The Paleo Breakfast Of Champions

I’m sure you’ve heard people say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but do you really eat a quality breakfast to give yourself a kick-start every single day?

I used to eat a big bowl of cereal each morning, followed by a couple of slices of toast… that is, until I found out how bad eating grains is for our bodies. The purpose of this post isn’t to go into details about what eating grains can do to your body, but more about giving you a better quality option to choose for breakfast.

If you want to find out for yourself what eating Paleo is all about, there are some really good websites around like robbwolf.com and marksdailyapple.com that can explain further, plus I will have my own ebook available shortly which will talk about why you should avoid eating grains, among other things.

A Paleo Breakfast

Nope, today I just want to talk about one of my favourite ways to fuel up on energy after a big nights sleep, a big seafood and egg breakfast!  It’s full of essential omega-3 fatty acids, protein, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, and plenty of other nutrients to satisfy your body’s needs for a great start to the day.

The Importance Of Breakfast

If you’re the sort of person who skips breakfast, or has a very light breakfast while rushing around early in the morning to get the kids off to school, and get yourself off to work, then I just want to briefly cover why you should eat a bigger breakfast.

You’ve just spent 6-8 hours in bed sleeping, and it may have been 10-12 hours since your last meal. Your body doesn’t need energy while you’re asleep, however if you have a big day ahead of you, then you will definitely need energy to carry you through… and a coffee and a bagel just doesn’t cut it.

Sugar – The Spike And Crash Cycle

Just filling your stomach for the sake of having something in it won’t help you last throughout the day. How many times do you start to crave more food and snacks in the mid-morning? As humans, we can easily get hooked on sugars and carbohydrates. They can be useful for a quick burst of energy, but if you have too much your body will respond by unleashing a wave of insulin to sweep away all the excess sugars and carbs, sending them to your fat stores for a later date.

So your body quickly runs out of steam, as you constantly feed it empty calories in an attempt to get a short burst of energy which may last anywhere from a few minutes, to a couple of hours if you’re lucky. Then of course the cycle repeats, your energy drops, and you need to replace it with more fuel.

Does this sugar spike and crash cycle sound familiar?

The answer is to eat quality foods, starting with breakfast, that fill your body with vitamins, nutrients, fats and protein that comes from eating meat, seafood, fruits and veggies. A bit of a mix of each is the best way to go. Now you might think it seems like it’s more effort on your part, and this may be true.

However, the rewards are well worth the effort, as you will have more energy to get through your busy day, and your powers of concentration will also improve as your body will start to function the way it is genetically designed to from 2 million years of human evolution!

My Favourite Paleo Breakfast Of Champions

You can see from the picture above that there is some sliced avocado (full of quality natural fats), smoked salmon (omega-3 and protein), grilled barramundi (omega-3 and protein), scrambled eggs (omega-3 and protein), and pan-fried spinach (calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, and many other vital nutrients).

It’s delicious, satisfying, and full of nutrition to power you through the day!

So, What Is Paleo?

So you’ve heard me start to talk about eating paleo in the past few posts now, and I’ve actually been eating this way for about 8 months now.  It all started after I was recommended to read The Paleo Solution by a friend who happens to be a health professional.

I’ve lost about 8kg so far (I can’t really lose any more than that, there’d be nothing left of me lol), and my energy levels have gone through the roof.  If you’re looking to lose weight or improve your own energy levels to get through your busy days, then I would highly recommend you read The Paleo Solution too, it’s written by Robb Wolf, who I mentioned earlier in the post.

Until next time, enjoy a productive and energy-filled day!

Your friendly Aussie chef,

Mick Reade

All Easy Food Recipes

Ice cream cakes can satisfy just about anybody’s sweet tooth but it looks like plenty of trouble to make. Fortunately, you can find easy dessert recipes for these sweets. Call it instant gratification, if you will. Here then is an easy recipe to show you how to make ice cream cakes your family will enjoy.

