Chicken Satay with Almond Butter Sauce

I totally made this recipe up and it was quite good! The chicken was tender and moist. The sauce was rich and flavorful. I also made a cauliflower-carrot mash but I didn't make that recipe up :)

The scallions and parsley sprinkled on top are from my garden. Did you know you can replant scallion bottoms bought at the store and they'll regrow? Quite quickly and easily actually! I bought a bunch of scallions for $.33 at Sprouts a couple months ago. After using the tops, I replanted the bottoms and now have a continuous supply! The parsley I got on clearance at Safeway for $.75 a couple weeks ago. With all the rain we've been getting, I took a kind of wimpy, droopy plant and now have an awesome, healthy plant!

I've been in love with this coconut yogurt! It's regularly priced at $1 at King Soopers (I haven't seen it at Walmart yet) but I got this cup for free with the iBotta rebate (another money saver app that I love!). It's a bit runnier than regular yogurt but still good! It comes in several flavors but I usually buy just the plain because I can add whatever to it or use it in cooking. I make several different Indian/Thai dishes with it!

Total Cost of this meal: $5.77 (served 3)

$1.67 for the chicken
$1 for the coconut yogurt
$1 worth of  spices
$.35 tomato paste
$.50 almond butter
$1 cauliflower
$.25 carrots


Chicken Satay

Ingredients

1 lb chicken breasts
6 oz coconut yogurt
1 T curry
1 t coriander
1 t cumin
6 wooden skewers

Combine yogurt and spices in a bowl. Add chicken breasts and coat with sauce. Marinate for at least 1 hour (up to overnight).
Thickly slice chicken and thread onto wooden skewers
Grill over medium heat until thoroughly cooked. Serve warm with sauce

Almond Butter Sauce
This was actually a peanut butter based sauce but I just substituted almond butter instead (as peanuts are not Paleo approved) and it tasted just fine!

1 T oil
2 cloves garlic
2 T tomato paste
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 T honey
2 T almond butter
1 tsp sriratcha sauce
2 tsp gluten free soy sauce (or coconut aminos if strictly Paleo)

Heat oil in small saucepan. Saute garlic until golden, about 30 seconds. Add all other ingredients. Stir to combine and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Cool and serve.

Cauliflower- Carrot Mash
Modified from (http://www.multiplydelicious.com/thefood/2011/11/cauliflower-carrot-herb-mash/)

1 16-oz bag frozen cauliflower
1 handful baby carrots
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
2 T chopped scallions
1 t curry
2 T olive oil

Boil carrots and cauliflower and carrots until tender, about 18 minutes. Drain.
Saute onions, garlic, and curry in oil until onions are translucent.
Add both carrot/cauliflowers and onion mixture into a food processor. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
 Note: You could use any herb mixture you'd like. The original recipe called for rosemary and thyme but I didn't think that would go with my Asian inspired flavors.

Pot Roast- Paleo style and in a hurry!

I'm really excited about a new blog series I'm going to start writing. I don't have all the details ironed out right now so I'll hold off giving too much away but it'll be focused on bringing clean eating to every income level. Our church just moved from a very nice, upscale building on a college campus to it's own, completely paid for building in a very low income area. And it's been on my heart about how the poverty and sub-poverty level families eat. We're nowhere near wealthy ourselves, but we're also not poverty stricken and never have been. So, I'll be collaborating with a few people who understand more clearly what "poverty" in the United States means. But in the mean time, I'm going to post some clean eating, paleo (or easily paleo modified) recipes on a budget. They'll all be under $8 for the whole meal, start to finish. So, without further adieu, here's the first one! :)

Pot Roast- Paleo Style!

I've taken my mother's pot roast, which I absolutely love, and modified it a bit to be Paleo. Ok, really all I did was switch out the white flour for tapioca. The rest of the ingredients were already Paleo-approved! What makes this pot roast so yummy and different, I think, is the gravy. You blend the veggies that cook with the meat into the gravy. It's a great way to sneak vegetables in if you're cooking for picky eaters!

