Stuffed Chicken Thighs with Goat Cheese, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Pine Nuts

Several weeks ago I was out helping my big brother with some stuff at his new house and I spotted a book titled "It's Called Work for a Reason" by Larry Winget. I chuckled a bit at the title and the bald, biker looking dude on the cover. My brother went on to tell me about how amazing this author is. He gave me a quick description of his writing style and recommended me reading it, but first I should read his first book titled "Shut Up, Stop Whining, and Get a Life". He grabbed me that book and I stood there and read the first few pages. Hilarious. Witty. And true. I am now about halfway through the book and I just can't wait any longer to get the word out: READ THIS BOOK.

Clementine Cake

Proof that grain free and sugar free is as delicious as can be!

Grain-free eating can be very intimidating. For our whole lives we have been eating breads, cereal, pasta, cookies, rice, crackers, and, least we forget, cakes! Of course, this is only the tip of the iceberg of grain-based foods. So, to say that you are going to remove all grain from your diet can seem completely overwhelming. However, it doesn't have to be. Knowledge is power, and perception is reality. My suggestion to you is to learn about how, and why, you can remove and substitute grains before you actually take the actions to do so. Some great sites to get started are:

Mark's Daily Apple
Robb Wolf

Banana Almond Bread with Pecans

 Second topic up for Paleo discussion is walk around a lot. On average, men walk just of 7000 steps and women just over 5000 according to a 2004 study by Dr. Catrine Tudor-Locke. That's about 3 1/2 miles for men and under 3 for women. However, it is suggested that we walk at least 10,000 steps (about 5 miles) per day. And under paleo "standards", that child's play. We should spend several hours walking each day. Not just the recommended 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Do Unto Others & COOKIES!

This one is for my Ma. She requested a baked goods recipe a few weeks ago and I finally got some time to bake something. Which, I might add, is one of the things that I make an effort to do as often as possible since it is something I highly enjoy doing, and as we know, it is important to do things for yourself. In this case it benefits many, something I believe that many of you will find to be the case with anything you do "for yourself".

Mission Impossible: Pancakes

My mission: cook pancakes every weekend. Enjoy life :)

So this post is a long time coming! Thanks for being patient, those of you whom I've promised that I was going to post it. 

My favorite part of my weekends is pancakes. It started when I was a kid. My Mom, Dad and I went to the cafe at the golf course right down the road from my house every Sunday for breakfast. Mom got the Belgium waffles topped with fresh fruit and a side of bacon. Dad got the western omelet with toast and bacon. I got the short stack of pancakes. Everyyyyy week until I was about 16 (when I entered the official working world). It was great; Dad would read the "snooze"paper, Mom would read the USA Today, I read the Comics; we all ate together and chatted causally about life with the sun shining down on us (we ate on the patio), the golfers practicing on the putting green, everyone with a smile on their face... ahh, memories!

Mayo-less Coleslaw

Why the name coleslaw, by the way? Well, that is why they invented the internet...

History

The term "coleslaw" arose in the 20th century as an Anglicisation of the Dutch term "koolsla", a shortening of "koolsalade", which means "cabbage salad".

Thank you, Wikipedia :) And now, I can get on with my recipe.

Personally, I just cannot get past the idea of mayonnaise. And again, this recipe idea isn't original. Technically speaking, I am not really sure any recipe is original. I mean, seriously, people have been creating food dishes for thousands of years. SOMEONE has come up with that idea before. Anyways, I found this recipe on MDA the other day as I was searching for something to do with the head of cabbage in my fridge, awaiting its destiny in my stomach. Personally, I couldn't think of a better way for it to get there :) 

Mayo-less Coleslaw


The Food
- 3/4 cabbage (I ate the other 1/4 wedge with carrots sprayed with some olive oil in the toaster oven for a little alongside my smoked salmon and avocado :)
- 1 1/2 carrots
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- Handful of walnuts
- Handful of craisins
- 1/3 avocado
- 3/4 cup greek yogurt


The Prep
Deface the cabbage by whatever means you so please (I used a mandolin slicer)
Shred/julianne the carrots
Crumble or chop the walnuts
Dice the avocado


The Method
Throw it all in a bowl in the above order, then stir it up! Let sit in the fridge for a few hours to merry the flavors. 


Enjoy :)

Bowl o' Toasted Nut and Fruit Warm "Cereal"

Breakfast is absolutely my favorite meal of the day. No matter what, it always makes my day. Generally, I am an omelet person, however, when there are no eggs in the fridge, substitutes are a necessity.

Way back when, I totally used to love cereal; a big bowl of milk with deliciousness inside... Then I loved oatmeal, a big bowl full of warmth and tastyness. Now, I have found a new calling in the breakfast world; a perfect combination of both without all the processed nonsense.

Okay, so this idea isn't entirely original. I read a similar recipe the other day while flipping through the 20 paleo/primal/whole foods cooking sites I peruse each day. However, I made some changes to my personal preference (and what was in my kitchen!). And by all means, I encourage you to do the same.

Bowl o' Toasted Nut and Fruit Warm "Cereal"

Food
- Handful of your favorite nuts (I used a mix of cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, and Brazil nuts)
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (I would image any kind of berry would also be fantastic, or even a banana!!)

Prep
Put the pom seeds (or berries, or whatever!) in a bowl
Chop up the nuts

Method
Toast the nuts in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant.
Pour in 1/2 cup of the milk in the skillet with the nuts, REMOVE QUICKLY!! (Don't want to burn the milk, just heat it super quick)
Pour the skillet into the bowl over the pom seeds
Pour in the rest of the milk

Enjoy :)


Photo Disclaimer: Pictures gotten off of Google Images, totally not my own. I am not good at remembering to take pictures while I am creating wonderfulness.