150 Days Paleo + Football carnitas

Today is my 150th days since I committed to a new way of eating.  I did it to combat a slowly increasing weight gain despite training for and running 5 half marathons in a year.  I did it to be a better runner.  I wanted to be stronger, faster and experience more rapid recovery.  Amazingly, Paleo has done all those incredible things.  150 days ago I held SUCH doubt that cutting out whole food groups was even good for you.  I was willing to join a friend on a journey, test it for 30 days and then make a decision.  I'm glad I did.   Those days where I just want pizza, or a cinnamon roll or fruit snacks . . . . I think about if I want to go back.  Back to bloated, frustrated and not satisfied with my results.  Nope, 150 days later and I still believe in Paleo.  I fall off the wagon and succumb to temptation but Paleo is forgiving and totally helps me drop those insta-pounds that come with eating forbidden foods.

To celebrate my 150 days, I've got a recipe for you!!!  This one comes from Momgonepaleo.com and its the BEST CARNITAS recipe I've ever tried.  Great for football games and I recommend topping it with a bit of mashed avocado mixed with Frank's Red Hot Sauce.  (Frank's Red Hot Sauce is my current obsession).  I did make a few changes to the original recipe, so if you'd like to see how it was originally suggested that you do check out the link.

CROCK POT PALEO CARNITAS from momgonepaleo.com

Ingredients

For the rub:

• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

For the Crock Pot:

• 3lb pork shoulder
• 1 sweet onion sliced in thin strips
• 1 small can of mild green chiles
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• A few shakes of sea salt and ground pepper

Instructions

1. Mix your rub together and rub onto all sides of the pork shoulder. 
2. Place the sliced onion, and bay leaf on the bottom of your crock pot.  Place the spiced up pork shoulder on top. Add the green chiles and the chicken stock along the sides of the meat. Avoid rinsing the spice off the meat. Sprinkle a bit more sea salt and pepper on top. 
3. Cover and let cook on Low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours.
4. Once done, remove pork from crockpot and shred with forks. Place in bowl of holding dish
5. Strain remaining crockpot contents, SAVING BOTH THE LIQUID AND THE SOLIDS. 
6.  Return the solids (consisting of bits of pork, and the cooked down onions and chiles) to the crock pot. 
7.  If you have a gravy separator, use it to separate the fat out of the liquid.  If you don't have one, allow the liquid to sit a bit and it'll separate.  Carefully skim off as much fat as you can.  
8. Put the PORK back in the crockpot and use the remaining liquid to add some flavor back into the carnitas.  I used just about a cup of liquid, you should use all of it.  
9. Serve on a bed of lettuce or however you wish to enjoy your carnitas!  

How can I say NO?

I'm a mother of two, which means most of my daily actions involve fulfilling the needs of those who I have created.  One of my children is extremely picky due to food sensitivities of autism.  As a foodie and someone who loves to cook, that's difficult for me to deal with at times.  Life blessed me with a second child who loves food just as much as I do and often has cravings.  HOW CAN I SAY NO when the fruit of my loins asks for a Manwich?  If she's asking for it, that means there's a positive emotional connection with that food.  And honestly, I want her to look back at her childhood and remember amazing meals that her mom used to make.  And when she asks me about it, I'll hopefully have a recipe book already made for her to use when cooking for her own family.  But enough about my musings of a perfect future . . . . HOW AM I GOING TO FEED HER A MANWICH?  It's loaded with high fructose corn syrup and other NON-PALEO ingredients.  After much musing, I plan to try a paleo version of a sloppy joe that the internet has kindly provided.  I'll definitely report back on my success/failure later.

This was the second meal requested in the same week.  The first request was for "Soft Meat".  That's what my adorable 9-year old calls Asian Beef Short Ribs.  I'd previously used a recipe from a friend that called for soy sauce, brown sugar and corn starch.  I don't blame my little one for loving that recipe so much.  I made them in a crock pot and the whole house would smell delicious all day.  So when she asked when I'd make "Soft Meat" again, I asked myself HOW CAN I SAY NO?  Not only does that meal mean something to her, it reflects the friendship I had with another person.  Emotional food connections mean a lot to me, obviously.  So off to the internet I went, hoping that someone had replicated the salty, sweetness of the recipe I had.

Luckily Paleo Spirit had done this feat.  I am so glad I found her blog.  I'm sure you'll see me replicating MANY more of her recipes on my blog (as I was writing this blog, I was distracted and inspired to make her Paleo Shortbread Teabag cookies).  I altered a few ingredients and I changed some of the prep and cooking to suit my needs.  To see the recipe in its original form, please visit the link to the Paleo Spirit website.

Asian-Style Beef Short Ribs (Paleo)

Ingredients

• 5 lbs beef short ribs (ideally from grass-fed/finished cows)
• 1 teaspoon fat/oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 hot pepper (I used serrano)
• 2 inches of fresh ginger root, peeled (about 2 tablespoons)
• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup coconut aminos
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar (make sure it is gluten-free)
• 
  
