Food is Fuel

Foil Fish Dinner (Paleo)

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:15:07 -0800

Super easy, so yummy! The kids can help with this one! Makes for EASY clean-up too!

2-4 pieces firm white fish (1 piece for each person)

* Assorted combination of veggies: zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes; broccoli, sliced carrots, cauliflower, asparagus, red peppers... You get the idea. Just use what you like - or have on hand.

1/2 (1/4c) stick of butter softened

1t. lemon zest

2T lemon juice

1-2 cloves garlic

2-3 T chopped fresh herb of choice (basil, dill, thyme, etc...)

Dry vermouth - optional, but worth it (can use chicken or veg broth instead if you like)

Lemon slices

1. Take your softened butter and add the lemon zest, juice & garlic and mix well. Set aside.

2. Turn oven on to 450º

3. The fun part... our girls love to make their own! Take a couple of pieces of foil (a nice big size square). Arrange the veggies on the bottom of the foil in the center - sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and had a sprinkling of the fresh herbs.

4. Salt and pepper your fish to taste and lay on top of the veggies.

5. Put 2-3 dollops of the lemon/garlic butter on top of the fish, sprinkle with more herbs, and a couple of lemon slices (to your liking).

6. Splash about 1/4 c. dry vermouth on the top of everything.

7. Now lay the second piece of foil over the top and seal all 4 edges - folding them towards the center.

8. Place on cookie sheet (or directly on oven rack) and bake for approximately 20 minutes. Cut a slit in the top of the foil and let it sit for a minute or two before diving in... it will be hot!

Yummy! Perfectly steamed fish and veggies in a light sauce - and clean-up is a snap!

Enjoy!

Jennifer and Daren's Banana Cake

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:56:45 -0800

ALMOND MEAL BANANA CAKE

(DOUBLE BATCH) FOR A FULL BUNDT SIZE CAKE

CAKE INGREDIENTS:

6 CUPS ALMOND FLOUR

1 TSP SEA SALT

2 TSP BAKING SODA

1 TSP CINNAMON

¼ CUP AGAVE NECTAR

6 PACKETS TRUVIA SWEETNER

½ CUP GRAPE SEED OIL

6 EGGS (WISKED)

2 TBSP VANILLA EXTRACT

3 BANANAS

½ CUP APPLE SAUCE

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350, COAT A BUNDT PAN WITH NON STICK SPRAY.

IN A LARGE BOWL MIX TOGETHER ALMOND FLOUR, SALT AND SODA AND 1 TSP. CINNAMON. IN A SMALLER BOWL COMBINE AGAVE, TRUVIA, OIL, EGGS AND VANILLA. MASH BANANAS WITH APPLE SAUCE AND COMBINE WITH OTHER WET INGREDIENTS. MIX WET INGREDIENTS INTO DRY INGREDIENTS

MAGIC DUSTING POWDER:

MIX 2 TSP. CINNAMON AND 2 PACKETS TRUVIA IN SMALL BOWL

POUR HALF OF THE BATTER INTO THE BUNDT PAN, SPRINKLE HALF THE CINNAMON/TRUVIA MIXTURE IN THE PAN, POUR REMAINING BATTER INTO PAN AND SPRINKLE REMAINING CINNAMON/TRUVIA MIXTURE ON TOP.

BAKE FOR APROX 40-45 MINUTES. UNTIL IT PASSES THE TOOTHPICK TEST.

Zone Makeover -Oatmeal Pancakes

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 09:57:14 -0800

I started out with an already fantastic, healthy pancake - and tweaked it just a bit to boost the protein and cut a little of the "bad" carbs. I wouldn't recommend this for every breakfast, because it is still a little higher in the "unfavorable" carbs - but great if you are craving pancakes. My kids ate these this morning, and didn't even know that I tweaked them!

This whole recipe makes 4 blocks protein & 4 blocks carbs. All you need to do is add the fat (like butter, peanut butter, almond butter, a little syrup or sprinkle of powdered sugar) when you are ready to eat.

I use a magic bullet for this (highly recommend one - I use it ALL the time!!)

1/4 c flour (you can use whole wheat if you like)

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use EAS brand)

1 packet Splenda (or 1T white sugar)

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

2/3 c milk (or buttermilk)

1 t. vanilla

2 T applesauce

2 egg whites (or 1 egg)

1. Put everything in in food processor, small blender or magic bullet and puree until smooth. You might have to add a little more milk or water to adjust the consistency to your liking.

2. Spray a small non-stick pan or griddle with cooking spray, and heat over med/high heat. (tip... sprinkle a little water in the pan, if the water starts to dance and scatter around - the pan is perfect temp.) Pour approximately 1/4 cup batter into the pan, when bubbles start to form on top, and sides seem dry, turn, and brown on other side.

