Buffalo Chicken with Chive Yogurt Sauce!

Today I needed to use up ingredients that were in the fridge.  I had a handful of chicken tenderloins left and had no idea what to make.  For some reason on the way home I was trying to think of how to make them like buffalo style.  And I was wishing I could dip them in ranch dressing.....yum

Well lets be honest, no ranch dressing for this girl.  I was lucky enough to come across a paleo buffalo chicken recipe that had a delicious sauce that kind of reminded me of ranch dressing. So I gave it a try.

What I will tell you about the sauce....its good but I don't think I balanced the spices with the right amount of  yogurt.  Or just measured all wrong to begin with.  It was a little heavy in the spices and I would not use as much Cayenne as they suggest in the recipe.  The buffalo chicken and broccoli were hot enough.

I made broccoli for the vegetable part because that's all I had on hand.

Oh the hamburger looking patty, that's just some lean ground beef I had to use up, mixed with some diced green peppers left over from the egg muffins and some diced red onion.  A little salt and pepper and fried it in some bacon fat!

http://www.whatrunslori.com/2011/08/paleo-buffalo-chicken-tenders-with-chive-yogurt-sauce/

 

 

Buffalo Chicken Tenders and Veggies

• 1.5 lbs chicken tenders
• veggies of  your choice
• 1 cup Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Sauce
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp each sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together Frank’s sauce, olive oil, the garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Divide into two bowls. In one bowl, place washed and thickly chopped veggies, toss with a spoon to coat. In the other bowl, place chicken tenders into the sauce and again, toss to coat.
Line (or grease) two baking sheet with parchment paper and spread chicken tenders across one of the pans, the veggies on the other, spacing so they aren’t overlapping. Bake both chicken and veggies for 20-30 minutes, flipping once half way through.
Once veggies are slightly crisp and chicken is cooked through (may not be at the same time), remove from oven and serve with Chive-Yogurt Sauce.

Chive-Yogurt Sauce

• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp chives, finely chopped
• 1 tsp each garlic powder, onion powder, and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Combine all in a bowl, mixing thoroughly.

Chicken Pumpkin Curry Sliders

This one is a big thank you to Mary Ann Kuehn for bringing in recipes she printed off to share at the kick off meeting of our 30 day Challenge last Saturday.

They were super easy to throw together and fry them up!    I made a side of squash, onion and tomato's sautéed.

http://paleomg.com/chicken-pumpkin-curry-sliders-paleo-recipe/

Paleo Chicken Pumpkin Curry Sliders

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs ground chicken
• ¼ cup canned pureed pumpkin
• 1 cup almond flour   I used almond meal and think it would be better with flour. they turned out a little grittier then I like.  Just a side note.
• 2-3 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon granulated onion
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons your choice of fat - I used non other then Bacon fat.

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix well to combine.
2. Heat up a decent sized skillet under medium-high heat and add a bit of fat to the pan to coat.
3. Use a large spoon to scoop up a ball of the pumpkiny meat and slightly shape with your hands. No need to be anal, you’ll be smashing them later anyways.
4. Add your dolloped spoonfuls of pumpkiny meat to the skillet to cook.
5. Once the bottom end of the dollop has seared on the bottom and a bit brown, use a spatula to flip it and smoosh it down a bit to make a flatter patty.
6. Cover and let cook for about 3 minutes.

1st attempt at Egg Muffins - Ham, Peppers and Onions

Well everyone keeps talking about them so I decided it was time to give them a try.

I used a whole dozen eggs, some diced up ham (not cured and no bad additives) diced up green peppers and diced onions.  Salt and pepper and some garlic powder. I threw in half a slice of American cheese because its all I had on hand.  However you don't even taste the cheese so next time I'm leaving it out.  I don't really like cheese anyway. LOL

I thought the jumbo pan would be awesome and I'd make Jumbo egg muffins that would fill me up for sure.  Next time I'll use regular size muffin tin.  Just saying.

It was my first attempt, I'll try them again with other ingredients.  To me these were a little boring in flavor.

But I'm eating them!!

Chicken Fajitas

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/easy-chicken-fajitas

I modified this recipe slightly and I show it with italic font on items I changed.

