Creamy Chicken Dijon
Creamy Chicken Dijon.
I am relieved to say that my exercise science midterm is over! It is such a relief to have that thing off my mind or at least not to have to study for it anymore. I admit that it is still on my mind a little bit. I can’t help but wonder how I did and have gone over some of the questions in my head (and even checked an answer in my book…don’t let me do that anymore. It made me upset!). I realized I made a couple dumb mistakes, but in the moment, I took a chance because I was unsure. Whatever. I know I passed and I studied my buns off, so hopefully it paid off and at least scored me a B. I’m pretty confident that I got at least that, but who knows, maybe I did even better!
Studying for that blasted exam is what the majority of my weekend consisted of. The weather was so nice and sunny, which made it challenging, but I took advantage of studying outside on the patio. Really, I just wanted to hang out outdoors, bum around on my bike and drink wine. I got the outdoors, did ride some on my bike (commuting), but didn’t drink wine. I needed clarity, so I stuck with kombucha and memory boost tea. As you probably know by now, I very rarely drink, but there’s something about warm weather that makes me want to, particularly when the weather first starts turning summery.
Jason’s event at Whole Foods on Saturday was a lot of fun and a nice break from studying. There ended up being a smaller group than expected because a couple people cancelled last minute and some didn’t show up, which I attribute to the warm weather, but it was a success among those there and nice to have a small group. Naturally, it ran over because there was a lot of questions and much to talk about in only one hour’s time. Everyone was very engaged and Jason was entertaining and brilliant, as always. Honestly, that guy cracks me up, but man he knows his stuff! It’s always a pleasure to listen to him speak. To all my readers and followers who have not bought his book, The Paleo Coach, I strongly encourage you to do so. His message and information is too valuable not to share.
Here are a couple pictures from the event. Ashley, Whole Foods Pearl District’s Healthy Eating Specialist and blogger at Craving4more, also put together a neat picture from the talk on her Instagram, which you can check out here.
The spread of paleo food that Ashley, the Healthy Foods Specialist made for the event (with the exception of the date and honey-sweetened Stirs the Soul raw chocolate — my favorite!). She also blogs over at Craving4more.
Jason, doing what he does.
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Meanwhile, I’m still really loving mustard, particularly Dijon. It makes a difference in so many recipes and is often the missing flavor I’m looking for. It tantalized my taste buds once again, in this recipe. Hope you enjoy it!
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp US Wellness Meats grass-fed beef tallow
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 medium carrots, chopped
- 1.5 cups chopped broccoli
- 1/2 cup zucchini, chopped
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 3 Tbsp bone broth or low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
Directions:
- Melt tallow in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and saute for a minute. Then, add the chicken and season with a bit of sea salt and pepper.
- Continue to cook for about 5-6 minutes, and then add the spices, carrots, broccoli and a bit more sea salt and pepper. Stir well and continue to saute.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, broth and Dijon. Add mixture to the chicken and vegetables; stir.
- Continue to cook for 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender. The sauce will thicken up a bit as well.
- Serve as is or with steamed leafy greens, cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles.
Yields: 3 servings
Turkey Sausage Veggie Hash
Before I rant about this recipe, I want to announce an exciting event coming up in Portland this Saturday. Some of you may have seen it on my Facebook page, but I want to share it again! Anyway, Jason Seib, author of The Paleo Coach, is giving a FREE talk at the Pearl District Whole Foods from 12-1 p.m, this Saturday, May 4th. There will be copies of Jason’s book available for purchase and he will also be available for signing. In addition, there will be some delicious paleo recipes to try made by the lovely, Ashley Kipp, the pearl store’s Healthy Foods Specialist and blogger behind Craving4more. Space is limited and an RSVP is required, so if you want to sign up, please email Ashley at ashley.kipp@wholefoods.com. It’s only two days away, so make sure you reserve your spot now! The presentation will be held upstairs in Salud, the demo kitchen next to The Mezz.
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Meanwhile, this simple and tasty dish is versatile and pretty much foolproof — at least in my opinion. Honestly, I don’t have too much to say about it, other than the fact that it’s just plain good. Eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It’d also be great mixed with some scrambled eggs, but a runny egg on top is lovely too. Can you believe that I used to detest runny yolks? Up until a couple years ago, I only ate my yolks cooked through. That’s just blasphemy!
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground turkey thighs
- 1 Tbsp US Wellness Meats grass-fed beef tallow
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 bunch radishes, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 3 cups fresh spinach, torn into pieces
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 1 tsp ground sage
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- Dash of nutmeg
- 3 Tbsp bone broth or low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp grass-fed butter
- Sunny side-up pastured egg for serving, optional
Directions:
- Melt tallow in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground turkey and break up with a spatula. Then, add the chopped garlic. Season with a little sea salt and pepper, and continue to cook.
