Roasted Garlic Red Pepper Pesto Cod

Tonight is FISH NIGHT!  Whoo how exciting!!  I do try to have AT LEAST one fish night a week...and tonight was a special one.  I mentioned on an earlier post that I recently gave cod a try and so we went ahead and had it again tonight.

The recipe that I used tonight was not an original creation of mine.  I found it on a wonderful blog that I love to read.  I did make a few changes to the recipe like amounts of spices, different oils were used and again, I chose cod instead of tilapia.  I used more coconut oil than olive oil and also made a much larger amount so that we could have leftovers. 

I will; however, link ya to this recipe so that you can give a try and make any changes you want.

Check out the recipe I used as a guideline.

Here's a picture of how mine turned out.  Topped with avocado of course.  The pesto that was made for the fish was also mixed into a side of vegetables.  Jason and I will split these vegetables in the morning with a side of bacon and yes, fried eggs, and yes, hot sauce.  EAT DINNER FOR BREAKFAST! 

It's only after 8 pm and I am ready to finally whind down for the day.  Woke up at 5 am, had a long day at work,  had to stop by the store afterward, took Jason to school, stopped by the park for a quick workout, came home and made dinner and now we are relaxing listening to some presentations from some of our favorite people on The Paleo Summit.  If you check it out make sure you listen to Dr. Jack Kruse's presentation on Leptin Circadian Cycles....very eye-opening stuff.

OOOHHH!!  Before I forget...my prize possession that I found at the store today was a grass-fed brisket.  We're talkin' a great quality, Angus bovine that walked around and lounged on beautiful green grass, chewin' it's cud and doin' what cattle do best.  This will be our FIRST grass-fed brisket...with that said, enough bloggin' for now...I'm off to do some brisket research!

Braised Lamb Shanks with Roasted Beet and Brussels Sprouts Salad

I have planned to make us a good bone broth soon, so I purposely chose lots of bone-in type cuts this week to stock up.  As you witnessed on a recent post I purchased beef shanks, and just a few days ago I scored some beautiful lamb shanks as well.  I have become incredibly obsessed with bones...haha well, and lamb.  It's so good.  This meal turned out much better than the beef shanks.  I don't know if the slow-cooker method is just much more suitable for such a cut or if it was the quality difference in the meat.  The oven did not cut it though.  I will make them this way from now on. 

Ingredients

2 good quality lamb shanks
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 whole fist of garlic, cloves separated but NOT PEELED
1 cup of beef broth
salt & pepper to taste
2 tbsp. coconut oil
fresh sprigs of herbs you have handy -- in this case I used fresh rosemary, thyme and oregano
Piece of butcher's twine


Process

1.  Rinse your lamb shanks and pat them dry.  (You do this so that they get a good sear.)
2.  Salt and pepper both shanks, both sides to your liking...don't be afraid, salt makes everything taste so good!
3.  Heat 1 tbsp. of coconut oil over med-high heat.  Add first shank and sear ALL sides (~ 2 minutes per side is good.)
4.  While shanks are searing chop your onion up and separate your garlic cloves. 
5.  Add additional tbsp. of coconut oil and sear second shank the same way.  Once shanks are seared move them over to your trusty crockpot.
6.  Reduce the heat to medium and add your onion and garlic cloves.  Saute for about 3 minutes.
7.  Pour onions, cloves, and all the goodness from the pan into your slowcooker over the shanks.
8.  With your butcher's twine tie your sprigs together.
9.  Drop your herbs on top and pour beef broth over everything. 
10.  Set cooker on low and cook for about 4 hours.

Eat with all the

onions and garlic spooned on top!  Oh and DO NOT forget to suck the marrow out of your bones.  Then save them in the freezer for bone broth!!!

Along with every good hunk of meat there's always a beautiful side.  Afterall, look at Jason and myself.  haha  Not funny, sorry.  No, but really tonight we had Roasted Beet & Brussels Sprouts Salad and it was out of this world.  You have to try it.

