EatPood

Atencion, atencion - Info and a Recipe

The Info...

The box is gearing up for another healthy eating session beginning June 9. Cliff and I are off to an early start. We began a Whole30 on Monday. Remember, our box is a Whole9 partner gym. Have you ever wondered what Whole9 means? Well, the "9" in Whole9 represents: (1) exercise; (2) nutrition; (3) sleep; (4) stress management; (5) active recovery; (6) injury rehab; (7) fun and play; (8) personal growth; and (9) temperance. The idea is that all of these factors play into a healthy lifestyle.

What’s the Whole30? The creators of the program describe it as “a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, calm systemic inflammation and put an end to unhealthy cravings, habits, and relationships with food.” It seems strict at first, but the real food you eat is delicious, accessible and plentiful.

Here's the skinny...

YES to real food. This means meat, seafood, vegetables, some fruit, and plenty of good fats from fruits, oils, nuts and seeds. Eat foods with very few ingredients, all pronounceable ingredients, or no ingredients listed at all because they’re totally natural and unprocessed.

NO to sweeteners of any kind, real or artificial.

NO to alcohol, even in cooking.

NO to grains, legumes, dairy and white potatoes.

NO to carrageenan, MSG or sulfites.

So here’s how you put it into practice. Pick a protein, any protein. Put a palm sized amount on a normal sized dinner plate. Now fill the rest of your plate with any combination of vegetables and a serving size of fat (more on this later). That’s it. There’s nothing complicated about it.

The Recipe...

Our kitchen is almost finished! But, we’re still cooking in the basement. During the extended subterranean holiday, I’ve made a lot of this slaw. I think it would be a nice dish for a Memorial Day picnic.

Mango Slaw

4 T extra virgin olive oil

Juice of 1 lime

3-4 cups shredded purple cabbage

½ medium cucumber, washed with skin on, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, minced

1-2 cloves garlic minced

½ C cilantro, chopped fine

½ medium red bell pepper, chopped

½ yellow or orange bell pepper, chopped

1 large ripe mango, peeled and chopped, pit removed

1-2 avocados, peeled and chopped, pit removed

½ t ground cumin

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk together the olive oil and lime juice in the bottom of a large serving bowl. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and toss to combine. Taste for seasoning.

Enjoy!

Cabbage and Info

Monday night we had our nutrition talk, and we conveyed a lot of general information in a short of amount of time. I was thinking that you might want more specifics. I’m not an expert, but I’ve been working on clean eating for almost three years now. I know where to get stuff. I order certain things to eat when I go out. I have a lot of meal ideas because I’m always cooking. With that, I’m always trolling websites, and I have several I would recommend. I am happy to share this info with you.

For instance, yesterday Caroline texted me and asked me whether she could get blanched almond flour at Kanawha City Kroger. I can say unequivocally that I’m fully qualified to direct you to the appropriate aisle at Kroger (Kanawha City, Ashton Place and maybe South Charleston). I really don’t mind. If you have a specific question about anything (CrossFit food related that is), post a comment. If you want, I’ll email you with my cell number so you can text me from Kroger too. If I don’t know the answer to one of your probing questions, I’ll find someone who does. I promise.

Here’s a little recipe for you. Cabbage, even organic cabbage, is inexpensive and a little goes a long way. I have a memory of loving buttered cabbage and noodles at my grandparents’ house when I was a girl. I wanted to recreate that without the noodles. Nom Nom Paleohelped me out. Thanks!

Stovetop Braised Cabbage

½ head green cabbage, sliced into noodle-ish strips
½ yellow onion, sliced
2 T pastured butter or ghee
2 carrots, julienned
Chicken broth
Splash of cider vinegar
Celtic sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a dutch oven. Add the onions and sauté until translucent. Then toss in the carrots and sauté a few minutes more.

