Coconut butter
This was inspired by a visit to the Yori house, where Clara introduced me to coconut manna: http://www.amazon.com/Nutiva-Coconut-Manna----15/dp/B005P0KEL0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1338427803&sr=8-2
Yum!
Ingredients:
8 ounce package of Unsweetened Shredded Coconut - I get 8 oz packages of this at Hyvee where they sell the dried fruit and nuts
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon of almond extract - can use vanilla extract too
Pinch of sea salt
2 large spoonfuls of almond butter
Add all ingredients to a food processor. Let it run for 15 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides of the food processor throughout. Note - if you have a vitamix blender, this is easier and quicker to make. Coconut butter is ready when a paste is formed. Place coconut butter in a small tupperware container, and spoon a layer of almond butter over the top. Enjoy by the spoonful. This is a delicious source of healthy fat.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Prosciutto wrapped broiled asparagus
20 pieces of asparagus
4 oz. prosciutto - each slice cut into 4 long thin strips
ground pepper
garlic powder
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
Preheat broiler to high. Place the top oven rack 6 inches from the heating element.
Drizzle some olive oil over the asparagus spears, and season with pepper and garlic. I used my misto to spray the asparagus with olive oil- I love the misto: http://www.amazon.com/Misto-Gourmet-Sprayer-Brushed-Aluminum/dp/B00004SPZV. Wrap one strip of prosciutto around each asparagus spear. Place spears on a baking sheet in a single layer. Broil for 4 minutes, turn, and then broil for an additional 4 minutes. Remove from oven, and drizzle with a small amount of balsamic vinegar.
20 pieces of asparagus
4 oz. prosciutto - each slice cut into 4 long thin strips
ground pepper
garlic powder
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
Preheat broiler to high. Place the top oven rack 6 inches from the heating element.
Drizzle some olive oil over the asparagus spears, and season with pepper and garlic. I used my misto to spray the asparagus with olive oil- I love the misto: http://www.amazon.com/Misto-Gourmet-Sprayer-Brushed-Aluminum/dp/B00004SPZV. Wrap one strip of prosciutto around each asparagus spear. Place spears on a baking sheet in a single layer. Broil for 4 minutes, turn, and then broil for an additional 4 minutes. Remove from oven, and drizzle with a small amount of balsamic vinegar.
Baba Ghanoush
Eggplant? Ewwww. Or so I thought. So far everything I have made in Well Fed has been delicious so I thought I'd give the baba ghanoush a try. Well, I'm glad I did because it is delicious! AND I got to use my favorite appliance, my handheld stick blender.
Baba Ghanoush
makes about 2.5 cups
2 pounds globe eggplant (about 2)
1/4 cup tahini
1 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
optional garnishes: extra-virgin olive oil, minced fresh parsley, toasted sesame seeds
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Poke both eggplants a few times with a fork and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the eggplants are soft. Allow to cool.
Place the tahini, salt, lemon juice, garlic, chili powder, and cumin in the bowl of a food processor. Scoop the roasted eggplant pulp out of the skin and place in colander to drain extra moisture for a few minutes. Place it in the food processor with the rest of the ingredients and puree to your desired consistency.
Spread the baba ghanoush on a plate or in a shallow bowl and drizzle with olive oil, parsley, and sesame seeds. Serve with raw veggies and olives. Tastes best at room temperature, but should be stored in the fridge.
Baba Ghanoush
makes about 2.5 cups
2 pounds globe eggplant (about 2)
1/4 cup tahini
1 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
optional garnishes: extra-virgin olive oil, minced fresh parsley, toasted sesame seeds
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Poke both eggplants a few times with a fork and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the eggplants are soft. Allow to cool.
Place the tahini, salt, lemon juice, garlic, chili powder, and cumin in the bowl of a food processor. Scoop the roasted eggplant pulp out of the skin and place in colander to drain extra moisture for a few minutes. Place it in the food processor with the rest of the ingredients and puree to your desired consistency.
Spread the baba ghanoush on a plate or in a shallow bowl and drizzle with olive oil, parsley, and sesame seeds. Serve with raw veggies and olives. Tastes best at room temperature, but should be stored in the fridge.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Ham and Egg Cups
Clara here.
I am 33 years old and this is my first time posting to a blog! Happy to give it a go. I very much enjoy cooking paleo meals. My paleo journey started two years ago when I discovered a sensitivity to gluten and dairy. It has evolved from a vegetarian into a mostly paleo way of life. I believe in REAL FOOD.
