So many things...

Where to start?!  Last night I cooked dinner for +Rachel Romas again and we worked on some stuff for Relay For Life.  No new recipes here, but I made the Grilled Marinated Chicken Thighs again, steamed some broccoli and asparagus, and Rachel made a delicious fruit salad for dessert.  The chicken thighs were even better this time because I used the Ancho-Chile Pepper that I didn't have last time I used the same recipe.  They were nice and spicy, just like I like my men...I mean...

And here's a picture to help distract you from my last comment! ;)

Last night I also did a little more reading up on the Paleo diet and weight loss, and I discovered that I might be eating fruit, nuts, and seeds too often.  

Exhibit A

I've been eating fruit for breakfast every morning and also as snacks throughout the day.  I've also been putting seeds and nuts on my salads each day and eating nuts for snacks just because they're so easy to eat on the go.  From the research I did online, a lot of people simply cut out all fruits and nuts until they get to their goal weight and then add them back in for maintaining their weight.  I don't think I'll be cutting them out totally, but I'm definitely going to try to be more conscious about how often I eat fruits, nuts, and seeds.    

So this morning, I substituted some steamed kale for the fruit that's normally on my plate.  Until this point, I had only used kale in my salads or to make kale chips, but it was actually good! I didn't even use any seasonings on it...just plane old kale! 

The Breakfast of Champions!

Speaking of Kale...it's kind of awesome if you didn't know this already!  I was once a critic myself, but now I'm a believer.  It's not only versatile and tasty, but it's also AMAZING for you.  Kale has also been found to lower the risk of at least five different types of cancer:  bladder, breast, colon, ovarian, and prostate.  Who doesn't want to eat something that will ward off crappy cancer?! And speaking of crappy cancer, I hate to bring the mood down, but I just found out today about a friend's 23-year-old son who was just diagnosed with cancer.  It just goes to show you how cancer doesn't discriminate and it's just one more reminder of why it's important for me to keep my body as healthy as possible. 

In other news, there was a sad moment during my lunch today.  I guess I was a little too excited about eating my salad and then this happened...

Oops!

I guess I probably brought this one on myself when I posted about how awesome these lunch salad bowls are.  Oh well, at least almost any plastic fork will fit in the lid.  Just my luck.

So onto tonight...again I made some previous recipes:  Grilled Sirloin Steak with Herbs & Green Beans with Bacon, Mushrooms, and Herbs.  

Exhibit B

I've just been a bit busy so it's sometimes easier to go with the standby recipes instead of finding brand new ones, but I need to get some new ones for this weekend!

Well, it's way past my bedtime by this point, but I would have had some upset people (cough, cough...Rance) if I didn't post this before now. 

Oh, and one more thing...

MY BLOG HAS BEEN VIEWED OVER 1,000 TIMES!! 

I'm kind of a big deal ;)

A festive lunch

Today I went crazy...with my salad, that is!  I usually just throw together some iceberg lettuce and spinach, cut up some veggies, and top with whatever chicken or steak I made the night before.  Since I made fish last night and had no chicken or steak leftovers in the fridge, it was already decided for me that salmon was going in my salad.  Being that fish is a little more festive than my usual salad filling, I wanted to make the rest of the salad festive.  I first started with this cute Artisan Lettuce sampler pack that I got at Baesler's for less than $3.  It has 3 different types of lettuce in it...ones I don't even know the names of AND the shelf life is longer than the bags of lettuce blends!

Once I took a sampling of lettuce from each, I also threw a little spinach in there too.  I then cut up some celery, green, red and yellow bell peppers, tomato, and avocado.  Lastly, I topped the salad off with the salmon, some pine nuts, and chopped chives.  For dressing, I just mixed avocado oil and balsamic vinegar, added some salt and pepper, and then squirted a little wedge of lemon on the salad.  And the end result...

Pretty Good!