Recipe For How To Make Ice Cream Cake

• 16 ice cream sandwiches
• 16 ounce frozen whipped topping, non-dairy
• 12 ounce chocolate fudge topping, thawed to room temperature
• 1.5 ounce chocolate chip buttons

How To Make Ice Cream Cake

On a 9×13-inch baking pan, place 8 ice cream sandwiches so that the bottom is covered. Then evenly spread half of the hot fudge topping and half of the whipped topping on top. Repeat the process with the remaining 8 ice cream sandwiches as well as half of the hot fudge and whipped toppings. The chocolate chip buttons can be sprinkled on top as garnish. Cover with plastic wrap, freeze for an hour and serve.

You can substitute other ingredients for the toppings like grated chocolate bar and candy sprinkles for a festive look. The ice cream sandwiches can also be changed in flavor, thus, making it one of the most versatile, scrumptious and easy food recipes.  Teach your children how to make ice cream cake and I’m sure they’ll have fun doing so, as well as enjoying their own handiwork!

We can all be a domestic goddess (or hero) when we want to be but the kitchen is a battleground many of us will find ourselves the losers. But who says that it should be this way for the rest of our lives when we have easy food recipes to fall back on?

How To Be A Domestic Goddess

Food need not be prepared with plenty of blood, sweat and tears for it to taste delicious. You just have to learn the  substitutions to make easy food recipes possible without compromising the overall taste, texture and presentation of the dish. You will find that it will take just a fraction of the time to prepare a delicious dessert by using shortcuts, and you could be a domestic goddess just like Nigella Lawson!

Take for example this easy chocolate mousse recipe done in just under 10 minutes:

Easy Chocolate Mousse Recipe

Delicious Chocolate Mousse Dessert

In a saucepan, combine 150 grams of mini-marshmallows, 250 grams of dark chocolate chips, 50 grams of unsalted butter and 4 tablespoons of hot water. Bring to a boil while stirring until all the ingredients become melted together.

In a separate bowl, whisk 285mls of double cream with a teaspoon of vanilla until soft peaks are formed. Fold the chocolate mixture into the cream, place inside shot glasses and refrigerate for 5 minutes before serving.

Now, that’s one of the easiest of the easy recipes for desserts!

Recently I made a cooking video teaching you an easy way to make pizza dough at home for yourself, now I show you how to finish the pizza off and cook it in the oven, again with the help of my friend Belinda.

There are some issues with the audio on this video, as it was recorded in the kitchen with a loud exhaust fan going, so I must apologise for that, but I hope you enjoy this pizza video we made for you anyway!

Wood-Fired Pizza Making Video

I would love to hear about your pizza making stories, tips, or any comments or thoughts you have on my pizza video.  And you can get yourself a free cookbook by visiting All Easy Food Recipes.

In previous posts, I’ve shared with you how you can make your own pizza dough, today I’ve just made a short cooking video of around 10 minutes which you can follow along at home and see how easy it really can be to make pizza at home for your friends and family!

I’ve been working on a pizza cookbook for several months now, and it is very nearly complete, so you can look at this as a bit of a teaser before the full cookbook comes out.

Learn How To Make Pizza Dough In 10 Minutes

This is my first real attempt at a cooking video, so I hope you find it entertaining and useful.  Please enjoy!

Easy Pizza Dough Recipe

Here is the easy pizza dough recipe I used in the video:

• 250g Plain flour (I use bakers flour, it has a high protein content)
• 5g dried yeast
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of sugar
• 150-160ml cold water

This will make 2 pizza bases of 220g each, which will roll out to about 27cm (11 inches).

For more comprehensive tips, as well as my recipe for wood-fired and gluten-free pizza dough, visit my easy pizza dough blog post.

Easy Recipes For Free

If you enjoyed that, and you can’t wait to get your hands on my upcoming pizza cookbook, then visit All Easy Food Recipes to pick up a free lunch and snacks cookbook.

It’s packed full of 365 recipes, available for free, and you’ll also be notified just as soon as the new pizza cookbook is ready for you to collect!