1. 1 Tablespoon Chipotle Chile Pepper
2. 1/2 Tablespoon Regular Chile Pepper
3. 1 teaspoon kosher salt
4. 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
5. 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
6. 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
7. 1 tablespoon arrow root powder
8. 1/4 cup water
9. 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
10. 6 chicken tenderloins, cut into strips and pieces.
11. 1 green bell pepper—cored, seeded and cut into thin strips
12. 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
13. sprinkle of true lime, crystallized lime
14. Shredded lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese, and salsa for serving  I didn't have any on hand but would have used it if I did.  If I had avocado and fresh tomatoes I would have used these also.

1. In a resealable plastic bag, combine the chile powder with the salt, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, arrow root powder, water and 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the chicken, bell pepper and onion, seal and knead gently to coat. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
2. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet until shimmering. Empty the contents of the bag into the skillet and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are crisp-tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with true lime. 

I cooked it in two batches. 
 

Kale is something we know is good for us.  But the biggest challenge is always how do I make kale and make it taste good.  We'll so far sautéed kale is my favorite.  This one is coming in a close second.  I was disappointed in how the sweet potato came out because I overcooked it. They ended up mushy.

Just watch the time you cook the onion and sweet potato before adding the kale.  It takes a good 7-14 more minutes to cook down the kale because each batch you add takes about 7 minutes to cook down. Make sure the sweet potato's are still someone andante when you add the kale.  

http://pureprovender.com/2012/11/07/kale-and-sweet-potato-hash/

Kale and Sweet Potato Hash

Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 small onion, chopped
1 bunch kale, rinsed, thick stems removed and leaves torn into small pieces
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder*
2 pinches ground clove
Freshly ground black pepper
White wine vinegar (optional)

Directions

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and add the sweet potatoes and onion. Cook for approximately 5 minutes until the onions are tender, stirring occasionally.
Add 1/2 cup of chicken broth, salt, chili powder, cloves, and 4 turns of freshly ground black pepper. Cover and cook until sweet potatoes are tender, approximately 7 minutes.
Uncover, add another 1/2 cup chicken broth and then the kale (in batches if necessary) and cook until kale is tender, approximately 5-7 minutes.
Season with additional salt and ground black pepper to taste and splash with a bit of white wine vinegar for brightness if desired.

Dessert!! Twice Baked Butternut Squash

Fall is my favorite time of year.  The weathers getting cooler, the leaves are changing and squash is in season!  

I love butternut squash!  It's my latest obsession.  Why?  Because it good.  It's sweet.  And you can make it taste like pumpkin pie, without all the bad stuff.

Okay maybe not pumpkin pie, but a sweet treat that can curve the urge for pumpkin pie.

1st you need to bake your squash.  I would type out how to do this...but why?  Watch this video to learn how.

Leave out the olive oil and spray the pan with something to keep it from sticking.

When they are done, let them cool and scrape out the delicious insides.  Be sure to get all of it by scraping the skins good.   I scrape it into a bowl with a little bit of butter.  The amount of butter you use will depend on how big your squash was.  I used about 3 TBLS to about 2 cups of squash. (give or take)

Mash it with a mixer.  Add about 1/4 teas or 1/2 teas depending on your taste buds of Pumpkin Pie spice.  This is the premixed combination.  If you don't have it, use cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice. equal parts.

Mix until mashed to a smooth consistency.

Spread into a shallow baking dish and sprinkle with some more spices.  Then bake at 500 degrees.  I placed the dish on the second to the top rack position.  Bake about 20-30 minutes depending on how much squash you have.  You want the top and sides to be crusty.

I could have baked mine a little longer, but for the first try it come out delicious.

Let it cool and enjoy!

Chicken Breast Prep Time

I found to be successful in eating right there is one thing you must never do.  RUN OUT OF FOOD.

If you don't have good food readily available to consume you are guaranteed to eat the wrong stuff.  Most things that are bad for you take 90 seconds to heat in the microwave right?  

To help combat this I try to always plan meals and prep food for the week of eating.  This is usually done on Sunday but there have been week nights I've cooked a few items with no intention of eating them that night. 