Oh, and one more thing...I'm not a big fan of Walmart, but back when I decided I was going to start this diet I came across these wonderful to-go salad bowls!  A 2-pack was less than $4 and they conveniently hold your fork and salad dressing in the lid.  I've always had issues with packing a salad in the past because my dressing would always leak and ruin my lunch bag, but I've used these containers at least 14 times now and not once has the dressing spilled. I consider that a success!

I might have to go back to Walmart and buy a couple more of them!

A Night of More Firsts...

Tonight I made a new recipe...Maple and Mustard-Glazed Salmon with Roasted Brussels Sprouts.  So here are some firsts that I experienced...

1. Cooking fish!
2. Making Brussels sprouts (I had never even eating them until just a couple months ago)
3. Mixing maple syrup and mustard
4. Spelling out Brussels Sprouts (I didn't even realize that there was an 's' after Brussel...don't I feel stupid!)

I started out by marinating the salmon and I didn't quite understand what the directions meant when it said to bake the salmon skin side down, but then I started to turn the filet over to marinate the other side and OMG...it had skin and scales and everything!  I won't lie...it kind of creeped me out!

 And that's when I felt stupid for the second time!

After the baking was all done though, I think it turned out pretty well and looked pretty similar to the pictures on the recipe site.

After all was done, here are my thoughts on the recipe...

• I'm not sure why the recipe called for the Brussels sprouts to be baked for 20-30 minutes because I did them for 20 mins. and they looked burnt, not caramelized like the recipe describe.  They ended up tasting ok and they were much softer inside than they looked.  The onions, on the other hand, didn't fare as well.  They were so burnt to a crisp that I just ended up throwing them away.  Sad face...I hate wasting food.
• The salmon was quite good and I think I baked it for the perfect amount of time.  It was soft and moist and the mixture of mustard and maple syrup was an interesting combination. I will also admit that it still creeped me out a bit to eat the salmon off of the skin, but it didn't taste or smell fishy at all at least! 

 Brussels on the slightly crispy side, anyone?

Well, now that dinner is over I think I'll go enjoy a cookie or two!  Until next time...

Paleo Comfort Food!

Today was a totally lazy day for me, other than cooking and baking. I tried two new things today: Chicken Soup and Chocolate Chip Cookies (paleo style, obviously). 

The soup turned out quite well except for the fact that I had to consult a YouTube video on how to quarter a whole chicken and then had to call my culinary genius friend, +Austen Gage, because I couldn't figure out how to cut the wings off the chicken.  My knife wasn't cutting through the bone like the guy's knife in the video was.  Long story short, I didn't need to cut any bones anyway because the recipe is called Fall Off The Bone Chicken Soup...duh! After that the rest was easy, it just took some time...almost 2 hours from start to finish.  Turns out I couldn't have chosen a better recipe to make today because it was cold and rainy all day and my throat was a little scratchy after karaokeing last night ;)  Anyway, the soup was quite flavorful and I have tons left over, so I'll be having chicken soup for a while.  Below are some pictures of the process and of course, the link to the recipe...enjoy!

Fall Off The Bone Chicken Soup Recipe 

Gracie Lou helping me pick out the correct cooking equipment!

The Victim

Waving Goodbye...

Making the Chicken Stock

The Final Product...

Oh, and I made 2 ice cube trays full of chicken broth so I can use it in future recipes...score!

Later on in the evening I decided to try my hand at Paleo baking and made Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Now, in case you haven't had the opportunity to try my pre-paleo chocolate chip cookies I'll just say that they're kind of my specialty, so I wasn't expecting much out of the paleo ones and I didn't want to get my hopes up.  So I jumped in my car and headed to the grocery store to get all of the necessary ingredients...see below.

Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe 

 I will say that these are definitely the most expensive chocolate cookies I've ever made!  That tiny bag of Almond Flour (about 4 cups worth) was almost $13 and I used 3 cups in the recipe! Good thing I won't be making these often, since they're still considered an indulgence even though they're healthier than my original chocolate chip cookies.  The recipe ended up making 26 cookies, so that ends up being more than $2 a cookie when you add in the other ingredients...whoa!  So were they worth it?  

