Pork and Carrot Curry w.Sweet Potatoes and Spinach and a Paleo update

It's Day 6 of my 30 Day Total Transformation by Robb Wolf! I'm feeling good overall. Today I've had some real cravings for sweet bready stuff like cupcakes or cookies...not giving into it though....I'm recognizing the craving and sending it on it's way.
I've been feeling strong in my workouts, which is the goal of this program for me.
And no, I didn't weigh myself to see if I'm going to drop weight. I can see in the mirror how things are going for me. I actually can't believe that I'm almost done with my first week. It has flown by.

Here's what I've been eating:

Day 4 January 11, 2012
Evening workout: Spinning
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, cooked in coconut oil, from Stillman's farm w.Canadian Bacon and mixed roasted veggies

Snack: Vermont Smoke and Cure RealStick....check them out here: MEATSTICK! Basically, it's a mixed beef and pork, cured meat stick. Delicious!! Here's the nutrition info:
1 oz stick: Calories: 80; Total Fat, gm: 6; Saturated Fat, gm: 2.5; Trans Fat, gm: 0; Sodium, mg: 230; Total Carb, gm: 0; Protein, gm: 6
Lunch: Leftover Cube Steak and Mushrooms with Spinach
Snack: 2 Satsuma mandarins and a mix of blueberries and raspberries
Preworkout CoCa Smoothie
Dinner: Salad with greens, carrots, beets, smoked salmon and avocado and a side of baked sweet potato

Day 5 January 12, 2012

Workout was mid-morning, a Kettlebell Fusion workout
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs in coconut oil and Canadian bacon, sweet potato
Post workout - 1.5 pieces Canadian Bacon and the CoCa Smoothie
Lunch: Greens, avocado and hot smoked maple cured salmon
Snack: Handful of pistachios
Dinner: Pork and Carrot Curry
To give you an idea about a typical Kettlebell Fusion workout, here is what my workout consisted of:
A short Joint Mobility warm up....then Intervals of 30(s) work and 15(s) rest:
1) Battling Ropes x2 rounds
2) Swings -20kg /Alt One Arm Swings - 16kg
3) Dead Cleans L/R - 16kg
4) Deadlifts - 44kg/RKC Plank
5) Military Press L/R - 14kg
Repeat all 10 rounds
Then to finish an 8 minute Tabata (20(s) work/10(s) rest), Alt one arm swings -16kg/Pushups
Good stuff!!!!!! HUNGER INDUCING!!
On to the recipe...Paleo friendly Pork and Carrot Curry. I adapted this recipe to be Paleo friendly from Clean Eating Magazine. While it is "clean" eating, the original recipe has white potatoes and Greek yogurt in it.
I switched out the white potatoes for sweet potatoes and used coconut milk yogurt instead of the Greek yogurt. If the idea of coconut milk yogurt doesn't thrill you on the Paleo diet, then sub in coconut milk. I also added in some more "green" to the recipe by adding in spinach. Lastly, I added in smoked paprika to the marinade. It's my secret weapon! Adding it to dishes causes people that eat them to say, What's that flavor??? Try it sometime!
I made the dish on the stove but this would be a great recipe to make in a slow cooker. I will give directions to adapt it for the slow cooker.
Ingredients

• 1.5lbs pork tenderloin (or 2lbs pork shoulder for Slow Cooker), cut into 1-2inch cubes
• 8 oz plain coconut yogurt or coconut milk
• 3-4 TBS fresh, grated ginger*
• 3 cloves garlic, minced*
• 1-2 TBS ground cumin
• 1-2 TBS ground coriander
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• sea salt and ground pepper to taste
• 1 yellow onion, cut in 1/2 and into thin slices
• 5 medium carrots, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peel on, cut into 2 inch dice
• 26-28oz diced tomatoes with juice
• 4-6 oz spinach, sliced
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
• Fresh lime juice to taste

*Both the ginger and the garlic are easy to grate/mince by using the microplane. Here you can see the garlic, after it has been run over the microplane; it creates a nice texture which melts easily into a marinade such as this one w.the coconut yogurt or milk.

Technique
1. Mix yogurt (or milk) with the ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, turmeric and S+P. Add in pork and marinate for as long as you can, up to 24hrs in the fridge.

2. Season the onions w.S+P and sweat them in some coconut oil, over medium-low heat, covered for 5 minutes. If using the slow cooker, this step is optional. You don't need to sweat the onions first. If you had time, sure, go ahead, but it's not necessary.


