Everybody's Doing It...

A lot of people are doing it.  I feel like I often read about people who are just beginning it.  On occasion, I have heard people cursing it.  And now, we are doing it too – a Whole30!

We are not new to challenges, back in February we completed our own 45 day paleo challenge.  The primary differences between our challenge and the Whole30 are that we included gluten-free alcohol and paleo substitutes (like ‘paleo pancakes’) on our list of acceptable foods.  These are foods that are not acceptable for the Whole30, which we are sticking to 100%!

Today is Day 14 of our Whole30 and so far so good! 

A few things about the Whole30 that make me smile:

• I’m creating complete menu plans again, meaning I plan and try new recipes and everything tastes wonderful – and there are delicious leftovers for lunch!
• I feel good, real good.  I am going to sleep early and waking up with lots of energy.
• I feel leaner, that makes me happy.
• Everyone around me at work is sick, I am not.

A few things that are challenging me:

• I miss my occasional glass of wine.
• I am realizing how most of our social gatherings focus on food and drink, and when I can’t have the food, I would normally at least have a drink – now I can’t have either and don’t know what to do.
• We have eliminated our occasional cup of decaf coffee, I miss it.

Overall though, it feels great and I'm happy to be getting back to the basics!  Now I just hope that we don't get in trouble when we go to the bar to meet friends to watch football and only order waters.

Our Guide to the Green City Market

This summer we have finally taken advantage of our close proximity and become regulars at our farmer’s market, The Green City Market.  It took a few visits, but we now have our favorite stands that we frequent every week, which provides us with consistently high quality foods at fair prices.

Meat

We sampled meats from ground beef to lamb to bacon, as well as eggs, from all the farmers providing grass-fed/pastured animals.  Our favorite turned out to be Meadowhaven Farms.  They have a great selection, good prices and are pretty nice too.  They also offer the crossfit meat box, which we have been loving!

Veggies

I am easily overwhelmed, especially at the farmer’s market.  It is always busy and there are so many different things to look at and consider – and there is the smell of baked goods driving me to distraction.  Anyway, when I don’t know what veggies to buy, or haven’t properly menu planned – I dive into the Green Acres stand and load up on greens.  They have a huge variety of leafy greens; all types of kale, chard, collards, lambs quarters, bok choy…everything!



Majestic Farm pick your pint tomatoes



Green Acres leafy greens



I’ve also been loving the make your own pint cherry tomatoes from Majestic Nursery – the dark orange ones are my favorite.

Fruit

The Flamin’ Fury Peaches people get me every time.  They sit there in their bright shiny stand right at the entrance to the market, forcing there samples on me – their super ripe and sweet samples – and I inevitably end up buying something.  I’ve tried their peaches and various berries, all pretty good. 

Dairy

We generally do not eat dairy.  It was actually finding this grass-fed butter from Nordic Creamery that led us to introduce it back into our diet in the first place, and all has been well.  Have not noticed any adverse side effects from either their butter or on a very rare occasion, goat cheese.  I mainly like to use the butter for frying eggs – and the occasional goat cheese crumbled in a salad, hmmm – now I’m hungry.

And of course, I always find it near impossible to leave the market without buying some fresh cut flowers...so many to choose from!



Tuberose, my favorite - smells like heaven



Best BBQ Rub Ever

This rub is so good, Stacey caught me licking it off the spatula while grilling.  It's perfect.  It's spicy and tangy and works with just about anything.  I've put it on burgers, fish, and so far it's my favorite on pork chops.  It's no wonder that it's called Magic Dust.  We found the recipe here, and we're glad we did.  Their note at the bottom of the page is right, it keeps well, but it won't last long.  You'll want to put it on everything!

Magic Dust

• 4 tbsp paprika
• 2 tbsp kosher salt, finely ground
• 1 tbsp mustard powder
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp granulated garlic
• 1 tbsp cayenne
• (2 tbsp sugar) we omit the sugar, but it's in the original recipe

Here it is on Swordfish, with a side of Japanese Yams (topped with coconut oil) and grilled okra:

The Meadowhaven Crossfit Box

MEAT!

Sometime mid-Summer while we were ordering an absurd amount of grass fed beef, and pork from the guys at Meadowhaven Farm at the Green City Market, they looked at the amount of food we were buying and asked us if we'd heard of their Crossfit Box.  We had, but we weren't quite ready to spend $200 at one time.  A few weeks ago we gave it a try, and found it to be a pretty decent deal.  We had enough meat to last us about 2 and a half weeks.  High quality, grass-fed, delicious meat.  This weekend we bought the Crossfit Box #2, which has more pork than the Crossfit Box #1.

It seems so much easier to meal plan when we know we have a steady stream of quality meat coming out of our fridge.  Plus, our trips to Whole Foods seem that much less expensive!

