Paleo Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp on Cauliflower Rice

• 1 lb of uncooked med or large shrimp 
• 1 can of unsweetened coconut milk
• 1-2 scallions
• 1/2 onion
• 1 head of cauliflower (or 1 bag of frozen)
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp curry
• sea salt to taste

Once your shrimp are peeled and deveined, set aside.  Next, chop your onion and garlic.  Bring your coconut oil up to med heat.  Saute onions and garlic until soft.  Next, add your shrimp and cook for a few minuted until pink.  Add coconut milk and all dry spices and get all the scrapings from the bottom of the pan.  Simmer all ingredients for 3-5 on very low heat.  

For the cauliflower rice:

In another pan, boil water and add your cauliflower florets.  Cook until nice and soft, roughly 5-7 minutes.  Once softened, remove from heat, drain and put in Cuisinart.  Add a tablespoon of coconut oil and pulse until the consistency of rice.  Salt, pepper and season to taste with additional curry powder.  Pulse again.

Serve shrimp on a bed of cauliflower rice and drizzle plenty of sauce over entire dish.  Garnish with chopped green onion.

If you really like heat like we do, add additional cayenne pepper.  I've said this many times before, but remember, the more seasoning you utilize in your meals, the less salt you need.  Most of us don't realize just how much sodium we are taking in unless we are preparing most of our own meals.  Prepared and frozen foods as well as restaurants load our foods up with sodium and it's super unhealthy.  Benefit from keeping it in house when possible.

Live healthy,

Tiffany

JTG Nutrition

pumpkin banana bread

Paleo Pumpkin Swirl Banana Bread

Posted By Lori On July 25, 2011 @ 2:29 AM

Paleo Pumpkin Swirl Banana Bread

[gluten free, dairy free, Paleo, moist and delicious. makes one 9 inch loaf pan]

• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1/2 cup Tahini (or more almond butter)
• 1 cup shredded, dried, unsweetened coconut
• 2 medium very ripe bananas
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup pureed pumpkin
• 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp honey (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350ºF.
In a mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients (reserve the pumpkin, cocoa powder, and honey). Mix, breaking up the banana so it ismostly incorporated into the batter (lower amounts of visible chunks). Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan.
In a separate bowl, stir together the pumpkin, cocoa powder, and honey. Pour this mixture down the center of the banana batter and use a knife or toothpick to slightly swirl it into the batter (left, right, zig-zag motions).
Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes, until the center is no longer gooey (soft). Let the banana bread cool before removing from the pan.

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Article printed from What Runs Lori: http://www.whatrunslori.com

URL to article: http://www.whatrunslori.com/2011/07/paleo-pumpkin-swirl-banana-bread/

honey mustard chicken

Baked Honey Mustard Chicken

Recipe At A Glance

5 stars based on 8 reviews
 Ready in: 30-60 minutes ?
 Difficulty:   2/5

Serves/Makes:   4

   

INGREDIENTS:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup prepared mustard
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper to taste and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. 

In a small bowl combine the honey, mustard, basil, paprika and parsley. Mix well. Pour 1/2 of this mixture over the chicken and brush to cover. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn chicken pieces over, brush with the remaining 1/2 of the honey mustard mixture, and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Let cool 10 minutes and serve.

NUTRITION:

284 calories, 3 grams fat, 37 grams carbohydrates, 29 grams protein per serving. This recipe is low in fat.

Show full nutritional data (including Weight Watcher's Points ®, cholesterol, sodium, vitamins, and diabetic exchanges)

This Baked Honey Mustard Chicken recipe from CDKitchen serves/makes 4

paleo

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Or is it? 
This totally reminds me of this past SNL's skit of "It's Almost Pizza".  Eating Paleo and missing some of the comfort foods in your life.   Fear not, Almost Spaghetti with Meat Sauce is here!  I kid.  

