Spicy Shrimp with Cauliflower Fried Rice and Steamed Broccoli

Yesterday was a very long day for me. I put in a full day at work, running around like crazy trying to get ready for summer, and then jetted off to CrossFit as soon as I could. I hadn't worked out since the Friday before because my husband and I took a trip to Atlanta to visit my father-in-law for his birthday. It was also our nephews birthday and his cousin's graduation celebration. Needless to say, we did our fair share of celebrating in the form of eating! I'm pretty sure a gained a couple of pounds this weekend and unfortunately, not from overindulging on paleo-friendly foods. Anyway, back to yesterday...my husband ended up needing me to cover his classes at the gym, so my usual 3 hour CrossFit training day turned into a 5 hour training day. I didn't get home until 8:45 pm last night. I gave my husband the task of making dinner and e-mailed him this recipe I wrote up yesterday. He made me laugh when he said, "Well, it's good to know your recipes are pretty easy to follow. If I can do it, then surely anyone else can, too!" Ha! So enjoy this guys. It's a nice light meal with a lot of flavor, exactly what I needed coming off such a glutenous weekend!

Spicy Shrimp with Cauliflower Fried Rice and Steamed Broccoli

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Serves: 3-4

Special Tools:

Food processor

Large bowl

Small bowl

2 large saute pans, one with a lid

Ingredients:

1 pound of uncooked shrimp (I used Trader Joe’s frozen Argentinean Red Shrimp)

1 large head of cauliflower

1 medium shallow

2 cloves of garlic

1 tbsp of fresh ginger, grated

1 egg

1 tbsp + 1 tsp of coconut oil, divided

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 tbsp of sesame oil

2 tbsp of ghee, divided

1 tbsp of coconut aminos

1 tsp of rice vinegar

1/2 tsp of fish sauce

1/2 tsp of toasted sesame oil

1/2 tsp of garlic powder

1/2 tsp of onion powder

1/2 tsp of paprika

1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp of salt

1/4 tsp of ground black pepper

pinch of red pepper flakes.

2-3 cups of broccoli

Instructions:

1. Take the shrimp out of the fridge and let them hang on the counter or in the sink until you’re ready for them.  

2. Chop the cauliflower, removing most of the stems. Use the food processor (use the regular blade) to pulse until they’re in rice-like pieces. You’ll need to do this in stages so the rice pieces don’t turn to mush. It usually takes me 3-4 times. Each time I take the “rice” out and put it into a bowl and then add a little more to the processor. It can get a little messy. 

3. Chop up the shallot, 2 cloves of garlic, and grate about 1 tbsp of fresh ginger. Set aside.

4. In the sauté pan with the lid, put about 1 tsp coconut oil into the pan on medium-high heat. Whisk the egg with a little salt and pepper. When the pan is hot, scramble the egg and then set it aside on a plate. 

 5. Add 1 tbsp of sesame oil  and 1 tbsp of ghee to the sauté pan again. Allow it to heat up and melt. Add the shallots, garlic, and ginger to the pan and cook for a few minutes until the shallot softens a little. Add the cauliflower rice to the pan and stir to combine. Cover and let it begin to cook down for about 10 minutes, stirring once or twice to prevent sticking. 

6. In a small bowl, whisk 1 tbsp of coconut aminos, 1 tsp of rice vinegar, 1/2 tsp of fish sauce, 1/2 tsp of toasted sesame oil. 

7. After 10 minutes, remove the lid, add the liquids and mix well again. Leave the lid off and allow the rice to cook until the liquids have more or less evaporated, stirring only to prevent sticking. Don’t over stir or it’ll become too mushy. It’s done when the rice bits are slightly browned and cooked through. Adjust the flavor with a little salt and fresh ground pepper as needed. Mix in the scrambled egg. 