Crossfit Box #1

• 10lbs. Ground Beef
• 2 Beef Roasts
• 4 Whole Chickens
• 1 Package of Leg Quarters
• 1 Package of Wings
• 2 Packages of Bacon
• 4 Various Ground Pork Products
• 2 Packages of Pork Chops or Steaks

Crossfit Box #2

• 10lbs. of Ground Beef
• 1 Beef Roast
• 2lbs. of Stew Meat
• 1 Package of Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1 Package of Leg Quarters
• 1 Package of Wings
• 3 Packages of Bacon
• 2 Packages of Pork Chops or Steaks
• 1 Pork Roast
• 4 Various Ground Pork Products

Menu for Pleasing Your Non-Paleo Dinner Guests

Ryan and I had my parents over for dinner recently.  My parents do not follow a paleo diet.  They tend to think we have a very 'restrictive' way of eating.  Sadly, I think this is my fault due to how I first described this wonderful new way of eating I was exploring.  Starting out by telling someone what you don't eat is not the way to go, now I usually tell people I eat whole foods, basically plants and animals, without getting into the nitty gritty of why I don't eat grains, corn, beans, etc.  If someone is that interested and asks, I'm happy to explain - but describing what we don't eat is not a good way to casually describe paleo to someone.

So, now that my parents have an invitation to dinner at our place, I can tell they are worried about what we will feed them.  Silly parents.  Here is the pretty fool-proof menu, with some minor indulgences, that will keep you paleo and please the masses...

Apps
Guacamole
Veggies
Root vegetable chips

Dinner
Grilled grass-fed rib-eye steaks sprinkled with sea salt and pepper
Grilled asparagus
Baked sweet potatoes (not a staple for us, but this type of dinner is the perfect time to indulge) with pastured butter

Dessert
Brownie Sundaes

Yes, brownie sundaes.  How is that paleo you ask?  By combining this great paleo brownie recipe I found on dessertstalker, with some vanilla Coconut Bliss ice cream (not the best, home made would be better, but suitable for us in a pinch) and fresh raspberries, blackberries and blueberries...It was a hit, even for the non-paleo parents!

At the end of this meal, I mentioned to my parents that everything they had eaten was paleo, they were very surprised, possibly disbelieving.  Maybe if I keep feeding them awesome meals, I can bring them over to the paleo side!

Remember Pizza?

Blasphemy!

Chicago style deep dish, just doesn't
have the same appeal anymore

We live in Chicago and haven’t had pizza in over 6 months.  With no less than 10 restaurants we can get pizza from within walking distance of our apartment, we must be crazy, right?  For delivery you can make that close to 20 - easy.  All the access to the best pizza in the world and we abstain.  Crazy, right?

 

Possibly, but oddly enough, we don’t miss it and we don’t crave it.  Oh, it smells damn good if we catch a whiff of pepperoni/cheese/baked bread, but at this point we know it’s not worth it and our palates have evolved to better enjoy the real foods that make up a paleo diet.

This is why I’m convinced we broke our pizza-free streak more out of sheer curiosity and nostalgia than actual craving.  No, we didn’t go crazy and crush a deep dish from Lou Malnati’s, we tried out the gluten free pizza from Marcello’s.  Located steps from our front door, we are subjected to a banner advertising their gluten free pizza, and we finally decided to try it.  What would it be like?  Could this be a new cheat option?  Well here’s how it went:

We arrived to pick up our pizza and the very friendly guy behind the counter asked if we were the “medium pizza with olives, pepperoni, and mushrooms.”  I then had a freak out moment when I realized he didn’t say gluten free.  I told him we were there for a gluten free pizza of the same make.  He said, “yes, of course this is it.”  I then freaked out the entire walk home when the receipt didn’t specify gluten free either.  We got home, and I immediately took a small nibble and decided that you could tell the crust was gluten free, it was not 'normal'.  We then proceeded to finish the entire thing.  Presumably made with some sort of rice flour blend, it was good.  Not great, not mind blowing, but good.  And that’s it.  Good.  In our humble assessment, definitely not good enough to consume on a regular basis.  Stacey mentioned that she never has to try it again.  I agreed.  Pizza is officially out of our systems.  There are better options…

Ultimately the best option is to stay paleo.  We’ve tried the faux pizza recipe in the Everyday Paleo Cookbook and loved it.  It provided just enough of the pizza flavor to give you a little nostalgia, with none of the bad stuff.  It’s a nice treat you can have if you’re a pizza fiend and have a nasty craving.  If you’re hankering for a big old slice of pizza, just put in the time and make the Everyday Paleo pizza, stay sane, stay healthy and stay happy!

It's Peach Season - Time for Peach Paleo Ice Cream!

The Peaches are Here!

Bruised and imperfect
peaches

I always enjoy watching the offerings at the farmers market change throughout the season.  I get sad when the asparagus stops showing up on the market tables.  But I get extremely happy when the peaches start showing up!  And that is what happened today - peaches are here!

