Tuna Stuffed Post-Workout Potatoes (Paleo-Zone)

So about six months ago, we stopped drinking protein shakes as part of a Whole30 that we were doing. Instead, we focused on having a real meal as soon as got home, usually within 20-30 minutes after our workout. I've really been trying to find something that is easy to make and comes out to equal parts of protein, fat, and carbs for a post-workout refuel. I found a recipe for tuna-stuffed potatoes on pinterest that was really good, but it was really fat heavy and hardly any protein and that's not what you want right after your workout. So I modified it, and almost tripled the protein and halved the fat to try and equal the proportions out. The result was really tasty and we've been loving eating it after our workouts! I've been making a batch every weekend and eating it after workouts for about a month now, and I am definitely performing better each day!

Try it out and let me know what you think. This happens to be Paleo-Zone, for the most part, but more than that it is a good amount of protein and carbs right after your workout, with minimal fats. Everyone can benefit from a good post-workout meal, not just those who are doing Zone or Paleo-Zone.

Ingredients
1) 8 potatoes of your choice (similar sized -- 2.5 pounds total) -- about 22 blocks carbohydrates
2) 2 eggs -- 2 blocks protein
3) 1 cup of chopped pickles -- about 2 blocks carbohydrates
4) 28 ounces of tuna, drained (this was 4 cans of Costco tuna) -- about 22 blocks protein
5) 1/2 cup ghee or olive oil -- 24 blocks fat
Salt & Pepper
[Equals about 24 blocks carbs, fats, and protein. Makes 8 halves of a potato, approximately 3 blocks per potato half. Perfect post workout meal!]

Instructions
1) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2) Add a drop or two of your oil to the potato skin and rub it in. Then sprinkle with salt. This really makes the skin delicious so don't skimp!

3) Cook the potatoes for 50-60 minutes, until tender in the middle when you insert a fork.
4) Remove the potatoes from the oven, and using your cooking mitt, cut the potatoes in half to help them cool down.

5) Let the potatoes cool about 10 minutes. Once they are cooler, take a spoon and remove the flesh from the skins, leaving just a small amount on the edges to maintain the shape. Add to a large bowl.

6) Chop up your pickles into small cubes.

7) Drain your tuna and add it to your potato flesh. Mix thoroughly.

8) Add your pickles and mix thoroughly once again.

9) Add your 1/2 cup of ghee or olive oil, and 2 eggs. Mix until incorporated.

10) Using an ice cream scoop, or cookie scoop, or a measuring cup, evenly distribute the mixture into your 8 potato halves. You want them to be even! I ended up doing 2.5 scoops with my largest cookie scoop, and then pressing the mixture into the skin until packed.

11) Bake in the oven at 400 for an additional 15 minutes, until starting to brown on the tops. Enjoy! Your workouts will thank you!

Hearty Slow-Cooker Beef Stew

This recipe is very similar to my pot roast recipe. But last time we ordered some meat from US Wellness Meats, we got some stew meat as well and I was trying to figure out how best to use it. Stew meat does best when it is cooked low and slow, to make it more tender. This is why the slow cooker is such an awesome tool for lower quality meats such as stew meat. So you can enjoy your grass fed beef but at a cheaper price!

You could essentially throw whatever you want in here, but I am always a fan of lots of carrots, onions, and occasionally a sweet potato or two thrown in for good measure.

Ingredients
1) 2 pounds of stew meat (the package will actually say this)
2) 2-3 onions, chopped
3) 1-2 pounds of carrots, either diced or use baby carrots (I always add a lot of carrots because they're my favorite once they're all soft and juicy! So I did about 2#, but you could do less)
4) 1-3 sweet potatoes, diced (I added two of them. Sweet potatoes have a tendency to explode in the crock-pot and create a thicker sauce for the meal. If you want them to stay intact, cut them into really big cubes.)
5) 1-2 tablespoons of spices of your choice (I added italian seasoning, garlic powder and salt)

**Makes 6 large servings

Instructions
1) Add your stew meat to your slow cooker.

2) Add in your chopped carrots, onions and sweet potato.

3) Add your spices to the crockpot and stir to mix everything together.

4) Cook on low for a minimum of 8 hours. If you cook it closer to 10-12 hours it'll be even more tender, but 8 in the minimum you should cook this.
5) Enjoy! Portion it out for leftovers and have a hearty meal to keep you full and satisfied.

Super Vegetable Curry (Chicken Optional!)

This recipe is an inspiration from my sister Krystal, who just got married! When I went to visit her the week before the wedding to help with some last minute details, she made me a delicious slow-cooker curry with lots of vegetables in it. It initially didn't have any protein in it, but she graciously threw in two chicken breasts for me at the last minute. I hadn't really tried to add extra veggies at all to my curry before, but I should have! Her recipe had some chickpeas in it, which I omit, but had carrots, onions and peas going on. It was delicious!

So I came back home and decided I wanted to make a chicken curry that was extremely heavy on the vegetables. You can literally add whatever you have around the kitchen and have a 5-veggie dish, or just add one or two and keep it simple. If you don't want to add the chicken, it's delicious without. But I added some to help add some protein and keep the macronutrient ratios pretty Zone-friendly.

Ingredients

1) 1 can of coconut milk (14 oz)

2) 2-3 tablespoons of curry powder (start with adding two, and then add more at the end if needed)

3) 1-2 cups of any or all of the following:

-diced carrots

-diced onions

-diced peppers (green, red, or yellow)

-diced sweet potato

-diced celery

-cauliflower florets

-broccoli florets

-chopped asparagus

-peas (add these in at the end though)

Optional: 1 pound of chicken thighs or breasts

(NOTE: I added in carrots, onions, green peppers, cauliflower, sweet potato and peas to mine, plus 1 pound of chicken thighs)

Instructions

1) Chop up your veggies and add them to your slow cooker. Mine pretty much took up the entire thing, but it cooks down about 10-20%.

2) Mix your can of coconut milk with 2TBSP of curry in a small bowl. If you like it spicier, taste it after it's cooked and add more curry then.

3) Add the curry milk to your crockpot and stir. Add in your meat if you want some now too.

Just the veggies

Veggies plus chicken

4) Cook on low for 8 hours. If you want to add peas, add them in at the last 30 minutes to maintain their shape.

YUM!