MEATBALLS

1LB  Ground Pork

1LB  Ground Beef

1 cup  Italian Bread Crumbs

3 TBSP  Onion powder

1+ tsp  Salt

Pepper to taste

1 to ¾ cup  Milk

1 bottle  Hunt's brown sugar bbq sauce 

1 can   Cranberry sauce jelly

Mix all ingredients except bbq sauce and cranberry in a bowl. Roll and make the meatballs. Place the meatballs in the refrigerator for a couple hours to firm. 

Transfer meatballs to the crockpot. Mix the bbq sauce and cranberry together. When blended, pour over meatballs. Cook on low for 5 ½ hours. Stir every hour to turn meatballs in sauce. 

Sausage Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole

'Christmas Morning Casserole'


2 LB bag of frozen hash browns (thawed)
l LB Sweet Italian Sausage
l LB Mild Italian Sausage
10 eggs
1/2 cup of milk
2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese


Preheat oven 375 degrees

Spray a 13x9 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray

Brown the sausage meat and drain off the excess fat.

Whisk together the eggs and milk in a separate bowl.

In the baking dish spread the hash browns across the bottom of the dish.  Make sure the hash browns are thawed and dry. Pat them dry with a paper towel as necessary.

Put 1 cup of cheese on top of the hash browns.
Next, spread the cooked sausage on top of the cheese.
Follow this with pouring of the egg mixture over the top of that.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

Cover with aluminum foil and cook in the oven for 35 minutes.  Uncover and cook for an additional 10 minutes

Irish Beer Beef Stew

It's been a long time since I posted anything.  My twins have been keeping me very busy.  Now that they will be eating solids, I have become inspired once again.  Hopefully, I will have some weightlifting posts in the near future, but since I can only make it to the gym on the weekends, it will not happen anytime soon.  Thank goodness for muscle memory though.  At least I still have my 6 pack after the twins!!

Irish Beer Beef Stew
Serves 4+

4 slices of bacon, diced
3 TBSP & ½ tsp of Coconut Flour
¾ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Black Pepper
¾ tsp Allspice
2 Lbs of beef stew meat, cubed
3 Carrots, peeled and cut in ¼ inch circles
1 ½ Sweet Onions, diced
1 ¼ clove Garlic
2 TBSP & 2 tsp Parsley
¾ tsp rosemary, dried, crushed
¾ tsp Marjoram, dried
1 small Bay leaf
1- 11.2oz bottle of Guinness beer
another 11.2oz bottle of Guinness beer with a beef bouillon cube but you only add half of this liquid.

optional: red potatoes approx 15 and ¼ head of cabbage.

Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp and brown. Remove the bacon pieces and set aside, leaving the drippings in the skillet.

Place the flour, salt, black pepper, and allspice in a large plastic zipper bag, and shake a few times to combine. Place the beef into the bag, and shake to coat the meat with the flour mixture.  Then cook the meat in the skillet with the bacon drippings until the meat is brown on all sides.

When browned, placed the meat into the slow cooker, and add the carrots, onions, garlic, cabbage, potatoes, and all the remaining spices to the cooker.

Pour the one bottle of beer into the skillet, and bring to a boil. Scrape all the browned bits of flavor from the bottom of the skillet. Pour this beer into the slow cooker, over the meat and vegetables.  Pour the other bottle into the skillet with the beef bouillon cube.  Boil until the bouillon cube is dissolved.  Pour half of this liquid into the slow cooker. Cover, and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.

When serving, top with reserved bacon pieces.

Virginia- you kinda suck!

Update: I wrote this post before I saw the Allstate survey of the worst drivers in America.  Funny how DC was worst followed by Baltimore than Arlington/Alexandria.  The only come back from locals was to blame it on the tourists.  I call Bull Shit!!  What I have seen was could only been from locals.!!!

Well, I have been living in Virginia for two months.  I thought I would post some brief thoughts on what I think of this state…or at least the DC metro portion of this state.

