Shopping PaleoPlus - Getting Ready to eat Clean, Lean and Mean for 15 Days!

Even before you hit the grocery - you should do a little bit of housecleaning in your kitchen pantry, cupboards and fridge.  Grab a big plastic tub with a lid and clear out the temptation before you start your CleanLeanMean 15.  Pull out the rice, the pretzels, the pasta, the pasta sauce that's full of sugar and sweeteners, the sugar-laden dressings and sauces, the jellies, the brand-name peanut butter and put it in the tub.

Put anything in that tub that you know isn't "clean" or compliant - so anything with sugar, artificial sweeteners, grains, gluten, dairy, soy and legumes (READ your LABELS!) - and move it to a high, almost unreachable shelf or the back of a closet or the garage until you finish your CLM15.

Now, it's time to hit the grocery or groceries or farmer's markets so you can get prepped and ready for your first week!

 You know how much you normally eat and how many people you'll be cooking for - so you decide how much of each item you need to buy.  If your participating in CLM15, I've sent a Week 1 menu and shopping list.  If you're going solo, write down your meals for the week...3 meals and a snack for each day, then break it down by Produce, Proteins, Pantry Items and Frozen.

The longer you eat clean and follow a PaleoPlus diet - you'll figure out your favorites, what stores have the best deals and who carries what specialty items.  You'll also discover that you are shopping the perimeter of your local market - hitting the produce section, swinging through meats and eggs, maybe the spice aisle, a little bit of frozen and a quick trip into the specialty/organic/international food section.

Don't get discouraged or overwhelmed!  You'll figure it out.

And don't be worried about eating a limited number of foods if that's what you can afford or manage.  Eat what you love until you are ready to add something new.  Try one or two new ingredients or recipes each week.  I have discovered that I LOVE Kabocha squash and Turmeric...and I had never purchased either one until 6 months ago!

Happy Pantry Purging and Shopping!

CleanLeanMean15

About 2 weeks into eating Paleo, I realized I couldn't stop talking about it!  I wanted everyone I knew to try this super healthy, smart way of eating.  I also wanted to learn more and more and more about why I was feeling so different (and it was a good kind of different!).

I was lucky enough to have my family join me for my first 30 days of clean eating.  Then a friend here and a friend there would give it a try.  I did my best to be available to answer any questions or research any product or just chat about how they were feeling.

And it has become all I want to do.  Help others navigate PaleoPlus eating.  Tell them about how I feel, what I'm learning, what my friends are accomplishing.  And MAKE IT EASIER for them to figure out how to make the switch.

Change is hard.

No matter how much we want it.  No matter how convinced we are that it's necessary.  No matter how logical it seems.

BUT, change is easier when you have an accountability partner and a team who is working together and supporting each other. 

So, on Monday a group of us are going to embark on a 15-day CleanLeanMean15.  Fifteen days of strictly clean eating.  No sugar, no artificial sweeteners, no grains, gluten, dairy or legumes.  Just kindly-raised meats and seafood, fresh produce and pantry items with very few, but easy-to-pronounce ingredients, healthy fats, nuts and seeds.

I pulled together some hard-to-find items that I can't live without, some of my favorite pantry staples chosen from the dozens of options out there, and a few of my go-to snacks that save the Paleo Day in an emergency ("it would be so easy to cheat") situation and delivered them to an amazing group of PaleoPlus Newcomers.

Tomorrow I will give out a little advice on shopping and getting ready to meal prep for week one!

I'm really excited about this.  I will be eating squeaky clean with the group...which only means giving up the coconut sugar in my coffee and my new pumpkin-spice coffee 'creamer', but still...  I can tell I am getting too comfortable adding a little low-glycemic sugar to this and that.  It will be really good for me to get away from it totally for 15 days.

Change is hard, but the if this group experiences even half the benefits that I have - Change will be more than worth it!

Slightly Obsessed with Turmeric

I don't know about you - but since embarking on my PaleoPlus journey - I have become a crazy researcher and reader.  I want to know as much as I can about the benefits of clean eating.  I want to try all the recipes.  I want to explore new ingredients.

And in my research and reading (based on my health history and conditions - think HUGE family history of Alzheimer's, joint pain, tummy troubles and family history of heart disease) sometimes things just jump off the page at me.

Right now, that thing is Turmeric

I have to admit - although I've been a fan of curry for several years (superfood!), I had never purchased or used any Turmeric in my own kitchen.  Until maybe 3 weeks ago.

I saw an IG post about "Golden Milk" on one of my favorite sites and started investigating why all the crazy positive comments.  I read article after article and blog post after blog post about the benefits of turmeric.

So, on my next shopping trip, I bought some!  The first thing I made was a cup of the highly touted "Golden Milk".  It's a different taste and a different texture.  You can find several recipes online - Pinterest, Paleo and health blogs, Instagram.  I'm putting my recipe at the bottom of this post in case you don't want to have to search!

The more I read about turmeric - the more I am trying to incorporate it into my diet.  I encourage you to do your own research.  Mark's Daily Apple has a ton of information and I feel confident in his information.  But, like I said - look at the resources you trust and see for yourself. 

