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Hey there! I'm Holly. A 40+ year old insurance-nerd wife, mom, beauty lover, and about a million other things in between.
This is the place where I share about our lives, what I'm currently loving, books I'm reading, plus-size style, beauty recommendations, health + fitness endeavors and anything else I'm finding interesting at the moment.
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Category Archives: Paleo
Spicy Taco Brunch Skillet
Ole!
I woke up last Saturday morning wanting to have a fun brunch with Garrett and specifically thinking about Juli’s recipe for a Mexican Hash Egg Bake.
I wanted to make something that would look pretty (I love the way baked eggs look!) but also be seriously delicious since we were skipping the bacon with all of this Whole 30 business going on. I was too lazy to actually look up Juli’s recipe and follow it, but since I make up a huge batch of sweet potato hash just about every week, I used that as inspiration and got to work.
The result was completely satisfying nutritionally, but it also seemed decadent which made it feel a little special.
| Spicy Taco Brunch Skillet |
Ingredients
- 1 TBS Coconut Oil
- 1 Yellow Onion, diced
- 1 Bell Pepper (any color), diced
- 2 Medium Sweet Potatoes, diced
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne (more if you’re SPICY!)
- 1/2 lb. ground beef
- 1-2 Tablespoons of Taco Seasoning (to taste)
- 8 eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In a large heavy bottomed oven proof skillet, melt coconut oil over medium/medium high heat.
- Add diced yellow onions and bell pepper. Saute for 5-10 minutes until softened.
- Add diced sweet potatoes and all seasonings through cayenne pepper and saute until those are softened as well, about another 15 minutes. Be careful to stir often so nothing burns, but the potatoes get some color.
- In the meantime, in a separate pan, crumble up and brown at least 1/2 lb ground beef (I usually cook up a big batch and use the leftovers for Taco Salad!
- Add 1-2 Tablespoons of Taco Seasoning per 1/2 lb, or to taste.
- When Sweet Potatoes are mostly cooked, add your taco meat into the oven-proof skilled.
- Crack 8 eggs over the top of the potato/onion/meat mixture
- Bake for 6-9 minutes, depending on desired egg done-ness. Keep in mind there will be some carryover cooking once you pull it out of the oven.
- Salt and Pepper your eggs to taste once the baking is finished, garnish with an avocado and enjoy!
Santa Maria Style Steak Rub
Oh friends, we need to talk about meat. You see, I enjoy it obviously — it is a staple in our diet — and finding creative ways to prepare it are basically always on my mind. What? Your brain isn’t a hamster wheel of meat prep ideas? Huh. Weird.
As a person with a full schedule, I am somemwhat partial to marinades because they always impart good flavor, can gussy up a tough cut of meat and they do all the seasoning work just sitting there in the fridge while you are out living life and GETTING THINGS DONE! As such, one of the chinks in my clean-eating armor is store bought marinade. Listen, we just can’t all be perfect all the time.
I love a good store bought marinade, alright. CONFESSED. I will take my lashings. But first, to add insult to injury, do you know what my favorite one is? Here is where you will really just let me have it: The pre-marinated Guy Fieri (OMG! I KNOW!) Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip they sell at Costco. I mean we all vote with our dollars when we buy are food, and I am voting (loudly) for irresponsible bleaching, hair gel, and sunglasses worn ON THE BACKS OF HEADS! My dollars shouldn’t even have the right to vote when I make decisions like that. But it is so convenient. So delicious. Oh, Guy I wish I knew how to quit you!
Oh hey wait, now I do.
You see when we started the Whole 30, I knew that this little habit would have to come to an end for at least 30 days (seed oils, preservatives, yada yada — Guy Fieri is not on the approved list. ha.) I was kind of hoping I could find a few good staple preparations that would leave my store bought marinade habit (along with my store bought dressing habit) in the dust, but it’s not like I hadn’t tried before. If you google Santa Maria style seasoning a million recipes pop up, and I promise I’ve tried many. But none really made my heart sing the way Guy Fieri did, until I read this post over on Simply Recipes.
But wait, that’s a recipe for how to cook Pork Shoulder on a gas grill, Holly. Are you crazy?
