. Lately, I have dreamed [literally] of oatmeal and english muffins so I toyed with treating myself to some grains! I even briefly considered having a real dessert made with lots of refined sugar, but quickly decided that was not what I wanted. Recently, while reviewing the Everyday Paleo blog, I stumbled across a recipe for lasagna. That was it! Lasagna! Even without the pasta, it is a rich, luxurious meal.
Here's the link to the Everyday Paleo Lasagna recipe if you want to check it out. I opted not to go with this version since it is strict paleo, without any dairy, and I wanted cheese in my Celebration Lasagna.

Celebration Lasagna
Ingredients:
2 lbs grass-fed ground beef
1 jar of organic, gluten-free, sugar-free pasta sauce
4 medium zucchini
fresh baby spinach
small package of sliced mushrooms
olive oil
sea salt
cracked black pepper
1 cup cottage cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese

Pre-heat oven to 425.

Slice the zucchini length-wise, using a mandoline, to about an 1/8" thick. Place the sliced zucchini in a zip-loc bag with a little olive oil, sea salt, and cracked black pepper. Toss, shake, and smush the zucchini around in the bag until all pieces are coated. Place the zucchini on a baking sheet and roast for 15-20 minutes, or until the zucchini starts to turn a little brown.

While the zucchini is roasting, brown the ground beef. Add the pasta sauce and mushrooms. Bring to a simmer and cook for a few minutes until heated through and most of the liquid has reduced.
In a separate bowl, combine 1 cup of cottage cheese with 1 egg, salt and pepper.

Reduce the oven to 375 degrees.

Line the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish with the roasted zucchini. Next layer with fresh spinach leaves. Top this layer with 1/2 of the ground beef mixture. (If the ground beef mixture is "soupy" don't add the liquid to the lasagna or you will have soupy lasagna). Dot the ground beef with 1/2 of the cottage cheese mixture. Repeat these layers and finish with the 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.

How Simple is That?

Lettuce Wrap (with a couple of bites missing)
Turkey, bacon, olives, mayo, black pepper

How simple is that? A lettuce leaf with sliced deli turkey breast, bacon which I pre-cooked Sunday night, a few sliced olives, a dollop of mayo, and a sprinkle of black pepper. As easy as a traditional sandwich and much better for me. I feel so virtuous! But I must confess I ate two of these. What can I say? I like to eat.

A Favorite Salad

Avocado, tomato, and bacon salad.

My favorite salad lately is chopped avocado and grape tomato seasoned with salt and pepper, served on a crispy lettuce like iceberg, and topped off with some bacon. It is so good.

I'm feeling much better now. Here's to breaking the cycle of cheating on the weekends. It takes me a day or two or three to recover, and by then it's the weekend again. Here's to eating the foods that not only taste good but also make me feel good, energetic, and happy. Since I'm spending the entire weekend with a bunch of crazed crossfitters, I should be able to keep it on track this weekend. That's my plan.

Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become."
~ unknown ~

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Food Journal

6am
coffee with cream

9am
3 sausage patties
orange
coffee with cream

11am
It's only been 2 hours since I ate, but I am starving!
leftover steak stir-fry with vegetables
100-calorie pack of almonds

1pm
1 cheese stick
2 sausage patties
coffee with cream

hmmm, let's see. I'm writing this the next day and trying to remember what I ate. Yesterday afternoon and evening is a blur. I had an electrical inspection done on my house in preparation for putting it on the market. Not happy news, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised given that the house was built in 1947. Anyway, I didn't eat a normal dinner. I chomped on a bunch of almonds (chomp, chomp, chomp, crunch, crunch crunch - good stress reliever I guess). I also ate some fruit. Not a great evening, but I didn't eat sugar...and that's a victory!



Activity
7am: CF warmup plus 25 minutes of wallballs, ring rows, and running.
12n: 1-mile dog walk

Toss the Sugary Sauce

Contessa Stir-Fry meals are always in my freezer.

I recently discovered Contessa Stir-Fry meals in the freezer case at Publix. If you toss the sugary sauce, you have just meat and vegetables ready in minutes. I keep them in my freezer for emergencies. They have chicken and steak; I've tried both and find them quite good. I cooked the steak and vegetables the other night in a little bacon fat with salt and pepper to taste. It was delicious. Warning: there are many varieties of this product, and most have rice or pasta included. Look for the stir-fries with just meat and vegetables.

I felt really tired last night so I decided not to set an alarm and nixed my original plan of going to the gym this morning. I slept as long as I needed, and I think I'll be better for it. Hopefully by the end of the day I'll be mostly recovered from my weekend transgressions.

Food Journal

730am
coffee with cream

9am
2 eggs
2 sausage patties
1/2 orange
coffee with cream

11:15am
2 handfuls of mixed nuts
Not hungry, so why am I eating? :-( The nuts were leftover from my Jekyll "healthy" stash. They are all gone now, thank goodness.

3:30pm
2 slices of turkey
almonds (one 100-calorie pack)

730pm
salad (avacado, tomato, bacon, lettuce, salt & pepper)
beef and vegetable stir-fry

for dessert: cottage cheese, applesauce, sliced almonds
decaf coffee with cream

Activity
12n: 1-mile dog walk
6pm: CF warmup and Row 5k (23:41)

A Farm, A Freezer, and A Crock Pot

Monday night supper.

I recently discovered Nature's Harmony Farm in Elberton, Georgia owned by Tim and Liz Young. This is a family-owned, sustainable, pasture-based farm that sells directly to local consumers. I'm still learning about them, but I am thrilled to have discovered this resource. Following is a quote from the farm's website that sums up what this jewel is all about:
"What do we mean by sustainable? We mean no artificial fertilizers, no growth hormones, no antibiotics and no keeping animals penned up. Our cattle forage on grass with sheep browsing what the cows don't eat. Chickens (pastured broilers and layers) follow the grazers, spreading fertilizer naturally, and follow their instincts by foraging for insects and scratching on the ground. Our beautiful hardwoods are the perfect environment for rare breed pigs, who are free to use their terrific "plows" to hunt acorns, tubers and all kinds of great treats."
The Young's offer farm tours now and then, and I can't wait to visit. I had the opportunity to buy some meat from them recently. I picked it up on Saturday. My order included 12 pounds of ground beef, pork chops, a beef roast, a ham roast, and a chicken. So my little freezer is stocked.
Today I cooked the first item from my Nature's Harmony stash: pork chops! I put them in the crock pot this morning with a little chicken broth, salt and pepper. I laid a piece of foil over the top of the pork chops and placed two sweet potatoes, each wrapped in foil, on top of the foil layer covering the chops. Then I set the crock pot on low and let it cook all day long. Tonight, to round it out, I cooked up a pot of collard greens. I used the frozen ones because they are easy and quick. This supper was delicious, and I have leftovers for three more meals.