Recipe Serves: 4

Ingredients for Dry-Fried Beef with Carrots and Celery Recipe

Dry Fried Beef With Carrots And Celery

1 lb Beef; any cut, sirloin steak is best
1/3 – 1/2 lb Celery
1 – 2 Carrots; depending on size
Chile peppers; your choice (red ones look pretty)
1 Green onion
1 ts Finely chopped ginger
2 ts Finely chopped garlic
2 tb Hot bean sauce
2 ts Sweet bean sauce
1 tb Rice wine or dry sherry
1 ts Salt depending on your taste
1 ts Sugar
1/2 ts Ground Szechwan pepper
2 ts Sesame oil
1 ts – 2 tb Hot red oil
9 tb Oil or lard

Dry-Fried Beef with Carrots and Celery Preparation

Dry-fried Beef with Carrots and Celery (Gan-bian Niu-rou-si – aka Szechwan Dry Fried Beef).

Slice meat about 1/8 thick and then again to form matchsticks. Easier if meat is frozen.

Remove celery leaves, wash and cut stems into 1 lengths. Peel carrots and shred them with a potato peeler.

Top, de-seed and shred the peppers. Cut green onion into 1/2 lengths or less.

To Cook: Heat 3 Tbs. oil in a wok until very hot. Toss celery, carrot and half the salt briefly until the vegetables are partially cooked. Remove and drain.

Heat 6 Tbs oil in wok until very hot; then allow to cool slightly. Add beef matchsticks and cook over medium heat stirring constantly. (Do not let juices stick to side of wok and char or they will ruin the flavour.)

Cook evenly and thoroughly, stirring often, for about 10mins until the beef is dry looking and stiff. Then add the bean sauces, peppers garlic, half the green onion and remaining salt and rice wine. Stir well.

When the smell of garlic and bean sauces becomes noticeable, add pre-fried celery and carrots.

Reheat them and then at the last minute add sugar, ginger, remaining green onion, Szechwan pepper and sesame oil.

Check flavours; adjust if necessary and serve.

For a free ‘Lunch And Snacks Cookbook’, visit www.alleasyfoodrecipes.com to get many more gourmet food recipes just like this one.

Stuffed Peppers Recipe Serves: 6

Ingredients for Easy Beef Stuffed Peppers Recipe

Stuffed Peppers

6 Medium green peppers
1/3 c Chopped onions
1 lb Can stewed tomatoes
2 tb Worcestershire sauce
1 c Shredded sharp American Cheese
1 lb Ground steak
1 tb Fat
3/4 c Packaged precooked rice
Salt and pepper to taste

Easy Beef Stuffed Peppers Preparation

Cut off tops of green peppers; remove seeds and membrane.

Precook green-peppers in boiling salted water about 5 min. Drain. Sprinkle inside with salt.

Brown meat and onion in hot fat; add tomatoes, rice, worcestershire, and salt and pepper to taste.

Cover and simmer till rice is almost tender, about 5 min. Add cheese.

Stuff peppers; stand upright in 10 x 6 inch baking dish. Begin cooking uncovered in moderate oven of 350F for about 25 min. or till hot.

Sprinkle tops with additional shredded cheese.

Makes 6 servings.

Visit www.alleasyfoodrecipes.com to download a free Lunch And Snacks cookbook, packed full of really easy food recipes for free, just like this Easy Beef Stuffed Peppers Recipe!

Mick Reade

All Easy Food Recipes

Free Recipe Glazed Roast Pork

Recipe Preparation: cooking and baking

Recipe Serves: 12

Ingredients for Glazed Roast Pork Recipe

5 lb Pork loin roast
2 ts Minced ginger
1/4 c Orange juice
1/2 c Apricot jam

Glazed Roast Pork Preparation

Put meat, fat side up, in a roasting pan.

Roast in electric oven at 325F until meat thermometer registers 160F, about 1-3/4 hours.

Combine jam, juice, and ginger; brush onto meat.

Continue cooking and baking until thermometer registers 170F, basting occasionally with sauce to form glaze.

For more delicious gourmet food recipes, and a free download of a healthy eating cookbook, please visit www.alleasyfoodrecipes.com