8. While the rice is finishing up, take the new large sauté pan and put 1 tbsp of ghee and 1 tbsp of coconut oil to the pan. Allow that to heat up on medium-high heat. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 tsp of garlic powder, 1/2 tsp of onion powder, 1/2 tsp of paprika, 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp of ground black pepper, and just a pinch of red pepper flakes. Mix that up and then put directly into the pan and swirl around for about 20-30 seconds. Add the shrimp and cook on both sides until the shrimp is cooked through. Should be about 4-5 minutes on both sides. If the shrimp is too spicy for you, you can always splash in a little coconut aminos. 

9. While the shrimp is cooking, chop the broccoli. Add it to the big black steamer with just enough water to cover the bottom, a little salt, garlic powder, and fresh ground pepper and steam for 4-6 minutes, stirring half way. 

10. You can add the shrimp right to the rice and mix it up, or put it on top. Whatever you’d prefer. 

Grilled Vegetable Medley

Finding news ways to keep vegetables exciting is important to me. There’s really only so many ways to cook them…boiled, roasted, sautéed, steamed, and grilled. I’m a fan of grilled veggies, I just don’t do it that often because the carcinogens cooking into the food from the char isn’t exactly super healthy for your body, and neither is the smoke you're inhaling from the grill. That being said, the flavor from grilling is delicious! Go figure. Here’s a recipe for a quick vegetable medley that went along so well with my Grilled Tangy Burgers. 

Grilled Vegetable Medley

Prep Time: 10 minutes (longer if your veggies aren’t purchased pre-chopped)

Cook Time: 12-15 minutes

Serves: 3-4

Special Tools:

Grill

Vegetable grate for the grill

Large bowl

Tongs

Ingredients:

1 pkg of precut butternut squash (Trader Joe’s)

1 pkg of precut asparagus, mushrooms, and onions  (Trader Joe’s)

2 tbsp of ghee

1 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

1 tsp of garlic powder

1/2 tsp of coarse sea salt

12 tsp of fresh ground pepper

Instructions:

1. Heat the grill to about 415.

2. Toss all of your ingredients into a large bowl and mix well with your hands to combine and coat the vegetables.

3. Place the vegetable grate over the heat and allow it to heat up for 2-3 minutes.

4. Add the vegetables and spread them out.

Close the lid for about 4-5 minutes. 

5. Using tongs, turn the veggies over and continue cooking for another 3-5 minutes.

6. Turn the veggies again, making sure one side isn’t burning. Finish cooking for 3-5 more minutes or until desired doneness is reached. 

Grilled Tangy Burgers

My husband and I have been together for almost 7 years, and in that time he has come to be known in our house as “The Grill Master” for his impressive grilling skills. I can’t tell you how many times he has come back from the grill with just the most perfect, juiciest piece of meat! It’s awesome. Well, every time he’s done grilling, he used the grill brush to clean off the grates. You can imagine over 7+ years what that brush looked like, so for Christmas I decided to buy him a new one. It was one of those last minute ideas, so I grabbed one from Target. Only $9. It looked pretty decent and sturdy. Ironically, around that same time, I took over the grilling. I got tired of waiting for him to come home in the evenings to grill our meat. I just wanted dinner to be done by the time he came home and not rely on him all the time. I don’t mean to toot my own or anything, but I think I’ve developed a new skill. ;o) Lol. Back to the point of the story. The grill brush. Let’s just say, you get what you pay for. Most of the bristles fell apart after the first time I used it. I’ve only gotten about 3-4 uses out of it, and last time was actually the last time. I used our old grill brush to prop open the lid of the grill because the temperature just gets too hot otherwise. So naturally I would use the new one for the same thing, right? Wrong. I propped it open, walked away for 5 or so minutes, and came back to the whole thing melting down the side of the grill. Awesome. Just freaking awesome. Old grill brush side = metal. New one? Plastic that only appeared to be metal. Epic fail. Luckily these burgers survived and came out fantastic! So enjoy them, because I’ll never be able to make these burgers without thinking about that stupid grill brush ever again.

