Dining Out

We love to go out to eat just like most people.  But if you are trying to live a healthy lifestyle, it can be difficult if you don't do a little planning ahead of time.  I am going to give you a few tips I have picked up along the way.  It has made going out to eat feasible without messing up all the hard work you have done.  

We have a few usual places we like but we also like to try new places.  We never go into a restaurant without looking at their menu first.   We can usually find something to have at any place but we like to find somewhere that gives us a few options.   Burger places are actually one of the easier restaurants to go to.  It's all about what sides they offer.  More and more places are offering sweet potato fries or a side salad which is great!  We look for a place that has good sides and gluten free buns.  My husband and I go bunless but the kids usually want a bun and I prefer they not have gluten if I can help it.  Also when looking for a burger place, find somewhere that has add-ons to your burger.  I love to add egg, bacon, or avocado.  We were recently in Miami and I had a bunless burger with avocado and fried plantains!  Also, feel free to add extra meat!  

Mexican is also an easy option!  It's all about which Mexican restaurant you go to.  I look for a menu that has vegetables anywhere on the menu.  Then I just substitute the rice and beans for a double side of veggies.  Any basic dish can be made Paleo with a few substitutions.  Don't be afraid to ask either.  I have never had a problem when I order.  Most places have chicken mole, carne asada, fish, etc.    Just pick the meat you want and get a side of veggies.  I know some of you feel like if you don't have tortillas, beans, or rice it's not Mexican.  You just have to broaden your thinking.  Mexican is about the spices, sauces, and the method they cook.  Also, guacamole is also a great thing to have!!  We always get a large bowl of guacamole for an appetizer.  I do eat a few chips but have learned to limit it to just a few.  Margaritas!!  We love them!  Is there anyone in Texas who doesn't???  Look for a drink that gives the ingredients.  Don't get the maragarita that is made from a mix.  They are full of sugar.    I look for a drink that is made with agave, lime, and tequila.   You are still getting a great margarita (better in my opinion) but not all that sugar and preservatives.  If you can't find it on the menu, ask the waiter to make it for you.  They should have the ingredients.  This is for any alcoholic drink.  I always go for the drinks made with fresh juices and agave.  

No, we don't go to fast food restaurants.  I know some of them have some good options, but for us, I would rather find a place that has a little more flair.  If I go to a fast food burger place I would only be able to get a patty and maybe a side salad.  Kind of boring.  Plus the quality isn't always great.  I always think of eating a meal as a special time.  If you are running through the drive thru all the time, eating has become uneventful for you.  It makes eating just something you have to do to fill yourself up, not enjoyable.  

With all that being said, we have cut back on going out to eat because it can be easier to just make something good at home.  We went from going out 2-3 nights on the weekend to once every 2-3 weeks.  It took some getting used to but now going out to dinner has become a special treat instead of a a common occurance.  But hopefully the next time you go out to eat, you will have a better plan.  

I would like to share with you an easy recipe you can add to your kids lunch rotation or use it as a side dish.  For most of you, this is a recipe you have seen before but it's one that I often forget about.  This particular recipe came from Paleo Restart.  If you are trying to eat Paleo for the first time or have been eating this way for a while but need some new ideas, this is a great website to use.

Bacon Broccoli Salad 

2-3 heads broccoli, cut into bite size pieces

1 1/2 cups grapes, halved

10 slices bacon, cooked and chopped

1/2 an onion (we are a no onion family)

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1 cup mayonnaise (made with avocado or olive oil)

1/4 cup lemon juice

Combine mayonnaise and lemon juice in a small bowl.  Combine the rest of the ingredients in a larger bowl.  Add the mayonnaise mixture to the larger bowl and combine.  

 

Lunch boxes!

Many of us are on Spring break right now.  We get a break from making lunches, and the part I dread everyday, emptying their lunch box after school!  But hopefully you will get some good information from me to get you motivated to finish the year with some good healthy lunches for your kiddos.  I know it can be hard to try to come up with lunch ideas for our kids every single day.  I can be a daunting task but if you do a little pre thinking, it can make things a little easier, a little more interesting, and definitely more nutritious for your kids.  Our lunches are not cute with shapes or design to appeal to the kids.  It's just good basic food.  It doesn't have to be fancy, just well balanced with Whole Foods.