3. To the onions, add the pork and marinade, tomatoes w.juice, 1/2 cup water, carrots and sweet potatoes, and stir to combine, again seasoning w.S+P.
**If using the slow cooker, add all of these ingredients into a the pot. Cover, and cook on low, for 6-8hrs. Test pork after 6hrs to see how it's going. If almost done after 6, add in spinach, cover again, and cook for ~20 minutes more. If not done at 6hrs left, let it go longer, adding in spinach with about 20 minutes to go. Then proceed with #6 below.
4. Increase heat to medium, cover, and simmer until veggies are soft and pork is cooked through, about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Stir in spinach and cook for a couple minutes more.
6. Add in chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice; taste for season and adjust S+P.



The finished stew has a zippy taste from the ginger and a warmth from the smoked paprika. The coconut flavor of the milk or yogurt works really well with the warm spices and the lime juice and cilantro rounds it all out.....it also makes a delicious post-workout breakfast!!!
The spinach worked great but other greens would also go well here, such as kale or even collard greens. I topped a bowl with avocado which made it that much better.
Next up on the blog, a recipe for Cube Steak and Mushrooms and a review of Improveat's Coconut Wraps!

Robb Wolf's 30 Day Paleo Transformation and Stuffed Squash

As I talked about in my last post, there are some fun and exciting changes going on with Thyme To Cook. I'm training for the next level of kettlebell certification, RKC. It's a rigorous and physically demanding cert. I'm in great physical shape overall, however, I don't feel strong enough to proceed w.my training, so I'm making some major changes to my diet.

I've been about 75-80% plant based, only eating meat on special occasions. I thought I had been thriving on this diet, but in reality, I think I haven't been getting enough protein. After doing Josh Hillis's 21 Day Kettlebell Swing Challenge, I knew I had to switch it up. So over the next 30 days I am following the 30 Day Total Transformation, by author, trainer and Paleo nutrition guru Robb Wolf.
What's it all about?

Well, the program is based on a Paleo diet, which consists of grass fed beef and other animal proteins (lean pork, chicken, lamb), wild fish, eggs, fruits, veggies, nuts/seeds and healthy fats (coconut oil, coconut milk, avocado, olive oil). Grass fed meats and wild fish are high in essential fatty acids, the Omega fatty acids; the body can't manufacture the essential fatty acids, so they must be eaten.
What the diet doesn't consist of is: grains, beans and other legumes, sugar, processed foods, alcohol, dairy.
It's clean eating, something that I have prided myself on doing in the past (maybe not so much in the recent present, until now).
So for the next 30 days I'll be eating some lean protein, carbs and healthy fats at each meal and trying to have 3-4 meals a day.

The downloadable program came with a great manual, which includes the ins and outs of the diet, a detailed exercise program, a great food matrix, a month's worth of meals w.links to recipes, shopping lists and as an extra bonus, there are links in the manual to extra reading, videos and audio to learn more about certain aspects of the Paleo diet. I'm on day 3, just finishing it up, and doing great.

Here's what I've been eating:

Day 1 Sunday January 8, 2012 - This is my day off for the week from exercise

B: Scrambled eggs (eggs from Stillman's Farm) with smoked whitefish (eggs scrambled in coconut oil), roasted veggies and cherries

L: Baked sweet potato, salad w.sardines and beets, Satsuma mandarin

D: Grass fed cube steak also from Stillman's Farm w.wild mushrooms and roasted veggies

Snack: 2 satsuma mandarins
Evening: Tea w.lemon and small bit of honey

Day 2 Monday January 9, 2012
B: Scrambled eggs in coconut oil w. Canadian bacon and roasted veggies. I had decaf w.homemade almond milk (almonds, dates, vanilla)

Did an intense kettlebell workout mid morning. Shortly after was pretty hungry so I had a smoothie made from coconut milk, raw cacao, raw cacao nibs, almond butter, banana, a tiny bit of raw honey and maca powder. This will be my go to smoothie on this program and from this point will just be called CoCa smoothie.

L: Salad with sardines, beets, pepper, avocado and hemp seeds

D: Baked sweet potato, small salad w.mesclun greens, pepper and canned, wild salmon

Snack: 3 Satsuma mandarins and some blueberries
Evening: Tea, straight up

Day 3 Tuesday January 10, 2012
Early morning - intense functional movement based workout: intervals including treadmill, body weight, Keiser Functional Movement machine, kettlebells and core slide

B: Scrambled eggs w.whitefish and small piece baked sweet potato. Decaf w.almond milk.

