Cookie Dough. Paleo.

Yeah. You heard me. Cookie dough that's Paleo. PLUS there's no eggs in it. Which means my dad doesn't have to get all "You're gonna get salmonella" on me.

Paleo Cookie Dough

Ingredients
- 2 tbsp almond butter
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 2 tbsp dark chocolate chips
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-2 tsp honey
- 1/8 tsp sea salt

Instructions
1. Mix ingredients. In a bowl. With a spoon. Or a fork. I don't even care.
2. Chill it in the fridge for a bit.
3. Eat it like you mean it.

Note: I made a double batch. Because I'm a fatty.... NOT because I'm going to share with that guy I live with... Just kidding. I may give him some. I also didn't measure anything except the almond flour. I'm a really good cook. NOT.

Paleo Challenge: Day 5

I don't remember if I mentioned on Day 3... but that night I made my marinade and got the Jalapeno Dijon Chicken thighs soaking (that I cooked last night), and also rubbed a butt down to put in the crockpot for lunches. I threw it in before we went to bed last night, and woke up this morning to the smell of delicious, smoky meat. Planning ahead is essential. You can do Paleo on the fly, but it's much easier if you have a game plan and stick to it!

I'm in a class at work this week, so I don't have a lot of opportunity to eat like I normally would. I hate to be hungry... and I was hungry a lot yesterday during class. So I planned to eat a lot more than I normally would to get through the day without being "hangry."
 
Breakfast
I ate a couple of egg muffins before I left the house, and took my iced coffee with me to drink on the way. It's pretty delicious, even without the super-sweet creamers I typically enjoy!

Lunch
I was hungry by lunch time, so I hit a Mexican restaurant and orderd a steak fajita salad with extra guac. It was delicious and satisfying.

I wanted something "sweet" and still had some time to kill, so I stopped by Tropical Smoothie Cafe and got a Caribbean Carrot without any sweeteners. It was yummy, and gave me something to keep me awake during that little period after lunch when I tend to zone.

Dinner
When I got home with C I got straight to work making some Beasty BBQ Sauce to go with our Crockpot Pulled Pork. I've made this meat a few times now, but never took the time to make the sauce. It made a giant batch, and it has a really nice spicy/sweet flavor. C played pirate while I cooked! I was kinda hungry waiting on the sauce to simmer, so I made a bowl of avocado and tomato covered in salt and pepper and scarfed it.

I knew I had a little mayo left over from the chicken salad, so I picked up a bag of pre-shredded slaw mix and made an easy Paleo Coleslaw Dressing. It was a nice, simple meal, and C even ate a plateful of the meat!

After dinner Josh cut up a watermelon for me and I snacked on some. I'm a little knife-shy since my incident yesterday with the avocado. I swear I could eat half a watermelon by myself. I have to remove myself from the area when they're around!

Tomorrow that guy goes to work, and it's my last day of class... which also means I have a test. Wish me luck!

Paleo Challenge: Day 4

Sadly, the days that I'm at work I'll be unable to take photos of my meals. Cravings are getting fewer and farther between, and I'm down two pounds. Belly is noticeably less bloated, even though it still feels like I have fiery arrows embedded in my ovaries. Yay! Anyway, Day 4 looked something like this....

 

Breakfast

A couple of egg muffins and iced coffee with almond milk and stevia.

 

Lunch

Some of my curry chicken salad and fruit salad.

 

While I cooked dinner I snacked on some avocado and tomato. I nearly lost my finger in the process of slicing the avocado. It was worth it though.... those babies are YUM.

 

Dinner

This Jalapeno Dijon Chicken is the best grilled chicken EVER. It probably helped that I used a ton of super-fresh ingredients - like the jalapenos from my mom's garden, and the rosemary from my yard. I even grilled them myself... which was terrifying as always. I used boneless chicken thighs, and marinated mine for a full 24 hours. The flavor is ridiculous. You should try it.

 

Paleo Challenge: Day 2

Breakfast

I was pleasantly surprised to wake up to the smell of BACON! Josh had gone to the gym early, and cleaned the kitchen and cooked breakfast while C and I were still snoozing. I had brewed a cup of coffee the night before, mixed in a packet of stevia, and stuck it in the fridge. I had iced coffee with some almond milk mixed in for my breakfast. Next time I'll only use half the packet of stevia - that stuff is super sweet!

