Do you listen to Podcasts?  I’m currently addicted to them and they help my day at work go by a little more quickly, always a plus!  As I work away I plug my ears and listen the latest podcasts from my very favorites in the Paleo world.  Always great information! 

Here are some of the podcast I listen to regularly:

Balanced Bites Podcast

Underground Wellness Podcast

Robb Wolf Podcast

Chris Kresser

In a recent podcast from Balanced Bites, Diane spoke to Karen Pendergrass from Paleo Approved and I can’t even begin to tell you the interesting stuff in this talk.  It’s scary to think of what is on our shelves and what we think is “good” but in reality not good at all.  One of the things that stood out the most in the podcast was the talk about how grass-fed beef is labeled at the stores. So you see grass-fed and you think good, right?  In Karen’s talk I learned that if the beef is not labeled 100% grass-fed then it’s not truly grass-fed.  Ok, if you knew this I apologize for being so behind the game.  You have to remember it was only recently I start to purchase beef again.  Anywho, finding this out made me mad.  Shame on me for believing those signs in my local Whole Foods!  The reality is in the last 3 months they feed the cow corn and grain….so real…. it’s not 100% grass-fed.  So all this time when I head to Whole Foods and pick up grass-fed beef…..thinking it is 100%….I was wrong!  Scary, right?  Just a little note when you are shopping make sure you are getting 100% grass-fed beef.  From now on I’m going to make sure my freezer is well stocked with the good stuff.  Listen to the podcast because that is one of many valuable information Diane and Karen touch on in their talk. 

Ok, I’m tired and need some shut eye….but before I leave you, here is a yummy recipe for taco lettuce cups.  If you like a little spice then you will like the taco seasoning.  If you don’t want as much spice just don’t include the red pepper flakes.  These cups are easy and quick and a great way to not only get dinner on the table fast but also a great reheat option for lunch the next day.  Top with the garnish of choice and you have a great Paleo meal.  I happen to think guacamole makes these taste pretty spectacular….but I love guacamole!

Enjoy everyone!  See you back next week.  Thinking up some Valentine Paleo treats…

Taco Veggie Lettuce Cups

1 pound 100% grass-fed beef

1 bell pepper, diced (color of choice, I used half red and half orange)

2 to 3 green onion, diced

Taco Seasoning (see below)

Lettuce Leaves, washed and dried

Fresh Guacamole and Salsa

Cilantro, green onion, and bell pepper for garnishing (optional)

Taco Seasoning

1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons oregano

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes ( a dash or two)

Add all of the above in a small bowl and mix to combine

Instructions:

In a large skillet over medium-high heat add beef and cook until no longer pink.  Add bell pepper and green onion to beef mixture and stir to combine and cook for 2-3 minutes until veggies are slightly soft. 

Add seasoning to skillet and stir until evenly distributed.

Scoop beef mixture to lettuce leaves and garnish as desired.  Guacamole and Salsa is a must in my opinion.  Enjoy!

Makes about 6 to 8 servings

I hope everyone is having a great week.  I’m back with another Paleo recipe that is a great lunch or dinner option.  The best part of this recipe is you can change it up any way you like.  Especially depending on what type of meat you prefer.  Here I used ground chicken, but you could easily swap out the chicken for turkey or beef (of course grass-fed being the preferred meat).  As far as vegetables you can get creative here too if you want.  I stuck with the Mexican theme here and went with onions and bell peppers but tossed in carrots since I had a lot on hand and it never hurts to have a little more vegetables in the mix.  You could even go Italian with this recipe and use tomatoes, onions, spinach, and basil and skip the peppers, chili powder and parsley/cilantro.  Have fun and get creative.  That’s what I love about being in the kitchen….you get to fun and get creative with your meals using ingredients you love the most.  After the chicken veggie mix was done I put them in lettuce cups and topped them with guacamole.  It was a great lunch time meal.  But it even works for dinner because the following night I reheated in the skillet and had it for my dinner.  It was just as delicious then as it was the day before for my lunch.  Enjoy!

 I hope everyone has a fabulous Labor Day weekend!  Enjoy those last days of summer and those cookouts.  Here in South Florida I have a feeling the summer temperatures will be around a lot longer so this weekend won’t be the last of our cookouts.  Anything you have planned for your grill this weekend?  Our grill plans are still up in the air, but I think ribs may be something my husband would opt for if asked. 

 Enjoy everyone and have a safe and Happy Labor Day! 

