Cacoa Nib Cookies, Macro-Nutrient Ratios & Holiday Shopping

My love affair with cacoa nibs continues! This is my favorite cookie recipe. I've been waiting for the holiday's to release it (U knew I wouldn't let you down!) If you've been cursing me cuz U bought that package of cacao nibs for the chops and have been sitting on it ever since, here's your opportunity to turn them into something yummy. But first, a little chatting about macronutrient ratios, then the recipe, then, at the bottom of today's blog, a surefire way to save some time shopping for your paleo friends...

Macro-nutrients and Lean Body Mass: I've been wondering whether or not to adjust my diet. A paleo diet is not contested. The question is, am i eating the most appropriate proportions to optimize lean body mass production. I'm not satisfied, at 47, to be one of those chumps that slowly loses LBM each year until i'm skinny, old, and bent over. Some say at this age, you should be satisfied to keep what you have - SCREW that! Others, like Rob Faigan, propose that thru proper macro-nutrient ratios and cycling, you can effectively reverse aging. That sounds goofy but I believe it. How many times have you seen someone that looks 10 yrs younger than they are or 10 yrs older than they are? Is it just external? I don't think so, and neither does Rob. Read his book Natural Hormonal Enhancement. So within what bounds should we be operating if we are to emulate a paleolithic diet? Where am I now? What does the food pyramid (ver 2005) MyPyramid.gov say? - just for $hits and giggles...
Turns out the US food pyramid site will actually figure for you, based on weight, activity level, etc. how much, and of what, you should eat - so i tried it. BTW, it did say I was over weight and should consider reduced calories but i said nu uh, gimme the whole enchilada - i'm happy where i'm at (chubby nutritionists and their frickin BMI blah blah blah! Good indicator unless you're a crossfitter! ;-) . Here are the macro-nutrient results compared to a standard PZ diet (for me) and a 2X fat PZ diet (what i'm eating right now), and a "Paleo Man" (aka caveman or hunter-gatherer) diet as reported by L. Cordain. I didn't even rig these numbers! My diet (2X fat PZ), from a macro-nutrient level, is right smack in the middle of what Cordain's studies showed to be true of a hunter/gatherer. So, obviously, a 1X Fat PZ diet is not. It's at the edge of the range. As for the new food pyramid - high on fat and carbs, low on protein, as you would expect. But, still an improvement over the 11 servings of grains the old pyramid recommended! Progress is progress! ;-) My conclusion? I'm sticking with my marco-nutrient levels. Now the question is - to Carb cycle or not? More on that later.

Now for the recipe...
Paleo Cacao Nib Cookies

1 C Almond Flour
2/3 C Shredded Coconut
1 1/2 Tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 Cup Almond Butter
1 C Coco Nibs
1/3 Coconut Flour
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 Egg
2 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder
1/2 Cup Honey or Agave
* Note - you may be tempted to skip the coconut flour. Don't. It really does something for them. U can buy it at Whole Foods. U can skip the cocoa powder for a less chocolately taste. Either way, the nibs give them a crunchy chocolately taste that's awesome.

Spoon more or less round blobs onto a cookie sheet - round is better than flat cuz the inside stays a little chewy.
Cook for about 9 minutes at 350. Makes about 24 -each with 10gm C, 9 gm F, and 4 gm P. Enjoy!

Now for Holiday Shopping... Wondering what to give your Paleo friends? I've been working on paleo bison jerky for awhile now. I call it "paleo" because it's not sweetened with sugar (I use agave and maple syrup) or salted with soy sauce (I use sea salt to preserve it) and there's no funky preservatives, nitrates, msg, blah blah blah) I eat A LOT of this stuff so it has to be tasty and pure. For paleo meals on the go, it's the most expensive component and the most difficult to make yourself. BTW, in case you didn't know, it's illegal in the US to give bison antibiotics or hormones - so don't worry about that either. So the good news is I found a legit manufacturer that was willing to make free range bison jerky to my requirements. The marinade includes agave, maple syrup, sea salt and various spices. Rob (the maker) doesn't know what agave is or ...fitness across broad time and modal domains... and doesn't care, but "Rob knows jerky"- it's consistent, flavorful, and tender. Check it out here www.primitivefoods.com and get your order in before i run out. U can buy one, $9 + shipping, or paks of 4 ($30+ shipping). Each pack is about 3.5 oz (~55 gm P - starts out as ~8 oz lean bison) and vacuum sealed in a sturdy resealable bag. Now instead of shopping for gifts U can't even eat, go work on ...fitness across broad time and modal domains!

Eat Well! Steve "Paleo"

Paleo Pumpkin Pie

If you're serious about eating PZ over the holidays, here's a super simple, practically LAZY, recipe that really tastes pretty good. It literally takes 10 minutes of mixing, etc. and 1 hour to cook. But first, a little something on fats. When starting this pumpkin pie, I wanted to prove that I could make it part of a PZ meal - totally balanced. My first thought was I better go lean on the fats and carbs because the pumpkin pie would have a nut "crust"(quite generous calling it a crust btw - don't let your expectations get inflated ;-), egg yolks, and lots of pumpkin. So I bought turkey breast and some summer squash... and well here ya go...
Healthy right? Well actually, by itself, that's a screwed up meal!! 20 minutes from eating it, i'd be looking for that turkey's brother! There's barely any fat in it. We all have gotten so brainwashed into thinking we have to eliminate all fats. Reminds me of an old friend, Al Menna, then and current owner, of Gold's Gym in Santa Cruz, CA. Al, one of the strongest guys I know, used to tease me for picking all the fat off my plate, and I would tease HIM for eating ALL the fat on his plate. He probably knew something I didn't at the time - specifically, if you work out like a mad-man, which he did, and does, then fat is a great (i'll even go so far as to say "preferred") way to get those extra calories. It's so counter intuitive, I just have to keep saying it over and over. BUT, you better be working out like crazy and/or at your optimal body weight. If you're just crossfitting 4 days a week, and your second workout is walking the dog, well, back to 30:40:30. You be the judge. Here's the breakdown on that meal (steamed veggies)
Hard to believe that meal is so lean? Go to the store and buy some plain old turkey breast - it is SUPER lean, as is most white fish. It's very easy to short change yourself on fats. This is my only issue with Zone - the assumption that 1.5 gm fat is buried in each block of protein. It might be true for the "average" protein source, but if you're focused on lean protein sources, it might not be true. Now what if I add 1/6 of the pumpkin pie? hmmm.... almost looks like someone planned that out ;-)

OK enough of the preaching already. Even if you wash lights, darks, and wools all together, like I do, this pumpkin pie STILL won't be too much work for you.

