Gone, but not forgotten...

I know I have been absent from the blogging world for quite some time, but never fear, although I have been ignoring my blog, I have been eating relatively clean, and continuing my expedition for paleo-perfect meals.

The things I've been cooking:

paleo pot roast:

this turned out good, but not great. This was my first pot roast excursion ever. In fact, I purchased a crock pot, the grass-fed roast, and all necessary veggies in anticipation of an amazing culinary treat. I was slightly disappointed, to say the least. Here are the reasons why (and the things I will change next time).

1. Will not overcook. It appears I need to invest in a crock pot with a timer, but, alas, the BB&B nearest me only had 1 crockpot for sale. I did not have the option. I started it in the morning, and went on my merry way to work for the day. I immediately turned it off when I returned home, but I was only cooking a 3 lb. roast, and thus, cooked it (probably) an hour too long. It was not horrible, but slightly overdone.

2. Tried it with butternut squash, in place of the usual suspects -- potatoes. This was not a choice I will make again, as I have learned that I am not a big fan of the butternut variety. It was too pumpkin-y for my taste. Next time, I think I will use sweet potatoes.

3. Did not have enough "flavor" once cooked. I used beef stock, but it was a reduced sodium variety, I believe. Once I loaded up my plate, and added sea salt and pepper (to taste), it took on a different life. I am not a huge fan of salting my food, but I think this poor roast needed more seasoning (salt) than I was willing to give. Lesson learned.

Other than these 3 lessons, I think, overall, it turned out favorably. It was edible, and gave me almost a week of meals (usually dinner). Luckily, I am not adverse to left overs. When I start cooking for more than 1, I will get a lot more practice, and more variation -- but until then, at least I get to practice on myself!

paleo chicken enchiladas:
These, my friends, were amazing! Totally hit the spot, and better than the real thing! I will be posting this menu item in full detail next, so get excited!

More to come soon, I promise!

Update: Progress to date (or lack thereof)

Grr! [The best word I could think of to define my feelings at this point.]

I am, officially, pissed off at my paleo progress thus far. I have heard nothing, but great results from everyone else in the flippin' world about how paleo helped them to lose this much weight, or that much fat. Grr!

Yes, I have not been WODing, or exercising, due to knee surgery, but I am on the mend, and running is now, finally, back in my physical vocabulary. I have also been approved for jumping rope, so double-unders will be back in my WOD dictionary, as soon as my rope arrives. (Come on, Again Faster!!)

Yes, I have had paleo cheat days on most weekends, but 5 or 6 days a week I am perfect!!

Yes, I am feeling better than when I was eating crap, and, yes, I am looking better than I did before I started, but I am just infuriated with the results. And this is what usually happens. I don't see results, so I freak out, and give up. I figure, what I am "torturing" myself for? Why am I doing this, when it's NOT WORKING?

What gives? Something has GOT TO.

But, then I remember the commitment I made. I will give it the full 6 weeks (plus an extra week, due to not wanting to experience the hangover/acne filled results of cheating before my birthday weekend...which shows that some things are worth eating this way... some...).

So, is it just my body? Possibly. I know, for a fact, that my body loves maintaining my current weight; this weight is my "plateau" weight. I also have heard that certain pills make it harder for women to lose weight, so, come May, if I am not where I want to be, I may give up on those funny little pills for a month, or two. I will have to do the cost/benefit analysis on that. But, in the mean time, I refuse to NOT lose. I REFUSE! It's go-time, folks. This is it. I need to post some results pictures, because, not only do I need some better results to satiate my personal thoughts, but I need results to confirm my, possibly dissolutioned?, beliefs on the reasons one should eat low carb, high fat diets to lose weight! I know WeightWatchers works; I've done it. I haven't decided if paleo works, but I need it to! I want it to! I will make myself crazy if it doesn't. This isn't just about weight anymore, folks. It's about ego, self-assurance, and the "lifestyle" confirmation.

Please, God, give me some results, so that I can confirm this, once and for all. Love, Kari.

Macadamia Crusted Cod

I found this recipe while looking for a great paleo way to cook the cod I had thawing in my refrigerator. This recipe was great, because it used a lot of the ingredients I already had laying around.

I found it on PaleoGirls.com, a favorite recipe site of mine. Joey, the author of PaeloGirls.com, referenced it from, yet, another site, so you know it's good!

Ingredients:
1 lb. white fish fillets (Cod, Halibut, Sturgeon)
2 egg whites
1-2 TBS unsweetened coconut (or almond milk)
1 cup nuts (macadamia, hazelnuts, or almonds)
1 orange (for zest and garnish)
3 TBS fresh parsley, or 1 TBS dried parsley
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease your baking dish with coconut oil.

