Life is busy and hectic these days which means my brain is in over load.  I’m going to apologize in advance for the short post today and the lack of posting on the other sides of the blog lately.  I’ve been trying to keep up with everything but realizing that sometimes everything can’t get done.  I’m also realizing that sleep is an important thing, especially as my body is trying hard to fight off all the colds that are going on around me.  Got to love cold season!  A interesting fact since switching my diet, I haven’t had a cold in the longest time.  Yes, I know since I said that I will probably jinx myself but it is true.  If you put good things in your body and add in exercise, it’s amazing how good you’ll feel and how your immune system will reward you. 

I’m going to stop rambling, something I do best, and share with you a new love of mine and that is this salad.  It’s packed with super vitamin packed greens.  One being kale which is one of the healthiest vegetables around.  Though greens in general are nutritious foods, kale stands a head above the rest. Not only is it one of your best sources of beta-carotene, one of the antioxidants believed by many nutrition experts to be a major player in the battle against cancer, heart disease, and certain age-related chronic diseases, it also provides other important nutrients.  Then we have brussel sprouts, which are loaded with vitamin A, folacin, potassium, calcium. They have 3-5 grams of fiber per cup, and at 25 calories per 1/2 cup cooked, they give us a reason to eat them more often. Brussels sprouts are one of those foods that will fill you up, without filling you out.  How can you go wrong with these super greens?  This salad is great as a side dish, but I have to admit it’s even great as a snack cold or reheated.  I was in a crunch yesterday and needed a snack and lucky had packed some in my lunch box.  It saved me in my afternoon need for a snack. 

Enjoy everyone!  And stay tune….I’m dreaming up another similar post to this one which was a hit.  Trying to have it up by the end of the week, but again it all depends on how the next few days go.  I promise it’s coming and hopefully it will be worth the wait.

Brussel Sprout, Kale, and Bacon Salad

5 to 6 slices nitrate-free bacon

1 pound brussel sprout, trimmed and shredded

1 bunch of kale (about 3 cups), stems removed and shredded

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

Juice of ½ of lemon

Dash or two of red pepper flakes

Instructions:

In a large non-stick skillet cook bacon a few slices at a time until cooked through.  Once cooked set aside on paper towel.  Do not disregard the nice bacon grease you have in your skillet. 

Heat the same skillet you cooked the bacon with (and still has the bacon grease) over medium-high heat.  Add garlic  and cook for about 30 seconds, then add shredded brussel sprouts and kale and continue to toss the two until it’s slightly wilted.  Remove from heat and add lemon juice and red pepper flakes (to taste) and mix together. 

Cut the cooked bacon into bite size pieces and add to the greens and toss to combine.  Serve warm as a side dish and enjoy!

 Serves 6

 Recipe adapted from With Style and Grace

Back from vacation and had a wonderful time away with my family.  We had a lot of fun and now we have a lot of new memories to add to our box.  I look at my little ones and I’m amazed every day how big they are becoming.  It makes me so sad so gathering all those memories are very important.  I will always remember Christmas 2011 in one of the magical places in the world….Disney World! 

Now that we are back it was nice to get back in my kitchen and make something for my Paleo palate.  Word to the wise….Paleo eating at Disney World can be a little challenging.  Thank goodness I pre-made some things for the trip for snacks and brought along some of my favorites from Steve’s Original.  Those saved the day on many occasions.  Today I spent the better half of the day cooking away.  First on the list was this salsa.  I think I have told you in the past but sweet potatoes are my little addiction.  I love them.  If I could I would have them every day.  My husband jokes that one day I might turn into a sweet potato!  Hmmmm…weird thought!  Ok, so lets talk salsa.  I’ve made all kinds of salsa, but never a sweet potato salsa….and let me tell you it will be made again.  The sweet potato adds a slight sweetness to the salsa.  Now the beauty of this salsa is you can use it in the traditional way, ok not totally traditional in the Paleo world but in my Paleo traditional way, dipped with a Paleo Cracker. But you can also use this salsa in scrambled eggs for breakfast, on top of a salad, there are many possibilities.  Either way its a sweet little bite!  And perfect to serve as a appetizer for New Year’s of the Super Bowl!

Enjoy!!

