Monday, December 20, 2010
Mexican Chicken Lettuce Wraps
After crossfit and walking the dogs at the beach, i was starving...i had Mexican Chicken Lettuce Wraps. I had prepared chicken/red&green capsicum/chilli/cumin yesterday, so i just heated it up in the microwave and used lettuce as a base. Topped it off with some salsa. Delicious!
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Sunday Prep
Bought and de-boned a BBQ chicken for the week, made paleo peppermint fudge babies for sweet cravings, picked up ingredients for Mark's slow-cooked beef stew (I will get that started tonight to cook overnight), washed some cos (romaine) lettuce and wrapped it in damp paper towel and in a plastic bag (keeps longer).
My 'main dish' for the week is mexican chicken wraps. I will use cos lettuce for the 'wrap' part. I sauteed some sliced red & green capsicum and onion in canola oil, and added a couple of cloves of chopped garlic, a green chilli, some onion powder, cayenne powder, and cumin. After cooking the veggies I removed from the pan and added some sliced chicken breast to cook, then mixed it all up together. I will reheat in the microwave when needed, and use the lettuce to wrap it all up. I also have some salsa in a jar (very little sugar and no additives) to add as well.
I picked up some skinless, boneless chicken breast on sale yesterday, 2 kgs. The rest of the chicken was diced and frozen into 3 portions - i can use this later this week to make some chicken curry. Life is so much easier when I have stuff ready at all times!! I'm still getting through the roast veggies I did on Thursday, i reheat these quite quickly and throw in some BBQ chicken and walnuts for a quick meal.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Mmmmm.....STEAK!
No, I haven't stopped my paleo eating...I am just eating same/same most days now so not much to report. On Sundays I make up a batch of either beef chilli, or green curry chicken, or bolognaise sauce. I prepare, chop, and spiralise veggies. I eat the meat on a bed of veggies for breakfast. Lunches usually consist of shredded BBQ chicken, nuts and salad, and dinners are meat and veggies. So nothing really different there. We also seem to go through those peppermint paleo fudge babies fairly quickly!
Tonight I had a yummy steak, salad (roma tomatoes, red onion, fresh coriander and lebanese cucumber) and some sauteed sweet potato and pumpkin with a dash of sea salt.
Last night, circumstances dictated that for dinner i had Maccas's: a quarter pounder, chips and a diet coke. It was fairly disgusting actually, and I'm feeling the effects today. It is difficult to find paleo-friendly food when out and about and in a hurry. Planning is The Key to paleo success. And I'm finding I'm missing my sourdough bread, so I bought a loaf today, sliced it and shoved in the freezer, I will eat it as toast with my eggs on weekends only. I can't give up everything!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Paleo tacos
After crossfit and walking my dogs on the beach, I was STARVING, so i had a big fat paleo taco...it was fabulous. I used a big leaf of cos (romaine) lettuce as the taco, and filled it with the taco meat i had prepared last night (heated in the microwave) and topped it with the red cabbage colesaw (which was also prepared last night). It was messy but yummy. 10/10! Having things ready ahead of time is a fantastic time saver.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Sunday evening cook-a-thon
Well, Sundays are turning out to be quite busy in the kitchen. Today I made some peppermint fudge babies (and then was trying out my new camera and being creative!). They are sooo delicious. This variation had 1.5C of pitted dates, a splash of peppermint essence, 4T cocoa powder and about 2C cashews. Into the food processor and then rolled into balls and chilled. Mark is getting very good at rolling them!!
Since I am fairly good at multi-tasking (I am a woman, after all), I chopped up some root vegetables and roasted them in sizzling bacon fat and dried Italian herbs...yummy! I used turnip/swede, parsnips, carrots, sweet potato, zucchini and peeled garlic cloves.
While those were roasting, I seared some diced chunks of stewing beef, deglazed the pan with red wine, and threw it in the slow cooker with sweet potato and peas for Mark (he is not a vegetable lover so I need to be careful with what I can sneak into his meals).