 

The bacon was super crispy... some of it was close to pork rinds! Ha! We ate it all, though... so it must not have been too bad!

After breakfast I got in the kitchen and started food prep for the week. While I was cooking these two were playing and watching the final heats of the CrossFit Regional events that were going on this weekend.

Fruit Salad
This fruit salad is so easy and delicious. Our friend Savanna makes it for our family get-togethers and I figured it would keep well through the first part of the week - if it lasts that long! Pick berries and fruits you like, mix them in a large bowl with the juice of one lime and a couple tablespoons of honey! Easy!

 

Veggies
I cut up some veggies to have for snacks throughout the week. Celery, cucumbers, and baby carrots are ready to go in the fridge to top salads or snack on!

 

Fudge Babies

Fudge Babies are like Larabar balls. They're really easy in terms of low ingredients, but be ready to get your hands dirty!

Chicken Salad & Paleo Mayo

I got tired of the chicken salad I normally make with balsamic, honey, grapes, and walnuts, and opted for this Curry Chicken Salad instead. I modified mine - recipe below!

Curry Chicken Salad
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets (boiled, drained, and torn into small pieces)
Paleo mayo (I used the majority of the recipe below, but had a little leftover, depends on how creamy you like it! Recipe I used below)
Raw cashews (chopped, I used about half a cup)
Raisins (small handful)
Celery (diced, about half a cup)
2 Tbsp curry powder
1/2 Tsp ground ginger
1/4 Tsp garlic powder
Salt & pepper to taste
Mix it all together and enjoy!

Paleo Mayo
1 large egg (bring to room temperature)
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/4 cup light tasting olive oil
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt

Bring egg to room temperature. In blender or food processor blend egg, 1/4 cup of oil, lemon juice, mustard, and salt until combined. Then, very slowly drizzle the remaining cup of oil in. Should take 2-3 minutes. If you go too fast it won't combine properly. Mayo expires when your eggs expire - so make a note!

Egg Muffins

These go quickly in my house... that guy I live with likes them a lot. I made 20 muffins this time, and they are just plain - egg, sausage, salt, pepper, and a little cayenne. No frills!

After I finshed my food prep, we went to the gym. Josh was doing this workout and I decided to join him:

1 mile run

60 pull-ups

1 mile run

I ran my mile in 9:15. At about my 20th pull-up (on the red band) I felt a really weird pull in my lower abdomen. Really awkward area to strain when doing an upper body intensive movement... so I can't figure out if it's muscle or something else. Mandy said it could have been from holding my breath.... which I tend to do on pull-ups. I finished 30 pull-ups so I'd have completed at least half of the workout, and by then it was so bad that I couldn't stand up straight and it was making me dizzy. We shall see how I feel tomorrow.

Dinner
Mom cooked us dinner, like she normally does on Sundays. I had thrown a pack of chicken tenderloins in some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and oregano before we headed over there so my dad could put them on the grill with the other chicken.We had grilled chicken breasts, and a ton of grilled veggies: cabbage, banana peppers, squash, and scallion. Everything but the cabbage was fresh from their garden and it was delicious! I snagged some jalapenos she'd picked for a recipe I'm making Tuesday. BONUS - she sent me home with some watermelon and leftovers from dinner!!!

Consider it pure joy!

I've had one of those weekends where you go to bed on Sunday feeling super accomplished and full of joy. My house is the cleanest it's been in three months, my fridge is full of healthy food, my body is on the mend (I hope) from walking pneumonia, and I have the happiest, craziest little boy on the planet.

I've been busy in the kitchen all weekend doing food prep for the week to keep us from stopping for fast food and eating out. I even projected a loose, month long meal plan so when I went grocery shopping on base with mom I could stock up on meats and pantry items. Score!

Some of my accomplishments:

Cooked Crockpot Beef Ribs for dinner Saturday night. Delicious! We had banana, peanut butter, dark chocolate soft serve for dessert.

