Hunger Games Capitol Stew

Here's the thing. I love food way too much for my own good. The only way I can get myself to make regularly healthy choices is to mix things up a bit and make things that excite me. With all this cold weather, it's comfort food time. Nothing is better than snuggling up with a good book and a piping hot meaty dinner! That's right people, I'm talking stew.

I try to eat Paleo most of the time and as much as I love soups and stews most of them include dairy and/or cream. However, this recipe was devised specifically for Paleo folks who love The Hunger Games and who want their own parachute to deliver Lamb and Plumb stew directly to their kitchen. Get ready for the guilt free delicious!

• 3 lb. boneless lamb shoulder or leg, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1-1/2- to 2-inch pieces
• 3 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 medium parsnip, corsely chopped 
• 2 medium carrot, coarsely chopped 
• 1 to 2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. celery seed
• 1 cup red wine
• 3 cups low-salt beef broth
• 1 cup of water
• 2 cups peeled pearl onions
• 1 cup prunes, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tbs. lemon juice
• baking parchment

1. Position a rack in the bottom third of the oven and heat the oven to 325°F.
2. Spread the lamb on paper towels to dry for 10 minutes before browning.
3. In a 6-quart oven safe pot, heat the oil over medium to medium-high heat. 
4. Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Brown the meat well and then transfer it to a large bowl.
5. Once all of the lamb is browned, remove the pot from the heat to let it cool for a few minutes.
6. Add 3 Tbs. of the fat to the pot. (If there is not enough, add extra virgin olive oil to equal 3 Tbs.) 
7. Return the pot to medium heat, then add the yellow onion, and coarsely chopped carrot. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often and scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spatula, until the vegetables begin to soften, 5 to 6 minutes. 
8. Stir in the ginger, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, and celery seed, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 to 2 minutes.
9. Add the wine, stirring with the wooden spatula to dissolve any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Raise the heat to medium high and boil to reduce by about half, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the beef broth and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil.
10. Return the lamb to the pot along with any juice. Lower the heat to maintain a simmer.
11. Crumple a 12x16-inch piece of parchment, then flatten it out. Place the parchment directly on the surface of the stew, allowing the ends to come up the sides of the pot. Cover and put in the oven.
12. After 1 hour of stewing, add the pearl onions, carrot pieces, and prunes to the pot. Cover with the parchment and lid, and cook until the lamb is fork-tender, about 1 and a half hours.
13. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice. Degrease the stew by laying a clean paper towel over the surface of the stew and gently pushing it into all the bumps and dips, then quickly peeling it off. Repeat as necessary with more paper towels. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Let us know what you think of the recipe? Good? Bad? Real or not real? Are there other types of geeky recipes you'd like to see us Paleo-ify? Let us know in the comments!

Onion Stuffed Toad Steak

The new name of the game is how do I make meat interesting? I always need my protein, but at the end of the day, chicken and steak can get boring. Plus, in celebration of classic video game love, I've recently discovered a recipe that's not only filling, but equal parts adorable and delicious. 

Onion Stuffed Toad Steak

Ingredients

• Portabello
• 1 small Onion
• Garlic
• Steaks
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 tsp Balsamic vinegar
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1. Prep your onion by chopping it up.
2. Mince a 2 cloves of garlic. 
3. Heat a pan on medium heat and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil in the pan.
4. Add your garlic.
5. After 20-30 seconds, place your Portabello cap top down in the pan. Add your chopped onion into the natural bowl created by the cap. Drizzle 2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar over the onions. 
6. Cook on each side for about 3-5 minutes until the mushroom is soft and the onions look sautéed and transluscent. Note: When you flip the portabello, the onions will probably spill out. Just do your best to tuck them under the cap and frankly, you can stuff them back inside when its time to serve them anyways. 
7. Sprinkle both sides of your steak with onion and garlic powder. Add salt and pepper to taste and then massage your seasonings into the steak.
8. Heat another pan on medium heat and add extra virgin olive oil. 
9. Fry up your steak evenly on each side until the internal temperature is right. I prefer between 130-140 degrees for medium rare. 
10. Plate your steak and put your toad portabello on top! You can even drizzle a little more balsamic over the top if you want to get really fancy! I usually serve it with some sort of green vegetable. So get cooking and make your own!

Paleo Ghibli Feast

Seriously! Is there anything more appetizing than food in a Ghibli film? The answer is no. Between Calcifer's bacon and Spirited Away's smorgasbord of savory delicacies, I just want to float into my television and stuff my face full of delicious food every time one of these movies plays. 

Sometimes a person just needs to look at an appetizing sumptuous plate of food to feel a sense of comfort wash over them. At least, that's my belief. That doesn't always happen when you're cooking healthy and on a budget. I get so focused on just getting something made that suits my nutritional needs that I forget to take joy in the process of cooking and I certainly don't do anything that takes a longer amount of time. Sometimes it's important to treat yourself to something over the top. However, with the Holidays coming up, it's easy to fall prey to all sorts of sugary, over-sauced vittles, each one teaming with more calories than the last. It's not always easy to treat yourself well during this season when your instincts are tell you to pig out!

Well fear not! This recipe is sure to catch your eye in the same sumptuous way as all those bad choices will and fill you with all fuel you need to attack your workouts and get through the day. It's roast hen with sweet and savory root vegetables like onions, carrots, parsnips, and turnips. Be advised, this is not the kind of dish that you whip up quickly for dinner. It takes a bit of time and attention, but on the plus side, the effort is worth the juicy, tender reward.

Paleo Ghibli Feast

Serves

2

Cook time

30 minutes prep. ~100 minutes cook time.

Ingredients

• 2 Cornish game hens (each 1 - 1 1/2 pounds)
• 4  medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch lengths
• 4  medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-inch lengths
• 2  small turnips, peeled and cut into wedges
• 1/2  sweet onion, cut into wedges
• 3  tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1  clove garlic, minced
• 2  teaspoons  crushed dried rosemary
• 2  teaspoons  crushed dried oregano
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Peel and chop vegetables into 1.5 inch cubes.
3. Mix oil, balsamic, rosemary, oregano, salt and minced garlic into a small bowl.
4. Place hens in the center of the ba
5. king dish and surround them with carrots, parsnips, turnips, and onions.
6. Take your small bowl containing the mixture of the oil and seasonings. Use a brush or a spoon to dress the hens and the vegetables.
7. Place the dish in the oven for 80 minutes. Every 20 minutes, toss, the vegetables in the dish and return it to the oven.
8. When the 80 minutes are up, remove the dish to check on the hens. They are done with they're no longer pink and the drumsticks move easily in their sockets. If you have a food thermometer, the internal temperature should be 180 degrees Farenheit. 
9. When the hens are done, move them to a serving platter and turn the oven up to 450 degrees. Cover the hens and keep them warm till the vegetables are done cooking. 
10. Stir vegetables and cover the baking dish. Return them to the oven and continue roasting them for 20 minutes. They are done when they are tender. 
11. Place hens on plates and surround them with the vegetables. 
12. Serve and devour. Don't worry, you won't turn into pigs!

