OK, since this IS a Paleo blog - I wanted to touch on the basics! There are a lot of books on Paleo, or Evolution eating, or Atkins, or South Beach or low carb- whatever you want to call it. I think South Beach sucks because of all the fake food - Atkins is better except they kind of got into the whole money making business and starting making a ton of fake food too. But Dr. Atkins basics (which are over 30 years old) are solid.This isn't a "new" diet either - this is the way people are intended to eat - and this is also how people used to eat. My grandfather is 85 years old - and this is how he eats....well he does have two beers every night =) But he is in outstanding health. You can have a conversation with him without yelling, and he is extremely intelligent. He lives by himself, he has better eye sight than I do, he still drives and once a month he drives three hours to visit his parent's and wife's graves. He's a little skinny and he's really difficult (must run in the family). But he is Paleo - he doesn't call it Paleo - he calls it common sense. Which I think is awesome and crazy - how did we get here? How does my grandfather know that bread will make you fat but this generation thinks you should buy shape-up shoes and count endless calories?
So here are MY basics to Paleo:
Grocery List
**Key things when shopping for food mainly stay in the outside lanes – veggies, fruits, meats, eggs.
** Read ingredients: do not take the labels word for “all natural” or “healthy”.
Apples, Bananas, Rasp, Straw or Blueberries, Pineapple (fresh or frozen)
Unsweetened Applesauce or Unsweetened Pumpkin
Organic Spaghetti Sauce (no sugars)
Beef
Steaks
Bacon
Pork Loins
Fish
Chicken breast tenderloins
Lunch meats
Cinnamon
Walnuts, almonds, pecans
Raisins
75% or higher Cacao
Cocoa Powder
Cage Free Eggs
Ketchup made with agave (an organic version sold at Giant)
BBQ sauce made with agave (an organic version sold at Giant)
Bag of salad or lettuce or spinach
Veggies (fresh or frozen) (Asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli)
Seasonings – you can get anything as long as it doesn’t have any sugar or is minimally added.
Cashew Butter
Almond Butter
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) or Walnut Oil
Cooking Spray
Butter
100% Maple Syrup
Honey (for sweetner)
Agave Nectar
Unsweet Almond or Coconut Milk
Rules to eating:
Meat, Veggies, eggs, nuts and Fruit
o In that order. Your new food pyramid looks like the top picture.
No-No’s
o Legumes: kidney beans, garbanzo beans, black or red beans, chick peas, lentils and peanuts – NO BEANS
o Dairy: milk, cream, yogurt, ice cream, all cheese
o Seeds: sunflower, apple, apricot, plum, peach, nectarine, flax, watermelon
o GRAINS: wheat, flour, bread, pizza, tortilla, sandwiches, oats, grits, cream of wheat, cereal (all kinds), ice cream sandwiches, cookies, rice, crackers, pasta, noodles, macaroni, couscous, cornbread, buckwheat, cracked wheat, quinoa, sorghum, millet, amaranth
**Key things when shopping for food mainly stay in the outside lanes – veggies, fruits, meats, eggs.
** Read ingredients: do not take the labels word for “all natural” or “healthy”.
Apples, Bananas, Rasp, Straw or Blueberries, Pineapple (fresh or frozen)
Unsweetened Applesauce or Unsweetened Pumpkin
Organic Spaghetti Sauce (no sugars)
Beef
Steaks
Bacon
Pork Loins
Fish
Chicken breast tenderloins
Lunch meats
Cinnamon
Walnuts, almonds, pecans
Raisins
75% or higher Cacao
Cocoa Powder
Cage Free Eggs
Ketchup made with agave (an organic version sold at Giant)
BBQ sauce made with agave (an organic version sold at Giant)
Bag of salad or lettuce or spinach
Veggies (fresh or frozen) (Asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli)
Seasonings – you can get anything as long as it doesn’t have any sugar or is minimally added.
Cashew Butter
Almond Butter
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) or Walnut Oil
Cooking Spray
Butter
100% Maple Syrup
Honey (for sweetner)
Agave Nectar
Unsweet Almond or Coconut Milk
Rules to eating:
Meat, Veggies, eggs, nuts and Fruit
o In that order. Your new food pyramid looks like the top picture.