Makes about 4, 5" size pancakes (1 pancake = 1 block protein/1 block carbs... how convenient is that!!)

Have your size block portion for breakfast - and save another for a snack with a little peanut butter or almond butter- YUM!

The Green Burrito

Sat, 04 Apr 2009 18:21:10 -0800

This was my first family-style Zone meal that I made. This recipe makes 5 servings of a 3 block meal.

Ingredients

5 flour tortillas
12 oz. package of firm tofu
5 oz. grated jack or cheddar
1 1/2 C. eggplant, peeled and diced (approx. 1/2 eggplant)
1 C brocolli, chopped (approx. 5 florets)
1/3 C diced yellow onion (approx. 1/4 med. onion)
1 1/3 C. diced zucchini (approx. 1 whole zucchini)
5 thick slices avocado (1/2 of a large avocado)
2/3 tsp. olive oil
5 tsp. sour cream
Cilantro

Start by cutting the tofu in half lengthwise and laying on papertowels. Lay 2 more papertowels on top and set a heavy saucepan on top to press the moisture out. Let the tofu sit for about 10 minutes or so.Cut tofu into small 1/4 squares.

Add the oil to a non-stick pan. Add the tofu and season to taste with cumin, red pepper, or any other spices you like. Add vegetables. Cook about 5-7 minutes. If you need more moisture in the pan to keep the food from sticking just add a few TB. of water. Add cilantro if desired.

When making the burrito you can choose to have the avocado and sour cream as your fat or you can just have avocado and double it which is a much better choice.

Roll the burrito up and enjoy your green burrito.

If there are any problems with the addition of this meal I'm sure someone will let me know.

Lasagne

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:13:20 -0800

I do almost all of my cooking by eye so I apologize for the lack of measurements in this recipe. This lasagne recipe leaves out grains and cuts out some fat by replacing ricotta cheese with tofu. Trust me, you'll never know the difference.

Ingredients:

Zucchinni
Homemade meat sauce
Variety of diced veggies
1 package of silken tofu
8 oz. mozzarella cheese
1 egg
Salt
Pepper
Basil
Oregano

To make "ricotta" mixture, blend silken tofu and grated mozzarella together with a fork. Add egg, salt, pepper, basil and oregano to taste. Set aside.

Slice zucchinni lengthwise into thick 1/2" slices. Prepare a hearty, beefy sauce however you like. Spread some sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish. (I use 9x12) Then layer some zucchinni to cover the bottom of the dish. Add a bunch of diced up veggies like carrots, mushrooms, eggplant or whatever else you like. Then layer half of the "ricotta" mixture. Add another layer of zucchinni and the remaining 'ricotta' mixture. Layer zucchinni again, spread some sauce on top. Keep repeating by adding more diced veggies and layers of zucchinni until the dish is complete.

Bake for about 30 minutes at 375 degrees or until heated through.

Another good variation if you want to leave out the 'ricotta' mixture is to make a nutty pesto with walnuts, basil, garlic, olive oil and fresh spinach. Put this in place of the 'ricotta' mixture.

Salad Dressing

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:05:16 -0800

I love creamy dressings but on a semi-Paleo diet I've been avoiding ranch. I'm tired of vinegar & oil which to some strict Paleo dieters isn't even allowed.

To make your creamy Paleo-friendly dressing just puree an avocado in a food processor and add some lime. If your diet allows add a tiny splash of olive oil.

You can keep this in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Turkey Sloppy Joes

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 07:17:41 -0800

I found this recipe in yesterday's newspaper. It is lighter version of the classic, but with a little "tweeking" it would be a great "family friendly" zone recipe. I haven't tried it yet, but will try it this week.

2 T olive oil

4 peeled whole cloves of garlic

1 C diced shallots

1 large green bell pepper, diced

3 med. sized bay leaves

1 t. dried oregano

1/2 t. red chili-pepper flakes

1 lb. lean ground turkey

28 oz can whole tomatoes

6 oz can tomato paste

2 C hot water

Salt & pepper to taste

6 whole-wheat hamburger buns, split

Dill pickle slices or jalapeños slices, for garnish

1. Heat the olive oil over moderate heat in a deep skillet. Add garlic and stir. After 2-3 minutes, add shallots, bell pepper, bay leaves, oregano, and red chili flakes. Stir for a few minutes. Add the ground turkey to the skillet and brown for 5 minutes, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon. Add canned tomatoes, paste and 2 cups hot water. Stir.

2. When mixture starts to boil, lower heat and let simmer until thickened, 30-40 min. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Stir mixture occasionally, breaking up tomatoes into a rich, ragu-like consistency.

3. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Toast buns split side down on oven rack for 6-8 minutes.

4. Discard bay leaves. Spoon sloppy joe mixture on buns and garnish with dill pickle slices or jalapeños.

Serves 6. Per serving: 350 calories, 41g carbs, 20g protein, 13g fat, 60mg cholesterol.

**OK... here is what I would do to "zone" this. Only use 1/2 a bun per serving, making it more of an open-faced sloppy joe. (You could even use a warmed whole grain, flat-out wrap, or corn tortilla). Make portion sizes 1/3 - 1/2 cup per person (depending on your blocks), and top with a generous amount of shredded cabbage drizzled with a small amount of olive oil/vinegar dressing (1t olive oil/ 1t vinegar). Include the pickles and jalapeños if you like.

I am thinking this would be easy to freeze. Also - why not start it in the morning, then put it in the crock pot for the day. Let me know what you think if you try it.

Letha

Mashed Potatoes

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 19:35:23 -0800

We all know potatoes are full of carbs. But I love me some comfort food...pot roast with some mashed potatoes...yummy!

Instead of using mashed potatoes, I have opted for steaming celeriac (celery root) and then pureeing it in a food processor. Adding just a tablespoon of olive oil gives it a whipped consistency but you really don't even have to do that.

Now you aren't going to fool anyone that celeriac is potatoes....there is a mild celery taste but with just a little bit of salt and pepper and some juices from your roast, you'll be loving your low carb mashed 'potatoes'.

Here are some basic celeriac nutrition facts:

1 serving (155g) has only 9g of carbs, 0g of fat and no sugar. Whereas the same serving of potatoes has 33g of carbs, 0g of fat and 3g of sugar.

One large celery root makes approximately 4 servings.

Chicken Waldorf Salad

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:11:14 -0800

Makes two 3-block meals

Takes a little bit of chopping - but so worth it. Yummy!

10 oz. can of chicken (or leftover cooked chicken if you have some)

1 T. light mayonnaise (or skip this and use all yogurt)

3 T. plain yogurt

1 c. grapes

1 c. chopped granny smith apples

2 c. sliced red peppers

2 c. chopped celery

1/2 t. nutmeg

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. pepper

1 t. curry powder

1/2 t. cumin

salt to taste

(Adjust the spices to your taste)

Add chicken, grapes, apples, peppers & celery to a big bowl and toss. Add mayo, yogurt and spices and combine.

You can divide this into 2-3 containers for the next day or so (will be yummy up to 2 days).

The great thing about this is you can adapt it to what you have in your fridge -add broccoli, snap peas, yellow peppers, green peppers, etc.... Also - tastes great with 2-3 chopped almonds when ready to eat.

Figs with Goat Cheese & Balsamic Vinegar

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 12:05:37 -0800

The idea of figs and cheese is sort of a take-off from the idea of eating protein with fruits. You know...like apples with cheese. Figs and cheese are just for us grown up kids.

Here is a link to where I originally posted my recipe:

Figs with Goat Cheese & Balsamic Vinegar

But basically, you cut the figs in half, press some goat cheese or bleu cheese into the center, heat under the broiler for a few minute and then drizzle with balsamic vinegar. The better the vinegar you use the better the taste is going to be. Adding goat cheese gives a much milder taste for those who don't appreciate the stout taste of gorgonzola cheeses.

I like to serve them on top of a bed of mixed greens. Not only does it look good but they taste great with the mixed greens too. These make a great snack or side dish for any dinner.

Omlettes

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 11:48:34 -0800

I know this seems so simple and easy but let's talk about omlettes for a minute.

I started eating omlettes every morning after I had been eating cereal for years...decades. I always had this awful feeling of hunger shortly after eating cereal and often I would just eat more bread. Once I started eating omlettes, I was cured from this insatiable hunger and could manage my need for more food.

With a husband and three children all at home it seems like I must be wonder mom to get omlettes cooked up every morning. But I'm not.

I spend a few hours on Sunday, or whatever other day offers me the time and desire to cut, chop, cut, chop and grate. I get everything out of the fridge and cut up enough omlette ingredients for the week, including grated cheese.

I only eat a 2 egg omlette and I load it up with veggies. What I put in the omlette depends on what is on sale and in season.

Things I love to put in my omlettes:

Brocolli
Zuchinni
Red or Green Bell Pepper
Green Onions
Mushrooms
Asparagus
Left over sauteed vegetables from the night before
Salsa
Cilantro
and of course a little bit of cheese
Some raw red cabbage sprinkled over the top of a cooked omlette is really good too

I use a little bit of coconut oil to cook my omlette in. It keeps it from sticking to the pan and gives it a really nice flavor.

For all of you non-cooks out there, I'll give you a simple run down of how to prepare an omlette.

