The Secret Diary of a Kitchen Ninja

More Paleo for Dummies

2012-03-12T20:35:00.000+13:00

So I last left you at Tuesday dinner. Here are a few more quick & easy meal ideas...

Wednesday

Breakfast - bacon, scrambled eggs, kumara & avocado

This is really easy, and a fairly standard breakfast for us when we have time to cook it.

Heat the oven to 200-220 degrees, slice kumara thinly (I use a mandolin), then spread out on a baking tray covered with baking paper. Spray kumara with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, then cook until crispy (turning with a fish slice a few times). Depending on how much kumara you are cooking, this will probably take around half an hour.

Whilst the kumara is cooking, partly cook your bacon in a large frypan (mostly just to get some bacon fat off it to cook your eggs in!), then transition this to a baking dish and place in the oven until crispy.

Crack eggs into a jug, add salt, pepper, and any other desired seasonings (e.g., onion flakes, garlic salt, mixed herbs) then beat with a fork. Just before kumara and bacon are ready, pour eggs into a heated frypan and stir with a non-stick spatula until cooked. Serve with bacon and kumara, with some avocado on the side.

Thursday

Breakfast - paleo muesli

I don't always feel like a cooked breakfast in the mornings, so this is a great alternative!

In a bowl, combine some chopped nuts, seeds, and desiccated coconut (I keep a container of nut and seed mix in the cupboard ready to go. The current one consists of chopped almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts and cashews, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseed, and desiccated coconut).

Add a couple of spoonfuls of protein powder (I use Vital Protein - www.vitalhealthnz.co.nz), a handful of blueberries (fresh or frozen), a few spoonfuls of unsweetened applesauce and a drop of pure vanilla extract. Pour over some coconut cream (I also add some water, otherwise it's too rich for me) and combine.

On Friday morning, I made this with almond milk instead of the coconut milk and water - it was just as good, if not better!

Friday

Dinner - Steak with balsamic beetroot & tomato salad

For the salad:

Chop 1 fresh beetroot into cubes and roast in a baking dish for approximately 1 hour at 180 degrees celcius (I roasted mine in a spoonful of duck fat).

In a separate bowl, combine 2 diced tomatoes, 1/4C extra virgin olive oil, 1/8C balsamic vinegar, and salt & pepper to taste.

Finely chop a handful of fresh basil.

When beetroot has cooled a little, add beetroot, basil, and some lightly toasted some chopped almonds (optional) to the tomato mixture and combine.

For the steak:

Season steak well with salt and pepper.

Heat pan/BBQ (I cook my steak on a cast iron grill pan, or on the barbecue). Place steak in pan and cook on both sides, turning only once. Cooking time depends on the thickness of your steak and how well you like it cooked!

Sunday

Dinner - pepper crusted tuna steaks with wasabi mayonnaise, fresh asparagus, and kumara mash

(I forgot to take photos of the preparation - sorry!)

To make the mayonnaise, I followed this recipe here from one of my favourite paleo blogs - The Clothes Make the Girl. I've made this recipe several times, and it's produced amazing mayonnaise every single time! This time, I didn't have any lemons, so I used 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar instead. I also cut the mustard powder, because I wanted to make wasabi mayonnaise - instead, I added a teaspoon of fresh wasabi (not the horrible stuff you buy in the tube...have you ever read the ingredient list on that?!), and stirred more into the final product until I got the flavour I wanted.

For the tuna steaks, grind a whole lot of black pepper and add some salt to it. Place the tuna steaks into the ground pepper to coat. Heat a fry pan (I used my cast iron grill pan again) then cook tuna over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side. Tuna should still be pink (i.e., rare) in the middle.

I started the asparagus off on the grill pan, but then realised that it was going to take too long like that, so transfered it to a steamer!

For the kumara, chop kumara and boil until soft. Mash, then add salt, pepper, and a couple of spoonfuls of the wasabi mayonnaise in it's original form (i.e., before you add the extra wasabi at the end!), and beat with a fork until creamy.

Monday

Dinner - one-pot mince & veges (like the one-pot pasta my Mum used to make, but without the pasta!)

I didn't take photos of the prep for this one, because I wasn't even planning on posting it! I was originally going to make meatballs, but I was tired & couldn't really be bothered cooking, so I just wanted something I could throw together. Then I remembered that that's just the sort of thing I'm supposed to be posting!

Heat a spoonful of oil or fat in a large saucepan (I used duck fat again). Add a large clove of crushed garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for a minute or two. Add beef mince to the pan and cook until browned. Throw in some chopped vegetables (mine involved broccoli, yellow capsicum, & courgette). I then added a pot of tomatoes that I'd stewed up previously and put in the freezer, but a couple of tins of tomatoes would also do. Season with salt, pepper, onion flakes (I would have used fresh onion, but we didn't have any), and mixed herbs; stir; and simmer until vegetables are soft.

I felt like it still needed some more flavour after all this, so I also added in a bit of chili powder, some smoked paprika, a couple of capfuls of apple cider vinegar, and a glug of pomegranate molasses. Sorry it's not more specific, but that's how I roll!

ps: if you want to get hold of Vital Protein or Vital Greens, you can either order some through me, or go to the website and use the code PP2060C at checkout to get a 15% discount

Paleo for Dummies

2012-03-08T21:05:00.000+13:00

Wow...I knew it had been a while since I posted, but I just saw that it's actually been over a month!! Oops - sorry! You'll all be relieved to know that I haven't actually been starving myself this whole entire time - I have still been cooking tasty, nutritious meals...but because I've been super busy, I haven't been creating anything amazing (aka gourmet, or what I considered blog-worthy). Thanks to the prompts (nagging?) of a couple of friends though, I've realised that what most people want is actually ideas and inspiration for quick, nutritious...but still delicious...everyday meals. So for the next little while at least, that's what you're going to get! I've been taking photos of all the food prep I've done in the last couple of days (and I'll keep doing it), so I can post them along with explanations of what I did. As one friend called it, "Paleo for Dummies"! I hope you find it useful.

Monday
Dinner - red curry pork & vegetables

To prep vegetables, grate one eggplant and finely chop quarter of a cabbage. Combine and set aside.

In a large frypan or wok, heat a small amount of coconut oil, then add 2 cloves of crushed garlic and 3 tbsp red curry paste (use 2 if you don't like it so hot!). Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant (usually a few minutes).

Add in 500g of free range pork mince, and stir to break up.

Cook until browned, stirring often, then add vegetables and half a tin of coconut cream. Combine thoroughly.

Continue to cook until vegetables have softened, then serve.

Tuesday
Breakfast - quick tuna frittata-ish thing!

For this, you need a small tin of tuna, two eggs, onion flakes, garlic powder, dried mixed herbs, salt, pepper, and olive oil (and an optional tomato or something to serve alongside it).

Lightly spray a small frypan with olive oil and heat. Lightly fry tuna, breaking it up by stirring.

In a bowl or jug, beat together eggs and seasonings. Add to frypan, and lightly stir to combine.

As with an omelette, push edges in towards centre slightly with a spatula, allowing runny egg to flow into space created. Repeat a few times around the pan.

Leave over a medium heat until the egg has cooked firm and the frittata is browning at the edges.

I'm a bit funny about having any of the egg runny (I like runny yolks in poached and fried eggs, but runny whites or runny egg in omelettes/frittatas makes me want to gag!), so I stick my frittata under the grill for a few minutes to completely cook the top. Serve drizzled with olive oil and accompanied with something fresh! (chopped avocado is nice with this too)

Dinner - crockpot roast chicken & stir-fried vegetables

I've been a big fan of the crockpot for a while, but now that I'm not usually home from work until 7pm, it's fast becoming my best friend! Crockpot roast chicken is super easy, and it's nice to know you only have to throw together some vegetables when you get home.

For the chicken, chop an onion and cover the bottom of the crockpot with it. Rub the skin of a defrosted, free range whole chicken with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Top with some dried herbs (I used my home grown, dehydrated sage), then place in the crockpot.

Cook on low for 5-6 hours (I used a wall socket timer for this, so that it finished about the time I get home). You should come home to something that looks a bit like this...

For the vegetables, I just chopped up what I had in the fridge (more cabbage, some red capsicum, and another eggplant), heated some coconut oil in a frypan and cooked them all together. I may have added some crushed garlic in first...I can't quite remember! Once the chicken was done, I tipped the onions and some of the juice (not all of it, or the vegetables will get drowned) from the chicken into the other vegetables and cooked for another few minutes before serving.

Ok, I think that's enough for now! Wednesday's & Thursday's breakfasts, plus Thursday's dinner to come soon.

(Note: there are no photos of lunches, because in our household, lunches are almost always leftover dinner! Some people prefer to cook a whole bunch of food in the weekend to put in the freezer for the week's lunches, but I like a bit of variety, so we just make sure we cook enough dinner to cover lunch the following day.)

Broccoli, red onion & almond salad

2012-01-23T18:56:00.001+13:00

Sorry for my recent silence...I've been getting my head around a new job & adjusting to a new schedule, whilst simultaneously getting used to being on my feet most days & coping with the addition of several extra sessions of yoga/pilates/boxing/other forms of exercise (all in the name of work). I love my job...but it's certainly been taking it out of me! Last week, I actually listened to my body (I think this might be a first!) and, after struggling through a CrossFit workout on Monday, declared the remainder of the week 'yoga week'. It paid off! I was able to return to CrossFit this morning feeling much stronger, more energetic, and definitely more enthusiastic.

Lesson learnt? Maybe!

Despite my absence, I have still been taking note of some of the things I've made over the last few weeks, so I'll hopefully be posting more regularly again now. Except that my phone got stolen on Friday, so I might be missing a few photos :(

Anyway, at some point over the last couple of weeks, I threw this salad together...

Broccoli, red onion & almond salad

Ingredients

Sesame oil
Red onion, chopped
Broccoli, steamed
Almonds, roughly chopped

Heat a small amount of sesame oil in a saucepan; add onion & cook until soft. Add steamed broccoli & almonds. Cook for a few more minutes, stirring often. Served drizzled with a little more sesame oil.

This was great as an accompaniment to a good barbecued steak!

Also worked well with some chopped cold steak for lunch the next day.

Do you know where you're going?

2012-01-09T19:55:00.000+13:00

Wow, what a year 2011 was! I traded PhD study for a grown-up's job, I got engaged, I got married, then I quit the grown-up's job and found a new one. I started this blog, I learnt to measure ingredients (sometimes) and I got in the habit of taking photos of my food (when Bear reminded me). I had some big victories in my own CrossFit training, and I had times when I couldn't remember what victory felt like. I laughed, I cried, I loved, and I cooked. It was a pretty amazing year. Thank you, 2011.

And now, it's 2012. A new year. I'm stoked to have started a new job with lululemon athletica, my CrossFit training is back on track, and I'm super excited about what this year might bring. Now it's time to sit down, reflect on my vision of my life in 10 years' time, and set the goals that are going to help get me there.

Do you set goals? You should! Goals help provide direction and meaning. They give us a focus - a step-by-step guide, if you like, as to how to go about creating the life we want. When Chip Wilson (founder of lululemon athletica) started setting goals, he found that: "My mind calmed down. I knew exactly where I was going, I knew exactly what I wanted to do."

Chip's take on goal setting

If you haven't tried it before, why not start now? If you're not sure where to start, ask someone to help you. If you're in Auckland, lululemon athletica Britomart showroom is holding a goal setting seminar on the 25th of January (click here for details); Cliff Harvey is a goal setting guru; or you can always give me a shout for a bit of guidance.

Do it!

And while you're thinking about it, here are a couple of paleo festive options that we implemented this year...

Caveman Christmas Crackers
For as long as I can remember, we have made our own Christmas crackers. Typically, my younger brother and I do them the day before Christmas. They involve used toilet rolls, crepe paper, stick-on stars, ribbon, and as many lollies as can possibly be stuffed into each toilet roll!

This year, I wasn't so keen on the whole 'stuffed with lollies' idea, so I suggested I make a nut mix for mine and Bear's. Turned out the rest of the family also liked that idea, so we all had Caveman Christmas crackers!

