5 rounds for time:
5 deadlifts (275/185)
25 sit-ups

Building a Big Hearty Paleo Zone Meal.

Every once in awhile I just want a big hearty meal, something that will leave me feeling full and take awhile to eat.  With a Paleo framework though, it’s sometimes hard to craft a concoction of food that isn’t based on green veggies and a two hour jaw workout.

On Sunday, I set out to craft a big hearty paleo meal, or a BHPZM!

It’s a mixture of quite a few different recipes that could be used later on in the week individually, or tied together.

Cauliflower Rice 
I’m still on the fence about cauliflower “rice”.  When I was 8 years old my Mom pureed cauliflower and tried to pawn it off on my brother and me as mashed potatoes.  I remember thinking the white mass looked and smelled funny but chowed down with a big first bite.  HOLD UP!  I may be have been 8 but I knew a vegetable disguised as a delicious carbohydrate when I tasted one.  I was scared for life.  For the next few years I had to taste test every mashed potato that crossed my plate with a minuscule bite before chomping down.  But I’ve gotten over it, really.  Lately, a few friends have made it as part of meals and I’m warming up to it.

Cauliflower rice was the perfect base for a hearty meal.  At 252g per block of carbohydrate, you can fill a bowl half way with just the rice!  I used Nom Nom Paleo’s Cauliflower Rice recipe except I substituted the spices in the recipe for 2 Tbls of Rogan Josh seasoning.

Beets
I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to incorporate beets into my dinner but lately I’ve gotten tired of sweet potatoes and wanted to mix it up.  I found this recipe also on Nom Nom Paleo, made it, and set it aside – Marinated Roasted Beets.  Note: if I made these again, I would consider throwing them on the grill for five minutes after marinating to give them some charred edges.

Beets are 84g per block of carbohydrate which is definitely more sweet potato than you get!  A good addition to a BHPZM!

Chicken
Nothing special here.  I purchased a few pounds of chicken thighs and breasts to have for the week, threw them in a bag and marinated them for a few hours with Sunny in Paris seasoning from Penzey Spices.  22g per block of protein.

Sauce
The last component of my hearty meal was a good thick sauce to pour over my combination of veggies and meat.  I hit the jack pot at Whole Foods when I found an Indian simmer sauce that was gluten and dairy free AND had no added sugar.  This is unheard of!  All the other sauces by the same company had sugar, but this one was special!  Check it out: Maya Kaimal Madras Curry Indian Simmer Sauce.  15g per block of fat.

Having quite a few flavors going on I wasn’t sure how the meal would come together but I threw it all in a bowl and added some sautéed spinach to the dish as well.  Voila!  Tasty and hearty.