Chicken Vegetable Lettuce Cups

Print Recipe

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (or coconut oil)

½ cup yellow onions, diced

½ cup green onions, chopped

½ cup red bell pepper, diced

½ cup yellow bell pepper, diced

½ cup carrots, shredded

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound ground chicken (or turkey or beef)

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 to 3 tablespoons fresh parsley or cilantro

Salt and Pepper to taste

Lettuce leaves (such as Bibb), washed and dried

Additional toppings of choice: Avocado, Guacamole, Salsa, etc.

 

Instructions:

Heat 2 tablespoon oil of choice in a large skillet on medium heat.  Add the onions, green onions, bell pepper, and carrots and cook until all are softened, about 2-4 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.

While the vegetables are cooking heat another large skillet on medium heat and add one to two tablespoons of oil to coat the bottom of the pan.  Crumble chicken into the pan and sprinkle with salt and chili powder.  Cook the chicken without stirring until it is browned on one side, then turn the pieces over to brown the other side.  At this point you can also make sure the chicken is broken into small pieces or crumbled.  Once the chicken is just cooked through, stir in vegetables and sprinkle with more salt and chili powder to taste.  You can also add a little ground black pepper too.  Remove from heat.  Stir in fresh parsley or cilantro. 

 To serve place the chicken vegetable mixture into lettuce cups and serve with toppings of choice.  I used avocado or guacamole and salsa.  Yum!

 Enjoy!

Who says you can’t have a sandwich on a Paleo diet?  While walk the aisle of Whole Foods I was trying to figure out a lunch idea for the week that wasn’t a salad.  As I passed by the portabella mushrooms I thought to myself…..that’s it!  I’ll use these for a sandwich instead of the traditional bread that tops a sandwich.  Because if you aren’t familiar with the Paleo diet, bread is a no, no.  I know, I know….your probably thinking are you crazy? No bread!  Well my friends I would like to report that I don’t miss bread one bit and I feel a whole lot better without it and feeling better speaks higher to me than having it.  Now back to these portabella’s, they work great as sandwich topper/bottom and I’m sure would even be perfect as a burger bun.  With these sandwiches you can get creative and add whatever your heart desires.  I had some chicken leftover in the frig so that’s what I grabbed first and from there I just kept adding and it ended up being a delicious lunch time treat.  I’m actually looking forward to making my next sandwich already and adding something new.  I’m also wondering what other things I can do with these portabella caps….hmmm!?  The possibilities are endless I have a feeling.  Even if you aren’t following a Paleo type diet, these are a must try.  Especially is you are a portabella fan. 

And before I leave you I have to talk about the sweet potato chips.  I’m a huge lover of Terra Sweet Potato Chips, but I wanted to try to make them myself but try them baked.  I have been wanting to make them for awhile, but I didn’t have the right tool.  So once I got my new OXO Mandoline this past weekend I knew one of the first things I had to try were these chips.  Being on a Paleo diet, chips are not allowed but homemade sweet potato chips are totally allowed so it was a great treat to eat a chip.  I think next time I might try frying half the batch in a little coconut oil and seeing how they turn out.  Once these were out of the oven and cooled it didn’t take long for me and the munchkins to go through them.  I have a feeling these will be made again this weekend.

Speaking of weekends….I hope everyone had a fabulous one!  See you back here next week!

Portabella Sandwich Stack

Print Recipe

4 Portabella Caps

2 tablespoons Coconut Oil

1 boneless, skinless chicken cutlet, cooked (and cut into two pieces)

2 slices of tomato

1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves

2 slices cooked turkey bacon, or bacon of choice

3 tablespoons guacomole

Instructions:

Scoop out the gills and stem gently from the underside of the mushrooms.

Heat coconut oil in a skillet and cook mushrooms for about 3-5 minutes on each side or until the mushrooms turn golden brown on the top and become tender.

Remove the mushrooms from the pan.  On one mushroom, pile on cooked chicken, turkey bacon, tomato, spinach, and 1 ½ tbsp guacamole.  Top with the other mushroom.  Repeat with other mushrooms.  Then cut in half or eat whole, and enjoy!

 Makes 2 sandwich stacks.

Baked Sweet Potato Chips

Print Recipe

1 to 2 medium sweet potatoes

3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

Sea Salt to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Using a mandolin, slice sweet potatoes into even slices.  You don’t want the slices to be too thin, so be carefully while slicing. 

Place sweet potato slices into a large bowl and toss with olive oil.  Season with sea salt to taste. 

Place slices on a baking sheet and bake 30 to 40 minutes, flipping the potatoes half way through baking to make sure both sides are cooked.  Towards the last 10 minutes of baking you will need to watch the chips to make sure they don’t brown/burn.  I prefer mine a little more brown, but the goal is to have them golden.