- Next, add the radishes, carrots, spices, bone broth, and a bit more sea salt and pepper; stir. Continue to cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until meat is cooked through and vegetables are crisp-tender. Then, add the torn spinach leaves and butter. Cook another couple minutes, until spinach softens a bit. Adjust seasonings as needed.
- Optional to serve with a sunny-side up egg and let the yolk ooze all over.
Yields: 3 servings
Everyday Paleo Workshop Recap
As some of you know from my Facebook page, I attended Jason Seib and Sarah Fragoso’s Everyday Paleo workshop this past Saturday. It was my second time attending, but this time it was at Jason’s gym, Clackamas Physical Conditioning, about 25 minutes from my house. Last time, I drove four hours to attend their workshop in Grant’s Pass, Oregon and it was well worth it. Anyway, there were about 100 or so people in attendance, including Cain Credicott of Paleo Magazine, Tammy Credicott of The Healthy GF Life and author of Paleo Indulgences, Ute of Grokette’s Primal Musings and FastPaleo.com, the founders of Fatworks and more! It was such a great crowd! I was humbled to have a few people come up to me and ask if I was Paleo in PDX, and then proceed to introduce themselves. It was kind of strange, but neat at the same time.
Great crowd! (Photo credit: Everyday Paleo).
The infamous, Deb Hunter, helping Sarah. (Photo credit: Grokette’s Primal Musings).
You know what really made me feel special though? Being invited to the cool kids party after the workshop. Jason invited me over to his house for dinner that evening to hang with him, his family, the Fragoso’s, Tammy and Cain, and possibly some others. I had to about pinch myself thinking about the awesome offer. Holy sh*t, I felt honored and like a really flippin’ cool lady. Sadly, I could not attend because Jesse and I had plans at 4 p.m. to meet our friend who’s officiating our wedding, and I really didn’t want to cancel with the wedding only 4-ish weeks away (and considering the fact that we hadn’t even discussed anything with him yet). If I would’ve known beforehand and not the day of (thanks, Jason), I could have planned for it, but it was too short notice. So, it’ll have to happen another time and I’m confident that something of the sorts will. Still though, isn’t that pretty rad?!
Preach it, Jason! (Photo credit: Grokette’s Primal Musings).
Anyway, back to the actual workshop. It was so engaging, even a second time around. I learned new things and took completely different notes than I did before. The questions and discussion always change, of course, based on the audience. This particular audience asked a lot of questions! Jason was as science-y, thorough and funny as ever, and Sarah was down to earth, vibrant and spoke from the heart. They really complement one another well and make a great team. Here are some of my takeaways this time around:
- When you intervene on original diets, disease interferes. We changed the rules with the introduction of agriculture and processed foods, which is why we have the pronounced rise of modern illness today.
- In a study with over 5,000 Swedish men (I believe it was just men), 74% had undiagnosed celiac disease. Just get it out of your diet, people! Don’t even bother with a test that may or may not even tell you that you have it!
- People are not stuck with autoimmune conditions the rest of their lives (unless a rare, chronic issue), despite what they think or are told. The question that needs to be asked is, “what caused it?” It comes back to systemic inflammation, leaky gut syndrome and celiac disease. There was even a woman in attendance who had been diagnosed with MS and was bound to a WHEELCHAIR! Well, guess what? She switched to a paleo lifestyle and is no longer debilitated, and can walk and move freely! Chill-worthy, right? The proof is in the pudding, folks. This is not the first instance of this I’ve heard either. There is another prime example in Jason’s wonderful book, The Paleo Coach, which I recommend buying if you haven’t already.
- Jason shared a quote from Nora Gedgaudas that is so spot on, “Science isn’t the last word, it’s the latest word.”
- 50 percent or more of people that die of heart disease have LOW cholesterol.
- There is a strong correlation between calcium supplementation and heart attack.
- Eliminating vegetable oils (canola, safflower, sunflower, corn, cottonseed, etc.) from your diet makes it HARDER to get skin cancer.
I see my head! I’m the blonde hair on the far left. (Photo credit: The Healthy GF Life).
- Chia seeds should be treated like grain. (Lucky for me, I already avoid these puppies. They’re SCD-illegal. Isn’t it basically bird seed anyway?).
- A few years ago, an Iowa State professor was fired for saying that cows eat grass! Corn is the answer they were looking for since Iowa grows tons of it.
- If and when you do indulge in booze, drink earlier, so it’s out of your bloodstream before you go to bed.
