Summer Vegetable Omelette

8 omega 3 enriched eggs scrambled

6 slices nitrate/nitrite free bacon diced

1 bell pepper diced (I used an orange one)

1 yellow summer squash halved and sliced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

3 green onions diced

1 cup fresh basil leaves diced

2 tbsp olive oil

Spoonful of julienned sun dried tomatoes

In a large saute pan cook the diced bacon until almost crispy.  Add the bell peppers to the bacon and and saute in the bacon grease for 2 minutes.  Add the summer squash, mushrooms, and onions to the bacon and peppers and saute until the mushrooms are tender.  Remove the mixture from the pan and set aside.  Add the olive oil to the same pan and heat over medium.  Pour in the scrambled eggs so that they are evenly covering the pan.  Cook for about 3-4 minutes, make sure the pan is not too hot so that the bottom does not burn.  Do not disturb the eggs.  After 3-4 minutes, move the eggs carefully to the oven and cook under the broiler on low until the eggs are firm, about another 4 minutes.  Move your pan back to the stove top and on one side of the open faced omelette, add your veggie and bacon mixture.  Top with the fresh chopped basil and with a large spatula, carefully fold the omelette closed.  Cut into thick slices and serve with a spoonful of juliened sundried tomatoes on top.

Enjoy!

Also pictured is a super fast lunch I made for myself and the kids with similar components to the omelette.  I quickly stir fried 4 sliced gluten free basil chicken sausages from Trader Joe’s with 1 diced red bell pepper and 1 cup of sliced mushrooms and served it all over steamed kale with some left over mashed sweet potatoes on the side.  Very simple and satisfying!!  : )

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The other evening we made the boys an early dinner that John and I barely nibbled on in between taking care of ten million other things.  Many, many hours later, after the boys were asleep and life had settled down, we ended up making a second dinner for the two of us.  The experience was a pleasant reminder that cooking a meal together is a great way to just “be” together.  Here’s what we came up with.

Steak and Broccoli With Port Sauce

1 big t-bone steak (or cut of your choice)

1 shallot minced

3 garlic cloves minced

¼  cup chicken broth

1 tbsp spicy brown mustard

½ cup port (I’m sure red wine would work also, but we had a bottle of port by chance so we used it…)

1 tbsp dried thyme leaves

1 head of broccoli

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Drizzle of olive oil

Sprinkle both sides of your steak with sea salt and pepper.  In a skillet, sear the steak for 4-5 minutes on each side.  Remove the steak from the skillet and set aside.  In the same pan with the steak drippings, add a drizzle of olive oil and saute the shallots and garlic until the shallots are transparent.  While the shallots and garlic are cooking, finish your steak under the broiler for about 3 minutes per side for medium rare.  Also, steam your broccoli. Add the port to the pan with the shallots and garlic and whisk together, making sure to get all the yummy bits off the bottom of the pan.  Add the chicken stock, thyme, and mustard and whisk until blended.  Bring to a simmer for 1 minute.  Place the steak and the broccoli on a plate and pour the sauce over everything.

Enjoy!

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Amazing Arugula Chicken Salad

4 cooked chicken breast diced

2 cups shredded green cabbage

6 cups fresh arugula

1 organic apple diced

6 strips of nitrate free bacon diced

3 tbsp dried rosemary

4 1/2 oz julienned sun dried tomatoes with olive oil

3 green onions diced

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

Small handful of sliced almonds

Olive oil and black pepper to taste

In a large mixing bowl toss in the arugula, cabbage, apple, and onion.  While the chicken and bacon are still warm, add these items to the bowl as well.  Top with the sun dried tomatoes, lemon juice, rosemary, and any additional olive oil and black pepper to taste.  Toss the ingredients all together and serve immediately topped with a small handful of sliced almonds.

Enjoy!

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Making it happen can also mean getting those work outs in, even while on the road.  The last time we visited the in-laws, we loaded up our boys along with all of our nephews and nieces and hauled them to the park for a family workout.  The kids had a blast, and we got in some exercise – it’s all about making it happen! 

