My all-time favorite breakfast

Fun fact I haven’t yet shared with ya’ll, I’ve been doing some writing for a few different websites lately, including www.shakeforshape.com.  You should check it out, it’s totally me only more professional and with less sex comments and poop jokes.

Anyhow, this past week or so the admin hasn’t posted any of my stuff because apparently there’s issues, but usually there’s 2-3 articles a week that go up over there with health, fitness, beauty and nutrition content.  Good stuff.

A few weeks back I wrote out a recipe for my 4 ingredient protein pancakes that I eat pretty much every single day for breakfast, and I wanted to share it with ya’ll here because they are just too darn good to keep a secret.

Now I know what you might think when you first read this- ew eggs and bananas, right?  Please, try them.  If you like bananas, this is seriously the tastiest thing ever.  They’re sweet and fluffy and filling and oh-so-tasty.

Give ’em a try and let me know what you think in the comments!

Banana Protein Pancake

Ingredients per serving:

1 banana

2 egg whites

1 tsp of ground cinnamon

1 oz crushed walnuts (or pecans)

Cooking spray (or coconut oil)

Directions:

1. Spray small frying pan with cooking spray
2. In mixing bowl, whisk two egg whites together with 1 tsp of cinnamon.
3. Add banana and smash with a fork.  The banana should still be somewhat chunky, but broken into very small pieces.
4. Whisk mixture again ensuring banana is covered with egg whites.
5. Pour mixture into pan.  Set to medium heat and cook 2-3 minutes each side or until golden brown and egg is cooked through.
6. Once plated, top pancake with crushed nuts and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:

Calories 324.4

Total Fat 19.5 g

Saturated Fat 1.9 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 13.5 g

Monounsaturated Fat 2.5 g

Cholesterol 0.0 mg

Sodium 112.2 mg

Potassium 655.4 mg

Total Carbohydrate 31.3 g

Dietary Fiber 5.0 g

Sugars 15.6 g

Protein 12.8 g

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Time to Break Out the Crock Pot

It’s October ya’ll.  It doesn’t matter that it’s still 90 degrees today in Florida, it’s time to break out the crock pot and make something hearty and delicious.

Hubs doesn’t eat chicken (go ahead and gasp in shock, it’s a pretty common reaction… ok ya done?  Moving along…) so I’ve adapted a few different classic slow cooker chicken noodle soup recipes into something he has no problem devouring by the bowlful.

This soup is seriously tasty, packed with veggies, and can be Paleo if you were to just leave out the noodles.

Slow Cooker Turkey Noodle Soup

Ingredients:
1/2 Bone In Skin On Turkey Breast (usually about 2-2.5 lbs will do it)
2 c. sliced carrots (I buy the pre sliced ones)
2 c. chopped celery
1 c. chopped onion
3 c. egg noodles (or none if you want to keep it Paleo)
4 c. veggie broth
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
1. Add carrots, celery, and onion to crock pot.  Place turkey breast on top.  Add 4 c. veggie broth and 4 c. water.  Season with salt and pepper (maybe 3-4 tbsp salt, 2 tbsp of pepper).

2.  Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high 4-6 hours (you know your slow cooker better than I do, so you be the judge).

3.  Once cooking time is up, yank that turkey out of there and transfer it to a cutting board.

4.  Throw the noodles into the slow cooker, cover and let them cook for 20ish minutes (or until they get soft).

5.  While the noodles are doing their thing, go to work on that turkey.  Discard the fat and bones, and shred the remaining meat with a fork.  It should literally just fall off the bone for you.  Tasty tasty.

6.  Once the noodles are done, skim any fat off the top of the soup and throw your shredded turkey back in.  Give it a stir and a quick taste test.  Add salt or spices if need.

7.  Nom the shit out of that soup, because it’s seriously delicious.

Who else has a great soup recipe for fall?  Share it below or link me to it on your blog!  I wanna know!

Mexican Chicken Veggie Bowl of Nom

Check out one of my weekly meal staples that is super fast and easy, and so so satisfying!

For the record, I totally intended on posting a picture of this oh-so-scrumptious creation, but sadly this is one of those dishes that kinda comes out looking like baby vomit even though it’s a total mouth-gasm.  So you’ll just have to take my word for it, this is GOOD stuff.  Even better, it’s paleo, gives you a heaping serving of veggies and protein with a nice dose of healthy fat too.

