That weird drink I have for breakfast every morning....

Whey Protein Shake!

When I first started this paleo way of life, I needed something that would be a quick breakfast that I could carry around with me and keep me full until lunch. I used to drink a can of Slimfast every day but it became very apparent that the sugar content was ridiculous! My brother had me try out a whey protein shake, and at first I thought it was absolutely disgusting, then I made my owner recipe. It may not be the tastiest thing in the world but it gets the job done.

Ingredients:

I scoop Whey Protein

(note: be very careful with what you buy. Always check the ingredients, the less the better. Also the sugar content should be minimal, no more than 2g. The muscle building protein shakes are absolutely horrible for you. The one I use is organic from grass fed cows and can be purchased online. I usually go through a tub in 2 months)

I teaspoon of raw cacao powder

A sprinkle of cinnamon

2 teaspoons of Splenda (I should be using Truvia, but I have a lot of Splenda left I need to burn through!)

12-14oz’s of Organic Whole Milk

Directions:

Heat up the whole milk for about 2 minutes in the microwave.

Put the rest of the ingredients in blender. Pour in hot milk. Mix in blender for a few seconds until the cacao powder looks mostly dissolved. Not all of it will dissolve so you will frequently need to shake the drink up before sipping.

Pour into travelling shake contain and enjoy!

Any other items can be added to create different flavors. I tried honey once and it wasn’t too shabby. Avocado works well but it tends to get brown and ugly throughout the morning.

I tried adding some Kefir once but it made the consistency kind of gross and gloopy.

Feel free to experiment!

Zucchini and Chorizo Lasagna

Ok, so this was entirely experimental. Make sure you read my suggestions at the bottom of the post as there were a few things I would do much differently.

Ingredients:

2 cups ricotta cheese

1 egg

2 tablespoons dried parsley

2 large Michigan zucchinis

1 jar of tomato sauce

Mozzarella cheese to top off with (I ran out and had to use string cheese… did not work so well)

2 tubes of chorizo (pre-cooked stove top)

Directions:

1)      Slice the zucchini on the long side (these serve as the lasagna noodles

2)      Mix the raw egg, parsley and Ricotta together

3)      In a casserole dish put a layer of tomato  or pasta sauce, then a layer of the zucchini, some of the Ricotta mix and ½ the Chorizo. Repeat a second time to create the second layer

4)      Last layer add zucchini, then tomato sauce then ricotta. Top with layer of mozzarella

5)      Bake covered with foil at 375 for 45 minutes. Bake uncovered for another 15 minutes. Let stand to cool for another 10-15 minutes.

6)      Serve!

Suggestions:

Get fresh Mozzarella. String cheese is a bad replacement.

Make whatever sauce you use as thick as possible. The lasagna ended up being a lot more watery than I wanted. A tomato Paste would probably work better.

The Chorizo was delicious, and overall the flavor of the dish was great, it just ended up being messy with more sauce than substance. Next time around I’ll post an update on this. 

Apple snack with Ricotta and Honey spread

Hey so I got a bit munchy while I am preparing for another big dinner post and one of my favorite treats are Honeycrisp Apples. I also had just bought some Ricotta Cheese and figured it would make a nice spread.

Ingredients:
1 Apple (Honeycrisp is da bomb, but any of your favorite type will do)
2-4 Tablespoons of Ricotta Cheese
1-2 teaspoons of Honey (I used organic wildflower)

Directions:
Cut up apple into snack sized pieces
Mix Ricotta and Honey together.
Spread on apple slice and eat!

Yeah I know it's super easy, but it was also tasty. I ate it too fast to take a picture, but you can assume it looks delicious!

Sausage and Chicken Coconut Curry Stew

So I have never ever ever made curry soup before. Ever. And today I was feeling adventurous. And Whole foods had Coconut Milk. So I thought I would give it a try. And it turned out FREAKING AWESOME. It is derived from the flavors that I so enjoyed from my favorite Thai Restaurant in the world, http://spoonthai.com/, in their Banana Blossom Salad.

Ingredients:

½ Chopped pre-cooked smoked Sausage

2 portions of Shredded pre-cooked chicken breasts

½ Red Cabbage chopped

½ Yellow onion chopped

½ Red onion chopped

Minced Garlic

Yellow Curry Powder (about ½ a cup)

1 Carton of Chicken Stock

2 small cans of unsweetened Coconut Milk

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

3 tablespoons sugar

Lime Juice from 2 limes

Lemon juice from ½ lemon

2 Tablespoons Cream Cheese

Coconut Oil

½ cup leftover Pea and Cabbage salad from my other blog entry: Sausage A La Danny and Pea and Cabbage Salad

Seasonings: Fish Sauce, Paprika, dried chive, parsley, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, garlic powder, Cayenne Pepper

Directions:

1)      In a large pot on the stove, add in Coconut Oil on Medium-High heat. Add in Chopped Onions and Cabbage and sauté until soft.

