Let me take a minute today to talk about our new websites, coming to a town near you…Go Paleo! Powered by Paleo Effect. We’re trying to make it easy on you and group together some of our favorite Paleo things. We’ll be combining the great recipes on Paleo Effect with maps of local Crossfit gyms, CSAs, Fresh Markets! California…you’re up next! Stay tuned, we’re launching Go Paleo California in 15 days!

Spanish word of the day: el pollo (chicken)

Some people will say that grilling chicken is not a recipe and I agree – grilling chicken is an art, not a recipe. There is no exact timing that I could give you to make you cook the perfect chicken because I don’t know how big your chicken is or if it is cold outside by the grill or if you have boneless, as opposed to bone-in chicken. What I can do is give you our recipe for marinated chicken, and a guideline for how we like to do things. I hope you enjoy!

Drunken Woodchuck ®  Chicken

6 Chicken Thighs (no drumsticks, bone in)

½ Woodchuck ®  Amber Cider

Adobo Seasoning (enough to dust the chicken on both sides)

½ tsp Coconut Crystals (or Honey or raw Sugar)

Heat the grill to high heat or preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a saucepan, combine the Woodchuck ®  Amber Cider and coconut crystals to medium-high heat until the coconut crystals are dissolved.

Coat the chicken with a light dusting of adobo seasoning on all sides and then pour the beer over the chicken. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes.

Grilling: Place the chicken on the grill (leave it open). This should take about 20 minutes total, and you should flip every 5 minutes (roughly, you will need to watch it).

Oven Baked: Put a little oil down in the pan (or use an oiled grill pan, our favorite because it doesn’t allow the chicken to get soggy) and place the chicken on the pan.

Cook for about 30 minutes at 400, then turn the heat down to 350 and cook for about 15-20 minutes (again, it depends on how big the chicken is, you want the juices to run clear, not pink).

If your chicken isn’t browning enough, turn the heat up to 500 (broil it) for 5 minutes. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then serve.

Serve with our delicious Crispy Baked Kale Chips or Parsnip Fries!

Today is the first day of my 6 day vacation to nowhere. My sister Jennifer is coming to town, so I thought I would get a jump start on things, take the day off and get some things done! I’ve been cleaning and sparkling things all day…except for the hour I went to the beach…but who could blame me, it was gorgeous! Anyway, I am really excited to have my sister in town to visit, it’s really nice to see family! 

Spanish word of the day: familia (family)

This recipe is SOOOOOO good with chicken and pork. I mean, just ridiculous. It is my favorite BBQ sauce yet! It is sweet, but not too sweet. It has a cool balsamic, but a heat from the peppers that is just fantastic. If you like heat, then I suggest doing 8 peppers. You’ll be surprised how the honey calms the fire from the peppers. Just wonderful.

Spicy Honey BBQ Sauce

¼ cup Ketchup

2 Tbsp Honey

2 ½ Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar (or 1 ½ Tbsp Coconut Aminos + 1 Tbsp Coconut Vinegar)

1 Tbsp Coconut Crystals (Agave or raw Sugar)

2 tsp Onion Powder

1 tsp Chili Powder

1 tsp Garlic Powder

½ tsp Sea Salt

¼ cup Olive Oil

6-8 Arbol Chili Peppers

Blend all ingredients in a blender (or Bullet!) until smooth. Letting this sit overnight will increase the intensity of the peppers – so if you don’t want to use it right away, then you may want to consider decreasing the amount of arbols.

This is SO DELICIOUS with our Pork Ribs or Grilled Chicken Breast!!

So we went to the Counting Crows at the Florida Theater the other day and I really had high hopes for it. I hadn’t seen them before and I’m not a practicing fan, but I used to be back in the day. Angel and I really love live music and our friends that we went with are REALLY into live music, so I was shocked when we all thought it was a little bla. If you are thinking of going and not sure, I’d say that this one is a pass. Sorry, I know, its sad.

