Spanish Chicken Stew

I rowed 200 calories at the box today. While rowing I enjoyed watching some amazing tenacity and "engine" on 15.3 from some of our Crossfit Countdown family. I watched some seriously good coaching. I listened to the laughter and shouts of encouragement over the driving music. It was a very nice morning. I'd pulled 200 calories on that rower before I got anywhere close to miserable.

This Spanish Chicken Stew was a well-received by my crew and now I've found time to share it with you.

I put these ingredients in this order into a slow cooker:

1 TBSP coconut oil
4 large organic chicken breasts
2 green peppers, chopped
1 yellow onion, diced
1/3 cup sliced almonds (I've also used pecans)
1/3 cup green olives (optional; this is in classic Spanish chicken stew, but I never put them in...)
1  4 oz can of green chiles
1  4 oz can of jalapeños
1/2 cup chicken bone broth (or chicken stock)
1  28 oz can organic diced tomatoes
1  6 oz can tomato paste
2 TBSP Garlic Gold Nuggets (or 1fresh garlic clove, minced)
2 tsp cumin
1 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp oregano
fresh cilantro, chopped (also optional; I just have tons of it growing in my Aerogarden)

I cooked this all day on low while I was at work, 9-10 hours.  I ran two forks in opposite directions through the cooked chicken breasts before serving just to shred it. I served it with some quinoa.

Here's a photo of the leftovers prepped for lunches, along with the quinoa and a little fresh parsley.

Peanut Butter Haystacks

So, the Open 2015 is going well and I hope you check out Gerald Sasser on the Mid Atlantic Leaderboard. He's in fourth right now.  (ok, so now you don't have to check the leaderboard... I just can't help myself - proud mom) Ger, Cassie, and Mikko are coming over for dinner tomorrow, so the crock pot is prepped and I made these Peanut Butter Haystacks this afternoon. You can make them with Almond Butter if you want them to be more paleo, but I just bought some amazing new organic peanut butter.....


I put the following ingredients in a medium saucepan on the stove:

 1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup raw honey, (or local honey)

 I turned it on medium heat until it boiled, then made sure to boil it for another minute.

I took it off the heat and added:

 1/3 cup organic peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
1 tsp real vanilla.

I stirred until it was mixed well.

I added:
 2 cups Unsweetened Organic Coconut Chips (nuts.com) Unsweetened shredded coconut would be fine too but I love the chunky stuff.
 I stirred the coconut in.

I used a cookie scoop to quickly put the "haystacks" out onto parchment paper that was on a cookie sheet. Then I popped them into the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. 
This recipe made 15 haystacks.

Monica had come by for a kombucha scoby so she got to be my taste-tester. I'm so glad she liked them and she thinks Gary will, too. (I sent her home with a couple of these haystacks and some dill, cilantro, parsley, and mint, along with her scoby.)

You also might like Pumpkin Raisin Haystacks and Paleo Haystacks which are chocolaty from cocoa.

Paleo Sweet Potato Bone Broth Soup

We are all busy and we want to be strong.
When people tell me they don't have time to make soup, this is the recipe I recommend. When people tell me they can't just drink bone broth by itself, this is the recipe I recommend. So, be strong and make this soup.  It's quick, delicious, and it makes you strong. What more could you want?

I put these ingredients into a saucepan:

I BPA-free can of organic sweet potato
8 oz bone broth (I usually use turkey or chicken bone broth here, but beef is good, too)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 TBSP grass fed butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp smoked sea salt (salttraders.com)
freshly ground black pepper

I brought this to a gentle boil while stirring now and then, and served it with some pumpkin seeds on the top.  (That reminds me to tell you that this recipe totally works with a can of pumpkin instead to sweet potato)

Slow Cooker Pot Roast Meal

I couldn't get this blog post up until I watched the 15.2 Live Feed. I am stuck at home with 14 inches of snow.  See? I don't drive in that.

 I didn't even try to go to the box to watch it there, but I like the sound of 15.2 being 14.2. I remembered that Ger did very well with that one last year. (I even checked the 2014 Leaderboard)

Now I can focus on sharing this recipe.

I rubbed coconut oil inside my slow cooker and placed a large grass fed pot roast in.

I peeled 2 lbs of organic carrots and put them in around the edges.

I peeled and sliced 1 white onion and put it in on one side. I always leave the onion in big pieces so that Cassie can pick around it easily. She likes the taste but doesn't like to eat onion.

I washed a bag of baby red potatoes and put them in, too.

