So, if you read my first post, you know that hubby and I started this way of eating to help with weight loss and to also feel better in general. Hubby's blood sugar was a bit high and I have tons of allergy issues centered around pollen and fruit pollen as well as dairy plus cold and lung issues related to recent bouts of bronchitis and flu related pneumonia. We did some reading and research and talking to friends who had tried Paleo and figured it was worth a shot.
So how are we doing?
With Hubby, blood sugar isn't something we can really measure except from doctor appointment to doctor appointment without buying a fancy monitor thing. So, we aren't sure on that front. But he reports that he generally feels better and has more energy. Plus he has lost about 5 pounds since we started on March 3rd.
For me, I am scared to try eating the fruits I have issues with but I will eventually. It creates somewhat of a problem to be allergic to fruit when I am eating this way because it limits what I am able to snack on. Total bummer. I have issues with apples, peaches, pears, nectarines, plums, cherries and blueberries. Dairy also does a bad things to my stomach sometimes. Since cutting dairy out, I haven't had any of those stomach issues. Plus, no more inhalers! My one slip up when I had some mozzarella (about two ounces), I woke up the next morning feeling crappy - wheezy in my lungs and a stuffy nose. So, I won't be doing that again! I also have more energy and am sleeping better which is amazing. I have lost three pounds as well - nice side bonus!
Questions? Ask! I am an open book :)
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
Sweet Italian Sausage Saute
In my pre-Paleo days, I loved ordering a hearty pasta dish with Italian sausage. These days, pasta is a no-no but, thankfully, sausage isn't! I get my sausage from Truelove Farms. Tom, the owner is young and really nice so if you are in the Connecticut area, the farm is definitely worth a trip and he has some great ideas and products there. But his sweet Italian sausage is my favorite! So I figured I should create a dish to highlight it and satisfy my sausage and pasta craving.
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Recipe
One onion, diced
Two roma tomatoes, chopped
1 Tbs diced garlic (or more! I love garlic)
2 Tbs Olive oil
1 lb sweet Italian sausage
Italian seasoning
1 large spaghetti squash, roasted (don't know how to roast one? Go here!)
Start cooking your squash first because it will take longer than the saute. Before you even start dicing the onion and tomato, have the squash in the oven.
Saute the onion, tomato and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat until the onion is cooked through (but not clear).
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Add a good amount of Italian seasoning and mix it all together.
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While that is all cooking, carefully cut the sausage links into 1/2 inch to 1 inch chunks (totally up to you on size - whatever you prefer!)
Add those to the pan and continue to cook over medium heat for about ten minutes or until the sausage is cooked through. You can cover it to help it cook a little faster or if you think there isn't enough "sauce" to adequately coat your squash.
While it's cooking, hopefully your squash is done or close to done so you can start pulling the strings with a fork. With this recipe, it might be a good idea to put the "spaghetti" strands into a strainer in the sink to strain off some of the extra moisture since you are going to be adding a "sauce" of sorts.
Once your sausage is cooked and your squash is ready, just top the "spaghetti" with the sausage saute and you are ready to eat. So yummy and hubby approved!
Enjoy!
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One onion, diced
Two roma tomatoes, chopped
1 Tbs diced garlic (or more! I love garlic)
2 Tbs Olive oil
1 lb sweet Italian sausage
Italian seasoning
1 large spaghetti squash, roasted (don't know how to roast one? Go here!)
Start cooking your squash first because it will take longer than the saute. Before you even start dicing the onion and tomato, have the squash in the oven.
Saute the onion, tomato and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat until the onion is cooked through (but not clear).
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Add a good amount of Italian seasoning and mix it all together.
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Add those to the pan and continue to cook over medium heat for about ten minutes or until the sausage is cooked through. You can cover it to help it cook a little faster or if you think there isn't enough "sauce" to adequately coat your squash.
While it's cooking, hopefully your squash is done or close to done so you can start pulling the strings with a fork. With this recipe, it might be a good idea to put the "spaghetti" strands into a strainer in the sink to strain off some of the extra moisture since you are going to be adding a "sauce" of sorts.
Once your sausage is cooked and your squash is ready, just top the "spaghetti" with the sausage saute and you are ready to eat. So yummy and hubby approved!
Enjoy!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Paleo Pancakes...yes, pancakes!
Yes, you read that correctly...PANCAKES! In the WP house, pancakes are almost a daily request from the little guy. And I still have that big bag of Krusteaz mix from Costco for him. But he will also gladly eat the paleo version and they are so much healthier for him. Super easy recipe, made even easier with a good blender (I love my Ninja!).
