Everyday Paleo (8 page)

If someone really gives you a hard time about not eating grains, and yes some people do, instead of getting into a senseless argument, present this person with a challenge. Ask him or her to try eating paleo for thirty days. If the person does not feel, look, or perform better, promise that you will go back to eating a standard American diet. Third, recommend that people do their own research rather than harp on you for answers. Suggest to your friends the books that you have read, e-mail them links to your favorite and most informative paleo blogs, and introduce them to articles that have supportive research on the benefits of paleo eating. The simple truth is that by eating meats, vegetables, and healthy fats, you are actually getting more nutrients than you ever could from a diet filled with whole grains. Education is your best argument, and suggesting that people find out for themselves leaves you more time to focus on the most important thing,
your
good health and well-being. Last but not least, if you have a person in your life that is extremely adamant, rude, and unsupportive of your endeavor to improve your health, maybe this is the time to reconsider the importance of maintaining your relationship with this person.

SURVIVAL GUIDE: CHEATING

Now that I have hammered home the importance of sticking to your guns and making the best choices for yourself in all possible situations, I must answer the one question that you are probably still pondering. Can I
ever
cheat?

The answer to “cheating” is yes, but I once again want you to reframe your way of thinking. If you think of it as cheating, you are more likely to also experience all those awful feelings associated with the word “cheating.” When I think about cheating, I think about betrayal or letting someone down, and when it comes to food and cheating, you are letting yourself down. Start by looking at eating paleo as the ability to eat whatever you want to. For example, you eat this way because you
want
to eat meat, vegetables, a little bit of fruit, and good fats. You want to eat these things because they make you feel good, and I will bet at this point, you honestly love how real food tastes. I personally do not want to eat anything with gluten in it because I know what gluten does to our bodies and I know how awful I feel after eating it.

So here’s my personal approach to the matter: I love corn chips, I love enchiladas dripping with cheese, and I really love chocolate ice cream, and every now and then I eat those things because I
want
to, not because I am “cheating.” I make the conscious decision to do so, but I do not want to eat these things all the time, because I know better. I like how my jeans fit and know the health repercussions associated with gorging on an entire tub of ice cream and a week’s worth of cheese-smothered corn tortillas. If I find myself on a Friday night sharing a margarita with my man along with a plate of nachos, I simply wake up the next morning and move on rather than wallow in a “cheating” pool of nacho misery.

I advise that once you are eating paleo to make the conscious decision to not eat anything containing gluten. I also advice that you eat strict paleo for the first thirty days of your paleo journey in order to reset your body and give yourself a chance to acclimate to your new lifestyle. As outlined earlier in the book, when you eat gluten, it’s like having to start the intestinal healing process all over again. Some folks can eat gluten now and then and feel OK—but this does not mean that the damage has not been done. Most people find that after the initial thirty days of eating strict paleo, if they eat something with gluten, they really pay for it. Most folks end up spending a lot of time in the bathroom the next day and usually have a distended and uncomfortable tummy soon after consuming the gluten-containing food product. This experience is usually enough to deter most people from ever wanting to eat it again, and the damage that these foods can do to your body is not worth the moment, especially when there are so many other options available.

So eat wisely, eat well, and eat what you want to, but remember—what you want to eat directly correlates with how you want to look, feel, and perform, so if your “I want to eat nachos” choices start happening more often than not, it’s probably time to reevaluate your decision making.

Well, you are now equipped to embark on your paleo journey to true health and wellness. I will continue to support you and answer your questions via my blog (www.everydaypaleo.com). Please remember that you are never alone on your journey. You are powerful, beautiful, and strong, and you are
worth
the hard work it takes to be healthy. You can do this! And, as always, enjoy!

NOTE:
Immediately following the recipe section you will find a thirty-day family meal plan, including weekly shopping lists correlating with the meal plan and two weeks’ worth of kids’ school lunch ideas.

Recipes

W
elcome to the recipe section of Everyday Paleo. To make things easier while reading the ingredients lists, I will explain a few expectations for each of my recipes here rather than cluttering up each page with repetitive details.

1
. Please try as best you can to always use organic fruits and vegetables, free-range poultry, pastured lamb and hogs, grass-fed beef, wild-caught seafood, and omega-3-enriched eggs (even better if you can find eggs from a local farm that come from free-range chickens that are not fed soy products!).

2
. The few canned items I use include tomatoes, (diced or paste), diced green chilies, and coconut milk. For the tomatoes and chilies, try to purchase organic with nothing added, just the tomatoes. Trader Joe’s carries both canned tomatoes and chilies that are organic and with nothing else added. I have also seen organic canned tomatoes at major grocery stores. There are two brands of canned coconut milk that I suggest: Chao Koh and Mae Ploy. Both are sold in major grocery stores or can be ordered on Amazon. Make sure when using canned coconut milk that you use the full-fat variety.