Roasted Sweet Potato Salsa

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced small

1 small red onion, diced

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium tomato (seeds removed), diced

1 avocado, diced small

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)

salt and ground pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  On a baking sheet, toss sweet potato, red onion, and olive oil.  Roast until sweet potato is tender and browned in spots, about 20 minutes.  Transfer to a large bowl and let cool completely.

Add tomato, avocado, cilantro, and lime juice.  Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.

Note: To enjoy salsa serve with Paleo Crackers, scatter over a salad, use in scrambled eggs at breakfast, or inside an omelet (or on top).

Recipe Adapted from Martha Stewart

This weekend in South Florida was a rainy damp weekend, which wasn’t the best weather for photographing food, but it was a weekend that called for a Pre-Thanksgiving like meal.  With the weather being rainy and gloomy out and seeing all the snow falling up north it put me in the mood for a homey and comfy meal.  My local Whole Foods had free-range, grass-fed, hormone free roasting chickens and I jumped at the chance to use these for my Sunday “comfy” meal.    After all nothing says “home, sweet home” like the aroma’s of a chicken roasting in the oven.  Another benefit to roasting a chicken is we have left-overs for the week for lunches or dinners.  Bonus for me!  You can do arrange of different seasonings on your chicken, the variations are limitless.  For our bird on Sunday I used a honey, rosemary, and cayenne pepper mix.  But this is totally optional.  Either way, this is the perfect fall/winter dinner…and Paleo!

I hope everyone had a happy and safe Halloween yesterday!  We had a wet one but still got the parade at school in and some trick or treating…but trick or treating was inside at our local Whole Foods.  great idea if your wanting the kids to get some healthy treats in their trick or treat bag instead of the traditional candy.  The girls ended up with apples, Pirate Booty, dark chocolate, and some other great (and gluten-free) snacks.  Thanks Whole Foods!  The girls had a great time and we all stayed dry.

Enjoy the chicken and vegetables and I’ll be back later this week to share the brussel sprout recipe you see on the plate in this post.  I’m traditionally not a brussel sprout girl, but let me tell you….add bacon and it can change your thoughts on the brussel sprout!  See back here soon.

Roast Chicken and Vegetables

Print Recipe

3 carrots, cut into thirds and halved

1 small butternut squash, peeled seeded and cubed

1 small sweet onion, cut into 6 wedges

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 free-range chicken (about 4 to 5 pounds)

1 lemon, quartered

3 fresh rosemary sprigs

3 fresh sage sprigs

3 fresh thyme sprigs

4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

Instructions:

Preheat oven the 425 degrees.

Put the carrots, butternut squash, and onion in a large bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon olive.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In the center of a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish place 3 smashed garlic cloves.  Set aside.

Remove the neck and giblets from the cavity of the chicken and discard.  Rinse the bird under cold water and pat dry.  Place the chicken breast side up, in the center of the 9 x 13-inch baking dish on top of the garlic.  By placing the garlic under the chicken it will prevent it from burning.  Brush the chicken with 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Season cavity and skin with salt and pepper to taste.  Place 2 lemon quarters, 2 rosemary sprigs, sage, thyme, and 1 garlic clove inside the cavity of the skin.  Then spread the vegetables around the chicken to the edges of the baking dish.

Roast chicken and vegetables for 45 minutes. 

Optional: While the chicken is roasting in a small dish stir together 1 tablespoon honey, 1 sprig rosemary chopped, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder.  This can be used to brush on the chicken after the first 45 minutes of roasting.

Remove the dish from the oven.  Using tongs, tilt the chicken, pouring the juices onto the vegetables, and shake to coat.  Baste the chicken with the pan juices and brush the chicken with honey rosemary mixture if using.  If the bird is browning too quickly, cover with aluminum foil.  Continue roasting until the chicken is deep golden brown and the juices run clear when the tip of a knife is inserted into the thigh joint, or an instant-read thermometer inserted into thigh, away from the bone, reads 170 to 175 degrees, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a platter, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes before carving. 

Toss the juices with the vegetables.  You can eat the vegetables alongside the carved chicken or you can place everything in a food processor (even pan juices) and puree to make an amazing mash.  Sprinkle in some cinnamon and nutmeg for an extra touch to the puree.  Above is a picture of the vegetables pureed into a vegetable mash.

