Mini Healthy Hash Quiche For Kids

This week the contents of our fridge consisted of leftover frozen pie crust, Trader Joe's bacon ends and pieces,  kale, and A LOT of eggs.  What's a mom to do with these ingredients and lunch soon approaching?  Make mini quiches for the kids and a few paleo-ish quiche cups for a healthy lunch option for mom.

Kale Salad with Yam Noodles

I've heard so many people tell me they don't like kale.  Sadly, I hear it most often in our own house.  I don't get it.  Taste wise, kale is GREAT!  It's crunchy, lends great color to a salad, but the best thing about kale is its nutritional value!  I've heard it's the most nutritionally dense vegetable!  According to Livestrong.com

Dark green leafy vegetables are rich in iron, dietary fiber, calcium, vitamins B, E and K, protein, carotenoids and other antioxidants.

You really can't go wrong eating kale.

Paleo Banana Pancakes...YUM!

I've been trying to perfect the paleo pancake for a bit now.  I totally miss eating pancakes!  They're my FAVORITE breakfast item.  This may scare some people, but when I was in high school I would eat a stack of 6 large buttermilk pancakes along with 4 eggs many mornings.  And even with all that food, I'd be hungry by 10:00 am and struggle to make it to lunch.  I was the one with the growling stomach in class. SAD!  I used to be so embarrassed and am so glad my kids don't have to experience this.

Paleo West African Pork Stew

The cookbook I'm currently spending a week in is The Whole Hog Cookbook by Libbie Summers.  Of course, as timing goes, a photo of the mistreatment of little piggies is making the Facebook rounds.  Just before I began typing this post, I checked my Facebook page and saw a posting of poor piggies.  Apparently they were being prepared to be shipped, in China.  That little piggie was going to market, but not in a good way.  Sad.

Thai Cuisine Lemon Grass Cookbook: Red Curry Chicken

When planning the dinner menu for this month, I had a different cookbook in mind for this week, but sometimes well-made plans need to be changed.

Moosewood Cookbook: Polenta Pie

Despite what nutritionists, diet specialists or hard core gluten-free groupies say I cannot seem to shake my love for pizza!  I've heard it said, if you refrain from eating something long enough you'll lose a taste for it.  I beg to differ, or my taste buds beg to differ!  No matter how long I stay away from pizza (and root beer), when I splurge and enjoy them I feel like my food-love bank is FULL!  They're the BEST!

Grub Recipe #2 Sweet Potato Fries

There are some recipes when I glance at the ingredients I know we're in for a REAL treat.  There are other recipes, like Martha Stewart's homemade marshmallows that were so good I thought I'd never buy store-bought marshmallows again, but sadly, they've never had a second go-around.  There are some recipes I know will culminate into something I'll never like, so they'll never be attempted.  Then there are those I will try, they appear simple and worthwhile, but the truth is the recipe will never make it to the repeat file because of either hard-to-find and/or expensive ingredients, excessive time to prepare, or there's a convenient alternative that suits us fine.

Such was the case with Grub's Cinnamon-Dusted Sweet Potato Fries.

I'm glad I tried this delicious recipe, but don't plan on making again anytime soon. Don't get me wrong, I prefer making all things from scratch and these yummies were all-natural, made from scratch with healthy ingredients, and ever-so-tasty. This little number would also meet paleo parameters- the only ingredients were sweet potatoes, coconut oil, sea salt and a little cinnamon.  They were a HUGE hit with the kids and I ate my share of the tasty treat, but they seemed time consuming.  Not all at one time, time-consuming, just cut wait, pat-dry, fry, wait, fry, etc.

Perhaps if I had a deep fat fryer they would have proved easier to make, but then there's the oil issue.  The recipe called for the sweet potatoes to be fried in coconut oil.  I love cooking with coconut oil, but it's a bit expensive to use for deep frying.

