More Than a Sandwich...Treat Dad to a MANWICH

My mom sent me a forwarded email this morning titled MANWICH.  The name alone peaked interest so I checked it out.  What followed were photos of a SERIOUS sandwich that the likes of Guy Fieri would drool over.  I decided I would give it a try as we're trying to show added appreciation this week for my sweetheart and Dad to our kiddos.  How could we go wrong with sourdough bread, steak, bacon, Swiss cheese, mushrooms, onion and BBQ sauce?

It doesn't get any easier than this...Paleo Chicken Burger

I made a visit to our local farmstand yesterday.  It's the best!  It's a large outdoor stand just a couple miles from home owned by local farmers.  A great deal of the produce is farmed beind the stand and much of it is organic.  It's all arranged in a tidy fashion, but the best part is the cool jazz playing in the background.  It's vegetable buying mood music.  I buy much more when listening to mood music.

I came home with a huge head of leafy green lettuce, tomatoes, giant avocados, fresh onions, asparagus and a whole lot more!  About 6 bags worth.

Tonight, after a pretty tough workout, I came home hungry, but didn't have a plan.  We needed something quick, yet healthy!  Having the fresh produce on hand made nutrtious meal planning easy.

First, turn on the grill.  Grilling can be super quick.  Turn on the oven to 425 degrees.

What's in the freezer?  Chicken thighs.  Easy.  Defrost chicken thighs while grill is heating up. 

Wash asparagus and lettuce.  Slice, onion, tomato, avocado. 

Place asparagus on foil sheet on grill.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle with kosher salt.  Grill.

Love the asparagus!

Next place chicken thighs on grill.  I know there are beef burgers on the grill too.  We have a hungry crowd to feed.

In the meantime, bake sweet potato fries.  I forgot to mention them earlier.  Yummy to have on hand.  Fresh sweet potatoes on the grill are yummy too, but not tonight.

Wait...

Dinner is served.

Yummy chicken thigh burger wrap, grilled asparagus, and sweet potato fries.  Yes!  Mission accomplished!

I hope you can see the chicken under all the veggies.

On The Grill: Roasted Chicken

Roasted Chicken from Costco is a family favorite when we're short on time and want a nutritious, protein-rich main dish that is affordable.  I decided to try roasting a whole chicken on the grill to see how it compared with Costco's chicken.  We may not be buying many Costco chickens in the future.

Roasted Chicken on the BBQ

Heat grill.

Wash the chicken, pat it dry and place in a glass baking dish.

Rub the chicken with Organic Coconut Oil.

After the Coconut Oil, sprinkle with kosher salt, pepper, and Spike seasoning.

Make a foil tray.



Overlap foil and make a seam.



Fold seam twice so juices don't escape.

Open back up and lay flat.



Fold edges up.  My dad taught me this trick.


Place foil on grill.  Set chicken on foil.

Maybe this guy is upside down.

I think he definitely is!!  He's giving me a weird sign with his wings.  Reminds me of a flight attend, "We have rear and side exits." 

I heat the grill on high and then lower to Medium/Low just before I put the chicken on.

Allow to cook for 1 hour 15 minutes or until golden brown.



His wings chilled out.  I wanted them up because I love crispy wings.



This is so yummy!  The meat just falls off the bone.

When you're done with the chicken meat, or most of it, don't throw away the carcass.  Coming up I'll post a wonderful, kid-friendly chicken and rice soup our kids are crazy for!  Today I read about the nutritional value and importance of meat broths and how vital they are to our health.  I'm never going to want to throw a bone away again.  Soup recipe coming up!

Paleo-ish Blue Cheese Burger Wrap & Grilled Apples

Okay, maybe when reading the title this doesn't sound so good, but let me reassure you it was a TASTY meal tonight!

I'm now in the fourth week of a paleo month and feeling great!  I must admit the first couple weeks were pretty much the pits.  I'm not sure why because I usually eat pretty clean, not perfect, but overall pretty well.  But the first couple weeks, as gym members can attest to, I was on the floor.  When we had to do burpees, I'd lay on the floor after about 5 and have to re-group.  I was exhausted and it was all about food!

I'm feeling GREAT now!  I had the best 2-mile run I've had in weeks this morning, had a great CrossFit workout and then went for a 45 minute walk with a friend tonight.  Life is good!

Back to the burger...I've been thinking about ground beef with blue cheese for days.  Couldn't shake it!  If you're going strict Paleo with no dairy, this may not be the meal for you.  Actually, in two pounds of ground beef there is only a few tablespoons of blue cheese, so in my book not a deal killer.  The taste of the blue cheese is very subtle as is the faint sweetness of the apple and cranberries.

As I kept thinking about assembling a burger with blue cheese my mind went to one of my favorite salads we eat regularly at our home.  Greens, sliced apples, dried cranberries, onion, and blue cheese.  I wanted to make a burger out of this combination.

Kimberly's Blue Cheese {Paleo} Burger with Grilled Apples


Heat outdoor bbq for grilling.  We grill around medium depending on the fat content in the ground beef.  I'll cook a little lower just to control the fire that may result if the meat is too fatty.  I have a bad history of grilling fatty ribs!  Very humbling experience.

Ingredients:

2 pounds lean ground beef
1/4-1/2 cup diced onion (I love onion so I'd go more than 1/4 cup, but my sweetheart would lean to the 1/4- It's up to your taste).
3 Tablespoons dried cranberries (or more depending on your taste)
2-3 Tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
1 egg
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon pepper

Place ground beef and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl.  Incorporate all ingredients together with your hand.

Ready for patties

Using your hands, take a tennis ball size of meat and form into patty.  Place on grill.  Watch so the meat doesn't cook too quickly on the outside...I mean Char!

Cut a couple apple slices and place on the grill also.  Make sure they don't get too soft.

Grill burgers until they're desired doneness.

Assemble:

Take large leaf of Iceberg lettuce.  I know iceberg is the least nutritious lettuce.  If you want to wrap your burger in a giant spinach leaf, it'll be much better for you.  I miss my giant spinach I used to grow in my garden, so now I have iceberg.

Place burger inside lettuce, top with grilled apple and onion (yes, more onion- I love them and they're VERY good for the immune system).  Wrap it up and enjoy!

Burger on the lettuce, topped with grilled apple slice

Onions

All wrapped up!

So Good!  Enjoy!  I think a jalapeno would be a great addition too!