Chop your nuts to form the "crust" consistency, either with a knife or with a food processor. Pour into "dry" ingredient bowl. Add orange zest from about half of the orange. Add parsley, salt, and pepper to taste.

Mix the egg whites and coconut milk in a shallow, wide bowl.  Now you are ready to get your fish in the pan for cooking!

Thoroughly coat the fish in the egg/coconut milk solution. Then, place the fish in the nut mixture, firmly pressing the nuts into the fish. Once coated, transfer to greased pan. Bake in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, depending upon thickness of fish.

Before baking, the cod is thoroughly coated.

This was pretty simple to toss together, and looked like a lot more effort was required. I especially loved that I had almost all of the ingredients in my fridge, save for the orange.

Fresh from the oven! Yum-o!

Serve with your favorite veggie; I chose broccolini.

Cooks Tips:

• Be careful not to over process the nuts, or else you will end up with nut butter, like I did. :) Due to this unfortunate circumstance, I used a mix of almonds and macadamia nuts. On a good note, I now have fresh macadamia nut butter!

• My fish varied in thickness, so some fillets were done in 15 minutes, others took a bit longer.

Frozen grapes

Although I am on a lower carb, paleo diet, meaning fruit intake is minimal, I have always loved frozen purple grapes. I think these are a great paleo dessert, when I crave a sweet snack.

Freezing fruit seems to bring out more of the sweet flavor, and eating it frozen means I won't go crazy, inhaling too much! 

Ingredients:

Purple grapes

Directions:

Rinse grapes in cool water, separate from stems. Place on cookie sheet in flat, even layer. Freeze until solid, at least a few hours. 

Once frozen, remove from cookie sheet, and store in container in freezer. Don't allow to sit out too long, or else they will melt, and then refreeze in a clump.

Cook's notes:

• You can freeze the grapes in bunches, but I find it's easier to eat them when they are separated prior to freezing, so they come out in singles, rather than clumps. 
• I always coat my cookie sheet in foil, for easier clean-up.

Paleo coconut-chocolate bar

This is a delicious crave-curing, totally paleo dessert. When I found this, I was skeptical, but it totally does the trick, and it's delicious!

Ingredients:
2-3 tbs coconut oil
1 tbs coconut nectar, or honey
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup coconut flakes
1/2 nuts (I've used almonds, pecans, walnuts...they all taste good.)

Directions:
In a saucepan, add coconut oil, melt over medium heat. Add coconut nectar (or honey). Once melted, add cocoa powder, coconut flakes, and chopped nuts. Mix together, place into storage container, and freeze/refrigerate until cool.

Cook's notes:

• I found the coconut nectar at Whole Foods. 
• I store it in tin foil in tupperware in the freezer. It cools quickly, but you should keep it in the fridge or freezer, as coconut oil will warm to room temperature quickly. 
• It tastes like dark chocolate with coconut and nuts. So good!

Sweet Potato Fries!

Now, we can't eat high carb all the time, but we can enjoy a carbo-loaded snack every once in a while, and one of my favorite indulgences is fries!

Here is a great version of the comfort food we all love, but without the "fried" part. Yum!

Ingredients:
Sweet potato, or yam (depending upon preference and availability, and yes, there is a difference!)
2-3 tbsp EVOO [extra virgin olive oil]

1-2 tsp dried rosemary
1-2 tsp dried thyme
sea salt to taste (I use a sea salt & garlic blend)
black pepper to taste

Directions:
Cut sweet potatoes into slices. In a large bowl, add EVOO, rosemary, and thyme. Add sweet potatoes to mix in bowl, and coat fries with mix.

Place fries in one layer on cookie sheet, add salt and pepper to taste, and bake in oven for about 20 minutes at 425 degrees (depending upon thickness of fries).

The fries, just before they go into the oven!

All done! These are delicious with home made paleo ketchup. 

Cook's notes:

• Cutting the sweet potatoes can prove difficult if you are using thick potatoes, so I recommend buying thinner/skinnier/longer potatoes for this recipe, rather than the thick/longer potatoes.
• I cover my cookie sheet with aluminum foil, which makes clean up really quick!
• After baking for 20 minutes, I broil for a few minutes to get ends crispy.
• I will add more seasoning/spices after potatoes are on cookie sheet if they seem a little sparse on seasoning. I have a rosemary & garlic blend I like to use. 

Paleo Jambalaya

This dish is my favorite paleo dish I've made to date. Absolutely delicious!

[I found the basis for this recipe in The Primal Blueprint Cookbook by Mark Sisson, and then added to it to suit my taste.]

