Turnip and Sweet Potato Puree

This was pretty good. I think the recipe could use a few less chives for our family's taste, and maybe a tad more coconut milk. Good introduction to turnips for the kids, though!


Ingredients

• 2 Large Turnips
• 1 c Mashed Sweet Potato (canned is fine)
• 1/4 c Coconut Milk
• 1 T Dried Chives
• 1/4 t Garlic Powder
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cube your turnips and sweet potatoes and steam them until soft.
2. Toss your steamed turnips, sweet potato, coconut milk, and seasoning into a food processor and whip till smooth and creamy. You can do it in batches if you like.

Recipe courtesy of fastpaleo.com

Paleo Ketchup

I couldn't believe how much this tasted like the real deal. It easily passed the Sawyer test.
This recipe yields 1.5 cups.

Ingredients

• 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste;
• 2 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice;
• 1/4 tsp dry mustard;
• 1/3 cup water;
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon;
• 1/4 tsp salt;
• 1 pinch ground cloves;
• 1 pinch ground allspice;
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, optional;

Preparation
Simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk well to combine. Refrigerate overnight to let the flavors develop and enjoy!

Recipe Courtesy of PaleoDietLifestyle.com

Paleo Plantain Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 2 large green plantains (about 2 cups pureed)
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
• 1/8 tsp salt (a generous pinch)
• ½ tsp baking soda
• Extra coconut oil for frying

Directions

1. Peel plantains (I find it easier to quarter them before I peel them) and place pieces in your blender or food processor.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender or food processor and process until it forms a smooth batter (about 1-2 minutes).
3. Heat 1 Tbsp of coconut oil in a frying pan or on a griddle over medium-high heat. Pour batter into the frying pan until your pancake is the desired size.
4. Let cook 4-5 minutes on the first side, until the top looks fairly dry with little bubbles in it (just like regular pancakes!).
5. Flip! And cook on the second side for 1½-2minutes.
6. Repeat with remaining batter, adding a little more coconut oil to your pan as needed.

Recipe Courtesy of ThePaleoMom.com

Paleo Fajita Marinade

I put this on chicken breasts and then we grilled them up to use on salads or plain. Yum!

Ingredients
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
Zest from one lime (~2 tsp)
1/4 red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions
Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Pour into a Ziploc bag with 1 1/2-2 pounds of the meat of your choice. Let stand for at least one hour, or as long as overnight, occasionally squeezing and turning bag to evenly distribute marinade.

Recipe courtesy of Paleo Test Kitchen

Spicy Grilled Pork Chops

This marinade was really tasty!  And Ryan got to do most of the work because they were on the grill. 

 Ingredients

• 4 pork rib chops, cut 3/4 inch thick (about 1-3/4 pounds total)
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon bottled hot pepper sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Sliced mango and/or fresh chile peppers (optional)

Instructions
1. Place chops in a resealable plastic bag set in a shallow dish. For marinade, in a small bowl, stir together lime juice, chili powder, oil, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, hot pepper sauce, and salt; pour over chops. Seal bag; turn to coat chops. Marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours, turning bag occasionally. Drain chops, discarding marinade.

2. Place chops on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals. Grill for 11 to 14 minutes or until pork juices run clear (160 degrees F), turning once. If desired, garnish with mango and/or chile peppers. Makes 4 servings.

Recipe courtesy of Diabetic Living Online

Crockpot Apple Pumpkin Butter

 This has become our substitute for jelly with PB&J. The kids love it on everything!

Ingredients

• 6 apples, cored, peeled and sliced (any variety you want)
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• pinch of cloves

Instructions
Line the bottom of your crockpot with your apples
In a mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, coconut milk, pecans, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves
Mix well and pour this mixture over your apples in the crockpot
Set on low and let cook for a minimum of 6 hours or high for 3 hours
You can serve as is or using an immersion blender or food processor, blend it into a smooth butter

Cauliflower Mash

This worked out GREAT! Ryan couldn't believe how much it tasted like real mashed potatoes. And it was so easy!

