Paleo Stir-Fry

We had some yummy Paleo stir fry last night.  Because soy sauce is a Paleo no-no we used coconut aminos instead.  FYI - It is somewhat difficult to find this product and I had to buy it at Whole foods.  I will say we really do enjoy the flavor of this product and plan to use it again.  We put chicken, asparagus, carrots, broccoli,  red peppers, green peppers, and onion in our stir fry.  We cooked the chicken first in coconut oil, then cooked our vegetables.  Next we added them all together, poured in the aminos, and cooked them all a little bit longer.    We let the kids pick which vegetables they wanted and let them cook them themselves in their own skillets.  They really enjoyed making their own "Chinese" food.  It is a pretty quick, easy, and healthy meal. 

Meatballs, Fritters, and More...

For Sunday lunch after church we had Pork Meatballs and mashed cauliflower for lunch.  We added bacon to it this time as promised.  The bacon was a nice added flavor but we will not be adding garlic to it again.  It is very overpowering.  And, the whole house smelled like garlic and cauliflower.  That, is not my favorite smell!  The meatballs tasted a lot like sausage and everyone seemed to like them.  We did not have parsley on hand so we used rosemary instead.  We will probably not have these again.  The applesauce made them kind of runny and if you are making these - you might want to cut back on it. 

We had the delicious sweet potato hash for dinner Sunday evening. We did not have eggs or cilantro with it this time.  And, in case you were wondering it was still fabulous. 

For dinner tonight we had steak and vegetable fritters.  Brad and I really enjoyed these!  They were yummy.  We doubled the recipe and are planning to use leftovers and scrambled eggs tomorrow.  We did not make egg muffins this week to change things up a bit.  They did need a little salt and we cut back on the cumin because of my aversion to strong spices.  We will make these again.  

    

The Challenge Is Over...My Thoughts on Paleo...

Our challenge is over.  About a week and a half ago I was asked if I felt any different while doing this diet.  My response was no, not really - but now I realize I was wrong!  This weekend I ate food without restriction.  I had pizza, ice cream, barbecue, french fries, popcorn, soda and I felt terrible afterwards!  Clean eating makes you feel clean and I can say in retrospect - I had way more energy as well.  I'm not saying we are going to be total Paleo fanatics or anything - but we are going to continue to try to eat Paleo during the week and then eat without restriction (not crazy) on the weekend.  I have tried new recipes - some good and some I will not eat again.  I have explored new avenues in nutrition.  And, I feel really good about my choices pertaining to God's temple (1 Corinthians 3:16).  I struggle in the area of self-discipline and these last couple of weeks have been a good "work-out" for me.  I have been trying to be more consistent in my diet, my work-outs, and my quiet time.  Those are all things that I always make me feel so much better when I make the choice to make them a priority.       

Roasted Chicken

Tonight I made one of Brad and Hunter's favorite recipes.  I tried it a few months back and it was a hit.  I do use butter in this recipe - but I don't think it would be as moist without it - so that is just how it is.  :)  It is called Juicy Roasted Chicken and that is just what it is. We added our favorite bacon wrapped asparagus.  It was a yummy meal and we all enjoyed it!  I warn you in advance - if your family loves it as much as mine you will have to make two chickens...I do.  I think Brad and Hunter demolished the first one all on their own.  Only a couple of days left until we are done with our challenge.  We are going to break our restrictions on Friday night for dinner.  Any suggestions on where we should go? 

We weren't in the mood...

Tonight we were supposed to eat little sugar pumpkins stuffed with meat.  We were not in the mood.  Do you ever have a menu item that you put off?  Back when you found the recipe and made your menu - it sounded awesome...but then when it came time to eat it - you felt really blah about it...  That was us today.  Brad was really craving steak and ground beef in a pumpkin is not equivalent to steak.  So, we went to Texas Roadhouse.  All four of us had steak.  The boys had mashed potatoes but Brad and I had baked sweet potatoes and a steamed broccoli/carrot mix with ours.  I will say that this diet has really helped me embrace sweet potatoes.  I started consistently eating sweet potato fries early on this year followed by sweet potato chips.  I had eaten them very sporadically in the past.  I had never been a fan of baked sweet potatoes before unless they were coated with Texas Roadhouse's signature caramel sauce/melted marshmallow blend - hence making it dessert.  But, I am here to say - my sweet potato only had a small amount of butter on it.  I took the majority of it off.  I know butter is dairy - but I'm not eating one dry.  I was super proud of myself for not eating any rolls.  I don't know why I chose a restaurant to eat at that had a big bucket of peanuts and a big basket of rolls on the table just sitting there tempting me!

     

Similar - but not the same...

