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 =)