Made some Paleo mayo, and then made chicken salad with it. It has seeded grapes in it. Which I bought on accident. You know how long it takes to half and seed a cup of grapes? As long as it takes to run a load of clothes through the gentle cycle.

Finally perfected the grain free English muffin.

Rearranged my supplement cabinet, C's medicine cabinet, and the spices/oils/vinegars cabinet (not pictured).

Made egg muffins for that guy.

Cut up a butternut squash. Twice. Which I'm counting as a workout. There's a reason they sell those suckers pre-cut.

And! C gave me a tiny shiner when he threw Josh's phone at my face Saturday night. Yay for rough little boys!

Pretending to be sweet...



To end, I'll hit you with my next verse. I'm behind, but I'll just do this as I'm able... to keep myself memorizing Scripture more frequently!

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance!

James 1:2-3

Trials are compliments from God... He's letting us know that we're strong and able - we just have to realize that, which is hard when you're in the weeds of the situation. Remember to take a step back and thank Him for the ability to overcome! That's where we find our strength.

Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf

If meatloaf was a woman, my husband would leave me for it. Promise. That guy LOVES meatloaf. I'm pretty sure he married me because one of my favorite things to cook is my mom's meatloaf. I was a little concerned when we started on this paleo adventure that not being able to cook his favorite foods such as meatloaf, white potatoes, hamburger steak, or anything else involving gravy or frying would result in our demise as a married couple. Fear not - PaleOMG is here!
 
Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf
 
Ingredients
 

1lb ground turkey

1 egg

3 tablespoons coconut flour or 1/2 cup almond flour/meal (I used coconut flour)

3-4 tablespoons hot sauce (I used Texas Pete)

2 stalks of celery, diced

1/4 small yellow onion, diced

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon celery salt

salt and pepper, to taste

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place all ingredients in a bowl and use your hands to mix thoroughly.
3. Plop mixture into two mini loaf pans OR one large loaf pan. I used my stone loaf pan from Pampered Chef = LOVE.
4. Bake for 25-35 or until loaf is completely cooked through.
5. I used the poke technique. Poke the meat, if it sinks in, like it’s uncooked, it probably is. Or you can use a handy-dandy meat thermometer and still be guessing if you're me!
6. Let cool and serve with something yum like roasted asparagus!

(it looks like a brick.... but it's a delicious brick....)

 

Homemade "Granola"

Another recipe that Joshwa found, that I executed. This is "grain-less" granola. A great snack, and worth the time and effort on a weekend to prepare to have ready for the week ahead.

Homemade "Granola"

Ingredients

Honey
Water (let me know if you have trouble finding this...)
Orange oil or extract (we got extract...)
Slivered almonds
Take your pick of additional options: seeds, nuts, dried fruits, coconut, etc.

This is a very flexible recipe. Use what you like. I used the almonds, walnuts, craisins, and sunflower seeds.

Directions

1. Heat some honey and a little water on the stove.
2. Add a few drops of orange extract.
3. Mix in your almonds and your other fillers. You want enough honey mixture to coat the ingredients and it be pretty sticky, but not so much that they're falling apart or swimming.
4. Grease a mini muffin tin. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cups so that they are overflowing. Then use your muscles to push the mixture tightly into the muffin cups. You may need to add more mix and press down again. It should be wedged in there pretty good.
5. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown.

*I'll be honest.... my mini muffins turned out great... but were a pain in the rear to get out of the pan. I had a little more mixture, so I threw it in some big muffin tins. The big muffins never would crisp all the way through. Next time I attempt this, I will more than likely roll the mix into balls and throw them on a baking sheet, just to see what happens!!

Frittata

Josh found this recipe on one of his Crossfit websites and asked me to make it for him... it's basically egg muffins in a 9x13" dish instead of muffin tins... but whatev, I figured I'd humor him.