I started with kinda old sirloin steaks. I know that's an odd cut of meat to use for pot roast but I've got a reason! We don't really like these on the grill. They're not well marbled and are quite tough, even when I first bought them a couple months ago. My local Albertsons' runs a Buy 1, Get 2 free sale on meat quite often, with these being included (in fact, I believe these sirloins will be on sale this coming week!). So, this package was only $6.28. And that's over 2 lbs of steak! At only $2.98 a pound, they're actually cheaper than if I bought a traditional pot roast!

Next, I coated the steaks in tapioca starch (I got this in the bulk section of Sprouts) and fried them for a little while in olive oil. You could use any flour substitute you want. Or white flour if that's all you've got. You're only talking a couple tablespoons total. But we're personally going completely gluten free for the week to deal with some physical issues my mom is having. I also sprinkled some garlic salt from Trader Joe's on the steaks as well but that's not necessary.

 I then added 1 whole onion, 3 stalks of celery, a couple cloves of garlic, and a handful of baby carrots. I know you're thinking, why would you use baby carrots? They're more expensive. Yes, but I'm lazy so that's all I buy. They're on sale for $.88 a bag at Sprouts anyway. Cover with 2 cans of beef broth or water and bouillon. Whichever you've got, or whatever's cheaper. I just happened to have canned beef broth in the cupboard that I got on sale at Christmastime for $.10 a can. Yes, I still have them 7 months later. Don't judge.

Cover and cook for 3-5 hours. My sirloin only took about 3 hours but they were smaller pieces. If you use a traditional roast, it's gonna take longer!

Remove all the vegetables from the pot and place them in a blender. I used a small food processor but you could also use an immersion blender if you prefer. I've used one several times as well. It takes a bit longer to smooth out the vegetables that way though.

Blend vegetables until smooth. Kind of looks like baby food, huh? Not too appealing but trust me, it's so yummy! Add this back to the pot of broth.

Stir to combine. Add broth to thin the sauce out to desired consistency. Depending on how much water/broth you added in the beginning, you may actually need to add thickener. I only added 2 cans of broth so it was quite thick and needed thinning. Slice meat, top with sauce and serve with whatever accompaniments! I served this with brown rice (yes, I know. Not Paleo, but gluten free and I don't have a problem with brown rice. We don't eat it every day and are careful about how much starch we consume). You could also serve it with cauliflower rice or mashed cauliflower. Hope you enjoy this meal as much as we do!

Total cost: $8.08 or so. I got the brown rice for $.69/lb at Sprouts. A pound was about 3 cups and I cooked a cup so $.23 worth plus the broccoli was $.50 a bag.


Ingredients (with cost breakdown in parenthesis)

Beef Rib Roast: Well, that's traditional. I used the sirloins :) ($6.28)
2 T tapioca starch or flour ($.15)
1 onion, chopped ($.20)
3-5 celery stalks, chopped ($.20)
a handful of baby carrots or 2 regular carrots ($.20)
2 cups of beef broth ($.20)
2 cloves of garlic ($.10)
Enough oil to coat bottom of pan

1. Coat beef in flour and sear on medium-high in oil till browned thoroughly on outside. Don't worry about cooking it through.
2. Add all other ingredients to pot. Cover and cook 3-4 hours on low.
3. Strain out vegetables into a blender and puree, or use an immersion blender to blend in the pot. Add broth or flour to achieve desired consistency or gravy. Serve immediately over rice or cauliflower.

A Summer Redone

Last year, I had all these grand plans for my summer off from school. Remember this? Well, I only got about 6 weeks into it before I landed a summer job in Idaho and it all went out the window! This year, I'm taking a couple summer classes (in hopes of actually finishing school next year!) so I'm definitely not going anywhere. So, I think I'm going to try tackling a new summer plan! I've not been working this past year so finances are VERY tight but I think I can still do some fun things and hopefully tighten up the budget in areas!

