A Weekend Full of Good Eats!

This weekend was a busy one, but I somehow managed to turn out some pretty awesome food, with the exception of one meal out at a restaurant.  My father stayed overnight for the first time in a while, so he got to experience not only the paleo diet, but also my new-found cooking skills. 

On Friday night, I made a new recipe, Honey Garlic Flank Steak.  I paired the steak with steamed asparagus and re-heated the last of my mashed cauliflower and then I served it to my father!

 Mmm...bloody meat! 

I know I've said this before, but these pictures truly don't do the food justice.  I was so excited to sit down and eat, that I didn't realize they were slightly blurry.  But blurriness doesn't change the taste, luckily!  The flank steak was heavenly.  The marinade of honey, minced garlic, chipotle powder, salt, and pepper was simply brilliant and I owe my perfect broiling of the juicy medium-rare steak to my new instant read meat thermometer that I bought earlier in the day.  It even alarms me when the temperature of the meat reaches the correct cooking temp...I have a feeling this will be my new best friend!  After dinner, my dad even helped me bake another batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies and they were just as good as last time I made them.  I still can't believe how easy it is to love something that has replaced what I used to pride myself on making!

The next morning (Saturday), my dad had to leave to go back home, so I cooked him my normal breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, and then added in a little fruit salad.  

My dad's overall reaction was actually much better than I anticipated.  He liked the mashed cauliflower (which I was thinking he wouldn't like) and he couldn't stop raving about the flank steak!  I didn't think I was going to have enough left to put on my salad today, but turns out I think I'll get 2 more salads out of it...yum!  So now that my dad knows this paleo thing is quite yummy, I'm trying to convince him to stay with me for his Spring Break and I'll cook for him all week.  It will be like a paleo challenge and I'll make him weigh in at the beginning and end of the week, but the hardest part for him will be that he will have to give up his favorite thing for a whole week...BEER!  We'll just have to see if he takes me up on the challenge ;)

Saturday night I ended up going out to dinner with friends at Applebee's.  I got the 7 oz. sirloin (medium rare) and steamed broccoli and other mixed veggies (all without butter).  Not that the meal was bad, but it just made me appreciate my own cooking even more.  The steak was definitely overcooked and it just didn't have the flavor that the meats I've been buying have. Granted, I know it's steak at Applebee's (not Ruth's Chris) but it still just wasn't as satisfying as it might have been a while back.   

Tonight, I made Cajun Spiced Pork Chops.  I used thick pork chops, omitted the sage from the recipe, and grilled them outside, but I think they ended up much better than they would have if I would have followed the directions perfectly.  Again, I used my handy-dandy meat thermometer and the pork chops were juicy and spicy!  The seasoning really opened up my sinuses, but it was the perfect amount of spiciness. I also paired the pork chops with white asparagus (which I've never had before) and the kale/dried cranberries/pine nut mixture that I've made before.  It was a totally rewarding dinner which took hardly any time at all and it just made me realize that I'm truly getting better at this cooking thing!  

SO GOOD!!!

Emeril...ya done good!

Tonight I made a new recipe that was a little more involved than some of the ones I've made recently, but it was worth it!  I found the recipe for Braised Chicken Thighs on Martha Stewart's website, but apparently it's an Emeril Lagasse recipe.  The recipe calls for Emeril's Original Essence seasoning, but the awesome part was that the recipe for making the seasoning was also on the website.  I had actually seen Emeril's seasoning on the grocery store shelf a couple days ago and it was $4 or $5...I think I saved a bit of money there and now I have plenty of seasoning left over to use on future recipes (it made 2/3 cup)!

I made a couple changes to the recipe, like using almond flour instead of all-purpose flour to coat the chicken and I used ghee (aka clarified butter) instead of regular butter.  If you follow the link, you have to read down a little to learn about ghee and why it's legal in the paleo diet, but it's quite interesting.  I just recently discovered ghee and now I use it to grease my pan for my eggs every morning instead of olive oil.  Someday I'll even try to make my own ghee, but maybe when I have a little more time! Well, without any further ado, here are the pics...

In the cooking process...

 (don't judge on the dirty stove top)

The Finished Product...

along with steamed green beans and leftover mashed cauliflower

The picture honestly doesn't do the chicken any justice, but it was DEE-LISH!!  I assure you all I will be making this one again!

A Mini Self Study

I made a comment a few posts back about seeing most of my weight loss in my face, but I wasn't sure if it was just wishful thinking or not.  So I decided to do a mini self study by looking at my photos on facebook...I know, not the most scientific, but you can tell me if you think I'm crazy or not.  Here it goes...

 Jan. 13th

(The day I started the paleo diet)

Not the most flattering pic, but it's for science people!

