Crockpot Lemon-Rosemary Pork Tenderloin

So tonight's Crossfit Olympic Lifting class was totally awesome!!!  Made some gains in weight training and I am so excited to have great friends (Tristina!!) that support me!

I am also glad I made tonight's Crockpot dinner during my lunch hour!  I came home to a wonderful smelling, tasty, warm dinner that will keep me full the rest of the night with lean protein.

Crockpot Lemon Rosemary

Pork Tenderloin

 

2 Pork Tenderloins (Tyson packages them other)

2 lemons (one for zesting and juicing, the other for juicing)

4 cloves of garlic smashed

2 T Rosemary

1/4 cup EVOO

Sea Salt and Pepper

 

Place the pork tenderloin in the bottom of the Crockpot and dump everything on top

 

Cook in Crockpot for 7-9 hours and enjoy!  I also placed fresh green beans w/ onion and bay leaves in a smaller Crockpot and cooked them all day!  Great addition to the plate!

 

HAPPY PALEO COOKING!!!!!!

 

Italian-Style Paleo Meal

So I crave Italian food....ALL the time.  I will be honest...I miss the pasta, the sauces and the bread, but I found a GREAT alternative that is Paleo AND I can have ready when I get home from a tough WOD!!!  It is a no-fuss recipe that takes 5 minutes to put together and the house smells FABULOUS when you get home!  My son Hayden can testify to that!

Paleo Chicken Cacciatore

 

1 medium onion, sliced thin

16 oz organic diced tomatoes

Small can of organic tomato sauce

1 lb chicken breasts

1 cup mushrooms, chopped

2 T Oregano

1 T Basil

2 cloves of garlic, chopped fine

2 bay leaves

1/2 cup chicken broth

Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

 

Slice the onion thin and place on the bottom of the Crockpot

 

 

Place chicken breasts on top and smother with diced tomatoes (in juice) and tomato sauce

 

 

Chop mushrooms and place on top of tomato mixture

 

 

Add all seasonings and 1/2 cup of chicken broth and turn Crockpot on low for 6-8 hours

 

 

Serve over steamed zucchini or squash and enjoy a warm, Italian-Style Paleo meal...without the cheese, pasta and bread!  Satisfies ANY Italian craving!!!

 

 

 

HAPPY PALEO COOKING!!!!!

 

Oh...if you make one of my blogged meals, please comment and tell me about it! 

I would love some feedback!!!!

 

 

Hummus with No Beans

After a long weekend at a dental convention, I found restaurants helping patrons to stick to Paleo or any type of lifestyle change is HARD!!!!!!  Yes I cheated, but not as bad as you think! I had a small amount of fruits, large amounts of salads and organic eggs and bacon.  But hey...a girl HAD to have Mexican food at some point!

I needed something refreshing this evening before my WOD that I KNOW is gonna floor me!  I made a great, fresh no-bean hummus and served with a side of 20 baby carrots....

Paleo No-Bean Hummus

 

2 Zucchini, peeled and chopped

2 T Fresh Lemon Juice

2 cloves garlic

2 T Tahini

Pinch of Cayenne

Seal Salt

Put all in a food processor and puree!  Winner Winner Hummus dinner...well snack.... :) 

 

 

 

HAPPY PALEO COOKING!!!!

Paleo is.....Pesto Shrimp w/ Squash Fettuccine

I have people ask me all the time, "I have heard of Paleo, but what exactly is it?"  I found a GREAT explaination on Pinterest to help those new to the lifestyle to understand....

With that said...let me give you a great recipe I once, again, found in "Practical Paleo" that kept me full for hours.  I made this for dinner last night for Josh and me.  It is FULL of fresh flavors and lean proteins.

Pesto Shrimp with Squash Fettuccine

1-1.5 lbs of shrimp, devined and tail-less

1/2 cup Macadamian nuts

1 clove garlic, smashed

1 bunch of cilantro

(up to 1/4 cup) EVOO or coconut oil

Sea Salt and Pepper

4 yellow squash, julianned

Place nuts, garlic, cilantro, salt and pepper into a food processor and an amount of EVOO to wet the ingredients.  Puree until it becomes a slight paste, adding EVOO as needed to lighten the consistancy. 

Set aside.

Take a veggie peeler or julianne tool and slice the 4 yellow squash. 

They should look like fettuccine  noodles when you finish. 

Cut down to the soft part (the seeds will begin to show)

Steam the squash for about 3-5 minutes, remove into large bowl.

Place the shrimp in the steamer for 6 minutes or until pink

As the shrimp are steaming, add the pesto to the squash "noodles" and gently toss.

Once shrimp is pink and well-done, add on top of squash "noodles" and

pesto mix and toss slightly more.  ENJOY!

Remember, you cannot add cheese to keep this Paleo.  As much as I wanted, I totally resisted.... :)

This pesto really packs a punch with flavor...so be prepared!!

HAPPY PALEO COOKING!!!!

Nutty Bacon Bark

Got a sweet tooth?  Even on Paleo you can take care of that!

This is another recipe I found in the "Practical Paleo" book that I always keep in the refrigerator to help cure the sweet tooth when 3 o'clock rolls around or maybe a small piece after dinner :)

 

Nutty Bacon Bark

2 bags dark chocolate
4-5 pieces of bacon
3 T bacon grease
Pecans

Place bacon on cooking sheet lined with foil, place in cold oven.  Set temperature of oven to 400 degrees and time to 20 minutes

 

With about 7 minutes left on the timer for the bacon, melt both bags of dark chocolate in an oven-safe bowl, 1 minute at a time, in the microwave.  Stir vigorously each time until fully melted. 