Cauliflower Fried Rice for Breakfast

I mentioned in my previous post that having my cauliflower fried rice for breakfast is truly a wonderful experience.  Every time I make this rice as a side I always make sure to save some for the next morning because it is out of this world with fried eggs.  So in case you want to try it for breakfast OR dinner let me give you the goods!

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower
1/2 a red onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
~ 2 tbsp. of fresh basil, chopped (you can use 1 tbsp. dried if you want)
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg
2 tbsp. coconut flour
3 tbsp. coconut oil


Process

1.  Chop head of cauliflower into medium sized florets, and steam until softened (not mushy soft).
2.  While steaming cauliflower, cut up and combine your onion, garlic, and basil into a large mixing bowl.
3.  Drain cauliflower and add it to your mixing bowl.
4.  Now include all of your spices, along with your egg and coconut flour.
5.  Take a potato masher and mix all together until cauliflower florets break up into a rice-like consistency.
6.  In a large skillet heat your coconut oil over medium heat.
7.  Add rice mixture to hot skillet and stir to coat.
8.  Cook, stiring often, for about 10 minutes until the cauliflower has dried up a little bit and has browned.

**That is the process for the cauliflower rice.  Now if you want it for breakfast.....

Do all of the above except ADD BACON!!  I like to chop up some bacon (around 3 strips a person) and cook it until it's crispy in a large skillet.  If you are making this rice specifically for breakfast then crisp up the bacon and omit the coconut oil to fry the rice in.  Keep the bacon in the skillet and use it's grease to fry up your rice. 

Now the last part that makes this absolutely insane for breakfast are the fried eggs.  There's something about the runny warm yolk combined with the sweetness of the coconut flour in the rice...it's amazing.  Fry up two eggs in some coconut oil and lay 'em on top of your bacon and rice.  Jason had this for the first time with me this morning.  I usually make this for myself when he's away so I can eat most of it, but whatever I was nice today.  He moaned and groaned and probably won't let me make it without him again.  He said it reminded him a lot of your classic potatoes and eggs - which we all know in the Paleo world cauliflower is a great substitute.

Enjoy!

Fig & Pecan Stuffed Pork

Today was the first day of my weekend off, and it's almost over!!!  I hate that.  Stressing out on your day off because you can't stop thinking of how the time is flying by.  Does anyone else feel like there is always sooooo much more to do than hours alloted per day? I'm sure I'm not alone in this.  Started off my day with an amazing breakfast, some coffee and a workout.  The planner in me knew what dinner was going to look like so I knew a workout was necessary TODAY.  :)  Workout was the following: 1 mile run, 20 deadlifts, 30 push-presses, 40 kettlebell swings,  50 squats, proceeded by another mile run.  NBN (Not Bad, Nick.)  I don't even know a Nick -- it's just something we say.

