Pumpkin Apple Spice Pancakes (wheat free)

This isn't really inventive, I just took my favourite things to eat for breakfast and made them into a pancake. But its reallllyyy yum. And healthy, and most importantly: filling.

Ingredients

yields 6 small pancakes, or 2 servings

3/4 cup whole rolled oats
1 cup egg whites
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 apple, grated
1  tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
coconut oil or fat of choice

Instructions

1. Grate the apple - I did this by rotating the apple on a box grater until I reached core and continuing around the apple. Squeeze a bit of the juice out of the apple.
2. Heat your frying pan on medium.
3. Mix the grated apple and all the other ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
4. Add coconut oil or fat of choice to frying pan, spread around.
5. Drop the pancake mix into the grill and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown.
6. Eat with maple syrup! Do it.

11/29/2012 Training

Thursday - Snatch intense + Clean Battery + Back Squat moderate + Core

A. Muscle Snatch, build to a 1RM

60 65(f)

B. Power Clean @ 85lbs, AMRAP in 1 minute x 5 sets, 1 min rest

8/7/8/8/8

C. Back Squat @ 20X1, 10 reps @ 95lbs x 5 sets, 1:30 min

complete

D. GH Sit-ups, 15 reps x 4 sets, 1 min

did 3 rounds. GHD sit ups have effed me up before so want to take it easy since this is the first time in like 6 months I've done them.

11/28/2012 Training

Wednesday

5 rounds for time:

Row 500m

15 Burpees

18:20 tried to keep an even steady pace, rowed on average 2:15, damper on 4, burpees unbroken.

Greek Feast - Chicken Skewers and Tatziki

Matt and I made this together in about 40 minutes. If you marinate the chicken longer, it would be more delicious (if that's possible!) but we were hungry. Also, we forgot to get feta and used mozzarella instead which is why it's in the picture. It was still really good.

Greek Chicken Skewers

Yields 2-3 servings

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, cubed
6 wooden skewers, soaked
Handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped
Handful of fresh oregano leaves, chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2  vine ripened tomatoes, cubed
1/2 cup feta, crumbled
6 romaine lettuce heart leaves, fine sliced
6 Greek Pitas
tatziki (recipe follows)

Instructions

1. Cube your chicken breast and trim fat.
2. Put your chicken cubes into a container. Add the mint, oregano, red wine vinegar, evoo, sea salt black pepper and crushed garlic. Mix well. Put in fridge while you prepare the tatziki and toppings.
3. Chop tomatoes, crumble feta in bowl, wash and slice lettuce and get your pitas ready to heat.
4. Make your tatziki! See below.
5.  You can marinate your chicken much longer, but if you're super hungry you can start skewering now. Heat your BBQ.
6. Once the BBQ is heated, grill each side on medium approximately 5 minutes per side.

Tatziki

Ingredients

1 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup cucumber, grated and squeezed of juice
1 tbsp dried dill weed
1 lemon, juiced
1-2 garlic gloves, crushed
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt

Instructions

1. If you want to make the tatziki really thick, start 2 hour ahead and put your Greek yogurt in a wire mesh strainer over a bowl, set in the fridge, and extra water will strain out of it, leaving you with all the good stuff. I didn't do this. So don't worry if you don't have time!
2. Okay. Put your yogurt into a bowl.
3. Grate the cucumber and squeeze out all the extra water.
4. Put grated cucumber, lemon juice, dill, crushed garlic, red wine vinegar and salt into the yogurt bowl and mix well,
5. Heat up your pitas in the oven on low for 6-7 minutes.
6. Now that you've prepped all your toppings and grilled the chicken, you are ready to assemble your yummy Greek pitas!

Satay Slow Cooker Chicken Breasts

I LOVE my crock pot. Especially since I started eating meat which coincided with my increased training. This is so easy! I love the creaminess of the coconut milk and almond butter that is complimented by the zest of the lime and kick of the del arbo chillies. I ate this with wild rice and steamed baby bok choi. To keep it paleo, skip the wild rice!