Mid morning snack: CoCa smoothie

L: Salad with sardines, roasted veggies and fermented, pickled red cabbage

D: Baked sweet potato and Ropa Vieja (shredded beef and peppers)

Snacks: 3 Satsuma mandarins and a mix of blueberries and raspberries

That's it so far! I'm doing well, my workouts have been intense and I'm on program. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next couple of weeks w.my kettlebell training.

Now if you're still with me, on to the food! To ramp up for this program, I slowly added in meats to my diet for a couple weeks. One of the meals I made was a delicious stuffed squash. I still have veggies from my winter CSA and lots of great grass fed beef and other meats from Stillman's Farm.
I roasted up some acorn squash until tender and made a filling for them from diced sweet potatoes, carrots, turnips, garlic, onions, ground beef and kale, all from Stillman's...I also added in fresh thyme, rosemary and savory, all earthy, delicious herbs.

Here's the beef, browning up with some garlic and onions in coconut oil.
I added in the root veggies to cook for a bit, then added in kale and fresh herbs.

I stuffed the squash and put them back in the oven to heat up.
The finished product was delicious and the leftover filling was great to eat on it's own, with salad.

Who knows where this 30 days will bring me. Do I really think I'm going to have a diet void of grains and beans/legumes? I don't think so, but you never know. I'm an "Everything in moderation" type of gal...it might be that I'll add them back and dislike the way that I feel....or maybe I'll feel great....we'll just have to wait and see. In the mean time, I'm hoping that my training continues to progress.
Enjoy!

Road to RKC, 21 Day Kettlebell Swing Challenge by Josh Hillis

Happy new year and welcome to 2012.....2012 will bring some changes to Thyme To Cook, hopefully positive ones!!

First off,  as some of you know, I recently was certified by Dragon Door in their entry level Kettlebell program, the Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification (HKC). I found kettlebells last November (2010) and knew that I wanted to pursue them in a higher capacity then just being a student in class. They provide an amazing way to get strong, and when you workout with them, feel totally empowered. I will be going for the next level certification, called the Russian Kettlebell Challenge (RKC) in the Fall of 2012. The certification is rigorous and extremely demanding. Therefore, I have begun a training program to (hopefully) ensure that I pass the cert.

To start my training off right, I did the 21 day Kettlebell Swing Challenge, brought to you by RKC Josh Hillis. Josh has some great fitness and fat loss programs, including the 21 day Kettlebell Swing Challenge, and System Six. Be sure to check out his blog, Lose Stubborn Fat for more info. I did the 21 Day Kettlebell Swing Challenge without counting out my days, but interestingly enough, my 21st day fell on December 31st, so it was a great way to end my 2011, and bring myself into 2012. The program was great and very effective. It consists of 21 days worth of kettlebell swing workouts, broken down into beginner, intermediate and advanced workouts, ranging from 5 - 20 minutes. The beauty of working with kettlebells is it's one of the most effective forms of exercise, and a 10 minute workout can burn 200+ calories. I chose to do the Advanced 21 day program, which included swings, one arm swings, push ups, and lunges. The only thing that the plan was deficient in was a front end and back end stretch and/or roll. I started most of the days with a dynamic stretch and joint mobility work, and ended with foam rolling and stretching on my own. My main goal in doing the program was to get stronger in my one arm swing so that I could move on to my next challenge, conquering the RKC Snatch test, a test to pass RKC where you need to do 100 snatches in 5 minutes, using a bell weighted for your specific weight (body weight under 123 lbs can use 12kg bell, over 123 lbs have to use 16kg bell). Check out the snatch here: snatch.

When I first started the program, I was doing it in conjunction to my regular kettlebell classes that I take. This was challenging for me as it meant that on some days I was doing 2 workouts. I got through it just fine though. 2/3rd into the challenge, it was December vacation, so the last 1/3 of the challenge became my workout for the day, or at least part of it. On some of the days where the workout was only 5 minutes, I added in other kettlebell exercises to keep my training on point. My last day was December 31st and I did that workout in a hotel room! I brought my 14kg bell with me and worked out, right there, on my mini-vacation.

Overall, it was a great program. I was successful in building up some strength to the point where I can now effectively move on with my training. I highly recommend this for anyone looking to improve their kettlebell swing and stamina. Josh provides videos for those looking to learn more about how to swing correctly as part of the training.

