5 Dinner Salads 5 Dinners 5 Days: Wednesday - Grilled Chicken with Antipasto Salad

Our midweek salad reminded me of a rich stuffed pizza, all bold Italian flavors and hearty goodness. With chicken, pepperoni, cheese, tomatoes, and Italian spices, this meal has got it all.

​By way of reminder, here's the lineup:
Monday: Nicoise (hooray)
Tuesday: Seared Tuna Salad with Cilantro and Ginger Vinaigrette (zippy)
Wednesday:  Grilled Chicken with Antipasto Salad
Thursday: Tequila Lime Flank Steak Salad with Chile Lime Vinaigrette
Friday: Quinoa Apricot and Arugula Salad

Today was a great Wednesday
​ 
Ingredients:
Chicken and Marinade
-1 lb. free range chicken, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
-2 Tbsp olive oil
-1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
-2 cloves garlic, diced and smashed
-1 tsp sea salt
-1/2 tsp ground pepper
-Dash red pepper flakes

The Salad
-3-4 cups chopped spring greens/lettuce of your choice
-1 roasted/sauteed bell pepper, red for preference
-1 cup chopped tomatoes, whichever kind you have on hand but roma would be ideal
-1/3 cup red onion, sliced
-3/4 cup chopped pepperoni or salami (uncured for those avoiding preservatives and added sugars)
-1 cup shredded or small chopped mozzarella or white cheddar (I used Kerrygold grass fed)
-1 tsp Italian seasoning or dried oregano

Basil Balsamic Dressing
-2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
-2 tsp balsamic vinegar
-2 Tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
-1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning

Directions:
1. Chop chicken and place into a plastic bag or medium-sized dish
2. Add all marinade ingredients into the bag, toss, or pour over the chicken in the dish and toss together and set in the fridge for 30 minutes
3. While your chicken is marinating, get everything else ready. Chop the pepper into bite-sized strips and saute it.

7. Is the chicken done marinating yet? No? You're too quick at this. Load the dishwasher with all the dishes you've created thus far. Or, if you're like me, first unload all the dishes you didn't bother to unload from yesterday yet, then reload
8. Once the chicken is done marinating, grill or saute it, then add it atop the salad, along with the sauteed peppers
9. Finally, add the dressing over the top

How would you like the rich, full flavors of a yummy traditional Italian pizza with no gluten, no grain, and way more nutrition? The well-rounded flavors of this salad will have you back for seconds. If you keep it to one plate full and make some delicious grain-alternate bread to have alongside it, this salad could easily feed 4 people. As they say in Italy, Buon Appetito!!

5 Dinner Salads 5 Dinners 5 Days - Tuesday: Seared Tuna with Chili Pineapple Vinaigrette 

Welcome to today's amazing dinner salad! Today is Tuesday so we seared up some tuna steaks and put together the craziest vinaigrette I've ever made and went for it.

We're making a dinner salad for dinner each night this week to really ring in the growing season here in southern Wisconsin, and to integrate some new ingredients into our noms universe.

By way of reminder, here's the lineup:
Monday: Nicoise (it was awesome)
Tuesday: Seared Tuna Salad with Cilantro and Ginger Vinaigrette
Wednesday:  Grilled Chicken with Antipasto Salad
Thursday: Tequila Lime Flank Steak Salad with Chile Lime Vinaigrette
Friday: Quinoa Apricot and Arugula Salad 

Ingredients:

Salad and Toppings
-4 cups spring mix or salad greens of your choice
-1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
-1 cup pineapple, diced (fresh or canned)
-1 jalapeno or red chile, sliced
-2 tuna steaks
-2 Tablespoons sesame oil
-1 avocado

Chili Pineapple Vinaigrette 
-1/2 Cup pineapple juice
-1 Tbsp funky vinegar of your choice, I used apple cider because that's what I had but rice vinegar would be great
​-Splash of balsamic
​-Juice of 1 fresh lime
-1 clove garlic, diced and smashed
-1 heaping teaspoon of red chili paste or 1 1/2 Tablespoons of chili oil
(-to make it even zippier, add a few teaspoons or grated fresh ginger root)

Looks good enough to eat, doesn't it? You should. This dish has a great southeastern asian influence so feel encouraged to add thai chilis, ginger, rice vinegar, or anything else to bring out and add to these flavors.

