I’m ten days into my 120 Day Paleo Challenge, and since I do all the cooking, this means my family is too. I can’t say I’m totally impressed with myself. The first eight days were painless and easy to maintain (I think because I’ve been “paleo”-ish for a few months). However, the ninth day ended with my husband running out to pick-up a bun-less burger and dessert from the nasty-food-joint down the street. I’ve decided to use words associated with bad feelings in place of the real name of the restaurant, hoping this tactic reminds me how disgusting I felt almost immediately after the final bite was down the hatch. The truth is, I really felt disgusting. It wasn’t just the “I’m so disappointed in myself I could puke” feeling that often comes with eating food that we know is bad for us. . .I actually felt ill. My stomach started churning and cramping up, and it didn’t really stop until mid-day today. I guess I’m glad this happened now and not weeks from now. Not that I needed proof that food from that place is junk, but I don’t think my body will let me betray it like that again.
Here’s a list of some of the things we ate this week, with links for recipes if applicable (if you don’t see a link yet, it’s because it is my own recipe and I’ll add it soon). I’ve also included what I fed my kids this week. The change has been somewhat rough on them, so you’ll see more “transition foods” on their list now than I hope to see in the weeks and months ahead.
My Paleo Meals:
Breakfast: Egg & Veggie Scrambles- Peppers, Onions, Spinach, sometimes (leftover) sausage or bacon
Lunch and Dinner:
-Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Turnips and Carrots
-Planned-Over: Garlic Beef Stew w/ Oven Roasted Grape Tomatoes and Sauteed Spinach
-Paleo Friendly DaBomba Salad (copied from my favorite local restaurant, Downtown Cafe)
-Carne Asada with Peppers and Onions
-Slow Cooker Chicken Breast w/ Baby Carrots, Celery and “Ranch” Seasoning
-Curry Stir-Fry
-Balsamic Chicken Salad
-Paleo Meatloaf with Turnips, Sweet Potato, and Carrots
Most days I ate leftovers for lunch, but some days if I had a huge breakfast, I may have had a Larabar mid-day instead of a full lunch if I wasn’t very hungry.
Kids Paleo Meals:
Breakfast:
-Chaos-Free Paleo Breakfast Cookie (super simple recipe coming soon)
-Fresh Fruit
-Cashews
Dinner:
-Slow Cooker Chicken Breast w/ Baby Carrots, Celery and “Ranch” Seasoning
-Balsamic Chicken Salad
-Paleo Meatloaf Muffins with Turnips, Sweet Potato, and Carrots
-Grilled or Baked Chicken with Raw Veggies & Fresh Fruit
-Paleo Pizza with Spinach and Feta
Kids Paleo Snacks:
-Fresh Fruit
-Raw Petite or Baby Carrots
-Cashews
-Larabars
-Barney Butter Almond Butter Travel Packets
I’m excited! My kids are already showing improvements in dietary preferences, asking more for fruit and nuts than the grain-based snacks we used to eat! In the next few days, I plan to post my recipes and update this post with links. I’m also working on a Cookbook review for Everyday Paleo that I’ll publish this week, as well as some website improvements and additions. Stay tuned!
