Radishes, Jicama, I am trying new things!

I think I am open-minded when it comes to trying new foods.   However, when it comes to vegetables, I was almost certain I have tried all there is to try….. And then the other day I was on Pinterest and low and behold, a recipe for roasted radishes.  Radishes?  Hmmm, I have only seen those on salads and I never buy them.  I do not really enjoy the bitter taste.  From the reviews of the recipe though, I thought I would give it a try.  The recipe was simple enough and a 16-oz bag of radishes was $1.29, so I thought why not give it a try?  I am glad I did!  The roasted radishes were very good (however, some of the reviews stated they tasted like potatoes…. I did not agree with that, haha).

Also, a few months ago when I was in San Diego, I went to a restaurant and enjoyed a spicy shrimp burrito in a jicama shell.  It was tasty, but when I returned back home, I never looked for it, because I really had no idea what it was.  Then, our friend invited us over for dinner and she had raw jicama cut up.  Again, another amazing vegetable I have been missing out on.  Often referred to as a “Mexican turnip,” it looks like a white potato. You can cook jicama too, but I have been eating it raw.  It has mild sweet taste, but is good for dipping into homemade guacamole.

I decided I need a week off from work to make all the recipes I have saved, printed out, emailed myself, etc.  Honestly, I must have about 50 that I really want to try making, and just not enough time to make it all.  Do you think my boss will be okay with that?  Probably not, haha.  Oh, and I also just received a new cookbook from Juli Bauer of www.paleomg.com which has a bunch more recipes I need to make.  I am glad the radish recipe is easy to make and takes no time at all…. Leaves me time to make lots of other things (I miss my double oven!). 

Roasted Radishes

Ingredients

1 – 16 oz. bag of radishes

Olive Oil

Salt, pepper to taste

** Experiment with this, try different herbs and see how they turn out.  I used some fresh thyme from the garden and it was very good.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 455 degrees.  Place a piece of aluminum foil on a baking sheet (helps with easy clean up).
2. Toss radishes with olive oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl to coat.
3. Spread the radishes on the aluminum foil lined baking sheet in an even single layer.
4. Roast for 20-30 minutes.  Check on them frequently and give them a little stir to prevent burning.
5. When the radishes are a little brown, wrinkled, and soft, they are done.
6. Enjoy!

~ Savannah FitNut aka Morgan McNeal

Make your own coconut milk and flour

As you all know, I read “Wheat Belly” and I have been following the Paleo diet for a bit.  However, occasionally in cooking, I need a thickener for a soup or curry or just need some flour for my pumpkin pancakes.  There are a lot of alternatives to wheat flour.  Nut flours, coconut flours, etc.  Coconut flour is expensive.  Way more expensive than wheat flour.  For a 16 oz. bag of Bob’s Red Mill coconut flour, it costs $5.24 (or $0.33/oz.).  In contrast, a 48 oz. bag of Bob’s Red Mill organic whole wheat flour costs $3.14 ($0.06/oz.).   In addition, you can buy a whole gallon of milk for $4.00 (128 ounces) or a can of coconut milk for $2.99 (13.6 oz.), which equates to $0.03/oz. vs. $0.22/oz. So, what is a girl to do?  Make your own!

I bought a lot of shredded coconut at the store the either day.  It must have been on sale.  Googled how to make coconut milk and flour and decided to give it a go. It was super easy.  I used one cup of coconut and that produced the equivalent of about 2 cans of coconut milk and about 1 cup of coconut flour, all for about $1.00.  You can use the coconut milk for smoothies too and it is delicious.  I used it in a soup and it turned out great.

Homemade coconut flour and coconut milk

Ingredients

1 cup shredded coconut

4 cups water

Instructions

Put your shredded coconut and water in a blender and let it sit several hours.  I left mine overnight.

Blend your coconut and water.

Strain the mixture through a strainer or cheesecloth, whatever you have and collect the liquid into a cup or bowl.  That’s your coconut milk.  Refrigerate the milk if you are not going to use right now.

The leftover coconut will be used to make the flour.

Set the oven to 200°.  Make sure your leftover coconut has minimal water left it in.

Grease a baking sheet with coconut oil and spread the coconut over the sheet.  Bake until the coconut is completely dried out.

~ Savannah FitNut aka Morgan McNeal

Mashed Cauliflower

I always stress to anyone looking to change their diet that planning is a very important piece of the puzzle.  I have been a little lax on the whole planning piece recently, but this week I decided to be a good little planner.  On Saturday before going to the grocery store, I checked out a few recipe blogs, and my binder full of recipes.  From that, I chose the dinners I was going to make for the week.  Wrote them down and published them to my husband, haha.  He likes to know what to expect for dinner.  It did not take very long to do the planning and ensured I had all the ingredients needed for my Sunday Cookathon.  I know everyone hates having to run to the grocery store because you forgot a key ingredient.  It was also 50 degrees in Savannah on Sunday, and I was not going outside!  Brrrrrrr!

