Addie snacked on the Paleo Krunch today and LOVED it. Poor baby. She is really missing her cereals and crackers and this was a great substitute.
I haven't tried any of it yet because it was kind of expensive, $30 for all you see pictured, and I'm going to wait until a day when I can't throw something together real quick. But if Levi and Addie loved it then it is a winner and we will be ordering more in the future.
Lately I've had several people say, "Hey. I'm reading your blog, but what's paleo?" Please forgive me for just assuming (we all know what assuming does) that everyone is uber obsessed with nutrition the way I am. It is my job but also a true passion and I really do spend a lot of time researching and learning. So I wanted to take the next few blog posts and kind of condense all the books, blogs, research papers, potcasts, articles, and documentaries into simple basic info on the whats and whys of paleo.
Paleo is short for Paleolithic which is an era where humans lived on meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and fats...whole foods. So those are the kinds of foods our family is eating now.
It isn't a diet diet. If that makes any sense. It isn't geared toward weight loss although that does happen. It is centered around health, increased energy, improved digestion, normalized blood sugar levels, decreased inflammation and feeling REALLY GREAT. For me personally it is about being at my best physically and mentally so I can serve whatever purpose God's put before me. I want to have the energy to play chase with my kids and I want that energy to last until my favorite guy comes home and I get to hang out with him. I don't want to live with a constant headache that makes me snappy and unapproachable. I want my mind to focus on the task in front of me so that I am not wasting time running in a million directions at once. I want to feel young for another 80 years. That's right, I'm shooting for 110. I want to never have to worry about diabetes or arthritis or cholesterol or blood pressure and I want these same things for my loved ones.
So what can't you eat? Everyone really gets hung up on this one. We don't eat anything processed including but not limited to:
grains
pasteurized dairy (anyone know of anybody locally that wants to sell me some raw milk?)
artificial and refined sugars and sweeteners
industrial seed oils such as corn, canola, soybean
legumes (beans)
soy
I know it seems like we eat a limited diet but we have been eating more variety lately then ever before. We actually had Swiss chard tonight and it was sooooo good. Even the kids cleaned it up without me having to push it. We learned how to cook lamb and osso bucco. Liver pate is on the menu in the near future. And we tried roasted beats the other day and...well we ate them. But the point is that we are trying new things and we don't feel as limited as it seems.
Here is a list of what we CAN eat from Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo (which is awesome and you should totally purchase it for yourself if you are at all interested in paleo.)
Beef, bison, boar, buffalo, chicken, duck, eggs, game meats, goat, goose, lamb, mutton, ostrich, port, quail, rabbit, squab (I'm going to have to google that one later), turkey, veal, venison, catfish, carp, clams, grouper, halibut, herring, lobster, mackerel, mahi mahi, mussels, oysters, salmon, sardines, scallops, shrimp, prawns, snails, snapper, swordfish, trout, tuna, avocado oil, bacon fat, ghee, coconut milk, coconut oil, duck fat, macadamia oil, cold-pressed olive oil, palm oil, schmaltz (another google quest), cold-pressed sesame oil, suet, tallow, walnut oil, almonds, Brazil nuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, fresh almond milk, coconut water, herbal tea, mineral water, water, liver, kidneys heart, bone broths, dulse, kelp, seaweed, herbs, spices, sauerkraut, artichokes, asparagus, arugula, bamboo shoots, beets, bok choy broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, Cassava, cauliflower, celery, chard, collard greens, cucumbers, daikon, dandelion greens, eggplant, endive, fennel, garlic, green beans, green onions, jicama, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, lotus roots, mushrooms, mustard greens, okra, onions, parsley, parsnips, peppers, purslane, radicchio, radishes, rapini, rutabagas, shallots, snap peas, spinach, squash, sugar snaps, sunchokes, sweet potatoes, taro, tomatillos, tomatoes, turnip greens, turnips, watercress, yams, yuccas, apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, figs, grapefruit, grapes, guavas, kiwis, lemons, limes, lynchees, mangoes, melons, nectarines, oranges, papayas, passionfruit, peaches, pears, persimmons, pineapples, plantains, plums, pomegranates, raspberries, rhubarb, star fruit, strawberries, tangerines, watermelon. Whew!
I took the time to type all that up because I wanted you to see how very unlimited paleo is. Not unlimited just in food variety but also in life. Not being limited by pain, exhaustion, mood swings, weakness, unhealthy cravings, stomach upset, headaches, obesity, etc. Obviously eating whole foods is not going to be the cure-all that everyone wants but I really do believe is a good start.
I'll cover why each of the kinds of foods we shouldn't eat are on the bad list in posts soon to come.
And real quick here is what we had for dinner tonight. It was quick and simple but soooo very yummy.
Cilantro Tilapia over Cilantro CauliRice with a side of Swiss Chard and Baby Portobellos
Ingredients:
For the tilapia:
Tilapia fillets
4 to 5 TBSP cilantro
lime or lemon
2 tsp of minced garlic
4 TBSP olive oil
salt and pepper
Dry fillets and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stick in a shallow bowl and cover with cilantro, garlic and olive oil. Don't add the lime or lemon yet. Let it sit while you make the CauliRice and Swiss chard.
For the CauliRice:
Head of cauliflower
3 TBSP cilantro chopped
2 TBSP coconut oil
lemon or lime
salt and pepper
Chop up the head of cauliflower into smallish pieces. Use your handy-dandy food processor and process away. The cauliflower should resemble rice not mush. I had to do 3 separate batches because it wouldn't all fit at once.
Melt coconut oil in a large skillet and add the cauliflower. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes. Add cilantro, salt, pepper, and lemon or lime and mix well.
For the Swiss Chard:
6 or 7 leaves of Organic Swiss Chard (so far I have not found an organic Swiss Chard in Greenville)
1/2 cup Baby Portobello mushrooms
2 TBSP olive oil
lemon or lime
salt and pepper
Cut the Swiss chard into bite-size strips. Heat olive oil in a skillet and add Swiss chard and mushrooms. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until soft and the chard is bright green. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
This meal was pretty inexpensive and was ready in about 20 minutes and that includes the time it took to wash the veggies. It was filling but not heavy. And most importantly it was full of nutrients! Just the Swiss chard alone has potassium, magnesium, calcium, K2 (all super important for bone health), iron, Vitamins A, several Bs and C, and a great source of fiber!
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