Grilled Tangy Burgers

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 2-4

Special Tools:
Grill
Foil lined baking sheet
Large bowl

Ingredients:

For the burgers:
1 pound of grass-fed ground beef
2 tbsp of fresh garlic, minced
1/4 cup of red onion, minced
1 tbsp of dijon mustard
1 tsp of cumin
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of fresh ground pepper

For the garnish:
1 ripened avocado (brown with some green still showing, outer peel should give when pressed)
juice from half a lime
salt and pepper, to taste
4 strips of nitrate-free bacon
4 slices of tomato
4 small handfuls of spring mix (or your favorite lettuce mixture)

Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven to 365 and your grill to around 400.
2. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the burgers. Press down to even out the meat mixture and then score the meat by making an X to evenly divide the meat into 4 sections. 
Scoop out each section into your hands, roll, and then shape into a patty. Be sure to press down in the center of the patty more than around the edges, because the patties tend to puff up in the center as they cook.
3. Place your bacon on a foil lined baking sheet and put in the oven for 13-16 minutes, depending on your crispiness preference. Drain the bacon on a couple of paper towels.
4. While the bacon is cooking, place your patties on the grill for 7-9 minutes on one side, flipping ONLY ONCE and cook for 5-7 minutes on the other side. Less time for a more medium burger. Remove from heat and allow to rest for a couple minutes.
5. Prepare your avocado. Scoop it out, discard the pit, mash with a fork until most of the lumps are mashed well. Add the lime juice, salt and pepper, and stir a bit more. 
6. Put a handful of spring mix down on a plate, then place the burger down and top with tomato, bacon, and avocado. I served mine with a grilled vegetable medley. 

Greek Chicken Salad

In our home, we don't get around to eating out much during the week. I've come to realize that I feel so much better after a meal at home than I do at a restaurant. Being mindful about my food consumption has really helped to open my eyes to all of the extra additives most places put in their food. I know that most restaurants and large corporations aren't putting these harmful substances in their food out of malice, but rather are looking to preserve the food, make it with less quality ingredients because it's cheaper to feed the masses, or make it taste "better" by hiding a bunch of sugar in it. Interestingly enough, when we do go out, often times I'll sit there and think You know what? I could probably make this at home, with better ingredients, and probably boost the nutritional value. That's really how my love of cooking healthy started. I would have this constant internal struggle with myself...yes, going out to eat is so much easier, but why am I going to spend money on something that I could probably make myself?! And do you know what? The majority of the time I'm completely content with my version and don't feel like I'm totally missing out. I think we've really got to train ourselves to think about food only as fuel and not as a reward system, or crutch. But!...that doesn't mean the food we make at home can't be delicious and rewarding, in addition to being healthy. 

Little known fact about me (unless you're my husband or my friend Bridget who shares this same sentiment)...I absolutely LOVE Greek food. I could probably eat a Greek salad every single day of my life. I especially love feta cheese. And olives, can't forget the olives. Tzatziki sauce has a special place in my heart, though I don't eat that much dairy these days. And I don't know what it is about that phyllo dough, but it is so delicious. I wish I didn't feel so awful after eating it or I'd probably eat a ton more. So I guess it's a good thing I don't! 

Here's a recipe for a delicious Greek chicken salad. If my propane tank wouldn't have run out of gas when I made this earlier in the week, I would have totally grilled the chicken instead of baking it. That would have taken the flavor to another level for sure! You know what that means?! I have an excuse to make this again. Round two coming up soon! But even baking the chicken, my husband gave me an "exceeded expectations," so I'll take it! Enjoy everyone! Let me know what you think. 