4 Things I HATE about Virginia (DC metro):

1)  The driver's are frickin CRAZY!!!  The behind the wheel driver's test must be pretty lack otherwise once the driver's are behind the wheel they turn into possessive, don't give a Shit, and utter lack of well being for themselves or others, CRAZY MONSTERS.  The ridiculous crap I have seen in two months would scare you to death.  1a)  I guess they didn't learn in driver's training that "it's okay to miss you turn and/or exit and precede to the next one and/or back track or do a U-Turn" because they will flip a U-turn across 4 lanes of traffic or drive backwards/head on into traffic to make that original turn. 1b)  The speed limit is 35mph and I am doing close 45mph, why the heck are you riding my ass?

2) The Aggressive and Inpatient behavior by most the locals.  Note:  I didn't say all. In fact most are quite nice once you talk to them but……if you are walking next to them or in line, watch out.  Why do some people around here act like their Butt Hair is on Fire even though they have no place to go and the line is moving at comfortable rate.  Two can play at this game!!   If you don't move out of my personal space, you are getting a shoulder.  If you try to cut in line,  I will call you on it….and don't give me the crap that you don't speak English etc….we all know better. lol

3) Morning, noon, night, sunny, rainy, humid or dry; whenever I walk on our grass,  I am bitten by a bug!  WTH!

4)  Decent and TRUE Mexican food! Why can't I find a place that isn't Southwestern or Spanish with a bunch of onions and bell peppers in everything.


Things I like about Virginia…mostly Alexandria and DC metro:

1)  Everything is within 9 miles!  All the stores I frequent most often are pretty close by.  Same goes for doctors , etc.,  It seems everything in pooled in one little area. Nice!

2)  History!  There is so much history I need to explore out here.

3)  I love our home!  Sure, it's a town home but it's the perfect size for now.

* Hopefully, more positives in the months to come :-)

Leftover Meal

3 Sweet Sausage Links (about 5 oz)
1/2 a medium Onion
2 pieces of Bacon
1/2 head of a small Cabbage
1 TBSP Olive Oil
1 Lb of Spiral Semolina Pasta
Jar of Alfredo pasta sauce

Dice up the Onion and Cabbage. Remove casing from the Sausage and crumble into a frying with the heated olive oil.  Add the Bacon and Onion to the same pan.  Cook until the sausage is no longer pink or about 10-12 minutes.  Add the cabbage.  Cook all together until the cabbage is wilted.

While cooking the sausage, boil the water for the pasta.  Cook pasta according to the package.  When the pasta is cooked, ladle a scoop of the salty water into the sausage mixture.

After everything is cooked, combine all the ingredients together.  Add the Alfredo to your taste desire.

~Enjoy

Paleo Rice

1 head of cauliflower
2 TBSP Coconut Oil
3 TBSP Butter
1 cup Sweet Onion,minced/small chopped
3 cloves of Garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper

Lightly chop/pulse the cauliflower in a Cuisinart. It should look similar to rice when done.

Melt coconut oil and butter in a medium heat pan. Add the onions and garlic. Sauté the onions and garlic until tender.

Stir in the rice cauliflower. Then add the salt and pepper to your taste.

Cover and cook on medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until tender. Stirring occasionally. Uncover and cook for additional 5 minutes to stiffen the rice. Serve and enjoy.

* I use medium heat because my gas burner is very powerful. Older cooktops may require a high temp to cook the rice in the same amount of time.

ISLAND CHICKEN

1/2 Cup Coconut Oil
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
Splash of Canola oil
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 1-2 lemons) 
1 1⁄2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 boneless chicken breasts




Combine all ingredients except chicken in a mixing bowl or large airtight plastic bag. Whisk or shake well until the marinade is well mixed. Add the chicken breasts to the bowl or plastic bag so that they are covered by the marinade. If using a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap. If using a plastic bag, press out all the excess air and seal the bag tightly. Refrigerate and marinate up to 10 hours (I would suggest marinading for at least 3 hours at the minimum).  Coconut Oil hardens when it gets cold so the Olive oil counteracts this but you may want to pull out chicken to marinate it at room temp.  I don't suggest this unless you are in cool environment.


Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium heat. Grill the chicken for 6-7 minutes per side (depending on how thick the chicken breasts are), until the chicken is no longer pink in the center (if you have a meat thermometer, the chicken should register 165 degrees). Tent with foil and let the chicken rest for about five minutes before serving.
Alternately, the chicken can be baked using the following directions:
When ready to cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 350° F. Place the chicken breasts in a baking dish and pour the excess marinade over them. Bake in the oven until cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 165° F, about 45 minutes (exact baking time will depend on the size of your chicken pieces.) Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. 

Broccoli Cheese Chicken & Stuffing

4 1/2 cups of Herb Seasoned Stuffing  or  Almond flour with Italian Seasoning drudge
2 Tbsp butter, melted
3/4 Cup water
1 package (10oz) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed or fresh broccoli
6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
paprika
1 can (10 3/4oz) Campbell's Condensed Broccoli Cheese Soup (regular or 98% fat free)
1/3 cup milk

{to make this Paleo, you can drudge the chicken in an Almond flour mixture instead of using the stuffing but you will have to reduce some of the water in the recipe.  You will probably will only need 1/4 cup of water)



Crush 1/2 cup stuffing and mix with 1 tablespoon of butter in a small bowl.  Set the mixture aside.

Stir the water, remaining butter and broccoli in a large bowl.  Add the remaining stuffing and mix lightly.  Spoon into a 3 quart shallow baking dish. Arrange the chicken over the stuffing and sprinkle with paprika.

Stir the soup and milk in a small bowl. Pour over the chicken.  Sprinkle the crushed stuffing mixture over the soup mixture.

Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

CARAMEL APPLE PORK CHOPS

2 boneless Pork Loin Chops

oil (of your choice for browning/cooking)

1/4 Cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 tsp  ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

salt and pepper

2 tart Apples (Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Braeburn, or Golden Delicious)

4 Tbsp butter

Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Brush pork chops lightly with oil and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side, or until evenly browned.  Remove from the pan and keep warm.

In a small mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt & pepper to taste.  Core Apples and peel.  Slice them into 1/2 inch wedges.  Add butter to the skillet and stir in apples and brown sugar mixture.  Cover and cook over medium high heat for 3-4 minutes, just until the apples are tender.

Remove the apples with a slotted spoon and arrange on top of the chops; keep warm. Continue cooking the mixture in the skillet, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly. Spoon the sauce over the apples and chops.

15 Chic and Creative Ways to Tie a Scarf

15 Chic and Creative Ways to Tie a Scarf

Mustard Fried Chicken 'Paleo Style'

2 boneless Chicken Breasts
1 1/2 cups of Almond Flour

2 Eggs

2 cups of your preferred oil

Flour Mixture
1 1/2 cups of Coconut Flour
2 Tbsp Mustard (Coleman's powder)
1 Tbsp Black Pepper
1 Tbsp Onion Powder
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp Season Salt (Lawry's)
1 Tbsp Paprika


Slice the Chicken in strips.  Dip the chicken into the almond flour than into the egg batter.  Afterwards, dip the chicken into the flour mixture.  Heat the oil until it is very hot and lightly drop the battered chicken into it.  Cook for about 7 minutes or until browned, turning the chicken half way through.

Chicken Sesame Marinade

This is a splash and dash recipe because I didn't measure it out as I was putting into the Ziploc bag :-)

one packet of Chicken Bouillon
2 splashes of Worcesterhire sauce
4 splashes of Balsamic Vinegar
4 splashes of Sesame Oil
3 shakes of Onion Powder
2 shake of Paprika
2 dashes of Black Pepper
3 shake of Italian Seasoning
juice from a half of a Lemon
teaspoon of minced Garlic
(2 servings)


Marinate the chicken for at least 4 hours.  The sesame oil gives the chicken an nice nutty flavor!!!

50/50 trade off…..