Ingredients:
-2 heads of cauliflower
- 2 tbsp butter
-dash nutmeg
-salt and pepper to taste.

Rinse and cut the cauliflower into florets.  Throw them in a steamer or steam them until very tender.  Transfer to a large bowl, add the butter and seasonsings, and use an immersion blender to whip them until creamy.  If you don't have an immersion blender, use a food processor. Done! :)

Based on recipe from Nom Nom Paleo

Day 12: Emery Tapping Out

Last night we sat Emery down, looked her in the eye, and broke the news that she would no longer be participating in our Paleo "experiment".  I'm sure it was tough on her, but she just didn't want to show her feelings in front of us.  Instead she took her feelings out on a HUGE bowl of steel cut oats.

Yes, Emery is tapping out of Paleo.  We just couldn't get her poos regulated.  It got to the point where she would strain, turn bright red, and cry just to push out one little pebble.  Not something you want to watch your baby girl go through!  I think it was just too much protein and not enough fiber for her little body.  And we tried everything!  I was pretty much giving her sweet potatoes and almond butter (see result in picture), eggs, steamed vegetables, plums, nectarines, flaxseed for the last couple days and it wasn't helping much.  I really think she needs the fiber in the legumes and whole grains.  We are going to keep her mostly on track with us, but substitute some plant proteins (black beans, hummus, etc.) in for some of our animal proteins.  We are also going to give her some live cultures, probably in the form of kefir, miso, and yogurt.

The biggest change we have seen with her is in her runny nose and congestion.  It will be interesting to see if those return in the next few days as we reintroduce some grains, legumes, and increase dairy.

Sawyer may be soon behind her.  The problem we are having with him is that he does not like meat....at all.  He will get one piece of ground meat or chicken or whatever in his mouth and hold it there for literally two hours.  He just won't swallow it.  And going to bed hungry isn't doing much to help. He's ended up eating eggs, natural deli meat, and almond butter for almost all of his protein, and that just can't be good for him.  We went through 5 dozen eggs this week alone. He also natually loves beans and plan protein.  This kid would eat a bowl of hummus for every meal if I let him!

We also haven't seen much of a change in him. He has actually seemed more tired since starting Paleo.  His nose has stopped running but he is still congested in the mornings.  We'll see.  Although I want to give him the full 30 days, I'm not going to push through something if I'm already sensing the benefits don't outweigh the "sacrifice".

One thing the plan stated is that every individual responds differently to this diet.  Everyone is able to tolerate foods differently, and the key to this plan is figuring out where your sensitivities are and tailoring your diet to your individual make-up.  We are figuring some things out pretty quickly in these first two weeks, and we are learning a lot!

I will be making my meatloaf, guac, and ketchup this afternoon, though, so those recipes should be up today!  Our plan is pretty much the same as yesterday, except Emery had more oatmeal for breakfast, and I'm going to cook her some black beans for lunch.

Off to the the gym in a few minutes.   Have a great Friday, everyone!

Day 11: Change of Plans

Like most days with two small children, today didn't quite go as planned.  I was out and about longer than expected and lunchtime rolled around with nothing on hand.  Sawyer and I had dropped in at Kuper Sotheby's Alamo Heights office, so we conveniently in the vicinity of a Whole Foods, my Paleo Mecca.

We walked in hand in hand convinced to find something that would fill our tummies.  Prepared food? No..... Cheese? No..... Yogurt? No...... Bag of organic pretzels? No.......  Finally, we settled on the produce department and bulk foods and walked out with a couple apples, a small bag of unsweetened dried fruit, and small bag of nuts.  Not the most complete or recommended lunch, but it worked.  It's really amazing how many aisles in the grocery store, even a "natural" food store, that you just blow right by!

I've got to say, I'm not feeling that great this afternoon.  I think it was all that sugar in the dried fruit and apple, especially when I was famished!  I feel sluggish, bloated, and my head hurts a little bit. I could totally go for a nap.  So therefore the meatloaf isn't getting made (ran out of almond meal too), the ketchup isn't needed, and Sawyer never made it to the guacamole for lunch. So no recipes today!  Luckily, I have some salmon on hand that I can cook up quickly for dinner tonight, and Emery definitely has a spare puree somewhere in the fridge.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better. Looks like I'll be making a Trader Joe's stop for some almond meal! Anyone need anything?

