Cauliflower Chicken Fried Rice

It tastes just like regular fried rice!!!! I love disguising vegetables as other things hehehe. Cauliflower is also an awesome vegetable because you can make it in to sooo many different things!!!!


1. Grate cauliflower (a cheese grater works pretty well) until it is in small rice-like (actually I think it looks more like couscous) bits.

2. Cut up chicken thighs and cook them in coconut aminos and some coconut oil. I like chicken thighs because they are more tender. Coconut aminos are a good substitute for soy sauce.

3. Mix cauliflower rice, two eggs, green onions, shredded carrots, and ground ginger in a bowl (in the picture we didn't beat the eggs first but it would have been a little bit easier if we had)

4. Pour cauliflower mixture in with the chicken and sautee until the cauliflower rice is a little crispy and fried. Add more coconut aminos as desired.

Moroccan Beef Stew

So I got the idea for this recipe here but in reality I didn't really follow it at all.

Here's what it looked like from Jan's Sushi Bar (her's ended up looking a little prettier...)

I was planning to cook basically from her recipe but then I realized it took waayyyy more time that I had (seeing that my brother was coming over for dinner 7:30 and I started preparing/cooking at 7:25....) So instead of following her recipe I used Jan's as a jumping off point and it turned out really really well!

1. Peel sweet potatoes and cut them in to chunks
 - The recipe actually call for butternut squash but we are planning to use butternut squash in a recipe later this week so I decided to use sweet potatoes instead
- We only had small sweet potatoes from Trader Joe's so I used four small ones (probably equal to about two large ones)
2. Put chunks of sweet potatoes in boiling water and cook them on medium heat until tender
3. While the sweet potatoes are cooking put beef stew meat in a pan and cook with spices and coconut oil
- I used cumin, paprika (which are my two favorite spices!), cinnamon (Amelia's favorite spice), and nutmeg
- I don't really measure when I use spices but I tend to use fairly large quantities. It really just matters that the ratio of spices is good. I used a ton of paprika and cumin, a good amount of cinnamon, and only a little bit of nutmeg. I always put in more spices than I think I need and that is usually enough.

4. Add a whole onion cut up in to strips or diced
5. Add garlic
6. Saute together until meat is browned
7. Add one cup of beef broth and one can of coconut milk
8. Stir everything together and let it simmer (I had it simmer for about 20 minutes but you should let it simmer for longer)
9. Add sweet potatoes (which should be tender) and golden raisins

10. Mix together and let simmer for another 15 or 20 minutes

11. Enjoy!!!!

All in all it took one hour from prep time table. I let the rest of the stew then simmer longer while I was eating so that the meat will be softer and it will be thicker for lunch tomorrow. If I had had more time I would have let the meat simmer for about 45 minutes and then added the sweet potatoes and raisins and let it simmer for another 20-30 minutes. It was still delicious the way it was though!!!

Bacon Burgers with Fried Egg

So the paleo challenge has been going pretty well but I am sick of writing down what I ate everyday. It was helpful in the beginning when I was training myself on how to eat but now it is just tedious. From now on this blog won't be about what I ate every meal but instead just about the delicious recipes that my roommate and I make! Today we made burgers wrapped in bacon with fried egg on top and it was soooo delicious.


1. Mix ground beef (we used grass fed, free range beef from the Humble Gourmand) with spices. We used paprika, garlic, and 21 seasoning salute.

2. Make beef in to patties and drizzle balsamic vinegar over the burgers. This prevents them from drying out and brings out the flavor.

3.  Wrap burgers in bacon. We wrapped each patty in one slice of bacon but you could always use more!!!

4. Grill burgers in a pan until cooked as desired. It ended up taking a little longer than we thought and we ended up covering the pan so that they would cook more quickly.

The burgers turned out so well!!!!!

We then cooked onions and mushrooms on the side with more garlic and more paprika and then cooked kale in the pan that we had cooked the bacon burgers in. We came to the decision that kale should allwwaayysss be cooked in bacon burger juice. yum.  We then fried some eggs and put them on top of the burgers!

You can't really see the burger but it's under the egg!

Day 14: Friday, March 25

Breakfast: ssaammmeee oollllddd same old. it gets boring to write about but not boring to eat!!!
Snack: macadamia nuts and almonds
Lunch: leftover tuna steak and leftover vegetables
Snack: carrots, chicken veggie patty, nuts
Dinner: beef stir fry with meat from humble gourmand with an onion, red pepper, green pepper, and spices, side of sauteed spinach with sweet potatoes
Dessert: cut up strawberries with full fat coconut milk whipped cream


Beef Fajita Stir Fry
- put cut up vegetables (peppers, onions, mushrooms) in a large pan or wok

- add garlic and spices!

(we wanted to use paprika and cumin but we were out)

And for dessert strawberries with whipped coconut milk with cinnamon and vanilla!

