Today is my youngest son’s 8th Birthday. We spent the day in our PJ’s lounging around the house. It’s rainy and wet outside. I made him some homemade pancakes this morning, and I made breakfast again tonight for dinner. I saw a recipe a few weeks ago similar to this one, and I thought I’d try my own. Who doesn’t love a good frittata!?

6 Egg Turkey Sweet Potato Frittata

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey

2 Sweet Potatoes Cubed

1 Onion

6 Eggs

1 Spoonful of Garlic

EVOO

Sea Salt to your liking

Method:

Pre-Heat oven to 375. Brown your turkey and set aside. In a cast iron skillet with some Extra Virgin Olive Oil brown your sweet potatoes and onion until potatoes are slightly soft. Then add your already cooked turkey. (If you don’t have a cast iron skillet at this point just put all ingredients in casserole dish). Once everything is in the pan crack 6 eggs on top of the mixture. You can scramble them or leave them whole like I did. If you’d like to add cheese you can do that as well. Place in oven and cook until your eggs are cooked to your liking, about 10-15 minutes. Voila!

If I haven’t mentioned before, I am a bargain shopper. I search high and low for good deals, and use coupons on anything I can. While shopping yesterday I saw pork neck bones in the reduced meat section, so I grabbed them.

I had no idea what to do with them so I relied on Google to give me ideas. After searching around and looking at a few different recipes I came up with this:

Slow Cooked Pork Neck Bones

Ingredients:

2-3 pounds of pork neck bones

1 sweet onion diced

3 tablespoons of garlic (or as much as you like…I go heavy on garlic)

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp sea salt

4 cups of water

1 Tbsp Coconut Aminos

Method:

Throw it all in your crockpot and cook on high for about 3.5 hours…or more if your bones are meaty.

The meat itself on the bones was pretty tasty, but these are not particularly meaty bones, so if you are cooking for a lot of people (more then 2-3) you might want to double this recipe. I paired mine with brussels sautéd with oil and garlic, and made a side spinach salad with almonds and paleo chef berry dressing. I went for seconds on the pork.

Who’s excited for 13.2? It feels so good to be back at Indy North, but 2+ weeks off and my body is HATING me right now! I’m not sure that I have a muscle group that isn’t sore at the moment! I head back to my urologist on Thursday to find out exactly what he wants to do to remove this kidney stone from the middle of my ureter. All know is I’m not letting it slow me down, doing the open with this thing hanging out makes me feel like a…….

Today was a long time coming for me! About 3 weeks ago I was diagnosed with Gross Hematuria, and finally today learned why! I have a kidney stone! This bad boy is stuck midway in my ureter and is 5x7mm. It’s big enough to where the doctor doesn’t think it will move more on its own. I have some pills I’m taking for the next week to see if they can help it come loose, but chances are surgery will happen soon to remove it. I’m just relieved that it was not anything serious. I don’t even want to tell you what Google said was wrong with me!! Damn internet!

So last year I competed in the Crossfit Open with a doozey of a case of tendonitis, and this year it looks like I’m doing it (well at least starting it) with a kidney stone. One thing you will learn, that doing things the easy way, is just not in my vocabulary.

Easy dinners are in my vocabulary though, and what’s easier than that lovely crockpot of yours?

Here’s a keeper from Fast Paleo.

Slow Cooker Chicken with Spicy Coconut Cream Sauce

Ingredients

• T tbs Olive Oil
• 3 Cloves Garlic, 1 Medium Onion
• 1/2 tsp Salt, 1 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 tsp Cinnamon, 2 tsp Chili Powder, 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1 tsp Cilantro (Dried), 1 tsp Paprika, 1/4 tsp Cumin
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1/4 cup Tomato Paste
• 1 cup Diced Tomatoes
• 1 cup Coconut Milk
• 4 to 6 Chicken Breasts (I used drumsticks here 12 of them…worked fine!)

