Last night we went to a Christmas party and I was a little nervous how I would do with all the food. I haven't been around bread or baked goods at all since we started the diet, so I didn't know how tempting it would be.
The first hurdle was the drinks. Beer, wine (which I don't like) and lots of sugary drinks were everywhere, but I took my time and didn't commit to anything. After a bit I found out someone was drinking a gin and tonic, so I got one of those. First hurdle cleared!
Then the food. The setup was a make your own ham and beef sandwich, with oven baked mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and salad. I went for the ham, potatoes and salad and felt completely satisfied. No temptation to eat the mac and cheese, which I usually love.
Next hurdle: dessert. There were various pies and then some mini chocolate eclairs were brought out. These I eyed and one of my friends grabbed one and tried to give it to me. After I said no, I told him why, and what I was doing, and one bite into the eclair he decided that he didn't want it anymore. So not only did I not have the dessert, I turned someone else off to it! I call that a win.
On the way home I felt so proud! I really did feel like I had won something good (besides the white elephant gift Cards Against Humanity) and I was so excited that I had navigated the party without feeling weird about it or missing anything. And the most amazing part was I didn't feel tempted to eat any of the stuff. Pretty awesome! Also I had fun! Haha. Which is also very important.
So one week into my paleo diet I'm going strong and really proud of myself.
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Friday, December 9, 2016
No More Chili!
Good morning! So I now know that beans are out. Traditional paleo doesn't include them, but I had wanted to start out including them. Last night we had a delicious (if I do say so myself) chili, but this morning my stomach let me know in no uncertain terms this was not a good idea. So no beans! Good to know.
In better news, yesterday I had a really cool 'ah-ha' moment. A coworker of mine had some almond flour crackers, and I thought "why not? almond flour is good, right?" so I tried one, and instantly wanted to binge. I had just eaten lunch and before I had that tiny cracker I had been completely satisfied. Right after eating I was sooo hungry. I just wanted more! So much more. SO that was a really cool little experiment. I haven't been eating any super yummy processed foods, just a few rice cakes in the morning, and that drove the point home that I shouldn't eat anything processed if I want to stay on the diet. And such a crazy experience to see how intense the reaction was! It also felt validating because I have always had some amount of shame in the fact that I go on food binges and can't stop eating. This proved that part of that is the food itself and how it's designed to make you want more.
In better news, yesterday I had a really cool 'ah-ha' moment. A coworker of mine had some almond flour crackers, and I thought "why not? almond flour is good, right?" so I tried one, and instantly wanted to binge. I had just eaten lunch and before I had that tiny cracker I had been completely satisfied. Right after eating I was sooo hungry. I just wanted more! So much more. SO that was a really cool little experiment. I haven't been eating any super yummy processed foods, just a few rice cakes in the morning, and that drove the point home that I shouldn't eat anything processed if I want to stay on the diet. And such a crazy experience to see how intense the reaction was! It also felt validating because I have always had some amount of shame in the fact that I go on food binges and can't stop eating. This proved that part of that is the food itself and how it's designed to make you want more.
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
The Road to Paleo
Taking the plunge back into a predominantly paleo diet. My goal is to completely avoid gluten and sugar, and eat mostly veggies and meats with a few exceptions here and there. One of them being gluten free toast or rice cakes in the morning with my coffee.
So far I've been feeling good. I'm on day three, and haven't noticed any drastic changes, good or bad. I haven't had any really intense cravings, after dinner I always crave something sweet, but it's been manageable. Last night I had herbal peach tea and that really helped. I may get something from www.bulletproof.com just in case I get a really bad craving for something sweet.
So some background. Both me and my husband suffer from food-related health issues and have dabbled with paleo for years. We both feel better and seem to have less issues when we eat mostly paleo, but it's been hard to stay consistent and keep on track, which is why I've decided to blog about my process. My hope is that if I have an audience to hold myself accountable to, I'll stick to it. That doesn't mean never cheating or eating things that fall outside my healthy foods, but getting back on track afterward and moving forward.