Nut mix:

Mixed nuts (I used cashews, almonds, hazelnuts & macadamias)
Spoonful of coconut oil
Spices: cinnamon, ground cloves, ground ginger, ground vanilla
Chopped dried apricots
Dried cranberries
85% dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Mix nuts, coconut oil & spices together in a bowl, then pour into a roasting dish and roast at 180 degrees until nuts are starting to brown. Make sure you mix it regularly so that they don't burn.

Remove from oven and leave to cool.

Once cool, add in dried fruit and chocolate pieces.

Stuff the mixture into your Christmas crackers...or just enjoy it as a tasty nut mix!

Paleo Stuffing
We've always traditionally had a bread stuffing for our turkey. Last year, I made a paleo stuffing with lots of dried fruit & nuts (from a recipe I found online), but Mum wasn't so keen on it, so this year, I had to try again. This one got Mum's seal of approval, so I think we can call it a success!

2 tbsp oil
1 onion, diced
Dried cranberries
1 apple, diced
1/2C chopped fresh herbs (I used Italian parsley and sage)
Zest of 1 lemon
3 x gluten-free pork sausages (meat removed and casings discarded)
1 egg

Almond meal
Salt & pepper

Heat oil in a frypan and fry onion until soft. Leave to cool.

In a bowl, combine cranberries, apple, herbs and lemon zest. Add onion, sausage meat and egg, and mix to combine. Gradually stir in almond meal, a spoonful at a time, until the mixture is gluey (i.e., it sticks together) but not too dry.

You can cook this stuffing in the turkey (we used a de-boned, rolled turkey, but a whole turkey would also work), or you can bake it separately in a baking dish (which we did with the leftover stuffing).

Unashamed product advertising...and a Christmas gift for you!

2011-12-20T14:41:00.000+13:00

Warning: this post contains advertising material!

So I wouldn’t normally do this, but I’m making an exception, because I actually use this stuff and I think it’s awesome!

I’ve always enjoyed my post workout smoothie – it’s tasty (it’s the only time I get to have fruit!), it’s quick and easy, and it gives me what I need after a good workout. I used to make it with banana, blueberries, avocado (I try to avoid dairy, so avocado works well to give it the same creaminess, and also add in some good fat), some kind of protein powder and water. I was aware that, while not as unkind to my system as straight dairy, the dairy-based protein powders were probably not ideal either, but I didn’t have an alternative that was just as quick and easy. And it tasted pretty good. I was happy with it.

Then I discovered Vital Greens…and my PWO smoothie became awesome! Seriously, a couple of teaspoons of this transformed the taste from good to something amazing! The best thing is that in addition to tasting great, it is an amazing "blend of nutritionally potent and nutrient-dense greens, vegetables and fruits, plus additional herbs, natural minerals, powerful antioxidants, probiotics for intestinal health, essential amino acids, essential fatty acids (omegas 3, 6 and 9), digestive enzymes, cell pigments, plant sterols and fibres". I know the jury is still out on the benefits of multi-vitamins, but I personally find that the addition of nutritional support makes a huge difference to my energy levels and immune function. Believe me, when I was a student I tried desperately to go without (it was hard to make the budget stretch that far), but I really do find that the benefits outweigh the costs.

Not only that, but they also do a product called Vital Protein, which is a 100% vegetable protein - high protein content, dairy-free, and easily digested.

Introducing the PWO smoothie extraordinaire! BOOM!!

Anyway, if you’re keen to try any of their products, you can order direct from www.vitalhealthnz.com. Use the code PP2060C to get a 15% discount on all orders.

Tell your friends & help bring better health into their lives too!

And speaking of better health, I know I made a promise to post less treats and more everyday food, but it's Christmas & I figure you guys deserve a gift. IMHO, this banana bread is seriously one of the best primal dishes I've cooked. I actually ate half of it in the space of an afternoon! So if you're going to try it, maybe make sure there are other people around to help you out with eating it...

Paleo Banana Bread

4 eggs, separated
2 ripe bananas
15 dates
¼ C coconut oil
1 C coconut flour
1/3 C ground linseed
2 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
A handful of cocoa nibs (optional)

Using a stick blender, mush together bananas, dates, coconut oil and egg yolks. Add all dry ingredients (except cocoa nibs) and cider vinegar and mix well. Stir in cocoa nibs.

In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites until they form stiff peaks.

Gently fold banana mixture into the egg whites, ensuring they are mixed completely without over-mixing.

Spoon mixture into a greased & lined loaf tin and bake at 150 degrees celcius for 45 minutes (or until loaf is golden on top & bounces back when pressed lightly).

Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn onto a wire rack.

Enjoy warm, spread with a bit of coconut oil (or butter, if you eat dairy).

It’s not you, it’s me

2011-12-13T19:03:00.003+13:00

Last week, I wrote about the fatigue I’ve been struggling with recently (which has, by the way, definitely improved since I took action & made a change). The extreme tiredness impacted my work, my mood, and my social life, but nowhere did I feel it more than in my training. Metcons, in particular, were a battle. I had to fight to make myself go in the first place, and then I had to fight for every rep and every breath. Many, many times, I wanted to stop – to throw the towel in and tap out; many, many times, I fought tears as I struggled to keep going. I wasn’t keeping up with the people I used to keep up with, and it was hard to watch them improving while I felt like my fitness was going backwards. Each metcon like this made it that much harder to go to the next one.

Then, last week, a friend posted this photo on Facebook:

(on sale here)

It was a timely reminder that in the midst of a WoD, it’s about me, not the others working out alongside me. I have had (and will have) my times of improvement, and they will have theirs. The important thing is to be there, consistently putting in the work. Sometimes I might feel like I’m not winning...but how can I be losing when it’s just me against myself? At the end of the day, I’m still there; I’m still pushing through… I’m still choosing not to be defeated.

Lamb moussaka

Meat sauce

Olive oil
1kg lamb mince
1 onion, diced
2 large garlic cloves, crushed/chopped finely
1 tin tomatoes
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
Salt & pepper

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil, then fry garlic and onion until soft. Add lamb mince & cook, stirring often to separate, until browned. Stir in all remaining ingredients, bring to the boil, and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Vegetable layers

2 eggplants
4 courgettes
Olive oil

Remove tops and ends from eggplants and courgettes, then slice thinly, lengthwise. Heat olive oil in a frypan and cook vegetable slices until browned on each side. You will need to do a few at a time to ensure they are flat against the base of the frypan. The eggplant soaks up a lot of oil, so add more as needed.

Faux white sauce
1 cauliflower
1/4 tsp paprika
Dash of olive oil
Salt & pepper

Steam cauliflower. Transfer cooked cauliflower to a bowl then use stick blender to ‘mash’ it. Add paprika, olive oil, & salt and pepper, and whip with a fork.

Putting it all together

Line the bottom of a lasagne or other large baking dish with the eggplant slices, then create another layer of eggplant slices in the other direction (so they criss cross).

Spoon half the meat sauce over eggplant. Layer courgette slices over meat sauce. Spoon over the other half of the meat sauce, then top with the cauliflower mash.

Bake at 180 degrees celsius for 20 minutes, or until top is slightly browned and sauce is bubbling.

Note: this is super tasty, but not very pretty – it goes a bit sloppy when you serve it – so maybe don’t cook this if you’re being judged on presentation!

Duped?

2011-12-06T18:58:00.001+13:00

Does anyone else ever feel a little bit duped sometimes? A bit short-changed with this whole health and fitness gig?

I know I’m probably not meant to admit it, but I do. And I’ve been feeling a lot like that lately.

I mean, I eat really well (not even 80:20…probably more like 95:5), I train hard (but I’m careful not to overtrain), I don’t do drugs or drink much alcohol, I usually get about 8 hours sleep a night…and yet for the last couple of months, I’ve been feeling rubbish! It got to the point that I actually went to the doctor for blood tests last week because I was just so darn exhausted.

I thought I was meant to feel amazing from all this good behaviour?!

Instead, I’ve been constantly tired, I feel like my training’s been going backwards (particularly the metcon components), I’ve been moody, and even cooking hasn’t been helping! It’s been getting pretty hard going. I’ll even admit to the odd moment of thinking that, if all this clean eating and hard training isn’t paying off, perhaps I should just go and have a few wines or eat a couple of slices of cake…it’s not like it’ll make any difference, right?!

Well actually, that’s probably wrong…and I didn’t succumb to those thoughts. Instead, I took a step back and took a good look at myself and my life. Yes, my diet’s in order; yes, my training’s in order; yes, my sleep’s in order; yes, my stress…oh…hold on…my stress levels. Um yeah, about that. Probably not so in order.

So you know what I did? I made a change! It’s a little too early to tell if it’ll pay off, but I’m already feeling lighter, and I’m hoping that before long, I’ll notice the changes in my energy levels, my emotions, and my training too. I’ll let you know how I go!

So basically what I’m saying is, if you think you’re doing all the right things and you’re still feeling awful, take a really objective look at your life. Are all aspects of your life (and I mean all of them) as optimum as you can make them at this moment in time? If you think they are, then I suggest talking to your coaches/trainers/friends/family – they might have a different perspective to offer, or at least some suggestions as to how you can feel a bit better. If they’re not, then make some changes. Even small changes can make a big difference.

And if you’re doing all the right things and still feeling awful…just think how much worse you’d be feeling if you were doing all the wrong things!!

Satay Beef Casserole

Sesame oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed & chopped finely
1 heaped tbsp red curry paste
1kg casserole beef, cubed (if you talk nicely to your local butcher, they might do this for you!)
2 capsicums, sliced thinly (I used a red & a yellow, mostly for the colour)
5 tbsp almond butter (I used homemade, but store-bought would be fine)
1 400ml can coconut milk
2 tsp curry powder
Salt (to taste)
2 kaffir lime leaves

In a jug or bowl, combine coconut milk and almond butter and set aside.

Heat sesame oil in a large casserole dish, on the stovetop. Add onion, garlic and red curry paste, and cook, stirring often, until fragrant & onion is soft. Add beef and cook until browned. Stir in capsicums and cook for a couple more minutes.

Pour over coconut milk and almond butter, then add curry powder and salt. Stir. Add kaffir lime leaves and stir gently. Bring to the boil.

Stir again, then place the lid on the casserole dish and transfer to the oven. Bake at 180 degrees celcius for 30 minutes.

Serve with cauliflower rice and garnish with fresh coriander.

Public Service Announcement

2011-11-29T12:34:00.001+13:00

Ok, listen up y’all – this is a really, really, really important announcement.

I AM SORRY

That’s right, this is a public apology. I am sorry - very sorry.

As I was typing out the recipe for my paleo pumpkin pie, I had a horrifying realisation. It suddenly occurred to me that there's been a bit of a theme running through my blog of late; that many of my posts are ‘sweet treats’; and that if you stumbled across The Secret Diary of a Kitchen Ninja, you could quite conceivably be convinced that we eat this kind of food all the time, and that it’s ok to do so.

That evening, it dawned on me that I may have unintentionally been misleading you all – fueling a false belief that as long as it’s paleo, it’s good for you.

Well folks, I hate to break it to you, but that’s not true. Treats are still treats, even if they’re ‘cleaner’ than their Neolithic counterparts. These paleo treats are usually sweetened (even if it is done using fruit, honey, or pure maple syrup, rather than refined sugar) and high in carbohydrates. They are not bad for you as such, but they should be occasional treats, eaten in small quantites…not whipped up every night and eaten in batch-loads!

Believe it or not, we don’t actually eat this kind of food very frequently. I guess I post the recipes because they seems more ‘special’ to me than the dishes I throw together every day. I don’t make them often, so they seem more exciting, and more likely to appeal to all of you. I need to change this.

This is the sort of food you should be eating every day;

the sort of food that fuels your body and your training.

This is real food:

From now on, I will endeavour to post more recipes for this kind of food, and just treat you, the readers, (and maybe myself!) to the occasional sweet treat.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-25T19:53:00.001+13:00

Ok, I'm not American & I don't celebrate Thanksgiving...although I do think it's a pretty cool idea. But I do like the flavours of pumpkin pie - that mix of sweet (but not too sweet), savoury, and warm spices - so I made up a primal one a little while ago. I never got around to posting it though, so now seems as good a time as any! Unfortunately, I wrote down the ingredients but forgot to note down what I actually did with them, so I'll just have to do my best to remember...