Frittata

Ingredients

3 pieces of bacon, cooked (not super crispy... or you can use bacon bits...)
a bag of baby spinach
a big, red tomato, diced
a can of artichoke hearts, drained and diced
a dozen eggs
2 tbsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Wilt your spinach in a bowl by microwaving on high for about a minute, or until it's bright green and wilty looking. Squeeze out any excess water and pat dry between paper towels.
2. Lightly grease the bottom of your pan (casserole pan, 9x13... whatever you want) and sprinkle the bacon, spinach, tomatoes, and artichoke hearts along the bottom.
3. In a bowl, beat your eggs and mix in your paprika, salt, and pepper.
4. Pour the egg mixture slowly over the other ingredients.
5. Bake at 375 degrees or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.... about 30-35 minutes, but is really dependant on how much "filling" you use in your frittata.
6. Cut into squares and serve! You can do the same thing with this as the egg muffins... store them in the fridge for an easy, on-the-go breakfast option!

before the egg 

after baking

Banana Soft-serve

If you love bananas, you'll like this recipe. If you love icecream, you'll LOVE this recipe. My Crossfit coaches have limited me to one banana a day... so it's hard for me to fit this in since I really really really like to eat a banana and peanut butter either for breakfast or before my workout. BUT every now and then we do this as a treat. Josh liked it, and we didn't give it to Carter for fear of his potassium creeping above his new normal which is on the low end of normal's normal. Does that make sense? Maybe not. But we try to keep him away from banana either way. Anywayssss... this recipe right here:

Ingredients
Banana
Delicious, fun, paleo-rific toppings such as dark chocolate chips, shredded coconut, honey, nuts, nut butter

Directions
1. Cut up a banana. Put it in a ziploc bag or a tupperware. Put it in the freezer. Let it get good and frozen.
2. You can probably do this in a blender, too... I'm not sure. I put my banana(s) in the food processor and let it whirl until it's nice and smooth. You can even add a little almond or coconut milk if it's not a consistency you love with just the straight up banana.
3. Add your toppings and consume!!!

This is really a super treat to make if you just really need an icecream fix but don't want to fall off the wagon and end up at DQ like we do sometimes..... or eating/drinking something like this.....

 

 (The cupcakes were for our Cupcake Wars fundraiser for the Booster Club. That's homemade peanut butter icing that would make you slap yo' momma! The Mountain Dews are evidence of a very weak moment for me and

Josh during a trip to Publix.... yes.... those are 20oz cans.)

Cinnamon Chipotle Sliders

This recipe is brought to you courtesy of PaleOMG! Delicious, tiny burgers with yummy toppings. So much flavor.
 
Cinnamon Chipotle Sliders
 
Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef

2 tablespoons cinnamon

1.5 tablespoons garlic powder

1.5 tablespoons onion powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon chipotle red pepper

1/4 teaspoon paprika

salt and pepper, to taste

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1 package of thinly sliced mushrooms

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon coconut oil

 

Directions

1. Grab a large mixing bowl and add your beef and spices. Mix well to combine
2. Heat a medium skillet up and add your coconut oil. Add in your onions and stir a bit to help cover the onions in oil, then add a tablespoon or so of water and cover to help steam the onions.
3. As the onions begin to brown, grab out a large skillet and add your olive oil to warm up under medium-high heat for your sliders.
4. Form your sliders into small patties. Mine were about 2-3 inches wide once I pressed them down. Add to hot skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes on both sides.
5. As the sliders are cooking, keep stirring around the onions to help make sure they don’t burn. When they have cooked for about 6-8 minutes, add mushrooms and re-cover with a tablespoon of water.
6. Once the sliders are done cooking, set them aside while you finish the onions and mushrooms.
7. Once the mushrooms and onions are almost cooked through, add your balsamic vinegar and mix to combine.
8. Top your cooked sliders off with some ground mustard and the onions and mushrooms. Serve with something yummy like sweet potato wedges!

 

Honey Ginger Apple Shredded Pork

Again, PaleOMG!!! Have I told you how much I love my crockpot? This recipe was delcious.

Hony Ginger Apple Shredded Pork

Ingredients

2lb pork shoulder roast (or any other roast you prefer)

1 yellow onion, sliced

2 apples, cored and sliced

2/3 cup beef or chicken broth OR water

1 tablespoon raw honey

2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger (use ground ginger if you don’t have fresh on hand)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

1 bay leaf

 

 

Directions

1. Pull out your crockpot.
2. Add your broth or water, then onions, then pork, then apples then all your spices/garlic clove/and bay leaf.
3. Cover.
4. Cook for 8-10 hours on low or 6-8 hours on high.
5. Use tongs or a fork to shred your pork.
6. Serve with some roasted veggies!

