When all else fails...

Ever had one of those days were nothing seems to go the way you want it to? Today is that day for me. So to top it off I got home ready to cook my dinner and I just utterly mess it up. I was cooking a steak and it just came out all tough. Since it is the end of the week my food supply is a little low so I found myself just standing in front of the fridge wondering what I could possibly throw together. The cinnamon rolls were calling my name but with a 6 week Body Challenge with Crossfit 1525 coming to an end on Monday I needed to stay away (until at least Tuesday!).

So the point of this post...I ended up making tuna with cucumbers and tomatoes! This is a great go to meal when you either have a meal that fails or need something quick. I made my tuna with egg and grapes plus dill. I use just a tad mayo in my tuna. I know that there is a paleo way to make mayo but I honestly don't eat it enough to make it and figure just a little amount is not going to make or break my paleo habits. I was very pleased that I was able to get this together before my stomach sent me on a wild chase to Sonic :)

I LOVE Pasta!

I truly LOVE pasta! Sadly, paleo does not allow for pasta. So after reading some other Crossfitters posts on different ways to reproduce the real thing I made zucchini "pasta" tonight. I was amazed that the texture is very similar and honestly I did not miss the real thing.

So that means you need to try it! Here is what I did:

Paleo Spaghetti
Ingredients:
Sauce
1 can of 100% natural crushed tomatoes
1 can of 100% diced tomatoes (I used the basil & oregano)
10-12 small precooked meatballs (HEB frozen meatballs are what I had on hand)

Pasta
2 zucchini

How to:
Grab a large pot, fill 2/3 with water, and bring to a boil
Use a medium sauce pan to bring tomato cans to a simmer
Microwave the meatballs for 2 minutes and add to the tomato sauce
While water is boiling and sauce is simmering, set your mandoline to 1 or 2 and slice the zucchini.
Once the water is boiling add 1 teaspoon of salt and drop the zucchini in for 3-4 minutes
Drain water from zucchini and serve with sauce

(After I drained the water. Notice my mandoline...I got mine at HEB)

YUMMY GOODNESS!

Paleo??

So I have decided to restart my blog as I decide to journey down the road of eating "paleo." For those not privy to this lifestyle of eating, here is a website you can go look at the details: http://www.thepaleodiet.com/

In a nutshell (and nuts are good on paleo!), lean meats, veggies, limited fruits and good fats are the acceptable foods that can now go into my body. Processed foods, potatoes, beans, breads...well you get the point are not good. What I have learned is that I can eat paleo and eat well. I thought it was going to be so hard and I would be eating bland food but it is quite the opposite! So that is why I have decided to share my paleo experiences with anyone who happens to stop by. I am still learning so there will be some growing pains in this process.

I wanted to share two of my new favorite recipes with you.

ANTS ON A LOG
So if you are like me this is a childhood favorite! Basically the same ingredients but since peanut butter is banned (peanuts are a bean, who knew!) my substitute is sunbutter. This yummy creation has a similar consistency and is made out of sunflower seeds. So GOOD!
Ingredients:
Celery Sticks
Sunbutter Raisins




STIR-FRY
This is not completely paleo due to the soy sauce so if you have journeyed longer than I with paleo and have a better substitution I would love to hear. I am going to eat this for two meals
Ingredients:
Bag of coleslow minus dressing
6-8 oz. Chicken (I used frozen fajita chicken from HEB)
Soy Sauce
Stir fry sauce

Grab a large pan and heat coleslaw with 1 tablespoon of soysauce over medium heat while you heat chicken in microwave for 2 minutes. Add chicken and 1 tablespoon of stirfry and maybe a dash more soysauce (I love this stuff!). Cover for 5-6 minutes until heated thoroughly.

Leftover Salmon?

So first I am not very good at this blogging thing yet...is it like that for everyone? I just forget :) But I have cooked this week and had some delicious meals I must say. Since I am leaving for Spain in 4 days I have been trying to lose a few pounds and decided to cut out breads, etc and stick with the salads, meats, fruits. I has actually been quite easy! Last Monday night I broiled a salmon fillet (broiling is my new fav way of cooking!) but the fillet was HUGE and I am just a single gal so there was quite a bit leftover. But seriously who likes fish the next day?!?! So I decided to do what my parents always do and make Salmon Croquettes. So good and so easy! Sad I did not have a pictured. Here is my simple recipe...let me know if you have tried it and what you liked or might have added in.


Salmon Croquettes

- 1/2 Pound of Salmon (one large fillet) cooked....I broil mine for ten minutes with salt and pepper
- 2 large handfuls of breadcrumbs (you can use cornmeal or a potato)
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup of diced sauteed celery and onions
- 1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning or any type of seasoning you like

Not sure the technical term but "flake" or break up the salmon into little pieces. Combine salmon with breadcrumbs, egg, seasoning, and onion/celery mixture and mix together well. Form patties about 3 inches across and 1/2 inch high. Place on baking sheet with parchment paper. Set broil to high and place baking sheet on a middle rack. Watch carefully! I leave mine for about 5 minutes on one side and then flip or until a nice crust has formed on both sides. Enjoy!

A New Adventure

I had quite an interesting weekend in regards to cooking...at one point the thought crossed my mind "why don't I chronicle all of my success and failures with cooking?" I used to cook quite and bit and actually really enjoy being in the kitchen but I have been tired of my same old recipes. Don't you feel that same way sometimes? I find these great recipes but think that I don't have enough time to make them. What I am finding out is that it takes a minute or two longer to cook something a little more complex and even more tasty. I am on an adventure to try something new several times a week. My hope is to post several recipes a week that maybe you can try too.

On Saturday I decided to go make a big haul at the grocery store and I came back with some really good stuff. I made baja tacos and grilled sweet potatoes on Saturday night and then made homemade chicken salad (a twist on Jana's recipe) on Sunday. Both were really great! I also had a unfortunate disaster...I read the brownie box wrong. I thought that 525 degrees was a little high to cook brownies but I did it anyway. After about 9 minutes the brownies were rock hard and black. Luckily I still had some time for the break off kind and my NHS officers got something sweet for our lunch meeting today. I am going to come back at some point and post the recipes for what I made this weekend. Here is what I made tonight though...ended up being really tasty and really easy to make. Just pulled together whatever I had in the pantry.

Ground Turkey Tortilla Bake

1 pound ground turkey (I used leftover from my tacos the night before)
1 can black beans, drained
1 can green chilies, small can
1/2 cup of salsa
1/2 cup of taco cheese
1/4 white onion, diced
5 6" corn tortillas, cut into strips
(other ideas: peppers, jalapenos, red beans, rotel, or anything else that sounds good!)

-Preheat oven to 375
-Spray a glass dish with Pam and line bottom of dish with tortilla strips
-Layer with half of the black beans, ground turkey, chilies, salsa, onions and cheese
-Place a layer of the remaining tortilla strips on top
-Layer with the remaining black beans, ground turkey, chilies, salsa, onions and cheese
-Bake for 30 min