One of the main things I really need to get better at this summer is grocery spending. You all know me! I'm the grocery queen! But for several months, I've been playing around with the 21 day Sugar Detox and a modified version of Paleo. This has sent my grocery budget spiraling out of control! I tend to try to keep our budget at about $200 a month. Many times, it's a bit more than this. Around the holidays, it's A LOT more than this. But in February, when I started this new eating plan, it tripled to over $600 a month. That's ridiculous and we can't afford that anymore! So, a summer challenge for me is how to get our grocery budget back down to the $200 range and still incorporate the new eating strategies? Any suggestions? I know, since it's summertime, produce will be way more affordable and that's good. That's a major part of my diet. I'm also going to grow some produce again. Mostly, it'll be herbs. They do well in my flower boxes :)

I also want to get outside more. More hikes, more outdoor concerts/movie nights, more picnics. We live in, in my opinion, the most beautiful state, and I need to find the time to enjoy it more! I'd love the opportunity to use my awesome camera too. I bought it a couple of years ago when we went to Hawaii and have only used it a handful of time since!

My last goal this summer is organization. I want to come back to school in the fall with a plan. A plan to keep stress down at home. A plan to become more diligent with school. I've got 7 classes in the fall. I can't afford to slack off!

And in the spirit of my summer, here's a recipe for you! We made these last night for dinner and they are yummy! I think they cost me about $3.50 for the whole meal. I modified it slightly by using ground turkey instead of chopped chicken breasts. I think it tastes more like P.F. Chang's that way. I also used a bit of honey (about 1 T) to take some of the bitterness out. You could also use grated carrot in it to give it sweetness if you'd like!



Ingredients:
1/2 lb chicken breast, chopped (I used ground turkey)
2 T tamari (this is a wheat free soy sauce and I find it at the Asian store) or coconut aminos
1 t fish sauce
1 T sriracha
1 small onion, diced finely
1/2 c water chesnuts, diced
1 large close garlic, minced
2 T coconut oil or EVOO

- Heat oil in pan and saute onions and garlic together
- Add meat to onion mixture and cook till brown
- Add all the rest of the ingredients and heat till it thickens a bit
- Serve in lettuce cups. Enjoy!

• 
  

Oh the joys!

Why is it that you never lose weight in the areas you want first? I think the 16-17 lbs I've lost so far have all been in my legs and face. I'd prefer to lose the fat in my arms and waist first! I've got about 3 lbs to go to hit my first goal, lose 20 lbs before I cruise. I'm in the final stretch! 5 more days to go!

I spent most of the weekend prepping for this last week of doing the 21dsd. I made chicken salad with celery and green apples which I'll wrap in lettuce for lunch this week.

I made Paleo friendly apple fritters. These are made with coconut flour, which I've never used before. They tasted awesome but I didn't like the texture. They were very grainy and they didn't crisp up. I'll have to tweak the recipe a bit.

I also made these Paleo swedish meatballs! They were yummy! Hope they reheat well for lunches next week.

We're celebrating my dad's birthday and St. Patrick's day tonight with corned beef and cabbage. My dad always asks for the same thing for his birthday day dinner every year, corned beef, and mom always refuses to make it for him because we have it two days later for St. Patrick's Day. So, the running joke in our house is that dad is the only person to never get whatever he wants for his birthday. I wouldn't have a problem eating it twice in one week! But mom doesn't really like the meal.

It IS fine to eat on the 21dsd though! Except for the potatoes, which is fine with me. I'll reheat leftover rutabaga instead. Yum! I love mashed rutabaga! So, here's a recipe for you if you want to try it. It's yummy!


Mashed Rutabaga with Sour cream and dill (recipe and pic from Simply Recipes )

Ingredients 

• 2 to 3 pounds of rutabagas, peeled and chopped into 1 inch chunks
• Salt and black pepper
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream (more or less to taste)
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill or chives

METHOD

1. Cover the chopped rutabaga with about 1 inch of cold water and bring to a boil. Add a generous pinch of salt and boil until tender, about 30-40 minutes. Drain and return to pot

2. Reduce the heat to love and let rutabaga steam for a few minutes. Mash with a potato masher. Add butter, sour cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, mix in chopped dill or chives. 

