Heart Healthy Dessert

Strawberry Delight Freeze. Here's a heart healthy dessert sure to please the taste buds.

• 2 Cups of Strawberries (or any berries) - fresh or frozen


• 1/4 C. coconut milk


• Dash of vanilla extract


• Mint (optional)

Cut tops off of strawberries. Toss in the blender or food processor and puree. Add coconut milk, vanilla, and mint (if desired). Put in freezer until it reaches desired thickness. About 10-20 minutes. Then serve. Makes 2-4 servings.

A Heart Healthy Valentine's Entree - Blackened Salmon

Monday is Valentine's Day! Wow your sweetie with a romantic dinner for two. A delicious heart healthy entree to make is a Blackened Salmon dish. Pair it with a romaine, spinach, and kale salad topped with strawberries and walnuts for a little twist that is sure to please Cupid's palate. Of course, all these foods are rich in Omega-3s.

Blackened Seasoning Mix

• 1 1/2 TBSP ground paprika


• 1 TBSP ground onion powder


• 2 Tsp iodized sea salt


• 1/2 tsp of ground white pepper


• 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper


• 1 tsp of ground cayenne pepper


• 1/4 tsp of dried thyme


• 1 tsp of dried basil


• 1 tsp of dried oregano

Mix all ingredients together. I triple this recipe and place in an old spice bottle and save use on other dishes like chicken or steak.

Blackened Salmon

• Blackened Seasoning Mix


• 2 wild caught salmon fillets


• 2 TBSP coconut or olive oil

Brush salmon fillets on both sides with oil, and sprinkle evenly & generously with the blackened seasoning mix. Drizzle one side of each fillet with remaining oil. In a large heavy skillet, over high heat, cook salmon, oil side down. Cook until blackened, about 2- 5 minutes. Turn fillets and drizzle remaining oil, and continue cooking until blackened and fish is easily flaked with a fork.

February is Heart Month!

A Healthy Heart with Omega-3s! Over the past year, you have probably heard from Rob the story about our Mom. Mom has battled with her weight since she was a teen. Subsequently, in a pattern of unhealthy eating and inactivity, significant health issues have developed as a result. Her list of ailments include, high blood pressure, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and congestive heart. She was on several medications. Her mobility had been limited to the point that she used a scooter to get around sometimes. She was omitted to Cleveland Clinic several times due to congestive heart failure. Having her last bout in the hospital last July, our family started on the Paleo Diet and has seen significant results - mainly in our mother. To date, she has lost 60 pounds and still loosing. We are so proud of her. So, this week's post is dedicated to her and to maintaining a healthy heart.

Omega-3 has been linked to contributing to strong, healthy hearts. The American Heart Association indicates that Omega-3 fatty acids benefit the heart of healthy people, and those at high risk of - or who have - cardiovascular disease. Research has shown that Omega-3 fatty acids decrease risk of arrhythmia's (abnormal heartbeats), which can lead to sudden death. Omega-3 fatty acids also decrease triglyceride levels, slow growth rate of atherosclerotic plaque, and lower blood pressure (slightly). Heart disease is linked to inflammation. Omega-3s help reduce the inflammation of the heart.

So, how do we get Omega-3s? Omega- 3s are found in green leaves of plants like grass, algae, and seaweed. Now, most of us do not eat that on a regular basis, nor are our bodies designed to digest that. However, some of what we DO eat has that as their diet - wild caught fish, pasteurized chickens, and grass-fed beef. Basically, they are eating foods they are SUPPOSED to eat...not the current diet of mega farms. Some vegetables are also a good source of Omega-3s. Here is a list of food higher in Omega-3s:

• Fish like: Black Cod, Halibut, Herring, Mackerel, Salmon, Sardines, Trout


• Cabbage


• Cauliflower


• Herbs like: Mustard Seed, Oregano, Cloves


• Eggs enriched with Omega-3s


• Flax seeds & Flax Seed Oil


• Oysters & Scallops


• Walnuts & Walnut Oil


• Pumpkin Seeds

There are other foods that contain Omega-3s but are not as high in ratio. These foods include:

• Fish like: Cod, Snapper, Sole, Flounder, Haddock


• Greens like: Collards, Kale, Spinach, Romaine, Turnip Greens,


• Crab


• Shrimp


• Strawberries


• Vegetables like: Brussell Sprouts, Green Beans, Winter Squash

So, to ensure you are getting your Omega-3s, incorporate as many foods into your daily diet as possible. However, that still may not be enough. You should consider incorporating Fish Oil as a supplement. Check out the Whole Nine's article on Fish Oil at http://whole9life.com/fish-oil-faq/ and Robb Wolfe's Fish Oil Calculator http://whole9life.com/fish-oil/.

Watch this week for recipes that will contain Omega-3 rich foods AND that will be delicious food for that special Valentine's Day romantic courses.

Collards - as a snack?

Collards - the healthy way. I grew up in the North. Any greens we had consisted of frozen spinach in a box or iceberg lettuce. Collards were just not served in the Midwest, or at least in our house. If you mentioned collards, you were likely to hear "what's that?" Then if you tried them, you likely did not like them because it was rare to find someone who knew how to cook the bitterness out of them. As an adult, I moved to the south. Now, the South knows how to cook them!! Garlic, onions, bacon, and lots of bacon grease. They were good...anything is good with bacon, right? Yes, if you want to gain some pounds and clog your arteries.