It's natural (from the Curcuma longa plant).  It's a powerful antioxidant.  It doesn't interfere with the normal breakdown of foods or the absorption of minerals and nutrients in your digestive system.  Helps maintain cholesterol levels. It's an anti-carcinogenic.  It improves brain function, cardiovascular health, is used in India, China and other countries to treat illnesses like diabetes, Alzheimer's and arthritis.  It's an anti-inflammatory and boosts immune function.

It's not all fun and games - there are plenty of warnings of the side effects of turmeric.  While use of turmeric in cooking is considered safe and unlikely to cause side effects, taking it in large doses (because someone always has to try and turbo-charge a good thing instead of letting it work naturally) can give you a stomach ache, etc and there are warnings for people with gallstones, problems with kidney stones or acid reflux.  Do your own research or talk to your doctor before adding turmeric to your diet.  (Have I mentioned lately that I am NOT a nutritionist, physician, yogi, nurse, specialist or anyone with any degree in health - just a regular woman trying to live as her healthiest self and wanting to share my exciting discoveries.)

I did my research, I'm happy to enjoy the benefits slowly as an integral part of my diet, and I like what I'm reading.  I probably eat it or drink it 4 or 5 days a week in small quantities.  I add it to my soups and chili.  I have added it to the spice mixture I put on roasted root vegetables.  And I drink it in Golden Milk or tea. 

I love the color!  I love the flavor (but I love curries!) and I love the potential benefits.  I will keep reading up on turmeric, but I'm pretty dialed in to the Paleo, whole foods, organic world these days.  Until then, turmeric is a staple in my pantry and a frequent ingredient in my cooking!

Here's my take on Golden Milk (for 1 serving)

Start with 1 c. full-fat coconut milk, 1 T unrefined coconut oil, 1/4 t. ground ginger, 1/2 t. ground cinnamon, 1 t. turmeric.  Bring the coconut milk to a boil on the stove, then add all the spices and coconut oil and whisk or stir for a minute.  (It's important to boil the turmeric to ease the bitterness - but don't walk away - it happens really quickly!)

Remove from heat and put into a blender cup.  I add a drizzle of Organic Grade B Maple Syrup for sweetness if I'm drinking it solo.  If I'm making a double batch to use in tea, soup or in a smoothie OR I'm in the middle of a CleanLeanMean (super clean eating week, month, etc. with ZERO sugars or sweeteners), I leave the sweetener out.  Make sure you put a towel over the blender top before turning it on...hot liquid in a blender has a mind of its own!!!  Blend on high for 15-30 seconds and enjoy warm.

I grate a little fresh nutmeg on mine - because I adore the smell and it makes it festive!  Enjoy and let me know your thoughts on turmeric as a part of your healthy diet.

I lost HOW MUCH??? Happy Friday!

Fridays are my scale days.  The one day a week I step on the scale.  Which is pretty funny to me, since before I started eating a Paleo diet, I hadn't voluntarily stepped on a scale in a dozen years!  Failure has a way of making weighing yourself no fun at all!

And then I did my Whole30 and wasn't allowed to weigh myself for 30 days and it drove me NUTS!  I drug my scale out so my family could "weigh in" the morning we started.  (We took "before" pictures too...which was every bit as much "fun"!).  And then I immersed myself in research, shopping, cooking, recipe modifications and meal prep for my family for hours and hours of the first week or so.  And then I got pretty caught up in how great I felt (after my Day 4 sugar detox...that felt like a big ol' hangover!). 

I could tell I was losing weight - my pants, especially, were really loose.  And I wanted to KNOW...I wanted to step on that scale and get that reward!  But I am a rule-follower from 'way back - so I put the scale in the back corner of the closet so I would be less tempted.

I couldn't believe it when our first 30 days had passed and I'd lost 18 pounds.  Eighteen pounds in one month????  Are you kidding me????  I never dreamed that was possible. 

It was a total high!

And I know me - and knew I needed to set a boundary for me and the scale so I wasn't on it twice a day looking for my validation.  I decided on Fridays, but I think any day of the week works.  And, now that I'm committed to PaleoPlus eating for so many other reasons than weight loss, weighing myself is more part of my routine than it is "how much did I lose this week?".  I don't change the way I eat on Thursday trying to achieve some kind of number or goal.  And I don't worry (anymore) if I haven't lost any weight during a particular week. 

I usually lose a pound a week.  And, if I'm being honest with myself - now I kind of EXPECT to lose a pound a week!  I still don't count calories or try and eat only low calorie foods.  I eat what I love within the PaleoPlus guidelines and sometimes I have seconds!  But I still expect to lose a pound a week!

Which is why I was so surprised when I discovered I had lost FOUR POUNDS this week...whaaaaa???  I haven't done any extra workouts or skipped any meals or lived on celery sticks. 

The only thing I can think of is that I tested quite a few new recipes this week, so I've eaten a much wider variety of foods than usual.  Could that be it?  Who knows...there is a ton written on why it's okay to limit variety in your diet (to break your food addictions, etc) and the nutritional and emotional values of adding variety (more macronutrients and phytochemicals, diluting food toxins, pure enjoyment).  And there are pages and pages written about weight loss plateaus (I know because I read them all during my first 2 plateaus!!), but very little written on why I lost nearly 4 times the weight I usually lose.  I guess nobody complains about that enough to get an explanatory blog post!

