I think it’s really important to learn how to cook. We should all know how to prepare basic meals that can feed us and the ones we love. I good recipe will provide you with the instruction you need to put something yummy on the table. Many people ask me where I find my recipes. Most of the time I don’t have a good answer because I don’t really use recipes. I mostly use Google, Pinterest, or the few cookbooks I own to gain inspiration for something I am wanting to eat.

This week I was in the mood for comfort food. Chicken parm! I knew that this dish would be more labor intensive than others, so I must warn you about that. I had a good 2 hours on my hands, which is rare, but was plenty of time to prepare this meal. The ingredients aren’t complicated, it’s really just the chicken that takes time. I usually do not document the ingredients or process, but I did it this time. The finished product was too damn good to not share. I apologize for the lack of photos. I was too busy eating. If you have questions, please ask!

It’s getting to be that time of year. As much as I love summer and all the fun times it brings, it feels good to bust out the boots, jeans, and sweaters. If I had a dollar for every time I heard about pumpkin-this or pumpkin-spice-that this week, I would be able to afford some new Lulu! It seems that pumpkin spice is the hashtag of the week…#pumpkinspice. Fall is certainly in the air; the leaves are tired; and I am cold in the morning.

I found a recipe for a pumpkin spice latte on Pinterest and adapted it based on ingredients I had. You could always buy one of these treats from Starbucks or Dunkins, but I assure you, if you eat clean/Paleo you will not feel good after you drink one of those dairy/sugar bombs. This recipe is actually fairly nutritious and gives you the caffeine that you crave (if you’re like me). It will also keep your bank account full.

Pumpkin Spice Latte
Ingredients:
1. Approx. 1 cup of strong coffee of espresso.
2. 1 tablespoon canned pumpkin (not pumpkin-pie filling)
3. 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
4. 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
5. 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
6. 1/2 cup coconut milk or almond milk (I’m a fan of unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
7. Sweetener of choice (optional). (I like 1 tsp. maple syrup)

Method:
1. Brew coffee. I double brew so it’s strong. 
2. Heat coconut or almond milk in the microwave so it doesn’t cool the coffee too much.
3. Add both liquids into blender or Ninja.
4. Add all other ingredients.
5. Blend and serve. 

How long does it take you to cook dinner? An hour; half hour; 2 hours; all day? Is cooking a barrier to eating healthy food? When I host nutrition talks one theme that always emerges is the amount of time it takes to eat healthy. Additionally, it seems that being prepared and having healthy foods on hand is one of the keys to success. So how do we prepare ourselves, cook quick meals, but still stay on track? 

Thursday Night Fish and Veggies
Fish is super easy to prepare, tastes delicious, and is a great source of protein. I don’t know why more people don’t eat fish more often. It literally takes 12 minutes or less to cook. On Thursday nights Jameson and I make dinner together. It’s usually fish. We don’t usually get out of the gym until about 7:30, sometimes 8, so spending an hour cooking after that doesn’t seem like much fun. One night we were talking about how the meal we were eating was so quick and easy to make, but still so delicious and “paleo-approved”. 

Here’s what was on the menu last week:
During the day I had some time to prepare a quick mango avocado salsa and brought it with me. Jameson picked up some fresh wild-caught swordfish steaks, some zucchini and summer squash.

I chopped the zucchini and squash, tossed it all in a big saute pan with olive oil, salt and pepper. Sauteed the veggies until they were cooked, but still a bit crunchy, probably about 10 minutes.

While that was happening the fish was on the grill pan. The “grillmaster” concluded that 3-3-2-2 would be the perfect amount of cooking time for the 1.5 inch steaks. Flip after 3 minutes, cook the other side for 3 minutes, then flip again for another 2 minutes of cooking per side. Perfect grill marks and all! If you don’t have a grill pan or a grill, swordfish cooks up easily in the oven; 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until cooked through.

By the time the fish is cooked through, the veggies should be done. Top the fish with mango avocado salsa and serve the veggies on the side.

Quick Sweet Potatoes
CrossFitters need sweet potatoes. My day is not complete without them. Do yourself a favor and always have them ready. But if you need them in a pinch here’s the easiest way. Peel them and slice them into rounds. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and toss those bad boys on there with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake them for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees. They will be soft. You can eat them that way or mash them up. Add some cinnamon for a delicious twist.

I guess the main point of this post is to give you hope. Cooking awesome, healthy, nutritious meals can be done with limited time. It does require some planning and a trip or two to the grocery store. Make a list each week of the things you enjoy eating and need. Once you get in the routine you should be all set. Commit to your health and eating well, you know what you need to do. 

Please be on the lookout for a Crock-pot recipe coming soon!