Recipe
1 banana
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of almond butter (this is somewhat optional - I made them without the first time and they were just as delicious so if you have nut allergies in your house, leave it out!)
Shake of cinnamon
I throw all of the ingredients in my Ninja and blend until smooth. If you don't have a great blender or don't feel like dragging it out, you CAN do this by hand but I would strongly suggest mashing the banana up really well first or you will have lumpy pancakes.
Once mixed, proceed like normal - big or small pancakes both work although if you want to do letter shapes (we are learning our letters!), I would maybe add an extra tablespoon of almond butter to thicken it up.
The mixture will be thinner than a normal pancake mix and therefore more runny. Have no fear! The consistency is very similar once cooked.
Important to note that I usually at least double the recipe to feed the three of us on the weekend. I actually like to triple or quadruple it and then save the leftovers for during the week. 30 seconds in the microwave and they are ready to eat again (although they taste good cold!).
Enjoy!
Recipe
1 banana
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of almond butter (this is somewhat optional - I made them without the first time and they were just as delicious so if you have nut allergies in your house, leave it out!)
Shake of cinnamon
I throw all of the ingredients in my Ninja and blend until smooth. If you don't have a great blender or don't feel like dragging it out, you CAN do this by hand but I would strongly suggest mashing the banana up really well first or you will have lumpy pancakes.
Once mixed, proceed like normal - big or small pancakes both work although if you want to do letter shapes (we are learning our letters!), I would maybe add an extra tablespoon of almond butter to thicken it up.
The mixture will be thinner than a normal pancake mix and therefore more runny. Have no fear! The consistency is very similar once cooked.
Important to note that I usually at least double the recipe to feed the three of us on the weekend. I actually like to triple or quadruple it and then save the leftovers for during the week. 30 seconds in the microwave and they are ready to eat again (although they taste good cold!).
Enjoy!
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Coconut Curry Scallops and Swordfish
The local fresh fish store has become a go-to place for me on the weekends. I usually end up taking my three year old which means I don't get a lot of time to peruse and plan and end up just randomly picking stuff to keep the counter guy from staring at me blankly for longer than three minutes. Which is how I ended up with chunks of swordfish and sea scallops. I made coconut bread earlier in the day and needed something to compliment it. A friend suggested a curry dish and this was the result!
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Recipe
One pound of sea scallops
One pound of swordfish chunks
Roasted spaghetti squash
Two cups of broccoli
One onion
One can of full fat coconut milk
Garlic - fresh chopped or jarred
Jamaican or Indian curry - whichever you prefer
Add the coconut milk, onion, garlic and curry (about 1 tbs - adjust to your preferred level of heat) to a medium saute pan over medium heat.
Cover and let cook together for five or so minutes.
Add the scallops and swordfish and cover again and let cook for five minutes.
Add broccoli and cover again and cook until broccoli is cooked through, stirring frequently to make sure all ingredients are coated in the coconut curry sauce.
Serve alone or over spaghetti squash.
Note: I think this would work well with any kind of fish or shellfish. Maybe even chicken. You can also substitute low fat coconut milk. I used the Jamaican style curry for mine because I had some we had purchased in Grand Cayman in November.
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Recipe
One pound of sea scallops
One pound of swordfish chunks
Roasted spaghetti squash
Two cups of broccoli
One onion
One can of full fat coconut milk
Garlic - fresh chopped or jarred
Jamaican or Indian curry - whichever you prefer
Add the coconut milk, onion, garlic and curry (about 1 tbs - adjust to your preferred level of heat) to a medium saute pan over medium heat.
Cover and let cook together for five or so minutes.
Add the scallops and swordfish and cover again and let cook for five minutes.
Add broccoli and cover again and cook until broccoli is cooked through, stirring frequently to make sure all ingredients are coated in the coconut curry sauce.
Serve alone or over spaghetti squash.
Note: I think this would work well with any kind of fish or shellfish. Maybe even chicken. You can also substitute low fat coconut milk. I used the Jamaican style curry for mine because I had some we had purchased in Grand Cayman in November.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Spaghetti Squash
One of the best things about Paleo was my discovery of spaghetti squash. I seriously cannot get enough of the stuff! I use it as a base for everything I used to eat with pasta and rice or eat it on its own. Super simple to make and great for you.
Roasted Spaghetti Squash
Preheat over to 375 degrees.
Get out your muscles!
Using a large, heavy knife very very carefully, cut the spaghetti squash in half length wise. This takes a good deal of force so please, please be careful. I will sometimes use a meat tenderizing hammer over a dish towel on the back of my knife and tap the knife in and through.
