Stoplight Chicken

 It's back to school!!!!!! This time of the year brings so many varying emotions to many people, for others, it means heavier traffic for their commute. I am a student, however I have not had a summer break in YEARS, so it means good sales on new clothes for me :) Regardless, back to school time means that Fall is right around the corner, YAY! I know in our family, Fall is the busiest time of the year, but I love it! The Crock-pot is about to get put into overdrive!
 I just recently had my bi-annual dentist appointment (I know, you're thinking "why do I care?") and this is important to my Paleo friends for a good reason! I have never had a cavity (I have had my fair share of oral surgeries and braces, so don't hate me too much) but, I worried a little as I went to this appointment. First of all, it had been a year (I know, gross. But, time flew by, don't judge.) Second, I have picked up a liking of red wine, and third, I have a slight coffee addiction - okay, slight may be downplaying my daily intake just a little, but I do drink it black, that's how I justify it.
(There is a fourth in there too - I have gone to the same dentist my whole life, even driving back from Auburn to see him. He was a good family friend and all the girls in the office we amazing! BUT, it was time to be realistic, I needed a dentist here. So, I sucked it up and found one I think I am going to like!) Anyway, I was told by the dental hygienist and the Doctor, I have a remarkably clean, pretty mouth, even more so since it had been a year since my last cleaning. After confessing my coffee addiction, the Dentist all but asked how I have the mouth/teeth/color I do. Our conclusion? My Paleo lifestyle. Yep! It's a full body benefit, including your teeth and gums. It makes sense, your mouth is the first place affected by your intake. When you eliminate sugar and "fake" from your diet you are not piling layers and layers onto your teeth, plus general health is evident in your gums and speed of tooth degeneration. It's a win-win situation! And, no cavities for me! Yet, another reason to step to the other side!!!!

 Here is another easy, peasy, crock-pot, chicken recipe. You can cut all the veggies the night before (if you desire, of course) throw everything in the slow cooker in the morning and come home to a full meal at the end of the day!!!!
This is also a "they will never know it's Paleo" meal!

Stoplight Chicken
1 pound(ish) chicken breasts
1 green pepper, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
6-8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
1 large tomato, diced

4 large garlic cloves, diced
Olive oil
LOTS of Italian seasons
(splash of red wine, balsamic vinegar, or chicken broth if you have it on hand)




-Pour a few teaspoons of olive oil on the bottom of the slow cooker
(I like to put a few onion rounds on the bottom of the crock pot as well, to sit the chicken breasts on top of. Just a random thing I do...)
-Chicken and diced garlic goes in, drizzle with some olive oil & seasons go on

-Throw all of the peppers on top of the chicken

-Season with some leafy seasons (basil, oregano, rosemary etc.)

-tomatoes go on top of the peppers

-if you are using wine, vinegar, or broth, splash some in 

-finish off with some good Italian seasonings

-Cook on low 6-8 hours. 

You could also use frozen chicken breasts but will need to up either the time or temp. I prefer to cook chicken on low and usually set the timer for 6 hours. My crock-pot switches to a "warm" mode when the time is up, and after a few more hours in the pot, it is usually just right. IF you use less chicken you may want to keep it more to 4-5 hours. Chicken is finicky and will dry out quickly, play around with your pot and find your perfect cook time (just make sure it's fully cooked!)

 If you do not have a timer on your pot & have to leave it on longer, I would add a little more olive oil and definitely use at least a 1/2 cup of either wine or balsamic vinegar AND chicken broth. Instead of pouring it in on top of the peppers, pour it in BEFORE you add them to allow the chicken to soak all the juices up!

Enjoy!

You may not really be what you eat, but what you eat can really affect what you are.

Breakfast Bake

Good Monday Morning! (Oxymoron, I know)

Since going Paleo, I have discovered the joy & deliciousness of FRESH veggies & fruit. I do not mean grocery store fresh, I'm talking either home grown, or day of, farmers market fresh.
We planted a variety of vegetables in our back yard this year -- it has been a learning experience to say the least. BUT, we have gotten some great zucchini, tomatoes, a few peppers, green onions, mint, and more cucumbers than I know what to do with. Randomly our okra just started to grow, I'm not so sure how that is going to turn out.
 Apparently, we also fed a family of cut worms (no worries, they aren't coming back!) and I'm learning more and more about the "perfect soil" (which seems almost impossible to achieve) But it has been a fulfilling experience (as well as stressful at times) and we are already planning what we are going to do for next season!
 If your not lucky enough to have veggies in your back yard, I recommend finding a market that showcases locally grown foods. The best ones are only open a few (maybe just 1) day(s) a week. (ensuring FRESH, just picked products)
Not only are you supporting your local agriculture/ hard working families, but you will get some of the most delicious food you can imagine!
If you are around Birmingham, you have many options on a Saturday morning. Last weekend, we went  to Pepper Place and it did not disappoint. We got blueberries, watermelon, apples, jalapenos, green peppers, figs & onions, and had a great time sampling all the salsas, fruits, coffee and even a margarita mix! One of the best things about Pepper Place is the addition of local craftsman as well. I got the prettiest, handmade bracelet from a local jeweler for half the price of what I would have paid in a larger department type store! They also had a chef demonstration (and tasting!) and live music. If you live in the area or are ever down here during the summer months, try and make a point to spend a Saturday morning at the old Dr. Pepper plant.