Remove pan from oven and allow the chips to cool on a wire rack until they are cool and chip like.  And enjoy!

Are you ready for the holiday weekend?  I’m already thinking ahead and excited for the long weekend.  My parents are coming into town to visit and I’m looking forward to getting into the kitchen with my mom and coming up with the 4th of July menu.  Usually it’s just me in the kitchen on the 4th of July planning the menu so I’m really excited to have my mom here.  Growing up we always headed to my grandmothers house but it was common for my mom to bring half the dishes at the cookout.  There was always a couple sides involved and a couple of desserts.  One of the desserts always consisted of ice cream and most commonly peach ice cream.  My favorite!  This weekend as I was thinking about the upcoming weekend I dreamt up these little sliders.  I have to say they were a bit addicting too and were finished by everyone in the house very quickly.  The spice rub is a recent new favorite and I’ve used it on chicken and even last weekend on Father’s Day ribs (a request from the hubby for his big day).  The rub is great and adds a lot to the chicken but the peach mustard sauce is a great mix to the spice of the rub.  You have a little spice and then you have the sweet from the sauce.  And in my opinion 4th of July isn’t the same without peaches involved. 

What foods are a must at 4th of July for you?

Spiced Grilled Chicken Sliders with Peach Mustard Sauce

Print Recipe

For Spice Rub:

1/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons paprika

1 1/2 tablespoons onion powder

3 teaspoons sea salt

3 tablespoons fresh ground pepper

Mix brown sugar, paprika, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.  You will have extra.  Just store in an airtight container and use again on chicken or ribs.  Spice rub will keep for several months.

For Chicken:

4 skinless, boneless chicken cutlets

Cooking Spray

Press spice rub onto chicken cutlets on both sides.  Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes or refrigerate for as long as overnight to allow the flavrs of the spices to permeate the meat.  If you refrigerate the chicken, let them stand at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before grilling.

Place a large grill pan over medium-high heat; coat pan with cooking spray.  Add chicken to pan; cook 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until done.  Cool slightly; shred meat.

For Peach Mustard Sauce:

3 medium to large fresh peaches, peeled and pitted

1 tablespoons water

1 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 teaspoon honey

Recoat grill pan with cooking spray.  Place peaches, cut side down on pan; cook 4 to 6 minutes on medium-high heat or until tender and lightly golden brown, turning after 3 minutes.  Place peaches and next 5 ingredients (through honey) in a food processor; process until smooth.

To assemble sliders:

Place about 1/3 cup shredded chicken on bottom bun drizzle about 1 tablespoon peach mustard sauce over chicken; cover with top half of bun and serve.

It’s Friday evening here in Hong Kong and Friday morning back at home.  My first week down and another week and half to go.  It’s been a busy week so far and I’m still trying to adjust to the time zone change.  I’ve got my fingers crossed that  tonight is the night where I can finally get some much needed sleep.  Tomorrow is another busy day but I have to say Hong Kong is a very lively place to be.  It’s not my first time here but I have to say each time I’m amazed by this city.  It’s like New York City.  There is fashion, lights, glitzy, people, food, and so much more.  Fun place to be.  I plan on posting pictures soon so stay tuned.

Now moving on to this couscous….I love asparagus and I’m so happy it’s spring time and aspragus is in season.  It’s one of my very favorite vegetables.  When I was at Whole Foods getting things stocked up for the family before leaving for China the asparagus was calling my name as I stocked up on fruits.  Made my way to the asparagus and gave in and added a bunch to the cart.  Once I was home I decided to make this light and fresh couscous for lunch by using some things that were in my cabinets.  Turned out fabulous and I wish I had some right now as I type this from my hotel room in Hong Kong.  Once I’m home this is on my list to make again.  It was light, fresh and perfect for spring time.  And if you want you could add chicken. 

I hope everyone is well and have a fabulous weekend! 

Asparagus Primavera with Couscous

Print Recipe

1 1/2 cups dry couscous

1 pound asaragus, rinsed and bottom thirds snapped off

1 cup shredded carrots

15 ounce White Northern beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups loosley packed baby spinach, cut into strips

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Fill a shallow pot with about 1-inch of water and bring to a boil.

In a separate medium pot, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil, then add couscous.  Remove from heat, stir and cover.  Couscous will be ready in 5 minutes.

Cut asparagus into pieces.  Place asparagus and carrots into shallow pot of boiling water, reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and drain immediately. 

In a large salad bowl, toss remaining ingredients, except parmesan.  Add asparagus and carrots and toss again.

To serve, fluff couscous with a fork before spooning about 1 cup couscous onto each of plates.  Spoon salad over top, dividing evenly and garnish with parmesan.

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