They were!!  They came out looking like they were going to be hard and I wasn't sure about how the coconut oil would taste in them, but they were super soft and fluffy and you can only taste a hint of the coconut flavor.  They also seem more filling than the traditional gluten-filled cookies, so I don't think I'll be as likely to snarf as many down as I normally would!  Even if I do have one too many, I still won't feel as guilty ;)  So here's the final product...

Well, that's all for now. Back to the grind tomorrow, but more cooking will be in store for me this week! My plan is to cook some salmon and use shrimp in my lunch salad one day (I'm stealing the idea from +Rachel Romas)!  I'm  also trying to branch out as I get more comfortable with my cooking skills, so look for some more posts in the coming week. 

Week 2 Update and more eating fun!

Even though the weekend isn't over yet, I've had another awesome weekend and today marks my second full week on the Paleo diet! This morning when I jumped on the scale, I weighed 9 lbs. less than I did 2 weeks ago...woohoo!  I've been completely faithful to my diet except for one planned cheat when I went to my favorite local bar, Sonka's, on Friday night.  I had only 1 beer, Bell's Hopslam, so there was no need to feel too guilty and I only spent a little over $5 (see image below).

On Saturday, a group of us went climbing at Hoosier Heights in Bloomington and I felt like I climbed pretty hard.  Afterwards, we went to Sweet Grass Restaurant for lunch/dinner and it was delicious.  I ordered a side salad with oil and vinegar dressing and then pan-seared salmon with asparagus.  They first brought it out to me with the butter sauce on the salmon, but immediately realized they made a mistake (since I ordered it plain) and brought me a new plate within a few minutes.  The salmon melted in my mouth and was so good...I wish you could taste the pictures, but instead you could just go to Sweet Grass and try it for yourself.

Today, I started my day off with a yummy breakfast and then started work on a new recipe: chicken soup made from scratch.  I'll be making a separate post about that venture, but not until I get to taste the finished product.  In the meantime, here's a picture to start the salivating!

In other news, I got a text message from a friend as I was writing this post.  She's going to give me her extra food processor that she bought just a few years ago and it's in great condition! It's an 11 cup Wolfgang Puck 620W Food Processor, so I'll be able to prepare bigger meals with this one.  Can't wait to try it out...thanks so much, Deb!! I seriously have the best friends ever!

I'm going to need more cabinets for all of my new kitchen items!!!

And to finish things out, I've loved hearing from all of you about the recipes you've tried and all of the fun recipes I've gotten from you too! Today, I even had a friend who posted on facebook that I have inspired her to try the paleo/primal diet. GO +Rachel Romas!!! 

New Toys (revisited)

Well, it seems like my dreams have been temporarily dashed.  After several friends commented on facebook about the New Toys post in my blog, I was curious about some of the other products that were mentioned.  Turns out that I can't even buy the Jawbone Up because it's only currently compatible for iOS products and I have an Android phone...oh well. I read somewhere that Jawbone is planning on coming out with an Android compatible Up soon, I just don't know when that will be.  However, there are other products out there that I wasn't aware of until now.

Fitbit One is a pretty cool product that does all of the same things as the Jawbone Up, but I just don't like that it isn't as cool looking as the Jawbone wristband and I honestly think I would be more likely to lose it since it's not on my wrist.  However, this is when I discovered that Fitbit is coming out with a new version in the Spring called the Fitbit Flex.  This is a wristband version that is much more appealing to me, but the only colors that are available in pre-ordering are the slate blue and black.  I want the pretty turquoise color that's shown in the pictures on the website!!!  (I know, I sound like a spoiled brat)!

They're teasing me!

Someone also mentioned the Nike Fuelband, however, it costs substantially more than the Jawbone and the Fitbit, but it doesn't have the capabilities of tracking sleep...it seems like it's only for tracking workouts.  

Well, at this point I'm not sure if I'll be waiting for the Jawbone Up to become Android compatible or for the Fitbit One to be available for sale in the color I want, but either way I guess I'll be waiting :(

 

New Toys!!!

