A Gut Healing meal

Technically yesterday was the first day of our challenge, but this will be my first meal post.

I didn't plan my groceries very well, and there's basically nothing left in our fridge. We get our Heliotrope veggie bin on Thursday, so we just had a few random things left from the last one.

For supper I thew together:

- Farm eggs with a neighbour's tomatoes, local garlic and rosemary; topped with leftover homemade salsa verde (Heliotrope tomatillos, cilantro, hot pepper)

- Leftover Lebanese cauliflower (cumin/garlic/lemon juice)

- Home pickled beets and onions

- Heliotrope 'lemon' cucumbers with flower salt

One of the challenge requirements is diversity by eating 30 different types of plant matter every week. Well this meal took care of 10 for the week!

Heal Your Gut Challenge 2014

We are doing another challenge at the gym. Read up on it here.

My dietary goals for this challenge are to cut out goat cheese and sweat treats. I don't think any of the other challenge requirements will give me grief.

Physically, I'd like to see gains in bodyweight movements. I've been focusing on gymnastics this Fall, and shedding a few pounds is a sure way to improve your pull ups and push ups!

I've measured myself up again and pulled my old numbers from way back in summer of '11 (just for "fun"!):

*September 23, 2014*

Bicep: 11 1/4

Bust: 34
Rib cage: 29 1/4

Waist: 27

Hips: 34 1/4

Butt: 38 1/4

Above knee: 16 1/2

Calf: 14 3/4

June 10, 2011

Bicep: 12 1/2

Bust: 34 1/2
Rib cage: 31

Waist: 27 1/4

Hips: 33 1/2

Butt: 38

Above knee: 17 1/2

Calf: 15 1/4

February 16, 2011
All on the left side:
Bicep: 12 1/4
Bust: 36 1/2
Waist: 31 1/2
Hips: 35 1/4
Butt: 40
Above knee: 18
Calf: 12 5/8

Slow cooker chicken with dried fruit

Whole30 followers abstain (because of the sugar):

You'll need:
Pieces of chicken with bones (something about overcooking if it's boneless?)
Old dried fruit (doesn't have to be old I guess... I had old dates and even older raisins laying around)
Onion
Ginger
Pepper
Chicken broth or water
Honey
Apple cider vinegar

Chop up 1 onion and stir into slow cooker with 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar, 1 cup of liquid (water or broth), grated ginger to taste, pepper and 2 tbsp of honey.
Toss in some old dried fruit! I used about 1 cup of dates and raisins.
Add chicken. I used 2 skinless thighs.
Set to low and leave for work. (about 9 hours?)

Take the lid off, stir, pull out bones that have fallen out of the meat.
I'm not eating the bloated fruit, but you could puree them into a gravy of sorts?

Non-dairy "cream"

Not that there's anything wrong with using REAL dairy, but this seems like an interesting (and delicious) alternative from Following My Nose.

Coconut creamer

Combine in blender:
1 can of coconut milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons of coconut oil
vanilla

Refrigerate.

Butter chicken - again.

I made a butter chicken recipe while on the Whole30, but modified quite heavily and made some silly decisions along the way. It turned out mmm-okay. (see original original post)

Because I cut up the chicken it ended up over cooked. Because I used whole spices and hand-ground them, I had to strain the whole thing.

But this time. Oh boy - it's good!

• 2 Cool Springs Ranch chicken legs & thighs - whole
• 2 onions diced
• 1 clove garlic minced
• chunk of butter
• dollop of oil

In a slow-cooker with:

• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tbsp mild cayenne powder
• 2 tbsp tandoori masala
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 cup full fat yogurt
• 1 small can of tomato paste

 Mix gently and cook on high heat 4 hours.

I was on fire last night and also made a potato and leek mash and blanched some rainbow chard with kale.

I have 3 prepared meals with all of the above, plus an extra serving of butter chicken.

lunch!

I'm pretty proud of myself.

Update: 2 x Butter Chicken

A co-worker shared the link after giving this recipe rave reviews. Of course I can't leave a good thing alone, so I'm modifying the recipe a touch to make it more Whole30 by omitting the dairy.
I'll most likely try it again with full fat yogurt and butter once I'm back to good old-fashioned Paleo.

4-6 boneless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
1 onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp oil
*replace the 2 fats with ghee? 4tbsp?