Ingredients:
1/2 lb andouille pork sausage (or a spicy variety of any sausage you wish), sliced
1 lb. shrimp (I used pre-cooked, shelled frozen shrimp)
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 green bell peppers, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

28 oz. diced tomatoes (I used canned variety)
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 head cauliflower

Servings: 4-6

Time to Cook:
Start with the sausage pieces; add EVOO to large soup pot, cook sausage over medium till browned. Once meat browns, add yellow onion and green bell peppers; cook until vegetables soften and onions turn translucent.

Add garlic (I used minced garlic from jar) and spices (add to taste, or measure), then add diced tomatoes and chicken broth. Bring to simmer with lid on for 10 minutes or so.

While pot simmers, cut cauliflower into small pieces, and rinse well. Once rinsed, grate cauliflower using a food processor (or similar) to create rice-like texture. (I used my magic bullet, as I haven't invested in a food processor, yet, and it worked well!) Add the cauliflower to the post and simmer another 10 minutes. Add the shrimp and simmer until the shrimp is cooked through (pink).

Plate and serve! Delicious.

Some cook's notes:

• The combination of the spicy sausage and cayenne pepper was enough heat for me, but I have a more mild preference (reference: I'm usually a 2-3 star eater). 
• I purchased my pre-cooked shelled shrimp from Dominick's, which is a partner of Safeway. I prefer not having to worry about cooking the shrimp in the jambalaya. I thawed in a strainer under cool running water prior to adding to my jambalaya.

• I purchased my sausage at Whole Foods, in the deli, but they also had pre-packaged sausage in front of the deli case, which I will try next time. The spicy sausage from WF was good. 
• I used two 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes; 1 can was fire-roasted with garlic and diced chiles, 1 was plain low sodium diced tomatoes.
• If you like it thicker, you could add tomato paste, which I did not do this time.

If you try this recipe, let me know what you thought! Did you make some changes? Let me know!

Oh, what a journey...

I've almost completed week 2 of my new 6 week commitment to Paleo eating. This time, I am using leverage to ensure I make it all the way [my previous record was 20 days]; I've got a bet going with the boy friend -- and if I lose it will cost me a LOT, so I won't be losing this time.


Needless to say, I am not pleased with my progress thus far. While I am not doing this as a means to lose weight specifically, I guess I was assuming it would be inevitable. As of this point, I may have lost a bit, but the results aren't what I had expected. (Maybe I just have really high expectations? Yes, yes I do.) I guess I don't know exactly where I stand, as I do not weigh myself anymore, but I know that I'm not where I want to be.

So, it's time for some tweeking... I'm already trying my darnedest to eat low carb (and I've cut out fruit as much as possible, save for the occasional Luna Bar treat or a sprinkle of dried apple-sweetened cranberries). Next, I am going to attack the nuts in my life! [Sounds interesting, huh? Unfortunately, it's not as interesting as it sounds.] Somehow, in the craziness of this challenge, I believe I allowed too many nuts to sneak into my diet, and I think that is what is showing. So, this next week, I am going to focus on keeping the fruit out, and cutting out the nuts. [I may allow a sprinkle here or there on a salad, but not in the quantities of the last two weeks, by any means.] This, I'm hoping, will provide me with some better results.

Also, I noticed that my last few recipes have all involved night shades, most specifically tomatoes. My 2nd goal for week three is to cut back on the night shades. I may have some peppers here or some tomatoes there, but I need to get them out of my everyday. I am not sure if the inflammation is a problem, but I won't know 'till I try, right?!

So, this is my Paleo update. Wish me luck for the next week, as I think it will be the hardest. My last two attempts have ended with a fail in week 3, so this is the test!

Also, stayed tuned: I'll be posting a recipe, or two, or three, this weekend! Yum.

Paleo Lasagna

Last week I experimented with a paleo lasagna recipe -- well, more like a few recipes. I found this recipe here (at Jen's Gone Paleo), and this recipe here (at EverydayPaleo), and took what I had in my fridge, put it all together, and BAM! Delicious paleo lasagna. In Rachel Ray's favorite words, "yum-o."

Serves: 4-6

Base Ingredients:
[1 lb.] grass fed hamburger
[1 lb.] garlic chicken sausage (from Trader Joe's)
[2 large] zucchini squash (I used one yellow, one green)
[1 standard] eggplant
[10 large] asparagas spears
[1] red bell pepper
[3] fresh roma tomatoes
[1 tsp] dried rosemary
[5-7] sprigs of thyme
[1-2 tbsp] extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
[1 bunch] fresh basil
[to taste] sea salt, black pepper


Sauce Ingredients:
[28oz. can] whole plum tomatoes
[2 tbsp] tomato paste
[1] yellow onion
[3-4 cloves] garlic
[1 tbsp] dried oregano
[to taste] red pepper flakes
[1-2 tbsp] EVOO

Order of [my] Operations:
First, pour 1 tbsp EVOO into large pan,  remove sausage from casing (if packed in casing), and add sausage & hamburger. Cook meat thoroughly (no pink) over medium heat and set aside.