Nutritionists have begun to call collards a "superfood." Collards are leafy greens in the cabbage family. It is nutrient dense with vitamins and minerals like: Vitamin A, B6, C, E & K, Magnesium, Iron, Calcium, Potassium, Folate, Phosphorus and Protein. They are known to provide anticancer properties.

So, when I went Paleo, I wanted to try collards. They were good. However, I belong to a fall/winter Farm CSA and was getting way more collards than I preferred. Who can eat them every week cooked the same way? So, I began to try to find ways to use these up without always having to make them a side dish for dinner.

Here's a great way to use them up and to have a healthy snack.

The Chippy Collard

• 1 bunch of collard greens, coarsely chopped into larger chunks with the stems removed


• Garlic Powder - liberal amount


• Cayenne Pepper - sparingly (unless you are brave)


• Course Sea Salt - liberal amount


• Fresh Cracked Pepper - liberal amount


• 1 TBSP Olive Oil, plus more for greasing pan

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and grease lightly with the olive oil. Spread chopped collards on baking sheet, brushing oil onto the greens with a pastry brush. Generously sprinkle the garlic powder, sea salt and cracked pepper. Sparingly sprinkle with cayenne pepper for a little kick. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the leaves start to crisp and the edges turn brown. WATCH CLOSELY as they tend to burn depending on the thickness of the leaves. You may substitute collards for kale, but reduce the baking time.

This is a nice, easy snack. Hey, why not make some for the Super Bowl?

An Appetizer Even Your NON-Paleo Friends May Like

Appetizer - Paleo Coconut Shrimp

Take this to your Super Bowl Party - it is sure to be a hit!

• 12-15 thawed, peeled & deveined shrimp


• 1 egg


• 1/2 tsp iodized sea salt


• 1/2 tsp paprika


• 1/2 tsp garlic powder


• 1/2 cup almond flour


• 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut


• 3 TBSP coconut oil

After shrimp is thawed, peeled & deveined rinse with water and pat dry with paper towels and set aside. Mix 1 egg and spices together in a small bowl until blended. Mix almond flour and shredded coconut together and place on a plate. Now, set up your dredging station like this: shrimp, bowl with egg/spice mixture, plate with flour/coconut mixture, empty plate for coated shrimp.

Use left hand to dip shrimp into wet mixture. Transfer to right hand to dredge wet shrimp into dry ingredients. Place on a plate. Let coated shrimp set for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, place coconut oil into pan on medium high heat. Heat shrimp in pan for 2-3 minutes on one side. Turn and heat another 2-3 minutes. Let shrimp set for 5 minutes before serving to allow coating to stick to shrimp. Double or triple this recipe for Sunday's game.

(adapted from Paleo Mama's Cave Chick Cuisine blog)

Are You Ready for Some Football?

This Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday. I don't know about you, but I love to watch the Super Bowl and go to the parties. In years past, part of the fun was coming up with yummy foods to serve or bring to the party. In preparing for Sunday, I began to plan what I would bring to the table. Have you seen the advertisements and TV commercials this week? They are full of party snack ideas, enticing you to eat gooey, sugary, starchy, & fatty foods. Now that I have gone Paleo, those foods just don't cut it anymore. I can't force my friends to necessarily follow the Paleo plan, but I can make something that we can eat. Who knows, my friends might even like it! But, I suspect that not all the foods there will be Paleo friendly. So, what do you do - load up on only the food that you brought and drink water? That will surely draw attention to you and shift the conversation to your "diet" and the questions about "why no grains" and "why no dairy."

So, what do you do in situations like these when you have no choice in what can eat? Just not eat? Our friends at the Paleo Chronicles Blog (http://www.paleochronicles.com/) talk about situational awareness. Look at what is before you and make the best choices. Follow these particular tips and you can make the best possible judgement:

• Be honest with yourself, don't use it as an excuse to get off the Paleo Plan


• Choose wisely: Focus on whatever meat dishes are there (regardless if it follows the Paleo Plan exactly), load up on veggies, skip the pastas and the grains.


• Dip veggies into guacamole and salsa if available. If you must have dip, then only take a small teaspoon size.


• If you are dying for something sweet, head for the fruits.


• Know your body, know your enemies - know what foods affect you - that will help you make choices that are best for you.


• If you are going to go off, then choose the ONE thing that you would go off of it for, rather than having a "taste" of everything.

In the end there is a choice...you don't have to eat anything there. Use your best judgement, and if there really is no choice...then note how the food has effected you and go back on Paleo in the morning. Just don't beat yourself up.

However, we plan to help you out this week. We will be featuring some snack foods that you can take to those Super Bowl parties that might even have your friends devouring. Who knows you might even recruit some folks to Paleo.

For more information on Situational Awareness check out the Paleo Chronicles Blog at http://www.paleochronicles.com/ And oh, by the way, GO STEELERS!! Sorry "Cheeseheads" you are dairy to me!