Well, Whole30 will just have to wait. Of course, the night before I had planned to start prepping my meals, I got a nasty stomach bug and meat and eggs still don't sound very appealing. I did make a yummy salad:
-shredded chicken
-grape tomatoes
-baby spinach
-cucumbers
-artichoke hearts
-olive oil
-balsamic vinegar
-a dash of garlic salt
Not a lot of prep at all. The chicken took the longest, because I thawed it and then put it in the slow cooker for 3 hours on high. Other than that, all you have to do is peel and dice or slice the cucumbers and throw everything together. :)
Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts
Monday, January 7, 2013
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Make it Paleo *Review*
The Food Lovers Kitchen was one of the first websites I visited while researching paleo meals and nutrition. Their website is incredibly easy to navigate and full of useful information. The recipes are separated by course (breakfast, entrees, sides, treats, etc.) and they even have menus for planning special occasions like football games, Thanksgiving, summer cookouts, and birthday dinners.
I was given a copy of their cookbook Make it Paleo to review for you guys, and I have to say I really was impressed. I found several cheap and easy recipes that I could try without even needing to make a trip to the grocery store. I read in a few reviews that some of the recipes were too simple. How is that possible? As a mother, the most basic things tend to slip my mind, and yes I am one of those people that needs a recipe to make bacon and eggs. :)
I love that (as someone new to paleo) you can find recipes to replace meals that tend to be considered staples in most homes. I can still eat waffles and pancakes for breakfast! There is also plenty of useful information in the front of the book for someone just starting out on this path including:
- a list of seasonal fruits and veggies
- a basic overview of what foods do and do not fit into a paleo lifestyle
- essential ingredients for paleo cooking and baking
It was really difficult to narrow down which recipes to try out for this review, but I decided to build my menu around seasonal produce and stick to my skill level and cooking preferences.
For dinner, I made pot roast in the crock pot with turnips, onions, celery, and carrots. It was seasoned with a bouquet of fresh herbs, which made me feel fancy. It called for parsnips, but I won't lie. I had no clue what a parsnip looked like and I was too embarrassed to ask, so the roast was sans parsnip. (Now I know, it's kind of like a brown carrot.)
I made mashed cauliflower (to replace mashed white potatoes) and they were delicious! I don't have any pictures, but I think you can paint a mental picture here. ;)
For dessert, again I wanted something seasonal and not too complicated. So, we had baked apples. They tasted just like a healthier version of apple pie. I cannot wait to make them again! Even my dad, who doesn't eat fruit, ate the whole thing.
Overall, we had a successful meal and it was simple enough for someone like me--the dummy who catches a paper towel on fire while trying to wipe down a gas stove... while it's still on. It was also inexpensive. I fed six people (including my hungry Army man) on less than $50.
Prep/Candid pics. Just because:
Tl;dr - If you are considering paleo, you NEED this cookbook. Like I said, it is very user-friendly. Great for beginners. Lots of information without being overwhelming.
Where to get it: The Food Lovers Amazon Store. It's $19.01, but you can also purchase the Kindle edition for $9.99 if you don't mind being deprived of the food photos.
Also: If you're not ready to purchase, at the very least, you need to download their myKitchen app for Android and iPhone. It includes 400+ recipes and you can customize weekly meal plans and shopping lists. Great for those days when you can't decide what to make!
I was given a copy of their cookbook Make it Paleo to review for you guys, and I have to say I really was impressed. I found several cheap and easy recipes that I could try without even needing to make a trip to the grocery store. I read in a few reviews that some of the recipes were too simple. How is that possible? As a mother, the most basic things tend to slip my mind, and yes I am one of those people that needs a recipe to make bacon and eggs. :)
I love that (as someone new to paleo) you can find recipes to replace meals that tend to be considered staples in most homes. I can still eat waffles and pancakes for breakfast! There is also plenty of useful information in the front of the book for someone just starting out on this path including:
- a list of seasonal fruits and veggies
- a basic overview of what foods do and do not fit into a paleo lifestyle
- essential ingredients for paleo cooking and baking
It was really difficult to narrow down which recipes to try out for this review, but I decided to build my menu around seasonal produce and stick to my skill level and cooking preferences.