Air Nomad Pumpkin Naan

There certainly are a lot of Paleo "sandwich" recipes out there that call for lettuce wraps. Honestly, I love lettuce, but since it's crunchy and breaks easily, it makes for one messy wrap in my opinion. For that reason, I've been on the hunt for another type of wrap that both fits the Paleo guidelines and does it's job. I feel like that can't be too much to ask. 

These pumpkin wraps have a very neutral taste so they're good for doing any sort of wrap from burgers with a fried egg to dressed sautéed vegetables. I even enjoy them for breakfast wraps or with a light spread of cashew butter. They're light and flexible and frankly they remind me of something an Air Nomad would eat with their vegetarian diet. I could totally imagine Tenzin and his family munching on these between his training sessions with Korra. Now you can munch on them too!

Air Nomad Pumpkin Naan

Serves
4-5

Ingredients

• 2 tbs coconut oil
• 1.5 cups tapioca flour
• 5 large eggs
• 8 oz pumpkin puree
• .5 tsp of sea salt

1. Heat 1/2 tbs of the coconut oil in a pan on medium heat for a few minutes.
2. While the oil is heating, add all the other ingredients to a large bowl and mix thoroughly until smooth.
3. Pour 1/5 of the batter into the pan and spread across the bottom evenly. It should be as thin as the pan will allow.
4. Let it cook until the bottom is slightly browned. When you feel you can safely flip it, then do so. Keep flipping from side to side to keep the bread from burning. It should take about 3-5 minutes on each side.
5. Repeat till you're out of batter.

Prestidigitation Paleo French Fries

I love french fries. It's terrible. Why are they so good and yet so horrendous for you? I also love sweet potato fries EVEN MORE, and yet they're only mildly better for you than the latter. Of course, neither is Paleo unless cooked in the right oil. It's a vicious cycle where I want them, but everything I defend the choice with is really just an excuse to eat something I shouldn't be eating anyways. 

On the other hand, I love vegetables, but I'm getting really bored of salads and steaming. Don't get me wrong, broccoli will always be delicious and filling, but sometimes you want something with a little more pizazz. Salads serve a purpose, but they don't fill me with comfort or satisfy my need for something warm and a little sweet.

Lately, these conflicting feelings have left me with the incredible urge to make things taste or feel like other more delicious and unhealthy things. Call it culinary prestidigitation if you will. I'm a huge fan of D&D and I play a gnome bard who is constantly using prestidigitation to transform things into other things. She wants blue hair today? Great! She decides to turn a screaming blue jay into a songbird so she can enjoy natures melody? Go! She decides to make a piece of quartz look like an astral diamond to pay for new equipment? What an idea! So after all that fun around the gaming table, I've been thinking about the things a gnome bard would do in the kitchen if she had to eat right, but wanted to enjoy all of her unhealthier cravings at the same time. Just like slaying mindflayers on your way to the Underdark, cooking is a necessity, but it's always better when it's fun! Thusly, I had an idea to create a recipe for vegetables that tricked me into thinking I was eating fries. Since I like sweet potato fries, I decided to go for carrots because of their natural sweetness. Anyone care to gather round the fire pit at the Project Reroll tavern to see a magic trick? 

Prestidigitation Paleo French Fries

Ingredients: 

• 8 carrots sliced into 3/4 inch thick "fries" or sticks. Use your best judgement as far as length.
• 4 tbs of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• sea salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment and spread your carrots evenly across it. 
3. Add your extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.
4. Sprinkle the garlic powder over all the fries.
5. Roll your carrots back and forth across the parchment until everything is evenly coated in the seasoning and oil. 
6. Place in the oven for 15 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and flip your fries.
8. Replace the sheet in the oven for 10 more minutes. 
9. Remove from the oven and enjoy the mouth watering results of your magic trick!

Do you have any culinary magic you perform to stay healthy but eat yummy? By all means, share in the comments so all of our Slayers can enjoy your creative ideas! 

Tomorrow is the due date for the our first Mini Slayer Halloween Challenge! I'm looking forward to hearing about your adventures! 

Stitch's All Purpose Paleo Mango Salsa

I love fruit, especially when I'm trying to come down off of eating too many sweets (ahem... the Halloween Call of Cthulu and Hocus Pocus viewing party I attended with amazing pumpkin crumb cake, pumpkin juice, and candy... WOOPS). Idealy, if you're eating Paleo, you don't want to go overboard with the sweets, but if I'm feeling really sugar addicted, I'll have 3 or 4 servings for a few days and then gradually drop that down to one or two throughout the course of the week. 

Picking up a piece of fruit is easy but it's not always interesting. Sometimes, just picking up an apple or banana and easting it isn't appealing. My favorite fruit of all time happens to be mango so I decided to devise a mango salsa either for eating straight, Paleo style, or for eating with chips, chicken, talapia, salmon or anything else other people want to pair it with. It's an easy way to get in some more fruit, a few veggies, and of course to spice up an otherwise simple meal! 

Stitch's All Purpose Paleo Mango Salsa

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups of peeled and diced mangos
• 1 small tomato, diced
• 1 sweet red pepper, diced
• 1 avocado, pitted, skinned, and diced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• cayenne pepper to taste (I don't like things super spicy, so you may want to adjust this factor based on what you like. I start with a pinch and do taste tests while mixing to find the right balance)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cucumber, diced
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• 1 whole lime, juiced

1. Chop, dice, and dump all your ingredients into a mixing bowl. 
2. Mix thoroughly. It's important because you don't want the salt or the spicy bits to get stuck in one particular clump or place
3. Serve and eat it! 

Jedi Fuel Pumpkin Smoothies

http://www.deviantart.com/artisan/culinary/pumpkin/?view_mode=2&order=15&q=game+of+thrones

Winter is coming, and 'tis the season of all things Pumpkin Spice. Sadly, almost everything that calls my name is terrible for me. If I'm choosing to spend so much time building themed teams in Pokemon X, then I can't be simultaneously stuffing my face with everything that suits my fancy.

