Showing posts with label Paleo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paleo. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Paleo Baked Apples


Ingredients

2 Apples, cut into slices 
2 Tbsp almond meal
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 Tbsp melted raw/local honey
2 Tbsp melted coconut oil
1 Tbsp vanilla
Pumpkin Pie Spice
Cinnamon

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Place apple slices in glass baking dish. 
3. Sprinkle almond meal and walnuts over apple slices. 
4. Melt honey and coconut oil together. *I put both into glass measuring cup and microwaved for about 15 seconds. 
5. Add vanilla to mixture and stir. 
6. Pour mixture over apple slices. 
7. Sprinkle pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon over the apples.
8. Mix well.
9. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until apples are tender. 
10. Let cool and serve.
*For a special treat serve with a scoop of vanilla coconut ice cream (Larry and Luna's is my all-time favorite)!

Friday, March 1, 2013

Combine CrossFit Coaching with Paleo Coaching!

Did you know our very own CrossFit Cedar Park has its own Nutrition Coach?
That's right! ME!

CrossFit CP has amazing coaches that can get you in shape, fast! Combine that with proper nutrition and you'll see results immediately!

Call me today to find out what I can do for you!

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Heidi's Story

This is my client, Heidi. She was completely new to Paleo and CrossFit training when we first met and got her started on a plan to success. During our very first consultation, Heidi mentioned wanting to lose about 50 lbs as an ultimate goal. During our first workout (3 rounds of 15 squats, push-ups, and sit-ups), we discovered that we needed to focus on increasing strength and endurance. We talked about CrossFit methodology and Paleo nutrition and she was ready to commit to both. She worked hard and aside from some irritating foot cramps, never complained! As her trainer, I always felt I didn't kick her butt hard enough, so I would increase the intensity of the workout each time. Before we knew it, she took her wall push-ups to the floor, her pull-up bar holds to actual pull-ups, and her walking to running!

After just 3 short months of CrossFit training and Paleo nutrition, she lost multiple inches all over her body. Her chest, waist, hips, and legs shrank dramatically! Heidi's weight loss is another perfect example of how even though she only lost 10 lbs on the scale during this time, her drastic appearance change proved to be the most evident. She gained muscle and lost fat!

I'm very proud of Heidi's transformation and the hard work and dedication she put into changing her life. Way to go Heidi!






Commit to your health and fitness just as Heidi did, and see the results for yourself! You'll immediately start to look and feel better and improve your performance. Contact me today to get started! 

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Christine's Paleo Egg Cupcakes

These delicious, fantastic, little cupcakes are an absolute staple for successful Paleo eating! So many friends and family members ask me for this recipe just because of the pictures I post on Facebook. I also recommend these to all of my clients. I'm glad to finally have this up online so I can just start giving out a link instead of handwriting this big 'ol list of veggies every time it's requested.

This recipe is my own combination of some egg cupcake recipes I've seen online over the years.
I can't begin to explain how easy these cupcakes make our mornings. The convenience of having breakfast ready to go for an entire work week is worth the prep and cleanup for sure. They also make great snacks!

Get creative with these! You don't absolutely need all of these specific ingredients to make yummy egg cupcakes. Any combination of veggies will work! You can also add more or less of a certain veggie. Just throw in whatever you have!



Prep. time (min): 20-30
Cooking time (min): 25
Servings: 21-24

Appliances:
Food Processor
Cupcake Pan

Ingredients:
12 eggs
2 Tbsp coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
Salt & Pepper
12 oz cooked pork sausage
1/2 cup pureed butternut squash (I usually buy the Organic canned version)
3 Mushrooms
1 large handful Spinach
2 Green onions
2 Garlic cloves
1/2 jar Roasted red & yellow bell peppers
1 Zucchini
1 Yellow Squash
1 Jalapeño

Preparation:
Preheat oven for 350 degrees.
Cook sausage, preferably in iron skillet.
Places veggies (cut into chunks) in food processor and pulse.
Add sausage. Pulse.
Add eggs. Pulse.
Add coconut flour, baking soda, and spices. Pulse.
Scoop 1/3 cup mixture into greased (Coconut Spray Oil), unbleached cupcake liners.
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Tips:
*Store cupcakes in air-tight storage container with paper towels under each layer of cupcakes. Change out the paper towels and wipe down any condensation whenever opening. This will help absorb the extra moisture and keep them fresh.


Planning Your Meals and 3 Recipes!

When doing strict Paleo, planning your meals becomes crucial to your success. Not only does it help you have food ready to cook or eat, but it also helps financially. The last thing you want to do, is waste food because you didn't plan right. As time goes on, and you get more familiar with your favorite recipes and Paleo cooking, you'll get better at the planning part.

My planning got better a few years ago when I bought Sarah Fragoso's Everyday Paleo Cookbook. Her meal plan helped me to realize that the best way for me to plan my family's meals was to cook enough dinner to have leftovers for lunch the next day. Making sure there are 4 good-sized servings in every meal I make (sometimes 5 if I think my son might eat what I'm making), has gotten easier and easier as time goes on.

