Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Keep it Simple



World Class Fitness in 100 words

Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and NO sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat.

Practice and train major lifts: deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstands, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast.

Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. ROUTINE IS THE ENEMY. Keep workouts short and intense.

Regularly learn and play new sports!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Roasted Fish and Veg

This is a take on a recipe from the latest DISH magazine.

FISH

I used Terahki......use a mild white fish. I have no idea if I spelled it correctly.

4 Fish steaks about 200grams each
2 tbls olive oil
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 tbls each of crushed sage and rosemary
finely grated zest 1 lemon
sea salt and ground pepper

Combine the ingredients in a bowl to make a thick paste. Season and spread over fish. Bake at 200c for about 20 minutes.

Seasonal Veg


Brussel Sprouts
Yams (the funny red ones)
Carrots

Dice and chop drizzle with Olive Oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper,
cook at 200c for about 25 minutes.

Caper Sauce (to drizzle over veg)
1/2 cup of home made paleo mayo
2 tbls capers, roughly chopped
1 tbls brine from capers
4 anchovies finely chopped
1 tsp oil from anchovies
1 clove crushed garlic
2 tbls finely chopped flat leaf parsley

Drizzle Caper Sauce over veg and serve immediately.

DELISH!

Saturday, August 28, 2010

DIY

What happens if you can't buy spaghetti squash in New Zealand? Oder some seeds and grow them yourself. We are looking forward to having heaps of our favorites this year. I'll let you know when it's harvest time.



Order your seeds from King Seeds, order as a group and save on shipping.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Leek and Pumpkin Soup



Leek and Pumpkin soup topped with roasted sweet corn


1 Kilo Chopped and Peeled Pumpkin
2 Leeks Washed and Trimmed
1 Clove Garlic Crushed
2 T Olive Oil
3 C Chicken Broth
1 t Ginger
1 t Cumin
Sea Salt
Ground Pepper

Slice and wash Leeks, Chop pumpkin into cubes and place in slow cooker. Crush one clove of garlic and put in the pan with your olive oil and chopped leeks. Cook gently on medium/medium high heat until softened but not discolored. Heat chicken broth to almost a boil.

Season the leeks and garlic to taste with ginger and cumin. Cook one more minute with spices on. Put spices on top of pumpkin cubes and pour broth over the top. Add Sea salt and Pepper to taste. Cover and cook LOW 6-8 Hours.

Place in food processor or blender, puree and put back in slow cooker for one more hour. I like my soup spicy so I added a bit of hot pepper.

If you want to add roasted sweet corn, spread on a pan and grill just before serving.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Rissoles


LAMB RISSOLES

500g any type of prime grass fed mince
1 egg
1/4 cup almond meal
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
Salt, pepper, to taste (cayenne if you like it spicy)

Mix together and make meat patties the size you like. Bake at 200c for 20-30 minutes depending on the size. You can also scoop them into muffin tins to keep them all the same size.

Try with chicken, lamb, beef or a mixture. Rach gave made these last night, she said they are great for left over lunches as well.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Paleo Crumble


From Nick Linton, CFNZ

2 apples cut into thin slices
1 x 500g bag mixed berries
8-10 dates chopped
...Handful of walnuts
Handful of almonds
Handful of macadamias
Handful of pecans
Handful of barzil nuts
A tablespoon of love
A cup of enthusiasm
A 'can-do' attitude

Preheat over to 150-175 Celsius ish.

Place apples and berries into a baking dish.
Mix all other ingredients in a food processor.
Top the berries and apples with the crumble.
Bake for approx 20-25mins, keeping an eye on the top of the crumble in case it starts to burn. If this happens, turn it down a bit...

Serve with warm coconut creme with a smile :)

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Grilled Steak and Sweet Potato Latkes


It's what's for dinner.

Sweet Potato Latkes with Sour Cream

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and grated
4 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup almond flour (or coconut flour)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4 springs fresh sage, (chopped)
salt and pepper
2 Tbs sour cream

Preheat oven to 210c.

Combine sweet potato, scallions, flour, eggs, 2 chopped sage leaves and salt and pepper. Use your hands to form the mixture into patties 5cm in diameter – they will be pretty loose at this stage, but will hold together better once they are baked. Arrange on a baking sheets that had been sprayed with cooking spray or lined with a silicon baking sheet. Spray tops with cooking spray.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until the bottoms are browned. Flip and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Then combine sour cream and remaining sage in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve latkes topped with sage cream.

I didn't post the 'recipe' on how to grill a steak, if you don't know, I am sorry.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Meatza!