Paleo Pumkin Pie
15 oz can solid pack pumpkin
2 eggs
1/2 Cup Agave
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/3 Cup Ground Almonds
8 Pecan Halves

Mix up everything but the nuts in 1 bowl. Spread the ground almonds out into the pie pan. Gently pour mixture into pan and add pecan halves on top. Cook for 45-60 min at 350F (watch it - i put foil on top half way thru to make sure nothing burns). Check by inserting toothpick or butter knife - should come out clean. Now come on, you're not gonna impress Grandma with this recipe, but this is what i'll be eating :D

5 Block Meal:
4 oz turkey
8 oz zuke
1 tsp olive oil (to saute turkey and zuke)
1/6 of the pumpkin pie above

One more thing - if you're gonna let the carbs go a little on Thanksgiving but U still wanna keep it paleo, make this side dish.... Peel some sweet potatoes (we call the orange ones "yams" but apparently that's not really correct), chop them up and saute in olive oil. When well browned, add maple syrup (or agave) and cinnamon and keep the heat on for another 5 or 10 minutes. I eat this all the time and it's really good.

Enjoy the holidays, and if you are in need of a customized PZ eating plan, with balanced meals like the one above, or general guidance, email me: steveparsoneault@gmail.com I'll do what i can to help you out.

Eat Well! Steve "Paleo"

The Ever Elusive "Paleo Raspberry Crepe"

Funny thing... as i'm sitting here just spoiling myself on these paleo raspberry crepes, watching the snow fall outside, it occurs to me that we've entered into a kind of symbiotic relationship ;-) You all tune in now and then for PZ recipes and I eat like a king (umm... i meant caveman) in my effort to post recipes that are worthy - thank you. This blog turned into more than i thought it ever would. Well anyway, my daughter really enjoys crepes and we've been trying for some time to re-invent them using paleo ingredients - we nearly gave up. They were always kinda crumbly thanks to almond flour that i kept adding. Then i saw a recipe at www.freecoconutrecipes.com. I had to nix the whipped cream (darnit) and I made some other minor tweaks but dang if these aren't some darn good crepes! I can't tell them from the "real" thing. I hadn't heard of coconut flour until a few months ago - it's weird. Don't think you're just gonna substitute it for regular flour and be on your merry way - I think you could patch concrete with this stuff. But, use just a little, and it works magic. Here's that recipe. Fancy breakfast lovers shalt suffer no more....




Paleo Crepes (enough for 3 crepes)

2 eggs 10F 14P
2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil - melted - 28F
1 Tsp Agave 5C (kinda optional)
2 Tablespoons Coconut Flour - sifted - 12C 2F (can get at Whole Foods)
3 Tablespoons Coconut Milk - 7F 3C
2 Tablespoons Water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
pinch cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
1 Cup raspberries 15C (filling)
1.5 Tablespoons Agave 22C (topping)

Beat the eggs and the rest of the ingredients together. I don't have a sifter so i just put the coconut flour in a little wire gizmo ...... little embarrassed that i even have one of those ;-)
Melt the coconut oil in a nice non-stick pan and, after it's just melted, add it to the ingredients and mix well.
Pour 1/3 Cup of the batter into the hot pan and tilt the pan around so you get about a 6" diameter crepe. Now the hard part - flipping it. Honestly, i stopped trying to use a spatula. I shake the pan around a bit and just wrist flip it. This is very convenient if you're on a 2X or 3X fat plan cuz you get to eat your mistakes ;-) Wrap up 1/3 C of raspberries, sprinkle some coconut flour on top (this is for "looks"), and drizzle with 1/2 Tablespoon agave. Prepare to be impressed! ;-)

This is not quite balanced of course. For me, shooting for a 5 block breakfast, I added 4 oz banana and 9 egg whites to ONE of the crepes above. Believe it or not, this meal is 30:40:30 balanced (I know, hard to believe U can say that and "crepes" in the same breath!)

... now a little off-topic jibberish....on the importance of weighing your food. Recently I noticed i was feeling hungry a lot during the day and was having a hard time waiting for my meals (I try to eat one lunch at 10:00 and one at 2:00. Then i took a close look at my lunch and, SOB!, I was short-changing myself! Traditionally, I've kinda focused on protein and seldom short change myself there. Fats and carbs though, well they're bad right? ;-) I was getting skimpy on both. I got out the scale and started weighing again - now I feel better and can put the scale back for a bit. So, even if you went through the 2 weeks or 4 weeks of measuring your food, break out that scale now and then to make sure your eyeball hasn't gotten a little tweaked. Cuz, if you're doing straight PZ, relative to most people, you're on a low fat, low carb eating plan. Any lower, is not optimum, IMHO.

Eat Well! Steve "Paleo"

Pumpkin Paleo Pancakes

Who like's pumpkin??? :D I've been working with a number of crossfitters wanting to optimize their diet. A prerequisite for me, when i started this over a year ago, was that this "diet" has to be sustainable for life. My goal was to get off cholesterol medication - forever - so this wasn't a temporary thing. As a result, there were a few "must-haves" in my diet (although some of those must haves are starting to bite ;-). As i work with others, it's one of the first things I ask. So, you guessed it, pancakes are at the top of the list! One of my clients said she would try paleo pancakes (http://www.performancemenu.com/recipes) but *sigh* they couldn't possibly compare to pumpkin pancakes made by a local restaurant located near the birthplace of crossfit. I loved pancakes and i could probably DRINK pumpkin pie filling so the challenge was set!! This recipe, while high in fat, will not give you a carb hang-over. I would eat it on big exercise days when you need more fuel. For a 5 block meal, add about 6 egg whites/person and a little extra fruit. You will be seriously fueled for the "hunt". Enjoy this treat! It's perfect for a cool fall morning.