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts
1 12oz can coconut milk
2 dried del orbo chillies, smashed
2 kaffir lime leaves
1 lime, juiced
2 tbsp almond butter
1 tbsp Epicure Satay Seasoning
1 tsp garlic chili sauce
1/2 yellow onion, diced
sliced almonds, for garnish

Instructions

1. Put your crock pot on high.
2. Dice the onion, add it to the crock pot.
3. Grind your del orbo chillies in a pestle and mortar.
4. Add your chillies to the crock pot along with the coconut milk, lime leaves, lime juice, almond butter, satay seasoning and garlic chili sauce. Mix until well combined.
5. Place your chicken breasts into the sauce, put the lid on, and let cook om high for 3 hours. If you put the crock pot on low, cook for 6 hours.
6. At the 3 hour mark, shred the chicken with 2 forks. Let the sauce soak into the shredded chicken for a few minutes and then serve. Garnish with sliced almonds :).

Balsamic Roasted Salmon and Broccoli

This is one of my most favourite quick, healthy and delicious meals. I make it for lunch a lot and also when I'm on my own for dinner.

Ingredients

1 salmon filet (aprox. 250g)
2 handfulls of bite-size broccoli florrets
1/4 of a red onion, fine sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinagarette
1 tsp red chili flakes
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 F.
2. Break up your broccoli florrets into bite sized peices. Slice your onion. Place noth into a small casserole dish with a lid. I use my Epicure cheese baker and it works perfect.
3. Season your broccoli with half the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Italian seasoning. Season with salt and pepper to taste and all of the red chili flakes. Mix until well coated.
4. Place your salmon filet on top of the broccoli bed. Drizzel the salmon with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
5. Place the lid on or cover with tinfoil. Put in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes. At the 10 minute mark, check the middle of your salmon to see if it's flaking, then you can judge how much longer it needs. The thickness of your filet will affect cook time.
6. This dish is done when the salmon is juicy and flaky and the broccoli slightly caramalized, tender and crisp at the same time.

MegaCheese Casserole

This is another recipe that Matt and I came up with from whatever was in the fridge. We had a lot of cheese. Like 8 different kinds. I guess for the last while everything we have made with cheese in it had a different cheese in it. So the solution to this problem was an extremely delicious one. If you don't have a million ends of cheeses in your fridge I'm sure 3 or 4 would work just fine.

Ingredients:

1 cup Aged Cheddar
1 cup Gouda
1 cup Havarti
1/4 cup Parmesan
1/4 cup Romano
1/4 cup Swiss cheese
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
28 g or a healthy handful of fresh thyme, leaves picked
500 g of pasta (bow tie, fusilli, rigantoni or the 'odd ball shape' that we used
1 cup pasta water
2 tbsp butter
3 heaping tbsp flour
1 & 1/4 cup milk
3-4 garlic cloves, fine sliced
500 g cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F.
2. Grate all your cheese. Make sure the cheddar, gouda and havarti are in one bowl, and then the parmesan, romano and swiss are in another bowl.
3. Chop tomatoes in half, place in a bowl and season with sea salt and pepper.
4. Fine slice your garlic and set aside. Pick all your thyme leaves and set aside.
5. Boil your pasta until just before al dente. It will cook more in the oven. Make sure to RESERVE PASTA WATER and don't forget like we always do.
6. Grease a big casserole pan.
7. Now that all your prep is done, 100% of your attention will be devoted to the roux. Heat a frying pan to medium heat, melt the butter in it. Add your sliced garlic.
8. Slowly add flour to the butter, whisking the entire time. Once you've added all your flour, it should be a thick paste, and the garlic should be golden brown.
9. Reduce heat to medium low.
10. Start slowly, very slowly, adding the milk to the paste, whisking all the time.
11. Make sure that you are constantly whisking and that the paste is becoming a thick sauce.
12. Now that the roux is very rich, thick sauce, you can add to a big mixing bowl your pasta, pasta water, roux, seasoned cherry tomatoes, thyme, cheddar, gouda and havarti. Mix until well combined. Have a taste and season with salt and pepper again, if needed.
13. Pour the pasta mixture into the casserole pan and spread out evenly.
14. Evenly sprinkle the bread crumbs over the surface. Sprinkle over the surface your parmesan, romano and Swiss cheese.
15. Put in oven and cook for 25 minutes or until the top is a lovely golden brown and all bubbly.
16. Eat it! Mmm, now I am regretting now having this with a pickle. A pickle would have been the perfect acidic complement to the creamy goodness.