So as you've probably figured out by now, I've recently realized how inept my kitchen was before starting the paleo diet.  I've already made 2 trips to TJMaxx (solely for kitchen supplies) and even had a food processor attachment for my blender given to me.  I had several appliances on my "wishlist", but I don't really have much spending money right now to go out and purchase them.  But then I remembered I have credit card points that I haven't checked them in a long time!  So I ventured onto my credit card's website and started shopping...

20 minutes later...

Cuisinart Spice and Nut Grinder

and...

Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender

(ain't she purdy?)

These beautiful pieces for work should be arriving in 3-5 days and then I'll be blending and grinding  like I've never blended or ground before!!!  

And sticking to the toys theme, I managed to find this next item while searching around on the internet the other night and now I can't get it out of my mind!  The Up by Jawbone is a technology-filled bracelet that allows you to track your sleep patterns, activity levels, food choices, so on and so forth! I felt like I was reading something out of a science fiction when I was reading all about it on their website.  I've decided that I will be buying this for myself as a reward when I have lost 15 lbs! So look for this on my wrist in a month or so...

I'll be wearing this while I'm blending with my Cuisinart Smart Stick Blender...

And I'll match!!!

Some of my dinners for your viewing pleasure...

So I realized that I haven't shown many pictures of my dinners, so I'm going to list them here with pictures and hopefully you'll see that as I've cooked more, I've gotten a little better! Of course, you can't really taste the pictures, so I guess you'll just have to trust me.

My First Dinner...

Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa & Green Beans

http://www.marthastewart.com/338117/cayenne-rubbed-chicken-with-avocado-sals 

 

Side Note: My presentation didn't turn out as pretty as the picture on the website and the chicken was a little dry, but I've gotten much better at cooking chicken since then!

 

Second Dinner... 

Flank Steak Bites and Sauteed Mushrooms & Asparagus

*No recipe to show here...just seasoned the steak with salt and pepper and then sauteed the mushrooms in EVOO with minced garlic.*

 

 Side Note:  I've never been a fan of mushrooms, so this was the first time I've ever made them and I have to say that I'm a fan now!

Third Dinner...

Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken (leftovers) & Steamed Carrots, Green Beans, and Asparagus

*recipe above*

Side Note:  I had never steamed vegetables until I started this diet/learned how to cook, so I had to go to TJMaxx to buy a steaming colander.  I actually bought more than just that, but now I feel like I have pretty stocked kitchen now (well, except for a few things that are still on my wish list).

Fourth Dinner...

 Argentinian Flank Steak & Steamed Broccoli and Asparagus

http://lavamagazine.com/training/recipe-argentinian-flank-steak/#axzz2Ie0uiUSb

 Side Note: I was planning on putting this steak on the grill, however it was in the teens outside, so I opted for broiling it in the oven *another first for me*.  For all of the seasoning on the steak, it really didn't have as much flavor as I thought it would, but I've also decided that flank steak isn't my favorite cut of meat.  Also, thanks to +Chad McKay, I made that beautiful steak topping with the food processor attachment that he gave me for my blender. *I didn't own a food processor* :(

Fifth Dinner...(tonight's)

Grilled Marinated Chicken Thighs (leftovers) & Steamed Broccoli and Bell Peppers

http://www.simplyscratch.com/2011/06/beer-marinated-chicken-thighs.html 

 Side Note:  Not much to report here, but this meal took me about 5 minutes to make and I feel like my taste buds have re-awoken since starting this diet.  Vegetables and fruits are tasting so much better than they used to, even raw without anything on them!

So there you go...above are 5 of my most recent home-cooked paleo meals.  Those 5 meals pretty much equal how many meals I would make over the span of half a year (no joke)!  I've only been on this diet for 9 days now and I've had so much fun learning how to cook...AND I've lost 7 lbs!!! Well, I'm signing off for now...Happy & Healthy Eating!

 

 

Dinner Out Last Night and Breakfast In This Morning...