So, with the expensive oil combined with the frying time, perhaps I won't be making these again soon.  Furthermore, we can buy tasty Sweet Potato Fries at Trader Joe's, pop them in the oven and have a yummy side dish in about 20 minutes. Another option I was thinking about while making them was the sweet potato chips.  Easy!

Furthermore, I roast and/or grill fresh sweet potatoes often and I like the taste of those just about as well as these.

If you're interested in trying something new, I'd say give this recipe a whirl.  They're very tasty and simple, but be prepared to put a dent in your $6-$8 jar of organic coconut oil.

Cinnamon-Dusted Sweet Potato Fries

The recipe stated prep time was 10 minutes.  Perhaps I was distracted, but it seemed to take me much more time than 10 minutes between peeling, slicing, soaking, patting, etc.

Ingredients

4 large sweet potatoes (about 4 pounds), peeled
Coarse sea salt (I used Kosher salt)
Organic, unrefined coconut cooking oil, for frying
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon (we didn't use the cinnamon- they were great without)

Cut the sweet potatoes into slices about 1/2 inch thick, then cut them lengthwise into the shape of slim fries (we went for the chip shape).

So thankful for the Cuisinart!

In a large bowl, combine the sweet potatoes with 1 teaspoon salt and enough cold water to cover by a few inches.  Cover and refrigerate for at least  1 hour, or overnight.

Thoroughly drain the sweet potatoes in a colander.  Pat (tedious work this patting is!) them well with paper towels until completely dry.

They were pretty!

Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan or deep-fryer over medium-high heat until it reaches a temperature of 325 degrees, 6-8 minutes.  (Details, details...I just heated oil and fried).  Fry the potatoes, in batches, until lightly browned.  Remove the fries from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate.  Increase the heat to high until it reaches 375 degrees, then add the par-fried potatoes (AGAIN, I have to fry?), in batches, back into the oil and fry until crisp, 2-4 minutes.  Again, remove the fries from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate.  Dust with cinnamon and serve immediately.  I didn't use the cinnamon.  I just dusted with Kosher salt and they were TASTY!

I was really stingy with the coconut oil as you can tell!

After first round of frying

Done and ready to eat!

Yum!

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies

When my mom heard we were baking gingerbread cookies recently she requested I send some back with my Grandma when she returned home.  The problem for my mom in that is she suffers from Celiac Disease.  After years of health struggles, she was finally diagnosed.

The Celiac Disease Foundation states:

The cause of Celiac Disease (CD), also known as celiac sprue or gluten sensitive enteropathy (GSE), is still a mystery. One out of 133 people in the United States is affected with celiac disease. CD occurs in 5-15% of the offspring and siblings of a person with celiac disease. In 70% of identical twin pairs, both twins have the disease. It is strongly suggested that family members be tested, even if asymptomatic. Family members who have an autoimmune disease are at a 25% increased risk of having celiac disease. Celiac Disease is not a food allergy - it is an autoimmune disease. Food allergies, including wheat allergy, are conditions that people can sometimes grow out of. This is not the case with Celiac Disease.

There's a minimal chance I could one day be diagnosed with Celiac Disease.  I limit my intake, not so much in concern with having Celiac, but because I hang out with a paleo-ish crowd.  More and more people seem to be limiting gluten, wheat and rice intake.  I've seen this especially prevalent in the CrossFit world.  Limiting processed foods and eating REAL food is definitely beneficial to the body.  Although this is a bit of a contradiction to the yummy desserts and foods I've been posting lately, we do primarily eat paleo-ish.

Thinking of my mom and her desire to have gingerbread cookies, I wanted to find a recipe for cookies she could enjoy that wouldn't cause her issues.

I found a recipe on noursishingmeals.com that fit the bill.  Granted, many of their recipes have ingredients I do not readily have on hand and I do not want to go out and spend $50 on ingredients to make one batch of cookies.  Consequently, I used what I had and I think the cookies turned out GREAT!  They are soft and chewy and have just a hint of ginger and molasses.  I may increase the ginger a bit next time, but they taste great the way they are.  Appearance wise, they're a bit on the wrinkly side, but I'm a bit on the wrinkly side so, so they pass the test.  