First get out your container of pre-chopped vegetables that we talked about above. Throw them in a pan with a a few tablespoons of water in it and cook them to desired tenderness or crunchiness. While the vegetable are cooking crack open 2-3 eggs into a bowl (I use a 2 cup measuring cup) and mix the eggs. Place cooked vegetables on a plate.

Add a tablespoon of coconut oil to a warm pan and turn the heat down to medium. Allow the coconut oil to melt and then add the eggs. Tilt the pan to make sure the eggs spread out of the whole pan. Fancy chefs probably have an omlette or pancake turner but I use a good 'ol spatula. Once the egg has cooked nearly all the way through, loosen the edges and attempt to flip. Or just let it continue to cook on low heat until there is no runnies....this might just take a bit longer.

Throw in your cheese and vegetables on one-half of the omlette, flip the other side over to close it up and viola! You've got yourself an omelette.

If you aren't a breakfast person you can try this for dinner too! My kids love having breakfast foods for dinner....they must think it's a wacky, kid kind of day when we flip these around like that.

Grower's Market

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 22:15:35 -0800

This is more of a public service announcement than anything else.

I wanted to share with all of you where I do my produce shopping.....at the Grower's Market in Downtown Eugene.

This is a food co op and it's amazing. All of the produce is organic and the prices are super low. Because it is a not-for-profit co op market so the hours are limited and they do ask that you take a short orientation to learn how the market is run. They have so many healthy options for food that will save your life and money. Buying produce their is only the beginning. Let me tell you that I bought a jar of basil there (I brought my own empty jar) and I paid 11 cents for it.

And, if you decide you want to be part of the community and volunteer a tiny amount of your time you get an extra 15% off of your already low co op prices.

The Grower's Market is on Willamette St. near the Amtrak Station. The phone number is 541-687-1145. If you have any questions just call the number listed here or you can just ask me.

Pesto Sauce

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 22:05:57 -0800

Can I tell you how much I love pesto? I'm sure the fact that I'm writing about it is proof of my affection.

If you have ever shopped for good, fresh pesto than you have noticed how pricey it can be. Now that you have this handy dandy recipe at your finger tips you'll never have to spend money on store bought pesto again and you'll always enjoy the fresh taste.

One thing that can make pesto a pricey sauce is the basil and the pine nuts. Trader Joe's sells pine nuts at a reasonable price and if you grow your own herbs than acquiring basil won't be that hard. If you don't have access to your own basil, you can choose cilantro as a less expensive alternative and the flavor is just as good. Maybe even add a little bit of lemon or sun dried tomatoes. A less expensive nut option is walnuts.

I really enjoy the cilantro with lime pesto over some wild petrale fillets. Mmmm good.

This is the basic recipe for pesto sauce using basil and pine nuts. Substitute as necessary.

Large bunch of basil, dicard stems
3/4 C Olive Oil
1 C pine nuts or walnuts
1/2 - 3/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
2 - 3 cloves fresh garlic

Add all ingredients to a mixer and blend until it looks like pesto sauce should.

Nikki's Healthy Cookies

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 21:56:55 -0800

These cookies are so good and a great dessert for Crossfitters who don't want to eat any added sugar.

You can use unsweetened carob for sugar free cookies. You can make your own almond meal by pulsing almonds in a food processor until it is the texture of sand - don't go too far or you'll end up with almond butter. And lastly, the coconut oil works beautifully here, just be sure to warm it a bit - enough that it is no longer solid, which makes it easier to incorporate into the bananas. If you have gluten allergies, seek out GF oats.

3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil, barely warm - so it isn't solid (or alternately, olive oil)
2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal
1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded & unsweetened
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 - 7 ounces chocolate chips or dark chocolate bar chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, racks in the top third.

In a large bowl combine the bananas, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. Set aside. In another bowl whisk together the oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks/chips.The dough is a bit looser than a standard cookie dough, don't worry about it. Drop dollops of the dough, each about 2 teaspoons in size, an inch apart, onto a parchment (or Silpat) lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes. I baked these as long as possible without burning the bottoms and they were perfect - just shy of 15 minutes seems to be about right in my oven.

Makes about 3 dozen bite-sized cookies.

See this recipe and more at 101 Cookbooks

Five block Breakfast shake

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:49:23 -0800

This is my favorite on the go breakfast, cause it's fast, easy and delicious. You can scale this as needed.

2 scoops EAS premium protein, vanilla.

2 cups frozen blue berry's

1 cup low fat milk

1 1/2 tsp olive oil (or you can use 2 1/2 tsp natural peanut or almond butter)

1 Tbs sugar free coconut or vanilla syrup.

Mix all the ingredients together in a mixer and enjoy.