What to eat for breakfast!

I hate breakfast foods! Ok, maybe that's a little harsh. But I really dislike most of it. Oatmeal, yuck. Cereal, don't like the milk. Eggs, one of my very least favorite foods in the whole wide world. Can't eat pancakes, though I DO love those. I also don't particularly like to eat leftovers for breakfast. My palate just isn't ready for the heaviness of leftovers. So, pretty much, I drink smoothies and protein shakes for breakfast nowadays. Until I found this recipe...

It's awesome. I can stand the eggs in it because I can't really taste them and they don't have an eggy texture. It's easy to make, very versatile, and cheap! A bonus, because my food budget has tripled recently. Sigh. I know you're thinking, turnips? Really? Seriously, you'd never now they weren't hashbrowns. They have the EXACT same texture! It's amazing! When you're peeling them and shredding them, they smell like horseradish. Don't let this sway you from making the dish. They don't end up tasting like horseradish. Mix it up with different meats, veggies, cheeses (if you eat cheese). The original recipe didn't call for cheese because it was a paleo recipe but I don't have a problem with cheese. The first time I made this recipe, I used the sausage it calls for. This time, I used ham. I also added onions and red peppers. You could try turkey sausage, regular sausage, bacon, or ham. Try chicken sausage too. That's always yummy.

Breakfast Casserole (original recipe from Mark's Daily Apple: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-breakfast-casserole/#ixzz2vhBqfErG)

Approximately 8 servings

• 1 pound ground breakfast sausage or other breakfast meat
• 3 turnips, peeled and grated (a food processor works well for this)
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 c chopped vegetables (whichever float your boat. Onions, bell peppers, leeks, mushrooms, etc)
• 1 cup shredded cheese (again, whichever. I used Old Croc's all natural extra sharp cheddar) 

Instructions:

Sauté sausage, breaking it up into small pieces with a spoon or spatula, until almost cooked through.

Mix the sausage with the rest of the ingredients.

Spoon into a 9X16 greased baking pan.

When ready to cook, heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 45 minutes  Let cool 15-20 minutes so the casserole sets before cutting into it.

P.S. This freezes perfectly! Cut it into squares, place it on a cookie sheet and freeze. Then, when you want to eat it, pop it into the microwave for 1 minute or so. It's great! 

I've discovered...

Warning: the next paragraph is a little graphic :)
I've been off the sugar detox for about 3 weeks. Not that long. And I've noticed a few things since then. I've taken Metformin for about 2 years now, off and on (mostly off, I'm not good at remembering to take medication). If I don't remember to take medicine though, I get pretty bad diarrhea for about 2 days until my body adjusts to it again. And then I'm fine! Until the next time I forget to take it for a few days. And the cycle repeats itself. Until I did the sugar detox last month. I hadn't remembered to take Metformin in a couple of weeks but I started up again on it the same day I went on the sugar detox. I wanted to make sure that I was controlling sugar levels from the beginning. What I was really afraid of was diabetic shock. That my blood sugar would crash dramatically when I took out all forms of sugar. So back on the pill I went. But this time, not diarrhea! I can't really explain scientifically why this happened.

What I think happened was something to do with the combination of this medicine and gluten. Because I've introduced wheat back into my diet (at times, A LOT of it) and I'm back to the diarrhea. I've not introduced soda, fast food, white sugar, or even much desserty type stuff back in so I don't think it's that. Any other ideas?

I've also discovered I need to stick to the food plan pretty closely. I lost 12 pounds in 3 weeks on 21dsd (that's short for 21 day Sugar Detox). I've lost 1.8 pounds since then. And I've been at the gym 4 days a week! Grrr. Not happy about this.

Last thing I've discovered. I love vegetables. No, like seriously. All kinds. Mushrooms are really the only ones I don't care for. Oh, and beets (although are they considered a vegetable? I'm not sure). I like vegetables more than fruit! But that makes sense to me because I've always craved salt over sugar. I'd rather a pickle than a Popsicle.

