swiss chard

Today was my first day to work with Swiss chard and as I’m sitting digesting a wonderful meal I’m wondering what took me so long? You’ve probably seen it in your local grocery store, but if you’re like me you’ve strolled right past it because, let’s face it, mom never cooked it. If spinach and a beet got together one night, played a little Barry White, had a little wine, and made some sweet music, the fruit of this unlikely (but beautiful) union would be Swiss chard. It’s no surprise, then, that Swiss chard is actually very closely related to both spinach and beets. Creepy.

According to Mark’s Daily Apple, Swiss chard delivers 716% of your recommended daily allowance of vitamin K, 110% RDA of vitamin A, 52% RDA of vitamin C, as well as a healthy dose of magnesium. In addition, he lists Swiss chard as one of his “16 Most Powerful Foods.” With that kind of reputation, how can we not include it in our weekly rotation?

Trolling around the net I found a lot of complicated recipes with Swiss chard that included many other ingredients. I tend to stay simple for my weeknight side dishes, so none of those really jumped out at me. I also saw from several sources that you can use it anywhere you use spinach. While probably true, it didn’t inspire me. So after perusing my pantry, I came up with this dish:

Primal Swiss Chard

• 1 bunch of Swiss chard, soaked and rinsed well
• 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons bacon grease*
• Crushed garlic, to taste
• Salt, to taste
• Crushed red pepper, optional

Trim the ends of the red stalks on the Swiss chard. Then cut the stalks away from the leaves. Cut the stalks into about 1/2 inch pieces. Cut the leaves across about every 2 inches. Set the stalks and the leaves aside separately.

Melt the bacon grease in a skillet (one that has a lid) over medium heat. Throw in the onions and cook them until they are soft. Add the garlic (and peppers if you like spice) and cook for a minute more. Add the stalks and cook for about 5 minutes or until they are soft. Turn the heat down to low and add the leaves. Place the lid on the skillet and let it set for about 3-5 minutes or until the leaves are wilted (not cooked!). Add some salt to taste and give it a stir until the salt is incorporated and the leaves are mixed well with the onions and stalks. Serve warm from the skillet.

Give it a try and let me know how you like it!

*The meaty taste of bacon grease goes well with the hearty flavor of Swiss chard, but honestly, you can use whatever oil you like. This is the only ingredient that makes this a primal recipe instead of paleo.

paleo birthday “cake”

I had a bit of a dilemma this morning because today is my trainer‘s birthday. Thanks to her, my whole family is now participating in some form of CrossFit, eating better, and in general leading happier, more fulfilling lives! So I wanted to show her how much I appreciate her today when I showed up for our 6:00 AM WOD.  The problem is that she’s competing in tomorrow’s Central Southern Texas Sectional for the CrossFit Games so she’s on a very strict diet for a few more days. So before heading out this morning I whipped up the following recipe for a Paleo Birthday “Cake”:

• 1 egg, hard-boiled
• 1 candle (must be beeswax to be considered paleo)

Crack the top of the egg and remove about a dime’s worth of shell. Insert candle. Light. Enjoy.

Good luck to Coach Heather and everybody competing tomorrow at the sectionals, especially the folks from CrossFit Texas and CrossFit Central!

green bean stir fry

Sometimes of an evening, finding a fast and easy side dish that’s yummy can be a struggle. In fact, it’s my number one struggle with staying In the Zone because my expectations for dinner are a bit higher than for lunch. This recipe is good not only because it’s fast, but it’s also very flexible because you can easily modify the flavors to fit your palate. It’s also very easy to multiply if you have a family or if you need multiple blocks of carbs.

Green Bean Stir Fry

• 2/3 teaspoon olive oil* – 1 fat
• 1 1/2 cup green beans (frozen or fresh)* – 1 carb
• minced garlic* (to taste)
• crushed red pepper* (sparingly, to taste)
• fresh minced ginger* (sparingly, to taste)
• soy sauce (to taste)

In a wok or a pan, heat up the oil on a medium heat with the minced garlic and crushed red peppers.  Add the green beans and cook, stirring constantly, until the desired amount of done-ness is achieved. Towards the end, add soy sauce and continue stirring. Serve hot.

Tip: we eat a lot of garlic, especially to flavor vegetables. Not only does it taste good, but it’s a Top 100 Zone Food as well. While I certainly appreciate the flavor of fresh garlic, I keep it simple for my weeknight meals by buying the minced garlic in a jar and keep it in the refrigerator.

*Top 100 Zone Food

berries and cream oatmeal

Pair this easy recipe with your favorite breakfast protein (2 boiled egg whites* is 1 protein block) for a satisfying jump on the day.

Berries and Cream Oatmeal (2 block version)

• 1/3 cup cooked steel-cut oats* (I recommend McCann’s) – 1 carb block
• 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries* – 1 carb block
• 2 tablespoons half and half – 2 fat blocks

Berries and Cream Oatmeal (3 block version)

• 1/3 cup cooked steel cut oats* (I recommend McCann’s) – 1 carb block
• 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries* – 1 carb block
• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries* – 1 carb block
• 3 tablespoons half and half – 3 fat blocks

If you’ve never prepared steel-cut oats before, know in advance that they can take a while to cook so we make them a week in advance and store them in your refrigerator. Then heat up in the microwave with the half and half for a minute or so.

*A Top 100 Zone Food