Cooking Steps

Directions:
Begin Caramelizing Onions
Add Garlic to Onions and and finish carmelizing
Once finished caramelizing, add coconut milk, olive oil, lemon juice, spices, tomatoes, and tomato paste to the onion and garlic
Bring to a simmer
Add chicken and sauce to slow cooker
Cook on low until chicken is cooked through (approximately 4 hours on low or 2 hours on high)
Shred or cut chicken into smaller pieces
Serve over cauliflower rice

It’s been 2 weeks since I have been to Crossfit. What horrible timing for me with the Open starting this week. While I did not have big goals for the Open this year, other than to just do my best, it still stinks that even if I get the clear this Thursday to go back, with having 2 weeks off, I’m certainly not going to be able to perform at a level that I am use to performing. Taking all that into consideration, it’s really given me a new perspective. While Crossfit is a big part of my life (for my fitness), Crossfit is not my life. There are so many more things that are more important. So when I do get back at it, I will see to it that I take things slowly, not get down on myself if I miss a lift, and not get  angry if I do a hero WOD and fail to PR. If I am able to leave the gym at the end of a workout with my health in tact, that is all that matters. Period.

Yay for recipes that have bacon….and decorative bacon at that! Tonight’s feast came from Fast Paleo’s recipe sharing site, which is fabulous by the way.

Bacon Crusted Sausage & Pepper Meatloaf 

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 4-5 sausages casings removed
• 1 onion finely chopped; 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 small red pepper chopped
• one handful parsley chopped
• 1 egg
• 2 tbs tapioca flour OR 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard + 1 tbsp tomato paste (optional – but might need to increase flour by a tbsp)
• Salt; Pepper; Dash of paprika
• 10 slices Bacon for lattice crust (optional)

Cooking Steps

Notes: I find that ground beef doesn’t always have exactly the same percentage of fat so best to add less flour and more as need.

Preheat oven to 350F

1. Prepare your bacon on a meat cutting board. You can just lay slices horizontally or weave as in this recipe. Set aside.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix together – hands do work best
3. Feel the consistency of the mixture, it should stick together nicely – not too dry or too moist.
4. Shape the meat into a log and place on the bacon
5. Wrap the bacon up and around the sides of the loaf – bottom does not have to be covered
6. Set on a wire rack in a roasting pan & bake for approximately 1.5 hours
7. Let sit for 10 minutes before cutting

Optional stuffing: You can roll the loaf out into an oblong on parchment paper and lay a strips of your favourite cheese along the middle, roll up and seal the edges before wrapping with the bacon.

For Dessert I came across this Easy 6 Ingredient Banana Muffin Recipe on Gapalicious.  *Note ( I added some enjoy life chocolate chips to my muffins).

Banana Muffins (GAPS, Paleo)

3 bananas, ripe
3 organic eggs
3 1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4-1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

Blend the wet ingredients. Mix the dry in a bowl with a fork or whisk. Combine the wet and dry then scoop into a lined muffin pan and bake at 350º F until lightly brown (it should spring lightly back when touched). Remove and let cool. Enjoy warm or cool!

Because I love my crockpot and I love wings.

Here you go, from Fast Paleo:

**Note: I added extra onions and cayenne pepper. Also used coconut aminos in lieu of the homemade worcestershire.

Crockpot Chicken Wings 

Ingredients

• 12 to 18 chicken wings
• 1/3 c Homemade Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 green onions minced
• 1 TBS honey
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• optional spice to spice it up

Cooking Steps

Combine ingredients in a bowl. Mixed well and place it in slow cooker; cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. Serves 4 people as an appetizer.

Ahhh! What a week and a half it has been! It’s never fun to have something “wrong” with you and the doctors can’t tell you why, and instead poke, prod and test you like a lab rat. Hopefully answers are forthcoming for me. I have not worked out in over a week! BOO!

The good news is, my appetite is as hearty as ever!

Tonights dinner comes from Jan’s Sushi Bar! (I Love this Site!)

This is super simple and fast! I used boneless chicken thighs instead of breast (since that was all I had).

Here’s the recipe for Bacon Wrapped Honey Mustard Chicken by Jan’s Sushi Bar.

It’s bitterly cold here in the mid-west. Wind chills will be in the negatives tonight.  My son has swim practice tonight, and there is nothing worse then leaving the pool when temperatures  are in the single digits!