Primal Pumpkin Pie

For the base
2C almond meal
1/2C dessicated coconut
25 dates
1 Tbsp almond butter
A dash of cold water

Combine all ingredients in a food processor until it forms a sticky dough. If it's too crumbly, add a little more water and mix again until you reach the right consistency.

Press dough into a greased flan tin (with removable base). Refrigerate until filling is ready.

For the filling

3C pumpkin, cooked & mashed
1C coconut cream
2 eggs
1 banana, mashed
1 ½ tsp mixed spice
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground vanilla
2 tbsp pure maple syrup

1 Tbsp chia seeds

Beat all ingredients except the chia seeds together (I used a cake mixer for this), then stir in the chia seeds.

Chill for a while! (I would suggest at least an hour, so that the chia seeds absorb some of the moisture. Longer is better).

Once the filling has begun to thicken, pour into the base and cook at 180 degrees celcius. I think this took about 20-30 minutes, but you want the base to be golden and the filling to be set.

If you're feeling particularly naughty, this tastes great with cream whipped with maple syrup!

It also works well as little tartlets (using a muffin tin instead of a flan tin).

'Cos everyone loves a good tart!

2011-11-21T18:16:00.001+13:00

I was going to write something inspiring (or at least attempt to), but I'm way too tired to inspire myself, let alone you lot too! These tarts were pretty inspired though...

Chili chocolate tarts

For the crust

(adapted slightly from this recipe)

1 C ground almonds

1 C dessicated coconut

¼ tsp ground vanilla pods

1 pinch of salt

½ tsp baking soda

¼ C coconut oil

1 tbsp honey (you could probably leave this out)

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.

Melt oil and honey together in a saucepan. Add to dry ingredients and stir thoroughly.

Press a thin layer into greased (I used olive oil) muffin tins.

Bake at 180 degrees for approx 6 minutes, or until golden.

Leave to cool completely in tin.

For the filling

(also informed by the above recipe, but I didn't want to use chocolate, so I changed it up a bit...well, quite a lot...)

2 ripe bananas

1 ripe avocado

½ C cocoa

1 can coconut milk

¼ tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp chili powder

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp arrowroot

Combine bananas, avocado and cocoa in a food processor.

Heat coconut milk, vanilla extract, chili powder and cinnamon over low heat, stirring often, until boiling. Remove from heat and pour into bowl of cake mixer (or a mixing bowl, if you’re using a hand whisk).

Add arrowroot and quickly whisk thoroughly (if you don’t do this quickly, you’ll get lumps). Add chocolate mixture and whisk again.

Chill in the fridge for half an hour.

Once filling is chilled and crust is completely cool, pour filling into the tarts crusts then refrigerate (in the tin) until filling is completely set. These were actually best the next day.

When ready to serve, run a knife around the edge of each tart to loosen.

(I had lots of leftover filling, so you might want to double the crust recipe or halve the filling recipe. Alternatively, the filling works great as a stand-alone chocolate mousse!)

Not Really Spaghetti Bolognese

2011-10-11T20:37:00.001+13:00

This is just what it says it is:

Not Really Spaghetti Bolognese

1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1kg pork mince
400g spinach, roughly chopped
Zest & juice of 2 lemons
¾ can coconut cream
Salt & pepper
1/4C fresh mint, chopped
1/2C fresh parsley, chopped

Heat a spoonful of fat (I used duck fat, because I had it in the fridge), then lightly fry onion and garlic for a few minutes.

Add pork mince and fry until cooked, stirring to break up.

Once mince is cooked (i.e., no longer pink) add lemon zest and spinach, stir well, and simmer for a few minutes; then add coconut cream and lemon juice. Simmer until some of the liquid has boiled off.

Remove from heat, add fresh herbs, season to taste. Stir and serve over courgette spaghetti (courgettes sliced really thinly, or with a julienne peeler, and boiled until just soft).

Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes

2011-10-11T20:20:00.000+13:00

Cupcakes

1 C coconut flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground vanilla
6 eggs
¾ C coconut milk
2 tbsp coconut oil
100g 85% dark chocolate
1 tbsp raw honey

Combine dry ingredients, then whisk in eggs and coconut milk.

In a separate saucepan, over a low heat, melt together coconut oil, chocolate & honey. Stir frequently.

Whisk chocolate mixture into rest of ingredients.

Spoon into cupcake patties placed in a muffin tray (each should be about ¾ full). Bake at 180 degrees for 15 minutes, or until cupcake bounces back when lightly pressed.

Cool on a wire rack.

If you’re feeling particularly decadent (I was, obviously!), ice (using frosting recipe below) then top with toasted dessicated coconut.

Chocolate butter cream frosting

100g butter, at room temperature

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp cocoa
Approx 3 ½ tbsp coconut milk

Whisk butter and honey together until butter begins to pale. Add in 1 tbsp cocoa & 1 tbsp coconut milk, then whisk again. Add in the other tbsp of cocoa & 2 tbsp of coconut milk. Whisk. If necessary, add extra coconut milk until it reaches a ‘frosting’ consistency (creamy but not runny).

Primal smorgasbord

2011-08-13T21:49:00.001+12:00

So I've got a few recipes and ideas up my sleeves, but they haven't yet made it out my sleeve and into the computer, so I thought I'd share a few of my favourite primal blogs for you to check out in the meantime. Super exciting to see lots of primal cookbooks on their way too!

The Clothes Make the Girl
The Food Lovers' Primal Palate
Tastes for Everyday Life
Everyday Paleo
Nom Nom Paleo
Life as a Plate
Civilized Caveman Cooking Creations

Enjoy :)

Dear Crossfitter: Be Kinder to Yourself

2011-08-04T08:35:00.000+12:00

An awesome post (and wonderful reminder to us all) from AndreAnna over on Life As A Plate. These words really resonated with me:

Dear crossfitter: be kinder to yourself

Little pots of goodness!

2011-07-26T20:04:00.000+12:00

These don't need words to go with them - they're awesome just as they are!

Ingredients

2 ripe avocados

3 small ripe bananas (or 2 normal size ones)

2 tbsp pure cocoa

2 tbsp honey

2 tsp chia seeds

1/2C very strong espresso (I used 4-5 heaped scoops in a plunger)

100g 85% dark chocolate (I kept aside a square to shave onto the top of the pots)

Blend all ingredients except chocolate in a food processor.

Melt chocolate over low heat (stirring constantly). Add to other ingredients and blend until fully combined.

Add extra cocoa and/or honey if necessary, to suit your tastes.

Spoon into fancy looking pots (I used glasses, but now, thanks to some wonderful friends of ours, I have the perfect little ramekins for next time!) and refrigerate.

To serve, top with toasted chopped almonds & chocolate shavings. You could also put a spoonful of whipped cream on top.

To train or not to train

2011-07-19T17:46:00.000+12:00

A few months ago, I started a new job, working for a big organisation. It's great - I get challenged, I get good colleagues, I get free alcohol, and I get paid. But I also get everybody's bugs. And I get stress.

In the past few months, I've had more minor colds than I had in the previous year. And I've probably cried from sheer exhaustion more times too.

It's hard to juggle training, work, health, and relationships. I'm learning that I only have so much intensity to give...so I'm also having to learn to make choices about what I give it to.

What do you do on those days when you can feel yourself coming down with something, or you're so tired that your eyes actually hurt? To train, or not to train?

Sometimes, sweating it all out in a bad-ass WOD is the best thing for me. But sometimes it's not. I'm still trying to figure out how to recognise which option is the best course of action. And I'm still trying to figure out how to fight the guilt if I choose the latter.

Cooking good food might just be the answer. I certainly think Bear hopes it is!

Roast duck breasts with blueberry balsamic sauce

2 duck breasts
Duck fat
Cloves

Scour the skin/fat layer of the duck breasts (almost to the flesh). Insert 5-6 cloves (per breast) into the cuts.

Melt duck fat in a roasting dish (enough to almost cover the breasts). Add breasts and roast for approximately 1 hour at 150 degrees C.

Remove duck from oven and drain fat. Spoon some of the blueberry balsamic sauce (recipe below) over the duck breasts and return to a hot oven (200-220 degrees C) until crispy.

For the sauce
1C chicken stock (use a good, gluten-free liquid stock)
1/2C white wine
1/4C balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey (I think...I can't read my writing...it might say 1 dsp!)
1 tsp ground cloves (I used a mortar & pestle to ground whole cloves)
A touch of cinnamon
1C blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Combine all ingredients except blueberries in a saucepan & bring to the boil, stirring often. Add blueberries and bring back to the boil. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring regularly. Season to taste.

To serve
Serve each duck breast on cauliflower mash, topped with additional sauce.

On the side, I served brussel sprouts - halved, placed on a baking tray, topped with coconut oil and salt, and baked until just starting to brown (about 15 minutes at 200 degrees C).

The fruity flavour of the berries and the warmth of the cloves matched particularly well with a good montepulciano!

A love affair with food

2011-06-23T09:04:00.000+12:00

Historically, my relationship with food has closely resembled a love affair - passion, excitement, indulgence...and the ensuing guilt. At times, food, or more specifically the emotions associated with food, has consumed me (and there I was thinking it was supposed to be the other way around?!).

But I'm on a mission to change that.

I've started by choosing a more appropriate, more reliable love interest (thank you, primal diet). I'm working on my commitment - trying to stay faithful to this new love; trying to reduce incidences of infidelity. And I'm investing quality time in the relationship. Bear & I have started doing an early CrossFit session on a Saturday, so that we can then spend the morning wandering around a farmers' market, finding fresh, organic, quality food for the week; and exploring the wonders (and meat specials!) of Nosh or Farros. With good ingredients on hand, I get even more pleasure from creating healthy, tasty, nourishing food. And I find myself spending more time cooking for enjoyment, rather than just because we need it.

Slowly, but surely, my relationship with food is improving. The passion and excitement are still there (and every now and then, so is the indulgence!), but the guilt is starting to fade into the background. At least, until those reckless moments of infidelity!

Next step is to reduce the frequency of those unsatisfying moments of weakness. And maybe replace them with something like this...

Avocado & lime sorbet (or Avocado, lime & pistachio tarts!)

Sorbet
4 ripe avocados
Juice and zest of 2-3 limes
1/2 tsp crushed chili (chili powder would probably be better, but I didn't have any!)
~2 tsp ground vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp honey
1/2C pistachio kernels, chopped

Put all ingredients except the pistachios into a food processor and blend until combined. Stir in the pistachios (or you could add them into the food processor & just blend briefly).

Put mixture into the freezer for about 30 minutes. Remove and blend again. Repeat a couple more times, to get a creamier sorbet. (An icecream maker would probably be an awesome addition to my kitchen toys!)

This was really yummy, but I decided it might also be good as a pie filling. So I defrosted some of the sorbet and made it into...

Avocado, lime, & pistachio tarts

For the filling:
About 1/3 of the sorbet mixture (defrosted, if you froze it first)
3 eggs
~1/3 C coconut cream

Beat eggs and coconut cream together. Gently fold sorbet mixture into the egg/coconut cream mix.

For the base:
200g pistachio kernels
10 dates
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp macadamia butter (or other nut butter)
Cold water

Put all ingredients except for the water into a food processor & combine. Remove mixture and place in a bowl. Mix in a small amount of cold water, so that it becomes a sticky-ish 'dough'. Refrigerate if you have time.

To make the tarts, take spoonfuls of the 'dough' and press into a muffin tin to create the bases (I put enough in so that the base went about halfway up the side). Spoon filling into each, then bake at 180 degrees for approximately 20 minutes, or until filling is set.

Cool for a few minutes in the tin, then remove onto a wire rack to cool.

If I'd had extra limes, I would have served this topped with lime zest. As it was, I just served them with a delicious 2007 Shingle Peak Late Harvest Riesling instead! ;-)

These also work well as mini tarts...

The Ninja is on Twitter!

