Day 25: A Beautiful Day!

Today was such a beautiful day (at least most of it)! I am so glad I had the opportunity to get outside and enjoy a little bit of sun and warmth! Can't wait until spring and especially summer. I am definitely a warm weather person. My ideal location to live is Arizona. I have always known that I am someone who craves the sunlight and the past 8 weeks on maternity leave have really reinforced that. This is my first (and only)winter baby. My other two were born in the summer. I think a big part of my recovery after the first two was sunlight and warmth. I know that I have been lucky that this winter hasn't been as rough as usual, but there is such a big difference in how I feel on days that it is sunny out (even if it is a little chilly). We try to get outside as much as we can, but when it is cold it is rough, especially with an infant. Here's hoping we have a warm spring!
Breakfast: Leftover turkey stir fry

Snack: Banana

Lunch: Sweet potato and turkey slices

Snack: Cashews and some apple slices

Dinner: Apple Shallot Pork Chops (Everyday Paleo, 94). I never realized I like pork of any kind until this past month. The recipe was great and Scott made a tasty side dish of jicama, carrots and some olive oil. It is so nice when something so simple tastes so good!

Day 24: Great Balls of Dates!

Sorry for the delay in the posting of Day 24. Yesterday was a busy evening. I went to my first Tai Chi class. I was the youngest person there by about 25 years =) It was an hour long class and the teacher was wonderful. She took us through slow deliberate movements that were more challenging than they looked. By the end, I was exhausted. Will I go back? Absolutely!

Breakfast: 2 eggs, 2 pieces of bacon and a couple of strawberries

Snack: Blueberries and Almond butter and apple slices

Lunch: Turkey stir fry with mixed veggies (asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.)

Snack: An avocado and a couple dried apricots

Dinner: Easy Skillet Scallops and Spinach (Everyday Paleo, 105). This was a yummy easy meal. I love scallops and the kids even enjoyed them (it was a bit harder to get them to eat the spinach). We made them some veggie fried rice just in case they didn't eat the scallops, but they actually ended up eating both.

Dessert: Great Balls of Dates (Everyday Paleo, 218). I know that dates don't necessarily go with scallops, but this was a fun little dessert option that I have been looking forward to trying since I got the book. It involves medjool dates (seeds removed), almond butter, coconut flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, cinnamon and coconut flakes. They were actually pretty tasty and not as sweet as I imagined they would be. The kids thought they were fun and are looking forward to having a couple more tonight.

Day 23: Listening to your body

I have found that one of the keys to this way of eating is to tailor it to what your body needs. That requires us to do something that many of us are not very used to doing...listening to our bodies. Now that I have been eating this way for a few weeks I realize that I feel better with more carbs. During the past two years or so I have gotten very used to pairing carbs with a fat or protein to keep my blood sugar in check. Now I am starting to to realize that my body can handle some berries on their own to help give me the extra carbs I need.  I also pay attention to how I feel after eating or drinking something. I have taken a few days off coffee (even decaf) because I never feel quite right after I drink it (not sure why). One of the podcasts I was listening to from the Paleo Summit reminded me that we may need to tweak the way we eat every now and then to meet our energy needs. It also reminded me that this way of eating is not the same for everyone. One person may need more carbs than another to keep them balanced. This is especially true for those who are working out. My brother does well with juicing so typically one of his meals is a juice. I am not sure how I would do with that. I would like to try more smoothies for a snack (using almond or coconut milk). One thing I like about this way of eating is there is no counting points, fats, calories or carbs. It is eating in a way that works best for you. I will need to continue to experiment and tweak this plan as I go to find out what makes me feel best.

Breakfast: Leftover frittata (early morning) and left over chicken from the night before.

Snack: Handful of blueberries

Lunch: Steamed veggies and canned salmon

Snack: Handful of walnuts, an avocado and 3 small dried apricots

Dinner: Grilled Lamb Burgers (Everyday Paleo, 88), sweet potato and garlic orange broccoli. This is definitely one of my new favorite meals and something I probably would never have tried if I wasn't eating this way. AJ is still a huge fan of lamb burgers too! We have been buying a pound of ground lamb, which makes about 4 patties but I think we will have to increase this. Alexis loved the sweet potatoes and went to town with them today but she still ate some broccoli and burger.

Tomorrow: A scallop dinner....

Day 22: Sunday Family Dinner

Some people have been asking me how I feel now that I have been eating this way for 3 weeks. Overall, my energy has improved. I wake up in the morning with more energy than I should having an infant. I often wake up before the rest of the family. My lifelong stomach issues have subsided. I have lost all my baby weight plus some. Also, my blood pressure is getting really close to getting back in the normal range. It is nice to feel really good about how you are eating, especially when nursing. I am still playing around with getting enough calories and carbs (while nursing) and my anxiety issues are still a work in progress. My husband noticed that I have more energy and am in a better mood lately (when my anxiety isn't kicking in). I have found that eating alone can't do it all. Paleo/Primal eating should be part of a complete healthy lifestyle including fitness, stress relief, good sleep and plenty of sunshine (and anything else you think would fit in there). I am starting to add in some anxiety reduction techniques such as acupuncture and energy work and am even going to start a Tai Chi class tomorrow. Lastly, I am going to join a fitness center so I can start getting some light cardio before I venture into the Cross Fit arena.

One other thing I want to mention is that there is a free online Paleo Summit going on for the next several days. All you need to give is your e-mail and you will be able to access the podcasts. Yesterday  was Day 1. The podcasts from Day 1 will be up for a little while longer (they had some technical problems early one so they extended Day 1 for a short while). Even if you have missed Day 1 you can still catch the rest. Day 2's speakers look really interesting. In fact, one of them is Sarah Fragoso, the author of the book I am using a lot. I think each day's podcasts are generally up for 24 hours. Check out the Paleo Summit website for more details.

Breakfast: This morning we made the breakfast Frittata For All (Everyday Paleo, 183) again. It was very yummy and filling. I am still amazed at how much it fluffs up in the oven. I also ate a leftover Paleo Apple Muffin from yesterday (Everyday Paleo, 214).

After breakfast a friend came over to see the new baby and we went out for coffee to get some quiet time and chat. It was so nice to see her and chat. I had decaf coffee with my own Stevia sweetener and I brought some cashews to munch on because I knew all the yummy food in the coffee house would tempt me.

Lunch: Kids Love Cabbage Slaw (Everyday Paleo, 134) and some sliced turkey and roast beef (low sodium)

Snack: Apple Slices and almond butter

Dinner:  My brother, his wife, and a couple friends came over for dinner yesterday. We made Lemongrass and Coconut Chicken (Nom Nom Paleo). Our guests made sauteed mushrooms, and seasoned asparagus (paprika and garlic powder). All of the food was so tasty. The chicken was a lot better than I had anticipated. Everyone loved it and we probably should have made more. It was a nice dinner with great conversation. Scott and I have grown to really enjoy our Sunday dinners with family and even some friends. It is also nice to hang out with my brother who is so motivating about the Paleo and Crossfit lifestyle. He has truly embraced it and the changes in him are many. Of course he has gotten himself into very good shape physically, but his mood and energy have improved dramatically too. All of that together has him feeling very good about himself and life.

