Favorite Kitchen Items #2

Instead of constantly buying Pam in a can, my husband found a refillable oil sprayer. You can put any kind of oil you want in it, pump it up and spray! It works wonderfully and it doesn't cost that much!!

Favorite Kitchen Items Post #1

I am going doing to do a series of posts of my favorite kitchen items... machines, tools, and pans.

The first one today is my Kitchen Aid Mixer. I never thought that I would use it as much as I do when I first got it. I use it almost daily if not several times a day. It makes the process of creating everything from scratch that much easier. It is easy to clean and always (so far) works. I have had mine since Christmas 2010.

I highly recommend it! The best part is that there are so many attachments, you can lose several pieces of equipment in the kitchen. It saves you counter space and time!

One word of caution, however, the baseline models like the ones sold at Walmart are not of the same quality has the more expensive models. I hear that they will even leak oil into your food. So save your pennies!!

This is the model that I have:

Chocolate Banana "Ice Cream"

• 1 large very ripe banana
• 1 heaping tablespoon of Dutch Processed Cocoa
• 5 tablespoons of Whole Organic Milk or Coconut Milk 

1. Slice banana and place on parchment paper in a single row. Place in freezer for at least 2 hours. 
2. Take banana out, place in food processor with the cocoa and milk. 
3. Mix until smooth. 
4. Eat right away! This will not freeze well. 

Pizza Frittata

This is a tweaked version of Mark Sisson's Pizza Frittata found in his book: Primal Blueprint Quick & Easy Meals. This is good cold or warmed up the next day!


Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground sausage
• 6 eggs, beaten
• Handful of finely chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4-1/2 a mix of Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese (optional)
• Feel free to add in anything else you like, like chopped tomatoes, mushrooms...
• Chopped fresh tomatoes (in season) or pizza sauce at the end (winter)
• A skillet that is oven-safe.

Steps:

1. Preheat Broiler to high.
2. In a skillet on high, cook sausage until complete.
3. Turn down to medium, add tomatoes, if using, and saute for a minute. 
4. Add Eggs and herbs. Stir Quickly!! 
5. Then let eggs sit and cook undisturbed until set. 
6. Sprinkle cheese on top (if using).
7. Put under a broiler until golden brown about 3-5 minutes.
8. If you did not use tomatoes, place a little pizza sauce on top of the frittata. Mmm! 

Aaron's Favorite Cookies

Aaron's Favorite Cookies
Makes 1 dozen cookies.
The batter will be very thick.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• a pinch of salt
• 5 tablespoons melted butter
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• a handful of dried unsweetened coconut 
• baking sheet, not greased

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. 
2. Mix almond flour, baking soda, salt in a large bowl. 
3. Mix butter, honey, vanilla in a small bowl. 
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ones. 
5. Scoop out in tablespoon sized balls. Place on baking sheet.
6. Sprinkle the tops with coconut. 
7. Cook for 12-13 minutes. 

For the cookie base, credits go to: http://thisprimallife.com/2009/07/experiments-with-primal-cookie-making/ 

Deal on Almond Flour

I use Bob's Red Mill Almond Flour for everything. I know there are finer ground alternatives which are supposed to be good for baking. However, I just haven't gotten there yet. :) I've had no issues using Bob's. I buy it using Amazon subscribe and save. It comes out to $8.39 a lb which is about $4.50 cheaper in our local grocery store.

Fried Chicken!

Fried Chicken Recipe:

• Coconut Oil
• 4-6 Chicken Breasts
• 2 eggs

Dry Ingredients:

• 1-1 1/2 cups of Almond Flour
• 1 heaping teaspoon Paprika
• 1 heaping teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of Dried Thyme
• Salt and Pepper to taste (I use approximately 1/2 teaspoon each)
• 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (or less if you don't like spice)

1. Preheat Oven to 400 degrees, Get a baking Pan ready. I use a glass pan, no greasing needed. 

2. Place a good spoonful of Coconut Oil in a frying pan, turn on medium-low (depends on the type of frying pans you use but you need it to get to a decent frying temperature without getting too hot).

