Adam's stuffed peppers

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Happy Fourth of July!

On a VERY hot 4th of July we wanted something grilled of course yet refreshing.  Happy to have the power and internet back, Angela was busy on Pinterest looking up yummy recipes to try.  Having tons of fresh basil from the herd garden we are always looking for recipes to use it.  When Ang came across this recipe we knew we had a winner.

After dinner we relaxed then headed off to the Clintonville fireworks, not as good as Papa Pitstick's shows but it was a perfect 4th of July :).

Power outage brinner

Well our power was out for 4 days from a huge storm that rolled through on June 29th.  They say it was a derecho, which to us sounds like some kind of Mexican dish.  But it is actually a widespread, long lived windstorm and boy did the Midwest get hit.  You can learn more about derechos here.

On the first night of the power out, we were actually watching Rieley.  We were lucky we picked something to make for dinner that we could on our camp stove.  We made chicken patty versions of this chicken nugget recipe.  Just fried it up in some coconut oil.  Rieley especially loved the porch party that followed.  And the next morning we made bacon and eggs on the porch.

Luckily we were able to borrow our friend's generator so we did not lose all of the beef we just bought and didn't have to eat out every meal.  We became very good at making things on the grill and camp stove.  The best dinner came on the last night of our power being out.  We love making brinner and this recipe was just what we needed.  We plan on making it when we are out camping along the AT in August.

Taco Bowl

We came across another yummy primal recipe from Mark's Daily Apple.  We are always looking for good ways to make our favorite things like Mexican or Chinese.  This recipe has a good homemade mix of spices that is way better than the store bought stuff.  We did not do the kale chips, just some chopped iceberg.  Here is the link to the recipe.

Zucchini pasta

Instead of our usual "spaghetti" with spaghetti squash, we decided to use zucchini.  We used our mandolin to julienne the zucchini.  We sauteed it in some butter until it was tender.  For the sauce we used tomato sauce, tomato paste, browned ground beef, and some oregano and basil from the herb garden.  A little dash of parmesan cheese and voila. 

Homemade Fruit By the Foot

Adam bought a dehydrator so we could start making jerky and veggie chips.  For our first use we made banana chips...need to work on this one and will post when we have a good technique down.

Kroger had strawberries 4 for $5 so we took up that deal and with some rhubarb from Mom and Dad Pitstick's garden we set out to make fruit leather.  We made them slightly too thin and dehydrated just a little too long.  But it should be pretty easy to fix for the next round.

All we did was puree the strawberries and rhubarb, added about a tablespoon of honey.  For a little energy boost we added 2 tablespoons of chia seeds.  We put plastic wrap on the dehydrator sheets and then spread the puree mixture on those (do not do it too thin as it will get thinner as it dehydrates).  We put it in the dehydrator for 8 hours but will probably do about 6-7 the next round.

Yummy Chicken!

So we just discovered foodgawker and it opened the door to even more primal recipes! We get tired of plain chicken either grilled or baked and wanted something different. I found this yummy recipe on foodgawker. Seriously a dish we will make often!

Flip Side

While cruising around Easton Mall after a few errands on a Friday night, Angela and I were in search of a place to eat. We were initially headed to P.F. Changs, but out of the corner of my eye I spotted a huge sign that said "Grass Fed Beef".  What is that place?!  It's called Flip Side and it turned out to be delicious!

Angela is not a big burger fan, but after studying the menu for awhile she was definitely on board.  All the beef comes from Ohio grown, grass fed cows.  They also offer all their burgers naked served on iceberg lettuce which is exactly what we had in mind!

Ang went with "the one that started it all"...the Open Door Burger.  7 oz burger with crispy shallots, melted brie cheese and date applewood bacon aioli.  I'm a sucker for mushrooms so I went with the Forester Burger served with wild mushrooms, caramelized onions, crispy shiitake mushroom and truffle aioli.  We split a side of sweet tater fries and dug in to our naked burgers.  They were great!

Angela commented at the end of the meal that this was probably the best burger she's ever had.  I agreed.  I think we accidently stumbled upon our new favorite burger joint!

BLTA and sweet tater fries!