And then! yes there's more!! I sauteed some onion and garlic in olive oil, and then added some hot chicken stock and raw broccoli, simmered for a while and then pureed it. Voila, broccoli soup! I was going to add some coconut milk but in fact it looks quite creamy on its own.
Okay. Then I cooked up some spicy beef mince: onion, grated zucchini, chilli flakes, and a jar of medium salsa. Now I used 'Doritos salsa' which was my only option. All these American blogs talk about the great stuff you can buy at Trader Joe's...well I don't think we have that here in Australia, and lots of the organic salsa I have seen has loads of sugar in it. At least in this one, sugar is the 7th ingredient, so I'm good with that small amount. I chopped up some jalapeno peppers to throw in. This will go into my paleo lettuce tacos tomorrow.
To go with the taco meat, I shredded some red cabbage, carrot, red onion, and squeezed half a lemon over it all, then added a grated green apple. I am hoping the lemon juice will help the apple NOT brown overnight! This delicious coleslaw will be a topping on my tacos.
So now I have washed a whole heap of dishes, eaten some of the roast veggies with sausages for dinner, and I feel great about what I have accomplished today!!
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Chilli Prawns
I marinated some green prawns with tails on, in olive oil, freshly squeezed lime juice and a couple of cloves of fresh garlic plus chopped basil and coriander. Mark BBQd them for me, while he was doing that I made myself a salad with:
finely diced roma tomato, red (spanish) onion, lebanese cucumber
freshly squeezed lime juice, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, fresh herbs
I was at B-Fresh the other day, having a coffee with Danielle, and checked out their selection of local and imported products including organic stuff. I found this: Roza's Rocket sauce, here are the ingredients:
organic red chillies
ginger
garlic
bush honey
vinegar
spices
It is delicious, and HOTTTTTT! I used it as a dipping sauce for the prawns.
Kelp noodle stirfry
I'm kind of addicted to kelp noodles. This morning I made a stirfry with shredded roast chicken, kelp noodles, toasted slivered almonds, a dash of wheat-free soy sauce, shredded cabbage, spiralised carrot and zucchini, and broccoli. Basically i toasted the nuts first, then removed them from the pan, and threw in everything else with a splash of olive oil and heated it all through. Nothing really needed cooking, just heating (although i did steam the broccoli in the microwave first).
KELP NOODLES (quoting from the label);
Healthful, delicious, easy to prepare and fun to eat!
Made with mineral-rich sea kelp
Low in carbs and calories and fat-free
Free from all allergens
Ready to eat
Neutral taste
Ingredients: water, kelp, sodium alginate
Kelp noodles are a sea vegetable in the form of an easy to eat noodle. Made of only kelp (a sea vegetable), sodium alginate (sodium salt extracted from a brown seaweed), and water, Kelp noodles are fat free, gluten-free and very low in carbohydrates and calories. Their noodle form and neutral taste allow for a variety of uses including salads, stirfries, hot broths and casseroles while their healthful content provides a rich source of trace minerals including iodione, which kelp is known for. Their unique texture completes the package, making Kelp noodles a one-of-a-kind healthful and tasty alternative to pasta and rice noodles. Best of all, no cooking is required. Just rinse and add the noodles to any dish and they are ready to eat!
Pork Medallions
Dinner the other night was pork medallions, marinated in a little olive oil and grilled on the BBQ. I ate that with some softened pumpkin and zucchini with a clove of crushed garlic mixed through. Delicious!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
30-day challenge results!
