Can we do the Paleo diet?

Oh, hello, May! What have I been doing all month? Hmmm, who knows? Well, here’s the news on the food front (which of course is my favorite thing to talk about)…

The shot of Baby Cupcake eating never gets old. And I promise she was having fun on our New Hampshire trip (she just likes to hide it sometimes).

Baby Cupcake continues to eat tons of vegetables, fruits, and lean protein (even pureed salmon now!), so that’s what we’re doing, too. Minus the pureed part.

“Are we turning into Paleo people?” I asked Mitch this month. He assured me that we could not be paleo diet followers until I started pronouncing it correctly?!? I’ve been doing some paleo diet reading, and it’s clearly a cult of health-obsessed people. I’m nervous. Yet intrigued. “Oh, no,” you say. Oh, I know, I know.

Here are the facts on how we are currently eating:

  • We’re big fans of organic chicken, grass-fed beef, and (expensive) organic eggs around here.
  • And then there’s my well-documented obsession with vegetables. Remember the 21 vegetable challenge?
  • We’ve cut out practically all processed foods.
  • As you may remember, I’ve been experiencing with going “wheat-free” due to Wheat Belly. I am not totally wheat-free because of my also well-documented obsession with pizza and baked goods. However, of the 21 meals in a week (plus snacks), I’d say we have wheat products about 3 or 4 times. It’s not zero, but it’s a huge reduction over what it was before–say probably something like wheat for 20 of those 21 meals.
  • I am lactose intolerant. I still eat dairy because I love cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, milk, and ice cream. I started eating less because I read that the dairy products I eat could cause Baby Cupcake to be fussy–clearly wanted to avoid that though I have decided that dairy has nothing to do with her feisty bouts of self-expression. However, I continue trying to eat less dairy because I think my stomach appreciates it, too.
  • I would like to eat less sugar, and in this ridiculous improve-my-eating-habits project that I’ve embarked on in the past couple of months especially, it’s probably the next thing to tackle. My mom just informed me that she saw a news program that referred to sugar as a poison. Great. For now, I am now eating chocolate chips (little pieces of chocolate can’t be that bad for you, right?) instead of cookies…mostly because it’s easier!

Here are the facts on the Paleo diet (via “The Beginners Guide to the Paleo Diet”) regarding what you CAN eat:

  • Vegetables
  • Fruit
  • Tubers (sweet potatoes, yams)
  • Grassfed beef
  • Poultry
  • Fish (wild not farm-raised)
  • Eggs
  • Nuts
  • Oils (olive oil and coconut oil and avocado)
  • Seeds

So that’s what we’re doing. Sort of. We also eat beans. And rice sometimes (because otherwise we would have to punch new belt holes for Mitch and buy him a new wardrobe). I think this means we’re Paleo-Faking-It. It’s a change for sure, but I’m feeling pretty good about it. It’s crazy though because we buy so many vegetables that I think it will be impossible to eat them all in a week and four days later we need more vegetables. Maybe we’re not doing it right, but it takes A LOT of vegetables when it’s the main thing you eat!!

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It’s strawberry season!

We made it to the strawberry patch this weekend. Truth be told, Mitch did most of the picking (squatting with Baby Cupcake is, let’s just say, a major workout), but he did hand us the basket so we could pose with the strawberries!

The sweetest berry in the patch

That's a lot of berries!

Giving the strawberry an untraditional squeeze after picking (look at those fingers!)

Last year we did strawberry shortcake and all kinds of treats with the strawberries. So far we’ve done spinach, strawberry, and goat cheese salad, strawberry smoothies, and strawberries on cheesecake!

Categories: Baby Cupcake | Tags: | 4 Comments

Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Rub

You’d think that we couldn’t possible get fancier after our anniversary gifts, but we did! Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Rub was on the menu for our anniversary dinner.

My mom made this dish for our Christmas dinner this year, and we’ve been thinking about it ever since…4 months of pork tenderloin on the brain is quite a long time. We almost bailed on the idea after a L.O.N.G. afternoon of convincing Baby Cupcake to take a nap. Luckily, we decided to go for it anyway because it’s actually a really quick meal. Once the rub is on the pork tenderloin and the vegetables are chopped, it’s just 30 minutes until an impressive dinner.

Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Apples, Zucchini, and Yellow Squash

Mitch in his man chef outfit

"You want me to WHAT?!"

"Nap??!!"

A quick reminder: Don’t judge a book by a cover when it comes to choosing recipe sources. Sure, you thought WebMD was the best source to diagnose yourself with rare disease after disease, but it turns out that flipping through the WebMD magazine in a waiting room can result in a treasure of a recipe. Good work, dad!