Oh well, thanks to my -4, I have achieved another milestone.  60 total pounds lost!  Which is really hard for me to get my arms and brain around.  Even though I am living proof of the power of eating clean - it seems too simple.  Too easy.  Too "why-wouldn't-every-single-person-on-the-planet-who-wants-to-lose-weight-give-this-a-try?!" 

Truth is, I believe I will continue to lose weight until I am finally at my healthiest weight.  I believe all the way down to my toes that by eating real food that was designed to nourish my body, and by cutting out all the toxic, preservative-laden, sugar-filled foods that were working against my optimum health, my body is settling back into the body it was designed to be.  So, somewhere in early 2016 (by my best estimations) I will stop losing weight and will be exactly where I am supposed to be - healthier, stronger, able to move and perform at a higher level, with boundless energy!

I'll be curious to come back and reread this in a year or so and see if I was right.  It's so easy to get caught up in every day busywork that I forget to chronicle the thoughts and experiences I am having living this new PaleoPlus lifestyle.  But I've always journaled - and I have personally benefited from reading other people's blog posts and IG comments and essays...so I will keep writing and sharing.  You know, just in case someone out there might learn something from my experience!

Paleo Turkey Chili with Sweet Potatoes and Veggies

As a Midwesterner by birth - it's hard for me to say it's Fall in Texas...but I have needed a sweatshirt every morning since Saturday and that's good enough for me!  It's back up in the 80's by noon, but for a few hours every morning (if I don't look at all the beautiful flowers still blooming up and down my street) - it feels like Autumn.

And Autumn means Chili!  My mom made the best chili - but only from October thru mid-March.  It had to be "brisk" or even down-right cold for mom to make chili.  No matter how much we loved it and asked her make it in the summer - Chili was an Autumn/Winter food to mom.  I think she actually made it for my best friend once "out of season" - and Daddy and I gave her some grief about that!!!

I'm not a native Texan, so I grew up with beans in my chili - and I liked them! - so I had to think of something to take their place.  I've seen several posts about sweet potato chili, so I knew I had to try that.  I'd also read that chopped mushrooms mimic the texture to some extent.  So I tried that too.

I pretty much emptied my refrigerator and made three different combinations of Paleo Slow Cooker Chili.  I had some ground turkey already browned in the freezer, lots of veggies, a full spice cabinet, tomatoes in the pantry and some frozen homemade chicken broth.  I felt like I was set!

Ground turkey, sautéed onions and garlic, chopped veggies and a crock pot!

All 3 different combinations were good (translate this to mean - you can use whatever you love or have on hand!), but I settled on Sweet Potatoes, Zucchini, Onions and Carrots.  I also made my own chili powder/spice mix  - but you can certainly buy chili powder (no sugar) or get creative and make your own concoction!

homemade chili spices and bay leaves

Here's how I made it:

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey - browned
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large can (29.5 oz) of crushed tomatoes
1 regular can of organic tomato sauce
1 cup homemade chicken broth (mine was frozen, but I put it in the crock pot anyway!)
2 cups organic or homemade beef broth
3-4 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1-2 zucchini, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup chili powder (I used cayenne, paprika, cumin, onion & garlic powder, all spice, white pepper and turmeric)
2-3 bay leaves
1 T salt (or season as you saute onions & garlic and brown the meat and add less)
Cracked black pepper
Pinch red pepper flake (I add this in the last hour of cooking)

Brown the turkey over medium/medium-high heat.   Drain all but 2 T of fat and transfer the meat to the crock pot.   Reduce heat to medium/medium low, add onion and saute until translucent.  Add garlic and cook for another minute - be careful not to brown or burn the garlic.  Add that to the crock pot.  Then add the rest of the ingredients (in order) to the crock pot, except the red pepper flake and stir to combine.  I add my red pepper in the last hour to control the heat.  If you love super-spicy - you can add it at the beginning of your cook time or even add hot sauce.

Everybody in!  See my frozen chicken broth sticking up in the corner?

Cook on low for 6 hours, or until the vegetables are cooked through and the flavors have combined. Pay attention to how thick the chili is as you are cooking - I like thick, but still "soupy", if that makes sense - so you may want adjust the amount of broth to achieve your perfect consistency.

It smells incredible as it's cooking and my kids ate it without any mention of the fact that they were eating cooked carrots (they prefer raw).  This makes a lot of chili - we had big bowls for dinner and enough to freeze for another meal later.  It was Paleo Heaven - using a slow cooker AND having enough to freeze?!  This one's a keeper!

Paleo took me to the Playground AND the Baseball Field!

After 6 months of clean eating, I wonder sometimes if I am taking my new-found health for granted.  I wonder if I just kind of EXPECT to feel great every day!  Not that that's a bad thing - but I don't ever want to get so complacent that I start to allow crappy food back into my body or I decide to take a day off from walking or yoga or the pool.

And then something reminds me how far I've come and renews my commitment to eating REAL FOOD and cutting out all the bad stuff!

This weekend, that 'something' was a baseball tournament.  My son was playing in a tournament an hour from our house.  For those of you who haven't done the "tournament thing" with your kids - an hour away means there is no dropping off and running home to get ready while they warm up and have team meeting.  You go when they go and you find something to do for the hour or so before the games actually start and during all the breaks between games.  (and if you are eating clean - you better be packed and prepared for at least 2 meals and healthy snacks!...and they'd better be good if you want to compete with the concession stand!!)