This is from 'Free the Animal'


"Crust"
1 Kilo Prime Mince (go to your local butcher and get the good stuff)
1/4 Cup Almond Meal
2 eggs
Salt, pepper and Italian spices



Mix well, use your hands! Preheat oven too 200c and spread meat on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. The meat will shrink a bit, and you want to drain the liquid before you put on your toppings.

While waiting for the meat crust to cook, prep your topping, get creative! Anything you like on a regular pizza. You can also use tomato base, pesto or sun dried tomato.

Once meat is done, prep your toppings then grill until everything is crunchy and golden, about 5-10 minutes. Slice and server with a big salad.

YUM! Matt could not stop eating this!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Margarita Shrimp



1 tbl olive oil

1 medium yellow onion (diced)

3 cloves of crushed garlic

1lb raw large shrimp (prawn) peeled and deveined

¼ cup tequila

2 ripe tomatoes (chopped)

½ cup shredded carrots

Juice of 2 limes

1 ripe avocado (diced)

Salt and pepper


In a medium sauté’ pan, heat the oil and sauté’ the onion over medium heat until it begins to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté’ until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and sauté 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully add the tequila, away from the heat (you don’t want a flame). Add the tomatoes and carrots and sauté’ 2 minutes. Add the lime juice and cook another minute, or until shrimp is just cooked through. Add the diced avocado, toss to warm through, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Chicken Paleo Piccata


From Everyday Paleo

3 – 4 chicken breasts

2 tbsp ghee (or butter)

3 green onions diced

6 garlic cloves minced

3 tbsp capers

¼ cup white wine

½ cup chicken stock

3 tbsp olive oil

Juice from 1 lemon

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Butterfly the chicken breasts by cutting in half lengthwise. Place the butterflied chicken pieces in between two pieces of parchment paper and with the flat side of a meat mallet, gently pound the chicken until it’s approximately ¼ inch in thickness. Cut the pounded pieces of chicken in half and set aside. In a large sauté pan heat the 2 tbsp of ghee over medium high heat. Your pan should be really hot. While your pan is heating lightly sprinkle both sides of the chicken with the sea salt and black pepper.

Place the chicken into the hot skillet and cook on both sides for 3-5 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle but still tender – do not overcook. Remove the chicken from the pan and add to the same pan the olive oil, garlic, and onions. Using a wooden spoon, quickly sauté the garlic and onions for 2 minutes, scraping any of the chicken drippings off the bottom of the pan. Add the wine, chicken stock, lemon juice and capers and bring to a simmer for 3-5 minutes. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve immediately.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Eat Local and in Season


Matt and I have been getting Food from Simply Food for a few months. It makes is easy to eat organic local veggies and fruit. It also forces me to try new foods. If anyone would like more info, check out their site. If we get 4 deliveries weekly, we can have them delivered right to MaD CrossFit each Thursday.

Welcome to Simply Good Food Online Shop

ALL members are able to choose from a selection of quality fresh produce items each week, with optional “extras” offered on a seasonal basis. All of our fruit and vegetables are available for purchase as individual items, so you can tailor your order to meet your weekly needs.

The online shop opens each week on Friday at 5:00pm and orders are taken until 11:00am on Tuesday morning. Members can access the shop during these times via the website.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Egg Cupcakes



From Sarah at Everyday Paleo

Egg Cupcakes

10 -12 eggs whisked well

1 green onion

2 zucchini

3 big handfuls of spinach

1/2 a jar of roasted red and yellow peppers

6-8 slices of COOKED bacon

sea salt and black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 160c and grease with olive oil two muffin pans. Whisk all your eggs in a big bowl. In a food processor throw in the green onion, zucchini, bacon, and peppers and process until finely chopped but NOT smooth (yuck…). Add this mixture to your eggs. Throw your spinach into the processor and finely chop and also add to your eggs. Mix the egg mixture well and using a 1/4 measuring cup, fill the muffin pans (you’ll be able to make 18-20 cupcakes). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the eggs are set in the middle. These are great to take on the go and I like mine with some sliced avocado and green salsa.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Paleo Spaghetti


From Crossfit El Paso

Sauce:

Start with this item first and leave it simmering while you prepare the rest of the meal.