We can choose to, or choose not to; it’s really as simple as that…  Trust me – I am FAR from perfect but I know that putting in the extra degree of effort is worth it in the long run and making choices that sometimes seem more difficult  at that moment, actually make everything else in life much more enjoyable and manageable. 

Cheers!

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Ginger Shrimp Salad

1 lb medium shrimp (tails removed, cooked, and de-veined – I buy them frozen and already cooked)

3 green onions

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1/2 tsp crushed garlic

Pinch of sea salt

Palm full of red pepper flakes

Juice from 1 lemon

Fresh Arugula

Olive oil to taste

1 Avocado

If you are using frozen shrimp like I did; thaw, drain, and pat dry with paper towels.  If using fresh shrimp, remove tails, de-vein, and toss into boiling water.  Bring the water back to a simmer.  Once the shrimp rise to the top remove them and place in ice water.  Then drain and pat dry with paper towels. Toss the cold shrimp with the lemon juice, ginger, garlic, onions, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.  Serve on a bed of arugula garnished with sliced avocado and top with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Curried Hash

2 sweet potatoes

2 zucchini

2 shallots

2 omega 3 enriched eggs

1/2 tsp sea salt (optional)

1 tbsp curry powder

1/2 tbsp cinnamon

5 tbsp coconut oil

Peel the sweet potatoes and rinse.  Using a food processor or a cheese grater, shred the sweet potatoes and the zucchini.  Using a hand held chopper, finely chop the shallots.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded potatoes, zucchini, shallots, eggs, and spices.  In a large skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium, add the hash, and cook stirring frequently until the potatoes are soft and start to crisp up.  Serve immediately.  This is a great post workout snack!!

Enjoy!

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Pictured is the lunch created yesterday by my 6 year old, and the dinner cooked solely by my 14 year old (lettuce wrapped burgers with grilled onions and sauteed brussel sprouts.) 

Also, here is my new favorite pot roast recipe that I adapted from a recipe that I saw on the Food Network. 

Pork Pot Roast

1 Boston pork roast (4.5 lbs) or beef chuck roast

6 carrots

5 celery stalks

 2 leeks

2 yellow onions

6 fresh thyme branches

6 garlic cloves

2 14 oz cans of diced organic salt free tomatoes

2 cups red wine

1 1/2 cups organic free range chicken broth

4 tbsp organic butter

1/4 cup coconut flour

Sea salt and crushed black pepper to taste

In a large soup pan or dutch oven add the olive oil and heat over medium heat.  Sprinkle a bit of  sea salt (if desired) and the crushed black pepper all over the roast. Roll the seasoned roast in the coconut flour.  Sear the roast in the large soup pan for 4 minutes on each side (make sure you get the top and bottom of the roast seared as well).  While the roast is searing, chop the veggies into large pieces.  When cutting leeks, make sure to cut in half lengthwise and rinse well because they are full of sand and dirt in between the layers. Remove the roast from the pan and add  all the veggies and cook in the drippings from the roast until the onions and leeks become tender.  Add the wine, chicken stock, canned tomatoes, thyme branches (tie them together with some cooking twine so they are easier to remove later), and a bit more sea salt and pepper.  With the flat part of your knife blade, crush the whole garlic cloves (as pictured) and toss those in as well.  Stir well and bring to a boil.  In the meantime, place your roast in a crock pot (this will only work if you have a big crock pot).  Pour the vegetable mixture over the crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours and on low for 1 hour.  If your crock pot is not big enough, you can cook the roast in a dutch oven or large roasting pan at 325 for 2 1/2 hours and then turn down to 250 and cook for another hour.  After the roast is done, remove  the roast from the vegetable mixture.  With scissors, remove the string holding the roast all together, and slice thin.  Remove the thyme branches from the vegetable mixture and pour half of the veggie mixture into a food processor or blender, add the butter, and blend until smooth.  On a large serving platter place the sliced meat and top with the remaining cooked veggies and pour the blended sauce over all of it. 

This recipe is a good one to make on a weekend when you have a bit more time.  I made this for my sister and her family and in my haste, I forgot to take a picture of the final product but it turned out so good, I had to share it with you all anyway. 

Enjoy!!