This weekend we were lucky enough to be at a really nice complex with a dozen diamonds, nice trails and a playground.  When my daughter was little, I used to toss a coin out of the window as we were driving into any baseball complex and pray to the Universe that there would be a playground so my daughter wouldn't be bored out of her mind.  She would light up at the sight of monkey bars or swings or the slides. 

I was never that excited.  My knees hurt too bad to climb and my feet weren't strong enough for me to jump off if I did happen to climb up.  I was also afraid of how heavy I was - would the bars be strong enough to hold me?  Would I damage something and be embarrassed?  And I was so out of shape that I couldn't run with her or push her on the merry-go-round or swings for very long.  But I alway took her and I gave her all my attention and took a lot of pictures and praised her for how brave and strong she was. 

But this weekend - after most girls her age are probably too cool or too sophisticated to want to play on the playground - she was just as excited as ever at the sight of the playground.  She lit up!  And WE played.  Both of us.  I climbed the ladders and twisty things and went down the slides and through the tubes and jumped down and climbed back up!

on top of the monkey bars with my girl!

down the slides for the tenth time!

climbing through the tubes with my daughter!

I can't remember the last time I had so much fun just playing outside!  And I wasn't winded or achy or embarrassed (other than for the more obvious reasons!) or scared or tired after 5 minutes. 

This was more than being 56 pounds lighter.  This was because I have gotten healthier.  Stronger.  More energetic.  My joints work again.  I'm moving every day and that means I can run and climb and play without being out of breath.

So, today (day two of the tournament one hour from our home) between bracket games, when my daughter wanted to play baseball on one of the vacant fields with my husband as pitcher, another little girl who was with one of the concession stand volunteers and one of the girlfriends of one of my son's teammates, I said "Of Course!"

I was awful.  I was not born with much hand-eye coordination - so hitting is not really in my wheelhouse.  But, I hit.  I ran the bases.  I stole second (sort of).  I played first.  I ran for fly balls and chased the girls as they rounded the bases...since there were only 5 of us, most times I was defense.

And it was AWESOME!  I got dirty and we laughed and screamed and were silly, silly, silly.  And we had fun running and rolling and playing in the sun.  And my daughter was so happy that I played for a change, instead of complaining about my "old lady knees". 

I don't know if she completely understands the difference in how I feel and what I am able to do - but the look on her face while we were playing baseball and going down the slides was pretty amazing. 

And that is all the reinforcement I need to stay strong on the days when the world seems full of dough and dairy and big bowls of candy! 

Paleo Scrambled Eggs

Cage-free egg scramble with sweet potato hash (with peppers and onions) and compliant bacon

I can honestly say that eggs saved me from cheating my first 30 days of clean eating.  I wasn't that good at meal and ingredient prepping in the beginning and I have 2 teenagers and a husband who works weird hours.  So many evenings got away from me.  Evenings where I would have gone to a fast food restaurant for a giant junk meal or to the freezer for a thick-crust pepperoni pizza (with a bag of chips and a soda).  Instead - I made a LOT of scrambled eggs.

Super easy.  Super quick.  And, for me, Super comfort food!

I used to make "Momma Eggs".  My picky-eater kids would ONLY eat "Momma Eggs"...and you know why?  Because they were really more cheese and milk than eggs.  Four kinds of cheese.  In large handfuls!

So, I was worried that they wouldn't eat Paleo scrambled eggs - no cheese, no dairy.

I tried substituting the milk with home-made almond milk.  It was okay, but actually gave the eggs a distinctly different-than-we-were-used-to taste.  So, I tried spices.  Then I tried scrambling them with any number of meats and veggies.  We ate all of my scrambled egg attempts - it was late, we were hungry!  They didn't taste bad...they just weren't Momma Eggs!

Finally, after a few months of trial and error and dozens and dozens of cage-free, organic eggs, I can tell you that we all prefer super simple scrambled eggs made like this:

3 eggs
1-2 T of water
1 T of ghee (this is the secret flavor weapon)
Pinch of salt
Tiny pinch of white pepper (optional)

Break the eggs in a medium bowl and whisk thoroughly.  Add water (my daughter likes more, my son and I like less...just try both and decide for yourself), add salt and pepper and whisk again.

Melt ghee over medium-low heat in a non-stick pan.  Pour egg mixture into the heated pan and then, using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, mix the eggs by scraping from the outside of the pan into the middle, using long strokes until the eggs are cooked to your preferred consistency.

It takes longer than constant stirring or using a higher heat, but there's something about having the eggs cooked gently (lower heat) and less broken up (using long strokes and not stirring like crazy) that gives them the texture of "Momma Eggs".   I also believe the high quality of cage-free, organic eggs makes them taste so much better, even with this simple preparation.

And Ghee...well, Ghee just makes everything taste better.  It's a form of clarified butter, but so intense.  I cook all my "comfort" foods in Ghee...because I grew up on southern and Midwestern comfort foods and that usually means butter.  This is the healthy version - no dairy to aggravate allergies and clog things up, plus lots of digestive benefits and soluble Vitamin A & E!  Did I mention the intense butter flavor??? 