While meat is cooking, slice the zucchini and eggplant lengthwise (I used my mandoline slicer). Cover a jelly roll pan with tin foil and lay the piecesof eggplant, zucchini, peppers, and asparagas in a layer; baste with EVOO, then add salt, black pepper, rosemary, and thyme to taste. Bake at 350 until vegetables start to soften (about 10 minutes, but this depends upon thickness of slices), turning slightly golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. (This is where the foil worked nicely. I pulled the whole sheet off, and set aside, while I lined it again, and put my second batch in. I only have one jelly roll pan/cookie sheet right now.)

Once meat and veggies are cooked, prepare sauce. (If you can do all three of these things at once, you are amazing.) Mince garlic and slice onions (size is up to preference). I sliced my onions into thin strips. Pour EVOO into pan, and add onions. Cook until translucent over medium heat. Just as onions are finishing, add garlic. (Be careful not to leave garlic in pan too long on it's own, or it will burn and give off a bad taste. Your goal is just to heat it up, not burn it.) Next, add plum tomatoes. I opened the can, and squished each tomato by hand before inserting into the pan. (Be careful, the juice will get you if you are too forceful!) Then, add tomato paste, oregano, and red pepper (to taste).

Once sauce is complete, prepare lasagna! I created several layers of awesomeness. I started with a thin smearing of sauce on the  bottom of the pan. Then, a layer of "noodles". Next, some sauce, meat, and fresh sliced roma tomatoes. Finally, another layer of "noodles". Repeat until you have used all of your ingredients, or create as many layers as you wish. I had three layers.

Some afterthoughts:

• I added the juice from the can of plum tomatoes, but felt that my sauce was too runny afterward. Next time, I will omit the "juice" from the can of plum tomatoes, and maybe add more paste
• You can skip the roasting of vegetables part, and put raw veggies into the lasagna pan instead; just note that you will need to bake the lasagna longer to allow the vegetables to soften. 
• My vegetables were sliced too thin using my mandoline, so next time, I will probably just slice by hand for thicker (about 1/2") slices. Or, if I choose not to bake them first, I will use the thinner slices, so the lasagna "noodles" soften quicker.
• Next time, I will add sliced black olives with my roma tomatoes, but the addition of the fresh tomatoes was great. Loved it.

Paleo Chili

This recipe is a favorite of mine. It is from the Primal Blueprint Cook Book, by Mark Sisson. His website is Marksdialyapple.com, and it is a great resource for many things Paleo/Primal.

I make this chili about once every month or so, and it is a great stand-by that I like to keep on hand for days when I need a quick meal. The last time I whipped up a batch, I put half in the freezer for a quick go-to later in the month.

The ingredients are as follows:

[2-3 slices] uncooked bacon, chopped
[1] onion, chopped
[4 cloves] garlic, coarsely chopped
[2 lbs.] ground bison or grass-fed beef
[2 tbsp] chili powder
[1 tsp] dried oregano
[1 tsp] paprika
[1-2 cups] water (or beef broth)
[28 oz.] can finely chopped tomatoes with liquid
[1 tbsp] unsweetened cocoa powder
[1 tbsp] apple cider vinegar
[2] peeled carrots, chopped

Instructions:
In a large sauce pan, over medium-low heat, cook bacon for a few minutes until slightly brown. Add chopped onion to the pan and stir until onions become semi-translucent. Add garlic and stir. (Don't let garlic cook too long or sit for too long, as it will burn and create an unbecoming flavor.) Cook for a few minutes. Add ground meat to pan and cook over medium-low heat until brown throughout. If fat seems insufficient, you can add any leftover bacon drippings, but usually the meat creates enough fat for my taste. If you use a higher fat ground beef, you may need to drain some of the excess fat from the pan.

Add spices, water/broth, tomatoes, and carrots. Stir well to combine. Cover and simmer over low heat for one hour, stirring every 20 minutes or so. Make sure the chili is not sticking to the pan. If it does, adjust the heat to prevent it from sticking.

Add vinegar and cocoa powder and stir well. Add additional water if necessary, then simmer uncovered another 20 minutes. Taste and season with sea salt and black pepper, to taste.

