Okay if you liked this:

And…  if you are like me and don’t always enjoy paying 6 bucks for a pint of goodness. (I’m all about being frugal here.) You can make your own goodness! I’ve done coconut ice cream before, but it never really turns out like ice cream. I found this recipe on Comfy Belly and it is pretty fabulous. It tastes pretty darn close to Coconut Bliss.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of honey (I used 3/4 a cup and thought it was sweet enough)
• 4 ounces bittersweet or dark chocolate, unsweetened
• 2 cups of coconut milk
  
• 1 tablespoon of rum

Preparation

1. Heat the water and honey in a medium saucepan until the honey is dissolved.
2. Add the chocolate and stir until chocolate is completely melted.
3. Remove the liquid from heat, and stir in coconut milk and rum.
4. Chill the liquid for about 30 minutes, and then freeze it in an ice cream machine.
5. Store in a sealed container in the freezer.

ENJOY your weekend and get rest!

Menu and yumness.

I know this is late but, here is the Dinner List!

Friday: Dinner with the Douglass Family!

Saturday: Roast

Sunday: Sloppy Joes

Monday: Meatloaf

Tuesday: Sausage

Wednesday: Brisket

Thursday: Burgers

We recently had the Sloppy Joes and they were fantastic! I added a little salsa to the mix. Sometimes I just need something spicy. Also the sausage and artichoke is amazing. I have done a few variations. I usually fry the egg b/c it takes me less time and I add red onion. YUM!!!

Observe:

Almond Crusted Chicken:

• 1 cup almonds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Spanish paprika
• 2 eggs
• Salt and black pepper
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each)
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Finely chop the almonds in a mini-chopper or food processor. Transfer the nuts to a shallow dish and stir in the paprika. Lightly whisk the egg whites in another shallow dish. Pat the chicken dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Dip each piece of chicken into the egg, letting the excess fall back into the dish. Then press both sides of the chicken into the nuts to coat. Place on a baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to set the crust.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place rack on a baking sheet.

Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-low heat and add 1 tablespoon of the oil and the butter. Place the chicken smooth-side down in the pan and then raise the heat to medium-high. Cook turning once, until the nuts set and turn golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer meat to the prepared pan and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the sides of the chicken registers 160 degrees F, about 20 minutes.

Sloppy Joes with cabbage and avocado.

Sausage, fried egg, artichokes, bacon, red onion!

Something sweet

I have not tried anything from this blog yet, but it looks fantastic! It seems she may have a sweet tooth so use that honey wisely. It still is sugar! But for those days that you just need something sweet this looks good!

Comfy Belly

One-z’s, good coaches and a challenge to all

Okay guys I am back! There is so much to mention!

This past weekend Danny, Meggie, Marshall, Wes and I competed in the Texas State Championships for Olympic Lifting. It was awesome. I am so thankful for Dutch and all of his help. He is a fantastic coach and I am constantly blown away by his knowledge. He and Danny coached me through my lifts. They both brought a sense of peace and calmness during the competition (something that I would never have expected while wearing a one-z, on a platform, in front of a crowd!) Hence the outfits below.

Okay here is the link to the clean. Dutch did a great job of putting it in slow-mo. It makes it seem that much more difficult. For the clean I PR’d at 52kg (~115#)! I did miss it on the jerk. I went up by 12# from my previous clean wt. I had a blast. The people in the Oly lifting community are wonderful. I felt nothing but encouraged by everyone around!

Also, it is the beginning of the Paleo Challenge months! The box is challenging people for two months, 8 weeks, to eat solely Paleo foods! If you want to join us let me know. This way of eating has been life changing. I feel better, I am stronger, I look better and I have never eaten better than I do now! I am serious. You can enjoy your food and treat your body well at the same time!!! Whoop to that!

Menu and shrimps

Okay so I am a little behind. Sorry for the delay!