Add the cabbage and about 1/8 C chicken broth. Cover the pan and cook for about 5 minutes or until the cabbage softens. Season to taste with salt, pepper and a splash of cider vinegar. I also added some more butter at the end because I wanted it more buttery, duh!

I know my carrots aren't julienned, technically, but they were thin enough.

Recipe adapted from Nom Nom Paleo.

Happy People

Sometimes I forget how easy it is to make my kids happy. Take breakfast for dinner. That makes them happy, especially if there’s bacon involved. Last week we had coconut flour pancakes, bacon and sliced fruit. You’d have thought I surprised them with a puppy. They were that happy! Well, at least the kids were. Cliff would NOT be happy if I brought home a puppy. But back to my story… the kids also get really excited whenever I make applesauce. Local apples are in season, and I’ve been busy getting saucy.  It’s easy and Paleo and better yet, it makes everyone happy. 

Applesauce
12 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced into about 8 slices each. I like to use a combination of soft and firm apples.
2 sticks cinnamon

Place apples and cinnamon in a large glass baking dish bowl with lid. I usually add about ¼ of water to the dish too.

 
Bake covered at 350° for 1½ hours.

Allow to cool slightly.

Crush apples with a potato masher until sauce is desired consistency.

 
 
I’m going to be honest here. I just peel and cut apples until my two quart baking dish is full. Then I throw the cinnamon sticks on and bake it. You can get a huge bag of flat cinnamon sticks at the International Market for $2.99. It’s worth the trip!

Recipe from Elana's Pantry.

Summer is waning

I placed my farm order today. The peaches are gone. This is a sign that summer is drawing to a close. The good news is that the green beans are still plentiful. As I continue my salad rebellion, my love of green beans swells. I’ve been roasting them in the oven like crazy. Here’s how I do it. I don’t have any exact measurements so stop reading right now if that bugs you.

Oven-Roasted Green Beans

1# stringless green beans
1 yellow onion, sliced thin
Extra virgin olive oil
Celtic gray sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400. 

Rinse the beans thoroughly under cold water in a colander, and allow the beans to drain.

 
Once the water has drained from the beans, snap the stem end from each bean. Put the beans on a baking sheet, and scatter the sliced onion among the beans. Drizzle the beans and onions with a little olive oil, and sprinkle them with sea salt and pepper to taste. Toss it all together with your hands. After the beans and onions are coated lightly with the oil and the salt and pepper are distributed, try and get the beans in a single layer on baking sheet.

 
Roast the beans in the oven for about 20 minutes. Check on them after about 10 minutes and stir them around to insure even cooking. Cooking time will vary.

 
My kids really like beans cooked this way. I do love them as well. I may be deprived, but I have a sort of “I’m eating French fries” feeling when I eat them. If I have them left over at lunch, I eat them with my fingers. Don’t tell Cliff.

 

Faux-Tato Salad

Here in Chucky, West-by-God-Virginia our kids are back in school. But, summer isn’t really over. It’s still blazing hot, and there are parties coming up. I'm sure of it, and for anyone nearby reading this, I’m hoping for an invitation to a fabulous Labor Day get together. Plus, September is prime time for church picnics. What I’m getting at is this – you, my CrossFitter friend, need good food to take to end-of-summer picnics and potluck dinners so you can eat and look like a normal person.

Well… never fear! Sarah Fragoso at Everyday Paleo posted this recipe last month. Her version made twice as much. I’m giving you the half-recipe I made. Cliff and I liked this. We shared it with Caroline and Ashleigh, and I got the impression they liked it too. So if you invite me to your party, I promise I’ll bring you some yummy Faux-Tato Salad. 

No Potato Potato Salad
1 head of cauliflower
6 eggs, hard-boiled and chopped
1/2 a medium sized red onion, finely chopped
3-4 celery stalks, finely chopped
A lot of dill pickles, diced
About 1 C of homemade mayonnaise mixed with 4 T fresh dill (finely chopped) and 2 cloves garlic (minced)
About 1 t of yellow mustard
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Cut the cauliflower into large florets. Steam the cauliflower around 7-10 minutes, cooking until tender but not mushy. Rinse the steamed cauliflower under cold water to stop the cooking process.

