Social Butterfly

It is definitely that time of year...lots of get togethers and holiday celebrations. Always fun to hang out with friends and family, but man I am BEAT! And sick, I suspect from all the cookie eating and stress bringing my immune system down (ready to get back on that paleo wagon, stat!). Somehow I persevered, despite my introvert tendencies. Clockwise from top left:  good friend Kristin in town (left) visiting and going to see our former cheerleaders, the hubby and I at the gym holiday party and challenge finale (I got 3rd! I won t-shirts!), with the work ladies trading sweets at Liz's new place. Lucky to have such wonderful people in my life.

Crockpot Turkey

I learned a great little shortcut on Thanksgiving, and I almost feel guilty admitting it. You get a turkey breast (in this case two 3 lb.ers), and a stick of butter (one stick per turkey breast), then put it in the crock pot on low with salt for 6-8 hours. That's it. Perfect, moist turkey!

I went a step further and used the remaining stuffing filling (celery and onions), some chopped carrots, garlic, parsley, and pepper, and it was once again fantastic. Then I gutted our CSA pumpkin and roasted the chunks, blending them in the crock pot (after I removed the cooked turkey obviously) with the cooked down veggies and seasonings to make a nice little puree to serve it over. Go try this, you'll thank me later.

Back in the Saddle

Long story short, I coached competitive cheer and gymnastics for about 15 years, and ran a program for much of that time. I loved coaching, loved the kids, but working every night and weekend was tough. So I took last year off, but now that I'm in better shape I've been working out a little on the tumble track (I did a back handspring! And a back tuck!) and an opportunity came up to help out once a week for an hour. Small time commitment, no admin work, and I have a place to practice my skillz and still be involved in a sport that I love. So far it's working out really well.

Beef Stir Fry, Take 2

This was the same delicious paleo Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry recipe from before, but I had to improvise a little. No coconut aminos, so used gluten free soy sauce. No tomato paste so used tomatoes and Siracha. No arrowroot powder so used tapioca starch. Still tasted great!

Shrimp Gnocchi

As soon as we finished the paleo challenge I was ready for some real deal comfort food, so I got locally made (gluten free) gnocchi, and served them with sauteed shrimp, diced cherry tomatoes, onion, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, ghee, garlic, and basil. Yummy yummy in my tummy!

Paleoish Hot Chocolate

Alright, so truth be told, my attempt at paleo hot chocolate didn't go so well. It was basically like drinking a super rich ganache. BUT I put it in the fridge and it made a delicious pudding the next day! Score!

Whisk several small cans of coconut milk over medium heat, then add in a few teaspoons of 100% cocoa powder. I added about a tablespoon of honey and then cracked up a 70% dark chocolate bar and melted pieces of that in. Continue whisking until bubbling, then serve (or refrigerate).

Roasted Fall Veggies

I made these before Thanksgiving and then again the day of, because they were that good. We had several small pumpkins and squashes from our CSA, so I chopped those info 1 inch pieces along with a large turnip, an onion, several carrots, little potatoes, and asparagus, then tossed everything with olive oil, salt, pepper, and lots of thyme. Roast at 425 for about 40 minutes or until veggies are soft. Goes great with pulled pork!