Today things started with breakfast as usual.  I had one of Brad's mystery shakes.  It was pumpkin flavored - this I know.  And, based on Drew telling me I had green stuff in my teeth - then there was kale involved as well.  For lunch I had some of the egg casserole mix that Brad makes on Sunday afternoons.  It was the same thing as our egg muffins - but he cooked it in a casserole pan an then cut it in chunks.  By the way, just because you have some leftover sweet potatoes that you cooked like home fries and mix in some egg casserole that you chopped up - that doesn't mean that you have Sweet Potato Hash.  It is not the same - not even a little bit.  And, it makes your mouth sad that you tried to trick it.  Just saying...

We generally have hot dogs for our Halloween evening dinner.  I couldn't change tradition because of Paleo, so I had two hot dogs - minus the buns, sweet potato fries, and cucumber.  Brad and his buddies took the night off from the challenge so that they could indulge in things like chili cheese brats.  There is also a possibility they stole candy from their children.  :)   



Bacon + Sweet Potatoes = Yum!

For lunch today we had lettuce wrapped burgers and a sweet potato fries wrapped in bacon.  Our adventures in wrapping green beans (pre-Paleo of course) and asparagus in bacon - led us to think that many vegetables would be BFFs with bacon.  And, I am happy to report that sweet potatoes will have a long-lasting relationship with bacon.  They are delicious!  Poor Brad is sick and couldn't taste how wonderful they are.  We will have to make them again so that he can find out for himself.  

For dinner - Brad made a creative recipe.  He cooked chicken, peppers, and onions and then poured the Paleo Tortilla recipe mix over the tops of them and baked them in the oven.  It was a sort of chicken enchilada casserole.  Brad said he just really misses cheese with this one. 

Date Night and Busy Day

Last night Brad and I went out for dinner at the Bonefish Grill.  We both got Chilean Sea Bass with the mango salsa and mixed seasonal veggies.  I was a good girl and fought the urge to order their fabulous creme brule'.  Today we were really busy with basketball evaluations, fall festival at church (I once again fought the temptation of popcorn, candy apples and pumpkin pie....not fun), and lots of errands to run.  We tried to keep it simple today by eating sausage and eggs, salad, and chicken soup.  Now we are about to sit down and make our menu for the week.  Lots of good food to come!!

Another use for Spaghetti Squash

I ate dinner with a friend at Jason's Deli this evening.  I had salad with some ham on it - nothing fancy.  There were no croutons involved, nor did I indulge in their yummy roasted red pepper humus or ice cream for dessert.  Brad took care of the home front.  We knew that our spaghetti squash was ripe and ready to be used.  He wasn't in the mood for marinara sauce again so he decided he would use some of the homemade spinach pesto our sweet neighbors gave us.  Brad cut up some sausage and red peppers and sauteed them in the skillet.  He then mixed the pesto in with the prepared spaghetti squash.  He said it was a very flavorful meal and he really enjoyed it.  I look forward to us making it again and having some myself. 

Bread!!!!!! Oh yeah, lettuce wraps too.

After last night's bread lust - I decided to try a Paleo grain free recipe this afternoon.  It was delicious - for Paleo bread that is.  :)  These "biscuits"  had an interesting batter.  I read some of the comments and agree with the general consensus that the batter is very runny.  I ended up following one of the recommendations to just make one big piece and cut it into smaller pieces.  That worked for me!  The thinner edges do have a distinct egg white flavor and it tastes more like a denser bread rather than a biscuit.  But, I ate "bread" and was a very happy girl.  Be warned - do not eat too much too quickly because you are excited to eat bread.  I think it might expand inside of you. 

For dinner we tried a crock pot recipe.  It was Asian Pork Lettuce Wraps.  All of my boys liked them.  We served them in Iceberg Lettuce and topped them with red pepper strips and cilantro.  We served it with sauteed squash and zucchini.  It was nice coming home from the ball park to a meal that was mostly prepared for us. 

Yucky Soup...

You win some and you lose some...  We tried some Chicken Not-So-Noodle Soup that did not come out well.  It does not smell good, it does not taste good, and it looks icky.  We didn't do the recipe exactly like it listed.  I used a pre-made Paleo safe chicken broth instead of making our own.  But, otherwise - I followed the directions.  So, we went to Outback for dinner.  I had the Outback special - sirloin steak and shrimp with a sweet potato and side salad.  I had tears in my eyes when I saw all of that bread.  I did not eat any of it!  It was difficult. 

Peppers and Cake

This evening we made stuffed peppers for dinner.  We have made these before using marinara sauce as a base and topping them with mozzarella cheese.  Tonight we seasoned them with Mexican spices and salsa and of course served them without cheese.  Brad was sad about this and I just felt they were lacking.  They weren't bad, we both like them so much better our original way.  I had a salad on the side and made a special dessert to satisfy our sweet tooth.  We made a Coconut Pound Cake and served it with one sliced strawberry.  I do not have a good history with loaf pans - so I poured the mix in a square baking pan.  It is a very dense concotion with a heavy orange flavor in my opinion.  However, it was nice to have a sweet surprise after the spicy dinner. 

