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.

New Books & Bars

This morning my 2 new books came in the mail! I am so excited to read them as soon as school lets out. Thank you to my Uncle for getting them for me.

The first one is Bright Side Up by Amy Spencer. I read reviews about this book in fitness magazines and thought it sounded like a perfect book for me. It gives an inspiring and optimistic perspective while showing you to not take for granted what is right in front of you.

The second book is Main Street Vegan by Victoria Moran. My uncle and I were watching TV and the author was on the show talking about her book. I don't plan on being a full vegan, but I do find it compelling to eat clean and she writes about the practical "baby steps" to becoming a vegan. The author has lost 60 pounds and has been successful in keeping it off. The book also includes 40 vegan recipes! I didn't know this until I got the book, I am very excited to try some more vegan meals.

Yesterday I went to Mother's Market and found some fun bars to try! I had heard a recommendation for the Skout Chocolate & Coconut bar, but when I got to Mother's they had so many choices!

I ended up getting one of the Skout Apple Cinnamon food bar (middle in picture). The ingredients looked promising (which is what I was drawn to at first with the recommendation): Organic Dates, Whole Grain Organic Oats, Organix Dried Apples, Organic Almonds, Organic Apple Juice Concentrate, Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Cinnamon, & Sea Salt. Total 190 calories, good fats (1g poly unsaturated fat, 2g monounsat fat, 0g trans & sat fat), 6g fiber, 4g protein, 0mg Choleserol. 

I also got a Raw Crunch Energy Bar with Blueberries (bottom in picture). It is handmade, uncooked, and unprocessed, which doesn't sound too bad! Now let's look at the ingredients; Organic Sesame Seeds, Organic Sunflower Seeds, Organic Pumpkin Seeds, Organic Cashews, Organic Blueberries, Organic Flaxseeds, Organic Pecans, Raw Honey, Organic Macadamia Nuts, Celtic Sea Salt. I can not think of one ingredient in this bar that is bad for you! With 150 calories, 10g Fat (1.5g sat, 0g trans), 0g Cholesterol, 10g Carbohydrates (5g sugar, 3g fiber), and 5g Protein. I am excited to try this one!

The top RAW bar pictured, was also blueberry, but unfortunately I ate it after my Coed Rec softball game and forgot to keep the packaging! My bad, I know; it was delicious though so I will just buy it again and update you!

Yes, I did just start in a Coed Rec softball team, with some girls I played with in high school. I played inter-murals in college also, so I have kept some skill. I just need to get use to slow pitch softball, since I played fast pitch for 13 years, I need to be patient (HA!). 

Cinnamon Oats & Garlic Brussels Sprouts!

Prepping for the day!

Breakfast: Cinnamon, Apple, & Walnut Oatmeal with a side of egg whites

Lunch: Garlic Brussels Sprouts & Tomatoes

What is great about both recipes I posted? Both are vegan and vegetarian! If you are vegan and can't have the egg whites, you could make 2 servings of the oatmeal to have a bigger serving, or make a fresh fruit salad.

Cinnamon, Apple, & Walnut Oatmeal:

In a medium size bowl, add
•1/4 cup oats
•1/2 cup water
•1/4 apple, peeled and chopped
Microwave for 2 minutes

Add & Stir in:
•1 tablespoon ground flax
•1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Top with:
•1 tablespoon chopped raw walnuts

This recipe is for 1 serving.

Final Product!

Breakfast served. Pictured with cooked egg whites & red pepper flakes.

Garlic Brussels Sprouts & Tomatoes:

In a small sauté pan drizzle a small amount of coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil (~1/2 teaspoon), set heat at medium to medium low. Add 8 halved Brussels sprouts with the hard woody stem part cut off. Let this sauté for 5 minutes; until they start to brown a bit.

Then add 1/2-1 cup whole cherry tomatoes, 2-3 chopped garlic cloves depending on their size, and salt & pepper (to taste). Turn down heat to low and sauté for 3-4 additional minutes.