So what is a BLTA? Pure deliciousness.  This is a Primal Quick and Easy classic...Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato and Avocado in between two chicken breasts to make an amazing sandwich! Slather on some real mayo and bake up a side of sweet tater fries. It doesn't get any easier to make this yummy dish since all the ingredients are pretty self explanatory.  Tonight's dinner was well earned after an intense Crossfit Dunedin workout outside on the driveway.  Our neighbors probably think we are weirdos running all over the place. And they would be right.  But with this great weather, who wants to work out in a stuffy gym?!  Enjoy your favorite new sandwich!

Roasted Chicken and Swiss Chard

After a long walk in this AMAZING early spring weather, we were all set for a very yummy dinner.

We have changed things up this week and instead of making a whole chicken for lunches, we made one for dinner! Adam quartered the chicken and just added salt and pepper and stuck in the oven for 45 minutes at 425 degrees.

We have found a new favorite veggie: Swiss Chard. It comes in a few different variations: green , red and rainbow. We have used rainbow before and this time used red.

It is a pretty easy veggie to make. We heated 3 tablespoons of butter and a half cup of chicken broth over medium high heat. Chop up the chard, remove the tough stalk. Add the chard to the pan and cook with the lid on. Be sure to mix it up every so often. It takes about 15 minutes to cook. Basically sauteed very much like cooked spinach.

Enjoy!

Mint lamb burgers with asparagus

This was an easy and quick meal pulled from the Make it Paleo cookbook.

1# of ground lamb

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 shallot, minced

2 Tbsp fresh mint, minced

salt and pepper to taste

And all final fixings, whatever you like

So throw all the seasonings, garlic and shallot in with the meat and mix up by hand.  Form patties and grill for 4 minutes each side.  We decided to add some local, grassfed cheese we got from Meadow Maid Farm at the city of Worthington Winter Market. For a side, we just picked one of Ang's favorites.  Definitely repeat worthy!

Ragin' Cajuns!

A few Friday nights ago, we really decided to mix things up and try something new.  On the menu...seasoned crawdads with a side of okra and tomatoes...Cajun style!!

The crayfish were from Kroger and next time we'll have to look harder for a different source (I think these came from overseas).  Ok for this first try.  They were pre-cooked and seasoned, so all I did was rinse them and steam them to heat them up.

The okra and tomato side dish we took from a recipe in Down Home with the Neelys.  We haven't used their book much, but if anyone knows about southern cookin', the Neelys do.

I don't feel like typing the whole recipe (maybe Ang will fill it in later), but their secret to cooking okra is searing it at high heat, then finishing it for a few minutes in the tomatoes.  If okra is cooked for too long on too low of heat, it's gets all slimy.

Going out on a limb with this meal, but all in all it turned out great! 

The aftermath...

Pizza pizza!

Same great recipe as before and same yummy result!  This time we made mini-pork meatballs and used bell peppers as toppings.  Delicious!

Fennel and apple slaw with pork chops

For any MDA followers, the comment sections provide many opportunites to explore other people's primal blogs just like AMW².  I randomly clicked on one called "Primal Texas" because it sounded cool.  I spotted a recipe for fennel, which we haven't used yet.  So thanks to Primal Texas for the delicious recipe for fennel and apple slaw with pork chops.  There is definitely something great about apples and pork chops. And the recipe makes plenty of leftover slaw for lunches!

Primal pancakes and the hike

This is another variation of primal pancakes!! These are vanilla pancakes and we topped them with fried bananas and almonds and maple syrup.

After a delicious breakfast we loaded up our backpacks (Ang with a 20 pound pack and Adam with a 30 pound pack) and drove down to Clear Creek Metropark south of Lancaster. It was a beautiful day for a hike and the park did not disappoint. We hiked the loop starting in the Fern picnic area which included some huge elevation changes up to the ridge. With weighted packs it was no small feat. This is our 2nd weekend out with our packs and we definitely felt much stronger. Can't wait for the next trip!

Pineapple and Pork Fried Cauliflower Rice

We had a craving for a Chinese inspired dish this week and decided to mix things up and use pork this time.  I also love cooked pineapple so why not throw it in!  We modified a recipe in PB Quick and Easy for "Pork Fried Cauliflower Rice" for the ingredients we wanted.