Pumpkin Paleo Pancakes - (2)5 block meals (approx 35 gm P, 45 gm C, 45 gm F /person)

2 eggs
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp nutmeg -change from original post - did it by mistake and liked it more :)
1 tablespoon Agave

2 tablespoons chopped pecans - topping
2 tablespoon real maple syrup - topping

Coconut oil - for the pan

12 extra egg whites to bring the protein up 35 gms/person (ya ya 6 egg whites sounds like more than it is. I do 10 sometimes just by myself! :-)
~ 4 oz of berries to bring the carbs up to ~45 gms/person

Mix everything up real good - sometimes that nut butter is clumpy - and make pancakes as usual (except you're gonna use the coconut oil in the pan) and add the pecans and maple syrup at the end. The recipe above makes 2 good size pancakes. Remember, for you 5 blockers, this is high in fat by ~ 30 gms, which is 270 calories - so, lift something real heavy a whole bunch of times, or go for a good ride, a long run, or a big hike and don't worry about it. If anyone would like help optimizing their diet, e-mail me - i enjoy doing it.
Eat Well! Steve "Paleo"

Cacao Nib Pork Chops

You may think i've gone off the deep end after you read this but I swear I'm sane. I have a thing for chocolate these days - darker the better. Chocolate doesn't GET darker than cacao nibs - they are just crushed raw cacao beans (which are actually seeds). Just for fun i bought some cacao beans because, geez, just sounded like a great snack food.
So here they are next to a quarter. I wouldn't buy them - they are "barely" edible. I just popped them in my mouth - there's a thin shell which didn't help the taste. If you peel them, they're better. I suppose if you covered them in chocolate like those almonds or coffee beans, they'd be the bomb. But these, um, crunchy bitterness.

BUT, that's just proof that it is possible to have too much of a good thing. So, why cook with this stuff? Well, if you google cacao and read up, you'd think it was a magic drug that hits you with magnesium, suppresses appetite, releases all kinds of feel-good chemicals in the brain (the "Bliss Chemical), blah blah blah - don't know if any of that is true. What i do know is that it imparts a rich, nutty, roasty, flavor to meats. So here's the recipe (I swear i've had these like 10 times now! - feeling so guilty not sharing! ) U can get cacao nibs at whole foods or online. They're pricey but we're not using that much.

Cacao Nib Chops with Butternut - enough for (2) 5 block meals

9 oz (final weight) boneless pork chops - trim all fat. 63gm P, 7gm F
4 tsp raw cacao nibs 8gm F, 4gm C
18 oz butternut squash - cubed 60gm C
2 Table Spoon Agave 32gm C
3 tsp Olive Oil 15gm F
1 egg 7gm P 5gm F
Couple handfuls of spinach - negligible C
Cinnamon
Salt and Pepper to taste

Pound the chops out like this if you can.

Whip up an egg in a bowl, coat the chops, then sprinkle 1 tsp of cacao nibs on both sides like so...
I know! Looks funny. Go with me ;-)
Prepare the butternut squash and get 2 tsp of olive oil going in a pan. Get the butternut going first. After 5 minutes, put 1 tsp of olive oil in another pan and, once it's hot, get the chops going. Add the agave to the butternut towards the end and sprinkle with cinnamon (soooo good ). Everything should finish about the same time. Throw some raw spinach on the plate to make your mama proud. Put butternut over the spinach, add the chops and you're ready to chow! Let me say i've made these chops with all kinds of spices - don't do it. The nibs will get lost. Just light salt and pepper work best. Then you will appreciate the roasty chocolate taste.
.......................
Sorry I'm not done :-) If you're just here for the PZ meals, skip the rest. I've been working with some people on "diets" and watching all the new paleo foods come out - which is awesome. There's been so much misinformation in the US about diet - it's hideous really (read "Good Calories, Bad Calories"). Now we've got some brave souls giving us options in the right direction - albeit for a little moolah but this IS America. HOWEVER, I'm not quite happy with some of the statements/direction that seem to imply U just can't go wrong on a paleo diet. Well it depends on your goals. Let's just say you're a crossfitter (might be a few of you out there ;-) You need power:weight - in other words, lean and strong. Will you get there eating strictly paleo with no portion control? Would not work for me. Is it true that you can't get fat eating fat? Not according to my bodyfat tests when i was eating too many nuts (full paleo btw). Granted, you will be better off eating paleo but sorry, paleo tells you what to eat, not how much to eat. Even cavemen were out to gain fat for the winter and the survivors did a good job of it. That skill was passed on to us. So, what do you do? Paleo-Zone of course. Zone tells you how much to eat. Sorry i'm not done ;-) cuz there's a loop-hole in the zone - it's called "double fat, triple fat, you're getting fat" In Barry Sears book, he says "..Truly elite athletes should consume two fat blocks for every protein block. Therefore, their ratio of protein, carbohydrate, and fat blocks would be 1:1:2" He previously states a fat block is 1.5 gm. So, a 1X fat zone meal would be 30.8%P, 39.6%C, and 29.7%F a 2x fat meal meal would be 26.8%P, 34.4%C, and 38.8%F. A 3X fat meal would have 46% fat - who needs 3X fat? Athletes at the top of their game i would guess. So, what are you eating? Check the math - fat is 9 cal/gm, carbs are 4 cal per gram, proteins are 4 cal/gm. There are some marketed "paleo" foods out there with upwards of 56% of their calories from fat. These foods must be for Olympians!! Now i'm not a dietician, nutritionist, or any kind of health specialist and I won't take credit for any Paleo or Zone theories. I'm an engineer that read most of the books out there and knows how to follow instructions and be exact. E-mail me if you need any help perfecting your diet - assuming your goal is a high power:weight ratio. Steve "Paleo"

How to make your own paleo meal-in-a-bag

Here's how you can make your own Paleo Fast-Food ;-)

Ingredients for a 4 block "meal":
4 oz of Free Range Bison turned into jerky (oh ya that's a Quarter LB of bison!)

Dried Bananas ~ 15 gm - WF sells them with nothing added. Go online too.
Dried Cherries ~ 10 gm - no sugar or sulfites.
Dried Mulberries ~ 10 gm - no sugar or sulfites. They are mild, slightly sweet, high in fiber.
Raw Almonds and Pecans ~ 12 gm (Costco baby!)
Gooseberries ~ 5 gm no sugar or sulfites. They are tart, sweet, and VERY expensive. They are also known as golden berries or incan berries. $24/lb at Whole Foods - not kidding.
Cacao Nibs ~ 5 gm no sugar or preservatives. This may be a debatable paleo food but you can eat it raw (in fact this IS raw), and it is 100% natural. Oh ya, maybe i should explain what it IS - this is what's used to make chocolate. They're broken up cacao "beans" - but BTW, they are technically seeds. I've been adding it to cookies and meats (believe it or not) It's kind of a nutty chocolate taste and is more dense in antioxidants than any other food - blueberries, acai berries, pomegranate - U name it.

Here's what everything looks like spread out.


