Paleo Pulled Brisket with Onions and Green Beans (crock pot style)

Easiest Paleo recipe yet!  Just throw a few ingredients into the crock pot in the morning and prepare for an amazing, hassle free dinner!  Here is what you need (serves 2):

• 1 lb lean steak of your choice (I used sirloin)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 4 cups fresh green beans
• 2 tbsp liquid smoke seasoning
• 2 tbsp chicken stock
• 1 tbsp fresh garlic 
• Salt and pepper to taste

Add the chopped onions to the bottom of the crock pot.  Place the meat on top of the onions and then the green beans on top of the meat.

Cook on low heat for 7 hours or high heat for 4.  When it has been cooked, pull apart the meat and enjoy!

Paleo Tuna Salad with Chipotle Carrot Fries

This is a great Paleo lunch or dinner idea.  Filled with only veggies and protein, it's an ideal meal!

Salad

• 1 can light tuna
• 1 cup chopped broccoli
• 1 small chopped tomato 
• 1/2 avocado
• 1/8 cup chopped onions
• 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard 
• balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar   

Fries 

• 1 small bag of whole raw carrots 
• extra virgin olive oil
• Chipotle seasoning 
• Salt and Pepper to taste 

Pre heat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Chop the carrots to look like french fries and mix in the olive oil and seasonings until completely covered.  Bake for 30 min. or until crispy.

For the tuna salad, mix all ingredients into a bowl and stir well adding the vinegar and Dijon for dressing.

Paleo Pumpkin Cookies

My mom came over for her Birthday during my Paleo challenge so I made a special dessert for everyone!  Here is the recipe for Paleo Pumpkin Cookies:

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 pureed banana 
• 1/4 cup coconut or almond flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vinilla
• 1tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking powder 
• 2 tbsp almond butter 
• 2 tbsp green pumpkin seeds
• Dark chocolate chips (optional)
• Raw Honey (optional for more sweetness)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-slip baking mat.
2. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Drop by spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.

Enjoy the paleo cookies!  Mine tasted kind of like pumpkin chocolate chip banana bread which I am ok with!

Paleo Turkey Bacon with Eggs

It took me a while to get used to having breakfast with no grains!  Now it seems completely normal to cook up some eggs each morning!  Here is the recipe for today's breakfast treat.  Happy Monday!

• 3 slices fresh deli turkey cut into strips
• 1 tsp coconut oil 
• 3 organic eggs
• Splash of coconut milk
• Salt and Pepper to taste 
• 1 banana

Put the coconut oil in a pan and heat it up over medium. Once melted, lay the strips of turkey meat onto the pan and cook until crispy (like bacon).

In a bowl, combine the eggs, coconut milk, and seasonings.  Scramble over medium heat until cooked to your liking. 

Serve with a banana and enjoy your protein paleo breakfast!

Paleo Challenge!

My crossfit team recently had a challenge to go Paleo for 30 days.  I have heard good and bad about this diet but after a month, I am now a true believer!  I have never felt healthier and although the challenge is over, I have decided to continue on with the Paleo life style.  If you want to read more about Paleo I would go to this website. It helped me get started!

http://ultimatepaleoguide.com/paleo-diet-food-list/

From now on, my blog will be mainly Paleo food recipes.  I thought I would start out with my very first Paleo snack I prepared.  I like to call them Paleo Engery Balls.

The reason I made these was because I was leaving town one weekend to mountain bike in Moab and figured there wasn't going to be a lot of Paleo options for snacking.  I am so glad I brought these, they gave me all day energy and tasted AMAZING!  Here is the recipe:

Almonds
Pumpkin seeds (the little green ones)
Unsweetwened shredded coconut
Almond Butter
Dried Dates
Dried Blueberries
Coco Powder
Cinnamon

Now here is the fun part...there really isn't a recipe for this in terms of portions.  I just add a little of everything into the food processor until it sticks together well enough to shape into balls.  You can experiment with the flavors you like.  If it isn't sticking well enough, use more almond butter or dates, simple as that!  Have fun with it and enjoy!

Low Calorie Spaghetti Squash smothered in Cheesy Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

Do you love Olive Garden's Alfredo?  Who doesn't!  Well... I found out it has 1140 calories for the dish.  That is when I decided to go for a healthy version that still tasted great but also would help me stay thin and even lose weight.  Here is the recipe for Low Calorie Spaghetti Squash smothered in Cheesy Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce.  That's right...no butter, no oil, no cream, just good ol' fashion healthy ingredients!

So once you have your Squash, cut it length wise with a sharp knife.  Preheat your oven to 360 F and place both halves down on a baking sheet cooking for around 35 minutes or until tender.

While the squash cooks, start to prepare the Alfredo sauce:

• 1 small head of cauliflower
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup non fat milk
• 1 oz (2 Tbsp) plain Greek Yogurt
• 2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese or low fat mozzarella
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• I sometimes add Dijon mustard and lemon juice to taste

Put all ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil, then cover and simmer 15 minutes. Beat all of the ingredients with either a food processor or regular blender until smooth.  Set this aside. 

Once the squash is cooked, use a fork to pull out the middle. It will look just like pasta!


 I usually poor the sauce over the squash and add a little extra cheese on top and place it back into the oven for 5 minutes or until melted.  Blue Cheese is also amazingly good as well!

Be adventurous and add chicken or fresh veggies to this dish!  Enjoy!

Matcha weight loss clense smoothie recipe

I had the great opportunity to work a Sales party for Unicity and was more than happy to sample some of their Matcha products.  So I have never heard of Matcha so I did some research.  Here is a quick run down of what I found:

In summary, the word thermogenesis literally means heat generation. Matcha Green tea increases thermogenesis in the body, becoming a potent appetite suppressant and increasing fat oxidation. This in turn helps the body to use fat as an energy source. This means the body is preferentially burning fat over protein.

Due to the potency and additional health-promoting properties of Matcha green tea, it is the perfect addition to any weight loss diet or program. Shed pounds in a healthy and effective way! 

http://gotmatcha.com/matcha_weight_loss.html

It's always hard to tell what product will work but I thought why not!  I'm getting married in a week and I could always try a new cleanse, not to mention the insane amount of vitamins is has packed in!

I have been making this Matcha smoothie once or twice a day in the morning or before meals.  I must say it has greatly decreased my appetite which is saying something because I LOVE to eat :)  Here is the recipe:

1 serving Matcha mix
1/4 cup almond milk
1 small frozen banana
1 cup cold water
Chia seeds of flax seed (optional)

I have a Ninja blender so I just blend it all together!  Yes it looks a bit green but it's very good!
This is day 4 of drinking Matcha and I have felt more slim and less water bloated.

I would give it a shot if you have the time, it's also great before the gym because it gives you that boost of energy as well.



Good luck and let me know what you think!