What works for us

We are coming up on the end of our Whole30 with only 3 more days to go. We didn't really have any plans after that so Levi and I started to discuss how paleo was going to fit into our lives permanently. You see, we are normal...okay normalish. We don't want to be the weirdos that bring almond flour cupcakes to another kid's birthday party or the friends you used to have but now never see because we can't ever have dinner together. (Not that there is anything wrong with being one of those weirdos...you will probably live longer than us.) Plus there are things that are not paleo that we don't want to say no to for forever. So here are the guidelines we came up with:

• Our house will always be 100% paleo...sorta kinda. For the majority of our shopping lists they will consist of paleo friendly foods with the exception of parties or events thrown in our home. But we will not keep nonpaleo foods after the event. For instance, I'm hosting a shower next month in my house and there will be that super amazing budnt cake from Nothin Bundt Cakes in Rockwall. But the leftovers will go home with the soon-to-be parents.

• Saturdays are going to be our margin for error days. I hate the cheat day idea. I think it makes making a poor or unhealthy choice seem naughty and that could go one of two ways...either you are left with guilt afterward or you get more of a thrill from it than you should have because you are just that kind of person. I know which one I am so we are going to just allow for error on Saturdays. I expect that to look like splitting a gelato after a movie or having a piece of cake at our friend's wedding. I don't expect us to spend the day binging on donuts, sodas, pizza, pasta, etc.

• The kids will not miss out on fun kid stuff. Jack still gets to have hot lunch at school once a week and gets to get a treat from the bake sale. He gets to drink the Gatorade and eat the animal cracker snack after his basketball games. Addie can eat whatever snack is provided by her school. Both kids get to eat whatever junk their grandparents choose to lure them with. But packed lunches sent to school will be paleo approved.

I do want to make the point real quckly that we make great effort to explain to our kids why we are making healthy food choices by explaining what health benefits our foods are providing us while we eat. I tell them what vitamins and minerals are found in their meal and how those nutrients help their bodies grow big and strong and their hair and skin beautiful and healthy. I've noticed they are making smart choices even when Mommy and Daddy aren't around.

• We are going to eat some raw dairy. We will slowly add some cheeses back in and see how we feel. If we don't feel good then it will go but we miss our Saturday night pizzas. Our pizza will now be on a cauliflower crust (who knew cauliflower was so multi-puposeful) but who cares as long as there is cheese! 

• We will enjoy special treats only when it is special...not because a coworker brought donuts that day. Just because a special treat is available doesn't mean we have to eat it. But at the same time we aren't going to be rude and hurt a friend's feeling by not eating a cookie they baked for us. People come first...we will live and enjoy the opportunity to enjoy a truly special treat.

These are our guidelines based on our family. We don't have any allergies to wheat, dairy, soy. We just choose not to eat them based on our understanding of how they affect our health. If we did have an allergy or allergies we would probably live stricter and would suck it up and be the weirdos with the gluten-free cupcakes.

I'm pretty sure there isn't a paleo police so I encourage you to create guidelines that work best for you and your family...not sticking strictly to some set of rules based on a caveman's life. Those hairy dudes did not have the option of cappucchino chuncky chocolate frozen yogurt but I bet if they did they would give in and enjoy too.

We snapped this picture this weekend. We had a special family day and took the kid's to see their Uncle Elias' new restaurant HG (I'll post more on that later) and treated them to an ice cream brownie just because they are awesome. We don't ever do desert. Even before paleo desert wasn't ever offered so we thought it would be fun to give them a treat just because. Of course Levi and I just sat there salivating because our Whole30 still isn't up so absolutely no error allowed but we had enjoyed some great Saltgrass steaks so at least our tummies weren't growling.

Recipe time!!!
I'm really excited to share these next two recipes because they were huge hits!!!

The first one is Sun Dried Tomato Meatballs with Creamy Pesto from Everyday Paleo. You can click the link to see the recipe. I made it exactly as the recipe stated. The only thing I wish I had done differently was I should have doubled it. There were lots of yummy noises coming from all of us at the dinner table. The kids have asked for it several times since.

The second recipe came from Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo. Because it came from her published recipe book I'm not totally sure if I'm allowed to post the recipe???? Let me know if I'm going to be in trouble for this please. I will say that this book totally rocks and you should buy it not only for the awesome recipes but also because it has a lot of information on personalizing paleo to your specific health needs.
It is recipes like this that make us realize we don't even miss pasta. Spaghetti squash is much more yummy than pasta and so good for you!

Spaghetti Squash Bolognese
Ingredients:
1 Spaghetti Squash
Salt and pepper to taste
2 TBSP of fav fat...we used bacon fat
1 onion, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced...we used about 15 baby carrots
1 stalk of celery
1 clove of garlic...we did a LOT more, probably about 5 cloves
1/2 lb ground veal or beef
1/2 lb ground pork...we just used 1 lb total of ground beef. What are you supposed to do with that other half lb? It just seemed like too much trouble to to do two different types of meats.
4 slices of bacon chopped
1/2 full-fat coconut milk
3 oz. tomato paste...you can freeze the rest in an ice cube tray
1/2 cup dry white wine...we didn't add this because all alcohol is restricted on Whole30

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Slice the spaghetti squash in half. Scoop out all the stringy stuff and seeds. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Cover a cookie sheet with foil and place squash face down. Roast for 35-45 minutes.

While squash bakes prepare the awesome meaty sauce. Melt fav fat in iron skillet or any skillet and saute veggies. Add garlic and saute for 1 more minute. Add ground meat and cook until browned through. Add coconut milk, tomato paste, and wine. Simmer on low for 20-30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

After squash is cooled, use a spoon to scoop out the "noodles." I just put them directly into the pasta bowls to keep from adding another dish to the sink. Pour sauce over the top. Enjoy eating in silence because your kids will be too busy stuffing their sweet faces to say a word...except maybe a thank you. The only thing that would have made this meal any better would have been a glass of red wine. Darn Whole30.