Clean out all the seeds and strings (I am saving the seeds to grow but you can roast them like pumpkin seeds too!).
Place the squash halves skin side up in a glass baking dish.
Drizzle olive oil over the skins.
Roast for 30-45 minutes depending on the size of the squash. If it is softball size, go for 30 minutes. Two softballs together, better off with 45.
Once done, use a fork to scrape the "spaghetti" strings out. Top with olive oil, garlic and seasonings or your favorite other recipe (I will post a few soon!).
YUM, enjoy!
Roasted Spaghetti Squash
Preheat over to 375 degrees.
Get out your muscles!
Using a large, heavy knife very very carefully, cut the spaghetti squash in half length wise. This takes a good deal of force so please, please be careful. I will sometimes use a meat tenderizing hammer over a dish towel on the back of my knife and tap the knife in and through.
Clean out all the seeds and strings (I am saving the seeds to grow but you can roast them like pumpkin seeds too!).
Place the squash halves skin side up in a glass baking dish.
Drizzle olive oil over the skins.
Roast for 30-45 minutes depending on the size of the squash. If it is softball size, go for 30 minutes. Two softballs together, better off with 45.
Once done, use a fork to scrape the "spaghetti" strings out. Top with olive oil, garlic and seasonings or your favorite other recipe (I will post a few soon!).
YUM, enjoy!
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Everyday Working Paleo
My husband suggested that all my posts didn't have to be recipes. And he is right. Part of this journey is how to function within Paleo constraints and a super busy lifestyle. A question people ask me all the time (after I tell them I don't eat dairy, grains, legumes or anything processed) is "What DO you eat?" Understandable for the uninitiated, right? A snapshot of my "food day" looks something like this:
Morning - 2 eggs medium boiled with a sprinkling of sea salt. I like my eggs still warm but if you don't mind a real hard boiled egg or cold, you could make these ahead by the dozen and save a bunch of time in the morning. Usually I pop mine in the water while I make my 3 year old's waffles (no, he isn't Paleo...yet) and once boiling, set the timer for six minutes and go about my business getting ready for work.
I also pack my food for the day in the morning but a lot of the prep work is done in the evening or on weekends. For instance, I buy a huge container of strawberries at Costco and wash and cut them all up immediately and store in a large container to be portioned out when needed. Hubby wanted me to include that every weekend we (meaning "he") grills up a whole family size package of chicken breasts and then cuts them into strips for topping salads or just for snacking.
Snacks - I pack for snacks one fruit snack, sometimes two and a small bag of almonds. A good friend (who will be guest posting her granola recipe soon!) suggested buying the four pound jug of almonds at Costco and portioning them into ziploc bags immediately upon returning home to throw quickly into the daily food bag. Great idea.
Lunch - Generally a salad or leftovers from the night before. Again, when I get home from my trusty Costco with my enormous bag of romaine lettuce, I wash, spin and chop it right away and store it in a large container with a damp paper towel (keeps it from drying out and/or getting rusty). So I just throw some in a tupperware, top it with the aforementioned grilled chicken and whatever else happens to be in the fridge. Often I will roast brussel sprouts and broccoli over the weekend and the leftovers are saved to top salads. Or cook up a bunch of bacon which is also so yummy on salads.
Dinner - that's what my recipes are for! Spaghetti squash is my current favorite but Paleo dinners are pretty easy. Meat and vegetables, YUM!
Questions? Ask them!
Morning - 2 eggs medium boiled with a sprinkling of sea salt. I like my eggs still warm but if you don't mind a real hard boiled egg or cold, you could make these ahead by the dozen and save a bunch of time in the morning. Usually I pop mine in the water while I make my 3 year old's waffles (no, he isn't Paleo...yet) and once boiling, set the timer for six minutes and go about my business getting ready for work.
I also pack my food for the day in the morning but a lot of the prep work is done in the evening or on weekends. For instance, I buy a huge container of strawberries at Costco and wash and cut them all up immediately and store in a large container to be portioned out when needed. Hubby wanted me to include that every weekend we (meaning "he") grills up a whole family size package of chicken breasts and then cuts them into strips for topping salads or just for snacking.
Snacks - I pack for snacks one fruit snack, sometimes two and a small bag of almonds. A good friend (who will be guest posting her granola recipe soon!) suggested buying the four pound jug of almonds at Costco and portioning them into ziploc bags immediately upon returning home to throw quickly into the daily food bag. Great idea.
