Tomato Egg Cups

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I am almost halfway done with my clinical year now for PA school. It is amazing how this year is flying by! Right now I am working at a busy OB/GYN practice doing everything from prenatal care, contraceptive management, well woman exams, and labor & delivery. For someone like me who is used to a very regular sleep schedule, the overnight labor & delivery shifts are pretty rough. There is one redeeming factor of staying up all night and having messed up sleep and wacky hormone dysregulation- witnessing the joy of a new mother as she gazes upon her child for the first time. There is something so powerful about the ‘miracle of life’ that allows us to work through the fatigue, and gives us the hope and compassion to comfort other women through the loss of a pregnancy. No other field that I have worked in so far has had highs so high, or lows so low. Exhausted as I may be,  I welcome each experience, good and bad, as it prepares me both academically and emotionally for the rest of my career. :-)

Now, here’s a new breakfast recipe that has nothing to do with that story- Tomato Egg Cups!

Ingredients

1 Large Tomato

2 Eggs

Pepper

Fresh Basil

Olive Oil

Cut your tomato in half vertically. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and membranes.

Crack an egg into each of the tomato halves. Top with fresh cracked pepper.

Bake at 425F for 20 minutes.

Top with fresh chopped basil and a drizzle of olive oil.

Fresh Chamomile and Lemon Tea

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Well I think its safe to say I’ve kicked my coffee habit! I weaned myself off my daily 3+ cups of coffee back in November, but still enjoyed a cup on weekends when I wasn’t in a big rush and could relax and sip it slowly, rather than guzzle it down like I used to. After realizing that even when I only had my one cup of special weekend coffee in the morning I still had trouble falling asleep at night, I decided to cut even that. I don’t really miss coffee now as much as I miss the ritual of it. The simple pleasure of preparing and sipping the coffee while I go about my morning. I have since started drinking herbal teas on occasion to fill that void. I have found several teas that I enjoy, but nothing is as great as fresh chamomile! The adorable little flowers have a mild, sweet taste that is better than any dried tea I’ve had. In addition, chamomile is known to help reduce stress! Sounds like a pretty good alternative to coffee to me!

Ingredients

1/4 cup Fresh Chamomile Flowers

Rind of one Lemon

4 cups Boiling Water

Place lemon rind and chamomile flowers in a teapot.

Pour boiling water over flowers and rind.

Cover and let steep for about 10 minutes.

Strain and serve.

This tea is excellent with a spoonful of canned coconut milk stirred in!

Chicken a la Sarah

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This is my friend Sarah and I. Sarah loves sweet potatoes. Now I know what you’re thinking- “I love sweet potatoes too. Big whoop.” Sarah REALLY loves sweet potatoes. Sweet potato fries, chips, baked or mashed, nothing brings that same sparkle to her eye like a sweet potato can. In fact, I gave her a 10 pound box of sweet potatoes for her birthday last year. So, it seems this recipe is likely to be her new favorite dish. Sweet potatoes and sage are a perfect pairing to add a delicious new flavor to chicken. I hope you enjoy “Chicken a la Sarah” or “Sweet Potato and Sage Crusted Chicken.”Ingredients

1 Large Sweet Potato, baked

1 Egg

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Fresh Chopped Sage

1 Tablespoon Coconut Flour

2 Chicken Breasts

1/4 cup Melted Ghee or Pastured Butter

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg with the salt and sage.

Cut your baked sweet potato in half and scoop out the soft insides into the bowl with the egg mixture.

Use a fork to beat the sweet potato into the egg mixture. Add the coconut flour and mix well.

Cut the chicken breasts into halves or thirds, depending on size. Pat dry.

Place chicken breast pieces in a 9×13 baking dish.

Spread the sweet potato mixture evenly over the top and sides of the chicken pieces.

Bake at 400F for 30 minutes, then broil for 2 minutes to add color.

Serve with a spoonful of melted butter or ghee drizzled on top.

