So here I am!
One thing I've noticed and I said to Cassie that night was that it seems as though a lot of people tend to over-think the whole Paleo thing, assuming off-the-wall ingredients need to be purchased and a lot of thought needs to be put into it, when really it's not that difficult at all. Odd ingredients need only be purchased if you intend to do a lot of baking, because that's where you start replacing wheat flour with nut flours, sugar with honey, vegetable shortening with palm shortening, or vegetable oil with coconut oil. But really, that's not all that difficult either. Or at least I thought it wasn't. We've got the internet at our fingertips! There are websites upon websites, blogs upon blogs created by people who are dedicated to this lifestyle and have tons of recipes to share. Ditch your Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and look up some Paleo cakes and cookies. Or look at my growing list of recipes - they're all tried and true and absolutely delicious!
But seriously, how often do you bake if it's not a special occasion? So why bake up a storm on Paleo? I usually buy a 5lb bag of almond flour on Amazon and that lasts me a good 3-5 months in the freezer. Sure, almond flour is expensive up front, but considering how long it takes me to go through it, it's not that bad.
Before I get too much further, if you're not sure what the point of Paleo is, read this blog post I wrote awhile back on the science of healthy eating. Paleo is basically eating whatever foods would have been available to our pre-agricultural ancestors. Meats, vegetables, fruits, berries, nuts, and seeds. It's off-limits if it's been through some sort of process to get to your plate - so no grains, sugars, anything that's packaged in a box or a bag, etc. Avoiding grains and sugars is a good idea, anyway, as they don't provide many nutrients that your body would need to process and use up all the carbohydrates that are in them. They spike your blood sugar, putting your insulin to work, increasing your body's inflammatory response, and a whole slough of health issues can potentially arise, added to the fact that if weight-loss is your goal, it'll definitely impede your progress.
There's a bit of gray area to Paleo, though. For instance, white potatoes. Just a lot of carbohydrates and not a lot of nutrients to back them up. Not good if you're trying to manage your blood sugar (which everyone should be doing, not just diabetics). But, they're still grown in nature and not in a factory, which is why I consider it gray area. Same with peanuts, beans and legumes. Some Paleo "professionals" consider them off-limits, I personally think it doesn't hurt every now and then. I haven't researched it much so don't quote me on that. But, like potatoes, they're grown by nature and not in a factory. Dairy is another questionable food. Milk really isn't good for you. It's been through way too much processing, most cows are given extra hormones and sometimes steroids to produce more, and that does get into their milk, which then we in turn drink. Plus, it's just not natural for a mammal to drink another mammal's milk. We're humans, not baby cows. If you can find cheese and yogurt from clean sources then I don't have too much of a problem with that, but milk... ugh. We replaced it a long time ago with almond milk and coconut milk and I haven't missed it.
As for dinner, it's really not that hard. You can be as basic or as creative as you want. Throw some chicken breasts in the oven with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper - that's Paleo. Or get on Pinterest and find things like Peach Balsamic Rosemary Chicken - still Paleo. And absolutely delicious, by the way! See what I mean? Don't be intimidated. It's not hard. Our dinners consist of a meat and two vegetable sides. We're busy - I usually stick to easy, simple things, and if I find myself with extra time then I get on Pinterest and find creative recipes to experiment with. But what it comes down to is meat and vegetables.
Sometimes it's chicken with green beans and cooked carrots.
Or we'll have pork steaks with salad and sauteed zucchini.
Maybe I'll make fish or shrimp with steamed broccoli and roasted asparagus.
Or maybe beef steaks with roasted tomatoes and brussels sprouts.
Or throw in some homemade applesauce - so easy, just roast some cored, sliced apples with a little cinnamon until tender and send it through the food processor. Voila. What's in season? Butternut squash? Roast that up like I did Sunday night. Zucchini? Saute it in a pan with some oil and spices. Leafy greens? Salads - make your own vinaigrette - half oil, half vinegar of choice (usually balsamic or red wine or apple cider is good), a little honey, lemon juice, herbs and spices of choice, boom.
Mix and match the above options. Try new and different vegetables. Remember my stir-fry post? Doesn't get much easier than that! Steaming, roasting, sauteing - if you've never done it before just look it up on YouTube, then give it a try. If you've done it once you can do it again. And sometimes we just don't have time to cook. I admit, I'll open a can of green beans and boil them in a pot with salt and pepper. It's fine!
If you have a little extra time and creativity, throw together some paleo tortillas (here's my flaxseed tortilla recipe but hang tight, I've got an even better recipe coming up soon), whip up some guacamole, brown some ground beef with chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin, saute some onions and bell peppers, and you've got yourself paleo taco night. Or cook a spaghetti squash, roll up some meatballs, find a pasta sauce with no added sugar (or make your own), and you've got classic spaghetti and meatballs.
See what I mean? Paleo is not hard. Eating clean is not hard.
Since converting to Paleo we've only had to go grocery shopping once a month. I stock up on the basics, build our meat supply back up, and after that I rely on the local co-op for produce. It comes twice a month (every other Thursday) and has a big enough variety of fruits and vegetables that I've got side dishes figured out for me and I didn't even have to think. Get a meat out of the freezer in the morning to thaw for the evening, or the night before if I want to make it in the crock pot, and I'm good to go.
Breakfast is always some variation of bacon, sausage, ham, eggs, veggies, omelets, etc. Easy. Sometimes I'll make some pancakes and store them in the freezer if I'm wanting a break from bacon and eggs, but honestly I'm not interested in those kinds of breakfasts anymore - I've gotten myself to the point where the first thing I crave upon waking is some sort of protein. It's nice to have more kid-friendly options on hand though. Harlee loves scrambled eggs, but sometimes he's not interested in that. I grew up eating Pop-Tarts and sugary cereal, like most kids I'm sure. But there's no way I'd willingly start my kids' day on a heap of sugar like that. Sometimes I'll cave and allow that stuff as a snack, but not very often, and not very much (but I have a little weak spot for that kind of stuff yet soooo... yeah.). However, I can throw together some sweet potato brownies in my sleep, they're so easy, and they're GOOD for you while being sinfully delicious at the same time. I have NO problem with Harlee eating those for breakfast!
Then lunch is usually something left over from the night before, or a salad, or tuna salad, or whatever.
Get it? Paleo is easy. Eating clean is easy. You can do it.
Okay so I had a little Paleo Thanksgiving Sunday night and it turned out great! It was just me and my kiddos and Cassie and her kiddos, but it was perfect. I think she's been interested in the whole Paleo thing, so hopefully this gave her a good glimpse into what a Paleo meal might look like, and I'm going to share it with you so you can see, too! I made a little more than I usually do, since it was a special occasion, but honestly I could make this meal any night of the week.
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| dinner! |
Lemon, Garlic, & Thyme Drumsticks (with my modifications)
10 Chicken drumsticks, rinsed
5 tbsp olive oil
zest of one lemon plus 3 tbsp lemon juice
5-6 garlic cloves, minced (or 3-4 tsp garlic powder)
2 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
I split everything in half into two ziplock bags (except the salt and pepper - save that for later) and tossed to coat. Put the bags in the fridge and marinate for a few hours.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and arrange the drumsticks on a greased baking dish, then season with salt and pepper. Bake for 55 minutes or until the juices run clear. Serve hot and enjoy!
I prepped these earlier in the day and when Cassie and the kids arrived I popped them in the oven and we went downstairs to workout while they baked. They were just about done when we were finished so it worked out perfectly!
I also made green beans, which I prepped earlier and sealed in a bag in the fridge until it was time to cook them.
Garlic Parmesan Green Beans
1lb green beans, trimmed and washed
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder or 1-2 minced garlic cloves
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss green beans with oil, garlic, salt, and pepper and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until tender. Sprinkle with cheese immediately after removing from oven.
So easy, and so yummy! I chose this weekend to experiment a bit with Elliot's tummy... I know I consumed dairy at my parents' house and at Justin's family's house, and so far Elliot was doing just fine, so I thought maaaaaybe he was outgrowing his dairy intolerance. I'm not so sure though. I ate the Parmesan green beans and the next day he wasn't too happy. But he is dealing with teeth too, so hard telling.