Anyway, we still eat a lot of eggs for late suppers or weekend lunches - they are easy on the belly and go with everything from tossed salad to hash to any leftover veggie in your fridge, as well as sliced avocado or fresh fruit..and of course, a few slices of compliant bacon!

Remember, simple, perfect ingredients make the meal!  Enjoy!

Flipping the Switch to PaleoPlus Eating

"There is NO WAY I could...."

Since deciding it is my mission to share PaleoPlus eating with anyone who will listen, I have heard this phrase more than any other! 

"There is NO WAY I could give up cheese..."
"...or diet sodas."
"...or bread."
"...or coffee creamer."
"...or pizza."

And all I can say is "Yes, you CAN!"

I was a classic case of "There is NO WAY I could give up...."  (you can fill in almost any unhealthy food item).  But I did. 

And it only took 30 days of super-clean eating to reset my system and reprogram my brain and break my food addictions.  And I had some pretty bad food addictions.  I drank at least 2 diet sodas every day - many days I started at breakfast.  I went through vats of heavily sweetened coffee creamer.  I had ice cream almost every night (in a pretty big bowl!).  I ate bread or pasta with 90% of my meals and put cheese wherever cheese could be melted.

And, although I can tell you the story of how I discovered PaleoPlus eating by accident (I believe it was God putting it in front of me in an answer to a lot of "Please help me be healthy for my family" prayers), and my internet quest for information, and my announcement to my family that we were going to "DO THIS!", I can't tell you exactly what flipped the switch and made it so easy to start.

I can remember crying about my weight as far back as 5th grade.  I remember asking my parents if we could move to another town when I was in high school because I was bigger than the other girls I knew.  I can tell you stories of my long-standing food addiction.  And months of crazy calorie restrictions,  And diet after diet after diet.  Most of my adult life has involved a struggle with my weight.  OR a surrender to the fact that I will always be overweight.  I gave up as many times as I tried to fight it. 

And then I found PaleoPlus eating.  And my first thought was "There is NO WAY I could..." - because I had failed so many times before, no matter what I tried.

Admittedly, I had never tried anything like this.  I had never done the research or given much thought to the science behind natural, wholesome real foods and how my body works.

I guess that's why I am so committed to sharing this way of eating - this PaleoPlus lifestyle, if you will - with everyone.  Even if you don't feel like you need or want to lose weight (although - full disclosure - that is what drew me to this type of eating in the beginning), there are so many other benefits to clean eating.

Now that it's become my chosen way of eating and - now that I feel so much better than I've felt in years - it's pretty easy on a day-to-day basis.  I don't have cravings.  I don't "miss" anything or "mourn" the loss of cheese or bread or vats of sweetened coffee creamer.  I certainly don't miss the bloat or achy joints or sinus migraines or sleepless nights!  

So, if you've ever said (or more likely, vowed) that you would TRY ANYTHING to feel or look better...try this!  Give PaleoPlus eating a try.  You can read My Story here and get My Paleo Top 10 Tips and my definition of Eating PaleoPlus to get you started.  Or contact me about Coaching or my Paleo Home Prep Chef services. 

The beginning is the hard part.  For many, the decision to begin is the hardest part!  Add to that - the guilt or self-punishment you inflict for NOT starting ... it's a vicious circle.  Give it 30 days!  Commit fully to 30 days of clean eating and see the difference it can make in your life. 

Go ahead, flip the switch!

My all-time favorite PaleoPlus motivation...don't wait another year, flip the switch TODAY!

 

Poor Man's Prime Rib, PaleoPlus-Style!

Eating a healthy diet can seem daunting...what do I buy, how do I read labels, where is the best place to shop and why is organic so much more expensive than "regular"?

That's just a fact of almost anything...higher quality and craftsmanship costs more than crap.  My brain totally understood that, but my wallet went through some sticker shock in the beginning!

The good news is - once you start shopping and eating PaleoPlus, you get the hang of it.  Stores that specialize in fresh, wholesome ingredients have sales, just like a regular grocery store.  More and more grocery chains are offering a "store brand" in organic ingredients.  (I am currently comparing a few brands of organic honey and canned veg - more later!)  You will learn what items to buy at what shop.  Seasonal items are usually more affordable - you just need to roll with it and eat those foods - it's how it was intended anyway!

The other piece of good news I want to share from my family's PaleoPlus journey is - if we couldn't afford organic or grass fed or wild caught - we bought "regular".  My commitment was to eliminate all refined sugars and artificial sweeteners from our diet and to cut out things that are full of preservatives and have gone through twenty processes to be "natural" or "lite" or "healthy".

Protein is a big part of PaleoPlus eating.  And it can be pricey!  So, in an effort to have a variety of delicious meals for my big-eating family, I have adopted a new way of shopping.

I drop my kids off for school and I hit the local market.  I grab a cart and head straight for the meat department.  I have found Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays to be the best days to find proteins on sale.  At my local grocery, they mark down meat and poultry that is set to expire in 48 hours, first thing in the morning.  They use a big yellow sticker, so it's really easy for me to spot. 

And that's what we have for dinner!  Period!

I head home and search Pinterest or my cookbooks or favorite blogs for a recipe.  I like to try new flavors and I keep a well-stocked pantry AND I'm not afraid to improvise in the kitchen, so this works well for my family.