Geek Nation

I'm convinced that there are Sith Lords out there with knowledge of all of my worst seasonal weaknesses. Between Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks, Pumpkin Smash smoothies at Jamba Juice, and an array of pumpkin flavored pastries at Dunkin' Donuts it's temptation city.  So I put out the call on twitter and facebook for Paleo Pumpkin recipes. Boy did I get a ton of great stuff back! My friend Michelle linked me a recipe for Raw Pumpkin Balls, which I haven't gotten a chance to try yet but I can only believe it's like Halloween exploding in your mouth based on the ingredient list. However it was my "Jedi Sister" Emily who blew it out of the park with a Paleo replacement for that Pumpkin Smash smoothie I've been  hankering for. 

Emily and I spent our youths looking at the sky and imagining our adventures among the stars as Jedi Knights. When we met at soccer practice and admitted our love of Han Solo, it was BFF central. We even saved all our money so we could go to Space Camp and buried a Jedi time capsule in my back yard with all of our childhood secrets. 

Emily is a powerful role model. Not only is she a thoughtful, empathetic, intelligent person, but she is determined to meet every challenge she faces head on. I remember when she got into the Naval Academy, she started doing athletic training at home in Chicago so that she would be ready. No one else I knew at that age was attempting something like that. Add to her list of accomplishments living abroad in Japan to serve in the navy, starting grad school, and spending her free time training for half marathons. Seriously, is there anything she can't do? Apparently not because I tried this recipe and its amazing. I made a few tiny adjustments, but we wouldn't be Jedi Sisters if we didn't collaborate on our missions! Try it out and let me know what you think!

Jedi Fuel Pumpkin Smoothie

• Ingredients
• 2/3 cup of almond milk
• 1/3 cup of organic pure pumpkin (canned is fine, but read the label to make sure no sugar or chemicals are added)
• 1 cup frozen organic pure pumpkin (same as above)
• 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg

1. The day before you intend to make your smoothie, put one cup of canned pumpkin in the freezer. Make sure it's chopped up a bit so that you can use it in place of ice. Make sure you put it in a freezer safe plastic bag.
2. Add all the ingredients to your blender. Make sure your "ice chip" pumpkin pieces are broken up. 
3. Blend till smooth. 
4. Drink in your Jedi Fuel, confident in your delicious yet healthy Light Side diet choice. 

If you have other pumpkin recipes you'd like to share, please feel free to add them in the comments! On a slightly separate note, while I was at New York Comic Con, I chatted with some industry folks about what it would take to self publish a Project Reroll Paleo cookbook. Would that be something you Slayers would be interested in? 

Baked Chocobo with Greens and Sweet Potato

Everyone is playing the new Final Fantasy MMO but me and it's driving me to madness. It's the kind of thing I would absolutely love to play but can't afford to spend the money on for the amount of enjoyment I'd get out of it at this point. I know as soon as I decide to give in and buy it, they'll all be bored and switch to something else. So I've decided to do something a little... drastic?

I'm going to kill and eat all of the chocobos until there are none left and my friends won't have mounts  for their adventures, they all flock back to ME, and hopefully play Pokemon X/Y instead!

Mwahahaha...MwahahahAHAHA... MWAHAHAHAHAAHAH! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Ahem. So anyways.

The best part is, this Paleo recipe is DELICIOUS and super easy to whip up. Without further ado, here's my recipe for:

Baked Chocobo with Greens and Sweet Potato

Serves: 3

Ingredients:

• 3 chicken breasts
• 1 bundle of asparagus
• 3 Sweet Potatoes
• 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoon of garlic powder.
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. 
2. Take a baking sheet and line it with aluminum foil.
3. Cut off the butts of the asparagus and check for mold (GROSS, but do it just in case or you'll need all the white mages).
4. Wash the asparagus and then lay it out evenly on the baking sheet. 
5. Drizzle 2 tbs of  extra virgin olive oil on the the asparagus followed by salt, pepper and a teaspoon of garlic powder.
6. Once that's done, use your hands to evenly toss the asparagus with the seasonings and oil. 
7. Cut the excess fat from the chicken and then use a knife to score the top of the breast 3-5 times. 
8. Place the chicken in a baking dish and add 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste. 
9. Roll the chicken around in the marinade until it thickens and everything is evenly coated. Warning: When you put all of the ingredients in that dish, it will look wrong because everything will seem like it's in a sea of oil. Once the garlic powder and the oil/balsamic gets rubbed into the chicken a bit, there will be far less extra marinade in the dish, so just trust me. 
10. Put both the asparagus and the chicken in the oven.
11. Set two timers; one for asparagus and one for the chicken. Set the asparagus timer for 11 minutes and the chicken for 25 minutes.
12. When the asparagus is done, take it out of the oven while the chicken continues to bake and cover it. 
13. Wash sweet potatoes and dry carefully so that they don't steam in the microwave. 
14. Scour them with a knife 3-5 times on each side.
15. Wrap each potato in a piece of paper towel. 
16. Put each one in the microwave for five minutes (Make sure you do it individually or they won't cook all the way through). 
17. Pull your chicken out when the timer goes off. Check to make sure it's cooked all the way through.
18. Serve your chocobo meal and eat it. EAT IT WHILE THE CHILDREN CRY. 

Tink's Baked Sweet Potato and Pixie Dust

Ok, so I'm a glutton for Once Upon A Time. It's definitely a guilty pleasure of mine. This season has a special focus on Peter Pan, one of my all time favorite stories. There's nothing better than enjoying a guilty pleasure show with some guilty pleasure food. I wish I could eat bon bons and ice cream while I watch but if I did that every time I craved something sweet, I'd be the size of a house again. With that in mind, I've gone in search of other sweet tooth appeasing vittles that pack more of a nutritional punch! 

Today I'm going to share one of my very favorite and extremely simple Paleo deserts courtesy of everyone's favorite fairy, Tinkerbell! She just made her first appearance on Once Upon a Time last night! This recipe takes an hour to prepare, so often I'll get it started right after I finish cooking dinner so that I'll have an hour to eat, digest and feel ready for my deliciously sweet treat! Without further ado, here's my recipe for: 

Tink's Baked Sweet Potato and Pixie Dust

Cook time: 1hour

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

Baked Potato (try to choose a small-ish one that fits in the palm of your hand).