For dinner, I made pot roast in the crock pot with turnips, onions, celery, and carrots. It was seasoned with a bouquet of fresh herbs, which made me feel fancy. It called for parsnips, but I won't lie. I had no clue what a parsnip looked like and I was too embarrassed to ask, so the roast was sans parsnip. (Now I know, it's kind of like a brown carrot.)
 | ||
| The 2.5lb chuck roast fed six people with no leftovers. |
 |
| *fresh* |
 |
| Amazing meal. I am clearly *not* a food photographer. |
For dessert, again I wanted something seasonal and not too complicated. So, we had baked apples. They tasted just like a healthier version of apple pie. I cannot wait to make them again! Even my dad, who doesn't eat fruit, ate the whole thing.
 |
| Cheap, easy, healthy, and delicious! Can't beat that. |
Overall, we had a successful meal and it was simple enough for someone like me--the dummy who catches a paper towel on fire while trying to wipe down a gas stove... while it's still on. It was also inexpensive. I fed six people (including my hungry Army man) on less than $50.
Prep/Candid pics. Just because:
 |
| In the kitchen. What my brother would call "a woman's place." |
 |
| Hubby, chowing down. (Ignore all the non-paleo condiments please...) |
 | |
| The whole family. Clearly, I am not *any* type of photographer. |
Where to get it: The Food Lovers Amazon Store. It's $19.01, but you can also purchase the Kindle edition for $9.99 if you don't mind being deprived of the food photos.
Also: If you're not ready to purchase, at the very least, you need to download their myKitchen app for Android and iPhone. It includes 400+ recipes and you can customize weekly meal plans and shopping lists. Great for those days when you can't decide what to make!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Eating Healthy (with an Infant...)
*whew* It's been a long day! My little girl had her four-month well visit today, which meant two more shots and she is not handling it well. Grandma got home a few minutes ago and has been entertaining the baby so I just now have had a chance to sit down and write.
Needless to say, it's really hard to take time to think about yourself when you have a baby to take care of, especially if that baby is sick or just generally needy (like my precious angel.) The best way to make sure you are taken care of is to plan ahead.
1. When you go grocery shopping, don't fall victim to the allure of "convenience" foods. You won't have a lot of time for meal prep, but there are better ways to get around that than picking up a value pack of Cheez-Its and DoubleStuf Oreos to satisfy your midnight hunger. (Which you will have if you are up every two hours to feed your baby, and if you don't get up during the night, you can just keep that to yourself, thanks!) Instead, pick up no-fuss snacks like veggies, fruits, and nuts. I normally have a banana and a handful of almonds around 1 am and that keeps me going until the morning.
2. Make meals in bulk if you can. If you are baking some Paleo muffins in the morning, make extra and freeze them. If there are two of you, double the recipe so you can have dinner and then lunch for the next day. One of my favorite tricks is to mix a whole batch of chicken salad (or you could use tuna) for the week and then eat it a different way every day for lunch. (On a bun, in a wrap, with crackers, on a bed of mixed greens, etc.)
3. Get familiar with your slow cooker. Most recipes have four or fewer ingredients and most of the time, you can take chicken breasts straight out of the freezer without thawing ahead of time. A slow cooker is great with tip #2 as well. I have a 7-quart slow cooker and double recipes whenever I can to get an extra meal out of it. I have a ton of easy crock-pot recipes pinned on my Food Board, but here are a couple of my favorites:
Crock-Pot Chicken with Carrots and Sweet Potatoes
Honey-Sauced Chicken
4. My number one tip for eating healthy, regardless of how many munchkins you have running around or requiring your attention at any given moment: SURROUND YOURSELF WITH GOOD FOOD! If you only keep fresh, whole, healthy foods in your fridge and pantry, that is what you will eat. Same goes for junk. If that's all you have, that's all you will eat. Make that choice before you get to the checkout line and you will be good to go. ;)
Sorry it's so late, but for what it's worth, this concludes the three-part "Staying Healthy with an Infant" series. :-D
Needless to say, it's really hard to take time to think about yourself when you have a baby to take care of, especially if that baby is sick or just generally needy (like my precious angel.) The best way to make sure you are taken care of is to plan ahead.
