tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48380102678108715262024-03-08T05:23:56.678-08:00The Mango DuckGreetings from Paleoland!Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172986786168243848noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838010267810871526.post-65664474138665439352012-08-17T20:07:00.001-07:002012-08-17T20:07:43.097-07:00On top of spaghetti <br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/17/3057.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/17/s_3057.jpg' border='0' width='400' height='400' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Why didn't I think of this before?! Spaghetti squash topped with sundried tomatoes and bacon. It is so delicious and so simple. I think it's so much better than a meat sauce on top of spaghetti squash. Try it, I think you'll agree!<br /><br />Notes: the sundried tomatoes that I used were jarred with herbs.<br />Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172986786168243848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838010267810871526.post-24101695491628537992012-07-10T15:12:00.001-07:002012-07-10T15:12:06.925-07:00Tamarind Chicken Hash<br />
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Have you ever made too much of a particular dish and after a couple of meals there is just no way you want to reheat another plate of it? That happened to me the other night when I made Tamarind Glazed Chicken legs. I knew I shouldn't use the entire package but I did anyway. I took them to work for a couple of days and then I didn't want to look at another chicken leg. I almost thought about tossing the leftovers but being in the poor house tends to make a person less wasteful. </div>
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So this morning I thought I would use up the rest of the butternut squash that I had cubed up. My plan was to cook it with some chorizo and crack a few eggs in the skillet as well. When I opened the fridge, all I could see was that big container of chicken legs that I couldn't bear to see go to waste. I ended up making a hash that was really flavorful. So, I am really pleased to have a wonderful recipe (Tamarind Glazed Chicken) that I can work into a completely different dish the next day. More bang for my buck in way!! </div>
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Tamarind Chicken, Chorizo and Butternut Squash Hash</div>
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2 leftover Tamarind Glazed Chicken legs, meat chopped into small chunks</div>
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1 cup cubed butternut squash</div>
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1/4 cup diced red onion</div>
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1 garlic clove, diced</div>
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2-3 inch link of chorizo </div>
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1/2 a jalapeno, chopped</div>
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2 T chopped cilantro</div>
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Heat some bacon grease (or fat of choice) in a skillet. Add the squash and cover with a lid. Toss the squash a couple times cooking for about 5 minutes.</div>
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Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onions are soft. (The squash should be cooked through by this time.)</div>
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Make a little space in the center of the skillet and add the chorizo, cooking until it is browned through. </div>
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Add the chicken and jalapeno. Toss to coat all the ingredients in the chorizo grease. Cook until the chicken is heated through.</div>
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After you've plated the hash, sprinkle with the cilantro and serve with sliced avocado.</div>
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhoneRobinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172986786168243848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838010267810871526.post-57811005864152361852012-06-19T20:26:00.003-07:002012-06-19T20:26:56.844-07:00Coronation Chicken<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm always on the lookout for a recipe I can "paleofy" and have an ever growing stack of recipes to prove it. I was browsing through the June issue of People magazine when I came across a recipe for Coronation Chicken, which was created for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. It's basically just a curry chicken salad. It was a pretty simple paleo fix so I ripped the page out and brought it home.<br />
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Coronation Chicken<br />
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2 T. Honey<br />
1 T. Curry powder<br />
2 T. white wine<br />
3 T. Mango Chutney<br />
10 T. Mayo<br />
5 T. Coconut Cream<br />
4 cold, cooked chicken breast, chopped<br />
1 T. dried mango, diced<br />
1/3 C. raw cashews, lightly toasted<br />
1 ripe peach, sliced<br />
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<li>In a small saucepan, cook the honey and curry powder for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.</li>
<li>Add wine and chutney, continue cooking for 2 mintues. Pour into a bowl and let cool.</li>
<li>When the curry mixture is cool add the mayo and coconut cream. Stir to mix well.</li>
<li>Put the chicken in a large bowl and add the curry cream sauce. Fold together.</li>
<li>Top with the mango, cashews, and peach.</li>
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* Notes: <br />
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<li>I plan on making my own chutney the next time. I searched for some recipes and it seems pretty easy but for this batch I bought a small jar of locally produced organic chutney.</li>
<li>I accidentally flipped the amount of mayo and the amount of coconut cream (putting in 10 T of cream and 3 T of mayo). I really like the coconut flavor that the excess cream allowed. I might just leave that little mistake.</li>
</ul>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172986786168243848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838010267810871526.post-19214209945284608052012-05-10T19:11:00.002-07:002012-05-10T19:11:17.180-07:00Mon CheriI recently decided to make use of crock pot cooking. I've always sort of avoided this in the past because it makes a large quantity and I'm the only one eating it. It has never occurred to me to freeze some of it prior to cooking. People always talk about freezing leftovers and I think that is gross. Anyway, I stumbled across some blog and the person wrote about assembling all the ingredients and freezing it and then dumping and cooking later. It was a light bulb moment for me. Alright, alright...I admit that I'm sometimes a little slow on the uptake. Anyway, the point is that I eventually get there. So, there I was in the midst of my light bulb moment when I took it a step further and and dazzled myself with a random act of brilliance. I realized that I could split the ingredients in to small individual quart sized bags instead of putting it all in a family sized gallon bag. I would no longer have to eat 6 to 8 meals of pot roast in a row!! Queue the awe-inspiring music! I bought a mini crock pot that has a high/low setting and I just pop the contents of a bag in there and ~6 hours later I've got dinner. This has completely solved my non-cooking funk that I've been in. Now I just have a few hours of prepping my quart bags with various meat/flavor combos and I'm done. So simple. <br />
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So here's my new best friend, mon cheri.....Number Two.<br />
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Number Two as in.... <br />
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because Number Two built Doctor Evil's two bit empire into a multinational corporation and I'm hoping my Number Two will help transform my two bit lifestyle into a paradigm of paleo awesomeness.</div>
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Last week was my first full week with Number Two and it went great! Because I wasn't already strange to my coworkers, what with my crazy diet and all, I gave them more to scratch their heads about because I packed Number Two to work with me last week. I plugged him into the wall in the break room and plopped my frozen baggie contents in (I work 12 hour shifts so it seemed reasonable) and stuck a note on top warning others that it was my food (I work with vultures). This really made people curious and while I hate the thought of every Tom, Dick, and Harry lifting the lid on #2 and looking at my dinner, I sort of had to deal with it and just be thankful that no one stole it or taste tested it (I really, really hope not).</div>
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It was late in the week when I realized I should take a pic of my meal, even if it's an iPhone pic, to post here. I'll add some more and post the super simple recipes most of which I just sort of wing together. But here's a break room, paper plate, iPhone photo of my classic pot roast meal. My carrots are a little dingy looking but that's due to the little splash of red wine that I used.</div>