Nestled in that discussion of pork is a tiny little hint of a Santa Maria style seasoning. And one that I hadn’t tried! So I omitted the sugar and tested it out one night and HOLY HECK I broke up with Guy Fieri that very same night! My life? Instantly bleach-free! Well, until the next episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. I have a soft spot for that show. Ok, ok and a soft spot for Guy Fieri — stupid sunglasses and all. He’s a Nor-Cal celebrity. I can’t help it. Can we still be friends?
Anyway, speaking of Nor-Cal celebrities — Elise and Simply Recipes has changed my life. The rub was amazing, and is now a staple in our house, and full of so many easy ingredients that I insist you mix up your own batch! Heck, it would probably be great on chicken or grilled vegetables too. So darn delicious! And even better — clean as a whistle, and completely Whole 30 compliant.
| Santa Maria Style Steak Rub |
Author:
Makes enough to rub on 4-5 lbs of meat. Prep it in a container and it’ll keep for weeks!
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp salt
- 1 Tbsp finely ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne (or more if you like more heat)
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
Instructions
- Mix everything together
- Sprinkle liberally on steaks
- Massage into meat (ah! meat hands!)
- Let sit for 5-10 minutes
- Spray steaks with a little olive oil or grease your grill
- Grill those suckers!
- Enjoy life with out preservatives, weird stuff, or the judging looks of others considering how much money you spend supporting the Guy Fieri empire.
Check it out already, would ya?
Two Days of Turquoise
Last weekend was oddly busy.
Obviously there was lots of beer and wine to drink and cheese to eat pre-Whole 30, but also in the span of 48 hours we watched the Olympic Opening Ceremonies while partaking in British Themed Menu, attempted to attend a wedding where the groom rode in on a horse, worked our asses off in the gym – partly, of course, to work off that British Themed Menu (I did so many overhead squats MY ABS ARE SORE. That’s a lot of squats. 50 to be exact!), drank beer at one of our favorite breweries while watching Beach Volleyball right before enjoying basil gimlets at a swanky restaurant, watched an awesome fashion show, listened to DJ Shadow and lamented our aging, danced like crazy people while watching Chromeo perform, cooked a lot of Whole 30 approved food, and helped friends christen their newly remodeled kitchen. Honestly, I’m tired just writing about it, but it was a damn good time.
Friday started with basically all of the brown and yellow food.
Delicious food, but still. Can I get some chives up in here to dress that up or something? I made a Paleo version of this Shepherd’s Pie recipe and served it along side some of Mel’s delicious Paleo Scotch Eggs. AMAZING, all of it, but I totally should have made a salad. What did you think of the Opening Ceremonies? I liked that it was whacky and centered around music, but I know it got panned by a lot of folks.
Saturday I did the following workout and then wanted to die:
Run 800 m
200 double unders
150 sit ups
50 Overhead Squats @ 65lbs
Run 400 m
No pictures of that. Just imagine a giant pile of sweat and spandex. That’s what I looked like. 🙂
I did take pictures of my Saturday night outfit and my Sunday afternoon outfits though…
On the left: Pants: Gap Always Skinny Skimmer (cropped) in Turquoise, Tank: scored at Ross. Some weird brand. Shoes: Merona. (old) Love you Target! Earrings: Target (old)
On the Right: Tank: Old Navy (old) Skirt: Gap Outlet (old) Shoes: Mossimo Target
I guess I was in a turquoise mood this weekend! Not a surprise, it is basically my favorite color. Saturday night we went to an event called Launch that was a giant festival of fashion/music/art. We went out to support Garrett’s friend Nicole who designs pretty amazing clothing with her main squeeze Justin. I figured if there was any night that I could get away with wearing skin tight turquoise pants, it was at a fashion event, right? Check out some of the FREAKING AWESOME looks:
photos courtesy of Shannon Schureman
Creative people make me happy.
After the fashion show DJ Shadow and Chromeo were performing which was just an absolutely fun combo. The people watching during DJ Shadow was ON. POINT. Lots of girls in way-too-short skirts gyrating with men wearing jeans that were just a little too skinny. It was funny. We felt old. But then Chromeo came out and we were back in our element. I do not have a single running mix on my ipod that does not include Chromeo. They are hilarious and great workout music. Highly recommend!
Sunday I went to Costco to get Whole 30 ready. Check out this overflowing grocery cart!
We’re as ready as we’ll ever be, I think.
