I have moved from a full time Paleo blog, to a sometimes Paleo, but mostly whole foods blog.
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Back in the Saddle
I’m finally settled into our new place, and thought it was time to dust off the cobwebs of ye olde paleo diet blog and post some recipes. I’m no longer on the “Paleo Challenge” and not every meal is paleo diet approved, BUT the NEW and EXCITING (or blogworthy or even grosso) paleo recipes I’m giving a whirl will end up on here about once a week or so. Please feel free to leave comments with questions/tips/whatevers.
ROAST CHICKEN -In the crockpot
Ok, this was supposed to be beer can chicken, cooked to perfection in my new BIG GREEN EGG, but I haven’t had the time to go out and play with it yet, and I have a million TO DO’s left unchecked on my list, so I improvised with my trusty crockpot.
My (new) plan was to rub the chicken down, toss it in the crock and fuhgetaboutit, but then I noticed two grapefruit halves (why, children, do you do this?!?!?!!?!) drying out in the fruit drawer. Light bulb. I can’t stand for food to go to waste, especially fruits and veggies. We’re all on a budget. Plus,I knew I would forget to scold the kids and make them eat them for their after school snack because I can’t retain information that long. Sooooo… into the bottom of the crockpot they went. Mmmmm I do love the smell of citrus in the morning. I threw in some red onion(about 1/4 small).
Then came the whole thawed chicken, about 3lbs, rinsed and patted dry.
TIP** If you’re new to cooking, paleo , or whole chicken handling – there are extra parts in a chicken, just as there are in a turkey (bonus tip for those of you who didn’t know about the turkey). Make sure you remove the bag, and rinse the cavity, too. It’s only gross the first few times you do it.
After making sure the bird was nice and dry, I used some of my favorite rub, LOCAL GOODS PACIFIC NW BLEND. This stuff is delicious and I use it on everything from ribs to pork to, well, chicken. Local Goods has a few other items you might want to try out too, since their shipping is $10, no matter how much you purchase. 
I rubbed this in, generously, on both sides of the bird, and even into the cavity, set the chicken on top of the grapefruit halves and squirted 1/2 an orange over it , you know, for good measure.
Set the crock to LOW, covered it, and went about my day…
A few hours (about 6) later we ate this delicious , falling off the bone, chicken. The citrus was a fantastic compliment to then rub I used. It was a little dry, but I did cook it an hour longer than I wanted to. It had a subtle hint of the grapefruit in each bite, and the rub is savory, not spicy, so the kids approved.
I made some roasted quashes to go with it. RealSimple magazine has some fantastic recipes for this fall staple. I used butternut, cut into chunks and acorn, sliced, coated with coconut oil , salt and pepper and a sprinkling of shaved Parmesan (I KNOW cheese isn’t paleo) and a few pieces of garlic (1/2 small bulb). Baked on a cookie sheet at 350* for about 30 minutes (check often after 20 minutes for desired doneness. OH! I also added a potato, sliced, for the kids. If I put something I know they like with something new, they’re more likely to eat it. And they did!!
This was my first time eating/cooking acorn. I KNOW!!! Man, I’ve been missing out. I saved 1/2 the acorn and 1/2 of the butternut ( can these be frozen??) and I think I might make some soup next week.
TIP**We had leftover chicken (the reason I got a bigger bird to begin with) and I’m parlaying that into another meal: Pulled BBQ chicken. This isn’t going to be a paleo meal (using jarred sauce,making pasta salad) but… if you google… I KNOW there are a bunch of paleo recipes that cover this.
DAY 30 – drumroll please!
** So I was so busy organizing the garage (two carloads went to Goodwill) and the house ( a few more bags) and then marking off some of our “TO-DO’s” before Derek went TDY that I completely forgot to post my last day. I started it, but never finished. So for those of you that thought I bailed at day 29, HA!! I MADE IT!!! **
I would like to say that DAY 30 was climactic, but alas, it was pretty ordinary. The only real reminder was the calendar marked with kid writing notating the last day of the challenge. You would think I would have been counting the seconds until I could tear into that Twix bar, or drench my baked potato in butter and sour cream. But really, I was fine. Strangely calm. Well, I don’t know if “calm” is the right word, but too distracted to make a big deal of it definitely sums it up.
So I survived 30 days of Paleo. I’m not even going to attempt to add the word “strict” in there, because that would just be a big fat lie. But I did stay pretty true to the diet in terms of off limit foods, with the occasional “cheat” in moderation.
