Detox Week-Updated

Ugh. I ate wheat this weekend. Too much. I'm so bloated and it feels awful. However, we had such a good time with our friends from Cincinnati this weekend. I don't have a meal plan ready this week, but got both potatoes and leeks in our CSA this week, so I whipped up some potato leek soup for dinner tomorrow night. I'll get back on track starting tomorrow. Check back!

I have no plan for the week. But, instead of letting this derail my efforts, I'm going to take it as a challenge: how will I respond to spontaneity on paleo? What are my go-to easy meals?

I still received my CSA delivery and have tons of ingredients and have to come up with interesting ways to make sure we don't resort to take-out or frozen pizza (which I ate this weekend!!! horrible). I think this is an appropriate challenge for me this week...and should be for you too. What's in my fridge (and yours)? In the pre-paleo days, weeks like this would include multiple servings of Hamburger Helper...so, let's see:

1. Potato leek soup. This meal appears so often on my weekly meal plans that you'd think we'd be sick of it. But, no. I love it. This is probably my number 1 go-to. Not only is it delicious, but also super easy. It does have potatoes, however, and those are supposed to be used minimally...but, I made it last night, and it's tonight's dinner.

2. Ground meat. It's so easy to brown some ground meat (pork, beef, turkey, whatever), add some veg and seasonings, and call it a meal. I have some ground pork and beef this week...I wonder if I can make some meatballs and make some kind of sweet and sour sauce from a small can of pineapple juice, can of tomato paste, some white vinegar, 2T worchestershire sauce and some honey to taste...I think the sauce can be thinned out with some tomato sauce or chicken stock if needed...I can pick up a couple of bell peppers to mix in there too. Sure. That's Tuesday.

3. Stir fry strips. Incredibly versitile. I have some broccoli from the CSA and wheat-free tamari. Add some pepper flakes, rice wine vinegar, mirin, a touch of honey and chicken stock = instant asian stir fry. Done. That's Wednesday.

4. Chicken breasts. I order these every week even if I don't know what I'm going to do with them. I still don't know what I'm going to do with them...saute, pour a jar of marinara over them and call it a meal? Yup! I can! And I have some kale to saute and put on the side. That's Thursday.

There! I think that's entirely do-able. Why the heck not?

Company Week

We're having guests in town this week. So, the trick will be to stay on track without making them feel like "something" (grains) is missing from the food I make. Let's see how it goes...

Sunday

Lemon garlic roast chicken

1 roasting chicken
1 lemon
1 head of garlic cut in half horizontally
salt and pepper
2 T butter
carrots, onions or other root veg

Rinse and pat dry the chicken carcass. Sprinkle salt and pepper and dried thyme into the cavity. Cut the lemon in quarters and stuff the lemon and garlic into the cavity. Tie the legs together and tuck the wings under. Place chicken in a roasting dish. Melt the butter and paint onto the chicken. Sprinkle more salt, pepper and thyme onto the chicken. Spread carrots, onion quarters or other root vegetables around the chicken. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the veg. Roast for an hour and a half or so at 425 degrees.

Tonight: make the Potato Leek soup for easy heat up dinner on Monday

Monday

Potato Leek Soup

4 c thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts only
4 c chicken broth
2 large russet potatoes, peeled, cut into ½ inch pieces
½ t white pepper
3 strips bacon cut into lardons
¼ c whole milk, half and half or cream
3 T chopped dill

In a dutch oven, sauté bacon until crispy, remove cooked bacon and set aside. Leave all but 2T of bacon fat in the pan. Add the leeks, cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken broth, potatoes and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. Add in milk and bacon. Test for seasonings and add accordingly. Garnish with dill.

Tuesday

Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Sauce

1.5 lbs chicken breasts (2-3)
1/2 c almond flour
1/2 t tarragon
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 t paprika
1/4 t pepper
1 T olive oil
1 T butter
2 minced cloves of garlic
1 c mushrooms (any kind) destemmed and sliced
1/3 c dry sherry
1 c chicken stock
1 bunch of kale, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350. In a large ziploc, combine almond flour with tarragon through black pepper. Shake chicken in flour mixture. Preheat olive oil in dutch oven over medium high heat. Once hot, add chicken and brown on both sides. Place chicken in a roasting pan and bake for 10-12 minutes. In the meantime, reduce skillet to medium, add butter and scrape brown bits. Stir in garlic and staute for 30 seconds, add mushrooms and kale and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add sherry and chicken broth, bring to a simmer. Let simmer until vegetables are cooked. Spoon over cooked chicken.