Venison

Yum!  I love some chicken fried venison!  We had some deer meat left over from Brad's kill last year in the freezer.  We found a recipe for it online and decided we would change it up a bit and use almond flour.  It was not as moist as it is with regular flour - but it was a doable substitute.  The boys loved it and asked for more.  We also roasted some butternut squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, and purple onions in a little Olive Oil.  We had pineapple for dessert.  Tonight after church we will have leftover vegetables and some grilled ribeyes.  Can't wait! 

Light & Tasty

We had two really light and tasty meals today.  For lunch we had a fiesta of flavors with our turkey tacos.  We made some Primal Tex-Mex Tortillas that were amazing!  Si! - we will be having those again.  We made two versions - one was Brad's spicy level and the other were mine.  :)  You do end up eating them with a fork and knife because they are not really strong enough to hold all of your toppings together.  I think I may actually like these better than regular flour tortillas.  We used ground turkey meat for them and topped them with salsa, cilantro, lettuce, and homemade guacamole.

Dinner was a favorite as well.  We had grilled shrimp kabobs with peppers, onion, and fresh pineapple with cilantro sprinkled on top.  They were a little dry and next time we plan to make ourselves some sort of sauce to dip them in.  

  

I had a need for something sweet - so we made ourselves some Paleo Pumpkin Cookies.  They tasted very similar to the Pumpkin Muffins we made earlier in the week, despite the fact that these were made with almond flour and the others were made with coconut flour.  But they were good none the less.  Even the kids really enjoyed them and asked for more.  We were happy that they also added in a serving of veggies.  So, they were a dessert/side.  It doesn't get any better than that!  :)

Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes

You know that pancakes and I are BFFs.  We have so many good memories together.  We have enjoyed so many different flavors.  I was very sad about missing out on pancakes - especially during pumpkin season.  Fortunately, I discovered a Paelo Pumpkin Pancake recipe on Pinterest that I has come to my rescue!  By the way, I have a whole folder on Pinterest of Paelo recipes that I plan to try.  Once I have tried them - I comment on them.  We enjoyed some sausage, eggs, and strawberries with our pancakes.  Everyone had some and even the kids enjoyed them.  I did not use any type of syrup, jam, or cream of course.  Our boys had whipped cream on theirs.

Eating Out Paleo Style

Eating out while on a Paleo diet can be a challenge.  We spent the evening at Boo at the Zoo at the Columbus Zoo with the boys.  We were super hungry and considered our options.  We ended up trying Ted's Montana Grill.  We had a good experience there and were able to get meals that met our needs.  I had roasted chicken (I did peel off the skin), asparagus, and a baked sweet potato.  Brad had bison meat loaf, a side salad, and squash.  The boys loved their bison burger sliders.  It was very difficult for me to take the homemade roll off of my plate without even one bite - but I did it...

We have had a yummy day so far.  For breakfast this morning we tried a different flavor shake.  It was a fall themed shake using one of my favorite ingredients - pumpkin!  Brad also added cinnamon in and it was nice to mix it up.

For lunch today we had a Mexican lettuce wrap burger.  We put bacon, peppers, and onions on our hamburger patty and wrapped it with lettuce.  I found some 100% natural, organic sweet potato chips by Terra .  They are really good.  We have even considered making our own. 

Italian Delight

Tonight we had some pan seared garlic chicken bathed in an organic natural spaghetti sauce.  We threw it on top of some spaghetti squash and served it with some delicious bacon wrapped asparagus.  

Sweet Potato Hash

Yummy and amazing!  We loved this recipe.  It was very filling and easy to make.  I am so happy we tried it and we plan to eat it often - whether we are eating Paleo or not.  Brad got this recipe from one of his Marines (thanks Adam!).  We added on some cilantro on top of our scrambled eggs and of course cilantro makes everything better.  :)  Now you can try it:

(From:  Adam North)

Ingredients:  2 Large Sweet Potatoes, 1 Green Bell Pepper, 1 Red Bell Pepper, Bacon (1/2 lb or so...I go big with this guy), Onion, Garlic Salt, Pepper, Chili Powder

Cube bacon and peel & cut the sweet potatoes into 1 - 1/2" cubes.  Cut up the peppers and onions to your liking, but remember that they shrink almost immediately when they hit a hot pan.

In a large skillet, cook the bacon, then remove to the side (keep the bacon fat in the skillet).  Keeping the stove-top heat around medium, throw the onions and peppers into the pan until they just start to sweat (about 2 minutes or so).  Then, throw in the cubed sweet potatoes and cover the skillet (this allows steam to soften the sweet potatoes).  After about 5 minutes or so, check the potatoes.  Once they begin to sweat, liberally apply your spices and re-cover.  Shuffle around the ingredients to prevent charring and routinely check your sweet potatoes for your desired texture.  Once your sweet potatoes are just about there, turn up the heat and lightly char (or severely caramelize...whichever phrase you prefer) the sides of your sweet potato cubes.  Then, throw in your bacon during the last 30 - 60 seconds of cooking.