I spent $165.21 on groceries for the week.  The amount of food I bought is enough to feed my husband and me for a week for all meals and snacks.  If I break it down and assume 3 meals per day, it equates to $3.93 per person per meal.  Could I spend less?  Yes.  However, I buy grass-fed meats, wild-caught fish, and some organic fruits and vegetables.  It is money I am willing to spend.

Cauliflower was on sale for $2.00 per head this week.  It was not organic (it is not on the dirty dozen list).  I bought 4 heads.  I steamed two heads to have to take to work for lunch.  I also used one head to make mashed cauliflower.  I absolutely love mashed cauliflower.  It is easy to make, tastes delicious, and is a side that goes with a lot of main dishes.  I have used frozen cauliflower to make it before, but I have found the dish is much creamier when I use fresh cauliflower.  We had it alongside turkey burgers and it was a great meal!

Mashed Cauliflower

Ingredients

1 Head of Cauliflower

1 heaping spoonful of minced garlic

1 cup Coconut milk

1 TBSP coconut oil or EVOO

1 TBSP Italian Seasoning

Salt, Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cook the cauliflower.  Steam it; microwave it, whatever you want to do.
2. While the cauliflower is cooking, add garlic, coconut milk, oil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to a bowl.  Heat in microwave for about 1 min.
3. When the cauliflower is done, throw it in the food processor along with the rest of the heated ingredients.
4. Let the food processor mix it all up and voila!  Mashed Cauliflower.

Note: This does not taste like mashed potatoes.  It tastes like cauliflower, but believe me, it is delicious!

~ Savannah FitNut aka Morgan McNeal

Paleo on a Budget

A question that often arises when discussion of the paleo diet comes up is the cost.  Is Paleo expensive?  You are eating fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish, raw nuts, high quality fats and oils, and on top of that, trying to buy organic and local.  My answer to this question is that following the Paleo diet CAN BE expensive, but it certainly does not have to be.  I think you also need to put it in perspective.

Below is a copy of my receipts from grocery shopping at the local grocery store chain and a little stop at the health food store.  I also went to the Farmer’s Market on Saturday and spent $30.  Total spent on groceries was $142.94.

Grocery Receipts

With all my groceries, I made food for the entire week.  I made egg muffins, homemade larabars, butternut squash soup, tomato kale soup, ratatouille bake, zucchini cakes, shrimp primavera with spaghetti squash, carrot fries, apple breakfast pudding, guacamole, tilapia with red pepper pesto, chicken curry, filet with mashed cauliflower, and turkey burgers.  Assume 7 days in week, 3 meals/day (even though this also includes snacks throughout the day too) for 2 people, average cost per meal per person comes out to $3.40. 

Ratatouille bake

Now think about eating out.  At Starbucks, if you were not following a Paleo diet, you may order a medium coffee, a bagel, and a banana.  Total cost would be approximately $6.43.  How about lunch?  Grab a salad at Panera…. Average cost is about $9.  Dinner?  Not sure if there is anywhere you can go and get dinner for less than $10.  Even if you were not eating out and buying regular groceries (regular = non-Paleo, haha!), your price per meal would probably be around $3 or $4, the same as following the Paleo diet.

Here are 5 tips for eating Paleo on a budget. 

1. Buy local produce as much as you can.  I bought about 7 lbs of product at the farmer’s market for $15.
2. Frozen fruits and vegetables are perfectly acceptable.  They are easy to use for soups and side dishes for any meal.
3. Buy items in bulk when you know you are going to use it before it goes bad, you will be able to freeze it, or you can share it with your friends! J  Also, a lot of times, when grocery stores have items on sale, it is cheaper to buy the smaller size.  Check the price/ounce on items!
4. Online grocery shopping is perfectly acceptable.  Try out www.vitacost.com.  They have coconut milk for $2/can, almond flour, dried fruit, nuts, etc.  Shipping is free if you spend more than $49… which is pretty easy to do.  Use Amazon too!
5. Eat what is on sale.  You do not have to become a major couponer or a ravager of every grocery stores weekly ad, but take a minute either before you go to the store or as soon as you get there to check out the circular.  You will be able to see what produce, meats, and fish are the cheapest that week.  Buy those!

Paleo does not have to be expensive.  I have heard a saying along the lines of “Buy good food now for your health, or pay your medical bills later, your choice.”  Unprocessed, whole foods are the way to go!  And it will not cost you an arm and a leg!

~ Savannah FitNut aka Morgan McNeal