Catch up...

Hi All, 

Hope everyone's week is going smoothly. George and I are headed off to Hawaii next week for our honeymoon and getting VERY excited. We are staying on Kauai and it's our first time, so any recommendations are appreciated!

Check out this post from Robin at Everymom to Ironmom. Her story gave me chills. What an empowering post! I can't imagine being in that situation, nor being able to handle it as well as she did. I hope that I would.

Moving on, here are a few catch up photos from my phone I've taken in my recent travels...

becoming an expensive habit... would love to try and make my own someday.

getting more and more into beekeeping with my dad.

necessary quality check while we were spinning the honey :)

pretty successful day... 50+ pounds

wedding pig roast!

grilled chicken fajita salads! since we got our grill last year, we grill everything!

one of our many tomato plants

delicious marinated steak from Trader Joe's

tomato, mozzarella and basil salad from the garden. well not the mozzarella...

late night snack of apple and almond butter

strawberry salad with an ass ton of chicken from a local place near my work. so damn good.

90% of the time I pack a lunch for work, but occasionally I run out of time or just don't feel like throwing something together. Do you buy or bring your lunch to work?

our wedding

this is not a food or recipe related post but i just wanted to share some details from our recent nuptials. so keep on scrolling if it ain't your thang...

we had a very small ocean side ceremony on September 2 and the following week had a pig roast at my parents house with all of our family and friends. we did it this way because we were not willing to budge on our ceremony location, and since it is such a small space, we decided on parents and siblings only. it was just as we had imagined, intimate and romantic. it made it so special that our parents and siblings were there on this special day. here are some of our favorite shots from the two days...

Special thank you to our friend John (http://revisionsphotography.com/) for the photography and Maureen Seastrand (http://www.seastranddesigns.com/) for my custom dress and Blue Ribbon BBQ for the pig roast.

the functional foodie on facebook!

Well, I've officially caved and created a Facebook page for the blog... only took a few years!

Here is the link: http://www.facebook.com/TheFunctionalFoodie

I would love to hear your experiences with some of my recipes and photos of your creations. Comments and questions are welcome!

roasted tomato soup--only 4 ingredients!

hey folks!

we've been super busy lately... you know getting married and all. back to business in the kitchen and with lots of new toys i may add. my favorite? a CIA Professional Series Vitamix! it is truly an amazing machine. i'm certain that i have plenty more to learn about what it is truly capable of. any suggestions are appreciated for those of you who already own this or another Vitamix.

i was in the mood for a hot soup with the changing weather, and definitely wanted to try it in the new Vitamix. a very simple recipe, using a few fresh ingredients with a delicious result.

-couple pounds of fresh tomatoes (we used a combination of different varieties that were ripe from our garden)

-olive oil

-salt & pepper

-quarter of a yellow onion

-knob of butter for finishing (optional)

half or quarter those tomatoes so that they are similar in size. same goes for that onion. throw them onto a sheet pan or roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. roast for 35-40 minutes at 375* or until they have released their juices and have started to shrink in size a bit.

before roasting

i don't have a picture of the tomatoes after roasting because i'm a dweeb. next, pull your tomatoes and plop everything into your Vitamix. if you are using a regular blender, i'm not sure that i would leave the skins on. the Vitamix absolutely LIQUEFIES everything it comes in contact with, so i'm not one bit worried about the skin and seeds here. turn that baby on variable 1 and quickly raise to 10. drop in a knob of butter if you'd like for a nice glossy finish. let her run for 3-4 minutes.

this was so yummy... perfect way to get into the fall mood. i can definitely see more soups in the future! 

do you own a Vitamix? what's your favorite kitchen appliance? what's your favorite fall food?

quickest red sauce you'll ever make

i've always been a fan of light and fresh red sauces over the heavy, thick greasy sauces you sometimes see. this sauce is on the thin side but it's just how i like it. if you prefer a thicker sauce, a small can of tomato paste would do the trick.

a tasty red sauce doesn't need to simmer for 8 hours to be delicious. the use of the San Marnzano tomatoes give this quick sauce a fresh flavor that will rival any other!

