"Coconut Bliss" to the Rescue

I've mentioned the "Coconut Bliss" bars in the past, but did you know they have several varieties of pint size frozen desserts? I can not begin to tell you how wonderful this stuff is! What a great alternative for ice cream! When you have that stubborn "sweet tooth" or just really need to tickle the taste buds, I highly recommend trying some Coconut Bliss! You can find it at Whole Foods and at New Leaf Markets. It's dairy free, soy free, gluten free, sugar free, low glycemic, and all organic & fair trade ingredients! I mean these folks thought of everything! Did I mention it tastes great? Tonight I had their Cherry Amaretto (only 1/4 C) and I promise you it left me blissfully satisfied! Totally Paleo ingredients, and conscientiously made! ...I love it!

Zone blocks: 2F, 0P, 1C (in 1/4 C).

Check out their web site for more information and available flavors:

http://www.coconutbliss.com/

Enjoy! :-)

Oh Omelet, How I love thee !

This morning, after I dropped the kids off at school, and before I went to work... I made myself an omelet! Why don't I do this more often? What a heavenly way to start out the day! It felt like such a treat, when it was actually so simple and quick! And then when I got to work ... blue sky! The sun came out and everything! I even rolled my windows down in the car and put on my sunglasses! What a great day!

Recipe:

1/2 C "egg beaters"

1/2 sausage (pre-cooked and cut up into pieces)

mushrooms, chopped (approx. 2 T)

fresh spinach, chopped (approx. 2 T)

roasted red peppers (approx. 1 T, sliced thin)

ground black pepper

pinch celtic grey sea salt (optional)

olive oil cooking spray

I just sprayed my omelet pan with some olive oil cooking spray. Then heat to medium temperature. Add egg beaters. As eggs start to firm, add sausage and other ingredients.

Fold in half and serve! I sprinkled the black pepper and salt on top.

Approximated zone blocks: 3P, 2F, negligible Carbs

I did enjoy this with a cup of blueberries! Are blueberries back? I saw them in the store this week at a great price! I just love blueberries!

I hope YOU enjoy an omelet soon! It does a body (and the mood) GOOD! :-)

Seared Salmon with a Mushroom Wine Sauce

Salmon.... it's the BEST! Of course you know it's high in protein, good fats, omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins calcium and magnesium! But, did you know it is also a great source of Vitamin D? It's one of the few food sources that can actually claim that! So... with all this rain, cloudy and stormy weather, and lack of sun, a nice Salmon, Paleo meal, is not just totally tasty... it is something we all could really use about now!!! Tonight was a little bit of sunshine right on the dinner plate! Hope you enjoy! :-)

1 ~9oz Salmon fillet

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 C mushrooms, chopped

2 T fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 C shallots, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 C white wine

1/2 C chicken broth (low sodium)

1 T cold water

2 tsp arrowroot powder

ground black pepper

garlic powder

Heat oil in a skillet on med-hi heat. Season salmon fillets with pepper and garlic powder. Sear fish for about 3-5 minutes on each side, cover and keep on low temperature.

Meanwhile, in a sauce pan, saute onions, mushrooms, garlic, and parsley in a tsp of olive oil. When onions are tender, add chicken broth, wine. Combine arrowroot powder and water together. Whisk into the broth-wine mixture. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Pour sauce over salmon. Serves two! Approximate Zone blocks: 3F, 3P, 1/2C

I served with steamed broccoli and a side salad to balance blocks!

Paleo Curried Pork Chops with Oranges

Oranges have been my "sweet-tooth" savior lately! They are in season and delicious! I decided to try a recipe combining some of my favorite things! Pork chops, oranges, and curry (shhhhh... don't tell Scott there was curry in this dish)! I really hope you give this a try... It ranks as one of my favorites! :-)

Recipe:

4 pork chops, trimmed of all visible fat and pounded slightly

1 T olive oil

1/2 Cup Chicken broth (low sodium)

1-2 tsp. orange zest

2 T agave nectar

black pepper

garlic powder

1/2 tsp. curry powder

1 large orange, peeled, and each slice cut in half

2 tsp arrowroot powder

1 T cold water

2 T fresh parsley or chives, chopped

16 oz spinach greens

2 cloves garlic, minced

Trim pork chops, and season with garlic powder and black pepper. In a skillet, with olive oil, over medium heat, brown pork chops on both sides. When pork chops are nicely browned, transfer them to a baking dish. In the same skillet, quickly deglaze the pan with chicken broth. Add orange zest and curry powder. Pour sauce over pork chops, cover with foil, and bake for about 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees.