Where do ya get this stuff? Get together with your buddies, sisters, whatever, and order top-round bison from BuffaloGal.com There's lots of recipes for jerky. Replace the sugars with agave and maple syrup, replace the soy sauce with sea salt - about 1-2 tsp per lb of meat, and ramp the spices up a bit to account for the fact that the soy is gone. You can make it in the oven, lots of internet tips on that, or buy a cheapo dehydrator for ~$60.00. You'll have to pool your resources on the other ingredients too but a good one-stop shop is nutsonline.com. Bounce around the net for a bit and you'll find everything you need. The vacuum sealer is the bummer. The good commercial ones are expensive. But, you can go to Costco and buy the home ones. They work pretty good but you have to fight your way into the bag - no challenge for a caveman though right? Good Luck! Steve

Paleo Shepherd's Pie

Now that fall is around the corner, it's time for a Shepherd's pie. I decided parsnips would be front and center despite the sometimes bad rap they get. Why? They have a glycemic index of 97 which is 3 pts shy of sugar! Might as well go stand in front of a speeding train loaded with insulin right? A Paleo diet is supposed to be low glycemic but these aren't so what's up? Well, glycemic index is determined by feeding individuals enough of a given food so that 50 g of carbs are ingested - that's a hell of a lot of parsnips! It's also the only food they ingest - no fats or proteins to slow things down. A reasonable sized serving of parsnips is about 80-90 gm, which is in the recipe below and is only 15 gm carbs. That's WAY below what I need to balance a 5 block meal. I had to chow some fruit on the side. The glycemic load (which takes into account normal serving size) is about 12 for that amount of parsnips (eating ONLY parsnips) or 1/2 what you'll typically see in pasta or potatoes. Ahaaa! This is partially due to substantial fiber in parsnips - about 5 gm in a 80 gm serving. This is 3X mashed potatoes. Now we're starting to get the complete picture. Parsnips have a VERY slight carrot taste and make a great potato substitute. My "kids" liked this shepherd's pie - it's mild and yummy. Give it a try - it's a winner and makes good left overs too. BTW - I used turkey for this one but any lean meat will do - ground round, bison, etc.

Paleo Shepherds' Pie - enough for (4) 5 block meals!
[Protein gms, Fat gms, and Carb grams listed at end of each line)
20 oz Ground Turkey 110 P 35 F
12 oz Parsnnips - pealed and grated - 63 C
8 oz Zucchini - sliced - 8 C
3 oz mushrooms (i used shitake) - sliced - 3 C
1/2 C Red Onion - 5 C
1/2 C Cilantro - negligible C
2 Green Onions - chopped - 4 C
1/2 Cup Celery - sliced - negligible C
1 Slice Bacon - 15F 3P
8 egg whites - 24 P
1 Tbl Spoon Olive Oil - 14 F
1 Teaspoon Onion Salt
1 Teaspoon Celery Salt
1 Tablespoon Seasoning (I used Italian Seasoning. Costco Rustic Tuscan Seasoning would also work well)

About 1 lb of fruit - like apples, pears, etc. to have as desert or on the side to balance out the carbs. Remember this is four 5 block meals. If you're a 2 block person (looking for 14 gm protein), you get 1/10th of the "pie" and about 1.5 oz of fruit (2/20*16 oz). Although, this brings up a different subject... In the book Lights Out: Sugar, Sleep, and Survival by T.S. Wiley, it is suggested that when the days shorten, we should cut our carbs back further because "back in the day", that's what happened, and this helped to deplete stores of fat, cholesterol, etc. Interesting concept - i might try it. What's my point? Maybe being a little shy on carbs as we head towards winter is not such a bad thing.


Preheat oven to 450F.
Peal and grate the parsnips with a cheese grater. Add onion salt and olive oil and set aside.
Slowly cook the bacon slice - remove bacon strip and DO NOT throw out the bacon fat - leave it in the pan.
Pan fry the onions, turkey, Italian Seasoning, and onion salt - do not over cook. We're gonna cook it some more. Pepper to taste.
Prep the zucchini, mushrooms, and celery and saute in the bacon fat - do not over cook.
Combine meat and veggies in one pan and mix thoroughly. Let cool down a couple minutes.

Take 4 egg whites and cilantro and mix them into the meat/veggies.
Take other 4 egg whites and mix with parsnips.
Get an 8X8 metal or pyrex pan and spray bottom with olive oil. Add meat and veggies then cover with parsnip mixture.
Don't smooth tops of parsnips too much - browns better if you don't.

Cook in oven at 450F for about 25 minutes or until top start to brown. I like to put my oven on broil for the last minute so the top is nice and crisp. Sprinkle twith chopped bacon. This dish tastes like "comfort food" - you're gonna like it ;-)

Enjoy! Steve "Paleo"

Salmon w/Pineapple & Pantacones

It was really hot in Boulder today so I wanted to cook all or most of my dinner on the bbq but grilled vegetables are kind of boring. Somehow, pantacones (NOT pantalones - those are pants ;-) came to mind. I had pantacones for the first time in Costa Rica. They are made from plantains. Green plantains are firm and starchy. Yellow ones are somewhat sweet and starchy. I bought yellow ones and i tried eating some raw. Not bad, but a little chalky (or maybe starchy). I'm certain the green ones are not good raw, BUT, I want to note that unlike potatoes, they are not toxic - valid paleo food. I should also say the carb content is pretty high (even higher than bananas if i believe the literature), but i don't concern myself with that. Why? I weighed them out man! I've never had a balanced meal, using whole foods, that gave me a blood sugar spike. Remember, it's the blood sugar spike that triggers the insulin response, fat storage, cholesterol production, blah blah blah. So, no spike, no worry. Traditionally, plantains are sliced, deep fried, mashed, then fried again. I knew this would be too much fat for a balanced meal so i figured a way to make them by putting them first on the bbq and then frying them in coconut oil. YUM! Coconut oil in a hot pan is darn near as good as bacon fat when it comes to filling the kitchen with heavenly smells. If you're the cook, put on your favorite tune and just stand in front of the pan when it starts to sizzle and breathe deep - it's awesome!

Salmon w/Pineapple & Pantacones ... for 1 - 5 block meal

6 oz (raw weight) Wild Salmon (36P 15F)
4 oz sliced plantains (1 large plaintain will be plenty) (35C)
1 slice pineapple (3/4 " x 3-3.5 " dia) (11 C)
1 Table Spoon Coconut Oil (7F) *guessing the other 7 stays in the pan* It's 14F/TblS
Dash Red Cayenne Pepper
Sea Salt
"Old Bay" Spice
Pepper to taste
Cilantro or other greens as garnish.

A paleo friend of mine turned my on to "Old Bay" it's celery salt and various kinda hot spices. It's sold everywhere.



Coconut Oil (from Whole Foods):
The coconut oil does bump the fat content of this meal up above my target - solely because salmon really does have a lot of fat. So the meal is high in fat by about 6 gms. If you want it better balanced, use halibut instead. I lean towards salmon because of the Omega 3's. Plus, i'm not in "lean-up" mode right now so i have to add fats.