2011-06-18T13:13:00.001+12:00

Ok, so I know I'm a bit behind the rest of the world, but I'm gonna give this Twitter thing a go! Follow me @Ktchn_Nnja - I'll tweet links to new blog posts, and possibly some other insightful (or inane) tips in between posts...

Chips, biscuit, or lollies

2011-06-16T17:37:00.000+12:00

"Chips, biscuit, or lollies? Chips, biscuit, or lollies? Chips, biscuit, or lollies?..."

The chorus echoed through the plane as the stewardess made her way down the aisle. Seriously Air New Zealand, what are you trying to do - ensure we all have to buy two seats when we fly?!

I flew down to Wellington yesterday, and my breakfast choices were muesli, Vogels clusters, or a danish. I flew back to Auckland today, and could have feasted on chips, biscuit, or lollies.

Life sure does present me with some tough decisions sometimes...

Just like Mum used to make...well, sort of...

2011-06-01T20:00:00.000+12:00

My Mum makes this great tuna fish pie. It’s simple, but so yummy – the perfect comfort food. Except that it’s got flour in it. And milk. And potatoes on top. Paleo fail!

So I decided to try making a paleo version.

Paleo tuna fish pie

Filling

2 tbsp coconut oil

3 tbsp coconut flour

1 tin coconut cream

Approx 600g tinned tuna (I used a 425g tin plus a 185g tin), drained

1 onion

1 small broccoli, chopped into small pieces

1 carrot, chopped into small pieces

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

Salt & pepper to taste

Topping

4 small kumara

Coconut cream

Salt & pepper

Cook onion, broccoli and carrots (I boiled the broccoli & carrots, then sautéed them with the onion).

Melt coconut oil in a large saucepan, then add coconut flour. Cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly.

Slowly add coconut cream, stirring until smooth between each addition.

Once all coconut cream has been added, continue to heat (on a low heat) until sauce boils.

Remove from heat, add tuna and veges, 2 tbsp Dijon mustard, and salt and pepper to taste.

Boil kumara until soft. Mash with coconut cream (the mixture needs to be reasonably wet, so that it doesn’t dry out when you cook the pie), and season to taste.

Spread the filling mixture in a baking dish, then top with kumara mash.

Bake at 180 degrees for 30-45 minutes. If you do dairy, some grated cheese on top would be yummy!

Paleo Carbonara Risotto

2011-05-29T08:27:00.001+12:00

1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Cauliflower rice (put raw cauliflower in a food processor & process until it becomes rice-like, or chop finely)
1 cup vegetable stock
2 chicken breasts, sliced thinly
Button mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp paprika (or to taste)
~ 3 tbsp coconut cream
Salt & pepper
Prosciutto (bacon would also work, just cook it before you add it!)
Pine nuts, toasted

In a saute pan, fry onion & garlic with your fat of choice (I used coconut oil). When soft, add cauliflower. Continue frying until cauliflower is lightly browned.

Add vegetable stock, a little at a time, allowing the liquid to boil off a bit in between additions (the cauliflower rice won't absorb the liquid as well as rice does, so you'll end up with a bit of a 'sauce').

Once all the stock has been added, continue to boil on high until some of the stock has reduced. Add paprika and coconut cream. Stir well.

In another pan, fry chicken and mushroom in coconut oil (or other fat), until browned.

Add chicken and mushroom to risotto. Add small-ish pieces of prosciutto (I just used scissors to roughly cut pieces into it) & toasted pine nuts, season to taste, stir and serve.

Crockpots and Cauliflower

2011-05-23T20:50:00.000+12:00

Winter is on it's way - I don't think we can deny it for much longer. I've joined the chorus of people complaining about the cold, the rain, and the darkness.

But there are a few things I love about winter. Snowboarding, open fires, and curling up under the duvet listening to the rain outside, all make the list. So do winter boots, cosy clothes, and red wine. And if I actually wrote this list down, you'd also find crockpots and cauliflower on there.

Crockpots (or slow cookers) are a fantastic way to have a warm, hearty meal waiting for you when you get home, without having to bribe you partner/flatmate into cooking. They also make cheaper cuts of meat taste amazing, so they're a great money-saver. Throw in some meat, onions, garlic, vegetables, herbs/spices, and some liquid (stock, tinned tomatoes, coconut cream...), set it going, and come back 8 hours later to dinner!

Cauliflower has been a staple in our house the last few weeks. Jojo inspired some breakfasts of fried "rice", we've had paleo "rice" risotto (recipe to come), and even cauliflower mash to accompany my latest crockpot creation. Yum!

So instead of moaning about winter (I mean seriously, it's not like it's a surprise - it happens every year!), let's raise a glass to crockpots and cauliflower, and enjoy what the season has to offer.

Crockpot chicken satay

4 chicken thighs
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tin coconut cream
3 tbsp almond butter
Paprika, curry powder, chili flakes
Salt & pepper

Combine all ingredients in the crockpot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours, stirring halfway through if possible.

Cauliflower mash
Boil or steam cauliflower until cooked, but not mushy. Drain. Add salt & pepper, then blend with a stick blender. If it needs some extra liquid, you could add a bit of coconut cream, butter, or coconut oil.

Serve chicken with cauliflower mash & enjoy the fact that there are hardly any dishes to do when you finish eating!

In control...or in denial?

2011-05-11T16:28:00.000+12:00

I'm one of those people who like to feel 'in control', pretty much all the time. It's my comfort zone, my safety net. All is right in my world when I feel like my fingers are on all the right buttons.

See...I'm so organised I even took a cooler bag of food down to Palmerston North for the day, so I could ensure I stuck to my paleo diet!

When they're not - when things happen to throw my carefully crafted management strategies out of kilter - I panic. I feel lost, and anxious, and if I'm honest, a little betrayed - since when does life have the right to interfere with my plans?!

But life doesn't really care about my best-laid plans; my carefully thought-out timelines; or my ideas about what's best for me. Life goes ahead and interferes anyway - throws the cat amongst the pigeons, if you like.

And a good thing it does, too.

See, it turns out, sometimes I get so involved in my plans, timelines, schedules, and lists, that I forget to stop, look around, and appreciate what's going on right now. Sometimes my priorities - my faith, my relationships, my health - get buried underneath the lists and plans. Sometimes, life reminds me that I don't always know what's best.

So I'm going to try to be thankful for those times when life interrupts my conversation with myself. After all, what better opportunity to reevaluate, reassess, and re-prioritise?

Oh yeah...

2011-05-08T17:46:00.000+12:00

...here's a recipe...

Cajun spiced broadbill with mango sweet chili salsa

Salsa

1 mango, diced

Sweet chili sauce (sorry, we keep forgetting to post Bear's primal sweet chilli sauce recipe)

Chopped, fresh coriander

Lemon juice

Salt

Mix everything together in a bowl and leave to 'develop'!

Broadbill

Broadbill loin

Cajun spice mix

2 tsp coconut oil

Mix cajun spice mix with coconut oil (if solidified, run jar under warm water until soft enough).

Coat broadbill with spice & oil mixture. Fry until just cooked through (it’s kind of like tuna – you don’t want to dry it out by overcooking).

Serve with salsa & salad.

Body Conscious

2011-05-08T17:34:00.000+12:00

In a post a few months ago, I made a bold claim. I announced to the world (or at least, to the people who read this blog) that I loved my CrossFit/primal eating body.

I lied.

Or rather, I was misinformed. I thought I was loving my body. In reality though, I had just been attempting to beat it into submission. I hadn’t been nurturing and honouring it, I had been training it and depriving it, in the hope that it would one day look the way I wanted it to.

But what way was that? When it really comes down to it, what is ‘beautiful’?

Is beautiful skinny? Pretty? Blonde? Brunette? Is it confident? Rich? Successful? Is it really what’s on the inside that counts? And is strong really the new skinny?

Sure, society has it’s own definitions of beautiful, but so do each of us as individuals. I’m sure that many of us have our own idea of what we want our body to look like, but then aren’t we taught that we should be happy with the way we are? How do we strive for improvement while still accepting ourselves and loving ourselves as we are?

I had a great conversation with Cliff Harvey about this very same thing. Like many women, I’ve had a hard time seeing my body as beautiful. I’d love to have a leaner mid-section, a visible a 6-pack…but then I feel bad for not accepting my body the way it was…and I didn’t really believe I had the body type for a 6-pack anyway. What a dilemma! Well not so much anymore. Cliff shared a great saying with me: “Happy but not satisfied”. There’s nothing wrong with having goals and striving for improvement – a healthy dissatisfaction with the status quo, I think it’s referred to as – but that doesn’t mean we have to be ‘unhappy’ with where we’re at currently. And as for my 6-pack, who says I don’t have the body type for it? If I tell myself I can’t, then I won’t. We create our own truth. So I’ve started to tell myself that I can; and it’s starting to become my own truth.

Returning to the idea of beauty now, I think we’d all agree that for many people, their definition of beauty includes some concept of fitness and health. But what happens when getting fitter means getting bigger? How do we reconcile that with the ‘feminine ideal’ of smallness? The other week, for the first time ever, I found a pair of pants (in my size) that wouldn’t fit over the increasing circumference of my thighs, and another that didn’t fit my calves. Oh the excitement! I’m actually getting muscly!! But while I love what my increasing size means in terms of my strength and capabilities, it’s kind of hard when all my clothes are getting tight because of it. In the past, tightening clothing have never been a good thing! Loving my new muscles doesn’t necessarily provide protection against the depressing feeling of not fitting into my clothes.

Happy but not satisfied. It can be a fragile balance, and one that’s not always easy to achieve. But now, every morning, I look at myself in the mirror and I accept myself. I look myself in the eye and tell myself that I love myself – right at this moment, for who I am and where I am. But I have goals, I have things that I’m striving for; and that’s ok too.

6-pack, here I come…

Good enough

2011-04-20T20:54:00.000+12:00

The last few weeks have been a real period of learning for me. Learning a new job, learning to rope climb, learning to make space for ‘down time’, learning to love myself, learning to push myself, learning when to stop pushing. The key thing here being ‘learning’. I haven’t mastered any of them yet, but I’m in the process, and I’m happy in that process.

As a psychologist, I totally subscribe to the idea that what we tell ourselves will invariably be what we experience – we create our own truth. I also do a reasonable job of identifying my own negative self-beliefs and self-talk. But I sure as hell haven’t had much success in trying to change them! Cliff Harvey, enter stage right!

A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to have a session with mind-body guru Cliff Harvey. We spent a lot of time exploring and challenging some of my self-beliefs. One of the key things to come out of my time with Cliff was the concept of self-worth. I found myself struggling to truly embrace statements like “I am worthy of the best that life has to offer”, “I love myself completely”, and “I do my best, and my best is good enough”.

That last one is interesting. “I do my best, and my best is good enough”. Now, I’m quite happy with the idea that I do my best. It’s the second part of the statement that I find more challenging. I so often chastise myself, and my efforts, for not being ‘good enough’, for not meeting the lofty expectations that I place on myself. But after working on it with Cliff, I came away feeling great; happy in the knowledge that I did indeed do my best, and that my best was good enough.

Little did I know the hardest part was yet to come…several times over!

My newfound satisfaction with myself was tested that very night at CrossFit. I found that day’s press workout really tough, and despite pushing myself hard, I came away feeling like I should (not necessarily could) have done better. But I talked myself around, and accepted my performance.

And then I did the first two sectionals workouts. Both times, I managed to exceed my goals, and was feeling pretty good about my efforts…until I saw what everyone else got, and then I started feeling like my score wasn’t good enough. Back to the drawing board.

And then the third sectionals workout was announced…a clean and jerk AMRAP, 10kg heavier than my personal best. Now I was really being tested. It was a pretty hard physical battle for me, but more than that, it was a huge mental battle. The pressure I put on myself to get that lift nearly broke me. I got it (well, the squat clean part of it), but at what expense? I dreaded CrossFit for the days leading up to it, and the days following it, and I still didn’t feel like my best was good enough.

And then, just to top it all off, the fourth sectionals workout was announced, and once again, the lift was heavier than I’d done before. I was well and truly on the downward slope now. Except that before I got to the bottom, I came to a realisation. The pressure I was putting on myself was ruining something that I loved. It was taking the fun out of CrossFit.