So then after I accomplished the biggie (working out) I had the rest of the day to do well, nothing.  I sat in front of the computer and looked over recipes.  I came up with next week's menu and the corresponding grocery list...got super excited about it and then I started looking at old pictures.  Random I know.  Menus, grocery lists, random butt pictures...yup, sounds like something I'd consider as too much to do for hours alloted per day.  Wait, random "butt" pictures is my nice way of not saying random ass pictures...not like they were pictures of actual butts or anything.  I'm sure you get that.  ANYWAY...moving along here...the pictures started to make me sad because I don't have anyone to talk to.  I can hear the violin music now...I know.  I won't make this mushy.  I just mean that in my life I really only have one person that I talk to on a regular basis, that's Jason.  He's my finace; I don't think I've mentioned him yet.  Well, we live together and as I said...we're engaged.  Have been for a while.  Jason and I have been on this Paleo journey together from the beginning.  We both have a strong passion for fitness, and in our hearts we truly believe living life this way is ideal.  The issue is that NO ONE ELSE I KNOW GIVES A BLANKETY BLANK about it.  I get riled up because it's important and I have thoughts like this one:  I just recently upgraded to what's considered a "big girl" phone.  That means that my phone now has internet service and I can check email and you know look at all my wonderful Paleo blogger sites and such from like ANYWHERE...it's so freakin' cool and I'm totally on board with having a "big girl" phone now and can't imagine my life without it!  Whew, that was a mouthfull.  Anyway, prior to getting one (when I still had a dumb phone that did nothing but call and text) people would talk sh*t.  You know, tell me how I was behind the times and all.  People give others a hard time about such STUPID stuff.  But people don't give you a hard time about things that MATTER...like I dunno, how horrible it is to eat pounds of sweedish fish....sorry, Kyle.  Here's another stinger -- I don't have cable.  I haven't had cable in 6 years.  People think that's odd.  But no one is given a hard time when they feed their children McDonald's...or let them eat rolls at a restaurant first and then wonder why they don't eat the rest of their food.  I may be going off on a tangent now, but take this point home:  People don't care enough about the RIGHT things.  It may sound dramatic, but we really are discussing life and death here.  Forget about the cool phone you want, forget about who said what about who, forget about those sad butt pictures lol, and focus on what's real in life...YOUR life...YOUR HEALTH.  Seriously. 

Now, let's turn our attention to tonight's dinner (the one that made me give some extra umph on those KB swings).

Ingredients

2 - 3 lb. pork tenderloin (the pkg I usually get is already separated into 2 pieces)

1/3 cup pecans, chopped

10 dried figs (choose pure figs, no sugar added)

1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
1.5 c. water
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. paprika
salt and pepper to taste

butcher's twine or toothpicks to keep the pork closed

Process

Start by preheating your oven 350.  Combine your water and balsamic vinegar in a saucepan and heat for a while over medium.  Once it's boiling drop your figs in and cover.  Let those figs poach for about 15 minutes.  Meanwhile scatter your nuts on a baking sheet and toss them with your cinnamon, nutmeg, and paprika.  Place the pecans in the oven to toast - around 5 minutes will do.  Remove your pecans and increase your oven temperature to 450.  Set aside.  Once your figs are done remove them from the liquid and allow them to cool.  Save your water & balsamic mixture!  Get your pork tenderloins out and lay them down so that you have your butcher's twine underneath.  With a knife score your tenderloin down the middle slowly until you can open it up.  You don't want to cut down too hard or you might end up with two pieces!  You want to be able to open it up fully, kind of like a book.  Now that your figs have cooled you can go ahead and chop them up.  Toss them with the pecans so that they pick up all the extra spices left on your cookie sheet. Now take half of your fig and pecan mixture to the opening of one tenderloin.  Evenly distribute.  You will use the other half for your second tenderloin of course. 

Now that you have your fig mixture in place you can tie down your loins, lol.  Tie 'em down!  Just start with one end and while you're tying use your fingers to press the mixture in as much as possible.   

Once you have both tenderloins tied down you can salt and pepper the outsides to your liking.  Put both tenderloins in a glass baking dish and pour your reserved water and balsamic mixture over them.

Bake your tenderloins for 25 - 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 150 degrees.  Don't forget to let your pork sit for at least 10 minutes before slicing up.  Look at that beautiful side profile!  Lookin' good Pork Loin, you and your figgy goodness!

I served mine with one of my favorite sides: Cauliflower Fried Rice.  This stuff is amazing...especially for breakfast.  In fact, maybe I'll have some of the leftovers tomorrow.  :)

Braised Beef Shanks

I have been wanting to try beef shanks for a long time...for several reasons.  One being that they are generally an inexpensive cut of meat (even if you are buying grass-fed quality.)  I don't know if this is because people are frightened by them or what.  The even more pressing reason for my wanting to try them was for the marrow.  All the recipes that I looked over whooped and hollered about this so-called marrow bone.  I wanted to see what all the hype was about, and obviously I will go above and beyond to do things that are deeemd as healthy.  So the search was on and I found these beautiful beef shanks. 