2 tsp Coconut Oil

Pixie Dust! (Also known as cinnamon!)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. Scrub your sweet potato in cool water and remove all imperfections and stringy bits. I don't mind the potato ends, but sometimes people do. If that's you, then use a small pairing knife to cut off the tips of the potato on each end.
3. Dry the potato carefully with a towel. If you don't, it will steam in the oven instead of bake.
4. Use your knife to stab a few holes into your sweet potato.
5. Measure out your coconut oil and carefully rub it over your potato until it's coated and glistening like the second star to the right! 
6. Place the potato on a foil lined baking sheet and put it in the oven for 30 minutes.
7. After 30 minutes, flip the potato. 
8. After the second 30 minute bake, remove it from the oven. You may notice that there's a syrupy residue. This is perfectly normal. Just remove any burnt bits from the potato before putting it on a plate. It almost always just sticks to the foil.
9. Use a knife to cut the skin from one end to the other and then press them together with your fingers to open up the potato. 
10. Use your knife to break up the inside of the potato a bit.
11. Now for the pixie dust! Take your cinnamon and use your finger to tap it onto the potato. You can be the judge of how much you need. I usually just give it maybe 5 finger taps at most depending on the size of the potato. You can use your fork to mash/mix everything up.
12. Give your treat little bit of time to cool or you'll burn yourself, but in about 5 minutes or so, depending on your own personal taste, it should be ready to put in your face mouth Bangarang style!

What do you eat to satisfy your sweet tooth? Please share your suggestions with your fellow slayers in the comments!

Paleo Diablo Burgers Stuffed with Baked Pineapple

Sometimes Paleo can get a little old. I do try to keep costs low by focusing on making things I can eat over the course of the week after one big cook on the weekend. However, every once in a while, I have to mix things up or I go crazy. That's kinda how I feel about playing Diablo! It's not an every day kind of game for me, but you can always go back any time and add a little kick to your day. So that's what inspired the name for this recipe. I tried it out with my friends Shannon and Steven who are my Whole30 accountabilibuddies! It was nice to have a chance for all of us to get together and try something new! It has a real kick to it, so if you like spicy food, then go for it, but it's not for the faint of heart!

Diablo Burgers Stuffed with Baked Pineapple

Ingredients

• 1 lbs of ground spicy Italian sausage
• 1/2 lbs of ground beef
• 1 tsp of salt
• Cayenne pepper to taste.(I think a pinch will do you just fine, but some people want their mouths afire)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• 1/2 pineapple
• 2 tbs coconut oil

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Cut your pineapple in half. Chop it into half inch cubes and add to a mixing bowl with your coconut oil.  Toss till it's all evenly coated.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment and place your pineapple on the sheet. Put in the oven for 15 minutes. After that, flip/toss the cubes and then replace in the oven for another 15 minutes.
4. While your pineapple bakes, rinse your mixing bowl and then add the ground sausage, beef, salt, chopped onion, cayenne pepper, and parsley. Use your hands to mix thoroughly.
5. Then roll your meat into 8 even meat balls.
6. When the pineapple is done cooking, remove the sheet from the oven. When your meatballs are ready, then flatten four of them. 
7. Place as many chunks of pineapple in the center of each flattened meatball as possible. 
8. Flatten the other meatballs over the top of the first set. Make sure you pinch the sides closed. They cook best if you can't see any of the pineapple showing through. 
9. Place a large frying pan on the stove with medium heat. Spray with a light coating of olive oil. 
10. Then evenly space your stuffed paddies on the pan without the edges touching.
11. You should be able to cook them for about 5 minutes on each side, but you might want to slice through one to check that it's done. I like them medium rare but sometimes it takes a little extra time depending on how thick you made them.
12. Serve with salad, guacamole, sweet potato, and/or any extra pineapple you couldn't fit inside the burgers.

Avenger's Eggs: Breakfast of Champions Recipe

I know a lot of people who don't eat breakfast, but it's arguably the most important meal for the day. It jumpstarts your metabolism and gives you the energy you need to start the day right. I find that with the right breakfast, I don't feel like I "need" coffee quite as much. In fact, for my Whole 30, I'm forgoing coffee (even though it's not a requirement), just because I always think it's good to cleanse the body when it becomes reliant on any sort of chemical.

So this is my typical breakfast and it's very easy to whip up in about 20 minutes with the right amount of prep. I'm have it on high authority that The Avengers eat this every morning. No really. That's totally true. Check wikipedia. Well don't. Just take my word for it because I did not in any way just lie to you to promote my work. 

Keep in mind, I make my friend Catspaw's seasoned beef every week. I chop up a bag of two bell peppers and a bag of pre-sliced mushrooms. 

Ingredients

• Mushrooms
• Peppers
• 4-6 oz pre-cooked ground beef
• 2 eggs
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil Spray
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Sea Salt

1. Put the stove on medium heat. 
2. Spray pan with EVOO.
3. Add one handful of sliced mushroom and one handful of chopped pepper to the pan. Add a little sea salt, garlic and onion powder. 
4. Mix everything in the pan until the veggies are evenly coated.
5. Sauté for about 5 minutes till mushrooms are soft and brown.
6. Crack two eggs into a bowl and 2 tbs of water. 
7. Whisk eggs.
8. Add to pan and scramble with the veggies for about two minutes.
9. Add in 4-6 oz. of your ground beef mix. 
10. Move all ingredients in the pan so that the eggs don't get burned or over cooked while your ground beef heats. This should take about a minute.
11. Serve and put it in your face mouth!

The end of the 31 day challenge and how Bruce Lee is always right

So we’re on the other side of the 31 day challenge and I ended it as it began. With hope.

I am 20 lbs lighter than when I started. I have a whole new outlook on life, food, my health, and more importantly my body.

I’ve seen the scale go up and down during this 31 days. I’ve hit new marks on the scale I never thought I would and I’ve never been prouder in myself. For me...being proud in myself is a big accomplishment.

So I’d like to share some quick notes on what I learned and then tell you about what’s coming next.

1) EVERYONE has an idea about what works and what doesn’t.
“Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup; You put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle; You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”

Here’s the hard truth...people will give you advice, tell you what worked for them, and how what you’re doing isn’t going to work. What you need to do is be like Bruce Lee says and when it comes to this advice “be like water”. The quote helps me alot in all areas of life and maybe it will help you.

2) Not everyone’s body is meant to be the same.
“Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.” Bruce Lee

We’re not all cookie cutter versions of the same form and structure. Sure there are steps we can all take, but not all diets and workouts work for everyone. Some people have food allergies that prevent them from experiencing some diets. Some people can’t just jump into a heavy workout and need to build up to it. Listen to your body and what works for you. Find the workout you can’t live without when you get started. Find the diet that doesn’t make you cringe. Or, like me, try everything and see what works. Be open to all possibilities, but do it for you and not because it worked for a friend or celebrity.

