Ultimate Paleo Take Out

Ultimate Takeout

Lunch from 'The Cafe'. I'll look up the name tomorrow... Egg, shaved steak, mushrooms, onions, spinach, carrots, cucumbers on a few leaves of lettuce. AWESOME!!

 

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Just Macadamias?

Yummy Dinner

Just adding some macadamias to our asparagus added a ton more flavor to the meal. Loved it!

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So Much Data!

A bunch more websites I want to check out for their recipes...

Recipes
http://cupcakesomg.blogspot.com/p/recipes.html
http://www.delightedmomma.com/2012/08/flourless-snickerdoodle-cookies-paleo.html
http://fastpaleo.com/category/all-recipes/
http://detoxinista.com/recipes/grain-free-baking/
http://paleospirit.com/2012/apple-cider-paleo-donuts/
http://paleodietlifestyle.com/quick-and-easy-paleo-stir-fries/

Charts
http://dearpaleo.com/2012/01/16/paleo-diet-flowchart/
http://colebradburn.com/2012/01/09/the-paleo-diet-flowchart/

Yummy Dinner

 

Dinner!

Fresh Salmon with garlic baked asparagus. It's what's for dinner.... So glad I have a wife that can cook!

 

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Paleo Biscuits & Gravy

I've been wanting to this one since we started this caveman lifestyle... I did the biscuits the night before and made the gravy this morning. I topped each biscuit with a touch of almond butter. Not bad! The biscuits were NOT a hit with my girls. They seemed a little dry, the biscuits that is, but for my first time baking biscuits from scratch, I think I did alright. 

Biscuits

The gravy was perfect! The biscuits were fantastic with the gravy. We've been doing a lot of veggies, so we were out of mushrooms this morning. Substituted mushrooms with extra meat. Smelled so good, and tasted even better! Not the best pic, but final product below. No gluten at all in this recipe. Almond and coconut flour, coconut milk, meat, onions and garlic. Mushrooms will be a nice addition, but great without. Link to Biscuits and gravy recipe for an easy and delicious Paleo meal!

Final Product

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Paleo Chicken Alfredo

Recipe we hope to try this weekend.  Special thanks to Patrick Daly for introducing this one to us!

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 (12oz) package kelp noodles (You can get these at Whole Foods)
2 tsp tarragon
1 cup cashews
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1/4 tsp sea salt (optional)
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp paprika

Instructions
1.Add olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. When pan is hot, saute garlic for 3-4 minutes. Add chicken to the skillet and cook until all sides are brown.
2.Rinse and chop kelp noodles, and add to the skillet along with tarragon. Cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes.
3.After cooking, pour the liquid from the skillet carefully into a small container for use in the sauce.
4.Add cashews, onion powder, garlic powder, mustard powder, sea salt (optional), black pepper, and paprika to a blender. Cover and blend into a powder. Add the reserved pan juices slowly, blending into a thick sauce (use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the blender periodically). Add the juices until the mixture reaches the desired consistency.
5.Add the sauce to the skillet, then mix well. Cover and continue to cook for 10 minutes longer, until the kelp noodles have become tender

Fantastic First Couple of Weeks!

Rebekah has been my life saver in this challenge!  She's been actively conscientious about our diet.  She's making this very easy for me.  I'm eating so much more veggies and fruit.  I don't think I've ever eaten so healthy.  Lunch is usually the toughest part - finding a Paleo like meal from the diners can be tough at times.  Boloco's bowls or Scali's kabobs are the basic go to meals I've been having.  I had O'Deli's Grilled chicken and garden salad yesterday.  Not bad, and a decent helping...  I broke up the chicken with a fork and just ate it with the salad.  Ate the whole salad, which I don't normally do.  We had Leg of Lamb last night with Broccoli and Asparagus.  Passing up mint jelly was a little difficult, but I did it!  Callie and Ashley made up for what I didn't eat....  I'm down more than 2 pounds in 10 days.  I've been weighing in after my workouts, even on day 1. 

Coconut Shrimp and Chive Mayo

We followed the recipe from Mark's Daily Apple - and WOW were they good! The first batch came out a little burnt on medium, so I turned it down to medium low (3.5 on our stove). The Chive Mayo REALLY brought out the flavor!

Shrimp in Coconut Oil

We had a lot of fun prepping and cooking together.  And the final product was incredible!

Final Product

Paleo Ice Cream

I've been wanting to try this since we first started Paleo. With skipping chocolate cake today AND Friday, I needed something! Basically frozen bananas, strawberries and coconut milk - sprinkled with shaved coconuts. Sooooo good!

 

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Paleo Lifestyle in Action

Wake up before Alarm - Check

5:30 workout completed - Check

Make omlettes for both Rebekah and me - Check

 

Mrs C is completely on board and had some sausage and mushrooms pre-cooked and ready to go. I figure with her extra effort, she deserved breakfast in bed. She was actually coming down the stairs when she saw me, and ran back to the room when she saw the coffee and omlette on its way up. Great way to start the day!

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Paleo pancakes

Tried a new recipe last night. Looked like a pancake, but really tasted more like eggs. With all the coconut oil in e pan, they were a little oily too. Callie didn't like them at all, but Ashley ate them right up saying how delicious they were. I think she ate them mostly cause she didn't want to hurt my feelings, and because she made them with her daddy.