Day 13: Thursday, March 24

Breakfast: the usual plus half an avocado
Snack: some macadamia nuts (I haven't been super hungry recently for some reason but then I start to feel sick or cranky and realize I should probably eat)
Lunch: spinach salad with hard boiled egg, half and avocado, peppers, cucumbers, sesame seeds, sun-dried tomatoes, balsamic mustard vinegar homemade dressing
Dinner: baked squash and zucchini with tuna steaks


Baked Squash and Zucchini:
- Line baking dish with garlic and olive oil
- put cut up zucchini and squash in dish
- add spices as desired (21 seasoning salute, red pepper flakes)
- Bake at 400 degrees for 20mins then broil on high for 5 mins

Tuna Steaks:
- put Trader Joe's frozen tuna steaks in plastic bag with fresh ginger, garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, half a lemon, and some mustard
- leave to marinate and defrost in fridge over night
- cook in a pan for 3mins on each side or until tuna steaks reach desired done-ness (making up my own word...) ideally it should be a little pink inside and flaky

Day 12: Wednesday, March 23

Breakfast: the usual (i love it but i feel bored writing "the usual" everyday...) plus half an avocado
Snack: veggie turkey patty, carrots
Lunch: leftover curry with green beans
Afternoon snack: turkey patty, macadamia nuts, 
Dinner: leftover pork wrapped bacon (yuummmmmmmm) with sweet potato hash, kale, and onions, frozen grapes, some blackberries

Day 11: Tuesday, March 22

Breakfast: the usual (eggs, chicken sausage, kale, onions, etc.)
Lunch: leftover pork wrapped bacon yuummmmmmmmm and mashed cauliflower
Snack: half an avocado, prosciutto, macadamia nuts
Dinner: chicken curry with veggies, cauliflower rice, frozen grapes


Chicken Curry:
- cut up small pieces of chicken and cook in a pan
- add vegetables (kale, shredded carrots, peppers, mushrooms, etc.)
- add spices as desired (curry, cumin, paprika, crushed red pepper, 21 seasoning salute, garlic)
- we added chicken stock leftover from the crockpot chicken
- add coconut milk
- simmer on stove until warm

Cauliflower Rice:
- grate cauliflower with cheese grater
- put cauliflower in saucepan with olive oil, garlic, spices, and some chicken stock (we used some left over from our crockpot chicken)
- sautee on low until browned

Day 10: Monday, March 21

HAPPY FIRST OFFICIAL DAY OF SPRING!!! (and day 10 of strict paleo!)

Pre-crossfit snack: some almonds and macadamia nuts 
Breakfast: see above! sweet potato hash (good post workout), ground beef (left over from two days of grilling this weekend) onions, kale, two fried eggs, bacon, and coffee
Breakfast kept me full till lunch!
Lunch: leftover grilled vegetables cooked with kale, crockpot chicken
After work snack: handful of blackberries, two pieces of prosciutto
Dinner: most. epic. dinner. ever. pork loin roast (from trader joe's) wrapped in BACON! mashed cauliflower and steamed broccoli on the side.


Pork Loin Roast Wrapped in Bacon
- Defrost pork loin roast
- Cut small slits in the pork and stick bits garlic in the pork

- Wrap the pork in bacon so that it is covered entirely (see above!)
- Cook pork at 350 for approximately an hour (make sure it is fully cooked by cutting into it slightly, it should be pinkish but not pink and not brown or use a meat thermometer if you have one)

et voila!

nom nom nom nom nom. yuuuuummmmmm.

the final product. BOOM.

 

Day 9: Sunday, March 20

Breakfast: the usual....two eggs, chicken sausage, pulled crockpot chicken, veggies, kale
Snack: Humble Gourmad demonstration with brisket, gaucomole, raw yellow peppers
I didn't eat lunch?????? (I just realized that)
Afternoon snack: coconut milk latte (yum!), half of a turkey/veggie patty
Dinner: Two and a half hamburgers (no buns of course) cooked on the grill with salsa and mustard on top, grilled veggies


Coconut milk latte:
- make some extra strong coffee
- when the coffee is brewed add coconut milk (preferably full fat coconut milk), cinnamon, some cocoa powder (use as much or as little as you like) and coffee to a sauce pan and simmer on low until hot

makes a delicious coffee treat and it tastes surprisingly sweet and not too coconut-y!!

Amelia and I made the turkey/veggie patties and a crockpot chicken today so that we would have lots of food to snack on and use if we are short on food.

Turkey/veggie patties:
- two packets of ground turkey
- 2 eggs
- kale
- onions
- zucchini
- shredded carrots

- Pre-heat oven to 350
- Saute vegetables together until cooked
- Mix ground turkey, vegetables, and egg together with whatever spices you want (garlic, 21 seasoning salute from Trader Joe's etc.)
- Make small patties and place them on multiple baking sheets
- Cook for 20-30mins
(makes about 14 patties)

Perfect to put in salads or just eat plain for a snack! Easy to grab on the go or during the work day. To reheat make sure to put a damp paper towel over the patties so they don't get dried out.