So, now onto a big change for Thyme To Cook. You know I split my time between cooking/coaching clients and fitness, teaching 2 Spin classes a week and subbing kettlebells when the opportunity arises. I have decided to move into fitness more, adding a personal training cert to my education and I am currently doing the American Council of Exercise (ACE) Personal Training Certification. I hope to train people and broaden my kettlebell teaching experience. Cheers to change in 2012. In my next post I'll talk about changes with my diet! Have a great day everyone!

What the heck do I do with...the seeds from my winter squash???

We are right in the heart of winter squash season....butternut, buttercup, acorn, spaghetti, Kabocha, delicata, hubbard....and the list goes on....I love them all.
But I think I like the seeds the best. They are like a little, extra added bonus so please don't throw them out; most people think only pumpkin seeds are for roasting, but the winter squash seeds are great for roasting as well.

Roasting the seeds is so easy, here's how you do it...
Here are some seeds from an acorn squash. They were removed from the squash and put into a strainer to wash.
These seeds happen to be particularly clean. Sometimes seeds come out with lots of gunk from the inside of the squash on them, and you just need to try your best to get it off. It works best to rub the seeds, under the running water, between your fingers and they will come clean.

After the seeds are washed, let them dry out a bit by spreading them out on a paper towel, then transfer to a baking sheet, lined with parchment or tin foil. Now it's time to flavor up the seeds and here is where you can get creative. Go basic, and drizzle the seeds with some extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and crushed pepper. Go for some spice and add in some chile powder and red pepper flakes. Go for warm spices with some cinnamon and cumin. Go for earthy and add some fresh chopped rosemary. Whatever your flavors are, make sure they are well distributed over the seeds by tossing the seeds in the oil and spices.
Bake the seeds at 325 or 350 for 15-20 minutes. After about 10 minutes, give the seeds a stir. The seeds will start to let you know when they are done because they will start to pop open and you'll hear them. Test them at this time by trying one or 2 seeds. They should be nicely browned, crunchy and toasty. If they need more time, let them go another couple minutes and try again.
Pull them, let them cool and enjoy!
That's it.
The seeds, as most seeds are, are packed with nutrients. Some stats on butternut squash seeds are as follows: one cup of roasted butternut squash seeds with olive oil and salt has 216 calories, 8.5 g protein, 19.2 g fat, no cholesterol, 297 mg sodium and 6.1 g carbs, 1.3 g of which is fiber.
They are rich in calcium and zinc and one cup is reported as having nine minerals, 13 vitamins, 18 amino acids and three fats.

So when you roast your next winter squash, save those seeds and roast them up. They make a great, healthy snack.

Double Duty Red Sauce

Last week, I decided to make a red sauce and split it into 2, using one to simmer some meatballs in, and the other to add chickpeas to for a veg option. I had some carrots left from Stillman's as well as some beautiful kale and broccoli that I needed to use up.
I started the sauce off in one pot and split off a portion of the sauce when I was ready to add in the meatballs. I sauteed garlic, carrots and onion in some extra virgin olive oil, added in diced tomatoes and oregano as well as the broccoli and kale and let that simmer for a bit while I made the meatballs.
The meatballs were made from a mix of pork and beef, Parmesan cheese, grated carrot and grated onion, a bit of extra virgin olive oil and S+P. After forming the meatballs, I dropped them in one of the pots of the simmering sauce to cook.
To the other pot of simmering sauce, I simply added in a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas as well as a small, round pasta called Fregola. Fregola is a traditional pasta from Sardinia made from durum semolina wheat. It's got good protein (6g in 1/3 cup uncooked) and good fiber (2g in 1/3 cup uncooked).
Out of one batch of tomato sauce I was able to generate 2 hearty versions, a veg option as well as the meat eaters version with the meatballs.
I served the sauces with beautiful micro greens, red peppers and chopped purple cabbage, and with roasted Kabocha squash, (all from Stillman's as well). The meal was so vibrant. The flavors burst as we ate and it was a simple but very delicious meal.

Vegetarian version


Non-veg version


Roasted Kabocha


Lovely salad

What the heck do I do with....All these Apples????

How 'bout them apples??? and lots of 'em!!!

For a shaky growing season with hail, Irene and tons of rain, the apples here in MA are superb! It's truly a delicious season. We went apple picking last weekend and brought home tons of apples (that's on top of the apples that I already had from my CSAs)....
I made an apple pie last week and then over this weekend, I made a big pot of apple sauce.
I used a vegan store bought crust for the apple pie. The filling consisted of a blend of Cortlands, Ida Reds, Empires and Macouns (my favorite)....peeled, cored and sliced thin, I mixed them with a bit of unrefined cane sugar, maple syrup, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, whole wheat pastry flour to bind the juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, pinch sea salt and dotted it with Earth Balance vegan buttery spread. I brushed the top crust with a mix of almond juice and maple syrup and did a very light sanding w.unrefined cane sugar. Yum, a success!