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<strong><u>Classic Pot Roast</u></strong></div>
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2 pounds beef roast, cut into 6 big hunks</div>
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small bag of baby carrots</div>
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2 onions, quartered</div>
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6-8 celery stalks</div>
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10-12 T. red wine</div>
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<li> I split all the ingredients into 6 quart sized freezer bags but you could dump it all into your crockpot if you are serving a crowd or if you like to eat pot roast for 4 days in a row.</li>
<li>I never seem to have as many carrots as I would like so I think I'll add another bag of carrots the next time.</li>
<li>I just served it with some mixed greens.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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</div>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172986786168243848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838010267810871526.post-16626881709012423052012-02-25T13:51:00.002-08:002012-02-25T14:00:05.726-08:00Doing betterAfter last week's bout of soreness and doubt, I'm happy to report that this week has been much better. After a couple of days off I did a little walking and a couple of short "sprints". I followed that the next day with an eight mile hike across country. Being in SE Kansas means there really wasn't any elevation change but it was all trail-less walking through pasture and woodlands. I was really tired afterwards and had some soreness but it was minimal. The next day I did a small amount of running and some walking. My day was spent with activity so I was always moving which was good. I took a day off and then today I went for a light workout with the dogs. I didn't get to go as long as I wanted due to the old boy. I'm thinking of going out later this evening with the young sprout and making the circuit again. <br />
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Here's a picture of the big guy and as you can see he's not really built for covering much ground at a quick <span style="font-size: x-small;">(not that I'm quick)</span> pace.<br />
Name: Ritz<br />
Breed: Giant Schnauzer<br />
Age: 9 years (?)<br />
Job: Defending the home, keeping tabs on his humans, farting.<br />
Hobbies: Destroying toys, playing keep away, maintaining Alpha male status at home, in the neighborhood and at the dog park.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's a pic of the little guy. As you can see he was built for an active lifestyle.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Name: Winston (aka Winnie)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Breed: Giant Schnauzer-Standard Poodle mix (not related to Ritz)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Age: 1 and a half years</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Job: Keeping the big guy company, entertaining his humans, distributing his toys throughout the house</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hobbies: Fetching, engaging humans in play, fetching, gathering sticks, and fetching.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HrnH-TxIG7M/T0lV-oB5LfI/AAAAAAAAARc/dTnMvhut73U/s1600/Winston.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HrnH-TxIG7M/T0lV-oB5LfI/AAAAAAAAARc/dTnMvhut73U/s640/Winston.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172986786168243848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838010267810871526.post-50925069079208058822012-02-18T21:55:00.000-08:002012-02-18T21:55:06.027-08:00Ups and DownsI had to slow my C25K program down due to hip/lower back soreness. This isn't any of the abductors in the the hip/upper leg but rather my sacral region and hips. It's just really sore and I've been applying liniment and heat as well laying on the <a href="http://www.elainepetrone.com/">miracle balls</a>. I did some swimming on the days I was suppose to run and made sure to walk of the other days. I was sort of down in the dumps about this little setback. People also mention (very politely) that perhaps my choice of footwear (<a href="http://www.invisibleshoe.com/">Invisible Shoes</a>) might be the problem. I am certain that they are not the issue but rather my complete lack of physical conditioning. After aggressively treating myself with some home PT and taking the day off from any activity yesterday, I went out today not really sure what to expect. At first I thought I would just walk, which I did for about 40 minutes. When I got out bed this morning I didn't feel as much tightness in my hips and sacral region so I was happy with that. After 40 minutes of walking I decided to try some running. I started my C25K program (I've been repeating some of the runs from week 2) and I felt pretty good so I finished the run. So far the day has went well and I haven't had any stiffness through out the day. I'm going to apply a little heat tonight and rub a little liniment on just for good measure. Tomorrow will be a walk day and I think I'll follow that up with a swim day on Monday. I'll plan on a run day for Tuesday provided I feel good for the next couple of days.<br />
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On the diet front, I'm doing a little better but it tends to come in waves. I do better when I can stay home and not so well when I'm out of town (which is often). This week I made some chorizo and poblano pepper egg muffins that turned out really good. I had my Paleo Comfort Foods cookbook out to show a friend and since it was on the counter I decided to make use of it. I made the apple and apricot slow cooker pork chops and they are really, really good. We had some chicken breasts in the fridge that needed to be used and I had a little craving for sweet and sour chicken. After a quick search online I followed a recipe from <a href="http://technicallypaleo.blogspot.com/2011/05/pineapple-chicken.html">Technically Paleo</a> and then added a few little things like red pepper flakes. The recipe was great and the results are super yummy. I also made fried chicken thighs that I coated in mexican seasonings. I have it all the time and it's really good. I just sort of wing it with the seasonings but it's mainly cumin, cayenne, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. So as you can see, I let some other paleo chefs show me the way this week and then rounded it out with a few classics that I don't need a recipe for.<br />
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All in all it's been a good week and hopefully I'll continue to do well.Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172986786168243848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838010267810871526.post-6225235468363699372012-02-14T19:03:00.000-08:002012-02-14T19:03:21.640-08:00One Step at a TimeI started my C25K program this month. Today marked the end of week two and I'm pleased to say that so far things are going well. I'm trying to be smart about my exercise and am really paying attention to my body so that I don't overdo it. The program, if you're unfamiliar, builds you up to running over a course of 9 weeks. You workout every other day, each day's workout is a mix of walking and running with the walking tapering off and the running increasing over the course of the program. I did take a extra day off between a couple of workouts when I felt a little more stiffness. I also went to the pool once to do some swimming when I took an extra day off just to help limber my muscles up. It may be something I try to work in on the days off. I'm thinking of repeating some of the week two workouts just to take my time through the program. My hips seem a little stiff and sore this week with the increase in running and I don't want to hurt myself again. I was thinking of taking two days between runs and perhaps doing some swimming on the rest days to help loosen the muscles in my hips.<br />