1. When you go grocery shopping, don't fall victim to the allure of "convenience" foods. You won't have a lot of time for meal prep, but there are better ways to get around that than picking up a value pack of Cheez-Its and DoubleStuf Oreos to satisfy your midnight hunger. (Which you will have if you are up every two hours to feed your baby, and if you don't get up during the night, you can just keep that to yourself, thanks!) Instead, pick up no-fuss snacks like veggies, fruits, and nuts. I normally have a banana and a handful of almonds around 1 am and that keeps me going until the morning.
2. Make meals in bulk if you can. If you are baking some Paleo muffins in the morning, make extra and freeze them. If there are two of you, double the recipe so you can have dinner and then lunch for the next day. One of my favorite tricks is to mix a whole batch of chicken salad (or you could use tuna) for the week and then eat it a different way every day for lunch. (On a bun, in a wrap, with crackers, on a bed of mixed greens, etc.)
3. Get familiar with your slow cooker. Most recipes have four or fewer ingredients and most of the time, you can take chicken breasts straight out of the freezer without thawing ahead of time. A slow cooker is great with tip #2 as well. I have a 7-quart slow cooker and double recipes whenever I can to get an extra meal out of it. I have a ton of easy crock-pot recipes pinned on my Food Board, but here are a couple of my favorites:
Crock-Pot Chicken with Carrots and Sweet Potatoes
Honey-Sauced Chicken
4. My number one tip for eating healthy, regardless of how many munchkins you have running around or requiring your attention at any given moment: SURROUND YOURSELF WITH GOOD FOOD! If you only keep fresh, whole, healthy foods in your fridge and pantry, that is what you will eat. Same goes for junk. If that's all you have, that's all you will eat. Make that choice before you get to the checkout line and you will be good to go. ;)
Sorry it's so late, but for what it's worth, this concludes the three-part "Staying Healthy with an Infant" series. :-D
Friday, August 10, 2012
Sugar Detox - Day 1
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| Let the baking begin! |
So thanks to a donation from an awesome friend, I have the official 21-Day Sugar Detox eBook! Today, I am pre-making my egg muffins and burgers which will be breakfast and lunch for the week. (Unfortunately, it's apparently really difficult to get bison on short notice here, so these burgers will be lean ground beef and ground turkey.) For snacks, I'll be baking up some kale chips and making some homemade applesauce in the crock pot. The number one "excuse" I have for not following through with this plan is that I don't have time to cook or make my meals. If I can get a week's worth of breakfast, lunch, and snacks done in one day, I'll be in good shape. The eBook has some really great recipes and meal ideas. I can't wait to try more!
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| I loosely followed the recipe from The Food Lovers Kitchen. I didn't have any broccoli or peppers, so I just sauteed some spinach. Next time, more veggies! |
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| Minimal (love it!) clean up. I used a shaker bottle to scramble the eggs. Way easier than using a whisk and bowl. |
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| Well, they're not pretty. Next time I will skip the liners and just coat the tin with some coconut oil. I will also lower the temp, because this is what they looked like at 15 minutes on 400. I'd say they were a success. I can definitely eat one of these for breakfast every morning, but I'd need to add something else to my meal in order to be satisfied. |
Today is also my first day back to the gym in a week. I had a nasty ingrown toenail cut out last week (TMI? I know you want pics!) and it's still healing, so I'll be doing some lifting but keeping weight off of my foot, and then I'll be starting my 5/3/1 schedule over again on Monday. *sigh* Setbacks happen, people. You just have to keep trucking!
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