So, to wrap up, I'm going back on the 21dsd. It's the only thing that seemed to work. Plus, I'm going to do this 3-week exercise plan as well.  That'll take me to the night before Spring Break. And then, maybe, I'll be more motivated to eat right and go to the gym onboard ship. Oh, we're taking a 7-day cruise to the Caribbean for those who don't know. I know I'll cheat. But I hope I won't want to undo everything I've worked for in the last two months. At least that's the dream!

21 days on a sugar detox: The Finale

Wow, 3 weeks went by so quick! I've been back in school for a month, taken two tests, done multiple evenings of homework, and finished a sugar detox. I don't have a sense of, "Oh, now I'm done with this course, I can go back to how I was eating before". I think I'm going to just continue this way. I feel really good after 3 weeks. My blood sugar is more stable, I haven't had a migraine since day 3, and I've lost 12 pounds. Not bad for less than a month!

I've realized how much sugar had a grip on my health. Before, it would seem like at 2:30, I would zone out for the day. Any class, project, event, that happened after that time, I wasn't really present for. Until about 7:00pm when I had eaten dinner and my sugar levels would jump back up. Now, I'm clearheaded all day. Of course, by 5:00pm, I'm kinda done with school. I've been in class for 8 hours, what do you expect?! But it's not food related. I'm also sleeping better and more efficiently. I'd sleep 9-10 hours before and sometimes not feel energized. Now, I'm sleeping 7 1/2 to 8 hours and awake ready to face the day.

One thing though that I have noticed is I'm breaking out more. Odd. I'm not sure what's causing that. Maybe a diet higher in fat? I've never struggled with acne (I don't have acne now, it's not that bad), even during my teenage years. But right now is probably the worst it's been in many years. And the 6-7 spots I do have, I've had for about 2 weeks now. They don't seem to want to heal. Anybody heard anything about this? I'm not sure what to do about that.

So, I'm sure you're thinking, "what are you going to eat now?" I'm going to just continue on this way. I don't think I'll add other carb sources. Brown Rice and the occasional popcorn have been fine for me (I can't give up popcorn, I would die). I will add more fruits back in. There's a pineapple ripening on my counter as I speak that is calling to me. I won't be as strict about what goes into my mouth either. If I really want that bowl of pasta, then I'll eat it! But it won't be 3 times a week. I've gotten a lot more aware of what foods I eat and what ingredients I use and I hope to continue that. It's been eye opening to realize that what I eat affects not only long term health but day-to-day life as well. These 3 weeks have been at times challenging, but it's been a wonderful lesson in accountability and discipline as well. I've enjoyed doing this detox and I hope it's just the beginning to a different pattern in life.

Meals for this last week are listed below if you're interested :) Thanks for reading and the support many of you have extended throughout these past few weeks!

Day 15
Breakfast: Atkins Shake, Apple and Almond Butter
Lunch: Leftover Chicken Soup
Dinner: Salisbury Steak, Brown Rice, and Broccoli

Day 16
Breakfast: Atkins Shake, Coffee
Lunch: Leftover Garlic Pork and Broccoli
Dinner: Spanakopita Chicken Meatballs, Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

Day 17
Breakfast: Paleo Breakfast Casserole  (this was wonderful! I added cheese, green peppers,
                                             and onions)
                                            Lunch: Leftover Meatballs
                                            Dinner: Taco Salad

Day 18
Breakfast: Leftover Breakfast Casserole
Lunch: Hamburger with Cheese, Zucchini and Onions sauteed
Dinner: Coconut Curry Lentil Soup 

Day 19
Breakfast: Carrot Pumpkin Muffin
Lunch: Chicken Caesar Salad
Dinner: Chili

Day 20
Breakfast: Carrot Pumpkin Muffin
Lunch: Chicken and Broccoli
Dinner: Eggplant Parmesan, Spaghetti Squash

Day 21
Breakfast: Banana, Cheese Stick, Salami
Lunch: Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets, Spaghetti Squash
Dinner: Out for dinner