I'm bad, I'm Bad...

Wow, has it really been since May that I haven't posted?

Kind of what my blog has looked like.. Nothing for miles and miles

I told you guys, I am a bad, bad blogger.  I could say, once again, that I will be better, but really, who would believe me?  So instead I will say this...

You should never, EVER come here again.  

Why, you ask?

Because I am unpredictable and bad at this.  And really who need more unpredictability in their lives right?

But, if you don't ever come back you may very well miss one of my most delicious recipes (should I ever post one again), and who could ever forgive themselves for that??

With that said, no there really isn't a recipe to post today, at least not a truly paleo one.  But... I will let you in on a umber delicious, always requested, scarf up the leftover really not very paleo receipe.

Why am I publishing a nonpaleo recipe on my paleo blog?  Well, for some of you, you might just decide this is close enough to try.  And for those of you who still scoff and say, yeah, not even close, well maybe you will have the forbidden "cheat" day and give this a whirl.

Besides, Superbowl is coming up and who doesn't need some awesomness to chow down on at 3 am (yes that is the time it comes on tv here in Abu Dhabi) while watching the game?

*This recipe has been adapted from one seen at Skinnytaste.com.

Nonpaleo Buffalo Wing Chicken Dip

Please ignore the non skills of the photographer

2 whole chicken (about 1 kg or 2.2lbs for you non metric people)
2 cup sour cream
8 oz chive and onion cream cheese, softened (for those of you in Abu Dhabi make sure NOT to use spreadable cheese)
1 cup Hot Sauce (make sure it only has peppers and vinegar in the ingredients)
1 cup cheddar cheese

Cook the chicken

• Take that big bad bird and throw it in a pot big enough to hold it and water that will almost cover it
• If your bird is frozen no big deal, just throw it in the pot with the water as is.
• Boil for about 1 hour if the bird wasn't frozen or about 1.5 hours if it was.
• Remove from the water, being sure to drain water from the cavities and place on plate to cool
• Once cool enough to handle, remove skin, and separate the meat from the bones and other ickiness
• Take two forks and shred the meat.  The finer it is the easier it is to mix.

Putting it together

• Add everything except the cheddar and the chicken in a large bowl and mix until mostly smooth.  
• Throw the shredded chicken into your crockpot 
• Pour the sauce over the chicken 
• Add the cheddar on top
• Mix everything together until it is well distributed.
• Turn crockpot to low and heat for 3-4 hours. 
• If your dip is still a little "loose" or runny take the top off your crockpot, turn to high and cook another 30-45 mins.

So here is where I am suppose to tell you that this will serve about 15 people at 1/3 cup a serving... but lets get real here.
As soon as you take a bite of this stuff you are going to turn to your friends, tell them it was an utter failure and it is no good to eat, and then you will take the crockpot and sneak into your room and snarf it all by yourself.  It's that good!

Ok, if you really want the break down then, from experience, I would say this will serve about 15 people.  It is always the thing that goes the fastest and it will leave your friends thinking you are amazing and they will all want the recipe.  So save it in word and start an email list...

No, I'm serious.  Start a list.  Otherwise you will get sick of people asking you for it.









  

10 Days of Whole30 and Not So Chicken Soup

Sorry folks. If you came by today to see my newest eye opening, mouth watering, lip smacking good recipe, you are in for a disappointment. I do have a recipe to post, but it is just an easy to throw together old comfort food that is perfect for when you are sick... It's called...

Wait for it.... wait for it.... (can you feel the suspense building?)

Not So Chicken Soup

What, you were expecting something awe inspiring?

Well this was the best my tucked into bed, nose running, cotton stuffed brain could come up with. And I have my hubby to thank for it all (the sickness portion that is).  Click here for the rest

Coffee Lovers Rejoice!! And an Update

Summer has hit in Abu Dhabi and temps have soared to 47 degrees C (that's 116.6 degrees for all you US readers). Add these temps and my love for coffee together and what do you get?? A major craving for a frozen coffee drink Starbucks style. All you loyal readers know, though, that frappes are completely off limits for me right now due to Whole 30 (update on that later). Even if I wasn't strict Paleo right now, a regular frappe at any coffee joint probably eeks over the "not allowed" line even for 80/20 er's due to the unknown content of the syrups they add.

So I what did I do about my craving? Well lets just say Frappe challenge accepted.

And guess what? I so totally owned that challenge. And it was frickin dddeeelliicccious.

Now, did it taste like Starbucks? That is a big no. But who wants that overly sweet, leaves a funky film on your teeth and a bloated stomach behind drink from Starbucks when you can have my Paleo masterpiece??  Click for the deliciousness

My Journey to Whole30 (and a recipe)

It seems that everytime I take 2 steps forward I then sabatoge myself and end up takin one step back.  And, while this is very frustrating at times, I am proud of myself for getting right back on the Paleo wagon when I fall off.  As proud as I am of myself though, I don't want to keep getting into this cycle of Paleo, not Paleo, Paleo, not Paleo.  To me it feels a bit like a yo-yo diet cycle and we all know how unhealthy that is. 

So my next question that I pose to myself is why do I do this and how can I stop.

