OK CFVP peeps, some of us have decided to embark on the Whole 30 plan for a month starting sometime this week!  I am proud of those of you who are willing to commit to a full 30 days of clean eating and I hope this experience brings some major results and positive lifestyle changes to you all.  I am ready to dig in starting today and will be blogging my food as well as hoping you all will comment back with your food choices, recipes, meal ideas, questions, etc.  If you are interested in joining in on the bandwagon click on the whole 30 plan and read up on what you can and cannot eat.  Shoot me an email at stephanie@crossfitvalleypark.com and I will add you to the distribution list.  Want to wager on your results?  We will be having two pools you can buy into - weight loss and increased performance.  Take your pick or throw your hat in the ring for both - $10 buy in for each.


Day 1 Breakfast for me was a two egg omelet with ham and cherry tomatoes and some canteloupe. Grocery shopping is on the agenda for today - lets get some feedback on good breakfast ideas!

**I will be posting my food log (click food log tab) - partly to keep me honest and partly to help give ideas of what a sample day of eating can look like.  Your tastes may vary from mine, so don't feel like you have to eat what I eat!! 

Yes, its been forever since I have posted a recipe, but that doesn't mean I am backing away from Paleo!  I have talked to so many of our gym members recently who have been making a conscious effort to clean up their diets and center their nutrition around good quality foods - what a difference it can make!  One of my new clients happens to be a Paleo enthusiast and brought me a great Zucchini Lasagna recipe that I am happy to share (warning - does include dairy).  She also turned me on to a great blog written by her friend Brittany.  Check out http://killitandpickit.wordpress.com/ for some fantastic recipes and great information on nutrition.

Zucchini Lasagna
Ingredients:
1lb ground italian sausage
1 lb ground beef (or bison, elk, deer)
1 med chopped onion
2-3 cloves of garlic minced
1 - 14oz can of tomato sauce
1 - 14oz can of diced or crushed tomatoes (partially drained)
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp honey

Spices (choose your own preferred flavors)
2 tbspns fresh italian parsley finely chopped
1 tbspn fresh oregano chopped or 1.5 tsp dried
2 tsp fresh basil chopped or 1 tsp dried
1 tsp fresh thyme chopped or 1/2 tsp dried
1 tsp dried fennel seed (optional)

1.5- 2bs of zucchini squash sliced and peeled
2 eggs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
16 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
16 oz low moisture mozzarella grated
* If you eat dairy this recipe is for you - no dairy you may not get the full effect of the awesomeness!

brown italian sausage and ground meat & drain. add diced onions and allow to soften for 5 min. Add garlic, stir for 30 sec. incorporate tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, mushrooms, salt, and italian seasonings with meat.  Reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 15 min.  Slice zucchini into thin horizontal sheets similar to lasagna pasta. lay out and pat dry on paper towels and set aside.
Combine cheeses and eggs in bowl
Preheat oven to 375
Assemble in a 13x9 glass baking dish combining 1/3 of each ingredients as follows:
zucchini slices
ricotta mixture
meat sauce
mozzerella
repeat 2 more times
bake 45 min or until bubbly throughout and cheese is dark golden brown. Rest for 10 min before slicing.

Lemony Yogurt Grilled Chicken

Ok, Lemon Chicken has been the order of business lately and we have two more recipes to throw in the mix.  We are having a veritable Lemon Chicken Smackdown, and its up to you all to vote for your favorite.  Besides the Lemon Artichoke and Mushroom Chicken Breasts and the Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs, Ariel has tested out a fantastic recipe for Dad's Grilled Lemon Chicken from Everyday Paleo and I am marinating chicken for Lemony Yogurt Grilled Chicken.  Do a cooking challenge at home and tell me what you think!

Lemony Yogurt Grilled Chicken
3 cups plain greek yogurt (not paleo but great protein)

2 lemons, juiced
2 tsp garlic
1 tsp sea salt
1 4-oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
chopped fresh herbs or a couple shakes of garlic herb seasoning

Mix all ingredients except chicken and reserve 1/2 cup.  Put rest in a ziploc bag with chicken and marinate for 30 min to 6 hours.  Heat grill to high, then reduce to med before cooking meat. Discard marinade and grill meat 4-7 min per side.  Serve with reserved yogurt and a couple of fresh lemon slices.