Then in the afternoon we went to a Kitchen-warming party. Wait, wait…a what??? Friends of ours just remodeled their kitchen so they threw a BBQ to test out the new digs. Lots of good sangria, good people and good food. Also? BOCCE BALL. Which is seriously super fun and totally not a random senior citizen game as I may have previously thought. 🙂
I can’t believe we crammed all of that in to our weekend. But I guess it’s good since we have managed to orchestrate a pretty calm August. I’m planning to sleep a lot, workout a lot, cook a lot, and watch a loooooooooooooooooooooooot of TV. (Guilty Pleasure Goal! What???)
Holy crap, you guys…AUGUST IS TOMORROW. I don’t know where the time goes!
Christmas in July
I’m going to make a pretty bold statement and I invite you to agree or disagree: It feels harder to eat healthy in the summer than it does over the holidays. This sounds sort of counterintuitive I realize, but hear me out for a minute.
Yes, Thanksgiving is a food centered holiday and the month between that day and Christmas are often filled with excessive foodie/boozie opportunities to party with friends. I definitely see treats around my cubicle filled office, and everyone seems to want to show their love for each other with baked goods and See’s Candy. The season is stressful, and I get it. At times we want to “reward ourselves” with a delicious taste of something. We want to “let loose and celebrate” with the people we love. And I do agree that this can pose some challenges. I am not made of wood, people — the holidays are certainly a temptation. But let’s talk a little bit about summer.
First of all summer is THREE MONTHS LONG. I’m not talking four or five weeks of forced decadence, I’m talking an entire quarter of the year where deliciousness abounds and everyone acts like “Oh Hey — No big whoop!” You’ve got 12 weeks of BBQs, Birthday Parties, Weekends Away, and Legitimate Long Vacations where you feel determined to Treat Yo Self! It is the reason that Cobbler and Fresh Whipped Cream were invented. And all of this goes on all summer long! And don’t even get me started about the appropriate ratio of summer nights to summer cocktails. OY! I can’t even go there or I will want to pour myself a drink.
Oh wait, I just did. You see what I’m saying?
While fall and winter lend themselves to cabbage-dense soups and roasted vegetables, summer is filled with ALL OF THE BEST FRUIT IMAGINABLE. I realize this is not a complete tragedy, but as someone who tries to keep the sugar they eat low (usually I have *maybe* 1 serving of fruit per day), I am definitely struggling right now to not eat ALL OF THE PEACHES DAILY. There is an entire box on my counter top and it basically sings to me all day long.
I know you think Christmas parties are bad, but seriously I can only eat so many cheese filled appetizers or iterations of white chocolate desserts. But if you left me alone with this box of peaches right now, you would come back only to find me covered in a puddle of sticky fruit juice, laying on my kitchen floor in a diabetic coma. Luckily summer also has lots of amazing vegetables and great weather that leaves no excuse not to get outside and be active, but I’m sticking to my hypothesis here. Summer is nuts. Right now I am freely admitting that I am roaming around being a poster child for this movement:
Speaking of that 20%, last night there was a Food Truck Festival in the Whole Foods parking lot behind my house. Please don’t get Portland PTSD on my behalf, we made it out alive! I had actually totally forgotten about it and then I opened up our windows and heard the DJ in the parking lot. Hello, siren song. Sing to me…
We headed out just to see what they had to offer, and hopefully find a few mostly-Paleo options.
Instead, the first truck we saw was a Belgian Waffle Truck, which of course instantly made us nostalgic for our Portland Appetizer Waffle and we needed to recreate that experience by splitting one immediately. Nice rationalizing right? So the night started off with a Nutella and Whip Cream covered BANG! (OHMYGOD)
We waited in line at the slider truck hoping to score some burgers on a bed of lettuce to kind of make up for bathing in Nutella, but as we were in line THEY SOLD OUT OF FOOD. The Universe was clearly not on our side. So we headed over to Drewski’s Hot Rod Kitchen where they were serving…SANDWICHES.
And that’s where this night sort of went of the rails. We ordered The Mustang with some Sweet Potato Fries (doing what we can here! Sweet potatoes! ha!) and let me tell you, it was OUT OF THIS WORLD. Korean Braised BBQ Beef shredded to tender perfection, Kimchi with a touch of spice (Hey look! I’m eating fermented food! Points, right?), Shredded Daikon, SRIRACHA-WASABI AIOLI, and aged Havarti all served grilled cheese style.