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My diet is still suffering and I need to get that under control because I'm just spinning my wheels if I do one without the other. Last year I had my diet going well but was a total couch potato. Somehow I've got to get it all together and headed in the right direction.Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172986786168243848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838010267810871526.post-52804961184091724992012-02-02T10:24:00.000-08:002012-02-02T10:24:34.856-08:00MotivationMotivation....that's the word of the week. It also happens to be what I am currently lacking from a dietary and exercise frame of mind. I struggle with keeping my motivation (as well as recovering it) when my life is topsy-turvy. It seems that I am rarely home and I spend most of my time trying to take care of others that I give up on myself. It's not something that's going to end soon. I need to try find some energy or will power to push myself along. I suppose it would help if I could ever think of my lifestyle change as something other than work. It still time spent for me but the lure of vegetating on the couch is irresistable. I think at some point today I will crawl off of here, slip on my huaraches, and restart my C25K program. I was going to do this yesterday but had to spend the day with my Dad at the VA. If I don't start today then it'll be March 1st before I think about it again. I have been saying that I was going to start in February because I thought my injury would be healed and now that's it's February I had better get started. I think my leg is okay, it's been a long time (6 months) since I first hurt it. Below is text that I imported from the little running blog I started last year. This will explain what I injured and why it's taken so long. I suppose if I was in any sort of decent physical shape that it wouldn't have taken so long but I am literally going from the couch to running. I'm not one of these people who does a little walking or takes a spin class at the gym a couple times a week. I'm a true blue couch potato.<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v8BH89u15fQ/TmQnN_ESNvI/AAAAAAAAAJI/3TktkkQ8ytI/s1600/adductor.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dXobRx4DceY/TmVJIcOxeVI/AAAAAAAAAJM/_xgTYzuJwo0/s1600/thigh_muscles.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="186" nba="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dXobRx4DceY/TmVJIcOxeVI/AAAAAAAAAJM/_xgTYzuJwo0/s200/thigh_muscles.gif" width="200" /></em></a><em>Speaking of running, here's a little recap of how things are progressing with my little setback. The foot is still tender and the hip flexor issue turned out to be an adductor issue...and it is still sore. I got kind of curious about relieving the soreness in my upper leg so I kept looking on the web trying to find an anatomy photo that would help me pinpoint the muscle that was hurting. I had read that the flexor is used in pulling the leg up. I had no pain or soreness with this motion but rather when I moved my leg out or in (especially if I rotated the leg a little while moving it in). After studying some anatomy charts I concluded that it was the hip adductor muscles. I found a </em><a href="http://www.proamsportsinjury.co.uk/adductor%20injury.htm"><em>helpful article</em></a><em> which explained the symptoms and some treatments/rehab. But it was good to have a time frame and hopefully this will help me with my rehab and keep me from getting antsy and starting back to soon.</em><br />
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Well, there you have it. The adductors were my problem and believe me they have been an issue for the entire 6 months. The last month I have really noticed improvement and any lingering soreness seems to be gone. I can rotate my leg with out any problem. My hip does still pop from time to time which it never done prior to my injury but this is greatly reduced within the last month as well. So I will be off to give it another whirl and hopefully things will hold together. </div></div>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172986786168243848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838010267810871526.post-8687957732184108802011-12-28T23:14:00.000-08:002011-12-28T23:14:39.963-08:00ReflectionI've been really disappointed with myself for falling away from Paleo. I'm coming up on my 1 year anniversary of going Paleo and I'm not where I had envisioned myself to be. I went about 8 months as Paleo and have since been struggling with the last 2 being a complete failure. I can certainly feel the change in my body since I've not been eating Paleo. I've gained back some weight and that feels really bad. I gave all my old clothes away and am consequently living in the same pair of pants day in and day out. I refuse to go buy new clothes. I simply must make a change and overcome this trial. The holidays are over for the most part and I will be turning my focus to preparing my meals in advance (BE PREPARED!) and concentrating on taking care of myself.<br />
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I think, looking back over this past year, I can begin to piece together my downfall. I started Paleo January 3rd and by May I had quite losing weight despite having plenty still to lose. This was very disappointing to me. I was eating next to nothing and spending quite a bit of time thinking about my dietary preparations and yet getting nowhere. I continued on through June and by mid July I was still at a standstill. This is when I decided to add in exercise. Naturally I went overboard and hurt myself. I continued on into August with exercising until I could no longer push forward. This was a tough blow because I had pinned my hopes of kick starting weight loss with exercise. I forged on through September and mid October and managed to maintain my weight but not lose any. I went on a mini vacation in mid October and started off trying to be Paleo but ended it off the wagon and it's been a struggle since then. I started picking up extra shifts at work while still going to my parent's place to help them. Some of my hours at work were night shifts and during all this I quit preparing meals in advance. I basically quit cooking too. I just feel tired and don't feel like spending time in the kitchen after putting in extra hours. I lost motivation. I just quit. It's really quite hard to realize this and put it down in writing but it's the truth.<br />
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So, let me make a list for this new year so that I can reclaim myself, my health.<br />
<ol><li><strong>Start cooking again!</strong> (A good place to start is with the Paleo Plan meal calendars. I still have my printouts from when I started that a year ago. Do this and don't think about coming up with recipes. It's like auto pilot. All I have to do is cook what they tell me and eat it.)</li>
<li><strong>Be true to Paleo!</strong> (No sneaking non paleo food items. Cold turkey like I did a year ago.)</li>
<li><strong>Slowly introduce exercise!</strong> (Start with going to the pool on my days off. Eventually start a C25K.)</li>
<li><strong>Only talk about my "crazy diet" here!</strong> (This may seem a little odd but I hate the scrutiny and stupid ass questions I get from people that I really don't give a shit about. These are the people who I know aren't asking me because they want to make a change in their life. These are the assholes who every time they see me eating something, come up and stick their nose in my plate and then proceed to ask me if "bagels are paleo, you mean no spaghetti, how about whole wheat bread, french fries...that's a potato they're a vegetable". They just keep rattling off grain based foods the whole time they quiz me. Why? I really don't know other than they are jerks. So, I really only care to talk about this with like minded people and maybe my close family and friends (Some of whom I am going to have to gently inform that I don't like being made a spectacle of in front of non paleo people when we all sit down to eat. Please do not worry about what I'm going to eat, I'll figure it out and no one will probably even notice that I'm not eating grains, legumes, or dairy.)</li>
<li><strong>Blog more and update Facebook!</strong> I think being more active within the online Paleo community will help. Forging ahead on my own is sometimes lonely and I have only myself to rely on. So if I don't plan ahead then the whole show grinds to a halt. I'll still only have myself to rely on but at least I'll have people to talk to about it.</li>
</ol>That's all I can think of for now. It's probably a pretty good place to start. I think I may have run off on a little tangent in #4 but it felt kinda good. Here's to a great 2012 and thank you 2011 for being the year I started my new life even if I did have a little trouble solidifying it.Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172986786168243848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838010267810871526.post-70607869107636783012011-12-28T22:32:00.000-08:002011-12-28T22:32:11.787-08:00A Fresh StartBelow is the second running post I posted on my now defunct running blog. I'm incorporating these old post into my paleo blog so I have everything health related in one spot. I figured it was as good a time as any to import these since I'm not really doing any cooking or following a paleo lifestyle or running. Why you may be wondering? Well, I'm gearing up for a fresh start. I'm going to be focusing on diet again and my hip/back injury is really close to being rehabbed that I plan on starting a C25K program soon.<br />
<br />
<br />
<u>Originally posted August 28th, 2011</u><br />