When deciding what to give my kids I always make sure they have a protein, fat, and some kind of carbohydrate.  I don't count nut butters as protein, I count it as a fat.  I am going to give you some general things we do for protein, carbohydrates, and fats to start off with.  I could talk hours about this so I definitely will be touching on this subject again soon!

Protein

Chicken breast, legs, thighs. They have leftovers from dinner or I throw something on the grill in the morning while making breakfast and preparing lunches.

Deli turkey, roast beef with simple mills brand crackers, and vegan cheese or wrapped in lettuce with a slice of avocado and tomato

Ground beef with Mexican spices.  I give them lettuce, salsa, avocado, and  Siete brand tortilla chips from Whole Foods.

Tuna or chicken salad with celery, pecans, apples, mayonnaise, avocado, or apple cider vinegar. Rhett's favorite lunch!

Applegate hotdogs

Boiled eggs.  Plain or mashed up to make a salad with avocado or mayonnaise 

Lettuce wrap burger.  Leftovers from dinner or throw a few on the grill in the morning, or while you are cooking dinner the night before!

Meatballs

Protein shake. Find a protein made from natural ingredients without whey.  Our protein is made from grass fed beef and eggs from Paleo Pro.

Smoked sausage

Fats

Nut butters (look for nut butters without added stuff, just nuts, oil, and maybe salt)

Mayonnaise

Nuts

Avocado (Holy guacamole single servings)

Lara bars

Macaroons-There are lots of brands out there.  Cocoroons is one brand we like.

Non dairy yogurt

Almond milk pudding

Salami or pepperoni

Dark chocolate (make sure it is at least 55% cocoa, the higher the better)

Coconut butter

Coconut shredded or chips

Carbohydrates

Salad, lots of salad!

Raw veggies and ranch.  We like Primal Kitchen for our dressing.  

Spinach

Lettuce wraps

Fruit with nut butter, coconut butter, or shredded coconut 

Dried fruit without added sugar

Simple mills crackers (Sprouts, Whole Foods)

Siete chips and tortillas(Whole Foods)

Terra chips They have all kinds!

Almond flour or coconut flour muffins

Legit bread company bread for sandwiches occasionally

Paleo cookies 

Salsa 

When making dinner, make extras for lunch the next day.  Adults are not the only ones that can enjoy leftovers.  After a while they will start asking for leftover dinner for lunch.  I just get the food really hot and double wrap it in foil or put it in a thermos and no one has ever complained about it being cold.  

Mini "corn" dog muffins are a great thing to have on hand when you don't know what to pack. Double the recipe to make 24 mini muffins.

Mini Corn dog muffins

1 cup almond flour

3 tablespoons coconut flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

4 eggs

1/2 cup palm shortening

3 tablespoons Raw honey

3 tablespoons Applesauce

1 teaspoon Apple cider vinegar

Applegate hotdogs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix the dry ingredients together and then the wet ingredients together and combine wet with dry.

Spray pan with coconut oil and fill each tin 3/4 full with batter.

Cut up hotdogs in to 4ths an stick each piece into each tin.

Bake for about 15 minutes

Freezes well!

    

 

It is a struggle!

I have a confession, I love food!  I love it so much I have a blog about it!  I love to talk about it, make it, and of course eat it!  That's where the struggle comes in.  I have to keep myself in check all the time.  Recently I have gained a few pounds and that has put me in a mood to really watch what I eat.  Being paleo has helped with my struggle with food because now I am able to eat more (I'm all for that!) but it isn't a miracle solution.  You can still go over board if you don't watch it.  Paleo has definitely helped me because there are specific rules.  I can't tell myself  that it's ok to have that slice of cake just once because I know it is not Paleo. I don't make exceptions.  If I started making exceptions, there would be no end.  We have so many holidays and reasons we should "celebrate" that if I ate off my Paleo diet every time it would be all the time.   I am not good at just having as a treat every now and then, I wish I was.  I would eat half the cake if I let myself!  Now I do have Paleo treats.  I feel like that's sort of a compromise to help curb my sweet tooth.