While the chicken was finishing up and the green beans were doing their thing, I made butternut squash in the skillet. Usually I roast this too, but it worked out great on the stovetop so I'm thinking I may go this route in the future. It was certainly easy enough!
Savory Butternut Squash
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, and cut into cubes
2-3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tsp dried parsley
Toss ingredients together, transfer to a skillet and cook, stirring frequently, over medium-high heat until cooked through and easily pierced with a fork.
I'm not a huge fan of sweet vegetables, like the butternut squash or sweet potatoes, unless they're prepared more on the savory side. Sweet potatoes with butter and cinnamon and marshmallows? Barf. But as crunchy salty fries? Sure, I can work with that! Same with the butternut squash... I'm a bit picky... but prepared this way, they're delicious.
Cassie brought a quinoa dish, which was super yummy! Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a grain, so it's technically not Paleo, but it's one of the healthiest grains you can consume, plus it's a naturally gluten-free grain, so that puts it on the nice list too. I'm not really on a weight-loss mission, so avoiding carbs for that reason isn't high on my priority list, but instead I'm trying to get a few more healthy carbs into my diet for the sake of breastfeeding. Quinoa is a good option!
Harlee was like a Snickers commercial after dinner. He was such a monster up until he had something to eat, then he was his happy self again. He and Cassie's kids chased each other around the house and had pillow fights in the living room, which I found quite entertaining to watch. I love seeing Harlee interacting with other kids and having fun. It's a great feeling as a mom :).
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| pillow fight! |
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| Cassie's kids provided us with dinner music |
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| So good I was halfway through before remembering to snap a picture! |
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| I guess Cassie didn't get enough baby holding in during the workout :-) |
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| Getting selfies with Harlee is hard - he hates the camera! |
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| Stella, on the other hand... :-D |
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| Helping Henry with dessert, or stealing it...? |
On Thanksgiving Day I scrolled through Facebook reading everyone's declarations of gratitude, which made me think of everything I'm grateful for too. Of course I'm grateful for my husband, my kids, the roof over my head, but it goes so much deeper than that too. I'm grateful for the kind of person my husband is. That I really, truly did marry my best friend - the person I'm excited to see every day, the person I can talk to about anything, the person I want to go out and have adventures with and experience new things with, my rock and supporter. I'm grateful for the lessons my kids brought into my life. I'm actually grateful for the difficulties and struggles - the postpartum depression after Harlee's birth, the struggle of becoming a new mom to a colicky baby, the anger and resentment that came with all that, questioning if I made a huge mistake somewhere and I was actually never meant to be a mother... It was so hard at the time. It took me three years to really heal from all that, and the biggest healing element of it all was facing my biggest fear and doing the scariest thing I've ever done in my life - getting pregnant again. I'm a totally different person than I was three years ago, and I love who I am today. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for the struggles I faced. And that has now become my encouragement for others going through struggles - hang in there, it's happening for a reason, and if you hold strong and pull through it, you're going to be an even stronger, more amazing, brilliant human being than you ever could have imagined.
I'm grateful for the things I discovered along the way on my journey towards healing. Like Paleo, as I mentioned earlier. A healthy lifestyle that's easy to follow and allows me to be just as creative in the kitchen as I was before. Crossfit - a workout routine that's fun and invigorating that's developed strength in me that I never knew I had. Even running - my need to get back in shape after having Harlee was what led me to try running, and I love it! And the ultimate test of strength - my natural homebirth with Elliot.
I'm grateful I was raised with a natural mindset, and spent the early years of my life learning about herbal remedies and homeopathy, so that I had a good foundation of knowledge on natural healing to build from as began creating a family. And I'm grateful that I get to share that knowledge through this blog!
I could go on for days about things I'm grateful for. This house that we designed ourselves, my job that I love and the clients that I get to help, and my amazing friends that have come into my life, especially my workout buddies!
I think focusing on the things we're grateful for only draws more things into our lives to be grateful for. That's what I've found, anyway. So, I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving weekend filled with lots of reflection on the good in your life, so that you continue to enjoy more of the wonderful things life has to offer!