Stir fry chicken, onion and garlic in frying pan on medium heat until the chicken has some color and the onion is translucent. Then pour entire contents of pan into crock pot. Then add:

15 green cardamom pods (in cheese cloth)
2 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp curry paste
1 tsp cayenne powder (optional) It’s really hot if you add this
2 tsp tandoori masala
1 tsp garam masala
1 can coconut milk
1 cup yogurt
*replace the yogurt with another can of coconut milk?
1 5.5 fl oz can of tomato paste
Salt to taste

Mix gently and cook on high heat 4-6 hours or low heat 6-8 hours.

Original recipe by Lisa Kremer

And here is another recipe that I want ot try. Taste test?

Carrot & apple sauce muffins

The original recipe comes from here, but I can't follow directions, so I made my own version.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour (1 1/2 cups almond meal + 1 cup coconut flour)
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup shredded carrots
cinnamon
nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Mix together dry ingredients.
3. Add in beaten eggs, vanillla, applesauce, and carrots. Mix well.
4. Grease a muffin pan with coconut oil.
5. "Pour" in muffin batter. **
6. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes.

We'll see how they turn out. (update: pretty tasty, but more like scones than muffins.)
I will try following the reciped more closely once I am done Whole30 and review them again.

** The mix was firm enough to make balls with... so they could be cookies too I guess.

Slow Cooker Boston Butt Pork Roast

I never know how to cook roast without drying them out. I'll try this next time.

Slow Cooker Boston Butt Pork Roast (from here)

I have adopted a minimalist approach to cooking big pieces of meat in the slow cooker; I am cooking the meat with spices and one cup of water. I like the flavor I am getting cooking the meat without a lot of vegetables or extra liquid. This approach makes the meat taste “meatier” to me. Try it, you’ll like it.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 9 hours

Ingredient list:
4.5 pound Boston Butt pork roast
Ground cumin
Ground coriander
Red chili powder
Garlic powder
Salt

Directions: Prepare a spice rub with cumin, coriander, red chili powder, garlic powder, and salt. Season roast generously on all sides and lay in the slow cooker. Pour in one cup of water. Place cover on slow cooker. Set temperature to slow cook (200 degrees on my unit) and time to 9 hours. That’s it! The house smells great after a few hours and continues to smell great until after you pack the leftovers away in the refrigerator.

Notes: About 3 hours before time was up on the pork roast, I cut 2 to 3 rutabagas into bite-size pieces, seasoned them with salt, garlic powder, and red chili powder, and tossed them into the slow cooker. There was already plenty of liquid in my slow cooker, but you could add a cup of water with the vegetables if needed. The rutabagas were well cooked by the time the pork roast was done and flavored deliciously.

Fellow cheerleaders

Shara has been working hard at the Paleo lifestyle. She also documents her foodie habits on her blog.

The Whole 30

It's time for a new challenge; because I clearly need more than a new years resolution to motivate me.
Starting today, I am doing the "Whole 30" and updating this food log. The goal is to kick start & energize my Paleo lifestyle. I've been pretty good at maintaining since last spring, but I've become lazy and need a bit of a boost.

Thirty days of super clean pale eating will hopefully get me down to the 63kg category for weightlifting.
I'd like to live at 63-64kg, so that I can easily drop weight for competitions.
A few other flux ladies have agreed to take part in the challenge (also for Oly category reasons) and for the motivation factor.
We will be keeping each other in check and of course cheering each other on. There is nothing better than a personal cheerleader to keep you motivated!

February 5 - Day 1: weighed in for Oly class at 68.7kg. Using callipers and taking before photos tomorrow.

Late breakfast/ lunch: eggs, bacon, black coffee
Supper: avocado with steamed bok choy, brocoli, celery and roasted turnip, beet, onion (ate supper with a vegan...)

Super vegan start

I have leftover veggies for 2 meals, now I just have to add meat!
Four pork chops thawing in the fridge.

Afternoon Front Squats: maxed out at 155lbs (70.5kg) (failed at 160lbs), down sets at 140lbs (63.6kg)

29 days until March 5.

Smokey Southwestern Apple and Squash Soup

Smokey Southwestern Apple and Squash Soup (found here)
If you want to keep this soup vegan, use vegetable oil instead of butter and skip the sour cream or use your favorite vegan version.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3/4 cup diced onion (about 1/4 of a large onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, minced
2 apples, cored, peeled and diced (I used Granny Smith)
2 cups butternut squash, diced (frozen is fine)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Mexican chili powder
1/4 rounded teaspoon chipotle powder
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
a few shots of your favorite hot sauce (optional)
2 tablespoons sour cream (low fat is fine)

Melt butter in a medium-large soup pot and add in the onions, garlic and jalapeno pepper. Saute over medium-high heat until soft and fragrant. Add in the apples, squash, salt, chili powder and chipotle powder. Stir and let everything reduce for a bit and get mushy, 10 minutes should be plenty, stirring occasionally.