So, after 30 days of following a 95% paleo diet, giving up alcohol, sugar, grains, dairy and processed foods, here are my results:
Start weight: 85kgs, now: 80kgs: a loss of approx. 5kgs
Start waist: 97cm, now: 91cm, a loss of approx. 6cms
Start hips: 117cm, now: 112cm, a loss of approx. 5cms
When I say 95%, I mean that I ate popcorn at the movies twice, ate out at restaurants 4 times (tried my best but cannot control restaurant food too much) and at Lori's baby shower I ate a small slice of rocky road and half a cupcake :)
Very happy with the results, and I will keep going. I will introduce back a few things that I miss, such as Paul Newman's Own Ranch Dressing on my salads (I can only eat balsamic and olive oil so much!). I dilute the dressing with balsamic anyway. I don't really miss eating bread, I just miss the convenience of bread, like toast, or a quick sandwich. But I am also cooking some great food and loving the end of the 3:00pm slump. I don't actually miss sugar at all, or things like hot chips, which is surprising.
The first week was when the most drastic results were gained in terms of weight loss, but I have gone down 1-2 clothing sizes and i can see the difference, even if the photos don't really show it. And now that I read food labels A LOT, it is amazing how sugar is in EVERYTHING!! Wow. I have discovered kelp noodles, which are fantastic, and I am in the process of cooking some of my favorite things (chicken schnitzel) in a paleo friendly way. so Hooray for paleo! bring on the next 30 days!
Monday, November 29, 2010
Embrace leftovers!
I'm not a huge leftovers fan but lately i'm learning to embrace them. they are so quick to heat up in the microwave, not a lot of thinking or planning required either. And the gas ran out on Saturday so I can't cook on the stove top at the moment! This morning I'm having leftover almond crusted chicken, sweet potato and pumpkin, and i chopped up a few cherry tomatoes and lebanese cucumber to have as well. Squeezed some fresh lime juice all over everything, yummy!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Bacon&chicken lettuce wraps
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Day 27 breakfast
Well I'm not that hungry!! I boiled a few eggs for breakfast, with some zucchini and carrot, and I could only eat half of what's in the picture... what's going on!?
I'm 3 days away from the end of my 30-day paleo challenge....stay tuned to read my thoughts on the whole paleo thing, and my weight and measurement comparisons, and even maybe a photo of me!
Friday, November 26, 2010
Chicken & roasted slivered almond stirfry
I chucked a small handful of slivered almonds into the frypan and dry roasted them, then removed from pan. Next went in shredded cabbage, zucchini, carrots, kelp noodles and shredded BBQ chicken and a dash of wheat-free soy sauce. Mixed it all up and threw on top some fresh herbs from my garden (chives, coriander and parsley) and then threw the almonds back in. Nothing like a delicious lunch prepared in 5 minutes!
Banana&blueberry almond milk smoothie
Day 26: I found this week at crossfit incredibly tough for some reason, i felt like i had no strength, my shins feel like they are being stabbed with glass shards, you know. After crossfit this morning I could not even eat, i felt that horrible. So instead of my usual veggie and protein breakfast I had a yummy smoothie: almond milk, a small frozen banana, some ice cubes, and a handful of frozen blueberries. It really hit the spot. I almost forgot to take a picture, that's why the glass is only half full :)
Thursday, November 25, 2010
BBQ garlic prawns
Last night I marinated some prawns in olive oil, crushed fresh garlic and parsley. My man BBQd them and with it I had some steamed cauliflower, pureed pumpkin, and a few panfried sweet potatoes...mmmm. I love sweet potatoes but try not to eat them that often. A squeeze of lime juice on the prawns made them just that little bit yummier!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Crushed almond encrusted chicken!
It's Day 23 and I just made some yummy chicken for dinner. I took a few chicken breasts, bashed them with a rolling pin to flatten them out a little, then coated them with coconut flour, dredged them in some whisked egg white and then dragged them through some crushed almond meal (left over from making almond milk). Fried them up in a hot oiled cast iron frypan, mmmmm and added some pureed pumpkin and fresh salad. I forgot to squeeze some fresh lime on top, but it didn't even need it in the end.
Monday, November 22, 2010
BBQ steak
Tasty Invention
I came home for lunch without knowing what I really wanted, so I quickly made something up while my cast-iron frypan was heating up. I put some olive oil in there, a handful of spiralised zucchini and carrot, some pine-nuts, shredded BBQ chicken, and handful of kelp noodles plus a dash of wheat-free soy sauce. I just heated it all up and mixed through, and had the most delicious meal! The kelp noodles are so crunchy, they really make the dish. I scattered some fresh herbs (coriander and parsley) on top. I love inventing dishes!
