Day 30: The End?

  We made it to day 30! I can't believe the final day of our challenge is here.
  Over our 30 day journey, my husband close to 7 pounds and I lost 5 pounds; 3.7% of his body weight and 4% of mine. He moderately exercised, I didn't exercise at all. The Paleo diet also increased our energy levels and has made us feel healthier.
  The meals, which were easy to fix and tasted great, left us feeling satisfied and full. We never had that "after eating all that, I just feel nasty" feeling.
  All the foods I thought I'd miss and crave rarely entered my mind during the 30 day time period. We proved eating Paleo, even while traveling and dining out, can be done and can be done easily.
  We have decided to continue eating Paleo in order to reap the long term benefits of a healthy diet and will allow ourselves a few exceptions now and then.
  I can honestly say what I once thought was a crazy idea has now made a huge impact in my life and I look forward to broadening my Paleo horizon. Making the decision to change my thought pattern concerning food was one of the better decision I have made and I thank my husband for introducing me to the Paleo diet.

 

Day 29: Chilled Cucumber Soup

 Unfortunately, Day 29's menu is not very exciting. I was planning on salmon, but the husband was out, so my son and I ate what we could find in the fridge.
 So, since I don't have anything of my own to share, I will share one of Robb Wolf's recipes that we will be trying later in the week.

Chilled Cucumber Soup

 
Ingredients

• 2 medium cucumbers
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup chicken broth

Directions

1. Peel the cucumber, then chop it into small chunks.
2. Load the onions, cucumber and cilantro into your blender.
3. Add the coconut milk and chicken broth.
4. Blend until smooth, but not too fine.
5. Refrigerate, then serve cold.
6. Garnish with more cilantro.

  Maybe not the perfect dish during the winter, but it's still worth a try!

Days 27 & 28: Dinner Out (again) and a Paleo Party

  On day 27, my husband came home and said he wanted to go eat fajitas. Who am I to say no to dinner out again? So we headed out the door to our favorite Mexican joint.
  We both had carnitas, which consisted of braised pork and onions. Very tasty!
  Day 28 was Superbowl Sunday and Paleo pizza day! We treated ourselves to lots of Paleo-friendly foods during our party and loved every bite.
  We started off with a few appetizers such as green olives, dill pickles, turkey lil' smokies and organic sweet potato chips.

  
  Next we had the pizza.

Ingredients

• 1 cup ground almonds
• 3 tbsp cashew butter
• 1/3 cup egg whites
• 3 tsp olive oil, divided
• 1 large Italian sausage, sliced into 1/2-inch slices
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1 chopped red/yellow peppers
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup marinara sauce

Directions

1. Mix ground nuts, egg whites and cashew butter into a small bowl.
2. Grease a pizza baking sheet with 2 tsp of olive oil, then spread "dough" mixture over it, making a 1/4 inch crust. 

3. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
4. In a skillet, add remaining olive oil and the sliced sausage.
5. Cook until brown then remove the sausage into a small bowl.
6. Add garlic, onions and peppers to skillet.

7. Saute the veggies lightly, making sure not to let them get too soft.
8. Cover the dough with sauce, then add the meat and vegetables.

9. Bake for 30 minutes.
10. Use a spatula to remove the slices from the pan, as the "nutty" dough won't be as crispy as traditional dough.

 And for dessert, chocolate avocado pudding with fresh fruit.

Proof that you can still have great tasting, healthy food at a party!

Days 25 & 26: Dinner Out and Almond Chicken

  On day 25 we were running here and there, so we decided to eat dinner out. We had Chinese and found a lot of variety. Other than the MSG that is probably in most things they cook, we did pretty well.
  On day 26, I prepared Almond Chicken. This.was.good. We had leftovers, so guess what I'm having for lunch tomorrow? Yum!

Ingredients

• 4 oz slivered almonds
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1 can water chestnuts
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Saute almonds in olive oil until slightly brown and set aside. 
2. Saute onions and celery until soft.
3. Add mushrooms and cook for three minutes.
4. Return almonds and add other ingredients.
5. Cook till hot, serve over meat of choice (we served it over shredded chicken).

 I cannot believe we are 4 days away from our 30 day goal!
 

