Birthday Weekend!

This past Memorial Day weekend was the weekend of my 23rd birthday!

I did have a couple cheats this weekend. One of which included a mini red velvet cake and Piper Heidsieck champagne! The cake was suprisingly good, considering it was from Ralph's grocery store.

On Saturday morning, I did go to the farmer's market again! I needed to get a few items before my 2 week Alaska vacation! I was able to get more oranges for juicing, apple pomegranate juice, strawberries, blood oranges, raw nuts, trail mix, almond meal, duck eggs, cucumbers, red swiss chard, carrots, green onions, duck eggs, and broccoli!

For a breakfast shake after the farmer's market, I included purple carrots, frozen berries, red swiss chard and coconut water! The red swiss chard adds a lot more flavor to smoothies compared to spinach and kale. Kale barely adds any flavor (in my opinion) and is perfect if you're trying to incorporate greens into your smoothies or diet.

Everyday over the 3 day weekend I had scrambled eggs, avocado and turkey bacon! I got the uncured, no preservatives, no nitrates or nitrites added turkey bacon from trader Joes! It was the closest bacon to Paleo I could find and I enjoyed it! Each slice was only 30 calories, low in fat and had a good amount of protein.

I love adding freshly chopped green onions, green peppers, white onions, tomatoes and avocado slices on top of my eggs. It is a good way to add freshness to a simple egg scramble without adding a lot of calories.

Included in breakfast along side the bacon and eggs, I made some delicious fruit plates! I love having a fruit plate at breakfast to munch on.

Also this weekend, my puppy Jack got a hair cut! They cut a lot of hair off, but it was much needed with summer coming up.Also, since he is staying with one of my friends while I go to Alaska I thought it would be nice if I got him groomed and bathed.

I was able to find Paleo beef hot dogs! These are uncured, no preservatives, no nitrates, no nitrites, with very little ingredients including beef, garlic, spices, and sea salt. They were very good, but did not taste like the typical hot dog that I grew up with, but I am happy that I found an alternative that will work with the Paleo diet.

Hope you had a great Memorial Day Weekend!

Now, I am off to Alaska for 2 weeks on a cruise! 

I will continue to blog and upload a lot of pictures! It should be beautiful during this time of year. Last year I went late in the season (early September) and this year we are going early in the season! I am hoping to see a lot of bears and eat some very good food.

Paleo Flank Steak

Flank steak was on sale at Srouts! I never have made flank steak, so I searched online for some recipe ideas. I still had fresh thyme and rosemary, so I found a recipe that inspired me to make this Rosemary-Thyme Flank steak. It turned out so good! I love the way flank steak can be used on top of salads.

Rosemary-Thyme Flank Steak

1 lb Flank Steak

2 Tbsp EVOO

Juice of 1 lemon

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 Tbsp fresh rosemarry, chopped

2 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

Pepper & sea salt to taste

1. Cut grid pattern on both sides of steak. I used a very sharp knife to cut about quarter of an inch deep on each side.

2. Combine lemon juice, olive oil, balsmic vinegar, sea salt, and pepper in a sepearte bowl, whisk together ingredients. On a large plate or baking dish, coat the top and bottom of flank steak in the liquid mixture.

3. Combine chopped rosemary, thyme, and garlic.

4. Place half of the herb garlic mixture to top and other half to the bottom of the flank steak. Cover the plate with a piece of plastic wrap, and let the steak marinate at room temperature for 30-45 minutes.

5. Preheat a lightly greased cast iron grill pan to medium-high heat. I prefer my steak medium-rare, so I cooked mine for 4 minutes on high heat on each side.

6. Once the steak is cooked to your likeness, let it rest on a cutting board for 5-10 minutes to let the juices settle so the steak does not lose all of its moisture.

7. Then serve! I paired mine with steamed zucchini and aparagus which I steaked with chopped rosemary, garlic and pepper.

Final Product!

I also  had to prep my dinner because I worked the evening shift at work! So I made a spinach salad with green peppers, avocado, onion and tomato, steamed zucchini and asparagus with garlic & rosemary, and the yummy flank steak!

I used this Rosemray-Thyme recipe (except I added finely chopped onions to the marinate) on New York Steak. Unfortunately it was not as successful as the flank steak, but it was still very tastey.

I paired the new york steak with mashed sweet potatoes and roasted broccoli!

I love mashed sweet potatoes now. I think I may like them better then regular mashed potatoes! ;)

Homemade Paleo Granola

This morning for breakfast I was in the mood for something sweet and satisfying. I am still going strong on the paleo diet, so I needed to get a little creative. I ended up making a paleo granola! It was actually REALLY good, I will definitely be making a larger batch once I get more almonds!

