I don’t have time to cook!
No problem. Key ingredient on how staying on top of things – PREPARATION. This was a great idea suggested by our Breakfast Club OG – Chip. Start managing yourself. A lot of people, (including myself) have a tendency of taking on too much work/school/projects.
Time is valuable to all of us. We don’t have enough time in a day to get everything we want done…AND feed ourselves properly. How do we go about this if your reason aka excuse is “I don’t have time to cook”?
This is where preparation comes in. Make time each weekend and plan your meals in advance for the week. Committ to making it happen – you are capable of amazing things when you put your mind to something.
Create a meal plan that involves lean meats, vegetables, little stahces, nuts/seeds and no sugar or alcohol.
Help each other out – share your ways of getting your proteins, carbs & fats at each meal. Post your solutions to comments.
4 Comments
I was surfing the web and came across this site – http://www.notakeout.com. At first, it just seemed like another recipe website… but then I realized what they were doing – it’s actually a CrossFit of cooking dinner.
This is similar to what I do when I’m working.
Step 1. Plan your workouts (meals) for the week/month)
Step 2. Figure out equipment requirements. (ingredients & utensils)
Step 3. Prep your kitchen & ingredients. (organize equipment for classes)
Step 4. Start cooking and multi-task recipes. This takes a little bit of practice, so start easy with two different recipes going on at the same time.
Step 5. Make it happen, turn the music on and have some fun! (Sometimes I turn my tabata timer on and cook for 20 seconds on/10 seconds off.
Step 6. Store it correctly. Spend a little bit of cash for good tupperware, not the 99 cent flimsy ones from the grocery store.
Bam! You’re done for the week! In exchange for 1-2 hours on Sunday, you’ve fed yourself for a week and probably saved close to 5-10 hours that you spend going out to lunch, short term shopping at grocery stores every couple days, and will have more time to get work done…or just chill out.
I was looking for something DELICIOUS to bake this weekend since I am NOT traveling (sighing…..relief) and I came across some good “baked” goods that incorporate Paleo friendly fare! The web address is
http://paleofood.com/baked.htm
…..but one of the recipes I think I am going to have to make is:
Cake Brownies
————-
6 T oil
1/2 C raw honey
2 eggs
1/2 C carob powder
1/2 C pecan nut meal
1/4 C arrowroot
Mix all and poor in to a greased 8x8x2 inch pan. Bake at 350 for about 20
minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
From: Patti Vincent
OMG right?!
Okay sorry, but this one needs to be posted because after four weeks of Paleo eating happiness I think I am “almond” out! So I was playing around and found this website with an alternative to almond butter and had a few great recipes too!
http://thelabelsayspaleo.com/2010/01/16/move-over-almond-butter/
Coconut Butter instead of Almond Butter…..I am beginning to like the sound of this!
The site boasts:
Benefits of coconut oil/butter:
Comprised of medium chain fatty acids, which the body prefers to burn as fuel rather than storing as fat.
Supports immune function: Coconut oil is 50% lauric acid, which has great antiviral and antibacterial properties
Lowered risk of heart disease: Numerous population studies show that groups who consume coconuts on a regular basis have a lower incidence of heart disease (and are slimmer!)
Raises HDL, good cholesterol, which contributes to overall heart health.
Improves blood sugar and insulin control
Improves skin and hair (I’ve read this several times, and I can tell you that my hairdresser told me at least 3 times on Wednesday how much healthier my hair has gotten over the last few months!)
Spiced whoopie pie
2 cups of blanched almond flour – subbed 1 c hazelnut flour, for 1 c each of almond and hazelnut
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ginger (dried)
1/2 teaspoon of allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of cloves – didn’t have any, so didn’t use
1 cup of honey (or other sweetener) – used 1/2 c. palm sugar, makes it plenty sweet
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of vanilla
Wanna know the SECRET INGREDIENT? I added some (1 tbsp?ish) Apple Cider Vinegar. Amazing addition.
Before, I was worried about the liquidity. Turns out, they’re better less liquidy, so let the dough be a little chunky and you’ll end up with much nicer cookies. Also, when putting them on the cookie sheet, press them thin, as they will rise substantially but won’t spread very much.
Do it:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Blend all the dry ingredients together, and then add all the wet ingredients and blend well.
On baking sheets covered with parchment paper or a baking mat (such as a Silpat), place heaping tablespoons (about 3 measured tablespoons) about 2 inches apart in circles, across the sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. The smaller and thinner the cookie, the less time this will take. My best batch took 8 minutes.
Cool completely – at least 15 minutes – before sliding them off the mat with a spatula.
Take one pie and spread frosting on it. Place another pie on top of the frosting. Serve.
Creamy Vanilla frosting/filling
4 tablespoons of shortening (I use Spectrum Naturals Organic Shortening) – I used coconut butter.
2 tablespoons of honey (adjust sweetness to your liking) – I used palm sugar, same measurement
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
You may want to double or triple this recipe depending how much frosting you want.
Blend all the ingredients together with a whisk.
Spread, serve, and store sealed at room temperature.
I had a very, very hard time with the frosting. It wouldn’t come together; it stayed piecey. So I added a tablespoon of water … no luck. If I’d had coconut milk, probably would have tried it. In the end, I whisked it electrically for probably 7 minutes before giving up, and spreading a thick but spreadable but non-fluffy mixture onto a pie, then patting another on top. This, apparently, was the magic. Because together they taste ahhhhhmazing.
Yield: 8 big cookies = 4 whoopie pies.
And that’s it. Paleo(…insert caveat…) Whoopie Pies!
PALEO BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
Again, Paleo is a misnomer if you don’t believe Palm Sugar is better for you than dates. But I do, so I’m calling it Paleo.
Whisk in a bowl:
1/2 c. coconut butter
1/4 c. coconut milk
1/8 c. palm sugar
sprinkle of arrowroot powder
Feel free to play around with these measurements to your liking. Whisk for awhile–at least 5 solid minutes–but even if the icing is lumpy, it’ll taste good. My icing hardened up quite nicely, as the cookies preserved well both in airtight jars and non-airtight boxes.
I prepared this when our group had dinner and it was a major hit, so I thought I would post it for all of you to see.
Honey Apple Coleslaw
2 cups packaged coleslaw mix
1 unpeeled tart apple, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup flaxseed oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon celery seed
In a bowl, combine the coleslaw mix, apple, celery and green peppers. In a small bowl, whisk remaining ingredients. Pour over coleslaw and toss to coat.
It was very easy and very good.