2 cans crushed tomatoes
2 cans tomato sauce
1 small can tomato paste
2-3 tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves fresh garlic (chopped finely)
½ onions (chopped finely)
1 tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. garlic salt
½ tsp. onion powder

¼ tsp. crushed chilli powder (depending on how spicy you like food)

¼ tsp. paprika
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste (add near end of cooking)

Begin with a large pot (big enough to fit sauce and later on, meatballs as well). With the olive oil, make two turns of the pan or so. Begin to heat the onion, when the onions are almost transparent, add the garlic. Allow to cook for about another minute or so. Add the tomato sauce, crushed tomato, and tomato paste. Then add all spices. Stir together well. Leave the sauce at a medium high heat until it begins to boil. Upon light boiling turn the heat down and allow simmering for as long as possible before you are just waaayyy to hungry!

Meatballs:

1 (1/2 kg) lb lean ground beef, turkey or bison

1 egg

1tbsp of water

½ cup almond meal

½ tsp Italian seasoning

½ tsp garlic powder

Salt & Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mash it together with clean hands (no ripped calluses in here please!) After well roll sections of meat into balls and set aside. When ready add meatballs to a large frying pan and brown on all sides (no oil needed). When all are well-browned, drain the meat and add to the sauce. This will add a great flavor to the sauce. Let the meatballs mix with the sauce for at least 30 minutes if you are impatient. (FYI meatballs can be used for all sorts of recipes, even on the side by themselves- this a great item to have in your paleo arsenal!) Also- before consuming any meatballs- open one up and make sure that is browned all the way through, ground meat should only be consumed if cooked thoroughly.

The Noodles:

Finally, This serves 2, so double the recipe depending on family size.

2 Zucchini

2 Squash

Salt& Pepper (to taste)

Garlic Salt (to taste)

Olive Oil

Begin by holding the squash or zucchini from the top, using the vegetable peeler push down slightly more than you normally would to peel the vegetable. Continue to do so on all sides of the vegetable until you reach the seeds. Repeat with all zucchini and squash you are using and set “noodles aside”. In a warm pan, add about 2 tbsp of Olive Oil. When hot add the zucchini and squash and season with salt, pepper and garlic salt to your liking. Only cook for about 3 minutes so that the noodles are cooked but still firm.

When your noodles are all done you can plate them and top with spaghetti sauce and meatballs.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Pumpkin Fries



This recipe from Girl Gone Primal

Ingredients:


1 pumpkin (I like Kent since it's available locally from an organic farmer, but most kinds work.)
2T or so lard, coconut oil, or olive oil
Spices such as paprika, chilli flakes, cinnamon, garlic power, and cumin
Dried herbs such as basil, thyme, parsley, and sage.

Method:

Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil.

1. Peel and chop pumpkin into fries - I go for a 1cm x 1cm thickness, but shoestring would still work (be gentle!) as will bigger wedge-style cuts.
2. In a medium bowl, toss fries with oil.
3. Sprinkle with selected herbs and spices, tossing to coat.
4. Place fries on tray in a single layer, and bake in oven until golden and slightly crisp on the outside.

Serve hot!

Monday, August 2, 2010

Grass-Fed Steaks with Kalamata-Olive Chimichurri



Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons fruity olive oil, divided
  • 4 garlic cloves; 2 thinly sliced, 2 pressed
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
  • 1 bay leaf, preferably fresh, broken in half
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped pitted Kalamata olives
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 14- to 16-ounce 2-inch-thick grass-fed New York strip steaks
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preparation

  • Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add sliced garlic, red pepper, and bay leaf. Stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add shallots and sauté until just translucent, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in parsley, olives, and vinegar. Add 1 tablespoon water. Add more water by teaspoonfuls to thin as needed. Season chimichurri with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
  • Rub steaks with 1 tablespoon oil and pressed garlic. Sprinkle both sides of each steak with 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt, cayenne, and generous amount of black pepper. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
  • Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush heavy very large ovenproof skillet (preferably cast-iron) with oil. Heat over high heat until almost smoking. Add steaks. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Turn steaks and transfer skillet to oven. Roast until instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally into steaks registers 110°F to 115°F for rare, about 10 minutes.
  • Let steaks rest 5 minutes. Thinly slice crosswise. Spoon chimichurri over.

Recipe from bon appetit

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Roast Veggies



Eating well does not have to be complicated. The new work week start's tomorrow. Go to the store, buy your favorite veggies that are in season. Cut them up, spread on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper then bake at 200c for 20-30 minutes. Now just add some lean meat and you have lunch or dinner. I used mushrooms, zucchini, onion, kumara, carrots and yellow squash. I cooked the carrots, onion and kumara for 15 minutes before adding the rest.

Keep it simple and make a plan for the week. It's the best way to stay on track.