Here is the menu for the week:

Thursday B- Pear Scramble, L- Leftover chicken, D – Paleo Chicken Alfredo,

Friday B - Chorizo, L- Leftover Alfredo, D – Sausage with Artichokes,

Saturday B – Apple Scramble, L – Leftover Sausage, D – Beef Tenderloin,

Sunday B – Paleo Pancakes, L – Leftover Beef, D – Sloppy Joes,

Monday B – Rudy’s BBQ in a bowl, L – Leftover Sloppy Joes, D – Flank Steak with Pineapple salsa,

Tuesday B – fried eggs, sausage and avocado, L – Leftover Steak, D -  Fish Tacos

Okay this was delicious!  I found the shrimp recipe on the food network’s website.I hope you all love this as much as Danny did.  He told me he would pay $20 for this at a restaurant.

Avocado Topped with Roasted Shrimp

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 2 1/2 pounds (12 to 15 count) shrimp
• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup good mayonnaise  (I used Mimi’s mayo)
• 1 tablespoon orange zest (2 oranges)
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tablespoon good white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup minced fresh dill
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained
• 2 tablespoons small-diced red onion
• avocado

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel and devein the shrimp. Place them on a sheet pan with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss together. Spread the shrimp on one layer and roast for 6 to 8 minutes, just until pink, firm and cooked through. Allow to cool for 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, orange zest, orange juice, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. When the shrimp are cool, add them to the sauce and toss. Add the dill, capers, and red onion and toss well.

Cut avocado in half and de-seed. Place shrimp in the middle of the avocado.

ENJOY!

Excuse me, why are the eggs brown?

This scramble has become one of our favorites. It is a slightly sweet change to our normal egg concoctions. The last time I made this for the family someone said ‘ Excuse me, why are my eggs brown!’ ….   Do not be frightened, the eggs are brown because of the cinnamon.

Scott Hagnas you are a genus when it comes to using apple sauce and cinnamon.

Please enjoy!

Peach & Pecan Scramble
Scott Hagnas
July 2009

Time: 5 minutes

• 1/2 peach, diced
• 2 Tbsp chopped pecans
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon

Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Dice half of a ripe peach, and chop the pecans. Add the peaches and pecans to the skillet, stir fry for 2-3 minutes, or until the peaches soften a bit.

Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a bowl, add the applesauce and cinnamon, and beat well. Add to the skillet, mixing often. When the eggs have set, serve and enjoy.

Zone info: one serving at <1 carb block, 2 protein blocks, 12.5 fat blocks (6g carb, 14g prot, 22.5g fat)

New Year, New Goals and Paleo Ice Cream… Yum.

Since it is a new year and I think it would be appropriate for some reflection and some “goals”. I encourage everyone to start looking at the things they are eating. Log your intake. It is a great way to see what you’re putting in the hole. If you are clinging to those foods that you know you need to let go of, Man up and drop the damn things. Take them out for a month and see how you feel. We eat for so many different reasons other than its purpose. Find the reason or reasons why you eat. Are there certain times when you are more prone to slip up and down a loaf of bread? Log what you do, how you feel, how much sleep you get, your stress level. These things are connected: the spiritual, physical and mental are hard to separate.

I love you guys and hope only for good things. My dream is to see people let go of the barriers they have when it comes to food and for freedom to set in.

With that in front of us here is the menu for the rest of the week :

Tuesday:

D -  Steak, with horseradish and brussels

Wednesday:

B – Peach Scramble

L -  Leftover Steak

D – Roasted Shrimp Salad stuffed in avocados

Thursday:

B – Paleo pancakes, sausage and bacon

L – Leftover shrimp

D – Ribs with sweet potato fries

Friday:

B – Seafood scramble

L – Leftover ribs

D – Almond Crusted Chicken

Saturday:

Brunch at Madden’s (gift card)

D – Roast

Sunday:

Brunch with close friends

D – Lobster Tails with green curry mango

Desert for this week will be the delicious,

dairy free, gluten-free Luna and Larry’s Coconut Bliss Ice Cream!!!!

