Let me Google that for you...

Reason #6 - There are recipes all over the internet.
Sunday morning Marco woke up and decided he wanted to break his normal breakfast routine and make something other than eggs. Where was the first place we looked for a recipe? Google. What happened? Paleo Pumpkin Panckaes.

Recipe found here:
 http://www.ultimatecrossfit.com/forum/topic.php?id=140

One batch makes 6-8 pancakes. 

Try them with a little bit of almond butter or applesauce on top!

Healthy Holidays

Reason #5 - Holiday food is enjoyable.
No doubt about it - eating well during the Holidays is...VERY POSSIBLE. It is a matter of taking your favorite recipes and altering them a bit. This year on Thanksgiving, I knew that there wouldn't be many (if any) Paleo friendly side dishes or desserts with my family's Thanksgiving meal. To make sure I was not tempted by the casseroles and stuffing and pies, I took matters into my own hands. I looked up a few recipes online and decided to make some Paleo options for myself, Marco and anyone else who felt like trying. I ended up with stuffing, broccoli and cauliflower casserole and two, yes TWO pumpkin pies (courtesy of Everyday Paleo: http://everydaypaleo.com/2010/11/15/thanksgiving-recipes-and-everyday-paleo-pumpkin-pie-cooking-demo/). Even though Thanksgiving has come and gone, these are still good options for any other Holiday meals.

Here are the recipes:
Stuffing
Ingredients
1 lb mild Italian pork or chicken sausage, casing removed (I used Italian lean turkey sausage)
4 ½ cups mushrooms, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
6 celery stalks, diced
4 carrots, diced
1/2  cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon diced fresh sage
½ tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
½ cup dried cherries, finely chopped
½ cup slivered almonds
½ tablespoon garlic powder
4 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Cooking Instructions
Preheat oven to 350. In a large soup pot, sauté onions in olive oil until translucent.  Add the sausage and brown.  Add the carrots, celery, mushrooms, chicken broth, cherries, almonds, sage, thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Mix well, bring to a simmer, and cook for 5-10 minutes or until the veggies begin to absorb the chicken broth.  Transfer to a large glass baking dish, cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

The Result

Casserole
Ingredients
2 ½ cups broccoli florets, finely chopped
1 ½ cups of cauliflower, finely chopped  - I used purple cauliflower so it would look cool :)
**Side note - this says finely chopped, but I left it in small chunks. I'm sure both ways still taste good!
1 shallot finely chopped
2 eggs
1/3 cup coconut milk
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon sea salt
4 garlic cloves, minced

Cooking Instructions 
In a medium sized bowl, mix together the shallots, broccoli and cauliflower.  In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut milk, garlic, salt and pepper.  Pour the egg/coconut milk mixture over the broccoli, cauliflower and shallots and mix well.  Bake in an 11’ round glass baking dish, covered at 350 for 45 minutes.

The Result

Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients for Crust
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1 cup pecans
**Side note - I used 1/2 cup of almonds and 1 cup of walnuts
4 tablespoons melted organic grass fed butter
pinch of sea salt
Cooking Instructions for Crust 
Preheat oven to 350. Place the nuts in a food processor and process until the nuts are a flour like or almond meal like consistency. Pour into a small mixing bowl, add the butter and salt and mix into a thick dough. Using your hands, spread evenly into a pie pan and back for 10 minutes.


Ingredients for Filling
1 – 14oz can of organic pumpkin puree (nothing added, just pumpkin)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
2 eggs
1/2 cup raw organic honey
1/2 cup coconut milk

Cooking Instructions for Filling
While the crust is in the oven, whisk all of the pie filling ingredients together.  Pour into the crust that has been baked for 10 minutes, return to the oven and bake for and additional 45 minutes.

Please note that the filling can make enough for 2 pies, so you may want to mak2 2 crusts.

This is one of the best pumpkin pies that I have ever tasted!