Dessert: My brother made fried bananas in coconut oil with cinnamon and honey. They also brought Trader Joe's Creme Brulee and Flourless Chocolate Cake. I had some of the bananas and a bite of the cake. I really don't miss the processed desserts much anymore (the kids were incredibly excited to have them though). The bananas will be a nice addition to our dessert menu in the future.

Day 21: Muffins and More...

Breakfast: My sweet tooth has been kicking lately, so for breakfast we made some Paleo Apple Muffins (Everyday Paleo, 214). The recipe called for almond meal, and included some apples and bananas. The kids thought they were great, though Scott was not a fan. I enjoyed them very much. Generally the texture of gluten free grains is different than that of gluten grains so it can take a bit to get used to. I think that so much of how we eat is habit and preconceived notions of what we like and don't like. I also believe it is possible to retrain our mind and our taste buds to accept a new way of eating. Things like this challenge and even fasting help our minds and taste buds to reprogram and get used to a new way of eating. After eating this way for just 21 days, I am able to more fully appreciate the sweetness of fruits and vegetables on their own (even steamed broccoli). I am also able to appreciate the sweetness of dark chocolate (with a really high percentage of cocoa), where as before I needed the highly processed and highly sugared milk chocolate to satisfy my cravings. If you don't believe me, try it for yourself. You can try it with the heavy hitters like salt or sugar. Make a commitment to eating less processed or better yet no processed food for 2 weeks (it doesn't have to be Paleo or gluten free) and see how you feel. Also, check out this site my friend sent to me. It is not a Paleo/Primal site, but it has plenty of ideas for eating healthier in general. I believe in the Paleo and Primal lifestyle, but for those who don't buy in yet or are just not interested in it, here are some other ways to improve your nutrition. The site is called 100 Days of Real Food. Let me know what you think! By the way, if you do want to know more rationale behind the Paleo template a great site to check out is FitBomb: Why I Eat Paleo.

Eating Well
Fitness Blackbook

Snack: Avocado and blueberries

Lunch: Boar's Head Gluten Free Lower Sodium Turkey, fresh beets, and steamed veggies

Dinner: Asparagus Stuffed Chicken Breasts (Everyday Paleo, 55)- This recipe was a hit with the kids. It contained butterflied chicken stuffed with ham pieces and asparagus. The recipe called for some butter, but we used ghee (clarified butter). The butterflying of the chicken was a bit scary as I prayed Scott wouldn't slice his hand, but it was well worth it. We made 4 chicken breasts for our family and should have made more. We also had Baked Curry Cauliflower (Everyday Paleo, 121), which was fantastic. It had a great flavor and a bit of a kick. Alexis did well with it, AJ wasn't a fan and Scott and I couldn't get enough. The ingredients were super easy: cauliflower, coconut oil, curry powder, garlic powder, and turmeric.

Dessert: Sliced mango. It really hit the spot after the kick in the cauliflower dish

Day 20: And 10 to Go!

It's hard to believe it is time to plan another menu for the week. 20 days have come and gone.

If you notice on many of the recipes we use coconut flour, coconut oil or coconut milk. There is also coconut water that even comes sweetened in different flavors like mango and chocolate. Not sure if coconut oil is Paleo or just Primal, but in my mind it doesn't really matter. Coconut had a bad reputation for awhile, but many of the experts are starting to come around and recognize some of the health benefits it can provide in moderation. I personally will use some coconut milk in my coffee and I really enjoy drinking coconut water.

A few links:
 Huffington post
 Livestrong.com
 Mark's Daily Apple
 Mark's Daily Apple (2)

Breakfast: Paleo Pancakes. The recipe is from the book Paleo Pals: Jimmy and the Carrot Rocket Ship by Sarah Fragoso. Alexis and my dad loved helping to make these yummy very kid friendly pancakes made with coconut flour, cinnamon, vanilla, eggs, coconut milk and even bananas. They were definitely a hit. Alexis and AJ helped mash the bananas and Alexis added most of the ingredients in the bowl and loved to mix it all up! Sometimes it is hard for me to let her help because it usually ends up more messy, but I know it is so important and she loves doing it. It is also a great way for us to bond. AJ was a little grumpy this morning so he wasn't as interested in helping as usual. I don't force it. It took a few tries to get the feel for how long they needed to be cooked, but once we did they were great!  I also had leftover turkey stir fry with them to get some extra protein.

Lunch: Canned salmon and a salad with some fresh beets. I also had a banana.

Dinner: Homemade bison burgers made from ground bison meat, garlic powder and a little oregano. We also had some steamed zucchini, a small salad and some sweet potato fries (sliced sweet potatoes cooked in the oven with a little olive oil and a little cinnamon). It was a very simple, yet easy dinner to finish off the week.

Day 19: Paleo Pasta!

I had a question about what role nuts play in the Paleo way of eating. It is really up to the individual. I probably rely on nuts more than the average person because I am trying to make sure I get enough calories while nursing, I love nuts (especially cashews and almond butter), and quite frankly they are just so easy to eat on the go. Nuts and seeds are suggested in moderation for this way of eating. If people are trying to lose weight or get healthy from a chronic illness than then they should be eaten in very small amounts or not at all. There are plenty of recipes out there that do not contain nuts of any kind. We have been using Paleo cookbooks as guides, but we are also looking at gluten free cookbooks and tweaking. A lot of recipes call for coconut flour or oil (we also use almond flour), but remember that coconuts are not actually nuts.

Breakfast: Avocado

Snack: Apple slices and almond butter

Lunch: Turkey stir-fry with zucchinni, summer squash and mushrooms and a steamed sweet potato). A steamed sweet potato is my dad's new favorite thing.

Snack: Almonds

Dinner: Spahgetti Squash Pasta with homeade Paleo pasta sauce (Paleo Comfort Foods, 122), chicken breast, and steamed veggies. Scott had to work overtime so our family stayed at my parents house for the evening. My mom had a spaghetti squash she wanted to try so dinner was planned. We had never tried spaghetti squash before and I must say that it was incredibly good. I loved it, the parents loved it and the kids loved it. Of course it is not the same as regular spaghetti and sauce, but it is a fun substitute. There is a little bit of sweetness to it and it was fabulous with the tomato sauce my mom had made previously and frozen.

1. Cut squash lengthwise 2. Take out all the seeds and excess stringy stuff from the inside. 3. Put olive oil in bottom of pan. 4. Put it in skin side up. 5. Cook for 40 minutes at 375 (or until the skin is soft when pricked with a fork. 6. When done take out of oven and let cool 5-10 minutes 7. Take a fork and scrape out the insides into a large bowl. 8. If you choose, add any other ingredients.