Finally, add 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon Italian spices. Cook this on low heat for 2 minutes and then it is ready to be served! I like to cook it until the tomatoes are bursting.

This recipe for 1 serving if a main dish, 2 servings as a side dish.

Final Product:

A great addition would be to top with shredded Parmesan cheese, especially of you are serving this to someone who does not love Brussels sprouts. I was also thinking next time to add some pine nuts as well.

Coconut Oil:

I bought my first jar of unrefined coconut oil from Whole Foods Market yesterday. This was my first time using coconut oil and it turned out really well. I had seen a lot of people using coconut oil, so I thought I could try it out, since I am an olive oil fiend! I used the coconut oil on my egg whites for breakfast and topped them with red pepper flakes.

Have a great day!

Roasting Up!

I wasn't very hungry for dinner last night since I had been munching on raw walnuts all day, so I made a small plate of roasted veggies for dinner! I have never cooked brussels sprouts nor sweet potatoes, but I know I like them!

4 brussels sprouts, quartered
4 asparagus spears
5 cauliflower florets, halved if too large
1/2 sweet potato, peeled & cubed

Preheated oven 375

 

I first boiled water in a pot and added in the sweet potato chunks for 3-4 minutes, so they softened. (This was to ensure that all the vegetables would cook in the same amount of time)

Once I had arranged vegetables on the baking sheet, I sprayed olive oil cooking spray on each, and sprinkled lightly with sea salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. I put the baking sheet in the oven for ~10 minutes, and broiled them for the last 30 seconds to 1 minute!

Served immediately!

Delicious

Pineapple Tofu Shake

This morning  I had a completely new experience for both making and drinking a pre/post workout shake. It involved my first time working with tofu! I have had tofu in a vegan pasta dish once but I have never myself worked with it. Not going to lie, I was a bit scared of what to expect!

I used chocolate whey protein powder in this shake but next time I may use my vanilla one instead. If you're vegan or trying to make this recipe vegan, using rice or hemp protein would work too!

This shake has about 300 calories with 33 grams of protein, and 4 grams of fiber!

1 cup chopped pineapple
1/2 medium banana
1/4 cup firm tofu
1 scoop whey protein powder
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup ice
-->Blend until smooth

Why is this shake beneficial?
•Pineapple contains manganese, thiamine which will give you energy and bromelain which aids in muscle repair and recovery.
•Bananas give you sustained energy that will fuel you through your workout.
•Tofu contains high quality proteins as well as antioxidants that repair damage from free radical build up during workout.
•Whey protein gives your muscles energy and builds an repairs these muscles after your workout.
(info and recipe idea from April 2012 Oxygen Magazine)

Whey protein! In double dutch chocolate flavor

I have extra tofu, so I will either make another shake tomorrow or I got an idea from @sprinkledwlove on instagram for a salad with tofu. The salad has spinach, roasted cauliflower, tofu, cucumber, and hummus.

Pasta!

I was watching the food network and got good ideas for "volumezing" pasta. If you want fettucini then add half a serving of whole wheat cooked fettucini with zucchini or squash ribbons (use a peeler to peel zucchini and add to cooked pasta). Add a healthy sauce and serve with a salad or steamed veggies! It will look like your eating a full serving or more of pasta with cutting calories. If you prefer angel hair pasta or spaghetti, you can do the same thing but instead of zucchini , microwave a halved spaghetti squash for ~8 minutes and with a fork create strands and add to cooked pasta + sauce.

I was craving pasta all so I decided to try this volume zing technique. I used 1/2 serving whole wheat linguini and 1 cup zucchini ribbons. For the sauce I sautéed some onions, garlic, basil and oregano in a small amount of olive oil. After the onions were translucent I added diced zucchini and tomatoes, then spinach, a spoonful of marinara, red pepper flakes and finally some red wine. I let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes and served over the pasta.

Fresh Ingredients!

Just added the red pepper flakes, it ended up having a nice kick to it.

Linguini and zucchini ribbons

I am definitely making pasta with zucchini ribbons again because I feel full and satisfied but I cut the calories! So now I feel even more satisfied knowing I made a healthy substitution that I will use again.