A quick note: Admittedly, it’s sort of a shock to my system to pay $13.64 for pork tenderloin! HOWEVER, we’ve realized that it’s fun to splurge on groceries for special occasions as opposed to going out to eat (hey, pork tenderloin in a restaurant would cost us way more than a grand total of $16.65 that’s for sure). Plus this way, we get to experiment with new (and sometimes fancy) recipes while also enjoying the fun of running into each other in the kitchen and constantly wishing we had more counter space!

Grocery costs: $13.64 pork tenderloin, $0.71 zucchini, $1.50 apples, $0.80 yellow squash, pennies for olive oil, balsamic, and seasonings

Grand total: $16.65 with leftovers

Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Rub

1 pound pork tenderloin (whole)
1 Tablespoon paprika (smoked or regular)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar (or less if desired)
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees with oven rack in middle position.

Combine all seasonings (paprika, salt, brown sugar, sugar, chili powder, ground cumin, and black pepper).

Rub the seasoning mixture on the tenderloin and lightly coat the entire surface.

Place tenderloin in a shallow roasting pan (and insert meat thermometer if using a leave-in-the-oven thermometer). Roast until meat thermometer registers 160 degrees (about 30 to 35 minutes). Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

Source: WebMD May 2011

Roasted Vegetables

2 granny smith apples, cored and chopped into 1 inch chunks
1 zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1 yellow squash, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper
balsamic vinegar (optional)

Combine the apples, zucchini, and yellow squash in a baking dish (or we’re thinking to just add it to the tenderloin roasting pan next time). Sprinkle vegetables with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast along with the pork tenderloin for about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar before serving with the pork tenderloin slices.

Source: A Mitch and Alicia original

Categories: Entree | Tags: , , , | 4 Comments

Happy Anniversary…

to us!

Our wedding day! (P.S. Always wear heals and stand on the higher step!)

Usually we don’t buy each other gifts. Sometimes we give ourselves a joint gift for our birthdays (since they’re 6 days apart), Christmas, and anniversaries–like a trip to a bed and breakfast in Asheville or a gym membership or something like that. This year, however, I was able to get a couple of free gift cards (online I enter in how many veggies we eat and our health insurance company gives us gift cards in return–seriously!) so we decided to actually “buy” gifts for our anniversary. We went with this classic theme for our fifth year anniversary: “The most stereotypical gender gifts ever.” Fun!! So, I bought Mitch a dolly from Lowes. And he bought me cookie sheets from Amazon. We’re both thrilled (and insulted). Nothing says true love like a dolly and cookie sheets. Happy Anniversary, Mitch!

A true sign of love after 5 years of marriage

Categories: Fairly Random | 7 Comments

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Flour-less. Butter-less. Baking soda-less. Vanilla-less. Yet still Peanut Butter Cookies!

That’s right. There are only 3 ingredients in these Peanut Butter Cookies! I made the first batch just to prove to myself that the recipe would actually result in cookies! And what do you know…peanut butter, eggs, and sugar DO make cookies.

A few important notes: The original recipe came from the Parenting and Family section of About.com, and clearly I stuck with the 3 ingredients in their recipe. However, I altered the measurements on the sugar quite a bit…I’ve made several batches all the while decreasing the sugar each time to see if they’re still good…I’m so wild. In my humble cookie opinion, the perfect ratio is 1 1/4 cups (sugar-less) peanut butter, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 egg. If you use a PB with sugar in it, then I imagine you could use even less sugar. One egg results in a cookie that is a little bit crumbier (literally), but two eggs results in a disturbing cake of sorts…so go with one!

Fair warning: These cookies don’t spread while they are baking. Make sure they look the way you want when they go in the oven because that’s how they’ll look when they come out!

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

1 1/4 cups peanut butter (sugarless)
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degress with oven rack in the middle position. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or silpat.

Combine all ingredients in the mixer or with a spoon. Scoop Tablespoon-sized balls onto cookie sheet. Flatten slightly with a fork in a criss-cross pattern. Bake for about 8 minutes.

Source: adapted from About.com (Parenting and Family)

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Asparagus Soup

I have a hard time cooking asparagus…I manage to get the texture wrong most of the time. Too tough, too tough, too tough, and now it’s too soggy. Wah. Asparagus Soup takes care of this problem for me as the immersion blender completely purees the asparagus. It felt like taking a power tool to my problems. Nice.

Yes, this Asparagus Soup is a fabulously summery soup that was a great way to prepare our farmers’ market asparagus. I found the recipe from The Nourished Kitchen–I pretty much followed the ingredient list but then totally cheated and skipped some of the suggested steps so that there would be fewer steps and fewer dirty dishes…always a good decision, right? Plus I wanted to puree all of the asparagus so I made that happen. And (shh!) I used frozen leeks to make life (lazier) easier.

I’m so happy that asparagus season is just starting…we’ll continue looking for asparagus at the farmers’ market so we can have this soup again soon!


Asparagus Soup

2 pounds asparagus
1 leek, chopped
8 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup heavy cream

Separate asparagus as follows: 1. chop off the woody ends (about 1/3 of the stalk) and place in one bowl and 2. chop the tips and the middle of the asparagus into 1/2-inch lengths and place in a separate bowl.

In a large stock pot, heat chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add bay leaves, woody asparagus ends only, and leeks. Simmer for 20 minutes.

While the soup simmers, melt the butter in a large skillet. Saute the remaining asparagus tips and middle pieces for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Strain and reserve the broth (discard the bay leaves, woody asparagus ends, and leeks).

Return broth to large stock pot and add sauteed asparagus tips and middle pieces. Simmer for about 20 minutes (asparagus should be tender at this point). Remove from heat. Add cream. Use an immersion blender (or blender) to puree the soup. Add salt and pepper. Serve.

Source: adapted from The Nourished Kitchen

Categories: Soup | Tags: | Leave a comment

Lemon Curd

When life gives you lemons, make lemon curd. As of this morning, homemade lemon curd crepes are an Easter morning tradition. I was able to make the lemon curd last night in about 30 minutes so it was all set for this morning when we made crepes with this recipe. I love lemon curd and–as it normally goes–the homemade version is even better!

Lemon Curd: A new family tradition

Read on for the Easter lemon curd recipe. In the meantime, see the real beauty in yellow this Easter…

Baby Cupcake getting ready for Easter

White fold-over socks are a must for Easter

You'd never guess I spent all day crying!

Having a few laughs with my North Carolina grandparents

Our official Easter 2012 photo

Happy Easter!

Lemon Curd

zest from 3 lemons
1 cup sugar
1/4 pound unsalted butter (1/2 stick) at room temperature
5 eggs
1/2 cup lemon juice (3-4 lemons or more)
1/8 teaspoon salt

Zest 3 lemons. In a food processor, pulse the zest and the sugar until combined and fine.

In a mixer, cream the butter. Add the sugar and zest combination; beat. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the lemon juice and salt; beat until combined.

In a 2-quart saucepan, heat the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Heat until thickened (anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes depending on your heat); mixture will thicken at about 170 degrees F (right before a simmer). Remove from heat. Pour curd through a mesh strainer and into a jar. Cool and serve or refrigerate.

Source: adapted from Ina Garten’s recipe

Categories: Baby Cupcake, Breakfast, Dessert | Tags: , | 6 Comments

My 10 Meals

I used to love watching the Food Network back when there was a bit more time for me for that kind of thing. It’s not a big deal at all that I don’t watch it anymore, but I just wanted to explain why it is that I’m referencing a show that aired approximately one year ago! Anyway, about a year ago Ina Garten talked about how really a person only needs to have 10 really solid meals in his/her repertoire and these ten recipes can then be varied with different ingredients to create slightly different meals each week. Of course there are special occasion recipes that would call for a different recipe altogether, but the idea is that finding 10 recipes that you really love and making those really well is the way to go.

Here’s my old list of my 10 Main Dinner Recipes:

  1. Homemade pizza
  2. Risotto
  3. Pasta with fresh pesto
  4. Stir fry
  5. Vegetable soup (Spinach soup in particular)
  6. Tamales
  7. Posole
  8. Lasagna
  9. Quesadillas
  10. Fish cakes

This list is posted on the inside of my desk, and it’s funny to me now because I don’t even know the last time I made fish cakes or lasagna. Plus the new trouble is obvious, isn’t it? So many of these meals include wheat flour! Now that I’ve cut back on how much flour I’m eating, I totally need a new list! Hmmm, check out how much cheese is involved in these meals as well! Ok, well, here’s the deal. Spinach soup is staying. And stir fry can stay because I love it when Mitch cooks for us in his wok (and rice isn’t wheat flour!). Posole could stay, but I’m not sure if canned hominy counts as healthy enough so perhaps it’s getting moved to a “special occasion” recipe. And Tamales are just way too time-consuming so it’s certainly getting pushed to a special occasion list.

My new and improved Top 10 Meal List:

  1. Massaged Kale Salad with Baked Fish (with Fresh Pesto sometimes)
  2. Roasted Vegetables with Cannellini Beans
  3. Vegetable Soup (Spinach Soup in particular) with Sundried Tomato Scones (made with coconut flour)
  4. Black Bean and Lentil Soup
  5. Red Lentil Soup
  6. Vegetable Stir Fry (with red beef sometimes, too)…for example
  7. Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala and Palak [sort of an ambitious "everyday" meal but it's how I'm feeling at the moment]
  8. Edamame Salad
  9. Roasted Rosemary Chicken with Greek Salad
  10. Homemade Pizza (I love pizza, and I just can’t imagine myself ever making a Top 10 list that doesn’t include it! And how CUTE is this pizza toy??)