What did I learn? That meat is good, being prepared goes a long way and educating yourself on the ingredients of the food you purchase is priceless. This challenge was an eye opener in many ways. We tried new foods, stepped out of our comfort zone and learned the difference between SAYING you eat healthy and ACTUALLY eating healthy.
Will I continue to eat like a caveman? HELLS YES!! Within moderation, of course. I have spoken up more than once in this blog about how I don’t believe in taking any food group out of your diet completely. I love black beans, hummus and cupcakes. I think these foods are good for you. If you don’t agree, that’s fine.
Was it difficult? Yes and no. Most things we think are difficult are more about wrapping our minds around the idea , than the actual doing. The first week sucked, but after that, the days got better and I did a lot of researching different recipes. Eat what you love!! If you LOVE french fries, fine. MAKE THEM AT HOME.
Can you do this? Yes! Everyone can and should see how much better they would feel going without added sugar, salt and chemicals for a month. Seek out co-ops and farmers markets in your area to help off set the cost of buying whole foods, because it can get pricey. I’ve talked about Bountiful Baskets several times in this blog. I think this is a great way to get good produce, especially things you might not buy at the grocery, for a low cost. My honest opinion is this: if most of your meals come from a box or a drive thru and you drink soda as your main source of fluids, then YES, it will be difficult. So start small. Nix the soda (please don’t just switch to diet). Add a fresh fruit and/or vegetable to every meal. Cook at least one meal from scratch a week. Put a ban on fast food for a month. All these things might seem really drastic, but they aren’t. And think of it this way: all of the above are cheaper and less painful than diabetes and heart disease.
Our favorites recipes? Meatballs, ribs (dry rubbed) and paleo banana bread.
I also LOVED the avocado boats (I used chicken salad) and the bun-less BLTs.
Things I don’t think I’ll really go back to: chips, crackers (ok, maybe triscuits) buns. Things I will add in super dooper moderation: dairy. I don’t really miss milk. I prefer almond or coconut, but the kids really miss their 2%. When we move, I think I’ll put them on full fat organic and see how that goes. I did, however, miss cheese.
I’m sure the big question on everyone’s mind is ” SO HOW MUCH WEIGHT DID YOU LOSE???” And the answer is – 9.6 lbs. Yeah, nothing too remarkable if you just look at that number. It’s average. But… I dropped an entire pants size – that’s how BLOATED I was from processed food. Gross. So if you’re planning on dropping a crap-ton of weight, you better keep it strict and you better be prepared to go longer than 30 days.
Another milestone, and one I’m most proud of? On day 30 I ran 2.51 miles in 30:46. Is that a great time, shit no. But I’m tubby, loathe running and until June, hadn’t run over a mile in my adult life. The time i’m not too concerned with, but the distance… that is the fruit of my efforts.
So eat well, fellow Paleo-ers. And check back from time to time, because my 30 days may be over, but this isn’t the end!
Day 29 – the last 24 hours
So for my last Challenge dinner, I planned to make Perfect Pork Pot Roast. Granted, day 29 still means I have a whole other day to get through, but since I have a full agenda I wanted something I could make enough of to last me through AT LEAST two meals. This definitely did the trick. Now, if you have the Everyday Paleo book, and you’re looking at those directions thinking , ” this seems a little time consuming” … it is. I DID NOT follow the directions to a T, although once I get my food processor I plan to. I have a dinky electric chopper by Black & Decker. It works fine for small jobs (unless I have to chop carrots) but for bigger meals, it just gets too messy. I basically just made the roast and went without the fancy sauce. It was still delicious, the leftovers even better AND I had enough pseudo -carnitas for lunch as well!
I served the roast with some raw veggies my dad had cut up for a veggie tray for the kids. I don’t know about you, but my kids prefer most of their vegetables raw, and in this case, we needed to use the cut up stuff in the fridge before they went bad. I still put a “taste’s” worth of the cooked veggies from the roast on their plate to try. Less whining than normal, I’m pleased to say.
We’re in full organize -for-the- move mode, which calls for a lot of hours being absorbed by going through all that crapola you accumulate when you’ve been in one spot for 5 years. One of my favorite things about Paleo is so many recipes are the throw- in- the- oven or slow cooker -and- forget- about- it kind. It makes hectic days less stressful when you know you have a meal not just planned, but mostly prepared. It keeps us from doing the all too easy (and totally UNhealthy) drive thru dash.