Yesterday, I went climbing with friends at Hoosier Heights Indy and then we went to dinner afterwards at Abuelo's Mexican Food Embassy in Carmel.  I've been there before, but not since starting the paleo diet, so I was a little worried about knowing what to order.  Luckily, we had an awesome waiter who was amazingly accommodating to not only myself, but also to my friends who are vegan and vegetarians.  I ended up getting chicken and steak fajitas with peppers and onions, pico de gallo, guacamole, and romain lettuce to wrap it all up in! The waiter even came back out to make sure that I didn't want anything sauteed in butter.  It all tasted amazing and the part I was most impressed about was the fact that I didn't eat a SINGLE CHIP!!  That's big!!

I love Mexican Food!! 

This morning, being Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I have the day off work and wanted to branch out a bit in my breakfast cooking.  I know this might be hard to believe, but I've NEVER made an omelet before, so I decided to try (this is a year of many firsts for me)! I  used 3 eggs and then added 3 different colors of bell peppers, red onions, bacon, chicken, and freshly chopped parsley. And this was what a got...

Not bad for my first omelet, right?!

Well, it was yummy, except for the fact that I got a little too excited about adding all the fillings and the egg wasn't quite done cooking.  My first bit into the omelet was runny and I wasn't going to eat a runny omelet...so back to the skillet it went.  After a bit of frying and breaking the egg up, I ended up with this...

Not quite as pretty, but it tasted better!

I won't be giving up on trying omelets again, but my next project is to try some egg muffins I've been seeing on different recipe sites.  They're a great option for on-the-go breakfasts and all you have to do is heat them up once they've already been cooked...wish me luck!!!

My First Time Cooking (paleo style) for Friends!

Saturday, the 19th, was a great day!  I woke up and made myself the normal breakfast of 2 scrambled eggs, 2 strips of bacon, some fruit, but then I added a couple pieces of raw broccoli.  I then headed off to go to a Pulse Fitness class (it used to be Zumba, but the instructor got sick of following the ridiculously strict regulations that you have to adhere to in order to be Zumba).  It's much better now anyway and I always have a blast because the music is awesome!  I hadn't been in a long time and this was the first week that I've worked out every single day after not working out for over a month, so I knew it would be rough.  The best part was that I felt the best I've ever felt during the class and even though I'm still sore as I'm sitting here writing this, I could definitely tell that my energy level was the best it's ever been during the class!

But back to the main point of this story...Saturday night I ended up cooking dinner for my friends Rachel and Ryan before we all headed out on the town to celebrate a friend's birthday.  This was my first time cooking paleo for people other than myself (as seen in the title) and I think this was even Ryan and Rachel's first time eating paleo.  I made Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken breasts and Green Beans with Mushrooms, Bacon and Fresh Herbs (recipes below)!  For dessert, I made a fruit salad of strawberries, blueberries, and clementines. I don't want to brag, but I'm going to anyway!  The chicken was delicious and probably the most juicy chicken breasts I've ever cooked and the green beans and mushrooms were a perfect combination (and also quite pretty when plated up)! They were both extremely easy to make and I will most definitely be using both of these recipes in the future.

Overall, I considered the dinner to be a success and I think we might be doing more group paleo dinners in the future!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/spicy-garlic-lime-chicken
http://www.cookincanuck.com/2012/11/fresh-green-beans-bacon-mushrooms-recipe/

In case you missed it before, I would HIGHLY recommend both of these recipes!!

My Misadventures in Cooking :)

Yesterday I was inspired to try to make the infamous mashed cauliflower that I've been seeing so much about on Paleo websites.  My only concern was the fact that I don't own a food processor and the recipe calls for using one.  Just to be sure, I checked with a few friends who are much more skilled in the kitchen than I am and they assured me that using my blender would be fine, it just might take a little longer to get the consistency I wanted.  So with my newly instilled confidence, I headed straight home to marinate some steak and then start work on the cauliflower. 