<em>Okay, so I've made it to the point where I can go around the block without much soreness to the muscles in my lower legs. But now I've got other problems. Namely some blisters. They aren't bad but there's some blistering going on and it's mainly on my left foot. After visiting the forum at Invisible Shoe I've learned that this is more than likely caused by pushing and pulling with my foot and probably due to over striding with that leg. It just so happens that the little injury I inflicted on myself from my rowing and shod running extravaganza is on my left side. I'm also having some lingering hip flexor soreness from that injury as well. So clearly I need to continue to rehab and take it easy while I'm out there as well as continuing to work on my form.</em><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<em>I've been trying to convince my sister to join me in huarache running but she thinks I'm borderline nuts although I think she would like to try it. I was talking about form and how after a particular evening's run I hadn't done so well with form due to knocking some little blisters on my foot. I picked my foot up to show her and she snapped the following pictures.</em><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jzRuJ9Kepfc/TlrCiMF6H7I/AAAAAAAAAJA/6tj3iibG8SI/s1600/rightfoot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jzRuJ9Kepfc/TlrCiMF6H7I/AAAAAAAAAJA/6tj3iibG8SI/s320/rightfoot.jpg" width="240" /></a><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rhCno0m6XHU/TlrCemxRH1I/AAAAAAAAAI8/tZcUfBglhnQ/s320/leftfoot.jpg" width="240" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em>Perhaps I'm use to them but I really didn't think they were all that bad. However everyone on Facebook thought they were gross and that it looked painful. Well, it might have looked painful but it's not. The dark areas aren't really blisters more like a callus with blood. I'm not sure what they are but they aren't a thin layer of skin with liquid underneath. It's blood but it's dispersed through the skin layer and it seems a couple of layers deep. Now on my left foot you can see a rather larger blister under the area between my big toe and second toe. After this I learned to shorten my stride and I haven't put that big of a blister on since. As a matter of fact, I haven't really put on any blisters since concentrating on the length of my stride. Now, I need to figure out what I am doing wrong that is causing the blood spots. I suspect I may be landing to hard on my foot which I'll stew over in another post.</em></div>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172986786168243848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838010267810871526.post-25528516641700479292011-12-13T13:31:00.000-08:002011-12-13T13:31:54.198-08:00New AdditionSo my little blog is going to be getting a new addition. Earlier this year I started a blog to yak about my new adventures with running. I decided to streamline and import those posts over to this blog so that I would have everything in one place and perhaps make it easier to blog. So, over the next few weeks you may see some of those posts showing up here as I work them in. I decided to combine them because becoming Paleo has led me to trying to exercise. I say "trying" because I seem to always manage to mess it up and injure myself and then I'm on the sideline.<br />
<br />
<u>Imported blog post from August 28, 2011</u><br />
<em>Let me put this out there right now so that there are no misconceptions...I'm a piss poor blogger. But sometimes I like to be able to put down in writing what I'm feeling so I turn to my blog page. None of my friends are in to running or attempting to run (since that's my current state). So I'm going to ramble about here until I get bored of writing about it.</em><br />
<br />
<em>Let's get on with it shall we? I'm in the process of trying to turn my life/health around. I've changed my diet (permanently) to Paleo and now I'm trying to incorporate activity. About three months into my dietary change I began having dreams about running. It wasn't the dreams where you're in slow motion or you can't get to your destination or something is after you. These were dreams of running for enjoyment. I was happy in these dreams and running because it was something I loved. So this of course set me off on the idea that I was suppose to be, by some intrinsic nature, a runner. I was sure it meant something, it must be a sign. It's my dream and we should follow those, right? Well, I didn't. I went for a couple more months before I decided to do something about these dreams. The time came when I decided that I had better act on my subconscious. I didn't really know where to start so I downloads a C25K app for my iPhone and started my journey.</em><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<em>Almost as quickly as I started I managed to derail myself. I decided that it wasn't enough to start a running program after years of sedentary behavior. I also hopped on my Concept 2 row machine and proceeded to over do it thus wrecking my lower back, which I have done in the same manner previously. So I gave up the row machine and decided to keep running since I could do that with nothing more than a little tightness in my lower back afterwards. I kept pushing through each week until I got to the end of week 4 when my body told me if I wasn't smart enough to stop; it was going to make me. I puttered back home and laid up for about 3 weeks while my back and hip re-cooped. During this time I read about running and tried to figure out the physiology of the human body. In the process I came across information about barefoot/minimalist running which I had heard about but since I was a couch potato I just chalked it up to a bunch of nutters. But this time I was on a mission to become the runner I had been seeing in my dreams and so my curiosity was peaked and I hunted around on the internet for blogs and websites. It seemed that the Tarahumara were always sited as the inspiration for barefoot runners and I found a video on them which it turns out I had already seen when watching NatGeo about a year ago.</em><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em><br />
</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em>So I started thinking about buying some minimalist footwear. Problem is, I'm poor and I didn't really want to invest a lot of money into something that might be my next fad. So, I gave up on the idea but it didn't really give up on me. I would find myself looking at barefoot bloggers and wishing this was something I could try. I even started trying to go barefoot more often but I'm such a tenderfoot that I knew I would be able to start running that way. Eventually I came across </em><a href="http://www.invisibleshoe.com/"><em>Steven Sashen's website Invible Shoe</em></a><em>. So I began trolling around there and reading the message boards and his blog and watching the videos he has posted until finally I decided to buy a do-it-myself kit. I got the </em><a href="http://www.invisibleshoe.com/store/products/Classic-DIY-Barefoot-Sandal-Kit-with-Vibram-outsole.html"><em>Classic DIY kit</em></a><em> and the </em><a href="http://www.invisibleshoe.com/store/products/Contact-6mm-Barefoot-PLUS-sandal-kit.html"><em>6mm Contact kit</em></a><em>. I put together my Contact kit and started my new journey of trying to become a minimalist runner. Heck, I was just going to try to become a runner who just happens to wear next to nothing on her feet. Here is a pic of my totally unpedicured, polish chipping off the toenails, flip flop tan-lined feet.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fwr9ZZeVGG8/Tlq3jyQkkjI/AAAAAAAAAI4/UK40S1Gl23Y/s1600/huaraches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fwr9ZZeVGG8/Tlq3jyQkkjI/AAAAAAAAAI4/UK40S1Gl23Y/s640/huaraches.jpg" width="480" /></em></a></div><em> I went for a little spin half way around the block after I put these together and was so excited. That little 6mm sole did wonders for making me comfortable while running on the sidewalk but it made me FEEL the sidewalk. It's sort of hard to explain the feeling of running in these huaraches. They are snugly attached to your feet yet your feet are not bound in a pair of shoes. The sole is minimal and you feel the ridges and debris on the sidewalk yet it doesn't hurt when you land on a pebble.</em><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<em>After running up and down the block a couple of times I could certainly feel some soreness in the muscles of my lower leg. I had read about how you should change from a heel stike (cause by modern foot ware) to a forefoot strike so I expected some muscle soreness. So I'll be taking short spins around the block until I no longer have this soreness in my lower leg. I'm certainly looking forward to increasing distance and working on my form (forefoot strike, shorter stride, softer landing). It's a lot to think about and the feedback is constant. I must look like someone who is completely in the zone while I'm out there because believe me when I say it takes every bit of my pea-sized brain put one foot in front of the other, correctly.</em>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172986786168243848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838010267810871526.post-86493358518919418982011-11-26T18:10:00.000-08:002011-11-27T09:25:41.276-08:00No Soup For You!<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MVcRZJMz0DY/TtJygnWk4vI/AAAAAAAAAMA/RJqUegwkitk/s1600/soupnazi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MVcRZJMz0DY/TtJygnWk4vI/AAAAAAAAAMA/RJqUegwkitk/s1600/soupnazi.jpg" /></a>I have been absent entirely too long. I started a facebook page for my blog and I confess that I would much rather post recipes and pictures there instead of here. Although I've been a little lazy at that as well. I must admit that I've been having a rough go of it. I just have not been trying that hard to stay with Paleo and I can certain feel the inflammation back in my joints and see the pounds back on the scale. I know what the problem is...my own nature. I'm one of those that starts a bunch of projects and as soon as the new wears off then it all collects dust. So, I have to try real hard to keep myself from becoming one of my abandoned projects. I thought I better get back to blogging as one way of getting the train headed in the right direction. So tonight I'm going to post some soup recipes although I don't have pictures. I'll try to get a picture of each one before they're gone and add it at a later date. Now, I like to puree my soups but you could leave them chunky if you like. </div><br />
