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