Monday, December 26, 2011

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




Tuesday, November 29, 2011

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. :-)

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

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.

Monday, October 31, 2011

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.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

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

Friday, October 21, 2011

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.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

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.