Speaking of the drive thru – my two younger kids have actually stopped asking to go. Knowing that some of our favorite treats are still going to be on the menu (such as BlackBear yogurt our FAVORITE place to go and it’s GF) and involving them in meal planning and cooking has totally changed their attitudes. They still ask for candy and Slurpess, and have marked the calender for DAY 30, so they can “technically” have those no-no’s again, but I have explained that this “diet” is now a way of life for us in a way that makes sense to them and they’re ok with it. For the most part.
DAY 28 – winding down
So… I’ve only got a few days left of my 30 day challenge. I decided I really needed to try some more recipes in the Everyday Paleo book, since it was my inspiration to take the challenge. I also took a good look at the overall effect it’s had on my family.
While I was gone for the weekend, my dad watched the kids, and he actually did a fairly good job. He made a few paleo meals, tried a few gluten free items the kids had been asking about (burger buns) and even made a recipe from the book. It made the blow of getting Little Caesars pizza (“just one large”) and ColdStone a little easier to take. I’ve also noticed that while my kids still complain about the diet, it’s more about what they can’t eat, and not really about what I’m making. I get it, they miss bread. And Sweets. I do too. They are already making their non paleo day meal choices for next weeks menu.
So, tonight I made Puerto Rican Beef. OhMyGosh. This recipe was fantastic. I have been told at least 2 times, by 2 different people to make this, but I was a little standoffish about it. A FaceBook friend doing paleo dinners made it a few nights ago, and told me it was a hit with her family. Three people can’t be wrong, right? Even my dad went back for more!
My only modifications were:
I used baby sweet peppers in lieu of Bell peppers
I used green olives stuffed with garlic
I didn’t use the saffron
I didn’t add any salt, and let everyone salt their own plates to taste.
I wanted to hit on reading labels, again, before I forget. Today, at the grocery store while I was picking up the stuff for our last three meals, I thought about doing a semi cheat and using a canned spaghetti sauce. I grabbed all three brands, moved my cart out of the way and started reading the ingredients. It totally freaks me out, that for years I have been blindly grabbing jars of this and boxes of that because I THOUGHT these items were what they said they were. Can someone tell me why you would need to add sugar to tomatoes? Or high fructose corn syrup? Or salt? Or soybean oil? Are you even aware of how many products you might use regularly have soybean oil in them. I get that soy is the new cool health fad, but hydrogenated soybean oil is something used in processed foods. And just like anything else, soy is to be used in moderation. as a WHOLE food.
I can’t stress enough how important it is to READ LABELS. At the very least, you will know what you’re eating, and YOU will be making the choice to eat it as opposed to trusting your health to big industry.
Since starting the paleo challenge, I have made, and enjoyed, sauces from scratch. Things I never thought I could do right. YOU can do it too. And you WILL notice a difference in the taste. It might be strange at first, but you’ll soon come to realize, that’s what fresh and good for you tastes like.
If there are any recipes you’re curious about either in the book, or just from surfing, and want someone else to be the guinea pig, leave a comment. I will continue to post hits and misses as they come well after my 30 days is up.
DAY 25-27 – weekend getaway :)
So, most of you know I’ve had some personal things come up lately, and I’ve been a little down and out. A few months ago (like February), long before I ever even thought about eating Paleo, I bought a Groupon for Derek and I to do a ropes course and zipline at the Red Hook brewery in Woodinville , Wa. We chose this weekend to use those Groupons and have some fun. Here is that story:
DAY 25
One of the things I love about road trips, even short ones, is that you find little treasures on the back roads. I love passing by little buildings exclaiming “Antiques!” or “Vintage!”, but my favorite thing ever is road side produce stands. I can never say no. Derek spotted me eyeing one and asked. “you wanna pull over?” before I even had the chance to ask. Knowing we were about to embark on some beer swigging and restaurant dining, I thought it would be a good choice to get some fresh local produce in the car in case hunger was to strike.
Perfect nectarines, apples a few avocados and a small bag of cherries later and we were back on the road. By the way, cherries make an excellent late night snack when you’re feeling a little buzzed.
We decided on an early dinner so we could catch a movie, so it was back to the BBQ place I told you about on day 11 or 12. Carolina Smoke BBQ is some of the best smoked meat I’ve had since I moved from Texas. I had to take Derek there, and it didn’t disappoint! If you don’t feel like scrolling back and finding what I ranted about, Carolina Smoke doesn’t put any sauce on its BBQ, they leave it on the table (3 different varieties) for you to choose your poison. I LOVE this, because I can pick the amount of “cheating” I do, from not at all, to SAUCY. I stayed at “a tad”, if that’s even a form of measurement. We left there painfully full.But that worked to my advantage, since it kept me from even considering eating the popcorn at the movie theater. Score.