Homemade Paleo Granola

Preheat oven to 375

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup sliced raw Almonds

1 Tbsp raw Pepitas

1 Tbsp raw Sunflower Seeds

1 Tbsp raw Chia Seeds

1 Tbsp ground Flaxseeds

(You can play around with how many nuts and seeds to add based upon your liking!)

1 Tbsp organic Agave

1/2-1 Tbsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Vanilla Extract (optional)

                                       

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Make sure to saturate as many of the nuts as possible! One fully mixed, put granola mixture on a greased (with coconut oil cooking spray) baking sheet and put in a preheated 375 degree oven. Toast the granola for 5-8 minutes, until slightly golden.

After 5-8 minutes in the oven, take the granola out and let it cool for 5 minutes. 

Mine stuck together a little like granola bars, so I broke it up with a spatula. 

Final Product! 

Mixed with sliced strawberries, blueberries, 

and organic coconut milk!

Perfect breakfast! 

The granola can also be eaten as a snack throughout the day.

The sliced almonds act like the oats in normal granola. Both the almonds and the seeds add good protein, and the chia seeds add good fiber! The small amount of agave nectar adds enough sweetness with a low glycemic index! 

Food Revolution Day

Yesterday, May 19th was the first ever Food Revolution Day! This day is about standing up for real food, and empowering people to think more about how food affects their body. I watched a documentary called Food Fight the other day and it was a very inspiring documentary about the evolution of processed foods into our society and the benefits of eating clean, going to farmers markets, and the quality of these fresher foods.

                               

In light of the documentary and Food Revolution day, I went to the farmer's market on Saturday morning. Some may be intimidated by the farmer's market, but it is a great place to try new items and get the freshest produce. meat and nuts possible.

The quality of berries at the farmer's market always suprises me. Even just sampling 1 berry, I could tell it was packed with nutrients and flavors as apposed to being mostly water; they literally melt in your mouth.

I find that herbs and greens are a lot cheaper at the farmer's market then at the super market. I was able to purchase bundles of thyme, rosemary, chives and mint, each for $1. I also got a big bundle of kale for $2.

The Farmer's Market ended being a huge success. My two favorite items that I purchased were purple carrots and duck eggs. I have never had either so I was excited to try something new! We also got apple pomegranate juice, oranges, maple & orange zest almonds, raw trail mix, cashews, and sunflower seeds! I want to save up and be able to purchase the fresh meat and fish they have! It is expensive, but I believe that the quality of meat is going to be worth the extra dollars.

The purple carrots tasted pretty much the same as regular orange carrots, but the color was gorgeous! I have not tried the duck eggs yet, but I may make hard boiled eggs this morning for breakfast so I may!

Next on the agenda for the day was the WOOF Xtravaganza. This was also the first year for this event, and it was at a local park where dogs could come and there would be raffles, booths, food, and much more! 

I would like to think Jack enjoyed it! It was a beautiful day, so it's always good to try to get out of the house and enjoy the sun a little.

One of the snacks I brought to the WOOF X event were the purple carrots, and I let Jack try one! I think he liked it ;)

Once we got back home, it was lunch time! I made myself a HUGE PALEO salad. It included, spinach and arugula, purple carrots, cucumbers, avocado, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, green bell pepper, tomato, green onions, and ground chicken! It was delicious :)

Over the past few days, I have also put together an arm and leg workout! They were both difficult but worth it after I completed them!

Legs:

Arms & Abs:

Paleo Started Off Strong

Starting paleo diet! I am hoping I can last for at least 2 weeks, I am now 3 days in and going strong!

First thing I did was went to the Farmer's market and got some fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs, and nuts! I got all this plus 3 small bags of nuts for $30; that's pretty good!

After the farmer's market trip, I made a successful arm and ab workout!

After my workout, I made a fresh smoothie! Just add water and ice

At the farmer's market, I got 8lbs of oranges for $2.50! I wanted to make some fresh squeezed orange juice. From the 8lbs of oranges I was able to get 75oz of fresh OJ! 

It only lasted me 3 days because it was so delicious! 

At the farm'ers market I bought golden beets. I have never tried golden beats before, and honestly, I don't eat beets very often! I know they are good for me, so I thought I would give them a try in a salad!

Before making the salad, I cut the both ends off of the beets, wrapped them individually in tin foil, put them on a baking sheet and roasted them in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. I let them cool completely, then peeled off the skin and thinly sliced the beet.

For the salad, I used roasted golden beet slices, arugula, white onion slices, orange slices (peeled), walnuts, lemon juice, olive oil, pepper, and sea salt!

I was very impressed with the salad! I ended up making the same salad 4 times it was so delicious :)

Also with my lunch, I made a fresh fruit salad with sliced apple, strawberries and kiwi; with fresh squeezed lemon juice and some fresh mint!

I can't wait for the farmer's market this week! It is so fun to explore all the different produce and for relatively low prices! Perfect for my paleo plan.