I am always looking for a bargain, and when I saw quarts of discounted bruised peaches, I knew they would be mine.  Perfect for making peach ice cream!

Peach Paleo Ice Cream

Peach Ice Cream
Here is my super simple paleo peach ice cream recipe

6 ripe peaches, peeled and chopped
1 can of coconut milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1 pour of Grand Marnier (optional)

• Puree peaches in your blender, add coconut milk and blend again
• Add cinnamon, vanilla and optional Grand Marnier*
• Blend it all up and pour into your ice cream maker

* The Grand Marnier should help keep your ice cream from freezing rock solid

You could make this sweeter by adding in a bit of honey, but with really ripe peaches I think it is sweet enough without any added sugar.  Enjoy!

Our "Go To" Paleo Dinner Recipe

Why You Need a "Go To" Dinner Recipe

No matter how much planning I do; creating menu plans for the week, shopping lists by the day and lunch prep plans for the night before - sometimes the plan just doesn't work out.  Sometimes, what I have planned just doesn't sound appealing at the moment.  And sometimes, the day has just gotten away from me and I must eat immediately or bad things are going to happen.  So those are the times when I turn to our "go to" dinner recipe. 

Essentials of a "Go To" Dinner Recipe

Tasty - something that you are actually excited to eat
Fast- simple to prepare and ready to eat soon
Flexible - something basic that you can add ingredients to depending on what you have on hand
Scalable - sometimes I just want to make enough to feed myself right now, and sometimes I want to make enough that lunch is all ready to go for the next day

I would add that it shouldn't even be considered a 'recipe' because it is just that easy:

Curried Beef in Coconut Milk
Grass fed ground beef (typically make 2 lbs if planning on any leftovers)
Coconut milk - 1 cup per pound of beef
Curry powder - 1 Tbsp per pound of beef

Curry Beef w/ wild spinach
turned into breakfast
by adding eggs

Brown meat, stir in curry powder and then add coconut milk, bring to a simmer.  Serve in bowls - better for slurping it all up, Enjoy!

Variations:  I've added sauteed onions with kale/collard greens/spinach, etc.  I'm sure there are other veggies that would work just as well.  

What's your go to dinner recipe?

We Got a Grill - Finally!

Oh, joyful day!  We can grill!

Being able to grill may not seem like a luxury if you live in a house with a yard and the standard backyard patio/BBQ set up.  But having lived in an apartment with no outdoor space for the past 15 months, being able to grill is like a whole new world of cooking has become available.  We just moved into a new apartment with a small balcony, the perfect size for a grill and two chairs.  The first thing we did (not literally, but very close to it) was count up 15 months of accumulated change and head down to Home Depot to purchase a grill. 

Fun facts about our new grill:
1.  I love it
2.  It only took Ryan an hour to put it together (not including the brief break for lunch, since hunger was impairing ability to assemble)
3.  There is only one leftover part after finishing assembly, Ryan has convinced me it's just an 'extra' bolt

So many grilling benefits!

Ryan rocking the grill on the 4th



Grilling seems to necessitate gathering people together to eat meats (perfect!) - or maybe it was because this past weekend is all about the cookout - we bought a lot of meat, grilled a lot of meat and got to spend time with friends we haven't seen in awhile.

I'm also liking the grill option for a quick, easy, clean and non-hot kitchen meal option.  Throw asparagus and pork chops on grill, eat 10 minutes later, clean 2 plates - perfect!



And now I can try all those grilling recipes/ideas I've been ignoring.  Here are a few I am interested in checking out...

• Grilled Peaches
• BBQ Lamb Ribs w/ Whole9 Coffee Rub
• Pinchos Morunos



Fish Oils - we may have tried them all!

While cleaning out our desk in preparation for moving, Ryan ran across our fish oil bottle stash.  There was a time when we were planning to review the different brands by cost and content.  But I am not convinced there is much of a difference among these, at least none that I have personally noticed.  I did find this picture amusing though.  And no, the bottles are not moving with us.

Farmer's Market Haul

During the winter months I really miss saturday morning trips to our farmer's market, the Green City Market.  Living in Chicago, the first couple weeks of market season are pretty lean, spinach and rhubarb - maybe some asparagus.  All good stuff, just limited.  This weekend I could tell the tide is starting to turn, there seemed to be more variety, very exciting!

This is the first year I plan to take full advantage of all the meat available at the farmers market!  Pastured pork, I want pastured pork!  There are a lot of meat vendors, so I am taking them down one by one. 

This is our haul from Saturday:

Meats from Meadow Haven Farm

• 2 lbs grass fed ground beef
• 1 lb pastured ground pork
• 1 lb bacon
• 1 dozen pastured eggs

Also picked up some pastured butter (Yes!  We are trying out butter), baby turnips, kale, spinach and asparagus...

And this is the delicious breakfast we ate after our market trip



Asparagus & Spinach Scramble with Bacon