<strong><u>Zucchini-Chipotle Soup</u></strong><br />
<br />
6 zucchini, cut into large chunks<br />
2 onions, diced<br />
3-4 garlic cloves, diced<br />
1 quart chicken stock<br />
2 cans fire roasted tomatoes<br />
1T mexican oregano<br />
2t cumin<br />
2 chipotle peppers with adobo sauce<br />
2 oz. sherry<br />
<br />
1. Heat some lard in a pot and add the onions. When they become soft add the garlic and cook for a couple minutes.<br />
2. Add the cumin and oregano cooking for about a minute.<br />
3. Add the sherry to deglaze the pot and let cook for a minute.<br />
4. Add the zucchini, chicken stock, tomatoes, and chipotles. (If you do not have enough liquid to adequately cover the zucchini then add more stock or water until you do.)<br />
5. Simmer until the zucchini are soft. Puree if you want.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Cauliflower Bacon Soup</u></strong><br />
<br />
1 large head of cauliflower, broke into florets<br />
1 onion, diced<br />
2 garlic, diced<br />
2 celery stalks, chopped<br />
1 bell pepper, chopped<br />
1 oz white wine<br />
1-2 t of Bell's Seasoning<br />
1 quart of chicken stock<br />
1 apple, diced<br />
1T butter<br />
nutmeg<br />
4 strips of bacon<br />
<br />
1. Cook the bacon in a large pot or dutch oven. Remove when done and reserve for later. If you had fatty bacon remove some of the grease but keep enough to cook the veggies in step 2.<br />
2. Add the onion, garlic, bell pepper and celery to the bacon grease and cook until it begins to soften. Add the wine and cook for a minute.<br />
3. Add the Bell's seasoning (I got this in New Orleans but I'm sure it's available nationwide, it's a blend rosemary, oregano, sage, ginger, and marjoram).<br />
4. Add the cauliflower and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer.<br />
5. Add the butter to a skillet and melt. Add the apple and cook until it's soft. Grate some nutmeg over the apples. Cook for another minute or two..<br />
6. When the cauliflower is soft, remove from the heat and add to a blender. Add the apple and the four strips of bacon and puree.Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172986786168243848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838010267810871526.post-60557505642442786212011-10-23T17:53:00.000-07:002011-10-23T17:53:54.057-07:00Bacon Squash Dutch Baby<span class="fbUnderline"> For breakfast I usually make a batch of omelette muffins or I have leftovers from dinner. But I was wanting something different and something a little more bread like. I was thinking of those french toast type casseroles. I knew it wasn't going to be quite that heavy since paleo cooking doesn't produce a heavy or dense product but still I wanted something besides straight up eggs. I started searching Chowstalker and came across The Foodie and The Family's grain free German apple pancakes. I did a little search for German pancakes and learned that they are also called Dutch Babies. After searching for different recipes to get an idea of what to do with mine, I just decided to use The Foodie's recipe. I wanted to make a savory dish but I wasn't entirely sure of what to leave out since I had never made one before. In the end I just replaced the sweet ingredients with my savory ones and kept the syrup since the dish is suppose to be sweet. The end result was something that was very reminescent of bacon and pancakes with syrup. It was quite yummy but it wasn't really the prettiest dish from a photographer's eye. So, I'm just going to post the recipe and when I figure out how to make it as pretty as The Foodie's german pancake I'll do it justice add the picture. Check out The Foodie's beautiful german pancakes here: <a href="http://www.thefoodieandthefamily.com/2011/10/05/grain-free-german-apple-pancake">http://www.thefoodieandthefamily.com/2011/10/05/grain-free-german-apple-pancake</a> </span><br />
<strong><span class="fbUnderline"><u>Bacon Squash Dutch Baby</u></span></strong><br />
<br />
12 eggs<br />
2 C. almond milk<br />
1/3 C. coconut oil, melted<br />
1 T. maple syrup<br />
1/2 C. coconut flour<br />
1 t. baking soda<br />
1/4 t. cayenne pepper<br />
2 C. diced butternut squash<br />
2t. chopped thyme<br />
2t. chopped rosemary<br />
1 package of bacon, cooked and chopped<br />
2 green onions diced, white bulb and green tops<br />
1/4 C. coconut oil<br />
1/4 C. maple syrup<br />
1/8 t. cinnamon<br />
1/8 t. nutmeg<br />
pepper to taste<br />
<ol><li> Preheat oven to 425 degrees.</li>
<li>In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, 1/3c coconut oil, 1T syrup.</li>
<li>In a small bowl combine the coconut flour, baking soda, and cayenne pepper.</li>
<li>Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and whisk until well combined. Set aside while you prepare the rest.</li>
<li>Add the butternut squash to a skillet with a little fat of your choice. Cook until it just begins to soften. Add the herbs and toss well. Remove from skillet.</li>
<li>In same skillet, heat the 1/4 C coconut oil and the 1/4 C maple syrup. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg and cook about 1 minute.</li>
<li>Add the squash and bacon to a 9x13 dish, sprinkle the green onions over, and then pour the oil/syrup mixture over it. Whisk the egg mixture a little and then carefully pour into the baking dish.</li>
<li>Bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees and then reduce the heat to 375 and bake for 20-25 minutes longer.</li>
</ol>** Notes:<br />
<ul><li>While I liked the sweetness of the dish I think I will put less syrup in the next time so that I have something a little more savory but with a hint of sweetness.</li>
<li>I did a small dice on my squash but the next time I will use large chunks (probably quarter size or a little larger), especially if I precook the squash like I did in this recipe. I'm still debating on whether to pre-cook the squash or leave it raw and letting it cook as the dish bakes. If I decided to add it raw to the baking dish then I will try a small dice.</li>
</ul>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172986786168243848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838010267810871526.post-45077732138612737242011-09-29T22:41:00.000-07:002011-10-03T23:31:16.275-07:00Shredded Chicken with Jalapeno CreamI bought a new cookbook the other and I'm in love with it. Not that I wasn't in love my old cookbooks but...well...they were old. Shameful, I know, to just abandon my old faithfuls for a new book with no grease or tomato splatters and a firm spine but I did. My new book is wonderful, full of recipes that require no paleo tweaking and others that will require minor adjustments. I bookmarked 10 recipes after a cursory review and got right to work on two of them today. They turned out really well despite my botching of the second recipe rendering it a distant cousin of the recipe I started off with. That's why I love cooking, sometimes you screw it up and yet things will still turn out just fine...most of the time. Oh, the name of my book! It's <em>Eat Cuban: Recipes from Floridita</em> by Andy Rose.<br />
<br />
For the first recipe I decided to try a poultry recipe. Now the original called for duck but I went with chicken. Also I cheated big time and bought a rotisserie bird to save a little time.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n89OiPJ091Q/ToU6AlVU7JI/AAAAAAAAAKc/8OO3H7eGkMA/s1600/cremefraichechicken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n89OiPJ091Q/ToU6AlVU7JI/AAAAAAAAAKc/8OO3H7eGkMA/s640/cremefraichechicken.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><strong>Shredded Chicken with Jalapeno Cream Sauce</strong></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>For the chicken:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 rotisserie chicken, meat pulled and shredded</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 onion, sliced</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2 garlic cloves, diced</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 bell pepper, diced</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2T. fat of choice</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">4T sherry</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2 roma tomatoes; peeled, seeded and sliced into strips</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1T parsley, chopped</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1. Heat the fat in a large skillet and add the onion, garlic and pepper. Cook at med-low heat and sweat until soft.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2. Stir in the sherry and increase the heat to high until the liquid is reduced by half.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3. Add the tomato and parsley, stir to mix. Remove from heat.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">4. Add the shredded chicken to the skillet and mix well. (You may have to turn the heat back on to warm the chicken up.