There are a lot of recipes out there that include many flavorings or seasonings. We just just ate the squash with the tomato sauce. It had a great flavor on it's own.

Dessert: Jicama (what is jicama?) and fresh organic strawberries. We just dicovered jicama. It is a very interesting vegetable that has a nice crunch to it. We ate it plain, but I could see dipping it in guacomole, salsa, almond butter, or any other sauce. You could also put it in a fruit salad.

I am excited that I have two new foods to add to our favorite foods list: spaghetti squash and jicama!

Day 18: Did Somebody Say Brussel Sprouts 'N' Bacon?

It is hard to believe 18 days has passed. It just occurred to me that I have gone 18 days (actually probably a little more than that) without a Coke. I used to love to get a small Coke from McDonalds. It was my addiction. There is something about the taste of it when Mconalds makes it. I always felt slightly guilty after drinking one, but felt it was out of my control to change. It was my go to drink when I was stressed out, which was pretty often. Giving up Coke hasn't been has difficult as I thought it would be. I feel like the way I progressed to this point really has helped the transition to Paleo in general. I did it somewhat slowly. Before I even knew what Paleo was, I ate gluten free so I was always used to eating different than most others. I did still eat other gluten free grains which always messed with my blood sugar. Then after the baby was born, my blood pressure was high so I started watching salt in my foods. I realized than that the salt content in most processed foods is really high. My usual gluten free waffle and cheese sandwich (cheese actual contains a lot of salt) became a potential threat to me so I stopped eating it. I laid off the Coke and caffeine. I decreased my sugar intake.  I never really drank real milk (we used mostly almond milk) but I loved my Chobani yogurt. It took two extra weeks, but I finally stopped eating that too. For me, it was a small price to pay to regain my health. I don't really miss it now, because there are so many other yummy foods that I have replaced it with.

One of the best things about this way of eating is it doesn't really feel like a diet to me. I feel like there is still such a variety of food I can eat and a variety of ways that I can make the food tasty. I usually feel full and sometimes even worry I am not getting enough calories. It also helps that I have a lot of support. This has definitely been a family affair. My parents are trying their hand at Paleo eating, Scott has done a good portion of the Paleo cooking and has even played photographer, and my brother has provided a great deal of information and motivation throughout this process. I am hoping to have Brian (my brother) do a guest blog soon to talk about his experiences with eating Paleo. He is the one who introduced Paleo to us and motivated us to give Paleo a try.

My Favorite Chef!

Breakfast: Leftover Pecan Chicken and leftover steamed veggies
Snack: Apple slices and cashews
Lunch: Scrambled eggs,  bacon and a banana
Snack: Raisins and blueberries
Dinner: Everyday Meatloaf (Everyday Paleo, 65) and Brussel Sprouts 'N' Bacon (Everyday Paleo, 147). I am not a meatloaf person, but I have to say the meatloaf was very good. Scott said the ingredients are pretty similiar to a regular meatloaf, except we used almond meal for the flour. The only thing we would have changed was that the meatloaf didn't stick together as well as we would have like. The surprise of the evening, however, was the brussel sprouts. I don't think I have ever had brussel sprouts before. If I have they were very forgetable. These brussel sprouts were so yummy! I actually had 3 helpings!

Yummy Brussel Sprouts 'N' Bacon

Paloe Meatloaf

Day 17: Just Breathe

As you may have noticed, some days in this Paleo Challenge have been more exciting than others food wise. I think this is pretty realistic in that I am looking to take Paleo living from this challenge to my everyday life. When I go back to work, we are not going to spend as much time on recipes and "special" meals. We will probably do a lot more basic foods throughout the week and leave the special high ingredient/time things for the weekend. Because of the challenge, we will have plenty of "go to" meals that have already been tried out.

In researching information on both Paleo and Primal lifestyles, I have found that both focus heavily on controlling insulin levels and reducing inflammation. Stress can affect insulin levels as well as blood pressure and other things so I have been trying to focus on reducing my stress. Here is a link with further information on stress : The Definitive Guide to Stress, Cortisol and the Adrenals. There are many more out there. As I find ones I like I will share them.

One super easy stress relief technique I recently learned by watching Dr. Weil on the Dr. Oz show is the 4-7-8 breathing method. I have found that this is one thing that has helped me immensely in getting a hold of my anxiety levels and reducing the stress response. Some breathing methods take a long time, a quiet, place, and are very complex. This is just the opposite. There are also 2 other breathing exercises that he explains on his site. I just had to share this. Let me know what you think!

Above is the video with Dr. Weil demonstrating 4-7-8 breathing. I also linked to his site where you can see a written explanation. If you try it let me know what you think! Better yet, try it at least twice a day for a week.

Breakfast: Sausage hash and leftover steamed veggies

Lunch: Green salad with deli meat (gluten free Applegate Farms turkey from Trader Joe's, fresh beets (love beets-you can buy them in ready to eat packages). Steamed veggies, mango. Check out some benefits of beets.

Snack: Canned tuna and cantaloupe, raisins for a later afternoon snack (tiny serving)

Dinner: Pecan Chicken (Everyday Paleo, 43). I know we have already done this one once but it is just SO easy! The recipe only used 4 ingredients (Chicken breast, pecans, honey or agave if you want, and spicy brown mustard).

Dessert: Baked Apples (Everyday Paleo, 209). These were pretty good. We baked apples with some chopped pecans and spices as well as some shredded coconut. The kids shared on for dessert. They weren't in love with the pecans in the filling, but they liked the spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.) There are so many things you can do with this idea to make it your own and tasty. Before I went Paleo, Scott would even put chocolate chips, peanut butter, caramel on top. This can be a fun thing to make on a camping trip, just wrap in foil and put over the fire. Yum! Reminds me of summer. Can't wait!

Day 16: Ginger CItrus Skillet Chicken

Today was a fairly simple day foodwise. Very easy for a Monday.
Breakfast: 2 egg muffins and leftover sausage hash

Snack: Apple slices and almond butter

Lunch: Lunch with the parents. They made a pork tenderloin yesterday and had some leftovers, which Alexis and I were happy to take care of. The pork was great. Alexis had several helpings. We paired the pork with some steamed broccoli which really hit the spot.

Snack: 1/2 avocado, some cashews, banana

Dinner:  Ginger Citrus Skillet Chicken (Everyday Paleo, 49): This was a very yummy and simple dish. Some of the ingredients in the dish were chicken thighs, mushrooms, bell pepper, green onions, 1 medium orange (we used 2), and basil. There were some others as well. We served the chicken on top of kale, which is becoming one of my favorite greens (high in calcium too). Scott said that this recipe might be in his top five when this challenge is through.

Day 15: Halfway There!

Can't believe today is the halfway mark of the challenge! So far it has been going really well. We have discovered some great recipes and really bonded as a family throughout the process.