Add bacon grease into melted dark chocolate and stir well.

 

Line another cooking sheet with foil and spread chocolate mixture

 

 

Sprinkle cooked bacon and pecans on top and set in freezer for two hours

 



 

After you remove from freezer, break into pieces

 

 

Store for up to two weeks in an air-tight Tupperware container

and enjoy when you want....but don't overindulge! 

 

HAPPY PALEO COOKING!!

 

Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Cups

Josh and I wanted something easy and light for dinner that gave a little punch of spicy. I LOVE my hot wings...that would probably be my biggest downfall, trying to stay on the lifestyle.  I found this recipe in the book "Practical Paleo" and honestly, this book is FULL of wonderful recipes and scientific reasoning why Paleo is such a great lifestyle to choose. 

Try these for a light and healthy dinner....with a HUGE punch of spice!

Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Cups

1-lb chicken thighs, boneless, skinless and cut into 1/2 inch strips
EVOO or coconut oil
2 t Chipotle Chili Powder
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
Sea salt and pepper
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1/2 cup cherry/grape tomatoes sliced in half
1 avocado, sliced
1 head butter lettuce or Romaine

Cut the chicken into 1/2 inch strips and coat with the seasonings well.

Warm oil in skillet and cook chicken 5-10 minutes or until white all the way through.  While they are cooking, slice and cut all your veggies to dress your cups

Make cups out of the head of lettuce and place the cooked chicken in the middle.

Dress with green onions, tomatoes, avocado and ENJOY!!!  Make sure you have a napkin around!  Very juicy!

 

These were delish!  Very spicy, yet very light.  Didn't feel miserable after eating!  You can add a little more Chipotle spice to it if you want it extra hot.

 

HAPPY PALEO COOKING!

Slow Cook Chili Verde

Since the weather is getting colder tomorrow, I wanted to share one of my favorite Crockpot recipes with you that will keep you warm for days!!! 

I wanted something to cook in the Crockpot b/c coming home from Crossfit, you are tired and don't want to cook.  I downloaded a book on my Nook (wow...that sounds really cheesy) called "Paleo Slow Cooking" by Chrissy Gower and it has so many recipes in it that will make life so much easier!

This recipe today is a simple and easy to do AND it is ready for you when you get home from a brutal WOD.

Slow Cook Chili Verde

2-4 lbs pork shoulder
2 t salt
10 medium/large tomatillos
2 poblano peppers
2 jalapeno peppers
3 Serrano peppers
4 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/2 cup coconut flour, sifted
1/2 cup coconut oil (or EVOO)
1 bunch cilantro
2 cups chicken stock

Cube the pork into one-inch cubes and place them in a bowl,  Sprinkle with salt and set aside.

Remove and discard the husks from the tomatillos, wash them with warm water and cut them in half.

Wash the peppers and place them with the tomatillos and unpeeled garlic on a roasting pan or baking sheet.  Broil on HIGH for 8-9 minutes OR until blackened.  Watch them carefully and turn them halfway through the broiling process.

Sift the coconut flour into a large bowl.  Working in batches, coat the pork shoulder cubes with the coconut flour. 

In a large skillet, warm the coconut oil or EVOO over medium-high heat and brown the pork shoulder cubes and set the meat aside.

Place the blackened peppers aside to cool.  Puree the tomatillos and garlic together then pour the mixture into your Crockpot

Add the browned pork shoulder cubes on top.

Peel the skins off the poblano peppers and remove the seed and stems.  Place them in the food processor.  Cut the stems of the jalapenos and Serrano peppers and add to the food processor.

Add the cilantro and blend altogether.  It should look like a paste.  You might have to add a little chicken stock to get it going. 

Place the paste and chicken stock in the Crockpot, give it a few slight stirs, make sure everything is mixed well.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours!  Enjoy!!

NOTES:

I made this during my lunch hour and it took me about 30 minutes to put it together.  I combined some of the steps to make it quicker and easier. 

What took me the longest is cutting the pork shoulder...I got my workout in that hour!  Trust me!

It was a phenomenal dish!  It was even better the next day at lunch.  I stored it in a large Tupperware container and just heated it up in the microwave and it was delish!!!

Happy Paleo Cooking!!! 

Paleo Lifestyle Cooking - Paleo Egg Dish

December 6, 2012, Josh and I made a decision to join our local Crossfit gym, Crossfit Citadel.  Needless to say, we did not realize what a fabulous and healthy lifestyle change we were about to embark upon!

Crossfit not only entails workouts that will floor you, but the "diet" is the most important because fueling your body is a necessity to perform theWODs (Workout of the Day) to the best of your ability.

I love to post what I cook on the Paleo lifestyle and people ask me for the recipies all the time!  So....I thought what the heck, let's blog the food!!!!  Introduce it to those who have never heard of the Paleo lifestyle or have heard, but need more ideas!

Let's start out with a fabulous breakfast dish I made this morning.  Crazy thing is...I found it on Pinterest!

Paleo Egg Dish

3 strips of Bacon, halved 

1/4 cup green onions chopped

3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Place the bacon strips to cover the bottom of the oven-safe bowl you are using, covering a bit of the sides as well

Cut up the green onions and sprinkle them on top of the bacon

Place the three eggs on top

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, then 375 degrees for 10 minutes!

Take out and let cool for 5 minutes.  You can add a little bit of sea salt and pepper if you like. It will still be hot, but so yummy!  I could not eat the whole thing this morning b/c it was so filling and I was full until lunchtime.  Great source of protein!

Happy Paleo Cooking!