 I don't know about everyone else, but I love breakfast food, especially for dinner. It's usually an easy & comforting meal that we never tire of.
 This recipe is one of our favorites (believe it or not, it has NO bacon in it) and even after stuffing our faces, we usually have a decent amount of leftovers! This is another recipe that your Non-Paleo friends would enjoy, so keep it in mind for Holiday Breakfast/brunch or when you wake up to a house full of mouths to feed!

Egg Bake
1 lb. grass-fed, hot*, Italian sausage (aka not processed, get it from behind the meat counter)
12 eggs whisked
2 yellow onions - thinly sliced
1 red onion - thinly sliced
4 oz. sliced mushrooms
handful of parsley
salt/pepper
Italian seasonings of choice
garlic
paprika

(* The hubs does not like spicy food, but with the addition of the eggs, etc. there is not too much heat. If you are nervous about it being too spicy though, do 1/2 lb. mild 1/2 lb. hot.)
(And, if you are not a mushroom fan, you could leave them out & still achieve the same consistency)

- Pre-heat oven to 375
- Remove sausage casings & brown (season with a little bit of garlic) (I love using my Pampered Chef "smasher" as I call it, to break apart & get good crumbles. If you ever get roped into a PC party, make sure you purchase this little guy. I use it almost EVERY meal!)

- Put sausage in a greased baking dish (glass seems to work best) Use a slotted spoon to do this so most of the grease stays in pan.

- While the pan/grease is still hot, cook the onions & mushrooms until tender - season

- While the onions/mushrooms are cooking, pour the whisked eggs over the sausage

- season egg mixture (make sure to use your paprika here!)

- When onions/mushrooms are caramelized, position them to cover the top of the egg mixture

- Bake for 30ish minutes (depends on the depth & thickness of your dish)

Enjoy!!!!!

You may not really be what you eat, but what you eat can really affect what you are.

Deer & Sweet Potatoes

 I know, I know.. I'm slacking with my blog, I missed 2 weeks BUT..... I did PASS my comprehensive exam and then took a much needed beach vacation.
 I really should be working on a 15 page paper I have due Friday, but this is just so much more fun :)

 I had posted a quick phone picture on Facebook yesterday of a deer roast and had a few people ask for the recipe, so don't judge me on the picture - I wasn't prepared for it to make it to the blog.
 For the second recipe, it's summer (DUH)! Ovens are HOT, it's beyond HOT outside, and I don't know about y'all, but I sweat way more than I am comfortable with, so after a good WOD ("workout of the day" for all you non-crossfitters) the last thing I want to do is heat the house (and myself) slaving over the stove. I love "grill only" meals, (almost as much as I love my crockpot) they are usually so easy to prepare and have less clean up. So fire up the grill & enjoy a night away from the kitchen!

If you don't have a stockpile of deer meat, scroll on down to recipe #2. If you want a stockpile of deer meat, call me. We have a LOT to eat before next season starts.

Recipe #1 - Don't go freaking out on me, remember - I told you in the beginning, we hunt and we eat deer meat. If you don't agree with that, I suggest you go on & delete this blog from your viewing history and find something else to read.

Deer is actually very tasty and SO very good for you.  On average you are getting 30g of protein and obviously it's about as paleo as it gets. (Especially when I'm cooking one of the deer I shot with my bow he he) Even livestrong.com did a little blurp on the nutritional value.
I'm not kidding, we have enough meat to feed a large army, so if you live close, you are more than welcome to come gather your own surplus ;)

 Pre-Paleo, when I was preparing a roast (and by preparing, I mean after it's thawed out and Perry gets all the silver skin etc. off) I would soak the roast in buttermilk overnight. This draws the blood out of the meat and gives it a less gamey taste. (You only have to do this with the larger pieces, the ground meat is not near as gamey) If your not Paleo (or not 100%) buttermilk is a good soak, if you are stricter Paleo - full fat, canned coconut milk is a good substitute.
(The mushrooms & apples in the recipe also help smooth out the flavor. I'm picky & I can't stand to eat anything that has that wild game taste).

This recipe is Paleo, but you can change some of the ingredients around to suite your desires. Obviously, we don't weigh our shoulders and back-straps into perfect little packages when field-dressing our harvest, this recipe was fitting for a large piece of meat, make adjustments as needed per your weight.

Ingredients
*Deer roast (stating the obvious here, huh?)
*3-4 cups chicken (or beef) broth (organic or homemade - this round I used homemade & it was YUMMY)
*large onion - roughly chopped (large pieces)
*5-6 garlic cloves - chopped
*4oz mushrooms - sliced
*large apple - chopped (large pieces)
*1/2 cup full fat, canned, coconut milk (or you could use a red wine, but cut that to 1/4 cup & add some sort of cream. Pre-paleo I would use a can of what ever cream of ___ soup we had on hand, but honestly we really liked the taste of the meat in the coconut milk & we do NOT like coconut flavor so I think you should try it!)
*Garlic Powder
*Italian herbs
*Pepper
*pinch of red pepper flakes
(I use a bass pro shop deer seasoning too. Probably not 100% Paleo but what-ever, it's tasty!)