1 28 oz. can of whole, peeled San Marnzano tomatoes (these tomatoes are KEY)  
3-4 cloves of garlic, grated or minced
1 onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried basil (you can use fresh here)
olive oil (or your choice of fat)
salt & pepper
pinch of hot pepper flake

saute the onion over medium heat in the olive oil. cook for 5-7 minutes until the onions get translucent. while they are cooking, season with salt, pepper, bay leaf, basil and hot pepper flake. **if you are using fresh basil, add this as the final ingredient, only minutes before serving. next, add the garlic and cook for just a minute.

next add the tomatoes. using a potato masher, mash each tomato once or twice. i like a chunky sauce, so mash more if you like it less chunky. let this cook for 10 minutes or until you are ready to serve!

at this point, i added a pound of sausages that i had browned.

i served it over a roasted spaghetti squash. it was quite a hit with George!

enjoy!

balsamic marinated flank steak

oh boy was this good. a little prep went a long way.

flank steak (about 1 pound)
1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar
1 clove of garlic, minced or grated
1 tablespoon of worchestershire sauce OR coconut aminos
1 tablespoon of honey
salt & pepper

in a small bowl, mix the balsamic vinegar, garlic, worchestshire sauce or coconut aminos, salt, pepper and honey. i had to microwave the honey for 15 seconds so it would mix together nicely instead of lying in a clump at the bottom of the bowl.

place the flank steak into a gallon size freezer bag (or just a regular ziplock) then pour the marinade over. i marinated this for 24 hours, but anywhere from 11-24 hours would work. i wouldn't go anymore than 24 hours though.

when you're ready, grill or broil the flank steak 5-7 minutes per side. tent the meat and let it sit for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. make sure to slice the meat against the grain or it will be too tough to eat.

i think we ate half of it right off the board.... couldn't wait for it to hit the plate!

EASY hollandaise sauce

hollandaise sauce can be one of those intimidating recipes. this version is easy and requires nothing more than a blender. that's right, no double boiler or constant whisking like maniac! i saw Ina Garten use this technique and knew i had to try it.


6 tablespoons of butter
3 large egg yolks
1.5 tablespoons of lemon juice
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt & pepper to taste

melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl or in a small saucepan. put the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, pepper and cayenne into a blender and blend of 15-20 seconds.

next, with the blender running, slowly pour the hot butter into the blender and blend for an additional 30 seconds, until the sauce is thick.

it's perfectly salty, buttery and has a nice zip from the lemon juice. drizzle over asparagus, poached eggs or whatever your heart desires. i roasted some drumsticks and drizzled the hollandaise over some roasted asparagus. YUM.

epsom salt baths

i've been incorporating a new recovery technique into my regime, epsom salt baths! my mother used to always say that sore feet could be solved by soaking in epsom salt. i dug a little further. epsom salt, or hydrated magnesium sulfate, can be absorbed through the skin and has been known to, among many other things, reduce muscle soreness and inflammation. so i decided to try for myself. what better excuse to use my new claw foot tub???

the first time i tried it was after 5 x5 back squats at 175 pounds, i was starting to feel sore before i even got home! i drew a hot bath and put probably 2 cups (i didn't measure) into the water and let it dissolve. i checked the clock and geared up for 10-15 minutes. unless you have a VERY deep tub, use a face cloth to soak your upper back and shoulders. when you are done, don't rinse, just towel dry.

i don't know if the placebo effect has a strong hold on me, but i swear this made my recovery so much quicker! i found a big carton of epsom salt at my regular grocer for just about $5. you don't need anything fancy, straight up epsom salt should do the trick. but if you're feeling frisky, they make lavender scented, which might be nice before bed or eucalyptus mint. my friend Kelly hooked me up with some amazing scents for Christmas. white tea is my favorite.