I will also be sharing recipes that I really enjoyed, the first of which you'll find below:
PREP TIME 25 MINS • COOK TIME 4 TO 6 HRS • SERVINGS 4
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 (2-inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 head garlic (about 12 cloves), peeled and thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
14.5 ounces full-fat coconut milk (about 1 3/ 4 cups), canned* or homemade (see here)
1/ 2 cup coconut aminos*
1/ 3 cup apple cider vinegar*
2 teaspoons black pepper, plus more for the chicken
2 tablespoons cooking fat**
3 pounds bone-in chicken thighs sea salt
Layer the onion, ginger, garlic, and bay leaves in the bottom of a slow cooker. In a bowl, mix together the coconut milk, coconut aminos, apple cider vinegar, and pepper. Heat the cooking fat in a skillet over high heat. Season the skin side of the chicken thighs generously with salt and pepper and place them skin side down in the skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the skin is browned. Transfer the chicken thighs, skin side up, to the slow cooker and pour the coconut milk mixture over the top. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 hours. For a thicker sauce, remove the cooked chicken from the slow cooker, bring the remaining sauce to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes to reduce or until desired thickness is achieved.
Serve over Garlic & Green Onion Cauli-Rice.
1 large head cauliflower
2 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 green onions (scallions), thinly sliced
sea salt and black pepper to taste
Shred the cauliflower with a cheese grater or food processor. Heat the ghee in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until fragrant. Add the green onions and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, then add the shredded cauliflower and stir to combine with the garlic and green onion. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the dish is warmed through and the cauliflower is softened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Sanfilippo, Diane (2014-01-05). The 21-Day Sugar Detox Cookbook: Over 100 Recipes for Any Program Level (Kindle Locations 2346-2351). Victory Belt Publishing. Kindle Edition.
So far I've been feeling good. I'm on day three, and haven't noticed any drastic changes, good or bad. I haven't had any really intense cravings, after dinner I always crave something sweet, but it's been manageable. Last night I had herbal peach tea and that really helped. I may get something from www.bulletproof.com just in case I get a really bad craving for something sweet.
So some background. Both me and my husband suffer from food-related health issues and have dabbled with paleo for years. We both feel better and seem to have less issues when we eat mostly paleo, but it's been hard to stay consistent and keep on track, which is why I've decided to blog about my process. My hope is that if I have an audience to hold myself accountable to, I'll stick to it. That doesn't mean never cheating or eating things that fall outside my healthy foods, but getting back on track afterward and moving forward.
I will also be sharing recipes that I really enjoyed, the first of which you'll find below:
Slow Cooker Chicken Adobo
PREP TIME 25 MINS • COOK TIME 4 TO 6 HRS • SERVINGS 4
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 (2-inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 head garlic (about 12 cloves), peeled and thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
14.5 ounces full-fat coconut milk (about 1 3/ 4 cups), canned* or homemade (see here)
1/ 2 cup coconut aminos*
1/ 3 cup apple cider vinegar*
2 teaspoons black pepper, plus more for the chicken
2 tablespoons cooking fat**
3 pounds bone-in chicken thighs sea salt
Layer the onion, ginger, garlic, and bay leaves in the bottom of a slow cooker. In a bowl, mix together the coconut milk, coconut aminos, apple cider vinegar, and pepper. Heat the cooking fat in a skillet over high heat. Season the skin side of the chicken thighs generously with salt and pepper and place them skin side down in the skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the skin is browned. Transfer the chicken thighs, skin side up, to the slow cooker and pour the coconut milk mixture over the top. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 hours. For a thicker sauce, remove the cooked chicken from the slow cooker, bring the remaining sauce to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes to reduce or until desired thickness is achieved.
Serve over Garlic & Green Onion Cauli-Rice.
1 large head cauliflower
2 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 green onions (scallions), thinly sliced
sea salt and black pepper to taste
Shred the cauliflower with a cheese grater or food processor. Heat the ghee in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until fragrant. Add the green onions and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, then add the shredded cauliflower and stir to combine with the garlic and green onion. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the dish is warmed through and the cauliflower is softened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Sanfilippo, Diane (2014-01-05). The 21-Day Sugar Detox Cookbook: Over 100 Recipes for Any Program Level (Kindle Locations 2346-2351). Victory Belt Publishing. Kindle Edition.
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