September 2012
24 posts
2 tags
Notes from the Rockies (Part 2)
Cathy Lewis hosted a welcome potluck for us last night, and it was ridiculously great.
First, the jaw-dropping view from her back porch:
And, of course, there was the fabulous company…
…including some unexpected guests.
The Paleo potluck food contributed by Cathy and her friends was incredible — and not just because most of it was inspired by Mel and me!
We had...
2 tags
Notes from the Rockies (Part 1)
Before even retrieving our luggage from baggage claim, I was texting friends for dining recommendations in Denver.
Kevin suggested that we check out Buckhorn Exchange, Denver’s longest-running steakhouse. The restaurant — which boasts a game-heavy menu — has been serving up meaty fare since 1893(!).
The old-timey atmosphere may seem overly kitschy to some, but we got a kick...
4 tags
Spicy Pineapple Salsa
When I’m in a hurry to get something — anything — in my belly, I grab some cooked protein (e.g. Slow Cooker Kalua Pig) and top it with a potent flavor booster, like spicy pineapple salsa. This sweet, crunchy, spicy, sour, and juicy condiment elevates everything you spoon it on. Plus, it keeps for a few days in the fridge. Emergency flavor booster + emergency protein = happy...
5 tags
Paleo Eats: 9/24/12
Just in case I encountered another crazy-busy night shift, I packed a no-frills lunch that I could eat without reheating: smoked wild salmon, leftover greens, tomatoes, and broiled summer squash.
I hate being right. Work was non-stop.
After arriving home, I conked out for a solid 7 hours and 7 minutes, registering a whopping 99% sleep efficiency. How do I know? My FitBit told me so....
5 tags
Paleo Eats: 9/23/12
Graveyard shifts at the hospital are always unpredictable. Normally, the variety keeps things interesting, but every single night this week, I’ve been stomping out fires for ten hours straight. This old pill pusher’s tired. Calgon, take me away!
I knew I was in for another hectic shift, so I purposely packed food that I could eat straight from the fridge. But it wasn’t until...
7 tags
Paleo Eats: 9/22/12
Before I recap my chow for the day, I want to wish my dad a happy, happy birthday. I hope my two sons grow up to be just as righteous as my dad. Rock on, pops!
Plus, he has such a snappy sense of style — something that I sadly failed to inherit.
Back at the hospital, chaos reigned. I was almost too busy to eat my leftovers: meat from my beefy bone broth with Leon’s Miracle Sauce,...
5 tags
Paleo Eats: 9/21/12
As a present to myself, I didn’t post my birthday eats. (Thanks for all your kind birthday wishes, by the way!)
As I get older and more decrepit, birthdays just aren’t as exciting anymore — especially when I have to trudge off to work at night. Still, my family made me feel special, with hand-drawn cards and hugs when I got home. My hubby got me exactly what I wanted — a...
2 tags
Me? Fashlete of the Month? Wha-?
One of the coolest birthday presents I got today was the honor of being chosen as Fashletics’ September 2012 Fashlete of the Month. Best of all, Sarah Wilson, the badass CrossFitter/metalsmith behind Fashletics, forged me a groovy one-of-a-kind Nom Nom Paleo necklace!
I know — I didn’t expect to be named a “Fashlete” either, especially given that I’m neither...
Paleo Eats: 9/19/12
With the school year in full swing, the boys are constantly bringing home new germs. To combat the inevitable sniffle-assault, I started my morning by cracking through the protective layer of congealed fat atop my refrigerated bone broth…
..to get at the quivery meat Jell-O below.
Once I got the soup steaming hot on the stove, I ladled it into mugs for the whole family. I...
4 tags
Paleo Eats: 9/18/12
Fried eggs and bacon go together like Howard and Robin in the morning.
I wish I could enjoy all four of them together, but little ears are in the kitchen. Also, my head would explode from the sensory overload.
After I chaperoned Big-O to school and heard all the sniffling in his classroom, I rushed home to start a big pot of pressure cooker bone broth on the stove. I crammed my...
5 tags
Paleo Eats: 9/17/12
The best way to beat the Monday blahs is with bacon.
Am I right or am I right?
To kick off the week for my whole family, I baked bacon on my griddle in the toaster oven, scrambled eggs, and fried tomatoes in bacon drippings.
I love raw tomatoes, but you amplify the umami if you sear ‘em in bacon grease — and I’m all about simple ways to boost flavor.
While Henry took...
4 tags
Leon's Caper and Anchovy Miracle Sauce
Despite releasing my recipes via this blog and my iPad® app rather than in print (thus far!), I’ve always been an unabashed cookbook hoarder.
The latest addition to my collection is Leon: Naturally Fast Food. Before picking up the book, I didn’t know anything about Leon — a small, award-winning chain of restaurants in the U.K. — but the quirky and charming book design and...