- There is not a single study showing that people who are on statins live any longer than those not on statins. And, in people who have had a heart attack or have advanced heart disease, studies show that they might live 13 days longer than they would have otherwise. 13 days longer…is it worth all the terrible health risks? Did you know that people at Jason’s gym are not even allowed to be on statins to workout there because of all the risks? You actually have to sign off that you’re not on statins.
- When you yo yo diet, you lose WEIGHT and gain FAT. You don’t want to lose weight, folks because that includes precious muscle mass.
- “Paleo treats,” as a staple are like candy cigarettes.
- STOP doing lots of cardio! Six 20-second row sprint intervals have the same EPOC (Excess Post Oxygen Consumption) as 30-minutes of steady state cardio at 80% VO2max, but without the cortisol and prolonged stress. Do you know what excess cortisol and stress equals? Increased fat storage! (This is not new to me, but I like the study Jason mentioned, especially since I understand the terminology, thanks to exercise science).
- “This isn’t a diet, it’s a perspective and perspective will set you free.” – Jason Seib
**Read about my first time attending Sarah and Jason’s workshop here and here.**
I Bow My Head in Gratitude
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I am taking a break from food today to say express my gratitude. I just have to get it off my chest, and nearly want to shout it from the rooftops!
I am thankful, every single day, for this life and what I’m creating for myself. Up until 10 months ago, I never knew life could be this satisfying and amazing. I was at a job that made me unhappy and stressed (stressed because I felt like I could never do anything good enough and I often felt like I was walking on eggshells), and I was not pursuing my passions or using my energy to its greatest capacity. I’ve said this before, but getting laid off from that job was the best thing that could have happened to me. Since that time, I’ve changed my attitude and perspective, surrounded myself with positive people and finally started pursuing things that mattered to me. And guess what? Opportunities fell into my lap effortlessly, and all the jobs I have now I did not apply for, but rather, they were offered to me: coaching at Recreate Fitness, making treats at Cultured Caveman, freelance writing for a former co-worker’s side business and now, doing some PR work for Jason Seib, my mentor and author of the fantastic new book, The Paleo Coach. Having people who believe in me and want ME is an awesome feeling. I am so blessed and I know it might sound sappy, but sometimes, all I can do is cry because I’m so happy. I also am a bit of a softy and show emotion easily. But, do you see how important it is to be pursuing the things that matter to you? Don’t settle for less…it’s not worth it and life is too short.
What are you creating for yourself? Are you pursuing the things that are near and dear to your heart? If not, what’s stopping you?
Don’t mind the grammatical error on here, but please know, I did not create this! It should read: Optimism, it’s the best way to see life.
Weekend Highlights
Wow, what a great weekend! Saturday, in particular, was outstanding. Before I get rolling about that, I just want to say that a Monday – Wednesday school schedule is SO much better than going through Thursday. One less day of school during the week really makes a big difference. If you’re curious, my classes this term include exercise science, fitness assessment II, and professional activities: special populations (fitness programming for older adults).
My post-workout Saturday morning breakfast: pastured eggs scrambled in grass-fed butter with leftover US Wellness Meats Easter ham, kale, avocado and raw sauerkraut. There’s a splash of full-fat coconut milk in the scramble too. Yum! (Taken on iPhone).
Anyway, Saturday started with another great workout at Recreate. Then, it was breakfast at home and a little downtime before heading to Whole Foods for a healthy fats presentation by my friend, Ashley, also the blogger behind Craving4more, in case you didn’t remember. The event was actually titled, “Fat is NOT the F-word!” Ashley had a great spread laid out, as usual and we had the opportunity to sample the delicious food. I tried the macadamia-crusted halibut, a fig olive walnut tapenade, roasted watermelon radishes (roasted in coconut oil), and lemon pound cake bites (grain-free and similar to a larabar). She also had an avocado chocolate mousse with port berries and spiced pecans, but I needed to opt out. I brought some home for Jesse though, and he said it was delicious. Ashley also had some freshly made grass-fed tallow and grass-fed ghee on display for participants to see.
Ashley’s spread (Taken on iPhone).
Freshly rendered grass-fed beef tallow (Taken on iPhone).
Ashley gave a great overview of the types of fat, which to cook with, which not to cook with (finishing oils), which to avoid, omega-3 vs. omega-6, myths and overall benefits. I knew most everything already, but it was neat to see others learn about it that did not know all these details. It was fun and I was happy to be there to support Ashley, and taste the delicious food too! Be sure to keep an eye on Ashely’s blog this week because I know she’ll be posting some of the recipes.