Sometimes, the process is reversed.  I see a recipe that calls for a more expensive cut of meat and I go to the market on a mission!  I cross fingers and toes that what I am looking for will be on sale...and then hope the staff don't see me doing my happy dance in the aisle!

A few weeks ago, I came upon a Pinterest post for "Poor Man's Prime Rib" and have been wanting to try it ever since.  And on Friday - the store had a chuck roast, just the right size, marked down.  It was time to give it a try!

It's incredibly simple, but I still wondered if it would produce the juicy, perfectly-cooked, "prime-rib-like" cut in the pictures and descriptions.  I was not disappointed!

The original recipe can be found at Flavorite.net , but here is how it worked out in my kitchen!

First, I preheated the oven to 500°.  Then I covered a sheet pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil (because I can do without difficult clean up), placed the chuck roast in the center and seasoned with a mix of equal parts garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne.  I added a pinch of crushed red pepper flake and salt and pepper to the mix and rubbed it all over the roast.

The recipe said to turn the oven down to 475° when you put the roast in and cook for 7 minutes per pound (my daughter got to use algebra to figure out the exact time!).  Then to turn the oven off and WITHOUT OPENING THE DOOR AT ALL! let the roast sit in the hot oven for 2 1/2 hours.  WITHOUT OPENING THE DOOR AT ALL!  I can't believe how difficult it was to not peek.

I had to make a sign...I knew I couldn't be trusted!

Oh!  And, you need to plan a side dish that doesn't require any time in the oven ... because you CAN'T OPEN THE OVEN DOOR AT ALL...did I mention that?

I'll admit, I was concerned that I'd do all that work, take all that time and be left with sides ready to go and a raw or over-cooked roast.  But, at the end of all that waiting - I had a moist, perfectly-cooked roast.  Very prime-rib like, with big meat flavor.  

Poor Man's Prime Rib (with a bit of extra spice)

It wasn't quite 'cut-with-a-fork' tender, but it was pretty close.  We made stir-fried Asian green beans and a root vegetable mash to go with our Poor Man's Prime Rib.  It felt like a really elegant meal that you could easily serve to company.  No one would guess that the entire meal cost less than $14 and fed 3 people with plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day! 

PaleoPlus eating does not have to break your bank account.  Smart shopping and creative cooking really keep costs down.  PLUS - just think of all the money you are saving by not eating out all the time or running through drive-thru's, or buying sodas and snack machine junk. 

As long as I am willing to cook what's on sale or seasonal or on special at the store - PaleoPlus eating is actually a little less expensive than our old way of unhealthy eating.  How about that?

What's your favorite money-saving tip?  I'd love to hear so I can steal it!!!

Root Vegetable Mash

Mashed parsnip, cauliflower & potato

It's pretty rare that I "miss" anything from my BPP (Before Paleo Plus) life - all the new foods that I am preparing have captivated me and my taste buds!  Now, I am a foodie from 'way back, so as melodramatic as that may sound...it's true.  New recipes and new flavors and brand new ingredients that I know are feeding my body the way it was meant to be fed - are pretty exciting to me!

Small aside...I started this post and then had to walk away to watch the longest Rangers playoff game ever...it was AWESOME!  We won!

BUT, if I was going to miss anything - it would be mashed potatoes.  My mom used to tell stories about how we couldn't go to certain restaurants when I was little because I always wanted mashed potatoes.  My favorite childhood meal - grilled pork chops and mashed potatoes.  My favorite comfort food (don't judge me) used to be a mashed potato sandwich.  As a 20-something, before we would go out on the weekends, I always made sure that I had mashed potatoes in the fridge, because it is the cure-all for too much celebrating.

Anyway, I have been making lots of cauliflower mashes and root vegetable mashes during my PaleoPlus journey.  I love them for so many reasons.  But, although the concept is the same and many times, the color is the same...I couldn't convince my kiddos that it was a worthy substitute for mashed potatoes.

I think I've figured it out...FINALLY!

There are lots of things written about whether or not white potatoes are Paleo.  I'll let you do your own research.  My opinion is - they are fine in moderation.  And not as potato chips or fast food french fries.  To me, they are one of nature's veggies.  I buy organic.  And we may eat 5 pounds of potatoes a month between the four of us...and most months, I have to compost the one or two lone potatoes that didn't get eaten before they went to that inedible potato place.

So...I decided to add one peeled potato to my mash and test it out on my family.  Well, and get my own opinion, as the mashed potato expert in the household!  And it worked!  I didn't want it to make that much of a difference, but I think it did.  Of course, I am questioning if it was the actual potato or just the idea (and nostalgia) of the potato.  I'd love to hear from anyone who tries this and can compare it to the more common cauliflower mash in Paleo.

The best part is - it's still dairy-free.  The worst part - it was gone too soon!

Root Vegetable Mash

1/2 to 1 head organic cauliflower
2 parsnips
1 russet potato, peeled
1/4 cup coconut cream
1/4-1/3 cup organic, sugar free chicken broth
1-2 T of ghee
Salt and Pepper

Clean and chop the veggies to about the same size pieces and place in a pot of cool water.  Bring the water to a boil over high heat and boil until the vegetables are fork-tender (about 5 minutes, depending on the size of your veg pieces).  Drain the water off and put the cauliflower, parsnips and potato into a food processor.  Pulse until smooth.  Add the coconut cream, ghee and part of the chicken broth (if you are vegetarian - use vegetable broth) and process until smooth.  You may need to add more chicken broth to get it to the consistency your family likes, but start small - you can always add more.  Add salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.

