Smoothie Day

Easy Smeezy Smoothie Day!

I didn't take a picture because everyone knows what a smoothie looks like. Right?   After a jammed packed weekend of fun and Crossfit, this girl did not want to make dinner.  Which would have equaled making a mess. Which would have required me to clean the mess.  So no.

But here is its. Purple Green Smoothie

I added frozen bananas and about 20 ice cubes to make it more frozen. 

By the way let me just tell you about my weekend.  Some of us from Blind Dog decided to go to the Crossfit Central East Regionals this weekend down in Columbus.  It was like a grown up slumber party!  We traveled down Friday and attended events all day Saturday and Sunday.  What an amazing community.  I've never been anywhere with so much positive energy, motivation and absolutely "fit" bodies in my life.  The athletes who competed were unbelievable.  Crossfit records were broken almost every event.  Rich Froning is mesmerizing to watch.  And not just because he has the most perfect body and face on earth but because of his incredible endurance, strength and ability. And the grace in which he competes and the support of his fellow athletes.  The guy is amazing.

As were all the athletes who competed.  Just being around them gave me motivation to improve my own abilities and strengths.   And the best part of this whole experience? It's not about how you look, what you're wearing, whose got designer purses.  Its not about impressing anyone with material trivia things. It's about being fit, being active, being strong. Being the best you can be and seeing how you measure up to others in these areas.  Who wouldn't want to be a part of something that has a winning outcome even if you lose?

Chocolate Ice Cream

Chocolate Paleo Ice Cream.  Can it be?

This creation I stumbled upon.  I was searching for different ideas of things to make and happened upon an Almond and Cashew yogurt.  I'm not a big fan of  yogurt but I thought it would be different and the photo made it look yummy.  I began by following the recipe and soaked the almonds and cashews.  I was short on almonds so I threw in a handful of pecan too. (A nuts a nut right?)

The recipe for yogurt I followed, click here

First of all unless you have a really powerful food processor, don't bother.  I ended up with a big mess transferring from the processor to the blender.  I would just start by putting all ingrediants in the blender (provided yours can make smoothies)  Although you might want to try putting the nuts and dates in the processor first to create a finer substance to add to your blender. Just omit the water until you move it to the blender. Chopping up dates and nuts might be too much for just a blender.  Just a thought.

As the mixture of nuts, dates, water started blended nicely (about 3-4 minutes) I realized I forgot the cinnamon.  As I added it, I tried it. Hmmmm  I pondered.  Then tried it again. Hmmmmm the flavor didn't strike me.  But it was good, just not the right flavor.  The consistency reminded me of moose at this point since the blender was doing a nice job of making it creamy.  And when you think of creamy moose you think CHOCOLATE moose.  So I grabbed the cocoa and added about a tablespoon.  Whala!!

The mixture was warm from running in the blender for 10 minutes so I stuck it in the freezer to speed up the cooling.  (and the light bulb turns on)  If I freeze it, it would be like chocolate frozen yogurt and who doesn't love that.

Few hours later after dinner......Dessert!  Although it was chocolate with a hint of cinnamon. LOL

Side note....because my teeth don't like really cold things, I left some of it sit a few minutes and it turns back into creamy moose when it melts.  Awesomeness.

Delicious and easy smeazy.  Other then the soaking and freezing this took about 15-20 minutes total. (not counting the time it took to clean up my food processor mess) 

ENJOY

Shepherd Pie?? I'm not sure what it was...but we ate it.

Well.. I'm not really sure if this would be Shepherds pie...I started with good intentions and ended up with this.  It was okay but would have been better with a few adjustments.  Like flavor.  The recipe I started to follow was for one serving so I guessed on how much of everything to use. I guessed wrong I think.

Heck, we threw a few hot peppers on the top and ate it up.

1lb of ground beef
1 carrot - Medium size, Shredded
1 celery stalk, chopped
handful of chopped mushrooms
4 small white potatoes. I used the baby ones with very light yellow skin. (not paleo part)
1//4 of a large yellow onion
1/2 can black beans (I had these left over from the kale dish, so why not?)
about 1 heaping table spoon minced garlic (I used the kind in a jar already minced)
1/2 tablespoon roasted garlic - minced (I used the kind in a jar already roasted)
splash of Almond milk
1 Tbl spoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper for taste

I started by throwing the potatoes in boiling water. Then browned the beef.  Once the beef was almost done I strained the grease, rinsed it and set it aside.  In the same pan I added the onion and garlic and sautéed about 1-2 minutes then added the shredded carrot, chopped celery, mushrooms, salt and pepper.  I cooked this about 5 minutes and added the beef into it, added more salt and pepper and the black beans. Mixed it and heated through another minute maybe.  I layered the casserole with the meat mixture.  (in my former life a would have added some cream of mushroom soup)

By this time the potatoes were done.  I added about tablespoon of olive oil to a mixing bowl along with the roasted garlic.  I added the potatoes, cut them up and started mixing with a hand mixer.  Added enough almond milk to get a chucky mashed potato consistency and added salt and pepper to taste. 

I put the potatoes on the top of the beef and carefully spread it, making a cover for the meat. This is where in my former life I would have added the cheese and butter....but instead I just gave it a good sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Baked in the oven at 400 for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes were crusted.

What I should have done was added some fresh herbs from the garden when I sautéed everything.  I think that would have helped. And maybe added a little chicken or beef broth.  I'm going to defiantly make this again with some variations.  To make it Paleo I'd mash cauliflower for the topping for sure.  Stay tuned to see what the next one ends up like!