Oh you guys…I’m sorry I’m not sorry.
Since we had split everything, we decided it was only right to get a tiny little mix of Vanilla Bean + Nutella gelato to wash it all down. Ok that is a bold face lie. I wanted the gelato, Garrett said “Holly this is a terrible idea and you will regret it.”
I did not, in the moment. Shortly thereafter my tummy was telling another story. I hate it when Garrett is right.
In conclusion, Summer is haaaaaaaaard. But this is probably as good of a time as any to mention the following:
On August 1st Garrett and I are starting our first Whole 30!
Hey — how crazy do I sound juxtaposing pictures of me eating a sandwich with basically the strictest 30 day Paleo challenge ever? HA! Probably pretty crazy. But we are actually really excited about it and have been contemplating it since May. June and July weren’t really going to work since we were traveling so much, but we have decided to get back to our Happy Place during the month of August and embark on probably our biggest nutritional challenge together since we started exploring Paleo. We’re knee deep into planning, prepping and strategizing for a really eye-opening month. I can’t wait!
As usual, I am happy to document my food exploits for your benefit so riddle me this, folks:
*What elements would you like to see surrounding this Whole 30? Recipes? Pictures of Food? Our reasoning behind doing it? Strategies? Resources? Nothing at all, shut up about what you are eating already, Holly?
and then tell me this…
*YOU would have opted for post sandwich gelato too, wouldn’t you?
I knew I liked you. 🙂
Thirsty Thursday: Fresh Squeezed Honey Lemonade 3 Ways
Since I added it to my Summer Bucket List I’ve been itching to make some homemade lemonade. It’s such a delicious drink to enjoy outside at the end of a long day and it actually used be a staple sitting in my fridge. But here’s the thing – my old recipe? Began with 2 Cups of Sugar. Another secret is I use the best juicer in my opinion for making all juice recipes.
Don’t get me wrong, it was amazing! But I’m not really in the habit anymore of consuming 2 cups of white sugar at the end of a long day. That’s not to say I never indulge (obviously) but now when I do I feel like it’s got to be worth it. And to me, a simple beverage seems like more of a necessity and less like an indulgence, you know? So I wanted to find a way to still enjoy the ritual of a cup of lemonade on occasion, without having it be such a crazy nutritional gut bomb.
Amber left me a comment on my bucket list that initially inspired this recipe. (Yoga friends especially, check out her awesome website — she’s pretty amazing!) I then tinkered with it to make a larger batch, and of course made some variations (including one of the Adult Beverage variety.) The recipe does call for honey (local and raw if you’ve got it – might as well do yourself a favor), but it’s nowhere close to 2 cups of sugar anymore. It skews a bit on the tart side, which is my personal preference, so if you like it a bit sweeter feel free to adjust to taste!
| Fresh Squeezed Honey Lemonade |
Serves: 1 Small Pitcher
A lower sugar alternative to the traditional pitcher of summer refreshment.
Ingredients
-
- 16 oz Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice (about 8 lemons)
-
- 1/2 Cup Honey (this is what I recommend, start here and adjust to your preference)
-
- 4 TBS Hot Water
- 32 oz Cold Water
Instructions
-
- Juice your lemons. I used Meyer Lemons which tend to be a little sweeter.
-
- In a small bowl mix your honey + hot water until the honey dissolves and you are left with a honey simple syrup. It’s ok to add more hot water if your honey is particularly thick.
-
- Mix lemon juice, simple syrup and cold water
- Serve plain or with one of the following variations
For Strawberry Lemonade
Blend 8-10 fresh or frozen strawberries with 2 TBS Water and 1 TBS honey to make a chunky puree. Add to the bottom of the glass, pour in honey lemonade.
For an adult beverage: Add a splash of Mandarin Orange Vodka for a twist!
For Iced Tea Lemonade
For a pitcher, brew a 16 oz of double strength iced tea (get as creative as you want with the flavor of your iced tea, or just use plain.) I used 4 black tea bags and steeped them in hot water for 4 minutes. Let the tea cool and mix with lemonade
For an adult beverage: Add a splash of vodka to spice up the night!
Then kick back, put your feet up and enjoy a little (lower sugar!) relaxation in a glass!