Greek Chicken Salad

Prep Time: 1+ hour, 15-20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1+ hour, 55 minutes
Serves 3-5

Special Tools:
Foil lined baking sheet
Large bowl

Ingredients:

For the chicken marinade:
3 organic chicken breasts
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 tbsp of fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tbsp of fresh thyme, chopped
1 tbsp of fresh oregano, chopped
3 garlic gloves, minced
1 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper, to taste

For the salad:
3-4 cups of cooked chicken, diced
3 strips of bacon
1 1/2 cups of cucumber, diced
1 medium tomato, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/4 cup kalamata olives, diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1 small carrot, shredded
1 small avocado, diced
3/4 cup of feta cheese (leave out for strict paleo)
3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp of lemon juice
1-2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp of fresh dill, chopped
1 tbsp of fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
2-3 pepperoncini peppers, whole or sliced (optional)

Instructions:
1. Place the chicken and all the marinade ingredients in a plastic bag and marinate for at least an hour or up to 24 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 415 and cook the chicken on the foil lined baking sheet for 20 minutes.
3. When the chicken is done, set it aside and allow to cool completely on a plate. Don't dice the chicken yet. Allowing it to rest lets the juices sink back into the chicken. 
4. Remove the juice from the baking sheet, reduce the oven to 375, and cook the bacon for 13-15 minutes, until crispy. Remove from the oven and drain the bacon on a paper towel.
5. While the bacon is cooking, prepare the the cucumber, tomato, red pepper, olives, onion, carrot, and avocado.
6. Once the chicken has cooled some, like there is no more steam and you can handle it easily, dice it up and put it in a large bowl.
7. Add all of the other ingredients to the bowl, except the avocado and bacon, and toss well.
8. Once everything is combined, add the avocado and carefully mix (if you mix it too much, the avocado can become mushy).
9. Chop the bacon and add it to the bowl.
10. Eat by itself or make some lettuce wraps with it!

Baked Cinnamon Apples

Sometimes a girl just needs something sweet to eat. But truth be told, I don't keep much in the house in terms of "sweet treats" because if I know they're in the house, I will hunt them down and devour them. Last week I really wanted something easy to make and we had a bunch of leftover apples from a camping trip we took. I decided to slice them up and bake them, but I wanted more than just cinnamon on top. That's when I started raiding the pantry to see what sort of concoction I could come up with. Honey? Yum! Yep, that should happen. Almond butter? Absolutely. Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips. Um, duh! You can really do whatever you want to the apples, but I recommend the combo of all three with the cinnamon and sea salt. It was super easy to make and made the perfect evening treat after a long day!

Baked Cinnamon Apples

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 10-15 minutes
Total Time: 20-25 minutes
Serves: 3-4

Special Tools:
Apple corer, or knife, to remove the seeds and hard center
Foil lined baking sheet
Small bowl

Ingredients:
Two medium apples, I used pink ladies
Sea salt
Cinnamon
Honey (optional)
Almond butter (optional)
1/4 cup Enjoy life chocolate chips
2 tbsp of full fat coconut milk

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325.
2. Core the apples and then slice them horizontally so that you have circles. I had a total of 12 slices with both apples. 
3. Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt and a little more than a pinch of cinnamon onto each slice.
4. Put in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. 
5.If you're going to use the chocolate, place them in a bowl with the coconut milk and microwave in 30 second increments until they're totally melted. Stir until you get a smooth consistency. Add a little more coconut milk if you prefer your chocolate more runny. 
6. Take the slices out of the oven. They should be soft, but not falling apart. 
7. Use a spoon to drizzle each slice with honey, almond butter, and chocolate. 
8. Make sure you have friends to share with, because these are easy to indulge in!