My 8 months being an active duty USMC dependent has been hills and valleys.  I am not directly blaming the USMC for the valleys but more our government and there waste.  It took me two days and a total of an hour and half on hold and another 30 minutes in line and I still haven't resolved my issue of being assigned a nurse practitioner instead of a doctor. I am 37 years old, there is nothing a nurse practitioner can do for me these days.  She can't write prescriptions or send me to specialist for my issues.  Apparently I need to go to the Magical Floor 6 in the Naval Hospital to be assigned a doctor.  This is the second time I have been told to go to Floor 6 for a Tricare issue.  I am wondering what this Special floor holds for me?  I will find out after my first Tricare doctor's appointment on Monday…….  I wonder if there will be unicorns there?  Probably not because that would be considered government waste.

I did have one hill courtesy of the USMC.  I walked into the FMEAP without an appointment but Lana spent over 30 minutes helping tweak my resume for my MBA applications.  She gave me some awesome pointers!!!!  After she critiques my resume again, I am going to give her a stunning ICE review .  FMEAP is a great program so I want to make sure it continues by notifying the command that it's effective.

Since now I have the time, I have been trying to take advantage of all the things that are offered to military dependents.  There are many, which I am thankful for…..

To be continued….

Cinnamon Apple Stuffing

About 8 years ago, I had a Thanksgiving dinner at a German immigrant's home and she made the best stuffing I have ever had.  It was delicious!!!  I can't say I have tried a lot of different stuffing's other than the wet, dry, Stove Top, or simply plain for dietary reasons, but I know delicious when I taste it.  ...Let's just say I was never a fan of stuffing and I rarely put it on my Thanksgiving/Christmas turkey plate so eating stuffing is a big step for me.

(I know this is a anti-Paleo recipe but her recipe was 'to die for' so I will continue it as a tradition in my family, nonetheless. If anyone is able recipe to give me a decent tasting Paleo Cinnamon raisin bread recipe then I will substitute it.)

Note: After raving about her stuffing, I asked her for the recipe. She refused!  Grrr! Below is my take/attempt at recreating her recipe.


Baked Cinnamon Apple Raisin Stuffing


1 loaf (4 cups)    Cinnabon Cinnamon bread  or any quality Cinnamon Raisin Bread


1/2 cup                chopped Onion


2                           celery ribs, chopped


1/4 cup                butter


1 cup (2 apples)   Granny Smith apples (peeled)


1/4 cup                 golden raisins (optional, based on preference)


1 teaspoon plus   chicken bouillon granules


1/2 teaspoon        Kosher salt


1/2 teaspoon        All Spice or sage


1/2 teaspoon        Poultry Seasoning


1/4 teaspoon        Pepper


2/3 to 1 cup          of 50/50 giblets broth and chicken broth


Brown Sugar




Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.


In a large skillet, sauté onion and celery in butter until tender.  Add the peeled apple, raisins, bouillon, salt, sage, poultry seasoning, and pepper. Cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Stir in broth.  [The amount of broth depends on the amount of moisture you prefer. ] Pour the mixture over the bread crumbs in a baking dish; toss to coat.  Generously sprinkle brown sugar over the top of the stuffing mixture.


Cover and bake for 20-25 minutes or until top is golden brown.


Servings: 6

Turkey Soup

2 lbs of ground Turkey
3 tsp Salt
2 Tbsp Onion powder
1 Tbsp Chili powder
1 Tbsp Cumin
EVOO (for cooking the turkey)
2 cups diced Tomatoes (then puree it)
1 8oz can of Tomato sauce
4 cups Chicken Broth
1/2 head of Cabbage

In a large pan, brown the ground turkey using the EVOO.  Slice cabbage into strips. Once turkey is cooked add it to the slow cooker with all the remaining ingredients.  Allow to cook on low for 6 hours, or 3-4 hours on high.  Serve with sliced/cubed avocado and cheese. You can add Tortilla Strips if you so desire.