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>For the jalapeno cream:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1t. garlic, diced</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2T shallots, diced</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2T. fat of choice</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2T sherry</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/2 C. chicken stock</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/2 C. coconut cream</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 to 2 jalapenos, diced</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1T chives, chopped</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1. Over low heat sweat the garlic and shallots in the fat until for about 5 minutes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2. Add the sherry and increase the heat to high, boil for about 2 minutes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3. Add the chicken stock and boil until the liquid is reduced by half.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">4. Stir in the coconut cream and jalapeno. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the sauce is reduced by half. Remove from heat and allow to cool a little.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">5. Pour over the chicken mixture and mix well. Top with the chives.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172986786168243848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838010267810871526.post-63867928808372987142011-09-29T22:14:00.000-07:002011-09-29T22:14:26.607-07:00Carrot and Sweet Potato SaladOkay, I have to admit that I really sort of botched the original recipe. It was towards the end of my cooking marathon and I was completely out of steam. Having said that, I think it really turned out okay. I guess what I have is something similar to the original but a recipe that's sort of it's own.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1EPMuBUx3z4/ToVP7cQ8wzI/AAAAAAAAAKg/icpXaddC7D0/s1600/Carrot+SPotato+Salad.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1EPMuBUx3z4/ToVP7cQ8wzI/AAAAAAAAAKg/icpXaddC7D0/s640/Carrot+SPotato+Salad.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<strong><u>Carrot and Sweet Potato Salad</u></strong><br />
<br />
4 Carrots, sliced<br />
2 sweet potatoes, cubed<br />
1 bay leaf<br />
2 cinnamon sticks<br />
<br />
For the dressing:<br />
2 garlic cloves, diced<br />
4T cider vinegar<br />
4T olive oil<br />
pinch of allspice<br />
1T. coconut sugar<br />
2T mint leaves, chopped<br />
3-4 T pumpkin seeds<br />
<br />
1. Mix all the dressing ingredients in a large bowl.<br />
2. Put the carrot and sweet potato in a large saucepan with the bay leaf and cinnamon and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender. Drain and dry completely. <br />
3. Transfer the carrots and sweet potato to the bowl with the dressing and toss to coat.Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172986786168243848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838010267810871526.post-8051178283903179832011-09-27T19:03:00.000-07:002011-09-27T19:05:24.645-07:00Chile Verde ChiliTonight's dinner started brewing in my noggin about a week ago when the weather turned of chilly and everyone began talking about chili, pumpkin bread, Honeycrisp apples and squashes. Fall could very well be the best time of the year, I know I certainly think it is. I had decided to make a white chili but since I wanted to use pork my sister kindly told me that it wouldn't be white chili because that is made with chicken. Who knew?! Well, I wanted pork and that was about all I was going to say about that. I then realized that what I was thinking of was a chile verde and not white chili. So I was back on track and the ingredients I wanted to use were popping up in my head and I started scribbling things onto a shopping list. After looking in the cupboard and the freezer I discovered I had everything I needed except one ingredient which some how did not make my shopping list. Anyway, after running around all day and going to the retirement home to have dinner with my Grandma I got started on my "chile verde chili". Why the extra "chili" in the title? Well, I wanted something super meaty, like the way I make a standard beef-tomato chili, and not a straight up chile verde. It's the kitchen after all and the cook can do whatever they want.<br />
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<strong><u>Chile Verde Chili</u></strong><br />
<br />
1 pound of pork roast/steak, cubed<br />
1 pound ground pork<br />
4-5 slices bacon, chopped<br />
1 onion, diced<br />
3 poblano peppers; skinned, seeded and chopped<br />
2 jalepenos, diced<br />
3 cloves garlic, diced<br />
1T mexican oregano<br />
2-3 t. cumin<br />
1/8 c. tequila<br />
1 can Herdez salsa verde (or better yet get some tomatillos and make your own)<br />
2-3 c. chicken broth<br />
3 T. coconut cream<br />
<br />
1. Fry the bacon in a dutch oven and remove when crispy.<br />
2. Working in batches, brown the pork chunks. Remove from pot when done.<br />
3. Brown the ground pork and remove from the skillet.<br />
4. Add the onion and cook until starting to soften.<br />
5. Add the garlic and let cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant.<br />
6. Add the tequila and deglaze the pot.<br />
7. Add the poblano and jalepeno, stirr to incorporate.<br />
8. Add the cumin and mexican oregano, mix well.<br />
9. Add the salsa verde, coconut cream and the chicken broth. Stir well.<br />
10. Add the meat and mix well to incorporate. Cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Add some fresh cilantro before serving.<br />
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So what ingredient did I forget? A plantain. I wanted to add a mashed up green plantain for the starchy flavor and because I thought it would thicken the chili. But I had it in my head that I had all the ingredients for this dish and I forgot all about wanting to add a plantain. Maybe next time or perhaps I'll go the store tomorrow and add it in to the big pot of leftovers that I have. Then again perhaps I'll just make tostones and scoop up the chili with those.<br />
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Some cubed chayote squash or zucchini would have been pretty tasty in this as well. Next time because there's always another supper to cook for!Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172986786168243848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838010267810871526.post-35052832095679732052011-09-22T20:45:00.000-07:002011-09-22T20:45:42.955-07:00Asian Pork and CabbageI had been seeing recipes for Asian lettuce bowl and it made me think about eggrolls. I decided that I wanted to try a cabbage roll with a crispy coating. I gathered all my ingredients and pulled out some spices that I thought would make a tasty profile and set to work. When it was all said and done I was really satisfied with the flavors but maybe a little disappoint with the texture of the rolls. I just didn't get that really crispy crunch I was looking for. I suppose there is just to much moisture in the leaves for the coating to remain crispy. I only made 5 rolls in my test batch and I decided to just chop what was left of the head of cabbage and make burgers out on the filling. The flavors were still there and the prep time was significantly reduced (although not nearly as pretty). So, I'll probably still make this in the future but I won't go through the trouble of making rolls.<br />
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<strong><u>Asian Cabbage Rolls (or Asian Pork Burgers with Cabbage)</u></strong><br />
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1/2 onion, diced<br />
1 carrot, diced<br />
3 cloves garlic, minced<br />
1t. minced ginger<br />
1/4c. to 1/2c. white wine<br />
1T. coconut aminos<br />
1T. Red Boat fish sauce<br />
3T. coconut cream<br />
1 Star Anise ground (or about a heaping 1/8t. of ground star anise)<br />
1/4t. ground ginger<br />
1/4t. clove<br />
1/4t. cinnamon<br />
1/2t. white pepper<br />
2 pound pork<br />
1/4c. coconut flour<br />
1/4c. almond meal<br />
1 head of cabbage<br />
1 egg<br />
<br />
1. Start a large pot of water boiling.<br />
2. Heat fat of choice in a skillet and add the onion and carrots. Cook until the onion is soft.<br />
3. Add the garlic and ginger and cook about 1-2 minutes. <br />
4. Add the white wine and deglaze the pan (about 1 minute) then add the aminos and fish sauce. Stir to mix.<br />
5. Add the coconut milk and cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid is gone.<br />
6. Scrape into a large mixing bowl and add the spices. Mix well.<br />
7. Once the onion mixture has cooled a little, add the ground pork and mix well to incorporate all the spices.<br />
8. Separate the leaves of the cabbage and blanch in the boiling pot of water until soft. Remove and set in a colander to drain.<br />
9. To assemble: dry the cabbage leaves with a paper towel, scoop a spoonful of the pork mixture at the stem end of the cabbage leaf and roll up folding the edge in after the first roll.<br />
10. Coat the roll in the egg mixture, then roll in the almond meal/coconut flour mixture.<br />
11. Fry up in a skillet with the fat of your choice.<br />