But what I really wanted to talk about today is apple sauce and how easy it is to make at home, as well as how much more delicious home made apple sauce is than any store bought version.
I used about 1/2 peck, which is about 15 apples give or take a couple. Again, peel, core and this time cut into dice. I used the same mix of apples as the pie and used almost the same ingredients as the apple pie filling. Here are rough estimates:
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4-1/2 cup maple syrup (Grade B)
pinch sea salt
2 TBS vanilla powder (if you don't have vanilla powder, use vanilla extract)
2 TBS cinnamon (or more if you'd like :) )
1 cup water
Combine all of the ingredients on the stove over medium heat, cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer. Stir occasionally. After about 10-15 minutes, remove cover and allow to simmer w.cover off. It will begin to thicken up as the apples break down. After about 30 minutes, use a potato masher to mash the apples up to the consistency that you like.
That's it.
So easy.
Other than some putchkie work to peel, core and cut the apples, it's hands free, and the rewards are great.

So please consider going to get some local apples and make some homemade apple sauce...you will be very glad you did.
Enjoy!

CSA Round up

I have to say that this season has been one of my favorite CSA seasons. The combo of the small share from Stillman's and the every other week share from Newton Community Farm has worked out wonderfully; I managed the amount of produce very well, and I'm proud to say that I wasted very little.
Both farms have had their hard times with the weather this season, but both have produced amazing produce none the less....the past few weeks have given me crazy good broccoli, eggplant, potatoes, cauliflower, peppers (hot and sweet), greens (kale), celery, carrots, onions, apples, pears, plums, Concord grapes, and mixed herbs....gone are the pounds of tomatoes and ears of corn, but they were great while they lasted :)...enter in the beautiful winter squashes and I know fall is here.
It's a sad time of year for me because I know that soon, my weekly stock ups of local produce will come to a stop, and I'll have to shuffle back to (corporate) Whole Foods and surrender most of my (hard) earned dollars...sigh......oh well, but I digress....

What have I been making?

Sauce! With all the loverly tomatoes, I decided to make some sauce. I bolstered the protein by adding in some tofu as well. It created a creamy sauce, that was flavored with 2 things, garlic and basil.

I made some pasta and dressed with with the sauce, some hemp seeds, nutritional yeast and some green chard....mmmm...that's late summer in a bowl right there.....

With some of the sweet and hot peppers, onions and garlic, I did a quick plantain and Vaquero bean stew in my pressure cooker.
I've posted about Vaquero beans before, from Rancho Gordo, an amazing store out of Napa that is dedicated to saving heirloom bean as well as other cool ingredients like chile peppers and ancient grains from South America.
A big handful of cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice finished off the dish.

From our own garden, we've harvested a bunch of butternut squash, kabocha and pumpkin. I used a couple of the butternuts to make a hearty Lentil, Butternut and Kale soup; I also included a sweet potato in the mix....it was filling and delicious...


About once a week, I've been making 2 big sheet pans of roasted veggies. The possibilities are endless with roasted veggies...I've been using eggplants, sweet potatoes, new potatoes, summer squash, winter squash, red peppers, onions, shallots, broccoli, cauliflower, romanesco....you get the idea.....for added protein, I like to add in chickpeas as well. All you do is chop the veggies into similar size dice, mix with some olive oil, S+P and fresh (or dried) herb of choice...roast at 425 degrees until caramelized....That's it...I eat the roasted veggies straight up, or as a topping for a grain or pasta. Here's some Brussels sprouts (yes, they grow on a stalk) that I used along with cauliflower, romanesco, chickpeas and shallots to roast...And have you heard of romanesco? It's a cross between broccoli and cauliflower and visually it's a beautiful veggie, looking like a mathematical fractile.


Here's a tray with sweet potato, broccoli, summer squash, eggplant, red onion and thyme.


From the fruit portion of my CSA from the Newton Community Farm, I've been getting the sweetest Concord grapes which I have been juicing...check out how purple the juice is...bursting with anthocyanins!!
From Stillman's farm, I bought a chunk of some wild Hen of the Woods mushroom, and sauteed it with shallots and thyme.

Lastly, I'll leave you with this image....it was a great CSA season and I'm sad to see it end...
Enjoy!