Bison Sweet Potato Chili
I realize I have been asking a lot of you lately. I mean first I try and make you love chicken thighs and now I am throwing bison at you? Man, I am just pushing all the scary meat on you lately, aren’t I?
Roll with me for a second though, because remember as part of my 2012 goals I am trying to eat more game.
Here’s the thing about bison though? Is is kind of awesome. It’s ground beef’s leaner and more iron-rich brother. Bison typically graze on grass and most of the time they aren’t fed commercial grains. It is super protein dense and contains tons of nutrients, but the caloric density is lower than beef and even pork. You know I hate counting calories, but I don’t pass up a good caloric bargain when I see it, so bison is a total WIN!
Let’s just say if ground beef is Donnie Wahlberg (who I love, of course, NKOTB forever!), then bison is Mark Wahlberg during the Calvin Klein underwear years.
Have I sold you yet? WHAT MORE CONVINCING COULD YOU POSSIBLY NEED?
If you are interested in having shirtless Mark Wahlberg over bison for dinner it but still a little bit scared, might I suggest trying it in chili? You can’t really go wrong trying a new meat in chili since there are so many other flavors going on, right? I especially like this chili because it is complex and full of vegetables. I originally saw a Bison Sweet Potato chili over on Paleo Girl and that really got my wheels turning. I decided to meld her recipe with my favorite-ever Damn Good Chili and thus, this recipe was born!
| Bison Sweet Potato Chili |
Serves: 4 Adults
Ingredients
- 1 TBS Coconut Oil
- 1 lb Ground Bison
- 1 Large Sweet Potato, peeled and cubed (small-ish bite sized!)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 scallions, diced
- 2 small zucchini, diced
- 2 small yellow squash, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Jalapeno, seeded and diced (leave the seeds in if you like it HOT!)
- 1 4 oz can green chiles
- 2 TBS Cumin
- 1 TBS Chili Powder
- 1/2 tsp Paprika
- 1 Cup Tomato Sauce
- 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 Cup of Beef Broth
- 1 Bell Pepper (color is your choice) diced
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt Coconut Oil in a large heavy bottomed pot (I used my 7 qt Dutch Oven)
- Add your onions, scallions, zucchini, squash and sweet potato and cook until vegetables have some color (about 10 minutes)
- Season layer with salt and pepper
- Add the bison, break up with your spoon and brown meat until it is no longer pink
- Add the garlic, jalapeno and green chiles and cook for another minute or two
- Season layer with salt and pepper and then dump in all your spices
- Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and beef broth and mix it all together
- Bring pot up to a boil and then lower to a simmer
- Simmer pot for 30 minutes, covered
- Uncover, add in diced Bell Pepper and simmer for another 10-15 minutes until desired consistency is reached. (I like a thick chili)
- Dish up and top with scallions, or any other desired toppings
- Enjoy!
See…that doesn’t look too scary, does it?
Live the Thigh Life: 10 Paleo Recipes To Make You Love Chicken Thighs
So remember how I used to be afraid of chicken thighs? But then I found some easy recipes and now all of a sudden I am a Chicken Thigh Ambassador? Well I think it’s time that ambassadorship got a hashtag.
I racked my brain and obviously the only one that truly represents the essence of amazing-ness that is the chicken thigh was #thighlife. I mean, RIGHT?? I think it’s got a certain panache. Don’t you think 2Pac liked chicken thighs? I bet he did.
Anyway, if you are still on the fence, I’m going to urge you one last time to give chicken thighs a chance. Wait, who am I kidding, this will not be the last time. But in case you needed some inspiration, here are 10 recipes from around the internet that might get your creative cooking-wheels spinning! I’ve included some substitutions if you want to make sure they are paleo.
1. Lemon Chicken Thighs
2. Korean Chicken Thighs (use your favorite soy sauce substitute)
3. Gingered Chicken Thighs (sub soy sauce and maybe sun butter for the peanut sauce?)
4. Turkish Chicken Thighs (sub coconut milk for the yogurt if you don’t do dairy)
5. Greek Chicken Thighs
6. Filipino Chicken Adobo (again with the soy sauce substitute)
7. Baked Pumpkin Chicken Thighs
8. Braised Chicken Thighs
9. Grilled Marinated Chicken Thighs (substitute chicken broth for the beer if you don’t do beer. The spice mixture looks awesome!)