3) If you’re not committed to change…nothing will happen.
“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you'll never get it done.” Bruce Lee

You have to take action. Even small ones to start. It’s perpetual motion after that, one foot in front of the other, but you have to commit to that next step. You have to know what you are doing this for and focus on that. Otherwise you won’t have the energy, will, or desire to change for yourself.

Don’t think too hard...do. And remember the wise words of Yoda, “Do or do not. There is no try.” And if you are not going to do it...the don’t, but don’t make excuses. You have to find what works for you and go after that like tomorrow does not exist.

4) It’s going to suck sometimes...but it’s worth it.
“A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at.” Bruce Lee

Whether it is a juice diet, a regular diet, or working out...when you start it is going to suck. If it was easy everyone would be doing it. You have to know that going in. If you do, the mental hurdles will be easier to overcome. You have to start putting things in your eye sight that remind you and make you want to change.

5) Accept that not everyone is going through what you are...it’s not about them.
“I'm not in this world to live up to your expectations and you're not in this world to live up to mine.” Bruce Lee

Whether you have a spouse, a girlfriend/boyfriend, or are living with friends or family do not expect everyone to be doing what you are. This isn’t being done for them or about them. They are not required to follow your diet or tip toe around you to make sure you “feel safe.”

While I was on my juice fast my wife brought home fast food. I could have been angry. I could have yelled about “I’m doing this thing...and you bring in that temptation.” But what I did was recognize that she made her choice and I was making mine. We were both doing what works for us. I saw in that food she brought home every bad decision I made to cause this weight gain and I enjoyed my juice knowing I didn’t want to get back there.

I hate to break it to you, but when you go outside...the world does not conform itself to you. You have to live your life during this transition with zero expectations of anyone around you, but appreciate when they make exceptions for you.

6) You’re going to make mistakes/have set backs/stumble.
“Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.” Bruce Lee

You’re going to have days where you want to cheat, the scale goes up instead of down, and you’ll miss a workout. Don’t make a mountain out of it. Own it, know what caused the chain of events that caused it to happen, and be ready for when that scenario presents itself again.

I lost over 10 pounds and got upset when I saw the scale go up a bit. It almost broke me, but I remembered to celebrate the loss and not the gain. The gain is just another obstacle to overcome.

Just do not let whatever that mistake is to become the lynchpin that completely destroys your progress. Remember how far you’ve come.

7) If it doesn’t mean something to you...it doesn’t matter how many people congratulate you.
“As you think, so shall you become.” Bruce Lee

You have to want this change! You have to embrace it and know that it’s what you want more than gaining weight. You can never be the person you were again. You have to rewrite the story in your brain and see yourself as the person you want to become. Believe you are a person who can do a 10 day juice challenge. Believe you can, be ready to face adversity in every form, and you can do whatever you dream.

So what comes next?

My amazing friend Elizabeth Wallace put up a challenge to me. She bought me the Chalene Extreme workout DVD’s and challenged me to do that work out three days a week. So I’ll be doing that and reviewing the process here on Project Reroll. That combined with a paleo like diet (I’m evolving into it) I am on track to lose another 20 lbs by the end of November. I want to keep this up and by January be 60 pounds lighter.

I am going to end this with one of my favorite quotes of Bruce Lee’s. It's something that keeps me looking forward and not at the past.

“The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.” Bruce Lee

A Good Man Goes to War

Week 1 Weight Loss (WL): 10.4 lbs
Week 1 & 2 Total Weight Loss (TWL): 14.4 lbs

Hey Dear Readers. First, let me apologize for getting this late. I stepped on the scale today and literally had to repeat the process SIX times before I believed the results.

Second, let me say the following message before you read any further.

I am not a doctor nor am I a scientist (but man do I wish I was Bruce Banner or Tony Stark). The things I try for my weight loss are things I personally research for what I think might work for me or that I’m crazy enough to try it. So, please, if you choose to follow a juice diet or get wrapped, please look into it yourself. Be as skeptical as I was and then try it with an open mind.

On with today’s post:

So last Monday I started my 10 day juice fast. If you’re not familiar with it, juice fasting is a type of fasting and detox diet in which a person consumes only fruit and vegetable juices. I was inspired to start it after watching a documentary called “Fat, Sick, And Nearly Dead”, which you can see on Netflix. After doing some research I had tried one a while ago, lost some weight, and subsequently ended up back to the svelte weight of 299 lbs. Which inspired this big change that included blogging with Project ReRoll.

The first three days of your juice fast, let me be honest here, are going to suck big balls. You’re going to be tired, grump, and really want to quit, but that is the sugar and crap leaving your system. You are seriously detoxing your body of coffee, soda, and the crap you usually eat the same way a drug addict has to detox a chemical from theirs. So you’re body rejects that with feeling crappy and your desire to return to that bad habit get stronger.

Thus why this post is named for one of my top 10 Doctor Who episodes, “A Good Man Goes to War”, because your will is going to war with your brain and your body. The latter both just want to go back to the normal that made you what you are.

If you want to change…you can’t let them win. You must be the Doctor to their Daleks, the Gandalf to their Balrog, the Mario to their Bowser….you get the idea. And if you don’t there are some very nice TV shows, movies, and games a geek friend can introduce you to.

What I usually make is called Mean Green which comes directly from the documentary I mentioned above. You will need a juicer, but here’s the recipe.

Mean Green

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Serving: 1-2 Size: 16oz. (500 mls) (I double up so I can have some for a full day and a half)

Ingredients

• 1 cucumber
• 4 celery stalks
• 2 apples
• 6-8 leaves kale
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbsp ginger

Directions

1. Wash all produce well
2. Peel the lemon, optional
3. Juice
4. Pour over ice if you like.
5. Enjoy! 

If you've ever had orange juice with pulp before the texture can be similar depending on your juicer. It looks green and at first your brain says “No, sir.” Yet, it’s actually kind of good.

I also make a breakfast drink which is orange and pineapple and a snack that is strawberry, blueberry, and raspberry. I got the recipes from juice bars and stores I've seen in New York. If you’re in the New York area, I am jealous of you.

Now let’s talk about the hard part…Temptation. I intentionally did not avoid normal life. Matter of fact I found ways to adapt to it. Avoiding normal life while trying to get healthy would suck, but letting myself down, and you, as well as learning how to adapt to maintain the weight loss was more important to me.
Here’s how I overcame it.

Friday I went out to the mall with my best friend, Sean, and his son, Tristan. Whenever I smelled food and I wanted to have something to nibble…I bought a bottle of water. Within half a bottle my desire to eat was gone. When Sean and his son would stop to eat, I had a bottle of water. Water does this amazing thing of filling your stomach. Negative side effect….you pee…A LOT!