I'll start with a simple and delicious breakfast recipe. There are a lot of versions of this floating around. Here is mine:
Ham and Egg Cups
makes 12
12 slices of deli ham (preferably high quality, nitrite/nitrate free)
9 eggs (preferably cage free, omega-enriched)
a handful of spinach, chopped
3 sundried tomatoes, finely chopped
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
olive or coconut oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a muffin tin with olive oil or coconut oil. Place a piece of ham in each cup. Whisk eggs in large bowl and add spinach and sundried tomatoes. Evenly disperse the egg mixture into the 10 ham cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Top with chopped basil and enjoy!
We also had smoothies. Just blended berries. Delicious.
I am 33 years old and this is my first time posting to a blog! Happy to give it a go. I very much enjoy cooking paleo meals. My paleo journey started two years ago when I discovered a sensitivity to gluten and dairy. It has evolved from a vegetarian into a mostly paleo way of life. I believe in REAL FOOD.
I'll start with a simple and delicious breakfast recipe. There are a lot of versions of this floating around. Here is mine:
Ham and Egg Cups
makes 12
12 slices of deli ham (preferably high quality, nitrite/nitrate free)
9 eggs (preferably cage free, omega-enriched)
a handful of spinach, chopped
3 sundried tomatoes, finely chopped
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
olive or coconut oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a muffin tin with olive oil or coconut oil. Place a piece of ham in each cup. Whisk eggs in large bowl and add spinach and sundried tomatoes. Evenly disperse the egg mixture into the 10 ham cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Top with chopped basil and enjoy!
We also had smoothies. Just blended berries. Delicious.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Weekly meal planning
Meal planning is something that I am passionate about. I value having healthy meals for me and my husband. We both work full time (yes, this is an excuse), and try to work out (another excuse), which can leave not alot of time to make healthy meals. We try to eat paleo most of the time. This is just a post on what a typical week of meal planning looks like in the Grenell house.
1. When I have time during the week to look at cookbooks or online blogs, I email myself the recipes that I want to make in the future.
2. On Sundays, I take the time to plan for the week. I try to incorporate a variety of proteins, so 1-2 beef meals, 1-2 fish meals, and 2-3 chicken or pork meals. Josh and I are fairly simple people, so the recipes we make are basically a protein, and a vegetable. We cook with olive oil as a fat source.
3. I make a few meals ahead of time in large Tupperware containers if I am on a stretch of days. That way, in the mornings, I can throw the food in the crockpot, and I have dinner when I am done with the gym. If they are not crockpot meals, it is something that I can easily heat up when I get home from the gym and have supper within 30 minutes of getting home.
4. A couple recipes that are easy to make ahead of time that are on the blog: picadillo, jambalaya, chili (beef chili, or the Colorado green chili), shredded Mexican chicken, just to name a few. The Clothes Make the Girl has a great blog about meal planning too- I really like her meatball recipes. Those are nice to have on hand for snacks as well as meals. In the evening, if I heat up a meal, I can cook some frozen broccoli or make cauliflower rice or a salad in just a few minutes.
5. I like to grocery shop just 1 time per week if I can manage- its easier, cheaper, and fits in my schedule. I can gather what I need for recipes, and get staples like meat, eggs, milk, bacon, and fresh and frozen veggies, in one shopping trip. Sams Club is wonderful for buying big bags of frozen meat and frozen veggies- we get salmon, chicken, cubed pork for chili, pork chops occasionally, eggs, bacon, fruit, and milk. I do hesitate to go there on the weekends, but if I do go its early! Also, we try to get 1/4 cow- grass fed preferred, to have beef on hand in our big freezer. That is a really convenient way to have roasts, steaks, and hamburger meat on hand.
6. The nice thing about making meals ahead of time, is that this is often more food than the 2 of us can eat for 1 meal, so we usually have leftovers for the next day's lunch. So, get some smaller tupperware for those meals.
7. Snacks- We sometimes will make some veggie side dishes: Spinach and artichokes, cooked carrots, or pack some nuts, lara bars, hard boiled eggs in little tupperwares for middle of the day snacks, or post-workout nutrition. So, get some even smaller tupperware this stuff. Alot of these recipes make for great post-workout nutrition, so don't be afraid to eat some chicken while others are drinking protein shakes.
Hopefully that helps. I will post more ideas as I can think of them!
1. When I have time during the week to look at cookbooks or online blogs, I email myself the recipes that I want to make in the future.
2. On Sundays, I take the time to plan for the week. I try to incorporate a variety of proteins, so 1-2 beef meals, 1-2 fish meals, and 2-3 chicken or pork meals. Josh and I are fairly simple people, so the recipes we make are basically a protein, and a vegetable. We cook with olive oil as a fat source.
