Paleo Flu Getting to You?

Anyone doing a Paleo diet challenge can tell you that the first couple weeks of the challenge can be quite unpleasant...mostly because your body is detoxing all the pseudo-crack (aka "sugar") out and just like any junkie detoxing, it's going to suck.  This is known as the "Paleo Flu".  I swear though, you fight through it and then one day you wake up and it's all better and you NEVER want to look back.

I found that during this detox period, a little increase in fruit intake initially really helped overcome the sugar withdrawal and then when my body was adjusted, I scaled back.

I'm more of a savory person, however I can appreciate a little dessert every once and a while.  Let's be real, there are only so many raw things you can eat.  I knew it was time to think outside the box on ways to get my fruit intake and satisfy those lurking cravings.

My recent experiment....

Apple Crisp

Line a pyrex dish with parchment paper, get your oven warmed up to 350

Make the crust:
1 cup unsweetened, finely grated, dehydrated coconut
1/2 cup finely grated pecans
1/2 cup finely grated walnuts
1/4 cup coconut flour (mostly to help bind ingredients)
5-6 tablespoons coconut oil (melted mixes better)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
a hearty dash of cinnamon
a small dash nutmeg  

Mix ingredients and evenly distribute into a nice flat layer in the parchment paper, lined pyrex dish.  Bake in the oven for 17-20 minutes until it starts to look like its becoming a light golden brown.

Prep the Apples:
(We found small, pre-season, slightly sour apples at Price Chopper, from Rulf's Orchard-they were perfect for this recipe)
Peel and dice up 6-8 apples (if small)

Toss apples with cinnamon, nutmeg and teaspoon vanilla extract, saute'  in a frying pan with coconut oil, just to soften the apples oh so slightly.

Place sauteed apples on top of crust and bake for another 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Now, it's not Grammy's apple pie by any means, but it sure is a good little substitute.

Enjoy!

Time to Fire Up the Ole' Blog!

Well ladies and gents'!  It's that time again...time for another 6 week Paleo challenge.  This means I should stop being a lasy ass and fire up the good ole' blog.  Let's be honest, I'm not in this challenge by myself and what better way to share recipes and helpful tips then by posting it on a blog for you all to enjoy.

So to get this party started, below are two simple recipes. (PS - I'm terrible at measuring stuff, so be creative, tweak the recipes to your liking and enjoy!)



Maria's new twist on a Paleo Stuffed Mushroom:

INGREDIENTS:
1 -Package of whole mushrooms - you could use white, portabella, whatever your little heart desires
1- red pepper
1 - yellow pepper
2-4 Shallots - depending on how much you love shallots.
2-3 Hot Italian Sausage Links (get the good stuff, squeeze the meat out of the casings or buy the loose sausage meat)
1 - package of ground beef (I found a good quality grass fed, ground beef at Price Chopper)
OPTIONAL - You could add diced up bacon if you want, I find the sausage has enough flavor, sometimes less is more...totally up to you!
Dash - Thyme
Dash - Sage
Dash - Onion Powder
1-Egg


WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THIS STUFF:

• In a frying pan, drop in some bacon fat and sautee' up the diced shallots and red/yellow peppers till carmelized.  Set aside and let it cool a bit.
• Prepare your mushrooms; clean them with a wet towel and pull out the stems so you are only left with the caps.
• In a seperate bowl, mix together with your hands, sausage, beef, seasonings, egg and cooled off sautee' mixture.
• Make mini sized meatballs to stuff the mushroom caps.
• I quickly sauteed the bottom of the mushrooms in a frying pan for a quick 5 minutes using bacon fat before I baked them in the oven.
• Lightly Coat your Pyrex dish with bacon fat or coconut oil before putting the mushrooms in.
• Bake them at 375 for 30-35 minutes then enjoy!

Momma D's (AKA My Momma) Roasted Eggplant Salad:

INGREDIENTS:
2-3 Eggplants
Olive Oil
Salt
Fresh Parsley
Garlic




WHAT TO DO NEXT:

• Slice up the eggplant longways in 3/4 inch-ish strips
• Lightly coat with olive oil and salt on both sides
• Either set on the grill or bake in the oven at 375 till golden brown
• In a frying pan on very very very low heat, dice up some garlic and let it slowly simmer in the Olive Oil - till the garlic is golden brown.
• Cut up the grilled or roasted eggplant to bite size, toss in the garlic infused, olive oil goodness, dice up the parsley, add more salt to taste, toss that sucker together and voila...easiest eggplant salad EVER and it's da bomb.com.

Hope this helps -- Sharing means caring! 

PS...this is Zach's Caveman Chicken and yeah...it's good stuff...

Coat the drumsticks in bacon fat, chilli powder, garlic powder, cumin, onion powder.

Bake on a foil lined cookie sheet at 350 for 1.5 hrs-ish

MA! The Meatloaf!

