Everyday Paleo (7 page)

We have all become exceptionally efficient schedulers with our handheld gadgets, so use it and schedule in one day, afternoon, or evening a week to do something that really fulfills you. Even if you think it might be silly. After a couple of weeks of your new routine, you will wonder how you ever did without. To top it off, your loved ones will love you more for taking the time to care for yourself.

Next step: do not feel guilty! You will ruin your moment by coming home and apologizing for spending time on yourself. So, my secret to successfully de-stressing is the same as my secret to maintaining a healthy lifestyle—make the choice to do it! We can choose to always wallow in the challenges that life throws at us or we can embrace life’s challenges, grateful for all of the good in life that we do have. Bad stuff happens, every day, all of the time, but managing your health first is the most important factor in surviving the bad and coming through it thriving!

Kitchen Essentials
and a Paleo Survival Guide

F
or lots of folks in the twenty-first century, cooking simply does not happen. Reality check time: you have to cook in order to eat paleo. Cooking does not mean hours upon hours in the kitchen. It means being prepared, planning ahead, staying committed, and, most importantly, having fun. Successful cooking also means having a well-stocked kitchen equipped with the essentials for making fast, easy, and delicious paleo meals. In table C I have included a list of the items you will need to run a well-equipped paleo kitchen.

Once your groceries are bought and your kitchen essentials are on hand, it is time to closely examine what it means to “plan ahead and be prepared.” Most of the recipes in this book are designed so that you can make plenty and save for later. For example, slow cookers can usually prepare a large amount of food, so when you see a recipe that is made in a slow cooker, plan to make enough for several meals. Leftovers are lifesavers because they can seriously cut down on the time you spend in the kitchen.

When eating paleo, one must think outside the lunch box. For example, breakfast does not always have to look like breakfast. Oftentimes the easiest breakfast is leftovers from dinner! On the flip side, dinner can just as easily be breakfast. Omelets in the evening taste just as good as they do in the morning, and they are fast, nutritious, and can be made 10 million different ways.

The point is, do not be afraid of breaking the traditional rules. I have heard time and again, “Sarah, I don’t know what else to do for lunch but to eat a sandwich!” The truth is, you
do
know. Planning ahead and being prepared is part of holding yourself accountable. Almost every day my husband and I eat leftover dinner for lunch, and I cannot express to you how much time, money, and stress this one simple trick can save you. Most importantly, having those leftovers handy leaves you with zero excuses to eat something unhealthy.

YOUR PALEO SURVIVAL GUIDE BEGINS NOW

Being prepared and planning ahead also pertains to when you leave your home. Every modern-day hunter and gatherer must have a survival kit handy at all times. Our days are crazy and often take unexpected twists and turns, especially when children are involved, and if you have a car full of hungry, cranky children and a hungry, cranky parent in charge, disaster is sure to strike.

The first item in your survival kit should be an emergency stash of food that you either carry with you or in your vehicle at all times. There are several paleo food items that travel well, and making your own paleo version of trail mix is a must. Here is how to do it:

1.
Fill a large portable container with 3 cups of raw almonds, shelled pistachios, cashews, and pecans.

2.
Add in ½ cup of unsweetened dried cherries, blueberries, or cranberries, and top it all off with 4 cups of gluten-free beef jerky cut into bite-size pieces.

You can portion out the mix into smaller portable containers that fit easily into a purse, backpack, or briefcase, and you should always keep one large container of this mix in your car. When hunger strikes the on-the-go family, there will always be a snack on hand.

The next part of your kit should include other kid-and parent-friendly items. Keep apples, oranges, mandarins, and packages of beef jerky in your car for after-school snacks. Kids are always
starving
when you pick them up, and offering something immediately will help you avoid the habitual drive-through. Other kid-friendly on-the-go snack options include baby carrots, celery sticks, and almond butter. For toddlers, steam a pound of baby carrots on the weekend and have these ready to go in the fridge, along with thinly sliced and peeled apples, mandarin slices, hard-boiled eggs, and small pieces of cooked turkey or chicken.

Table C: Paleo Kitchen Essentials

Slow Cooker
—A slow cooker is essential. There is nothing better than taking a few extra minutes in the morning to throw in some protein, veggies, and spices into your slow cooker only to come home to a house filled with delicious smells and dinner ready and waiting. The slow cooker is a must have!

Pressure Cooker
—A pressure cooker is another paleo kitchen essential. The pressure cooker allows you to cook food that otherwise takes a long time to prepare in mere minutes. An entire winter squash takes 1 hour in the oven but in the pressure cooker, your side dish will be done in 8 minutes. You can make savory soups and stews in 20 minutes, artichokes in 5, and pork chops in 10.