Lemon Artichoke and Mushroom Chicken Breasts

Wish I took a picture, this has to be the best chicken I have had in I can't remember how long.  Tweaked a recipe from Allrecipes.com, my go to recipe site, and it is so full of flavor I had a hard time wrapping up the leftovers, wanted to eat it all in one sitting.  Here is the recipe:

Lemon Artichoke and Mushroom Chicken Breasts

Ingredients:
1 tbspn butter (trader joes has a Kerry Gold butter that is made from the milk of grass fed cows - Melissa K swears by it!)
1/3 cup almond flour
1/4 tspn salt
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
2 lemons, juiced
1 cup chicken broth
2 tbspn worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup vermouth
1 tspn basil
1/2 jar artichoke antipasto from Trader Joes
1 container sliced mushrooms
1 tbspn cornstarch
1/4 cup water

melt butter in large skillet over med heat. gently press chicken breasts in almond flour to coat and place in pan with butter.  Cook until browned on each side, about 10 min.  Add lemon juice, chicken broth, worcestershire, vermouth, and sauteed mushrooms (I cooked these in a separate pan).  Bring to a boil then cover and simmer on low heat for 15 min.  Stir in Artichoke antipasto and continue simmering until chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 15 min.  Mix cornstarch and water in small bowl and stir the mixture into the chicken, and continue cooking until thickened, about 5 min.  I served this with roasted brussel sprouts cooked with bacon, pine nuts and onions.  YUMMMMMMMM

Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs

With the colder weather I have been spending a little more time in the kitchen.  Recipe number two today is Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs.  Made these for dinner last night and everyone came back for seconds.  Super moist and tasty.  Actually created this one on my own and I will definitely make it again.

Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs
1-2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 egg
1/4 cup almond milk
Almond flour (start with 1 cup and add more if you run out of breading)
1-2 Tbpsns Lemon Pepper seasoning
1 onion sliced
Olive Oil
2 lemons 


Heat oil in skillet and add sliced onion.  Saute for a couple of minutes.   mix egg and almond milk and dip chicken in egg dip then drag through almond flour/lemon pepper mix. Lay on top of onions in skillet and salt to taste.  Brown both sides and then transfer Chicken and Onions to a baking dish, squeeze lemon juice generously over chicken and bake in oven at 375 for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Remove from oven and serve with the butternut squash recipe below.  Tasty!

Skillet Butternut Squash and Greens

And the recipes keep coming! Thanks to some faithful paleo eaters I have been getting more good ideas. Melissa K tried this one the other night and I am a sucker for butternut squash so I can't wait to try it. This one comes from Everyday Paleo, a great site with lots of great recipes.

Skillet Butternut Squash and Greens
1 lb bacon, diced
1 medium sized butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 bunch chard, diced
1 zucchini, diced
Drizzle of olive oil
Drizzle of balsamic vinegar
Using a potato peeler, peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (you can get a bag of precut butternut squash at trader joes). Place in a large pan and cover with water. Boil for 5-7 minutes or until the squash is tender but not mushy (I recommend roasting in the oven for 20 min instead)
. While the squash is boiling, cook the diced bacon in a large skillet until browned. Drain the butternut squash and add to the cooked diced bacon along with the chard and zucchini. Saute for another couple of minutes until the chard is wilted. Drizzle with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar and serve.

Paleo Lasagna

Lasagna was on the menu for the family Sunday dinner tonight and I thought I would try a paleo twist for my own portion, knowing full well that I would be the only one choosing the pan without noodles or cheese.  Happily, it was very good and I have plenty of left over to feast on tomorrow night.

Paleo Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 cooked spaghetti squash

1 eggplant, sliced in 1/4 inch rounds

2-4 large portabella mushrooms sliced

2 cups of spicy spaghetti sauce (see recipe on previous post)

1 cup fresh spinach leaves

1/2 jar Trader Joes Artichoke Antipesto 

(parmesan cheese and mozzerella optional - couldnt help a little sprinkle on top)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray pan with pam and lay out eggplant and mushrooms in a single layer.  Salt & pepper and respray with pam. Roast for 15 minutes.  In lasagna pan cover the bottom with spaghetti squash.  Pour sauce evenly over squash.  Remove vegis from oven and layer over the sauce.  Top with a generous layer of leaf spinach.  Then spread the artichoke spread on top.  The ingredients in this spread are totally paleo so don't feel guilty pouring it on (even though the garlic may talk back to you tomorrow).  Sprinkle cheese on top if you are at peace with dairy. Bake for 20 minutes and serve.