Celebrations can be Paleo too…

Here is a Paleo Pancake Recipe from one of our students:

GOOD MORNING – Perfect Pancakes

Ingredients:
3 whole eggs

1/2 cup almond meal

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 cup apple sauce or 2 bananas
2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

Coconut oil or EVO for cooking (go light on the oil, you just want a non-stick surface)

If you like fruit like I do, I recommend:

1 cup blueberries
1 apple, cored and chopped or
2 bananas sliced or
1 peach, pitted and chopped (this is my favorite!)

Prep:
Whisk or blend all ingredients until smooth (except blueberries or added chunky fruit). Fold in fruit. Cook in lightly oiled sauté pan or on griddle. ~2-3 min on each side or until bubbles are popped in the center of pancake.

*Keep them thin for a more pancake like texture.
**There are eggs in there, so you want them cooked thoroughly, but eggs make flipping these little suckers a bit tougher if you don’t have a good non-stick surface

For a tropical fruit syrup we took frozen pineapple, mango, and 3 tbsp coconut milk and cooked it in a sauce pan on low until it is mushy. The same can be done with frozen berries just leave out the coconut milk.

Eggs, Bacon, Fruit, Avocado & Paleo Pancakes

Skips Swimming WOD:

Swim the length of the pool and back
34 Squats (in or out of the water)
34 leg kicks in the water

3 Rounds for Time

Happy Birthday Skip!

~Coach Tiffany

So you did it. You took the plunge and went head first into the paleo challenge. Awesome. Perfect. Fantastic. Now what?

We at CFS want you to achieve your paleo goals and we want to do everything we can to support you. So when you spoke, we listened:

“I want to look like superman, but my schedule is more like Clark Kent’s.”

“My ancestors were less hunter and more gatherer.”

“My energy level is closer to a hibernating bear than the caveman that hunted him.”

On the paleo diet, protien is key. While we all know that real food is the most important part of our diet, sometimes we need a little help meeting the protien demands of our CrossFit lifestyle. With that in mind, CFS is now selling egg protien for $35. That’s right folks, the same brand you find at supplement stores is now avaiable for $35 at CrossFit Scottsdale. Ask a coach how you can get yours today.

The Everlasting Salad 

I know the weather’s getting chillier and some of you may be swearing off salads in favor of more cooked vegetables. Still many of you will probably keep consuming salads throughout the winter, paired with warm soups, stews, roasts, or grilled meats. I didn’t want to miss the chance to shear a cool salad recipe and time-saving technique with you.

Healthy eating just got easier

Are you looking for a way to make it more convenient to get vegetables into your daily diet? Do you rush out the door in the morning with a pack lunch that’s missing vegetables? Do you come home at night and want to get dinner on the table more quickly? Great leftovers are the key to packing great lunches and assembling low maintenance dinners.

Cook ahead

If you’ve read my cookbook, The Garden of Eating, or attended my cooking classes you know I encourage people to Shop Ahead, Chop Ahead, and Cook Ahead. I’m a fan of the “cook once, eat twice,” or “cook once, eat thrice,” motto. I almost always cook with two or three meals or days in mind. I cook extra portions of fish, poultry, or meat, hard boil extra eggs. I roast, bake, grill, or blanch vegetables and make soups with multiple meals in mind. Those planned-overs made it easy for me to assemble breakfasts, lunches, and dinners in a dash.

But what about green salads? Have you ever made a salad, dressed it, then stashed the leftovers in a  covered bowl and found it wilted, watery, and unappealing the next day? They don’t always work, particularly if your dressing contains salt or vinegar.

Salad keeping secret

Would you like to make a green salad today and have it look and taste just as delicious tomorrow and the next day? This summer I discovered a way to make green salads that last for several days and still look and taste great. Actually, my dear friend, Don, hit on this idea with no prompting from me. He shared his secret with me and let me taste some of the salads he concocted using his newfound technique. I made many batches this summer, changing the mix-ins from week to week, depending on what I had in the house and what sounded like it would go well with whatever main and side dishes I had on hand.

Olives and raisins together?

If you’ve never added olives and raisins to the same salad try it. It’s really delicious. You can experiment with different dried fruits, different salad veggies, and combinations of ingredients. If you add grated carrots, try using the super tiny hole on a standard box grater for an entirely different effect (more tender bites of carrot that spread throughout the salad). You can add a sprinkle of toasted nuts or seeds if you like.

Spice it up

If you want to spice up the salad at the table, you can peel, finely grate and squeeze fresh ginger juice or add a few drops of hot sauce to your portion of salad (not the whole salad) at the table.

So don’t be shy, give the recipe and variations a try and let me know what you think.

Tonight’s the night to get cooking with Chef Rachel!  Here is one of her recipes to get you started.  

The Everlasting Salad 

Prep: 15 minutes/ Cooking: 0 /   Yield: 4 to 6 servings                                                                                                                                                                                    
I don’t consider a bowl of lettuce or baby greens a salad. It’s a start, but it needs color and texture. My friend Don shared this cool tip with me for making a green salad that will keep well for three days in the fridge. It’s super convenient and easy to make.

 The trick is to coat the veggies with olive or avocado oil and to avoid adding vinegar, lemon juice, or salt to the salad. You can salt and other things at the table if you like. All measurements are approximate. You can vary the type of lettuce (romaine’s the most durable) and the colorful mix-ins. I like to start with a 4 quart bowl. I figure about 2 cups of salad per person per meal/day.

 Ingredients:

6 to 8 cups lettuce, washed well, spun dry, and cut or torn into bite-size pieces:

      romaine, red leaf, green leaf, oak leaf, Boston, buttercrunch, bib, lollo rosso lettuce, or some combination of 2 or more mild lettuces

1/2 small or medium red onion or 1 bunch scallions (green onions), sliced paper thin

1/2 cup red radish, halved and thinly sliced

1/2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced or 3 stalks sliced celery, optional

1 or 2 medium carrot, peeled and grated very, very finely, optional

1/2 cup pitted black olives, thinly sliced into rounds or strips, optional

1/4 to 1/2 cup raisins, optional

3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil (essential!)

1.   Layer vegetables in a 3- or 4-quart bowl.  Toss gently with olive oil  to coat. Cover and refrigerate whatever you don’t plan to use right away.

2.   When ready to eat, you can lightly season your portion with sea salt, pepper, or lemon juice as you like or toss with feta.

3.   Cover and refrigerate leftovers. Use within about 3 days.

Variations:

*    Experiment with different vegetables and combinations.

Here’s what I’m bringing to Ladies Night….The girls are taking over the gym. NO BOYS ALLOWED. See you tomorrow evening (Friday 4/23) at 7pm. Ladies: Don’t  forget to bring a Paleo friendly dish to share.

Ingredients:
2 cups Almond Meal
1/4 cup of ground Flax Seed
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
5 Ripe Banana’s (smashed)
2 tsp Honey
4 tsp Cinnamon
4 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 cups Walnut Halves
2 Cups Blueberries

Directions:
- Heat oven to 375 degrees
- Use 2 bowls. 1 for the dry ingredients and 1 for the wet.
- Use a mixer if you have one or stir until combined (if you don’t use a mixer, be sure to really smash the bananas)
- Use Olive Oil as needed to grease the pan and/or muffin tray
- Makes 24 muffins (or) 12 muffins and a Banana Bread Loaf
- Bake the muffins for 22-24 minutes and the Banana Bread Loaf for 30 minutes
- Store in the refrigerator for longer lasting muffins

Enjoy…and post modifications to comments

Coach Naj