Breakfast: Leftover egg muffins and a leftover tortilla

Snack: Lara Bar/apple slices

Lunch: Ginger Shrimp Sald (Everyday Paleo, 123). This was one meal that I thought was just OK. It called for arugula lettuce which I wasn't a huge fan of and the tast was a little bland. Scott seemed to enjoy it though. As Scott said "it's very earthy." The kids were also not big fans of this and we ended up making them a separate lunch. I know I said we usually don't do that and it is true. This was a special situation where I should have known they wouldn't like it when we made it.

Snack: Cashews/banana

Dinner: Perfect Pork Pot Roast (Everyday Paleo, 93). We invited Scott's parents over for dinner. They happened to have a pork roast and we had a recipe so we put it together and it was amazing. I was a little hesitant about the sauce at first but it really made the dish. It is a bit labor intensive to make as there were a lot of steps. It included a lot of veggies like carrots, and celery and onions that needed to be chopped as well. We paired the truly "perfect" pork chops with a salad that Scott's mom made and bacon-wrapped asparagus. Easiest recipe ever - just wrap bacon around asparagus and pop in the oven under the broiler. It hit the spot. The kids would have had several helpings of those if we would have let them. By the way, the kids loved the pork roast (especially the sauce)!

Dessert: For our dessert we used a recipe that one of our friends passed on to us for a banana "ice cream" called Banana Soft Serve. No I did not completely jump ship and go for the dairy. It was just bananas that were frozen and then food processed until they are light and fluffy. It really looked and tasted like ice cream. We also made a little chocolate sauce using agave nectar, organic raw cocoa powder and a little water to loosen it up. I cut up some fresh blueberries and strawberries to top it. Now I know this does not officially fit in with the Paleo challenge, but I did have some in moderation. We loved it, and the kids loved and you never would have been able to guess it wasn't ice cream. Tough on the food processor though. When we get our new and improved food processor and the challenge is over we will definitely try it again!

Day 14: Paleo Fajitas Yum!

Breakfast: This morning we made Karina's Sausage Hash (Everyday Paleo, 90). It is such an easy recipe for a different type of meal. It is a little sweet but has a protein to balance it. The only ingredients are ground pork sausage, yams or sweet potatoes, some coconut oil and cinnamon. It is so easy to make. If you don't like pork sausage I am sure that you can substitute another meat. We also made some Egg Cupcakes (Everyday Paleo, 185). The recipe makes 18-20 cupcakes and we went through almost ten quickly this morning. Alexis and AJ each had 3. They are a quick and easy meal to take on the go and you can pretty much put whatever you want in them. We put in eggs, bacon, zucchini, red leaf lettuce (we ran out of spinach), and roasted red and yellow peppers.

After breakfast we hit up Costco, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's to get all of our supplies for the week. It was a bit pricey, but will calm down after the challenge is over. The kids don't love our grocery trips, but they do love all the samples. I even had some fruit samples at Costco today.

Lunch: By the time we got home it was already lunch time. We made our "go-to" turkey stir fry with ground turkey, frozen carrots and frozen asparagus. We threw some garlic, pepper and other spices in to make it interesting. So easy!

AJ and I even got to have some alone time today. We went to a store that has a play area. It was so nice to spend time with him. He is getting so big so quickly! And I'm sure Scott enjoyed the time with his girls.

Dinner: By the time we got home from our "date" it was time for dinner. We made Paleo fajitas. Scott used chicken breast, chile powder, cumin, garlic powder, water, olive oil, frozen peppers and onions. We also had some chopped tomatoes and onions to put on and some homemade guacamole. The kids had regular store-bought corn tortillas and I had some homemade almond flour tortillas that were pretty tasty. Overall a great meal. AJ was a huge fan and Alexis did pretty well with them. I found the tortilla recipe from a website called Real Grubbin.

Day 13: Paleo Pals!

I am so excited! The author of the Everyday Paleo (the book I am using for most of my recipes) just came out with a kids book called Paleo Pals: Jimmy and the Carrot Rocket Ship.

Just got this book in the mail and have already read it to AJ and Alexis. It is such a cute story about super hero kids (Paleo Pals) who come to help a boy named Jimmy learn about eating healthy food. It talks a little about Paleo, but it mostly focuses on eating healthy, whole, unprocessed foods. It encourages kids to get in the kitchen with their parents to help make and take ownership of the food they are eating. It also contains some very kid friendly recipes. AJ loved it! It was a little long for Alexis. We have not transitioned the kids to Paleo yet, even at home. They do eat mostly Paleo dinners with us though. They eat what we serve. If they don't want it they don't have to eat it, but we are not going to make a special meal for them. We have been having dinner that way long before this Paleo Challenge started. I am hoping this book might help them to start learning more about the food they eat and how it affects their bodies. AJ has a 4 bite "no thank you" rule at his school that I just learned about. If he is served something at school that he doesn't want he has to take 4 bites ("no thank you bites") and then he can "move on." Cute idea that we will incorporate at home. We always tell him that just because he doesn't like something one day doesn't mean he won't like it the next.

Breakfast:  I started the morning with scrambled eggs with mushrooms and zucchini.

Snack: Apple Flowers (Everyday Paleo, 207): some almond butter, apple slices, blueberries, and cinnamon. It was a nice little snack that Alexis enjoyed. She especially liked the blueberries.

Lunch: Leftover lasagna (Paleo) from earlier this week and some steamed veggies (also left over from this week).

Snack: Half an avocado and a banana.

Dinner: Skillet Salmon with Baby Bok Choy (Everyday Paleo, 103) and a salad: This was an incredibly tasty meal. Alexis had 3 servings of it. We substituted kale for the bok choy because I forgot to put bok choy on the menu. It worked just fine. This recipe used fish sauce, which we had never tried before, honey, sesame oil, chives, chili oil, bok choy (or kale) and some cashews (on top). The flavors were just fabulous. I would have had a lot more but then we realized that fish sauce is loaded with sodium so I stuck to one serving. This is something we will probably try to make once a month. We most likely would have had it more if it had a little less salt (I am still watching my sodium intake). AJ took some "no thank you" bites and then moved on to several helpings of the salad. He is still insistent that he doesn't like salmon. Highly recommend this dish!

Dessert: Fresh mango

Day 12: Yummy Burgers!

Though I have been basing my eating off of the stricter Paleo template, I have also been incorporating some of the ideas from the Primal template. I call them templates because the word diet seems so temporary to me. I know that this is the way I will eat for the rest of my life. I just can't go back. I may stray here and there, but I will continue to follow the basic ideas of the template.  I am still looking for a link to a very clear chart that can show the differences between the two (Paleo and Primal).