Day 24: Jambalaya

   On day 24 y'all, we had Jambalaya. Cauliflower was supposed to be added in place of rice, but I'm not a huge cooked cauliflower lover, so I skipped it. If you do the same, I suggest leaving out the water and part of the chicken stock or your Jambalaya will be soup.

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb spicy sausage, sliced (I used smoked sausage)
• 1 tbsp olive oil + 1 tsp, divided
• 1 cup onion
• 3/4 cup green pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 tsp. Cajun seasoning + 1/8 tsp, divided
• 1 whole bay leaf
• 2 small cans El Pato tomato sauce
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped cauliflower
• 1/2 lb shrimp

 

Directions

1. In a large skillet heat the oil, sausage, onion, pepper, and celery - saute for 5 minutes.
2. Add seasoning and 1 bay leaf  - cook 1 minute more.
3. Add tomato sauce, chicken broth, water, and cauliflower.
4. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes - remove bay leaf.
5. In another skillet saute 1/2 lb shrimp and 1/8 tsp Cajun seasoning  in 1 tsp olive oil.
6. Saute for 2 minutes, then stir into jambalaya.

I loved, loved, loved this. I'm all about spicy and this was perfect. I really enjoyed the mixture of meat and veggies as well. Definitely a keeper!

Day 23: Pork Loin and Roasted Vegetables

  For dinner on day 23, I prepared a pork loin along with roasted vegetables. I must tell you that my 1 lb. pork loin did not get done in the oven at the suggested "350 degrees for 20 minutes per pound", and because I had to be somewhere, I had to zap it in the microwave for a couple minutes.
  To prepare the loin, I rubbed it with minced garlic, sage, sea salt and pepper and roasted it on top of the vegetables. Even with nuking for a bit, it still turned out very tasty and tender!

 

Ingredients

• one sweet potato, diced
• one zucchini, diced
• one red onion, diced (I wish I hadn't added this. It didn't taste that good with the other vegetables.)
• olive oil
• paprika
• sea salt
• black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Dice vegetables and place in shallow baking pan.
3. Drizzle with olive oil.
4. Add preferred amount of spices.
5. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring vegetables throughout to ensure even cooking.

  I'm not sure I've ever roasted vegetables before. I'm glad to have had the experience! It was easy to do and tasted great.

Day 22: Portobello Burgers and More Muffins

  On day 22 I prepared portobello burgers. These were wonderful! Mushrooms are already one of my loves, so combining some beef and toppings made this meal one of my favorites!

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef or turkey
• 1/4 cup chopped onions
• 2-3 cloves chopped garlic
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• sliced tomato
• lettuce (we used spinach)
• 3 portobello mushrooms

 

Directions

1. Put ground meat in a bowl, add the onion, garlic, pepper, and any other spices you wish
2. Mix well then form into three patties
3. Put oil in skillet and cook the patties, flipping often
4. Set the burgers aside when done, covering with a plate so that they stay warm
5. While burgers are cooking prepare the "buns" and an vegetables you wish to top the burgers with
6. Cut the stems off of the mushrooms first, but save them to use in a different meal
7. Put mushrooms in the skillet that you used to cook the burgers and cook for 2-3 minutes per side in the juices of the meat
8. Plate the mushrooms, then add the meat and condiments

   I served our burgers with a side of sweet potato fries. So much better tasting than regular old french fries and better for you!

  Today I also experimented with another muffin recipe I found here by adding raisins and walnuts. The recipe turned out to be more like a mix between a muffin and a cookie. They were a little crumbly, but had a great taste and satisfied my need for a sweet snack/dessert.

Cinnamon Apple Paleo Muffins

• 1 c almond flour
• 1 c unsweetened finely shredded coconut
• 2 eggs
• 1 large apple, cored, peeled, and diced
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup walnuts
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp almond butter
• 1/4 c honey
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• a dash of nutmeg

Directions  

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients and divide evenly into a muffin tin. 
3. Bake for 15 minutes. 

 I didn't take a picture of the after because they really weren't that pretty. They did not raise while baking. I'm not sure if I had too much 'stuff' in my mix or if I needed another baking ingredient. Maybe I'll have better luck next time!