 I want to give you a little information about my past.  When I was in college. I gained a bunch of weight, I won't give you numbers but let's just leave it at a bunch.  Most of it was from being a freshman, thinking I could drink, eat whatever I wanted.  I didn't eat much, but what I did have was junk.  My husband and I met and I started to lose the weight.  We started cooking more and working out.  

When I had our twins I gained a lot of weight again, of course this was for a much better reason this time.  But our twins were BIG twins!  6 lb 8 oz and 7 lb 1 oz, full term!  They were perfectly healthy and did not spend one night even in the nursery.  I was proud that my body could do such an amazing thing.  I lost the baby weight quickly. Nursing for a year helped!!  I had my third baby 2 years later and lost the weight again without a problem.  

After having 15 pounds of baby and a third baby, I had to deal with "post baby body".  I don't mean post baby body like 6 months or 2 years later.  I haven't had a baby in 8 years but I am NOT the same!  News alert! Another quick confessions I had a tummy tuck and breast lift but I am still not the same.

I pray that those who read this are not judging me or looking down on me in any way.  I pray that someone reads this and realizes that they may not be the only one who struggles.  I think that is why I like to blog, cook, talk about food so much.  It keeps my obsession in a healthy check.  I can obsess over good fats and carbs in a healthy way so that I can still have my obsession with food but direct it in a healthier way than just filling my obsession with junk food. I am filling my obsession (lets just say addiction) to eating healthy.  

So today I have started counting my macros again.  Not calories as much, just macros, Fat, carbs, and protein.  I use My Fitness Pal to keep track.  If you have any questions about this, please feel free to ask. I also have a great coach that can help if you are interested.

On a lighter note, I would like to share with you a website I found that has been great!  It is called Know Foods.  We have tried their sandwich bread, mini muffins, and donuts!  Okay, I take that back, the kids have tried it.  I just watch them eat and ask if it's good.  They love them. I bought a bunch and threw them in the freezer.  

Another great new product is Nut Pods.  It is a great alternative to coffee creamer if you don't want to make your own.  We like Vanilla but they also have hazelnut and original.  

Y'all have a great day!  Thanks for reading and please ask me any questions you may have!

  

Our Valentines/ Birthday weekend

I know it's a few days after Valentines Day but I still want to share our holiday with you.  It was my husband's birthday on the 12th, so we got a hotel in Dallas at the Rosewood so we could celebrate his birthday and Valentines.   Very fancy!  This has become our usual thing to do every year, get a fancy hotel and go out to a fancy dinner.  We decided not to go fancy with dinner this year.  We ate at HG Supply Co. in Lower Greenville.  If you are not familiar with Dallas, Lower Greenville is a hip area with lots of Twenty-somethings.  My best friend and I used to cruise down lower Greenville in high school, we thought we were cool!  Anyway, if you are looking for a cool restaurant with real food, I highly recommend it!  I had the DelMonico which was a ribeye with an egg on top, and some awesome brussel sprouts!  My husband had the beef short ribs with charred cabbage and it was great!  To drink, I had the Moscow mule made with Kombucha and my husband had the old fashion, one of his favorite drinks.  We shared a dish of sweet potato hash as well.  It was a great meal! After dinner we walked across the street to Dude Sweet Chocolate and picked up some amazing chocolate to have in the hotel room.  It was a great night!

               

Valentines morning, the boys had Almond flour waffles with strawberry sauce and coconut whipped cream.  They had a cute heart shaped egg on the side.  

  

Since it was on a Tuesday we decided to cook at home and make it a Taco Tuesday!  No one can argue with tacos, especially in our house!  I made tortillas out of almond flour.  My boys love them and think they are better than wheat tortillas!  That's always a good complement to hear.   We had regular ground beef tacos with guacamole and a salad to go with.  

Here is the tortilla recipe I use.