One book that I have really enjoyed reading is The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson. He also has a blog I read everyday called Marks Daily Apple. In his book he shares 10 Primal Blueprint Laws: Eat lots of plants and animals, avoid poisonous things, move frequently at a slow pace, lift heavy things, sprint once in awhile, get adequate sleep, play, get adequate sunlight, avoid stupid mistakes and use your brain. His book reminded me especially of how important sleep, sunlight, and play are and I have been trying to incorporate them into my challenge.

 Before you read this next part it is important that you know I am not a doctor, nor do I claim to be. Always check with your doctor before starting a diet or exercise regimen. I am just passing on some information that I have read because sometimes this way of eating can be hard to understand in the beginning. It actually ends up being very simple.

General guidelines for the Paleo/Primal templates (for an average person):
-Eat eat mostly if not all whole, unprocessed foods.
-Focus on eating good quality vegetables (leave out white potatoes-sweet potatoes are OK in moderation).
-Eat good quality meat, fish, and eggs
-Eat in moderation (depending on your level of health and weight loss goals) nuts and seeds and fruits (no this is not Atkins).
-We use a mixture of Paleo and Primal approved oil like coconut oil and olive oil. Other choices might be sesame oil and avocado oil. No Canola oil or vegetable oils.
-Leave out all grains, legumes, and dairy (the Primal template allows for some high quality dairy if your body can digest it well), and sugars (even brown sugar).
-There are some exceptions to these guidelines that I won't go into now.

With all that being said, there are so many slightly different takes on this type of eating that most people find a level that is comfortable for them. You really learn to listen to your body and what it is telling you. When I feel like a certain food is causing me problems, I cut it out for a week or two (completely-no cheating) and see how I feel. Then I add it back in slowly and see how you feel. I try to remember that food intolerance's might not show up immediately. It could take a few days to see the effects of the food I added back in (if there are any). I have heard gluten needs to be left out longer because it takes longer for the gut to heal from it.

On to the day:

Breakfast: Leftover turkey stir fry. Leftovers are an easy way to get a good breakfast.

Snack: Doctor's appointment so I brought a Lara Bar and some almonds.

Lunch: Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Slaw (Everyday Paleo, 133). This was a great recipe that Scott and I both really enjoyed. Some of the ingredients it contained were cabbage, chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and apples. I can't even describe it. It had such a nice mix of tastes including sweet. You need to use precooked chicken so have it ready if you want a quicker meal. I will definitely use again (especially when I go back to work).

Snack: 3/4 of an avocado and a small box of raisins

Dinner: Grilled lamb burgers (Everyday Paleo, 88) and steamed veggies. Yes, you read that right- lamb. I am proud to say that I made most of this (with Scott's guidance). It was such an easy recipe with ground lamb, onions, garlic, some fresh mint, 1 egg, and other spices. I just mixed up the ingredients, made them into patties and put them in the oven. The recipe called for it to be grilled but we ended up broiling them and they were still fabulous (loved the hint of mint in them). AJ even said he wanted these "every day" and "every night." Always a sign of a good recipe and fairly quick to make. Now I can take what I learned from this recipe and make regular burgers too.

Sweet treat: Cantaloupe. I love that cantaloupe still counts as a dessert for my little guys =)

Day 10 & 11: V-Day and More!

Due to Valentine's Day yesterday and a little too much wine, I am a day late on my blog. So, I decided to put Day 10 and Day 11 together.

Yesterday was Valentine's Day. Breakfast was a turkey (ground turkey) stir-fry. Simple and really easy to make for an inexperienced chef like me. Alexis and I took a trip to Rose's Wheat Free Bakery. It is still one of my favorite places to eat. It is a completely gluten free bakery/cafe in Evanston, IL. It also offers other options, such as dairy free.The food is wonderful and when I was just limiting gluten it always felt so good to walk in there and know I could order anything off the menu. Now that I am eating Paleo, I will use Rose's on special occasions and enjoy it thoroughly when I do. I bought pita bread there for our dinner date later that evening. It is wonderful that so many more restaurants are having gluten free options, I just wish more had gluten free bread too (Wildfire does by the way). Alexis and I indulged in a sweet treat at Rose's. Alexis got a cookie and I got a gluten free, dairy free, lemon cupcake. I ate half of it. It was pretty tasty. Then Lex and I went home and had leftover chicken soup for lunch. We shared an avocado for a snack and then right before dinner I had a tiny box of raisins for a pick me up.

Scott and I went to Francesca's North. It was our 3rd year in a row going there for Valentine's Day. Randomly, this year my brother and his wife made reservations for the same restaurant at the same time. Quite the coincidence (no, we didn't end up sitting together). Francesca's has a nice gluten free menu. They even have some tasty gluten free desserts. As I wrote in my provisions of the challenge on Day 1, I did not follow Paleo for dinner. I did however, order off of the gluten free menu. I brought my pita and had some while waiting for food in place of the bread they offered. I also had a couple glasses of red wine. The dinner was fabulous. We had carpaccio for an appetizer. Yes, I actually ate raw meat. I had a shrimp and scallop meal with spinach, mushrooms and tomato for the entree. We also shared a gluten free creme brulee (my favorite) and a flour less chocolate cake. We really indulged!  The desserts were so yummy I tried to savor every bite. I highly recommend the restaurant; the food and service were great. The dinner flew by so quickly, I wanted time to slow down. It was so nice having some time alone with Scott. I think we also both enjoyed eating out for a change.

Unfortunately, the food choices of the night were not without their consequences. I felt the alcohol more than normal (due to both the challenge and nursing). I did not sleep well and when I woke up I had a bit of an upset stomach. My body felt really off today. My anxiety level was sky high (possibly from the wine and the sugar spike and drop from the desserts). I just felt really off. I am not saying it wasn't worth it; it was at the time. I just think I learned that next time I will go a little easier on the sweets and the wine. Two desserts may have been a bit much, even if we shared them.

Day 11: Today, I just wanted to get back on track. I had scrambled eggs and a few slices of bacon for breakfast. For lunch, I had a very nice veggie stir fry that my dad made and a few slices of gluten free Boorshead turkey. For a quick stir fry we use frozen veggies from Costco or Trader Joe's. I had some nuts, a Lara Bar, a banana, and apple slices as snacks throughout the day. For dinner, Scott made Hasta La Vista Pasta Lasagna (Everyday Paleo, 86) and a salad. We are very lucky that our kids love salads. AJ usually has seconds and even thirds. Today was no different. We used ground beef and ground pork for the meat. The recipe called for Italian Sausage instead of the pork, but I was hoping to lower the salt content by going with the pork. Instead of lasagna noodles, zucchini slices divided the layers. A mandolin would have come in handy to slice the zucchinis thinly lengthwise. We will have to plan a trip to Bed, Bath and Beyond soon. The lasagna was very good (Scott thinks the Italian Sausage would have given it more of a kick). AJ said he liked this lasagna more than regular lasagna. I don't know if I would go that far, but it could definitely grow on me. For dessert we each had two unsweetened dried apricots. On to Day 12!