You will need:

• 1lb of grass fed beef or grass fed bison
• 1 jar organic spaghetti sauce
• 1 can organic diced tomatoes
• 1 spaghetti squash
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/2 cup onion
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1-2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)

Do this part first because it will take the longest.  Split and remove seed from your spaghetti squash.  Place face down on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.  

While the above is cooking, heat pan and coat with coconut oil. Add your onions and garlic and saute.  Over medium/high heat, add in and brown up your beef, bison or turkey until cooked thoroughly.  Drain if needed and return to pan.  Turn heat down, add tomatoes and sauce and simmer for at least 10-15 minutes. 

When spaghetti squash is done, it will be fork tender, remove and let cool down.  Once you can handle it, take a fork and shred the insides out into a bowl.  Will be stringy like spaghetti.

Next, add your squash into your meat sauce mixture.  Combine and serve.

Live healthy,
Tiffany

To fill in the nutritional gaps in your diet, visit my supplement store:

Tikka Masala

So I mentioned last week that I wanted to get this recipe on the menu quick.  It's an Indian dish and one of our favorites.
 I have not made it at home before so thought it was time when I came across the recipe on Mark's Daily Apple the other day.  

Let me first say this... yes, you should totally try this out sometime if you are a fan of Indian spices and dishes, but only when you are really in a certain mood.  There are several ingredients, and several steps therefore it is quite time consuming.  If you are not in a patient mood, save this for a day that you are.  I was tired of standing upright by the end of this.  I did just get back from Vegas so maybe I should cut myself some slack.

You will need:

• 6-8 boneless/skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped (bottom stems cut off)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (I squeezed fresh lemon)
• 1 can coconut milk
• 4 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
• 4 tablespoons finely chopped or grated fresh ginger
• Small pinch cayenne pepper (or more, for a spicier dish)
• Generous pinch of salt (you can add more to the sauce later, if needed)
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper

• Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine all the ingredients in a large baking dish.

Bake the chicken, covered at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. I reduced temperature from original recipe which suggested 400 degrees for an hour.  This seemed too high and for too long to me.

While the chicken is baking, make the sauce.

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 2 yellow onions, sliced thinly
• 6-ounces tomato paste (or less, for a less tomato-y sauce)
• 1 can coconut milk
• 28-ounces canned/boxed crushed tomatoes in their juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala (an Indian spice blend)
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Instructions:

In a large, deep pan over medium heat saute the onions in the olive and coconut oil until golden brown, about ten minutes.

                        Add the remaining ingredients, mix well, and let simmer 20 minutes, stirring often.

When the chicken has finished baking, add it to the sauce on the stove top. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve in bowls alone or over cauliflower rice.

If you try this, let me know how you like it.  I definitely suggest making a larger batch than you need so you have leftovers.  When there is this much effort in a dish, I like to have some the next day.

Enjoy!

Tiffany

Paleo Butter Chicken

Shocking I know...another Indian recipe.  I'm on a roll, what can I say.
I love Indian food and it's fragrant smell wafting through my home.  Kind of makes me  feel like the real deal over here.

So here's the deal, the real deal:

• 2 lbs organic boneless skinless chicken breast
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 3 tsp ground coriander
• 3 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp crushed red pepper, 1 tsp cayenne pepper (I need the heat)
• a pinch of fresh cilantro
• 3/4 c plain greek yogurt
• 7 tbsp BUTTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 4 large tomatoes or 1 can diced tomatoes
• 6 cardamom pods crushed
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 c unsweetened coconut milk
• 1/2 cup fresh coriander chopped (used dried) 3 tbsp

Combine diced chicken, chopped garlic, spices and yogurt in a dish and cover for 1-2 hours.

Melt the butter in a deep pan.  Add tomato paste, tomatoes, cardamom and cinnamon.  Bring to a boil while stirring.  Once sauce thickens, reduce to med-low heat  and add your chicken.  Simmer, stirring occasionally until your chicken is thoroughly cooked.  Once cooked, add your coconut milk and stir for another few minutes to incorporate.  Serve over cauliflower rice or as I did, roasted rosemary butternut squash.  You may garnish with a bit of cilantro.