Chicken Wings

In my past life, wings and beer were a weekend routine. We have this place in Jacksonville called Gators Dockside. You could get some of the best wings in town and a pitcher of really crappy beer that was only like $5. I would hit that place up all the time, especially during football season. I still love a good sports bar. The energy there is always upbeat! However, I don't typically order wings for myself anymore, because I am painstakingly aware of the processed sugar content in wing sauce. Well, fortunately for me (and subsequently now for you too), I've been able to come up with a couple of wing sauce recipes that are paleo approved! Frank's buffalo wing sauce contains zero grams of sugar, making it the perfect pairing with any chicken wing. Teriyaki wings used to be my go-to flavor in college, so a substitute recipe had to be created. I'm also a big fan of honey mustard, and garlic parmesan. So pick your favorites, or make them all, but these wings are sure to be a hit during your next gathering.

____(insert flavor here)_____ Chicken Wings

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Serves: 2-3

Special Tools:
Kitchen scissors or a wicked sharp knife
Foil lined baking tray
Large bowl
Sauce brush

Ingredients:

For the chicken:
1 pound of chicken wings and/or drumettes, separated and wing tips removed (this is where you might need the scissors)
1 tbsp of coconut oil, melted
1 tsp of course sea salt
1/2 tsp of cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp of garlic powder
1/2 tsp of onion powder
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper

Buffalo sauce:
2 tbsp of grass-fed butter, melted
1/4 cup of Frank's buffalo sauce

Sweet and spicy sauce:
2 tbsp of grass-fed butter, melted
1/4 cup of Frank's buffalo sauce
1 1/2 tbsp of honey
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper

Teriyaki sauce:
1 tbsp of grass-fed butter, melted
2 tbsp of coconut aminos
2 tbsp of blackstrap molasses
1/2 tbsp of rice vinegar
1/2 tsp of fish sauce
1/2 tsp of toasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp of freshly grated ginger

Honey mustard sauce:
2 tbsp of dijon mustard
2 tbsp of honey
1/2 tbsp of worcestershire sauce

Garlic parmesan sauce (this one is not strict paleo):
3 tbsp of ghee or grass-fed butter
1 tsp of tapioca starch (combine first with ghee before adding the rest of the ingredients)
2 tbsp of garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp of dried parsley flakes
1 tbsp of grated parmesan

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Prepare the wings by using kitchen scissors or a wicked sharp knife to separate the drum from the wing and the wing tip from the wing. You can discard the wing tips. If you already bought them separated, then you can skip this step. 
3. Toss the wings and drumettes into a large bowl with the coconut oil and seasonings, coat well, and lay them out on the foil lined baking tray.
4. Put them in the oven for 10 minutes and then flip them over and cook for another 5 minutes.
5. While the wings are cooking, prepare the sauce you want to use in a bowl.
6. For the remaining 20 minutes, brush the wings every 5 minutes, turning them each time to allow the sauce to cook into the wings.
7. Remove from the oven and enjoy!
Note: If you double the batch of sauce, you can take the wings out and toss them into the bowl with the sauce to make it extra saucy!

Balsamic-Maple Pork Tenderloin

If there's one thing that I've come to love doing in recent years, it's cooking. I love that I can combine ingredients, add some heat (usually), and then end up with something new (and tasty!). My mom isn't a huge fan of cooking and I didn't grow up living near my grandparents, so the skills and techniques of cooking and baking were not instilled in me at a young age. Actually, my dad loves to tell the story of how I almost killed them all with undercooked chicken. It was ONE TIME! Haha. But sadly, it did happen. I had the temperature up too high, and so the outside was definitely done, but it never reached that internal temp. of 165. Yikes! Luckily, everyone survived and they live on to tell the tale...again...and again...and again! In truth, I bet they're just jealous of how far I've come and are now sad they don't get to experience the magical creations that come out of my kitchen. Ha! Well, I say all of that to say this, sometimes I just don't have the energy to cook. Especially Fridays. By the end of the week, I'm pooped. Fridays are usually crockpot days! Crockpots are pretty magical in their own right. Take it out, combine the ingredients, turn it on low, and voila 6-8 hours later you have a beautifully prepared entree, side dish, one pot wonder, dessert, etc. One of my favorite things to make in the crockpot is pork tenderloin. With the right ingredients you can turn this nice piece of meat into something really spectacular. I'm a fan of combining balsamic vinegar and maple syrup together, because it gives the meat a lovely sweet and savory flavor. This would also be a great with a beef roast. I actually use beef and pork interchangeably when making this entree. 

