Wednesday, 24 August 2011

Lamb & Onion Burgers with Warm Beetroot Salad

Phew, I finally got back to my running after about 6 weeks break. I have been running about 2 years now but I was tired of running for miles and miles and seeing zero results. So I decided to change up my diet and hence embarked on Paleo! But I do want to do a little running on conjunction with other Paleo friendly exercise.

Anyway, today's dinner was Homemade Lamb Burgers (also a Pre-Paleo favourite in our house, so everyone was happy!)

The beetroot salad was a bit of an experiment as I had precooked beetroot in the fridge and wanted to use them. In hindsight it could have done with a little acidity. But it was adaptable for again.

Lamb Burgers 

500g Minced Lamb
1 x small onion chopped finely
Sea salt
Pepper
Parsley
1 x egg

Mix all the ingredients together until well mixed. Form into burgers with hands and place on a baking sheet.
Cook at 190C for 25 - 30 minutes or until cooked through.

Beetroot Salad 


200g cooked beetroot chopped
2 x spring onions
1 tbs fresh mint
1 tbs parsley
Sea Salt
Pepper
4 x slices of cooked bacon
2 x tbs Olive oil
1 x carrot grated.

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well, season to taste.
Place in oven for last 5-8 minutes just to warm through and marinate the ingredients.
Add a squeeze of lemon or 1tbs of red wine vinegar for added kick.

Serve together with sweet potato or any other veggies.




Tuesday, 23 August 2011

Hazelnut "Breaded" Chicken Kiev

This was yummy and even my son enjoyed it! It had lovely flavours in the sauce and the crunchy nut coating went really well with the avocado I had with it.

Serves 2

2 x chicken fillets

Hazelnut crust
40g hazelnuts ground
Pepper
Parsley
1 x Free range egg beaten
Olive Oil

Garlic Butter
15g Kerrygold Butter
4 x garlic cloves minced
1/2 tbs of parsley
Sea Salt
Pepper

Make sure the butter is at room temperature. Blend ingredients together well.

Take chicken a make a slit in the side of it to create a pocket. Add a spoonful of garlic butter and close pocket.

Coat the chicken fillet in the beaten egg mixture and cover in the hazelnut mixture.

Place in a cooking dish and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake at 200C for approx 25 minutes until cooked fully.

I served with avocado slices, roasted sweet potato and vegetables.



Monday, 22 August 2011

Making Paleo "Easy"





Say No to Carbs

Whenever I mention my new lifestyle I am always met with blank stares and "Oh I couldn't survive without bread" or "I couldn't live without pasta". I thought this too - I thought I could never forgo my buttery toast and sandwiches. But I am doing it. And what is more I am finding it easy to do it!! 

Easy Peasy 
But changing to the Paleo lifestyle is actually quite easy if you are living a relatively healthy lifestyle anyway. I always enjoyed fruit and vegetables and preferred savoury foods to sweets so changing to a Paleo lifestyle was more about tweaking what was already the norm for me. If you are currently living a less than ideal lifestyle with fast food a big factor, taking little steps is the key to living a healthier way of life. 

It doesn't have to be daunting - instead of eating toast for breakfast, have an omelette with a side of avocado.
Sometimes I fast through breakfast as I dont feel I need it to be honest, but this is just a personal preference.

Lunch can be thrown together very easily in the morning - I usually put a chicken or salmon fillet into the oven with dinner and have it ready for the next day in minutes. Its about being organised and realistic. Throw in some salad, avocado, nuts and an apple into your lunch box and you have more than enough to keep you full for the day. 



Keep it clean
Dinner is actually the least challenging for me. I find it relatively easy to adapt meals to Paleo and avoiding processed food at all costs really help too. Just eat good healthy "clean" foods for dinner and it becomes less of a mystery. One of my favourite treats is sirloin steak with onion, mushrooms and red wine reduction with a side of sweet potatoes. Or an easy dinner is Paleo Bol with courgette "pasta". 

For me, the most challenging time is when eating out or in other people's house. Sometimes you cannot be 100% Paleo (or you might not be reinvited!) and it is usually these times I allow myself to sway a little. Accepting a small potato at dinner or eating someone's apple pie so as not to offend will not be the end of the world - just make sure it is the exception rather than the rule. 


Eggs are your friend

Eggs are a great food stuff - and can be adapted for any meal time to create a nutritious meal in minutes. 
Try and look for Omega 3 eggs or free range eggs - healthy hens mean healthy eggs! 



Resources

There are so many resources out there for you to use in your research, personally I love 

I also read Loren Cordain's "The Paleo Diet " and found it good. (Though a little strict) 

And lastly
Dont make things complicated, and do not concentrate on what you cant have - more on what you CAN EAT! 

The results will speak for themselves. Try it and you too will see the difference!!