It's Day 22!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Lamb roast
Prep for Week 4
Tomorrow is the 4th week of my paleo challenge...it's been great so far. I made a slow-cooked beef stew for my man today, now I'm cooking up a bolognaise sauce (beef, onion, garlic, celery, mushrooms, organic tomatoes) and i will throw some fresh basil in it from my herb garden) and I've got a leg of lamb roasting in the oven for dinner. I wish I had bought some beetroot to try with the roast..damn! I've ripped apart a BBQ chicken to have ready in the fridge, chopped pumpkin and I'm just about to spiralise some zucchini 'noodles' to have during the week. I'm wondering what else I can do to save time this week??!!
Quick & easy breakfast
Yesterday involved a lengthy time in my kitchen: the worst set-up kitchen in the whole world (oh i can't wait to move!) and it was a little tiring. Had some popcorn at the movies last night, so not paleo but after 21 days i felt i could have a little treat. No guilt!
This morning, after preparing a slow-cooked beef stew for my man (only a few vegetables, no onion or tomato), and squeezing out about 3 litres of almond milk, putting away all those leftover paleo cookies, and then making an almond milk/coffee/banana smoothie, i was OVER the kitchen! So i cooked up some bacon and made a couple of tiny wraps with lettuce leaves, tomato, BBQ chicken and bacon, with a few pecans on the side. Quick and easy.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Baking aftermath
I was on a mission this morning, went to several 'health food' shops in search of coconut oil, arrowroot flour, dried fruit, nuts, agave nectar...the list goes on and on. This is all fairly new to me, so I am stocking up. Today I baked. Now I won't be doing it that often as I'm not really missing the sweet foods much, but we are having a crossfit social gathering this afternoon and I though I'd take some paleo treats for others to try.
I made an orange and carrot cake; tastes delicious but it didn't come out the pan that well. It's very sweet too. I also made paleo cookies and they drove me CRAZY. the recipe said make sure you bake them on parchment paper (which i did) but there was so much honey, and they really stuck to the paper...what a pain in the ass. They taste great (almond&pecan&walnuts ground, heaps of honey, dried apricots, figs and raisins) but i'm not sure the effort is worth it....and now I'm having a well-deserved nap!
Friday, November 19, 2010
'Fudge babies' or...sheep turds.. you pick!
BBQ prawns
Beef & walnut salad
Green curry chicken & veggies
Day 19. Not much to report lately, i've been eating well though! Had a dental emergency yesterday so wasn't able to make it home for lunch. I went to Nando's and for the first time, ordered something without hot chips! I had a chicken salad, which was quite expensive at $14 but it was nice. Not a huge variety of veggies: a hell of a lot of lettuce, a few cherry tomatoes , red capsicum, cucumber and red onion. There was dressing on the side but it lacked any ingredient information - it tasted quite sweet so no doubt full of sugar. But it was the best I could do 'on the run' and I was starving!
Tomorrow is Baking Day. I'm making a selection of paleo cookies and/or brownies to bring to our crossfit get-together in the afternoon. I hope they work out!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Big hunk of steak!
My man dragged the steak to the BBQ and cooked mine a perfect medium-rare...mmmmm. we also had sweet potato and pumpkin, and i had some sauteed mushrooms, onion and garlic, I sprinkled some fresh parsley over it. Eating by candlelight is always a bonus. ( my dog Mitchell was next to me, wishing he had a bite of steak too!).
Chicken salad
Ate the most yummy salad for lunch today on Day 17:
roast chicken
toasted slivered almonds
spiralized radish and carrot
lettuce
mushroom
celery
tomato
cucumber
balsamic& olive oil dressing
And, my non-vegetable eating man grilled himself a chicken breast, and ate that with a little of lettuce and carrot and almonds..he liked it!
Toasted slivered almonds
Beef & lots of veggies
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Slow cooked beef
I rushed around like a crazy person this morning...after crossfit and the dogs to the beach, i seared some stewing beef and threw it into the slow cooker with diced carrots, celery, turnip/swede, pumpkin, yellow squash, zucchini, onion and mushroom, a splash of red wine (ok not so paleo but not much), salt-free tomato paste and some beef stock. i am a little pissed i could not find ANY beef stock that is just beef and veggies....so will have to research this. But at least i can eat dinner at 7pm and i don't have to do any prepping!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Day 15: update
Well, apart from 2 meals out in 2 weeks, I have been sticking to my paleo very well. I've lost that 3 o'clock slump i used to experience, and i feel like i have more energy in general. I have been growing herbs, cooking lots more, and trying out almond milk.
Regarding eating out: i have realised that Mexican is terrible for paleo eating!! rice, beans, cheese, sour cream, flour and corn........i had a burrito last night but it wasn't as enjoyable as it used to be, i kept thinking that the only thing useful in the whole meal was a)the chicken and b)the lettuce garnish on top!
This morning I had green curry chicken and then i shook up some almond milk with ice cubes and a splash of honey...yum! it was fantastic!
I have lost another centimetre from my waist and i think my total weight loss is around 2-3kgs.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Making almond milk
So i soaked 2 cups of almonds overnight, in lots of water. This morning i drained and rinsed the almonds, and split them in 2 portions. (I am doing 2 batches, on with James, who is awake at 8am, and the other, i will wait for Melly, who will probably sleep until 10!). half the almonds went into the blender along with around 4 cups of water. As soon as i turned the blender on, it went white, like straight away, like a miracle (I'm still amazed at this concept of nut milk, clearly!). I whizzed it up for a few minutes and then poured it through a strainer and a cloth, squeezed the bag of almond crush and got even more milk out of it. Just amazing. It made about a litre. so then i put a bit of the milk back in the blender, with a few ice cubes and frozen blueberries and made a yummy smoothie. And I had my first cup of coffee today - i frothed the almond milk and had a delicious latte. I think i like this almond milk thing...it's so easy!!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Chicken schnitzel, paleo style!!
Wow what a successful dinner we had with Melly(12) and James(11)....First i showed them my spiralizer veggie machine, they were so wowed by the spirals and carrots they couldn't wait to try them and they even had spiralled zucchini as well...james even had seconds and thirds! Big tick! (these kids rarely eat veggies so i'm stoked).
Then both kids helped me make the chicken schnitzels: i flattened pieces of chicken breast (well, bashed them with a rolling pin), we threw them in coconut flour, then dredged them in beaten egg, then into some almond meal. I cooked them up, and with them we had sweet potato and pumpkin. (i added a fresh tomato for myself). The kids said it was the best chicken schnitzel they have ever had! We enjoyed eating with candlelight, as we usually do and it was really special that I could make a meal that everyone would eat. Yay for me!!
Coconut prawns & salad
Had some leftover coconut prawns in the fridge so ate those with a small salad. Just enough!
I went out this morning, to a health food shop, thinking they might have a nut-milk bag for straining the almond pulp in my almond milk i will make tomorrow. Upon enquiring, i was told, 'we don't have any' so i asked, did she know where i could get one? to which the clerk replied, 'how would i know, i don't make almond milk!'. *sigh* is it any wonder I do most of my shopping online? Anyway. i'm going to soak my almonds overnight, and use a clean dish towel or something along those lines to strain the milk. And I'll find what i need online and order it as well. That means tomorrow, I'll be able to enjoy a latte! or make a milkshake! mmmmmmm.
Day 13: eggs & bacon
Today i got to sleep in. What time did i wake up? 5:00am. As usual. Took the dogs to the beach, it was magnificent this morning, and then enjoyed bacon & scrambled eggs plus cucumber and tomatoes. Delicious! I hope to soak some almonds tonight, to make some almond milk tomorrow. I might even splurge and make a coffee with it.