About 5 minutes before pork chops are done, saute spinach in olive oil and garlic.

When pork chops are done, remove them to a plate. Pour the remaining liquid from the baking dish, back into a skillet. Mix arrowroot powder with cold water and slowly whisk into the skillet to make a sauce. Bring to a low boil, when mixture starts to thicken, add oranges. Reduce heat and add parsley. Place pork chops on a bed of sauteed spinach and pour orange sauce over the top!

Scott (who, you may have figured out by now) is NOT a curry fan, said he would definitely want this meal again! ~Hope you enjoy!

Approximate zone blocks: 3.5F, 4P, 3.5 C

Paleo Cioppino

I'm still in comfort mode! So, soup was the golden ticket tonight! I tried something a little different... a Paleo variation of the Italian classic, Cioppino (or the poor man's fish stew, as my husband calls it). I bought a package of Trader Joe's frozen "seafood blend", which contained shrimp, calamari, and bay scallops. If I had some, I would have added some pieces of fish, too!

Recipe:

16 oz bag frozen Seafood Blend from Trader Joe's

1 med. onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 stalks celery, chopped

1/2 C carrots, chopped

1 T olive oil

2 C low sodium chicken broth

1 C red wine

15.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, no added salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1 T dried parsley flakes

1-2 tsp. (splash) hot sauce

Pinch celtic sea salt (optional)

4 T fresh Italian parsley, coarsely chopped

2 T fresh chives, chopped ... for garnish!

In olive oil, saute onions, garlic, celery, and bell pepper. Add to soup pot. Add chicken broth, wine, tomatoes and carrots. Heat to a low boil. Add seasonings (black pepper, parsley, salt, and hot sauce). Cover and cook for about 10 minutes. Add bag of seafood, Italian parsley, and cook for another 10 minutes, on medium heat. Spoon desired serving into a bowl and garnish with fresh chives!

This was total comfort food... and warms the core! Hope you enjoy.

Makes about 6 servings. Zone blocks: 1F, 2P, 2C

We served a side salad with almond slivers and avocado slices to add a little fat!

Paleo Blueberry Coconut Muffins

Staying at home on stormy days makes me want to bake! But leading this Paleo lifestyle doesn't always make it that easy! But today, I think I found something that works! MUFFINS! They were simple, too! And... they got the "family" approval (which means the kids liked them)... that's HUGE. Plus... It opens up a few doors for future baking strategies! First attempt was a success (I think)! Hope you give it a try! Let me know what YOU think.

Recipe:

1/2 C organic coconut flour

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cream of tarter

1/4 C walnut oil or coconut oil

1/4 C agave nectar

6 eggs

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. sea salt (optional)

1 C fresh or frozen blueberries

Blend together oil, eggs, agave, and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, cream of tarter and salt, and mix together well, until there are no lumps. Fold in blueberries. Spay muffin tins and/or muffin tin liners with spray oil (to prevent sticking). Fill muffins tins about 3/4 full.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 17-19 minutes. This easily made 12 muffins.

Zone info per muffin is roughly: 3F, .5P, 2C

Hope you enjoy some Paleo baking! :-)

Paleo Pot Roast

Nothing says "stormy day dinner" like a good crock pot meal! And nothing says "cozy and hearty" like a pot roast with root vegetables! The down-side is losing power in the middle of the cooking time! But, it was the chance I took, and it still worked out. Power came back on... and we just ate a little later than planned. On the UP side, there are plenty of lovely leftovers! Hope you enjoy!