 Jan. 20th

(exactly a week later)

I still have some lovely neck fat, but I think I look less bloated than in the picture above. 

 Jan. 24th

(only 11 days later)
I had lost a little over 7 lbs by this point!

I realize that camera filters and lighting can make things look different, but even when I pass by a mirror I  have to admit that I stop and check myself out.  Just call me Narcissus :)  On another note, I feel like I climbed stronger tonight in climbing club than I have for a long time.  I'm enjoying this losing weight thing...I think I'll stick with it.  12 lbs down and who knows how many more to go!!

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly...

New recipes tonight... I made Baked Mustard Lime Chicken and Kale with Cranberries and Pine Nuts.

The Good:
          The kale, cranberry, and pine nut mixture was perfect and I will undoubtedly be making this again.  It was as simple as steaming the kale, roasting the pine nuts, letting them cool, and then adding a little bit of olive oil and the cranberries.  I can see this being a perfect side salad in the summer...yum!

The Bad:
          The chicken was...well, gross!  First of all, the recipe said to bake it for 18-20 minutes and even though it was in the oven for 20 minutes, the chicken definitely not done!  I then put the chicken back in for another 10 minutes and it still wasn't done in the thicker parts.  I don't know about you, but I like my steak medium rare; not my chicken!  Second of all, the lime/mustard concoction was somewhat revolting.  Again, there was too much lime and it overpowered the rest of the flavors.  Even an hour after eating it, I can still smell and taste it and I'd rather not.  What a let down!  Oh well, here's a picture anyway...

The Good: The Bad

And don't think I forgot...

The Ugly:

          Well, I might have had another little accident...not too bad though.  The lime/mustard marinade had to be mixed in a food processor and so I picked my medium sized one because the size was just right.  What wasn't just right about it was the fact that it has vents in the lid...

Whoops...I guess this processor was meant for less liquified mixtures.  Now I know!

Well, I missed working out earlier today with my team, so I'm going to get a little workout in before I go to bed.  I'm going to give the Carmen Electra Strip Tease Workout videos a try, thanks to Deb!  LOL...let's hope I don't break anything!

Did you say tacos?!?

I left the house this morning thinking that I was taking less than I usually take to work on a Monday, but I couldn't figure out what it was.  It wasn't until 5:00 pm rolled around when I realized I had forgotten my climbing gear for climbing club.  I still went anyway because The Element had just put out some new inventory and I, of course, had to check it out.  I also visited with friends for a while, but while I was there someone mentioned they were having tacos for dinner.  I immediately started salivating and my stomach started growling...it was a sign!  I took off to the grocery store at that point and only had to get romaine lettuce because I already had everything else.  The Taco Meat Recipe was super easy and I made a substitution of ground turkey instead of beef, but only because I already had it in my freezer.  I then made some Guacamole from scratch to add into my tacos.  Lastly, I steamed some leftover asparagus and that was my meal! 

  Pre-construction

 Tah-Dah!!

I actually surprised myself because I only ended up eating 2 of them, even though they were really good.  If these were regular tacos (pre-paleo), I guarantee you that I would have eaten more than that.  

I didn't stop there though...I surprised myself again! I had been planning for the past few nights to try a paleo hot chocolate recipe and even though I had all of the necessary ingredients, I couldn't bring myself to make it.  Get this...I WAS FULL!! I know, I can't believe it either.  If you know me at all, I NEVER pass up a chance to have chocolate or sweets, but my body was telling me that I was full and I actually listened to it for once.  I know it may sound silly, but that's a huge success for me! I guess I'll just have to save the hot chocolate for another day.

Superbowl Sunday...and another small mishap!

As most of you know, I really don't care that much for watching football on TV (going to a game is a different story), but I almost never pass up a chance to go to/host a party!  Since I don't have cable TV anymore, I was invited over to a friend's house for the big game day.  I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that when she invited me via email, I had to email her back to ask exactly when Superbowl Sunday was...and yes, she laughed at me!  But back to the point, Superbowl parties, for me, have always been about hanging out with friends, watching the commercials and halftime show, and of course FOOD!  Since this was my first party since starting my paleo diet, I needed to research some recipes to make since my normal party standbys were pretty much out. 

My first creation was the easiest and involved everything I already had in my fridge except for the cucumber.  I made an organic veggie tray with baby carrots, celery, broccoli, and cucumber.  Instead of ranch dressing, which was always the status quo for me, I made a dip out of extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper. 

So healthy!

Next, I made one of my favorite paleo snacks:  Kale Chips!  Again, I already had the kale and seasonings in my possession, so this was a no-brainer.  Once the chips were done baking, I sprinkled them with sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and cayenne pepper for a little spiciness.  It turns out I might have used a little too much cayenne because I found myself and others coughing a bit as we were eating them...whoops!  They were still good though.