The macadamia-crusted halibut and roasted watermelon radishes were my favorite! I plan to make the halibut for dinner tonight, actually and probably the radishes too (Taken on iPhone).
Then, when leaving Whole Foods, I randomly ran into two different friends, one of which I hadn’t seen in a long time (also a former lululemon co-worker). The other was one of my special yoga buddies. I love them both and was happy to see and chat with them, even if it was only for a few minutes.
Fast forward a little later in the day and I remembered that Nora Gedgaudas, author of Primal Body, Primal Mind, was giving a talk at a local bookstore about 5-10 minutes away from my house. I called to make sure there was still spots available, and lucky for me, there was, but I wasn’t sure if I’d make it in time or not. I had dinner going and realized I’d have to eat quickly and bolt, and I really detest rushing! I knew I’d regret missing it though, so I made it work.
Here’s the description of Nora’s presentation, as stated by New Renaissance Bookshop:
“Dietary fat has been treated like a villain for the better part of the last century by medical authorities, the USDA and other mainstream nutritional authorities. Instead, dietary carbohydrates have been lauded as foundational to human dietary needs largely without question and now makes up the majority of mainstream dietary intake. Dietary fat is demonstrably central to our most basic energy, metabolic, neurological and physiologic needs and by restricting its intake we foster a much less healthy and unnatural dependence upon dietary sources of sugar and starch. Nora Gedgaudas is the author of the critically acclaimed international best-selling book, Primal Body, Primal Mind. She maintains a private practice in Portland, Oregon as both a Board-Certified nutritional consultant and a Board-Certified clinical Neurofeedback Specialist.”
At the event, I had the opportunity to meet a couple other Portland paleo bloggers and it was awesome to finally put a face with the name in person! I’m referring, specifically, to Holly over at The Paleo Blog of Yay and Jennifer over at Paleo Dieting. Jason Seib, my mentor and author of the book, The Paleo Coach, was also there. I grabbed a seat and Jason told me to save the seat next to him. I still feel so fortunate to have him as a friend and mentor.
Nora’s talk was 90 minutes long and I was engaged every second of it. I took notes and could have taken a lot more, but was so enthralled by her at times, that all I could do is sit and listen. She is a wealth of knowledge, as well as a fantastic speaker and presenter. I am SO glad I went.
After the talk, I chit-chatted with some others and was able to meet Nora and have her sign my book, which was such a pleasure. I didn’t get a picture with Nora, but did take one of Jason and Nora together on my phone.
Nora and Jason. I actually borrowed Jason’s picture because the lighting was better in his than in mine. Still a phone picture none the less.
Here are a few highlights from Nora’s presentation that I wrote down (note, this is not everything I wrote down):
- Taking statins for high cholesterol levels is the equivalent to shooting the fireman at the fire.
- Cholesterol is an indicator, not a disease marker. To know what’s really going on, you have to look under the hood.
- The more we depend on fat, the longer we live.
- Cell membranes require 50% saturated fat for functioning and other parts of the body, including the heart, need it to function properly as well (she listed how other parts of the body use saturated fat, but this is the one I was able to jot down in time).
- Cholesterol functions as an antioxidant and acts as duct tape in our arteries.
- Cholesterol — not diamonds — is a girl’s best friend.
- Using ketones for fuel creates more ATP.
- The brain uses >20% of the body’s total energy demands.
- For human longevity, it’s best to keep protein around 25 grams per meal. (Note: this varies for some people with specific goals or needs, such as athletes or those trying to gain muscle).
- Special note: go watch Allan Savory’s TED talk titled, “How to green the desert and reverse climate change.” Jason made sure I wrote this down.
On a completely different note and just because I want to share, Jesse and I get married exactly two months from today!
Weekend Recap and Highlights
Homework, writing and reading. That’s the summary of my weekend. In fact, I was so worn out on Saturday after being at it all day, that I missed out on girl’s night with some of my co-workers from Recreate and other great ladies that workout there. I just didn’t have the energy for it, and knew that I needed my focus to roll over into Sunday. Luckily, I did have some fun Friday night and got a lot done this weekend, which was critical.
On Friday, Jesse and I went out with an old college friend of mine from Michigan. We met when we were both 18 years old, attending Eastern Michigan University in the interior design program, which will be 10 years ago this August. Anyway, she was here visiting with her husband and asked if we wanted to get together. Naturally, I said yes. We met at the Mission Theater for drinks and then watched the newest episode of Portlandia, which the theater airs every Friday night. You may have seen this when I posted it on my Facebook page, but here’s one of my favorite clips from the new season called, fart patio. Part of why I think it’s so funny, is because as a former vegetarian and vegan, I can totally relate! I’ve even eaten at the cafe they’re at in the clip, which has a lot of unique things on their menu — all vegan, mostly raw and nearly all gluten-free. I don’t really go there anymore, but if I do, I get a fresh green juice. They have some really tasty ones to choose from.