Recipe:

2.5 - 3 lbs. beef cross rib roast, boneless, trimmed of fat (as best you can... it's a pretty marbled meat)

1/2 C red wine

1 onion, slice in this chunks

1 golden beet, peeled & chopped in big chunks

1 turnip, peeled & chopped in big chunks

2-3 small parsnips, pealed and chopped

1 C peeled baby carrots, left whole

1 small sweet potato, peeled and chopped in large chunks

2 stalks celery, chopped

ground black pepper

about 5-6 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole

Trim the fat from pot roast, as best you can. Cut slits in the beef and stuff with cloves of garlic. Sprinkle roast with black pepper, put in crock pot, and surround with vegetables. Pour red wind over the top. Cover and cook on high for about 4 hours! I just love the flavor of these root vegetables with a hearty beef in the middle of winter, on a stormy day! I hope you are all staying warm and cozy and eating well! Enjoy! :-)

Zone blocks: 3F, 4P, 3C

Paleo Garlic Chicken

Whoa! Today's WOD was great (in a tortuous, lovely, awful, fun sort of way)! The kind of WOD you feel coursing through your veins all day long! So... I thought I would counter-act with garlic!? This was a very flavorful and yummy meal! Just make sure you are not the only one partaking... It's pretty garlicky... and not meant to be eaten alone! But, we all enjoyed it!

Maybe tomorrow's CrossFit class will be the ones to suffer the repercussions of the garlic!? I apologize in advance! :-)

Ingredients:

4 boneless-skinless chicken breasts, pounded and cut in half

25 whole cloves of garlic (yes, twenty-five! ... Well, more or less) :-)

1/2 C white wine

1/4 C low fat coconut milk

2 tsp. lemon juice

2 T fresh Italian parsley, chopped

garlic powder

ground black pepper

paprika

1 T olive oil

celtic grey sea salt (totally optional)

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium heat. After pounding chicken breasts, sprinkle seasonings over breasts. Brown for about 3-5 minutes on both sides. Place chicken breasts in baking dish (sprayed with some olive oil cooking spray). Add whole garlic cloves over chicken pieces. Sprinkle a tad of celtic grey sea salt over the top! In a separate bowl, combine wine, coconut milk, lemon juice, and parsley. Pour over the top of the chicken and bake at 350 degree oven (covered) for about 25 minutes! Makes about 6 servings.

Zone blocks: 3 F, 3 P, 1 C

I served this with a green salad and steamed asparagus to balance out blocks!

Hope you enjoy! :-)

Paleo Apple Stuffed Pork Roast

This took a little bit of prep time... (not too bad)... but it was well worth it! It was a HEARTY and tasty meal! I bought what I thought was one pork loin... but it turned out to be two small ones. So... I did both! Now we have plenty of leftovers! I guess lunches are taken care of for the next couple days! :-)

Recipe:

1 small apple, diced (I left the skin on)

2 small celery stalks, chopped

2 T dried cherries, chopped

2 T chopped pecans

2 T fresh chives, chopped

1 T fresh Italian parsley, chopped

2 T apple juice or apple cider

Some ground nutmeg

1 lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat

Sauce:

1/4- 1/2 cup apple juice or cider (organic 100% juice)

1 tsp arrowroot (thickener, and paleo!)

dash cinnamon

Stir together apple, celery, pecans, chives, parsley and nutmeg. Add a splash (1-2 T apple juice).

Butterfly pork loin: make a single lengthwise cut down the center of the roast, cutting within 1/2 inch of the other side. Spread the meat open. Cover meat with plastic wrap and pound to about 1/2 inch thickness. Spread stuffing over meat. Roll up from on the the short sides and tie with string to secure.

Brush pork with a little remaining apple juice from the mixture. Place meat on a baking dish and, and bake, uncovered for about 1 hour (or until internal temperature reaches 175 degrees).

In a sauce pan, stir together apple juice and arrowroot powder. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly (it doesn't take long). Pour over sliced pork roast.

Makes about 8 servings. Zone blocks: 2F, 3P, 2C

I served this with steamed broccoli and baked sliced sweet potatoes! Enjoy!

Dover Sole Fillets

When you make a lovely fish dinner, I hope your significant other does NOT say: "Awe, man, it's cold outside, I was hoping for something hearty... like beef!"