3. While the frying pan is heating up, crack eggs and whisk in one bowl. In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Make sure the bowls are big enough to roll a chicken breast around.

4. Place Chicken in the egg and then roll around in the dry ingredients. Cover as much as you can. Do this to all the chicken breasts.

5. Place covered chicken in frying pan, 2 minutes on each side. 

6. Then place in baking pan cook for 15 minutes or until cooked through.

Salad Dressings

Over the past few days, lots of people have asked me what kind of salad dressing do I use. Well, I tend to use olive oil and vinegar most of the time. However, I have experimented with making my own Primal Dressings. Here are some listed on Mark's page.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/10-delicious-diy-salad-dressings/#axzz1re2XCINV

I also suggest trying out different kinds of oils like Walnut and Avocado and different types of vinegar like red wine and white wine, etc. You cal also puree berries and other fruits. Add a little honey if needed and Mmm!

This is a Lifestyle Change... not just a Diet.

The "Primal" diet is definitely not for everyone. If you were eating the typical American beforehand, it takes a huge commitment because you are going to have to make big changes. Let's be honest here, most Americans are scared to death to give up grains. In many cases when I tell people that's what I did, they shut off from that point on. They are NOT interested.

At first, even I did not want to try this diet. When Aaron first told me about it in July, I pretty much told him that there was no way. He wanted to try it and I agreed to cook food for him that was Primal friendly but I didn't look anything up... no recipes. I figured he just could eat the meats and veggies while I ate the rice, bread, pasta, etc. A couple weeks later, he made the comment that "You are making me fail." I didn't tell Mark this part but that comment actually really ticked me off. After I calmed down, I figured that I would never be the reason to why he failed at anything. I won't let him use that excuse. So, right after the hurricane blew out, I spent $24 in recipe books and researched for days. I figured out the general idea and went from there... and never went back.

A friend on Facebook made the comment recently, that she thinks that Weight Watchers is the best diet because she can eat normally. I love this person, I am not trying to get on her case or anything but, this comment made me think. I had a vision of all the packaged foods and tv dinners that I ate while I was on WW.  The counting and measuring... was that normal? It was to me then but it's not to me now, not at all.

This diet is a lifestyle change. It will change the way you think about food. It does take time to figure this all out. I learned all that I could during nap times so I did at least have that luxury. I am going to attempt to help out as much as I can through this blog by sharing what I have found. We are in noway the perfect Primal models, I am always open for new ideas and suggestions. Aaron and I simply try our best. I am hoping that it will be enough! Luckily this is where the 80 20 rule comes it to play. Try to follow the diet, 80% of the time. However, I found, the more you follow it, the faster the weight comes off so it is a balance. We had weekends that we cheated horribly by getting a pizza and others where we didn't cheat at all. We usually stick to the diet during the week.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/8020-principle/#axzz1rdxYrB4h

Follow me on Pinterest!

I have lots of recipes and blogs pinned! Many hours spent looking too, maybe I can save you some time!! :)

http://pinterest.com/jessalyn03/

Turkey Chili 1

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs ground turkey
• 2 pieces of bacon
• 1 onion
• 1 green pepper
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 can of crushed tomatoes 16oz
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon ancho chili pepper
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon (heaping) cayenne pepper
• salt & pepper

1. Place crushed tomatoes and chicken stock into a slow cooker, start cooking on low. 
2. Cook bacon in a frying pan, take out and set aside when nice and crispy (either eat the bacon for a snack or throw it in the chili. I've done both but just like to snack on it as I cook LOL).
3. Put turkey in pan and brown.
4. While turkey is browning, cut up onion, pepper, garlic and place aside. 
5. When turkey is almost cooked through, place ancho chili powder, salt and pepper in the pan. Cook until well done. 
6. Put entire pan (grease and all) into the slow cooker. 
7. Replace pan back to the burner, cook green pepper and onion until slightly golden. At the last minute, throw in the garlic and cook until just fragrant (garlic will over cook quickly). 
8. Place pepper, onion, garlic into the slow cooker. 
9. Add the rest of the spices to your liking and cook for several hours (4-6hrs) on low. 

Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:

• One large sweet potato
• Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper

1. Preheat oven 450 degrees F
2. Peel and Cut the potato into fry shape.
3. Place on a baking sheet.
4. Drizzle with olive oil, salt & pepper. 
5. Mix and stir occasionally while cooking.
6. Cook until golden. Test out a fry. :)

Primal Mashed Potatoes

Remember to eat potatoes in moderation.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium potatoes
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tablespoons butter
• sea salt & pepper

1. Peel and cut potatoes in chunks. Place in pot and cover with water. 
2. Add in peeled garlic clove. 
3. Bring water to a boil and cook until potatoes are soft (approximately 20 minutes). 
4. Remove from heat, drain water, place potatoes into kitchen aid mixer. 
5. Add butter to the potatoes and mix (first setting).
6. While mixing, add in salt and pepper to taste. 

Eat! Great side to go with Turkey Meatloaf. 

Turkey Meatloaf

Ingredients:

• 1lb ground turkey
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/2 large onion
• 1/2 large green pepper
• sea salt & pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 1 egg
• Primal Ketchup http://www.marksdailyapple.com/alternative-healthy-condiment-recipes/#axzz1j6we2WvC

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 
2. Put coconut oil, onion, green pepper, thyme, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, sea salt & pepper into a frying pan. Cook until golden in color and remove from heat. 
3. Mix turkey with tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce. 
4. Add onion, pepper, and spice mix to the turkey. 
5. Break egg over turkey and mix well. 
6. Form turkey into a loaf into a casserole dish (no grease needed).
7. Zig-Zag Ketchup on top down the loaf.
8. Cook for 90 minutes. Test with a meat thermometer.

Eat! Add extra Ketchup if needed. 

Egg Souffle

This meal can be used for any time of day. We tend to make it at night using left overs and save some for the next morning. It's comfort food! You can eat it cold or warm-up it up for a yummy breakfast or lunch treat.

Main Ingredients:

• 4-6 eggs, separated yolks, whites.
• meat (bacon, turkey, ham, sausage, or any combo)
• 2-4 tablespoons butter or coconut oil
• Veggies (peppers, potatoes, onions, broccoli or any thing else you want to throw in)
• sea salt, pepper

Bay House Version:

• 4 eggs, separated yolks, whites
• 2 tablespoons butter (or coconut oil if dairy-free)
• 2 slices of bacon
• 1/2 cup of left over meat (we used turkey breast, tonight)
• 1/2 large green pepper 
• 1/2 large onion
• 2 medium sized potatoes (omitted if needed for low carb)
• salt & pepper
• salsa

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large non-stick skillet, fry up bacon. 
3. While the bacon is frying, melt butter, separate eggs, dice veggies into a sugar cube size.
4. When nice and crispy, remove bacon from the pan. Leave grease. 
5. Add veggies and meat to the pan. Fry until cooked to your likeness. While frying add salt & pepper and any other spices that you like.
6. While the veggies are cooking, whip egg whites until stiff peaks form. 
7. When the veggies and meat are complete, remove from heat but don't turn off the burner. 
8. This part must be done QUICKLY: Start beating the egg yolks so that they break. While beating,  add in melted butter. Then add the butter & yolk mixture to the egg white mixture. Mix quickly.
9. Once mixed, cover the veggies/meats in the skillet. Stir once to mix in and shake the pan to distribute mixture. 
10. Place back on burner for 5 minutes until egg sets.  Crumple the bacon into bits and place on top.
11. Put in oven for 15 minutes on 350 degrees F. 
12. Remove and cool for a few minutes. 
13. Add Salsa and EAT!

Don't forget to place the left overs in the fridge for tomorrow's breakfast! 

Imagine a full skillet there.... ;) We ate it before I realized that I forgot to take a pic. hehe