Pork Chops with Carmelized Onions

Last night we grabbed some pork chops and onions on our way home from the gym. I haven't cooked pork chops in awhile.
I have a set of Penzeys Spices that Adam's mom bought me and they are so great for stuff like this.I seasoned each side with some pepper and Penzeys Bicentennial Rub.
I melted 3 Tablespoons of unsalted butter in a skillet, and browned each side for 2 minutes.
I reduced the heat to medium and added in 2 sliced onions. After that just simmer with the lid on until the onions are soft and the pork chops have reached 155º. Season the onions with some S&P to taste!Protein: Pork
Carbohydrates: Onions and sauteed veggies
Fat: 1/2 Avocado
More from My Paleo Kitchen soon!

Paleo Update

I have been eating the Paleolithic Diet and Crossfitting for 4 solid months now and I wanted to share my thoughts on how I feel today versus the beginning. I was interviewed by Steve Kamb for his blog. It got me thinking about the last 4 months. I will let you know when the interview has been posted!I will be the first to admit that it has not been easy and peachy to adapt to this new lifestyle. I love pasta, bread, rice, soda and tons of other things that have been cut out.
The first step I took was to begin to think of my food as fuel for my body instead of just for the taste. I worked on the Zone principle of eating 1.Protein 2.Low-glycemic Carbohydrates 3.Fat
I took meals we would normally eat and replaced a processed item like pasta with a fresh ingredient like vegetables. I liked this part because I like to cook. That part was easy. I began to realize I didn't feel hungry or unsatisfied after a meal like I initially thought I would.
Lunch has been the biggest struggle for me. I work from home so the possibilities are endless. I can cook instead of brown bagging it! However I continue to struggle here. I grew up making thinks like macaroni for lunch, and that habit has been hard to break.
However, the changes on my body are real. Although hard to see, I know my body has changed. How I look has changed, what I weigh has changed and most importantly how I react to "bad" food has changed. I can't go out and eat fried appetizers for dinner without paying for it later. My body quickly reminds me that I don't do that anymore. I don't crave rice, or soda anymore. I drink my tea with honey and honestly never want a coke.

Since I've incorporated Crossfit along with the Paleo diet I have seen incredible strength changes in myself as well. In just 4 months I can do 3 pullups. I can also do full "boy" pushups. I've done 65 in a twenty minute workout. The strength changes have been the most noticeable.So the point of my blog is to share my journey. So four months in how do I feel? Better! Do I think it's worth it? YES!
This isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle. Do I cheat? Yes. But do I feel better about myself and my body? Yes. I know what I'm doing is right. I am healthier that I was by far when I started this journey.
More from my paleo kitchen soon!

Frozen Margaritas

Excuse the delay. I have been working on this post since Sunday night! Atlanta received 7 consecutive days of rain which resulted in a small flood in our crawl space! So we've spent the first part of the week dealing with that. All is well, the water is drained, the air conditioning unit is dry and working, and we have a fan going full blast below to prevent any mold and mildew!
But back to the fun part of this post!
This weekend we went to Charlotte for Adam to get Crossfit Level 1 Certification. He was in class both days and he is now able to train people in the glorious world of crossfit.
I took a picture of him with Sarah and Rebecca before they left the first day.
I call this "First Day of School"We were lucky to stay with our good friends Jon and Aften. Aften had to work on Saturday so Jon and I were left to entertain ourselves. Jon has recently purchased a frozen drink machine so what else is there to do than spend our life savings on Paleo Margaritas!!!
Now if you are not familiar with the Paleo Margarita then I'm here to let you know they are amazing!Here are the ingredients:
1.5 oz. Tequila
1 oz. soda water
.75 oz. agave nectar
1 lime juiced
Shake it all together and enjoy the goodness.
As you can tell, for the machine we had to multiply the recipe... a lot!Have you ever wondered what Doberman looks like dressed as a bumble bee? You don't have to wonder anymore!
Have a great rest of your week. More from my paleo kitchen later!!

Crock Pot Cube Steak...

...one of my best paleo recipes yet!

4 cube steaks
1 onion quartered
2 carrots chopped
1 jar of whole mushrooms (1/2 liquid drained)
1 can black olives (1/2 liquid drained)
4 small whole tomatoes
1 t. basil
2 C. chunky spaghetti sauce
Steak Seasoning
Salt and Pepper

Spray crock pot with non-stick spray. Lay cube steaks on the bottom, season with steak seasoning. Add in onions, carrots, mushrooms, olives, tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper.
Pour spaghetti sauce over.
Cook on low for 8 hours.

When we pulled it out the veggies were tender and the meat was falling apart.
I'm sorry i don't have a picture of the finished product but we ate it too fast!!
More from my paleo kitchen soon!

Salmon Sashimi and a visit to Auburn

On Friday I went to the farmers market down the street and got some sushi grade Salmon. I sliced it and paired it with a great salad for lunch.
Fish is always on the list of Paleo approved items!
Saturday morning we got up bright and early to go to the Auburn/Mississippi State game. It was a great trip!
We tailgated with Whitney and her family. She's my best friend from High School. We lived together for 4 years at Auburn. Her daughter Tucker is 2 and a half and the perfect subject for my camera!
Lots of play makes little girls tired. Someone did NOT want their picture taken here!
Whitney is the best mom. It amazes me to watch her. When my little ones come along I hope I will have all it takes to do what she does. I will call her a lot!