Well, tonight was fish! Sole-"ful" and delicious! It doesn't matter what kind of weather we're having, we should be eating fish a couple times per week!!! :-)

Recipe:

I breaded the fish in:

1/4 C almond flour

2 T dried parsley

1 T dried minced onion

Zest from half (Fresno-grown) lemon ... thanks, Narine!

ground black pepper

pinch celtic grey salt

4 fillets, sole

1/4 C olive oil

1/4 C white wine

2 T coconut milk (low fat)

1 shallot, chopped

2 T fresh parsley, chopped

1 T fresh chives, chopped

Heat olive oil in skillet. Coat sole fillets in almond mixture. Brown fillets, and set aside. In the same skillet, add shallots, and saute! Add wine and then slowly add coconut milk. Cook for about 5 minutes to make a sauce. Add parsley and pour over fish. Bake for just about 5-7 minutes (at about 350 degrees... I just stuck the whole skillet in the oven). Sprinkle chives on top right before serving. I served with steamed zucchini and a side salad.

Hope you enjoy! ;-)

Paleo Jambalaya

This was delicious! It was a recipe I have been meaning to try for quite some time. Tonight was the night! This recipe was taken from Mark's Daily Apple (Primal Living for the Modern World). This is a GREAT twist on the classic Louisiana dish you know and love! Hope you enjoy... we did!

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts, cut in bite-size pieces

1 lb. sausage (I used a spicy pepper sausage from Trader Joe's)

Olive oil... about 1/4 C (or less)

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained, low sodium

1.5 C low sodium chicken broth

1 tsp. dried thyme

1-2 T fresh parsley, chopped

1 large head of cauliflower

2 C shelled, deveined and cleaned shrimp (I got a 16oz bag at Trader Joe's)

some fresh ground pepper to taste!

In a large skillet, heat olive oil and brown chicken pieces and sausage over medium heat.

Add onion, bell pepper and garlic. When onion becomes translucent, transfer to a large pot and add tomatoes, broth, thyme, and parsley. Simmer.... While jambalaya is simmering make some cauliflower rice: Put cauliflower in food processor and shred until it becomes the consistency of rice. Then, add cauliflower "rice" to the mixture and simmer, uncovered for another 10-15 minutes. Add the shrimp and simmer another 5+ minutes. Add some pepper to taste!

This is approximately 4 - 1.5 C servings. (Zone blocks: 3F, 2P, 1C)

Yum... spicy and delicious... AND leftovers!!! :-)

Enjoy!

Athlete Profile: Ellyn O'Halloran

Ellyn was our other overall winner for the Paleo/Zone Challenge! She successfully followed the zone diet for the three month challenge and lost a total of 9 pounds! Ellyn said she felt great following the zone, although the hardest part was giving up the sweets (but after she got through that, fruit was good enough).

Ellyn did fantastic with her CrossFit performance during the challenge! She made huge strides, and she's still going strong! It was clearly obvious in the workouts, that she was as determined and motivated as they get! Great job!

Here's some of her stats:

Helen:

Went from a 14:59 (with bands, and a light kettle bell) to 11:27 RX'd ! ! !

She had a few kipping pull ups prior to the challenge, but during the challenge, she was able to string them together in workouts!

400m run:

1:45 to 1:21.5 WOW!

OHS:

95 lbs. to 99 lbs.

Ellyn's future goals, now that the challenge is over, is to try a Paleo eating plan with her husband! She's currently working on getting double unders, and wants to get more efficient with those. Probably most important to Ellyn is to do most (if not all) workouts as prescribed! She feels like she's getting closer to that goal all the time.

Keep up the great work, Ellyn. Your progress during this challenge was incredible and very inspirational. You should be extremely proud of your success. I believe you will absolutely accomplish your future CrossFit goals! Congratulations! :-)

Paleo Cornish Game Hens... Crock Pot Style!

Okay... this was awesome and easy! I knew I was going to be home late, so I put a couple of these little guys in the crock pot on my way out the door this morning. It really was THAT fast. The best part was that I had my very own little hen to eat when I got home! I did use my fingers a lot (felt very Paleo). It sure was messy ... in a tender, delicious, flavorful, meat falling off the bone, kind of way! Have some extra napkins handy! Hope you enjoy!

Recipe:

2 Cornish game hens

1 C baby carrots

1 yellow onions

3 stalks celery

poultry seasoning

garlic powder

ground black pepper

ground sage

Place vegetables in the bottom of the crock pot. Rub seasonings on the game hens and add them to the crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Yep... that's IT. Go to work, go to CrossFit, come home and eat! Serve this with a side salad to complete the meal and add more carbs!

