Jalapeno, tomato and chicken sausage scrambled eggs (PALEO!)

I'm not too big a fan of breakfast.  I have eaten cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, eggs, etc. in the past.  But I would rather have a steak or a quesadilla in the morning than "breakfast" food.

But one morning, I randomly threw this dish together, and it made my taste buds happy.  And my stomach full.  So I just needed to share it with you!

Plus, it's pretty simple to make! I threw together chicken sausage, red onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, scrambled eggs, and I topped it with salsa.  And it was good.  It was very good.

Here's how I made my Jalapeno, tomato and chicken sausage scrambled eggs:

Start by heating up some olive oil in a large skillet... add some minced red onion (or shallots - I've used both with fantastic results) and sautee for a few minutes until turns translucent.  Stir.  Meanwhile, mince jalapenos and slice tomatoes (I love campari, but they are expensive, so any tomato works):

When onions are done cooking, add jalapeno and sliced chicken sausage

Stir. Add tomatoes, stir again.

Crack 4-7 eggs, using only 2 whole eggs and the rest egg whites, whisk and then add to pan:

...stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to allow the uncooked egg to come into contact with the pan and cook fully...

...and then once the eggs are fully cooked, plate... top with salsa (and fat free sour cream if you're not following PALEO)...

And inhale.  The sweetness of the chicken sausage plus the spiciness of the jalapenos makes this a kaleidoscope of a dish in terms of flavor... I've made this dish four times in the past 4 weeks, that's how much I love it! 

Continue reading below for the recipe, or click here for a Printable version.

Jalapeno, tomato and chicken sausage scrambled eggs 
Recipe courtesy of me!
Makes 3-4 servings. Prep time 5 minutes, Cook time 15 minutes.

Ingredients:
1 T EVOO
1 shallot or 1/4 red onion, minced
2 T pickled jalapenos, diced
3-4 Campari or Roma tomatoes, sliced into large chunks
4 links of chicken sausage, sliced into small rounds
4 egg whites, 2 whole eggs

Directions:
1. Start by heating up some olive oil in a large skillet... add  minced red onion or shallots and sautee for a few minutes until turns translucent.  Stir.
2. Meanwhile, mince jalapenos and slice tomatoes. When onions are done cooking, add jalapeno and sliced chicken sausage.  Stir. Add tomatoes, stir again.
3.  Crack 4-7 eggs, using only 2 whole eggs and the rest egg whites, whisk together with a splash of water.  Add mixture to pan, stirring continuously and scraping the bottom of the pan to allow the uncooked egg to come into contact with the pan and cook fully.
4. Once the eggs are fully cooked, plate!. Top with salsa (and fat free sour cream if you're not following PALEO)
5. Try not to inhale this :)

The Football Game Workout Challenge

Why is finding time to workout so difficult?  It really shouldn't be.  Exercise produces endorphins, which make you happy.  Who wouldn't want to be happy?

So I took a look at both why it was so difficult to find time to workout and how I was spending my time... and I figured, why not try to work exercise into some of the other things I do? You know, make it easy!

And as many of you know already, I love football (in particular, Steelers football), and even though my team isn't performing at their best this year, I still watch every. single. game. I cheer, I scream, and I tweet with Steeler Nation.

Now, my typical Sunday Funday includes several (i.e. 3-8) beverages, some sort of buffalo chicken wrap, and plenty of sitting on a bar stool (or on my couch) for HOURS (minimum 4, maximum all day long).

What a waste of a day in which I could be more active!

But wait!

What if, instead of four hours sitting on my ass, I turn some of those four hours into a workout contest?

Yes.  Brilliant.

So one lovely Sunday afternoon, I wrote down many of the things that could happen in a football game (first down, touchdown, safety, penalty, coach's challenge, etc.), and then I matched those potential activities up with some sort of exercise (crunches, squats, burpees, etc.), and here's the result:

 

As you can see, I was ambitious and matched exercises to things that would happen at halftime, third and fourth quarter... let me remind you that most football games last for four hours.  Not sure what I was thinking, because one quarter in and I was tiiiiired...

But here's how I did:

 

You know what?  I am super proud because I efficiently used my time to do something I love and add some exercise in there... thus making me feel good.  And happy :)

Now, I don't expect to be able to do this every single Sunday, but I am going to put this game into my normal rotation more often.  It was fun, it kept me on my toes, and I got a GREAT workout in :)

Happy Sunday!