No-No’s
o Legumes: kidney beans, garbanzo beans, black or red beans, chick peas, lentils and peanuts – NO BEANS
o Dairy: milk, cream, yogurt, ice cream, all cheese
o Seeds: sunflower, apple, apricot, plum, peach, nectarine, flax, watermelon
o GRAINS: wheat, flour, bread, pizza, tortilla, sandwiches, oats, grits, cream of wheat, cereal (all kinds), ice cream sandwiches, cookies, rice, crackers, pasta, noodles, macaroni, couscous, cornbread, buckwheat, cracked wheat, quinoa, sorghum, millet, amaranth
Never eat non-foods
o Non-foods are sugar free foods or food made with artificial sweetners: splenda, sucralose, saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame potassium. Basically if you can’t pronounce it or you can’t point to it on the food chart.
Water and Coffee ONLY
o No soda, diet soda, juice, Gatorade, powerade, fruit drinks, etc. Water or BLACK coffee only. You may add coconut milk and agave to your coffee in moderation.
o If you have to have alcohol: wine or tequila
Eat when you want and what you want as long as…..
o The foods are on the approved list. There is no need to count calories or portion control.
o Losing weight and health is not a simple solution of calories in versus calories out. You can maintain weight and lose weight by counting the calories you consume and restricting what you eat once you have consumed the number of calories you set as your daily allowance. However if the calories you consume are from foods that will make you sick you are not achieving health. By restricting calories you will play the endless game of counting calories and thinking about food. Life shouldn’t be about 2000 calories a day or hitting the gym to burn 450 calories each day. Life should be spent enjoying your family and having fun and most importantly being healthy. Avoiding grains, dairy and legumes will give you that health and that freedom.
Recipes (these are ones I have created - if you have more SHARE!!)
Meatsa Pizza
Package of sausage
Veggies of your choice
Tomato sauce
Press sausage into a pie pan and bake until brown. Sautee veggies on the stove. Be creative. Add garlic, onion, Italian seasonings, peppers, olives – make it flavorful! Spread sauce over meat and top with veggies.
Cashew butter melts
100% cacao squares
Mini muffin liners
Cashew butter
Agave
For 12 melts: 5 squares of dark chocolate – heat until melted – add agave to desired sweetness. Pour muffin liner ¼ full with chocolate. Put a dot of cashew butter in center and pour chocolate over top. Chill.
Mashed Cauliflower (like mashed potatoes)
Boil whole cauliflower in water for 30 minutes. In a casserole dish mash with fork. Add 2 TBSP Butter or Olive Oil. Lemon pepper to taste.
Paleo Ice Cream
3 c Unsweetened Almond or Coconut Milk
1/3 c agave nectar
1/3 c cocoa powder
2 tbsp vanilla
1 tsp xanthum gum
Mix ingredients in blender on whip. Pour into ice cream maker.
You can also make plain vanilla by leaving out the cocoa powder. Or add in fruit or different extracts (like mint with chunks of chocolate for mint chocolate chip)
Steak Chili:
12 oz thinly sliced round steak
1 large green, red, yellow pepper diced
1/2 cup diced onion
½ c cranberries
1 can diced green chilies (4.5 oz)
9 Jalapeno pepper slices (diced)
14 oz can diced tomatoes (slightly drained)
1 tsp. cumin
Spray nonstick pan with cooking spray. Cook beef fully. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer covered 20 minutes. Simmer uncovered 20-30 minutes (until desired consistency).
Meat Loaf
Beef
1 egg
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 small onion, minced
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
¼ tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (or 1 tsp rooster sauce)
1.5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Spices your choice
Heat oven to 350. Mix ingredients. place in a baking dish. Bake 35 minutes or until center is set.
Spicy Thai Chicken
6 servings
Ingredients
1 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in chunks
1 medium red and green bell pepper, cut into strips
3 tbsp almond butter
1/4 c agave nectar
2 TBSP Lime or Lemon Juice
Olive Oil
1 tsp (I put 1 tbsp) Thai-style red curry paste
1 tbsp chopped green onion
Directions
Spray wok or nonstick frying pan with cooking spray or several squirts of lime juice. Saut̩ the chicken add ingredients Рheat and serve.