Do not be discouraged if you find it impossible to always eat organic or free-range. You are still doing what’s best for your body by avoiding grains and other processed foods. Be especially careful of meat that is labeled “organic.” This usually means that the animals were fed grain. It was most likely organically grown grain, but grain nonetheless, which gives the meat a higher omega-6 ratio. Finding grass-fed is possible, it just takes a bit of detective work. To help you with your detective work visit eatwild.com to find grass-fed meat, and visit localharvest.org to find local farm-share cooperatives. If you aren’t able to make use of these resources, do what you can with what is available in your area. In the end, meat—even grain fed—is better than a box of mac and cheese. Just try to buy meat from trusted locations such as Trader Joe’s or a local butcher, as these places can usually tell you how the meat was processed. And when it comes to fruits and veggies, stick with what is in season and looks freshest in your grocery store.

It is important to note that a few of the ingredients that you find in some of my recipes are optional, such as sea salt and butter. If you have any sort of autoimmune issues, you would be better off avoiding all dairy and butter and substituting with coconut oil. If you do not want to use sea salt, simply omit it from the recipe.

Also, feel free to be creative with my recipes! Use different vegetables or meat options to make each recipe a “new” one. The beauty of eating paleo is that there are millions of options, and eating should never be boring, dull, or tasteless. Sometimes removing one spice or adding another makes an entirely new and impressive meal!

My serving sizes will reflect how many typical adults the dish will serve. With many recipes, there will be enough for a family of five, sometimes with leftovers. I’ll make suggestions on the recipes I feel you should double.

Finally, you may be wondering why I do not include nutritional information for each recipe, such as calories, fat content, carb breakdown, and grams of protein. I left this out for a significant reason. Eating paleo should not be difficult, and it has nothing to do with counting calories or freaking out over fat content. Most of us are programmed to think that fat is bad and that an abundance of carbs is good, and I want to deprogram you from this way of thinking. If every recipe glared at you with numbers, calories, and ratios, you might sink back into the insanity that most “fad” diets offer.

The key to success when eating paleo is to eat a variety of vegetables and protein with every meal, throw in some good fat, and call it a day! Adding the stress of calorie counting conflicts with the paleo mindset. After all, overeating on meat and vegetables is difficult; it’s when we add in the grains and sugars to our diet that we are triggered to eat more and more and more. Eating paleo resets our hormones that control satiety, and we learn to stop when we are full. In addition to this, we stay full longer because our insulin levels begin to regulate. Gone are the days of 100-calorie packs, or starving at dinner because you binged at lunch. Now, go have fun, explore, experiment, get the kids involved, and, as always, enjoy!

Pecan-Crusted Chicken

This recipe was inspired, as many of my recipes often are, by what I had left in my fridge and cabinet. I took a look around one evening, did not find a whole lot to choose from, put together what I had handy, and came up with Pecan-Crusted Chicken. It’s a reminder that as long as you have some protein, fat, and spices in your kitchen, and get a bit creative, you can always make a tasty meal. This recipe is now one of our family’s favorites, and we are never disappointed with the results!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Serves: 4–5

• ½ cup spicy brown mustard
  
• 2 tablespoons raw organic honey (optional)
  
• 1 cup pecans, crushed
  
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  

1.
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the mustard and honey.

2.
Toss the pecans in a food processor and pulse until the nuts are finely chopped. Pour the chopped pecans into a large bowl and set aside.

3.
Using a paper towel, remove any excess moisture from the outside of the chicken breasts.

4.
Taking one chicken breast at a time, roll the chicken in the mustard-honey mixture and coat on both sides.

5.
Transfer the coated chicken into the chopped pecans and again cover both sides.

6.
Place the crusted chicken into a greased glass baking dish and sprinkle each chicken breast with just a little sea salt if desired. Bake 45 minutes or until the chicken juices run clear

Spice Rub Slow-Cooked Chicken

I love this chicken for how versatile it can be! You can eat this meal just as it is, or you can use the meat for lettuce wraps or for filling up a Portobello Mushroom Sandwich (recipe in the snack section). Before eating the chicken, make sure to top each serving with the onions and juices from the bottom of the slow cooker. Note: for those of you with babies and toddlers, meat cooked in a slow cooker is perfect for little ones because of how tender and easy it is to chew.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5–6 hours

Serves: 5–6

• 1 white onion, sliced
  
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
  
• 2 teaspoons paprika
  
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  
• 1 teaspoon white pepper or finely ground black pepper
  
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
  
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  
• 5- to 6-pound free-range organic chicken, rinsed, and patted dry with paper towels
  

1.
Cover the bottom of a slow cooker with the sliced onions.

2.
Mix all spices in a small bowl and using your hands, rub the spice mixture all over the whole chicken.

3.
Place the spiced chicken on top of the onions in the slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours. There is no need to add any liquid to the slow cooker—the chicken will cook in its own juices.

Rockin’ Moroccan Chicken

I used a combination of spices commonly found in Moroccan cooking to add some excitement to our family’s chicken stir-fry. The duo of subtle sweetness from the cinnamon and just a touch of spice from the cumin, paired with the bite from the green olives, makes this dish pop! This is a good recipe to make a double batch of to ensure leftovers are handy to bring along for lunch the next day.