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.

Ready, Set...Paleo!!!

And we're off! Paleo Challenge Day 1. No better time than the present to begin. I made a meal plan and shopping list, and we went on our big shopping trip to load up on all the ingredients I will need to get me through week one. It was a little more than usual, but not as bad as we anticipated. We actually are running out of room in our fridge because of all the fresh vegetables we bought!

Goals for the challenge (these may change slightly):
1. To follow a somewhat strict Paleo template for 30 Days (really focus on avoiding all grains and dairy).
2. To jump right back in without guilt if I indulge in something that does not fit with the plan.


Provisions:
1. I am nursing so I will not go as low carb as some may during the 30 Day Challenge.
2. I will eat dinner out for Valentine's Day. We already have reservations!
3. I will have an occasional glass of wine and piece of dark chocolate.
4. I will continue to have my 1 cup of coffee with Stevia on most days.
5. I may have an occasional Keurig Apple Cider.

So today we woke up and had Almond Meal Blueberry Pancakes (Everyday Paleo) with almond flour. It takes some practice getting used to using almond meal for baking. Without the gluten, the texture is a little different. I liked it, but I think next time I will leave out the coconut flakes because it changed the consistency. The kids loved the blueberries though!

For a snack I had 1/2 an avocado and the kids had apple slices with sunflower nut butter and some guacomole. I need to work on my snaking options because they usually leave me hungry.

For lunch I had leftover salad with lots of veggies and some canned salmon. It was more filling than I thought. To get some extra carbs I had a banana. I also need to work on my fruit choices to make them lower glycemic.

For a snack I made some kale chips with garlic and olive oil (you could use salt but I am cutting back). They were great. Alexis really enjoyed them and even the hubby had a few helpings. I highly recommend them because they are quick and easy.

For dinner we had Spice-Rubbed Slow Cooked Chicken (Everyday Paleo Book, Fragoso) and Mashed Cauliflower (Paleo Comfort Foods, Mayfield) and some more kale chips. I threw in an apple sauce for some extra carbs.

Overall, the day went well. We sat down for a nice family meal. The hubby loved the chicken and he said he would definitely do it again. The cauliflower was even tasty.

Pictures to follow...

I am ready for Day 2!

The Egg Experiment

Yesterday I woke up, got out of the house early and took the 2 little ones to my parents house for help making an egg cupcake recipe. This was my first attempt at a recipe in the book I am following and I needed a little help. I gathered up all the ingredients that we had at our house, dropped the kids off and ran to the grocery store to get the rest. I found the ingredients I thought I needed, got to the checkout stand and realized I left my wallet at home. Went home got the wallet, bought the food and went back to my parents and we started to prepare. What should have taken 15 minutes to prep took closer to an hour.

Some important things I learned:

1. I learned a blender does not chop vegetables nearly as well as a food processor even though there is a "chop" button (originally my parents didn't think they had a food processor but we found one).

2. I learned that I need to read the ingredients and how to prepare them very closely. Red and green peppers are not the same as "roasted red and green peppers" which I also learned come in a jar or need to be made prior to baking. We put them in the oven.

3. I learned how to cut peppers and that knives absolutely intimidate me.

4. Another great thing I learned is that we should include our kids more in the food prep. Alexis wanted to help break an egg and she put her hand in there and squeezed. After my initial surprise that it cracked sending both the egg and shell into the bowl, I fished the shell out and I let her do another one, which she loved. Originally I didn't want her to touch the eggs because of the raw yolk, and the messiness of it all, but we just washed her hands well and she was fine.

5. Lastly, I learned that I may need a lot of cooking help to get through this challenge. My skills are weak at best.

Overall, the egg cupcakes turned out just fine. We all had some for breakfast and I had enough to bring home for AJ and Scott. This Paleo challenge may turn out to be more of a family affair than I thought!

Now I Wait

As a await the start date of my 30 Day Challenge I find myself eating mostly Paleo/Primal, but slipping a little. For the past two weeks or so I had been increasingly Paleo/Primal cutting out cheese and most of my gluten free grains (minus the almond meal bread I made that is technically still a Paleo treat). But this week, a trip to Geneva with my parents turned into a lunch that was gluten free, but not Paleo due to the gluten free pasta and cheese on my salad. This was followed by a drink with a friend at a Mexican food restaurant by my house that included corn chips (again still gluten free) and guacamole (may or may not contain milk). Also, I have been finishing up a little extra of my dark chocolate and lower sodium gluten free sweet potato chips that somehow contain milk. Today, I am feeling extra anxious and a bit more off that usual. I had a Caesar Salad from Panera. I don't really feel guilty for eating all of these things, just a little nauseous and not great. While my big Paleo shopping trip will not begin for another few days, I think I may have to lay off the dairy early to start.

On another note, my husband bought a lot of fresh vegetables for me to use this week that I put on our shopping list. As of yesterday we have a lot left. He is concerned we are going to start wasting food. It is not that I don't want to eat them, I really do. But every time I open the fridge to see what I can make I realize that I don't know how to cut or cook any of these vegetables. Yet another obstacle to overcome. Hopefully today he will show me how to cut some and I can prepare some of them the night before or on the weekend to save time. Other option...the Internet or You Tube.

Why Paleo and Why Now?

So why Paleo and why now? I could go on for pages with background information of why I would like to start this now. For now, I will just mention five.

Top 5 Reasons for Paleo Challenge

1. Blood pressure spike after delivery freaked me out- my blood pressure spiked 3 days after delivery and people were wondering if some of my families high blood pressure genes had kicked in and this would be permanent. Had a short stint on BP meds which I hated. Thankfully it seems to be down now and I want to keep it that way.
2. I have had lifelong issues with dairy-I love dairy, dairy does not love me back.
3. It is a way of eating that just makes sense to me. All of my health related reading and research has always pointed in this direction, and the Paleo method seems to pull it all together.
4. This is a perfect time for a 30 day challenge. I am home on maternity leave, have lots of help with the bigger kids and Sienna still sleeps a lot. I don't have to worry about bringing my lunch to work or getting out of the house really early on most days.
5. I have lots of family support between my brother, my dad, my hubby and even my mom who may try to start eating this way as well. My brother is already hooked and my dad is pretty close.

I have been eating gluten free for over 3 years now so going Paleo seems like the next step to better health. I remember how I felt after I cut gluten out, especially the first few months. I lost the extra 20-25 pounds of baby weight that I still carried around from being pregnant with my son, my skin cleared up (as my friend at school says I have the glow that those eating gluten free seem to have), and my life long struggle with undiagnosed stomach problems eased up. Overall, I just felt better. I think when I first started eating gluten free no one thought I would stick to it. For at least a year after, my dad always offered me foods containing gluten and dinners (especially bread- he still occasionally does). But I have stuck to it. Now it is time to cut out the rest of the gluten free grains I have begun to rely on so much and most dairy and legumes.