Turkey Mini Meatloafs and Kale w/ black beans

Four more days and I get to see the love of my life...we'll okay the love of my greatest fantasy.  The Regional Crossfit games are in Columbus this weekend!! I can't wait.  Not only will I get to see Rich Froning but I'll get to spend some quality time with fellow Blind Doggers.  (And sleep with a V-Rex)  www.blinddoggym.com






Todays dinner was surprisingly good.  I'm not a big fan of turkey but if seasoned just right it's not bad.  I found a low calorie menu that had mini turkey loafs with green beans.  I didn't want to do the beans so I swapped it with the side from another low calorie menu item.  I modified them slightly to make it a little more Paleo.  

A splash of steak sauce and some black beans make the "ish" is this Paleo-ish meal.

Mini Turkey Meatloaf

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Sauté 2 tablespoons minced yellow onion (I only had shallots so I used those) and 1 garlic clove, minced, in a small skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray for 2 minutes; remove from heat. Add 5 ounces lean ground turkey, 2 teaspoons skim milk, (I left out) 1/2 beaten egg, 3 tablespoons whole wheat bread crumbs, ( I used almond flour) 1 teaspoon mustard, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, (didn't have it so I used steak sauce) and 1 teaspoon capers; mix to combine. Place turkey mixture in a small muffin tin coated with nonstick cooking spray; bake 15 minutes ( I baked about 25 min)

 

Kale with Black Beans

Saute 1 garlic clove, minced, in 1 teaspoon olive oil in a medium skillet for 1 minute. Add 2 cups shredded kale, 1/4 cup grated carrot, and 1/2 cup black beans; cook 2 minutes. Mix in 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar and cook until heated through. 

 

I didn't really modify the kale recipe expect I doubled it.  This was amazingly good.  It tasted way better then it looked or smelled. 

 

This one will defiantly get repeated.

Guacamole - Cheater Style

When you have a hankering for some Guacamole and you don't have a lot of time, use a good chunky salsa and mix it with your avocado!

I have one of those Braun hand mixers.  It makes avocado perfect for guacamole. 

One avocado peeled, pitted, and mashed.
about three tablespoons of salsa.  The amount will depend on how big the avocado is and your personal taste.  I like to taste the avocado so I'm careful to not put too much in.

Mix well and serve immediately.  Today I whipped this up before preparing dinner and ate it all while making dinner! 

Also be careful with buying jarred salsa. Now that I read ingredients, I'm amazed how many of them have added sugar and other things I can't pronounce.  Be sure to read before you buy!  You also want to make sure you don't buy one that's too soupy.  It makes the guacamole too mushy and watered down. yuck.

Walnut Cookies - also good as Paleo Cereal

A while ago I made a recipe for Walnut cookies.  They didn't turn out so good as cookies.  They were dry and boring.  Being the kind of person who doesn't want to waste food I decided to throw a few in bowl, heated them in the micro and poured almond milk over it.  Paleo cereal was born!!  They were crunchy because I think I over cooked them, but the milk helped soften them to perfectness.

I tried the recipe again today and I'd have to say they came out more like cookies this time! But I still had a bowl of them with milk!!  Yummy

http://www.preppypaleo.com/2013/01/grain-free-honey-walnut-cookies.html

Grain-Free Honey & Walnut Cookies

3 cups raw walnuts
2 tbs. coconut flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tbs. honey
4 tbs. melted ghee, butter or coconut oil (I used coconut oil)
1/2 tsp. salt
3 egg whites, whipped into stiff peaks

Preheat oven to 320. Combine all ingredients except egg whites in a blender or food processor. Combine until smooth (you will need to scrape down the sides a couple of times to ensure all of the nuts gets churned up).

Gently fold in egg whites. Drop onto a greased or Silpat-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or just turning golden.

Strawberry Delicious Salad

Today was such a beautiful day.  Warm but with a wonderful spring breeze.   It was a productive Sunday with major items taken care of such as the pool open ( for the most part).  Garden finally planted and grill rebuilt.  YAY













Grill rebuilt? That means it's grilling time!  I didn't have much time today to prep so we kept it simple with steak, sweet potato and a delish strawberry salad.  The dressing, although not Paleo made the whole thing fabulous.

Since my hubby worked hard all day I treated him to an outside dinner for two. (I stole the idea from Stacey Bock)

It turned out wonderful and it was a perfect evening for a picnic.

 http://www.runningtothekitchen.com/2013/04/strawberry-avocado-honey-lime-salad/

Strawberry avocado honey lime salad

A summery salad with strawberries, avocados and kiwi with a honey lime dressing. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups mixed greens/chopped lettuce
• ½ cup sliced strawberries
• 1 kiwi, sliced
• ½ avocado, sliced
• 1 tablespoon sliced almonds
• ¼ cup plain greek yogurt
• zest of ½ a lime
• juice of ½ a lime
• pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon honey

Arrange the lettuce, strawberries, kiwi, avocado and almonds in a salad bowl.

1. Whisk together the remaining ingredients to form the dressing

 

 

This salad is amazing and the dressing gave it just the right flavor. 

Memorial Day Murph

It's been awhile since I posted.  Blogging takes a lot of time and thought.  I'm finding it some what of a challenge to keep current.

Memorial Day was the best I think I've ever had.  Our box did the "Memorial Day Murph" WOD and it was a grand event with members of other boxes in the area joining us!  Both Comet Crossfit and Semper Crossft were represented as well as Coca Crossfit. All day long WOD's and picnic.  Good times by all.