A Traveler’s Life-Saver & A Gut Health ...

First of all, HELLO!  Remember me?  It’s been quite a while since I have published a blog post… actually, my recent “break” was the longest period of time I have neglected the blog since I started it.  It feels good to be back!

As you may have seen on my Facebook page, I recently returned from a week-long vacation in Disney World.  We had some good times, and some good foods!  But I have to admit, it is wonderful to be back home.

Eating Paleo-style is a little more difficult on busy vacations and hectic trips.  We took this trip with my husband’s family, and we had 5 parks to visit in 5 days, with two full travel days (10-hour drives each way).  My typical idea of a vacation is having no schedule at all… no time crunches or restraints (check out this post to see how I normally eat on vacation).  But, if you have ever been to Disney World, you know that the idea of “no schedule” is just a happy, distant thought.  From the time we arrived until the time we left, we were constantly on the run.  Late nights and early mornings were followed by crowd-fighting, sweating, and power-walking from attraction to attraction.

We stopped at a grocery store shortly after we arrived to pick up a few essentials.  Our breakfasts consisted of halved avocados, rotisserie chicken, blueberries, Paleo Krunch with coconut milk, and almond milk.  Not bad, but not ideal.  We were eating on the go to allow for more sleep each morning.

For lunches and snacks, we packed turkey-rolled avocado slices, raw fruit/nut bars, apples, sliced red and yellow peppers, pistachios, and Paleo Kits.

We mainly ate out for our dinners, except for two nights when we had burgers with guacamole, or baked chicken with a wonderful berry salad and brussels sprouts.  I was very impressed by our dinner at Smokey Bones Bar and Grill.  There were a ton of meat options on the menu, with lots of simply-cooked vegetables as sides.  I had 1/2 a chicken (and almost finished the entire thing!) with broccoli and sweet potato.  It was delicious and filling.  I’m sure the sauce contained more sugar than I would have liked though.

Another place that really impressed me was the Rainforest Cafe.  I had salmon grilled on a cedar plank (WOW – AMAZING!), and a few veggie sides that I don’t even remember because the salmon was so amazing.  There were several great options in the way of meat and seafood on the menu.

So what is this traveler’s life-saver that I mentioned?  The Paleo Kit, of course!  Order yours at StevesOriginal.com.  I had not tried these little bags of goodness until I attended the Balanced Bites Workshop a few weekends ago, where I fell in love with them.  I ordered 15 of them before our trip, and I was so glad I did!  It was really nice to have well-sourced protein (jerky), some good fat (coconut), and a hint of sweetness (strawberries) during those long days.  Each kit is SUPER filling, and really delicious.  From now on, I will always be sure to stock up on Paleo Kits before we travel.  Having a healthy, filling, and delicious snack option kept us from going overboard on overpriced, over-sweetened goodies between meals while we were at Disney.

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A Gut-Health Update

To those of you who have asked how I’ve been feeling lately, thank you!  In answer to your question, I am feeling great!  

For those who have no idea what I mean here, I recently had some pretty serious digestion woes.  After a few weeks of constant stomach aches after every meal, I created my own gut-healing protocol.  Within a few days, I was already seeing amazing results.  And now, months later, I have basically stuck with this program (only having nuts occasionally), and I’m doing really well with it!

My conclusion is that the cause of my extreme gut sensitivity was an intense period of stress and travel, combined with seriously overdoing it on nuts (raw almonds and pistachios, almond butter, almond flour, almond milk, raw fruit/nut bars, etc.) and eggs (I was eating around 3-4 each and every day).

Through this painful process, I learned some valuable lessons!  First and foremost, even if you’re eating “paleo foods,” balance is SO important!  Nuts were definitely too large a part of my diet before this experience.

I also learned that eggs are not the only breakfast food worth eating… check out my no-egg breakfast ideas here!  And, unfortunately, I still cannot consume eggs.  For one thing, I have no desire for them at all.  The thought of them makes me feel a little sick.  And for another thing, when I have experimented with them since healing my gut, I have had stomach pain right away.  Sad, but true!  I’ll probably try again every few months, but for now, I’m dealing with what seems to be an egg allergy.

So, again, thank you for asking about me!  I’m enjoying better gut health than I’ve ever experienced.

Food Diary: Our Favorite Trail Mix

Trail mix is a great tag-along snack for long car rides (or long work days).  I whipped up this combo over the weekend, and my husband LOVES it.  Since nuts and seeds should not be a huge part of your diet, he only has a palmful or two each day.

