Chicken Cacciatore

This was so good that I didn't even miss the pasta!! :)

Paleo Chicken Cacciatore served with a sliced tomato, basil & pine nut salad.

Ingredients:

6 skinless boneless chicken breasts

Fresh ground pepper

1 tsp oregano

1 red onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 C sliced mushrooms

4 celery stalks, 1/4 inch slices

8 oz can organic, no salt tomato sauce

16 oz can organic, no salt diced tomatoes

1 T fresh basil, chopped

1 T Italian parsley, chopped

Coat bottom of large baking pan with tomato sauce. Place chicken breasts in baking dish, and sprinkle with fresh ground pepper, and oregano. Lay onions, garlic, mushrooms, and celery on top of chicken pieces. Pour remainder tomato sauce and diced tomatoes over chicken and top with the fresh basil and parsley. Bake at 325 degrees for 70 minutes or until chicken is done. This was one of my FAVORITE recipes so far. I loved all the herby vegetables over the chicken! I served this with a tomato, basil, and pine nut salad. Super easy. I used two types of heirloom tomatoes for color pizzaz! I arranged on a plate alternating fresh basil leaves and tomatoes. I drizzled 1 T balsamic vinegar over tomatoes (an optional and debatable paleo food item). Then I topped with about 1 T pine nuts! This recipe yields leftovers... which is oh-so -nice! Enjoy! :)

Two Good Things!

This was suppose to be Friday's post! It was our anniversary, so we splurged a little, with a seared filet mignon! This kids even set a romantic table for us... with candles and fancy napkins! Unfortunately it was also the night before the Santa Cruz Affiliate Challenge, and I was a little wrapped up in nerves. We did toast our 16 years with a 4oz. glass of cabernet sauvignon. Then it was lots of water and plenty of sleep!

Our favorite way to prepare a filet is to season it first (with pepper, garlic & onion powder) and then sear it on high heat in a cast iron pan with olive oil, for 2 minutes on each side. Then put it in a 450 degree oven for an additional 3 minutes (this gives you a nice medium filet). I sauteed the chard in 1 tsp. olive oil with 3 cloves chopped garlic. Delicious! We also served this with a large tossed green salad. I felt very well nourished and ready to tackle the affiliate challenge with gusto!

Paleo Cookies Anyone????

Eva passed on this recipe today. I even got a taste, and they were delicious!

Thanks, Eva!

Ingredients:

1 C almond butter

1 C organic unprocessed brown sugar

1/4 to 1/2 C chopped dried fruit (dates, dried cherries or apricots... or even dark chocolate chips, if it's a cheat day)

1 egg

1 tsp. baking soda

Mix all ingredients together well. Pack each cookie into a tight ball and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 8 minutes! I hope to make these in the next day or two, so stay tuned for pictures to come! Enjoy!

How's the Zone/Paleo Challenge going?? I've heard some pretty great things from people in these first couple weeks! I also witnessed some really great performances Saturday at the Affiliate Games! Coincidence? Keep it up! You all are doing GREAT!

Spoils to the Victor!

We had a friendly wager on today's WOD. Kelly won, so dinner is on me tonight! I kept it simple and sauteed up some squash, onions, garlic and red peppers. I topped them with steamed asparagus (4 minutes only) and served them with a salmon patty. Painless and quick. I'm going to let Kelly fill in the details on blocks, balance and all that stuff. Take care and have fun with it. ~Scott

Hmmmm. We should definitely wager more often! I enjoyed this evening! He even posted! :)

These were those great Costco Alaska Salmon patty specials! A perfect 3 block protein & fat 4oz portion. We had a side salad along with the sauteed veggies to balance out the carbs. Thanks, Scott!

Meatloaf... Paleo Style

Tonight was meatloaf. Perfect for leftovers! It's a little different than the meatloaf I use to prepare... you know the one with breadcrumbs and ketchup! ... but it was still good! Hope you enjoy this household staple!

Ingredients:

2 lbs extra lean ground beaf

1 red onion, diced

4 cloves garlic

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1/2 C fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

1/2 C fresh parsley, roughly chopped

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground pepper

2 large eggs

2 T olive oil

Mix all ingredients together and spread evenly in your meatloaf pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. I served this with zucchini... which turned out great! I sauteed onions, some sweet pepper, and garlic in a little olive oil (tsp). Added the sliced zucchini and sauteed a little more. Then I added about 1/8 C (or less) of chicken broth (no salt) and steamed until zucchini was done. This meal left me feeling very satisfied... which is such a good thing!

BYOPZ (Bring Your Own Paleo/Zone)

A huge part of being successful on the zone or with paleo is being prepared and planning ahead! A big part of starting out the week is gathering lunches and snacks! Try to allow yourselves some time for this. Bake up some chicken tenders to last the week. Grill some sausages. Make extra dinner to allow for leftovers! Hard boil eggs. Cut up some extra fruit and veggies! Soon this just becomes part of the routine... like brushing your teeth or checking the kids homework! Neile, from CFSCC, has found a GREAT lunch box to help keep her in the zone! She says she LOVES it and that the containers hold two 1 block and one 2 block snacks, plus a 2 block lunch. What a great idea! Thanks for sharing Neile!

Some challenge info:

We're checking out your food logs, so don't forget to turn them in! Also, I've finally added some additional links to the site. You can now download the food log sheets, check zone blocks, view a sample day, or check paleo permitted foods! Hope that helps! Keep up the good work!!! The food logs look great so far! :)

Now... how's that sweet tooth???

I know mine is in full force, screaming "chocolate"!!

Hope this helps:

Chocolate Strawberry Protein Shake

1 C chocolate almond milk (unsweetened)

2 tsp almond butter

1 cup fresh strawberries

3 T chocolate prozone protein powder

8-10 pieces ice

Blend until creamy and frothy. Top with cinnamon and some unsweetened chocolate cocoa powder. Serves 2 (and is about 2 blocks each). Enjoy! :)

Grilled Seafood & Vegetables

Hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day weekend! We definitely used our BBQ this weekend. Took advantage of the beautiful weather and ate dinner out on the deck, too. I feel well rested and ready to get back to CrossFit tomorrow!

We grilled this entire meal on the BBQ. We lightly brushed asparagus, eggplant, scallops, and shrimp with olive oil and spices. In a small container mix 1/4 cup olive oil with garlic powder, onion powder, and an organic no-salt seasoning... lightly brush on seafood and veggies and cook to your liking. Very simple and tasty (and very little mess in the kitchen). And YES, I absolutely had this with a nice glass of chardonnay!!

Eggs & Sausage

These are my favorite breakfast sausages! I get them at Safeway. Zap them in the microwave for a minute while the eggs are cooking! Two sausages are 2 blocks fat and 1 block protein. This was a 3 block breakfast! 1/2 C egg beaters (scrambled) with 1 tsp. salsa, 2 Jones sausages, 3 almonds, and 2 C fresh fruit. Very filling!

This is the first weekend for the Zone/Paleo challenge... and for many of us, weekends are "challenging"! And... It's Labor Day weekend, to boot!! Plan for it! BYOP (bring your own Paleo).

I'll be wishing you much success over the weekend!

Post your challenges, and what you did to overcome!

Have a GREAT three day weekend!

Flank Steak Salad

With this "hot" streak we've been having in the weather lately, salads have been sounding so good! Who wants to cook in this heat?! Tonight we BBQ'd some flank steak and put it on a bed of spring greens. Lay the flank steak out and generously cover with cracked pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Rub into meat and let sit. Then...BBQ to desired doneness and let sit, again. Slice thin and add to salad along with tomato, avocado, red onion, cucumber, and bell pepper. Simple and tasty... and you're not slaving over a hot stove or oven! I grilled some zucchini slices as well, for a nice side, because I have been getting a lot of zucchini from friends. It's that time of year! But, I AM NOT complaining. I love it! This particular zucchini will feed our family for several meals! It's huge!

Paleo/Zone Challenge cut-off is tomorrow! Contact Michele or myself to sign up! The turn-out has been GREAT! 32 participants so far! We will pick a top female and top male to split the pot! Keep up the good work! The first two weeks are the toughest! Post your thoughts to comments! We want you all to be successful! Let's get lean!!!

Grilled Chicken Salad

Oh man... what a day! Sometimes life throws you a curve ball and menu plans, balancing, accessible foods, etc. etc. goes out the window! Today was one of those days for me. So... what do you do? ...I think you just have to relax, cut yourself some slack, and do the BEST you can with the options that are presented to you. Obstacle number 1. Morning emergency with broken down vehicle, missed breakfast! Grabbed an apple and Larabar and ran out the door. Obstacle number 2. Lunch with an old college friend (Hobee's) ordered breakfast at 11:30... vegetable scramble (no cheese) with a side of fruit. Obstacle number 3. HAD TO GET CROSSFIT IN!! Went to 7pm Eva T's class=late dinner! Ring Dips and Dead Lifts... now I'm hungry. Ugh... nothing to prepare at home. So, we stopped at Safeway and got grilled chicken breasts from the deli, took them home and made a quick Paleo chicken salad.

Congratulations to all of you who are taking on this challenge, and let's persevere through the obstacles!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to John (yesterday) and Kim (tomorrow)!!! :)

*There's still time to get in on the fun! Challenge "cut-off" date is this Friday, Sept. 4th.

Seared Ahi Tuna with Pesto

I bought these Ahi Tuna Steaks at Trader Joe's in the frozen meat section. Wow... great price and great quality! Good old Trader Joe's!!

Generously cover thawed steaks with fresh ground pepper, a little ground cumin, and some garlic powder (rub into fish really well). Heat a heavy skillet (I used a cast iron)... when pan is hot add a little olive oil. Sear fish quickly (about 1-2 minutes) on both sides. Remove from heat (I put fish in a warm oven while I was preparing everything else).

Pesto: Mix in a food processor about 3/4 cups fresh basil leaves, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp. lemon juice, and 1/4 C pine nuts.

I served this with steamed zucchini and sliced tomatoes (with just a tad more chopped basil for looks!) It was delicious! The fish was about 4 oz and I put about 2 tsp. pesto over the top... made for about a 3-4 block dinner! Hope you enjoy this totally Paleo meal! :)

Well... how was day 1 ?

Remember to keep things easier for yourself, stock your kitchen with zone/paleo foods! Send all those leftover temptations to your neighbors! :) I've heard this before but it is so true: shop the perimeter of the grocery store (all the fruits, veggies, meats, fish and dairy are all found on the outer aisles) ... and avoid the bakery! :) Stick to your shopping list and don't shop hungry (eat a snack before you go)! Plan ahead as much as possible... hard boil a bunch of eggs in the beginning of the week. Bake up some delicious little chicken tenders. Pre-cook some tasty sausages!

Well... onward to day 2! :)