Grab the Fat and Remember Your Goals

Reason #4 - You feel better when you don't give in to the bad food.
Temptations happen, but it's what actions you take when you have the temptation that make you stronger. I am stuck in an office where there is food catered in every week. We have everything from cheesecake to pizza to wings and so on. At this point it is easy to say no. How did I get to that point? I think about how much better I will feel if I pass on the junk and how bad I will feel if I do end up giving in.

Remember your goals and what you are working to achieve. If it is one of those days and you really want to give in, grab the fat on your tummy or arms or wherever you are trying to improve and remember that being healthy is the best option.

How about a shake?
In a blender, combine the following ingredients:

• 5oz of water
• 1 cup ice
• 2 dashes of cinnamon
• 1 tsp of cocoa powder (dark)
• 1 banana
• 1.5 scoops of chocolate protein powder
• 1 tbs of all natural peanut butter

Dessert? Yes, please.

Reason 3 - Desserts are delicious, even if they are natural.
With the Holiday's right around the corner, we all will be surrounded by some amazing desserts (most of them not Paleo). Again, dessert is not something you have to give up. You can make desserts that are all natural and still taste good.

I found this recipe online at www.cavemanstrong.com in my search for satisfying the sweet craving.
Paleo Apple Crumble

Ingredients

• 2 cups of almond flour
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp of nutmeg
• 1/2 cup of coconut oil
• 1/4 cup all natural honey (or agave nectar)
• 1 tbs vanilla
• 5 apples, peeled and chopped

Steps

1. In a medium bowl combine flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg
2. In a separate bowl, combine oil, honey and vanilla
3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients - stir until it becomes a "crumble"
4. Place apples into a baking dish
5. Crumble the mixture over the apples
6. Cover and bake at 350 for 50 minutes on a low rack
7. When apples are soft, remove the cover and bake 10 more minutes until they are brown/crispy

I imagine that this crumble can be used with multiple types of fruit. Give it a try and let us know how it goes!

Enjoy - in moderation of course :).

Focus on the good food, not the bad food you are giving up.

Reason #2 – You can still have pizza.

Change is hard, there is no doubt about that. However, if you focus on the delicious foods you can have and not what you are giving up - it is much easier. Take pizza for example. Yes a greasy pizza from the local pizza chain down the road may be easy and taste good, but who wants that? It's filled with fats, oils and who knows what else.  If you chose the chain pizza, chances are it would taste good in the beginning but afterwards you may feel icky and it had little to no nutritional value. 

Next time you want pizza, why not try a Meatza?  This is a healthy option that will fill your pizza fix!

 

Here's one way how to make your own Meatza!

Ingredients:

• 2lbs of lean ground turkey (or beef)

• veggies of your choice (pictured here - onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, mushrooms, artichoke hearts) We recommend to saute these on the stove before putting them on the crust, but do not cook them fully)
• additional meat toppings (pictured here - pre-cooked grilled chicken and fajita beef)
• organic pizza sauce (in a jar or homemade)

To make the Meatza:

1.  Combine the 2lbs of meat in a large bowl with spices (to taste). Here we used Italian seasoning, oreagano, chili powder, ground cumin, paprika, pepper, onion salt and 2 eggs.
2. Spread the meat in a pan and bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes
3. Remove from the oven and scrape off any excess fat
4. Spread the pizza sauce on the meat crust
5. Add your toppings and put back in the oven at 450 degrees for 6-10 minutes (until veggies are fully cooked)
6. Take it out and you are ready to eat your Meatza!

The good things about this is you can pretty much put whatever you want on this for your toppings, it is a healthy option for pizza and it is DELICIOUS!

Welcome

Welcome to Reason to Eat!
Reason #1 - Plain and simple, food is good.
We will be using this site to post recipes we find that are delicious, eating tips and anything else you recommend.
PLEASE NOTE: All post and information provided within this blog is for informational and educational purposes only and are not to be construed as medical advice or instruction. This is all opinion on recipes that we find that we think are worth sharing. No action should be taken solely on the contents of this website. Please consult your physician or a qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health.