You’re welcome.

Mexican Chicken Veggie Bowl of Nom

Ingredients:

1 lbs ground chicken breast
1 large white onion
1 large package sliced mushrooms
1 large package spinach
Guacamole (make your own or use a gluten free store bought version)
Salsa (make your own or use a gluten free version)
Salt
Pepper
Chili Powder
Cumin
Crushed red pepper
Cayenne pepper
Tabasco Sauce
Coconut oil (for cooking)

What to do:

Grease a large pan with enough coconut oil for cooking to prevent sticking.  Dice onion and cook a few minutes until it’s translucent.  Add mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste.  Cook until mushrooms soften.  Lastly add spinach on top of cooked veggies, turn down heat and cover.  Cook until spinach wilts.

In a second pan, grease with coconut oil and add ground chicken (or chicken breast if you prefer).  Season with salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, and peppers to taste.  Stir frequently and cook all the way through.  Once cooked, remove from heat and stir in about a tablespoon of Tabasco Sauce (I like the green kind).

Now put together your bowl.  Layer a large scoop of your scooped veggies with a portion of ground chicken, top with guacamole and salsa.

And if you’re like me, then stir it all together so everything gets super spicy and delicious… and looks like baby vomit.

Enjoy!

 

Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken Soupish (because it’s so thick it’s hard to call it soup)

Even though I live in Florida, I’m a total crockpot/slow cooker junkie.  I don’t have much time to prepare meals, but it’s important to me to eat as healthy as possible.  I’m always throwing a bunch of stuff in the crock pot and hoping it tastes good, and this week’s concoction was exceptionally tasty.

If you keep an eye on the ingredients in any of the canned items, you can have a 100% paleo meal with no more than 10 minutes of prep time.

You’re welcome.

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs of chicken of your choice (I used breast)
1 large poblano pepper
1 jalapeno pepper
1 large onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large can of diced tomatoes (check for wheat/soy/sugar to keep it paleo)
1 large bunch of cilantro chopped (about 1 cup)
4 limes juiced (about 1/3 cup)
1 can green chilies (again, check ingredients)
32 ounces chicken broth (or base if you prefer)
Salt, Pepper, Cumin, Cayenne pepper, chili powder

Directions:

I swear to you, it’s this easy.

Put the chicken in the base of your crock pot.

Chop all ingredients that aren’t chopped (peppers, onion, garlic, cilantro) and throw them on top of the chicken.

Add tomatoes, lime juice and chicken broth.

Spice to your taste.

Set slow cooker for 8 hours on low or about 4.5 on high.  When it beeps, use two forks to shred chicken and mix well.

This comes out as a very thick hearty soup, making for a very filling and protein rich meal.

Whole 30 recipes that even I could make without burning my house down

I’m no Julia Child, but I came up with a few tasty concoctions this week to help me stay with my Whole 30 plan, and not allow my taste buds to die of boredom.  I’m terrible with measuring spices as I feel everyone’s taste is different, and I’m even worse at writing out recipes.  But since I only cook things that have 5 or less steps or 10 or less ingredients, I’m pretty positive you can make these as well and enjoy them just as much as I did.

So I share them here for you, my loyal readers.  Each of the below made 5 servings that I divvied up and ate each day for lunch.  Remember, if you’re following Whole 30 the protein source is important, and be careful to read the labels on any seasonings you might use as many have sugar as an ingredient.

Enjoy!

Chicken with a Kick (for lettuce wraps or just to eat with a big side of veggies)

2 lbs ground chicken
Chili Powder
Cumin
Red Pepper Flakes
Salt
Pepper
Green Tabasco Sauce

Brown ground chicken in a large pan, using as much of all of the seasonings as you want.  I like spice, so I used lots of everything.  When the chicken is nearly done cooking, toss in Tabasco sauce to taste.  Again, I like spicy so I used about 2 tbsp.  Stir well to coat evenly and voila!  Taste explosion for your mouth.

Sautéed Veggies of Deliciousness

4 Zucchini Squash
2 large containers sliced mushrooms
1 large sweet onion
Garlic
Salt
Pepper

Chop all vegetables.  Throw some coconut oil with the garlic in a pan and heat it up, dump in veggies, cover in salt and pepper and sauté to desired done-ness.

These are really yummy with a side of the chicken above, or you can get creative and dice them up and serve them as a condiment in lettuce wraps for with the chicken.

Avocado Mango Salsa

4 Haas Avocados
4 tomatoes
2 Mangoes
1 Onion
Salt
Pepper
Chili Powder
Fresh Cilantro

This one is the easiest of them all.  Chop up all the ingredients, throw them in a bowl.  Salt, pepper and spice to taste.  I used a bunch of cilantro because I love it.  Toss everything together, cover it and put it in the fridge.  After 24 hours you get a great blend of flavors and it makes the perfect sweet/salty/spicy topping for pretty much anything, including the lettuce wraps I more or less lived on this week.

Some things you simply don’t want to learn about your elders…

My grandmother is 88 years old and is about the coolest, kookiest lady you will ever meet.  She also has a penchant for doing some of the most hilarious things you’ve ever heard.  Today’s blog entry is one of my favorite stories about her.

We have a tradition in my family of baking bread for special occasions.  Grandma is not just a baker, she is an artist.  She makes the loaves from complete scratch, doing every step by hand and creating amazing flavors with sundried tomatoes, sweet berries, or other fresh ingredients.

I’m all about the Paleo, but my willpower doesn’t stand a chance against Grandma’s bread.

This weekend is a special occasion, so she set to work yesterday baking a loaf.  A delicious sourdough recipe infused with dill.  She did all of the prep, spent time kneading the dough, and was finally ready to let the dough rise.

We decided to run a few errands, one of which was to go to a very hoity toity part of town to a very posh boutique to pick up a gift.

So here we are, in this classy boutique filled with well-dressed sophisticated women.  My grandma is browsing across the store and I look up and see her with a horrified look on her face.

While I watch, she proceeds to cup her hands over her nose and breathe deeply, then pull them back away with an expression worse than the first.

I have no idea what’s going on, so I ask, “grandma are you ok?” loudly, as her hearing is not what it once was.

She responds back to me, just as loudly, “Oh, I’m fine dear.  I just keep smelling that dill dough on my hands.”

Think about it…  Dill. Dough.

Every. Single. Person. In the store turned to look at her in shock.

I collapsed into a fit of giggles.

And she had no idea what was so funny.

May we all live as long and be as awesome as my Grandma.

Commitment… It’s different than being committed

Mondays are my cooking night.  I usually do my meal planning during my lunch break at work, and then hit the store on my way home.  Then I end up cooking until 8 at night making sure I’ve got tasty delicious and healthy stuff for the week.

My goal every week is to eat Paleo 80% of the time.  This week my box kicked off a “Whole 30” challenge, which is pretty much the Nazi extremist version of Paleo for a full 30 days.  I’m participating-ish.  I am absolutely 100% committed to living a healthier lifestyle and reaching my goals, and I know that the “Whole 30” is a great way to do that.  I also know myself well enough to recognize that the moment I tell myself I “can’t” have something that I am not ready or willing to give up, it’s all that I will want.

So much of this journey has been about self discovery, and understanding my behaviors so that I can understand how to improve them.  Right now I’m really trying to understand why I’m willing to make certain changes and I’m not willing to make others.  I’m also trying to gently nudge myself daily towards overall better choices.

While I’m not willing to give up almond milk (which is better than half and half anyway) in my coffee every morning, I’ve decided I will give up all refined sugars, all products with “ingredients”,  and alcohol for the next 30 days.

In honor of that decision, and of taking one more step towards my goals, here is one of the drool-liscious recipes I made last night.  It is 100% Paleo (provided you use grass fed pasture raised pork with no added ingredients- read your labels, they add salt and sugar to practically everything), and one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted.

Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin

Rub Ingredients:
1 ½ Teaspoons Sea Salt
½ Teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 pork tenderloin (approx. 2.5-3 lbs cut into quarters)
2 tablespoons oil (I used coconut)
2 tablespoons minced garlic

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix all rub ingredients together.  Coat pork tenderloin in rub.  I used a 2.5 lb tenderloin and had more than enough to thoroughly coat the entire thing.

Heat oil and garlic in large pan.  Add pork tenderloin and brown on each side, approx. 4 minutes total.

Transfer pork into baking pan and roast until your meat thermometer reads at least 140, mine took about 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and let the pork stand for 10 minutes, the temperature should rise to around 155 while standing.

Slice on the diagonal and serve.