I heavily sprinkled the contents of the slow cooker with:

Cherry Wood Smoked Sea Salt
Smoked Paprika
freshly ground black pepper
turmeric
dried basil

In a small bowl I stirred  1 small can of organic tomato paste and 3/4 cup water. I poured this over everything and put the lid on.
I cooked it on low for 9 hours - it was a big roast.

You can see in the photo above that when it was done I placed everything in a 9 x 12 cake pan and then drizzled the broth over the top of everything.  How easy is that?

Meal Prep for the Week from Feeding Ger Sasser -D

Would you be willing to make great food for the warriors in your family? Here at Feeding Ger Sasser we try to make that easier for you. I've selected a great group of recipes for you to choose from the next time you want to do some food prep.  

 If you see something on here that you don't like, just choose something else from the corresponding page and substitute.
As you look through the recipe links, make your shopping list. Write down what you don't already have on hand. It's also a good idea to check in the kitchen to make sure you do have the other items.
While things are cooking, get your containers out. (and their lids.)
Even if you just prep two or three things, it still helps out a lot.
If you have a question about an ingredient or where to get it, please send me a question here or on the feedinggersasser Facebook page, Instagram account, or Pinterest. 

PROTEIN

Paleo Spicy Chicken Soup

Roasted Lemon Shrimp with Sweet Potatoes

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenderloins

SIDES

Roasted Root Vegetables

Roasted Green Beans

Paleo Salsa Kale

BREAKFAST/SNACKS

Goji Berry Breakfast Bars (or use raisins or cranberries)

Roasted Pineapple with Cinnamon

Paleo Vanilla Date Bites

Eggs - Change It Up

Eggs are one of the most perfect foods.They're delicious, versatile, economical, and good for us. They're also fast to prepare.  Sometimes people don't appreciate them like they should. Maybe they burn themselves out on boiled eggs too many mornings in a row, but when prepping, they could peel them, put them in sandwich bags and shake different herbs or smoked sea salts into the bag.

The first photo shows two eggs with fresh dill and cilantro, smoked paprika, turmeric, cherry wood smoked sea salt, and pepper. I took this photo right before I flipped them over. These are just perfect with a side of farm-fresh uncured bacon.

This photo shows a paleo scrambled egg variation. I beat up 2 eggs with 1 TBSP coconut milk, fresh basil, pink sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. I scrambled them in a skillet with 1 TBSP of grass fed butter. These eggs are incredible and so fast. They work for any meal, too.

If you've got a big training day ahead, this egg breakfast might steer you toward a PR. When I make Sausage and Sweet Potato Skillet for dinner I use the leftovers for breakfast along with a couple of eggs. We love this with Bacon Sausage Serrano Skillet, too. (This is a photo from Duncan as a contest entry going on now on the Feeding Ger Sasser Facebook page. Thanks!)

Eggs - be creative. Throw some herbs and spices on them. Stack them up. Try something new.

Paleo Cherry Cookie Bars

I knew Ger and Cassie were coming to the house today to eat Turkey Bone Broth Soup while I was at school. I knew he was doing 15.1 over tonight (I think that may have been a first and this is his 5th year for the Crossfit Open) so I thought the bone broth soup was perfect for strength and joint support for his beastly endeavors. I wanted to add to that through a very healthy dessert and after I thought about it, it had to be something with cherries, right? (reduce post-exercise muscle pain and inflammation, antioxidant protection and more. Here's more: Health Benefits of Cherries) So, it's OPEN season and these cookie bars are OPEN-worthy.

Here's how I made these big cookie bars:

In a large bowl I combined:
1  1/2 cups almond flour  (I always use the non blanched but blanched will work)
1/2 cup vanilla protein powder  (or Cookies n Cream protein, or whatever you like- be brave)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

In a small bowl I combined:
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup honey 
1 tsp vanilla
2 TBSP peanut butter  (or almond butter)
2 TBSP water

I poured the wet ingredient mixture into the dry ingredients and stirred with a wooden spoon.

I folded in:
1 1/4 cup dried cherries (Vitacost brand has these big gooey ones we love)
1 cup unsweetened chunky coconut

I rubbed coconut oil in an 8 x 8 glass baking dish. I put the dough into the dish and pressed it down into the corners.

I baked it in a 350 degree oven for 18-20 minutes and then let it cool completely on a rack.

Ger DEVOURED them at lunch after the soup.   He did a mighty fine job on 15.1 tonight, too. You can check out his scores on the leaderboard. Gerald Sasser. The box was fired up tonight!