Grilled Romaine Salad with Bacon and Feta

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This is the first day of the rest of your life, because today begins your love affair with romaine. I know -- you thought romaine was the boring cousin of spinach and arugula. I'm sorry to break it to you, but you couldn't be more incorrect. 

I actually chose this salad over a burger for lunch last week. There the burger sat waiting to be warmed up, doused in mustard (Not ketchup. NEVER KETCHUP!) and devoured by yours truly. But, instead of eating that fabulous burger, I opted to go through the steps to make this salad - because it really is that good.

Before you have me committed to an asylum for choosing salad over a burger, hear me out. Due to its grilled preparation, the romaine takes on a completely different flavor, characterized by smokiness and scorch marks. Add some bacon and feta cheese and you have a salad that is finally worthy of running the show.

And it's pretty darn healthy, too. Not that you care...

Grilled Romaine Salad with Bacon and Feta

Prep time: 2 minutes

Cook time: 4 minutes

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

• 1 head of romaine lettuce - I have been using the smaller ones from CostCo because they are the perfect serving for one head per person. If you use a larger head, you could easily split this between two people!
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 piece of uncured bacon
• 2 tbsp feta cheese (or your cheese of choice)
• Ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Cook the bacon any way you want, then set aside. I save a few pieces after making a weekend brunch and crumble them up in a bag.
2. Rinse the romaine head, then pat dry.
3. Cut the romaine in half, lengthwise (see images below).
4. Rub both sides of each romaine chunk with olive oil.
5. Cook on medium-high heat on a grill (or on a grill pan - since it's winter already and going outside is awful!). 
6. After 2 minutes (or when scorch lines show up on the bottom), use tongs to flip each piece. 
7. 2 minutes later, remove from heat. Sprinkle with pepper and add feta and crumbled bacon.
8. ENJOY IT. YOU'RE WELCOME.

Long Live The Art of Brunch

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This is a season of re-adjustment for me, as we have moved to a completely new city and I have begun a new season of my career. 

Part of my adjustment, thank God, has involved lots and lots of brunch.

When we were living in Chicago and life was a lot more hectic, brunch was undoubtedly a 'thing.' Warm or cold, we would venture out to some of our favorite brunch spots and take our seats to be served a delicious meal. It was always a highlight of the weekend.

But, as I am growing into my new life, I am learning something.

 There is something incredibly intimate about a leisurely brunch at home, 

whether it is just you and your significant other, 

or you are hosting for family and friends.

I love it...

...the silverware and bowls that are uniquely yours, gifts from loved ones and significant people in your life

...the prosecco cork still sitting on the table, adding to the experience of knowing you are in a comfortable and private place 

...the bacon that is prepared just the way your loved ones like it (...hopefully)

...the coaster with your monogram on it

...the entire bottle of bubbly sitting at your table, allowing you to serve yourself - or choose not to - without fanfare, and without finding a server to place an order

...the ability to completely disregard time, to talk about whatever you want without having strangers nearby, to have intimate conversations uninterrupted by a water refill or being handed the check

I don't want the art of brunch to die. 

The art of hosting, of creating an experience for the people you love. 

The time invested in a delicious table full of food, 

and the leisurely experience of taking as long as you freaking want to eat it. 

Cheers to that.

Paleo BLT Salad

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Have I mentioned my favorite thing about going Paleo? 

Bacon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is good on everything and with everything. Shrimp? Check. Brussels Sprouts? Check. Salad? Eggs? Wrapped around Chicken? Wrapped around asparagus? Check, check, checkity check check.

So clearly, I am finding ways to work it into as many meals as I can. I threw together this salad the other day and it was honestly one of the best salads I have ever eaten. It was like a BLT, made all-star with crunchy sunflower seeds and sweet-n-sour pickled cabbage. And don't even get me started about adding balsamic glaze to a bacon-laden dish... Amazing.

Paleo BLT Salad

Ingredients for one salad:

• 1-2 cups salad greens of choice (I used arugula because duh)
• 2 pieces of cooked bacon, cut into small bite-sized bits
• 1/4 red tomato, de-seeded and cut
• 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 1 tbsp chopped onion
• Pickled red cabbage (optional but really works well in this salad!)
• Balsamic glaze (or any balsamic vinaigrette)

Directions:

1. Toss all ingredients and serve!

Finally A Weekend At Home

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It has been quite a while since my husband and I had a relaxing weekend to ourselves at home. For the last few weeks, we have been all over the place - from a long weekend in Chicago to a ski weekend at Boyne to a long weekend in Naples - and we are off again this weekend, to pay Detroit and our front row Pistons tickets a visit.

Traveling is a blast. But being home is, too. I tend to underrate the value of relaxation. [And having the time to actually put up some proper, recipe including blog posts will be nice...]

"It's hard to save bacon."