Got to teach them to love pizza early, folks.

Whoa, that’s a lot of vegetarian meals and a lot of soup and a lot of beans/lentils…and a lot of meals that we just started making this past year. I think I did a pretty good job of reducing the amount of wheat flour in the meals (and reducing the amount of cheese, too!). Well, it’s a work in progress.

Any suggestions on meals that make your Top 10 list?

Categories: Meal Planning | 3 Comments

Bald Head Island

We took a long weekend trip to Bald Head Island, North Carolina. I can’t decide if my favorite part was cruising around the island on a golf cart (no cars allowed!) or drinking beer and eating sweet potato fries at the one restaurant on the island while deciding which yacht in the harbor we should pretend was ours. Well, clearly my favorite part was really…

I love the beach!

I'm not touching that water!

We rented a home so we were able to make all of our own meals. This is the first vacation I’ve gone on when I had a menu plan and groceries in hand! For the record, this is also the first vacation I’ve ever had kale THREE times (am I an addict?)!

Our Menu:

Wednesday
Breakfast (at home)
Lunch (on the road)
Dinner: Seafood and kale salad, cheese, nuts, wine

Thursday
Breakfast: French toast (with coconut flour bread)
Lunch: Green salad with garbanzo beans
Dinner: Fish tacos

Friday
Breakfast: Southwest omelets with green bell pepper, pepper jack cheese and salsa
Lunch: Herbed Lentils with Spinach and Tomatoes
Dinner: Tuscan Kale Salad, Tomatillo salsa and chips (plus baked flounder)

Saturday
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and spinach; Fruit salad; Biscoff Breakfast Bread
Lunch: Roasted Vegetables with Cannellini Beans
Dinner: Shrimp, Kale Caesar Salad, Sundried Tomato Scones

Sunday
Breakfast: Yogurt and fruit salad; Walnut Pancakes
Lunch (on the road)

Several of these recipes were new ones for us. I was a fan of the Kale Caesar Salad, the Sundried Tomato Scones, the Biscoff Breakfast Bread, and the Tuscan Kale Salad (I’ll try to post these recipes soon). The Herbed Lentils with Spinach and Tomatoes was pretty much a flop–a healthy one but still a flop.

Categories: Baby Cupcake, Meal Planning | Tags: | 1 Comment

Corned Beef for St. Patrick’s Day

We’re celebrating St. Patrick’s Day all weekend–for us that meant tossing a 3 pound (Wow! I know!) corned beef into the slow cooker and then chowing down on Dijon Corned Beef all weekend while watching basketball. I don’t even really like corned beef. Well, I guess I should say I hardly even know what corned beef even is. But I’m all about celebrating a holiday, so corned beef it was. And it is awesome. After 8 hours in the slow cooker, it was so tender and shredded really nicely. We served it with extra dijon mustard for a nice kick.

Perhaps not the most appetizing photo I’ve ever taken, but I was in a hurry…I wanted to eat!

In case you have a sudden craving for corned beef, I definitely recommend following A Year of Slow Cooking’s recipe (she is the crock pot expert after all and this recipe is as easy as can be). All you need is 5 ingredients and 1 slow cooker. I was rather surprised at how expensive corned beef is…good thing this allowed us to drink beer at home and good thing St. Patty’s Day is just once a year?!

One last note: We tossed chopped cabbage in for the last 30 minutes. I officially do not like cooked cabbage, but it seemed like the right thing to do. And, yes, I know we went with purple cabbage, which totally defeats the purpose of having a GREEN veggie. We already had the purple cabbage though, and the only thing worse than having one head of cabbage sitting around in the fridge is having two. No way I was going to let that happen. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Dijon Corned Beef in the Slow Cooker

3 pound corned beef
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
10 whole cloves (or 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves)

If possible, trim fat from corned beef (remaining fat will be removed after cooking). In a small bowl, mix the honey, dijon mustard, brown sugar, and cloves. Rub the mixture on all sides of the corned beef. Place corned beef in the slow cooker and cook on low until meat pulls apart easily (8 to 10 hours). Add cabbage for last 30 minutes of cook time if desired.

Remove corned beef from the slow cooker and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove fat and discard. Slice and serve.

Source: Stephanie O’Dea from A Year of Slow Cooking

Categories: Crock Pot, Entree | Leave a comment