3. I make a few meals ahead of time in large Tupperware containers if I am on a stretch of days. That way, in the mornings, I can throw the food in the crockpot, and I have dinner when I am done with the gym. If they are not crockpot meals, it is something that I can easily heat up when I get home from the gym and have supper within 30 minutes of getting home.
4. A couple recipes that are easy to make ahead of time that are on the blog: picadillo, jambalaya, chili (beef chili, or the Colorado green chili), shredded Mexican chicken, just to name a few. The Clothes Make the Girl has a great blog about meal planning too- I really like her meatball recipes. Those are nice to have on hand for snacks as well as meals. In the evening, if I heat up a meal, I can cook some frozen broccoli or make cauliflower rice or a salad in just a few minutes.
5. I like to grocery shop just 1 time per week if I can manage- its easier, cheaper, and fits in my schedule. I can gather what I need for recipes, and get staples like meat, eggs, milk, bacon, and fresh and frozen veggies, in one shopping trip. Sams Club is wonderful for buying big bags of frozen meat and frozen veggies- we get salmon, chicken, cubed pork for chili, pork chops occasionally, eggs, bacon, fruit, and milk. I do hesitate to go there on the weekends, but if I do go its early! Also, we try to get 1/4 cow- grass fed preferred, to have beef on hand in our big freezer. That is a really convenient way to have roasts, steaks, and hamburger meat on hand.
6. The nice thing about making meals ahead of time, is that this is often more food than the 2 of us can eat for 1 meal, so we usually have leftovers for the next day's lunch. So, get some smaller tupperware for those meals.
7. Snacks- We sometimes will make some veggie side dishes: Spinach and artichokes, cooked carrots, or pack some nuts, lara bars, hard boiled eggs in little tupperwares for middle of the day snacks, or post-workout nutrition. So, get some even smaller tupperware this stuff. Alot of these recipes make for great post-workout nutrition, so don't be afraid to eat some chicken while others are drinking protein shakes.
Hopefully that helps. I will post more ideas as I can think of them!
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Chicken drummies and artichokes
3-4 pounds chicken drumsticks
2 Tablespoons of seasoning- see mix below:
olive oil
12 oz artichoke hearts (I used about 1/3 -1/2 jar of the California style marinated artichoke hearts available at Sam's Club that come packed in olive oil and other italian seasonings- delicious!!)
1 large vidalia onion, cut into large chunks
5 carrots, peeled, and cut into large chunks
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Seasoning:
In a food processor or a Magic Bullet, combine 4 bay leaves, and small pinches of garlic powder, onion powder, italian seasoning, basil, oregano, dill weed, black pepper, and sea salt. Grind up so the bay leaf is ground up. Goal is to get about 2 Tablespoons of seasoning.
In a bowl or large plastic bag, coat chicken drumsticks in seasoning, wrap in plastic wrap, and allow to sit in the fridge for around 8 hours, or overnight.
In a large frying pan, cook chicken in olive oil until browned all over.
Remove chicken and place in glass casserole dish. I had to use 2 of them. Hooray for leftovers!
In same frying pan, cook onions, garlic, carrots, and artichoke hearts. I like using the Sam's Club artichoke hearts because they have enough olive oil in them to saute the rest of the veggies in with no extra oil needed.
When all the veggies are slightly browned, add them to the chicken in the casserole pan. Pour chicken broth and balsamic vinegar over.
Cook in a 325 degree oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Enjoy!
2 Tablespoons of seasoning- see mix below:
olive oil
12 oz artichoke hearts (I used about 1/3 -1/2 jar of the California style marinated artichoke hearts available at Sam's Club that come packed in olive oil and other italian seasonings- delicious!!)
1 large vidalia onion, cut into large chunks
5 carrots, peeled, and cut into large chunks
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Seasoning:
In a food processor or a Magic Bullet, combine 4 bay leaves, and small pinches of garlic powder, onion powder, italian seasoning, basil, oregano, dill weed, black pepper, and sea salt. Grind up so the bay leaf is ground up. Goal is to get about 2 Tablespoons of seasoning.
In a bowl or large plastic bag, coat chicken drumsticks in seasoning, wrap in plastic wrap, and allow to sit in the fridge for around 8 hours, or overnight.
In a large frying pan, cook chicken in olive oil until browned all over.
Remove chicken and place in glass casserole dish. I had to use 2 of them. Hooray for leftovers!
In same frying pan, cook onions, garlic, carrots, and artichoke hearts. I like using the Sam's Club artichoke hearts because they have enough olive oil in them to saute the rest of the veggies in with no extra oil needed.
When all the veggies are slightly browned, add them to the chicken in the casserole pan. Pour chicken broth and balsamic vinegar over.
Cook in a 325 degree oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Enjoy!
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