Coconut Crusted Chicken Fingers and Squash Pear Sesame Sala

This weekend I tried a recipe from my Paleolicious cookbook and created one of my own! These chicken fingers are so flavorful and crispy on the outside. I used the larger coconut shavings instead of shredded coconut which added more crisp to the chicken. We dipped the chicken in leftover sesame dressing, jalapeno cilantro chimichirri and homemade bbq sauce.

The recipe in the cookbook is actually paired with a sesame greens salad, but I had no greens at home. What I had was squash, so I thought, I can make a salad with squash. Later I eyed the pears I had gotten and thought that it might make a great combo. It's sweet and refreshing.

For the Chicken:
2 Chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 in thick and cut into strips
3 egg whites, whisked in a small bowl
1/2 cup almond flour, in a small bowl
shredded coconut to cover the chicken
2 tblsp grapeseed oil

Heat grapeseed oil in a large skillet. Dredge the chicken in these three steps: Almond Flour, egg whites, coconut; until the chicken is covered. Place the chicken in the skillet, cooking until golden brown on both sides; about 3-5 min each side. Make sure chicken is cooked all the way through.

Salad:
1 cup butternut squash, peeled and dices
1 large ripe pear, diced into cubes
juice from 1 lemon
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
salt to taste

In a pan heat 1 tbsp olive oil and saute the squash until soft. Meanwhile mix lemon juice, oil, ginger, and salt in a bowl. Prepare a bowl with ice water, and when the squash are soft, pour into the ice water to stop the cooking process and cool the squash temperature. Drain the water and place pears in the bowl. Pour in the dressing and mix making sure everything gets covered in sauce.

Paleo Chocolate Chip Scones and Zucchini Chocolate Chip muffins

Thursday I had the urge to bake things. I love baking! It gives me some cool sense of accomplishment. I've been wanting to try making the Chocolate Chip Scones from the Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook and Zucchini Chocolate chip muffins.



Both turned out great! The zucchini muffins were made with coconut flour and it was my first baking experience with that. The zucchini keeps the muffins moist and flavorful! They have a wonderful cinnamon flavor as well. The scones were great too. Just the right amount of sweet.

I always end up halving the recipes because I don't need the extras laying around my house. There are only two of us!

Paleo meter: To be used Sparingly....

Carne Asada with Cilantro, Jalapeno chimichurri

So I was at Whole foods yesterday planning to buy ingredients to make my own nutella, and I came across Carne asada with Cilantro Jalapeno salsa and it looked DELICIOSO! So I thought, I can make that myself. I am not sure what's in the whole foods version but mine turned out rich and satisfying. I cheated a bit though and bought the whole foods marinated carne asada.... I didn't have the energy to explore making my own marinade and I know I love the whole foods version ( stick with what you like eh?). So that will be my next endeavor since there is probably something not exactly paleo in their marinade.

Chimichurri:
1 bunch cilantro
1 avocado
2 medium jalapenos
juice from 1 lime
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tbsp olive oil
water
salt to taste

Place jalapenos on a baking sheet or glass baking dish and broil in the oven ( be sure to move the rack to the very top). Roast the jalapenos until the skin is black on both sides, you will need to flip them over at some point to get both sides about3-5 min a side. Let the jalapenos cool a bit then under cold water peel off the black skin. Cut off the tops and scrape out the seeds if you don't want your chimichurri to be super hot. If you like super hot, leave them in.

In a food processor, put in all the ingredients expect the water. Blend until a paste forms and add water until the chimichurri reaches a sauce like consistency. You could have it as thick or thin as you want.

And that's it! Serve with your Carne Asada. This sauce tastes great on just about anything. I had it on my eggs this morning. There is just something about a bright green sauce that feels so refreshing to eat. Buen Provecho!

Boundaries Vs. Limits

“Boundaries are to protect life, not to limit pleasures.” -Edwin Louis Cole

Do you know where you keep your boundaries? Do you let things or people cross your personal boundaries too often? This week I challenge you to think about where your strongest boundaries are and where you need to toughen them up a bit.