Last night we wanted to eat by the beach, so needed something portable. I suggested Red Rooster, and I had a quarter chicken (wing&breast) with a big salad i had prepared earlier. Even though there were hot chips involved, i really wasn't tempted. at all!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Paleo coconut prawns
Oh! i made the most yummy paleo coconut prawns tonight, even Mark ate them (and liked them!). I also made a coleslaw with raw white cabbage, carrot and red onion and the dressing was balsamic, olive oil and dijon mustard.
For lunch I steamed some zucchini and carrot ribbons and put some panang curry on top.
Wow, I'm eating better than I have in ages. I love that there's so many recipes for paleo food online and from other sources. It's actually very very easy to eat paleo. I find myself NOT missing sugar or chips or potatoes or things I used to eat very regularly. I think the problem with eating paleo is that it DOES take an effort - and it does involve educating yourself. It seems to be 'too hard' for some, but honestly, it's not that bad!!! I find it helpful to have a few options in the fridge at all times, pre-made things like bolognaise sauce or curry. That way it doesn't take long to put a quick meal together.
Day 11 - going great!
So last night I went out to a Greek restaurant for dinner. I wasn't too worried about 'eating paleo' as I have been 100% committed for 10 days now. Dinner is not going to kill me. I didn't drink (only water) and I had a few pieces of flat bread with 3 greek dips, then I had a moussaka, which was delicious. it came with lemon potatoes, of which I only ate about 1/4 of. Plus I only ate half my moussaka, the other half I enjoyed for breakfast with some zucchini ribbons from my new vegetable slicer woo hoooo!! I will, however, investigate a paleo version of moussaka, as it is very tasty and something I would love to make.....
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Tuna & pine nut patties
The dentist fixed me up, and when I got home, I had no idea what to eat for lunch. so I made up something with a small tin of tuna in spring water. I drained the tuna, and added some almond meal, chopped celery and red onion, a few pine nuts and then I used half a raw egg to bind it all together. (Kimberley and Mitchell, my dogs, enjoyed the rest of the egg, yum yum!). I dropped 4 blobs of mixture into a hot pan with olive oil and cooked them off. I ate them with a garden salad and some fresh lime squeezed on top! I can't help thinking this dish was missing something...mmm like ranch dressing or tzatziki dip or sweet chilli sauce...something to dip the tuna patties in, they were a wee bit dry...i'll have to look into a paleo version of dipping sauce. On another note, i received my spiralizer today and i can't wait to use it !!
Panang chicken curry
Good morning, Day 10. After Crossfit (working on my pull-ups skills) and walking K&M on the beach, I ate some delicious Panang chicken curry (which I made last night) and a garden salad with olive oil & balsamic vinegar. I have noticed that my portion sizes are getting smaller, which is a new concept for me.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Mmmmm meat!
While my beef fillet steak was cooking a nice medium-rare on the BBQ, i was sauteeing some julienne carrots, finely sliced cabbage and onion to have with it, and cooking some Panang curry in my electric frypan - roast chicken breast meat, cauliflower and broccoli, onion, red capsicum, pumpkin, Mae Ploy panang curry paste (no preservatives or colours or sugar or wheat) and coconut milk. I will have the curry tomorrow sometime.
I am going over my upcoming dinner in a Greek restaurant and wondering how I'll go with my choices. I certainly don't want to go off eating paleo at this stage of the game, but i want to enjoy myself as well. Will report after I get home......
Scrambled eggs with bacon and mushrooms
Chicken and kelp noodle stir-fry
Day 9 - for breakfast I had a stir-fry with kelp noodles, carrots, onions, celery, mushrooms, red&green capsicum, fresh coriander (from my herb garden!), chicken (roasted the other day) and a handful of cashews and a splash of wheat-free, sugar-free soy sauce. Yummy! These kelp noodles are amazing!
It seems that cashews are either allowed or not allowed when eating paleo, depending on what you read. I have decided it is ok to have them once a week.
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