First Week of Fall

I don't know if it's officially fall, but it sure feels like it's here. Lots of hearty food this week but incorporating the end-of-summer produce.

Sunday Dinner: Paleo Lasagne

1 diced onion
4 cloves minced garlic
½ lb lean ground beef
1 lb Italian sausage
1 lb ground veal
2 T dried oregano
1 T Italian seasoning
1 t cayenne pepper
1t sea salt
1t pepper
1 14 oz can diced san marzano tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste
5-6 zucchini thinly sliced lengthwise with a mandolin
1 can sliced olives
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese

In a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed pan, sauté onions and garlic in 1T olive oil until translucent. Add meat and brown. Drain fat from meat. Add seasoning and stir. Add olives, drained diced tomatoes and tomato paste. In a lasagna pan (9x13 sprayed with pam) ladle some sauce and layer with tomato mixture. Add a layer of zucchini. Repeat layers ending with meat mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle some shredded parm on top. Broil until brown.

Monday

Breakfast: Yogurt with fruit

Snack: nuts

Lunch: left over lasagne

Snack: fruit

Dinner: Chicken Piccata with sautéed zucchini

Chicken Piccata
(courtesy of Everyday Paleo)

4 butterflied boneless skinless chicken breasts
2T butter
Salt and pepper
6 minced garlic cloves
3 diced green onions
¼ c white wine
½ cup chicken stock or broth
Juice from 1 lemon
3 T capers

Pound out butterflied chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise and season both sides with salt/pepper. Heat butter over medium-high heat. Cook chicken on both sides for 3-5 minutes each side. Put on a plate and cover to keep warm. To the same pan, add a teaspoon of olive oil, garlic and onions. Sauté for two minutes, scraping the bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the wine, chicken stock, lemon juice and capers. Simmer for 3-5 minutes until reduced. Put chicken back into pan for about a minute to reheat. Serve with sauce.

While chicken is browning, sauté 2-3 sliced zucchinis in a separate pan with 1T butter and 1T olive oil, salt and pepper.

Prep tonight: if you didn’t buy pre-sliced stir fry beef, slice your beef very thinly and put into marinade (see recipe below). Pre-chop broccoli into florets

Tuesday:

Breakfast: yogurt with fruit

Snack: nuts

Lunch: left over chicken piccata

Snack: fruit

Dinner: Five Spice Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry (courtesy of Primal Blueprint)

1 lb stir fry beef
3T wheat free tamari
1 T sesame oil
2t ginger paste
1 minced garlic clove
1 head broccoli in florets and steamed
6 oz bean sprouts
1 red pepper sliced
Red pepper flakes or Thai chili paste

Mix together a marinade of tamari, oil, five spice powder, ginger and garlic. Marinate the beef for at least 15 minutes. Heat up a sauté pan or wok. Add meat and marinade and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Add pre-steamed broccoli and red peppers. Sauté for a couple more minutes. Add the sprouts and remove from heat and serve.

Prep tonight: butterfly your chicken breasts for tomorrow night. Make homemade mayo

Homemade mayo (courtesy of Primal Blueprint)
2 egg yolks
1t mustard
1T lemon juice
1c oil
Salt to taste

Whisk (or use an immersion blender with the whisk attachment) yolks, mustard and lemon juice. Slowly whisk in the oil until it has a thick consistency. Season with salt. Will keep for a week in the fridge.

Wednesday

Breakfast: yogurt with fruit

Snack: nuts

Lunch: left over stir fry

Snack: fruit

Dinner: BLTA Chicken Breast Sandwich (courtesy of Primal Blueprint) with sweet potato fries

2 chicken breasts butterflied (skin on or off)—seasoned with salt and pepper
2 T mayo
4 slices cooked nitrate free bacon
Mixed baby lettuce
1 tomato thinly sliced
1 avocado thinly sliced

First, cook your bacon and set aside. Heat 1t olive oil and 1t butter and sear chicken on both sides. Cover and cook through. In the mean time, slice the tomato and avocado. Place mayo, avocado, tomato and bacon into the butterflied chicken and fold over to make a sandwich.

Sweet Potato Fries

1 large sweet potato cut into thin wedges
1T olive oil
Thyme
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss wedges with olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake for approximately 10 minutes then toss and bake until browned.

Prep tonight: Cranberry Tuna (or Chicken) Salad (courtesy of Primal Blueprint)

12 oz canned tuna (or chicken), drained
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
¼ c finely chopped red onion
¼ c mayo
½ c dried cranberries.

Mix all ingredients together

Make short-rib marinade and marinate short ribs (see below)

Thursday

Breakfast: yogurt with fruit

Snack: nuts

Lunch: Cranberry tuna salad

Snack: fruit

Dinner: Korean-Style Blackberry Short ribs

½ c sesame oil
1c blackberries (fresh or frozen)
¼ c tamari
¼ c ginger slices
1 garlic clove
2T rice wine vinegar
2 lbs beef short ribs
1 bunch scallions
2 red peppers cut into wedges and skewered

Combine ¼ c of sesame oil plus next five ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until a smoothie like consistency. Put ribs into marinade (unless done the night before). Toss scallions in remaining sesame oil. Cook pepper skewers, ribs and scallions on grill 4-6 minutes each side.

Friday

Breakfast: yogurt with fruit

Snack: nuts

Lunch: left over short ribs

Snack: fruit

Dinner: free night out!

Grocery List

Nitrate free bacon
Eggs
Kerrygold butter
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 lemons
Jar of capers
1 sweet yellow onion
½ lb ground beef
1 lb ground veal
1 lb ground Italian sausage
1 14 oz diced San Marzano tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste
5-6 zucchini
1 can sliced olives
Parmesan
1 lb stir fry beef
Wheat free tamari
Sesame oil
Ginger paste
1 large head broccoli
6 oz bean sprouts
3 red bell peppers
1 avocado
8 2% Fage Greek yogurt
Almonds
Macadamia nuts
Jar minced garlic
Bunch green onions
Chicken stock
Mixed greens
1 tomato
1 large sweet potato or yam
1 12 oz can tuna or chicken
Celery
1 red onion
Dried cranberries
Blackberries
Rice wine vinegar
1 large piece of ginger
2 lbs short ribs