This is one of my favorite and simplest tricks.  Buy your bulk fresh chicken breasts from the market. Clean them, trim visible fat from them and put them in individual zip lock baggies.  Yep, one in each bag.    Choose a variety of seasoning from the pantry.  I like to mix it up and make several different flavored packets.

You can add a very small amount of olive oil or coconut oil to each bag with a breast in it.  Then add you favorite herbs and seasoning, mush it around to make sure the seasoning is evenly spread on the chicken.  Then store in  the fridge for a quick meal.  Or  freeze for later use.

When it's time for a quick meal, grab a chicken breast bag, grill it up or bake it.  I use this great little griller stone from Pampered Chef.  In about 5 minutes you a delicious cooked chicken breast!  Pair it with some steamed broccoli and fresh fruit and you have a meal.

What do we do with Kale? - Saute' it!

I never know what to do with Kale. It's such a strange vegetable, but yet so good for you.  I've tried baking it and of course adding it to smoothies is delicious. But today I decided to try and sauté' it.  Wow what a good choice.

 

Really simple and really tasty.

 

I changed it up a bit.  I didn't have cherry vinegar so I used red wine vinegar.  I added chopped red peppers and chopped onion with the garlic.  About 1/4c each.  I also toasted  1/4c of walnuts and added those at the end. (chopped)

 

I highly recommend making this dish!!!

Blind Dog 30 Day Challenge Food List

For those of you joining us in the 30 day Paleo/Clean eating challenge, here are the food lists.  This is to give you an idea of what you can eat and can not eat. 

The list is not all inclusive so if there is something not on the list and you want to eat it, think......Does it have sugar in it?  Does it have flour or grains in it?  Was it processed or man made?  Don't eat it.   Did it grow fresh from the ground or was walking a few days ago on all four?  Probably eat it.

Remember the Kick off meeting is Saturday October 19th, 2013 at Blind Dog Gym!  Be there!

The “Sane” Challenge Food List

We call is “Sane” because we don’t want you to feel so restricted you say, “OMG I can’t drink milk“? The point of all this is to teach us don’t be afraid to challenge yourself, listen to your body, and do what works for YOU. We took the best of Paleo and the best of Clean and put together a simple “YES I can eat” list, a “NO I can’t eat” list and a “IF I choose to eat, eat in moderation” list.

The food lists are guidelines and not all inclusive. If in doubt check with your team mate(s) or coaches.

YES I can eat foods 

Lean Meats: Lean beef (trimmed of visible fat) Beef Jerky (check label for added sugar) Flank steak Top sirloin steak Extra-lean hamburger Lean veal Lean pork (trimmed of visible fat) Pork loin Pork chops - Lean poultry Chicken breast Turkey breast Fish: pretty much all of them 　 Shellfish: Clams Crab Crayfish Lobster Mussels Oysters Scallops Shrimp	Vegetables: Artichoke Asparagus Beets Bell peppers Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celery Corn Collards Cucumber Eggplant Endive Green onion Kale Lettuce Mushrooms Mustard greens Onions Parsley Parsnip Peppers (all kinds) Pumpkin Spinach Squash (all kinds) 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 Tomato (actually a fruit, but most people think of it as a vegetable) Turnip greens
Nuts and Seeds: Almonds Brazil nuts Cashews Chestnuts Hazelnuts (filberts) Macadamia nuts Pecans Pine nuts Pistachios (unsalted) Pumpkin seeds Sesame seeds Sunflower seeds Walnuts Nuts can be high in fat, eat in moderation whenever possible.	Legumes: All beans Black-eyed peas Chickpeas Lentils Peas Miso Peanuts Snowpeas Sugar snap peas Soybeans and all soybean products
Dairy Foods: Milk - lowfat only Nonfat dairy creamer Greek yogurt - Plain Cottage Cheese	Fats Olive Oil Coconut Oil Almond Oil Lard (Bacon Grease) in moderation but great for flavor Use in moderation: Butter Vegetable Oil Canola Oil
Eggs The yolks are high in fat so limit the amount of yolks and use egg whites only whenever possible.	Beverages: Green Tea Coconut Water

