In order to succeed, it is best to set small goals along the way to reach your long term goal. For instance if you want to start eating vegetables, and you currently do not eat any, a great mini goal would be to eat 1 veggie a day. If you are currently not eating any, you shouldn't expect yourself to be able to start eating 5-6 servings a day! It is too overwhelming and you will give up. Many of us think, okay I am really going to eat healthier, but then it is too much for us to handle and we just quit. Small, attainable goals is the way to go. Once you can complete the mini goals for about two weeks, make a new mini goal. Mini goals will help you attain your long term goal with a lot less stress!
What is your long term goal? Now make a mini goal that will help you attain the long term goal with ease.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Chicken Breasts Stuffed With Spinach, Apple and Peppers
(Recipe stolen from PaleoChix and editted just a bit.)
Apples are a must during the MidWest Autumn and a moist chicken breast is a great start to a meal worthy of a caveman.
Stuffing
Stuffing Ingredients:
1 chopped Red Pepper
3 cloves of fresh Garlic chopped
3/4 cup Spinach (if frozen, drain very well.)
1/2 cup fresh Mushrooms
1/8 cup finely chopped Apple
Salt and pepper to taste
Stuffing Preparation:
Dice the peppers, mushrooms, garlic, and apple. Put that in a bowl with the spinach. Toss to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add crushed red pepper if you would like a little more flavor.
Get Cooking!
4 Large Chicken Breasts (Large enough to butterfly and fill)
Butterfly slice the chicken open. Fill with the stuffing and wrap the chicken back around. Keep the birds closed while they cook with 3 toothpicks.
You can stuff the chicken ahead of time, and store in the fridge for a little while. Prior to putting the bird on to cook, allow the chicken to warm a little bit so it does not get tough.
The chicken can be cooked on a grill or in the oven. If using an oven, go for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees. The more you stuff the chicken breast, the longer it will take to cook. Try to spread the stuffing out evenly or the bird wont cook evenly. No one liked a dryed out bird!
Eat Up!
I would cut the stuffed chicken breast in half and serve it with some vegetables.
This recipe could be used over and over with different stuffing options. A few suggestions:
onion, mushroom, and dill
red onion, diced sweet potato, kale, and cumin
onion, basil, and tomato
Fresh pears or peaches would be a great fruit in the chicken, too.
I also think the stuffing would do well in a pork loin that were butterflied open, stuffed, then rolled closed and then baked.Are you doing the paleo thing for the first time and struggling to find recipes or meal ideas? Let me know - I would be happy to see what I can find for you.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Mini Egg Frittatas
Inspired by a recipe that can be found at http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Muffin-Frittatas/Detail.aspx. Many of us struggle to get in a good breakfast, especially when you are trying to keep to a paleo food plan. It is hard to avoid cereals and pop tarts, our mornings are so hectic. Try this recipe - except for the cheese it is a caveman's friend!
6 eggs
½ Almond Milk
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded cheese
¾ cup diced zucchini
¼ cup diced red pepper
Heat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Beat the eggs, stir in the Almond Milk, season with salt and pepper. Add the cheese, zucchini, bell pepper and onion; mix well.
Spoon evenly into 12 greased muffin cups, about 1/4 cup each.
Bake in 350 degrees F oven until just set, 20 to 22 minutes. Cool on rack 5 minutes. Remove from cups; serve warm.
You eat with your eyes, then your nose, finally your mouth. Substitute any veggies you want, just chop ‘em up small. Keep the colors lively, that is why the recipe used red pepper instead of green. Tomatoes might work too, but they have a high water content so you may need to adjust the recipe and / or cook time if you choose to go that route. Sauteed onion and mushrooms would be great!
For ease in the morning, consider making these ahead of time, but reduce the cook time a bit. Heat to serve warm and finish the cooking.
If you enjoy two muffins you will have consumed about
Inspired by a recipe that can be found at http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Muffin-Frittatas/Detail.aspx. Many of us struggle to get in a good breakfast, especially when you are trying to keep to a paleo food plan. It is hard to avoid cereals and pop tarts, our mornings are so hectic. Try this recipe - except for the cheese it is a caveman's friend!
6 eggs
½ Almond Milk
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded cheese
¾ cup diced zucchini
¼ cup diced red pepper
Heat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Beat the eggs, stir in the Almond Milk, season with salt and pepper. Add the cheese, zucchini, bell pepper and onion; mix well.
Spoon evenly into 12 greased muffin cups, about 1/4 cup each.
Bake in 350 degrees F oven until just set, 20 to 22 minutes. Cool on rack 5 minutes. Remove from cups; serve warm.
You eat with your eyes, then your nose, finally your mouth. Substitute any veggies you want, just chop ‘em up small. Keep the colors lively, that is why the recipe used red pepper instead of green. Tomatoes might work too, but they have a high water content so you may need to adjust the recipe and / or cook time if you choose to go that route. Sauteed onion and mushrooms would be great!
For ease in the morning, consider making these ahead of time, but reduce the cook time a bit. Heat to serve warm and finish the cooking.