So I decided to put it back in. I would do my best, and my best would be good enough. I would enjoy the challenge, I would enjoy the process, but I would not beat myself up for not being good enough.

Things are pretty busy right now and I’m finding it hard to make the time to post. I’ve been feeling guilty about that. But I’m going to stop feeling guilty. Instead, I will do my best, and know that my best is, in fact, good enough.

Crumbed chicken strips

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Egg (beaten lightly with a fork)
Almond meal (seasoned with salt & pepper)
Coconut oil
Assorted vegetables to roast
Pesto (I used bought pesto – Genoese brand - in this instance, because I was short on time!)

Slice chicken breasts in half horizontally, and then cut these pieces into strips.

Dip each strip into the egg, then into the almond meal, and coat well.

Fry the chicken strips in coconut oil, until golden. Serve with roast vegetables, and topped with pesto.

Instead of roast vegetables, I have also served this on grilled eggplant slices, with asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and homemade coriander, mint and cashew pesto. The chicken’s pretty good cold as well.

Pretty...

2011-04-20T20:09:00.000+12:00

I am in the midst of writing a post...like actually, right now...but in the meantime, I think everyone needs to watch this video and read this blog post:

http://theclothesmakethegirl.blogspot.com/2011/04/pretty-like-you.html

Following your dreams

2011-03-19T17:18:00.000+13:00

Dreams. I'm not talking the weird stories that run through our heads when we're asleep. I'm talking the plans, the hopes, the aspirations we have for our future; and for our now.

Dreams can be exciting and inspiring. But they can also be downright scary. Sometimes following our dreams means getting out of our comfort zone and taking a risk. Sometimes following our dreams means making decisions that others don't understand, and will possibly never understand.

I have dreams for my future; and right now, continuing with my PhD is standing in the way of those dreams. So I'm taking a break from it. It might be a permanent one. A lot of people don't understand this, and they're not shy in telling me so. But I know, in my heart of hearts, that this is what I need to do. It's scary, no doubt about it. But it's also really exciting. I can't wait to discover my future.

Dreams aren't much use if they forever remain dreams. What would have happened if Martin Luther King, Jr. had said "I have a dream...but I'm too scared to make it a reality"? Probably not much.

So live the life you were meant for. Make your dreams reality.

Speaking of dreams, I was dreaming of nachos the other week; so much so, that I just couldn't get the idea out of my head. But I had a dilemma: nachos, with their pile of crispy corn chip goodness, aren't exactly primal. So I followed my dreams and made them primal!

Primal chicken nachos

For the chicken

1 whole chicken (or you could use chicken breasts/thighs)
1 onion, chopped

400g chopped tinned tomatoes
1/4C tabasco sauce
4tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
1 red capsicum
Salt

Roast the chicken, then take all the meat off the carcass (which you can later boil up for chicken stock) and place in a saucepan with the remaining ingredients.

Bring to the boil and then simmer for ages (until the chicken is all stringy-like!).

Alternatively, you could probably just cut up uncooked chicken pieces, put all ingredients into the crock-pot/slow-cooker, and separate the chicken with fork once cooked.

For the chips

Kumara

Coconut oil

Salt

Slice kumara thinly using a mandolin.

Heat a few tablespoons of coconut oil in a wok or deep frying pan.

Drop a handful of kumara slices into the oil, making sure they are separated, and fry until golden.

Remove chips from the pan, place on a cooling rack covered with paper towel, and sprinkle with salt.

Guacamole

1 ripe avocado

Approx. 1/2 red onion, finely diced

1 or 2 tomatoes (depending on size), diced

Juice of 1 lemon

Fresh coriander, chopped

Salt

Pepper

Mash avocado well. Add all other ingredients and combine well.

Putting it all together

Place the kumara chips around the edge of a plate, then spoon some chicken mixture into the middle (try to avoid the chips as much as possible, or they'll go soggy). Top the chicken mixture with grated cheese.

Place each plate under the grill until cheese is melted.

Served topped with guacamole, sour cream, and a bit of fresh coriander.

Making the most of what you've got

2011-03-16T09:56:00.000+13:00

We all have things that we’re not so good at. I’m sure we’ve all experienced those moments of dismay when we get a WoD that seems to intentionally target our ‘worst’ exercises, or when we have to do something at work that doesn’t come naturally to us (public speaking, anyone?!). We all know what it’s like to feel as if we’re not doing something as well as we’d like to.

There is no denying it - we all have our weaknesses.

But we also all have our strengths.

The beauty of CrossFit is that the nature of the sport allows everyone to utilise their strengths. It lets everyone make the most of what they’ve got. I’ve got a long way to go with most of the exercises we do in CrossFit, but I have a pretty good run. I now love it when we get WoDs with runs in them, because I know I can use them to make up time I might lose on exercises that I find harder. I’ve switched my mindset from seeing runs as a bit of a ‘rest’, because they’re not as hard, to viewing them as something I can utilise to improve my performance. It’s no different when we face challenges in life. It’s important to focus on our strengths and how we can best use them to overcome each hurdle.

The CrossFit Games are about to start. Have you entered yet? Sure, you might not think you can complete every workout as rx’d, and you might not be aiming for a place at regionals or worlds, but you just might find that one of the sectionals workouts happens to involve those very exercises you know you’re good at. Every single member of a team can contribute to the team’s overall scores. Every single member of the team can make the most of what they’ve got to help the team get to the next stage. So what are you waiting for? Sign up and make the most of what you’ve got!

http://games.crossfit.com/athletes/teams/crossfit-new-zealand

Speaking of making the most of what you’ve got, here are a few recipes I threw together at short notice, using bits and pieces that were in the fridge, or things that needed using up…

Olive, pickled onion, and feta mix

I was feeling kind of peckish prior to heading out on Saturday night, and I really wanted something salty. So I had a rummage around the pantry and the fridge, and came up with this.

Black olives
Chopped pickled onions
Goats feta
(Could also add sundried tomatoes)

If I was making this in advance, I would also have added some fresh rosemary, but that would need time for the flavour to permeate through the mix.

Put all ingredients in a bowl & demolish!

Broccoli, avocado & mint salad

When we got home, we had to throw a quick (but ideally tasty) dinner together. Bear was in charge of the steak, I was in charge of the vegetables. Having not yet done the grocery shopping, I was a bit short of options…but we did have some broccoli, some avocado, and some pecans leftover from the crumble…perfect for a warm broccoli salad!

Broccoli
Avocado
Chopped fresh mint
Chopped pecans
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Salt & pepper, to taste

In a bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, fresh mint, pecans, and salt & pepper.

Steam broccoli & add to the bowl. Chop avocado, add, and stir.

Eggplant & kumara dip

This one came about because I had a couple of eggplant that needed using, and then we had a bit of leftover baked kumara that Bear had cooked for a brunch with friends who never showed! (Don’t feel bad though guys, it made a great starter for dinner with my family that evening!)…

2 eggplants, sliced and roasted
6 cloves garlic, roasted
Roasted kumara
2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
3 tbsp tahini
Juice of 1 lemon
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Touch of ground cayenne pepper

Roast eggplant, garlic, and kumara.

Combine all ingredients using a stick blender or food processor.

Serve with fresh vegetable sticks.

Happily ever after

2011-03-08T21:00:00.003+13:00

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away...well actually, not far away at all, but that sounds better...there was a young (let me indulge myself here) woman who totally sucked at power cleans. She knew she sucked at power cleans - they just felt so wrong, so awkward, so...sucky! And because she knew she sucked at power cleans, she worked hard on her technique, she rehearsed it over and over again in her mind, she thought about every single part of the movement...in fact, she over-thought every single part of the movement...and yet she still sucked. And it didn't matter how many people told her she could do them, that the bar was going well high enough, that she really was capable of lifting heavier...she still sucked.

But then, one day, this young woman realised that she was sick of sucking at power cleans. She decided she didn't want to suck at them anymore. Instead, she decided that she was actually awesome at power cleans. Not going to be awesome, you understand; actually was awesome.

And lo and behold, she was.

She went into a workout that day and nailed 45 x 35kg power cleans.

Then, less than a week later, she knocked 2 minutes off her previous 'Grace' (30 clean and jerks) time.

And now she knows she's awesome at power cleans. And so she lived happily ever after.

So it just goes to show how much of what we do, in workouts and in life, comes down to mindset. Often, the outcome is already determined by our approach. We can choose to suck, or we can choose to be awesome - it's up to us.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we can always choose what happens to us in life, but I do think we can choose how we respond. And we can always choose how we approach each day, each workout, each challenge.

We can choose to be processed-carbohydrate-laden, sugar-laden chocolate shell pudding (WTF?!?)...

...or we can choose to be primal-crumbly-goodness...

What will you choose today?

Apple, blueberry & dark chocolate crumble

2 cups almond meal
50g butter, softened & chopped

Ground mixed spice

Ground cinnamon
100g 85% dark chocolate, roughly chopped
1 cup pecans, chopped (hazelnuts would also be tasty)

Apples
Blueberries (frozen or fresh)
Ground mixed spice, cloves, and cinnamon

For the topping
Place the almond meal, spices, and chopped butter in a mixing bowl.

Using your fingers, rub the butter into the almond meal, until it looks a little like biscuit crumbs.

Stir in chopped chocolate and pecans.

For the crumble
Stew apples with some ground mixed spice, cloves, and cinnamon.

Here's a little something I prepared earlier...

Place apples and blueberries in a baking dish.

Spread the topping evenly over the fruit mixture.

Bake at 180 degrees, until topping is golden and fruit is heated through (approximately 20-30 minutes).

Leave to stand for at least 10-15 minutes before serving (preferably with lots of cream!), although I would recommend baking in advance and serving cool.

Tastes even better the next day, cold and swimming in cream, after smashing 30 clean and jerks! Just like my 'Grace' performance, it improved with time...

Excuses, excuses

2011-03-03T16:31:00.000+13:00

I'm good at pushing myself, good at challenging myself, good at exercising self-control. But recently, I've discovered I'm also really good at excuses.

I've had a lot going on lately - I've been sick; I've been making some major life decisions; I've been stressed about money; I've been worrying about family, friends, and strangers down in Christchurch; and I haven't been getting enough sleep. That hasn't left me with a whole lot in reserve to fight those moments of dietary weakness. And so I haven't.

Instead, I've justified the choices I've made. I've told myself that it's ok because I normally eat so well, that it's ok because it's a special occasion, that it's ok because I'm celebrating, that it's ok because I'm tired, or stressed, or down...the list goes on. And so I've eaten a dessert here, some chocolate there; an icecream with a friend, a piece of birthday cake with Mum. And I've felt justified in doing so. For a few minutes.

But then I just become more tired, more sick, and in more of a low mood...and I feel like I've let myself down.

Of all the excuses I come up with, my favourite one seems to be "I deserve this". Deserve what? To be more sick and more tired than I already was? I might have convinced myself I was being kind to myself, but I wasn't. Not at all. So now I'm going to start.

It's time for the excuses to stop.

I've been meaning to put this recipe up for a while, but I've been too busy, too tired, too...you get the idea....

Roast Pumpkin and Bacon Soup

1 butternut pumpkin, chopped and roasted
1 whole garlic, roasted
2 onions, roasted
Olive oil
350g bacon
Butter (measure if Zoning)
3 carrots
2 red chilis, chopped
A few lumps of fresh ginger
Salt & pepper
Thai basil leaves

Roast the pumpkin, garlic, and onions in olive oil and a bit of salt.

Chop the bacon into small pieces. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, then add the bacon, and the roasted onion and garlic (peeled).

Add chopped carrots, roast pumpkin, chilis and ginger. Top up with enough water to cook everything in (probably so the level's about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way up all the vegetables, but you might need to add more as you go). Season with salt and pepper. Cook until all the vegetables are soft, then add some fresh thai basil (or you could probably use standard basil) and cook for a little longer.

Blend with a stick blender (you might need to add more water).

Serve with a spoonful of sour cream & some chopped fresh thai basil sprinkled on top.