Wednesday

Steak and Chorizo Fajitas

1 lb beef stir fry strips
1 lb chorizo
3 peppers, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1/4 c taco seasoning

In a hot skillet, sear the beef strips, in batches if necessary. Remove from pan and set aside. Reduce heat to medium-high and add chorizo. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add sliced veg and saute until al dente. Add steak and accumulated juices back into skillet. Add taco seasoning plus 1/3 c of water. Simmer until most of liquid is gone. Serve over shredded lettuce if desired.

Thursday

Leek and Mushroom Frittata

1 leek, sliced thin
1 c sliced mushrooms
2 T butter
8 eggs
4 strips of bacon cooked and crumbled
Chevre

Preheat oven to 350. In an ovenproof skillet, melt 1T butter. Saute veg until tender, set aside. Whisk eggs in a mixing bowl. Mix veg into the eggs with salt and pepper. Melt remaining T of butter in skillet. Pour egg/veg mixture into skillet. Transfer to oven and cook for approximately 12 minutes. In the meantime, cook bacon and crumble. Sprinkle bacon and chevre over fritatta.

Friday: free night out!

Grocery List

1 roasting chicken
1 lemon
2 heads of garlic
carrots or other root veg
2 leeks
5 c chicken broth
2 large russet potatoes
nitrate free bacon
whole milk, half and half or cream
fresh dill
1.5 lbs chicken breasts (2-3)
almond flour
2 c mushrooms (any kind)
dry sherry
1 bunch of kale
1 lb beef stir fry strips
1 lb chorizo
3 peppers
2 onions
taco seasoning
1 leek
butter
eggs
Chevre
Yogurt
fruit

Hangover Week

Not literally, but after the weekend we had filled with celebrities and glamour in L.A., it's going to be very challenging to get back to the real world. I am looking forward to home cooked food, however. Sorry, there's no Sunday dinner! (We just got home)

Monday

Brats and cabbage (i just really loved this, so here it is again)

4 brats
2T butter
1 onion sliced
1 head of cabbage, quartered and thinly sliced (core removed)
1 tart apple, peeled and grated
1T honey
¼ c red wine
¼ c apple cider vinegar, plus a splash
¼ c water
Salt and pepper

In a medium pot or Dutch oven, cook the onions in the butter over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Add the apple, brown sugar, wine, vinegar, and water, and bring up to a simmer, stirring. Cover and braise for 30 minutes, stirring once and checking on the texture. Cook a little less for a firmer cabbage; a little more for softer cabbage.
Add a small splash of cider vinegar just before serving.

In the meantime, grill the brats, or brown in a separate skillet or grill pan

Tuesday

Homemade pork sausage with kale and leeks

1 lb ground pork
1 bunch kale
1 leek
1/2 t dried sage
1/2 t dried thyme
1/2 t dried rosemary
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1 t kosher salt

Mix herbs and salt with ground pork. Brown pork in a dutch oven. add sliced leek and saute until translucent. Add kale andd saute until wilted. Adjust salt and pepper as needed.


Wednesday

Seared Chicken Breasts with roasted vegetables

2-3 chicken breasts
carrots
1 turnip
mushrooms
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 c chicken broth
1/2 c diced onion

Cut turnip into cubes, cut carrots into 1 inch pieces. Add mushrooms, turnips and carrots to a lightly buttered baking dish. Put into a 400 degree oven. Season chicken breasts with dried thyme, salt and pepper. Melt 1 T butter in a dutch oven. Add chicken and brown both sides. Remove and set on a plate. Add onion to dutch oven and saute until translucent. Add white wine and scrape bits off bottom of pan. Add chicken broth and put chicken back into pan. Reduce heat and cover. Cook until cooked through and vegetables are roasted through.

Thursday

Grilled sirloin steaks with greens and maple glazed carrots

3 sirloins
1 bunch of any kind of greens
1T lemon zest
baby carrots
2T maple syrup

Cut carrots lengthwise. Melt 1-2T butter in a skillet. Add carrots and saute for 10 minutes. Add maple syrup and appx 3T water. Seaon with salt and pepper. Turn heat on low and saute until cooked through.

Melt 1 T of butter in a dutch oven. Add cut up greens and stir until wilted. Add salt, pepper and zest. Cook until desired doneness.

Season steaks with salt and pepper. Grill until desired doneness.

Friday

Free night out!

Grocery List

4 brats
2 onions
1 head of cabbage
1 tart apple
honey
red wine
apple cider vinegar, plus a splash
1 lb ground pork
1 bunch kale
1 leek
2-3 chicken breasts
carrots
1 turnip
mushrooms
white wine
chicken broth
3 sirloins
1 lemon
baby carrots
maple syrup
8-10 2% fage yogurt
apples
pears
plums

Further Proof

Analysis by a non-paleo doctor citing the dangers of grains to our bodies:


8 reasons wheat is making you gain

How this information is not included on a mass health advisory is beyond me.