Day 9: Less Difficult Than it May seem

A few people have commented that my blog makes it seem like this way of eating is really difficult. Truthfully, the way I am doing the challenge takes a little more work and effort because I am following a recipe book. The recipes we are using require some preparation and involve several specific ingredients, which takes more time. I am also not very experienced in the kitchen so it takes longer. With a little more practice the prep time should decrease.

I also have to plan what I will eat when I go out so that I am prepared with snacks or food options. Experts in nutrition recommend bringing your lunch and snacks if you are trying to eat healthier. So it seems that would be a given in any "diet." My OB actually said she brings her lunch on most days because she has more control over eating healthy. She is able to balance her nutrients and her portion size.

But in reality, this challenge is not as difficult as I may have made it seem. There are ways to simplify the recipes so that they are less time consuming and even less expensive. Taking a little time on the weekends to prepare things we  need for the week can go a long way when we are just too tired to do a lot of cooking after work. For those who like quick snacks, you can actually buy Primal and Paleo snack packs. Two online places to buy them are Steve's Original and Primal Pacs (if you are limiting or watching salt content you may want to go easy on these though). Also, Trader Joe's has almonds in small little serving bags that can be used easily. I think the point is that it is all very doable, it just takes a little practice.

As for the actual eating part, it hasn't been extremely difficult for me to not eat certain foods. I don't really crave them very much because I know I could eat them if I really wanted to. As I read in some of the books, there is a kind of momentum that builds and after awhile you don't want those foods (at all or as much) anymore.

Today, for breakfast I had 2 eggs scrambled and some apple slices. For a snack I actually just had a spoonful of almond butter (not the best snack but time effective). For lunch I planned on having Salmon Rolls (Everyday Paleo, 199) which involve salmon (canned), zucchini and some spices. I realized that I didn't have a mandoline, nor did I know what one was. I guess it is something that can slice things thinly-like the zucchini that I needed. So I modified the recipe and just chopped the zucchini and mixed it in with the salmon and the mix. It was still tasty. We will be looking into getting a mandoline though, because this would be a great recipe to take to school for lunch. It was easy to make and filling.

For dinner we made a Red Curry Beef Stew (Everyday Paleo, 165) in the slow cooker with some Thai red curry paste and sweet potatoes and cabbage. Scott prepped the veggies and I put everything in when it was time. Well, actually my mom helped with the very raw stew meat-yuck!. I will have to get better with the whole raw meat issue. Overall, it was such an easy meal for us to make. A couple hours after everything was in it smelled soooo yummy in our house. My mouth was watering and
I couldn't wait for it to be ready. We didn't know what to expect because neither Scott nor I had tried Thai red curry paste before. Turns out, you couldn't really taste it. The recipe said to half it if you didn't want as much of a kick. So I did. We probably didn't need to. We ended up putting the Thai red curry paste on the side and kind of dunked the meat in a little to get the taste. Scott really liked the sauce and said he will use it for a lot of things in the future. I thought it was OK. Scott also sauteed some spinach and mushrooms with some lemon pepper and garlic. That was incredibly yummy.

I am looking forward to Valentine's Day tomorrow!

Day 8: Paleo Brings the Family Together

Week 2 begins! We woke up this morning and we made some pumpkin pancakes from our Paleo Comfort Foods book. They were OK, but a little watery. It can be tough to get the hang of working with gluten free flours (this one is made from almond flour). After breakfast we went to Whole Foods and Trader Joe's to shop for the week. It is so much easier to shop when you have a menu and shopping list to work with. This week was a little more expensive because we have some special meats on the menu. Scott is OK with the added expense for now and once the 30 days are up we will probably calm down on the specialty meals a little. I remind myself that while it may be a little more expensive now, we are not eating out as much for family dinners (or taking in) and I am not eating out as much for breakfast or lunch when I am home with the kids. 

We made BLT's (Everyday Paleo) for an early lunch (minus the bread-we used lettuce to wrap it) which was tasty, but was not filling enough to stand alone as a snack unless we increased the portions. 

We also had some random veggies left over from last week so we made a soup. The soup contained gluten free low sodium chicken stock, celery, mushrooms, carrots, parsnips, green onions, zucchini, bacon, chicken, crushed garlic, basil and black pepper. It was fabulous. The kids absolutely LOVED it! 

For dinner we planned a Paleo family dinner with my parents, my family, my brother and his wife, and my brother's friend and his girlfriend. My parents made yummy pot roast from the Paleo Comfort Foods book with lots of veggies and also some stir fried veggies. We made some mashed cauliflower (kind of like mashed potatoes). My brother made cinnamon sweet potatoes. My brother's friend and girlfriend made gluten free cupcakes (not sure if they are Paleo because they included dark chocolate which probably contained dairy). They also included my favorite allergen free chocolate chips (Enjoy Life brand). I ate half a cupcake. The cupcakes were ridiculously yummy and probably a sweet treat that I will eat again after the 30 day challenge. As I posted in my challenge goals-I am not going to feel bad about a treat now and then. I ate it and enjoyed it and am back on the challenge. Overall, the meal was fabulous! Everyone enjoyed eating good food and engaging in great conversation. Paleo has definitely brought our family closer.

Day 7: One Week Complete!

Wow! I can't believe today is Day 7 of my Paleo Challenge. The week has gone by pretty quickly. We had a very busy morning getting many items together (clothes, blankets, accessories) to take some professional pictures of the kids and family. It was great that we had the Frittata in the fridge from last night. Did I mention that the Frittata was one of my absolute favorite meals so far this week? Check out the picture that I just added to my Day 6 post. Since we were going to be away from home for the morning I grabbed some nuts and one of my kid's veggie pouches (the squeezeable ones). I know they are not low in fructose, but they are an easy pick me up if I need it. I also packed some water. I find that between nursing and eating this way I am in a constant struggle to stay optimally hydrated. T

he pictures were fun and our kids (and the photographer) did a great job. One of our friends is a professional photographer so she took them for us. It was a fairly stress-free situation and she was fabulous with the kids. After the pictures, all of us went to Whole Foods Market-Lincoln Park. It was the biggest Whole Foods I have been in. There is even a food court in it with a ton of options. It would have been nice to walk around and check everything out but nap time was getting close so we just got our food and ate upstairs in the seating area. I went straight for the salad bars and food areas that have all the ingredients labeled. I found a ton of options that looked fabulous and filled quickly filled my container. The only questionable item in some of the salads was Canola Oil, which is not recommended in the Paleo template that I am using. I decided not to worry about it and enjoyed my food, my friends and family knowing that I still had a very Paleo lunch.

My son has been asked for mac and cheese lately, so AJ and Alexis had gluten free mac and cheese for dinner and Scott and I had Spice It Up Salmon (Everyday Paleo, 100). The fillets contained quite a few spices mixed in that gave them quite the kick. There was a little too much cayenne for my liking (my husband's pinch was a little more like a handful). We also had some steamed veggies, which the kids absolutely love. We tried to make kale chips, but once again we lost track of time and they were burnt (this time Scott did it). I think we will try again today. They are so worth it if we could just figure out the timing of them.