To make this Paleo, all you have to do is eliminate the cheese and don't added the tortilla strips. :-)

Sloppy Joe Beef Casserole

Warning this is by far is not Paleo!  It wasn't meant to be from the beginning.  If anybody out there can make it Paleo, please leave a comment.  Also, this was meant for the ease and speed so if you make it Paleo, it can't take more than an hour to make.

Funky Sloppy Joes in a Beef Casserole

2 (8oz) cans of crescent rolls
2 LBS ground beef
1/2 small onion, minced
2 cups (8oz) shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup (and a splash) of water
1/2 cup and 3 TBSP Four Cheese pasta sauce
2TBSP Worchesterhire sauce
3TBSP Taco Seasoning
a pinch of Curry Powder
1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Unroll 1 can of crescent rolls, and press into a lightly greased
13 x9 inch pan.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Cook ground beef and onion in a large skillet. Drain. Stir in cheese and next 8 ingredients: spoon over crust.

Unroll remaining can of crescent rolls, and smooth out perforations by pinching them together.  Cut into 1/2 inch strips. Arrange strips in a lattice design over beef mixture.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden.  Let it stand for 10 minutes. Serve with sour cream and/or salsa as desired.

Nan's Chili

This was my first attempt at chili and I think it came out pretty Damn Good!! (second by Keith)

Anybody who knows my story about beans knows why I haven't ever attempted to make chili before.  Also, I am a big wimp when it comes to spicy foods sooo Chili had a double negative on my palate. 

This is still a work in progress but it's a mild cowboy style chili that I think you will enjoy if you like a beef stew.  Best of all, it very close to Paleo!!!  You can choose how Paleo you want to make it...

5 Bacon Strips
1 LB Beef Stewing Meat, cubed
16 oz can Crushed Tomatoes
2  8-oz cans Tomato sauce
1  6-oz  can Tomato Paste (I had on hand a paste with Tomato Pesto inside)

16 oz can Red Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup of Sliced Carrots
1/2 cup Chopped Celery
1 Medium Onion
1/8 cup of Parsley
1/2 Tbsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Ground Cumin
1/8 tsp pepper  (I put in a tad more for good luck)
1 Tbsp A-1 Sauce (I prefer A-1 Thick and Hearty but it is hard to find)

Cook bacon in a skillet until crisp.
Brown beef in bacon drippings in skillet.
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
Cover. Cook on low for 6 hours, or until meat is tender.
Stir occasionally.

Sick Wod but wanted to do legs

I been battling a head cold for about 3 days.  If I am able to breathe through my nose then I have a slight cough.  All the while, I have burning eyes!! 

I was waiting all week to do a leg workout since my legs have been looking like an old lady's.  I wanted to go 'hard' but since I was sick it wasn't going to be easy.

As fast I could:

4 Rounds of
10 deadlifts 135LB
10 thrusters 45LB

very little break other than to change the weights out

4 Rounds of
10 straight leg deadlifts 95LB
10 fronts squats 45LB

now the anti-crossfit part

4 sets x 10 reps

leg extension 55LB each leg
hip extension 240LB push back each leg
hamstring extension 90LB
outer hip abductors  85lb

Walk 20 mins at 5 incline and 4.0 speed

Monkey Muffins

FINALLY, I tweaked a Paleo recipe so that it tastes good and isn't oily.

2 ripe bananas, mashed
4 eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted (I did a easy 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup almond butter
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup coconut flour
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 salt
Pinch of nutmeg

optional: 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped


Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.  Combine the first five ingredients in a large bowl and blend until smooth.  Add the coconut flour and spices. Blend until everything is smooth.  Stir in the nuts (optional).  Drop your batter into a lined muffin pan.  You can fill the liners fairly full since they don't rise.  Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until the muffins pass the toothpick test.  This recipe yields about 12 muffins.

Drunken Roast

2.5 lb of beef roast
1 can Beef Broth low sodium
1 bottle of medium dark beer-  Arrogant Bastard Oaked Ale
1 packet of Lipton Onion Soup mix

Cook on low least 6.5 hours. The roast will break apart with a fork. Serve on French Rolls and top with mozzarella. Save the liquid to make it a French Dip.