10. Honey Spiced Chicken Thighs
*****
Do you have any tried and true chicken thigh recipes that have converted your friends? Leave ’em in the comments!
Paleo Peach Pie Popsicles
Can we talk about vices for a minute? In the book I’m currently reading, one of the characters mentions to another that they seem to be smoking more often, and he’s concerned. He’s not particularly concerned about her smoking itself, but more because smoking is supposed to be her vice and thus should be enjoyed. By his logic, if you’re using your vice to relieve stress, it’s no longer a vice it’s a crutch. That didn’t make me want to run out and pick up a pack of cigarettes, but I do love the concept. A vice is an indulgence that should be enjoyed.
I can think of many vices I enjoy: a good gin cocktail, a tall glass of red wine, reeeeeeeeeeeeeally stinky cheese (sorry, I love it!) But my absolute favorite vice is ice cream. Leave me alone with a container of Haagen Daas or Ben & Jerry’s and don’t even think about talking me into sharing! This is mostly while I avoid it now, because ice cream (and sugar in general, for me) becomes a crutch. Most of the time this suits my lifestyle just find. While some people may enjoy a cold beer alongside a pack of Full Flavour Cigarettes, I’ve chosen to steer clear of that route.
Every once in a while though a sweet and creamy frozen treat is nice, especially now that it is getting hotter and our evening workouts are getting sweatier. Last week I was jonesing for something refreshing and decided I deserved some vice-like indulging. But when it came right down to it, I didn’t really want a pint of ice cream to hoard all to myself. I wanted something a little healthier, but still with that delicious vice-like quality, you know? 🙂
I took the popsicle inspiration that is running rampant on Pinterest, and make it work for my own lifestyle. Thus, the Paleo Peach Pie Popsicle was hatched.
I mixed up a version of a Peach Pie Protein Shake, added a few little extras, and then poured it into 4 popsicle molds. Then I let it freeze for a few hours and voila! A slightly healthier frozen treat that we’ve been enjoying all week long (I made a tropical fruit batch that I’ll share next week!) It couldn’t be easier.
Paleo Peach Pie Popsicles
Adapted from I Eat Grass
Serves 4
Ingredients:
8 oz of Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
5 oz of Frozen Organic Peaches
1 Frozen Banana (I keep them frozen on hand for green smoothies)
1 Scoop of Vanilla Protein Powder
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 TBS Agave Nectar or Honey
Cinnamon to Taste (I used probably 1/2 tsp. which I thought was awesome, Garrett liked it better with 1 tsp.)
Method
1. Add All Ingredients to the blender and let ‘er rip!
2. Pour into popsicle molds
3. Freeze 3-5 hours
4. Enjoy!
Thirsty Thursday: Spiked Strawberry Mint Cooler
I am no stranger to cocktail filled evenings spent outside on a patio wasting away the last few hours of summer light. Actually I have fond memories of evenings like that, but honestly these days with 3:45am wake up calls, workout filled weeks and action packed weekends, I can’t afford the morning-after consequences that come with those memories. But that doesn’t mean I want to be a complete tee-totaler and watch the season go by with nary an adult beverage, you know?
This beverage is my compromise.
Refreshingly devoid of sugary, syrupy mixers yet still packing the kind of punch that you hope for when reaching for a cocktail, this Spiked Strawberry Mint Cooler fits the bill to perfection. I have to warn you about two things though:
1. They go down easy
2. You actually need to starts brewing it up a few days before you drink it.
Enter: Strawberry Infused Vodka.
I followed this recipe to make the base of the cocktail, and just because it was super easy, I made some Pineapple Infused Vodka too (equally delicious!)
If you have 3 days, fruit, vodka and a dark closet — you can do this, I promise.
Once I had the strawberry vodka base, I wanted a mixer that was refreshing and low in caloric density. I can’t bust my butt all the time at CrossFit just to drink all my hard work away 500 calories at a time with a margarita, you know? (I prefer to eat my hard work away, remember?)
Enter: Mint Sparkling Water
By itself, I think peppermint sparkling is a bit of an acquired taste. It’s delicious, but just a little different, you know? However as a cocktail mixer?
HOLY HELL, IT IS AMAZING.