After steaming the cauliflower and adding all of the other ingredients, I placed it all into my trusty blender and went to town.  It definitely did take longer than I would like because I kept having to stop the blender and push the unchopped cauliflower to the bottom where the blades were.  I did this probably 6 times and then got tired of it, so I figured I could keep the blender running and use my spatula to scrape down the sides of the blender a bit....BIG WHOOPS!!  Seconds later I hear the blender strain and my hand holding the spatula vibrated a bit.  I immediately turned off the blender and pulled the spatula out to find that a sizable chunk of it was missing.  At this point, I had to empty out the blender and pick my way through the mashed cauliflower to find small pieces of blue rubber.  Fun! 

Other than the fact that I was hesitant to swallow until I bit down on every piece of cauliflower (just to make sure it wasn't rubber), I was pretty happy with the way it turned out.  The only changes I made from the recipe were that I didn't use roasted garlic (I just minced fresh garlic) and I used green onion instead of chives (only because I didn't have chives in my fridge).  I also think I'll probably leave the thyme leaves out of the recipe next time, just because I didn't think it added much to this dish.  Below I've included the link to the cauliflower and the steak I made...both very easy!!  I will definitely attempt the cauliflower another time, but not until I get a food processor!

http://detoxinista.com/2012/11/mashed-cauliflower-vegan-paleo/
http://www.marthastewart.com/314940/grilled-sirloin-steak-with-herbs

Mashed Cauliflower (sans spatula)

Perfectly Grilled...in my opinion, of course!

Just some random stuff

I've noticed 2 funny things since I've started the paleo diet...
          1)  I've had weird dreams the past 2 nights about cheating on the diet.  The first night I had a dream that I was at a Relay For Life convention and they were handing out candy to everyone.  I had several pieces before I remembered that I was on the diet, and then I felt bad :(
               The second night I had a dream that I was over at a friend's house and someone made spaghetti.  I had a full plate of it and, again, remembered that I shouldn't have eaten it...whoops!  The funny part is that I've had no actual cravings since I started the diet last Sunday and I haven't even been tempted to cheat...go figure!
          2)  The second thing that I've noticed is that my dog, Milo, has already gotten used to my new morning ritual of cooking my breakfast and then sitting down at the dining room table to eat it.  I give him his breakfast as soon as I wake up, but he won't touch it until I actually sit down at the table and start eating...how cute is that?

On another note, I tried something new for dinner last night!  I marinated and grilled chicken thighs (in the dark when it was about 30 degrees outside) and they were delicious...I'm even eating some of the leftovers for lunch today.  See picture below.  I've also attached the recipe in case anyone wants to try it.  I didn't use any ancho chili peppers (because I didn't have them) and I substituted chicken stock for beer, but it was still successful and it was some of the juiciest chicken I've ever made!

http://www.simplyscratch.com/2011/06/beer-marinated-chicken-thighs.html

YUM!!!

My first time out...to a restaurant, that is!

Last night was my first time going out to a restaurant since I started the Paleo diet. Not only was it a restaurant, but it was a bar/restaurant!!  I thought it would be hard watching and smelling people eat things like loaded fries and chicken tenders, but I actually was fine!  The one thing that was working for me was the fact that the bar didn't have the best selection of beer, so I wasn't too tempted and I was perfectly content sucking down my 3 or 4 glasses of water.

And speaking of water, I have never had this much water in my life and I really thought I would be missing my milk, oj, and vitamin waters, but again, I haven't even had a single craving for any of them.  The only downside to all the water?  You guessed it...I have to pee ALL THE TIME!!  Anyway, back to the rest of my dining experience.

I wasn't planning on eating because I'm also trying to save money, but then I remembered that I had a $20 gift certificate that I received as my award for working 5 years years at my job...score!  (I know, $4 a year...woohoo)!  But I digress...I ended up being that complicated orderer who didn't want any seasoning or marinade on my food, didn't want any included sides, and had to ask what everything was cooked in...lol.  I bet they loved me. ;)  After the 5 minutes it took me to order, the end result was a yummy chicken breast with red and green raw bell peppers, raw red onions, avocado, and diced tomatoes on top.

I know none of the food was organic and I have no guarantee that special seasoning wasn't used on the chicken (because it tasted too good), but I figure I did pretty well for my first time out.  GO ME!

