Kicked Up Carrots

I

When I bought a 5 lb bag of organic carrots at the grocery today, a man came up to me and said, "Hey, there's a BIGGER bag of carrots over there...." He didn't seem to be much of a vegetable eater....lol, he said he probably hadn't eaten that many carrots in the last 5 YEARS.

These carrots are so good. They have heat, yet they also have a touch of sweet from roasting in coconut oil. It's a very nice combination.

I peeled half the 5 lb bag of carrots.

 I rubbed them with coconut oil and spread them out on a baking pan. 

I sprinkled them with:

sea salt

black pepper

chipotle chili powder ( a lot)

I roasted them in a 425 degree oven for 30 minutes. 

Kill Cliff Lemon Lime Popsicles

As soon as I drank my first Lemon Lime Kill Cliff (can't wait to see what they name this one!) I started planning popsicles. I make popsicles with the other two flavors and this new one is no exception.  You can see in the photograph that Mikko is enjoying the new flavor as Cassie helps out. Ger's got one in his hand while he's posting tomorrow's WOD - it's just out of the picture.

I love my new Zoku popsicle set. It's BPA and phthalate free. You can find lots of different ones on amazon.com.
First, I poured a Lemon Lime Kill Cliff (killcliff.com) into a small mixing bowl. This lets some of the carbonation fizz off. Carbonated liquids may need a little more room to expand as they freeze, so keep this in mind. I drank another one while I worked.....

In the food processor I put:
1/2 of a ripe organic banana
1 TBSP coconut cream concentrate (I love tropicaltraditions.com but you can use any coconut butter)
2 tsp fresh lime juice
a little lime zest
(1 tsp honey - optional - we don't use it but some people might want it...)

I poured just a little of the Kill Cliff into the food processor and blended for a few seconds.
Then, I poured this mixture into the bowl with the rest of the Kill Cliff and stirred.

I filled the popsicle molds and set them into the freezer for 6 hours.

Paleo Skillet Grilled Onions

I could just chop onions and cook them in coconut oil until tender and translucent and call it a day, but I like to kick it up a little more than that. These are so good on grass fed burgers or banger sausages or thrown into any number of amazing meals. Let me know what you like to do with them.

I chopped a white onion and a small red onion. I put it in a skillet along with:
 2 TBSP coconut oil
1/2 tsp smoked sea salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp thyme
freshly ground pepper, to taste

I stirred them often on medium heat and when they were done, about 10 minutes later, I splashed them with a tiny bit of balsamic vinegar.

You should probably eat more onions - they are extremely good for you.

Green Beans with Ham

You know the food is good when your loved ones eat right out of the stockpot.  These green beans are delicious - just ask Coach Cassie, or Coach Ger.
Green beans aren't bad for your gut like dried legumes are - there are blog posts all over the place that explain both sides, but we all tolerate green beans just fine and we love them, so we eat them. Do you?

I placed a ham steak (about the size of a plate and maybe 3/4 inch thick) into the stock pot. I didn't cut it up or cut out the bone. I knew the meat would break up when stirred up later, and Mikko would appreciate that bone.

I added:
1 clove garlic, minced (or 1 TBSP garlicgold.com nuggets if I don't have fresh garlic in the house)
1/2 onion, diced
1  1/2 to 2 lbs green beans
1/2 red pepper, diced (optional and just for color)
2 cups water
1/2 tsp smoked sea salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste

I put a lid on them and cooked them on low, all day, stirring now and then. I think I added a little water once.......  
They are best if cooked long and low, but can be hurried if you watch them.

Paleo Soup with Sausage and Ground Chicken

I also call this "Welcome Home Ger Sasser Soup."  Ger and Cass are home from Sarasota and I knew they'd need to start eating cleaner than you can on vacation. You should see the size of the bowl he is eating this soup out of right now.....

I got out a skillet and a stock pot and put them both on the stove.
I cooked 1 lb of sausage and 1 lb of ground chicken in the skillet.

Meanwhile I put the following ingredients into the stock pot and got them cooking:
1 container of organic chicken broth
10 carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 small head of red cabbage, chopped (I cut 4 sections off and left the center for the compost heap - sometimes it's bitter)
1 small zucchini, diced
2 cans organic diced tomatoes (or if you are as fortunate as I was, you can use canned tomatoes from your mom's hard work last summer - I love when she sends me home with some!)
1 cup water
1 tsp smoked paprika
1-2 tsp sea salt (if your tomatoes have salt, you won't need much more)
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 heaping TBSP coconut cream concentrate (coconut butter - optional, but this gives it a thickness and deepens all the flavors!)

I put a lid on the stock pot and let that cook until the carrots were tender. Then, I added the cooked sausage and ground chicken and let it simmer for 10 minutes.

We sprinkle pine nuts on the top of each bowlful. It really adds something special to this meal.

YUM!

Smoked Sausage Skillet

Smoked sausage is easy and fast, and sometimes I crave it, but you really need to read the ingredients and try to buy the ones with the least amount of fillers, preservatives, grain, or sugar.

I threw the following ingredients into a big skillet on medium heat and let it cook as I chopped the next ingredients:

1/4 cup organic chicken stock (or water)
2 TBSP bacon grease ( or coconut oil)
1 bunch broccoli
1/4 head of cabbage, cut into long strips
1 red pepper
15 stalks of asparagus, with the tough ends broken off and discarded
1 tsp honey
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp Valencia Orange Peel (optional spice)
sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Basil POM Salad Dressing

Salads can be so nutrient-packed, especially if you watch out for what's in your salad dressing.  It's easy to make up a delicious one while you make the salad - here's another one that really hits the spot.

I mixed the following ingredients in a small bowl:

1/3 cup POM Wonderful Juice
1/3 cup olive oil (If you want it nice and garlic-y, use Garlic Gold Oil fromgarlicgold.com)
3 TBSP balsamic vinegar
2 TBSP real maple syrup
2 tsp spicy brown mustard
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme

You can pour it right on your salad from the bowl, or you can put it in a nice salad dressing bottle like the one in the photo. Delicious!

Ger and Cass are enjoying a much-needed "traincation" in Sarasota, Fla this week. This is my favorite photo of them today - they just got to see Ger, on the left, in the TEN Institute ad in The Box magazine.