Avocado-Cilantro Salad Dressing

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One of the challenges of the paleo diet is finding acceptable condiments in the grocery store. Most are loaded with sugar, artificial junk, unhealthy oils or some less than acceptable combination of the three. Making your own dressings is the best way to ensure a delicious, quality product. While I am a fan of the easy, no-prep required olive oil and lemon or balsamic vinegar, sometimes I crave a little more excitement on my salads. This Avocado-Cilantro Salad Dressing adds a creamy, fresh, southwestern flavor to a grilled chicken or salmon salad.

Ingredients

1 Avocado

1 Lime

1/3 cup Loosely Packed Cilantro Leaves

1/4 cup Olive Oil

1/4 cup Water

1/4 teaspoon Salt

Blend the avocado, cilantro, olive oil, water, and salt in a food processor. Add the juice of  1 lime. Blend well until smooth.

Serve over a generous serving of your favorite green leafys, topped with tomatoes, bell peppers and grilled chicken or salmon.

Note: Don’t throw out the avocado seed. If you do not use all of the dressing immediately, store refrigerated in an airtight container with the avocado seed to help keep it fresh.

Bacon Crusted Sweet Potato Mash

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One of the most common reasons I hear about why someone isn’t willing to try paleo is “I don’t have the time to cook.” More than likely its not a time issue, but a laziness issue. If something is important to you, you will find the time to make it happen, and yes, that just might mean missing the last season of Desperate Housewives. Let me tell you a secret. Bree and Lynette don’t care about your health, and they certainly won’t miss you if you choose to spend that time investing in your personal well-being. Don’t get me wrong, I like watching Desperate Housewives too. We all have those guilty pleasures, but when time is an issue, something has to go.

I just finished an intense surgical rotation as a part of my physician assistant training. I spent 12+ hours at the hospital, as well as 2 hours of my day battling the legendary Los Angeles traffic. Thankfully I did get weekends off. Nevertheless, my schedule didn’t allow much time for cooking, working out, or even eating and sleeping.  That doesn’t mean I had to revert back to old SAD eating. I spent what little time I had wisely, making specific foods to help get me through the week. Every weekend I would make at least a dozen hard boiled eggs for an easy and portable breakfast. Big batches of soups were portioned out and frozen for later use. Spending all day in a freezing cold operating room, nothing was better than a hot bowl of soup for lunch with some sliced deli turkey or chicken for protein. I always had some macadamia nuts in my pocket just in case. When I finally made it home at the end of the day, it was almost time for bed. Dinner had to be just as fast and easy as the rest of my meals. I ate a lot of turkey burgers and sirloin patties with whatever vegetables were in the fridge. No, it wasn’t very exciting food. Yes, I got a little bored with eating the same few things, but it worked. The point is, if you make healthy paleo eating a priority, you can do it regardless of how busy you think you may be. Remember, during the times you are the busiest, your nutrition matters more than ever. You need to fuel wisely to in order to make it through those long days and recover quickly to do it again the next.

When life cooperates, and you have the time to cook and be social, this Bacon Crusted Sweet Potato Mash makes an excellent potluck dish. It’s so good, your friends are sure to forgive you for ignoring them during your surgery rotation… ;-)

Ingredients

4 Sweet Potatoes (Yams) about 3 pounds

1/4 cup Coconut Oil

2 Tablespoons Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon Clove

1/2 teaspoon Allspice

1 teaspoon Sea Salt

8 Slices Bacon

Cut the sweet potatoes into large pieces about 1-2 inches thick. No, you don’t need to peel your sweet potatoes first.

Put your sweet potatoes in a pot with water covering them. Bring to a boil for 25 minutes, until potato pieces are fork-tender, and the skins are just starting to peel off.

Drain the potatoes and remove skins. The skins should peel off very easily with little effort. Return the potatoes to the pot.

Mash coconut oil and spices into the potatoes until well mixed.

Transfer the mashed sweet potatoes to a 9×9 baking dish and set aside.

Cook your bacon until it is halfway done. You are pre-cooking it just to get most of the fat off, but don’t throw it out. Save the bacon fat to cook some vegetables in another time.