If more spicy "heat" is desired, add hot pepper sauce to the pot or to individual servings at the table. I have found that this recipe is pretty bland, so, especially if you like your chili spicy, you should add seasonings to taste.

Some optional garnishes: avocado, sour cream & cheese (if you are eating dairy), onions, and chives. I like to pour it over a bed of fresh steamed veggies, on those days when I am more hungry.

My Favorite Things...

Hi Blogoverse,

I know I have been bad about keeping up on blogging this month, but adjusting has taken me a bit longer than I would have liked. I am finally getting settled in, so be prepared for lots of new posts.

One post I have been contemplating for a while is a list of my favorite things. Through my last year of off again, on again paleo, I have learned that not all paleo food is equal, and I have some favorites. It took lots of searching and inspiration to find some of these, so I will share them with you!

So here goes, some of my favorite things:

Food:

• Blue Diamond Almond Milk -- Unsweetened Vanilla
• You can purchase this in the refrigerated section, or in the smaller tetrapak off the shelf

• Eden Food's Organic Dried Cranberries

• These are sweetened with apple juice concentrate, rather than sugar, and they are so good. I can find them at Whole Foods (or online at Amazon.com for cheaper!)

• Bison dogs! I was craving hot dogs so badly, being that I endure the taunting, famous "Chicago" dog almost daily... then I found these. Amazingly delicious, and not full of all the crap that regular hot dogs have. (And yes, they weren't cheap, but it's the price you pay for quality dogs, right?)

• Spaghetti squash (It's a great stand-by when I don't know what to make for dinner.)

• Coconut Milk ice cream -- for those times you just have to have ice cream. (I will warn you, it is made with agave syrup, and I know a lot of you don't eat agave, due to the insulin spiking affects. I am waiting for that fact to reach the commercial market, and when they do, I will update you on the latest, greatest coconut milk ice cream!)

Resources:

• Robb Wolf's Paleolithic Solution book, pod cast, and robbwolf.com
• Everdaypaleo.com
• Paleogirls.com
• Marksdailyapple.com
• JensGonePaleo.blogspot.com
• Theclothesmakethegirl.blogspot.com

**I reserve the right to edit this list at any time. :)

Because it's BAD FOR YOU!

Nutrition is a sore spot for me (as it is for most people). Try to speak with someone about their diet, and you will soon find what I am alluding to; Most people cannot have a rational conversation about nutrition. For some reason, nutrition falls into one the deadly categories for casual conversation, much like politics and money. Why? My theory -- it's one of three reasons (or all 3): 1. people are frustrated with our ever changing dietary "rules" imposed by our nonsensical FDA; 2. frustrated with their own diet; or 3. know their diet sucks and aren't willing to change it, so they defend it!

Enter: caveman! This is the whole reason for my blog. The cavemen did not eat processed garbage. The cavemen did not eat chemicals, nor dyes. For some reason, the cavemen were able to wake with the sun, work all day long, hunt and gather, and survive! (Yes, their lives were not as long and fulfilled as ours are today, but can we be positive it was because their diet was lacking? No! We can be positive they did not have the proper means to treat such simple illnesses as the common cold or pneumonia. Modern medicine kept the cavemen from living long lives, not their diet!)

Enter the paleolithic diet -- this modern twist on something that is hundreds of thousands of years old has been turning heads and causing debates. Why? Because it's "new" and scary! Tell me, what is so scary about eating lean meat, vegetables, nuts, seeds, some fruit, little starch, and NO sugar? I know, I know! It's different and hard, and we can't continue to eat the same crap that is convenient and bad for us! Boo hoo. If that is your excuse, then please, continue on your merry way, but stop driving my health care costs up, because of your unhealthy choices!

Did you know almost EVERYONE has a gluten intolerance? Did you know most people are IN FACT intolerant to diary, as well? I bet you didn't! Step right up, folks! You are about to be amazed and astounded when I drop this curtain and reveal the scariest article most of you will never read! Do yourself a favor, read this. It summarizes what I have been trying to tell you (for a while now, I might add) into some great words. Don't be afraid. The worst that can happen? You will realize the shadows on the wall were just puppets! Who is holding those puppets? The food industry, the lobbyists employed by said industry, the doctors unwilling to do some research. The data is becoming more available with every passing year. There are (now wildly popular) movies about the food industry and it's giant blindfold. Do it for your health.

Dairy Isn't The Only Answer (from LivingPaleo.com)

Pasteurised milk is something we need to look out for, the same goes for any pasteurised dairy products. Chances are that if you’re buying milk from a supermarket in a carton, it’s been pasteurised, some milk companies will even say that the milk has been pasteurised and homogenized on the carton, like it’s a good thing(?)