Yummy pancakes
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce or unsweetened pumpkin
4 TBSP Cashew Butter or Almond Butter
2 eggs
Cinnamon to taste
1 Tbsp Vanilla
Mix. Grill on low to medium heat
You can also take this same mix and put into mini cupcake liners and bake until set for mini muffins. Be creative and add berries to the mix or slivers of dark chocolate.
Turkey sausage and eggplant lasagna
1 lb eggplant
1.25 lbs 99% lean ground turkey
1 tbs red pepper flake
.5 cup onion, chopped
.5 cup bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup canned chopped tomatoes
1 tbs chopped fresh oregano
1 tbs chopped fresh basil
2 eggs
1 tbs chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel and thinly slice eggplant. Arrange in one layer on baking sheet and bake until tender. Meanwhile, sauté garlic, onion, bell pepper, red pepper flake in nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray until soft. Season with salt and pepper. Put in a bowl and mix eggs into veggies. Add turkey and brown until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Add chopped tomato and a bit of water and simmer for ~20 minutes. Add basil and oregano stir through and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble by spreading .25 cup sauce in bottom of baking pan. Add a single layer of eggplant, followed by a layer of sauce mixture. Layer casserole until all ingredients are used or baking dish is full. Cover and bake on 350 for ~20 minutes.
Stuffed Peppers
You can use red or yellow peppers but they need to stand up on their own.
6 large bell peppers
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups broccoli
1 can (15oz) tomato sauce (I like to buy the tomato, garlic, basil flavored)
1/4 tsp garlic powder or more for taste
1 tsp salt more or less for taste
You can chop up any other veggies too if you like and throw them in.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut thin holes out of top of pepper and remove stems, and seeds. Cook and stir ground beef with onion or any other veggies you are throwing in. Drain beef mixture. Stir in salt, garlic, rice, and only 1 cup of the tomato sauce; heat through.
Lightly stuff each pepper to the top with the meat mixture. Stand peppers upright in an ungreased baking dish (8x8x2). Pour remaining tomato sauce over tops of peppers. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes. You can sprinkle some low fat cheddar cheese on them and bake for the last 5 minutes if you like.
o Non-foods are sugar free foods or food made with artificial sweetners: splenda, sucralose, saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame potassium. Basically if you can’t pronounce it or you can’t point to it on the food chart.
Water and Coffee ONLY
o No soda, diet soda, juice, Gatorade, powerade, fruit drinks, etc. Water or BLACK coffee only. You may add coconut milk and agave to your coffee in moderation.
o If you have to have alcohol: wine or tequila
Eat when you want and what you want as long as…..
o The foods are on the approved list. There is no need to count calories or portion control.
o Losing weight and health is not a simple solution of calories in versus calories out. You can maintain weight and lose weight by counting the calories you consume and restricting what you eat once you have consumed the number of calories you set as your daily allowance. However if the calories you consume are from foods that will make you sick you are not achieving health. By restricting calories you will play the endless game of counting calories and thinking about food. Life shouldn’t be about 2000 calories a day or hitting the gym to burn 450 calories each day. Life should be spent enjoying your family and having fun and most importantly being healthy. Avoiding grains, dairy and legumes will give you that health and that freedom.
Recipes (these are ones I have created - if you have more SHARE!!)
Meatsa Pizza
Package of sausage
Veggies of your choice
Tomato sauce
Press sausage into a pie pan and bake until brown. Sautee veggies on the stove. Be creative. Add garlic, onion, Italian seasonings, peppers, olives – make it flavorful! Spread sauce over meat and top with veggies.
Cashew butter melts
100% cacao squares
Mini muffin liners
Cashew butter
Agave
For 12 melts: 5 squares of dark chocolate – heat until melted – add agave to desired sweetness. Pour muffin liner ¼ full with chocolate. Put a dot of cashew butter in center and pour chocolate over top. Chill.
