Paleo (or not) Spaghetti With Photos!

This recipe is exactly what we used.  You can substitute things you would rather use.  Two items we used are Italian Sausages, and canned tomato paste, neither of which are Paleo, but were what we had on hand to make this dish with.  For the meat, substitute lean, grass-fed beef, or other grass-fed red meat, and for the tomato paste Trader Joe's sells organic tomato paste that has two ingredients: tomatoes and naturally derived citric acid.  The Paleo community seems to be pretty up in the air about using canned products, so it is entirely up to you to decide if you want to. =)

THE RECIPE

What you will need:

• A Bowl of Cherry or Grape Tomatoes
• (For two people) One Large Spaghetti Squash
• Olive Oil
• One Organic Onion (Yellow)
• Two Stalks of Organic Celery
• 4-5 Organic Mini (Bell) Peppers
• (optional) Small Can of Tomato Paste (Preferably Organic) 

Herbs:

• Fresh Basil
• Fresh Parsley
• 2 TBSP Organic Garlic (we like the minced stuff that comes in a jar)

Directions:

Cut the tomatoes in half, and put them in a saucepan.  Cover the tomatoes with water, and allow them to simmer.  They will need to cook for at least a couple hours. Every so often, mash them with a hand-held potato masher, if one is on hand. You will need to add water to it as it simmers down. 

In the meantime, while the tomatoes are cooking, you will need to gather your herbs.  For this recipe, we cut fresh parsley and fresh basil from our garden.


<------Basil

<------Parsley

When the tomatoes are near finished, you will need to get your squash ready.

Cut it in half, like shown in the picture. -------->

Scoop out the seeds, like shown in the next picture.
<----------

Next, you are going to rub the insides with olive oil.

Then, you will need to salt each side, put them on a baking sheet, and throw them in the oven.  Set the oven to 385*

Next, while the squash is cooking, you will need to prepare the rest of the sauce. Chop the:

• Onion-mince it
• Peppers- mince them
• Herbs-mince them
• Sausage-split the skin and take the meat out
• Garlic-have it on hand

 You are going to begin by cooking the onion, peppers, and garlic in one pan, with a bit of olive oil.
Cook the veggies until they are just getting soft. You will want them to still be a bit crisp. When they are finished, add them to the tomatoes, as shown in
the picture to the right.    --------------->
At this time, you will also add the tomato paste, if you use it. :)

Your sauce should look something like this ----->

Go ahead and add your herbs now. :)  ---------->

It is at this time, that you will also add your meat. In our case, the sausage.--------------------->

Had we prepared for this meal and not thrown it together hastily, we most likely would have used the grass-fed Angus meat we usually get. :) 

Simmer the sauce, while stirring, for about 5-7 minutes, bringing all the ingredients together. :)







This time, we served the sauce in the hollowed-out squash.  We usually pull the squash, with a fork, creating the "spaghetti noodles". This way looked nice, and it was OK, but I found it awkward to pull the sides of the squash.  I will say this though, clean up was really easy! and storing leftovers was also.  We just wrapped the squash and made sure they didn't spill.


I hope everyone enjoyed this recipe. :)

Until next time, love yourself, because I love you too. XOXO 

3-Day Smoothie Challenge

So I have decided that I am going to do my own challenge.  3 days of smoothies.  If I can go 3, why not 7?  They say that the first 3 days are the hardest, so if I can make it through the 3, I am going to go for 7.  I will be sure to keep everyone posted on my progress!

I have been fighting inner demons again lately...seems to be something I am incapable of fighting on my own.  Fitness and healthy eating are the key...and that is part of the reason I am going to do this 3 day challenge.  I need to know that I can do it...it is more mental than physical, I think.