I chopped up: mushrooms, red, yellow, and orange peppers from our lunch salad stash, cut up a fresh pineapple and added a can of diced water chestnuts.  Sauteed this mixture in a large skillet with coconut oil.

Next, I made up some cauliflower rice in the food processor and threw that in with the veggies once they were well on their way.  Right before I added the meat, I added 2 whisked eggs and stirred the mixture until the egg was cooked.

For the pork, I just sauteed the cut pieces of 2 chops in a skillet of bacon grease and Tamari (wheat free) soy sauce.  I added it all together and served it out! Delicious!!    

Lunch this week

Chicken salad!

A change up from the usual roasted chicken. We wanted something that was quick and easy since we are both pretty busy at work and need something that we can just grab from the fridge.

We made 2 kinds. First a normal chicken salad and then an avocado chicken salad.

We baked 3 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Once it was cooled we threw them in the KitchenAid with the flat beater attachment and put it on medium high until the chicken was shredded (yet another great thing the KitchenAid can do!).

We divided the chicken evenly into two bowls.

Regular Chicken Salad:

Shredded Chicken

Mayo (as much or as little as you like, we like ours with not too much mayo so I used about 3/4 of a cup)

Relish (again as much or as little as you like, we only used a spoonful)

Onion (again as much or as little as you like, we used about 1/4 cup)

Salt and Pepper

Avocado Chicken Salad:

Shredded Chicken

Mayo, 1-3 spoonfuls

1-2 avocados (we used 1)

Onion (again as much or as little as you like, we used about 1/4 cup)

The juice of half a lime

Salt and Pepper

YUM!

Beef Broth

While strolling through the aisles of Weiland's this morning, Angela spotted a bag of frozen beef bones in the freezer section.  Perfect day to make some beef broth!

No secret formula here...somewhere between 12-15 cups of water, 1 tsp salt and pepper, dash of thyme, beef bones, 3 large carrots, inner celery stocks, and 1 onion quartered...throw it in a pot and simmer for 2.5 hours.  Afterwards, let it cool, then place in the refrigerator overnight.  In the morning, I will scrape off the fat layer that forms, then pour the broth into ice cube trays.  1 tray has 16 cubes and it's 2 cups of broth exactly.  Makes it easy to portion out for recipes.

Dinner tonight was leftovers and I ended up chowing down the cooked carrots from the broth and nibbling on the cooked bone marrow.  Pretty good!

Un-stuffed cabbage

This was a random selection out of PB Quick and Easy Meals cookbook.  We both like stuffed cabbage, so why not give this a try?!  The great thing about this recipe is that the ingredients are easy to round up and it doesn't take long to make.  And there's plenty of leftovers for lunch!

1 small onion finely chopped

2 large turnips, peeled then grated (a head of grated cauliflower can be used instead. We'll have to try that next time)

1 pound ground meat (the recipe called for 1/2# pork and 1/2# bison or beef. We used 1# of pork)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 Tbl dried parsley

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes (the recipe didn't say whether or not to drain this before adding, we didn't, and it was probably a mistake)

1 head green cabbage

In a deep pot over medium-high heat, saute onion and turnip for a few minutes, then cover with a lid and cook for 3 minutes to steam turnip.

Add ground meat and seasonings.  Saute for 6-8 minutes, then add tomatoes. Simmer rapidly for 10 min, stirring occasionally.

With the meat simmering, cut the cabbage into fourths, removing the inner core. Separate the leaves slightly, then microwave covered for 5 minutes (we did it longer until the leaves were more tender. on the 2nd round we put butter on the leaves).  Season with butter and salt.

This was really good and is definitely on the repeat list!!

Paleo Chicken Pot Pie

All I have to say is...THIS IS AMAZING! Cold winter nights have been calling for something warm to eat. I can't remember the last time we had chicken pot pie and didn't know it would be possible under the primal diet. But if it is one thing that I have realized since going primal, it's that most "normal" recipes can be adapted to primal ones.

I was a little skeptical of the gravy....soaking cashews and turning into a gravy sounded very weird. But it turned out great.

We don't have small ramekins so we just made it in a large casserole dish and baked it slightly longer. This is definitely a repeat.

Find the recipe here.