 1 1/4 cups almond flour

1 1/2 cups  Tapioca flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon Baking soda

3-4 ounces of Water

2 tablespoons nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening, melted and cooled

2 Egg whites

Combine the dry ingredients, then make a hole in the middle of the flour mixture and add the wet ingredients. Start with 3 ounces of water and add more if needed.  Mix until it is in a dough form.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for at least 30 minutes.  Then, take a ball of dough and roll out on to a surface lightly covered in tapioca flour.  To make them perfectly round, I take my sauce pan lid and use it as a cutter.  Place tortilla on a heated pan and cook on both sides until they are slightly browned.  

It's all very similar to a "regular" tortilla recipe, just different flour!  Don't get too frustrated if they break the first few times you try to make them.  It takes practice and then you will be a pro!  

     

For dessert I made Fed and Fit Flourless Chocolate cake.  Yea, that was awesome!  And I had made some Elanas Pantry Mexican Chocolate Ice cream to go with it.  

 

Kids and Valentines Candy

Every year, our kids come home with a ton of Valentines candy.  This year, I didn't say anything about it. I wanted them to make their own decision as to what to do with it.   One of our boys gave his candy away before he left school, the other asked if I would pay him to throw the candy away.. Uh yea!  And the third ate a few pieces and decided he wanted to be paid for the rest.  Not bad!  So how did I get to this point??  It has taken some time, sometimes bribing, but also educating.  They know the candy makes them feel bad.  They know that the ingredients are not even recognizable.  Plus, I made them a super cute chocolate box for Valentines with really good chocolate!  Some of the chocolate I made and some I ordered online.  They were happy and so was I!  I have learned if there is something I prefer that my kids don't eat, I need to have an alternative ready.  They have learned that really good dark chocolate with strawberry filling, or homemade mounds bars is way better tasting than a package of gummy worms.  

 

Easy Coconut Ice Cream

Tonight we had Coconut Milk Ice Cream.  It was good!!  You need an ice cream maker in order to make it.  I just bought a new one and its pink!  If you have ever made ice cream, it is very similar to any basic recipe.    I doubled this recipe because I double, triple, quadruple all our recipes!  I love making homemade ice cream because I know exactly what is in it, it's dairy free, and sugar free.   My kids won't get a "sugar rush" right before bed, yea it's worth the extra effort to have a calm evening.

Coconut Milk Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients:

I can coconut milk, full fat 

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 eggs yolks

1.  In a small sauté pan whisk the coconut milk on medium until it simmers.

2.  In a separate bowl whisk the egg yolks, honey, and vanilla

3.  Slowly pour the the coconut milk into the egg mixture and whisk while pouring.  Make sure you pour slowly and whisk or you will have scrambled eggs!

4.  Pour the ice cream back into the sauté pan and whisk on medium.  Keep stirring until the ice cream is thick enough to coat your spoon.

5.  Pour into the bowl and refrigerate until cool, about 45 minutes.  I left for only 30 min and it just took longer in the ice cream maker.

6.  Next just follow the directions of your ice cream maker.  I let mine churn for about 15 minutes and then poured it into a airtight container and put it in the freezer to freeze completely.

We added dark chocolate bark and coconut whipped cream to ours for extra fun!  I made the chocolate bark and bought the whipped cream from Whole Foods.  

 

Sweet potatoes!

Sweet potatoes contain a large amount of vitamin A, are low on the glyicemic index, and provide some fiber to your diet.  If you need a boost of energy, sweet potatoes are a good option for a higher carb food.

Roasted sweet potatoes are a easy side dish that can go with just about anything.  It's also great for any meal, including breakfast.  If you are trying to stay away from bread but want something with carbs, it is a good alternative and they are slightly sweet so they can curb your sweet craving!  It's a win win!

Our family LOVES chorizo so this recipe was a great one for us!  We have some leftover so I thought I would give some to the boys with their dinner tonight too.  If you have never had chorizo, definitely give it a try!  It is really just ground meat (pork, chicken, beef) with a bunch of Mexican spices.  