According to Bear, this is the best thing I've ever cooked for him. Not bad for something that was thrown together to use up some pumpkin we had in the fridge!

How lucky?

2011-02-14T15:31:00.000+13:00

You don’t need no fancy tricks
Painted eyes or glossy lips

I love you just the way you are
Hope you don’t mind my beat up car

You don’t need to change your dress
You don’t need to change your shoes

Don’t try to hide your natural looks
Forget about the cover let me read the book

Don’t get me wrong I like them heels
But the way I feel is the way I feel

You don’t need to change your dress
You don’t need to change your shoes

Go ahead be wild and free
you don’t have to shave yo’ legs for me.
…

(Shave Yo’ Legs by Keb’ Mo’)

My man loves me first thing in the morning, when my hair’s looking crazy and I probably have drool at the corner of my mouth. He loves me in my workout gear, when I’m a sweaty, red mess. He loves me when I rock make-up, a dress, and high heels. And he also loves me when I can’t be bothered putting on make-up or doing my hair. How lucky am I?

He gave me somewhere to stay (live…?!) when I found myself between houses. He got up to make me breakfast when I was running late for a course. He supports and encourages me in my endeavours. He's proud of me and doesn't mind people knowing it. How lucky am I?

Less than a week after we started dating, he already knew me well enough to buy me the BEST. CHRISTMAS. PRESENT. EVER…

(What? I really wanted one!)

And then when that wasn’t going to arrive in time, he bought me the second best Christmas present ever, based on a passing comment I made. A juicer. How lucky am I?

Bear. That’s how lucky. So this one’s for my Bear…

Date night cupcakes

We went on an awesome date night on Saturday night. We were going to go see a movie, but we got the time wrong, so we grabbed smoothies and headed up One Tree Hill. My smoothie was A.Mazing! Coconut, banana, honey and almond. Sooo good. These cupcakes were an attempt to replicate the flavours. They ended up more banana-y and less coconut-y than I intended, but they still taste pretty damn good!

Cupcakes
100g butter, softened
1/4C honey
2 eggs
1/2C almond meal
1/4C coconut flour
1/2C coconut cream
1 tsp baking soda
2 large bananas
1/4C almond butter

Icing
100g butter, softened
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp almond butter

For the cupcakes
Beat butter and honey well, until butter turns pale.

Add eggs, one at a time, and beat slowly until just combined.

Add almond meal and coconut flour (1/4C at a time) alternating with coconut cream, stir with a wooden spoon after each addition. Add baking soda. Stir.

In a separate bowl, mash bananas and almond butter. Stir this into the cupcake mix.

Spoon mixture into cupcake cases (in a muffin pan). Bake at 180 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

Cool cupcakes for 5 minutes in pan before removing from pan and placing on a wire rack to cool completely.

For the icing
Beat ingredients together. Freeze or refrigerate to harden before icing cupcakes.

Once cupcakes are completely cool, ice. I suggest keeping them in the fridge so that the icing doesn't melt...if there happens to be any left!

Spicy meatballs with sunflower butter sauce

2011-02-10T12:08:00.001+13:00

This was the first meal I cooked for Bear. He stuck around, so it can’t have been too bad…

Meatballs
500g beef mince (although pork or lamb mince would also work)
1 egg
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 tbsp grated ginger
¼ cup chopped fresh coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
Salt & pepper

Sauce
¼ cup sunflower butter (you can get this at Huckleberry Farms, or Ceres Wholefoods)
1 cup coconut cream
½ cup water
1 red chilli, finely chopped

For the sauce
Put all ingredients into a saucepan and heat, stirring frequently, until boiling.

For the meatballs
Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Shape into meatballs.

Brown meatballs in a frypan. Add sauce to meatballs. Stir, cover, and simmer 10 mins or until meatballs cooked through.

Serve over chopped red cabbage.

Notes:
Last time I did this, I used cauliflower rice which was great, but cauliflowers are now $6 each!! We had half a red cabbage that needed using up, so I figured I’d try using that. It was also really good!

I also used a casserole dish last time, but that’s currently packed in a box somewhere! It was probably slightly better than done in the frypan. Brown the meatballs in the dish on the stovetop, add the sauce, cover & bake at 150 degrees for 15-20 mins (I think!).

Inspiration. Where do you get yours from?

2011-02-02T17:09:00.000+13:00

Inspiration. It fuels my creativity. It motivates me to be the best version of myself. It drives me.

At CrossFit, I get inspiration from the people around me. The CrossFit women, who I aspire to be as strong as, as committed as, as driven as. Bear, who pushes himself to be better every single time. The personal battles that each individual fights when they push through a WoD. So I utilise this; I channel this. I watch the more experienced CrossFit women in their workouts and in competition; I workout behind Bear where possible, because his efforts inspire my efforts; and I remind myself of the battles that others are fighting, when I feel like my one is just too hard.

In life, I am inspired by my friends and my family. My father, who has battled back from serious illness and major heart surgery; who now enjoys all the activities he used to before his illness. My mother, who carries on like a trooper, supporting us through all our crises; who, at almost 61, is still prepared to give water-skiing a go, and now even CrossFit; and who is a demon in the kitchen. My gorgeous aunt and cousins, who still grieve their husband/father but have found a way to carry on and find happiness in life. My grandparents, who have experienced so many trials and still remain strong, independent, and committed to their family. My friend, who has battled cancer three times, and still faces life head-on, positive and motivated. Bear, who has had 18 months of battles, yet constantly amazes me by his self-awareness, his concern for others, and his strength. I could keep going – the list is endless – but you get the idea…

In the kitchen, I am inspired by recipes I find on the net or in recipe books; by my Cuisine magazines (generously gifted to me by my brothers); by meals eaten out at restaurants or at friends’ places; and by dishes that my Mum makes.

This recipe was inspired by the homemade tomato sauce that Mum used to make. I remember going out to the ‘countryside’ to get the tomatoes, the big preserving pot bubbling away on the stove, and the incredible smell wafting through the house. I remember pouring the sauce out onto the newsprint paper that Friday night fish and chips came wrapped in. I remember the tomato-shaped container that it was always kept in. And I remember the family time that was associated with it.

Obviously I don’t really eat fish and chips anymore, but nothing beats a tasty tomato-based sauce. I especially like hickory sauce. So I have tried to adapt Mum’s original recipe to incorporate primal eating and a smoked hickory flavour…

Hils’ Smokin’ Hickory Sauce

2kg tomatoes*

500ml red wine vinegar

40g rock salt

½ tsp cayenne pepper

2 cloves garlic

500g apples

3 large onions

3 tbsp liquid smoke

½ cup maple syrup (if you want to be strict paleo, you can leave this out, but maybe reduce the salt)

In a muslin bag:

½ tsp black peppercorns

½ tsp whole all spice

15g whole cloves

2 star anise

Cut tomatoes, apples & onions. Put all ingredients into a large saucepan. Boil 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Use a stick blender or food processor to mix.

*Thanks to Nikki & Josh for the homegrown organic Roma tomatoes!

Inspiration. Where do you get yours from?

Paleo Pancakes - update!

2011-02-02T09:21:00.000+13:00

For those who've been waiting for confirmation of the almond meal quantity in the paleo pancake recipe (thanks Alex for the reminder!)...half a cup is good! If you're cooking for more than 2 (or for 1 or 2 really hungry people), I would suggest doubling the recipe.

True story.

2011-01-28T07:44:00.000+13:00

28 January. To most of you, it’s probably just another day. But it’s a date I’ll never forget.

7 years ago today, I was facing one of my greatest challenges. 7 years ago today, I was lying on an operating table while surgeons removed my large bowel. Crohn’s Disease hadn’t succeeded in taking my life, but it had succeeded in taking my colon.

In September 2003, just before my 23rd birthday, I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease - an autoimmune disease that affects your digestive system. They don’t know what causes it, or how to cure it. However, the chronic nature of the condition wasn’t made all that clear to me, and I went away thinking that, just like most other illnesses, if I took my medications it would eventually go away.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go quite to plan! After about 3 months of very little change in my symptoms, I suddenly got really sick. I could barely eat, I was in the bathroom more often than I was out of it, I was losing a lot of blood, and I was in a lot of pain. At its worst, I was actually crawling between my bed and the bathroom. Unsurprisingly, I ended up in hospital, but because the disease had been so mild when I was diagnosed 3 months earlier, it took the medical team about 5 days to realise how bad things were.

On December 31st 2003, because I wasn’t responding to treatment, they performed a sigmoidoscopy. My Mum had stopped in to say goodbye before heading away for New Year (that sounds callous, but none of us realised just how sick I was), and will never forget the specialist telling her that if that was her daughter, she wouldn’t be going anywhere. She didn’t. From the scope, it was apparent that my bowel was very close to perforating, and the doctors had to start considering major emergency surgery to remove my large bowel. This surgery would mean that I would end up with an ileostomy, which is where they bring the end of the small bowel out onto the surface of the abdomen and stitch it in place. Happy New Year.

Only the problem with doing emergency surgery at that time was that I was really too sick for my body to be able to cope. Wait, or operate? Either option was going to be risky, so it was a fairly tense time while the doctors tried to decide what course of action would give me the best chance of coming through this.

Thankfully, after a few days, the medications had enough of an effect that they were able to hold off on the surgery, allowing them to try all the other treatment options available. Although in the end none of them were effective and I did need the surgery, at least my body had a chance to build up a bit of strength, I had a chance to come to terms emotionally with what was going on, and I knew that every other option had been explored.

28 January. Surgery was rough (pain control was a massive problem) and the recovery was long and hard. When I came out of hospital, I struggled just to walk up my parents’ driveway. I was just starting to make progress when I had another disease flare and needed more major surgery in July of the same year – this time, making my ileostomy permanent. But I resolved that I wasn’t going to let the Crohn’s or the ileostomy stop me doing anything…and it hasn’t [well, it has stopped me doing one thing, but this probably isn’t the appropriate forum for a discussion on toilet habits!]. In fact, I probably do more now than I did before my surgery, including the very things I was told I shouldn’t do with an ileostomy (namely, contact sports and heavy lifting)! My experience has motivated me to make the most of my opportunities, to challenge myself, to push myself beyond my comfort zone.

But it hasn’t always been easy. Pushing yourself, trying new things, embracing what life has to offer is sometimes difficult when you just want to curl up in bed and sleep for a week. It was a constant battle. For 7 years, fatigue has been my nemesis…until now. Having changed my diet to primal eating when I started CrossFit in October, I have experienced a huge change in my energy levels. Sure, I get physically tired when I’ve trained hard, but it’s so totally different to the fatigue that I fought before.

Not only that, I actually love my CrossFit/primal eating body! It’s not perfect – far from it. It’s not as strong or as toned as it could be. But it’s stronger, faster, and fitter than ever before.

This was me not long after I came out of hospital from my first surgery, my face still puffy from the huge doses of steroids I was on, my limbs in serious need of some toning…

This was me when I started CrossFit in October last year…

This was me two months into CrossFit and primal eating…

For the first time in about 12 years, I can honestly say that I love my body.

28 January 2004. 7 years. I never thought I would, or could, have the life I do now. I have worked, I have studied, I have travelled. I have played music, I have played sports. I have amazing friends and family, I have a partner who I adore.

7 years. I have laughed, I have loved, I have lived. My illness has made me the person I am, and if I had to go through it all again to be where I am today, I would. In a heartbeat.

7 years. Time flies when you’re having fun.

True story.

It’s not freak food

2011-01-27T09:32:00.000+13:00

Since going primal, I’ve become fairly used to hearing phrases like…

“I have no idea what to cook for you now”

or…

“I don’t think [insert name here] would like it if I started serving him/her primal meals”

and most commonly…

“But what do you eat?!”

Well guess what people, you’ll never believe it…it’s kinda crazy, I know…but we eat food! Real food!! It’s nothing special, nothing particularly weird, just real food that doesn’t happen to include grains or sugars. It may be labelled ‘primal’, ‘paleo’, or even ‘caveman’…but it’s not freak food!

