Thanksgiving

I keep forgetting I need to post about Thanksgiving. I had two Thanksgivings - the one with family and the one at my house with friends. Thursday I decided to make tasty paleo desserts to bring with me because a) I don't like to eat pie (never did) and b) I don't like to eat sugary, carb loaded desserts, but I do like to have a special treat on a holiday.

So, thank you thank you thank you goes out to Paleo Comfort Foods for their tasty Chocolate Cake with a kick recipe. I left out the "kick" part and went straight for the dark chocolately goodness. It was a total hit with one person stating that my husband was a very lucky man. It was so good that said hubby begged for me to make it again at our Thanksgiving on Saturday night.

Saturday night I made my very first thanksgiving with meat! I admit I did not make a full turkey. Since there were only 3 meat eaters I opted for a breast and a thigh/leg. It was pretty tasty.

I didn't completely go paleo though. I really, really wanted mashed potatoes. So I gave in and ate them and then sent the leftovers home with my non-Paleo guests. So here was the menu:

Turkey
Mashed potatoes (my cheat)
Mashed sweet potatoes
Creamed spinach with artichoke hearts (creamed with coconut milk)
Acorn squash

It was all really very tasty if I do say so myself and to be quite honest I could have done without the potatoes.

I did also do one very bad thing. I ate bread. I really wanted bread mostly because I wanted dip. BAD idea I felt like someone took my insides out, ran over them, and then put them back in tied in a knot. Yup. I will NOT be eating bread again. BAD me.

A little bit more about me

I keep thinking I need to add some more background here or maybe some pictures. So, here goes. Remember how I said I was over 200 lbs and how I lost 35+ lbs. Well, here's a glimpse at my before and after photos. I also lost more than 17 inches off of my body the last time I measured myself (which was several months ago).

 I will also add that while I'm telling you I lost 35+ lbs I am not necessarily a fan of the scale. It all comes down to how you feel, how your clothes fit, the physical changes you see in your body. I could easily weigh what I do now and wear a much bigger clothes size than I'm at, but I'd be carrying around fat as opposed to the muscle I'm building. Something to think about.

P.S. These pictures were taken months ago. So, I've lost even more inches since these were taken all by eating a real food diet (practically paleo) and exercising (specifically doing weight bearing exercises). 

Paleo and Potlucks

So, today was day 21 of the Paleo challenge. I made it and made it through today's potluck at work. I'm so thankful that I wasn't alone in the paleo challenge - it meant there was definitely more I could eat.

On the menu for me today:

Mashed cauliflower (which I made)
"Creamed" spinach (which I made)
Turkey
Sweet potatoes
Paleo coconut flour biscuits
Chocolate date balls for dessert

All in all pretty darn good. Did I miss anything? Really, all I somewhat missed were mashed potatoes and maybe gravy, but I felt like I got to partake and really enjoyed myself.

I am actually having people over for dinner this weekend to cook a paleo and vegetarian friendly (for my veggie friends) thanksgiving. I can't wait to plan the menu; cooking paleo meals that are tasty is so easy. So, I'll plan for a mostly paleo meal, but it is a holiday afterall so there might just have to be some exceptions. I can say that I am very excited to make some paleo desserts and show off my mad baking skills. Mmmm apple crisp.

Tom Kha Soup

I originally came up with this recipe as a vegetarian recipe, but the great thing about soup is that it is so easy to modify. When I was looking for a vegetarian Tom Kha soup recipe I did a little searching through my cookbooks and found in "The Carb Conscious Vegetarian" a recipe for Tom Yumm - close, but not quite, so I modified.

The first time I made it my husband said it was yummy and there were absolutely no leftovers. I think he went back for fourths!

And without further ado the recipe:

1 T of lemon grass (I used pre-sliced)

1 T of crushed ginger

4 cups of organic vegetable broth

1 can of organic coconut milk

1 T chili paste ( or less if you don't like spice)

2 T lime juice (or to taste)

1 T cilantro 

1 bunch of asparagus (remove the tough stems)

8 oz of mushrooms

Diced chicken pieces already cooked

Add the vegetable broth, lemon grass, and ginger to a stock pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer on low 15 minutes to infuse the broth.

Remove from heat and strain through a sieve to remove the pieces of lemongrass. Return to pot.

Add the coconut milk, chili paste, lime juice, and cilantro and simmer until coconut milk is thoroughly dispersed in the broth (you don't want clumps).

Add the asparagus, mushrooms and chicken and simmer 10 minutes until vegetables are cooked through.

Asparagus Coconut Milk Soup

I love this soup. It's quick, it's easy, and it's tasty. 

1 onion chopped

1 T of grass fed butter (you could substitute a healthy oil here)

2 bunches of asparagus cut into 1 in pieces (discard the tough stems)

4 C of vegetable broth

1 can of coconut milk

Melt the butter in a stock pot.