Sweet potato, chive and bacon biscuits (Paleo-friendly!)

As you now know, I have a girl crush on Juli Bauer, as I've been making a ton of her recipes.  I really think she's the main reason why I might actually be able to go Paleo - her recipes are outstanding, innovative, and most importantly, DELICIOUS.

I've been wanting to make this dish for a while, even though it was originally billed as a Thanksgiving side dish, but whatever, it's phenomenal even in the middle of the summer.

What is this recipe, you wonder?  I won't tease you any further.  PALEO sweet potato, chive and bacon biscuits.  Oh, yes.

Here's how I made it:

Fork sweet potatoes and place in an oven safe baking dish.  Place dish in a preheated oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until soft...

...while those are cooking, take some bacon (I used turkey bacon)...

...dice, and add to a skillet to brown...

...meanwhile, chop some scallions too...

...after sweet potatoes are done cooking, let them cool, and then peel and mash them...

...mash them very well...

...then add eggs, mix really well, add coconut oil, mix really well, then dry ingredients, mixing very well, before adding the bacon and chives, and (theme?) mix well!...

...line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil, plop those beauties down in as even-sized pieces as possible...

...cook for 22-27 minutes... and then marvel at the gorgeousness...

...here's a close up... no wonder these things were classified as a Thanksgiving side dish - look at all the beautiful Thanksgiving colors!!!

The best part? They taste AMAZING.  Like a biscuit, but with incredible flavor - the sweetness of the sweet potato, the meaty bacon, and freshness of the chives.

Mmm... enjoy my friends :)

Continue reading for the recipe, or click here for the printable version.

PALEO Sweet potato, chive and bacon biscuits
Recipe courtesy of Juli Bauer, barely modified

Makes 12-16 biscuits

Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato (makes ~2 cups mashed)
3 T coconut flour
3 eggs
6-8 strips turkey bacon, diced
1 T coconut oil
3-4 T chives, thinly diced
1 t baking powder
1/2 t garlic powder
salt and peper, to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 415 degrees.
2. Fork sweet potatoes.
3. Add to an oven-safe dish and place in oven for 30-40 minutes or until soft.
4. Remove from oven, cool, peel and mash sweet potato.
5. Turn oven down to 375 degrees.
6. Place diced bacon in a skillet and brown until crispy.
7. Take mashed sweet potato, place in bowl, add eggs and mix very well.
8. Add coconut oil and mix well.
9. Add coconut flour, baking powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper, mix well.
10. Add bacon and chives, mix well.
11. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil, if foil, spray with Pam.
12. Take large spoon and plop equal-sized biscuits onto the pan.
13. Place in oven and bake for 22-27minutes.
14. Let cool.  If you don't want to follow PALEO, top with butter (as per Juli's recommendation), or just eat on their own, as they are SO GOOD.

Paleo Florida smoked fish dip

I noticed an appetizer on the menu of almost every single seafood restaurant here in South Florida: Smoked Fish Dip. Typically I stay away from dips because I imagine (rightly or wrongly) tons of calories are in them due to the mayo/cream cheese/etc.  But a few weeks ago, I went for it. And it was DELICIOUS.  Smoky, creamy, spicy.  I wanted more!!

And then, one Sunday morning while drinking my freshly-squeezed OJ and reading my Sunday morning newspaper (Yes, I get the paper delivered!!), I stumbled across a recipe from a Miami chef.

Voila.  I have the base.  Now how do I transform it into a healthy PALEO Florida Smoked Fish Dip.

Well, I did.  This dip was damn good.  I wanted to eat it all in one sitting!!

Here's how I made it...

First, I chopped or minced all the required veggies (celery, red onion, pickled jalapanos, capers, cilantro), plus lemon zest and salt....

...placed them in a pretty blue mixing bowl (the blue is optional, FYI)... and then I got ready to make the PALEO mayo...

...by using an Immersion blender to beat the eggs, lemon juice and salt...

...and after 15 minutes of adding the olive oil and coconut oil in, I finally had the consistency of MAYO!!!

...next I used my hands to pull apart the smoked fish (I used smoked salmon)...

...added it to the bowl...

....then I added the PALEO mayo and folded all ingredients in...

....and voila, a creamy, messy goodness...

....which looks LOVELY on top of some sliced tomatoes or celery sticks...