2)      Add in sausage, chicken, Minced Garlic, Coconut Milk, Chicken Stock, Curry Powder, Lime and Lemon Juice and leftover pea salad. Turn up heat to high and wait for it to boil

3)      Once it begins to boil, add in the rest of the seasonings to taste. Do not forget the sugar, Cream cheese and the peanut butter!

4)      Continue to heat and let it reduce until it reaches desired consistency and flavor

5)      NOM UNTIL YOU ARE SO FULL YOU CANT MOVE

I accidentally made mine a little too spicy with the Yellow Curry Powder, but it ended up being manageable with a cup of nice cold Whole Milk to drink on the side.

Smoked Sausage A La Danny and Pea and Cabbage Salad

Sometimes I like to get Danny involved in making dinner with me, especially if I am super exhausted. Every time he makes something delicious! He is a lot more meticulous than I am so sometimes we really balance each other out.

Smoked Sausage:

Ingredients:

Pre-cooked smoked sausage

Worcestershire sauce

Soy Sauce

Black Pepper

Directions:

1)      Slice sausage about ¼ an inch, season with Black Pepper before putting in skillet

2)      Spray Pam on skillet and heat to just below medium. Add in sausage, fry and stir.

3)      Keep stirring until it begins to brown

4)      Add in Worcestershire and Soy sauce (two parts Worcestershire, one part Soy, add to taste) Reduce slightly to taste as well

Pea and Cabbage Salad:

Ingredients:

1 package frozen peas

¼ Red Cabbage

½ Yellow onion

Minced Garlic

Lowry Seasoning Salt

Coconut Oil

Lemon Pepper Seasoning

Dry Chive seasoning

Directions:

1)      Chop up Cabbage and onions to small pieces.

2)      Add Coconut Oil to heated pot on stove, heat to medium. Once hot add in Onions and Cabbage.

3)      Saute Onions and Cabbage. When complete add in froze peas and minced garlic.

4)      Heat and stir until pea’s start to get wrinkly and change color. Add in rest of seasoning to taste.

5)      Serve.

All in all, a very tasty, simple and filling dish! 

SEAFOOD SOUP OF EPICNESS

Seafood Soup (for lack of a better title)

This is a variation on a different Seafood soup I normally make. It’s tasty, filling and low in calories!

Ingredients:

2 bags of Frozen Seafood Mix

1 bottle of Pasta Sauce (any flavor you desire)

1 Can Diced tomatoes

½ Sliced Onion (white or yellow)

¼ Sliced red cabbage

Beef Broth

Olive Oil

Sour Cream

Milk

Spices: Minced Garlic, Fish Sauce, Soy Sauce, Parsley, Oregano, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, Red Pepper Flakes, Paprika, Bay Leaves, Cajun Seasoning, Black pepper, Balsamic Vinegar

Directions:

1)      In a large metal pot on the stove on High Heat mix the frozen seafood with a tablespoon of Olive Oil and some minced garlic and a few a tablespoons of Fish Sauce. Heat until seafood is cooked.

2)      Chop up the onion and Cabbage and add in. mix until both are soft.

3)      Add in Can of diced tomatoes and Beef Broth and wait until it starts to boil again.

4)      Add in the Pasta sauce, and again wait until it boils.

5)      Add a few dollops of sour cream and a 1/2 cup of Milk to make the soup creamier

6)      Add in all of the spices to taste. Reduce down for 15-30 minutes until you reach desired flavor.

7)      Serve in bowl and SLURP IT! You just made a soup!

Hell yes that looks delicious. You want some?

Quick Steak!

Sometimes all you want is just a big slab of beef. It's one of the easiest and tastiest things to make, and only takes about 7 minutes.
Also, the best way to make any meats involve a well made broiler pan. When my mom met my dad, she started to learn how to cook just as I am now, and she got her hands on a Tony Broiler Pan (http://tonysbroilpan.com/). And the tradition has been passed down as a few years ago she bought my my first Tony Pant as well. I suggest this for anyone's kitchen!

Ingredients:
Top Sirloin, thawed or fresh (we usually get from Joe Caputo's for about $8/lb)
Seasoning Salt (Cajun Salt for this time)
Avocado
Dill
Lime Juice

Directions:
Preheat broiler with Broiler pan.
Cut avocado in half, season with lime juice and dill
Once oven is done preheating, spray broiler pan with Pam, or whatever you use to prevent sticking and burning. Place steaks on pan. Depending on thickness cook for 5-10 minutes.
Once finished, season with cajun salt. Let sit for about 5 minutes
SCARF IT DOWN!

Simple. Delicious. Awesome.