Doctoring it up!

It seems that the only one who managed to stay healthy this week was our littlest one.  Her resilience and smile kept me going through this challenging week for me.  Though I'm feeling a bit better today, I could still use some rest and relaxation.  Thank goodness it's time for the weekend and hubby's 4 days off!

While no one had to go to the doctor this week, I thought I might "doctor up" one of this week's dishes.  A few nights ago hubby made a wonderful sausage and "gravy" dish. It was a bit on the heavy side and the sauce did break a bit.  I had some of the left overs for lunch today and decided to add some of the left over steamed vegetables from last night.  Not only did it add color, but I think it may have balanced out some of the heaviness.  It's visual appeal had undergone some development, resulting in a more colorful dish.  And some say, "We eat with our eyes."

So see for yourself. Here's lunch today:

Have a wonderful weekend, and HAPPY EATING!

Sick.... :-(

Finally got the cold that has been going around.  I think my daughter and I have the same sore/froggy throat condition, whereas my son and husband have a more sinus attack. We are trying to keep it away from the little one as long as we can and hopefully she won't get or has built up a pretty good resistance to our germs.

That being said, I'm on day 24 of my 30 day challenge.  All is going well and I'm getting more excited by the day to continue this way of eating and bringing my kids along with me on this journey.  Thanks to the internet, I have such wonderful access to others who are along the same journey or others who are mentors, or inspirations, to those of us just starting out.  There is a plethora of information and websites on the paleo lifestyle. But be sure to research carefully and check out the backgrounds.  Also, make sure that the recipes they offer do, in fact, follow the paleo diet.

Tonight's dinner, courtesy of my dear husband, was his take on sausage with gravy.  The man cooks with no recipe, so it's hard to put down just what he put into this dish! The main parts included: italian sausage (crumbled), coconut milk, onions, a splash of red wine, and I'm sure a number of seasonings.  Unfortunately the sauce did "break" so it was a tad grainy, and hubby thought it was a bit heavy. I felt okay after eating, but I could only eat one bowl and some broccoli due to the lousy state I'm in.  I did at a couple of "cuties" (mandarin oranges) which was a nice, refreshing ending to the meal.  The kids did seem to enjoy it since they are both big sausage eaters! They also enjoyed the fruit at the end.

Sorry no pictures today. If I remember, I can take some when I have it for leftovers.  So take care, all of you. Stay healthy and rest well!

Getting Back into the Groove

Hubby cooked tonight. Funny thing was we really didn't know what to cook tonight. The resulting concoction consisted of ground turkey, chicken apple sausage, diced tomatoes, onions, sweet peppers, coconut milk, and spinach.  Along with chili powder, taco seasoning, cayenne pepper, paprika and cumin seasonings. Turned out yummy!!! YAY!

Also today, I got back into working out. It's hard to take it slow after surgery. I'm so ready to jump back in it! Today's workout killed:

20-15-10
clean & jerk w/ 8lb medicine ball
squats

The squats were the toughest. Working on form with the clean & jerks.  Took a lot of thinking. =)
I was hungry today. Think I might have needed a bigger lunch and I didn't have my usual snack. I'll try to pack more tomorrow.

Day 21 - Getting Ambitious

So today I had every intention of making a slow cooker meal with my chicken, carrot, and onions.  Unfortunately time had gotten away from me somehow and my meal needed to be a "quick cook" one instead.

I opted to try a skillet butternut squash found on my favorite paleo blog, Everyday Paleo. I needed to change a few things from the original recipe, but it turned out fabulously! I will definitely make it again.  And the bonus..... The kids ate it too!  Woo Hoo!

Here's what I did:

1 small butternut squash, 1/2 inch cubes
1 lb kalua pig
1 bunch rainbow chard, chopped (included stems)
1 med zucchini, diced
olive oil

Boil butternut squash for 7 min., drain. In a large skillet, brown kalua pig in olive oil.  Add squash, chard, and zucchini. Saute until chard is wilted.  Serve it up!  Super fast and easy! Only the prep takes a little bit of time.

It's more of a side, so we had it with the leftover curry from last night - which I made into a curry omelet. 

Here's the money shot!  Ciao!

Salmon for Lunch

1 salmon filet (pan fry in 1 Tbsp butter, w/mix seasoning, pepper)
2 cups of baby spinach
7 cherry tomatoes

30-Day Paleo Challenge

It's been a couple of weeks since I began my 30 day Paleo challenge. I was weary of posting my meals, exercise, and emotions because, like the challenge, I wasn't quite sure it would last. Now having completed 10 days, I feel as if my accomplishments were deserving of publication.

It took a lot of balancing, both in life and on the plate. I did some research: read some books, listened to podcasts, and checked out an insane amount of sites available on the internet. I managed to stay on track for the past week and a half.

This challenge is rightfully named for many reasons. There's the challenge of choice. No longer are those chocolate-chip cookies allowed on my plate. Neither are the slices of bread that hold my grilled cheese sandwich together. Nightly bowls of cereal are a thing of the past. Rewiring our way of eating is not an easy feat. Nor is it a cheap one. Good quality foods are worth their price, but as prices increase, they add up fast. Fueling me to push on in this challenge is the commonly coined and almost cliche-ically muttered: You are what you eat.

Not to forget, family events are almost synonymous with eating, here in Hawaii. The rich delicacies of cultures brought together in one melting pot of a table are nearly impossible to resist. Each dish hiding its own secret recipe could be disastrous for the 30 day challenger. And of course there's Grandma, who will be absolutely devastated if you do not try a piece of her famous dish, loaded with no-nos. 

So as I continue through to the next leg of my journey, I invite you to come along and share these moments with me. God bless.