Our hotel had a bar. A real bar with a real bartender. Awesome. Vodka is paleo, right?!? I know I’m reeeeeealy stretching the limits of the alcohol/paleo debate, but there are some things I will not give up entirely. And after all, it’s my vacation. Buying my excuses yet? I really don’t care, because vodka/pellegrino/lime juice is delicious. The chips and salsa I could have done without.
DAY 26 –
So I am training for a 4k (July), and a 10k(Oct.), and Derek has been running (jogging) with me. Vacation was no excuse not to run, so after a tiny bit of sleeping in, we hit a gorgeous trail near downtown Bothell.
Here’s a little advice: Salt intake DOES effect your performance. Especially when you’ve been working hard to cut the excess out of you’re diet. My overindulgence in the crappy chips and salsa at the bar DAY 25 came back to haunt me. Not only did I not hydrate enough to compensate for the drinks I had, the over-salted tostitos and from-a jar-salsa* added insult to injury. My body reacted accordingly, but making me feel like I was going to die.
Also, kinda on the same note, EAT before you exercise. Do it! Do I mean a meal? A 3 egg omelet? No, get serious. But a small banana, 1/2 a lara bar, or even a hard boiled egg will give you energy to get through your sad and pathetic 1.82 miles in 23:12. I always perform better, and my endurance is better, when I am fueled properly. A Starbucks mocha doesn’t count, even if you skip the whip.
And now for my crazy cheat day. I didn’t take the above advice, FYI 🙂
Ropes course at Red Rock was sick. I have an irrational and debilitating fear of heights that keeps me from truly enjoying anything that takes place more than 6 feet above sea level. The zipline at the end was the best part, because it got me closer to the ground. All that fear helped me work up an appetite, and with about 45 until our brewery tour, we went in to the Forcasters Pub and ordered a snack to tide us over … the hummus and pita plate! Best damn hummus ever. It was served with warm pita, green and kalamata olives and thinly sliced cucumbers. That cheat was worth every bite. This will absolutely become a lunch time staple. Paleo or not, it was fantastic.
The brewery “tour” was basically a bunch of people looking at the beer vats through a window, listening to the history of Red Rock as told by a witty young hipster, and drinking different types of Red Hook. I had a nice buzz by the end. We decided to stay there for dinner, and ordered, again, the hummus and pita plate. It was THAT good. I also ordered the Mac and Cheese(mega super duper cheat) – delish but too much for me, I was pretty full from the hummus, plus all that cheese was a bit heavy for me. Derek had the salmon with brocolini and a gross-o rice pilaf. Salmon was perfect.Of course, we couldn’t stop there… we ordered a rootbeer float to finish it all off. Now, stop and take a look at what I ate, because if it seems like alot to you, IT WAS. Not only did I completely veer off the paleo path, I ate waaaaay more than I needed to. I was full before I had the beer, then I was full from the beer, then I got even more full from an appetizer, then I ordered a meal, and then dessert.
My body didn’t react kindly. Luckily, it had been a nice warm day and our hotel had a nice warm pool (82*) and a hot tub. The exercise did me good. So good, in fact, that we decided to hit the bar before bed for a nightcap.
24 hours of cheat complete.
DAY 27
We decided this day would be a “rest day” and slept in. Our room had black-out curtains and we couldn’t help but snooze an hour longer.
After our free breakfast of fake eggs and a plethora of other off limit or poor choice food items that I decided to pass on, I took my Earl Grey and went on the hunt for the work out room. I had to get on a scale and see the damage one day caused. Not so much for the calories, but for the excess in salt. I FELT puffy. Luckily, I looped the hotel twice while on the lookout, but eventually found the scale. Let’s just say I reacted poorly. Thank goodness I had a nectarine back in the room to calm me down and make me feel less grody.
After a trip to one of the wineries for a tour and gift, we walked over to Forcaster’s Pub for lunch. Again. We couldn’t help it, the hummus was calling to us. Again. So for the 3rd time in two day, we devoured a hummus platter. I ordered the wedge salad with balsamic, Derek got the pulled pork sans bun. We left grotesquely full again. I don’t know why. All I know is the walk back to the car was literally painful.I actually asked Derek why we would do this to ourselves.
That meal at 2:00 held me over until 9:30 pm, through announcing a derby bout, watching 1/2 of a second bout and the drive home.I wasn’t even tempted to have a snack bar “treat” or to head over to the after party.
If I can say anything for myself, I can say this: I avoided fast food, and for the most part, my food choices weren’t horrible, they just weren’t paleo. And I definitely didn’t listen to my body when it was screaming for more water, less salt and to stop filling my face. Lesson learned.
But still a kick ass weekend. Did I mention I LOVED that hummus??
* Note* take a look at the ingredients of the jar of salsa in your fridge. Sodium is the highest number on there. Find a good recipe and make this from scratch. Start with the Everyday Paleo recipe and adjust it to your family’s tastes.
Extra sodium, much like sugar, is EVERYWHERE!!! Sodium is required for essential health, but we can find this naturally in a lot of foods. It’s also in everything we eat that comes from a package. So I bet, on an average day, you are over-exceeding your RDA (about 2200mg) buy quite a bit. Feeling puffy? Start with ditching soda. You can do it.
DAY 24 – getting comfortable
DAY 24
So, I’m petty much the only one in the house still keeping it Paleo. I’m hardly keeping it strict, as I’ve been having some sort of desert daily now. Life’s too short. But I have been keeping my sugar in moderation because while life is too short not to enjoy things, I want to live a long healthy life and excess sugar and processed foods WILL shorten your life. Period. Finding a healthy balance isn’t really that hard if you just make the choice and commit to better eating and more activity.
Too bad for the rest of the dwellers in my house that I buy the groceries. HA!! I think everyone thinks that once my 30 days is up, I’ll restock the pantry with pasta and chips. Gluten free pasta and rice chips, maybe 🙂 Navigating the grocery store is getting easier for me each time. It’s amazing how many stores carry gluten free items. I’m learning the price different produce, and what stores carry better varieties. It feels good not having to navigate each and every aisle. Although, I find myself wanting to tell people those Sara Lee bagels in their cart are so over processed that all they end up actually eating is sugar, and if they want a bagel that bad, to please just go to Panera or Einsteins and at least get a boiled, more authentic bagel. But those are MY issues, not theirs.
DAY 24 – was Steak with grilled corn on the cob and baked potatoes. I didn’t have the potatoes, but I can’t resist grilled CotC. I did use some butter, and by “some” I mean I rubbed the butter stick on one side, and just once. Mmmmm… I love summer! I chose some sirloins, because they were on sale, and instead of marinating (something I just don’t like doing anyway) I used a rub. Do me a favor, when grilling your steaks, don’t overdo them. WELL DONE means overcooked and gross in english. Seriously. Med rare is my preference, but if you can’t handle the pink juices on your plate, stop ad medium. that means a THICK strip of pink throughout. I can get a medium steak grilling 7 minutes each side on med high.
Also – whats your opinion on grilling corn in the husks Vs foil wrapped? I always use foil, but I don’t know why. Any opinions on this?
Ok, I am going out of town with the man of the house for a long weekend mini vacay. I’m telling you now, this will be a cheat weekend, but I’m picking my meals accordingly so I don’t go balls out and end up in a sugar coma.
stay tuned.
DAY’S 22 &23 – back to normal
DAY 22 – by back to normal, I mean as in the household. Not as in, the normal diet we usually eat. Because there is no going back to that. Even, if to the lament of my children.
Back to normal – the inlaws and outlaws are leaving and I can assume cooking for a family of 5 as opposed to 9. And the family of 5 knows that dinner will be paleo. I have mostly abandoned hope of following all the recipes in the Everyday Paleo as they were layed out. We weren’t going to venture into seafood, anyways. Plus, we all have our favorites new Paleo meals, and why not have a turkey/buffalo burger with lettuce wraps for buns every week?
Speaking of, that was my last ” guests in town” meal, and if was a total comedy of errors!! During our Red Robbin adventure a few weeks back, I told you we had our burgers bunless. They were wrapped in iceberg, and totally delicious. We usually use Romain for “buns” at home, because, 1.) that’s what I buy, 2.) it’s what a lot of recipes call for, and 3.) they just work really well, being large leafs with a natural curve. But since, we loved they way the burgers at the restaurant were, Derek asked to use the iceberg. No problemo, I had some Romain in the fridge, but not enough for everyone, so two different types of lettuce would be perfect. Unfortunately, once we got home, I realized the iceberg was brown most of the way though on one side, leaving not a whole lot left to use. Also, I guess professionals know how to wrap iceberg around a burger much better, because my burger ended up being more like a really messy burger salad. I was frantic, since I had already bragged to everyone about how easy it was to substitute lettuce for bun. Clearly, the Romain was the winner, and those who used it didn’t need near as many napkins. It was still really yummy, though. And Gracie (our burger dislik-er) asked for more!
I also tried my hand at coconut milk whipped cream. I used Thai Kitchen coconut milk (comes in a can). YUCK! I didn’t really love the taste at all. I even tried sweetening it with some honey. It only made it worse. I might try to look up some recipes for it, but for now, I’ll stick with the real thing.
A side note here. DAY 22 was my second training day for the Army 10 miler. Derek tried to take me up a loooong incline, and I didn’t respond well to it. There was actual crying. Me, not him, but I wanted to make him cry. We (I) decided to branch off on my own and I actually did really well. The surface was mostly flat, and I did two loops (about 2 miles) without dying. I have no idea what my time/pace was because Derek had the weird watch/pedometer/pace tracker thingy, but IT FELT GOOD. Quite the breakthrough for a running hater. Is it the paleo diet? Maybe. But I think it really comes for WANTING to be a healthier individual, and DOING something about it. Making real change is important. To me, anyways.
DAY 23 –
All the guests are gone, except my Dad. He’s tempting my with the creamer he bought for his coffee. He’s actually embracing this whole paleo thing pretty good. He does me the favor of eating all the grosso food he wants when he’s out running errands. But I think for the most part, he’s actually enjoyed the food. At least , that’s what he’s telling me, so I’m going to stick with that.
He’s staying through the weekend to pack up some stuff he has in the garage (like 1/2 of the entire garage) and to watch the kids while D and I get away for the weekend. I was going to make a menu for him, but then, I thought , It’s not like he’ll actually follow it and really, a few cheat meals are fine. I’m definitely planning one at the Redhook brewery on Saturday 🙂
DAY 23 was the first time I didn’t have to cook at least one meal for someone other than myself in.. oh… about 23 days. D and my dad went golfing (ALL DAY) and the girls and I ran errands, cleaned up the house and watched movies. I even made one round of popcorn (air popped)* WITH butter and salt. I know. Total anarchy.
We munched on fruit, leftovers and lunch meat all day, and for dinner, it was watermelon and salad. I even let the girls share a package of chili raman. I felt bad telling them “no” to more ribs. I wasn’t in the making ribs mood.
* I notated this for a good reason. I have an air popper for popcorn. It takes about the same amount of time as the microwave variety, but with less carcinogens. On my first day blog entry, I promised not to preach, but this is where I get a little pushy, so feel free to move on to facebook or TMZ.com.
DO NOT EAT MICROWAVE POPCORN. There is a lot of propaganda out there. I am not one to really get on a bandwagon, point the finger Nancy Grace style and I believe in educating yourself on a subject before making any rash opinions. This is a subject I feel very very strongly about. I do not buy or eat microwave popcorn. I do not let my kids eat it. This isn’t about being paleo, either. I have had so many negative comments regarding my 30 day challenge, and that’s fine. I can handle people not being on board with such a dramatic and restrictive diet. But here is what I am saying: Would you knowingly feed your children poison? Of course not. But that’s what many people do each day when they pop a bag of corn, or drive through Mickie D’s. If the food you eat has less nutrients than chemicals DON’T EAT IT. Our bodies weren’t made to break down chemicals.
If there was a warning on the side of the bag, would you still pop it?
DAY 21 – more ribs
I’m sure the title drew you in, but lets talk salads.
Salads have always been a staple in our home. And for the most part, we get pretty creative with them. It’s very rarely just lettuce, cheese and croutons. We usually have two different green leefys, like Romain AND spinach. Cucumbers are a must for the kids, carrots and I like the baby sweet peppers for color and crunch. Add some nuts, like sunflowers or sliced almonds. Avocado? YES! Tomatoes and red onion are added in big chunks so they can be easily removed or avoided by naysayers. I love that I can throw some leftover grilled chicken on it and make it a meal. Salad is portable, and perfect fro hot summer days. Mmmmm… salad for breakfast?
I would say our biggest downfall is the dressing. Like most salad eaters, we usually use a store bought dressing loaded with gross stuff and we usually use too much. Before the 30 day paleo challenge, I was making dressings at home. I used a ranch packet and Fage plain Greek yogurt as ranch dressing/dip. I also made a dill/garlic dressing this was as well. Since starting the 30 day paleo challenge, I’ve tried my hand at a few totally homemade dressings, and non of them where “high five” status. So when I was at the grocery,finding some goodies to throw in the salad, I happened upon some dressings in the produce section. Now, you can Google paleo dressings, or Gluten free dressings and get a list. I know Newman’s Own makes some gluten free variety’s that seem to have great reviews. We used Bolthouse Farms Olive Oil Vinaigrette classic Balsamic. First ingredient is Apple juice, no added sugar. If you click on the bottle, it gives you the specs. I like that. I have really gotten much more diligent about reading labels and making better choices. Just because the box/bottle SAYS its good for you, doesn’t mean it actually is.
