Kale Chips (Cooked in Coconut Oil)

If there is any of you out there who have not tried Kale chips...do it! Kale chips are a great alternative to popcorn on movie night and jam-packed with nutrients.

I typically use olive oil, but since coconut oil stands up better to heat and has a healthier fatty acid profile I would recommend giving coconut oil a whirl!




See the (very simple) recipe for kale chips below:

Servings: 2
Preparation Time: 25 minutes

• 8 loosely packed cups kale, torn into 1" to 1½" pieces, tough stems removed
• 2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil, melted and still warm
• 1/4 tsp salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 325F.

2. Rinse kale and dry thoroughly. Place in a plastic container or large bowl.

3. Poor warm oil over kale, close container lid, and shake to coat (alternatively, stir to coat in a bowl).

4. Spread out onto a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt (careful, it doesn't take much).

5. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until crispy.

Banana Butter Cups

Servings: about 12 cups
Preparation time: 10 minutes

• 1 ripe banana
• 3/4 cup unsweetened almond butter
• 2 tablespoons – 1/4 cup honey
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 teaspoon coconut oil melted
• 1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon salt (omit if using jarred butter with added salt)

1. Cut the banana into slices between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick.

2. Mix all remaining ingredients in a separate bowl.

3. Place a bit of the almond butter mixture to cover the bottom of each cup in a mini muffin tray.

4. Place a banana slice on top of the almond butter.

5. With a spoon, scoop the almond mixture unto each banana slice and cover completely.

6. Place in the freezer to set.

7. Store in the fridge or freezer. 

St. Patty's Paleo Recipes!

It's time for some St. Patty's recipes that fit the Paleo bill!

Irish Soda Bread [From Elana's Pantry]

Ingredients:
2 ¾ cups blanched almond flour
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ cup raisins
2 eggs
2 tablespoons agave nectar
2 tablespoons appple cider vinegar
pinch of caraway seeds

1. In a large bowl combine almond flour, salt, baking soda and raisins
2. In a smaller bowl combine eggs, agave and apple cider vinegar
3. Mix wet ingredients into dry
4. Place dough on parchment paper and form dough into a large, lat circle that is 8 inches across an 1-1/2 inches tall
5. Using a serrated knife, score top of dough a half an inch deep in shape of a cross
6. Sprinkle top of bread with caraway seeds
7. Transfer dough and parchment to baking sheet
8. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes, then turn off oven and leave bread in for 10 more minutes
9. Cool bread for ½ hour then slice and serve

Zucchini Cranberry Bread [ontoplist.com]

Ingredients:
4 eggs
2 medium zucchini grated
1/2 cup almond butter
1 cup cranberries
1 cup almond meal
2 tbsp. honey
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. baking soda  (gluten free)
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. cloves
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Separate egg yolks and egg whites in separate bowls in bowl 
3. Beat the egg yolks and combine remaining ingredients, except for the walnuts and mix well
4. In a separate metal bowl, whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks
5. Fold in the eggs whites with the zucchini mixture
6. Add chopped walnuts and cranberries and mix well
7. Pour batter into a prepared 9x5 loaf pan. Bake approximately 60 minutes until golden brown
8.  Let cool for 15-20 minutes before removing from pan. Slice, serve and enjoy

Irish Stew

Ingredients:

300g Diced Lamb
3 cloves of Garlic sliced
1 medium onion chopped
3 Carrots, peeled and sliced
1 x tbsp mixed herbs
1 x dried parsley
1 x litre chicken stock
2 x tbs olive oil
Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 180C (reduce heat to about 140C if you are cooking slowly for more than 2hrs, you may need to add more stock intermittently)
   
2. Heat your crockpot on the stove top and add 1tbs of the olive oil.
    
3. Add onions and garlic and cook until they start to color, remove from pan and set aside.
    
4. Add remaining oil to pan and add the lamb. Brown well as this will help to add to color of sauce.
    
5. Return onions and garlic to the pan and add the herbs and peppers.
    
6. Add hot stock and bring to the boil.
    
7. Add carrots, cover with lid and place in the oven
   
8. Serve in bowls with mashed cauliflower or sweet potato

Salmon Patty Breakfast

This was a great alternative to eggs- a very fresh, light breakfast!
Whole Foods, while often times expensive, is really great about having pre-made, healthy foods. I bought a 3-pack of pre-made salmon patties for $14.99 and a pre-made container of apple-pear salsa for $4.67, which will provide a good three meals - could be worse!
It took less than 10 minutes to cook up the salmon patty and sautee some spinach in coconut oil, then top with the salsa. Yum!

Wok It Out!

Shrimp, Scallops, Brolly & Purple Cabbage Stir Fry: A recipe developed by our very own Kevin Slaughter!

What you will need:

1.5 lbs of shrimp
1.5 lbs of scallops
Broccoli
Purple cabbage
Red peppers
Onions
Garlic
Coconut Oil
[amount of veggies and oil per your discretion]

Method:

1. Sautee onion, garlic and peppers (in coconut oil) until onions are transparent
2. Add seafood until fully cooked
3. Finally, add remaining vegetables and cook until desired softness



(We encourage all Atlas Athletes to send any Paleo or Zone recipes you may have to jessicawilliams@atlascrossfit.com)

Chard, Bacon & Apple

Walking through the grocery store the other day I was trying to find new vegetables that I hadn't tried before. Spinach and kale were getting old and I know that trying new, brightly colored vegetables and fruit is a great way to get different nutrients into your diet!
What caught my eye was rainbow chard, with its red, yellow and orange stalks, like celery.
After a quick google search, I found this delicious recipe....you can't go wrong with bacon!

Ingredients

3 slices bacon, diced
1 small yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 organic Gala apple, cored and diced
1 bunch (about 3/4 pound) organic chard, well rinsed
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

 

Method

Place a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add onion to the pan and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in apple.

Meanwhile, cut off the stems of the chard and slice them thinly. Chop the leaves. Stir stems and leaves into the skillet along with the bacon, salt and pepper. Pour in 2 tablespoons water; cover the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until chard is tender, about 8 more minutes.

What Does "Organic" Mean?

There can be some confusion about what exactly an "organic" food is these days. Often times there is an idea that a food is healthier for you and will help you on your journey to fat-loss if it comes with that label.
In reality, "organic" means that your food was produced without pesticides. This is a good thing, yes, and important when you are purchasing fruits or vegetables with thin, permeable skins that require extra doses of chemicals to keep the pests off.
Blueberries or apples, for example, are typically loaded with pesticides because they are particularly susceptible to pests.

When we are talking about most other organic products though, the organic label is pretty useless. A waffle is still carbohydrate dense and will produce a significant insulin response regardless if it is made with organic wheat, or not.

It's important to remember that when it comes to fat-loss, our big ticket is monitoring portions and our macronutrient ratios. In terms of ideal body composition, top priority is making sure we get adequate protein throughout the day, balanced with some healthy carbohydrates and fat, therefore controlling our insulin response.