Preparation:
Start with the plantains. Slice them like this and wrap 1 layer of them in foil **rub coconut oil on the foil so that NO bare foil contacts the plantains** - or they will stick. I double wrapped mine and put them on the bbq - low heat - 10 minutes/side.

Leave the bbq on and remove the plantains. Take them out of the foil wrap and place them on parchment paper. Fold the parchment paper over so it's underneath and above the slices. Using any flat object, mash them down flat.

Put 1 table spoon of coconut oil in the pan and turn the heat on. Get the salmon and pineapple going on the bbq - pepper the salmon (black and cayenne) and use some of that "Old Bay", then put the plantains in the pan. They cook about as fast as the salmon so it should all be ready about the same time.

They are really good with a little salt and cayenne pepper. Now sit down and feel sorry for your non-paleo friends that are eating salmon and rice for the umpteenth zillionth time. :-)
Steve "Paleo"

Bison Breakfast

OK, I will get into this meal, but first, if you were at the Crossfit Games in Aromas last week, was that a phenomenal gathering of the world's scrappiest athletes or what? It was tremendously inspiring and motivating for me. No matter how hard i train, or how well i eat, i can always do better or do more and living in that environment for three days is just what i needed to push me to the next level. And for those that stopped me... "Hey, there's Paleo-Steve" ... thanks for chatting. Cool to have paleo friends :-). There's a CO games ("Colorado Open") Sept 12th - 13th at Front Range Crossfit in Denver - if you're nearby, participate or spectate, and prepare to be INSPIRED. I will be there for sure.

... I don't post too many breakfasts because they tend not to be so creative but this particular breakfast goes a long way towards explaining why there's absolutely no sacrifice to eating a paleo diet - I can't see who wouldn't be jealous of a meal like this. I also want to highlight bison - now that you can buy Bison NY Strip Steak at Costco, i'm calling it mainstream and one of the top choices for a caveman being that it's hormone free, antibiotic free, and free ranging. It is expensive at ~ $1/oz but what the hell, Lipitor is ~ $60/month and doesn't taste nearly as good! If you trim the fat, it's surprisingly lean at less than 2 gm fat/3.5 oz - and more than half of that is UN-saturated. This is way less than typical beef (although i'd like to see a side by side cube steak comparison), less than pork, and close or less than chicken - that according to highplainsbison.com. Is it true? Well, the cut i had was pretty darn lean, pretty tender , and had no obvious gristle. I did trim the fat around the edges. Of course, stone age man would have paid extra for that fat but then we are living in an "endless summer" and last i checked, Costco is open all winter so my survival is probably not at risk. Besides, i like my egg yolks! - and as you know, i'm all about a balanced meal. A friend of mine turned me on to parsley too - I especially like italian parsley and i've started to eat it in vast quantities. Try it.

5 Block Bison Breakfast
3.5 oz (post fat trim!) Bison Steak 22 gm P, 2 gm F
2 Eggs - 14 gm P 10gm F
1 lb Melon and Mixed Berries ~ 46 gm C
Italian Parsley

Check back soon - I'm working on a kinda Paleo Shepherd's Pie....

oh whoops, breaking news. I ordered real RAW cashews from TheRawFoodWorld.com - the flavor is no different from Costco "raw" (actually steamed) cashews but the texture is different. They're slightly less crunchy and for some reason, they're 10-20% bigger than any cashews i've seen. Maybe they shrink when they're steamed out of the shells? They're about 50% more expensive than ordinary cashews - not really worth it IMHO.

Cashew Curry Halibut

1st - let's talk cashews - Not paleo right? Because even when they're labeled raw, they've actually been "cooked" or steamed out of the shell. This is a way of avoiding contaminating the nut with urishol (that NASTY stuff that happens to also bless poison oak). Well i call Bull. 1st, i know of people who SUCK on poison oak leaves to gain immunity (don't try this at home). Second, you can buy them right here: www.therawfoodworld.com and they are ACTUALLY raw. So if someone tells you ALL cashews are cooked or would otherwise be toxic, and therefore NOT paleo, tell them they're full of twinkies because it's just NOT true. No one can prove stone age man ever ate cashews but lots of people don't even get poison oak, so it's imaginable to me that they could have been eaten by stone age people. And NO, I didn't use the REAL raw ones, mine were steamed out of the shell, but hell, I also cooked the halibut - so there! :-)
2nd- this meal will emphasize the zone portion of paleo-zone. Got the Crossfit Games coming up and I want to be just a little leaner. I know from experience that if i exactly zone the meal, the lean will come, and fast. Sadly, this is the 3rd time i've made this meal and the first time I got the scale and calculator out. Ouch! I've been a little lenient on the fat lately - not this time.
3rd - Halibut. I've eaten A LOT of halibut in my day - used to hunt them with a speargun. Only recently did i start buying them again. Do your best to get it from a reputable place. My last purchase was terrible - just as i was trying to impress - so now i'm gonna be really picky. Tonight's was yummy. Halibut is pretty lean - so it allows a coconut sauce splurge. It's also relatively low on the "contaminated fish" list http://www.arhp.org/publications-and-resources/quick-reference-guide-for-clinicians/fish-and-health/evidence. I weighed it out this time and realized given the chance, i probably eat TWICE as much as I should to get 35 gm protein. Again, get the dang scale out, and risk getting heckled by your family. Otherwise, you will not be eating zone proportions. Remember, your body is a drug factory responding to the foods you put in it. Every 4-5 hours there's a drug run. Don't be a victim.

This is a 5 block paleo-zone meal. Scale appropriately.

Cashew Curry Halibut
6 oz Halibut 35 gm P, 4 gm F
1/2 oz "Raw" Chopped Cashews 6 gm F , 4 gm C
1/4 Cup Coconut Milk (organic available at Whole Foods) 8g F, 2 gm C
1-1.5 teaspoon curry paste (red or green)

********************************************
6 oz Organic Cauliflower (prepared like Cauliflower "Rice" - see previous post) 9 gm C
(except - just fry with olive oil spray)
6 oz Organic Broccolini 11 gm C
4 oz Sliced Mango 19 gm C
Chopped Cilantro for garnish

Combine cashews, coconut milk, and curry paste in a small pan - turn heat on low.
Have your favorite person peel and slice the mango - arrange on plates.
Get the "paleo rice" going - I just added curry powder and a little cayenne pepper. Remember - microwave first.
Cook the halibut on the grill or in the oven - no added oil. But i spray the grill with olive oil.
Steam the Broccolini - It's pretty fast so get the water going and when the halibut is 1/2 done, throw the broccolini in.