Add 3 Parts chilled Mint Sparkling Water to 2 Parts chilled Strawberry Infused Vodka, throw in a few frozen strawberries to make the whole ensemble, and drink up! I mean, using sparkling water as a mixer practically means you are hydrating while you drink!
Think Mint Sparkling Water sounds a bit crazy? Try Strawberry or Lime muddled with a little basil!
You won’t be disapointed.
*****
I’m certain that sparkling water coolers (with a bit of a kick!) are going to be making several appearances on my patio this season. How about you?
Grilled Marinated Flank Steak
As much as I like to talk about making things from scratch and DIYing and…wait, I rarely talk about DIYing, that was a bold face lie. So, let’s start over — as much as I like to think about DIYing and taking the time to make things from scratch and “enjoying the process” and all that — sometimes I just really love convenience. In the kitchen, this translates to a love of meals that come together quickly, yet are still full of flavor. So now that the weather is heating up I want to talk about a MAJOR FAVORITE in our household.
Grilled Marinated Flank Steak.
Can we talk about Flank steak for a minute? I mean, why wouldn’t we be talking about Flank steak — what else do you talk about around the water cooler on a Wednesday, right? Flank steak is one of those long and flat steaks that come from the abdominal area of a cow, and because ab muscles are *supposed* to be all rock hard and stuff, it can be a little tough. But if you treat it right, it will make your night — and yes, that is a poem I just wrote. Who wants to offer me a book deal on my poetry collection?
What that means to you, my friends, is that flank steak loves a good marinade. And I’m going to tell you about the best one I know of. It’s originally from Simply Recipes (who I love because on top of being brilliant, she’s from Carmichael — AWESOME!) but I make a substitution to keep it Paleo. Yo. (That was poem number two. You’re welcome.)
The thing I love about this marinade is that it involves simple ingredients, it’s quick to mix up and you can drop your flank steak in there in the morning, on your lunch break, or even the night before as it imparts awesome flavor. Heck I’ve popped my marinating steak in the fridge at 4:30 when I get off work and still had dinner on the table before 7. So it is super versatile! (Just don’t do more than 24 because the acidity of the marinade will start breaking the proteins in your meat down. No bueno.)
Enough talk though, let’s get to the goods, shall we?
Grilled Marinated Flank Steak
adapted from Simply Recipes
Ingredients
* 1/3 cup olive oil
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
* 1/3 cup coconut aminos
* 1/4 cup honey
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 pounds flank steak
* Kosher salt
* Garlic pepper (or just regular black pepper and garlic powder)
Method
1. Score the surface of the steak with 1/4 inch diagonal knife cuts about an inch apart across the grain of the meat. Mix up your marinade and pour it over your steak in a large freezer bag. Pop in the fridge and leave for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
When it’s time to grill:
2. Grease your grill with olive oil (You can use a brush or just oil on a paper towel) and then preheat the grill on high for about 10 minutes. Flank steak likes high direct heat. This is awesome and practically fool-proof. Another reason I love this recipe.
3. Take the steak out of the marinade bag and generously season both sides with salt and garlic pepper. Garlic pepper is so darn awesome, you should try it. But if you don’t have it – salt, pepper and garlic powder will work just fine. Again be liberal with these seasonings. They make a nice tasty crust on the outside.
4. Drop your steak on the hot grill. I use a gas grill and I grill the entire time with the cover open. The breakdown goes a little something like this for a perfectly medium rare steak:
Grill for 2-3 minutes, then turn the steak 90°
Grill for 2-3 minutes, and flip over
Grill for 2-3 minutes, then turn the steak 90°
Grill for 2-3 minutes, and you’re done.
Yes, I use a timer. Yes I enjoy criss-crossed grill marks. You might too?
4. We are a medium rare household, and it’s a good thing too because flank steak gets a little tough if you over cook it. Adapt your cooking time from the suggestion above to your household’s liking. Then take it off the grill and place it on a cutting board (it’s efficient!), then cover it with foil and let it rest for at least 10 minutes.
5. Slice across the grain, and at a slight diagonal and enjoy!
6. And if you REALLY like convenience, enjoy on paper plates out in the back yard like we did! CONVENIENCE FOR THE WIN!
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How do you usually prepare flank steak? I love this recipe so much, we hardly ever deviate. But I am totally open to suggestions! Pass your recipes along.