Balsamic-Maple Pork Tenderloin

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 7 hours
Serves: 5-7

Special Tools:
Crockpot

Ingredients:
2 pounds of pork tenderloin
3 tbsp of maple syrup, grade b
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp of coconut aminos
1/2 cup of low sodium beef broth
1 1/2 tbsp dried thyme
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp of onion powder
1 tsp of paprika
1 tsp of coarse sea salt
1 tsp of freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper

Instructions:
1. Put the pork into the crock pot and give it several stabs (but not all the way through). Stuff the minced garlic into the pork where you stabbed it. 
2. Add the rest of the ingredients over the top of the pork
3. Turn the crockpot on LOW.
4. At 6 hours, take two forks and shred the pork. It should absorb most of the liquid left in the crockpot. Add a bit of water (maybe 1/4 to 1/2 a cup) to prevent it from drying out. 
5. Cook for one more hour until it is super tender. I like to serve mine along side some garlic cauliflower mash and brussels sprout slaw. The leftovers also make a great accompaniment to some fried eggs in the morning!

Moo Shu Pork

Yesterday was Cinco de Mayo. I heard people all weekend gearing up for the celebration. One of our CrossFit gym's sister locations shares a parking lot with a well known Mexican restaurant, so a fun partner WOD was created, both to entertain the patrons and to encourage us all to celebrate afterwards. This is how it went:

400m partner run with med ball
25 handshake push-ups
25 wall ball tosses
25 sit-up med ball passes
200m partner carry

5 Rounds. 30 minute time limit. 

It was a nasty little workout. Definitely challenging! But in truth, the worst part was the heat. Yesterday was in the mid 90s, which hasn't happened all year! There were only two other girls in my 3:30 class, so we just did a triple team and made it 30 reps. I ended up running with the med ball for most of the rounds because I got carried every time during the partner carry. Out of the three of us, I was the smallest...but not by much, lol. I had two great teammates! In any event, it was a lot of fun, just super hot! Then I trained 4:30 and 5:30 and got to watch some really awesome people workout. I just love my CrossFit family!

Last night's dinner was a quasi mash-up of a dish I love to make (pork chow mien) with a marinade/dressing from another dish I've made. It's funny how you can just alter a few ingredients and the dish is totally different. I love making these kinds of meals because you end up eating a ton of veggies, which I love, and there isn't a lot of effort involved. I really enjoyed it and hope you do too! My Chinese food craving was 100% satisfied. 

Moo Shu Pork

Marinate Time: 2+ hours
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 2+ hours, 50 minutes
Serves: 3

Special Tools:
Storage container with lid (for marinating pork)
Large non-stick sauté pan
Large bowl

Ingredients:
1 tbsp of ghee
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp of shallots, minced
1 tbsp of ginger, grated
3 tbsp of coconut aminos
1 tbsp of toasted sesame oil (make sure it's toasted!)
1 tbsp of rice vinegar
1/2 tsp of fish sauce
1 lb of thin cut boneless pork chops
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp of coconut oil + more if needed
1 large carrot, shredded
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
4 oz of shiitaki mushrooms, sliced
3 cups of green cabbage, thinly sliced
1 cup of red cabbage, thinly sliced
1/4 cup of scallions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp of freshly chopped parsley, to garnish
1 tbsp of toasted sesame seeds, to garnish
*Note: Prep your veggies before you start cooking. The cooking part goes by pretty quickly and you won't have time to cut and cook at the same time.