Oh, and I wasn't going to mention anything about my weight until the end of the first full week, but I'm only 4 days into eating Paleo and I've already lost 5 lbs!!!!














My friend, Carrie, and me last night...and no, I did NOT drink Coor's Light.  Even if I were cheating, I wouldn't be drinking that!!

My Typical Lunch...

So sticking with the theme of my breakfast post...here was my typical lunch before Paleo...

• lunch meat sandwich with cheese and either mustard or mayo
• applesauce
• yogurt
• string cheese
• carrot or celery sticks 

Again, I thought was was a pretty ok lunch, but again, I was wrong.  I'm still allowed to eat the carrots and celery, but everything else is out!  The past two days I have packed salads for lunch and so far so good.  I've put in a mixture of iceberg lettuce and spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and green or red onions.  Yesterday I added leftover chicken from my dinner the night before and unsalted, raw sunflower seeds.  Today I went with leftover steak from last night's dinner and added unsalted, raw almond slivers which I toasted myself.  As for dressing, the only thing I've found in my research of suggested dressings is EVOO and Balsamic Vinegar.  I would definitely love some suggestions for other possible dressings!

Chicken Salad

 Steak Salad

 

 P.S.  I love salads, but I know I'll get bored of eating simple variations of the above salads, so any lunch ideas would be greatly appreciated!!!

My Typical Breakfast...

My typical breakfast before Paleo...

• Bagel with cream cheese and a glass of orange juice or...
• Bowl of cereal with skim milk or...
• Nature Valley multigrain bar if I was in a hurry!

I thought of all of the above items as being "healthy choices", but all of those items are illegal in the Paleo diet, so my breakfast has definitely gone through an overhaul.  Pictured below is my typical breakfast now.  I've never been one to cook my breakfast, so the biggest adjustment is simply making sure I leave enough time in the morning to prepare my food and actually sit down and eat it (instead of eating on my car-ride to work).  I have to say, I actually enjoy sitting down at my dining room table and eating in the quiet...it's a nice way to start the day!

The worst thing that's happened so far is that I burnt my bacon yesterday :(  Nothing is worse than burnt bacon, in my opinion! Today's bacon, pictured to the right, turned out much better!!  Woohoo!

And the Journey Begins...

Here I am, half way through my 30th year on this earth and I'm thinking, "something needs to change".  Don't get me wrong, I've had an amazing year so far and I'm pretty sure that my best years are ahead of me, but I think I've been having a little too much fun!  It seems that all I've been doing lately is eating out and going out (aka drinking alcoholic beverages (mostly good beer and wine)).  And the result...spending way too much money and being at my heaviest weight EVER!

To give you a little back story, I think my mother did a little too well on instilling self-esteem in me.  No matter my weight, I've always been happy with who I am. Most people would say this is awesome, however it had a downside.  When you're happy with who you are, it doesn't give you much motivation to change and I know I wasn't living a very healthy lifestyle.

So this is where the Paleo diet comes in.  I've been hearing about the diet for a while now and even though I was quite skeptical and dismissing it in the past, the more I hear about it, the more it makes sense.  I won't go into all the details about the diet, but it makes sense to me on multiple levels.  It's making me cut out most of the things I eat too much of anyway...dairy, grains, sugar, and alcohol.  I basically get to eat as much meat, veggies, nuts and fruits as I want, but I should try buy organic, raw, free-range, grass-fed, unprocessed, local foods.  So not only am I eating healthier things that my body can digest more easily, but I'm also being more environmentally friendly! Also, even though I'm buying some more expensive options (organic and such), I think I'm still going to save money in the long run because packaged and processed foods aren't cheap!

I'm currently in my 3rd day of the diet and haven't experienced any cravings or cheated yet, but we'll see how it goes.  This is my first time blogging, so I'll try my best to give regular updates, post pics of my food and progress, and share any yummy recipes!! Also, please feel free to ask any questions and share any information that you might have about the diet...advice is always welcome!

WISH ME LUCK!!!

P.S.  Have I mentioned that I barely know how to cook...this should be interesting!!