...but is also delicious just by itself :)

ENJOY! Click here for the printable recipe.

PALEO Florida smoked fish dip
Recipe slightly adapted from chef Richard Sandoval

1.25 lbs smoked swordfish (or trout, or salmon)
2/3 cup PALEO mayo
1 T cilantro, roughly chopped
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1/4 cup capers, strained, finely chopped
1/4 cup celery, minced
2 T pickled jalapenos, minced
Zest of 1 lemon
Salt to taste

1. Add all the veggies, cilantro, lemon zest and salt into a mixing bowl.
2. Hand-"shred" the smoked fish, pulling it apart into little bite-sized pieces, place in mixing bowl.
3. Make the PALEO mayo (see here - an immersion blender is also an easy way to make the mayo, have patience!)
4. Add the mayo to the mixing bowl and fold all ingredients together, mixing well but not disrupting the fish.
5. You're done.  Eat.  Try this with some crackers (if you're not PALEO), veggies (celery, carrots,  tomato slices, etc) or just eat by the spoonful, I won't judge!

Seared scallops with lemon, asparagus and thyme

For those of you who follow me, I apologize for the onslaught of recipe-related posts lately... but I'm trying to complete the 30 recipes challenge... and of course, I decided to procrastinate, so the majority of cooking has taken place over the past 2-3 weeks... note to self: plan, better.  Kthx.

So I went to the last farmers market this spring (unlike up North, where the farmers markets only show up during the summer, the West Palm Beach farmers market takes a break July - September... I assume because it's F'ing hot out?) and saw a gorgeous bunches of asparagus, and found some jumbo scallops, and so I decided to see if I could find a recipe in my giant "to make" recipe binder, and I got lucky.

Without further ado, Seared scallops with lemon, asparagus and thyme... get ready for crunch, citrus, and earth to combine in one harmonious dish...

Start by slicing your asparagus at a bias...

...Zest a lemon, and also mince some shallot...

...Chop up some fresh thyme...

....And now you're ready to start cooking!  Pat dry your scallops...

...then add them to a pan with 2 T olive oil and SEAR, baby, sear! Pro tip: cook in batches ;)

...remove scallops from pan, set aside, and now add shallots. Cook for 2 minutes and then add thyme, lemon and asparagus, cooking for another 2 minutes...

...add scallops back to pan, coating with the lemon/shallot/thyme mixture...

....and then you get to eat the sh*t out of it, as my friend Jason did...

Continue reading for the full recipe or click here for the printable version!


Seared scallops with lemon, asparagus and thyme
Adapted from this recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil 1/4 cup diced shallots 1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves 2 tsp lemon zest 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut on the bias into 1 inch pieces 1 1/4 lb scallops, rinsed and patted dry 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper 2 cups cooked brown rice - See more at: http://krisatnourished.healthcoach1.integrativenutrition.com/scallop-and-asparagus-saute-lemon-and-thyme#sthash.kHRuiR3H.dpuf

2 T olive oil
1/4 cup diced shallots
1 T chopped fresh thyme
2 t lemon zest
1 bunch asparagus
1 1/4 lbs jumbo sea scallops
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Slice asparagus on a bias.
2. Mince shallots, zest lemon, and chop thyme.
3. Heat 1 T oil in large skillet.  Pat dry scallops, season with salt and pepper, and sear on each side for 1-2 minutes. Remove scallops to plate and let rest.
4. Heat remaining oil in same skillet, add shallots and cook about 2 minutes.
5. Add thyme, lemon zest and asparagus and cook for about 1 minute.
6. Add scallops back to the pan, covering with veggies, and then drizzle with lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper.
7. Plate.
8. Dig in. Enjoy.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and cook about 2 min. Add thyme, lemon zest and asparagus and cook, stirring until asparagus softens slightly, about 1 min.
Stir in scallops, cover and reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally until scallops are opaque and asparagus is crisp-tender, 4-5 min. Drizzle with lemon juice , season with salt and pepper and serve with accumulated juices over brown rice if desired.
- See more at: http://krisatnourished.healthcoach1.integrativenutrition.com/scallop-and-asparagus-saute-lemon-and-thyme#sthash.kHRuiR3H.dpuf