I just realized it has been a really long time since I posted a new recipe...or anything for that matter.  I guess life has gotten a little crazy lately.  However, not too crazy to keep eating clean and training hard.

My handsome, Ginger, AKA boyfriend, Zach makes some pretty awesome crockpot Chili and "Caveman Chicken", which I'll post those recipes one of these days.  Along with before and after pics - his abs are SICK!...sorry, I'll focus now.

Today, I bring you Paleo friendly Meat Loaf!

• 80%-20% ground beef
• 2 eggs
• Parsley - a hearty dash
• 1 small onion - diced
• 1/2 cup diced mushrooms
• 2-3 thick strips of bacon - diced
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• thyme
• red pepper flakes
• tomato paste
• 1 small can of tomato sauce

Bake for 45 minutes - 1 hour at 375 degrees.

Get your hands in there!  Mix it up!

Grease your Pyrex dish with bacon fat (yes, we keep a mason jar of left over bacon fat, don't judge!) Pour that mixture in and toss it in the oven!

Annnd....ENJOY!

Easy prep tip of the day:  Place whole sweet potatoes in the skin right on the oven rack and bake while cooking your meatloaf.  They pop right out of the skin and are great for packing lunch.  They are great to have on hand for the week!  Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes-ish.

Fran...We Salute You!

My hands on the other hand...not so much!

Yep, that's from doing pull ups

My hands feel like they are on fire...literally.

For you folks who do not do Cross Fit (which is silly by the way, you should!), there are these series of WOD's (Work Out of the Day) that are all named after fallen soldier's.  "Fran" happens to be one of these WOD's and was used as a benchmark workout for this whole Paleo Challenge that I participated in at the fabulous North Country Cross Fit gym I work out at.

Fran consists of 21 Thrusters (65lbs); 21 Pull Ups; 15 Thrusters (still 65lbs); 15 Pull Ups; 9 more Thrusters (yep, you guessed it, 65lbs) and finish with 9 Pull Ups. We did the "Fran" workout 6 weeks ago and then again today.  This helps us gauge just how much progress we have made over these past couple weeks.  I do not know my exact time from the first time I attempted this byotch, but I'm pretty sure I completed the workout somewhere around 13 minutes or so AND I used the Green and Blue assist bands to do my pull ups.  Today, 6 weeks later (and a whole dress size smaller, thank you very much bacon and all the other tasty carnivor-licious treats) I completed Fran in 10:50 and used the red band for all my pull ups.  The red band is the last skinny band you use before you are doing them on your own.  The blue is a little bit thicker and green is much thicker.  Thicker = more support and assist with your pull ups.  I'm so excited because I'm so close to reaching ONE of my goals, which is do a real pull-up...I can taste it!  Progress is a beautiful thing!

Just want to give a HUGE thank you to Meg Kriff and Ben Freiberg, the wonderful coaches at North Country Cross Fit, for sneaking weight on my bar and pushing me to limits that I would be too big of a pooncy to push myself to.

Although this whole Paleo challenge is over, I still plan on cooking and eating clean and will keep posting recipes and other fun random stories.  Stay tuned for before and after pictures...maybe...I haven't decided yet...or have I? (muahahahaha...that's what us Marketing Nerds call "the hook line and sinker" - you have no choice but to return to my blog).

Umbrigado!

Dias Girl

I Think I Insulted My 85 Year Old, Nonna

Everyone, meet Nonna...

Don't be fooled by her 4'5 stature or that cane she's holding...

For my American friends, "Nonna" is Sicilian for "grandma".  Nonna is turning 85 years old this month, has lived in the United States since she was in her 30's (I think? Maybe 40's, any who) and her English speaking skills are lacking.  Now, don't be fooled for one second!  She doesn't miss a beat and she sure as hell has one crazy poker face.  DO NOT LET NONNA FOOL YOU - SHE UNDERSTANDS EVERYTHING, and she is listening.

Side Note: So, my mom's side of the family is from Sicily and my dad is from Portugal - I like to say that my family is FOBulous..."Fresh Off the Boat...ulous".  The best way I can describe them; have you ever watched the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding?  You know the part where the dude is all, "I'm a Vegetarian" and the old Greek lady is all, "That's ok, I cook you lamb."  Yep, the Dias family in a nut shell.  So every year, my family bakes these stupid good, traditional Easter Pies.  They are ri-dic-ulous.  Seriously, your taste buds have never experienced anything like this before.  My mom prepares her own dough, all the various stuffing's and I'm the kitchen helper.  It's a big deal/tradition for our family every year.

So when I came home all, "yeah, I'm like on this Paleo diet challenge and have one more week to go" they are all like, "oh you can't even have butter in your yams???? WHAT KIND OF $^#$@^#$#&* diet is this!?!?!"  Momma D was not impressed at all!  And pretty certain Nonna was not only offended that I didn't touch the traditional Easter pies, but disgusted.  So with that I bring you images of the greatest challenge I have ever faced in my entire life! Ok, that was dramatic, just during this whole 6 week Paleo food challenge...resisting the traditional Easter Pies...

