For A Moment Photography

Paleo Brownies (thumbs up)

dried figs.  

brownies bites!

This is my first adventure into paleo desserts.  I haven't tried them in the past because I thought they were just a waste of time.  And if I wanted a brownie I would have one on the weekend my "paleo free" time!  Now that I'm doing this paleo challenge I've had to get creative.  So here is my second attempt on these brownies.

The first attempt was some what of a failure, I think I let the brownies cook for too long.  It's hard to tell because they don't rise or change color.  The recipe does call for them to bake for 20-25 minutes.  I baked them for 15 and I thought they were a little dry.  Today I made a new batch and I baked them for 10 minutes.  When I pulled them out they were baked on the outside shell and still gooey on the inside.  I let them cool and they were much better this time around!

Another thing I did was add some small overripe strawberry chunks to half the batter (I didn't want to ruin the whole batch if this experiment failed).  This gave a little sweeter kick to each bite.  So now for the questions are they as good as a traditional brownie.  NO.  Don't serve these to your kids and expect them not to notice.  Are they good?  Yes!  Right now she sweetest part of my day is my fish oil so this will be a welcomed addition.

The recipe calls for melted chocolate chips.  For my paleo challenge chocolate is not allowed so I had to use cocoa powder.  If you follow the recipe maybe yours will be sweeter, I'm not sure.  I think I will continue to experiment with different fruits in this brownie.  Maybe I can add my overripe bananas to the next batch!

Please let me know if you have any questions (or suggestions)!

http://paleomg.com/fudgy-brownies/

 

 

 

 

  

Oh My Paleo Lasagna!

Yup, this instead of lasagna noodles. 

I feel like the evil witch with the red apple or pepper.  ;)

PS the recipe says to puree this.  I just cut it into small pieces, I like a little texture.

precooked layer one  

precooked finished tray (only two layers)

Oh my goodness this is so amazing!

So I'm doing this paleo challenge with my gym for 6 weeks.  Ugh, to be honest when I signed up I was told it was a month.  I spent the first week bitter about finding out it was 6 weeks (or maybe I was just having sugar with drawls)...  Anyway, I figured out quickly I'm going to have to get more creative with my meals.

Although I have been doing my form of paleo for almost two years I never was super strict.  I ate what ever I wanted on weekends and during the week I wasn't ever core hard paleo.  I had cheese in my salads and I am the only cave woman I know that drank Coke~Cola.  I was pretty good with how I did my paleo but once I got injured, (didn't workout as much) and then was eating poorly on weekends I felt my body fat shoot up!..

So now here I am on this six week paleo competition and I needed to get creative.  My fellow CrossFitter and paleo enthusiast Iris gave me the link to this recipe.  And let me tell you, it is the bomb.com!  I love it!  I wasn't even sure I would like it as I was cooking it to be honest.  But it's a great replacement for the real thing and it was so much better than I expected.

The meal prep did take some time.  I can't tell you how much exactly because I was chatting with a girlfriend for part of it (Hi Mel!) and I also made dessert too.  This is for sure a meal you need to plan in advance (just like a regular lasagna and it is worth it!  Good thing too because I bought four butternut squash (even though it called for one) I didn't think it would go so far!  However next time I'm making double so I have a few more left overs...

Here is the link to the recipe site.  www.health-bent.com/beef/paleo-butternut-squash-lasagna

 

 

 

 

Paleo Kale Chips

 

Need an alternative to potato chips?  This might be the healthy alternative you've been looking for!  Kale chips are really good, it's hard to imagine baked cabbage being anything comparable to potato chips but it works for me.  If you doubt me, I get it.  Just give it a try, it's a small investment in time and money....  And it's a tons better then my attempt at tofu fries (Martha lied).

Ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic 
3 large handfuls of kale, torn into shreds
1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

In a bowl I mixed the salt, garlic and olive oil.  Then I added the kale and mixed with my hands.  Next, place the kale on a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Lastly, put it in a preheated oven (350) to bake for 10 minutes.  

 

*Warning* If you bake for too long ths kale will turn brown and taste bitter.  I took out at 5 minutes and tasted as well as moved it around.  When finished (should be dark green in color) let cool and enjoy!   

 

I had this tonight with a bowl of tomato soup (from Trader Joe's).  This meal took me 15 minutes to prepare. and I ate it so fast I burnt my tongue...    

 

 

 

Yummy Spaghetti Squash

After being baked.  I started scraping the one of top left.

 

One of the great things about my gym and the community I have there is all the information we share.  It sort of cracks me up when we are loading weights and you hear guys and girls talking about the healthy paleo recipes they use.  It was at the gym that I first learned about spaghetti squash.

When I first started eating paleo I didn't think I could survive without spaghetti (along with bread and everything else I give up Monday- Friday)...  Before I learned about spaghetti squash was eating my grass fed beef (yum) mixed with home made spaghetti sauce.  Spaghetti squash is used as an alternative to pasta.  It's been a perfect replacement, I don't miss pasta in the slightest!  I do still miss french bread if I am to be honest... 