George on the Vineyard... we love baths!

here are a bunch of other interesting uses for epsom salt: face cleanser, foot scrubs, splinter removal and more. 

so after your next heavy strength day and after your sweet potato, try an epsom salt bath!!

what do YOU do to aid recovery? a big post workout meal? fish oil?

funny google keywords

this may or may not be the best part about blogging. here are some of the most interesting (and hilarious) keywords people have used to find my blog via Google:

-2 pints of ben and jerry's   

my favorite little Paleo baby, Quinn, from The Paleo Child

-20 pounds bill

-paleo blogs babies 

-"helmet cam" hockey

-paleo keesh

-bison balls

-you've lugged one home from the store spaghetti squash

-why avoid chicken

-what does a 9 x 9 glass pan look like

-the kitten that hates everything

-slight abs

-scary chocolate brown wolf

-people think i am nuts on paleo

-odd shape pot roast

-miranda oldroyd nude

-methods to resist ice cream

-lifting 300 lbs off the floor with gear back

-kerri heffel and george

-is gordon ramsay handsome

-how big are mangos

-gymnastics snafu

-girls types of breast n size

-eating paleo for hockey


-costa rica alcohol prices

-do foodies use crock pots?

-coffee cup on desk

-carrots dipped in ice cream

-breast press

-best crossfit hunks

any of you bloggers out there get any crazy search keywords?

no complaining allowed!

saw this graphic on pinterest the other day and it brought me back down to earth REAL fast. chances are there are MILLIONS of people who would kill to be waking up in your shoes this morning.

some articles that may be worth your while...

BTB Fitness answers the common "i have no time to cook-how do i stay paleo?" question here.


this winter salad from Julie at The Cranking Kitchen looks so delicious! i'm definitely going to have to try this one.

kale with carmelized onions by The Whole Life looks beautiful! it's on my 'must-try soon' list. i'll top it with 2 poached eggs for a perfect breakfast.


finally, to end on a non-food related note, Lake Superior University came out with their 'most overused words list of 2011'. george's use of "man cave" in the past 6 months has DEFINITELY had some part getting it on this list.

enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

meals in between



colorful garden salad



pint of grape tomatoes sauteed until they burst over marinated chicken breast



bacon wrapped asparagus



brussel sprouts and bacon, pre-bake



grilled chicken, brussel sprouts, roasted sweet potatoes and a side salad



buffalo bolognese with spaghetti squash EDIT: directions for this are posted in the comments section

 

grass fed burger topped with peppers, onions and avocado

 

grilled chicken, brussel sprouts and baked sweet potato

 

contrary to what you may believe, I AM still alive...

Please accept my apologies for lack of blogging. After our engagement in June, we bought and moved into our first home in September. Needless to say, with those big milestones and on top of the holidays, I haven't had a ton of free time.

Now that things have cooled down, I PROMISE to get back into the food, recipes and blogging. I've kept track of a few things and taken some food photos during my hiatus and will post as soon as I have something worthy.

Good luck to those participating in the Whole 30!!

sesame and ginger grilled tuna steaks

yes, the functional foodie is still alive. we've been very busy! vacations, new babies and an engagement! george and i got engaged on June 16 on Martha's Vineyard... we are very excited, but onto the food!!


my dad caught a decent sized yellow fin tuna a few days ago and i was lucky enough to snag a few steaks off of him. this was super easy and delicious!

2 tuna steaks, 3/4 inch thickness

3 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar (lime juice would work too)

1 tablespoon of sesame oil

2 cloves of garlic, grated

1 tablespoon of grated ginger

2 green onions, chopped

dash of cayenne pepper
salt & pepper

prepare your marinade in a 2 inch deep glass dish. place the tuna steaks in the marinade for 15 minutes per side.

once the steaks are finished marinating, preheat a grill pan (or grill) to medium-high. grill them for about 3 minutes per side. i like my tuna on the rare side. obviously, cook to your liking.

this would be served great with grilled vegetables or mango salsa.