Friday night, we decided to try a new taco salad recipe from The Food Lovers Kitchen. This specific recipe called for a homemade Buffalo Sauce to drizzle over the top. It was fantastic! Of course, I made enough salad and meat for lunch the next day. I just kept the meat separate from the salad so we could reheat the meat and toss it in last.

Each of the following recipes were tweaked a little to our liking.

Taco Salad



Ingredients
1 lb Grassfed Ground Beef
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Penzey's Chili 3000
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1 whole Avocado, chopped
1 Red Bell Pepper, julienned
1/2 cup Cilantro
1/2 cup Red Onion, julienned
10 Cherry Tomatoes, sliced in half
8 cup Spring Mix Salad Greens
1/4 cup Buffalo Sauce
1 Lemon, juice

Preparation
Brown beef in a large skillet over medium heat.
Once beef is no longer pink, top with seasonings and stir until meat is evenly coated in spices.
Remove seasoned meat from heat and allow to cool slightly.
Rinse, dry, and prepare all vegetables.
Plate 2 cups lettuce per serving, and top each plate with red bell pepper, red onion, cherry tomatoes, ground beef, avocado, cilantro, freshly squeezed lemon, and a drizzle of buffalo sauce.

Buffalo Sauce

Ingredients
1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup Yellow Onion, chopped
1/2 tsp Coconut Oil, Organic
1/2 tsp Sea salt
10 whole Fresno Chiles
3 cloves Garlic, chopped
3 cup Water

Preparation
Remove stems from chilies, and slice peppers.
Sauté onion, garlic, and peppers in 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil for 3 minutes on high.
Add 2 cups of water, and cook on high stirring occasionally for 10–15 minutes.
After 10–15 minutes, add an additional cup of water.
Turn heat to medium, and continue to cook until all the water has evaporated and the peppers are soft.
In a high-speed blender or food processor, blend the sautéed peppers, onion, and garlic.
Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and slowly add in 1 cup of apple cider vinegar.
Blend until smooth.
Serve.

The Buffalo Sauce made enough to store extra in a small jar in the fridge for a few days so I could figure out what to do with it. While we were eating the taco salads for dinner, my husband had the idea of trying to create a Paleo Buffalo Chicken Salad. He had Chili's salad in mind, specifically. It didn't take long to find a recipe online, thanks to the growing popularity of Paleo.

Buffalo Chicken Chopped Salad by The Clothes Make the Girl



Ingredients
Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups Buffalo Sauce
Salad
1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 large cucumber, sliced very thin and quartered
2 stalks celery, sliced very thin
1/2 medium onion, sliced into very thin moons
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced
*I only used 1/4 of an onion and left out the cucumber.
Ranch Dressing
1/2 cup homemade mayo
2 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon paprika
4 teaspoons dried chives
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
*This dressing recipe is doubled from what the originally called for. It worked perfectly this way for us.

Preparation
Chicken
Place the chicken and Buffalo Sauce in the slow cooker, cover, and cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours.

Salad
Slice all the salad ingredients as thinly as possible. If you have a mandoline slicer, all the better. Toss everything in a very large bowl and refrigerate until it’s time to assemble.

Dressing
Place all ingredients in a small bowl and mix with a fork until blended. Taste, then season with salt and pepper.

We were both pleasantly surprised how good this salad turned out. It was so simple, that we underestimated how it would turn out. My husband actually said he liked this salad better than the salad at Chili's! Score!

I was super proud of myself for using the rest of the Buffalo Sauce instead of letting it go bad in the fridge! Yay! The moral of the story is, save money and get creative in the kitchen!

Friday, January 18, 2013

Red Thai Curry with Chicken



This meal is amazing and very filling! My goal when cooking dinner is to make enough for dinner and lunches the next day for my husband and I. These are the perfect size portions for my hungry husband.

I originally got this recipe from Everyday Paleo, but tweaked it a little after a few tries to get our favorite curry consistency and flavor.



Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 zucchini, sliced
1 yellow squash, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 orange bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 broccoli crown, cut into florets
4 to 5 cans full fat coconut milk (preferably chilled)
1 jar Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste
Big splash Thai Kitchen Fish Sauce

*If you like your curry on the spicier side, add red pepper flakes and a little cayenne, either while cooking or in your bowl.

Preparation:
Preferably, chill the coconut milk first. This helps separate the fat from the water to get a creamier sauce.
Slice veggies. Remove seeds and stems of peppers.
*Always prep veggies on cutting board before raw meat.
Defrost wrapped chicken under water.
Scoop coconut fat into hot iron skillet and bring to low boil for 3-5 minutes.
*Save the coconut water for smoothies later! Store in air tight container in the fridge.
Add jar of curry paste and a couple splashes of the fish sauce into coconut milk and mix well.
Cube chicken and add to coconut milk. Let cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add sliced veggies and simmer, covered until veggies are tender but still brightly colored.
Serve and enjoy!