Pasteurised milk destroys and denatures the milks structure, it’s denatures the proteins and destroys active enzymes, kills beneficial bacteria and dramatically reduces the vitamin content. The milk now is far from its original form, it has been processed to the stage where its structure looks nothing like what it would if it came straight from the cow. Most yogurts will go through this same manufacturing process and to make it worse will have substantial amounts of sugar added into it as well. The high amounts of sugar added to yogurt will generally out weigh any beneficial bacteria (like lactobacillus acidophilus) and any good qualities that it may still contain.

If you are drinking fresh milk from a grass-fed cow, without it going through processing factors, milk could be a beneficial addition to your diet as it will still be nutrient rich. But if you’re not, then you need to eliminate or reduce your milk consumption in order to improve your health.
Too many people tout milk as a healthy food, and it’s easy to see why with all the marketing going on saying how milk is such a fantastic calcium source. In fact the marketing for milk and dairy products is so high that many people don’t even know what other food sources contain calcium. Here is a small list;

• Sesame seeds, Flax seeds
• Almonds, brazil nuts, walnuts, pecans and most other nuts
• Green leafy vegetables i.e. spinach and broccoli
• Salmon, sardines

The food sources mentioned above are a far superior source of calcium for our bodies than milk and other dairy products. Yes, dairy contains a high amount of calcium, but that doesn’t mean it’s bio-available in the body, in-fact research shows calcium from plant sources are absorbed much better than that of calcium in milk. The reason why is that calcium is a mineral that needs an alkaline environment in the body to be absorbed effectively, un-fortunately dairy as a food is acidic. The result is our bodies search for ways to balance up the acidity of the dairy with something alkaline, and if you haven’t eaten anything with an alkaline Ph level at the same time (fruits and vegetables) your body will go to the best source, which is the calcium in your bones. This same problem occurs with any other foods we consume that are of a high acidic level, the body will find balance by leaching calcium from our bones in order for it to correctly digest the meal you have consumed. Osteoporosis, anyone?

This is extremely important to know, as the best way you can assure that your body is going to keep as alkaline as possible is to eat lots of fruits and vegetables, pretty much the only real source of alkalinity for the body. Also keep in mind that other factors contribute to an acidic environment in our bodies, stress and breathing in chemical fumes are only a couple of things the majority of us are faced with on a daily basis.
There are lot of people who are finding out they are lactose intolerant, and this is actually a normal intolerance for all humans (with exception to some groups of Central European people), it just depends on whether your body shows signs such as feeling lethargic, coughing, acne, or getting a skin rash. This is similar to gluten allergies, research shows that amongst all species of animal life, everyone has a gluten intolerance, whether you notice that now and decide to discontinue eating those food sources, or do that in 20years when you get diagnosed with something serious (caused by a gluten allergy), it doesn’t change the fact that your body has an intolerance.

People don’t need huge amounts of calcium everyday, even if you consume relatively small amounts of green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds and fish, you will be consuming enough calcium for the body to run effectively.
There is also evidence showing that certain cells in our body play the roll of bringing calcium into our bones, and other cells which play the roll of taking calcium out of our bones. There is a limit for how many cells responsible for bringing calcium into our bones stay around for. If during our lives we begin to consume too much calcium, these cells will be used up a lot faster due to the fact more are needed to transport the calcium into our bones. If say after 10years you have no more calcium transporting cells, your body is no longer going to be able to replenish our bones with calcium to stay strong. This may help explain why Eskimos who consume a high amount of calcium, up to 2000mg a day through sea animals, have a high rate of osteoporosis.
For a more detailed explanation of this, I recommend reading the well researched article ‘Excessive Calcium Causes Osteoporosis’.

What to use instead of milk in cooking:

• Coconut Milk
• Nut milk (almond milk)
• No milk!

Note: Soy milk is not good! It is also heavily processed, denatured and full of sugars.

Week Two!

Ok, so it's Saturday. Week two has not officially ended, but I have to post when I have time, you know!?

This week was much of the same difficulties -- sugar! I have been on the impossible mission to find dried cranberries without added sugar. I have not succeeded, yet. If you know of any, please advise!

Monday:
B: 3 eggs, 1 satsuma, hf of almonds
L: Salad w/raspberry vinaigrette, turkey deli meat, sliced almonds
Snack: Lara Bar
D: Salmon, veggies
Dessert: Lara Bar (I'm officially addicted, and need to wean myself off of these...)

