Breakfast

• Smoothie- banana, spinach, coconut water, chia seeds, shredded coconut, and a dash of cinnamon.

Lunch

• Roasted chicken
• Spinach salad with avocado, apples and bell pepper. -No dressing
• Grapes

Snacks: white gummy bear Jamba juice smoothie. 

Dinner

• Teriyaki chicken
• Roasted vegetables
• Garlic kale salad

I forgot to take a picture of dinner, sorry!

Until next time! Night night.

Our vacation was wonderful! But there’s just something about being home that is comforting. There’s no place like home...Dorothy knows what’s up. :) 

It was our third time to Mexico, but our first time to Puerto Vallarta. The weather was HOT! I sunburned the first day there, even though I applied sunscreen every hour. Regardless there is nothing better than waking up, throwing on a bikini, and some flip flops and going downstairs to eat breakfast and sit by the pool all day. It’s so nice to not have an agenda, the only decision that I had to make was what I wanted for lunch and dinner. We spent our days swimming, reading, eating and taking naps by the pool, and we got to watch the sunset almost everyday. It was absolutely perfect.

We arrived home on Saturday evening, and on Sunday morning in an attempt to restock my sad empty fridge we went to the Mountain View farmers market to pickup some fresh produce. Peach and plum season is beginning so we picked up some of those because they are Ruben’s favorite. I also picked up some fresh thyme and oregano, along with broccoli, Russian kale, rainbow chard, round zucchini, purple cabbage, and apricots.

I also finally got the chance to stop by my local Penzeys spice shop. Let me warn you that if you decide stop by one of their stores that you will feel like a kid in a candy store. When I walked in the door I was so giddy! I sniffed so many different spices that I made myself a little queasy. Since the store was closing I didn’t get a chance to go through the whole store. But I was still able to pickup 4 spices. I of course picked up sunny paris seasoning because nomnompaleo has talked about it quite a bit on her blog. I also fell in love with berbere, the sweet french basil and I picked up some bay leaves because the ones I had at home were already old.

Hopefully I get a chance to go back and have enough time to go through the whole store. 

Have you been to Penzeys before? If so what’s your favorite spice?

In the morning we leave for Mexico! I know I should be sleeping right now but the thought of traveling + the plane ride makes me very anxious. So I rather not sleep but instead keep myself awake and make myself very delirious, so that tomorrow when I go to get on the plane I am so exhausted and I could care less that I am boarding a plane that I will be stuck on for 4 1/2 hours. 

Since I leave to Mexico in the morning how very appropriate it is that I leave you with a taco recipe before I go. Tacos have got to be one of the greatest meals. This recipe is simple, just swap out your tortilla for a piece of lettuce and you got yourself a paleo taco.

Lettuce Wrap Tacos

Taco Seasoning

• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. warm water
• 1 tsp. olive oil

1. Combine all of these ingredients in a small bowl, whisk and set aside.

Chicken Tacos

• 4 chicken breast thinly sliced
• Taco seasoning
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1 head of butter lettuce

1. Pour the taco marinade over the chicken along with salt, pepper and lemon juice. 
2. Mix well and let the chicken marinade for at least 15 minutes.
3. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add 1 tsp. coconut oil. Place the chicken in the pan in a single layer. (I had to do 2 batches)
4. Cook chicken for 10 minutes. After 5 minutes of cooking, flip the chicken over using a spatula.
5. Once the chicken is cooked remove from heat and store in dish covered with foil to keep warm.

Optional toppings

• Avocado or guacamole
• Pico de gallo
• Finely diced onions
• Chopped cilantro
• Sautéed bell peppers and onion (so you turn it into a fajita)
• A wedge of lime to squeeze on top of your tacos

Well I guess its time to go to bed. See you in a week!

I first had this dish a few years ago at a Peruvian restaurant close by home. It was served on a bed of French fries and a side of rice. The ajI sauce was already on the table to use as a condiment for all our meals.  The flavors in this single meal are truly amazing! The crunch and sweetness of the onion and juicy tartness of the tomatoes is so mesmerizing, and the aji sauce takes it over the top.
In the original recipe I used to use soy sauce, but to make it paleo I now use coconut aminos and add red and green bell peppers just to up our veggie intake.

You can serve this dish on top of zoodles, cauliflower rice, or by itself would be just fine too. I also like to serve it with a side of fried plantains.


Pollo Saltado With Aji Sauce
Yields: 5 servings

Aji Sauce

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3 jalapeno or serano peppers - stem and seeds taken off (if you like it spicy you can leave the seeds in)
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• 3 green onions
• 5 large garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. white vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Toss all your ingredients into the blender. Blend until smooth. 
2. Store in the fridge until ready for use.

For the aji sauce you can play around with the ingredients, add more jalapenos if you like more heat, or add more garlic if you want more of a kick. I have even substituted the mayonnaise for coconut milk or avocado, just depends on whatever I have on hand. If you take out the mayonnaise it will of course change the flavor, but I have had good results regardless.

Breakfast

• A banana
• A few almonds
• An avocado with black pepper
• Sweet potato fries

I was obviously very hungry this morning.

Lunch

• Dill salmon from paleomg
• Zucchini sautéed with aji sauce
• Roasted sweet potato
• An orange

The salmon recipe was from paleomg, and it was really tasty. Don't make the same mistake as me of cooking the fish on broil, it will leave you with a really burnt top. Haha.

Dinner

• Chicken curry salad with spinach, wrapped in a paleo wrap

I made chicken curry salad for the first time last week using leftover roasted chicken breast, and I was in L.O.V.E. Everything about this salad is amazing, starting with the crunch from the celery and pecans, along with the burst of sweetness from the apples and raisins, down to the kick from the cayenne pepper. I recommend making the salad a day in advance, that way all the ingredients get a chance to mingle.

Chicken Curry Salad
Yields: 2 servings

• 1 cooked chicken breast- diced
• 1 1/2 stalks celery diced
• 1/2 small apple diced
• 1/4 cup pecans or slivered almonds
• 2 tbsp. fresh minced cilantro
• 1 green onion diced
• 1 tbsp. raisins

Dressing

• 1/4 cup mayo
• 1/2 tsp. curry powder
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Toss all the salad ingredients in a medium bowl.
2. Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and mix.
3. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well. 
4. Place the salad in the fridge and let it sit overnight and enjoy the following day. You can try it in a paleo wrap, a lettuce wrap or just by it is delicious too!

I found the paleo wraps at whole foods, and was really excited to try them. The coconut flavor from the wrap compliments the curry salad nicely. But you can easily enjoy eating the salad all by itself.