If you're "lucky", everything will be done about the same time. I added a tablespoon of water to the sauce to thin it out a bit before putting over the halibut and broccolini.

Enjoy the meal - i think it has a nice "Thai" taste to it. Steve "Paleo"

Paleo Cookies - U asked for it!!

1st I gotta warn ya - it's hard not to be a glutton with these darn things. I came across this recipe last summer and enough people have asked about them (even my Mother!) that i figured I would go ahead and post it and just give credit where credit is due. I think i came across these at this site first http://crossfit-dover.com I would warn you against adding the protein powder (U can buy EGG protein powder BTW - not exactly delectable) that is mentioned as an option in the recipe at that site. I tried it - ack-pooeey! I'd put a chicken breast between two of these cookies before I do that again! I found apple juice sweetened cranberries at Whole Foods for this batch. I tried fresh blueberries too (instead of the cranberries) but the cookies go a little flatter so space them apart real good and don't burn them. In general i'd say dried fruit works best. Apricots would be yummy!

A note about honey and glycemic index... Honey runs between 61-64 compared to table sugar at 65-69. Agave, which probably would be an awesome substitute in this recipe, is just 15-19 - but it's expensive. Of course, this is all about keeping your blood sugar within orbit. I have to tell you though, I swear i ate a good 6 of these cookies tonight and i feel fine. I'm actually really sensitive these days, so it makes me wonder. Perhaps it's because so much protein and fat is also being ingested. I'm a true believer in experiment over propaganda and i just didn't get slammed by all that honey. So try the agave if you want, but i'm not going to lose any sleep over it. http://lifewiththegylcemicindexdiet.wordpress.com/agave-nectar/

.. and now i'm gonna rant about berries for a sec. If you're not chowing berries every day, U should be clubbed. Why? They probably most closely resemble true paleolithic food. Here's some science for ya. Fiber slows digestion down which naturally lowers the glycemic load of foods (remember, we want a steady burn - generally). More than one book i've read, pushes low carbs but they even allow you to substract fiber grams from the carb grams when figuring your allocation. So let's take a look at 2 cups blackberries - 15 gms of fiber! (28 g carbs) Let's see, that's 5 pieces of whole wheat toast! Blackberries even beat out broccoli BTW when it comes to amount of fiber per gram of carbs (broccoli is 4 g fiber per 10 g carb). Currently, I am eating 1-2 cups of berries every day as part of my 5 block breakfast. Most fruit seems to be about 1 g fiber per 10 gm carb. Blackberries and Raspberries stand way above other fruits (other berries even) when it comes to fiber so if you see a good price on them (like I did today at Costco), take them home and chow.

Here's that cookie recipe - but first - this is your chance to buy a food processor and have it pay dividends. Almond flour is super expensive for some reason (especially in Boulder). Raw almonds, ounce for ounce, are easily 1/3 the price around here - that's if you buy them in bulk at Costco in 3 lb bags.

**Paleo Cookies**
4 cups ground almonds (in the food processor if you can)
2 cups ground walnuts (Food Processor or DIY at Health Food Store - i did use a Braun coffee grinder once - messy)
2 cups heated raw organic honey (mixes easier that way)
1 cup chopped dry fruit (cranberries/raisins)
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix the dry stuff first, then add the honey. I like to refrigerate it at this point for about an hour so that it's easier to roll balls but it's not critical. Space them out quite a bit on a greased cookie sheet - these cookies do kinda go flat. Parchment paper really helps - use it if you got it because these suckers are stickyeeee! Bake at 15-20 minutes at 350. Really start checking after 15 minutes - cook them too much and you've got dog treats (trust me on this one). On the other hand, cook them just right and they do some frikin vanishing act - even with just me in the house!

Cheers! Steve "Paleo"

"NOT your Moma's Pork Chops!"

Pork w/pomegranate-apricot sauce & roasted rutabagas ... and you thought paleo food was boring! Pork CAN get boring - you know this if you've bought the "family pack" at Costco. I've eaten this meal 3 times in the last week, dialing it in, and I'm still not tired of it. I'm a little obsessed about combining fruits/nuts/meat and it comes out in this recipe. The key is - not too sweet. Rutabagas - when's the last time you had one? Never? I like buying them at the store - the checker never knows the code. No one eats them. Why? They're too busy gobbling up all that extra corn, and it's byproducts, which fill up most of the supermarket because we had to do SOMETHING with all that corn (Read Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan) . Ounce for ounce, rutabagas have the same amount of potassium as bananas at 1/3 the carbs. "Hey, you should eat a rutabaga before that ride so you don't cramp." The amount of calcium in 10 oz (which is nothing really - 102 calories) is equal to that in 1/2 C milk. Surprised? Where do you think cows get all that calcium that ends up in their milk? From eating plants of course. Not rutabagas, that i know of, but you get the idea. Enough ranting... here's the recipe. It's a little high on fat so if you want to exactly zone it, be skimpy on the walnuts and bacon fat. Also, U might do this on a weekend - the rutabagas roast in the oven for 55 minutes...

Pork w/pomegranate-apricot sauce & Roasted Rutabagas

Your ingredient list for (2) 5 block meals:
~12 oz pork chops - boneless, trimmed of any fat (10 oz) - 70g P, 8g F
2 Tablespoon pomegranate juice - 5g C
4 dried apricots halves (unsulphured, unsweetened, chopped) -8 g C
1/4 cup walnuts - chopped - 20g F
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon olive oil - 5g F

2 med rutabagas - peeled ~10 oz each - 44g C
2 med pink lady apples (or substitution) - 36g C
2 slices uncured bacon - 30g F, 6g P
fresh organic spinach - 4g C
spices: celery salt, onion flakes



1st preheat the oven to 450. Next get the bacon slowly cooking in a pan. Now we're going to get the rutabagas in the oven because they take the longest. Slice the ends off so they will "stand up" then score the top as you see in the picture - like you're making one of those potato stamps. Wrap some foil around them leaving the top exposed - put 1 teaspoon of bacon fat on top of each one then add some spices. I like celery salt and onion flakes. Close the top of the foil and put them in the oven. Set timer for 55 minutes. You can easily relax for 15 minutes now before you start the pork/pom sauce/apples.
Put small amount of olive oil in saute pan and toast the walnuts - don't burn them! I do this every time - smells like burnt popcorn... when they're just browned, add the pomegranate juice, water, pepper, and chopped apricots and let simmer.
Next we'll prepare the pork and apples. The apples are fried in any remaining bacon fat - this was in my first post - sounds crazy but apples pan fried in bacon fat are the best!(Remember, within reasonable limits, you're not going to get fat by eating fat. Why? no blood sugar spike, no insulin response, no fat storage trigger - it's hard to accept this after so much brain-washing but get over it. It's been proven) Cook the chops any way you want. When they're about half way done, start the apples. Hopefully the rutabagas are ready about the same time as the pork and apples. Put the apples on top of the spinach. Put the pom sauce on top of the pork. Unwrap the rutabagas - salt and pepper to taste - then add bacon pieces to the rutabaga and spinach/apple salad. Enjoy! Your comments are encouraged :-) Steve "Paleo"