Instructions:
1. Cut your pork into quarter inch thick strips. Mine were still partially frozen, making it super easy to slice. 
2. Place the strips in a container and mix in the first eight ingredients. Let it marinate in the refrigerator for two hours or up to overnight. 
3. Place the large non-stick sauté pan over medium high heat. Once it's hot, add 2 tsp of coconut oil and let it melt completely. 
4. Add in the beaten eggs and let them spread out like a pancake. Let it cook for 3-4 minutes until it's firm enough to flip. Then cook the other side for a minute or two.
5. Add the egg to a large bowl and slice the egg into strips.
6. Add another tsp of coconut oil if needed and allow to melt. Put half of the pork strips into the hot pan with some of the marinade and begin to sauté for 3-5 minutes. Scoop out the pork and add to the bowl with the eggs. Then put the rest of the pork strips into the pan and cook again for another 3-5 minutes. (You don't want to add them all at once, because this causes overcrowding, leading to steaming the pork rather than sautéing)
7. Pour any remaining juice from the marinade into the pan and turn the heat up a little for about 20-30 seconds. 
8. Add the carrots and celery and move around the pan until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Remove them from the pan and add to the bowl. 
9. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 1 minute and then move the mushrooms to the bowl. 
10. Place the remaining cabbages and scallions to the pan. Saute until they begin to wilt slightly, turning constantly. You might want to put a splash or two of coconut aminos in the pan with these guys, but it's totally optional. But I did. And it was delicious. 
11. Remove from heat and add everything back into the sauté pan, mixing well to combine all the ingredients.
12. Top with sesame seeds and fresh parsley. 

Paleo Chocolate "Milkshake"

Nail polish is probably one of the most frustrating things. No seriously. I never wear it for several reasons. Mostly because I feel like it's a waste of time since it only lasts for a couple of days. I refuse to spend money putting fake nails on, because they just seem to get in the way anyway, or they break, and then I'm even more frustrated for having spent money on something that barely lasted 48 hours. (Side note: I'm not knocking those that get their nails done. My friend Lyndsey has BEAUTIFUL nails and I'm super jealous of how good they always look.) But even when I take an hour to file, buff, wash, and polish, it always seems that within a couple of days (if I'm lucky) the polish has chipped away. It's usually from washing the dishes and showering. Why? Why, water, must you ruin my nails?! And of course, once it chips, I don't have time to sit there and fix them. So now my nails start to look all gross, but I can't leave them alone. Oh no. What do I do? I begin to pick and scratch at them, and before I know it, half the polish is off each nail, making me look like a wild child with zero self-control. This goes on for several days, or until I have scratched off every last bit of polish, leaving me once again, with plain Jane nails. As I type this now, my entire left had has been scratched clean, while my right hand has three nails with partial polish. Oy vey. It's unfortunate, too, because I really liked the color I had on. 

Ok, enough about nail polish. There are certainly more important things in the world than what I have going on with my nails. Like this amazing milk shake I discovered last night. I altered the recipe to be less sweet, because coming off of a sugar detox makes everything taste sweeter than what it used to. If you want to try out the original, head over to The Spunky Coconut's website. She's an amazing pioneer in the world of paleo and I just love all of her ideas. This is my spin on her Choco-Chia "Milkshake."

Paleo Chocolate Milkshake

Prep Time: 3-5 minutes
Total Time: 3-5 minutes
Serves: 1

Special Tools:
Coffee grinder
Blender

Ingredients:
1 cup of full-fat coconut milk (I used the milk from the can, not the carton)
2 tbsp of ground chia seeds
1 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp of raw honey
4-5 drops of chocolate Stevia
6 cubes of ice
1/2-1 tbsp of raw cocoa nibs

Instructions:
1. Grind your chia seeds in a coffee grinder. Otherwise, the seeds will expand and create a lumpy shake.
2. Blend all of the ingredients together except the cocoa nibs. I would add one or two cubes of ice at a time while it blends to help break it up better, but that could just be my blender!
3. Pour into a cup or glass and garnish with the cocoa nibs. Enjoy!