Paleo Vegan Pizza!

I have been wanting to try a paleo pizza with cauliflower crust. I didn't have cauliflower in my fridge but I did have broccoli! Yummm. So I decided to give it a try. First, I had to make flax eggs (since this was a vegan paleo crust). To make a flax egg you will whisk 1 tablespoon ground flax meal with 3 tablespoons water (make sure to whisk while adding water to flax), and refrigerate for a minimum of 15 minutes (an hour is preferred).

I took about 4 cups of broccoli and put into the blender until "riced", and then transferred broccoli to a big bowl.Then to the blender, I blended about 1/3 cup of almonds to make almond flour. Once the almonds were a flour consistency I added them to the big bowl of broccoli. I then added my 2 flax eggs and mixed them all together with a big spoon until a dough ball formed. On a cookie sheet I spread the dough out, and cooked it in a preheated 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. Once the crust was getting crispy, I took it out and added some fresh marinara, veggies (bell peppers, garlic, onions, spinach and mushrooms), fresh herbs, and the last part of my soy mozzarella cheese (pretty sure the cheese isnt a part of the paleo diet, but I wanted to finish up the cheese so I added it!). Once all the toppings were on, I put the pizza back in the oven for 8-10 minutes. And then it was all ready to eat!

 

It turned out pretty well! I was pleasantly surprised with the results. Next time I want to try with cauliflower because the broccoli had a very strong taste and the crust was a bit moist. I think this is a healthy alternative to regular pizza. The vegan cheese is very low in calories as well as the crust, and I put a lot of veggies to add nutrients! 

For the boy I made an egg white scramble with red bell peppers, spinach, onions, and turkey, with a couple grilled shrimp skewers and a glass of orange juice!

Mini Pizzas!

I tried vegan cheese for the first time! Not too bad on pizza. It was a mozzarella, Parmesan blend. I put it on top of a Sara Lee whole wheat pita (200 calories for the whole pita). For toppings I put purple basil, bell pepper, onion, tomato, and steamed broccoli, with a vegetarian low fat marinara. It was really good and pretty low in calories. I also had a side salad and a glass of champagne in a sweet mini goblet I found in my mom's wine glass cabinet.





I want to experiment more with whole wheat mini pita, flat bread, and homemade cauliflower crust pizzas. Using different vegan cheeses could be fun as well as different sauces like pesto, sun dried tomato pesto, olive oil & garlic, bbq or different favors of marinara. Any other ideas?

Here are some specific pizza combos I want to try:

Original Pizza:
•Marinara sauce
•Bell pepper, sliced
•Onion, sliced
•Tomato, thinly slice or chopped
•Basil, fresh, chopped
•Low-fat or Vegan Mozzarella cheese/Italian blend
•Garlic, minced

BBQ Pizza:
•BBQ sauce
•Grilled BBQ chicken
•Red onion, sliced
•Low-fat or Vegan Mozzarella cheese
•Fresh Cilantro, chopped

Pesto Pizza:
•Pesto or Sun dried tomato
•Low-fat or Vegan Mozzarella cheese/ Italian blend
•Pine Nuts
•Onions, white, sliced
•Broccoli, steamed, chopped
•Garlic, minced
•Tomato, sliced/chopped, optional

White Pizza:
•Olive Oil
•Garlic, minced
•Onion, white, sliced
•Basil, fresh, chopped
•Spinach
•Low-fat Ricotta
•Tomato, sliced/chopped, optional


What other combinations have you tried or would like to try! Let me know

Grilled Corn

I made a grilled corn salad. First, I grilled the corn, let it cool then added tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, and minced garlic. In a seperate bowl I wisked together chopped cilantro, olive oil, honey, lime juice and pepper, then added that to the corn mixture. As the final touch, I added fresh avocado on top. Served this salad along side my brown rice with dried cranberries, corn, sliced almonds, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper.

        With the left over salad, I put it in my cactus leaf corn tortillas added black beans, salsa verde and a little jalapeno cheese.