Paleo Tandoori Chicken w/Curry "Rice"

Wow it's been a long time since i posted! My life was turned upside down and i fell on my feet in Boulder, Co - I love it here! Now for a new recipe....1st, U gotta plan ahead on this one and marinate the chicken overnight. Also, you may be going to the store to pick up seemingly obscure spices - "suck it up Buttercup!" -I saw that on a Crossfit Oakland t-shirt and since they're some badasses over there, i'm gonna start talking like them ;-) Seriously, spices last a long time and chicken gets OLD. It's a good size batch - perfect for some follow-up meals. You WILL enjoy some new flavors...
This recipe was inspired by 6 months in Bangkok, Thailand eating at Indian restaurants every other night. Tandoori chicken is traditionally made with yoghurt and cooked in a clay oven at really high temps - screw that, we're using coconut milk and grandma's oven! [caveman was practical] Simple as that - the rest is well known. The curry "rice" is actually curry cauliflower - but you can be easily fooled. Not my idea - can't take credit for it. If you read up on paleo recipes, you can't NOT discover this clever trick. Lastly, cucumber - don't substitute something else for this or leave it out. This dish is a little hot and the cucumber, taken between bites, just works - cools off your mouth a bit.

*Paleo Tandoori Chicken*
3 lbs of boneless/skinless organic chicken breast (can you say left overs?)
1/2 C Coconut Milk
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped or crushed ginger
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
Olive oil for brushing
Fresh cilantro and red onions for garnish
Cucumber

Poke the chicken with a fork and score the top with a knife
Mix up all the ingredients and combine with chicken in a zip lock bag or shallow dish. Marinate overnight. Preheat oven to 450. Put chicken on a rack within a pan and brush olive oil on top. Cook for about 30 mintues. While it's cooking we'll make the curry "rice"


Curry Rice - this recipe is per person, 5 block meal
1 med head cauliflower - 20 oz (ya, no kiddin, paleo meals are BIG)
1/2 teaspoon ground curry
1 green onion - finely chopped
dash of cayenne pepper, sea salt, ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil





Finely chop cauliflower, discarding stem pieces. Microwave for about 3 minutes in a covered convenient bowl (i use platic "tuperware"). Mash the cooked cauliflower like there's no tomorrow. I often use a beer bottle or beer glass (I AM taking credit for that) but there's better utensils obviously. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a hot pan and stir-fry the stuff.(Look at that pan - i ate the whole thing MYSELF!)

Slice the cucumbers thinly and chop some red onions and cilantro. Put it all on a plate and chow.
- for a 5 block meal, you're looking for about 5 oz of chicken added to that entire recipe for curry "rice". Oh BTW, confession time. In my other recipes, i keep referring to 7 block meals - wrongo. They're 5 block which means about 35 gm protein and 45 gm carb. The protein/carb content i mentioned is correct. Just had the blocks wrong (i've since gone back and fixed the mistake). To digress a bit, i've been on 1 gm protein per lb of lean body mass for 9 months now - which is about 23 blocks/day. People are a little surprised by that but I lose body fat AND muscle mass at 23 blocks/day if i don't add a fair amount of fat (i know this because i've been getting body comp tests for awhile - full blown dunk tank). In other words, a strict 23 blocks/day won't sustain me. Back to this meal - protein and carb gms are about equal so dice up a little mango (1/2 C) or some other fruit to snack on after dinner. The fat is about right, as is, but some chopped almonds thrown in the cauliflower are kinda tasty.
Enjoy and let me know how you like it. ---> Steve "Paleo"

Chelsea's Paleo Banana-Nut Muffins

My daughter Chelsea just pulled this idea out of a hat one day and I was amazed how well it worked - you'd swear there was flour in these by the look of them. Talk about making a father proud! Probably the "last good idea" she'll ever come up with ;-) They're amazingly moist and taste like banana bread your mother would have made. They're quite simple - try 'em!

1/2 C Organic Unsweetened Coconut - 25g F, 10 g C
“Finely shredded for baking”
1 tablespoon Ground Almonds - 4 g F, 1 g C
1 Egg – 5g F, 7g P
¼ C chopped walnuts – 20g F
1 teaspoon Walnut Oil – 5g F
(Olive oil works too)
1 teaspoon Almond Butter – 2g F, 1 g C
3 tablespoon Blue Agave Sweetener –48g C
2 Med Bananas – 54g C

Mix thoroughly and put into 6 muffin tins. Bake at 375 for ~25 minutes. Each muffin is 19g C, 10g F, and some negligible protein. If you're looking for a balanced 5 block breakfast, combine this with 1 egg, 4 oz (cooked weight) of very lean meat (like turkey breast), and 1.5 - 2 cups of berries.
Guest Chef on the right....

Steve's Island

A few weeks ago I became obsessed with creating a paleo desert and I just started experimenting. I wanted some sort of crust or cookie thing with an original taste. Several experiments later, I came up with Steve's Island - named by my daughter. Chelsea's first comment after trying this desert went something like this - "Dad, this is probably the last really good idea you're going to have." With that, here's the recipe. [Note - this desert uses mangos and banannas - not really considered low glycemic, which is kind of my goal. However, as you'll see below, as part of a lean and low carb main dish, it is still "balanced". After eating paleo for awhile, if you blow it on carbs, you'll feel it. I've had this three times and my energy level after the meal felt rock solid each time - so for me, it passes the test. After you try it, check your own energy level and post to comments - I'd like to know if you agree.]