So, we devoured our 3rd rack o’ribs and I used this recipe for ribs, but 86’d the shallot salt and lemon pepper (the hubs isn’t a fan). Super duper delish. Served with the HUGE salad I described above , and more sweet potatoes from Saturdays Bountiful Basket.
Speaking of Bountiful Baskets, check out the link to see if you have one in your area. I have tried more new veggies since buying into this co-op and it’s great for the paleo diet. It’s much cheaper than buying tons of produce at the store, and you can set your menu to the items you get each Saturday (or whatever the pick up day is in your area). It’s a great way to make your salad more colorful!
As a side note, I want to point out a few things about our “cheats”. No one was really feeling too bad about the pizza…or beer. BUT, aside from having the ice cream cake, we did get a delivery of chocolaty brownies from a friend. These were so good, and everyone (including all our guests) in the house swarmed to them like moths to a flame, since this was really the only chocolate to be had. The brownies didn’t last 24 hours. Everyone following the paleo diet complained of a bit of an upset tummy after overindulging in these. The guests who weren’t strict paleo kept going back to the pan. Sugar is THAT addictive. I have had sweet cravings nearly every night since giving in to the chocolate shake last week. I have noticed that if I have just a bit of something sweet (lets say a cup of berries and whipped cream sweetened with honey), I feel better both physically and emotionally, but if I OVERINDULGE (two brownie squares) I feel gross AND my tummy hurts. Hmmmmm….
Also, today I started my Army 10 miler training. GULP. I ran a 12.26 mile. and I only ran 1. Well, I ran 1.5, but not consecutively .My goal is about a 10 minute mile. I have 4 months to train. God help me.
DAY 18,19,20 – Family in town
Ok, for the four people (and that’s being generous) who follow my not-so-daily-anymore blog and for those devoted followers of my other, better, less paleo blog The Manic Military Wife I feel like I need to send out an I OWE YOU for my lack of bloggy-ness. We have family in town, and it’s been a little stressful here, but I’m going to try to catch up on here today, and BOTH blogs should be back to normal this week (fingers crossed).
DAY 18 – 20 QUESTIONS
This weekend we had all the parents in town and I had a bit of a freak out moment wondering how I was going to accommodate everyone food wise, and dreading the awkward conversations (argument) regarding the off limits foods (sugar, baked goods,sugar, milk, sugar, bread, chips… ). And the questions, lord the questions. Finally I just said, we can eat whatever we want, but we are CHOOSING to avoid processed foods. Period. But then explaining why I didn’t have crackers (processed) or random other household staples (processed) was kinda fun. It’s amazing how many people claim to eat healthy (myself included) but when you really take a look at your meals, if you open a box/bag/sack/container/ then most of those items are PROCESSED. Just sayin’.
Derek and I bought 3 racks of ribs (nearly 17 lbs) but that had to wait until DAY 19.When all the parents came in.
Luckily, I had a bunch of produce leftover form my bountiful basket from the previous Saturday so as we were fretting about DAY 18 dinner, we realized we had everything we needed (almost) for corned beef and cabbage. PERFECT! It was a great way to celebrate the last day of school, and everybody at the house is a huge fan of this delicious dinner. But is it really paleo? I Googled and it seems most everyone leaves out the potatoes or substitutes in yams. I made a basic New England boiled dinner with carrots, potatoes and cabbage.
That evening Derek and I had a date planned at the local community theater. I’m ashamed to say I suggested a detour to Cold Stone creamery. Guilty as charged. My “strict paleo” has turned into “mostly paleo”. Well, until DAY 20.
And actually, It was pretty hard to get the entire “Like It” coconut no topping eaten. I was actually full and satisfied about 3/4 into it. If Derek and I liked the same flavors, we might have been able to share the cup. Ha!
DAY 19 – the best freakin ribs EVER
Back to the 3 racks. Why haven’t I done this before?!?! My very good friend Erica makes some fantastic ribs. My kids LOVE them. Better than Famous Daves, they say. So when she was out last month, she of course, made some ribs for us. Delish!! But not entirely paleo. She left some of her homemade rib rub here and I decided to do “Erica’s ribs”, and two, more paleo friendly, dry racks.