Pour in stock making sure that everything is just covered. Put on lid and simmer over low heat for 20-30 minutes until the squash and apples are very soft. Use a hand blender to puree until everything is very smooth. Taste and add in some hot sauce if you want (I want!). Whisk in the sour cream until smooth. Top each bowl with additional sour cream, if desired. Makes 4 small servings or 2 giant ones.

Mini Chai Tea Muffins

Mini Chai Tea Muffins - makes 48 mini muffins (found here)

1/4 cup cane sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup apple butter or applesauce, unsweetened
1 cup gluten free all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond meal
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
2 tablespoons unsweetened powdered cocoa
1/2 cup wheat free oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chai tea mixture - steep 4 chai tea teabags in 1/2 cup hot milk. Allow to cool.
1/2 cup diced apple

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Line a 24 cup mini muffin tin with paper liners and set aside. Heat milk and steep 4 chai tea teabags, and set aside to cool.

Beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Stir in apple butter and honey until well combined. Stir in the flour, almond meal, flax seed, cocoa, oats, baking powder and baking soda, while slowly pouring in the chai tea mix. Stir batter until smooth. Fold in the diced apples.

Fill muffin tins about 3/4 full and bake for about 10-12 minutes or until a skewer, inserted in centre, comes out clean.

Mayonnaise

Homemade Mayonnaise
Adapted from Jamie Oliver

Have all ingredients at room temperature.
 •1 large egg yolk
 •1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
 •1 Tablespoon lemon juice
 •1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
 •1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
 •1 cup grape-seed oil or peanut oil
 •Salt and pepper (to taste)

1. In a blender or food processor, add egg yolk, Dijon, lemon juice and vinegar. Blend to combine.
2. With the blender running, slowly add the olive oil into the mixture, drop by drop at first, then slowly in a thin, steady stream.
3. Continue until the mixture is thick and emulsified, and both oils are fully incorporated. Mixture should be creamy and the consistency of sour cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Transfer to a clean jar with a lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

End of year depression

I've fallen off the wagon - big time.

The 12 week challenge last spring was a life changer. I've always cared about my food sources, cooking, meal planning, but tracking all of these things really kept me going during the challenge and well after if was done. Summer flew by and I was still a "hard-core" paleo eater.
And then fall came. I quit my job. I got a new job. A job that requires a commute, car-pooling, packing a lunch, and waking up at 6:30 every day.
All these things are actually good when it comes to a paleo lifestyle. (For me) it helps to be scheduled & organized. I cook on the weekend and pack meal-sized containers that can last for a few days. That way I always have something to grab from the fridge when I'm heading out the door at 7:30. I'm not very good at cooking a lunch and feeding myself at the start of the day. It's also great to have prepared meals on nights that I coach at the gym. I get cranky and moody and feel faint if I don't eat and it's usually too late to start a "project" once I get home.

So all that is good. Then corporate Christmas happened. WTF? I've never seen so many gift baskets filled with mediocre quality chocolate and candy in my life. Right outside my office door!
I pretty much feel sick all the time. Sugar highs (and lows), drowsy, not sleeping well, sick, sniffly, and to top it all off, no time to go to the gym (not really because of the gift baskets...)

I have a headache and pockets full of snotty kleenex as I type this. It's depressing!

So. New Year's goal. Weightloss is probably the most typical resolution that people set when the year rolls around. I've done it before. Never works!

So my goal is to start blogging again. Because if I want to blog, I have to cook, I have to plan, and I have to have stuff to write about! And if I'm busy typing during my breaks at work, my fingers will be too busy to eat the crappy snacks that are so readily available here.

Just because I'm also thinking these things, I will write them down:

-lose The Gut
-under 63 kg (138lbs)
-wear a singlet
-back squat over 200lbs
-clean out kitchen cupboards

These are my "secondary resolutions"; things that I know can happen if I stick to my actual resolution and maintain my blog.

This probably seems like a convoluted and round-about way to get back on the healthy track, but as everyone at flux knows, I have mental issues, and "tricking" myself might just be the only way to do this!