So I made this Bacon Chili recipe I found on Fast Paleo and hopefully it will warm me up when we get home! I recommend cooking ahead of time, like I did. Unless you have 2 hours to cook in the evening.

Before the recipe,  I have a few over due shout-outs:

• Apple Family Farm I have been using all their grass-fed beef in my recipes the last few weeks. If you are in the Indy area, you should definitely check out their farm store. They have a little of everything & it rules! 
• The company I work for, BeePrimal currently has FREE shipping on orders over $20 and it ends on February 21st. So get your orders in, and stock up!! We carry Warrior Cereal which is a grain-free, paleo friendly granola, and we also have almond flour for all your paleo baking needs! (plus some other gluten-free treats…not paleo but cheat day options).

Here’s the Recipe copied from Fast Paleo:

BACON CHILI

Cooking Steps

Slice the bacon into 1/2 inch pieces and place in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Once the bacon is cooked though, pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease and return pan to the heat with the bacon in it.
Add the onions, peppers, garlic and all of the spices except the salt and cook until the onions get tender and start to brown, about 10 minutes.
Increase the heat to medium high and add the beef, breaking it up into pieces with a spoon until no longer pink, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and salt and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover, stir occasionally and cook for about an hour.
Remove lid and let the chili cook for an additional hour to thicken up.
Add salt to taste.

Saturday Meatza! I could not resist this one from PaleOMG. One word…OMG!

The following comes from PaleOMG:

Buffalo Chicken and Sweet Potato Meatza

4 Days in a row at CrossFit and it sounds crazy, but even the muscles in the front of my neck hurt….well either that or I am coming down with some throat ailment. Lets hope it’s just the muscles!

On to tonights dinner!

I know, I had you at bacon.

This recipe (pictures are mine) comes from The Clothes Make the Girl’s blog. She has some great stuff on there, so head on over and check her out!

Besides my blender exploding and sending tons of pureed sweet potato through out my kitchen….this turned out great! I did not use the “Ras el Hanout” as I have no idea what that is and was too lazy to google it! My soup did not taste like it was missing anything at all. The cayenne gives it an awesome subtle kick (I used a little more than a dash)

The following comes from her blog:

Ingredients:
6 slices sugar-free, nitrate-free bacon (like this from US Wellness Meats)
1 onion, finely diced
1 teaspoons Ras el Hanout
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
dash cayenne pepper
5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 pounds sweet potatoes (2-3 large), peeled, quartered lengthwise, and sliced thin
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
garnish: fresh or dried chives

Directions:

1. Cut bacon into 1/4-inch slices and place in a cold soup pot. Heat the pot over medium-high heat and cook the bacon until it’s crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate covered with paper towels and set aside to drain and crisp.

2. Keep 1 tablespoon of the fat in the pan and discard the rest. Re-heat the fat over medium-high heat, then add the onions, Ras el Hanout, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 5-7 minutes. Toss in the garlic and stir, cooking until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Add the sweet potatoes, broth, and water to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes.

4. Working in batches and being careful (please be careful, friends!), purée the soup in a food processor or blender until it’s smooth. Return to the pot, taste, and adjust seasonings. Ladle into bowls, then sprinkle with a little bacon and chives. Both the bacon and soup hold up well in the fridge for a few days. Take her advice here…you don’t want a kitchen explosion like I had! 

Seconds before the explosion!

I made this a few weeks ago and I am just now getting around to post it! It was too good not to tell you about  it!

Veal Chorizo Naked Taco Boat!

Ingredients:

1 pound of veal chorizo

2/3 cups of water

Taco Spices of your choosing, I used 1tsp each of paprika, cumin, chile pepper & garlic powder. (or you can just use a taco seasoning packet)

Romaine lettuce

Avocado (to mash and make guac…I just mash and put garlic & sea salt) Optional.

Any other vegetable toppings.

Method:

I cooked the meat to brown, then drained the excess fat.

Add 2/3 cups of water &  an assortment of spices (was just throwing stuff in and didn’t measure much!).

Scoop it in the lettuce and top with guac. Side of mashed sweet potatoes. Noms.