2 Tbsp olive oil 1/4 cup diced shallots 1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves 2 tsp lemon zest 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut on the bias into 1 inch pieces 1 1/4 lb scallops, rinsed and patted dry 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper 2 cups cooked brown rice - See more at: http://krisatnourished.healthcoach1.integrativenutrition.com/scallop-and-asparagus-saute-lemon-and-thyme#sthash.kHRuiR3H.dpuf

2 Tbsp olive oil 1/4 cup diced shallots 1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves 2 tsp lemon zest 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut on the bias into 1 inch pieces 1 1/4 lb scallops, rinsed and patted dry 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper 2 cups cooked brown rice - See more at: http://krisatnourished.healthcoach1.integrativenutrition.com/scallop-and-asparagus-saute-lemon-and-thyme#sthash.kHRuiR3H.dpuf

Low cal buffalo chicken mac n cheese

Low cal buffalo chicken mac n cheese.  Yes, you are reading that correctly.  Low cal.  As in ~300 calories per serving.

Here's the secret: very little cheese, sadly. Sigh. The original recipe was more buffalo chicken and macaroni, with barely any cheese, so I added a bit more cheese and it is WAY better - more mac n cheesy! As the original recipe was less than 200 calories, I figured adding a handful of cheese in would add about 100 calories or so per serving, and it just made the dish come together like whoa.  Trust me.

It is divine.

So if you're looking for something to take a Fourth of July party today, make this. Plenty of veggies, whole wheat pasta, shredded chicken, buffalo sauce, and just enough cheese to make this dish a firecracker. ;)

You're welcome.  That's why I taste test for y'all :)

So here's how I made this low call buffalo chicken mac (n cheese):

Start by taking a gorgeous head of cauliflower, half it, and then dice into teeny tiny pieces...
 

...meanwhile, add some butter to a skillet, wait for it to melt, and then add diced onion and celery, cook for two minutes, then add a couple cloves of fresh minced garlic...

...add a healthy dose of cayenne pepper and the diced tomatoes, stir to combine...

 ...then add the flour, stirring constantly for one minute...

...now it's time to add the milk, SLOWLY...

...very slowly! This process will take several minutes as you add a bit, stir to combine, add a bit more, etc... then you add the drained pasta, chicken and buffalo sauce (I love Frank's Red Hot)...

...stir to combine...

...then you add to a 9x13 baking dish and finally top it off with cauliflower, blue cheese, and shredded cheese, then pop into a preheated oven at 375 for 15 minutes or so until it gets all bubbly and the cheese is melted...

...now start chopping some green onions...

...so that you can top your beautiful casserole when it comes out of the oven...

...before plating a gorgeous plate and digging in :)...

Pro tip:  Don't touch the wire rack in the oven when you're taking the casserole dish out.  It will result in a burn :(

But that's OK, because I immediately soothed myself with a nice cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc, which also helped the fire in my mouth as this was spicy, but in a really good way.  Perfect addition to any party!!

Happy Fourth of July!!!

Continue reading below for the full recipe, or click here for the printable version.

Low cal buffalo chicken mac n cheese
Recipe slightly modified from Chef Meg's recipe 

Serves 8

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat pasta shells
1 cup finely chopped cauliflower
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery (about 1 cup), finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced 
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup diced roma tomatoes
1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
2 cups skim milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
12 ounces shredded, cooked chicken breast 
3-4 tablespoons buffalo sauce
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1-2 cups shredded Mexican blend, shredded white cheddar or extra sharp cheddar
Sliced green onions, for garnish 

Directions:
1. Start prepping: Cook the chicken breast, then shred and set aside. Chop the cauliflower, transfer to a bowl with a little bit of water.  Dice roma tomatoes. Mince garlic. Chop celery.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

3. Cook pasta according to directions. 
4. Cook the cauliflower in the microwave for 2 minutes.
5. Add butter to a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add onion and celery and cook for 2-3 minutes. 
6. Add garlic, cook for one more minute. 
7. Add cayenne pepper and diced tomatoes, stir to combine.
8. Add whole wheat flour, stir to combine.
9. Stirring constantly, SLOWLY pour the milk in to the pan.
10. Add drained pasta, shredded chicken, and buffalo sauce, and stir to combine.
11. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish, then top with cauliflower, blue cheese and shredded cheese
12. Place dish into preheated oven and cook for 15 minutes, until bubbly and cheese has melted.
13. Top with chopped with green onions
14. Plate, and inhale.