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 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.

Legs, Legs, & EGGS!

I do love doing legs days. I adapted this leg workout from a class I took at C.O.R.E. Condition Boot Camp. I remember it being really hard, but after waking up today, my legs are definitely feeling it! I also ran a 7:58 mile at the end, so I was very excited! The pandora station Dance Cardio is a really good station to workout too! The songs are pop but I think it hard upbeat songs that will get you sweating.

Immediately after my run, I had the same shake as yesterday; 1 cup almond milk, 1 tbsp vanilla protein powder, and 1 tsp powdered greens, all in a shaker cup.

I made a very similar breakfast to yesterday also, except I put fresh tomatoes and chives on top of my egg white frittata and I cut up an apple!

Sautee chopped zucchini and onions in a medium heat pan with a small amount of coconut oil.

Add chopped kale and turkey breast.

Once warmed through, add egg whites, sprinkle a small amount of red pepper flakes, and put the top on, lower the heat to medium-medium-low.

For this frittata, I left the top on the whole time, and never needed to flip it! It cooked all the way through, and I slid it onto a plate, topped it with fresh tomatoes and green onions.

I also cut up an apple, half of a banana, and 2 tbsp raw crunchy almond butter!

This helps crave my sweet tooth through out the day :)

The weather was so nice, I had to go swim laps at the pool! I ended up swimming for 30 minutes, and did about 1300m of freestyle and breast stroke. I even got a tan!

After my workout, I made a refreshing shake with strawberries, mango, pineapple, vanilla protein powder, ground flax seed, water, and ice.

I made the smoothie very thick, and topped it with dry oats, raw sunflower seeds, and raw pumpkin seeds. I ate it with a spoon and it was delicious! I like the texture the oats and seeds add to the smoothie; makes it chunky.

Dinner was BBQ turkey burgers, protein style with grilled onions, with baked sweet potato "chips", turkey chili left overs, and a small side salad! After working out twice I was really hungry, and it tasted so good.

Turkey & 3 Bean Chili

It's chili time! I have been craving chili ever since I saw a very simple, single serving chili recipe in Women's Health and it made me so hungry! I used that recipe to get an idea, but mostly just started adding vegetables, turkey, water and spices to a big pot!

Turkey & 3 Bean Chili
(Serves about 5, 1 cup servings)

1 Can Chili Beans (Kidney, Pinto, Black), drained & rinsed
1 Can Black Beans, drained & rinsed

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 green bell pepper, rough chop
1/2 large white onion, rough chop
3 Roma tomatoes, rough chop
2 ears of corn, cooked & corn cut off husks

In a large pot, add a drizzle of olive oil, and cook the onions on medium-low heat until translucent, then add green bell peppers. Cook on medium-low heat until bell peppers are sweating.

While the onions and bell peppers are cooking, cook 1-1.5 lb turkey breast seasoned with a drizzle of olive oil, pepper & red pepper flakes. Drain any excess fluids once finished cooking.

Once turkey and onion-bell pepper mixture are finished cooking, add turkey, beans, corn, and tomatoes to the pot with onions and green peppers. Keep the heat over medium-low heat.

In a serperate bowl, mix together 2-3 cups warm water, 1 packet chili seasoning , and 4-6 tablespoons ground flax seed. Mix until everything has dissolved, then add to the pot. It will look very watery at first, but after some of the water cooks off, it will become thicker.

Add the chili seasoning mixture to the big pot. Let this simmer for 20-30 minutes, until it is a thicker consistency.

After 20-30 minutes you're all set! Let the chili cool a little before serving because it will be very hot!

Green onions, rough chop, for topping
(Optional topping: nonfat plain green yogurt, in place of sour cream)

Final Product!

This was my first time making chili from scratch (except for the seasoning). And it turned out very well! I would love any suggestions for ways to make this chili even better or healthier then it was.

I will be having chili left overs for the next few days, and I am very excited. I have a feeling it will make even better left overs with letting the flavors marinate longer!

Enjoy! :)

Chicken Pesto "Taco"

Basil Kale Pesto

1 cup fresh basil leaves, quick chop
1 cup fresh kale leaves, quick chop
3 garlic cloves
1/2 lemon, juice
1/4 cup raw walnuts
1/2 cup water

Put the above ingredients in a food processor or blender.

Pulse on low speed, and slowly add 1/4-1/2 cup olive oil as all ingredients start to blend together to desired consistency

Chicken Pesto "Taco"

1 small sprouted Ezekiel tortilla
1-2 Tbsp Basil Kale Pesto
1/2 grilled chicken breast, sliced
1/2 Roma tomato, sliced
handful of fresh arugula

To assemble "Taco"

Spread pesto all over tortilla, add chicken breast slices, then tomato slices and finally top with arugula.
Fold like a Taco & Enjoy!
It was too stuffed for me to call it a wrap, I really like arugula and tomatoes :)

Had this for lunch today with a mango, peeled & sliced. It was amazingly refreshing and easy to make! 

Arugula Salad

Arugula Salad with Roasted Veggies & Grilled Chicken

(Recipe 2 servings)

                          

First thing to start is by roasting the vegetables:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit. 

2. Peel and chop into cubes 1 sweet potato & 1 yam; boil in medium pot for 5-7 minutes until fork tender

3. While those are cooking, clean and trim 10 asparagus 

4. On a large baking sheet, add the asparagus and season with about 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1-2 garlic cloves, sea salt and fresh ground black pepper (to taste).

5. Once the sweet potato and yam are fork tender, transfer the cubes onto the same baking sheet. Season these with 1-2 Tbsp olive oil, small amounts of cayenne pepper, black pepper, and sea salt.

6. Roast these veggies for 15-20 minutes, until potato and yam are browned and asparagus is tender. (Sometimes for the last minute I will put the oven on broil to make a nice crust)

Grill chicken breasts:

While the vegetables are roasting, season 2 chicken breasts with 1/2 of a lemons juice and sprinkle each side with fresh black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and salt. Cook each side on a medium-medium high heat grill pan for 7-8 minutes, until brown and cooked through.

Assemble salad:

1. For the greens, I used a bag of fresh arugula (1/2 bag for each person)

2. Once vegetables and chicken have cooled, top each serving of arugula with half roasted vegetables (chop asparagus spears) and a sliced chicken breast.

3. Top each salad with 1-2 Tbsp raw pumpkin seeds and 1-2 Tbsp raw sunflower seeds.

4. (Optional) If you need a dressing, a mix of lemon juice, agave, olive oil, and pepper is a great option. However, I did not need a dressing since the chicken and veggies were all seasoned.

*This salad works very well without chicken as well if you are a vegetarian or vegan or also if it is being used as a side salad!*

Turkey Burgers

Ground turkey is super cheap yet still high in protein and low in fat! I got 1.5 lbs from Trader Joes for $4.50 and was able to make 5 turkey burgers! I did not put my turkey burgers on buns because I was adding a small amout of BBQ sauce and did not want the extra carbs from the buns, so I ate it like a steak with a fork and knife. Another good way to go is a "protein" style burger with 2 pieces of lettuce.

Turkey Burger Recipe:
1.5 lb. ground turkey breast
4 tbsp panko bread crumbs
2 egg whites
2 garlic cloves, minced or 2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 white onion finely chopped or 2 tsp onion powder
1 Tbsp black pepper or cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Form into 5 patties, and make a nice indent in the middle of each patty (this helps so they cook into an even patty and are not raised in the center). Heat a grill pan, spray with cooking olive oil spray, over medium-medium high heat grill each side for 5-6 minutes.

While the burgers were cooking, I grilled up some asparagus, sweet potatoes, broccoli and onion slices! Seasoned the veggies with olive oil, pepper, garlic powder and sea salt.

I topped my burger with 1 tsp of Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce (but they are great plain too!)

I had plenty of left overs which was great! I stored them in an airtight Tupperware container so they could last a few days in the fridge.

For breakfast I wanted another turkey burger, so I paired it with an egg white scramble with zucchini, white onions, spinach and red pepper flakes! To reheat the burger, I heated up a pan, added a little cooking spray and cooked on medium-high for 2 minutes on each side with the lid on.

Lemon Chicken

On Thursday night, my mom got 4 free tickets to the Angels, A's baseball game! It was so much fun, but unfortunately the Angels lost.

As a pre-game meal, I made baked chicken on a bed of fresh arugula with grilled veggies, asparagus, sweet potato, and onions.

To bake the chicken, I greased a baking sheet and placed 4 thin breasts on it. I brushed each breast with extra virgin olive oil, and topped with sea salt, ground lemon pepper, dried oregano, fresh minced garlic, and two slices of lemon for each piece of chicken. I put the chicken in a preheated 385 degree oven and baked them for 15-20 minutes (mine were really thinly cut so they cooked really quickly).

While the chicken breasts were baking, I used a grill pan, greased it with Olive oil spray and added fresh asparagus, thick white onion slices, and sweet potato slices (had already peeled & boiled these for 6-8 min previously).. Once on the grill, I seasoned lightly with cayenne pepper (or black pepper works also), and garlic powder. Once there were nice grill marks on the sweet potato and onions I flipped each carefully, and turned over the asparagus.

Once the veggies were done grilling, I turned off the heat. The chicken was done by now and I took the baking sheet out of the oven. I played the chicken on top of a bed of fresh angular and served with a side of veggies!

 

Veggies with grill marks:

 

Final Product!