Jamaican Jerk Salmon and Asparagus

Believe it folks! Carol Anne marinated, grilled and ATE salmon today! I know, it's a Christmas miracle, for this girl, who can't stand fish. I honestly am shocked that I liked it, myself.

I must have truly become primal, because lately pictures of salmon have been really enticing to me. I have grown somewhat tired of my limited choices, when it comes to protein sources, and have wanted to add new things into my diet. It seemed that salmon was calling my name. So, I bit the bullet, bought the prettiest piece of sockeye wild caught salmon from Sprouts and gave it a go!

I used this awesome marinade http://www.primal-palate.com/2011/04/jamaican-jerk-salmon.html from Hayley and Bill's cookbook http://makeitpaleo.com/ .

I have to say, even while grilling it, I still wasn't sure if I'd be able to stomach it, but I forged on!

One bite and I was hooked. I cannot believe that I liked it! I have NEVER liked fish....ever! Even tuna fish would make my stomach turn. I've tried different types of fish several times, but honestly, to me, it all tastes exactly like it smells. This salmon had an awesome flavor, with the jamaican jerk marinade. It had a slight, and I do mean slight fishy flavor, but it was not overwhelming at all. I have always been told that if fish is fresh, it doesn't have that fishy flavor, that I cannot stand.....I must have gotten a very fresh piece of salmon, because it was yummy!

I steamed up some asparagus, slathered it in kerrygold butter and sprinkled it with some sea salt. Great meal, if I do say so myself!

Pumpkin Pie Mousse

I am tickled pink over this little concoction! I LOVE sweets! It's no secret that sugar is my gateway drug. I know that about myself. I avoid desserts like the plague now, because I have learned that it will send me into a tailspin. A path I do not want to go down, to say the least.

This invention saved me on Thanksgiving day! For the first time, EVER, I was able to eat to satiety and not touch anything on the dessert bar.

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Canned Pumpkin (100% Pumpkin, only)

1 Tbsp Nutiva Organic Coconut Butter

1 Tbsp Organic Unrefined Coconut Oil

1/2 Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/2 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

2 Packets Pure Stevia

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, and nuke for 30 seconds. Stir and heat for another 30 seconds.

Enjoy!

If you can tolerate dairy, you can whip up some heavy whipping cream for a topping. (I am currently dairy free, so I left the HWC off, but I am positive it would make this dessert even more heavenly!)

Macroingredients, if you are interested are:

Calories: 262

Carbs: 15

Fat: 24

Protein: 3

Sugar: 5

Sodium: 10

This was so yummy, that I rinsed and repeated for breakfast today :)

My Post-Thanksgiving/Black Friday Paleo breakfast.......

Steak and Eggs...and a new kitchen gadget

Lately, I have been following a certain protocol for eating, in hopes of stabilizing at my current weight, and to also get rid of my life long snacking habit. I've been following the Leptin Reset protocol, and I am really enjoying it. It fits right into my Paleo lifestyle. I basically have what is called a Big @ss Breakfast (BAB) within 3o minutes of rising. This BAB should contain 50 grams or more of protein. I've been following this protocol for a little over 2 weeks and it has helped me tremendously with cravings and snacking. I get up, eat my BAB, and I am not hungry for HOURS, and I truly mean hours. Today I ate at 4:45am, and I didn't eat again, until 4:00pm. I wasn't even really hungry then, but knew I needed to eat, to get my calories in. I rarely have any hunger pains. It's amazing.

So tonight (or this afternoon. I've been eating my dinner around 3:30pm - 4:00pm), I had a meal of Steak and Eggs. This shows you how primal I have truly become, because I have never been one to eat fried eggs. I never liked the runny yoke and quite honestly, it would make me nauseous. I've come a long way, baby!!! This meal was delicious and oh, so easy to make.

Take a look at my new egg gadget! Isn't it cute!?

I sliced up some onions and mushrooms, and sauteed them in butter (real butter, NOT margarine). Then threw some left over steak in the skillet with the onions and mushrooms. I used my new egg gadget and fried up an egg, in coconut oil, to top off my meal, then garnished my plate with half an avocado.

Best dinner EVER! A lot of my meals consist of using left overs, because I am the only Paleo person in this house. I've learned to use left over meats to make up my meals. I guess one could list me as the left over disposal. :)

I know I am hard core about my healthy ways, but even I was starting to believe that I had gone off the deep end, when I was so thrilled to get my supplements in the mail on Wednesday! I've worked REALLY hard over the past 2.5 months at losing my stress weight (and I have! Check out my weight loss ticker. 13 pounds down!), getting my hormones in order, and also getting my circadian rhythm in sync, so I can sleep well at night. Below are just a few of the supplements I take daily.

Since following the Leptin Reset, I've eliminated snacking, have no cravings, and I am calmer, and fall asleep with ease at night.

One more pic, to make your mouth water.......my breakfast Saturday morning (11/12/2011). YUMMAY!!

Paleo Pumpkin Bread? Yes Please!

In the spirit of Fall, I've been in the mood for all things pumpkin lately. I've made paleo pumpkin bread, pumpkin lattes, and pumpkin pancakes. My favorite, by far has been the pumpkin bread. It's delicious, all warm and soft, with Kerrygold butter slathered all over it. Makes you all warm and fuzzy inside, doesn't it?

I found this recipe on one of my favorite sites: Elana's Pantry

Chopped Salad

I threw this together tonight, after my workout and it was THE BOMB! I was starving and wanted something quick. So simple, yet so yummy. I even made the dressing from scratch *insert pat on the back here* I will be making this for my lunch tomorrow!

*This is a single serving salad. If you are making it for more than one person, you'll have to adjust accordingly.

Salad Ingredients

Romaine Lettuce

Red Pepper

Red Onion

Pitted Kalamata Olives

Nitrate Free Turkey Deli Meat

Nitrate Free Genoa Salami

Dressing Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp organic dijon mustard

1/2 tsp greek seasoning

Mix dressing ingredients in small bowl and set aside. Chop lettuce and salad toppings. Chop up the meat and set aside. Mix lettuce, red onions, red peppers and olives, then toss in the dressing. Top with chopped meat and enjoy!

Chicken Chili Soup

This recipe was delicious! Another paleo recipe discovered, that my family will eat. They did, of course, add tortilla chips and cheese to their bowls, but at least the majority of the meal was all natural. Mine was anyway. :)

I found this on everydaypaleo.com. View the recipe here.

It's been a while since I've posted a new recipe, or one borrowed. Lately, most are borrowed, due to lack of time. Here are a few easy, paleo meals that I've enjoyed.....

Smokey Roast (recipe here) and green beans.

Grilled chicken, greens beans with bacon, and home-grown tomatoes.

Grilled turkey burger and fried sweet potatoes (recipe below).

Uncured bacon, scrambled eggs, pears, and blueberries.

Fried Sweet Potatoes

Yes, I did it. I put bacon in my sweet potatoes and it was AMAZING! These were a side dish for my grilled turkey burger, and honestly, they were better than the burger.

Ingredients:

1 medium sweet potato

2 slices unprocessed/nitrate free bacon, chopped

pinch of sea salt

dash of cinnamon

Peel and slice sweet potato. Chop bacon and fry in skillet, until almost brown, add sweet potatoes (without draining bacon) add salt and cinnamon to taste. Cover and cook to desired tenderness, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and serve.

Enjoy!