Serves 2 by itself or 4 if served with an appetizer or dessert

How did you interpret this dish? Leave a comment below. If you're too busy chewing and enjoying the delicious meal to write comments, I understand but I'd love to hear how this dish worked for you.

5 Dinner Salads 5 Dinners 5 Days - Monday: Nicoise

Welcome to a beautiful and brand new week! This week, we're going to make salad for dinner every night.

No, we're not punishing ourselves.

I'm a big believer in the large, hearty salad as a means of forking in a lot of vitamins, protein, fiber, and all around nutrition. Plus they're crunchy zesty tasty. While a salad can really be anything which fits into the equation XGreens + YVeggie + ZProtein = ASalad I picked out concepts for 5 new and fun dinner salads for this week.

Here's the lineup:
Monday: Nicoise
Tuesday: Seared Tuna Salad with Cilantro and Ginger Vinaigrette
Wednesday:  Grilled Chicken with Antipasto Salad
Thursday: Tequila Lime Flank Steak Salad with Chile Lime Vinaigrette
Friday: Quinoa Apricot and Arugula Salad 

I had nicoise exactly once before I made it tonight but now that I know how simple it is to put together I'll be tempted to make it once/week in season and to switch up the ingredients to suit the growing seasons for as long as possible.

Speaking of which, one lovely thing about nicoise is that there are a lot of options for creating the hearty and bountiful feel of this delicious dish. Tonight my ingredients were:

-4 cups Organic Spring Mix 
-Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
-One small jar of anchovies
-One tin of boneless skinless sardines
-One Red Bell Pepper
-1/3 lb or 3ish cups Green Bean, ends trimmed off
-3 large farm fresh eggs, soft boiled
-2 Tbsp Capers
-1/2 cup olive oil
-2 Tbsp Red Cider Vinegar
-2 cloves Garlic, diced tiny and smashed
-Pinches of Salt and Pepper

Other traditional and popular ingredients for nicoise include olives, radishes, corn, artichokes, squash cubes, and onions. In this way it can be a salad for just about any season

Directions:
Soft Boiled Eggs: Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and carefully drop in the eggs.  Cook 8 minutes then transfer them to to an ice-water bath.  After a few minutes, peel.  Slice in half or quarter.

Cooking the beans: Bring a pot of water to a boil, lower to a simmer and drop the beans in for 1 minute.  Using tongs, transfer them to an ice-water bath.

Roasting the bell peppers: Chop the peppers into fajita-style strips, a 1/2 inch wide and about 3 inches long. Saute in olive oil and dust with a pinch of pepper

Mixing the Vinaigrette: Mix the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small tupperware-style container and shake it like polaroid picture. 

Assembling the Salad: Arrange all the yummy ingredients in rows (traditional style), or artfully atop the greens in whichever way speaks to you. Sprinkle the capers over the assembled yumminess and then drizzle the vinaigrette over everything. Then devour.

​This recipe serves 2-3 or would serve 4 when paired with an appetizer or dessert. ​

Let me know what you think in the comments, share how you made it, your ideas for keeping it in season, or your thoughts on last nights Game of Thrones episode-whatever's on your mind

Somehow there are still those paleo-subscribers who believe that being paleo means never having a gooey, cheesy, rich, delicious casserole ever again. This is just not the case. Through cheese from grass-fed cows (as long as your body tolerates it), or aged cheese (aging helps remove the lactose), or a dairy-free cheese alternative, plus some help from our friends the vegetable family, you can make a warm, rich 'casserole' which is also nutritionally in line with what your body needs and can use.