Mashed Cauliflower (like mashed potatoes)
Boil whole cauliflower in water for 30 minutes. In a casserole dish mash with fork. Add 2 TBSP Butter or Olive Oil. Lemon pepper to taste.
Paleo Ice Cream
3 c Unsweetened Almond or Coconut Milk
1/3 c agave nectar
1/3 c cocoa powder
2 tbsp vanilla
1 tsp xanthum gum
Mix ingredients in blender on whip. Pour into ice cream maker.
You can also make plain vanilla by leaving out the cocoa powder. Or add in fruit or different extracts (like mint with chunks of chocolate for mint chocolate chip)
Steak Chili:
12 oz thinly sliced round steak
1 large green, red, yellow pepper diced
1/2 cup diced onion
½ c cranberries
1 can diced green chilies (4.5 oz)
9 Jalapeno pepper slices (diced)
14 oz can diced tomatoes (slightly drained)
1 tsp. cumin
Spray nonstick pan with cooking spray. Cook beef fully. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer covered 20 minutes. Simmer uncovered 20-30 minutes (until desired consistency).
Meat Loaf
Beef
1 egg
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 small onion, minced
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
¼ tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (or 1 tsp rooster sauce)
1.5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Spices your choice
Heat oven to 350. Mix ingredients. place in a baking dish. Bake 35 minutes or until center is set.
Spicy Thai Chicken
6 servings
Ingredients
1 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in chunks
1 medium red and green bell pepper, cut into strips
3 tbsp almond butter
1/4 c agave nectar
2 TBSP Lime or Lemon Juice
Olive Oil
1 tsp (I put 1 tbsp) Thai-style red curry paste
1 tbsp chopped green onion
Directions
Spray wok or nonstick frying pan with cooking spray or several squirts of lime juice. Saut̩ the chicken add ingredients Рheat and serve.
Yummy pancakes
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce or unsweetened pumpkin
4 TBSP Cashew Butter or Almond Butter
2 eggs
Cinnamon to taste
1 Tbsp Vanilla
Mix. Grill on low to medium heat
You can also take this same mix and put into mini cupcake liners and bake until set for mini muffins. Be creative and add berries to the mix or slivers of dark chocolate.
Turkey sausage and eggplant lasagna
1 lb eggplant
1.25 lbs 99% lean ground turkey
1 tbs red pepper flake
.5 cup onion, chopped
.5 cup bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup canned chopped tomatoes
1 tbs chopped fresh oregano
1 tbs chopped fresh basil
2 eggs
1 tbs chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel and thinly slice eggplant. Arrange in one layer on baking sheet and bake until tender. Meanwhile, sauté garlic, onion, bell pepper, red pepper flake in nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray until soft. Season with salt and pepper. Put in a bowl and mix eggs into veggies. Add turkey and brown until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Add chopped tomato and a bit of water and simmer for ~20 minutes. Add basil and oregano stir through and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble by spreading .25 cup sauce in bottom of baking pan. Add a single layer of eggplant, followed by a layer of sauce mixture. Layer casserole until all ingredients are used or baking dish is full. Cover and bake on 350 for ~20 minutes.
Stuffed Peppers
You can use red or yellow peppers but they need to stand up on their own.
6 large bell peppers
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups broccoli
1 can (15oz) tomato sauce (I like to buy the tomato, garlic, basil flavored)
1/4 tsp garlic powder or more for taste
1 tsp salt more or less for taste
You can chop up any other veggies too if you like and throw them in.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut thin holes out of top of pepper and remove stems, and seeds. Cook and stir ground beef with onion or any other veggies you are throwing in. Drain beef mixture. Stir in salt, garlic, rice, and only 1 cup of the tomato sauce; heat through.
Lightly stuff each pepper to the top with the meat mixture. Stand peppers upright in an ungreased baking dish (8x8x2). Pour remaining tomato sauce over tops of peppers. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes. You can sprinkle some low fat cheddar cheese on them and bake for the last 5 minutes if you like.
Check out Primal Toad for more Paleo stuff @: http://www.primaltoad.com/
great
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