PALEO INDIAN INSPIRED FRIED CAULI-RICE

Indian inspired fried cauli-rice can be served with so many different dishes!


I will get right to the recipe!

Ingredients:

1 Head cauliflower
2 chopped green onions
2 carrots peeled and sliced thin
2tbsp coconut oil for frying
2 tbsp tumeric  
1 tbsp cumin
1tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cardamom
salt
pepper

Instructions:

Chop cauliflower into small florets and add to food processor
Pulse until caulifower takes on a rice like appearance (about 2 mins)

In a large frying pan or wok melt coconut oil
Add the green onions and carrots, fry until tender
then add the riced cauliflower on medium high heat
stir in all spices and keep stirring!  

Fry until the riced cauliflower is just tender

Thats it!


  

PALEO TILAPIA CURRY!

I have really been craving indian inspired and flavoured foods lately!


I recently made my Paleo Butter Chicken Recipe and the other day I tried a paleo beef curry which I will share soon!  

But this was the first time I have attempted a fish curry.  I must say it turned out pretty darn well!!
A little spicy, buttery, and went really well with my Indian Inspired Fried Cauli-Rice!

This Curry recipe was easy to prepare and includes simple ingredients that you can find at any local grocery store.

Ingredients:

2 Fresh or Frozen Tilapia Fillets cut into chunks
5 cups vegetable broth
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 can coconut milk
2 tbsp medium curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
salt
pepper
2 carrots peeled and roughly chopped
1 cup peeled and chopped rutabaga

4 canned plum tomatoes chopped
1 yellow onion chopped
2 minced garlic cloves
2 tbsp arrowroot powder
coconut oil 


Instructions: 

In a large saucepan, melt 2 tbsp of coconut oil and add the carrots and onion to the pan
Fry for approx 5 minutes until carrots are starting to soften.
Add the garlic and cook 2 more minutes
Add the vegetable broth, fish sauce, coconut milk, curry powder, cumin, salt and pepper and stir well.
Bring to a boil and add the rutabaga and plum tomatoes
Reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes until rutabaga is tender
Add the tilapia chunks and simmer 10 minutes stirring often
Mix the arrowroot powder with a little water then pour into the curry and stir well.  Turn heat off and keep stirring until the curry thickens nicely.

Serve over my Indian Inspired Cauli-Rice!

 

 

 

PALEO PEACH AND BACON FRENCH TOAST BAKE

I must admit, I have been coming up with some pretty spectacular stuff lately! 


Peaches are everywhere!  I just love local fresh peaches, and peaches with bacon.....OMG.


After our trip to the local farmers market (2 bushells of peaches on hand), the kids and I were trying to think of the many ways we could enjoy these delicious fruits.  I thought.......baked peaches with carmelized peacans and coconut whip, grilled bacon wrapped peaches.....and then......my 13 year old said "can you put peaches on french toast"? Ummmmm ya!  After a couple of attempts I can now share this recipe:)


The recipe is very simple if you have pre-made paleo bread on hand.  I have tried a few different paleo bread recipes and this is the one I prefer the most for french toast from Living Healthy with Chocolate Here they use greek yogurt which I tolerate well in small quantities.  You could use any version of paleo bread that you wish.


Ingredients:

1 loaf paleo bread broken into large chunks
7 slices of cooked bacon chopped
6-8 peeled and sliced peaches
175ml full fat coconut milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp ground cinnamon
5 eggs beaten
pinch of salt
a few drops of liquid organic stevia leaf extract (or any other natural sweetener)   I tried honey once and it worked well.

Instructions:
 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Using coconut oil or grassfed butter, grease a 10 inch round baking dish.
In the baking dish combine the paleo bread loaf chunks and the chopped bacon
In a bowl combine the coconut milk, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and steivia or sweetner
Pour liquid mixture over the bread and bacon
cover with sliced peaches

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the batter has shrunk away slightly from the sides of the dish and the peaches look carmelized.

Drizzle with pure maple syrup!  

This would also be delicious with some mapled pecans on top.....


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NEW SURGEON, NEW HOPE, NEW ME!

After 3 months of anxiously waiting......I finally had my second opinion for breast reconstruction revision.


My appointment was with Dr. Toni Zhong, University Health Network breast clinic.  I met with her at the Princess Margaret Hospital site in Toronto, Ontario.  
My husband and I had been anticipating this moment for months.  I had so many emotions prior to meeting Dr. Zhong.  Anxiety, fear, eargerness, apprehension you name it.  Mainly, I was afraid that Dr. Zhong would take one look at me and say "this looks pretty good, you wont get much better than this". 


There are many options available to women for breast reconstruction around the world, but not all of these state of the art, new techniques are available here in Ontario through OHIP.  
Previous to this appointment, I had received opinions from two surgeons in the United States.   Both of these surgeons had suggested very similar treatment plans.  I wanted to have these outside non/OHIP based opinions prior to meeting Dr. Zhong so that I could ask Dr. Zhong the right questions, and compare her treatment plan (covered by OHIP) with the very expensive option of traveling to the USA for my reconstruction revision surgery.


As my wonderful husband and I took the train into Toronto to meet with Dr. Zhong, there was an awkward silence, yet an unquestionable feeling of being loved and supported.  I can't really explain it but it made me feel at ease.  The surgeon gave us a very realistic picture of what her reconstruction plan would look like.  She was candid, honest and empathetic.  She valued and understood the cosmetic appeal of breast reconstruction as a part of a woman's overall health and wellbeing ..something that other Canadian surgeons seem to have lost.

Her plan is to start over from scratch.  My current breast implants have been placed only partially under the muscle.  She said there are different techniques and that particular technique doesnt seem to be working for me.  She will remove my current implants, and replace them with expanders completely under the muscle.  I will attend her office for bi-weekly fills and roughly 4 months later she will swap out the expanders for permanent high profile implants.  Approximately 3 months after that she will perform nipple reconstruction and tattooing.  The whole process could take 6-8 months.  

She had all the right answers to my questions.  Including what type of bra to wear (she will have me sized at their boutique), what exercises to do, massage and she will be recommending a physiotherapist in the Toronto area.  This is when I was overcome with emotion.  All the questions that I had asked the previous surgeon, to which she really had no answers to were now answered.  By someone with clear knowledge, experience and confidence.   I broke down in tears in my husbands arms.  I felt so relieved, happy and angry all at the same time.  This experience has been so traumatic.  

The surgery will take place in early October.  Dr. Zhong will be using Alloderm to provide additional cushioning and support.  I will require extensive time off work to recover and most importantly to ensure that the transplanted Alloderm tissue is accepted by my body and has an opportunity to survive in my body.  This time around we will utilize all supports available to us through our extended benefits such as homecare, nursing care, physiotherapy and massage.  I don't care if this means I am taking the Go Train into Toronto 3 times per week.  This recovery will be ALL about me this time.  No family drama, no work drama, and no stress.  We now have a very good idea of what to expect and will be prepared!