We kicked off the weekend with some seriously happy hearts, because we somehow managed to not eat all the bacon I made for lunch on Friday. If you have ever made a huge pan of bacon with your s/o and tried to not eat it all, you might know that it is a feat, indeed. We have now coined a catch phrase to reference things that are so awesome they are hard to let go of: "It's hard to save bacon."

For example...

Person A - Man, I don't want this trip to end!

Person B - It's hard to save bacon...

Anyway... we ended Friday night with the ever relaxing "watch a movie" ritual. We rented Gravity, which we still had not seen, and I thought it was... entertaining. I kept cheering for Shondra Bullet. Because that's how John Travolta would say her name. It's the little things...

Saturday, we hit the gym nice and early and stopped for a relaxing brunch at DeBoer's afterward. There was no changing in between, so I ate brunch as Workout Barbie.

So that's what my feet look like out of boots! 

We headed home, showered, and got ready to head to Grand Rapids. We are looking at real estate all over the place, and we wanted to check out a few places there. We didn't love anything we saw, but there are still a few contenders. Most of all, I was just thrilled to be leaving the house in shoes other than boots... thank you, Spring! Please stay.

Hey there handsome

After our appointments, we drove around Grand Rapids for a while and eventually stopped at Downtown Market. Our local meat shop recommended that we stop there, so I had already scoped it out online and was prepared to drop some serious cash on organic and grass fed ingredients.

Get in my belly

I was pretty impressed with some of the products, like this Jalapeno & Kaffir Lime Raspberry Preserves. I am currently abstaining from added sugar and any kind of bread I could even put this on, so I did not make a purchase... but if I were not under those rules, I would have grabbed it without hesitation.

Would it offend you if I called you easy?

There is also a stall that has a lot of pre-made, ready-to-cook meals. It's kind of a neat concept, that you could go there, browse their options, and grab something that you can just pop into the oven to cook. No cutting, no making sauce, no mess to clean up. 

Spices from the Spice Merchants

Another of my favorite stalls was spice merchants. I grabbed some Saugatuck Steak Rub (for the center cut sirloin we bought), as well as some caribbean jerk (for shrimp!).

Gross to me, amaze to my dad.

Also featured: An oyster bar. Dad, you would be loving this place...

On our way out of the market, we each got a smoothie from the juice station, and we drove back home to - you guessed it - relax for a while. We caught up on Modern Family and eventually decided to venture back into the world in favor of an arcade.

The couple that shoots pirates together... ugh, what rhymes with pirates?!

We played a few games at the arcade, which were really a lot more fun than I imagined. But, my favorite part of the night? 

The only picture I snapped during laser tag that actually turned out.

LASER TAG!!!!!! I have not been in ages, and I forgot how fun it is. It is also a little bit of a workout if you get into it - between sprinting, ducking, squatting, and such. It was a great 30 minutes and I am already begging my husband to take me back.

Sunday morning, we slept in and eventually got up to make breakfast. We barely made it to church, and then stopped at the grocery on the way home.

Looks gross, tastes wonderful

I relaxed in a hot tub for quite a while and consumed a peanut butter and jelly smoothie (protein powder, coconut milk, frozen raspberries, pb2, 1/3 frozen banana, a few drops of liquid stevia). I added a handful of spinach, which accounts for the brownish flavor above. 

And then some detox water (cucumber, mint, lemon)...

And we eventually got it together enough to make dinner. Center cut sirloin with avocado, jalapeno, and garlic chutney, and a side of coconut oil sauteed zucchini, yellow squash, and onions.

You're tasty and I love you

Overall, it was a good and relaxing weekend (and perhaps the last one we'll have for a while). I woke up this morning feeling extremely rested, and even opted to turn a morning walk into a sprint session with the pup.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• How do you relax? 
• What is your favorite way to spend a weekend?

30 Days

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Starting this post with a confession: on Wednesday, while I was getting some work done, I watched Frozen. And I actually cried a little. Clearly I am still a child.

Moving on: It's time for a dietary change. My husband and I generally eat what I would consider to be a "somewhat Paleo" diet. We try to follow the rules, but sometimes break them in favor of a burger bun, peanut butter, or a slice of chocolate cake.

Well, what started out as a "sometimes" break turned into a "most of the time" break lately. We've been all over the place between Chicago, Florida, and Boyne for skiing, so habits have been broken and lots of exceptions have been made, and we are just not cool with continuing it.

So, we've decided to suck it up and go full-on Paleo for the month of March. When I say "we," I mean that I decided and managed to convince my husband to jump on the bandwagon. Finally using my persuasion powers for good. Somebody get this millennial a prize, stat.

For those of you who are not familiar with what the Paleo diet includes, here is a super short and not at all comprehensive rundown: focus on lean proteins, fruits and vegetables, and healthy oils and fats while reducing consumption of grains, sugars, and processed foods. That means you can basically say yes to all meats (though we are trying to find only grass-fed, local, hormone-free meat... that in itself could be a full time job), and butters you want.