 Pretty Kale...pretty spicy, too!

My last creation for the party was a recipe that I found online the day of the game (I literally Googled paleo superbowl party ideas and it came up).  I figured it would be a bit of a gamble as to whether it would be good or not, but I had 2 other things that would be fine, so I went with it.  The recipe is Pineapple Bacon Poppers: It's cubed pineapple and yellow or red bell peppers wrapped in bacon and skewered with a toothpick.  The instructions directed me to place the poppers on a baking sheet covered in foil and then bake for 25 minutes.  I did just as it directed, but about 15 minutes into the baking my kitchen started filling with smoke.  I opened the oven to pull out the rack which was holding the baking sheet and that's when I realized what was happening.  I used a flat baking sheet, not one with sides, so all of the bacon grease was running off to the back of the oven and burning off.  My kitchen was so smoky at this point that it set off the fire alarm in my bedroom and I had to open the kitchen windows and door to the patio to get the smoke out.  

Once my eyes stopped tearing up and I could finally breath, I figured it was time to call it quits and just take them to the party even though the bacon wasn't quite done.  Luckily, when I arrived at the party my friends and I decided to throw them on the grill to finish cooking them.  After the bacon was finally crispy, I plated them up and this is what they looked like...

sorry it looks a little blurry

So how did they taste...AWESOME! Like I said, I had some misgivings about how the bell peppers would mix with the pineapple, but it was simply delicious!  I wasn't the only one who thought so either because they were gone before anything else at the party was.  I will most definitely be making these for future parties, but I think I will take them straight to the grill instead of messing up my oven again.  That being said, my oven is currently set on the self-cleaning mode now and my house still smells like bacon/smoke hours later!  

Hope you enjoyed another one of my cooking mishaps...they make me laugh, but I always learn from them!

Oh, and one more thing, today marks 3 weeks on the Paleo diet and I've lost 10 or 11 lbs, depending on when I weigh myself in the day.  Some of the jeans that I just bought in January are now baggy and I think my face shows most of the weight loss, but maybe that's just psychological.  Either way, I feel much better and that's my main goal!

 

A night of ALL NEW RECIPES!

These last two days have felt like the longest ones yet since the semester has started, but the sad part is that it's only going to get worse!  I had to scrounge for a lunch today because I was basically out of food due to the fact that I haven't had time to go to the grocery store lately.  I finally made it to get more food tonight and it was 9:45 by the time I sat down to eat my dinner.  Even though I was tired and had a headache, I pushed myself to try some new recipes because it's been too long since I've made some new things!

For dinner, I made Grilled Steak with Avocado Sauce & Mashed Cauliflower (Take 2).  The steak and avocado sauce was quite enjoyable and easy to make.  The only modification I would make when I try the same recipe again would be to use a half a lime's worth of juice, not a whole one. The lime juice overpowered the rest of the sauce, but it was still good.  
 As for the mashed cauliflower, it fared much better than the last time I tried it.  I used a different recipe, but I think the lack of spatula was what really did it for me! ;)  I also got to use my new food processor for the first time.  It worked beautifully...thanks again, Deb!!  Enough talking about the food though, check it out for yourself...

Looks pretty similar to the picture on the website...success!

I was so excited about my successes in the kitchen tonight that I decided to go for one more round: Dessert!  I found a recipe for Paleo Chocolate Mousse on Pinterest and I had been meaning to try it for about a week now.  I have to say that this has been the biggest flop yet.  I don't think my expectations were too high, but it tasted nothing like I thought it would.  The two main ingredients in the recipe are avocado and banana and that's literally all I could taste.  I feel like it wouldn't taste much different if you left out all of the other ingredients.  What a let down! That's one recipe I definitely won't be making again...I couldn't even finish it.  The only redeeming quality of it was the fact that I put a couple semi-sweet chocolate chips on top as a garnish.

Looks yummy, right?  Pictures can be deceiving! :(

The last thing of the night that I decided to try was a very small sample of some Unsweetened Almond Milk.  Some recipes that I've looked up call for almond milk and so I figured I would give the stuff a try.  Let's just say it's.....interesting.  The taste isn't that bad, but the consistency is what surprised me.  It's got almost a chalky quality to it and the weird part is that the aftertaste is better than when you first taste it.  I'm sure sweetened almond milk would probably taste better, but I wanted to try the real deal.  

 How do you milk an almond anyway?!

It's kind of sad that the night ended with some let-downs, but I figure that I need to experience it all in order to know what I like and what I don't like.  To new and yummy things next time!!!  Off to bed...