You need to try this. Like I said it is delicious.

Don’t worry I will also be posting recipes once I’ve been able to try them. We have a few new guys in the mix. Until then, we will be having some repeats.

Please ENJOY your paleo lifestyle this week. Remember allow grace for yourself. If you make a mistake or lose control move on! Choose well on your next meal and you will be back on track!

New Year beginnings and good pizza.

And I’m back. The break was wonderful. I spent most of my time in the hot springs when I probably should have been lifting.

This time has been good. There has been a lot of rest and good quality time with people that I love.

This post is long overdue. For the next couple of months I will be updating my meal plans for the week. I think this may help when planning for your meals. You do not have to eat what we eat, this is only an outline for what you can do. If you notice I did start on a Wednesday and ended on a Sunday, we have had a lot of company this past week. I will post more for the next week.

Let me know if you have more recommendations.

Enjoy~

Wednesday:

B- Egg tortes

L- Leftover Sausage, avocado, and fruit

D-Paleo Pizza with pear salad

Thursday:

B- Paleo pancakes, bacon, sausage

L- Leftover Pizza

D-  Mango and steak salad with sweet potato pie

Friday:

B- Peach Scramble

L- Leftover sausage and salad

D- Ribs with seasonal veggies

Saturday

B- Chorizo Tacos w/avocados

L- Leftover Ribs

D- Bacon wrapped pork

Sunday

B/L- Brunch at Eccell Steakhouse (giftcard:)

D- Shrimp Extravaganza

So I tried a few new recipes this week. Paleo pizza is a great one! It was wonderful and a must try if you having that pizza craving. It was completely satisfying!

I pray for a lot of  love, peace and paleo goodness for you in this New Year!

back to the kitchen

To be fully honest, since Thanksgiving I have been in a creative cooking rut. I have tried to portion out our food from Thanksgiving in the hopes it would last until Christmas…. But, the day has come and our leftovers are finished.

Now it is time to find some new recipes.

Last night I decided to attempt to make my most favorite salad. I have some issues with salads and soups. They are my own weird objections to what their role should play during a meal. I feel they should not be entitled to an entrée position especially if it does not have meat. Without the meat I sit there and wonder why…

A meal is supposed to fill you up, not leave you hungry. Just my thoughts. A few people in my life have proven me wrong. Only a few.

And by people I mean Z Tejas. This is one of my favorite restaurants because of the salad. I could not find the recipe so I improvised. It turned out to be a delightful dinner. Danny told me about five times that he would pay $15 for a bowl of this salad. Marshall said he would pay $25. I think by that point they had been drinking a little.

Either way I receive those complements.

Mango Steak Salad: (I am sorry for the lack of measurements. Be creative, if you are feeling the avocado use more. Take out what you don’t like. This is the beauty of cooking. You don’t have to eat what I say is good. Figure out what you like and go for it!)

Ingredients:
Steak Cutlets (dry rub – paprika, cinnamon, onion pwd, pepper, salt)
Spinach/lettuce
Mango
Avocado
Pecans
*not paleo- but I used some leftover blue cheese
Olive Oil

Place 1-2 tbsp of Olive Oil on a skillet, turn heat to medium. Place Steak on skillet and allow to fully cook. Rinse/wash spinach and place in a large bowl. Cut mango and avocado into pieces and place in the bowl. Put pecans and blue cheese in bowl. After steak is cooked, cut into strips or cubes and place on salad.

Serve with Salad dressing (recipe below)

Poppy Seed Salad Dressing:

1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lemon (the juice)
1 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon prepared mustard

Place ingredients into a jar and shake well. Use with salad.

where in the hell are you?

I found this on Jeremy Thiel’s blog. I could not help but to laugh and weirdly enough cry a little (i think it was the music). I love the dancing. I love the countries. I love people getting together and dancing!

This was wonderfully refreshing.

We need to dance more often.