I served with roasted rosemary butternut squash.  On the next night, we had leftovers and I steamed some broccoli to go with it.

In good health,
Tiffany

JTG Nutrition

hot wings

Hot Damn! Wings

Happy Thursday, the weekend is almost here.  I'm very excited as I will be a whole year wiser this Saturday.  Woohoo!
 

I've been cooking up a storm this week and a hectic week it's been.  I hope you are enjoying some of the recipes I'm putting out there.  If so, I'd love to hear your feedback.  Any of your favorite dishes you'd like to see?  Any comfort foods you'd love to enjoy but not part of your Paleo lifestyle?  Leave me a comment, Tweet me or message me on Facebookand I'd love to put my spin on it.

I made a big batch of wings for the kiddos for dinner the other night.  They love em.  I'm not so fond of them because I don't like to eat the skin, but I do love buffalo sauce.  Frank's to be exact.  It's my favorite of all.  I'd roll in it if it didn't burn your eyeballs.

I baked these in the oven at 400 degrees (375 for convection) for roughly 40-50 minutes as they were frozen wings and then rolled in the sauce combo below.  Baking time for thawed is roughly 20-30 minutes.

1/2 cup Frank's Redhot Original
1/3 cup butter or ghee

Melt butter and combine with hot sauce.  Toss the fully cooked wings in and coat completely.  Serve and enjoy!

carrot and beef

My Paleo Journey

httpMy Paleo JourneyI wouldn't preach about something that I didn't personally try and have great results with.  That goes for my nutrition, supplements and several other areas of my life.  Even so, I will not preach about these things since it's just not my style.  If anyone chooses to listen to my weekly rants, I will leave that solely up to them.  Surprisingly, there are actually a few of you.

My journey into a Paleo lifestyle evolved organically and has manifested over several years of training hard and eating "clean".  Whatever "clean" means to you, I had my own idea that the lifestyle I was living was clean for me.  When I minimized my grains and yes even whole grains (the so called healthy ones) I noticed a difference in my digestion and overall feeling better about myself.  This has now been roughly 6 months time since going officially Paleo.

I've always been pretty lean, but eliminating grain such as ezekiel bread, crackers, brown rice and even oatmeal has made me feel even leaner and cleaner than previous.  I am a mom so it wasn't uncommon to pick here and there at one of my kids plates when they've left chicken nuggets or fries.

Eliminating all the grain in my diet, good, bad and indifferent, has also eliminated the desire to sneak a bit here and there.  Not that it would even matter much to my health or waistline, I just flat out do not want it.  When you eliminate sugar, dairy and grain, you truly no longer crave these things.  Now I certainly do eat sweets occasionally when the mood strikes because it's only about bettering yourself and not about being perfect.  I follow an 80/20 rule where I eat well 80% of the time and treat myself about 20%.  This includes pizza with my family on a friday night, a piece of cake at a birthday party if I want it, wine and so on.  If I want it, I go for it.  I don't tend to want it often and so when I do, I have it.  No hard feelings.  I don't have guilt about it because I know I do pretty well most of the time.  I also don't want to have such a strong connection with food, that it is all I think about.  I try to recognize when I feel hungry and decide it I truly am or just stressed or bored.

More than carbs or sweets of any kind, my wine is my weakness. Many will tell you, wine is just fine for Paleo folks. I like my wine and it seems to like me.  When I can no longer have it and train hard the next day, it's out.  When my 6 pack goes away, so does the vino.  Simple enough for me.  If I notice it's supremacy in any area of my life, I will eliminate it.  It won't be easy because I really enjoy having wine and the entire experience of it.  The extra calories are just something I try to figure in.

It's something I have read a lot on and discovered was for me.  That is precisely why I will never preach to my friends that they should live this way.  Though in fact, many are always asking what and why I eat this way or how to lose weight.  I do find myself explaining it frequently.  I've taken to suggesting certain books that I like. It's just a lot less redundant.