If you enjoy two muffins you will have consumed about
175 Calories
12.8 grams of Total Fat
197 mg of Cholesterol
364 mg of Sodium
3.5 grams of Total Carbs
0.4 grams of Fiber
11.2 grams of Protein
3.5 grams of Total Carbs
0.4 grams of Fiber
11.2 grams of Protein
Thai Beef Salad
(Inspired by a recipe found in the May / June 2010 edition of Clean Eating Magazine and edited slightly)
Ingredients
Ingredients
½ cup fresh lime juice
¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro
3 tbsp sweet chile sauce
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 ½ lb flank or skirt steak
Olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped (1 ¼ cup)
2 medium tomatoes, wedged into bite sized pieces
6 cups romaine lettuce, torn or chopped
1 cucumber, sliced thin (1 ¼ cup)
2 tbsp fresh chopped mint
2 tbsp unsalted raw cashews
Prep ahead:
¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro
3 tbsp sweet chile sauce
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 ½ lb flank or skirt steak
Olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped (1 ¼ cup)
2 medium tomatoes, wedged into bite sized pieces
6 cups romaine lettuce, torn or chopped
1 cucumber, sliced thin (1 ¼ cup)
2 tbsp fresh chopped mint
2 tbsp unsalted raw cashews
Prep ahead:
Combine the lime juice, cilantro, chile sauce and garlic in a bowl. (Yeah, you agree huh? Already smells gooood!) Pour half of the bowl of sauce into a zipping plastic bag, put the steak in with it, and let the marinade begin to work its magic in the fridge for up to 8 hours. I recommend doing this in the morning before you head to work, or just before you go to your CrossFit180 workout. Store the remainder of the sauce to finish the salads later.
Cook it!
Cook it!
Once you are home and ready to get your grub on, pull the steak from the fridge to allow it to come up to room temperature. Putting a cold steak into the heat will toughen the meat. Boo!
While the steak warms up, start up the grill or set your broiler to medium – high heat. Now heat a large nonstick skillet with a small bit of olive oil. Start small with the oil, you can always add more if you want to. Sautee the onions, allow them to soften and even caramelize for more flavor. Add the tomatoes when the onion is close to done, just long enough for the tomatoes to soften. Once the tomatoes are softened, pour the contents of the skillet into a large bowl, add the mint, lettuce, and cucumber to that bowl and toss to combine.
Cook the steak, on the grill or in your broiler. I prefer the steak to come off at about medium rare. Allow the steak to rest for a few minutes, it will continue to cook some. After the steak has rested, slice it on the bias (diagnonally) so you end up with lots of thin strips.
While the steak warms up, start up the grill or set your broiler to medium – high heat. Now heat a large nonstick skillet with a small bit of olive oil. Start small with the oil, you can always add more if you want to. Sautee the onions, allow them to soften and even caramelize for more flavor. Add the tomatoes when the onion is close to done, just long enough for the tomatoes to soften. Once the tomatoes are softened, pour the contents of the skillet into a large bowl, add the mint, lettuce, and cucumber to that bowl and toss to combine.
Cook the steak, on the grill or in your broiler. I prefer the steak to come off at about medium rare. Allow the steak to rest for a few minutes, it will continue to cook some. After the steak has rested, slice it on the bias (diagnonally) so you end up with lots of thin strips.
Eat it!
Place a bed of the dressed lettuce on a plate, top with strips of steak, pour a bit of the remaining sauce you made earlier on top. Add some cashews to the top, serve, and enjoy.
After it took you about 45 minutes to throw this together, if you serve this with ¾ cup salad and 3 oz of steak, you will get only about
167 Calories
6 grams of Fat
8 grams of Carbs
2 grams of Fiber
2 grams of Sugars
20 grams of Protein
87 mg of Sodium
30 mg of Cholesterol
After it took you about 45 minutes to throw this together, if you serve this with ¾ cup salad and 3 oz of steak, you will get only about
167 Calories
6 grams of Fat
8 grams of Carbs
2 grams of Fiber
2 grams of Sugars
20 grams of Protein
87 mg of Sodium
30 mg of Cholesterol
If you are looking for some extra healthy fats, add some avacado to the bowl of marinade. The lime juice will keep it from browning.
Eat Up!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Exploring Better Food Choices
When I first starting blogging for CrossFit180 I posted some thoughts about the way we eat and some things to consider about the way that you approach food.
1. Some folks stick to their Food Plan better when they write down their intake. There are lots of options for this, pick the one that works best for you.
2. Don't diet - it is a temporary plan that most of know fails.
3. It is YOUR Food Plan, and it has to meet your needs to hit your goals. I think Paleo is the way to go, but it is up to you. Eat what makes you feel good and hit your targets. 
Now that 180 has entered its new era at the amazing new location, some folks are going to be excited about tweaking their Food Plans so they can optimize their workout accomplishments, fitness improvements, and possibly even changing up their body shapes. But, no one needs to actually walk around tweaking for their next Food Fix. As April gets us interested in kicking some of the crud we eat to the curb, considering reading that intial post.
I will be posting about fun in the cave over the next month. Hit me up with questions! But, the questions have to be GOOD questions for me to be able to help ya. Tell me your goal and more about the hurdle you hit (avoiding sugar, understanding more about healthy fats, getting past cravings, feeling less hungry). I want to tailor the answer to YOUR Food Plan. I encourage you to be brave, make some changes, see how they make you feel, and cheer on the others who are playing along.
So, who is up for some Food Fun?
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