If you're hungry for winter to be over and at the same time want a rich winter dish, get cracking on this recipe

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked ham
4-8 slices bacon, cut into small pieces about 1/2 inch square
1 large spaghetti squash (about 2 pounds)
3 cloves of garlic, sliced and smashed
1 small yellow onion or 1/2 one large yellow onion
1-2 poblano peppers, if you want, to add additional nutritional content (I'd avoid bell peppers because that will combine with the ham for a sweeter flavor that could be odd to the palette)
1/4 cup chicken broth (bone broth is great nutrition-wise, but whatever you have around)
3 eggs
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups grass fed cheese (like Kerrygold brand), aged parmesan, or dairy-free cheese alternative (check the ingredients label, some of these products are so chemical-laden that you're better off with moo-based cheese)
1 1/4 teaspoons fresh cracked black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika (smoky for preference)

​Directions:
1. Cook your squash. Either in the oven if you have about an hour, or in the microwave if you're approaching hangry right now. Either way be sure to cook it until the squash strands are al dente, not beyond that. This means 45 mins in the oven at 400 degrees or 10 minutes in the microwave in a shallow dish with water. Since the squash is being cooked again later, avoid letting it cook to done-ness now or the dish will end up mono-textural. Still delicious, just also a but mushy.
2. Discard the seeds and then, using a fork and a hot pad, scoop the "spaghetti" strands into a greased casserole dish.
3. If you didn't already use the oven, preheat it to 350. Otherwise, let it cool to 350.
4. Cook your bacon and cut it into pieces. To save time you can cut the bacon while it's raw and cook the pieces. You can also do this while the squash is cooking to save even more time.
5. In the same pan or a different one (depending on whether you want to cook in the leftover bacon grease), saute your garlic for 2-3 minutes, then add your onion and any other veggies, along with your chicken broth. Saute together for 3 minutes and then remove from heat.
6. Whisk cheese, eggs, and spices together in a medium dish, then combine with veggies in a large bowl and toss. Be sure to scrape the sides of the medium bowl so that you're not leaving your delicious spices behind.
7. Pour the cheese/egg/veggies/spice mixture into the casserole and combine with squash.
8. Pop it in the oven for 20-25 minutes until it's mostly solid. Let stand 8 minutes before serving.

Feeds 4 athletes. It's that hearty. It's so hearty and yummy in fact, that is was gone before I could snap a photo. I'll take lots of photos next time we make this dish, scout's honor.

I am currently getting ready to complete the wods in the CrossFit Open 2016 *and* am training for Ragnar Relay. While I prefer paleo's de-emphasis of carbs as an energy source, this volume of work has me reaching specifically for some carbs a few times/week.

This recipe has a solid protein and fat source (yes, you do need to eat fat), and it has crunchy carby asparagus and is served over the starch of your choice. I chose RP Pasta's spinach fettuccine noodles. 

If your workouts are creating that special exhausted feeling in you, or if you are asking extra workouts of your body and want to be sure to have all different kinds of fuel in the tank, reach for this recipe, it's delicious and will leave you ready for a 10 mile run. Or 1 mile, wherever you're at.

Ingredients:

• 1 package (about 2lbs) chicken thighs or breasts or whatever you have thawed and ready
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped and crushed with the flat of your knife blade
• 1lb asparagus spears cut into roughly 2" length pieces
• ¾ cup canned full fat coconut milk 
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Arrowroot or 1 Tbsp tapioca flour, whatever you have on hand
• The juice of 1 lemon or 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• Starch of your choice (keep in mind that most gluten-free pastas are made from brown rice and so forth, so even gluten-free pasta will have a good amount of starch and thus carbs)

Directions:

1. Grab a deep frying pan (ideally 2-3" deep or more) and melt your coconut oil on medium heat
2. Place chicken pieces in one layer in the pan and cook about 3 mins/side, then set aside (chicken will not be cooked through)
3. Toss in your crushed garlic and chopped asparagus and saute until asparagus turns that vibrantly green shade and is cooked but still crispy (about 6-7 mins)
4. Return the chicken to the pan. Add in coconut milk (some of the fat and some of the liquid), and the lemon juice and stir everything together.
5. Add arrowroot to the pan and re-stir everything (air on the side of over-stirring because you don't want the arrowroot to clump)
6. With the burner on medium high heat, cover. Cook/simmer for an additional 4-5 mins until chicken is just cooked through. Do not overdo it or your amazing nutrient-packed asparagus will be mushy

