Sunday, July 20, 2014

SUMMERTIME COLESLAW





Ingredients:


Dressing:
1/3 c homemade Mayo* see details below
2 TBSP lemon juice or juice from 1/2 lemon
1 TBSP dijon mustard
2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1/2 TBSP ground pepper
1/2 TBSP dried oregano
1/2 TBSP dried dill
1/2 TBSP dried thyme
1 tsp honey(oops forgot this in the pic!)
ground sea salt to taste

1 24oz bag of coleslaw mix  (I buy the Fresh Express mix of purple cabbage, green cabbage and carrots)


Process:
Add all of the Dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk well to combine
Put half of the coleslaw mix into a large mixing bowl
Add the dressing and then the rest of the slaw mix
Mix well with a spoon to make sure you get the dressing evenly distributed
Put into airtight container and let chill in the fridge for at least an hour (not required but recommended to let the cabbage absorb the dressing and let the flavors blend)


This is a quick and refreshing summer recipe with a good crunch. It requires about 5 mins to prep and is easy to make in big batches to take to a BBQ with friends. Great added crunch to salads or on the side with a burger or grilled chicken .. so many options!!


*FOR THE PALEO MAYO: recipe compliments of the one and only Mel Ockerby :)

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 c olive oil 
2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1 TBSP Mustard (you can use any flavor you want here, I love to use dijon)

I use my immersion blender to do this and it takes about 30 seconds-- FABULOUS!
Here is a link to a video that shows how it works! If you don't have an immersion blender -- get one! But in the meantime, here is a link to a video on how you can still do this in your blender.

Add all four ingredients to a jar that tightly fits the immersion blender and place the immersion blender at the bottom and turn on to begin processing. Keep the immersion blender running until all of the oil has been combined and you have a jar of mayo deliciousness. As the video shows, towards the end you will need to slowly bring the immersion blender up to get the last bit of oil to blend. Once you have the mayo created you can add any extra flavor variations to the mayo that you want and mix to combine, I have added a couple ideas below but feel free to get creative based on your preferences and what you have in your cabinets!

Flavor variations:
garlic powder
herbs
paprika
chili powder







Tuesday, July 15, 2014

CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN PROTEIN RECOVERY SHAKE



Ingredients:

3/4 cup canned pumpkin (as you can see in the picture I froze my pumpkin in an ice tray to make cubes, I use 3 cubes in my shake)
1 serving chocolate protein powder (should be about 25g of protein, depending on your brand it could be 1 or 2 scoops)
1 Tbsp nut butter
Ice
Water

Process:

Put all ingredients in a blender. I have found that it works best when I add them in the in order of: Pumpkin, protein powder, nut butter, ice and then water. Blend to your desired consistency and enjoy!

This is my new FAVORITE post WOD recovery shake! It's so good that it makes you want to train just so that you can have it! As you can see in the picture, I also add my creatine to the mix which is Blonyx. I'm a big believer in the high quality of the product and feel that it has definitely helped me to get stronger and recover better, but obviously that ingredient is optional :) 



This is a recovery shake -- blocks don't count :) Refuel, recover and feed your hungry muscles!


Wednesday, July 2, 2014

SWEET POTATO PANCAKES


Ingredients:

2 cups mashed sweet potatoes* (see note below on how to mash them)
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/2 c almond flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 TBSP coconut oil

Process:

To prep the mashed sweet potatoes:
Fill a large pot about halfway with water and set on stove on high to get it boiling
In the meantime, cut 3-4 large sweet potatoes into 1" cubes (you can peel them first if you want but you don't have to, I leave the skin on since I like the added texture and vitamins)
Once your water is boiling, carefully place the sweet potatoes in the water and let boil for about 10 mins until they are tender enough to pierce with a fork
Drain the water from the pot and use a potato smasher, fork or hand mixer to mash the potatoes 
You just want to get them mashed enough so that they are mixable, they don't have to be creamy like your typical mashed potatoes
Let this mix cool before continuing with the pancakes

To make the pancakes:
Add the egg, milk, almond flour, cinnamon and vanilla to the cooled, mashed sweet potatoes and mix well until all ingredients are combined.
Heat a large skillet over med-high heat and add coconut oil. 
Once the coconut oil is hot, add spoonfuls of the pancake mix to the pan. 
I will usually form them into a ball-like blob before adding to the pan
As they begin to cook you will be able to flatten the pancakes with a spoon or spatula to help them cook more evenly and take a 'pancake' form
Let it cook for about 5 mins before flipping with a spatula. The longer you let them cook the crispier they get!
You may want to add more coconut oil to your pan before starting the next batch - your call!

I came up with the recipe since I had two large jars of mashed sweet potatoes that I wanted to use up. That being said, you can make a big batch of the mashed sweet potatoes and then put them in the freezer for your next batch.. so easy! These are great with eggs and bacon .. breakfast.. BOOM!

1.5oz sweet potato = 1 Carb Block


Tuesday, July 1, 2014

SPIRALIZED RAW ZUCCHINI SALAD






Ingredients:

Dressing:
1/2 TBSP tsp ground pepper
1/2 TBSP dried thyme
1/2 TBSP dried oregano
1/2 TBSP dried basil
1 tsp chili powder
1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1 TBSP olive oil (I used my lemon infused one.. great call)
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
ground sea salt to taste

4 zucchini, sprialized into noodles or 'zoodles' (After I spiralize them I usually do some chopping to break up any super long noodles that can be messy to eat in a public setting)

Process:
Add all of the Dressing ingredients to a small bowl and mix well to combine. 
Spiralize your zucchini and put half of the 'zoodles' in a sealable tupperware container.
Add in the dressing, seal the tupperware and shake well to toss the ingredients.
Add in the rest of the 'zoodles', reseal and shake some more until the dressing is well distributed across the 'zoodles' 
Put in the fridge to chill for at least an hour before eating (not required but it's recommended)

I needed a change up from the cooked 'zoodles' and this was soo much easier with a lot less to clean up.. win! It's light and refreshing for summertime and goes really well tossed over the top of a salad with any kind of protein.

1 1/3 c of zucchini = 1 Carb Block