Add the onion and saute until soft.

Add the asparagus and saute until it begins to soften.

Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until the asparagus is soft.

Add the coconut milk and stir.

Blend in a blender and voila!!

*Sausage goes well in this too. 

Better than Pasta - Introducing Spaghetti Squash

I love spaghetti squash. I could eat it almost every day. No, really, I could. It's mother nature's idea of noodles - nothing processed, just 100% food. It doesn't get better than that does it?

There are a zillion ways to eat spaghetti squash and I plan on posting a number of recipes, but my favorite simple spaghetti squash recipe is.... Nope not spaghetti squash with pasta sauce, but this tasty little recipe.

1 medium size organic spaghetti squash
2 C organic baby spinach leaves
1/2 C sun-dried tomatoes
Meat of your choice*

*Pork Sausage (free of all the nasty stuff - nitrates, nitrites) or pastured chicken goes well in this dish

A little note: I don't usually use measuring cups when making this dish so all of the above amounts are guestimates. Ultimately, add as much as you want of each of the ingredients. You can also add red onions, black olives, or if you are doing dairy, goat cheese is very tasty in this dish.

Now to the cooking part.

How to cook a spaghetti squash 101. There are several ways to cook a spaghetti squash from microwaving, baking, boiling, and steaming- if you are one that will use a microwave you can microwave a spaghetti squash for about 15 minutes and viola. The caveat is that you have to poke about 2 zillion holes in it or you may very well have a squash explosion and then no dinner. No bueno. Then there is the pesky idea of microwaves themselves, but that's a whole other post.

I personally like to steam it, it takes only about 5-10 minutes longer than a microwave and I feel like I've got control of the food and there is no room for a squash explosion. I will say that I have a vegetable steamer, which makes things pretty easy.

Other ways of cooking a spaghetti squash can be found on the internet - just google "how to cook spaghetti squash".

To steam it:

1. Cut the ends of the squash and then cut the squash in half lengthwise.
2. Remove the seeds
3. If needed cut the squash into pieces until it all the pieces will fit in a steamer
4. Steam for 20 minutes or until the squash is soft (you can easily slide a knife into the squash)
5. Remove the squash and allow it to cool (be careful not to burn yourself on the steam)
6. Scrap a fork along the squash to remove the "spaghetti"and place it in a bowl

To fix the rest of this tasty recipe:

Place the spinach in a skillet with just tiny bit of water, cover and heat on medium until the spinach begins to wilt. Remove the spinach let cool (or you can't wait for it to cool run it under cold water) and squeeze out all of the liquid.

Add the spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and goat cheese to the spaghetti squash, stir, and viola!

Office Potlucks, Thanksgiving, and Paleo

So, our office is having a Thanksgiving potluck next Monday, the last day of the challenge. I'm on the vegetable committee, which I will have you know is separate from the potato committee, and separate from the yams committee, apparently they are on an island on their own. Anyway, veggies is pretty easy I can do that (I was a vegetarian after all) and make it Paleo, but what about everything else? I'm finding navigating other people's reactions to Paleo to be a not unfamiliar experience.

I find it funny that I used to have to explain my vegetarianism to everyone. Now, I have to explain what Paleo is to everyone and then politely correct them and let them know that it isn't a diet, but a lifestyle change. I suppose Paleo can be a bit confusing for people. Most commonly people think I can eat the gluten free versions of things, but I can't, or rather won't, because they often still contain sugar and are made with rice flour or some other sort of grain. This seems to cause a lot of questions like, "Huh, why can't  you eat grains?" Now, if people really wanted to know I'd explain the science behind Paleo, but they don't really want to know when you're talking about a potluck...so, back to what to do what to do.

I have a plan. I should be able to eat the turkey and I'm betting I can eat the veggies (since I'm on that committee). My paleo coworker is baking a paleo dessert and I think I'm going to bring some other paleo goodness just so I can have something more to eat. Coconut bread perhaps? The choices really are endless. Well, maybe not, but there are A LOT of things I can make that taste just as good as something non-paleo.  Think of all  the Paleo recipes I could make for a Thanksgiving of my own, which brings me to a conundrum.

For the last 10 years or so I've had friends over the day after Thanksgiving for a vegetarian Thanksgiving. The question is whether or not to host a party the day after Thanksgiving that is not vegetarian or to just not do it at all. I suppose I shouldn't call it off just because I've changed my ways. Right? I should think of this as an opportunity to show of my paleo cooking prowess. Yes! That's it. I'll use the potluck as a launching pad for the ultimate paleo and veggie friendly post Thanksgiving feast.

Stay tuned.