7. Serve over starch of your choice, being sure to get a few scoops of the delicious lemony sauce over your plate

​Serves 4, or 2 athletes for dinner and then the same 2 later on for supper

This yummy recipe is great in both its nutritional content and its versatility. You can make it with beef, turkey, lamb, camel or whatever (I seriously saw ground camel at the store the other day so why not?) and while I like bell pepper and onion in the dish, you can add/substitute poblano pepper, spinach, leek, or whatever you like. It's the savory and slow heat that make the dish, so whatever you have thawed and ready to go will work.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 - 2 lbs of ground beef or ground meat of choice
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1 onion, diced small
• 1 bell pepper, diced small
• chili powder
• black pepper
• paprika
• oregano
• thyme
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• olive oil in which to saute vegetables
  
  
  Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º F
2. Slice garlic and then smash it with the flat of the blade of the knife, then toss it in a large frying pan with your olive oil and saute for a few minutes
3. Sauté onions and peppers (or your veggies of choice) until just barely tender
4. Remove veggies from heat and place in a different dish to stop them continuing to cook
5. Put uncooked ground beef in a large bowl and add the eggs and almond flour
6. Once those are mixed, add the vegetables into the meat and re-mix
7. Grease 4 mini loaf pans (perfect portion size for filling dinners or lunches), 2 small loaf pans, or 1 regular loaf pan with butter or olive or coconut oil, and scoop your mixture into the pan(s)
8. Cover the pan(s) with tin foil and cook 35-40 mins in mini loaf pans, 50 mins in small loaf pans, or 65 minutes in a regular loaf pan
9. Remove from oven and allow to set for about 10 minutes before slicing

10. Add paleo BBQ sauce or munch as it. The loaf/loaves will be juicy and tender so no need for sauce, plus it might cover up the slow heat that comes in this dish

Makes 4 hearty meals, especially if served alongside some mixed greens

Today let's begin with a history of the brussels sprout:

A long time ago, someone somewhere really really ticked God off.
In retaliation He sent us brussels sprouts.
​The end.

Ok, I am somewhat kidding. I don't know how the brussels sprout came to be eaten by humans (^but I wouldn't rule out this explanation). I enjoy most vegetables but I have never been able to get alongside these vitamin-packed little morsels. So when someone mentioned to me that I should try this breakfast bake, my response in my head was, 'but my taste buds didn't do anything wrong.' 

But paleo-ers have to continually expand our horizons if we want to keep our meals interesting, and this dish promised bacon so I figured, let's go for it. Worst outcome is that I make a mess and have to pick pieces of delicious bacon out and consume them individually. Darn. 

So I ventured forth and made this dish and it was an instant classic. Nobody is more surprised than me.

I will say that this is a dish which will easily take 25-30 minutes, so you'll want to either get the chopping and dicing out of the way ahead of time, or you'll want to save it for a weekend morning or even for dinner.
​Breakfast for Dinner is the unofficial slogan of paleo, after all​

Ingredients:

12 ounces Brussels sprouts
4 thick slices of bacon (bonus if it's uncured and/or nitrate-free)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon butter
3 large eggs
kosher salt
cracked black pepper

Directions:

2. Cook your bacon, then set it aside on a plate or paper towel but *do not* get rid of your bacon grease.
​3. Turn the burner to just under medium and toss your crushed garlic and chopped shallots into the still hot bacon grease and let it saute for 30 seconds-1 min. Savor the yummy aroma.

​

4. Put your sprouts in the pan, add the apple cider vinegar, and stir everything together, then let sizzle/saute for 4-5 minutes, depending how tender you want your sprouts (we enjoyed leaving them with a bit of fiber/texture to them rather than cooking them to the point of thoroughly tender).

​

5. Create a large well in the center of the pan and put the butter in it. Then crack your 3 eggs into it and put the lid on the pan.

7. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately. This dish is full of flavor and has a slight crunch and leaves you feeling full and ready to go. Enjoy!!

Turkey Tenderloins stuffed with Squash and Figs and Spinach - oh my!!