 
Alternatively, if you have a pressure cooker, place the florets in the cooker, and then pour in about 1 C water. Lock the lid and bring to pressure. Cook the cauliflower for about for about 2 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat immediately and run the cooker under cold water to quickly bring down the pressure. Remove the lid and pour the cauliflower through a strainer and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.

Drain the cauliflower well and pat dry with paper towels. This is important. Listen to me. I skipped the paper towel part, and my salad was too watery. Crumble the cauliflower into a large mixing bowl.

Add all of the remaining ingredients including the mayo, mustard, salt and pepper; and mix well.

 
 
 
You can eat this right away, but it tastes better if you let it chill for a couple of hours before serving.

 
Serves 8.

Summer Summer Summertime…

…time to relax and unwind and make some gazpacho.  I’ve been craving gazpacho.  Never mind that really no one else at my house likes it.  I like it, and I’m the cook person.  There you go!

You need to make this a few hours ahead of when you plan to eat it so it can get nice and cold.  I got to chopping veggies yesterday afternoon.  This is what was going on in my kitchen whilst I chopped.

 
This is a bubble making extravaganza.

 
Back to gazpacho because that's what we're here for, right?  I trolled around a little bit trying to settle on a recipe.  I chose this one from The Pioneer Woman.  I modified it only slightly.

Gazpacho

• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• ½ whole Red Onion, Diced
• 1 whole Large Cucumber, Diced
• 5 whole Tomatoes, Diced
• 1 whole Zucchini, Diced
• 2 stalks Celery, Diced
• 1 dash Salt To Taste
• 4 cups Low Sodium Tomato Juice
• ¼ cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ⅛ cups Red Wine Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Honey
• 6 dashes Tabasco
• 1 dash Black Pepper To Taste

The recipe actually called for roma tomatoes, but I had beautiful garden tomatoes so I used them. They were this size.

 
Also, my red onion was on the smallish side so I used a whole onion in the recipe. And, I had small cucumbers from Monroe Farm Market so I used two. Just work with what you have!

In the bowl of a food processor or in a blender, combine the minced garlic with HALF the red onion, HALF the cucumber, HALF the tomato, HALF the zucchini, HALF the celery, HALF the tomato juice, and all of the olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, Tabasco, and a dash of salt.

Pulse until all ingredients are blended well; mixture will have a nice speckled, colorful texture.I forgot to take a picture of things in the food processor, but here's how things should look.

 
Pour into a large bowl and add the rest of the tomato juice, and half of the remaining onion, cucumber, tomato, zucchini, and celery. (Reserve the rest of the diced vegetables for garnish.)

  
Stir mixture together and check seasonings, adding salt if needed. Chill soup for at least a couple of hours; soup needs to be very cold!

 
Remove the soup from the fridge and stir. Check seasonings one last time. Ladle into a bowl and garnish with remaining diced vegetables, a sliver of fresh avocado.

 
 
This was fantastic!  Plus, Jack ate a bowl of it so all the slicing and dicing was worth it. 

P.S.  I've started another Whole30 which I hope to carry on for 60 days.  Wish me luck!

A little something

There are some beautiful veggies coming in from Monroe Farm Market. Last week I got enormous head of Blackseeded Simpson lettuce from Byrnside Branch Farm. I can’t say enough about it.

 
I also ordered some tender broccoli florets from Byrnside, but only eight ounces.

 
So the other night I was standing in my kitchen, holding this broccoli and wondering what the heck to do with it. It was so pretty! I didn’t want to steam it. I don’t even like steamed broccoli. I didn’t want to roast it. It’s summer! I was afraid to grill it. What’s a girl to do?