Coconut “Cookie”
2/3 C Unsweetened Coconut - 35g F, 14 g C
“Finely shredded for baking”
1/3 C Ground Almonds - 20 g F, 7 g C
1 Tbl Spoon Walnut Oil – 14g F
(Olive oil works too)
1 Tbl Spoon Almond Butter – 8g F, 3 g C
2 Tbl Spoon Blue Agave Sweetener – 32g C
Simply mix the ingredients in a bowl, form a ball, and roll out between wax paper or just drop balls onto a cookie sheet and flatten. Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes. [I baked them on parchment paper]









Topping
2 Cup diced mango – 56g C
1 Cup sliced banana – 34g C
2 Tbl Spoon Blue Agave sweetener – 32 g C
Cinnamon
Saute for a few minutes with just a little olive oil in the pan (U won't taste it). Add agave and cinnamon and saute about another 5 minutes flipping or stirring often. Place hot topping on coconut cookie and serve immediately (the topping alone will convert ANYONE to Paleo eating - I swear!). Makes 4 servings. For a balanced 5 block Paleo-Zone meal, precede this with 5 oz of lean meat and steamed vegetables (my last meal was 5 oz chicken and 7 oz steamed zucchini - total meal fat was high by just a few grams) The main dish needs to be low on carbs and fat for the proportions to work out. So far, we've been unable to NOT eat the extra servings... just saying ;-)

Paleo Pork Chops

1st I've got to say that I appreciate all the feedback I'm getting on this site and at Crossfit NSC. BTW - don't hesitate to be critical too!
I'm a real fan of pork - it's cheap and pretty lean. Adding nuts gives it a little crunch and balances the fat out (assuming you trim off visible fat). I originally tried this dish with walnuts but they don't really add enough flavor. Pecans have a richness to them that works better. For the carbs I settled on my standard fare - butternut and apples - which I do not usually cook together but it sounded good. Now the cinnamon...I often put cinnamon with butternut and of course it's good on apples so I naturally added it to both. My daughter Chelsea says if you're gonna combine apples and cinnamon, then it better be in a pie - I stopped short of that. She actually thought I cooked the apples with pumpkin (not a bad idea AT ALL) and that I was just trying to heckle her by stopping short of TWO of her favorite pies. Honestly, the apples and butternut DID taste like a desert. Here's the recipe - enough for two 5 block meals. Very paleo and zone balanced (if you use your scale!). As usual, just throw in some extra nuts if you need more fat and scale the portions if you're not a 5 block "porker" like me. Oh BTW, you'll notice I'm including grams of Protein, Carbs, and Fat - That's total. So for example, the meal below is 10 blocks total, or two 5 block "meals". It is very slightly high on the fat - 4 gm/person. If you subtract the 4 gms, you're within 3% of 30/30/40 zone proportions - but geez, MAYBE some of that olive oil stays in the pan?? Oh and I better remind you, I DON'T count any protein in nuts or veggies because they are not sufficiently balanced in essential amino acids - just in case you're out to check my math/blocks/blah-blah-blah ;-).... if that all sounded like gibberish, just read on and EAT.

PALEO PORK CHOPS
12 oz Pork Cutlet – 70g P, 6 g F (Costco - enough for an army)
1/3 Cup Pecan Pieces – 4 g C, 21 gm F (Trader Joe's)
1 egg – 7 gm P, 5 gm F
1 clove (2 tsp) garlic
Sea Salt/Pepper/ whatever
2 Tsp Spool Olive Oil – 10 gm F
¼ Cup finely chopped chives or green onions.
14 oz Cubed Butternut Squash – 46 gm C (sometimes cubed at TJ's)
11 oz apples – 43 gm C (I used Gala from Costco - sOOOO good)
Cinnamon
2 Cups Spinach (greens) – 2 gm C

Preheat the oven to 400F and prepare the butternut (dice it) and apples (coarsely dice 'cause they cook FAST). Now the chops - I took boneless chops and pounded them with a "hammer" - it probably has a better name. I dive for abalone now and then and you gotta have one of these baby's, but if you don't, not a huge deal.(but you can buy one at any local dive shop and it REALLY works well - recommended).
Next combine chives (or green onions), pecan pieces, and garlic and chop it up real fine. See the pic.






Whip the egg in a bowl, dip the pork in, then coat with the pecan mixture.

Get some non-stick spray onto your cookie sheet, spread the butternut out, spray a little on top, and start roasting - about 10 minutes. Add the olive oil to a large pan and start heating it up. Take the pan of butternut out of the oven after 10 minutes, add the apples and cinnamon, turn with a spatula, then put back in the oven. Start pan frying the pork now (assuming the chops are beaten flat - otherwise it's gonna be longer). You should be done in 'bout 5 minutes with everything. Throw some greens on the plate, the pork, the apples and butternut, and hope that you don't instigate and apple pie craving (it happened at my house)... enjoy! Steve

"U Can't Believe It!" Hash Browns & Eggs

So like me you're all "sucked-up Paleo-addicted-never-gonna-eat-potatoes-again" right? Well, I hope you're sitting down. See the pic? Looks GOOD huh?
When I first started eating paleo, I started loitering in the produce section of the local grocery store and wandering aimlessly thru the farmer's market. I discovered "celery root", or celeriac, and I explicitly remember asking the vendor "What do you DO with this?". His answer was to cut it into slivers and add to salad. OK, not bad. Get's some strange looks from the kids though and it's almost a deal breaker if you don't go thin enough. Later, it occurred to me that maybe I could shred this stuff and make "Hash Browns". Here's the very simple "recipe" - I think they're WAY better than hash browns - they actually have some taste to them. My daughter Chelsea has had them twice now and still thinks they're good - and she doesn't pull any punches when it comes to such things..This is completely paleo-zone 5 blocks but the fat is high by about 8 gm (not even close to 2X fat for you zoners). Lean turkey breast would fix that but i didn't have any.



1 Tbs olive oil – 14 gm F
1 Egg + 1 White – 5 gm Fat, 10 gm P
1 Heaping Cup Grated Celery Root -17 gm C
5 oz Ground Turkey – 27 gm P, 8 gm F
7 oz mix fruit – melon/berries/etc – fruit avg is about 4 gm C/oz ~28 gm C
(use calorie king to figure exactly depending on what fruit you have on hand)
Pepper and Sea Salt to taste
1st the root - it's not much to look at. I coarsely shave the skin off with a butcher knife - like so.

It's pretty obvious how to cook everything. I always prepare the fruit first to get it out of the way. Ground turkey was next then put to the side. The celery root was grated the night before. Get the olive oil nice and hot in a pan and add the root. After that's been goin' several minutes, I start the eggs. After I tried this, I googled it - couldn't imagine I was the first to think of this and sure enough, I wasn't. However, generally, it's suggested to mix it up with real potatoes because it kinda has a strong taste. I really didn't think so, plus I'm too "sucked up" to venture down the potato path. I'm sure this is gonna be a potato replacement for me in many dishes to come. You tell me if it's good just by itself. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Cheers! Steve

Me & my daughter/paleo partner/recipe tester