• 10 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms 
• 1 orange, zested and juiced
• 3-4 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Season the beef ribs lightly with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a large, oven-proof pan on medium-high heat and spread a thin layer of fat/oil to keep the ribs from sticking.
3. Sear the ribs for about 1-2 minutes on the meaty sides. You will probably have to do this in batches. Remove to a platter and cover with aluminum foil.
4. Sauté the chopped onion for about 10 minutes in the same pan you used to sear the ribs.
5. Mince the garlic, ginger and pepper (or use a food processor as I did) and add to the pan with the onions, cooking while stirring for about one minute.
6. Place the beef ribs in a crock pot and add the stock, water, coconut aminos, and vinegar. Make sure the ribs are just covered in the liquid.  Cook on low for 6 hours
7. Remove the short ribs to a separate platter and cover them with foil to keep warm. 
8. Allow the sauce to cool somewhat and strain it through a mesh sieve. I like to use a spoon to press the juices out of the solids. Dispose of the solids. (You might want to skim some of the fat off the sauce at this point, especially if you are using conventional beef.) THIS PROCESS WAS MADE SUPER EASY BY USING MY PAMPERED CHEF GRAVY SEPARATOR.  I highly suggest purchasing this or something similar.  All I did was pour the crockpot contents through the top sieve and the fat separated out nicely.  
9. Bring the sauce to a simmer and reduce to about 1 1/2 cups. It will be very rich. 
10. Add the shiitake mushrooms and juice of one orange and continue simmering until mushrooms are softened – 5-10 minutes. 
11. Pour sauce over short rib.  Serve the ribs warm, with the mushrooms and garnished with orange zest and sliced scallions. 

I served myself this as a salad, with the meat shredded and the sauce used as a dressing.  

My Favorite Paleo Recipes: Bacon Crock Pot Roast

Lots of women impulse buy things like shoes or purses.  I tend to linger at the butcher counter, which inevitabley means I buy meat that I have no plans for.  Which means I then have to scour the internet looking for the perfect recipe.  Luckily one of my first "go-to" websites is Civilized Caveman Cooking Creations.  Not only does he create amazing recipes, he's funny as well.
From Twitter:

21hCivilized Caveman ‏@CookingCaveman

I just changed my own life. I fried avocado in bacon fat and then ate it with hot sauce. OMFG

My most recent impulse buy was a Beef Chuck Roast that was 50% off and just looked so pretty I had to have it.  I decided to use it in CCCC's Bacon Crockpot Roast recipe, which was a GREAT idea.  I'd never stuffed garlic and bacon into a large slab of meat before, and it turned out to be surprisingly entertaining.  And nothing beats putting in a large slab of meat into the crockpot, knowing that by 5p you're going to be digging into it.  This is a perfect Football Sunday recipe, in my opinion.

BACON CROCK POT ROAST

Servings: 5
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 7-10 Hours

Ingredients:

Pot Roast served with
Sliced tomatoes and steamed broccoli

• 3lb Chuck Roast
• 1 White Onion, sliced
• 3-4 Slices of bacon cut into 1 inch pieces
• 6 Garlic cloves halved
• 2 Tsp Sea Salt
• 1/4 olive oil
• 1 Tbsp Smoky Paprika
• 1/4 Cup Chopped Parsley
• 1 Tsp Oregano
• 1 Tsp Thyme
• 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar 

Process:

1. Using a thin knife create about 12 holes deep into the meet about 1/2 inch wide, you need to be able to fit some garlic and bacon in the hole
2. Now place bacon and garlic in each hole
3. In a small mixing bowl, mix your Sea salt, paprika, parsley, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, EVOO, and red wine vinegar and mix well
4. Rub your spice mixture all over both sides of your roast
5. Line the bottom of your crock pot with your sliced onions and whatever left over pieces of bacon you have
6. Place your roast on top and cook on Low for 7-10 hours.  Remember chuck roasts are tougher cuts of meat so the longer it cooks the better

My Favorite Paleo Recipes: Chicken Cacciatore

It's a rainy day in San Diego, which means all of us are freaking out about traffic and accidents on the highways.  It also means that we're all pretending to that we live on the East Coast and sweaters and crockpots come out of storage.  I actually use my crockpot year round.  It's an essential piece of kitchen equipment for a busy mom who wants to have time for race training.

My bff in the kitchen

When I started Paleo my first food regret was all the italian I'd have to give up.  I'm a runner, we LOVE pasta!  So one of my FIRST paleo recipe I made was the Chicken Cacciatore that I found at Technically Paleo.  This blogger's first post was all about what's "Technically" paleo and a set of instructions on how to cook bacon.  I recommend a read because it's worth the giggle.

I'd normally serve cacciatore over noodles (and still do for the family), but now I'll serve it over julienned zucchini, onions and peppers or green beans.  I'll just eat it straight from a bowl making "mmmmmm" noises too.  This recipe gives me my italian food fix while allowing me to stay Paleo.


Chicken Cacciatore by Technically Paleo

cacciatore on green beans

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion
• 1 green bell pepper
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 8oz. package of sliced mushrooms
• 2 tbsp dried Italian herb blend
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 6oz. cans of tomato paste
• 1 14oz can of diced tomatoes

Instructions

1. Start by chopping the onion into large pieces. Remove the stem and seeds from the bell pepper and chop it into large pieces as well. The pieces should be about the size of your fingertip
2. Finely mince the garlic cloves.
3. Cut each chicken thigh in half, and remove any large pieces of fat or skin that may still be on the meat.
4. Add the chicken, onion, pepper, garlic, and mushrooms to the crock pot. Also sprinkle 2 tbsp of dried Italian herbs and 1 tsp of salt on top of the meat and vegetables.
5. In a medium sized bowl, combine the diced tomatoes (with their liquid) and the tomato paste. Stir them together so that they form a thick sauce.
6. Add the tomato sauce to the crock pot. Try to evenly distribute the sauce across the top of the chicken and vegetables.
7. Cook everything in the crock pot on low for about 8 hours. When it's done cooking, gently stir everything to even out the sauce.