Sweet Potato Chorizo Hash

2 sweet potatoes diced, with skin on

2 tablespoons coconut oil melted

1 pound chorizo

1 red bell pepper (or any color)

1 garlic clove minced

1/2 teaspoon (or more) jalapeño

1 teaspoon cumin

1 avocado

1/2 cup cilantro

You can make this the night before or make the sweet potatoes only and have them ready to prepare the rest the next day.

1.  Toss the sweet potatoes with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil.  You may need to adjust the oil so that the potatoes are coated.  Spread on a baking sheet, making sure the potatoes are not overcrowded otherwise they will come out mushy.

2.  Cook in oven on the roast setting at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes give or take.

3.  Cook the chorizo in a skillet on medium high just like if you were to cook any ground meat.  When the meat is about half way cooked, add the bell pepper and jalapeño.

4. Once it is cooked through, add cumin and sweet potatoes and stir to combine.

5.  Serve with a side of avocado!

Another great recipe to make if you are wanting sweet potatoes is Sweet Potatoes and Bavon

Sweet Potatoes and Bacon

 3-4 sweet potatoes diced with skin on

8-10 strips of bacon

1.  Preheat oven at 375 degrees on roast

2.  Place bacon on a foil lined baking sheet and roast in oven for about 10 minutes.

3.  Remove bacon and dice saving the bacon grease.

4.  Put diced potatoes in a bowl and toss bacon grease and chopped bacon together with the potatoes.

5.  Place potato mixture back one baking sheet, making sure they are not over lapping or too crowded.  Add a generous amount of salt.

6.  Roast for about 25 minutes.

7.  That's it!

  

Variety is the Key

I have been reading The Paleo Approach by Sarah Ballantyne, PHd.  This is a great book, especially for beginners that are unsure on how to get started on a Paleo diet.  One section of her book talks about eating a variety of foods.   I know we have all heard that before but it didn't really click with me until recently.  Our bodies need so many different types of vitamins and minerals in order to function at its best.  If you are eating (I have been completely guilty of this) the same things every day you are not getting the nutrition you need.  So this last month I have focused on varying up our meals.  Children need variety for the same reasons but I think it is important for them to get used to eating a variety of foods in order for them to be open to trying new things.  

A good example That Dr. Ballantyne pointed out was comparing kale to collard greens.  You would think they provide the same kind of nutrition, not much difference but we are all so wrong!  Kale has more vitamin C and K, while collards have more vitamin B3 and B9.  Meat should follow the same rule.  Don't limit yourself to ground beef or chicken.  Try a different part of the cow you usually do not buy.  Don't think you should only be eating the breast of a chicken.  Americans have become obsessed with only eating the breast, which has caused unethical chicken farmers to raise chickens with unusually large breasts, filled with hormones and antibiotics.    I won't go off on this targent, at least not today!  Try to incorporate fish into at least 3 times a week, and don't limit it to dinner.  I am so proud of us for having an English Breakfast this week!  Smoked Salmon, eggs, and bell peppers all sautéed together.  It was really good!  My husband said it tasted like bologna!  Be open to a variety of seafood.  One of our boys loves to fish so we like to find out what kind of fish we are having and look it up online to see what it looks like.   You can do this with any animal.  If you are having pork loin, for example, look it up to see where it is on the pig!  It can be fun for kids!  It's the circle of life people!  

One last thought before I go.  I hear from people everyday how picky their kids are.  I understand it can be really hard.  Here is a tip I used to do with the kids.  If there is a food I want them to eat, we would have a taste testing party.  Let's say I want to be able to pack them some raw vegetables in their lunch box.  Gather a variety of veggies, cherry tomatoes, carrots, celery, cucumber, bell pepper (lots of colors), raw zucchini, raw yellow squash, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms. I could go on and on!  Pick about 5-10 and let them taste test.  Don't pick the veggies you know they will eat.  Have them tell you 2-3 they would be willing to eat.  That's a good start!  I usually give them a little disposable container of Primal Kitchen's Ranch dressing to dip or I buy those Holy Guacamole to go packs.  Kids love to dip stuff!  Next week I plan to take pics of my boys lunches and post them at the end of the week.  Left overs are key!

Salmon and Eggs