This was a hit at my house - served it with "Poor Man's Prime Rib" - info and recipe coming tomorrow on one of my favorite money-saving tips!

Remember, live healthy...eat HAPPY!

Asian Style Garlic Green Beans

I love these green beans!  LOVE THEM!

I have had a version of these green beans at Asian restaurants for years and tried to make them at home (without a recipe, cuz really?  how hard can it be?  right?) and failed.  Until Paleo.

Paleo has made me an expert at reading and searching and modifying recipes to suit this new clean way of eating.  And some recipes are so good that you have to go out and buy the cookbook.  Because the man is a Paleo genius!

"The man" is Russ Crandall and his cookbook is Paleo Takeout.  So far I've made 13 of his recipes and found them all to be delicious.  His story is a good one and his explanation of his way of eating and cooking Paleo is easy to understand.  And, since Chinese and Thai carryout is my favorite food indulgence - it's made Paleo eating easy peasy on those nights I'm craving a carry out box and some chopsticks.

And...drum roll please...he has a super-simple recipe for the green beans I LOVE.  There are some specialty ingredients to buy, but trust me - you will enjoy the heck out of having them in your pantry!

I made a couple of simple changes to make it Whole30 compliant (because I am eating squeaky clean right now) and I added some homemade chili paste to spice it up for my sweet husband (who loves these too!)

1 T coconut oil
1 pound green beans, washed and trimmed
1/2 t (I use a "splash") of coconut aminos (the original recipe calls for organic tamari)
1/2 t Chinese cooking wine (once again - a "splash")
1/4 t sea salt
Dash of white pepper (buy this in bulk to save money)
6 cloves of garlic - I just minced up a jar full this weekend, so that's what I used, but sliced as in the original recipe - looks better
1/4 - 1/2 t of Paleo Sambal chili paste (depends on how hot you like it - or leave it out)

In a non-stick skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers (takes about a minute).  Add the green beans (make sure they are dry so they don't splatter the oil) and stir-fry until bright green, about 1 minute.

Add the remaining ingredients and toss to combine.  Stir fry until the garlic is golden brown and aromatic, about 30 seconds, then serve.

My son loves to take these cold in his lunch, which is tough because there are rarely any leftovers!

Weight Plateaus and What I've Learned

PaleoPlus and I have a classic relationship.  I love the substance - how great I feel these days, the satisfaction of knowing I'm doing something wonderful for my health, the joy of sleeping through the night, the confidence I have knowing I can go up and down a set of bleachers without fear of my knees giving out, not to mention my lower cholesterol and blood pressure and resting heart rate.  But I also love the fluff - the great hair days, the glowing skin and the effortless weight loss.

I know in my heart there are things much more important than weight and jean size, but as someone who has struggled for most of their life with their weight - I can't deny it!

Today, I reached into the far back corner of my closet (and I live in the suburbs of Texas, y'all - we have some HUGE master closets!) and pulled out yet another pair of pants I haven't worn in 17 years.  (Please don't ask me or try to analyze why I still have all these 17+ year-old clothes.)  And they slipped right on.  Amazing!

I have dieted with minor success for a long time and I've pulled these same pants out at least 5 times before and they've never slipped right on.  I'm not sure they slipped right on when I bought them!

My point in all this storytelling is that I have just survived and surpassed my THIRD weight plateau since adopting a PaleoPlus lifestyle.

My first plateau occurred after my 5th week - I lost 19 pounds in a little over 4 weeks.  I was PSYCHED!  I couldn't believe how easy it was.  I was planning my 100 pound weight loss party and the outfit I was going to wear!  And then I got stuck.  I got on the scale every Friday (my chosen scale day) and I was stuck.  For 3 Fridays.  And I was so depressed.  Even though I knew it was stupid to be depressed about it - so many other things were changing for the positive.  I was a new woman.  But I've always been about weight - and I couldn't get it out of my head. 

Thankfully, I did some reading and decided I was just going to keep on with my new way of eating and moving.  And without any other changes or drastic caloric restrictions or boot camps, the weight started coming off again.  Just one or two pounds a week - but man, it adds up!

Imagine my surprise when sometime in early August, I plateaued again.  Stuck.  For 3 Fridays, just like the last plateau.  And I did more reading and research and decided to keep on with our PaleoPlus diet.  I did make a conscience decision to add more variety to the foods I was preparing. 

It's so easy to fall into a rut when you've found recipes you love and have mastered.  So I added some new vegetables (beet root, eggplant, parsnips) and fruits (pomegranate, blood oranges, more berries) and tried some bison and lots of new ways to use my slow cooker for chicken thighs.  Oh yeah, and I added a few new organic spices to my repertoire (turmeric, dill, fresh sage).

And something adjusted or leveled out or kick-started and the weight started coming off again.

I just recently went through my 3rd weight plateau.  And even though I've been through it before - it still made me a little bit nuts.  I guess it's because, although I am 55 pounds lighter, I still have 35-45 pounds to lose to be at what I feel is my healthiest weight.  And I'm ready to be there. 