Spanish word of the day: las fresas (strawberries)

So this recipe is SO PRETTY…and it tastes good too! I like it for summer because it is so bright and looks beautiful against a sunny sky and leafy green foliage. It has a sweet, fresh taste that is accented by the balsamic glaze and is really best if made the same day you are going to eat it, unlike salsas. If you eat cheese, I would recommend a fresh mozzarella as well or a smoked gouda. Enjoy!

Strawberry and Tomato Red Salad

1 Tomato (we like Campari, pictured is Roma)

4 fresh Basil leaves

½ pint Strawberries

Balsamic Glaze

Sea Salt and Pepper

Dice the tomatoes and strawberries, discarding the tops (part with stem and leaves). Cut the basil into small, ¼” strips or however you like. Toss the tomatoes, basil, and strawberries together with a pinch of sea salt and pepper.

Plate and top with balsamic glaze, which will give it a rustic sweetness.

Pair this side with our Rib Eye Steak and finish it off with one of our delicious Macaroons!

I have been a lazy girl. I try to post at least 3 times a week, and that has just not happened this week. So to catch myself up, I’m doing a double header. I should have posted this a while ago, but I just didn’t get around to it. I know, I know. Anyway, this balsamic glaze is really easy to make, has a nice sweet flavor and goes great with salads or meats. It also keeps for quite a long time, so you can make a lot. And you can keep it at room temperature or in the fridge. Don’t be scared if you put it in the fridge and it hardens a little – its still good, no worries.

Balsamic Glaze

1 cup Balsamic Vinegar

3 Tbsp Honey

1 Tbsp Soy Sauce

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer until the glaze is thick and syrupy, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Perfect for salads like our Basic Salad or Strawberry and Tomato Salad!

So we just helped our friends at 3^rd Street Crossfit, Powered by Diesel, move into a temporary place until their new gym is done and I have to say, there is something really cool about having such a strong core group that everyone shows up to help move. …gym equipment… heavy gym equipment… and flooring. I have to say, if you live in the Jacksonville FL area, you need to try this place; the community is just awesome.

Our Spanish word of the day: el sol (sun)

For this recipe, there are 2 techniques to for grilling, one for thawed chicken and one for frozen. It is going to sound odd that you would cook the thawed and frozen chicken for the same amount of time, but it works. Trust me, Angel knows what he is doing with chicken ;)

Grilled Chicken

Chicken Breasts

Adobo Seasoning

Sauce of your Choice

Preheat the grill to high heat. Both techniques are done with an open grill as well.

Thawed Chicken:

Season the chicken with adobo. You just want to lightly dust the meat on both sides.

Cook for 5 minutes on the first side, then flip and cook for another 5 minutes. Then add the sauce, flip and cook for 10 minutes on the first side, then flip and cook for 5 more minutes. You can add a little more sauce to the end as well. Serve.

Frozen Chicken:

Cook for 10 minutes on the first side, then flip and cook for another 5 minutes. Then add the seasoning (again, lightly dust the meat on both sides) and sauce, flip and cook for 5 minutes on the first side, then flip and cook for 5 more minutes. You can add a little more sauce to the end as well. Serve.

Try with one of our BBQ sauces, Sweet Potato Salad and/or Creamy Coleslaw for a delicious meal!

I am so ready for the weekend! I hope it is sunny and beautiful and we can go outside and enjoy it. It was so dreary last weekend that I just don’t know if I can cope with another. So in high spirits for a beautiful beach weekend, full of bike riding and relaxing, I’m sharing with you one of our summer favorites.

Spanish word of the day: la mujer (woman)

We came across a kiwi drink when we were in Puerto Rico at a absolutely fabulous restaurant called Marmalade and I just couldn’t get it out of my head. After the trip, I went home and started experimenting, so I wouldn’t lose that idea, and I came up with this recipe.

NOTE: The directions are specific. You should follow them or it won’t turn out right.

Kiwi Cachaça Cocktail

2 Shots Water

1 ½ Shots Cachaça (or white rum if you don’t have it)

3 Tbsp Kiwi Puree

1 tsp Coconut Crystals (or raw Sugar)

Juice of ½ Lime

OK. If you are making your own kiwi puree, which I recommend, then this is the step where you need to follow directions.

