Friday, October 26, 2012

Steak and Mashed Paleo Potatoes

Today it is actually cool in Houston. I refuse to say it is cold, but for the first time I felt chilly while watching my students during their outside P.E. time. Thankfully, I have a fluffy scarf to keep me warm. According to Facebook, which is always accurate, there may be snow in Pennsylvania this weekend. Maybe I should rethink calling Houston 'cool'. Oh, side note: there was a tragedy while running with my Blackberry. I will spare you the details, but lets just say excessive sweat caused some sort of problem with the keys. It will  turn on, but I cannot use any of the keys. I am now at the mercy of my work phone. If you need me, I guess email will have to do. Part of me misses my phone, the other part is excited to have an excuse not to have it on me. It is currently sitting in quinoa, so maybe it'll work this weekend. If not, I guess I have to visit hell, I mean Verizon, to get it fixed.

I can take zero credit for cooking tonight, but I wanted to share with you regardless. I cannot share a pic of this fine meal because of the unfortunate incident mentioned above. I guess I could have taken a picture with James' phone, but by the time I thought of it my steak was half-way gone. James said a half-eaten picture wouldn't be effective, and since he cooked it was his decision. Anyway, here was last night's dinner:

Steak
-2 large steaks
-salt
-pepper

*Sere on a hot skillet. Place in oven for a few minutes after. Unfortunately, I don't know the times James used.

Avocado/Lime puree-ish mixture
-1 large ripe avocado
-1/2 lime
-salt

*Mash all of the ingredients together with a fork. (Thank you Will and Brit for introducing us to this fine gem)

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
-1/2 bag of frozen cauliflower (you can also use fresh)

*Steam cauliflower. Mix in Vitamix with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, splash of almond milk

This meal is 100% paleo, and 100% delicious. Eating paleo has several benefits and I love it. Before we started eating paleo I struggled with low blood sugar, and now those problems are completely gone. I was to the point where a doctor prescribed me a blood sugar monitor. I would have spells where I would get sweaty and my vision would blur. I recall one time in Myrtle Beach where I honestly thought I would pass out if I didn't have food. I tried several things from snacking continuously throughout the day, to monitoring my carbs. The only thing that has worked for me is paleo. Well, My Paleo.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Taco Night!

After working 60 hours, administering two Common Assessments, and meeting with 20 parents I need the weekend. My favorite way to relax is with a good beer and tacos. Sure, it's not paleo... but it's My Paleo.

Tortillas
2 C unbleached flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbs coconut oil
3/4 hot water

1) combine dry ingredients
2) insert the coconut oil and use your hands to combine the oil with the dry ingredients. I usually squeeze it for a couple minutes
3) add super hot water
4) kneed the dough
5) roll out using the rolling pin (I wonder if my great grandmother knew her rolling pin would still be used today!)
6) cook in a dry pan over super high heat

 
 
Beer is paleo because I said so. And yes, I need two different types of hot sauce. Shout out to my awesome husband for cooking the rest of the delicious meal. xoxo

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Paleo Lasagna

Today was a crap day. I really love my job, and I generally love teaching middle schoolers. Today however, not so much. It wasn't that I didn't want to work today, I just didn't want to correct inappropriate behaviors all. day. long. Thank goodness today is Wine Wednesday.

This recipe is modified from someone else, but I really don't remember the source. I suppose if I googled it I would find it, but for now I'm just going to say it belonged to 'someone else' originally. Although this tastes nothing like pasta, it is still delicious. I will continue to salivate while watching commercials about the Olive Garden, but I will do so without feeling bloated and disgusting.

Ingredients
2lbs Lean burger or turkey
4 Zucchini
2ish Heads of broccoli
3 Handfuls of fresh spinach
1 Bag of mozzarella/italianish cheese (This is My Paleo...not necessary Paleo)
1 Jar of organic spaghetti sauce (We try to stick with sauce that has few ingredients and zero high fructose corn syrup)
3 Garlic cloves
1/2 Onion
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Basil
Oregano
Marjoram
Parsley
Salt
Pepper

Directions
1) Mince garlic and sautee in a drizzle of olive oil/coconut oil
2)Mince onion and add to garlic
3) Season beef with all of the above seasonings and put in the frying pan with the oil/garlic/onion combo
4)Steam your broccoli in a separate pot
4)While the meat is cooking, slice your zucchini. I usually cut mind around 1/6 inch thick, but you can decide how you like yours
5)Layer your lasagna as follows: meat, broccoli, fresh spinach, cheese, zucchini, sauce, meat, broccoli...
6)Top with a sprinkle of cheese (Don't judge. I love cheese, and I need calcium. I'm fighting osteoporosis early).
7)Bake 40-45 minutes on 425 degrees.


The finished product looks much better, but I didn't feel like waiting. Maybe I will be inspired to add another photo later.
I surprisingly do not add hot sauce to this...just crushed red pepper. And lots of it.



I was inspired. Please note that James does not agree with the amount of cheese I use, but he doesn't have frail bones to worry about like I do. I'm being proactive. 

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Steak with Avacado Sauce

Tonight on the menu is steak with a creamy sauce and spaghetti squash. The original recipe came from my inspiration PaleOMG. http://paleomg.com/creamy-avocado-spinach-chicken-pasta/. I'm honestly not sure of the legality of borrowing a recipe, but I'm not going to worry about that until I go viral. Or famous. Or appear on Ellen. Until then, I will post the original version, and then the modifications I made.

The original recipe called for chicken, but now that I live in Texas I have found there is a much larger beef selection. James and I did our weekly shopping and I am thrilled to share the savings. I would consider myself an extreme-couponer in training.

Total spent: $100.06
Savings: $68.52
Gas Perks: $1.20 off/gallon

Ok, back to the steak. A huge chunk of steak was on sale, so we decided to modify the recipe from chicken to steak. A few weeks ago we ate dinner with Will and Brit and they served steak with pureed avocado and lime. Apparently, they had this in Chile', and well,  it was freakin' delish. Because of this we decided steak would work great with this recipe. Organic squash was also on sale, so we stocked up on spaghetti, acorn, and butternut squash. I really, seriously love fall. I miss Pennsylvania during this time of year, but a quick peak at weather.com and I'm reminded how happy I am to live in Texas.

Avocado Sauce (this comes straight from the previous link)
2 squishy avocados
1 handful of fresh basil
garlic powder
thyme
salt
pepper
lemon

1) Puree in the Vitamix (Teresa, we absolutely love our Vitamix!!!)

Steak
3 garlic cloves
bag-or-so fresh spinach

1) Mince garlic, sauteed in olive oil (or coconut oil)
2) Cook on high heat 4-5 minutes per side
3) Let meat sit
4) Wilt spinach

Spaghetti Squash
If I had to guess, I would say it's 5 pounds. Ish.

1)Ok, this needs to happen before anything. Clearly, I'm new to this.
2) Cut in half and take out seeds and gross stuff
3) Bake at 400 degrees until done (the outside should be soft)

Combine everything together and enjoy.



 I'm not going to lie...I still added hot sauce.

My Paleo

This blog is all about the foods that I like to eat and the ways I like to cook them. James and I started eating paleo in May after attending a bachelorette/bachelor weekend apart. I was inspired by the bachelorette, Amanda, who had become a beast (in the best way possible) from eating paleo and doing CrossFit. We had worked out many times together before that weekend, but never had I seen her in that great of shape. I was inspired. Six months later, James and I are still eating 'Our Paleo' and will hopefully be starting CrossFit soon. I hope you enjoy reading, and remember almost everything I say is sarcastic. Lit-erally.