To make spaghetti squash is just as simple as pasta noodles.  I usually bake two squashes and that will feed the three of us as well as leave us left overs...  

Directions:

Take the squash, cut in half (as in first photo above).  And take out seeds, similar to a pumpkin.

Bake in the oven at 350 for 35-40 minutes.  The squash will dry out a bit and will look like the first photo.

Then once it is cooled enough to handle take a fork and scrap the squash until it sheds.  It will come out very easily and look like short pasta strands.

It doesn't have a "taste" but it is a bit crunchier then pasta...  Let me know what you think!  

The Big Night

 

Oh, I love this movie!  About 10 years ago I was introduced to this film by a long time friend (hello Mr. McGinty).  I fell in love with the music, the clothes (set in 1950's) and the film.  The Big Night, Written by Stanley Tucci and his cousin.

I watched the film today again so that I could blog about it and share this film with you.  Watching the film today I had a different experience with the film.  I still love love the film, maybe even more now...  I attached one of my favorite scenes from the film above.  I always loved how they captured the passion of cooking and the beautiful process of what goes into The Big Night's meal.  

The plot of this movie shows the struggle to stay true to their art vs. commerce (and being a successful restauranteur).  That does not sound very exciting I know.  But I think it's an idea that most of us struggle with and I think it ($) is what has created this food crisis in America (cheap, hormone & antibiotic injected food).   

The scene above is great (watch it before you read any further).  Always made me laugh, I don't think my generation has the appreciation of food as those before us.  For us it's more a focus on ease and quickness of a meal that matters.  With us wanting faster, cheaper, bigger meals we got to where we are now. Our kids don't know what basic vegetables even look like.  And we have a huge childhood obesity issues...  Ahh, but I'll save all that talk for another post... 

If you want a good movie to snuggle in with this is a great one.  There is a great affection between the brothers, Primo and Secondo.  It will make you hungry.  So I suggest an italian meal before, a bottle of wine and make some room to dance.  While looking for some photo for this post I came across a recipe (click here) on a blog for one of the dishes they make in the movie.  I'll have to give it a try, I always wondered if it's as good as they say.  

 

 

A Few of my Favorite Things...

Dad helped her make the frosting.

Presley and I did some baking together, she really had a great time.  I let her make the sugar cookies all by herself.  She rolled out the dough, placed them on the cookie sheet and decorated them all by herself.  I was making oatmeal chocolate chip cookies while she did the others.  We spend most of the afternoon in the kitchen baking and listening to Christmas music.  It's days like this that I'm very thankful for and look forward to...

The cookies I was making was the Neiman Marcus Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Recipe.  It's a great recipe and urban legend.  I attached the recipe below.  I went on Neiman Marcus's website  they list a recipe but it's a bit different.  I have not tried that one so for now I'm sticking to this one, that I love.  

I use whole wheat flour instead of white flour (no one knows the difference) and Ghirardelli dark chocolate instead of Hersey bars.  The recipe makes 112 cookies.  The process is pretty long so I really don't make them that often.  I do make the full recipe (112 cookies) but what Ido is only bake a dozen or two at a time.  I roll the rest of that batter into flat circles and either refrigerate or freeze (depends on how long I want to keep them).  Then I can give them away freshly baked.    

 

12 down 100 more cookies to go!

 

(Recipe may be halved): 
2 cups butter 
4 cups flour 
2 tsp. baking soda 
2 cups granulated sugar 
2 cups brown sugar 
5 cups blended oatmeal (measure oatmeal and blend in blender to a fine powder) 
24 oz. chocolate chips 
1 tsp. salt 
1 8 oz. Hershey bar (grated) 
4 eggs 
2 tsp. baking powder 
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice) 
2 tsp. vanilla 

Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey bar and nuts. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet..Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 112 cookies.. 

 

 

Holiday Bread

Almond Holiday Bread

This morning started out great, we had a grueling workout at Core Crossfit and Coach Erica brought me homemade Holiday bread.  I was so excited I had never heard of or had this type of bread before, isn't it beautiful?  After chatting with another friend at the gym I had considered freezing it and eating it on a weekend (you know the Paleo thing).  But on the drive home from the gym I really thought since it was my first time having this bread I should really eat it while it's fresh to get to enjoy it at it's best.

So I ate the bread, it's all gone.  I did share a little (your welcome Mark & P Bo) but I ate most of it.  Honestly the bread was the highlight of my day.  I even ate the toasted almonds that fell off. 

I'll try to get the recipe (I already looked for one online) from Erica.  I found one online, but I don't think it's the same.  I think she said she used almond paste and the directions I found didn't call for that.

A Small Lump of Gold: nugget

Yummy we've all enjoyed these tasty nuggets.

Pre Chicken Nugget Paste.

my lunch

 

So first of all I don't consider myself a "meat" person.  I love a great steak maybe twice a year but not much more then that.  During high school and for sometime after I was a vegetarian, but not a good one.  Back then I would skip breakfast, eat a Twix and a Mountain Dew for lunch and have a bean burrito for dinner...