Crockpot Chicken
- Put a whole chicken in the crockpot
          - make sure it is defrosted and take the giblets out (usually they are stuffed in a bag inside the chicken)
- Pour a jar of Trader Joe's salsa verde on top
- Add desired spices (cumin, garlic, red pepper, etc.)
- Cook for 8 hours in crockpot
- When finished remove all the bones

I've been struggling a lot with sugar cravings but seltzer water and a few frozen grapes here and there. I definitely feel as though I've been a little snippier than usual. Friday was tough because four, FOUR!, people offered me cake...I went out to eat for brunch and dinner on Saturday and that was also a little difficult because I had to avoid delicious looking dessert and I had to substitute things in the meal for more vegetables (broccoli instead of potatoes au gratin). Luckily, the restaurant where I had dinner offered a seasonal fruit plate for dessert so I was able to eat something sweet and have something to nibble on while everyone else was eating dessert. It's been a difficult week but I am pretty proud of myself for staying strict paleo.

Day 8: Saturday, March 19

NOVA Open!! Amelia kicking ass and me screaming hahah

Breakfast: scrambled eggs, chicken sausage, veggies (the usual)
Snack: carrots, chicken sausage
Lunch: Cobb salad from Busboys and Poets (gluten free!) with no cheese, iced coffee
Dinner: stayed paleo while out to dinner!!! seared tuna with wasabi, steak with "winter vegetables" and broccoli, seasonal fruit for dessert, three glasses of wine

Day 7: Friday, March 18

Breakfast: two eggs scrambled with pulled crockpot chicken from Tuesday, March 15, onions, sun-dried tomato pesto, kale, coffee
Snack:  carrots, macadamia nuts
Lunch: spinach salad, with crockpot chicken, sun flower seeds, red peppers, with mustard vinaigrette 
Afternoon snack:  chicken veggie patty, iced coffee, tea
Dinner: hamburger (no bun!) with salsa, avocado, mustard, roasted zucchini, onions, yellow squash, two glasses of red wine

Day 6: Thursday, March 17

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

So today I have to have all of my meals away from home because of various things so this is what I put together last night! Breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

Breakfast: one hard boiled egg, half an avocado, some smoked salmon, chicken/veggie patty
Lunch: left over steak with broccoli and green beans
Dinner: spinach salad with cucumbers, shredded carrots, sunflower seeds, left over crock pot chicken, hard boiled egg, with a homemade mustard, balsamic vinegar, olive oil dressing

Day 5: Wednesday, March 16

Pre crossfit snack: handful of almonds
Breakfast: sweet potato hash with onions, mixed with sun-dried tomato pesto with Italian style chicken sausage, two sunny side up fried eggs on top, coffee
Snack: chicken/veggie patty, black tea
Lunch: crockpot chicken with green beans cooked in sun-dried pesto and bacon fat, frozen grapes
Afternoon snack: nitrate free trader joe’s prosciutto, turkey/veggie burger
Dinner: steak and broccoli with mustard. Pan-seared steak in balsamic vinegar, garlic, and mustard.

Day 4: Tuesday, March 15

Breakfast: chicken sausage with 2 eggs, kale, sundried tomatoes, onion, sundried tomato pesto, coffee
Snack: black tea, TJs beef jerkey (realized yesterday that it has evaporate can juice, aka sugar, in it, finished pack today will not buy more), a few macadamia nuts and almonds
Lunch: leftover salmon with sun-dried tomato/macadamia pesto with green beans
Afternoon snack: I had a hardcore sugar craving and wish I had grapes, cinnamon/spice tea, two piece of prosciutto, half and avocado, baby carrots. The carrots and the cinnamon tea really helped my cravings.
St. Lawrence Alumni event happy hour: one glass of red wine, some olives
Pre-dinner snack: two pieces of nitrate free salami
Dinner:   bacon gaucomole “sandwiches”, bacon/kale/butternut squash salad, crockpot chicken (stuck a whole chicken in the crockpot and added trader joe’s salsa verde and some cumin, et voila!), some frozen grapes, green tea

Day 3: Monday, March 14

Pre crossfit snack: handful of macademia nuts
Breakfast: chicken sausage with eggs, kale, sundried tomatoes, coffee
Snack: handful of macadamia nuts and almonds, a few pieces of beef jerkey, black tea
Lunch: leftover chicken curry with cauliflower rice, a few slices of spicy sausage (don’t know the ingredients), a few grapes and raspberries
Afternoon: black tea, fizzy water, piece of gum
Snack: turkey/veggie patty
Dinner: Salmon with sun-dried tomato/macadamia pesto with green beans, handful of frozen grapes, mint tea

Day 2: Sunday, March 13

Brunch: Meklehme from Busboys and Poets (iraqi corned beef with veggies, two poached eggs, potatos), iced coffee, a few berries
Snack: one chicken sausage with sundried tomatoes and spinach
Dinner: chicken curry with veggies and cauliflower rice
After dinner snack: turkey/veggie patty, some frozen grapes, mint tea

Day 1: Saturday, March 12

Brunch: sweet potato hash with pork sausage, onions, spinach, two  fried eggs on top, bacon (below)

Snack: turkey with paleo pesto, two pieces of prosciutto, coconut water, half an avocado
Dinner: TJs carne asade pre marinated beef and green beans, one glass of wine