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I woke up the other morning and groggily asked John what he wanted for breakfast and he mumbled something about the usual eggs and I mumbled back that I really wanted muffins.  John laughed at my silliness, because where the heck was I going to come up with muffins?  So I stumbled to the kitchen and while still bleary eyed and half asleep, I mixed up these most amazing muffins and ate them feeling guilty, although I had no need to feel guilt at all….  So, I’ll share the recipe with you and hope that you feel a bit guilty too; because then I’ll know they are as good as I experienced them to be.

Paleo Apple Muffins

2 1/4 cups almond meal

4 omega 3 enriched eggs

1 organic apple finely chopped

1 very ripe banana

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/3 cup water

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 heaping tbsp cinnamon

Pre heat oven to 350.  As pictured, have a two year old attack and kill an apple while you peel the banana and using a fork, mash the bananna in the bottom of a large mixing bowl.  Using a hand held chopper if you have one, finely chop the freshly killed apple, and add to the bowl.  Add all other ingredients and mix by hand.  The batter will not be super thick, but more like a cake batter.  Using a bit more coconut oil, grease a muffin tin.  Fill the tins about 3/4 of the way full.  Bake for 15-17 minutes.  You will know they are done when you can insert a toothpick into the middle of a muffin and it comes out clean.  Serve hot out of the oven with some ghee melted on top, accompanied by eggs over-easy, and hot black coffee. If you eat them all at once, don’t blame me…  Makes approximately 16 muffins.

Enjoy!!

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There has been a severe issue with the interwebs and the tubes that bring it to you. Sit tight and we hope to have things back to normal very soon.

Sarah says Paleo Apple Muffins are next!

-D

Grilled Chicken with Walnut Pesto Sauce

Chicken

3-4 Chicken Breasts

Trader Joe’s Everyday Seasoning to taste (or just some cracked black pepper)

Pesto Sauce

4 oz fresh basil (3 ½ cups)

1 cup walnut halves and pieces

6 garlic cloves

1 cup olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

Juice from ½ a lemon

Heat your grill over medium high heat for approximately 10 min.  Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts with either the Trader Joe’s seasoning or with just some black pepper. Turn grill down to low and place the chicken on the grill.  Close the lid and grill for 7-10 minutes.  Flip the chicken, close the lid, and grill for another 7-10 minutes.  Remove the chicken and cover with tinfoil and set aside.  Now it’s time for the pesto.  In a food processor add the walnuts, garlic, sea salt, and olive oil.  Process until smooth.  Add the basil and lemon juice and process again until smooth.  Slice the chicken and spoon the pesto sauce on top to serve.

Warm Arugula Salad

6 strips nitrate free bacon diced

2 shallots finely chopped

7 oz arugula

1/4 cup olive oil

Handful of chopped walnuts

Ground black pepper to taste

Place the arugula in a large salad bowl and set aside.  In a medium sized skillet brown the diced bacon.  Add the shallots and saute with the bacon until the shallots are translucent.  Add the olive oil to the pan and heat just until warm.  Pour the olive oil, bacon, shallot mixture over the arugula and mix well.  The heat from the bacon mixture will slightly wilt the arugula – this is what you want!  Add some fresh ground black pepper and serve immediately topped with a sprinkle of walnuts. 

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Collin’s Shrimp Diablo

15-20 Jumbo Shrimp (de-veined)
7-10 Jalapeno Peppers (cut in half, seeds removed)
15-20 Cuts of Bacon (nitrate free)
 
Soak 5-7 bamboo skewers in water for 30 mins so they don’t set on fire (or use metal skewers if you have them handy).    De-vein shrimp, and remove shell if still on.  Give them a quick wash in cold water.  Slice jalapeno peppers in half lengthwise and remove all seeds.  Turn on grill.  Grab one shrimp, place a half a jalapeno on the backside of the shrimp, wrap VERY TIGHT with the bacon and place on a skewer.  Usually 4-5 Shrimp Diablo per skewer, it depends on the size of the shrimp.  Sprinkle on some cracked pepper.  Cook on medium heat on the grill 3-5 mins per side. or until shrimp is pink and bacon is all the way cooked. 

I made a few without the jalapenos for my two year old, and he LOVED them!! 

Enjoy!

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