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!