I also sat down and created a meal plan for next week. It does take a lot of work and planning, but it is worth it. This week was easier than I thought. I have cooked more than I ever have and I have been paying attention to how Scott cooks. I even cooked raw chicken for the first time. I have eaten a better variety and quantity of vegetables than I have in my whole life. I am not looking at the scales, but I know that weight wise I am feeling good. I will feel even better now that I can start working out. I feel like I have more energy overall and don't feel bloated and uncomfortable around bed time like I used to (a week without dairy may have helped with that). I hope to continue to see great results (like my blood pressure stabilizing) in the next couple weeks.

Week 2 here I come!

Day 6: Did Someone Say Pizza?

I just wanted to thank my friend for letting me know that a Lara Bar can be technically considered Paleo because of the ingredients. He did remind me that the dates that are included in it are high in fructose which is something the Paleo template tries to limit so as to keep insulin levels regulated. So I will use them sparingly and only when I absolutely need a quick snack. Every day I am learning so much more about nutrition and what works well for my body. I am grateful to have a few people with experience in this area to help guide me. He also reminded me that I had the comment portion on my blog set to sign in. I changed that and now people can comment and not sign in.

Today I woke up and help leftover Moroccan Chicken from last night. It was a small portion, but I thought it would be enough. I also got a craving for a sweet potato so I made one for myself and Alexis. Of course my husband reminded me 10 times not to forget to turn off the stove. Don't worry, I did and I called him after to let him know. He was very relieved.
I then went to the chiropractor and realized when I got home that the sweet potato I had for breakfast was not the best choice to keep my blood sugar stable. By 10:40 am I was feeling those familiar signs of low blood sugar so I quickly had a snack of some canned salmon and yes, a half a Lara Bar. It helped for a little and then kicked in again so I had an early lunch. It consisted of a great salad with carrots, onions, some zucchini I threw in (Scott said that zucchini doesn't go in salads, but I strongly disagree), and some avocado, tomatoes and celery. It was actually pretty filling.

So, the whole sweet potato thing is kind of questionable. They are allowed, but in smaller portions. They aren't recommended for people who are trying to lose weight or regain health. They are recommended for those who workout as a great pick me up. I however, love sweet potatoes and will try to balance them with some higher fat/protein meals when I chose to have them.

We had an outing at AJ's school that serves a pizza dinner so Scott threw together a Frittata pizza for me. It had eggs, bacon, zucchini, onions and some other veggies in it. I had no idea how he would get it to look like a pizza without the bread but low and behold he did! It was fabulous straight out of the oven and now we have breakfast for tomorrow. The outing was at AJ's daycare/preschool and I brought Alexis (Scott stayed home with the baby). They always serve pizza, which I can't understand because all of the kids who go to school there always have pizza for lunch because Friday is Pizza Party Friday there (Aj loves Fridays). Then they go to the family night and have more pizza. So yesterday AJ had 2 pieces of pizza at lunch and 2 at dinner. It is hard to complain though because the food which includes pizza, carrots, dessert and juice or lemonade is free. They also always have a craft that the families can do together. Having family nights is such a good idea and we have really enjoyed them. I must admit when I was getting the pizza for the kids it smelled and looked so good my mouth just started watering. I know, I know I couldn't have eaten it anyway before the challenge, but today it just really looked tempting-no I did not partake =)

yummy frittata

I can't believe that tomorrow is Day 7 and the end of my first week of the challenge. I am secretly excited to plan a new menu (I will use the Everyday Paleo  sample menu template and tweak it) and shop for ingredients. I also know that it is time consuming to go through each recipe and keep track of the ingredients we need. I also get a bit anxious about the cost of the ingredients. I am sure we will pick up some time and money saving tips as we progress through this challenge.

Day 5: Chicken of Chicken

Just a note before I write about my day: I realize that this blog has been mostly about me and my eating throughout the day. One thing I plan to work on is to include more information in this blog for people who might be interested in finding out what Paleo and Primal really mean and entail. There are great books and websites out there which contain all of the research behind this way of eating, including the benefits of it. It also talks about some of the different levels of Paleo. So far, I have put a section on this blog with favorite books and linked them to the authors websites. They are very helpful. I will continue to try and give more information as I progress.

This morning was a bit hectic as I had an early meeting with students at school. I had to be out of the house early and drop off 2 kids at my parents house. I managed to grab some apple slices and some left over turkey stir fry on my way out and ate it at the meeting. I realize that I really need to be more creative with this endeavor, but really I think that what will affect my ability to stay with this will be the ease of doing it. If it is too hard or too ridiculously time consuming I probably wouldn't continue with this way of eating. So I will do my best to ease in and get more creative as I go. Part of the problem is juggling the kids, appointments, and especially a newborn. By the time my back up gets home I am exhausted and he is exhausted which makes it difficult to make some foods in advance.

 For a snack today I had some cashews. For lunch I cut up some avocado and put it in a salad I had already made. I also had half of a banana. I had my 6 week postpartum checkup and realized then that I had not eaten enough. So when I got home I made two scrambled eggs (I know, I know not very exciting). 

Dinner marked the first time I cooked raw chicken and off course I messed up the recipe. The recipe was called Rockin Moroccan Chicken (Everyday Paleo, p.47) and is really mostly a chicken stir fry dish with broccoli, carrots, cumin, cayenne, cinnamon and more. Raw chicken and meats freak me out because when I was younger I was hospitalized for salmonella (not from raw meat but from milk). Either way it was not a fun experience and I don't want to go through it again. I think I was so worried about dealing with raw chicken that I failed to notice the part of the recipe that called for it to be cut up into bite sized pieces. I instead, threw 4 chicken breasts in and just as my confidence was rising I noticed I had made a mistake. Scott of course had to come in and help to cut all the pieces up. He saved the dish and I watched as he completed the meal. Cooking comes so easily for him. He uses recipes but can improvise. He handles a sharp knife well and overall he knows his way around the kitchen. I am learning, but it is a slow process. The Moroccan Chicken turned out great, although we could have used a side. It had more of a kick then I expected but it was still well received. My picky eater AJ even asked for seconds and said he really liked it. That is definitely a plus. We cut up a mango for dessert which actually complimented the meal really nicely.

I am excited that I got the OK to start exercising again. Funny thing is now that I am cleared I don't know where to start. I know I want to get cardio in but don't want to join a fitness center. It's too cold to do much outside (at least in my opinion).  I am not sure if I am ready to start the Cross Fit workouts in my book when I haven't worked out for quite some time and am not sure of the strength of my abs. I guess the best thing to do is jump right in but take it slow. Maybe pull out some of my old fitness videos. My favorite used to be one called Yoga Booty Ballet. I also have a mom/baby yoga video I could try. I am exhausted, I will have to figure it out tomorrow.