Despite the appearance they are chewy soft goodness!

Nourishing meals recommended using hazelnut flour and provided a link to buy some on Amazon.  I don't have the desire or the inkling to order flour on Amazon so I just used ground almond meal flour found in the grocery store bulk section (Sprouts carries it).  

Also, they recommended using coconut sugar.  I purchased some in the Whole Foods bulk section when I was originally going to make these cookies, but used it for something else.  I ended up using raw turbinado sugar from Whole Foods 365 brand. It's a finer sugar than other raw sugar brands.  I would steer away from using a raw sugar that has granules as large as something like Sugar in the Raw.  The granules don't really break down well in the cookie dough.

I know my mom isn't as crazy about the frosting, so we didn't frost these cookies much.  Unlike my sweetheart and kiddies, I prefer to have cookies unfrosted also. They're much too sweet with the extra sweetness lathered on top.  

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies

Dry Ingredients

2 cups ground almond meal flour

1 cup sweet rice flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Wet Ingredients

1 cup coconut sugar (or raw turbinado sugar- fine granules)

1/2 cup softened butter

1/4 cup molasses

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix well.  

In an electric mixer combine wet ingredients.  Mix well.

Add dry ingredients.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for a couple hours.

Roll dough out to 1/4" thickness on surface sprinkled with sweet rice flour.  Using cookie cutters carefully cut out shapes and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet or on Silpat baking mat.  If you don't have a Silpat, add it to your Christmas list.  My mother-in-law gave me one for Christmas a couple years back and I LOVE IT!  Thank you MIL!

Bake 12-15 minutes.  If you bake them closer to the 12 minutes they with be soft and chewy.  If baked closer to the 15 minutes they will be crisper.

Ready for the oven

Our Peeps

Best Dressed!

Glamour Shot

This is a GREAT treat to enjoy with a cup of coffee, or perhaps the Christmas eggnog latte!

Mom, watch your mailbox...we're sending some friends your way!  Merry Christmas!

Paleo Dinner: Spicy Meaty Chili

It's a rainy, chilly day in Southern California.  This is a perfect day for a big pot of spicy chili to warm the bones.

Rainy Day Paleo Spicy Chili

Ingredients

2 lbs ground beef

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

1-28 oz. can whole tomatoes with juice, slightly chop tomatoes with kitchen shears before adding

2- 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

1- 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with jalapenos and chile peppers

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons Emeril's Baby Bam (see recipe following)

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Brown ground beef.  Drain off fat.  Add garlic, onion, green pepper, and onion. Cook for a few minutes until vegetables are slightly softened.  Add tomatoes and seasonings.    Stir well and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes.  Stir occasionally so tomatoes don't stick to bottom of pan.  Enjoy!

Hearty!  Meaty!  Paleo!  Yum!

Baby Bam

from Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients
3 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Combine and place in airtight container.

Paleo African Beef Curry Dinner with Butternut Squash

African Ground Beef Curry with Butternut Squash

My husband just said, "This is SO GOOD, I'm going to have to overeat!"

Those words are music to my ears!

Since this is the season of magnificent filling squash, I bought a load of butternut, acorn, spaghetti and kabocha squash yesterday.  I'm doing a paleo challenge with fellow Crossfit members and I wanted to come up with a dinner that was both tasty paleo.

I found a recipe for Kenyan Ground Beef Curry in Extending The Table that I altered to meet our dietary restrictions.

African Ground Beef Curry with Butternut Squash


Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 cup chopped onions
1 teaspoon Aroy-D Massaman Curry Paste (available at Asian grocery stores)
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3 medium tomatoes, sliced
1- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
kosher salt to taste
one butternut squash, peeled, cubed, boiled until softened, but not mushy
one avocado, peeled and sliced

Brown ground beef, drain fat.  Add chopped onions and cook until onions are softened.