A few weeks ago while in Sedona my mom and I had a wonderful tomato salad as an appetizer before my birthday dinner.  Of course being Paleo we had them split the salad for us because my mom the cheese lover had cheese with her tomato salad while I stuck with just the tomato and basil.  It was such a refreshing salad that we had it again a few days later.  I’ve been thinking about that salad since I got home so while walking through the produce section at my local Whole Foods this weekend I almost jumped and rejoiced when I saw that the heirloom tomatoes where on sale.  With only a few remaining I quickly gathered a few that looked good and stored away in my cart.  The remaining time spent at Whole Foods was spent daydreaming about the tomato salad I was going to recreate once I got home.  Amazing how the smallest things can brighten your day…and funny that it’s food! Once home, it didn’t take much to put this salad together.  You only need 5 ingredients and maybe 5 to 10 minutes to prepare and presto you have great appetizer, side dish, or even a main dish!  I know summer has pretty much ended which means tomato “season” has ended too but with temperatures still way up there here in South Florida it still feels like summer which makes this salad perfect!

Heirloom Tomato Basil Salad

 Print Recipe

2 to 3 heirloom tomatoes

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

 

Instructions:

Cut tomatoes in slices in thickness of choice.  Place on a large plate or in a bowl and drizzle olive oil and balsamic over tomatoes.  Use the amount you like, some like more some like less so use according to your liking.  You can always use less and add more.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Store in refrigerator for about 30 minutes and before serving sprinkle freshly chopped basil over tomatoes.  Serve and enjoy by themselves or as a side dish.

Note: And for my non-Paleo followers out there….add some fresh mozzarella to this salad and I’m sure you can make a meal out of this…that’s what my mom does

Enjoy!!

I’m back from vacation.  I’m still trying to get back into the swing of things.  I have to say a getaway to a spa on your birthday is absolutely fabulous and I highly recommend everyone do that one in their lifetime.  It was a well needed break for my mom and I!  We had a great time!  I was sad to leave my little ones for 4 days but in the end I came back a happier mom.  I’ll be recapping my trip soon.  After I download over 150 photo’s that is! 

On our trip to the spa we had the chance to participate in a cooking demo by one of the chefs at the spa.  The wonderful thing about the Enchantment Resort in Sedona is the food is healthy and they are willing to make any changes you may need to fit your diet needs.  So all you Paleolovers out there….this is the perfect place for a vacation!  There wasn’t anything on the 3 restaurants on site that didn’t offer something that wasn’t Paleo friendly with just a few minor adjustments. 

Now back to the cooking demo, in the demo the chef made a version of this recipe.  Instead of using watermelon like the chef used I used cantaloupe, honeydew and pineapple.  So try different fruits in your recipe to adapt it to your favorites.  This was great when I was there and great when I got home and made it for the hubby.  If you don’t like things too spicy just don’t use as much jalapeno pepper.

I’m going to keep this post short because I’m a tired girl who just headed back to work today and need to get some shut eye before my 4:30am wake up call happens tomorrow morning.  CrossFit calls!

Enjoy everyone!!

Spicy Lime Shrimp with Fruity Pico De Gallo

Print Recipe

Spicy Lime Shrimp

15-20 Large Shrimp (about 1 pound), clean and peeled

1/2 Jalapeno Pepper, diced (less if you don’t like spicy)

3 limes, juiced

1/2 cup green onion, diced

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon coconut oil

Instructions:

Preheat saute pan to med heat with coconut oil.

Saute shrimp on medium heat.  Cook 3/4 of the way through, add garlic and then deglaze with the lime juice.  Toss for 2 minutes or until shrimp are cooked.

Finish with fresh jalapeno, green onion, and cilantro. 

Fruity Pico De Gallo

1/2 cup pineapple, diced

1/3 cup cantaloupe, diced

1/3 cup honeydew, diced

1 tablespoon red onion, diced

1/2 Jalapeno, diced

1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

salt to taste

fresh ground pepper to taste

Juice of one lime

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Mix well.  If time allows allow to stand in refrigerator for 1 hour before serving other wise serve on top of shrimp and enjoy.

Enjoy!!

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