Food Processor
—The food processor allows you freedom and variety, and it’s fast! Many of my recipes call for this handy tool and you’ll love the freshness of homemade sauces, soups, and dips as well as quickly slicing, dicing, and shredding veggies for different paleo concoctions.

Large Soup Pot
—Soups and stews are great paleo staples and although the slow cooker and pressure cooker are great, sometimes there is nothing better than the long slow simmer of a soup pot.

Large Skillet
—A must have for your fast meat and veggie stir-fry’s!

Small Sauce Pan
—Great for everything from poached eggs to my paleo Béarnaise!

Chef’s Knife and Paring Knife
— You must slice and dice to survive.

Mandolin Slicer
—This tool offers a unique way of thinly slicing veggies, which is a great way to replace the pasta!

If you have these items prepared ahead of time, you can easily grab-and-go, leaving no excuses for unhealthy, sugar-laden, gluten-filled, prepackaged baby snacks. Most diaper bags come equipped with a smaller tote to keep milk and formula cold. Use this for your baby’s snacks as well, and always have a few ice packs on hand in the freezer to toss in with your snacks. Again, it’s all about planning ahead, and although it might sound daunting, in reality the little bit of extra time is worth happy and healthy children.

The key to fast snacking success it to not be empty handed. However, if you do find yourself in a pinch, a fast trip into a grocery store for prepackaged sliced fruit, nitrate-free deli meat (now carried by most major grocery stores), and nuts or coconut flakes will avert the hunger crisis.

SURVIVAL GUIDE: EATING OUT

Feeling prepared brings on a sense of well-being, calm, and self-assuredness, but the truth is, we are often faced with situations in which social pressure is involved, and this often leads to second-guessing and uncertainty. The next part of the “survival guide” is to know what to do when you have to eat food that you cannot prepare yourself.

Let’s use eating out as our first example. We all enjoy eating at restaurants with friends and family, so avoiding this scenario altogether is not possible or fun. Once you are eating paleo, looking at a menu can be a daunting task, but again this is when those behavioral changes that you made earlier in the book come into play. You have choices, an entire menu full of them, and you can either ask for what you need or give in and give up.

Almost every restaurant has protein and vegetables in some form, as well as olive oil and lemon wedges for salad dressings. If you are eating at a standard American food establishment, one can typically ask for the grilled chicken with a side of vegetables and hold the potato or the rice. Do not be afraid to make it very clear that you cannot eat anything that contains gluten.

As soon as you sit down, ask the waiter or waitress to not bring the bread (unless, of course, people with you want the bread. In such a case, ignore the bread when it arrives!). If you order a salad, ask to leave off the croutons and cheese, and ask for olive oil and lemon or vinegar on the side. Another option is to order a hamburger without the bun and a side salad. Just make sure you trust the quality of the meat and ask if they mix any fillers like bread crumbs in the patties.

Another great restaurant option for eating out paleo style is Mexican food. I suggest ordering fajitas, which typically include grilled chicken, beef, or shrimp with grilled vegetables. Order this meal without the rice, beans, and tortillas, and instead order a side of guacamole or avocado. Succulently seasoned meat, veggies, and guacamole, topped with some salsa, can be a paleo meal that one only dreams of!

Thai food can also be a wonderful paleo choice. Stick to curries, which are typically made with coconut milk and spices, rather than soy-based sauces, and ask for additional vegetables instead of rice.

Looking a bit farther than what’s on the menu in front of you is the best way to navigate the undeniable fact that you will be eating at restaurants now and then. Do not be afraid to ask for what you want, as most establishments are happy to oblige with substitutions.

SURVIVAL GUIDE: PEER PRESSURE

Your paleo survival guide also includes how to manage friends who simply do not understand why you are eating paleo and enjoy giving you a hard time about it. My favorite is when I hear, “Sarah, you’re already skinny, why don’t you just eat the bread?” Education is the best weapon, but if
you
do not understand why you are eating paleo, you will find it extremely difficult to explain your choices. With that said, in the beginning I would focus on what you are doing for yourself and not worry about what everyone else might be thinking. To be perfectly blunt, we typically imagine that people think or talk a great deal more about us than they actually do. Most people are more worried about what
we
are thinking, talking, or feeling about
them
than they do about us. Second, as you start to look, feel, and perform better, people will notice these positive changes before they notice that you no longer have a turkey sandwich for lunch.

If people do ask questions, simply say you are taking better care of yourself. If you find yourself in a situation in which friends or family members are seriously concerned about the missing grains on your plate, inform these folks about the paleo diet as best you can. Explain that by eating paleo you are hoping to make a positive life change. However, avoid calling it a diet because most folks will not take you seriously if they think you are simply trying this month’s latest fad.