We met Adam's dad, step-mom and sister and headed into the game. Adam and Carlye had fun with her glasses. The game was great, Auburn won and we headed downtown to Bodega, our favorite bar, for one last drink. Some people are determined to close down all the bars in downtown Auburn ad Bodega is the latest victim. We are sad to see it go. It's apparently being replaced with a crepes restaurant.
I hope you all had a great weekend. More from my Paleo kitchen soon!

Veggie Nests

Last night my friend Beth came over for one last visit. She is leaving for a trip, practically around the world, until February! She was game to try a new Paleo recipe and we all thought it was a winner!
Veggie Nests:
2 Large Zucchini-shredded
5 Carrots-shredded
1 Onion-shredded
1/4 cup almond flour *grind 1/4 cup almonds in food processor
Eggs for each basket + 1 * I needed 7
1/2 t. thyme
1/2 t. each salt and pepper
Olive oil for pan

Shred zucchini, carrots and onions in food processor with grater blade. This picture is blurry but this is what it will look like.Combine with almond flour, 1 egg, thyme, salt and pepper.Heat the oil to medium-high and add 1 cup of the mixture to the skillet. To make a pancake shape, evenly press and round the edges with the back of a spoon. Cook 4-5 minutes on each side.

Transfer nests to a cookie sheet, that has been sprayed with Pam, when they are done in the skillet.
With the back of a spoon make your "nest" for your egg. Break eggs one at a time into a shallow bowl and gently pour into the nests.Bake at 425º for 10 minutes. Eggs will be warm and runny.
We made a great mixed green salad with tomatoes, zucchini, nuts and evoo/lemon juice for the dressing.


We will miss you "Beef" have a great trip!

Spicy Hummus

Hummus is one of my favorite things to get when we go out so I wanted to try to make it at home. It was very easy and was delicious!
Here are some of the items you will need. Tahini can be found in the ethnic section of the store. You might just want to ask someone where it is. This can cost me $7 which is a lot so I might be making hummus often!
Spicy Hummus:
1 can Garbanzo Beans
2 garlic cloves
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
1/2 t. honey
2 T. Tahini
1/4 cup olive oil
1 t. red pepper flakes
salt and pepperAdd all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.To make the chips I cut tortillas into triangles. I sprayed a cookie sheet with non-stick spray then laid down the slices of tortilla. I sprinkled the slices with garlic salt then sprayed again, then repeated for a second layer. I baked them at 350º until golden and crispy.
The hummus was great especially while the tortillas were warm!More from my paleo kitchen tomorrow!

allow me to introduce...

These two are loved like children! They have great personalities, and we love them to pieces. We got Cooper during Adam's last semester at Auburn. He was found on University in a ditch curled up in a little ball. He is our "high anxiety" dog and shakes and whines whenever he is distressed! We got "little" Jackie a year later from Pit Prints, a local pit bull rescue. Her litter was saved from the fighting life on New Years day and we got her 8 weeks later. She loves her big brother and cannot do anything without him! She has all the characteristics of her "Bully" breed, she loves to play and knocks Cooper out of the way when we are petting him to make sure she gets all the attention!
They are also favorites at Crossfit Peachtree. They go every day and hang out while we sweat it out!
But onto more Paleo matters, we had some great Chicken Sausage last night from Trader Joes. I paired it with some steamed frozen veggies and a few mushroom ravioli. I don't eat much pasta so I enjoyed these very much! We just grilled the sausage for 6 minutes on each side, it comes fully cooked so you don't have to worry about getting it cooked all the way through, just getting it nice and hot! Enjoy!
More from my paleo kitchen tomorrow.

Labor Day Weekend

Did you have a good weekend? I did. Was it hard to get out of bed this morning? It was for me!
I spent this weekend eating (a lot) and not much of it was strictly paleo... if you count the beer, cornbread, macaroni and more beer! We did get lots done around the house. My parents came over and Dad pressure washed every surface possible. Thanks Dad!
My Auburn Tigers came home with a win which made me very happy. With a new coach I feel that all of the plains were on pins and needles!
I will have more from my paleo kitchen soon but for now, my blog is sad without pictures.
Here are some that make me smile :)

Cube Steak

Tonight I grabbed a recipe for Cube Steak off of a Paleo blog that a friend sent to me.
I grew up on cube steak so I thought this would be a good one to try-and it was! (and who can complain about the price!!)

Combine 1/4 cup of almonds and seasonings of your choice + a couple splashes of olive oil into the food processor until the consistency of breadcrumbs.
I used celery salt, garlic salt, basil, oregano and steak seasoning.
I coated the steaks with the mixture and dropped them into a hot skillet with a few tablespoons of olive oil.
Cook them for 3 minutes on each side on medium-high. Let the meat rest for several minutes before serving.
For some good carbs I sauteed some asparagus in olive oil and salt. Then I had one of my favorite things-MACARONI! Obviously this is not paleo but it was oh so good!!
More from my paleo kitchen soon!

Shrimp Saute

Last night I bought some fresh shrimp from our local Farmer's Market. I got wild caught from the Gulf of Mexico! I melted some butter in a skillet and added garlic. I dropped in the shrimp and added some seasoning; salt, pepper, red pepper, Cajun then some white wine.
Next time I will go ahead and peel the shrimp before I cook it so it will take in more flavor!
I made okra by sauteing it in olive oil and salt. I also made some green beans. I ate some olives as well to get a complete meal of protein, carb and fat.