Tuesday:
B: 2 HB eggs, 1/2 c. berries, 9 almonds, americano with cinnamon
L: Salad [tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, broccoli, craisins, almonds, broccoli, turkey, chicken, with raspberry vinaigrette]
D: ground turkey lettuce wrap "tacos," with salsa.

My beverages consist of lots of H20, herbal teas [green or white], and some coffee intermingled, no creamer, lots of cinnamon.

Wednesday:
B: 2 HB eggs, mixed melons [1 cup fruit]
L: Salad [chicken, romaine lettuce, sliced almonds, raspberry vinaigrette]
D: Spaghetti squash, [all-natural, no sugar added] marinara sauce, turkey sausage [all natural, no nitrates/nitrites], mushrooms. Yum!  (This is one of my go-to easy meals, that is so delicious! I don't miss pasta noodles at all!)
Dessert: Lara Bar

Thursday:
B: 3 scrambled eggs, 1 pear
Snack: Lara Bar
Lunch: Paleo Spaghetti [see Wednesday dinner]
Snack: Almonds, 1 cup watermelon
Dinner: Egg hash [sweet potato, 2 eggs, turkey sausage, mushrooms]

{Today I was STARVING... I couldn't get enough, thus all of the snacks....}

Friday:
B: 2 HB eggs, mixed melon fruit cup
L: Salad [broccoli, romaine, sliced almonds, craisins, chicken, HB eggs, raspberry vinaigrette]
D: Final leftovers of Paleo Spaghetti
Dessert: dried mango, coconut milk ice cream [this did have agave nectar, but no "sugar"]

Goal for next week: Portions! I am going to try to get back to a 30, 30, 40 mix (more Zone Paleo) portions for each meal. This will provide me more structure, and hopefully curb my sugar cravings!

All good things come to an end...

Ok, this last week has been a little rough. I finished off last week with Saturday and Sunday, which I don't have much to report. I find I have the hardest times in the evening and on weekends, so I need to stay busyto keep myself distracted. I have always been a boredom eater, which is a habit I am trying to break.

Saturday was rough. I didn't get to sleep until 1am, so I woke up around 11:30 am. I grabbed some almonds and wrote my blog, and then failed to eat again until 3 or 4. I get so distracted, I don't take the time to eat a proper meal. Needless to say, Saturday was filled with what I call "safe cheats". I had some sweet potato fries (with ketchup). The ketchup did not have any artificial additives, like HFCS, but there was added sugar. I had some coconut milk ice cream, and snacked on some dried fruit. I don't think I ate a well balanced meal all day, so this was, by definition, not a good food day.

Sunday was much of the same. I finished up my house cleaning, and finally got my living space organized and livable, at the cost of my diet. I had eggs for brunch with some almonds and an apple. Dinner was a giant salad with chicken. It was delicious, as usual.

Some things to note on my journey thus far:

1. Of all of the paleo rules, no sugar is, by far, the hardest for me. It is added to so many things that I would have to be extremely diligent about, like marinara sauce, salsa, salad dressing, ketchup, dried fruit (craisins!), and the list goes on. I just discovered my adored Starbucks Cinnamon Via coffee has added sugar! Boo to that! So, needless to say, I have had the hardest time getting sugar out of my diet. At this point, I have only two items in my house with added sugar (ketchup and my Via). I will be more diligent in the future to check labels.

2. I CRAVE something sweet at night. This has been the most difficult thing to avoid. I have found things like a Lara Bar save me. They have no added sugar, and they are all natural, simple ingredients. I still feel like it is a cheat, because it is processed, but it's so good, I think I will consider it a safe cheat (maybe the safest yet).
For example, the Lara Bar I ate for dessert last night was "Apple Pie". It is delicious, and the ingredients are: dates, almonds, unsweetened apples, walnuts, raisins, and cinnamon. Yum. That is very safe to me.

3. Just so you all know, this may seem like I am not eating much, or that eating this way is torturous, but it is exactly opposite. All of the food is great tasting, I am never unsatisfied/feeling hungry after a meal, and I feel way better all of the time. Eating whole, natural foods allows your body to operate as it is supposed to, without additives and caffeine. I feel great, and I highly recommend this to everyone.

4. If you are interested, sign up for Robb Wolfs Paleo Nutrition Podcast. It's great. Tons of useful info. He is brilliant, yet speaks on a very simple level.

Oh yes, and I took photos of my fridge, in case you're curious.

And here's my freezer. Pretty legit stuff!

(The end of a LONG) Week One

Ok, folks. It's Saturday. I'm a day early, and maybe an almond or two short, but generally the week went well. I was able to get a intro session in at the local box, but my Physical Torturist wants me to wait on CrossFitting. She is concerned that my weak quad cannot handle the pressure it will be under, and I may slow rehabilitation. So, in the name of PT, I will wait... a week.