L.A. Week

Tyler and I leave for Los Angeles on Thursday night, so it's a short week for us. But, a full week of Paleo! (Let's hope) It's also supposed to be 80+ degrees on Friday, so that means bikini weather, which equals a very light meal plan this week! Can't have any bloat!

Sunday

Rotisserie chicken
roasted root vegetables
homemade chunky applesauce

Roasted root veg:

turnips, carrots, sweet potatoes, whatever cut into relateively equal sizes
dried thyme
olive oil
salt and pepper

Shake everything together in a ziploc. Lay the veg out in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or so until veg is slightly brown and cooked through.

Homemade applesauce:

2-3 apples, peeled and diced
1/2 c water
2t cinnamon

Pour everything into a sauce pan and cook on medium-low until reduced and apples are very soft. Stir periodically so that the apples start to disintegrate, adding more liquid if necessary. If your apples are really tart and some sweetness is needed, add a little honey.

Tonight: marinate the chicken pieces for lemon chicken, see below

Monday

Baked lemon chicken

2 chicken leg halves
1 chicken breast
juice of 1 lemon
1/2c white wine
dried thyme
1/4c minced shallot
salt and pepper

Shake marinade in a big ziploc. Add chicken pieces. If not done the night before, let sit for 15-20 minutes. Melt 2T of butter in an oven proof skillet or dutch oven. Save the bag of marinade. When just starting to brown, put chicken, skin side down, into pan to brown. Flip and let brown for another 1-2 minutes. With chicken still in the pan, add the marinade and wait for the steam to clear. If more liquid is needed to have a thin layer on the bottom, add some wine or chicken broth. Put the whole pan into a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Sauted zucchini and peppers

1 zucchini
1 red bell pepper
salt and pepper

Melt 1T butter and 1T olive oil. Once hot, add sliced zucchini and pepper. Saute until al dente. Season with salt and pepper.

Tuesday

Grilled Tri-tip

2 thinly cut tri-tip steaks
salt and pepper

Pretty self explanatory--grill until reached desired doneness

Sauteed mushrooms and onions

1 package presliced mushrooms
1 sliced onion
dried thyme
1T balsamic vinegar

Start this before putting the steaks on the grill. Melt 1-2T butter in a skillet. Add mushrooms and onions and saute over medium low heat until softened. Add thyme, salt and pepper. Once mushrooms start to brown a little, add the balsamic and stir to combine. Leave on low until steaks are ready

Maple glazed carrots

15-20 baby carrots cut in half, lengthwise
2T pure maple syrup
salt and pepper

Start the carrots after the mushrooms/onions are in the pan but before putting the steaks on the grill. Melt 1T butter and add carrots. Saute until softened. Add maple syrup and 1T water. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking on low until cooked to desired doneness.

Wednesday

Salmon en Papillote

2 fish filets
1 pepper sliced
1 lemon, sliced
fresh dill

Preheat oven to 400. Cut two parchment paper hearts. Salt and pepper the fish, lay on the bottom half of the heart on top of two lemon slices. Place peppers around fish. Lay dill fronds on fish. Slice a little butter and put on top of dill, place lemon slices on top. Splash a little wine on peppers. Fold edges of parchment paper and put fish on a baking sheet. Bake for approximately 20 minutes.

Thursday

Portobello mushrooms with spinach and goat cheese

4-6 portobellos, stems removed
Baby spinach
Grated raw goat cheese
2 T olive oil
Salt/pepper

Brush mushrooms with olive oil, place spinach on cap, top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.


Grocery List

rotisserie chicken
bag of baby carrots
turnip/sweet potatos/rutabega/other root veg
4-5 apples
2 chicken leg halves
1 chicken breast
2 lemons
white wine
shallot
1-2 small zucchini
2 red bell peppers
1 sweet onion
1 package pre-sliced mushrooms
2 tri-tip steaks
pure maple syrup
fresh dill
2 salmon filets
4-6 portobello mushrooms
baby spinach
raw goat cheese
1 bag salad (for lunches of left over salmon and mushrooms)
8-10 2% fage greek yogurt
pears
pluots
any other seasonal fruit for lunches
mixed nuts

Sunnyside Week

Tyler and I leave for Sunnyside after work on Friday to hang with the in-laws and drink lots of wine. So, the Friday challenge will be to have a paleo approved lunch on Friday because a typical "Friday dinner" (seafood)where leftovers probably won't work, is scheduled for Thursday. So, this is a good test or one of those 10 percent times when there's room for a treat. As usual, Friday dinner is a free night out--I love my Friday date nights. Although, this Friday date night dinner will be courtesy of my mother-in-law.