After watching Portlandia, we walked across the street and ate Thai food and drank hot Thai tea at Sweet Basil Thai. I ordered a gluten-free red curry with chicken, no rice. It was delicious. It felt so good to get out, see an old friend and laugh. I hadn’t laughed that hard in a while. My two glasses of wine didn’t sit super well with me, even though I chose something dry, but I still had a great time and didn’t let it hold me back. It was the first drink I’ve had since New Year’s eve. I’m not much of a drinker — usually just at holidays and when I go out with friends.
On Sunday, I worked in the morning, then went to a coffee shop afterward to pump out some more work. Then, I came home and got some 24-hour yogurt started, along with a batch of bone broth. I also made a tasty, creamy beverage that I’m hoping to post later this week, so stay tuned! Meanwhile, this week’s chaos has already begun. I worked out at Recreate this morning, came home, am off to school shortly and then after school, I head out to Clackamas Physical Conditioning with my friend for our weekly appointment with Jason Seib. I get my advanced copy of Jason’s book today and am so excited to start digging in!
How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun or cook up anything delicious?
Weekend Highlights and a Stellar Opportunity
(Photo credit: musetracks.wordpress.com)
Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was busy, but good busy. Saturday, I had an all day DVRT certification at my gym, which went from 9:30am – 6pm. We learned different assessments, progressions, techniques, cues and much more. It was a ton of information, and both mentally and physically fatiguing, but very valuable in more ways than one. Afterward, Jesse and I were really worn out, so decided to go out to eat. Then, we went home and relaxed for a bit before going to bed. I slept like a baby and it felt amazing to finally get a good night’s sleep. I hadn’t slept well in three nights because of my cold.
Sunday, I woke up refreshed and feeling better. My head felt less stuffy and heavy, and my cough was much better too. I drove to Recreate in the frozen fog (which made me a little disoriented) to help coach class, and then afterward, spent the rest of the day running errands, doing laundry (was way behind because our dryer broke, but our new dryer was delivered on Sunday), making 24-hour yogurt, making pork shoulder in the slow cooker (recipe to come!), getting all my ingredients in order for my treats at Cultured Caveman, and working on my taxes (what can I say, I got a head start).
Today, I have no school, in honor of MLK Day, but have enough to keep me busy. I’m replenishing my treats at the food cart bright and early this morning, meeting my friend, Laura, later in the morning for breakfast and conversation, doing homework, cleaning, cooking and either going to yoga in the evening or taking a rest day. That’s still to be determined.
In other, more exciting news, I have an awesome opportunity starting this week. On Friday, I took a leap and reached out to someone in the health/paleo/fitness world that I respect a lot about a potential mentor-ship opportunity. This person is Jason Seib, who owns Clackamas Physical Conditioning (about 25-30 minutes from me) and runs Everyday Paleo Lifestyle and Fitness with Sarah Fragoso. He also has a book coming out on March 5 called, The Paleo Coach, which I anticipate being fantastic. You may recall, that I attended one of his seminars this past September in Grants Pass, Oregon. I did a couple recap posts about it, which you can read here and here. I was also fortunate to interview Jason this past fall as an industry leader for one of my assignments in school.
Anyway, Jason surprisingly emailed me back within an hour of receiving my message, and asked if I could stop by his gym that very afternoon to chat about what he could offer me. Long story short, I’m going to be hanging out at his gym at least once a week to work with and learn from him! I get to join in on initial assessments, nutrition coaching, training, etc. This experience is going to be beyond valuable and I can’t wait to start soaking things up. To start, he is going to assess and train me (cool, right?). Additionally, we have a project in mind, but I need to hold off on talking about that for now. Oh, and I even got to meet the infamous, Deb while I was there. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check out the following posts from Jason:
http://everydaypaleo.com/attention-scale-addicts-part-2/
http://everydaypaleo.com/deb-update/
http://everydaypaleo.com/the-giant-women-experiment/
I’m so excited and proud of myself for reaching out to Jason. This is something I’ve been thinking about doing for a while now, but for some reason, was a little nervous about doing so and held back. I think part of it is because I respect him so much and feel slightly intimidated, but I knew that I couldn’t let a potential opportunity pass me by. Seriously, his gym is 25 minutes from me…how could I not take advantage of such proximity?
Do you create opportunities in your life? What is something that you’re excited about right now?