Throw in a large bowl fit for caveman consumption and top your hash with 2-3 over-easy eggs.  Apply franks red hot or chaluala hot sauce as necessary.

It Doesn't Taste Too Bad

Monday night we put some beef short ribs in the crock pot and then served it with broccoli. It was good and tasted a lot like roast.

Tuesday night we tried something new. Brad grilled at skirt steak that was super yummy. He had marinated it in orange juice and it was very flavorful. Then, for sides we had a zucchini, pepper, onion mix that we sautéed with olive oil and garlic. Then, for the something new. The boys and I were shopping at Aldi's and I noticed cauliflower was on sale. I told the boys that we were going to try something new. We had mashed cauliflower. I added in garlic to it as well - but unfortunately, a little too much. Next time, yes - there will be a next time, I will add in crumbled bacon instead or bacon and a little less garlic. I used a recipe off of Whole Foods website for mashing the cauliflower - but it was quite simple to do and didn't take that much time.

I did make us a dessert yesterday. They were pumpkin muffins. I got the recipe from Diane at Balanced Bites. I did not add the chocolate chips and will turn down the temp. about 25 degrees next time, as I was using a dark non-stick pan and they came out a little dark. They weren't too bad heated with a tiny bit of butter inside. I will make them again. My body is having to get used to desserts being a little less sweet. The boys (all three) actually liked them and it sort-of tricked your body into thinking you were eating bread. :)

What We Eat For Breakfast And Lunch

Every Sunday night Brad makes a huge batch of egg muffins. If anyone is interested in making them - please comment and I will try to convince him to post it. :) They consist of eggs, sausage or bacon, peppers, onions, zucchini, and whatever else he finds in the refrigerator. We will eat on these throughout the week. He also makes a big giant salad. He puts spinach, a lettuce blend, peppers, broccoli, carrots, apples, and once again - whatever he finds in the crisper drawer. We both eat egg muffins and salad for lunch. Usually lunch is near our workout and eggs are an easily digestible protein.

Every night before we go to bed Brad puts the ingredients for our breakfast in the blender. There is protein powder, kale, fruit, avocado, and coconut milk. Some times he adds in almond butter as well and who knows what else. I don't really ask - I find it is better to drink it and not think about it. :) In the morning he mixes up the shake and leaves half in the fridge for me when he goes to work. We are going to try one with pumpkin this weekend as well as a sweet potato hash recipe that looks delish!

That is our general breakfast each day - a smoothie and then the egg muffins and salad for lunch. Today I get leftovers for lunch. We had some delicious skirt steak last night...but that is for another post. :)

Starting Out

I am not really a blogger. I'm not consistent at diary enteries or journaling. I'm more like a write down notes on odd sheets of paper and find them everywhere kind of girl. But, my desire to keep myself accountable is greater than my desire to be lazy in that area of my life. I went to Texas this summer and fell off of my workout wagon and ate lots of wonderful food. You know that saying - Everything's bigger in Texas! Well, I came back bigger from Texas. I have been doing better at working out and we eat pretty clean the majority of the time. But, Ball Season is coming my friends...very quickly. Brad came home from work a couple of weeks ago and said that he and some of his Marines (and even a couple of their wives) were doing a 21 day challenge diet. He asked me if I wanted to join it. I said sure without asking too many questions but did express I would not completely give up diet soda. That was my one caveat. That is when he mentioned we would be going grain free. My questions was "You mean I can't eat bread?" Hmmm....I need to seriously evaluate this. I started reasearching what a Paleo diet was all about. there are different people who take it to different extremes. We will not be eating everything organic and grass fed - that is way too expensive. We will sub. in some items that are. Our kids are not doing this with us. Their evening meals are what we are eating, but I am still giving them yogurt, milk, juices, cheese, etc throughout the day. For those of you that know me well - you will be impressed that I made them blueberry pancakes Monday morning but did not eat any myself. :) I was impressed with myself! For those of you not familiar with the Paleo diet - there are many sites you can use to check out what it is really all about. Here are a couple:

http://robbwolf.com/
http://paleodietlifestyle.com/
http://everydaypaleo.com/

Like I said before - some are more extreme than others. We just want to be healthy. We are interested and seeing the affect this diet has on our bodies. Most people know I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I am wondering if this diet will help. Some people claim it also helps your skin to be clearer and I would love that as well. As a side note in case someone was wondering - everyone in our house takes vitamins. I am continuing to take Advocare Dietary Supplements.

Here we go.....