I can vividly remember huge pasta dinners. My Mom would make her famous sauce and let it simmer on the stove all day. We’d have pasta and meatballs and sometimes breaded chicken cutlets. I loved the chicken with the pasta and sauce and cheese all over it. “Loved” is the key word here. Since going Paleo I don’t eat most of the above-listed items, but have worked to recreate this home-cooked comfort food to align with the way I eat now. I must admit, I really don’t miss the old way.

Carbohydrates (carbs) are always a great subject to talk about. They have been a hot-button word in the diet/health/fitness industry for quite a while now. No carb? Low carb? Tons-O-Carb? What to do, what to do? As human being we need them for energy. Especially those of us who are very active. Paleo lifestyle proponents agree that we all need carbs, just in different doses. For instance, because of my high activity level and my performance goals in the gym, 40-60% of what I eat daily is carbohydrate. I have learned that I am not a happy camper when I eat too few carbs. Conversely  a person who has a seated desk job and is physically inactive needs way less carbs than I do. In this post I would like to introduce you to my favorite carb sources and how I prepare them. And no, I will not be discussing bread and pasta (barf). Paleo peeps get their carbs from vegetables and fruit, and we feel damn good about it!

Carb Source #1 | Sweet Potato
Sweet potato is super cheap. I bought three today at Hannaford for 2.48 or $0.79/lb. I eat one medium sized SP every day, so that roughly $0.83 per day. These little babies are packed with nutrition: vitamins A, C, E, and B6, potassium, manganese, magnesium, and iron. For one cup of mashed sweet potato I get 58 grams or dense starchy carbs to fill my muscles after a tough WOD, keep my belly feeling good, and to keep my energy humming throughout the day. Sometimes I eat the whole sweet potato after my WOD, or I eat most of it then and save the rest for the next morning to eat with my two eggs before my WOD.

My favorite way to prepare SP is:
1. Peel them (always peel potatoes)
2. Slice them up with a mandolin food slicer
3. Place them in a single layer on a lined baking sheet
4. Coat them with olive oil
5. Sprinkle them with a pinch of salt
6. Bake for around 20 minutes at 400 degrees

Carb Source #2 | Acorn Squash
I never ate a lot of squash before I went Paleo. I never ate any acorn squash (that I can remember) before last month. It is now my new favorite. Squash are also relatively cheap, especially this time of year. If you can find them at a roadside farm stand I’m sure you can get a better deal, but I bought one at the market today for $1.49. For one cup of cubed squash, I get 15 grams of dense carbs. So if you have a small acorn squash, that’s probably about half of the squash.

My favorite way to prepare Acorn Squash:
1. Chop the ends off (use a sharp chef’s knife, be careful)
2. Cut in half length-wise
3. Drizzle with olive oil
4. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder
5. Bake cut-side down (skin-up) on lined baking sheet for ~45 min at 400 degrees

Carb Source #3 | Cauliflower
It’s no wonder that cauliflower is a dieter’s dream food. You could eat an entire large head of the stuff for 210 calories, 45 grams of carbs, and 17 grams of protein. I am in no way saying that I am on a diet, but clearly I am conscious of what I use to fuel my body. Maybe I should have said “a paleo-lifestlye enthusiast’s dream food”. When cauliflower is cooked and becomes slightly caramelized it is sweet and delicious. I can easily eat the whole head all at once, but usually I portion it out so I don’t feel like a bloated stuffed turkey. For instance, if I prepare a head of cauliflower using the method below and I eat 1/4 of the dish, I can assume that I’ve eaten around 12 grams of carbs. Not a lot. But, for someone watching their carb intake, it’s a great food because it’s filling, nutritious, and tastes awesome.

My favorite way to prepare Cauliflower:
1. Chop if up in a food processor so it is the consistency of rice. I use the entire head.
2. Put in a large mixing bowl. Mix in 1/4 cup canned coconut milk, 1 egg, minced garlic, salt and pepper, 1/4 cup olive oil.
3. At this point you could bake it like this. Add to 9×9 inch greased baking dish.
4. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees until golden on top.
5. For more fun and flavor add 1) Sun-dried tomatoes, basil, parsley or 2) Lime juice, cilantro, cayenne pepper. Be creative – think up your own variations depending on what you’re serving and what you like!

Let me introduce you to one of my favorite go-to recipes, as Kyle and I dubbed it, “Epic Mealtime”. It needed a name that accurately captured its amazing flavor and level of satisfaction I would feel after eating it. Hence, EPIC! It is ground pork, bacon, apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt & pepper. It’s amazing and versatile; you can add raisins, walnuts, sweet potato; you can omit the bacon; whatever – go crazy! Any way you make it, it’s so yummy for breakfast, lunch or dinner.