My husband discovered that I was cooking more than ever for him and even more colorfully and healthfully.  He started feeling better as well.  He didn't know there was even a name for what was happening.  And truly, before I realized what I was doing had a name, I was already reaping great dividends from it and only just at the beginning of my journey.

In educating myself more about the Paleo diet, I have discovered why I am benefiting from this way of eating.  I see a very slow yet definite shift change in how my kids are eating too.  As they see us try new varieties of things, they have also hopped on board here and there.

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Live healthy,
Tiffany

JTG Nutrition

Grilled Teryaki Chicken with Smashed Butternut Squash

Grilled Teryaki Chicken with Smashed Butternut Squash

I'm a grillin' fool right now.  I love summer time, but it's so hot in the AZ that we do all we can to stay cool.  I think it'll be 111 degrees today, so you can understand why I like to avoid turning on my oven.  In fact, our pool is too hot to swim in.  Ridiculous really. 


This gave me an opportunity to try a new, handmade, award winning salsa that a friend recently dropped off.  I thought it sounded great to top this meal with it the day she stopped by.


I decided to try the Salsa Patron Easy Does It (mild) salsa first.  I opted not to burn the kids. Well, let me tell you, it was a smash hit.  My kids couldn't' get enough of this delicious and fresh, flavorful handmade salsa.  


Here's the low down on Award Winning Salsa Patron:


Salsa Patron salsas are fresh and hand chopped. They contain no preservatives and are GF (gluten free). 


Must be refrigerated and has a "shelf life" of about 65 days. 


24 oz jars sell for 8.99 plus tax and shipping


Currently 6 flavors with a 7th on it's way soon.  I'm totally digging the names too.

Flavors as follows:


Mild: Easy Does It

Also Mild with extra cilantro: Seriously Cilantro

Medium: Middle of the Road

Medium with extra garlic, onion, Anaheim chili and cilantro: It's All That and More

Regular Hot: Hot Stuff

Hot with Ghost Chili: Too Hot to Handle

Blackened Chicken with Roasted Squash and Zucchini

Blackened Chicken with Roasted Squash and Zucchini 

I'm working really hard on my food porn techniques.  I'm hoping it's beginning to show.  Not great, but better.  I feel like I've come a long way since using my iPhone to photograph nearly every bite I took.  I'm working with my Canon Rebel T2i now so I have that much going for me.

My brother happens to be an excellent photographer, though he lives 2000 miles away.  We exchange a lot of text messages, calls and emails when I'm confused about something. He is all around artistically and musically talented. Amazing really.  When it comes to drawing, photography and playing his guitar (both electric and acoustic) he's da man! My middle child seems to have his creative drive musically, my oldest similarly and my youngest can bang on my drums like a mini Travis Barker so none have taken after mommy who can not draw a stick figure.

Yes, I have drums.  I have asked the last 3 years for a drum kit for Christmas or for my birthday.  I always felt like a little part of me was missing.  I, not so secretly, hoped that Travis Barker would also appear to give me a lesson.  The drums arrived last Christmas without Travis attached.  A bit disappointing really.  I've never felt the same about them.

Enough about my lack of motor skills, here's the meal.....

I decided to prepare a blackened seasoning before grilling.  I'm beginning to think of myself like an even more amateur, lazier, Paleo version of Rachel Ray.  I love her and the simplicity with which she combines ingredients and the ease of most of her recipes.  I wouldn't do things any other way myself.  Fact is, I don't have time.  If I did have time, it would still not be my preference to spend it in the kitchen.  Alternately, I would have it no other way than to prepare fresh, healthy meals for my family when it's possible.  I don't want to add any more drama to my day. I have enough of that by virtue of having 2 female children.

Blackened Chicken:

1/2 tsp paprika

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp thyme

1/8 tsp ground white pepper

1/8 tsp onion powder

I combined all the dry spices in a bowl and coated several butterfly cut chicken breast with a light drizzle of olive oil.  Then I generously sprinkled the mixture, careful to coat both sides thoroughly.  Off to the grill I go.

