Sugar Update

Oh sugar, you sneaky friend. Like they say in the movie, Mr. Deed's "I fear I have underestimated your sneakyness- you are beary, beary sneaky." Check out the updated Sugar Manifesto from Whole9. It may be time you revisit the concept on sugar, because if you are like me, that sugar sneaks up on me again and again!

 

Fried Eggplant

I think eggplants are just about the most beautiful veggie out there. Let's be honest they beat the sweet potato any day. The trouble is, I just haven't found a way to enjoy them without the lasagna. I figured out this simple recipe and made it with eggplant. I bet this would be good with zucchini or any other veggie. It is so simple you could whip up an impressive appetizer for your next dinner party. Even if that party is your family, they will love it too!

Fried Eggplant

Eggplant cut into slices about 1/8 inch thick.
Olive Oil (or oil of your choice)
Almond flour
Egg white
Sea Salt
Optional: Parmesan Cheese

In your skillet or fry pan, warm oil. Meanwhile, coat each eggplant in the egg white. Place almond flour, and salt on a plate. (At this stage feel free to add any other spices: garlic, herbs, seasoning salt etc). Lay egg covered eggplant on the plate and coat both sides with flour. Set in skillet. Do this until pan is full of eggplant. Cook for a few min per side or until the flour starts to brown. Don't overcook, this will make the eggplant soft and mushy. If desired, add cheese to the top layer of each side before placing in the skill. You will see one picture with the cheese and one without. Enjoy!

Without Cheese:

With Cheese:

Take Out Inspiration

My goal for this labor day weekend is:

 

 

 

Here is to trying new recipes and finding quick and easy meals that are better than takeout! Happy Friday- Enjoy!

 

 

Movie Time! King Corn

A few weeks back I watched this documentary with my husband and brother-in-law. If you know either one of them, you are probably thinking, "how did you get them to watch a documentary with you?" Well it may have taken a little finagling on my part.

Me: Hey do you guys want to do something TOTALLY different tonight than we have every done before? Them: What is it? Me: A surprise, you just have to say yes or no. Them: Um not really. . . Me: Come on it is fun to try new things! (Insert begging here) Them: OK fine. 

They may have been less than thrilled when I pulled out the documentary, "King Corn" I had checked out from the library. BUT they were into the movie within 30 min, and we all learned a lot about food that night.  My brother-in-law has been talking about King Corn with his co-workers, neighborhood friends, and he is more conscious of his food choices. If you haven't watched this movie- go get it! If it has been awhile, watch it again! It will help you on your Paleo journey, wherever that may be, and you will be making better food choices in the future. Enjoy!

 

Blueberry Muffins

I had some organic locally grown blueberries from my parents yard in my fridge the other day and found this delicious recipe for blueberry muffins. They were so good. Moist and filling. Anyone who knows me knows that I HATE the word moist, and I just used it so they must have been that amazing, and moist! Ugh I said it again! Let's just get to the recipe shall we? ;)

Blueberry Muffins
1 cup almond butter
1 cup almond meal/flour
3 eggs, wisked
1/2 cup raw honey
1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut 
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
Pinch of Cinnamon
1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl first and stir, then add wet ingredients. Place into cupcake pan. (Either grease your pan first, use cupcake paper liners or silicone muffin cups) Bake for 15-20 minutes or until tops are browned. Remove from oven. Let cool for a few minutes before eating. Enjoy!

BBQ Cleaning Tips

We used to have a favorite restaurant around the corner from our house. We would go there often and get a "Paleo" version of their speciality. Pretty soon they started to know us by name and remember our order- pretty awesome. Until one day I was sitting in the restaurant, waiting to pick up my food and the door to the kitchen was open. What I saw just about made me run out screaming. It was the dirtiest, grossest thing I have seen in a long time. We haven't been back since. There are somethings you just can't unsee.

 

The question for you this Friday is: How does your BBQ check out? You may be used to the dirt and grime that has slowly grown over the summer months, but if you were seeing it for the first time, would you run for the hills? Our BBQ's often become buckets of bacteria if they are not properly cleaned with each use, and deep cleaned often. In addition to the "gross" factor, dirty grills don't work properly. Keeping the gas lines clear of build up makes it possible for you to enjoy grilling for years to come.

 

 Here is a clear and simple list of instructions on how to clean your BBQ. The site doesn't mention it, but every time we are done cooking we leave the lid of the grill closed with the heat on. After about 5-10 min, the extra food bits are cooked off the grill and they are easy to scrape with our wire brush. Below I have added some of our favorite tools we use to clean the BBQ. Enjoy!

 

Steam Cleaning Brush

 

 

BBQ Safe Cleaner

 

Stone Cleaner

Classic Wire Brush

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Choosing the Real Olive Oil

I was so surprised when I heard that most Olive Oils at the grocery store are not 100% Olive Oil. Often they are mixed with a variety of other "filler" oil making it a less than healthy choice. Check out Mark's post explaining the truth about EVOO and giving you tips on how to choose the best option possible. Enjoy!