Enjoy! :-)

Orange & Rosemary London Broil

"Zesty & Rosy" sums up my mood today... So this dinner was very appropriate!

Tonight was my celebratory "muscle-up meal"!!!

Recipe:

1.5 ~ 2 lb. London Broil (top round steak)

Zest from one orange

1 tsp. black pepper

2 T chopped fresh rosemary

1 tsp. garlic powder

4-5 cloves garlic

2 tsp. olive oil

1/4 C Port wine

OH! and 4 oz glass Cabernet Sauvignon... cheers!

Cut about 4-5 small slits in London broil and insert garlic cloves. Mix orange zest, pepper, rosemary, and garlic powder. It will be slightly paste-like. Spread over the London broil. Heat olive oil in a cast iron pan. Brown London broil for about 3-4 minutes on each side, searing the orange/rosemary seasoning to the meat. Place in Crock pot, pour 1/4 C port over meat, and cook on low for about 3-4 hours.

Saute 1/4 sliced onion with some olive oil. Add 2 zucchini, sliced thin, and a splash of chicken broth (low sodium). Cover and simmer until zucchini are tender.

Spray a baking pan with olive oil spray, and bake sliced sweet potatoes in 400 degree oven for 45 minutes. Sprinkle first with some ground pepper, garlic powder, and celtic grey salt (optional).

Hope you enjoy!

And... I hope you ALL accomplish your CrossFit goals & dreams this year! :-)

Lemon Pepper Turkey Breasts with Sautéed Spinach

This year is starting out great so far! 'Jackie' yesterday and back squats today! ... Feeling strong and paleo prepared!

Tonight was a pretty quick & tasty fix!

Lemon Pepper Marinade: (I marinated turkey breast, but this would be great on chicken or fish, too)

1/4 C lemon juice

Zest from 1/2 lemon

1 T olive oil

1 tsp. ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 C water

2 T fresh rosemary, chopped fine

1/2 tsp. sea salt (optional)

~Combine all ingredients in a plastic bag, add turkey breasts and marinate for 2-8 hours. Bake at 350 degrees, for about 35-40 minutes (internal temperature of 175 degrees).

Sauteed Spinach:

Okay... this was delicious!

2 tsp. olive oil

1 T lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T chopped dried cherries

2 T slivered almonds

pinch course grey sea salt

~Honestly, this was my favorite part of tonight's meal. YUM. Heat olive oil over medium heat and saute garlic. Add spinach leaves (about 1 bunch or 4 C). As it starts to cook down, add lemon juice, slivered almonds and cherries. Cook about a minute longer, and remove from heat. Sprinkle with a pinch of grey salt.

We also enjoyed this with our typical side salad! Hope you enjoy! Hmmmm, what will tomorrow bring?!

Athlete Profile: Lisa Holden

Lisa was one of our "overall" winners for the Paleo-Zone Challenge! She amazed us with her performance improvements in the gym as well as her obvious physical changes! She successfully followed the Zone diet for the three month challenge and lost a total of 9 pounds! Lisa was fairly new to CrossFit when starting the challenge and just absolutely "took-off". It was easy to see something was working!!! Even more impressive with Lisa, was that she was nursing 18 month old twin girls! She had to increase her daily zone blocks and up her fat a bit at each meal to maintain the nutritional needs for a nursing mother. She said, for her, getting started was the most difficult part, and took about 4 weeks into the challenge before it started to get easier.

Look at Lisa's stats!!!

400m run-

1:45 to 1:31

Helen-

16:24 (with bands) to 12:52 RX

Deadlift-

120# to 170#'s !

During the challenge Lisa got kipping pull-ups, sustainable chest-deck push ups, rope climbs, and her first HSPU with 1 mat!

Goals for 2010:

Lisa wants to maintain a manageable healthful diet, with zone principles... that is fun, fresh and balanced! She wants to get HSPU's without a mat, a muscle up, continue to increase her weights and overall strength, and (this was particularly important to her) improve her endurance!

Amazing Lisa! Congratulations on your success. You are an inspiration and I know you'll accomplish your goals! Keep up the great work!!!