I beat the system! Paleo Cookies!

I must disclaim first that due to the Paleo challenge Ive been partaking in, Im at the point where the sweet tooth cravings are few and far in between and an apple tastes über sweet...being that said...here is a recipe for a sweet potato cookie I concocted.

Peel 2 sweet potatoes and finely grate them

Mix in 2 eggs
Add a heavy dash of cinnamon and nut meg
Another dash of almond extract

Mix well, scoop into patties, flatten them out on the cookie sheet

I lined my cookie sheet with parchment paper...helps take out the excess moisture

Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes

Zach and I discussed potential improvement opportunities and we thought some orange zest would go lovely! Or even finely shred up some apple.

Enjoy!!!

Prep Yo Self Before Yo Wreck Yo Self

So, I have found that this whole Paleo thing is a complete piece of cake (sugar free naturally), if you prepare a head of time and don't allow yourself to be left with out food readily available...at all times!

Here are a few things that I have been doing to keep myself on track:

1. Take Romaine Lettuce and cut it up, put it inside a zip lock bag with a wet paper towel and it will keep the lettuce nice and fresh for an extended period of time.  Then you can grab the lettuce as you need, whether it be to pack a salad, eat a quick snack or make a quick dinner.

2. Buy a lunch box equipped with frost packs to keep your food fresh.  Having a hard time deciding which one to buy?  Ask yourself one simple question when out shopping, "would a construction worker rock this thing?"  If the answer is, "yes", you have found the one.

3. Make sure you have a sufficient stack of tupperware containers (sorry hippies...plastic is our friend).

4.  Grocery shop on a routine schedule so you aren't left with out fresh food at home.  Trust me, you do not want to be with out bacon for one second during this whole Paleo thing.  Especially if you have a male partner in your life who has also gone Paleo with you.  I made that mistake ONCE and it nearly resulted in me changing my Facebook status to "it's complicated".

5.  Cook in LARGE Portions and LOVE left overs - food ALWAYS taste better the next day (WHY AM I YELLING!?!?!?).

6. Peel your veggies ahead of time and put them in zip lock bags or tupperware containers so you can grab and go.  I'm a huge fan of the apple slicer thingy - this is weird, but I'm more likely to scarf down an apple when it's sliced perfectly in those yummy little wedges.  (don't buy the pre-sliced ones for goodness sake, they coat that crap in acid to prevent them from turning brown...that's gross!  You mine as well just poor acid poison down your throat).

7.  Keep an emergency stash of almonds or cashews in your desk drawer or wherever you work to bust out in case of an emergency. 

8.  If you know you cook with certain ingredients all the time, like onions, garlic etc, dice it up a head of time and keep in tupper ware containers.  My mom always kept fresh diced garlic in the freezer to have readily available when she needed it.  You can actually do the same with parsley.

9.  BE CREATIVE!  Sick of eating chicken, broccoli and yams?  Don't be scared to be creative, think of the foods that you absolutely LOVE to eat, cut out the ingredients in them that you can't have and replace them with ingredients that you CAN have.

10.  Check this awesome blog frequently for other recipe iDias.  :-)

Paleo Stuffed Mushrooms

Ok, finally got to sit down in front of a functioning computer.  Try these yummmmm-ooo Paleo friendly stuffed Portabella mushrooms...

(Warning - I'm part Italian and don't follow instructions well, so my measurements are approximate and in the form of "dash", "pinch", "handful" etc...you get the point...use your imagination.  Cooking is all about improvisation, right??)

6 Portabella Mushroom caps (wipe clean with wet paper towel)
1 Pyrex dish, drizzle olive oil

Place 6 Portabella caps (remove the stem/stub thingy) inside the Pyrex dish

Prep your stuffing in a separate bowl:

1.5 cups raw ground beef (80%/20% - we like our FAT!)
3 hot Italian sausage links squeezed out of casings
1 egg
a good handful of parsley (fresh parsley is best!)
a dash of cumin
a dash of sea salt
a dash of thyme
a dash of ground mustard
1 diced up shallot
1-2 cloves diced garlic
1/4 diced up eggplant

Feel free to add spinach or kale to the stuffing for a little extra suttin'-suttin'

Mix the stuffing with your hands till binded, then scoop individual patties for each mushroom.

Bake for 30-35 minutes at 375 degrees

Manja!  Enjoy!

Full of Great iDias!

Hello Fellow Paleo health nuts! Welcome to my new blog. Your probably trying to figure out how to pronounce my blogs name. My last name is Dias, pronounced, Dee-aaas...get it now? Paleo iDias...ideas...get it? Clever, I know! You are impressed and will undoubtedly frequent visit this awesome blog for Paleo recipe and prep ideas. I'm also currently doing crossfit and a 6 week paleo challenge. Before/after pics and lots of other great bathroom reading material to follow shortly! Enjoy!