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Prep for 1 full week of healthy meals:

Hi all!  It can be tough thinking about healthy meal plans each week.  I thought I'd share what I'm doing right now for this weeks meals.  I just returned from the grocery store with:

2 packs ground turkey
6 steaks

"turkey quiche" and "lean green turkey"

4 fresh salmon steaks
2 fresh sole fillets
1 bag frozen goat meat chunks
organic free range eggs
Neil brothers organic no sugar salsa
fresh brussel sprouts
4 red peppers
7 avocados
bag of spinach
bundle of asparagus
huge bag fresh green beans
lettuce (1 head red leaf, 2 romaine, 1 escarole)
6 apples
4 tomatoes
1 bag broccoli slaw
1 zucchini
1 head cauliflower
1 sweet potato/yam
2 cans coconut milk (I had the spice I need, but you might need to get Indian masala mix)

I'm currently making:
* Lean green turkey
* Baked crust-less turkey quiche


Multitasking!  Green beans in the steamer and
goat masala in the slow cooker.

* Steamed green beans
* Slow cooker goat masala

I do all my cooking simultaneously - must multitask!.  I cooked the ground turkey and returned 3/4 to the large wok with chopped brussel sprouts, broccoli slaw, and zucchini with spices for the "lean green turkey" and added about 1/4 of it in a Pyrex dish with 10 eggs plus left over steamed asparagus from 2 days ago, chopped fresh spinach, red peppers and spices for the "turkey quiche" then put that in the oven for about 30 mins at 350.  I love this with the salsa for any meal of the day.

In the slow cooker - I added a can of coconut milk and mixed in the Indian masala spice.  I then added the bag of goat meat.  I have it on low and will add the large chunks of chopped cauliflower and yam later.  I have the green beans in my steamer for 30 mins.

Fish is quick and easy in the evening for dinner and I like it fresh, so I will do salmon steaks one night this week and the sole another night - either with a large salad or with asparagus or beans.
We have the steaks to BBQ too - Gary will most likely do them tonight on the BBQ so we can have some for meals during the day or we can do them fresh one night this week.

Hope this inspires you a bit!  Healthy eating is easy with a little imagination, preparation and multitasking in the kitchen :)  Make it a great week!

My Favorite Paleo Cookies

These are the BEST cookies.  I have made them for friends who didn't know they weren't flour and sugar and they loved them. They have the yummy texture of an oatmeal cookie. They are SO quick and easy to make too!

Ingredients:
2 cups almond meal/flour
1/2 cup flax seed meal
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup unpasteurized liquid honey or pure maple syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1 cup of raisins or dark chocolate chips (your preference)

Process:
1: preheat oven to 325 F
2. mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl
3: in a smaller bowl mix together wet ingredients
4: combine wet into dry
5: drop tablespoon sized amounts of batter onto a parchment lined baking sheet
6: bake for 15 mins
7: allow cookies to cool and serve!

Super Easy "breaded" Salmon - Paleo Style!

"Breaded" Salmon

I love this recipe - it is so quick and easy to make for dinner, yet tastes like you took a lot longer!

Ingredients:
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup almond flour
- fish spice (I use about 5 tbsp of a fish spice I got at the Spice Bazaar in Turkey) but you can find one you like at the grocery store - you may need less if it has a strong taste - but you want it to have some kick!)
- salmon fillets or a large fillet sliced into manageable portions

Directions:
- pre-heat a large pan on the stove top to medium/high heat (I use #7 out of 10 on my knob) and either rub with butter, coconut oil or cooking spray.
- beat the egg in a bowl.
- mix your fish spice and the almond flour in a separate bowl
- dip the salmon in the egg and drop it in the almond flour mixture - coat both sides.
- drop into pan and cook each side (it doesn't take long - maybe 3-4 mins per side).  Watch it carefully as the almond coating can burn if you leave it too long!)

Serve with veggies and/or a huge salad.  - Yum!

Real Time Video Workout Challenge

4 X 4 Full Body Conditioning Challenge

Watch me sweat it out in the workout challenge below, then compete to beat my time!
This workout is really tough and short - a great one to do when you have limited time but want a killer workout.  Try to beat your time (with great form) each time to try it.

I used 15 lbs weights but if you are more intermediate or beginner you can drop to 12 or 10 lbs (but it shouldn't be easy so don't drop your weights just to get through it without stopping or to make it more comfortable - there should be nothing comfortable about this workout! Notice my super sweaty face in the intro after I have just completed the workout :) 

Workout Breakdown:

4 rounds X 4 exercises - 10 reps each exercise - for time

* DB Thrusters
* Reverse lunge hammer curl
* TRX pullups (completely vertical TRX)
* Burpee bar touch

 

4 X 4 Full Body Conditioning Time Challenge

Week of new recipes! Paleo Pudding

Paleo Pudding

Ingredients:

* 2 ripe avocados
* 1/2 can coconut milk
* 3.5 tbsp pure cocoa powder
* 3 tbsp raw organic liquid honey
* 1 tsp cinnamon
* 1.5 tsp vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients in a food processor or blender.  Refrigerate for a half hour to 1 hour for best results, but you can eat it right away too :)  It's so creamy and delicious! 

Remember:  Paleo dessert should be eaten rarely - it can be a slippery slope for those with a sweet tooth or if you are new to paleo.  The point of paleo is not to substitute "not as bad paleo'd sweets" for really bad processed sweets.  These types of recipes should be used for treats and only after following a clean paleo diet of mainly meat, eggs, veggies and fats for at least 30 days.  If you are used to artificially sweet things, this may not taste very sweet - but for seasoned paleo lifestyle followers, it is a really nice sweet treat.  It is also nice to serve when entertaining - I bet your guests love it and wont even know it's paleo until you tell them!  Garnish with a couple of fresh raspberries.

Week of new recipes! Paleo Popsicles

Paleo Popsicles

This is a quick yummy treat for hot summer days (if it ever gets hot!!). 

Ingredients:
* coconut milk
* stevia
* berries  (choice - I like raspberries best, but blueberries or strawberries are good too...)

Directions:

In a magic bullet or blender combine 1 can coconut milk, 2g stevia (2 little packets), and a bunch of berries.  Blend and pour into popsicle molds.  My molds are tiny so I always have a bunch left.  I put it in a container in the fridge and can simply fill up the empty mold each time.  I also use this mix as a treat topping for a paleo pancake - its like a dollop of tasty fruity whipped creme!

Week of new recipes! Mini Meatloafs

Mini Meatloafs

Ingredients:
* ground beef
* zucchini
* spinach
* 1 egg
* spices (I used a spice mix I got from the spice bazaar in Turkey but you can simply use: basil, oregano, garlic, onion powder, pepper, celery salt, etc - or try an MSG/Salt free Mrs Dash mix.  The southwest chipotle would be interesting to try here).

Directions:
Mix all of the above ingredients.  Grate the zucchini with a cheese grater and chop the spinach up into small pieces.  If your kids are picky about "green stuff" in their food you can put the egg and veggies in a magic bullet and puree - they disappear into the meat!  Form the meat into mini meatloaf shapes and place on cookie sheets.  Bake on 365 for about 40 mins.  I eat these with organic salsa (right now I like Neil Brothers brand).  Easy to take for lunch too!  It's fun to have little single serving portions ready to go :)

Bonus:
I used a couple of these one night in a stirfry - Gary loved it!  I simply broke up 2 loafs into small chunks, added veggies, coconut oil, and a spicy dried red pepper into a pan and stir fried for a few minutes - SO easy and yummy for a quick dinner :)