sweet peas and other things » the family behind sweet pea photography

Breakfast: 2-egg omelet with ham, cheese, avocado; cottage cheese; coffee; water

Lunch: bunless ranch burgers with provolone; fresh fruit salad (strawberries, oranges, grapes, bananas); apple-sweet potato salad; grilled cabbage and carrots; water

Dinner: paleo pizza; awesome brussels sprouts; beer

Bedtime cheat: 1/2 c. ice cream

Well, today is the last day of April – and the last day that I’ll be posting recipes and tracking my meals for a while!  It’s fun to do for a bit (especially if you’re just getting starting on this whole paleo* lifestyle) but May is a new month of my photo-a-day project and the theme is no longer food/paleo*, so on to other things…  I did want to give a few pointers on omelets, since I make them almost daily and they’re super yummy!

1) A small non-stick pan is helpful but not necessary (I don’t have a non-stick pan) for making a yummy flippable omelet. My trick? A small pat of butter in the pan before every omelet. Let it melt and get bubbly before you pour in the egg.

2) I think 2-egg omelets work best, but it’s really based on the size of your frying pan. After the butter melts and gets bubbly, whip up 2 eggs and pour them into the pan. Give it a minute to start firming up on the bottom before adding ingredients.

3) I love lots of ingredients in my omelets. If you’re using avocado, try seasoned salt instead of plain – it adds a little kick to the mild avocados.  If you like spinach, try feta cheese and sea salt to bring out the flavor.  I usually put the salt and pepper in first, then the cheese to get it melting, then any other ingredients.  Put all ingredients on one half of the egg, so it’s easier to fold in half.

4) Use a plastic spatula (flipper? whatever you call it!) to go around all edges of the egg before it’s completely cooked, to loosen them from the pan. Then slide the spatula under on half of the egg and lift it and fold over the half with the ingredients.  Let it sit for a minute before flipping the entire thing over with your spatula.

5) Cook a few more minutes on side #2, then serve!  I like to have cottage cheese with my omelets, or sometimes salsa (or in this picture, guacamole). Yum!

Thanks for following my meals this month, and if you’d like me to email my “starter lists” to you of groceries and recipes to get you started on the paleo* lifestyle we follow, just let me know!!

Breakfast: 2-egg omelet with ham, cheese, avocado; cottage cheese; coffee; water

Lunch: leftover steak and brussels sprouts; deviled eggs; water

Snack: dried apricot and almonds

Dinner: Fish Taco Salad with guacamole and awesome sauce; water; 1 walnut brownie (again, recipe here)

TASTY FISH TACO SALAD

marinade for tilapia (or whatever other white fish you like):
1/4 c. olive oil
2 Tbsp. vinegar
2 1/2 Tbsp. lime juice
1 1/2 tsp. honey
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper

Sauce that you can use as dressing, or just put it on grilled fish:
3/4 c. greek yogurt
3/4 c. olive oil mayo
3 Tbsp. lime juice
1 jalapeno, minced
1 1/2 tsp. capers, minced
3/4 tsp. oregano
3/4 tsp. cumin
3/4 tsp. dill
1/2 tsp. cayenne

Breakfast: 2 breakfast bars; cheese stick; coffee

Lunch: leftover chicken nuggets and sweet potato fries; breakfast bar; water

Dinner: grilled steak with tomato-pepper chutney; tossed salad with snap peas and almonds; pineapple and cantaloupe; water

GRILLED STEAK RUB (found the recipe on this cool blog)

2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix all ingredients and rub on steaks before grilling.

TOMATO-PEPPER CHUTNEY

2 small tomatoes
1 green onion
5 pepperoncinis
2 small cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Chop all ingredients and mix together. Serve with grilled steak.