Saturday I went to my sister Heather’s baby shower. Which meant I dropped my wife, Kelly, off and the guys took Dan, the awesome dad to be, and went to Dave & Busters. The guys belly up’d to the bar and I…had a glass of orange juice and a glass of water. Did it suck to smell the wings, burgers, and all the things I would normally gorge myself on? Yup. You know what sucked more? Watching that scale go up instead of down before August 1st.

That night Kelly and I went to see The Wolverine. She had popcorn and water….while I had water. And you know what? It didn't ruin anything about the experience.

Sunday I went for a 2.4 mile walk and talk with my good friend Ann. After we stopped at Starbucks, where she had tea and I had…you guessed it…water.

Before and after each I had a pre-made, by me, juice so I had nutrients in my system.

One thing I also did was tried the “It Works” wraps from my sister-in-law, Shannon, and her company Wrap with Waffediyok. After I posted that picture there was a lot of dispute in the comments about the “science” of it and so on. All I can tell you is I saw 4.25” come off my midsection and have keep about 2” off since. It, for me, was a great motivator to see change. As a onetime deal I did not expect it to provide long term solutions, but it was the boost in self value I needed to get me over the hurdle. I've had a few friends try it based off the post I made and one friend saw 4” herself from the wrap. There is a 90 plan they offer that I have seen people have results from, but I would recommend talking to Shannon if you have ANY questions. Any… and I mean any, because I’m a n00b with that stuff and asking me is going to get you “um…here’s Shannon” as a response.

So as of this post I’m on day nine of the juice fast and, folks, I have to tell you I haven’t felt better in a long time.

After I’ve gone through the 10 days, I feel clean. I don’t crave food and honestly I don’t miss it. I’m going to enjoy having a burger from a non-fast food place, but I don’t think I’ll go back to having a burger every day. I will enjoy a slice of pizza, but I don’t want to go back to ordering a whole pie for just Kelly and myself.
More importantly, I’m more aware than ever of what goes into my body and how it affects not only my body as a whole, but my mood and brain as well.

So, dear reader, I leave you with this one simple bit of motivation that I’ll expand on in my next post.
I started this blog series at 299 lbs. and here is the reason I had to step on and off the scale several times.

If I can do it…so can you!

The Return Journey

Good morning. As I prepare to start my journey of Project ReRoll I thought it would be a good idea to share with you the goals I’m setting out with and how I’m mapping out my quest to ReRoll my body.

I got on the scale today, to see where I was since I weighed myself last week when I wrote my answers to the interview that was the post yesterday. I had to step off and on the scale a few times, but when I realized the number was what it was…I stopped. I had gone up in weight. Stress of the weekend, not paying attention to what was going in, and realizing how much five days can change the dial on the scale has me more sure than ever than starting this quest, and sharing it with you, was the best thing I can do.

So, dear reader, every good quest starts with a goal. My goal is to begin, what I am dubbing, my 31 day challenge. For the month of August I am going to be working towards beginning a routine that will begin the transition from being round in the belly to an over all healthier me.

For diet I am going to do a juicing/paleo mix. Starting the first four days of the month weaning off of soda, fast food, and such by eating raw fruits and veggies. It will help transition my body, because on August 5th I will begin a juice fast that will last a minimum of 10 days. If I feel good with it, I’m going to continue and then blend in the paleo diet as I learn more about it and share that knowledge with you.

For exercise, I am going to start with doing the 30 Day Ab and 30 Day Arm work out. Each work out starts with four simple exercises you can do, without needing a gym membership, that increase each day ending with you doing, at least, 100 more reps of each exercise than the day you started. I addition to that I am going to increase the 1.5 mile walk to and from work I already do to include jogging so by the end of the challenge I am running the 1.5 miles home.

If you wanted to play along at home, I’m going to be using a few apps, that you can find as well, to help gamify my time as well. I’m going to be using the app “EpicWin” to  make tracking the work outs as much fun as RPG gaming with its leveling and rewards. I am also going to be using the app “Zombies, Run!” to track the transition from walking to running.

I wanted these goals and actions to be measurable and easy. By the end there is a quest map for you to follow if you wanted to make your own change in life.

And, like all good quests, it comes with some big obstacles. Over this month I’m attending no less than three conventions away from home. This means part of my weight loss will be, for at least 9 or 31 days, will be deep in the heart of every temptation that could set me off my path. I’m not going to these just to attend, I’m going to promote a film that’s still in the works and it’s a stressful time that can cause me to revert back to what’s easy with things like fast food, sleeping longer instead of working out, stress, and tons of alcohol.  I can share with you how you too can fit working out and being a healthier you into all aspects of your geek/nerd life just like Anne has.

As I’m going to be checking in with you once a week, these posts will be more like mini journals plotting out what I’ve done, how I feel, and what changes I’m seeing. I want to be as honest and accountable with you as I can.

Thank you for joining me on this quest to reroll my body, health, and mind. I hope this inspires you to make the changes you’ve been putting off the way that Anne has inspired me.

Mike Dougherty
Twitter.com/wickedjava
Facebook.com/mcdougherty

Paleo Burger Salad Recipe

Ever get that hankering for a burger? I know I do. Now that I've adopted a more Paleo/Primal lifestyle, I don't indulge in the works with the bun and the ketchup with fries on the side.

For me, it's the meat that matters.

Yet, just a burger patty alone seems sort of lame, so last night I experimented a bit. I though, why not top the burger with a bunch of sautéed veggies and it just exploded from there. What I ended up with was a home made burger patty surrounded by sautéed carrots, red pepper, mushrooms, onions and cabbage on a bed of spring lettuces and dressed with balsamic vinegar. It was so delicious and it's the first "found object" recipe I've ever come up with. Don't worry. I'm not as bad as Vork from The Guild. I only used found FOOD in my kitchen since I didn't have any sort of planned recipe for dinner. Putting the whole thing together made me feel like an evil genius! Sorta like this guy:

I know. This is two Doctor Horrible themed blog entries in a row.

One "found object," the actual burger patty, I had made using a great recipe that I can't take credit for. It's from Catspaw over at Nerd Fitness and this is the recipe I use for my "weekly supply of ground beef" that I use to amplify quick dishes with a good serving of meat.

Here's the recipe as it was shared on the NF blog. Keep in mind, this is to make a week's worth, so either plan a Burger salad dinner party, or scale this down for however many you want to make.