Now comes the part where I get all whiny because my plans changed, but I believe now that they changed for the better.  I am a planner. It's really all that I do.  In fact, recent nights have been plagued by my constant "planning" that I even waking up to pee turns into an hour long ordeal trying to fall back asleep.  Anyway -- so I planned to have these beef shanks for dinner tonight, and I had found the perfect recipe (in the crockpot.)  On shifts where I work a good part of the day (10 am to 6:30 pm) I usually plan a meal for my trusty crockpot.  Fits into my schedule perfectly.  Well, that was the case until the night before one of my fellow managers sends a text not at all asking but telling me that I will no longer be working that shift but will be closing instead.  That means I will be home from work around 10 pm.  Oh no!!  That wouldn't work.  There went my wonderful beef shank/marrow bone day.  So I texted out a really nasty message back, didn't press send, and just sat there fuming trying to re-think this all through.  Did it really matter?  Could I just find another way?  So after some deep breaths...okay, okay...yeah, it's not that big of a deal.  NBD.

So I decided screw the crockpot; we'll just cook these babies on low in the oven until I have to go to work.  And that meant that rather than enjoying my beef shank and marrow bone goop with Jason at home I was going to be re-heating it in the microwave, from a tupperware in our musty ol' breakroom.  Aye...but focus Jennifer -- it's not about THAT, it's about eating healthy, remember!?  So I moved on and made peace, and whilst making peace -- made beef shanks for the very first time. 

So the process went like this - super simple.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Salt and pepper both sides of each shank.

Heat some coconut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.

Sear each shank (one at a time if necessary) about 2-3 minutes per side and then transfer them to a large baking dish.

Once all shanks are seared turn your heat down to medium and saute some minced garlic and some fresh thyme leaves for about a minute. 

Add 1 cup of beef broth to your skillet making sure to scrape all those wonderful little brown bits and let the mixture come to a boil - then reduce slightly.

Once reduced to your liking pour all the liquid over the shanks and add some more cloves of garlic along with some whole sprigs of whatever herbs you have handy.  In this case I had some more thyme and some leftover rosemary. 

Cover your dish with parchment paper and then aluminum foil and bake for 2 hours.

Along with the shanks I made a very delightful side item!!!

Bacon-Cranberry Kale that I found here. 

Pecan & Coconut Crusted Cod Filets

So I have been making quite an effort to get at least one seafood based meal on the menu every week.  Fish is very under-appreciated in my opinion.  The wild-caught stuff might be harder to find for those that aren't as close to the coast as we are, but there are still some options.  This recipe I stumbled upon actually called for tilapia -- and I am not sure if wild-caught tilapia is something that exists, but I have only seen farm-raised at my store.  So, no problem there -- just went with another white fish that they had wild-caught and also on sale!  Cod.  I actually had never purchased cod before, but I certainly will from now on.  It's got a very mild flavor and not quite as flaky of a texture as tilapia.  For those of you that are still weird about appreciating fish taste-wise, cod might be for you. 

Enough blabbing!...on to the recipe.  This recipe is not an original of mine so I am not going to repost it.  You can find it here.  Here's the thing I have to say about crusts made with nuts:  I don't think they should be a staple in your weekly menu.  Believe it or not, fish tastes pretty darn good even if it's not coated in nut-crustiness.  But every once in a while it's nice for a bite to have some good crunch to it ;)  The fruit salsa on top was outstanding and really just rounded the richness of the whole meal out.  We ate ours with a side of roasted brussels sprouts, which I ate ALL of the leftovers for breakfast this morning.  Let me tell you -- my favorite breakfast in the whole wide world is the following:  Big mound o' brussels with strips of un-cured nitrate free bacon and fried eggs with really runny yolks.  Oh oooozzzy goodness.  Don't forget the hot sauce.  :)