Cut the kiwis in half and spoon out the seeds into one cup and the rest of the green pulp into a blender (or Bullet, My favorite). Throw away the furry brown outside.

Puree the green pulp and then mix the seeds into it. I like to throw away any big chunks (throw away = eat), but you don’t have to. If you blend the seeds, it will turn bitter. So you definitely want to scoop them out and add them back in after you puree the rest.

Once you have that done, the rest is easy. Just add the rest of the ingredients, stir until the coconut crystals are dissolved and serve with a wedge of fresh lime.

Perfect with our Skirt Steak or Fish Tacos, followed by our Flan or Citrus Flan desserts!

We were kind of bummed this weekend. We were going to go to the Slow Foods First Coast Tour de Farm, but it was an hour away and there was such a high percent of thunderstorms that we stayed at home…and they had it anyway… and that was really a downer. We wanted to spend the day out in nature and share our experience with you all, but unfortunately that did not happen. Sorry for that!

Spanish word of the day: los huevos (eggs)

You are going to love this recipe, because if you follow it, you will be able to cook perfect poached eggs every single time. I’ve never really thought much about it, but eggs are actually very difficult to cook properly. It is a skill that Angel has taught me, and I feel that it needs to be shared. Just a note, some of the egg will distribute itself in the water…there is no way around this, it happens to everyone, no worries.

Angel’s Perfectly Poached Eggs

3-4 Eggs

Sea Salt and Pepper (to taste)

*Optional: Coconut Vinegar 

Fill a medium sized saucepan with water, leaving enough room for the eggs. Heat over high heat and bring to a boil.

*A lot of people add vinegar to their water to keep the eggs tighter together, but we don’t. It doesn’t help that much and its just one more thing to add to the pot – if you choose to try it this way, add 1 tsp of coconut vinegar for every cup of water.

Once boiling, turn off the heat, swirl the water slowly in a circle, drop the egg in the middle of the circle and shape with a spoon. The swirling water will act like a whirlpool, keeping the egg close to itself while it cooks.

As soon as the eggs are in the water, turn the heat back on to medium (a 5 on my stove) and cook for 3-4 minutes, depending on how runny you like your eggs. Cooking for 3 minutes will get you very runny eggs, but completely cooked white, while cooking at 4 will get you just a little runny, with a mostly cooked yolk.

Season with sea salt and pepper and serve!

Try these over our Savory Sweet Potato Hash Browns, Paleo Pancakes, or with our delicious Biscuits! Also great with Lemon Garlic Asparagus or Hamburgers!

Sometimes, we get questions from our reach that concerns the types of food that we cook. We get a lot of “well, cavemen wouldn’t eat Flan” and “cavemen wouldn’t eat Chicken Pot Pie”, and so today, I will share with you how we think about it.

No matter what stage you are in your Paleo journey, I think we all look for ways to mimic the foods we are familiar with eating. Not because we need those foods to survive, but because we create memories, a culture, based on the foods that we eat and the foods that we share with others. That is why we cook the foods that we cook for our site. We create foods that we feel an emotional bond with, so that others like us can enjoy those foods and still live a Paleo lifestyle. We also like to remember that not everyone WANTS to be Paleo in life….some HAVE to be Paleo to live.

And for those of you that agree, a classic. Sauce and noodles to come soon.

Meatballs

1 lb Lean Ground Beef

½ cup Breadcrumbs

1 Egg

2 Tbsp Water

3 Tbsp Sweet Yellow Onion (minced)

*Optional: 1 Tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce (I do this if I have it already made)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a baking sheet or line it to prevent sticking.

In a bowl, mix the breadcrumbs with the egg, water, sweet chili sauce (if you use it, again, I do if I have it already made) and yellow onion. Then add the beef and mix until thoroughly incorporated. I get in there with my hands, as it works the best.

Roll into about 2” balls and place on the greased baking sheet. Bake for 22-25 minutes total, turning once around the 10-minute mark. You want to do this, or your meatballs will turn out flat and weirdly soft on one side.

This recipe is what we use for our Cocktail Meatballs. Don’t want that? Try our Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe!