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!*

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!

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!

Put Your Lunch Face On

After work yesterday, I made myself an open faced sandwich!

I have never mixed avocado and hummus but I saw a recipe for an appetizer that did it, so I thought why not try it in a sandwich!

1• I began by roasting a thick tomato slice and toasting a piece of whole wheat bread.
2• After my bread was toasted, I added 1/4 mashed avocado in top, and then added 1 tbsp of Trader Joes eggplant hummus.
3• I like mesquite turkey, but any lean meat will work (or no meat at all too!). I used 4 slices of turkey breast, adding some good lean protein.
4• Top the turkey with a small amount of arugula, the roasted tomato slice ad a sprinkle of black pepper.

A fresh tomato will work well also, but roasting it for a couple minutes adds a little sweetness and warmth that I really enjoy on this sandwich.

That's it! How easy was that?

This open faced sandwich has good protein, whole grains, healthy fat, and fiber!

Mmmmm

Greek, Chinese, and Dessert!

Yesterday, before work, I had prepared my chicken greek salad for lunch! Work was so slow, so I also finished reading April Oxygen magazine and finally starting doing my math hw! I picked up the may edition of Clean Eating and Oxygen magazine so I will have something to do Friday at work!

Greek salad with grilled chicken:
3 cups fresh spinach
1/2 tomato, chopped
1/4 cucumber, chopped
1/4 red onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup cubed grilled chicken
1-2 tbsp nonfat feta
2 tbsp Trader Joes Nonfat Balsamic Viniagrette

Once I got home from work, I was so hungry! I had left overs from the Sweet & Sour Chicken recipe so I decided to make it into a "fried" quinoa with green beans and broccoli. I was hoping that by mixing the left overs with the quinoa and veggies it would mellow the spice. It worked! It was still spicy, but not nearly as bad.

I mixed the left over chicken & bell pepper and sautéed it with 1/4 cup cooked quinoa and a lot steamed broccoli and green beans! I used Trader Joes Olive Oil Spray which has no calories! So it was a healthy "fried" quinoa.

After dinner, I was craving an apple crisp so I decided to experiment! I was determined to make a "healthy" apple crisp, so I used no butter nor oil, and added ground flaxseed, wheat germ and fresh blueberries!

Before:

After:

Final Product:

Recipe will be up soon! Putting the final touches together :)