 

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Boloco Lunch

Another good Paleo Option: Bowls from Boloco.  I had Grilled chicken with Salsa and Guacamole.  Not the best pic - had to stir the guac cause I had to come back from a meeting to eat.  Had carrots from left over Cosi lunch in the kitchen and Mrs C sent along some fresh cantaloupe.

Awesome Wife!!!

Without Mrs C getting on board, I would certainly be failing at this challenge coming up. She is on board 100% (minus kids, milk and a few other small items).  Thank you Rebekah for helping me with this! I can't wait to see what creations come out of our kitchen! I am truly a lucky man!

Lunch in Boston

Sometimes it's difficult to make good lunch choices in the City.  Today I had Chicken Kabob with Salad - Hold the Rice please...  Rice is SOOO good with this though.  Tough to cut it out.  I'm sure I'll stop missing it soon enough...

Link to Lurong Challenge Log-in

http://www.lurongliving.com/challenge/members/

Paleo Challenge - 2012

Paleo Guidelines

As a simple explanation we define a Paleo Diet as eating meat, nuts, veggies, seeds, some fruit, little starch, no sugar, and no dairy. A Paleo recommended serving consists of 40% carbohydrate, 30% Protein, and 30% Fat. This is a starting point that is dependent on an individual's specific needs or goals.

Encouraged Foods

• Lean Meats such as Lean beef (trimmed of visible fat), Flank steak, Top Sirloin, Extra-lean hamburger (90/10), Lean pork (trimmed of visible fat), Pork loin, Pork chops, Any other lean cut
• Lean poultry (white meat, skin removed) such as Chicken breast, Turkey breast, Game hen breasts
• Eggs from Chicken (go for the enriched omega 3 variety), Duck, or Goose
• Other meats including organ meats and game meats such as venison, wild boar, or wild turkey
• Fish
• Shellfish
• Fruit
• Vegetables
• Nuts - Tree Nuts. Peanuts are not Nuts and are a no-no
• Seeds

In Moderation

• Oils such as Olive, avocado, walnut, flaxseed, and canola oils (use in moderation—4 tablespoons or less a day when weight loss is of primary importance)
• Natural Sweeteners- a total of 1/2 tablespoon is allowable per day of the natural sweeteners agave, coconut nectar, and coconut crystals.
• Stevia- 1 Packet (3.5 grams) is allowable per day
• Beverages such as Coffee, Tea
• Paleo Sweets such as Dried fruits and Nuts mixed with dried and fresh fruits- make sure there is no added sugar
• Some lean bacon- make sure it doesn’t have added sugar
• Sweet potatoes, yams
• Red Wine- Paleo says that 1 glass of wine (6 oz.) a night is legal. We are pretty sure cave men had vineyards! Anything more than one glass per night is a cheat (-5), and you can't save them up from nights before. Anything over one per night is a cheat.
• Protein supplementation is allowed and is not considered a cheat under the following conditions: it is limited to one serving per day, has less than 25 carbs per serving, is taken within 30 minutes post workout, and cannot be used as a meal replacement. Recommendations: PROGENEX recovery protein is recommended because they use hydrolyzed whey protein isolate that has been cold-processed and enriched with growth factors that are lost through conventional processing methods. Remember, most protein powders have some sugar (natural or artificial), so if you are looking to slim down, be careful.

Don’t Do It- These are Cheats

• Fatty Meats- such as fast food beef burger patties or low quality fatty bacon.
• Refined Sweeteners – sugar cane, white sugar, brown sugar, refined maple syrup, refined honey, aspartame, sucralose, Nutrasweet, Splenda, and anything else refined or man-made.
• Other Sweets: Candy, Sugar (raw or processed), glucose, syrup, and honey, NOTE: even though honey is a natural sweetener and is generally considered paleo, for the purpose of committing to the challenge and seeing results we are not allowing it.
• More than 1/2 Tablespoon/day of the natural sweeteners including Raw Agave, coconut nectar, and coconut crystals.
• More than 1 packet per day of Stevia (3.5 grams)
• Baking Soda
• Dairy Foods such as Butter, Cheese, Cream, Dairy spreads, Frozen yogurt, Ice cream, and All processed foods made with any dairy products
• Cereal Grains: Barley, Corn, Millet, Oats, Rice, Rye, Sorghum, Wheat, and bread products including bread, rolls, muffins, noodles, crackers, cookies, cake, doughnuts, pancakes, waffles, pasta, spaghetti, lasagna, wheat tortillas, pizza, pita bread, flat bread, and all processed foods made with wheat or wheat flour
• Cereal Grain-like Seeds: Amaranth, Buckwheat, Quinoa
• Legumes: All beans, Black-eyed peas, Chickpeas, Lentils, Peas, Peanut butter, Peanuts, Soybeans and all soybean products, including tofu
• Starchy Vegetables: Starchy tubers, Cassava root, Manioc, Potatoes and all potato products (French fries, potato chips, etc.), Tapioca pudding
• Soft Drinks and Fruit Juices: All sugary soft drinks, Canned, bottled, and freshly squeezed fruit drinks (which lack the fiber of fresh fruit and have a much higher glvcemic index)
• Alcohol - Tequila is the preferred Paleo liquor, but it is technically a cheat (-5). Anything other than 6oz of red wine per night is a cheat (-5).