Stuffed Collard Greens with Lemon Gravy

Ingredients
2 bunches collard greens
2 T fresh mint
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 onions, chopped
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork or lamb
salt and pepper to taste
juice from 3 lemons
3 eggs


Rolls
1. Boil collard greens for about 10 minutes. You can put them face down in a pan with 4 c water and just let the stalks stick up in the air. Reserve liquid. Plunge into cold water to stop the cooking process and cool them down.
2. Mix mint, garlic, onion, beef, pork or lamb.
3. Cut the center stalk from each collard green leaf. You should end up with a v-shaped piece.
4. Line your baking dishes (you'll probably need two) with the smaller leaves to keep the rolls from sticking.
4. Put about a golf-ball sized amount of the meat mixture onto the leaf, and roll, flattening it a bit and shaping it like a stuffed grape leaf.
5. Place rolled leaves in the pan, seam side down. Set aside 2 c of the reserved liquid. Salt and pepper generously - this will be the broth the meat cooks in. Pour 1 c of this liquid over each pan.
6. Bake at 350 for 1 1/2 hours.

Lemon Gravy
1. Beat 3 egg whites until creamy, then add yolks. Heat on low on the stovetop.
2. Mix lemon juice with 1/4 c water and add slowly to the egg mixture, stirring constantly.
3. Add 1 c remaining stock and salt to taste.

Can be served hot, warm or cold as appetizer, side, or main dish. Definitely worth the effort!

Fish Curry

I've decided to move my day-by-day primal blueprint challenge log over to the forum at Mark's Daily Apple. I think this would be a better place for recipes and general thoughts on primal/paleo life rather than the mundane daily diary.

So, I would like to share one of my favorite recipes. It's yummy and super easy to make after work.

Fish Curry

Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
5 cloves garlic
1/4 can coconut milk
1/2 can diced tomatoes with juice
1 lb fish (I've tried salmon, cod, and flounder)
4 t whatever spices you like (I like 2 t cumin, 1 t chili powder, 1/2 t salt, 1/2 t hot paprika, 1 t cinnamon)
Fresh basil or green onions or cilantro

1. Heat pan to medium high. Heat oil. Saute garlic briefly in olive oil.
2. Add remaining ingredients. Cook on medium about 10 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork.
3. Add basil or green onions or cilantro immediately before serving.

Serve over spinach or thinly sliced, sauteed zucchini strips.

Sticking to the PB

Well, I'm sticking with the Primal Blueprint plan, even though another week has gone by with no weight loss. I suppose I should be happy that at least I'm not gaining, but that's not how I feel. It sucks to make changes and stick with the plan, not 80% but 100%, and still nothing. If it weren't for Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint Challenge, I probably would be eating a bunch of fake food so I could meticulously count calories. At least I know that works. Instead, I've committed to another month of eating well but not necessarily losing weight. *sigh* If I have not lost any weight by the end, I may go back and enter info in Fitday to see what my calories are adding up to.

Food:
Breakfast: coffee + 3 eggs + 1 t butter + 1/4 c onion + 1 piece bacon
Lunch 1: 1/2 pint grape tomatoes + 2 tuna cakes (actually, I made them with ground chicken this time - yum!)
Lunch 2: 2 hot dogs + cabbage
Dinner: Sirloin + ??

Fitness:
I would like to do something this afternoon is there's time between studying and watching the girls. Otherwise, I'll just be short on cardio for the week, and I'll try and build some more into my routine for next week.

PB Journal

Food
Breakfast: coffee + leftover 1 sausage and cabbage + 3 pieces bacon
Lunch 1: leftover spaghetti and meatballs (1/6 of recipe)
Lunch 2: 3 Mexican tuna cakes + pint of grape tomatoes
Dinner: Bison burger chopped salad, iced tea

Fitness
nada

Daily PB contest log

Food
Breakfast: coffee + apple
Lunch 1: leftover spaghetti and meatballs (1/6 of recipe)
Lunch 2: 2 pieces bacon
Dinner: 2 Sausages and cabbage

Fitness
20 bike ride
bodyweight exercises

The PB Challenge continues

Food
Breakfast: coffee + 2 tuna cakes
Lunch: apple + 1 c cabbage in broth + 1/2 egg + leftover fish
Dinner: Zucchini Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs (1/3 of recipe) from Cosmopolitan Primal Girl - she rocks!

Fitness
15 minute walk after dinner

Fun
No time for fun -- presentation tomorrow, 3 experiments running, and 2 exams next week!

This recipe was inspired by a few different ideas from Linda's Low Carb Menus and Recipes. If you haven't been there, you should check it out. It's not exactly paleo, but she definitely has some good ideas, and everything I've tried has been great. I don't even like tuna that much, and I've been having these every day for breakfast. You can eat these hot or cold. If you re-heat them, smash them down with a fork and people won't know your secret muffin tin trick!

Mexican Tuna Cakes

4 6-ounce cans tuna, drained well

4 eggs

½ cup chopped cherry tomatoes

½ cup diced onion

½ cup chopped cilantro

1 diced avocado

1 T chili powder

1 T hot paprika

1 T cumin

1 t salt

1 t black pepper

1 t dried oregano

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all of the ingredients and spoon into well-greased muffin cups. Bake for 30 minutes until puffed, set, and lightly browned around the edges.

Makes 12 servings.

Can be frozen.

Per serving: 100 calories; 4.5 g fat; 6 g protein; 2.5 carbs; 1 g fiber