I was having a conversation with a friend last week who was concerned about how her partner might respond if she served up a primal meal. So I told her not to tell him it was primal. After all, it’s just normal food. If you don’t make a big deal of the fact that there are no grains or sugars, most people probably won’t even notice! In fact, a lot of you probably eat grain-free meals quite regularly…you just don’t call them primal.

Even eating out is pretty easy once you get your head around it. Sure, you may need to ask them to hold the bread or the potatoes, but countless people have dietary requirements that mean modifications of some dishes. Isn’t that kind of service what we’re paying for when we eat out?!

I do have to admit though, one thing that I find requires a little more ‘thinking outside the square’ is nibbles (or appetisers). First thing we usually think of is cheese and crackers…or bread and dips…or if you’re really fancy, blini (little pikelet things) with elaborate toppings…primal fail! But don’t despair, there are actually plenty of other options if you just get a little creative. We went to a friend’s place for dinner last night, and of course, I was asked to take snacks! So I did guacamole with vegetable sticks, and a sweet/spicy Cajun nut mix…

Cajun Nut Mix

Cajun spice (from Annabel Langbein)

5 tbsp paprika

5 tbsp ground cumin

3 tbsp garlic powder

1 ½ tbsp each of chilli powder, brown sugar, salt (obviously I left out the sugar)

2 ½ tsp chopped dry rosemary

Place all ingredients into a bowl/pot/jar and combine.

Nuts

6 cups raw nuts/seeds (I used cashews, almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds)

7 tbsp cajun spice mix (this makes it quite spicy – use less if you prefer it mild)

½ C olive oil

¼ C pure maple syrup

Combine nuts/seeds, cajun spice, oil and maple syrup.

Spread mix out on baking trays. I lined them with baking paper first to reduce the clean-up!

Roast at 200 degrees celcius until dry (approx 20 mins), stirring occasionally. If you are using fan bake, they probably won’t need as long.

Be careful – because of the maple syrup and the oil, these go from being underdone to overdone in a very short space of time! I learnt the hard way…any chance blackened cajun nut mix might catch on?!

Guacamole

2 avocados

1/2 red chilli (chilli flakes or powder also work)

juice of 2 limes

1 small red onion

1 tomato

lots of fresh coriander

salt & pepper

Mash or blend avocados, chilli and lime juice. Because it was there, I used the Magic Bullet (seriously, could they not have put a bit more thought into the name? I thought the thing was a vibrator the first time I heard someone talking about it!), but mashing works just as well.

Blend or finely chop onion, tomato and coriander. Again, I used the Bullet, but if you like your guacamole chunky, stick with a knife.

Combine avocado mix and the tomato mix, and season to taste.

And a huge thank you to D for an amazing dinner last night, and for accommodating our dietary choices so well. Homemade gluten-free hoisin sauce - that's really going the extra mile!

A taste of summer

2011-01-21T08:36:00.000+13:00

Icecreams by the beach, sipping a glass of chilled white wine on the deck, fresh bread dipped in olive oil…I have to admit to a twinge of jealousy when I see people enjoying these aspects of the alfresco Kiwi summer; a twinge of jealousy that their lifestyle choices allow them to enjoy these tastes of summer more frequently than my choices do.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not looking for sympathy – I know that it’s my choice. And I wouldn’t change my choices – I feel better than I have in years, and that’s definitely worth a few ‘sacrifices’. But just occasionally, I feel a bit like I’m missing out.

So today, I came up with another way of experiencing summer. It may not be alcoholic, or full of refined sugars, but in my book, this salad definitely qualifies as a ‘taste of summer’…

Summer Stonefruit Chicken Salad

Ingredients

4 white peaches

2 white nectarines

1 red onion, chopped

¼ cup fresh mint, chopped finely

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Rocket (or other lettuce-type leaves)

Cucumber (‘ribboned’ using a peeler)

2/3 of an orange kumara

330g chicken breasts, halved horizontally and cut into small pieces

Extra mint (torn up) for garnish

(12 blocks protein, 12 blocks carbs, 36 blocks fat – this did each of us 1 lunch and 1 dinner)

Slice stonefruit and place in a bowl with red onion, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mint, salt and pepper. Combine and leave to marinate for at least half an hour…preferably longer.

Using a peeler, make ‘ribbons’ out of the kumara. Mix with a bit of olive oil and salt. Spread out on a baking tray and bake at 200 degrees for approximately 5 minutes (or until starting to get crispy).

Remove tray from oven and unstick ribbons from tray by scraping with a spatula (they will stick to each other – this is ok…it looks cool!).

Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and fry in a non-stick pan until browned.

On each plate, place some rocket and some cucumber ribbons, then the appropriate quantity of cooked chicken. Spoon over the allocated amount of the fruit mix, top with a handful of kumara ribbons, and garnish with fresh mint.

The salad got rave reviews from Bear…and just quietly, I’m kinda proud of this one too!

In the Zone

2011-01-20T16:24:00.000+13:00

People are reading my blog and seeing the food I eat at uni, and they're starting to ask me about primal eating and Zone. Awesome! I love talking about this stuff!! Mostly because it's made such a difference to my life, but also because I find it really interesting. But it's not always easy to explain over a Funky Green Smoothie in the staffroom, so for those who want to know more, here's a great link to a free article from Crossfit Journal...
http://journal.crossfit.com/2004/05/zone-meal-plans-crossfit-journ.tpl

I've also noticed that, upon hearing about primal eating, most people's first questions are a) how do you feel full without starchy carbs?; and b) what do you eat for breakfast?

When it comes to feeling full, my own personal experience is that, as long as I include enough 'good' fat and plenty of veges in my meal, feeling satisfied is almost guaranteed. What I don't get, is the heavy, 'I've eaten too much and I feel gross' feeling that I used to get with starchy carbs. But really, who enjoys feeling like that on a regular basis?

For a good, simple guide to primal eating, check out this post from Mark's Daily Apple...

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/definitive-guide-to-the-primal-eating-plan/

As for the second concern, there are plenty of options! We love bacon, eggs, avocado, spinach & tomato; smoothies (I've posted one recipe, happy to post more if people want?); paleo pancakes (also posted already). Others go for fruit, nuts & yoghurt...or even a steak! As an example of a primal, zone friendly breakfast, here's a recipe for one of our real favourites - N-oatmeal (or 'faux porridge', for the Brits out there). This recipe was posted on Mark's Daily Apple, and then Jojo Ninja played with it to make it meet her Zone requirements. It's amazing!

N-oatmeal

1/3 mashed banana (I use 1/2 if it's a small banana)

3.5 tbsp LSA (Linseed, Sunflower, & Almond mix)

1/2 tbsp almond butter

5 tbsp coconut cream

1 egg

1/2 tbsp PURE maple syrup (I leave this out & add extra fresh fruit - blueberries are good - before serving instead)

(1 block protein, 2 blocks carbs - if you use the maple syrup or add extra fruit, 5 blocks fat)

Whisk together eggs and coconut cream VERY well. Give your mashed banana and almond butter a really good mix and add it to the egg mix, then stir in LSA. Warm in a saucepan on a super low heat. Stir frequently, and don’t let it heat up too quickly or the egg will scramble, and that’s not good!

Yesterday, I added some cinnamon and some mixed spice to it whilst heating.Then, before serving, added chopped up white peach & some cooked bacon (for another block of protein). BOOM! If you can't get your head around that combo, think the sweet/spicy/savoury flavour mix that you got back in the days you used to order french toast with bacon & fresh fruit for brunch... ;-)

This also reheats really well in the microwave - just add a bit of water & stir frequently.

'Failure'

2011-01-18T15:21:00.001+13:00

The other day, I wrote about pride and celebrating our successes, but what do we do when we 'fail'*...fail to meet others' expections or to meet our own?

This is something I really struggle with. I hate looking bad (read: not doing something perfectly) in front of others, and I hate it even more when I don't meet the pretty huge expectations I place on myself. In these situations, I have a tendency to try and hide it...pretend it never happened. How many of you respond the same way? How many of you avoid talking or thinking about perceived 'failures', and shut down the conversation when others bring them up? It's hard to admit to being less than perfect!

I was inspired and humbled by Bear's response to Saturday's baseline Grace workout. He was disappointed. His time was slower than his personal best (PB), and the workout didn't feel good. But instead of refusing to discuss it, he posted his time on Facebook and talked about his performance with other CrossFitters.

And why not? We can't be at peak performance every single minute of every single day. It's normal to have off days. It's normal to have strengths and weaknesses. Admitting to these is just admitting to being human.

I can, and will, learn from Bear's approach.

So in the spirit of learning...in the spirit of personal development...I am admitting to 'failing' in the kitchen last night.

We came in late from CrossFit, we had our post-workout smoothie, and I was contemplating throwing together a lamb stirfry for dinner. But I was tired. Scratch that...I was exhausted...we both were...and cooking just seemed too hard. So we ended up having what will henceforth be referred to as a 'block mash-up'. Instead of creating a delicious culinary masterpiece, I made up our blocks using tuna, yoghurt, prunes, and almonds (not all mixed together, I hasten to add!). Domestic goddess fail!

Oh well, at least lunch was pretty tasty...

Tongan Tuna Cakes
(because we're house-sitting for our friends, The Tongans, and so it was in their kitchen that these were created)

Ingredients
3 kumara, boiled to soft
1 egg
50g almond meal
196g tinned tuna in springwater (drained)
2 spring onions
2 tsp paprika
salt
pepper

Mash kumara, combine with egg and almond meal.
Stir in drained tuna, spring onions, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste.
Shape into patties (I made 8 patties, which were supposed to be approximately 1 block each...but I think we went a bit crazy on the kumara!).

Cook in butter, using a frypan or electric frypan, for approximately 5 minutes each side.
Serve with sweet chilli sauce (Bear's paleo sweet chilli recipe to be posted soon!)

*Note: 'fail' and 'failure' are used only in the context of failing to meet expectations (own or others')

What she said

2011-01-17T10:35:00.000+13:00

Life's been a little crazy these last few days, and I haven't really had time to cook, let alone write a blog post! So here's a lazy link to an awesome post by my friend Jojo, just to tide you over, and I will try to return to regular programming ASAP...

Learning to fly my freak flag

Feel the fear…and do it anyway

2011-01-13T22:25:00.000+13:00

Challenge – it’s what gets me up in the morning, it’s what enables the successes that give rise to the pride I talked about yesterday, it’s what pushes me to push myself. I thrive on challenge, and so challenging myself comes naturally to me. But that doesn’t stop it being scary. I can’t count how many times I’ve stood at the top of a snowboarding run; or waited in the water, attached to my wakeboard and gripping the ski rope; and wondered what the hell I was thinking when I took up those hobbies. But I’d feel the fear and do it anyway…some would say it’s because I’m a little crazy, but I prefer to think that the fact that it scared me made it that much more satisfying when I did it. By nature, challenges often are scary. They push us beyond our boundaries, beyond our comfort zone.

I can’t count the number of people I know who embody that idea, but a few particular individuals come to mind in relation to CrossFit. Our friends and family see the impact that CrossFit has had on our lives – after all, it’d be hard to miss it. And even if they had managed to remain completely blind to the changes in us, they’d be hard pushed to get us to shut up about it…we’ll talk the ears off anyone who expresses even a slight interest in what it is that we do! So naturally, it’s sparked some interest amongst our loved ones…but also some fear. So many people have said to me ‘oh, I wouldn’t be fit enough for CrossFit’, or ‘it sounds great, but I’d be scared that I’d end up looking stupid’. Well, some brave people we know are pushing their boundaries, leaving their comfort zones, and giving it a shot. To Tash, to my Mum, and to Bear’s sisters – we’re so proud of you for feeling the fear, and doing it anyway.

Now, I reckon it’d be wrong of me to talk others into challenging themselves without taking on some scary challenges myself, so I’ve been doing just that. CrossFit New Zealand (who will be referred to as CFNZ from now on) is running a 'Grace' challenge. 'Grace' is one of the CrossFit benchmark workouts, involving 30 x power clean and jerks at 60kg (for men) or 40kg (for women), as fast as possible. My clean and jerks suck. Like, seriously. It would be so much easier for me not to sign up for this challenge. So I did. Baseline is Saturday…and I’m scared.