Day 11: Epic Failure

Yes, I skipped Day 10 if anyone is wondering.  The Type A in me is trying to be okay with that.  We just had a really busy day.  Real estate seems to come in waves, but it's a fun ride! We also had our Bible Study group over last night, and I was trying be a kitchen goddess on top of it all. Which bring me to our first....total....complete...FAILURE!

I found a recipe where you puree spinach in with eggs and mix in seasoned meat to make a "green eggs and ham" bake.  I thought it would be fun for Sawyer.  Well, all was going well until the spinach floated to the top of the mixure during baking, so we ended up with this green "foam" on top of everything.  It was absolutely gross.  18 organic cage-free eggs went down the disposal, and Sawyer got to have a muffin and banana for breakfast.  At least he was happy in the end and I had food on hand!  Here's what we are doing today:

Breakfast: Making it work (I had a sweet potato and berries), I sent the eggs with Emery because I honestly think she will eat them. Ryan stomached the eggs before I threw them away and Sawyer had his muffin and banana.

Lunch: Deli meat rolls with guacamole or avacado slices, melon and blackberries, ants on a log (almond butter)

Dinner: Meatloaf with Paleo ketchup, Crockpot Spaghetti Squash, and Broccoli. 

Recipes will be posted for meatloaf, crockpot spaghetti squash, guacamole, and catsup.

Have a great day! I'm off to show some houses!

Day 9: Busy Days Work Too!

This post is going to be short and sweet because I have a 3 year-old that really wants cuddles from his momma tonight.  There wasn't much new on the food front today, as we mostly repeated yesterday.  I had a busy, busy day between real estate and a Sawyer and mommy date, but we all made it through on the Paleo track!

The best moment today was the picnic I had with Sawyer. We were running from place to place, and instead of stopping for a quick snack in the car, we packed a picnic and enjoyed the beautiful day together.  We had a such a fun time, and it was healthy and free! You can't beat that!

After a long day we came home to leftovers, although the kids got sweet potato with almond butter, cantaloup, and carrots because nobody was in the mood for a battle.  I went for the orange theme on the plate, and Sawyer was somewhat amused.

Ryan had a work deal tonight that I know involved food, so we'll see how he did when he gets home! He's been doing great though, and of course this wasn't his idea in the first place...

One thing I noticed as I was running around today is how much more these meals are keeping me satisfied.  I'm really okay a few hours after eating and not dying for a snack or my next meal.  Eating a fair amount of fat is a new thing for me.  The fat and protein make you feel full and keep you satisfied longer.  All this time I have been avoiding fat like the plague, and it was actually making me snack more! 

I'm gonna jump on the scale one of these days.  My clothes are definitely fitting a little looser, but I'm counting on much.

Off to cuddle time. Goodnight!

Day 8 Part 2: Energy!!

I had to do a separate post tonight because today was such a great day!  I had so much energy all day long and cravings and hunger were next to nothing.  I also worked out today and had none of that dragging feeling when I'm trying to get myself going in my workouts.

It just overall felt like a great day.  I don't know how much is due to the diet, but certainly some of it is.  And I feel like I'm making headway with the kids, both on them accepting some different foods and in my understanding of how to make this work for all of us.

Sawyer loved all of the food today except the chicken soup.  He also turned down the last of the chicken nuggets, so I have a hungry little boy on my hands.  I keep repeating our pediatrician's words in my head, "hunger is great motivation."

I'm feeling really encouraged.  As I understand more and more, I'm beginning to see how we can make this our lifestyle for the future.  Probably not as strict as we will be for these first 30 days, but a Paleo lifestyle with some flexible moments. 

See you tomorrow!

P.S.  Someone please remind me to read this post when I'm having a rough day.  I have a feeling there will be at least a few ahead.