Prepping

I joke that I am a generator away from being a prepper, but that isn't too far from the truth.  I thought I would pass along this activity.  So many people have expressed to me that it costs so much more to eat healthy.  I couldn't disagree more.  If you plan and take care, you will have little waste and won't spend more than you need.  

This activity may be a bit cumbersome at first, but once you get the routine down, you will find the convenience to be well worth the short time it takes and better yet it extends the life of your produce.  

On a weekly basis I buy vegetables and fruit and place in pint size mason jars.  When I am pulling my meals together for the day, I grab a jar of both the vegetables and fruits.  I make enough of these jars for my husband and I for the week.  

My Process

• Rinse all vegetables and fruit thoroughly; allow to drain.  I find this easiest before putting them in the refrigerator, as soon as I get home from the grocery store I start this process.  
• Once the produce has drained, and is reasonably dry, I pack it up.  No need to add anything besides the produce, and you can reuse the lids since you are not processing them; they will continue to seal just from tightening the rings.  (Throw the lids away when you notice they aren't sealing any longer and buy new)  

Fruits

• I trim the strawberries and remove grapes from the stems.  
• I have tried ALL of the following:
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Grapes
• Raspberries & blackberries (careful these won't last as long as the other berries)
• Mango
• Pineapple
• Clementines 
• I DO NOT recommend kiwi fruit 

Vegetables

• Cut celery
• I have tried ALL of the following:
• Carrots
• Peppers (these may not last as long as the other vegetables)
• Celery
• Snap peas - not Paleo 
• Soy beans - not Paleo
• I DO NOT recommend cucumber 

Pumpkin - Banana Bread

Everyone in this household is a pumpkin lover. From pumpkin spice latte's (totally not paleo-approved) to pumpkin pie (ok... not much love for pumpkin is paleo approved) we devour this time of year.  Earlier this week, I made a LOT of PaleoOMG's Pumpkin Pie Granola Parfait's and those were eaten up in just a few days.  So today, I began experimenting with adding pumpkin to other things.  Today I made some of Power Hungry's Paleo Almond Flour Muffins and a few changes to Health Bent's Paleo Banana Bread to include our fall favorite pumpkin.  Here is how I changed the recipe:

• Used 2 bananas instead of 3
• added 1 cup of canned pumpkin
• 1 tsp of raw honey
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• sprinkle of chopped almonds on top before baking

Delicious!

Blueberry Pumpkin Muffins

I had about half of a can of pumpkin leftover from a recent recipe I made and wanted to have a homemade snack on hand that was not hard boiled eggs.  I made a few additions to the original Paleo Almond Flour Muffins recipe.  Here is what I added:

• 2 shredded carrots
• 2 handfuls of spinach
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup almonds

They turned out great and seem to satisfy my sweet tooth! 

Fried Fish

Ingredients:
1 cup of almond flour
1 cup of coconut flour
3 eggs
8 filets (possibly more?) of your fish of choice
Olive Oil

1. Fill a cast iron skillet (or whatever pan you’re using) with enough olive oil so that you have about ¼- ½ inch at the bottom of the pan. Turn on medium heat and let warm until it’s sizzling a little.

2. Combine almond and coconut flour in bowl. Break eggs into a separate bowl. Whisk together.

3. Coat each fillet in egg. Then dip the fish in the almond and coconut flour mixture. Coat again (this is key!) in egg and then in almond and coconut flour. If you skip the second coating the breading will come off. Trust me, I know this from experience and you don’t want to waste a expensive ingredient like almond or coconut flour.

4. Lay fish gently in oil and cook until golden brown and then flip. Transfer from oil to plate with plate lined with paper towels. You may, at some point, need to get rid of the oil you’re using and add fresh oil (the oil can get pretty muddy with the breading).

5. Serve with gluten free tortillas, cabbage and guacamole for Paleo Fish Tacos. You can also use a cabbage leaf as your “tortilla”. These are good reheated as well!

Breakfast Shake - A spur of the moment creation!

This morning I was running a bit behind... happens when you have a 1 year old who demands attention. Out of nowhere, it was 8:50, ten minutes before I normally leave for the gym.  I was not dressed, had not had breakfast & I was immediately panicked. I knew I had to have something in my system before today's terrible workout at Evansville Crossfit but nothing too heavy that I would see it after rounds and rounds or burpees.

Here is what came out of this panic: Breakfast shake perfection!!!

Ingredients: 

• Coconut Milk (1/2 cup)
• Coconut Water (1/2 cup)
• Fresh spinach (one handful, trimmed)
• frozen blueberries (1/2 cup)
• Banana (1/2 of one; what my tiny tot did not eat)
• protein powder (serving sizes vary)
• vanilla extract (to taste)
• almond butter (a couple of heaping tablespoons)

Method :

• I threw it all in a blender, poured it in my shaker cup and walked out the door in five minutes!!!! I even made it to the gym on time :) 

Bacon & Eggs To Go

I LOVE breakfast food.  I could eat it any time of the day.  I have tried to distribute my postings thus far into all categories to give some options.  I am sorry if I keep hitting the Breakfast tab; it is all so good.  

I am all about prepping.  Quite honestly it is the only way I eat healthy.  I make enough of one night's dinner for my lunch the following day; prepare my snacks to throw in my lunch bag for the entire week, and have on hand grab & go breakfast items.  This is one of those recipes you can make quickly in an evening for breakfast for the next couple of days.  

Ingredients

1 package Canadian bacon; ham; or other 
Equal amount of eggs

Method

• Preheat your oven to 350°F.
• In a muffin pan, place a piece of meat into each hole. Press it down and crack an egg into each piece of bacon. Cook in oven for approximately:

Runny Yolk – 8 minutes
Semi-Soft Yolk- 10 minutes
Hard, Crumbly Egg -14 minutes

• Pop the egg “cups” out of the pan once they’re cool enough to handle.
• Whatever you don’t eat goes straight into the fridge for a snack or another meal.

Variations 

• Place a couple of spinach leaves over the meat
• Place a mushroom beneath the egg
• Place a sundried tomato beneath the egg 
• Place some chopped pepper beneath the egg
• I have used deli ham, prosciutto ham, partially cooked bacon so it is not so crispy I can't wrap it around the cup 

Avocado & Pineapple Salad

This recipe is one I saw on Instagram, posted by Paleo Effect.  It looked so delicious.  My daughter happened to see it also and emailed them for the recipe prior to posting.  

This was dee-licious.  My husband, who is NOT an avocado eater, also liked it.  When I made this I only used one avocado and more pineapple to persuade my husband to eat it.  I also did not incorporate the mint.  He gets a bit fussy about things he considers "unmanly" in food.  (That isn't his word for it, I am keeping it clean)  I also used a jalapeno from the garden in lieu of the chilies.   

2 Avocados
1 cup pineapple
1 tablespoon green chilies
1/4 cup red onion
Juice of 1 lime or lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro 
1/4 cup chopped mint 
1/2 teaspoon sea salt


Just chop it all up (if you don't like it spicy, just omit the chilies) and serve!