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!