But you know what?  My body isn't.  It's doing it's thing.  And maybe it's a little bit confused by what happened to all the sugar it used to get on a regular basis.  And the gluten and giant blocks of cheese and bowls of ice cream and it's a little bit upset with my brain.

Who knows?  I will never be the right person to quote the science behind nutrition, no matter how much reading and research I do. 

But I do want to share my story so if you happen to hit your plateau and are tempted to just give up.  Don't.  Think about what your system is going through.  Do your own research.  Talk to your doctor.  

When I get the emotion out of it, I understand perfectly the science behind the plateau.  But I have been seduced by the easy weight loss.  I got addicted to my Friday morning appointment with the scale.  And when I wasn't down a pound or two every week - I got edgy...I needed my fix.

Last Friday I got on the scale and was down two more pounds.  I guess I'm back in the weight-loss phase.  I feel certain another plateau is in my future, but I have these new pants to remind me of how far I've come.  And a size-smaller foot.  And ZERO migraines in the past 6 months.  And the ability to swim a full mile without resting strokes.  And a body that bends and moves again in yoga.  And did I mention a lot of really good hair days?!!!

Trust the timing of your life...and your body.  Take care of it and it will take care of you.

Paleo Italian Meatballs

Making the change to Paleo eating takes some effort.  It takes a commitment.  And it's easy to fall back into old, unhealthy habits if you don't set yourself up for success...and that means WEEKLY MEAL PREP!

I don't know anyone who hasn't gotten busy or worked late or had a game go into overtime or gotten stuck in traffic and wanted to use that as an excuse to "just grab something from a drive thru" because they didn't have anything at home ready to go.  To sabotage their new lifestyle from lack of planning (of course in the moment, they will call that "convenience".)

One of my family's must-have items is frozen meatballs.  Beef.  Pork.  Turkey.  Chicken.  Or any combination of the above.  I usually have an idea of what sides I have prepped or what kind of meals I want to make in any given week, and that is how I decide how I will season my meatballs.  But when I have no idea or I know we are going to be really busy...I go with classic Italian-style meatballs.

The weather is actually thinking about cooling off here in Texas, so I am trying to use up or freeze all of the herbs in my garden.  I hate to waste food and I love the flavor that fresh herbs bring to a dish.

Making meatballs Paleo is really quite easy.  I sub in almond flour for breadcrumbs and add an extra egg in place of any dairy the recipe calls for.

Today I hit WinCo Foods because the one near my home has some killer prices on organic produce.  They also had, by far, the best prices on red seedless grapes (98 cents/lb!!!) and my daughter is currently hooked on grapes with almond butter as an after school snack (think peanut butter and jelly, only healthier and easier on the belly).

They had some good looking ground pork and were just stocking their ground beef from the meat case - so I figured that was a sign to make up a batch of meatballs for this week.

I like this recipe because it all happens in one bowl and either a food processor or a cutting board.  I like the food processor method because of the moisture it brings out in the fresh herbs and spinach.  But if you keep your food processor in the back of a cupboard or on a high shelf - you can just finely chop the herbs and spinach and add them in.

Here's my take on Paleo Italian Meatballs.

1 pound ground beef (not too lean 80/20 is my fave)
1 pound ground pork
1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
Handful of fresh basil
Handful of fresh spinach
Handful or less of fresh parsley (my parsley doesn't grow as abundantly as my basil, so I used less)
4 eggs
1/2 cup of almond flour
2 T of finely minced garlic
1/3 cup of homemade "clean" marinara sauce (mine is just tomatoes, basil, onions, garlic and some avocado oil)
1 t of crushed red pepper flake
Salt & Pepper to taste

Put the herbs and spinach in the food processor and pulse until it's finely chopped.  Put everything else in a large mixing bowl and and add the herb mixture.  Combine thoroughly.  I start with a wooden spoon and finish up with my hands - because it's really the only way to mix meatballs!

Cover a sheet pan with parchment or a Silpat liner and preheat the oven to 350°.  I make my meatballs slightly larger than a golf ball.   This recipe makes 3 dozen-ish...today it made 38.

Bake for 25 minutes.  The meatballs will release a lot of liquid during baking and won't brown as much as pan frying, but they will hold their shape better.  Remove the meatballs from the pan to cool on a plate or cookie drying rack placed over the sheet pan to catch any drippings.

Once they are completely cooled, place the meatballs in a freezer bag in a single layer and place in the freezer.  Once they've frozen, you can stand the bag upright or not worry about them being in a single layer.  They will be easy to pull out individually for snack and meals.

Ideas for these meatballs:  Serve wrapped in a sturdy lettuce leaf with heated marinara and sauteed peppers, onions and mushrooms for a Paleo take on a meatball sub (great with oven-baked sweet potato fries).  Serve with spaghetti squash  and marinara for Paleo's "spaghetti and meatball dinner".  Slice and serve with grainy mustard or Paleo mayo for a healthy, hearty lunchbox treat.  Pan fry in ghee with onions and garlic as a main course with your favorite vegetable side dish.

This makes enough for 2 meals for my family of four if I pull them out to use as a meal, but more often than not - these are pulled out by my son after a late football practice or my husband on days he works late.  I eat them on those rare nights I'm home alone, but want a hot meal without a dirty pot or pan!

I hope you enjoy!