Summer Veggie Sauté
1T extra virgin coconut oil
8 oz tender broccoli,
2 small zucchini, cut into chunks
8 oz asparagus, cut into 1 in pieces
1 leek, chopped (or any kind of onion or shallots)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
Celtic sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
¼ C dry white wine
About ¼ C chiffonade of basil leaves

 
This broccoli was very young and tender. The stalks were slim. I cut off the florets and cut them into bite-sized pieces, and then I cut up the stalks and used them too.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks. When the leeks start to soften, add the broccoli and garlic.  (I actually used garlic scapes –more on those later.) Sauté for about 5 minutes. Then add the asparagus, and sauté about 2 minutes. Now add the zucchini, and sauté a few minutes more. When the veggies are bright green and still crisp, pour in the wine. Cook a little longer until some of the wine evaporates. Then stir in the basil leaves.

Garlic Scapes.  According the grower, Zenith Springs Farm, the scape is the start of a flower that is cut to send growing energy to the bulb.  It is the first usable part of garlic.  I got some. I used them. They are good. They are fun. Look at them. I am getting more.

 

Mommy’s tired of salad

Yesterday morning Jack asked me if I ever get tired of eating eggs for breakfast.  Well, no.  Not really, but I’ve hit another wall. It’s a salad wall. I just don’t feel like making salad these days so I’ve been trying to find other ways to deliver veggies to my peeps. They’ve accepted some things and rejected others.

Slaw - Accepted

 
We loves us some slaw. I used purple cabbage, chopped broccoli and diced apple in this batch. I proposed a diced orange, in place of the apple, with an orange vinaigrette. That idea was rejected. I stuck with the apple and used my standard slaw dressing adapted from the Barefoot Contest Cook Book.

1/2C homemade mayo
1T cider vinegar
1T Dijon mustard (make sure it’s sugar free)
1/4t celery salt
½ celery seed
¼ t Celtic sea salt
¼ t freshly ground black pepper

Zucchini with Sundried Tomatoes - Rejected

 
What is so bad about zucchini? Why am I the only one around here who likes it cooked? Whatever! I’ll keep making it until somebody else takes over the house elf position I currently hold.

2 zucchini, sliced in half length-wise and then sliced into half rounds
4 sundried tomatoes in oil, chopped
2T of oil from the sundried tomatoes (include the capers if they’re in there)
A dash of red pepper flakes
¼ t Celtic sea salt

Heat the oil in your skillet. Add the zucchini and sauté lightly. Then add the sundried tomatoes, pepper flakes and salt. Sauté about 2 more minutes.

Spinach Pesto - Accepted

 
I wanted to make the parsley pesto posted on Everyday Paleo  in March. Maybe I should have made sure I had parsley, but - you see - I always have parsley so I didn’t bother to check. Guess what? I didn’t have parsley! Instead, I grabbed some other green stuff from the fridge which happened to be spinach.  

 
We ate this pesto over chicken breast pieces. I cut the breasts into thirds lengthwise, drizzled them with some left over sundried tomato oil and baked them in the oven. I also dipped forkfuls of roasted acorn squash in it. Fantastico!

4 big handfuls spinach
Juice of 1 large lemon (about ¼ C)
1 ¼ C olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
5 green onions, roughly chopped
½ to 1 t red pepper flakes
¼ t celtic sea salt
½ t freshly ground black pepper

Put everything in your food processor and go to town. Then taste. This is easy to adjust to your palate. I like things lemony. If you don’t, hold back on the lemon juice. You can always add more.

Pesto recipe adapted from Everyday Paleo.

Pood Noos

Guess what?! It’s time for another EatPood food give away! This time, we have three pounds of drummies courtesy of the good people at Sandy Creek Farms. They look like this:

 
I used these drummies in my chicken wing post. Remember?