Chop the half cooked bacon into small pieces and spread evenly on top of the mashed sweet potatoes.

Cook at 375F for 20 minutes, until bacon topping is crisp.

Root Vegetable Chips

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When I need questions answered, inspiration, or just a laugh, the first stop on my list is Whole 9. Dallas and Melissa Hartwig make up the dynamic team behind the growing Whole 9 empire. Their Whole30 program has empowered and changed thousands of lives. Their articles provide valuable nutritional information to the public in an easy to read, witty, and relate-able style. Needless to say, I was thrilled to spend a whole day learning from them at their Foundations of Nutrition Workshop at Team Crossfit Academy yesterday. Their workshop goes beyond just what to eat, and tackles the reasons behind the food choices (good and bad) that we make. They don’t skimp on the science, but don’t let that intimidate you- they use fun analogies to bring the concepts to life and make even the least nerdy of the group understand. If you haven’t been to one of their workshops yet, put it on your list. If they won’t be near you anytime soon, don’t worry- you can always buy their upcoming book It Starts With Food. When you do get the opportunity to participate in a Whole9 workshop, these Root Vegetable Chips make an excellent snack to bring along. Just make sure to bring extras- they will be gone quick!

Ingredients

2 pounds Root Vegetables (I used beets, rutabaga, and daikon radish)

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt

1/2 teaspoon Dried Granulated Garlic

Peel the vegetables, then slice thinly with a mandolin slicer. Use a ruffle edge blade for extra fun.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, toss the vegetable slices with olive oil. Make sure all slices are evenly coated.

Sprinkle the salt and garlic over the vegetable slices, and toss well.

Place the vegetable slices on a cookie sheet in a single layer.

Bake at 400F for 20 minutes. Turn chips and cook and additional 20 minutes, until chips are crisp.

*Please be aware, cooking times may vary based on the thickness of your slices*

 

 

Butter and Sage Acorn Squash

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Well its January, the time of the year for setting goals. Some of the most popular goals are losing weight and saving money, and while those are very nice goals, mine can’t quite be described in so few words.

I’ve just finished the first week of my clinical rotations! My first rotation is surgery- way to start off with a bang, right? Well, rotations are 6 weeks long in each medical specialty, with testing in between each one. My goals this year are really geared towards my education. I want to take full advantage of each clinical rotation and learn everything I can, so that I can be the best Physician Assistant I can be once I am finished with my education.

Of course, there are some sacrifices and a lot of hard work needed along the way in order to achieve any goal. Unfortunately, my goals involve 13 hour work days followed by over an hour of traffic getting home to study, but I do it gladly for the sake of my future patients. All the time spent in surgeries and at the hospital also means little time for much else right now. Although I can’t make it into the gym much during this rotation, at least I am on my feet and running around the hospital all day. I don’t have much time or energy to cook, or even eat, so I am learning to love my hard boiled eggs, sliced chicken and macadamia nuts frantically consumed between each case to keep me going.  I will still be cooking and blogging on weekends as time allows, but it definitely won’t be quite as regular as I would like.

With that said, what your your goals for this year? Have you spent any time thinking about how you are going to achieve them? Do you know the sacrifices and effort require to reach them?  The best way to be successful is to examine your goals and answer these questions for yourself. Know the road you have chosen for yourself, and you will go far.

Ingredients

1 Acorn Squash

1-2 Tablespoons Pastured Butter

1 Tablespoon Loosely Packed Fresh Sage Leaves

Sea Salt

Cut the acorn squash in half and remove seeds.

Place cut side down in a glass baking dish with water 1/2 inch deep. Microwave for five minutes.

Remove water from dish and place acorn squash halves cut side up.

Melt the butter in a small dish. Spoon half the butter into each squash half and coat the entire inside with it.

Chop the fresh sage and sprinkle it on the squash. Add a dash of salt.

Cook the seasoned squash in the oven at 350F for 25 minutes.

Enjoy the squash right out of its skin with a spoon.