Spicy Tomato Basil Sauce

The following is a guest post we did about a week ago for Nom Nom Paleo.  Michelle, who maintains the blog with her family, is a cooking/blogging sensation and are one of the handful of places we first turned to when trying to figure out how to “be paleo” [more gushing below].  Be sure to check out her regular posts and giveaways, as well as download her iPad app–it’s beautiful, full of great content, and worth buying an iPad (or iPad mini) for if you don’t already have one.

spicy tomato basil sauce

Once upon a time, when Heather and I first started our own documented cooking adventures, we were pretty lost.  Still in the initial sticker shock/grief period of, “but what can I eat,” we spent a lot of time scanning the internet looking for “paleo-friendly” recipes and meal ideas.  Michelle’s blog was one of the first I came across, as I was a pretty intense tumblr addict.  Once I moved to Virginia and was juggling two jobs, tumblr went away, but nomnom stayed.  I later found out the connection between fitbomb and nom nom paleo, and I was excited to see a pair that really thought about fitness and health when it comes to movement and diet.  Plus, there’s the added benefit of following the family adventures since I’m not quite ready to enlist my own little army of helpers.

Grilled Beef Kabobs

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Now that we’ve gone through what we hope is the last of the bi-polar transition to spring and summer, it is a perfect time to dust off the grill and enjoy some outdoor cooking.  Growing up in Wisconsin, weekend brat cookouts were common, even well into the winter.  We don’t grill as much as I did growing up, but I still love taking the time to be outdoors, and the smell of the grill.  

The Couple That Cooks Together

This is a guest post we did for Matt & Stacy at the Paleo Parents.  If you aren’t already aware of the amazing things that they are putting out, go ahead and check out their website, podcast, and books.  I’m sure I’m already preaching to the choir here, but if not–go check it out and thank me later.

Quality time is a big part of any relationship–without it, it’s easy for little things to get in the way of the bigger picture and sit under the surface until you end up in a huge fight about not looking both ways before crossing the street (true story).  When Heather and I first met, we were both in grad school and working full time. Since, we’ve
managed to move twice and work more than when we were managing school.  Working 60+ hours a week each makes it difficult to carve out time with and for each other, especially because my second job occurs on evenings and weekends.

We just celebrated our 3-year anniversary, and I’ve taken time to really reflect on the things that make us work as a team. One of the things that has really helped us grow is our time in the kitchen.  We, like others, once made the argument that, “Cooking takes too long–let’s just order in.”  I learned the hard way that is hard on both the waist and the wallet, packing on 50+ pounds in the first year we were together.  So, about a year and a half ago, I decided to make the switch, and made a little website as an accountability measure.  Heather will admit, she was hesitant at first; but she supported me and eventually realized the dietary changes were good for her too (her allergies are more manageable now).

Below is a distillation of some of the life lessons that we’ve learned in the kitchen.  Not only do we get to spend time
together, it is making the choice to better our health and wellness, and hopefully reduce stress.  Our diet and fitness can only do so much if we’re stressed out of our minds.

Spicy Beef Stir-Fry

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Ever since my mom gave us her old wok, we’ve been attempting to bring it into use more often.  We’ve made hot and sour soup, which was really fun, but the ingredient list was pretty extensive.  I know I’ll make it again, but I wanted to attempt something less demanding with this awesome cooking tool.  

Bacon Jalapeño Bread

We came up with this bread recipe a month or two ago following our invitation back to the Paleo Parent‘s house for another great pot luck, this time to celebrate their upcoming book, Beyond Bacon. As adamant pork lovers, we couldn’t help but make something with bacon in it.  Taking Heather’s awesome orange-cranberry bread as a template, we decided to go a little further.