 
To enter, post a comment below sharing with us your strategies and tips for staying Poody when faced with temptation. Not that I ate a bunch of gummi bears while on Spring Break…

We will select the winner randomly from all entries. Post your comment by 5 pm on Friday, April 28. You must be a member of a CrossFit gym AND nearby enough to get the food from me. We will announce the winner on Saturday or if I’m very tired on Saturday from all that random selection, on Sunday.

Also, our friends at Monroe Farm Market are having a little soiree on Sunday May 1 at the Bridge Road Bistro. You can meet some of the growers and enjoy a canapé or deux. It sounds very fancy, but it’s free! Check it out.

Finally, the recipe... Creamy Greens 

I just ordered some kale from Monroe Farm Market.  Delivery day is Thursday, and I just might make these greens again using a recipe I found on The Clothes Make the Girl.  Here's what you do:

Get some greens.  When I made this the first time, I used a combo of baby spinach and chard.  You will also need coconut milk (canned, full fat coconut milk), and a fragrant spice blend called Ras el Hanout. 

 
Get it at Kroger in the specialty food section.  Ariella gave me mine (thanks!), but I'm lucky like that. 

Wash the greens. Remove any tough and/or thick ribs, then roughly chop or tear the leaves. Don't worry about drying the leaves.

Heat a large skillet and throw in about half the greens. Stir until the greens start to wilt, then add the other half.  Cover the pan.

When the leaves are dark green and as wilted as you like them remove the lid and let any remaining water evaporate.

Pour about 1/2 cup of coconut milk into the pan, and stir.  Then add 1-2 teaspoons of Ras El Hanout, and one or two cloves of minced garlic.  Add salt to taste.

Sauté until the sauce thickens slightly.  

 

 

 

Shamma Lamma

You don’t need me. I know it’s true, and I should be embarrassed because pretty much everything I’m cooking and blogging about lately is from Everyday Paleo. Seriously, why do you need me when you have the real deal? Is there a restraining order on the way, Mrs. Fragoso? Am I an official and bona fide Stalky Stalkerton?!

Speaking of Everyday Paleo as I do, incessantly, I made some lamb burgers a while back. These had their genesis as meatballs, but I was feeling too lazy to make a bunch of those. All that squishing and rolling - ugh! I’m exhausted thinking about it. Instead, I just made a few burgers and served them alongside some dressed up cauli-couscous with a pretty salad.

The lamb was good. It came from Indian Creek Farm in Monroe County, WV where the Copeland family raises Suffolk/Dorset crosses. These little guys live free range on the farm where they eat grass in the summer and hay in the winter. The Copelands do not give their livestock antibiotics, chemicals, or hormones of any kind. If you are a member of PETA or a vegan or a sheep who has learned English, don’t read this next part –

Happy sheep are yummy in my tummy!

 
 
Lamb Burgers
1 cup chopped, dried apricots, rehydrate by soaking in hot water for 30 minutes
1 lb ground lamb
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of saffron threads (omit if you, like Jack, think it tastes soapy)
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon fresh grated ginger
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
1 egg
1 tablespoon coconut oil
Cilantro leaves for garnish

Mix all ingredients together, but hold back about half the apricots for your couscous.

 
Place the lamb mixture in fridge for 15 minutes to let the flavors meld. Remove the lamb from the fridge, and form it into four or five burgers.

 
Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook up the burgers in the coconut oil for about five minutes on each side, or longer if you like them well done.

 
Cauliflower Couscous
1 head cauliflower
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
½ yellow onion, finely chopped
½ C chopped, rehydrated apricots (see lamb burger recipe)
1-2 T olive oil or coconut oil
½ t sea salt and black pepper to taste

Wash the cauliflower and cut the florets from the stalk. Place the cauliflower into a food processor, and whirl it into little bits.

Heat the oil in a skillet. When the oil is hot add the onions and sauté, until they are soft. Then add celery and sauté for about five more minutes. Add the processed cauliflower to the skillet, and sauté around 10 minutes until it begins to brown. Mix in apricots and heat for a few more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.