When I got a little older I did eat better and I started eating meat again (thanks to my job at the golf course- hello hot dogs).  During this time I frequented McDonald's, I could get a meal for $2.00.  I use to justify it by saying I liked the portion size and other places I could only eat half the hamburger (Sonic) and reheated fast food stinks.  I love a plain cheese burger, nuggets and french fries from McD's!  I still sometimes think I want it, even after seeing Super Size Me, Food Inc. and after reading Fast Food Nation.

One of the hardest things to come to terms with is the cost of these healthier options.  I get that and hopefully that will change once people demand better food.  I would recommend buying some locally grown grass feed beef (if you haven't tried it).  First of all it's not very red (dye is added to over stuff) and I can taste a difference- so good, I can eat it plain.  I'd buy it once to try if you haven't tried it already.   

The chicken I can't taste a difference but I've seen video's of how the "other" chickens are kept.  They can't walk more then a few feet because of the growth hormones plus they have no room to move.  The recent recall on eggs was due to Salmonella contamination reenforced why I buy free range, organically feed chicken eggs.  FYI: Salmonella contamination passes not chicken to chicken but by chickens eating rodent droppings.  Yes, free range chicken can get salmonella but eating rodent droppings seems less likely for a free range chicken, right?

Until recently I hadn't seen a photo of pre chicken nugget paste, you know the stuff nuggets are made of.  Someone figured out in the 1960s that meat processors can eek out a few more percent of profit from chickens, turkeys, pigs, and cows by scraping the bones 100% clean of meat. This is done by machines, not humans, by passing bones leftover after the initial cutting through a high pressure sieve. The paste you see in the second picture above is the result.  There's more: because it's crawling with bacteria, it will be washed with ammonia... Then, because it tastes gross, it will be reflavored artificially. Then, because it is weirdly pink, it will be dyed with artificial color...  I'm glad I already ate lunch (3rd photo above).

Eating good is so hard with so many choices and so many conflicting messages.  One good rule of thumb is having three different colors of food on your plate.  So if you (or your kids) still have that craving to eat "nuggets" do so with two other colors (baby steps)!  It can also make dinner time fun for kids counting the colors on their plate and something east to instill...   

 

Boo Berry Mix

 

Ahhh, it's happening to me too.  I'm aging.  Oh how my world has changed and despite my best efforts I'm now a grown up.  I talk about my metabolism changing, how young the ASU students look and the fact MTV's has horrible shows (well not all just Jersey Shore) you know all the lame stuff you heard your Mom talking about.

In this process I have completely changed my diet.  More on that later, just the fact I can type that word "diet" is huge for me.  I use to think we should eat everything we want in moderation and the word diet use to make me uncomfortable to even say.  After having my daughter and questioning more where our food is coming from I changed my thinking.  It helped that my brother gave me a few books on health and nutrition.  The Omnivores Dilemma and In Defense of Food by Michael Pollen great books that every family should have.  

My new routine is five days a week I eat a very strict diet (Presley is not on this same diet) and two days a week I eat what I want.  However I've leaned not to totally cut loose because then I get sucked in again.  I still love to bake and I love a night out with friends to share in great food.  I think what has changes is really how I look at food.  Ahh, yeah my relationship with food.  I have a long term relationship not a one night stand (i.e pizza)...  I heard that somewhere...  

One of my favorite snacks is dried blueberries, almonds and carob (or dark chocolate if that's too weird for you).  It's super yummy and good for you too.  It's replaced popcorn and chips for me.  Presley named the mix herself.  Enjoy...

 

 

 

  

Rustic Apple Tart

  

 

While in California we made a apple tart that was not only beautiful and tasty but it was simple.  I thought about holding on to this recipe so I could make it for a few friends but it's too good to hold out on you.  It's not the healthiest desert.  But as often as I'm willing to bake deserts for myself (not often) is how often I allow myself to eat them.  

 Rustic Apple Tart:

Ingredients: 

1/2 c. Sugar, 

1/2 stick unsalted butter cubed 

3 or 4 green apples ( or peach, pear, any firm fruit ) 

1 box puff pastry thawed, (in frozen desert section)

2 to 3 tablespoons of apricot jam (this is just to give it a glazed coating)

A pinch of Calvado (optional)

Directions:

Roll pastry out to about 11 by 14, place peeled and sliced apple diagonally, sprinkle sugar over all, dot with butter cubes, roll in edges. 

I really liked to thinly slice the apples, I think it contributed to the lightness and flakiness of the tart.  The slices were not very uniform, I think it added to the rustic feel.  Place the thicker ones on the edge (those can stand a bit more heat).

Place the pastry on baking sheet lined with parchment paper, eliminates a lot of work and is best for this delicate pastry. Bake in 425 degree oven for 35 min. Then brush tart (right out of oven) with apricot jam (or jelly) melted with calvado if no calvado it's ok. Calvado is an apple brandy. 

It's a hot oven and if the sugar runs it may start to smoke.  So just be aware...

You could serve with scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side with sprig of fresh mint for a fancy version or dust with powdered sugar!  

This was a super yummy desert and a great one for Presley to help with...

PS write a comment once you try it or if you have any questions.