Blogging also scares me. This wasn’t the first time someone had tried to persuade me to start a blog, but I didn’t think my experimenting in the kitchen was worthy of a blog, or that anyone else would want to read anything I had to say. But thanks to Bear’s encouragement, I did it anyway, and I’m loving it.

And as much as I love my kitchen time, I also love it when someone else cooks for me…but that challenges me too. You may have noticed already that I’m a textbook Type A – I like to be in control. Letting go in the kitchen is not easy for me. But I did, and I was rewarded with an amazing meal for it (guest post coming soon to a computer near you). Thanks Bear – I think I might just challenge myself more often!

Another challenge that I’m undertaking is to get better at post-workout nutrition. I often don’t eat for an hour or so after a CrossFit workout, which is not ideal. Bear’s great at post-workout nutrition, so I’m trying to learn from him. Last night we realised that we didn’t have anything to make our morning post-workout smoothie with, so we ventured to the supermarket at 10pm. I was planning on an avocado, apple & spinach smoothie, which I love (despite my original scepticism about avocado in smoothies). However, fate was against us – we couldn’t get any ripe avocados. So we ‘freestyled’ and settled for coconut milk as our fat content. I threw it all in the blender, added some spices for extra flavour, flicked the switch, and watched it all turn green. Taking the lid off the blender, I admit I was a bit worried – it smelt a little funky – but I got my brave on and tried it anyway. Delicious!

It would have been even better if we’d actually remembered to take it to the workout with us this morning! Oh well, it’s the thought that counts, right?!?

Funky Green Smoothie

4 eggs

4 cups of spinach

1 and ½ granny smith apples

400ml coconut milk

Nutmeg

Cinnamon

(4 blocks carbs, 4 blocks protein, 16 blocks fat)

1. Throw everything into a blender (you might have to add half the spinach to begin with, then the other half once it’s blended down a bit)

2. Blend on high

3. Chill

4. Remember to take it with you to your workout

Pride - vice or virtue?

2011-01-12T14:07:00.000+13:00

I felt proud of myself yesterday. Really proud. And I'm not going to feel bad about admitting it.

So often, we're told not to boast, not to 'talk ourselves up', that we should downplay our achievements. But why should we? What's wrong with having a little pride in ourselves? I'm not talking arrogance or out-of-control egos here, I'm just talking about being able to congratulate ourselves on our successes and share our excitement with those around us. The ability to do this enhances your confidence and motivates you to strive harder towards your goals. At least, it does for me.

Why was I feeling proud? Well it was nothing earth-shattering, nothing Nobel prize-worthy...just three small successes, but I feel good about them nonetheless.

Achievement #1
Yesterday's workout at CrossFit New Zealand involved unbroken reps, which provide an interesting mental and physical challenge.

5 sets:
15 unbroken pull ups
20 unbroken wall balls
25 unbroken Double unders
- restart the exercise from zero if you stop to rest or miss a rep.

This was a tough workout, and I had to modify. Modification #1 was reps - 10, 15, 20 instead of 15, 20, 25. I was hoping to be able to achieve this on the pull ups and wall balls, but I wasn't holding high hopes for the double unders, given that my previous PB had been 17. Modification #2 was to do broken sets.

Now, I didn't manage to do all the pull ups unbroken - after set 1, I was too broken for that! But I did get all the wall balls unbroken, which was pretty cool. Even better though, and what I'm really proud of...I got one unbroken set of double unders! That's right...I managed 20 unbroken double unders...and it was on the fourth set too, so I was doing them fatigued. Given that prior to Boxing Day, I couldn't even get two unbroken double unders, I am feeling pretty damn stoked.

Achievement #2
I got my first pull-up blister! I've had peeling skin & callouses on my hands from pull-ups before, but this was my first real, live blister. While I know that might not be much of a source of pride for many people, for me, it was an indication that I'd pushed myself...hard. High five (just be careful of popping that puppy!)

[Ok, so I know it's small and you can't really see it, but there really is a blister right below my index finger!]

Achievement #3
I actually remembered to measure the ingredients that went into last night's dinner! I almost forgot...I'd even picked up a regular old spoon to start throwing stuff into the pan...but then I remembered you guys and the measuring spoon. So here it is, the accurate (mostly) recipe for Almond Satay Chicken Stirfry.

Almond Satay Chicken Stirfry

Ingredients
2 onions
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp red chilli
300g chicken
4 cups bean sprouts (I know these aren't technically paleo, but they were delivered in the vege box for the week, so we used them)
~ 2 cups broccoli
1 red capsicum
1 cup carrots
2 tbsp almond butter
110ml coconut cream

Fresh coriander to taste (I used lots because I like it!)

[note: these quantities gave us approximately 11 blocks carbs, 11 blocks protein, and 23 blocks fat - 3 x 2-block meals + 1 x 5-block meal. If you're not doing Zone, just chuck in whatever quantities of meat & veges you want]

1. Fry (I used a wok) onions, garlic, and chilli in a bit of olive oil. I didn't have fresh chillis or garlic, so I had to use pre-prepared stuff, but fresh would be better.
2. Add chicken and cook until white
3. Add all of the vegetables except the bean sprouts and cook until soft (or as cooked as you like them). I added a bit of water into the pan here too, to help soften them a bit.
4. Add the bean sprouts and stir through.
5. Add in the almond butter & coconut cream. Mix well and heat until simmering.
6. Stir in the coriander, serve & enjoy. If you're as lucky as me, that will be with good company, before a lovely evening at the tennis - thanks Tanya!

How to kill your boyfriend in two easy steps...

2011-01-11T12:20:00.000+13:00

What sort of a ninja would I be if I didn't have at least one post about killing? So here's my first 'death' post...

You've all heard of 'Death by 10 metres', right? [If you haven't, quickly check out this link, and then you will have] Well, last night, Bear experienced 'Death by Lettuce'. Step 1: try to make up 5 blocks of carbs using mostly lettuce, some tomato, & a carrot. Step 2: eat it, for time.

Seriously, it was a lot of salad. What looked like a pretty reasonable amount for a 2 block meal (mine), suddenly became a Hero Workout as a 5 block meal. True story.

Honestly, I thought we'd be up half the night. 'Can we go to bed now?', 'No, I'm still eating salad'...'How about now?', 'Nope, still going...'. Thankfully, we weren't. Like the trooper that he is, Bear ploughed through it and called time at 19 minutes and 56 seconds...just squeezing in before the 20 minute time cap. Shot baby - you're a star.

Ok, seriously now...we are trying to keep meals reasonably simple this week while we get our heads around Zone, which meant naked burgers and salad for dinner last night. I wasn't going to post the recipe, because it's not really a recipe and it's not anything mindblowing, but then I figured it might be a quick, simple option for some of you when you're short on time or inspiration [it was also Measuring Fail II, in that I reverted to my old self & completely forgot to measure anything…sorry! I’ll try harder next time]. So here it is...

Quick & easy naked burgers

700g beef mince

1 egg (to bind)

Ground cumin

Ground coriander

Dried thyme

Dried oregano

Dried parsley

Hot sauce (I used Kaitaia Fire, but Tabasco or similar would also be good)

[Basically, the ingredients were dictated by what I found in Bear’s cupboard. You could use different herbs & spices, although I do recommend you keep the cumin (if you like cumin)…it gives it a nice flavour]

Mix the egg and herbs/spices into the mince with a fork (or your hands, if you like getting dirty).

Divide the mixture into 14 even portions and form each one into a burger pattie (each pattie is approximately 1 block protein).

Cook in a frypan or on a barbecue - you shouldn't need to add additional fat. Time depends on how well done you like them and the thickness of the patties, but you're probably looking at around 4 or 5 minutes on each side.

Serve with salad...or maybe something else, if you're not game to attempt 'Death by Lettuce'. And babe, we'll find a better way of making up your carb blocks tonight, I promise!

Measuring Fail (or 'Paleo Pancakes')

2011-01-10T15:34:00.000+13:00

If you read my last (first? last?...that's kind of confusing...) post, you'll know that I mostly have a 'freestyle' approach to cooking. On Friday morning, I made some super yummy almond meal pancakes, sort of based on several different recipes found on the internet, but mostly just a case of chucking some stuff in until the mixture seemed like the right consistency. Which worked fine. Until Bear posted about the pancakes on facebook, and people started asking for the recipe. So I decided to repeat the process on Saturday morning, this time taking note of how much of everything I used.

Of course, it all went wrong. My ever-helpful boyfriend commented that it was actually a good thing that it went wrong because it gave me something to blog about. I was not impressed. I’d rather have nothing to write about and have it go right.

Never mind...with a bit of adapting, they turned out good enough...and perhaps I'll refine the recipe next time & re-post for those who are interested.

Almond Meal Pancakes

Ingredients

1 banana, mashed

1 egg

½ tbsp almond butter

½ C almond meal (I think...I used too much, so they were a bit crumbly...1/2 a cup is a bit less than I used when it went wrong!)

Combine mashed banana, egg & almond butter in a bowl.

Add almond meal & stir well.

Fry spoonfuls of the mixture over low to medium heat in butter or coconut oil (or your preferred fat for cooking).

Helpful hints

Keep the pancakes on the smaller side, or they’re a real b&#ch to turn.

[Acutally, this one's not so helpful...]This mix doesn't tend to give you those handy little bubbles that tell you when it's time to flip the pancakes, so you have to guesstimate a bit. You want the edges to start browning before you flip them, which probably took about 2-3 minutes. I also found they needed longer on first side than the second.

Serve with bacon, fruit, yoghurt...

...a sexy man…

...whatever takes your fancy!

And you are...??

2011-01-10T14:49:00.002+13:00

So I guess I should start with a bit of an introduction. After all, it's not everyday you meet a kitchen ninja...we're a pretty rare breed.

I'm Lana. I'm a 31 year-old female, living in New Zealand, and currently trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. Boring, boring, boring. Here's the good stuff...

I like to workout. And by workout, I mean really workout. I do this thing called CrossFit...you may have heard of it...

What is CrossFit?

I only started CrossFit in October 2010, but although I'm still pretty new to it, I'm well and truly addicted. As well as CrossFit, I like to kick and punch things...or people...I don't discriminate. Although I do try to channel those aggressive tendencies for sole use in taekwon-do...or when something goes wrong in the kitchen.

I also love food. A lot. You know those people who say they forgot to eat? Yeah...I'll never be one of them. I mean seriously, you forgot to eat? Did your brain block out the smells of other people's lunches wafting down the corridor, or the sounds of your stomach growling louder than a bear suffering from honey withdrawal? WHO FORGETS TO EAT??

Ok sorry, rant over. Now the thing with loving food but also loving training, is that you need to figure it out so that your nutrition supports (or even better, optimises) your training. Which is where paleo/primal eating comes in...

A little bit of an intro to the caveman diet

This kind of eating is new(ish) to me. 'New' in that I've only been following it closely for a few months, but 'ish' in that I've been mostly wheat free for over a year (food intolerance) and didn't have a huge amount of other grains or sugars in my diet before CrossFit. But it's still new. And it's still fun. And it's made a huge difference to my body composition, to my energy levels, and to my training. So I'm going with it. Luckily, I also like to experiment in the kitchen, which is why I've been encouraged (persuaded/coerced/whatever you want to call it) to start this blog.

Anyway, speaking of bears (we were, remember?)...I have this amazing boyfriend (yes I know, the connection is seeming tenuous at best right now), who we will refer to as Bear because he's big, he's hairy, he sleeps a lot and he eats a lot (seeing the connection now?!). He also has a fiendish sweet tooth, so yesterday we embarked on a fortnight of sugar-free eating. That is, no refined sugars, and fruit limited to post work-out nutrition. As of today, we're also going 'Zone' to see if it provides us with additional training benefits.

I'm excited about this! I usually 'freestyle' in the kitchen, adding stuff until it tastes good. Measuring is new for me...I've always kind of felt that it interferes with my creative processes! But freestyling doesn't help you guys much, it won't help us with our 'zoning', and it annoys the hell out of my mum when she asks for the recipe for something! So I'm going to give it a shot.

Bear (excuse the pun) with me as I experiment with primal, with zone, with blogging, and with measuring…