What I'm Eating

Apples don't fall far from the tree, except in the fall when the apples are all far from the trees and in the market!

I visited Chicago's Green City Market this week to enjoy the local bounty that the city has to offer.  There were apples stand after stand, but I stopped at this one because of the sheer variety.

I read all the descriptions and snapped a few pictures of the ones I chose so I wouldn't forget.

Pristine, Ginger Gold, Prairie Spy, Jonagold, Asian Pears
I realize that Asian pears are not actually apples.

Despite the wet and dreary weather (hats off to the farmers who stick it out all the time), I happily carried home a bag of mushrooms that taste like chicken, a grab bag of apples, and two pots of sage and thyme.

And then just like a local leaving the local market, I rode the bus home.

Life adventures have brought me to the Windy City, Chi-town, the Second City, yep, to Chicago.

Before I left Austin though, I had a few adventures as a personal paleo chef. A classmate from Crossfit Central and I got to talking about food, how food is important to CrossFitters, and how much we both hated cooking -wait, only one of us hated cooking. The other one actually really loved to cook.

So for a few great weeks, I cooked and he ate. And I think it's safe to say he ate pretty well.

Week 1/Trial Meal:

Pan roasted chicken with a white wine sauce and sauteed kale with shallots, almonds, and coconut milk

Week 2:

Zucchini "pasta" with chimichurri sauce

Stuffed cabbage rolls in a spicy tomato sauce - stuffed with ground turkey, pork, eggplant, zucchini, onions, and garlic

Pan roasted chicken and kale (back by popular demand)

Week 3:

Chicken Broccoli stir-fry in almond butter sauce

Turnip latkes with crispy braised lamb

Zucchini bacon frittata and roasted butternut squash

Almond-crusted chicken tenders and Sicilian style Swiss chard

So if anyone out there wants to look like Mark Sisson but hates to cook, I would love to cook for you!

And why would you want me to cook, you ask?

• $10 per dish is a steal
• All dishes are made from scratch, including components such as chicken stock and tomato sauce.
• I like to dance while I cook.

That last one always makes the food taste better.