5 tags
Paleo Eats: 9/14/12
We all woke up late and I was whirling around the kitchen, Tasmanian-devil-style, fixing breakfast and lunches for the Double-Os. For the boys’ first meal of the day, I made omelets filled with leftover sautéed mushrooms using my new cast iron griddle. (I first encountered one of these when I almost set Diana’s Colonial-era farmhouse on fire, and have wanted one ever since.)
As...
6 tags
Paleo Eats: 9/13/12
My week of graveyard shifts didn’t end ‘til yesterday morning, but I was back in Mommy Mode just a few hours later. I’ve practiced the weekly nocturnal/diurnal flip for over a decade, so I’ve got it down to a science. Like clockwork, I passed out early last night and got enough shuteye to resurrect me from my zombie-like existence. It was imperative that I fully recharged...
4 tags
Paleo Eats: 9/11/12
Once more, with feeling: I had leftovers yet again during my hospital night shift. I ain’t complaining — I’m just happy I’ve still got braised shanks and Asian cauliflower fried rice from earlier in the week to eat at work.
Once I got home, I checked on my boys, and save for a few sniffles, the Double-Os seemed to be feeling much better.
Phew.
Henry, on the other...
3 tags
Paleo Eats: 9/10/12
My week of hospital night shifts is coming to an end, and the anticipation is driving me batty. Fortunately for me — but not so much for the patients, I suppose — the medication orders have been coming in at a steady clip, so my nights are speeding by.
While doling out drugs in the middle of the night, I took a breather to down some leftover sous vide sirloin roast, cauliflower purée,...
4 tags
Paleo Eats: 9/9/12
Halfway through my workweek, I’m steadily chugging along like the Little Engine That Could. My last night shift’ll be done before I know it, right?
I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…
My mid-week, mid-shift meal at the hospital consisted of cold leftovers: sous vide sirloin roast, heirloom tomato salad, and roasted broccoli.
Raise your hand if you don’t think...
4 tags
Paleo Eats: 9/8/12
Whenever I’m in zombie mode, my survival kit always contains three critical items: coffee, dark chocolate, and a box of leftovers. I’m too risk-averse to gamble on hospital vending machine grub.
For my mid-shift meal, I reheated some braised beef shanks and Asian cauliflower fried rice.
After zooming home post my 10-hour shift, Big-O was the first person to greet me with a cheery...
5 tags
Paleo Eats: 9/7/12
With my family snoozing away, I doled out drugs at the hospital until 4 a.m., when I paused to eat my packed leftovers: pressure cooker lamb shanks, collard greens, and bone marrow.
For dessert, I enjoyed some fresh cherries and coconut milk before finishing my shift.
Blinking away the sunlight, I made it home just in time to kiss Big-O before he trotted off to school with his dad. Lil-O,...
5 tags
Paleo Eats: 9/6/12
Armed with a steaming mug of java and an insulated cooler stuffed with leftovers, I was ready to sling drugs all night long. Hunkered in the hospital pharmacy, I snacked on two hard-boiled eggs and a big square of dark chocolate, and at three in the morning, I popped open my box of leftover sous vide wild king salmon and sauerkraut. Lunchtime!
In the blink of an eye, the sun shot up over the...
Paleo Eats: 9/5/12
I’m about to morph back into a zombie drug dealer. Summer vacation’s over, and it’s time to rejoin my work husband in the bowels of the hospital. Ain’t no rest for the wicked, and money don’t grow on trees. I got bills to pay, I got mouths to feed.
Speaking of which, my last day of vacation began like any other morning: Packing school lunches for the kids....
3 tags
Paleo Eats: 9/4/12
After hustling Big-O off to school, I sat down to a simple breakfast of hard-boiled eggs dusted with Volcano Grind and leftover collards and carrots. Emergency protein and leftovers — there’s no better start to the day.
Throughout the morning, a parade of repairmen filed through our house to fix various busted appliances. The timing was perfect: with just one day left before the...
3 tags
Paleo Eats: 9/3/12
My extended vacation’s ending on Wednesday night, so I need to get back into the swing of everything — including photographing and documenting what I’ve been cooking and eating.
I knew I was in for a long chipper at CrossFit Palo Alto’s 9 a.m. women’s class. Now that I’m attending regularly (rather than dropping in sporadically), I make a point to pester my...
2 tags
Giveaway Time! LunchBots Clicks & Dips!
**UPDATE: The contest is OVAH and the winner has been contacted! Thanks to all for entering the giveaway!**
As the family lunch-packer, I’ve tried every conceivable compact food storage container on the market — from plastic boxes to glass containers. For years, our kitchen was stocked with stuff I hoarded from Tupperware parties, but after learning of the dangers of plastic, I...