 I have two real passions in life: fitness/health, and photography. I am going to school for photography, and plan to pursue a career in the field once I graduate.  I am not a people person, really, so I prefer to shoot nature and landscapes. Or food. :)  I love shooting food.  #TeamEatFoodGetFit was started because I know that people don't need to DIET, they just need to eat real food. REAL food is the key to maintaining as well as losing weight. But I am getting off topic.... :)

                                     Silver Lake,  © Kristy Olney, all rights reserved

                              Pint-Sized Buddy,  © Kristy Olney, all rights reserved

School, a full-time job where I weekly bring in over 40 hours can be mentally draining.  Fitness and photography have been my rock...even when I haven't worked out (being too depressed, which I know is a catch-22) I have stayed plugged in with my world-wide Fitstar friends. Being a part of something that spans the globe and brings so many people from so many different lifestyles and cultures together is very humbling. I am beyond grateful for them. :)

Has anyone else done a smoothie detox or short-term diet?                          I am curious to hear about what others have done, and what has worked for them.  I will be using leafy greens from my garden, as well as some store-bought stuff I have in the fridge right now.  I am also going to use flax seeds. It should be interesting.

Again, I will keep everyone updated on my progress.  I will post again after day 3. :)

Wilson and Leo, © Kristy Olney, all rights reserved

Chicken Cabbage Stew!!!! :)

 People wanted to know how many calories are in this dish.  About 180. =) I personally don't count calories, so that info is only there for those who want to know. =)
You will need:

• 2 five-piece packs of chicken thighs (organic)
• 4 large stalks of celery (organic)
• 4 large carrots (organic)
• 1/2 head of cabbage (organic)
• 4" stick of fresh rosemary (or to taste) organic
• 5 large leaves of fresh sage (or to taste) organic
• fresh parsley (to taste) organic
• Crock-Pot, or other cooking mechanism (not organic haha)
• 4-5 cloves fresh garlic (organic, and these were store-bought)

Start by:

Chop the celery and carrots into large pieces. Or smaller if you like. :)  We like a chunky stew.  Place the chicken in the pot along with the vegetables. We leave the bones in. Sounds crazy I am sure, but that is how we do it.  I think it contributes to the flavor of the broth. 

Pour in enough water to thoroughly cover the meat and veggies. Cook for three hours. 

Three hours later, chop your cabbage and throw it in there. Or place it in there...it's entirely up to you. :) You will also be throwing in your herbs at this time.  Matthew planted herbs and vegetables this year, so all the herbs used in this recipe came from our garden.  The other ingredients didn't, however they are all organic.  If you can't buy organic, don't beat yourself up!  If you are just starting to eat healthy, do the best you can, and be proud that you have come this far! We all start somewhere, and heck, I'm just starting over. :)

About three hours later was when we ate, for an approximate total of 6 hours cooking time. I seasoned my bowl with salt and pepper. =)

I didn't suspect I'd be that good at typing up recipes.  And I wish I had been able to photograph my dearly beloved prepping this and throwing it together.  Next time I will be sure to get step-by-step photos.  This wasn't bad for a first time, writing up a recipe, if I do say so myself. :)

Until next time, love yourself, because I love you too. XOXO

Slacker.....

So, I began "slipping" so to speak. So strange, because I began seeing results, and immediately self-sabotaged...that is old behavior, and definitely not acceptable. I can however, treat it as an experiment and present my findings. :-)

It began with my diet. 

After two years eating gluten free, we decided to have pizza. Then, we tried fast food. Then we had pizza again. Before I knew it, at least once a week we were eating junk. :-( My face began breaking out like it used to, and I began feeling like CRAP. 

Progressed into my work out regimen. 

It got to where I couldn't get up to work out in the morning. At first I thought I was just being lazy, but I could barely get up to go to work, let alone work out. I was so tired during the day! Oh my goodness. Exhausted. I thought my thyroid levels were off (I am hypothyroid).

Went and got my blood work done, and what do you know, my thyroid levels are perfect. So....

That led me back to the beginning with my diet.  Putting two and two together, I was able to determine that this was of my own making, and that I would have to start over. 

Paleo YAY!!!

So,why not go all out? Seriously, why not? No more grains, potatoes, ice cream, processed food. None. Today is day two, and I already feel better.

Hubby made an organic, Paleo chicken cabbage stew for dinner. It is one of my favorite dishes EVER. I'm going to post the recipe later. :) 

Don't worry.  This setback has simply prepared me for a COMEBACK! And comeback I will. :)

Until next time, love yourself, because I love you too. XOXO