I am currently not eating nuts and seeds as part of my gut-healing protocol.

This is definitely the prettiest trail mix we’ve ever made, and my husband says that it is the best-tasting, as well.  Check out the recipe!

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Trail Mix

Use equal parts of the following ingredients:

Roasted Sunflower Seeds

Raw Almonds

Dried, Unsweetened Cranberries

Unsweetened Coconut Flakes

Chopped, Dried, Unsweetened Mango

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DELICIOUS (and simple)!

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WOW! Kale Chips!

Since being on The 21-Day Sugar Detox, we’ve been forced to find some different snack options (this is a GOOD thing!).  Normally we would have an apple, some grapes, or some sweet potato fries, etc. for an afternoon snack.  On the detox, we’ve done alot of baby carrots, pistachios, and coconut flakes for snacks.

In an effort to find a little more variety for our snacking, I decided to brave kale chips again.

My first experience with kale chips was not a good one.  The recipe I used called for WAY too much oil and salt, and the chips were inedible.  We tried to eat some of them, but they were too disgusting to finish.

I nixed that recipe, and just did my own thing, based on what I’ve heard from others who love kale chips.

These were DELICIOUS!  The are super-crispy, and they really reminded me of the Lays potato chips that I used to enjoy, but with the yummy flavor of kale.  Give it a try, and let me know what you think!

Kale Chips

Spread 1 bunch of curly kale on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with a LITTLE extra-virgin olive oil (I do not like to coat the leaves… just give them a little moisture).  Sprinkle a LITTLE salt, pepper, and garlic powder and bake at 350 degrees for around 20 minutes.  The edges of the leaves should be brown and crispy.  If they need a little more cooking, turn of the over, crack the oven door, and leave them to continue cooking while the oven cools.

WOW- a MUCH better experience!!  I cannot wait to eat my kale chips this afternoon!

My Favorite Paleo Snacks

I have recently started moving away from pre-packaged snacks (like Larabars, beef jerky, trail mix, etc.). After taking a close look at several recent grocery store receipts, I discovered that the most expensive category was that of snack food items.  These items are definitely not “necessities” in my diet, so I have decided to really cut down on them.  I still keep a Larabar in my purse for “hunger emergencies,” but I am not consuming one each day like I was before.
Since Dustin and I are “snackers,” I had to find some replacements for the convenient pre-packaged items I used to pack in our lunch bags.  Here are a few of my favorites…

Garden Fresh Meatballs - I love this recipe from Sarah Fragoso.  She has taken lots of excellent meat and vegetables, and combined them in a bite-sized little package.  I make a double recipe of these, and keep a bag in my freezer.  They are delicious, and very filling!  They are great re-heated, but I enjoy them lukewarm too.

Egg Cupcakes - These are another protein-packed treat.  Egg Cupcakes have some of the same ingredients as the meatballs, but you can switch it up based on your favorite vegetables  (for example, try adding shredded carrots or chopped green peppers instead of spinach, etc.).  My Mom made these for our breakfast when we visited my parents over the weekend, and she used sausage instead of bacon.  They were delicious!

This recipe also came from Sarah Fragoso.

Paleo Comfort Foods also has an excellent version.

These are not as delicious from the freezer as they are fresh, but they are definitely good cold or lukewarm!

Sweet Potato Wedges - These have become one of my favorite on-the-go snacks for busy days.  When I am using tons of energy, the carbs help me re-fuel and keep going!  Aside from that, they are absolutely delicious.  Just peel your sweet potatoes, slice them into wedges, and toss in coconut oil (about 1 TBS per potato), cinnamon, sea salt, and a dash of chili powder.  Bake on a foil-lined pan, in a 375-degree oven, for appx. 30 minutes.  I like mine crispy around the edges, so sometimes I will give them a few more minutes.

I keep these in a plastic container when I’m on-the-go  so I can eat them in the car without taking my hand in and out of a plastic bag.

A few other non-packages snack items for us have been baby carrots, almonds, apples, bananas with almond butter, coconut flakes, etc.

Happy Snacking!

Delightful Smoothies…

One of our favorite dessert or snack options is a fresh smoothie.  They are easy to make, healthy (if you make them right!), and always delicious!