I must warn you, the following images are Rated R...for Ridiculously good looking!  The following images are NOT Paleo..I repeat they are NOT Paleo friendly!

Momma D preparing the dough the Friday evening before the big day

This is called Pizzagaina - it's filled with all sorts of cheese and Italian meats

The final products - veal pies, chicken pies, calamari, spinach....alllll filled with non Paleo friendly items..ughh the torture!

And...more yummy goodness.

Don't be alarmed guys - I have my freezer fully stocked with a sample of all my favorite pies and fully intend on embracing every last morsel next week when this challenge is over.

Then, I'll gladly go right back to my clean eating habits - it is ALLLLL worth it!

What has been your biggest challenge lately?

Go! Fight! Win!

xoxo

Why does eating bacon every day offend you?

Naturally, that is a rhetorical question.  I am kinda taken back by all the questionably negative feedback, questioning of this diet, snarly looks when I'm eating, eager friends and family wanting to know when this challenge ends so I can drink with them again, etc etc etc. I'm not offended by it by any means and completely understand where the skepticism is coming from (safe to say I too was a skeptic until a couple weeks ago), I guess I just wasn't fully prepared for all the "care and concern".

I've had conversations with people who were truly deeply offended that my fruit intake is limited to apples at this point, or that I eat 2-3 cups of sautéed broccoli, asparagus and mushrooms as a side dish to my breakfast, which consists usually of 3 eggs, 3 pieces of bacon, 1/2 an avocado and sometimes a little bit of sweet potato hash (I'll fill you in on that recipe too...nom! nom!).  And I get it!  I mean sometimes I look at my plate and question how I'm going to pack it all in...and then some how the whole plate disappears and I'm ready for a snack in 2-3 hours.  I'm not starving my self by any means, people!  This is the best I've ever eaten as a matter of fact.  I eat intuitively - when I want and till I'm satisfied.  I eat whole, nutritious meals and do not skip any.  When I grocery shop, those "expensive" cuts of meat that I used to skip out on buying, now I buy.  Know why?  Because I'm not spending my money on all the crappy boxed stuff sitting in the aisles.

I understand this is not for everyone and we all question or doubt what is unknown to us.  I never expected to feel as good or as strong as I have these past couple weeks.  So to answer the question, when is this diet challenge over.  I think it's safe to say it's not a challenge or fad diet with an expiration date, but a lifestyle choice.

I distinctly recall putting it out there, to the "universe" that I want to take my health and wellness to a whole new level and that's exactly what I am doing. 

What changes are you making to improve your health and wellness?

Cheers to bacon! Hooorah!

Poor Man's Sicilian Pale-izza

Now I know what you are thinking...some Sicilian out there is reading this post in pure disgust.  How can you take such an Italian staple and just annihilate it!?!?  I get it! Really, I do, but having the energy to work out and working towards a lean, sculpted body is simply worth it.

So with that...I bring you...(drum roll please....)  a Paleo approved PIZZA!

Ok, so sorry I only have a picture of the final product - one day I'll improve on my photography skills and take pictures of steps along the way.

So for now, be creative, use your imagination.

For the crust:

• 1-2 Yams (FINELY GRATE them so it's like a pulp-you can use a food processer or kick it old school with the hand held cheese grater)

Add:

• 2 eggs
• a dash of sea salt
• dash of oregano
• dash of thyme
• a good dash of garlic and onion powder

Mix with your hands (don't be a sally, roll up your sleeves and get in there!)

Prepare your cookie sheet with parchment paper, set your oven to 375 degrees

Make your pizza crust patties and lay them out on the parchment paper lined cookie sheet - flatten/thin them out to your desired thickness.

Toss them in the oven for 35-40 minutes.  You may want to flip them over 25-30 minutes in.  Cooking time will vary depending on how thick you make your crust.

For the Tomato Sauce:

Dice up 2-3 tomatoes
Dice up 1 onion

Coat your medium sized pot with olive oil and toss in the onions till browned.
When onions are nice and carmelized, toss in diced tomatoes

add a good heaping tablespoon of tomato paste
1/4 -1/2 cup water
a good dash of basil
good dash of oregano
sea salt sprinkle

let sauce stew on low to medium heat

For the Meat Topping:

Ground Beef
Italian Sausage
Bacon (why not?  It makes everything better!)
Shallot

Fry up 1-2 slices of bacon, carmelize your shallot, toss in your meats and let them brown up good - VOILA meat topping DONE.

Once the crust and sauce is done, assemble your Paleo-izza and STUFF YO FACE!...Uh, I mean, Manja!

Thanks for reading my awesome blog!  Hope you feel inspired :-)