Green Cayenne Smoothie

I love smoothie. I felt I needed a bit of a cleanse after my activities last night (i.e. shit I should not eat). So, here’s my version – yeah, made another one for tomorrow. I think I’m officially back on the Whole 30.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In your blentec or vitamix, put together:

• 2 cups kale
• 1″ hunk of ginger
• 1/2 cucumber
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Green apple
• 1/2 banana
• 1/4 cup parsley
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp cayenne
• Almond Milk
• Ice

Blend away until you get the consistency you want. To make sure the kale and ginger get good and blended, take those two items and blend with some almond milk FIRST, then add everything else in stages. Super good. Enjoy!

Breakfast Power Bar

I’m a big fan of Elana’s Pantry and her awesome recipes…especially her power/breakie bar recipes. I just made my second batch of these and they are super good. Apparently, I’ve run out of adjectives to describe my food, I have to brains space left. Have I mentioned this? I think I have. Sorry.

I’ll get to the recipe – seriously, I’m toast. That could be due to the fact that I drank yesterday and ended up on the kitchen floor with two good girlfriends, a bag of potato chips and a dark chocolate-toffee bar…hmmm….

Ok, I took three different recipes and combined them. This is what I came up with. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup blanched almond flour
• 1/2 cup flax seed meal
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 3 tbsp water
• 3 tbsp honey or maple syrup (or skip it if you want to skip sugar)
• 3/4 cup of shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut (for topping)
• 1/2 cup pepitas
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 5 – 8 dried apricots

How to:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a food processor, pulse together flour, meal and salt.
3. Pulse in coconut oil, water, honey/syrup.
4. Pulse in coconut, seeds, cherries and apricots.
5. Press dough into an 9×11 (ish) pan. You can use a smaller or larger pan, know the bars will be thicker or thinner depending on what you do.
6. Top with coconut evenly.
7. Bake for 20 minutes.
8. Let cool for at least 2 hours (otherwise, they are crumbly)
9. Enjoy!

Crock Pot Whole Chicken

Ok, I’ve always been skeptical about making a whole chicken in a crock pot. I think it’s because I LOVE roasting them …but, today, I decided to give it a go. It’s super easy and it’s freaking good. Tender, juicy and perfectly flavorful. Enjoy!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients/How To:

• 1 whole chicken, 4-5 lbs (I get the two pack organic from Costco); rinsed and patted dry, take out giblets
• 1 onion, chopped and placed in bottom of crock pot

Season/dry rub of choice:

• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt/pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne

Mix the rub together well, rub all over chicken, dump some in cavity.

Once you rub-a-dub-dub the chicken, placed breast side down in the crock pot, on top of the onions. Put on high for 4.5 hours. Viola, you are done.

Crock Pot Kalua Pork

Thank you once again, Nom Nom Paleo!!! This was DELICIOUS. And easy!

I followed the recipe exactly as she did it – didn’t want to screw it up. This was the easiest, most flavorful meat I’ve done in the crock pot – seriously. It was great. It’s all about the Hawaiian Sea Salt…in my eyes, anyway. But I love salt, so there. Anyhoo…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/10031990774/slow-cooker-kalua-pig

On the meat – bought a two pack pork butt at Costco. It was perfect, didn’t have to trim any fat and the size was perfect for a 6qt crock pot. I’m very excited to have this as leftovers in cabbage cups with shredded carrots, jicima, red onions and some sauce….can’t wait.

Enjoy!!! And thank you Michelle Tam!

Nom Nom Paleo’s Broiled Zucchini

Ok, I’m just re-posting this from Nom Nom Paleo. I needed some fun new ideas for veggies and Michelle had them!

So, thank you Nom Nom Paleo for this (and my next) recipe.

This was really easy, as long as you have a mandoline slicer. If you don’t, go get one.  LOVE using the madoline.

I used a bit too much coconut oil, so mine didn’t turn out as crispy as I would have liked, but it was still good.

This was super tasty and super easy, wonderful with our steak dinner. Enjoy!!

http://tmblr.co/ZgHA4y4QWT3Q

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tarragon Bok Choy Salad

This was SO REFRESHING! Great flavors, appealing to the eye, texture was great with the bok choy…so good. Enjoy!

 

Mix after dressing

with my fork, taste testing…

I love this. And for me, as many of you know, it’s true.

Mix before dressing

Sliced with leaves! Why leave the leaves out?!

Hello, gorgeous colors and textures…

Ingredients:

• 1 ‘head’ of bok choy, sliced (Note, this video gives you three different cuts for the bok choy. I used the sliced, but I also used the leaves!! The leaves add great flavor, use them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpFHsHpCUPw)
• 1 avocado, diced
• 5-7 Red radishes, roughly chopped
• 3-5 White radishes, roughly chopped
• 1/2 yellow tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup loosely packed Italian parsley, chopped

Dressing

• Juice of one lemon
• 1tsp dried tarragon
• 1/3 cup olive or grape seed oil
• bit of salt and pepper
• Mix above ingredients together, set aside

Mix the ingredients together, toss in a bowl. Add SOME of the dressing, toss with the salad. Add more dressing if you see fit, otherwise, save for another salad. Enjoy!

Chorizo Jalepeno Meatballs

Ok, I’ve been out of commission – mentally, anyway. My brain is full. SO FULL. I’ve done a lot of physical education lately as well as taking a class through the local community college…this on top of work, my second job as a trainer, training myself, trying not to forget everything I’ve learned, and other ‘stuff’ I have going on. I am grateful for it all – but there are times (the entire last 30-45 days) that I’m not sure my brain can hold it all…so my blogging has taken a hit. I currently suck as a blogger.

I have been cooking, so I will share what I can remember…some of which I’ve actually written down which was smart of me. I can swing smart every once in awhile.

I am trying not to laugh my ass off right now. My dog Mia (pro. mYa) is looking at her reflection in the window…and wagging her tail. Apparently she likes what she sees.

On to the food! Enjoy!

Lots of meatballs

Close up of meatball

HUNK of jalepeno…feel sorry for whoever got that one

LOVE THIS.

My sweet girl Mia.

Ingredients:

• 1lb ground beef
• 1 package of pork chorizo, cooked
• 2 jalepeno peppers, stems off and minced (with seeds) – I could have easily went for 3, but I didn’t want to set people’s mouths on fire, so kept it calm. Add more if you want more heat!
• 1 egg (if you add more meat, add another egg)

How to:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Mix everything together
3. Make golf ball sized meat balls
4. Place on lined cookie sheet
5. Cook for 25 minutes (check at 22)

Viola! That’s it! I cook the chorizo first to get rid of some of the grease…these turned out great. ENJOY!