Fried eggs, sriracha, cilantro, pickled cabbage, and smoked salmon

I will miss (because I'm a list person):

• peanut butter
• quinoa 
• tortillas
• champagne, old fashioneds, beer
• pop chips
• dessert of almost any kind (I am planning to paleo-ify a few desserts, but let's be real, it won't be the same without dairy, flour, or sugar...)

Fried egg, bacon, more bacon, and ketchup

Cedar plank roasted salmon over cauliflower mash, with mango and mint chutney and a butter sauce

So far: 

• I have to say, so far, paleo is pretty freaking delicious. I am using it as an excuse to eat bacon, eggs, like all the time.
• But, my husband is hungry like all the time. Okay, maybe not all the time, but he definitely keeps complaining about not feeling full enough at the end of the day. He is eating three big meat heavy meals, but is used to having protein bars in between (did I mention he is a huge 6'7 man? needs a lot of fuel). Anyone who has done paleo able to weigh in on (1) whether that is normal, and (2) advice to feel more full? Dude doesn't like nuts, so that's a major obstacle because those are a big paleo snack.
• Bacon. That is all.
• I am not paying much attention to caloric intake. Earlier this year, I read Primal Blueprint, which advocates a mostly paleo diet, and explains that if you are eating mostly fats and proteins, your body will communicate effectively with you about how much to eat, and it will be more effective at burning that fuel once ingested. Short summary of that? You can eat as much as your body feels like. Alright alright alright.

Image via Yahoo Shine

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Have you ever gone paleo? Do you have any tips? My husband says he is always hungry and wants more meat. Is this normal?
• Have you done anything similar to paleo? Like Whole 30?
• How much would would a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood? Just making sure you're still paying attention ;)

Paleo Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

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I'm pretty sure going paleo is just my personal excuse to eat as much bacon as I want. And meat. All the meat. 

This recipe is my new favorite, because it tastes so seriously decadent and, dare I say it, naughty. I was browsing Nom Nom Paleo and stumbled upon a recipe for proscuitto wrapped asparagus. I had intended to make it, but I was in a rush and couldn't find proscuitto at the store, so I decided to go my own way. I grabbed bacon instead, wrapped two at a time instead of one, and sauteed them one at a time instead of baking them. It ended up being quick, easy, and pretty much fool proof.

At the time, I made this just for my husband and I as a side dish for dinner. This is really best made as a quick, two-ingredient appetizer for any party. It is paleo and gluten free, so unless you have someone coming over who can't eat meat, this is going to be a serious friend pleaser. But seriously, just invite them to a different party...

Paleo Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Calories Per Piece: 50
Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of asparagus (for this recipe, I used 2 spears per piece of bacon, and made 10, so that is 20 total spears of asparagus)
• 1 package thinly sliced, uncured - nitrate free, no added salt - bacon. (I used 10 pieces)
• 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil

Directions:

1. Rinse and dry asparagus spears. Make sure you pat them down with a towel so that they are dry or else the bacon may not stick. 
   
2. Take the asparagus spears, two at a time, and wrap with bacon slices. I started toward the bottom and wrapped upward at a diagonal angle. 
   
3. Heat olive oil on the stove in a large pan over medium heat (you can try to fit them all in at once or do them in two rounds). 
   
4. Delicately place each piece into the oil. Use tongs to flip every 3-4 minutes, until bacon is cooked and all sides are brown.  
   
5. Serve! 
   

What about you?

Are there any other sneaky or fun ways you use bacon?

Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash, and Bacon Salad

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I made this tasty salad a few weeks ago but then completely neglected to share it with you all. Blame it on I-Started-My-Own-Business-And-Moved brain, I guess...

I used to make brussels sprouts, butternut squash, and bacon and devour it, but something about that combination on its own had its way of leaving me extremely full. Instead of following that tradition, this time I served up less, but used it to top a bed of spinach. It ended up being the most delicious and comforting salad. Seriously, it's like taking an old fashioned comfort food and making it healthy.

What's not to love, right?

Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash, and Bacon Salad

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 cups brussels sprouts, rinsed
• 2 cups butternut squash, cubed
• 8-12 strips uncured bacon
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp oregano
• salt, pepper to taste
• 4 cups spinach

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil. Place bacon in a thin layer and bake for 25-30 minutes or until crispy. Drain and let dry.
3. Toss butternut squash with 1/2 tbsp olive oil, oregano, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
4. Line another baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Spread butternut squash on top of the foil and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until butternut squash is soft.
5. Steam brussels sprouts for 15 minutes, or microwave for 8 minutes, until soft and tender. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 tbsp of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
6. Combine cooked butternut squash and brussels sprouts. Crumble bacon and add to the same bowl. Toss well.
7. Put over a bed of fresh spinach! No dressing required, but this would be delicious with a simple drizzling of olive oil and lemon.