Add garlic, 1 teaspoon Aroy-D Massaman Curry Paste, ginger, sliced tomatoes, tomato sauce and water.  Stir well.  Let cook for about 20 minutes until flavors blend.

Meanwhile, peel and dice butternut squash.  Place in pot of water.  Boil gently until squash is softened, about 15 minutes.

Serve butternut squash, with meat mixture topped with avocado.  This is a GREAT paleo dinner option!

Aroy-D Massaman Curry Paste

Enjoy!

Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken Cacciatore with roasted brussel sprouts and butternut squash

Martha is the Queen!  Some of my favorite recipes are from various Martha Stewart cookbooks.  One book with great, quick cooking recipes is Martha Stewart's Quick Cook Menus.  I've made this Chicken Cacciatore recipe a number of times and it's great for a flavorful crowd pleasing meal.  It's a tasty chicken dinner option when we're following a paleo eating program served alongside roasted vegetables.  A side of pasta is a great accompaniment also, but not for the paleo folk.

Chicken Cacciatore
(I usually double this recipe if we're having company, or if I want to make sure we have leftovers).

Marinade
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup red wine
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Cajun spice for chicken (optional, I use my prepared Baby Bam)
Sliced onions and olives, optional

1 (3 pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces (or I use boneless thighs, and breasts)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine marinade ingredients, mix well.  I usually add onion and sometimes olives for added texture and flavor.  Place chicken in a large shallow baking dish.  Pour marinade over the chicken and let sit overnight in the refrigerator.  I'm never this organized, so I let it sit with marinade for at least an hour and it always turns out great.

At this point I usually sprinkle with a little kosher salt .

Preheat broiler.  Broil chicken pieces 8-10 minutes.  Turn over and baste with marinade.  Cook 8-10 minutes longer or until done.  I've also done this meal and baked at 425 degrees for about 10-15 minutes each side.  Check chicken to make sure breasts are done, but try not to over cook.  Use red marinade as sauce for pasta if serving alongside pasta.

Decadent Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Frosting: Gluten Free, Vegan and Paleo-ish

Everyone has a birthday and most likely, even if you're on a very regimented eating program you still want to celebrate your special day with a little treat.  Today one of our fellow Crossfiters celebrated her special day.  She's gluten-free and many of us try to eat a paleo diet so I found a recipe that would fit the bill.  Note this isn't completely sweetener free as it has agave, but as far as birthday sweets go, I think it is a keeper.

I found the recipe on nourishing meals.com

Gluten-Free Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Frosting

Ingredients

3 cups blanched almond flour (Almond flour can be very expensive, but I have found the finely ground almond meal works well and is and economical alternative).
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 cup canned coconut milk (full fat)
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line one 12-cup muffin tin with paper muffin cups.

In a medium-size mixing bowl sift together the almond flour, cocoa powder, arrowroot, baking powder, sea salt, and xanthan gum.

In a separate bowl whisk together the remaining wet ingredients.  Add the wet to the dry and whisk together well.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.  Bake for about 25 minutes.  Let cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Chocolate Ganache Frosting

1/2 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate (about 3 ounces)
1/4 cup canned coconut milk
2-3 tablespoons agave nectar

Place all ingredients in a small saucepan.  Heat over low heat melting chocolate. Stir continuously until melted and thickened, about 2 minutes.  If frosting is a bit too thick, add a additional tablespoon of coconut milk.  Taste to make sure it is a suitable sweetness.  Remove from heat and let cool about 5 minutes then spoon over cupcakes.

So shiny!  Almost like a chocolate mirror!

A delicious, rich, paleo-ish, sugar-free, vegan, gluten-free dessert option!
Enjoy!

Roasted Fall Vegetables

Roasted Vegetables and Grilled Chicken Thighs

Throughout the year we enjoy roasted vegetables, but the fall seems to be the best time to enjoy the bounty of seasonal squashes and root vegetables.  This is an incredibly easy, healthy, and quick side dish.  Our kids love  it and I usually make enough for leftovers the following day.

Some vegetable combinations I use include a variety of:

sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks
butternut squash, peeled and cut in chunks
carrots, peeled and cut in chunks,
onions, diced
brussel sprouts
celery
beets
red bell peppers

Beautiful fall vegetables

The vegetables can easily be put in a large roasting pan or on a large cookie sheet with edges, drizzled with olive oil and kosher salt, and roasted at 425 degrees.  In addition to the salt, I season our vegetables with about 1-2 teaspoons (depending on how many vegetables prepared) of a combination of seasonings from Emeril's Baby Bam recipe.  The following Baby Bam recipe is found in Emeril's There's a Chef in My Family cookbook.  Bake vegetables until a fork can be easily inserted into the sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts.  Don't overcook or vegetables will get mushy.  I usually begin checking the veggies after about 20 minutes.  Stir occasionally to rotate the veggies for thorough cooking.

The Baby Bam is easy to make and can be stored in a cute glass jar for future use.  I will often have the kids make it for me.

Stored Baby Bam

Baby Bam

Ingredients
3 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Combine and place in airtight container.

Seasonings Combined

Vegetables drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with kosher salt and 1-2 teaspoons Baby Bam

Bake vegetables until a fork can be inserted easily into brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes

Enjoy!

Crossfit Games 2011 Day 2: Summer Catch Up

I think one of the main reasons I blog is to remember what we've done and where we've been.  Some days there is just so much on my mind and so much to complete, I can't remember what I had for breakfast let alone what we did last week or last month.  I hope, through blogging, our family will have some sort of history to look back on and then say, "Oh! Yeah, I remember..."

This past week I heard the 2011 Crossfit Games were aired on ESPN.  We don't currently have cable, so I'm clueless as to what is on television.  We were very fortunate to attend the Games, so I went back to look at the posts and photos I took back in July.  I realized there were some photos and events I forgot to share.

A number of vendors were present at The Games.  One person I hoped to meet and chat with was Mark Sisson.  He's a Primal guy.  What is Primal eating?  Check out Mark's blog at http://www.marksdailyapple.com/  I bought his book, Primal Blueprint, and am working my way through it.

with Mark Sisson

Mark, it was great to meet you!

The next event I was able to attend was the Triplet Sprint.  The women of Crossfit continue to amaze me with their strength and determination.

Here's their workout:
For time:
5 Muscle-ups

165 pound Deadlift, 10 reps

15 GHD Sit-ups

Sprint 50 yards

5 Muscle-ups

165 pound Deadlift, 10 reps

15 GHD Sit-ups

Sprint 100 yards
5 Muscle-ups
165 pound Deadlift, 10 reps

15 GHD Sit-ups

Sprint 150 yards

5 Muscle-ups

165 pound Deadlift, 10 reps

15 GHD Sit-ups

Sprint 200 yards

GHD's

Kristin Clever

Kristin Clever

Becca Voigt

Kristin Clever

The Killer Kage

 The Killer Kage workout was a team workout.  Here it is:

Every team will consist of 4 athletes, 2 men and 2 women.

Each team member completes for time:
20 Shoulder to overhead (135/95lbs)
20 Box jump (24"/20")
50 foot Kage traverse
50 Double-unders
Bike 500 meters
Then, 
Bike 500 meters
50 Double-unders
50 foot Kage traverse20 Box jump (24"/20")
20 Shoulder to overhead (135/95lbs)

All 4 members will work their way through the exercises at the same time, but must start one at a time and may not move on to the next exercises until the member ahead of them has finished it. The entire team must complete moving through the first series of exercises before the first member can begin working through the second series.

This looked insane!

Thankful my sweetheart's shared this experience with me.

What troopers hanging out all day at the Games!  And still smiling!