YES I can eat foods

Fruits: Apple Apricot Avocado Blackberries Blueberries Cherries Cantaloupe Cranberries Grapefruit Honeydew Melon Kiwi Lemon Lime Nectarine Orange Passion fruit Peaches Pears Pineapple Plums Pomegranate Raspberries Rhubarb Star Fruit Strawberries Tangerine Watermelon

Notes:

IF I choose to eat, eat in moderation foods

Fruits Mango Banana Fig Guava PapayaSweeteners: Truvia Agave Raw Honey Pure Maple Syrup

Bacon Sausage Chicken wings Ribs - no sauce Quinoa Sweet Potatoes Coffee Red Wine Hot Sauces Cheese (real stuff, no American or Velveeta) Egg Yolks Butter Nuts and seeds 　Dark Chocolate - 80% or greater only.

NO I can’t eat foods.

Cheats!! Don’t eat them and if you do - 5 points for each one. 

Other Dairy spreads Yogurt plain or with flavors Ice cream Cheese in a Can Brownies Cookies/Cakes Milk Chocolate Dried Fruit Greek Yogurts with flavors Deli Meats Cream Anything made with sugar added Anything that has high fructose corn syrup.	Soft Drinks and Fruit Juices: All sugary soft drinks and diet soft drinks Gatorade Sports drinks in general RedBull and similar energy drinks Canned, or bottled fruit drinksArtificial Sweeteners: Sweet & Low Splenda Equal
Alcohol: White wine Vodka Gin Rum Beer (any) Tequila Pretty much all types or anything made with alcohol	Condiments: Processed salad dressings BBQ sauce Ketchup Mustard (unless just mustard seeds and vinegar; check the label) Miracle Whip Anything made with soybean oil Anything made with high fructose corn syrup Anything with added sugar

   

Grains: Barley (soup, bread) Millet Oats (steel-cut oats, rolled oats) Rice (wild, brown, white, top ramen, rice noodles, rice cakes, rice flour) Rye (bread, crackers) Wheat (breads, rolls, muffin, noodles, spaghetti, tortillas, pita bread, any processed food made with wheat or wheat flour Buckwheat Amaranth White Flour (breads, cookies, cakes, pasta, any processed food made with flour)

Notes:

 
  





 







 
 　
 

  




　
    




　

Great Snack! Guacamole with Carret Chips

I've posted this before, back in on June 2, 2013. How to make cheater guacamole with fresh avocado and salsa.  Refer to that date of how to, but really?  Its so easy.  Smash the avocado, mix in the salsa. Walla

I've learned that if you buy chunky salsa and drain it, it will mix better and not make your guacamole soupy.

It was worthy of reposting as a great snack paired with carrot chips.   Take the carrots and slice them at an angle to make little chips to dip in your guacamole.  Yummy.

Remember Avocado is a natural healthy fat.  And be sure to buy natural chunky salsa with no added sugars.

Beefuna Burgers!!

Day two of forced rest days.  Yes that's right.  I'm paying for a gym membership and am not allowed to go work out.  My trainer says I have no filter so he's going to be my filter. He banished me for the week.  UGGGG

He's right.  I have some mild irritation's going on in my wrist and neck that are causing me grief while lifting.  No reason to risk injury so I'm "resting".  No lifting stuff, no shoveling truck loads of wood chips (which I think caused the neck issue) I have basically gone to work and sleep and made a couple meals. 

It's amazing what Crossfit does do you though.  As the work day drew to a close today,  I actually got anxiety about what I was doing after work.  I really wanted to work out but I knew better since my morning was spent in a 30 minute adjustment appointment.  I decided to go to the gym and just watch.  That was fun since I don't ever get to watch my fellow Crossfitters because I'm in the middle of the WODs with them.  It was a good one today. We started Deep Water Fridays last week and today was called "500".  Yep, 400meter run followed by 100 reps of each, push ups, slam balls, sit ups, jump squats and double unders.  Yikes!  No mixing it up either you had to complete the 100 reps before moving to the next movement.  It was hard to watch because I wanted to do it!!  Everyone did awesome. 