Hello eaters of yummy and real things! Tonight's recipe is a staple in my house because it's protein, dipped in protein, dredged in protein. Yasss. Plus, it's chicken tenders which just feels so thrillingly like a naughty naughty cheat meal. This recipe is perfect for just about anytime of year and works for doubling if you want to make an extra batch for lunches for the next few days. Enjoy!
​

Ingredients:
1. 1 package average sized package (1.2 - 1.2lbs) boneless skinless chicken thighs, breasts, or tenders
2. 2 farm fresh eggs
3. 1 1/3 cups almond flour
4. 2 Tablespoons ground flax seed
5. 2 teaspoons each of black pepper, poultry seasoning, and paprika
6. 3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Slice your chicken into roughly tender size-and-shaped pieces. Do me a favor and don't get too uptight about the shape of these-you can always tell your kids they are dinosaur-shaped tenders or whatever. If you bought ready cut tenders, well done! Take a five minute break-make yourself some tea or pour a glass of wine
3. In a shallow bowl or inside a pie plate, mix together all of the dry ingredients. This will be the "breading" for the tenders
4. In a small/medium-sized bowl, crack the two eggs and beat/whisk them until they are uniform color and consistency
5. Put parchment paper on a cookie sheet and get it ready to receive the awesomey awesomey tenders
6. Grab a tender, dip it in the egg so that it's well-coated and then dredge it in the almond flour and spice mixture. Press the tender into the mixture so that it adheres
7. Lay the tender on the cookie sheet. Repeat with all other tenders
8. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Breading will not become exactly crispy but you'll hardly notice. The flavor and texture will be awesome and there will not be leftovers.

Serves 4 on normal days or 2 on squat days

Due to the fact that it's getting to be fall, or maybe just due to the fact that I killed it in yesterday's workout, I was really in the mood for something 'stick to your ribs' for dinner last night. I think the salad I had for lunch didn't help how starving I was. It had sardines on it and everything, it should have kept me full for longer but oh well. Drawing inspiration from a few different recipes and my tummy saying 'throw on more ham! More onions!' I put this together. It takes a full 45 minutes to bake so if you are hungry now I would refer you to one of the quicker recipes on this blog, or your local pizza place which carries gluten free crust.

Paleo Squash and Ham Bake

Ingredients:
1. 3 cups cooked butternut, acorn, or crooked neck squash* mashed
2. 1-1 1/2 lbs of cooked of ham, cubed
3. 1/2 of a medium-large yellow, green, or red onion, diced**
4. 4 medium or 3 large farm fresh eggs
5. 1/2 can of full fat coconut milk
6. 1 tsp coriander
7. 1-1 1/2 tsp black pepper
8. 2 Tbsp smokey Spanish or Hungarian paprika*** 

*Note that some sources report that crooked neck squash have significantly less nutritional content than butternut or acorn, but crooked neck have a firm but rich texture I like. You can go either way, or combine them

**Don't go crazy with the veggies here. Adding say, bell pepper or carrots will up the sweetness already found in the ham and will mess with the flavor of the dish. If you want additional nutrition from veggies consider something mild which will add to the texture but not interfere with the flavor, such as bok choy

***This smokiness with the ham and rich creaminess of the squash and filling is what takes this dish to the next level. Don't skimp.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Grab a medium size casserole dish and put all of the squash on the bottom of it
3. Chop your ham and put that on top of the squash, then chop the onion and put it on top of that
4. Sprinkle half of your paprika and half of your pepper on top of the wonderful ingredients already in the dish
5. In a separate dish whisk together your eggs and coconut milk. Canned coconut milk is about half clear liquid and half semi-solid milk fat. Use half of each for this recipe, and air on the side of using more of the milk fat
6. Add the rest of the paprika and pepper and the coriander to the egg mixture and whisk again, making sure to scrape down the sides of the dish so you don't leave any spice behind
7. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the casserole. Some of the ham or onion pieces may float and this is fine.
8. Cook for 45 minutes or until the center of the casserole doesn't jiggle a lot when you tap the side of the dish. Let stand for at least 5 minutes before cutting into it.
9. Devour this dish and your next workout

Serves 4 normal people or 2-3 crossfitters, especially if served with a side salad or something

Where are the pictures? With hat in hand I must confess that we ate it too fast to grab a photo. I shall remember to snap a few pics the next time I make this so that you can be assured as you go along that your squash ham bake looks just like mine, although privately I think you should have more confidence in your mad skillz.

Now, onto PRs in handstand holds and getting everything in from the car in one trip!