Paleo/Whole30 Marinade (Stir-fry Recipe)

I got a little creative in the kitchen again on Sunday.  I didn't do as well planning my menu and shopping list last week as I normally do.  Since we'll be out of town this weekend, I had to buy enough meat for 2 weeks (I buy my meat on Saturday mornings at the farmers market).  I couldn't seem to find the time to make a menu for one week, let alone two!  So... I just ordered a bunch of random stuff from the farmer and created a menu for this week using what I had.  

I bought some minutes steaks because they came in a package deal and I decided they would be great for stir fry (easy!).  I wanted to make a good flavorful stir fry and I had just scored this little gem at Vitamin Shoppe:

Marinade needs to include some oil (for moisture), an acid (to tenderize) and, of course flavor!

Ingredients

1Tbsp Avocado Oil (olive oil would probably work fine)

1tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2tsp Pink Himalayan Sea Salt (any sea salt would probably be fine here)

1tsp Coconut Aminos

1/4tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (more if you like it HOT!)

1/2tsp White Pepper (I think black pepper would be ok)

1 Garlic Clove minced

1 package of Minute Steaks (mine was just under 1lb)

Directions

Cut minute steak up into bite sized chunks and place in a glass or ceramic container that has a lid.  Mix all other ingredients together in a glass bowl and pour over the meat.  Toss and mix the meat to coat it in the marinade really well.  

Cover and place the marinaded meat in the fridge for 2-24 hours (I left it in there for about 3 hours).  In the meantime, you can chop your stir-fry veggies if needed.  I used a combination of fresh veggies and a bag of frozen.  When you're ready to cook the stir-fry, heat your wok to medium-high heat and add a little oil (any fat of choice) to the pan.  Then throw the marinaded meat in there and continue to stir it while it cooks.  When the meat is almost cooked through, remove it from the pan using a slotted spoon (it will continue to cook a little after it's removed and you'll also be putting it back in the pan at the end, so it can be medium-rare here).  Now put your veggies in the hot pan with the fat that's left from cooking the meat.  Continue to stir-fry the veggies until they are done (I like mine tender-crisp).  Then add the meat back in and toss it all around in the pan for a minute.  Serve immediately or portion out for future lunches and dinners for the week.

Crockpot Pork Roast

Hi everyone!  I hope all of my mommy friends had a great Mother's Day weekend!  I got to spend the entire day Saturday with my husband, so that was awesome! Sundays are always my prep/cook days and yesterday was no different.  I had a 2.25lb pork shoulder roast in the freezer that I wanted to use.  I googled "crockpot pork recipes" to get some inspiration.  This recipe from Cooks.com was my main inspiration.  Obviously, I wasn't going to use onion soup mix and I had already decided that I wanted to put onions & carrots in with it, so here's my version:

Ingredients

2-3lb Pork Shoulder Roast (grass-fed, organic, free-range is best)

10-15 Carrots (I used fresh ones from the farmers market that were a little small, so I used 15)

1 Onion, quartered

3 Cloves of Garlic, peeled

Salt & Pepper

1 tsp Caraway Seeds

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp Onion Powder

1 cup Broth (any broth will work.  I used homemade bone broth)

Directions

Peel and cut carrots.  I left them pretty much whole so that they wouldn't get too mushy.  Peel and quarter your onion and peel your garlic cloves.  Throw all this in the bottom of your crockpot.  Salt & pepper your roast on all sides and then place on top of veggies.  Next sprinkle on the caraway seed, garlic powder and onion powder.  Last, pour a cup of broth (or water) in the bottom of the crockpot.  Turn that sucker on low for about 2 hours and then crank it up to high for about 6 more.  Or, if you won't be home, high for 6-8 hours should be fine too.  I like my meat to fall apart.  

This roast turned out well.  It had plenty of flavor and the caraway wasn't too overwhelming.  My carrots weren't mushy and the onions were a nice addition.  

...so this is ketosis?

Image courtesy of tumbler
http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/jungle%20cat?before=23

Hi everyone!  I'm wrapping up my fourth week of my fourth whole30!!!  Holy cow! As I mentioned previously, I changed this one up to limit carbs (very little fruit and no sweet taters).  I've been trying to stay under 50g of carbs most days.  I've had about 5 days that were over 50g.  In the first weeks I was pretty sure this wasn't working for me and that I would do better with some sweet potatoes in my life, but I am committed to at least the 30 days.  This week, I feel like a freaking animal!  I normally go to bed around 9pm and sleep until 5:30.  All week, I've been up late (11:00-11:30) and most days I've gotten up early.  Today I got up at 5:00 and went to CrossFit.  Then proceeded to go to my "other gym" and run sprints on the treadmill!  And I'm still feeling like I could do more, more, more!!!!  (Hating that I have a desk job at the moment!).

RAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

I've been tracking my intake on My Fitness Pal, if you'd like to check it out, my user name is SnicciFit.  I will publish my data here after this week is over.  I'm thinking I may keep up the very low carb stuff with one "carb load" day per week.  Also, Hubs and I have decided to keep this whole30 going until we leave for our vacation.  That will make it a Whole39.  

Ranch Buffalo Chicken Spinach Salad

I had a sudden burst of creativity last night and created a new dish.  It's really a combination of parts some of my other favorite dishes that I put together.  It turned out really well.  I call it Ranch Buffalo Chicken Spinach Salad.

Ingredients

3-4 Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts (I had about half a bag left which is apprx. 24oz)

Ranch Seasoning (I didn't measure, but I'm guessing I used about 2 TBSP)

3 TBSP of Butter (or ghee)

1/2 Cup Frank's Red Hot Original Sauce

Directions

If you don't already have a jar of this amazing homemade ranch seasoning by Living Low Carb One Day at a Time, you should totally make a big batch of it first!  I use it quite often.  It's delicious.  My favorite recipe is these Buffalo Chicken Meatballs.

Next, you need to cut your chicken up into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle that ranch seasoning all over it.  Put about 3T of butter (or ghee) in a large skillet and heat on medium heat.  Add the chicken pieces to the pan and toss to coat in the butter.  Cook until the chicken is just cooked through.  There will be a lot of buttery liquid in the pan, like this: 

Now turn the heat down a little (med-low) and add a 1/2 cup of Frank's Red Hot** to the pan.  Let it come to a simmer and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes.  The chicken will become more tender and the flavors will blend well.  I then took some fresh raw spinach and filled a plate up with it.  I topped it with about half of the chicken mixture (being sure to include some of that juice) and a few dollops of my homemade paleo ranch dressing.

**Note: be sure to check the labels on whatever hot sauce you decide to use.  The Franks Red Hot Original is Whole30 compliant, but the Franks Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce is not :(