Or you can buy/make your own! Totally up to you. I just find this recipe super yumz. So without further ado, here's:

Doctor Horrible's Sing Along Burger Salad
(singing optional but encouraged)

Ingredients:

• 1 burger patty
• Baby Romaine or Spring Blend pre-washed lettuce
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Mushrooms
• Red pepper 
• 1/2 yellow onion 
• Cabbage slaw 
• Carrots
• Salt
• Pepper
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil/Cooking spray.

1. Plate your bed of lettuce.
2. Cut up all your other veggies and set them aside in a bowl. 
3. Season them with a few shakes of salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder and mix thoroughly so that it looks evenly distributed.
4. Cook up the burger patty to your desired level of done-ness in a frying pan. I tend to do about 3-4 minutes on each side for a medium rare burger. 
5. Set your finished cooked burger in the center of your plate of lettuce.
6. Use the same pan that you used for your burger and coat the bottom with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or use cooking spray to mist the bottom of the pan if you're being really frugal about the extra fat.
7. Toss in your seasoned veggies. More experienced chefs might have better ideas about an "order" in which to add the veggies so that everything cooks perfectly. Me, I just toss everything in together and it seems to work out fine. 
8. Make sure you return to your pan regularly to mix up the veggies so that the ones on the bottom don't burn. I like to do this on medium heat for about ten minutes until my mushrooms have browned a bit and the onions, cabbage, and carrots have softened. You can always taste along the way if you're unsure how you like them.
9. When you're done, surround your burger with a ring of your sautéed veggies. 
10. Dress the dish with balsamic vinegar.
11. PUT IT IN YOUR FAYCE MOUTH!

Let me know if you try this recipe or if you have any other ideas to spice it up! 

Primal Chai Iced Tea Recipe

One of the things I loved the most on the food bender I allowed myself last week was drinking Iced Chai Lattes at will. I've already espoused my love for Chai on the blog, but it's only grown exponentially since then. With the onset of summer, I have to move away from hot tea (or risk baking myself in the heat). I like iced coffee, but I just don't think I can live 3 months without Chai in my life. I'm that obsessed. Chai tea is one thing but dumping lattes down my gullet non-stop is a big no no, especially for my Primal diet. 

So, I set about devising the following recipe for Chai Iced Tea that comes in around 8 calories per serving as opposed to the 150 usually found in a small skim Chai latte. Pretty snazzy, huh? I can tell you this is one of the simplest recipes I've ever made and one of the best tasting, sweet tooth satisfying treats ever. At only 8 calories a serving, there's no harm in getting a little addicted. Prepare thine gullets, fair readers! Chai deliciousness incoming!

Serves:
About 8 and is good for one week if refrigerated.

Ingredients:
5 cups boiling water
4 cups cold water
12 Chai teabags
Almond Milk
Stevia or honey for sweetener

Total time: 10 minutes of prep, 2 hours of refrigeration.

1. Bring 5 cups of water to a boil.
2. Steep all 12 teabags in the pot for approximately five minutes. Don't leave them in much longer even if you like strong tea because it will create a very bitter aftertaste. 
   
3. Remove and carefully strain the teabags through a slotted spoon.
   
4. Stir in the desired amount of stevia or honey for the whole batch. I like 2 packets per cup, but if your tastes differ, then go for whatever works for you. Stir till all the sweetener is completely dissolved. 
5. Pour the steeped tea into a pitcher and stir in the four cups of cold water.
   
6. Refrigerate for about 2 hours, or until cold.
7. Serve over ice with a splash of almond milk!

Killer Guacamole Recipe

I mentioned this in Monday's blog post, but I am loving using Guacamole as a dressing on my salad. Of course you can easily buy guacamole at your local grocery store, but it probably has preservatives and a few other ingredients that you want to avoid if you're trying to eat paleo or primal.

There's only one man I turn to when I want good guac, and that's my father- or as he's been referenced before on the blog, Caldephron, Lord of the Moon, your friendly lvl 1 Night Elf Druid. He never made it off of Teldrassil, but damn can he cook. 

Caldephron's Paleo Guacamole

Serves: 4 people

Ingredients:

• 4 Avocados 
• 1 lime
• 1 Small tomato
• 12 sprigs fresh cilantro
• 1/4 Cup finely chopped onions 
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 Nacho slices (jarred pickled mild or
  medium Jalapenos), finely chopped
• 2 Cloves crushed garlic
• 1/8-1/4 Cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Take your cilantro sprigs, remove the leaves and chop them up. Next, chop up your tomato, onions, Nacho slices, and garlic and dump the ingredients in a mixing bowl.
2. Add in your cumin and salt.
3. Cut the avocados in half. Easily remove the seed by giving the seed a quick rap with a sharp knife. If you twist, the seed will come right out. Hand chop or mash the avocado in a SEPARATE mixing bowl.
4. Add the olive oil and freshly squeezed lime juice to your avocado. You want to be sparing with the olive oil so only add it as needed to get your desired consistency. 
5. If you're ready to serve, then mix the ingredients from both bowls together and enjoy! If you're looking to use the mixture over the next few days, cover the two bowls with saran wrap. Store refrigerator and mix in the portions you want as needed. It only keeps for a few days so keep that in mind. If the avocado mixture begins to brown, you can scrape the brown bits off the top (it's only a reaction to oxidation).
6. If you need to keep it longer term, create the avocado mixture, freeze in airtight bags. Then you can thaw out your portions as needed and add in the fresh ingredients when you're ready to eat it.

Primal in Practice

This past weekend, I took a trip home for a family event and decided it was the perfect chance to practice getting away from my Nutrisystem food and start eating Primal for every meal I could with a few indulgences for carrot cake with white chocolate icing and candied ginger at the big event on Saturday night (SO WORTH IT!). I also had a cousin staying with us who is very knowledgeable about healthy recipes and my father who is a caterer, so I made plans to create and try some new Primal recipes with their help. Needless to say, this experience came with some ups and downs, but the important thing was that I kept going.

My only failure happened Friday. I thought I was being smart at the garage party where they were serving hotdogs and bratwurst. Obviously I couldn't eat the buns. I took the romaine they had for Caesar salad and removed the croutons and cheese. Added a spoonful of grilled chicken and cut up a hotdog and bratwurst on top, followed by a spoonful of onions and a spoonful of tomato with one packet of ketchup (I know... terrible but I needed something for dressing that wasn't the ceasar dressing). Had I known there was guacamole upstairs, that whole thing would have gone down very differently. At any rate, I tossed it, ate it (surprisingly good), and then had a chance to look up the hotdog/bratwurst on Paleo Central for stats... only to find that they are really not great options. Obviously I should have checked that before I put the food in my mouth but I was wearing a fabulous dress with no pockets and my bag was all the way upstairs. Sorry guys, I got lazy. Womp womp. It was my one of my first times at bat for the weekend and ultimately I did MUCH better as the days progressed. Baby steps! If you fail and wipe the raid, just rez and make another attempt.