Anyway, it's supposed to be rainy this week, so more comfort food. I think the point has been made as far as breakfasts, snacks and leftovers for lunch. So, I've just put the dinners on the weekly plan.

Sunday

potato leek soup

4 c thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts only
4 c chicken broth
2 large russet potatoes, peeled, cut into ½ inch pieces
½ t white pepper
3 strips bacon cut into lardons
¼ c whole milk, half and half or cream
3 T chopped dill

In a dutch oven, sauté bacon until crispy, remove cooked bacon and set aside. Leave all but 2T of bacon fat in the pan. Add the leeks, cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken broth, potatoes and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. Add in milk and bacon. Test for seasonings and add accordingly. Garnish with dill.

Monday

pork with chard

4 pork loin chops
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup golden raisins or dried currants
1 bunch chard, tough stem centers removed (if any) and discarded, greens chopped
1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Roughly 1/2 cup dry white wine or water
Salt and pepper to taste

Add the olive oil to the pan and swirl it around. Brown the pork on both sides. Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm. To the pan, Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds; the pan should already be hot, so it won't take long for the garlic to begin to brown. Add back the pine nuts, add the currants or raisins and the greens and mix well. Sauté, stirring often, until the greens wilt and begin to give up some of their water, 4-5 minutes.

Sprinkle a little salt and red pepper flakes on the greens. Add the white wine (can substitute water) and add the pork (and all accumulated juices) back to the pan. Toss to combine and let the liquid boil away. Once the liquid boils off, remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Tuesday

brats with braised cabbage

4 brats
2T butter
1 onion sliced
1 head of cabbage, quartered and thinly sliced (core removed)
1 tart apple, peeled and grated
1T honey
¼ c red wine
¼ c apple cider vinegar, plus a splash
¼ c water
Salt and pepper

In a medium pot or Dutch oven, cook the onions in the butter over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Add the apple, honey, wine, vinegar, and water, and bring up to a simmer, stirring. Cover and braise for 30 minutes, stirring once and checking on the texture. Cook a little less for a firmer cabbage; a little more for softer cabbage.
Add a small splash of cider vinegar just before serving.

In the meantime, grill the brats, or brown in a separate skillet or grill pan

Wednesday

chicken with squash/carrots

1 whole chicken cut into pieces (you can buy it this way at the store)
2 zucchini cut into ¼ inch slices
4 carrots cut into ¼ inch slices
2T melted butter
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Melt butter in a dutch oven. Salt and pepper the chicken then brown chicken in dutch oven working batches—don’t clean out! Put into a baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes until cooked through. In the meantime, cut the veg and put into the dutch oven and sauté until cooked. Season with salt and pepper

Thursday

scallops and bok choy

Ginger Butter Sauce (make first)
2T minced shallot
4t minced fresh ginger
¼ c dry white wine
4T cold butter cut into pieces
½ t salt
Pinch of cayenne

In a medium saute pan, combine the shallots, ginger, wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced in by 1/2, about 2 minutes.

Whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, adding each piece before the previous piece has been completely incorporated. Continue until all the butter is incorporated and the sauce coats the back of a spoon, removing the pan from the heat periodically to prevent the sauce from getting too hot and breaking. Whisk in the salt, and cayenne. If you want a smooth sauce, strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean pan. Cover to keep warm while cooking the scallops.

10 diver scallops
4 heads baby bok choy
1 shallot
2t minced garlic
1t minced ginger
6 oz sliced mushrooms (shitake, cremini, white, whatever)
½ c chicken stock or water
Salt and pepper

In a large saute pan, heat 1t olive oil and 1t of sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the bok choy stems and mushrooms and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the bok choy leaves, stock and salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until wilted and the liquid is nearly evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.

In a large clean saute pan or skillet, heat the remaining 2T butter over medium-high heat. Add the scallops in batches and sear on the first side for about 2 minutes, then turn and cook for about 1 minute on the second side.

Arrange the bok choy mixture in the center of plates. Arrange the scallops on top and drizzle with the ginger butter sauce. Garnish with chives and serve immediately.

Grocery List:

2 large leeks
2 cartons chicken broth
2 large russet potatoes
bacon
whole milk, half and half or cream
dill
4 pork loin chops
1 bulb garlic
golden raisins or dried currants (unless you have some from last week)
1 bunch chard
1 bottle dry white wine
4 brats
butter
1 onion
1 head of cabbage
1 tart apple
honey
1 bottle red wine
apple cider vinegar
1 whole chicken cut into pieces (you can buy it this way at the store)
2 zucchini
4 carrots
2 shallots
2 pieces ginger
10 diver scallops
4 heads baby bok choy
6 oz mushrooms (shitake, cremini, white, whatever)
Apples
Pears
Nuts
Pluots or plums
8 fage 2% greek yogurts