I diced up 2 large squash and 2 zucchini and one onion.  I drizzled with olive oil then seasoned with sea salt, cracked black pepper, garlic and onion powder and roasted at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes.

This is an easy go-to blackening recipe when you don't have time to marinate your chicken, beef or seafood.  You can even prepare in advance and fill a seasoning bottle if you find you do it frequently.  Easier than measuring out all the individual ingredients each time.

We'll be spending the afternoon with family and friends.  It's only natural that today will revolve around food.  I will be preparing a healthy option,  a Paleo cole slaw that has a nice kick to it.  I hope you enjoy your day and don't overindulge too much.  But, if you do, there's always tomorrow to grab the regins and get back on track.

Live healthy,

Tiffany

JTG Nutrition

frittatas

Curried Beef and Broccoli Slaw Fritatas

My inspiration came from none other than Nom Nom Paleo's blog.  This recipe was whipped up easily and I see tons of potential with regard to ingredient options and leftovers.  In my head that sounds like "LEFTOVEEEEERS" like when Oprah announces, "you get an elephant and you get an elephant and you get an elephant!"

Moving on... I do see the value in having silicone cups in preparation for this recipe.  It would have made these little babies stick less.  The paper cups worked ok, but could've benefited from a bit of spray olive oil which I thought of after the fact. Instead, I lost a small portion of each as it was peeled from it's paper cup.  A tear nearly shed.  The paper liners are also jackin up my photographs.  I'm not a happy girl.  Lesson learned, moving on.

It was funny, my kids saw all the lined cupcake tins and really thought I was baking.  Oh, touché!  Sorry bout your bad luck.  No, this is mommies adult concoction that you will not be ogling, but rather shrieking" Eck" in disgust in 15 minutes from now when I pop em out of the oven.  They really don't know how good they've got it.  I should go on strike and stop cooking.  That'll show em. Until child protective services show up anyway.

You will need:

1 onion diced
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 lb thinly sliced mushrooms
1 bag broccoli slaw
1 lb grass fed beef
1 tbsp curry powder
coconut oil spray (silicone liners)
1/2 cup coconut milk
20 eggs
salt
ground pepper


Preheat your oven to 375.  Next, coat a skillet with coconut oil and sautee your diced onions until clear.  Then add your mushrooms and cook until soft and all liquid absorbed..  Then add beef and curry seasoning and cook completely.  Once cooked, add in broccoli slaw and cook until softened.  Then, in another bowl, crack and whisk your 20 eggs and add in your coconut milk.  I made a huge mess ladling the egg mixture but that's part of the fun.  I suppose you could transfer into a pitcher and pour for less mess.  Maybe I'll try that next time.

I look forward to making these again soon and adding different ingredients.  I have a great idea in fact....Stay tuned:)

Live healthy,
Tiffany

JTG Nutrition

coconut chicken

Coconut Chicken with Roasted Garlic Sautéed Spinach

This recipe was very similar to making chicken parmesan except no breading.  I wanted to try this out and see if anyone would eat it.  A success it was. 

Coconut Chicken:

1-2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breast

1 cup of almond meal

1/2 c of unsweetened coconut

1-2 eggs

1tbsp of coconut oil

salt and pepper to taste

In one bowl mix your dry ingredients.  Your almond meal, coconut and salt.  In another, your egg mixture.  After butterfly cutting your chicken, dip one piece at a time into the egg mixture and then over to the almond/coconut mixture to coat completely. Plate and continue until all are coated.  In a saute pan, add your coconut oil and bring to medium heat.  Pan fry all the chicken until thoroughly cooked.  Alternately, you make bake at 350 for about 35 minutes if you prefer.  I'd suggest baking on a rack to help crisp up both sides.  Next time I may try it with shrimp.

On the side, I served sautéed spinach which I did in a pan with coconut oil, some roasted garlic and toped with little bits of crispy uncured bacon.  

Live healthy,
Tiffany

JTG Nutrition