Life: Thoughts after a week on Paleo

Ok, so after one week on Paleo, I figured it's about time for an update.  To catch up those who aren't following, Kevin and I are trying to go Paleo for 30 days.  We have a Paleo guide/ cook book.  It has a 30 day meal plan for any dietary needs.  We picked the 30 day meal plan for digestive health.  We started on Sunday the 12th after we got back from Mexico.

After the first day, Kevin noticed more differences than I did.  But both of us felt a little bit better.  Honestly though, there haven't been too many significant changes (probably because these diet changes aren't too different from what we were already eating). My completion seems slightly better but I don't really feel any more energized.  I do however miss chocolate.

So, after a week, Kevin and I started discussing what changes would be permanent.  The reality for us is that paleo is pretty strict and not always conducive to our life style.  It's hard being out and about and still eating.  It is also difficult since on Tuesday nights our Small Group has dinner together and Wednesday nights we have dinner with our community group.  And since most people don't really read the ingredients list in their food (and you kind of sound like a tool when you  ask), this becomes challenging.  And we aren't really ready to be the people that bring food every where.  The other issue is that as much as I love cooking, I am not a fan of cooking 2-3 meals per day.  We are both in agreement that cereal makes mornings much easier.  And I am not a huge fan of no nights off from cooking.

I have also been having some stomach issues that makes me think I might be allergic to something in our new diet... I mean... lifestyle.  Most likely I think it is eggs but I am not sure. Time will tell, but something is making me feel nauseous after eating every now and again.

So for a more permanent solution, Kevin and I have decided that our best decision is probably going to be to go mostly paleo and continue in our regular pattern of slowly evolving our diet to eating better over time.  Once this 30 days is up, we are planning to allow organic cereal back into our mornings and to be more lenient in our "cheating" to the tune of about once a day, though trying not to make it a whole meal, just a portion. We are hoping that over time, just as it has already happened, foods that make us feel bad get omitted.  It's not that we don't think Paleo is a good choice, we just aren't in a place to fully commit.

But most importantly, we are planning on doing an allergy test and optimal nutrition evaluation.  We want to make sure we cut out any foods we are allergic to, and adding back things we are missing.  We think it is probably the best start to actually changing our diet to meet our health needs.

On another note, this is one of my new favorite desserts.
I call it...

Orange Dreamsicle Sorbet


Ingredients:
10 peaches (approx)
1/2 cup Orange Juice
1 teaspoon vanilla (shout out to +Jordan Wiley for the idea)
2 teaspoons of honey (optional)

Directions: Blend in a food processor (I use my nutri-bullet).  Freeze or eat immediately.  Approx 1 serving.  (Note: The goal with Paleo is to avoid processed and refined foods.  Try to stay as natural as possible with your ingredients if you are trying to maintain Paleo too!)

Recipes: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ok, so here is an amazing recipe and perfect for fall.

I got this from my friend Jen, at church.  Supposedly, it makes 30 cookies, but I found one batch makes almost 50 if you are using normal tablespoon sized amounts.  So here it is:

Prep time: 10-20 min
Cook time: 12- 15 min

Ingredients:
   2 1/4 c. all purpose flour
   1 1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice
   1/2 t. cinnamon
   1 t. baking powder
   1/2 t. salt
   1 c (2 sticks) butter, softened
   1 c granulated sugar
   1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (Libby's is best)
   2 large eggs
   1 t. vanilla extract
   2 c. (12-oz pkg) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl.  Beat butter and sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy.  beat in pumpkin, eggs and vanilla extract. Gradually beat in flour mixture.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Drop by rounded tablespoons onto baking sheets.

Bake for 12-15 min or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Recipes: Great Chocolate Chip Cookies

This one is one of my favorites.  This is one of the few recipes I have found that turn out both slightly crunchy and chewy and moist (this is because of the mixture of white and brown sugars).  Be careful though, there is a lot of butter and are thus, very fattening but totally addictive.

Ingredients 

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons hot water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips. At this point, I suggest you taste test some. (In my opinion, you should always taste test your food. It will help you know if you are doing it right, and help you identify if you've forgotten an ingredient... which I have done before)
3. Drop by tablespoon sized spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.
4. Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

Makes about 40- 50 cookies (depending on how much batter you eat ;-P)

Recipes: Homemade Apple Pie

One of the things I knew I would do with this blog is post recipes.  I am pretty well known for being a good cook and I am especially gifted with desserts... probably because I have such a big sweet tooth.  In our house, I am the one that does the cooking.... mostly because this is one skill my husband doesn't have and I am a picky eater.  I would rather go hungry than eat something I don't like (which is a real problem for me and having to eat Army food).  Anyway, I am not one of those women that demands that my husband cooks and then complain because he makes something I don't like.  So we have a deal, I cook and then I don't complain.  If I want a certain type of food, then that's what I make.  (My husband has gotten pretty handy with the grill though, I must say).  

So, since I always cook, I have accumulated a lot of recipes.  And I am pretty good at tailoring them to my own tastes. I am sure this will be the first recipe of many...

This is my favorite homemade apple pie recipe.  I am not great at making it pretty, but my husband and neighbors were very happy with the results.

IngredientsPastry:

• 2 1/2 cup(s) All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) Salt
• 10 tablespoon(s) Cold Butter Or Margarine, cut up
• 6 tablespoon(s) Vegetable Shortening
• 6 1/2 tablespoon(s) Ice Water

Apple Filling:

• 2/3 cup(s) Sugar
• 1/3 cup(s) Cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) Ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) Nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) Salt
• 3 1/2 pound(s) Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, And/Or Braeburn Apples, each peeled, cored, and cut into 16 wedges
• 1 tablespoon(s) Fresh Lemon Juice
• 2 tablespoon(s) Butter Or Margarine, cut up
• 1 large Egg White, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon(s) Sugar

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Directions

1. To prepare pastry: In food processor with knife blade attached, blend flour and salt. Add butter and shortening, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle in ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition, until large moist crumbs just begin to form.
2. Shape dough into 2 balls, 1 slightly larger. Flatten each into a disk; wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes or overnight. (If chilled overnight, let stand 30 minutes at room temperature before rolling.)
3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place cookie sheet on rack in lower third of preheating oven to bake pie on later. To prepare apple filling: In large bowl, combine sugar with cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add apples and lemon juice, and toss to coat evenly.
4. On lightly floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll larger disk of dough into 12-inch round. Ease dough into 9 1/2-inch deep-dish glass or ceramic pie plate. Gently press dough against bottom and up side of plate without stretching. Trim dough edge, leaving 1-inch overhang; reserve trimmings. Spoon apple mixture into pie crust; dot with butter.
5. Roll remaining disk for top crust into 12-inch round. Center round over filling in bottom crust. Trim pastry edge, leaving 1-inch overhang; reserve trimmings. Fold overhang under; bring up over pie-plate rim and pinch to form stand-up edge, then make decorative edge. Brush crust with some egg white. Reroll trimmings. With knife or cookie cutters, cut out apple and/or leaf shapes; arrange on pie. Cut short slashes in round to allow steam to escape during baking. Brush cutouts with egg white, then sprinkle crust and cutouts with sugar.
6. Bake pie 1 hour 10 minutes or until apples are tender when pierced with knife through slits in crust. To prevent over-browning, cover pie loosely with tent of foil after 40 minutes. Cool pie on wire rack 3 hours to serve warm. Or cool completely to serve later.