As far as ordering/selecting food while out, my biggest win was ironically also on Friday. I ordered a 12 piece sashimi meal with seaweed salad and pickled ginger. I left out the soy sauce since I didn't think it was worth it to expend my Primal "20%" for the day on a condiment.

Another highlight was cooking broiled swordfish with my dad on Sunday night. He taught me that when seasoning, you should use a little oil to help "carry the flavor," but we were very stingy with the extra virgin olive oil so that we could keep it as healthy as possible- only about one tsp for enough fish to serve three people. Then we used a bit of salt and pepper on both sides and let it sit for about an hour to season (something I would have never thought to do. Most recipes I have tried just say, season it, but give no length of time). Then we popped it in the broiler for about 10 minutes or so and voila! While the seasoning/broiling went on, we sliced some cucumber very thinly and tossed it with 1 tbs vinegar. Every 10 minutes or so we'd toss it again and when we were ready to serve the fish, we plated it and mixed the cucumber with some store-bought seaweed salad. Delicious! Sadly I don't have a broiler in NYC so this isn't a meal I can take back home with me.

I also relied on a staple salad for a few meals. It included baby romaine, 2 oz of chopped up turkey breast, 1/4 orange pepper, broccoli slaw, and 2 tbs low fat raspberry vinaigrette. The second time around, I substituted home made guacamole for the vinaigrette and that was the BEST EVER!

When we ate out at the Bass Pro shop on our way up to Michigan, I ordered the maple glazed salmon with broccoli and substituted a side salad of onion, baby tomatoes, and cucumber for the wild rice listed on the menu. They had no offerings for low fat dressings, so I ordered the raspberry vinaigrette and just dipped my fork in it for every bite to minimize how much I used.

Having been thwarted by vinaigrette all weekend and feeling like the stuff we bought at the store wasn't exactly natural, Dad and I took matters into our own hands and made our own dressing from scratch. Here's the recipe for a single serving. It's super simple if you have the ingredients on hand. In his honor, I'm naming it after his first and only World of Warcraft character.

Caldephron's Raspberry Vinaigrette

• 2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Sherry Wine Vinegar
• 1 tsp fresh squeezed Lime Juice
• 10 raspberries mashed up into the mixture.

My favorite thing that we made all weekend was the following egg white casserole. It was completely Paleo, very filling, and the most savory of all the things that we cooked. Thanks so much to my cousin Mel for the recipe! I know it will be a staple for me moving forward. Hmm. You know, "Mel" isn't that far away from Mal, so we'll call it...

Can't Stop the Signal Egg White Casserole

Serves 4-6

• Preheat Oven to 375 Degrees
• Wash and chop up one sweet pepper (other options to add: mushroom, onion, tomato, etc. Get creative!).
• Sauté pepper (and any other veggies!) in lime juice in a skillet (with a cover. This will be used later.). This should take 3-5 minutes depending on desired softness.
• Place sautéed peppers on a plate and put to the side.
• Add 4 cups fresh spinach. Add in more lime juice if needed.
• Cover and let steam for 3 minutes.
• Uncover and put on plate with peppers.
• Fill a casserole dish with your sautéed spinach and peppers.
• Cut up about 2-3 oz. of turkey and spread evenly on top.
• Pour 1.5 cups of egg whites on top.
• Add 1/2 cup of salsa on top.
• Place in oven for 25-30 minutes.
• Check to make sure it's not runny by giving the dish a shake. It should stand solid with very little "juice."
• Cut into pieces and serve!

I'd say the weekend was a very successful learning tool and the biggest take away was that I can totally see myself putting this lifestyle change into practice. I do have a few more Nutrisystem meals to finish up, which I'm almost sad about since I was enjoying all the fresh real food this weekend, but I don't want to be wasteful. Once all those meals are done, it'll be Primal all the way for Project Reroll!

Targeryen Dragonfire Hash

It's time for another Project Reroll recipe! To celebrate the premiere of the new season of Game of Thrones, I thought I would attack the "premiere" meal of the day, breakfast! I love corned beef hash, but that's not in the cards if you're trying to keep to a healthy diet, so I decided to create a new take on my old favorite. Toss out the carbs, and bring on the egg whites, broccoli slaw, romaine, chili powder, and shallots! It's time for a breakfast fit for the Mother of Dragons herself:

Targeryen Dragonfire Hash

Prep time: 30 minutes

Serves: 2 people

Ingredients:

• 1/4 lb of 90% or more lean ground beef
• 1 1/2 cups egg whites
• 1 shallot.
• 1 tbs basil
• 1 tbs parsley
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 cups Baby Romaine or Spinach (depending on your preference)
• 1 cup broccoli slaw
• Hot Sauce (to taste)

Preparation: 

1. Wash your hands.
2. Put the beef in a mixing bowl.
3. Chop your shallot and put it in the bowl.
4. Add your basil, parsley, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and chili powder.
   
5. Put a skillet on the stove over medium heat.
6. While you wait for the skillet to warm, use your hands to mix the ingredients in the mixing bowl thoroughly. 
   
7. When you are done, put the seasoned ground beef into the pan and spread it out evenly. DO NOT add oil to the pan. You won't need it.
8. Leave untouched for 3 minutes so the bottom layer can brown.
9. Return and stir continually until everything is cooked to the same level of brown-ness. 
   
10. Use a spatula to break up the beef completely and spread it along the bottom of the pan.
11. Add your romaine or spinach.
12. Add 1 cup broccoli slaw.
13. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the veggies start to warm. Mix them in with the beef.
14. Add hot sauce on top to your desired level of hotness.
    
15. Measure out your egg whites and pour them evenly over the ingredients in the pan. 
    
16. Cover pan and leave to set for 5 minutes or till desired consistency is achieved.
17. Uncover and serve!
    

Other ideas:

Add more veggies! Tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, the sky's the limit! Get creative!

This dish makes for a veggie filled, protein packed, super filling start to the day with a bit of a spicy kick to boot! After eating this breakfast, I guarantee you'll have the energy you need to gather an army and sail across the narrow sea to claim the Iron Throne- and that's a 100% Khaleesi promise.

Why not give it a try yourself? Leave your experiences and ideas in the comments!