Rockin Moroccan Chicken: Easy too make and packs a little punch! 

Day 4: First Day Away

It's hard to believe it has been 6 weeks since Sienna was born. Time has just flown by. I haven't been away from home or her for very long in the past 6 weeks, just short trips to the store or my parents house. Today, I was scheduled to go to work for 2 meetings that spanned a 6 hour period. While it was good to get out and I was secretly excited to see other adults beside my husband and family, it was also stressful for me as it was the first time I had to be prepared and bring my food to work (Paleo style). Normally on a day like today I would have stopped at Starbucks for a Mocha with whip on the way to the first meeting and then to Jimmy Johns or Chipotle and bought food and a Coke. I am proud to say that did not happen today.

The morning was incredibly busy. I woke up, fed the baby and then had to pump. By the way, the baby went a span of 7 hours without eating so I got some extra sleep time in! Shortly after both Alexis and AJ woke up (both before 6). I made scrambled eggs for all of us and they had some cheese and a slice of bread per their request. Then I made a salad for lunch with some onions and tomatoes. It wasn't very exciting but it got me through. After that I decided to make some more kale chips. Not a good turn out!!! I think that I put too much olive oil on them  and maybe had them in for too long. They were burnt to a crisp when I pulled them out. I tried one and then straight to the garbage they went. How disappointing! My first food casualty. My husband called to make sure I turned off the stove. He still doesn't trust me in the kitchen. After today, I don't blame him. I didn't have time to try to make more so I just went ahead and started getting ready. I felt like I was preparing for a week long trip when I got all the stuff together for me, Lex, and Sienna. I was feeling very anxious about being prepared with enough food so I got my mini-cooler bag and put my salad and left over pecan chicken in there. I also brought apple slices with almond butter, a tiny box of raisins, an avocado, a Lara Bar and a few bottles of water. You would have thought I was going on a hiking trip, not to work. I also made a cup of coffee and took it with me to go. Sadly, coffee has not been sitting well with me lately. I think it has become a habit. I really enjoy a warm beverage in the morning. Still I plan to try to cut it out for awhile to see how I feel.  I will need to find a substitute for my hot drink. My meetings went well and of course there was a big temptation there. The people we met with brought chocolate cake with frosting that looked really tasty. Had I not been so used to passing up stuff like that it would have been ridiculously hard to say no to this tasty treat. But the cake wasn't gluten free so I wouldn't have eaten it anyway (although I would have probably sampled the frosting). I actually only had my raisins (in the cutest little tiny boxes from Dominicks) and half a Lara Bar for my snack while I was there. I realized today for the first time that I am not as hungry as I was when I first started to attempt modifying my eating.

For dinner, the hubby made a turkey stir fry with veggies (zucchini, mushrooms, onions, garlic and a forzen stir fry mix from Costco). I never used to like turkey, but ground turkey is growing on me. The kids enjoyed it too. The stir fry is so easy to make. We just brown the turkey and then add the veggies.

Now, I am exhausted. This was the busiest I have been since the baby was born and it just shows me that my body absolutely needs this time off. I may go to meetings here and there but I still need to take it easy. Hopefully I will get the all clear from my doctor at my 6 week check up to start gently working out. The Everyday Paleo book I have gotten most of my recipes from has beginner Cross Fit   workouts that I would like to try. My brother has been obsessed with Cross Fit for awhile now and I am curious to see how it all works.

Day 3: Maneuvering the Playdate

I feel like I should be working harder to make more interesting breakfasts. Instead I took the easy route and had some egg cupcakes I made late last week. For a snack I had some almonds and a banana.

Today was a bit more tricky because we were invited to a breakfast play date. It is always difficult to know how to maneuver around the food thing when going to other peoples houses. I know because I have been doing it for the past 3 years being gluten free. This was definitely more difficult. I didn't even want to try to go into the whole explanation of what I could eat so I just said I would be fine and bring something to eat for everyone. I ended up just bringing a banana bread from whole foods (not gluten free or Paleo). Had I taken the time to plan ahead, I could have made something interesting for everyone to try. We got there and there was quite the spread. She did have grapes and strawberries which I could eat. Everything else was off limits. I ate before we got there so I wasn't too tempted. Sometimes I miss the days when I could just eat anything I wanted.

We had a great time at the play date and came home and made lunch. I was originally going to make an Avocado Tuna Boat, but the process looked too long and difficult so I just recreated the almond and tuna portion (minus the extra ingredients originally involved). I also added some beets that we had sitting in the fridge. I was happy with the lunch, Alexis was not very interested-could be that everything she ate at the play date had her full. Speaking of full, I was full from lunch and didn't even need an afternoon snack!

For dinner we had Pecan-Crusted Chicken and a Fancy Pear Salad. Both were tasty but the pear salad was the favorite of the evening. It was so simple, but the flavors just worked really well together. AJ had many helpings of the salad and Alexis had a second helping of the chicken. It has been somewhat difficult to get the kids to buy into these food choices so we are excited when we can find something they like. Eventually, I would like to have the whole family eat this way, but that is a blog post for the future.

Day 2: The Journey Continues

I finally got up the nerve to post my blog website to Facebook. So happy with the support I got from my Facebook Friends. Makes it all very real!

Day 2

This morning I had some leftover chicken and a banana. I would have loved more of the cauliflower mashed potatoes, but they were gone. I had to take the baby to the doctor this morning and grabbed a Lara bar for a quick snack out the door. Not sure if it is Paleo, but the only ingredients in it are cashews and dates, so I think it can work for now. After the doctor, I grabbed some cooking supplies and headed to my parents house to make lunch. My brother even joined us. We made a sausage hash with Italian Sausage, sweet potatoes and a little cinnamon. My dad stir fried some vegetables. Overall, it was a nice lunch with the family. The sausage hash was fabulous! I think even picky AJ would like it for breakfast. Next time I will try to choose a meat with a little less salt though.

For an afternoon snack I made Bugs on a Boat (kind of like Ants on a Log). I used celery, almond butter, raisins and some coconut flakes. Alexis liked the raisins, almond butter and pineapple flakes but I think the celery was a bit hard for her to eat.

For dinner we made Easy Skewers. I actually prepped all the food, even the raw meat! Then Scott cooked it when he got home. It was perfect. Sirloin steak (mixed with olive oil and spices), zucchini, mushrooms, and orange peppers. We had the skewers with some steamed veggies. The kids even enjoyed it so we will definitely keep this recipe.

Still need to work on framing food for pictures!


Just a note that my Paleo Challenge may be slightly different from a traditional 30 Day challenge like The Whole 30. As the challenge progresses and I get more used to eating this way, I would like to limit my intake of nut products and sweet potatoes a little bit more. By the way, white potatoes are not considered something that should be eaten in the Paleo template. Sweet potatoes are allowed in moderation.