21 Day Paleo Challenge or Am I Crazy?

So, I never thought I'd be a competitive person, but I am. I guess we all are sort of competitive, no? Or maybe it is just that I'm freakin' stubborn as hell. Yeah, that's probably more like it. I don't like it when people tell me I can't do something or if they have that look in their eye like they doubt my abilities. That is all it takes and I will succeed at whatever it is YOU think I CAN'T succeed at.

This brings me to the Paleo Challenge. Yes, ladies and gents, a competition, of sorts. Let me explain.

I work with a fabulous woman and friend who introduced me to Paleo. She's a wealth of knowledge, which she is willing to share with anyone who wants to know about Paleo, but she isn't pushy about it. Anyway, she being the amazing woman that she is, managed to get 5 co-workers (including me) to join her in a 21 day Paleo Challenge. I know, I know,  you're thinking what the heck does that mean? It means I'm going to kill this challenge - and by that I mean I've got this (see - I am stubborn). It also means that we eat strictly paleo for 21 days, no sugar of any kind (no agave, no honey, no nothing), no grains, no legumes, no dairy, you get the picture. We all put some money into a pot and whoever hasn't cheated by the end of the 21 days (it's on the honor system) gets to split the moolah, and then go drinking and binge eating! Nah - we're going for a spa day.

So, we are officially at day 13. I have only had a hard time giving up my afternoon lattes. I've switched to making coffee in my office and adding coconut milk, not the same, but it works. Oddly, I've lost 5 pounds, which seems weird because I really didn't feel like I cut much out from my normal diet, but I guess the little things add up.

I think this 2 weeks has been harder on the hubby than it has been on me. I can't really eat out because everything has dairy or sugar in it. I had to skip a dinner out with family because I looked on the menu and there was nothing I could eat. Let me pause for a moment as I have a thought:

This isn't really that much different from being a vegetarian. How many times did I go out and I couldn't eat anything more than a salad?

Anyway, it's hard on the hubby. He is trying very hard to be supportive though, so props to him for putting up with his stubborn wife.


Anyway, I do miss a few things. Did I mention the lattes? Yeah, well I miss them. I also was really enjoying Paleo baking, which often includes agave nectar, maple syrup, and honey. I attempted to make brownies tonight without any sweetner - just applesauce (unsweetened) and raw cocao. FAIL - what was I thinking? It tastes like nothing more than raw cacao. Not pleasant. So, back to the drawing board.

One of these days I'm going to create the perfect brownie - chewy, moist, delicious, and paleo. That's the plan, but I think it might have to wait until I can throw a tablespoon or two of some sort of sweetner in there. Although, maybe dates would work - of course I've never actually eaten a date. No, I don't know why - probably for the same reason that I've never actually heard Free Bird. I'm lame?

Almond Meal Pancakes

I have tried a lot of paleo pancake recipes and found that all I got was a big giant mess. So, I played around and finally came up with a simple recipe that works.  

Pancakes:

1 T coconut oil

3/4 C Almond meal

1 pastured egg

1/4 C coconut milk

Cinnamon to taste

1 handful of organic blueberries

Topping:

1 C mixed organic berries

For the Pancakes:

Mix the almond meal, egg, coconut milk, and blueberries together in a bowl. 

Melt the coconut oil in a skillet and add 1/4 C of batter. 

Cook until firm and bottom side is brown.*

Flip and brown second side.

For the Berries:

Heat the mixed berries on the stovetop until warmed. 

*Note: Be patient, unlike traditional flour based pancakes, these won't bubble so make sure they are cooked enough that you can flip them without them falling apart. 

A Whole Foods Fail

I have a love hate relationship with Whole Foods. I love that it is 5 minutes from my house. I hate that I often spend $100s there. I love that I can get most everything I need there. I hate that a lot of their produce is not local or organic (this is compared to Rainbow grocery in SF).  I also hate that they don't have a large amount of grass fed meats. Where am I going with all this?

Today I had a very strange experience. Now, me at the meat counter is strange enough given that I'm new to this whole meat eating thing. I'm learning to navigate what type of meat is what, what I like, etc. My husband keeps telling me to ask more questions and get to know the men at the meat counter. So, I was at Whole Foods ready to buy some stirfry meat and asked:

Is that grass fed?

I expected a yes or no. It really is that simple. Either the cow was pastured and raised on grass (what cows are supposed to eat) or it was fed grains (what cows are not supposed to eat).

The answer I got was, "All of our meat is grass fed."

What? Huh?

This was followed up with,"The only difference is some eat grain right before they go to slaughter."

This is when I got upset. You can't call something grass fed if it ate grain. Grain is not grass. So, now I have to wonder how long I've been eating "grass fed" beef from Whole Foods. I think I may need to talk to the manager. I'm not about to eat a cow that was fed food it was not intended to eat. I have to say I was pretty furious and confused when I walked out of there.