These are some of those intense directions, so prepare yourself.......................

1) Pour some of the broth on the bottom of the crockpot & sprinkle half of the garlic in it (Really, I don't know if this makes a difference, but it's what I've always done, so I like to think it's imperative)

2) Plop your prepared (no silver skin, soaked overnight if you desire) roast in the crockpot

3) Season your meat & add the rest of the garlic (Remember: Salt dehydrates meat so use it sparingly)

4) Pour (it's more like splat) the coconut milk over the meat

5) Throw in the mushrooms, apples & onions ( I usually add a little more seasoning on top of these, especially the red pepper flakes - I like it spicy!)

6) Cook your roast on low for 6-8 hours & get on with your busy day!

RECIPE #2

Grilled Sweet Potato Glory

Seriously, these little round pieces are AMAZING. Even your non-paleo friends will devour these things. 

2 sweet potatoes (try to get the long skinny ones) cut into thin rounds (like chips)

Package of Bacon - slices cut into oneish inch squares

Cinnamon

Salt

Pepper

Heat the grill up (low to med-low)

Get out a large piece of aluminum foil

put a handful of the bacon on the foil (helps keep the potatoes from sticking)

put the potato rounds on top of the bacon & the rest of the bacon pieces on top of the potatoes

Sprinkle cinnamon, pepper and salt over the mixture (more cinnamon than pepper and more pepper than salt)

roll the sides of the foil up over the potatoes (making a little foil boat)

Cook the potatoes on the top rack of the grill for 20 minutes 

(sorry I don't have a picture of this one, it's on the computer that has decided not to turn on. When it works again - aka when Perry fixes it - I'll add one to it!)

Chineseish Stirfry

 As usual, life is insanely crazy right now. I take the National Comprehensive exam in a week, so I'm freaking out just a little.... Since I have spent the past couple weeks with my nose stuck in the books, and since I should really being studying right now, this is going to be a short one. I promise, after next week, I'll have more time to ponder on life in the Paleo world and get back to researching and blogging on all the tid-bits I learn along the way!

*Disclaimer* You cannot knock this recipe until you have tried it. Trust me, I turned my nose up at cabbage for most of my life. Just try it once & I guarantee you will be hooked, especially if you were a big Chinese food eater before you crossed over ;)
This is such a yummy meal that makes A LOT and will give you plenty of left overs making the preparation well worth it.  
I usually use my food processor for this, but wanted to make sure the results would be the same if I didn't, so the pictures of the "noodles" are not as pretty as they usually are when they are shredded perfectly in my processor, but the taste was the same! No excuses on this one!

I used our WOK, if you do not have a WOK add that to your list of things you NEED in your kitchen. It makes stirring large quantities so much easier & with it being non-stick it's a cinch to cook in & clean up! BUT, if your making this recipe before your kitchen gains a wonderful piece, use the BIGGEST pan you have or you will end up with a mess all over the stove top. (You may even want to half the recipe to fit)

What you need......

2lbs of Chicken (You could use beef as well)
1/4 cup almonds, chopped (optional)
1 can water chestnuts, sliced
1/4 cup green onion, chopped OR a shallot diced
4-8 ounces mushrooms (stems removed) sliced (cut in half)
cup of sliced pineapple (or a can of organic pineapple, drained & cut into small bite size pieces)
Red pepper chopped (or green)
Small onion chopped
2 cups of broccoli
2 cups shredded cabbage (about half the head of cabbage)
toasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
coconut aminos (this stuff is amazing - it takes the place of soy sauce!)
sesame seeds
pepper
paprika
cumin

I like to go on & get everything cut & ready to go, so get all your veggies & meat prepared.
(The cabbage was just "chopped" for this go round, but if you have a food processor throw it in there for the perfect sliced "noodles")

Get your WOK (large pan) warming up over high heat

-Add a few drops of sesame oil, swirl around to really coat the bottom of the WOK 

-Add the meat & season away, you want a lot of flavor in your chicken! Cook about 5 minutes (until, mostly done - do NOT overcook-it will dry out!)

-Add in the broccoli, water chestnuts, onion, and mushrooms - cook for about 2 min while stirring 

 -Add the pineapple, cabbage, red pepper, green onion (or shallot) and garlic and add a few splashes of coconut aminos (about 4 tbsp.) and cook 3-4 minutes, until the cabbage softens up a little. 

-Season everything well (use ground ginger, a pinch of cumin, a fair amount of paprika, a dash of garlic powder, handful of pepper) and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top, if you like really salty flavors, you can always add some more coconut aminos to give you more of a soy sauce flavor! 

I told you it made a lot, but is well worth it! YUMMY!!!

ENJOY! :)

You may not really be what you eat, but what you eat can really affect what you are.