So for that last years or so Dave and I have been cleaning up our diet. We started reading labels and not buying things that had HFCS, or partially-hydrogenated anything. We chose "real" and "whole" over fake. Then we cut WAY back on surgar (in all its forms), the last 3 months of my pregnancy with Lucy we cut it out completely. Then we started eating Paleo...and that is where we are now. For the last 2ish years we have been about 75% Paleo. At times we have been super strict, but for the most part we stay at the 75% mark. Our dinners are 95% Paleo, but we do have bread (sprouted) for toast and the sandwiches. Every now and then we have cheese or yogurt or ice cream.
Right now Dave is doing an 8 week challenge with his Crossfit box. The first 30 days Whole30 guidelines and NO CHEATS at all. After that they get 3 cheats at week...and not cheat meals, a burger, fries and a beer all in one meal would be 3 cheats. So that means that I have tightened up what we eat, or at least what is in the house. But it is really hard to be 100% Paleo with kids. I know people do it, but I cook dinner from scratch EVERYDAY, I don't want to cook breakfast and lunch too. Cereal is a life saver some mornings.
I say that eating healthy is hard because it requires discipline. You have to say not to a lot of stuff: short cuts and fast food mostly... But it is worth it. We all feel better. We are healthy, Dave's blood work at his last physical was perfect. So we are not going back. One thing I miss eating this way is comfort food, Lasagna or pot pies; good Chinese food with lots of rice, etc. So I have been searching for things to fill void and I have found a few.
We made hot wings this week. Super easy, it felt like cheating but was not...I used the sauce from here. I par-boiled the wings first cause I few of the sites I read said it make the skin crispy.
I have made this a ton of time (just cut out the cheese and replace the breadcrumbs with almond meal). The kids LOVE it, it is easy to make, and feels like cheating.
We make lettuce wraps a lot, cause they are super fast, but sometimes you want a tortilla. I made these last night. I want to play with it a bit more cause it tasted a bit eggy to me. But Dave and the kids liked them and they worked.
This is another winner. I also made it with a bit of sesame oil and ginger for Chinese twist. I paired it with this...I had to do a bit of subbing...arrowroot for the cornstarch and flour, no sugar, and coconut amino's for the soy. It was great!! I have used the sauce on pork too, it is a keeper.
I love what eating a mostly paleo diet has done for me physically. I've lost so much weight on it. I've lost weight on other "diets" before, but this is the first that is so focused on one's holistic health, not just weight.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that has helped us for breakfast is that I make coconut flour muffins or a baked custard the night before (enough for two mornings). That way I only have to cook up some bacon or sausage and maybe some scrambled eggs. I know that baked goods on the diet are pretty borderline, but it's what works for us and enables us to stay grain-free.
Eating this way does tend to mean a lot of time in the kitchen, but after a while on the diet, it becomes easier, because it becomes normal. I found a lot of breakfast ideas on this site: nourishedandnurtured.blogspot.com