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*If you don't want to go through the trouble of blanching the cabbage and rolling you can just chop the cabbage and cook in a skillet and make burger patties out of the pork mixture (I added some of the almond meal/coconut flour mixture to the meat just to have that flavor in there). They aren't as pretty but just as tasty.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lISlpWD2DgA/Tnk2FREI7SI/AAAAAAAAAJo/GeDs5xYsTvA/s1600/asianporkcabbage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lISlpWD2DgA/Tnk2FREI7SI/AAAAAAAAAJo/GeDs5xYsTvA/s640/asianporkcabbage.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172986786168243848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838010267810871526.post-11594694382494828192011-09-22T19:40:00.000-07:002011-09-22T19:40:25.668-07:00Chocolate Chip CookiesI started Whole 30 about five days ago. When you decide you're going to do something you don't put off the start date, you just dive right in. At least that's what I do. See, my sister is having a cookie contest in four days. I would have been right in there tasting and judging the cookies all the while telling myself that I would get back to paleo tomorrow. Well, I started Whole 30 and didn't think about that cookie contest until yesterday when I told my sister that I wouldn't be tasting the cookies. I'm still gonna bake and enter the winning gluten-laden cookie but I won't be tasting the other entries. My sis told me she would make me paleo cookie so I would have something to eat that night...awww. So I was thinking about that and combined with the little sweet tooth I'm having today I made some almond meal cookies. I probably am not suppose to eat something like this so I think tomorrow I will take them all to work and put them in the lounge where the animals I work with will scarf them down, probably without knowing the difference. I thought I would at least put a picture up here and tell you where I got the recipe and how I changed it to fit what I had.<br />
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While at my Mom's place I looked at Chowstalker and found a couple of entries for chocolate chip cookies. I wrote down the recipes (since she doesn't have a printer) and then forgot to take them with me when I left. (*head smack) I remembered the almond flour cookbook (by Elana Amsterdam) that my Mom got me so I found the cookie recipe in there and pretty much used it. It called for grapeseed oil which I didn't have so I used the light olive oil (it's pretty tasteless, very light golden in color). It also used agave nectar but I used the coconut sugar crystals that Mom got me a few months ago. Since I was using a little less liquid (with the obmission of agave) I decided to put an egg in there. So here's a pic followed by the recipe. All in all they were pretty tasty.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jjQZgNAQfWE/TnvwFgGQxjI/AAAAAAAAAJw/amI0DVqLM6Q/s1600/chocochipcookies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jjQZgNAQfWE/TnvwFgGQxjI/AAAAAAAAAJw/amI0DVqLM6Q/s640/chocochipcookies.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<strong><u>Chocolate Chip Cookies</u></strong><br />
<br />
2 1/2c. almond flour<br />
1/2t. salt<br />
1/2t. baking soda<br />
1/2c. coconut sugar<br />
1/2c. light olive oil<br />
1T. vanilla<br />
1 egg<br />
1/2c. Enjoy Life chocolate chips<br />
<br />
1. Preheat oven to 350.<br />
2. In a mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients.<br />
3. In a small bowl combine wet ingredients and mix.<br />
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir to combine.<br />
5. Add the chips and stir some more to combine.<br />
6. Scoop onto a cookie sheet, leave about two inches between cookie. Press down lightly on the cookie to flatten (because it doesn't really spread that much while bake).<br />
7. Bake for 10 minutes, remove and allow to cool on the cookie sheet before you remove.Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172986786168243848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838010267810871526.post-87886255613500656482011-09-22T17:50:00.000-07:002012-07-04T17:07:47.624-07:00Tamarind Glazed ChickenI'm on the hunt for some new cookbooks. Our big box bookstore closed and since then I've been going through cookbook withdrawal (they did carry a good selection of cookbooks). I love looking at cookbooks and finding a good ethnic cookbook whose recipes I can tweak a little (sometimes not at all) to fit my Paleo needs. I've been testing out Indian inspired dishes and have discovered that I really like some of the flavor profiles. I think my next cookbook purchase will be an Indian cookbook.<br />
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I stood in front of my bookshelf the other day and pulled Padma Lakshmi's <em>Tangy Tart Hot and Sweet</em> off the shelf. I had marked a couple of recipes way back when but never tried any of them. I found this one which originally called for fish as the protein. She mentioned that it would be good for chicken and so I went with that. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ay5Xv-ixE0I/TmBw1GXRTEI/AAAAAAAAAJE/7gYUr7Hs5J8/s1600/tamarindglazechicken.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ay5Xv-ixE0I/TmBw1GXRTEI/AAAAAAAAAJE/7gYUr7Hs5J8/s640/tamarindglazechicken.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Tamarind Glazed Chicken Legs</div>
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1 1/2 c. water</div>
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1 ounce (about golf ball size) of tamarind pulp</div>
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1 small onion, diced</div>
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2 T ginger, minced</div>
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1-2 t. honey</div>
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12-14 chicken legs</div>
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1. In a small saucepan bring the water to a boil, turn off the heat and add the tamarind pulp. Break the pulp up with a fork. Cover the saucepan and let it set for about 20 minutes.</div>
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2. After 20 minutes, mash the tamarind some more. Use your fingers to knead any clumps. Pour the mixture through a strainer using a spoon to mash the pulp through as well as any liquid.</div>
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3. Place the chicken legs in a baking dish, rub with the fat of your choice and season with salt and pepper if desired. Place in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.</div>
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4. In a skillet heat some fat and add the onion. Saute for about 5 minutes then add the ginger and let cook about 1-2 minutes.</div>
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5. Add the strained tamarind gravy to the skillet and cook at a slow simmer, adding the honey after 5 minutes, until the sauce is reduced by half. </div>
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6. When the chicken reaches the 15 minute mark flip the legs over and cook for another 15 minutes.</div>
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7. Pour the tamarind sauce over the chicken legs and cook for another 10 minutes or until the chicken is cook through.</div>
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<br /></div>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172986786168243848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838010267810871526.post-15501071500776438202011-09-22T17:27:00.000-07:002011-09-22T21:40:51.878-07:00Bacon-Salmon PattiesBecause without bacon things do not go as well. While driving home tonight I got a craving for seafood. I wanted tuna or swordfish or even salmon. So I stopped at the grocery store and could only find salmon so salmon it is! I had my recipe put together in my head before hitting the store so I picked up a few other things and headed home to prepare my supper. It turned out really great and I'll probably keep this in mind for a future meal but subbing tuna steaks in for the salmon fillets.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o6uUySsBuR4/TnvPgrLxxkI/AAAAAAAAAJs/rs5zFzKODrU/s1600/baconsalmonpatty.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o6uUySsBuR4/TnvPgrLxxkI/AAAAAAAAAJs/rs5zFzKODrU/s640/baconsalmonpatty.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong><u>Bacon-Salmon Patties</u></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">6-8 pieces of bacon, fried</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/2 red bell pepper, chopped</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2 cloves of garlic, chopped</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/2 t. ginger, minced</div>1T. balsamic vinegar<br />
1t. Red Boat fish sauce<br />
1t. Coconut Aminos<br />
2 scallions, chopped<br />
2-3 pounds salmon fillet, remove the skin<br />
1 egg<br />
1/4c. almond meal<br />
<br />
1. Fry the bacon and set aside on a paper towel. Drain most of the grease out of the skillet.<br />
2. Add the bell pepper to the skillet and let it cook for about 4-5 minutes of until it starts to get soft.<br />
3. Add the garlic and ginger, stir to incorporate and let it cook about 1-2 minutes.<br />
4. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir to coat the peppers well. Turn off heat.<br />