On to the Food Journal!

Monday, 01.10:
Breakfast: 3 eggs, an apple (I know, I forgot to buy almonds...so not "fat", although eggs have a lot...). Lunch: Salad [romaine, craisins (I know..sugar.. but they were still floating around in my fridge, so I had to finish them off), chicken slices, and raspberry dressing (ingredients are all good, save for the added sugar, but it is minimal (read 4g carbs)].

Tuesday, 01.11: 
Breakfast: 3 eggs, an apple.
Lunch: Salad (see Monday's)
Dinner: Lettuce wrap tacos, made with chicken breast and trader joe's pineapple salsa. Yum.

Wednesday, 01.12:
Breakfast: 3 eggs, an apple.
Lunch: Chicken breast, sauteed bell peppers, and a satsuma.
Dinner: Lettuce wrap tacos (see Tuesday's dinner).

Thursday, 01.13:
Breakfast: Nitrate/Nitrite free Trader Joe's lunch meat (I need to go to the store!), and an apple.
Lunch: Small salad [romaine lettuce, diced egg, diced ham, and diced tomato, with raspberry dressing]
Dinner: 1 Garlic chicken sausage (free of all the crap), stir-fried veggie mix [broccoli, carrots, pea pods, some baby corn bits, and onions -- thanks Trader Joe's].

Friday, 01.14:
Breakfast: Nitrate/Nitrite free Trader Joe's lunch meat (I need to go to the store!), a satsuma, and an apple.
Lunch: Salad from Potbellies [romaine, apple slices, craisins, walnuts, some vinaigrette dressing]. I requested no blue cheese crumbles (although that sounded amazing). I had the dressing on the side, and I asked to see the ingredients. It wasn't great, but I needed something.
Dinner: Chicken garlic sausage, stir-fried Trader Joe's mixed veggies.
Snack: cheat snack -- I couldn't resist! I had sweet potato chips [nothing added], some dried mango slices, and some gluten free coconut ice cream. [The sugar was the biggest cheat in this snack. I am stronger now, and I won't look back!]

My goals for next week, starting today: 

1. no more dried fruits! I am cutting this out, now that they are no longer in my house. I may still use them as a dessert/cheat on one day over a weekend, but we shall see.

2. More "zoned" proportions, with more fats and veggies added.

My thoughts on the last 5 days:

I thought I did well. I definitely did better than expected. I had very little bread cravings. There was a moment when I went to the cafeteria to get tea, and found myself staring into a very delicious looking cinnamon roll. (Who puts that by the tea?) But, that was the worst of it! I am grateful for that.

Friday was difficult, as a manager wanted to take us out to lunch. I hate having to explain that I do not eat certain things, but they were adamant about going to this sandwich shop across the street. I agreed, because they told me they have salads, but when I ordered one, I could see the confusion and disappointment. (WHAT, you aren't getting one of the best sandwiches EVER made?) So, thus, I felt I had to explain that I am not eating bread. Short and sweet, no questions asked.

Anyhow, I am off to the store to get the rest of my rations for next week. I will be picking up some almonds, avocados, lots of eggs, and some more apples and veggies. I am still staying away from the almond butter, because I have been down that road, and it is not pretty.

New Year, New City, New Diet

Ok, so it's official. The new year has begun (I know, I'm a little late), and I have officially moved into my new apartment in Chicago. This can only mean one thing (queue inevitable doom music): it's time for my Paleo Challenge to begin!

I have taken before pictures, which, I can smugly say, will not be published until the Challenge is complete. Who wants to see those anyway? Not unless there is something bigger and better to look at in contrast (or should it be smaller and better?).

I have been shopping, and I have "filled" my cavernous fridge with Paleo foods (and by filled, I mean lightly stocked with enough space to still fit the frozen food section at Trader Joe's). I hate buying more than I can eat within a relatively short amount of time. Too many options makes things more difficult. (I mean, who doesn't have a hard time selecting an entree at The Claim Jumper?)

I have located a local box, and I have an intro appointment set for Wednesday evening. Atlas CrossFit, ready or not, here I come. I will keep you posted on my impressions, but I haven't seen enough to have one, yet.

Now, I just have to decide how long this Challenge will last. I think a Whole 30 is in order.  Back to back. I will allow a cheat day at the end of the 30 days, but that is it! Think I can do it? Me neither. (Queue more doom music.) My goal is to keep an honest food journal on this site, so you can follow my progress along with me. In this way, hopefully, I will be more accountable to myself.

Alright, starting tomorrow -- day 1. Here goes nothin'!