Yes, 3 racks. Overkill? Maybe. Actually, we still have a rack left thats going on the grill tonight.
So, Erica’s ribs are a mix of different spices and seasonings and topped with a BBQ sauce. these are a more “sweet” BBQ. If that’s our thing, you’ll love em. I can’t give you the exact rub recipe, but for the sauce, we used Stubbs. Why? Because my husband found this brand to have the most natural ingredients (no HFCS), and we enjoy the flavor.
For the Dry ribs I used a rub mix we bought at a crafters fair . VooDoo Rub is the shiz and you NEED to buy some. Yes, you. Yes, now. I’ll wait…
It has a little kick to it (as the tag line tells you), but it’s not so spicy you need to wipe your face after every bite. I would go so far as to say PERFECT.
I used enough to cover the ribs, front and back (nearly 3/4 of the bottle).
If neither of these strike your fancy, or you feel the need to have NO SUGAR WHATSOEVER try this recipe.
I cooked both of these like this:
large disposable pan, covered tightly with foil at 325 (300 is better, my oven doesn’t do that) for about 3 to 3.5 hours. Then I grilled them for about 7 minutes each side to get that nice crisp layer. If they are too done and falling off the bone (as my sauced ones were) feel free to just slice them in the pan and add a bit more sauce if need be.
I served them with roasted sweet potatoes and yam (sliced and brushed with coconut oil). and Bok Choy, sauteed in coconut oil, ginger and sea salt.
EVERYONE raved about how good this meal was, and there were NO LEFTOVER RIBS. 2 whole racks gone by the end of the evening. But, we did have 7 adults and 2 kiddos.
Dessert was fresh whipped cream and berries. I was going to make coconut cream, but my MIL isn’t a fan of the coconut, so we went with whole whipping cream with honey to sweeten it. Best damn meal I’ve had in a while on the Paleo 30 day challenge. I felt like a freakin paleo rock star!!!
DAY 20 – Total cheat day.
Day 20 was Father’s Day. My husband is rarely home on Fathers Day, and when he is, he’s either about to leave or just coming home. This Father’s Day needed to be awesome. Plus, Both my dad and step-dad were in town. So, why not do something really fun?
All the dads, along with the my mom, MIL and the kids headed in to the city for the day to do the very paleo friendly Ride the Ducks tour. If you have one in your area, DO IT!! After all that excitement, we needed some lunch and landed at Zeeks pizza. If you’re from the Seattle area and you’ve eaten here raise your hand. It’s ok, we all know it’s not paleo, and I’m not going to call you out about it. I just want someone else to rave about the awesomeness that is ZEEKS!! It is the best pizza I have ever had. EVER. And our entire party agreed. All 8 of us.
So, clearly, pizza was a cheat. But so was the Pitcher of Blue Moon (I only had 1 frosty mug;s worth). We ordered two different pizzas for the table : The Puget Pounder, and the Organic Drift. I also ordered a 1/2 chop salad which I shared with Derek. I was thinking I would stay pretty true to my “strict” challenge, but the pizza force was too strong for me. I couldn’t resist and had a slice of each. HEAVEN.
We decided to walk off all that deliciousness and trekked on over to Pikes Market. The mile walk got us all thinking about about all the cool stuff Pikes has to offer. One of them is a little shopped owned by Satan himself known as The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Here, the have a wondrous concoction called a caramel apple. But it’s more than a caramel apple. It’s an apple. Dipped in caramel.And chocolate. Sometimes different types of chocolate. With other naughty things such as nuts, or cinnamon sugar. Damn you delicious apples!!! But it was fathers day. How can I not share a caramel apple with my hubby, aka #1 DAD?! It would be wrong. We got the caramel apple pie apple. I’m not ashamed.
After a monorail ride back to the car, we headed home, belly full of good food, even if not entirely good for us. It was one of the best days we’ve had in a while. Surrounded by family, enjoying ourselves. Isn’t that was life is about?
I will admit, that even after all that, we came home to a Fathers Day Ice cream cake. But with 8 people having a slice, we only cut through a little over half the cake. We were all pretty ok with moderation after all the indulgences. Dinner was a slice here and there of the leftover pizza, and some fruit.
Paleo is great. It makes me feel good, people are telling me I look good and I love whole natural foods. But I also love spending time like this with my family. Everything in moderation. Including Paleo. Don’t be so stuck on the diet, that you lose track of why you’re doing it. Enjoy life!
my30daysofpaleo 