Keep in mind that you should not be consuming several smoothies each day.  Some fruits can be pretty high in sugar, and most people should only be having about 2 servings of fruit per day (a serving is about the size of your closed fist).  If you are trying to lose weight, you should probably be eating less than that.

With that in mind, let’s make a smoothie!

Our smoothies generally consist of 1 banana, about 1 cup of fresh or frozen fruit, about 1 cup of coconut milk, a healthy sprinkle of cinnamon, and some ice.  Tonight we had raspberries, so that was our flavor choice.

Use the template above to create your own fabulous smoothie!

Other Items We Sometimes Add to Smoothies:

coconut flakes

almond butter

spinach (you can’t taste it, but it adds some great vitamins and iron to your smoothie!)

carrots

nutmeg

coffee

coconut oil (for added fat and flavor)

avocado

cocoa powder

A Few Favorite Combinations (we always use 1 banana and 1 cup of coconut milk):

coffee and almond butter

pumpkin, nutmeg, and cinnamon

peaches and cinnamon

mixed berries and orange juice

blueberries and spinach

cherries, cocoa powder, and almond butter

extra banana and almond butter

coffee and cocoa powder

peaches and blackberries

What is your favorite smoothie recipe?  Please share!

A Paleo Snack

Snacks are an important part of each day.  Because Paleo foods are so easily-digestible, you may find that you can eat more than you were used to eating on a grain-based diet.  I love being able to eat whenever I’m hungry.

Dustin and I eat alot of snacks every day.  We pack at least 2-3 in our lunch boxes, we usually have one while we’re waiting for dinner, and we always have something before going to bed.

Almost anything can be made a snack… even leftovers.  However, some snacks are much more portable than others.

Here are some of our favorite snacks:

1. Raw vegetables with guacomole: carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, red or yellow peppers, etc.

2. Plantain Chips.  I like to deep-fry these in coconut oil.

3. Kale Chips

4. Spicy Okra. This is one of Dustin’s favorite snacks to take to work.

5. Larabars.  These snack bars can be found in the diet bar section of your local grocery store or health food store.  They contain raw, natural ingredients like dates, cherries, nuts, etc.  Be careful with these because, even though they are all natural, they contain alot of natural sugar.  They are small, and they taste great, so it’s easy to over-do it.  Limit yourself, but enjoy your snack! Note: some of these are NOT Whole30-approved, so check the labels before you enjoy!

6. Trail Mix. Get a big bowl and fill it up with your favorite nuts and dried fruits.  We like to combine almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, pecans, dried cranberries, beef jerky, and coconut flakes.  Fill some zip-up bags, and always have one on hand for emergency snacking.

7. Deli meat.  Applegate Organics makes excellent deli meat.  We like the smoked turkey and the pepperoni.  Use the turkey to make turkey rolls (fill with avocado, broccoli, etc.).

8. Beef Jerky.  It is hard to find good beef jerky.  Look for a brand that does not contain soy or added sugar.  Tanka Bites are delicious.  They can be found at Whole Foods, or you can order online.  They are actually buffalo!  We love these, but they are a little expensive.

9. Diced chicken.  Bite-sized pieces of lightly-seasoned chicken make a great protein snack.

10. Applesauce.  There are several good brands of individually-packaged, all-natural applesauce.

11. Fruit with Almond Butter. Our favorite fruits to pair with almond butter are bananas and apples.  You can also spread almond butter on celery.

12. Meatballs. This is one of my favorite snack ideas.  Meatballs are filling, and very portable.  This particular recipe includes a ton of vegetables too, so it’s a perfect little snack package.

13. Coconut Flakes. If you need a little punch of good fat to make you feel more full, go for some coconut flakes.  They always do the trick for me.

14. Smoothes. This “snack” has become a nightly tradition for us. We usually just dump 1/2 a banana, about a cup of fresh or frozen fruit (usually peaches, blueberries, or raspberries), about a cup of coconut milk, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a spoonful of almond butter into the blender, then pour and enjoy.  You can also mix it up to get some different combinations… For example, try banana with coffee, milk, and ice.  Or peaches, milk, ice, and cinnamon.

15. Peaches and Cream. This has become more of a “dessert” than a snack.  Slice a fresh peach into a small bowl, then pour about 1/4 can of full-fat coconut milk on top.  Sprinkle with cinnamon, stir, and enjoy.  It is more amazing than it sounds.  Try it.

Happy Snacking!