Chewy Paleo Brownie

Chewy Paleo Brownie Recipe (from here)
 

1 1/4 cup raw light agave syrup, gently heated (or raw honey)
3/4 cup natural cocoa powder
1 1/4 cup almond butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp chocolate extract (optional)
1 tsp instant espresso powder (optional)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1. Heat agave syrup gently over stove until warm (do not allow to boil). Stir in cocoa powder over low heat until smooth. Cocoa burns easily, so keep the heat on very very low.
2. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients except salt until thoroughly mixed.
3. Sprinkle batter with salt, and fold batter to mix it in.
4. Pour into foil-lined or parchment paper-lined 8x8 baking pan (or, grease the pan with coconut oil or your preferred oil)
5. Bake at 325F for 40-50 min.  Use toothpick inserted in center to determine done-ness. (I baked mine in a glass pan at 325F for 45 minutes, and it seemed perfect). Let cool completely before cutting. Store in a plastic ziplock bag to preserve moisture.

The recipe can accommodate an egg. It will make the brownies more tender and moist, and a little less chewy. To include an egg:
Reduce almond butter to 1 cup. Mix egg with vanilla extract, chocolate extract, espresso powder, and baking powder before combining with agave-cocoa-almond butter mixture.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe, Makes 16-20 (from here)

• 5 oz (1 1/4 cups) very finely ground blanched almond flour (NOT Bob's Red Mill...see notes)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (I know you're supposed to avoid salt, but this is seriously important for flavor)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup raw agave nectar (or 1/4 cup raw honey plus 1 to 2 tsp water. See below for date paste substitution.)
• 1/8 cup macademia nut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• A scant 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips.

• Heat oven to 325.
• Mix almond flour, salt, and baking soda well.
• In a small bowl, mix agave nectar, Macadamia nut oil, and vanilla.
• Combine wet and dry ingredients, mixing well. Add dark chocolate chips.
• Batter should be thick enough that you can roll a small ball between your palms and set it on the cookie sheet without it drooping or losing shape (see notes).
• Make 16 - 20 small balls of cookie dough and space them evenly on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Press the cookies down as flat as possible with the palm of your hand. This is important! The cookies will NOT spread out on their own.
• Bake about 6 minutes. Watch closely and remove when the edges start to brown. . . they could be done at 4 minutes or at 8 minutes depending on the size of the cookie and your oven calibration.

Recipe Notes:

Almond Flour:
The brand of almond flour you use is important because you want a flour that is very finely ground, and this quality varies greatly across brands. Bob's Red Mill almond flour is not finely ground enough - I did a test batch and the cookie batter is too runny and ends up ugly with a grainy texture. Honeyville Farms is the brand I used for the cookies pictured above and would recommend.

Measuring the almond flour by weight is much more precise than measuring by volume, so use a digital scale if you have one. Trying to measure almond flour by volume can lead to over- or under-measurement: if it is too packed or too fluffed-up you fit too much or two little of it into your measuring cup. If you don't have a scale and have to measure by volume, then do your best to gently spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a straight-edged knife. As a rule of thumb for this recipe, you should be able to roll the finished dough into a ball between your palms, and when you set it down it should keep its shape. Add a little more almond flour if it doesn't pass this test.

Sweetener substitutions:
I prefer agave syrup's flavor and performance in the recipe, but tested some substitutions:
Raw honey: It works just as well. I tried a batch that turned out looking almost identical, feeling a little bit chewier, and tasting faintly of honey.
Date paste: If you prefer "whole sugars" that come embodied in their originating fruit, I also tried a date paste that worked but yielded a slightly wetter cookie with slightly less traditional flavor. To make a date paste substitute, take 8 pitted dried dates and chop them very finely. Add 1/4 cup water to the chopped dates and heat in a pan or microwave, stirring frequently until they've softened and absorbed some of the water (about 30 seconds in the microwave, stirring every 10 minutes). Add water as needed to keep them hydrated and jam-like in consistency. Remove from heat and mash the dates as thoroughly as possible with a fork. Add another few teaspoons of water if needed and heat again briefly to further soften the mixture. Place the paste in a measuring cup. If you don't have 1/4 cup of date paste, add enough water to bring the mixture up to the 1/4 cup line. Proceed with recipe as written.

Macadamia nut oil:
It has a long unrefrigerated shelf life, but doesn't often fly off the shelf at your local supermarket, so those bottles may have been there for a while. Be sure to select a fresh bottle.