I'm also on day five of eating clean in preparation for a Masters competition I'm in next weekend. I've stayed strict this week with no grains and next week I'll move into super strict with meat and veggies only, five meals super charged with protein and carbs and very little fat.  The program I was introduced to by Eatalogy back in August.

Today I found a really yummy recipes for two things you almost always have on hand.  Ground Beef and Tuna!   That's right.  Who'd a thought those two could be so good together.    They are true Paleo"ish" because it does have sweet pickle relish in it.  That's a big no no because of the sugar.  I have to find an alternative to mimic the flavor somehow.  But for now....it worked.

  They really turned out delicious to my surprise.  I cooked them on the Foreman grill and left them on a little longer which did something to the tuna and relish that made it oh so good. Oh and I used two 5 oz cans of tuna which gave it more tuna flavor.  And of course no bun.

I paired it with a fresh spring mix/spinach salad with red onions and strawberry and a splash of balsamic dressing.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/bills-beefuna-burgers/



1 1/2 pounds ground round (I used the lean stuff)                                                  

 

1 (6 ounce) can tuna packed in oil, drained ( I used two 5 oz cans in water, drained)                                               

 

                      

1 large sweet onion, finely chopped

               

 

3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish                                                

 

                    

seasoning salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat. When grill is hot, lightly oil the grate.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, tuna, onion, and relish. Season with seasoning salt and pepper to your liking. Form the meat mixture into 6 patties.
3. Place patties on the hot grill, and cook for 6 to 9 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Serve on buns with the usual toppings.

                               

Shrimp Sautéed in Bacon Grease! Say What?

Ever have one of those days where you come home, open the fridge, look around and not have a clue what to make?  (this happens to me daily)  Well today was that day!  I had spinach and shrimp and bacon.  I thought to myself....hmmmm I wonder if you can cook shrimp in bacon grease.  Then I thought maybe not it kind of  sounded gross.  But as we all know you can find anything on the internet so I searched Google for "shrimp cooked in bacon grease" and this is what I got!

And who better to follow their recipe other then the one and only Martha Stewart!
http://www.marthastewart.com/372018/shrimp-sauteed-bacon-and-herbs

Of course I didn't really follow this recipe but it still came out okay.  I took some bacon (about 4 slices) and cut it up into little pieces to cook.  While it cooked, I took some shrimp,  about a 1 1/2 cups of medium size uncooked shrimp, not so jumbo but shrimp none the less, and tossed it with salt, rosemary and thyme. I only had dry herbs so that's what I used.  When the bacon was halfway done, I threw the shrimp in the pan and sautéed till the little shrimps were cooked.  Then I squirted a dash of lemon juice on it for flavor.

While it was hot, I poured in onto a bowl of fresh spinach with chopped red onions and dinner was served.  (I didn't pour the grease from the pan into the salad, just the shrimp and bacon, FYI)

If I had to make again I would adjust a few things, but considering I had limited time and resources it wasn't to bad.  And it gave me my protein, fat and veggies.  Dessert was some very delicious Concord Grapes from the market! YUM

Ingredients

1/2 pounds large shrimp, shelled and deveined, tail section left on      

For the Sauce

• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup homemade or canned low-sodium chicken stock, skimmed of fat
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the Seasoning

• 1 large clove garlic, peeled and sliced thinly
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 ounces bacon, cut into 1 1/2-inch dice
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 

 

1. Step 1

   In a medium bowl, toss shrimp, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and oil. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2. Step 2

   Place bacon in a large skillet, and place over medium-high heat. Cook bacon, stirring occasionally, until almost all the fat is rendered, 6 to 7 minutes. Pour off and discard all but about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Add the shrimp, marinade ingredients, and salt and freshly ground pepper to taste; saute, turning frequently, until the shrimp are opaque and just cooked through, about 5 minutes.

3. Step 3

   Remove shrimp and bacon, and transfer to serving dish. Add lemon juice and stock to skillet; cook, stirring up cooked-on brown bits. Cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Swirl in butter; cook, swirling skillet until butter has melted. Pour the sauce over shrimp, and serve with Lentils with Scallions and Peppers.