I think I figured out an answer to this question earlier this week.  I had been doing really well on Paleo for a week or more and then came a Cinco de Mayo celebration at a friends house.  While I could have made the decision to only eat the Paleo stuff (and yes I cooked a couple of paleo dishes but both were major failures... more on this later) I decided to just go with the flow and eat what everyone else was eating.  I figured I could just get right back up on Paleo the next meal and everything would be fine.  Well let me tell you, I was so totally wrong.  It took me two more days to get back on track.  Now, I didn't eat horibbly the other days, but it certainly wasn't Paleo approved.Continue Reading for the Island Chicken Salad

The Best Laid Plans and Coconutty Pumpkin Soup

 

(My foster dogs at the airport last night)

It has been a week now that I have been back to 80/20 Paleo. I must say that I feel great. I am even starting to not like the site of foods that I would have grab before if I was in a hurry and starving (aka nastiness). It is a great feeling to be in control of food and not have the food control me.

But, enough with the deep serious stuff.

This week has been a crazy one. I have started a new job and am in training right now. It is only suppose to be part time, but we have run over a couple days this week which has made for some long days. Then I had two dogs that I was preparing to put on a plane to send to the UK to a new foster home which included chasing all the needed paperwork. Lets just say that turned into an unplanned whole day affair with me going to the vet twice, the airport three times and then spending an hour at the KLM ticketing office down town buying the tickets. Needless to say, my well planned week was a fiasco. Read More

Lamb Burgers with Citrusy Ginger Cilantro Drizzle

I'm baaaccckkk. Finally. Took me long enough didn't it? Bet you are all wondering where I was. The answer to that questions is long and involved, so I will give you the down and dirty explanation: I suck! I feel off the Paleo bandwagon for a while, then when I got back on, I was just to lazy to update this thing.

But the past is the past right? Forgive and forget? Turn over a new leaf.

Anyways...

I have been spending a great deal of time investigating the blogs of other successful Paleo eaters and chefs. My two favorite right now are Nom Nom Paleo and Everyday Paleo. They both are written by wonderfully witty, successful, and busy women. And, lucky for everyone, they are both wonderful cooks who are willing to share their successes in the kitchen with the rest of us mere mortals.View More

Meaty Mixture Stuffed Veggies

I have come to realize I am not very good at this blogging thing..  I know, this comes as a huge surprise to all of you...  =)

For everyone that reads this and follows it, I pledge to become a better blogger and keep this thing more up to date.



My parents were here for the last three weeks.  I hadn't seen them in almost a year, so it was really great to spend some time with them.  We did all of the Abu Dhabi and Dubai attractions and also went to Oman and did some camping.  While they were here, I also tried to show them some of the local foods and restaurants.  The only problem....  my mom is a huge bread fan!  Needless to say, staying paleo, even 80/20, was almost impossible...  But, I think I did pretty well.  I allowed myself one non paleo meal a day and everything else was paleo.  It worked out pretty good for me, and I was able to enjoy dining with my parents without obsessing over every little bite I put into my mouth. 

Unfortunately, my parents had to leave last night so now my house is empty and I am in the process of cleaning out my fridge and pantry of the nonpaleo food items that made their way into my home during the parental visit.  It also means that I am in desperate need of going to the grocery store to restock on all the wonderful fruits and veggies we can find here.

By the way, I also managed to talk my parents into having a mostly paleo Thanksgiving.  Considering what we usually have on our table at Thanksgiving time, the paleo version turned out really well and I didn't feel like I need to sleep for the next three days after finishing dinner.  It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be either to sub out nonpaleo food items with their paleo counterparts.  Maybe I will make the next post about the paleo substitutions........

Now that I have caught you up on the goings on around here... its on to the reason you guys actually put up with my random ramblings.. the recipe portion.


Today there isn't going to be a recipe per say..  It is more of an idea of what you can do if you have empty cabinets, are short on time, or are just feeling really lazy.  I call it, stuff some veggie with some meat kind of thing.  Yep, very imaginative I know.  You wish you could be like me don't ya???

What this really means is you take some meat (for me it is usually canned tuna because when I am lazy, I am REALLY lazy) mix it with some onion, tomato, paleo mayo or some honey mustard or anything you want really to make it nice and moist, then hollow out a veggie (tomato, cucumber, zucchini, pepper), shove in the meat mixture and proceed to stuff your face.  Its GREAT!  Easy, good tasting and fits into paleo perfectly.

See, the reason I came up with this is that I feel that anything you could put on a sandwich belongs in some kid of vessel to eat it from.  I tried eating my tuna salad from a bowl, but it just didn't satisfy the I need a sandwich receptors of my brain.  Since I can no longer eat bread, that means I had to get a little creative.  Eanter stage right veggie vessels. 

So next time you need an easy breakfast/lunch/dinner idea, try this.  You will thank me, I guarantee it.

Here are some ideas of meats and veggies that I have tried in the past..

Canned Tuna
Sundried tomatoes in olive oil
paleo mayo
pickle
red onion
Mix it all in a bowl then stuffed it in a few hollowed out tomatoes

Canned Tuna
Paleo BBQ sauce.
Mix Tuna and BBQ Sauce. Heat in microwave for 45 seconds.  Stuff into hollowed out cucumbers

Egg Salad (made with whatever you want be it guacamole or traditional way)
Stuff in red pepper or tomato.

Anyways, I think you get the picture.  Be creative with this.  Try out different kinds of meat with different mix ins and different veggies to stuff it in.  If you come up with some out of this world combinations, you are required to share them with the rest of us so we can all join in the orgasmic explosion of wonderfulness for our taste buds.