Chocolate & Spice Zucchini Bread

Recipe found here.

Shred 2 zucchini, then squeeze in a kitchen towel to remove as much water as possible.
Add about 1 cup shredded zucchini to mixing bowl with:

1/4 cup coconut oil, liquified
4 room temp eggs (cold eggs will harden coconut oil)
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp vanilla liquid stevia
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

Mix with electric mixer.

Add to bread pan lined with unbleached parchment paper and greased on the ends. (I cut the paper the length of the pan and drape it down one side, across the bottom and back up the other side, like in this photo by Amy)

Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes. Ovens vary, check to see if it's done by inserting a sharp knife in the center.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cake - makes one 9" cake (found here)

1 cup milk, at room temp
2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup gluten free all purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1/2 cup almond meal
1 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon guar gum (can find in specialty food stores and it's cheap!)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Glaze:
1 cup 33% cream (whipping cream)
110 g unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons honey

To make cake:
Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Lightly spray a 9 inch round cake pan with oil. You can also use a 10" bundt  pan, but I don't have one of those ;)
Whisk together milk and coffee in a large bowl, until coffee has completely dissolved. Whisk in eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, and guar gum, then add to milk mixture. Whisk well. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake in centre of oven until a skewer, inserted in centre, comes out clean, about 25- 30 minutes. Allow cake to cool in pan, completely, on a wire rack before inverting onto a cake plate.

To make glaze:
Heat cream in a small saucepan until almost comes to a boil. Add chocolate and stir until just melted. Stir in honey. Drizzle over top of cake. Enjoy!

Coconut Chicken Soup

Found here - need to try!

72 ounces of chicken (about 12 6 oz raw chicken breasts)
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
dried coriander, star anise seed, chili garlic paste, dried chillies (to taste)
a bag of slivered carrots (2 cups)

Roughly cube your chicken. Melt the coconut oil in a large frying pan. Add the sesame oil, chicken and spices. Allow to brown. Midway through, add your slivered carrots. Once the chicken is cooked, set the pan aside.

In a large pot, combine:
3 cans coconut milk
1 head of broccoli, chopped
2 cubed zucchinis
3 cans water chestnuts
1 chopped red pepper
1 container (2 cups) sliced mushrooms
2 cups or so of bean sprouts
fish sauce (a good couple of glugs or more)
chili garlic paste (however much, depending on the amount of heat you like)
1 tbsp sesame oil

Cover, bring to a boil, drop heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add in your chicken mixture and allow to simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add:
The juice of two limes
Chopped fresh cilantro.

The gut came back!

And I need to whip it into shape!
Coach Ido Portal is coming back to flux CrossFit for 4 seminars in.... 12 days!

My goals are:
- 2 consecutive static pull-ups; right now I can do 1 + 1 with leg kicks and face contortions.
- clean up my diet; Ido's workshops are though! I need the energy and stamina that a good Paleo/ Primal diet provides if I want to survive his 2 days, 5-6 hours/day classes.
- fish oil; consistant intake to help with inflammation. My arm joints (wrists, elbows, shoulders) are my weakest links and they flare up with bodyweight work.
- sleep 8 hour nights
- no alcohol
- no dairy; except for my coffee cream of course!

Really these goals are super attainable because I only have to go hard for 2 weeks.
I've become a lazy Paleo/ Primal eater in the last month or so. I haven't had any big cheats (no bread, only small amounts of whole grains), but I've been consistently having small, sneaky treats. Bad, very bad! A bit of dark chocolate a couple of times per week. Some fries at the restaurant. Way too many Paleo pancakes. Coconut milk ice cream. I even had some chips and dip! Shame.

The main thing is that I'm not feeling super good about the whole thing, but I seem to be stuck in a rut of laziness.

But right now, right this second, I am snapping out of it!

First thing: listing what I ate:

- Lunch: spinach, basil, cherry tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, tuna salad.
- Supper: leftover turkey breast, leftover wild boar roast, a carrot.

Second: organize my meals for tomorrow:

- Breakfast: eggs, leftover wild boar roast. Omelet?
- Lunch: spinach, basil, cherry tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, tuna salad (stop by the grocery store for spinach & tuna on my way to work).
Bring some oil for a dressing.
Grind flax seeds.
- Supper: pull something out of the freezer tonight! Pork?

Okay, I already feel a bit better about myself!

Going for my spoonful of fish oil now.