Lunch - Generally a salad or leftovers from the night before. Again, when I get home from my trusty Costco with my enormous bag of romaine lettuce, I wash, spin and chop it right away and store it in a large container with a damp paper towel (keeps it from drying out and/or getting rusty). So I just throw some in a tupperware, top it with the aforementioned grilled chicken and whatever else happens to be in the fridge. Often I will roast brussel sprouts and broccoli over the weekend and the leftovers are saved to top salads. Or cook up a bunch of bacon which is also so yummy on salads.
Dinner - that's what my recipes are for! Spaghetti squash is my current favorite but Paleo dinners are pretty easy. Meat and vegetables, YUM!
Questions? Ask them!
Friday, March 22, 2013
Dessert Idea
One thing that has been super difficult for me is to give up sweets. I have a MAJOR sweet tooth and I love ice cream, among other things. I thought that I would be giving up sweets completely because I was pretty much giving up all processed foods which includes sugar.
Thank god for my friends!
My new favorite dessert - dates smeared with almond butter. YUM! I love this to the point where we have four boxes of Girl Scout cookies (ordered pre-Paleo). I tried one cookie from each box and they just didn't taste very good. All I wanted was my dates.
Shopping Tip: both dates and almond butter can be really expensive. Luckily, Costco carries both - stock up!
Thank god for my friends!
My new favorite dessert - dates smeared with almond butter. YUM! I love this to the point where we have four boxes of Girl Scout cookies (ordered pre-Paleo). I tried one cookie from each box and they just didn't taste very good. All I wanted was my dates.
Shopping Tip: both dates and almond butter can be really expensive. Luckily, Costco carries both - stock up!
Thursday, March 21, 2013
First Recipe - Braised Bacon Spinach with Olives
I must admit, I am not a huge fan of spinach. But hubby likes it and I know it is good for me. So we bought a big old bag of it at Costco. I hit up the local fish market for some wild caught Artic Char and got creative.
Here an "in progress" picture
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Recipe
A few handfuls of raw spinach
Mixed kalamata and green olives, chopped
Very fatty bacon with the fat separated from the meatier parts - 6 or so slices
Chopped fresh or jarred garlic
Sea salt to taste
Put the bacon fat in a medium skillet over medium heat and cook until it melts.
Add the garlic and desired amount of sea salt. Cover and cook over medium for two minutes.
Toss in the olives and bacon and cook until the bacon is cooked through.
Add the spinach and toss to coat in the bacon fat and other ingredients.
Cover and remove from heat.
Let sit for ten minutes or so until the spinach is wilted.
I served the artic char on top of the bed of spinach. To prepare the fish, I cut slits in the top and inserted small pieces of bacon fat. I added italian seasoning and garlic and broiled for 20 or so minutes.
End result was delicious!
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Here an "in progress" picture
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Recipe
A few handfuls of raw spinach
Mixed kalamata and green olives, chopped
Very fatty bacon with the fat separated from the meatier parts - 6 or so slices
Chopped fresh or jarred garlic
Sea salt to taste
Put the bacon fat in a medium skillet over medium heat and cook until it melts.
Add the garlic and desired amount of sea salt. Cover and cook over medium for two minutes.
Toss in the olives and bacon and cook until the bacon is cooked through.
Add the spinach and toss to coat in the bacon fat and other ingredients.
Cover and remove from heat.
Let sit for ten minutes or so until the spinach is wilted.
I served the artic char on top of the bed of spinach. To prepare the fish, I cut slits in the top and inserted small pieces of bacon fat. I added italian seasoning and garlic and broiled for 20 or so minutes.
End result was delicious!
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Paleo
Two weeks ago, hubby and I started our Paleo journey. Suffice to say, we have tried many different weight loss programs over the years. We are still fat. At this point, it's more about health - blood sugar for him and allergy issues for me. Paleo seemed right for us.
I love to cook and wanted a place to keep track of and share my recipes and recipes that I borrowed from others and enjoyed (or didn't!). I also work full time and have a three year old so quick but tasty recipes are key to my lifestyle. I will be sharing recipes as well as tips and tricks for making Paleo work for everyone who lives a busy life.
Join us on our journey. Ask questions, make suggestions, and enjoy your food!
Julie
I love to cook and wanted a place to keep track of and share my recipes and recipes that I borrowed from others and enjoyed (or didn't!). I also work full time and have a three year old so quick but tasty recipes are key to my lifestyle. I will be sharing recipes as well as tips and tricks for making Paleo work for everyone who lives a busy life.
Join us on our journey. Ask questions, make suggestions, and enjoy your food!
Julie
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