We all can think of a situation where we let someone into our space, cross our boundaries and it made us feel sticky, not your-self, or just not right. Take a moment to think about those people or situations. Can you find a recurring theme? Is it always the same type of person or situation?

When we have strong personal boundaries, we become empowered. A very common weakness in boundaries for people is saying no. Do you say yes too often when you really mean no?
Every time you say yes to something when you really mean no you are letting a piece of yourself go with it. You are losing power, losing energy.

Having strong boundaries doesn’t mean being snobby, mean, or rude. It simply means being true to yourself and your needs. Boundaries are here to protect us.

On the other hand, sometimes we confuse boundaries with limits. We put limits on how much joy and abundance we can have and confuse that with a boundary. When all your boundaries are set and impenetrable, you will be able to honor yourself in the highest way.

Where are you putting caps on your happiness, your success, yourself? You will find that boundaries and limits go hand in hand. When you build up and strengthen your boundaries, your limits will be endless.
So take this week to notice this: What are your most important boundaries? Which ones do you need to acknowledge and strengthen? Where do you put limits in your life and which of your boundaries will help you break open that limit?

A very Paleo Thanksgiving Recipe: Chicken and Squash Pot Pie and Mashed Garlic and Herb Cauliflower

This weeks taste testing of some paleo thanksgiving meals was Butternut Squash and Chicken pot pie with Mashed Garlic and herb cauliflower. I loved both of these recipes.

For the Pot pie, I used a recipe out of Elana Amsterdam's Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook.



I added butternut squash chunks instead of peas to stay paleo and I used a roasted crockpot chicken for the chicken and it turned out great. I think this would make a nice vegen dish if you take out the chicken.

I also Imagine using my leftover turkey for this dish.

The Cauliflower was super easy to make. You need:
1 head cauliflower
olive oil
water
1 package poultry herbs ( sage, thyme, and rosemary), minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt to taste

Boil the cauliflower (cut into small pieces) until soft. Drain the cauliflower and place in large bowl or blender/food processor. Add in garlc, herbs and salt. Begin to mash or blend the mixture and add olive oil and water alternating the two one tablespoon at a time until you reach a consistency you want.



I used my food processor and my mash turned out more like a thick cream. Next time I will try simply mashing them for a more potato like texture.

Bon Apetite!

Moroccan Chicken Casserole and Vanilla Cupcakes

This week I made some awesome Paleo foods. Above is the Moroccan Chicken Casserole from Mark Sisson's website and it was delish! The cauliflower is just the right texture for rice and it's so refreshing. The spices are wonderful. It does take some prep time though so don't expect this to be a quick dish.

For my paleo challenge finished celebration I made myself some paleo cupcakes. FYI I used the almond flour recipe from Elana's cookbook, the link here uses coconut flour. The cupcakes were moist and just the right amount of sweetness.

A Very Paleo Holiday Recipe: Coconut-Cardamom Sweet Potatoes

I found this in Clean Eating Magazine and had to try it! Yum! I also made Paleo vanilla Cupcakes this week, delicious! Look for those soon! Check out Crystals apple crisp... it sounds wonderful!

5 med sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 in pieces
3/4 cup light coconut milk
2 tps cardamom, ground ( a ginger like herb, I suppose you could use ginger too)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/8 tps ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/3 cup unsalted chopped pecan halves

1) Preheat oven to 325
2) bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat . Add sweet potatoes, return to boiling and cook until soft, about 10 minutes.
3) Drain and transfer potatoes to a large bowl
4) Add coconut milk ,cardamom, vanilla, salt, black pepper and cayenne to potatoes.
5) Mix with hand held mixer on medium until smooth,
6) Transfer to a 9X9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle pecans evenly over potatoes
7) Bake 45-50 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Cool on rack for 10 minutes before serving.