5. Add the bacon to the food processor and pulse until it is in large chunks.<br />
6. Add the red pepper mixture, fish sauce and aminos to the bacon in the food processor. (A'la <a href="http://www.modernpaleowarfare.com/2011/09/man-jam-aka-bacon-jam.html">Bacon Jam</a>) Pulse until it is a fine blend. Scrape into a medium size mixing bowl. <br />
7. Cut the salmon into large chunks and add to the food processor. Pulse until is is chopped to a medium-fine texture. You may have to make two batches depending on the amount of salmon.<br />
8. Add to the mixing bowl with the bacon and pepper mixture along with the egg and mix.<br />
9. Add the almond meal and mix well. Form into patties and fry in the skillet with the fat of your choice.Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172986786168243848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838010267810871526.post-50675608738299502302011-09-18T19:47:00.000-07:002011-09-18T19:47:14.909-07:00I'm doing the Whole 30<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-7662" height="124px" src="http://whole9life.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/doing-the-whole30.jpg" title="doing-the-whole30" width="300px" /></div><br />
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I have been messing around and in general just failing for a couple of months now. I'm tired of it. I don't feel as good as I used to and I don't feel like I can call myself Paleo when I'm not really fulfilling my obligations of living a Paleo lifestyle. I thought about telling my family and friends to check in on me and ask me how things are going but you know what...it's not their responsibility. When I went Paleo on January 3rd I didn't ask anyone to check in on me, I didn't ask them to hold me responsible. As a matter of fact I didn't tell anyone I had started Paleo. I chose that path on my own and held myself responsible for my choices. I refused all non-Paleo food items and as time passed people began to understand that I was eating differently and I would tell them when they asked but I didn't trumpet the fact. <br />
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Well, something has to change. I need to be responsible to myself for getting back on track but I also want those around me to know that I'm serious about this and that Paleo isn't some short term diet program. I don't mind if they want to inquire about how things are going but more importantly I want to feel proud when I answer that question. So I'm committing myself to a Whole 30, starting right now (9:41pm). I'll post some updates here on my blog and occasionally on twitter (I don't use that very much) and I'm also going to post on my personal facebook page so everyone knows what I'm up to.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yr13atxbmgE/TkDVdCuw3lI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/QlEuJl3aPO0/s1600/myrosie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rba="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yr13atxbmgE/TkDVdCuw3lI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/QlEuJl3aPO0/s1600/myrosie.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172986786168243848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838010267810871526.post-54015955652952137612011-09-15T16:58:00.000-07:002011-09-15T16:58:58.845-07:00Carne AsadaMexican food is my first love and what I consider to be my native palette, if that makes sense. I recently discovered fried plantains and have since fallen in love with them. I keep making them any chance I get. While at my parent's house this past week I cleared out the plantain supply at their local grocery store and fried up a big batch of tostones. It was delicious. My Mom had some super thin beef steak in her fridge so I dug around in her cupboards and found a can of chopped "chili ready" tomatoes and some carne asada seasoning. I will try to replicate this at home using fresh ingredients and a homemade carne asada seasoning but in was so yummy I decided to go ahead and post a pic and give the basics of what I did.<br />
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Cut the beef into small chunks and sear in a skillet with some lard. Remove to a plate and set aside. Add a chopped onion to the skillet and saute until soft then add some garlic. When the garlic has become fragrant add cumin, crushed mexican oregano and stir to coat the onions well. Add the beef and then add a couple of tablespoons of carne asada seasoning. Mix well then add the tomatoes and some broth until you have enough liquid in the skillet to just barely cover the beef mixture. Simmer it covered for about 20 minutes then remove the lid and simmer for another 15-20 minutes or until the sauce is reduce by half. Enjoy it with the tostones!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vv9_R-7KrD4/TnKROKk_S2I/AAAAAAAAAJg/QgJR4LA675M/s1600/carneasadabeef.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vv9_R-7KrD4/TnKROKk_S2I/AAAAAAAAAJg/QgJR4LA675M/s640/carneasadabeef.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172986786168243848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838010267810871526.post-69793313855008421472011-09-15T16:46:00.000-07:002011-09-15T16:46:29.098-07:00Pumpkin Beef StewI bought some beef shanks with the notion of using them in a stew at some point. Yesterday I finally got around to it. I bought a pumpkin and thought I'd use in a stew or in my omelette like I use butternut squash. Well, needless to say I didn't like prepping the pumpkin. It was more difficult than butternut squash but maybe I just love butternut squash more. With the help of my Mom, which means I passed the work off to her, the pumpkin got peeled, seeded and cut into chunks. I cut the meat off the shank bones and seared it in a skillet that had rendered bacon fat in it. I also chopped an onion and sauteed that in the skillet. I put the chopped bacon, onion, beef chunks, pumpkin and shank bones (with morrow) in a crock pot with beef broth, a bouquet garni and some sage. I let it cook away until the meat was tender, the morrow melted and the pumpkin soft.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vm0jNTEZYsE/TnKOD61ixfI/AAAAAAAAAJc/f4NS88HEFuA/s1600/pumpkinbeefshankstew.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vm0jNTEZYsE/TnKOD61ixfI/AAAAAAAAAJc/f4NS88HEFuA/s640/pumpkinbeefshankstew.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172986786168243848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838010267810871526.post-34106458018873055032011-09-15T16:31:00.000-07:002011-09-15T16:31:39.374-07:00Coconut CarrotsThis is a quick carrot dish that allowed me to use up the coconut liquid I'd been saving after skimming the cream out of the cans. I don't usually cook with butter but I was at my parent's place and they don't have all the pantry items that I do. So, I put a big pat in the skillet tonight. If you don't use dairy I suppose you could use coconut oil which is probably what I would use when I'm at home. I just peeled the carrots and sliced them in half length wise then cut them in half inch diagonal chunks. I put them in the skillet with the butter and let them cook until they were starting to brown a little then I added about a quarter cup of chicken stock and the coconut liquid (which was reserved from two cans of coconut milk after removing the cream). I covered it and let it bubble away until the carrots were soft then I removed the lid and let it simmer until the sauce was reduced to a thick caramelized cream. Quite delicious!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-azU38RMZLgQ/TnKKl35MStI/AAAAAAAAAJY/FYiFWDjrItI/s1600/coconutbuttercarrots.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-azU38RMZLgQ/TnKKl35MStI/AAAAAAAAAJY/FYiFWDjrItI/s640/coconutbuttercarrots.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172986786168243848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4838010267810871526.post-26904983717178268402011-09-15T16:22:00.000-07:002011-09-15T16:22:17.964-07:00OmeletteI like making omelett muffins, spanish tortillas, frittatas or whatever else they are known by. I just like having my breakfast made ahead of time so all I have to do is gently heat it in the morning. It saves me time in the morning and I like that. I can go to the pool without getting up extra early and on the mornings I don't go to the pool I can either sleep in a little bit or spend the morning relaxing before I go in to work.<br />
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The good thing about these omelette type dishes is that they are all quite easy to make and can be loaded with whatever you like. This omelette is loaded with butternut squash, green & red bell peppers, onions and sausage. Just saute it all up first and pour the scrambled eggs over the top and let it cook on low. Towards the end pop your oven/broiler proof skillet under the broiler and let it finish cooking. Voila!! Breakfast for the work week is complete!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZltEQsfjjH8/TnKIbpkHBuI/AAAAAAAAAJU/jFqJIitfBXQ/s1600/omelette.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZltEQsfjjH8/TnKIbpkHBuI/AAAAAAAAAJU/jFqJIitfBXQ/s640/omelette.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14172986786168243848noreply@blogger.com