 

 

Brownie Batter Pancakes

We're big fans of breakfast for dinner. This is a recipe from PaleOMG... love her food! Josh really loves these... I don't understand, but I don't like the consistency of these paleo pancakes I've made so far.

Brownie Batter Pancakes

Ingredients
For the pancakes

1 banana, peeled

2 egg whites

1 whole egg

2 tablespoons Coconut Flour

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon agave or raw honey (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

 

For the toppings

handful of strawberries, diced

1/4 cup Coconut Cream Concentrate or 1/4 cup homemade coconut butter (I didn't have either of these, so I subbed coconut milk... the canned kind found in the Asian food section of your grocery store)

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon agave or raw honey

 

Instructions

1. In a food processor or blender add your banana and pulse until completely broken down into a soupy paste.
2. Add your egg whites and egg and pulse again to combine.
3. Add all of the rest of your pancake ingredients and pulse to thoroughly combine.
4. Heat up a large skillet under medium heat, grease with a bit of coconut oil, and add your pancake batter to the hot skillet with a spoon.
5. Flip pancakes when you begin to see bubbles forming on the top surface of the pancakes. The smaller they are, the shorter amount of time they will take to cook so keep on eye on them.
6. While your pancakes cook, mix your coconut cream concentrate, cocoa powder, and honey/agave. Place in microwave if needed to mix thoroughly into a paste.
7. Once your pancakes are finished, top with your strawberries and "syrup" and serve with other breakfast-y foods!

 

(this picture was from the first time I made these, and I didn't make the "syrup")

 

2 Ingredient Pancake

This recipe could change your life... or at least your breakfast. I'm actually not a huge fan of it. Not sure why. But check it out, hopefully you will be!

2 Ingredient Pancake

Ingredients: get ready for this... it's a doozy
a large egg
a small banana
some cinnamon (optional)

 

Directions:

Blend together your ingredients. I used my immersion blender to get it really smooth. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Coat with cooking spray or coconut oil. Pour your batter in and let it cook sloooooowly. When it's all bubbly on top, and the edges pull up easily, give it a flip. Let it finish cooking through. Top with your favorite nut butter and consume!

 

Cilantro Chicken Nuggets

I made this one night and my mom came over for dinner. She was surprised that she liked them! This is another PaleOMG recipe. I also cut some zucchini/carrots into thin strips and roasted them in olive oil. This meal has kind of an Asian flare, and turned out really well.

 

Cilantro Chicken Nuggets

 

Ingredients:

For the nuggets

• 1lb ground chicken
• 1 egg, whisked
• 1 bundle of cilantro, chopped
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1/2 cup Coconut Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1-2 tablespoons Coconut Oil

For the dipping sauce

• 1/4 cup Coconut Aminos (I didn't have this, so I subbed soy sauce)
• 1/8 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon ground stone mustard (from the bottle/container-not powder)
• 1 teaspoon Raw Honey

Instructions

1. Mix all of your nugget ingredients together: ground chicken, egg, cilantro, scallions, sesame oil, ginger, and salt and pepper.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil.
3. Place your coconut flour in a shallow bowl.
4. Make small balls from your nugget mixture, “nugget sized” and place each nugget in the coconut flour (being sure to only lightly dust the nuggets) then place in your skillet.
5. Use a spatula to slightly flatten out each nugget.
6. Cook on both sides for 5-7 minutes or until cooked through.
7. While your nuggets cook, mix your dipping sauce ingredients together.
8. Enjoy!

 

 

24DC: Days 5-7

Sorry for the delay! Our computer has been down, so I've been unable to blog. I probably won't be able to remember everything I ate... but I'll try my best!

Day 5 (Friday)
Breakfast: strawberry/banana smoothie with almond milk

Lunch: sesame chicken and fried rice... with soy sauce! What was I thinking? I caved. I need rice in my life. I didn't eat all of it.
Dinner: steak fajitas... again, I had a few chips... nothing crazy.


Day 6 (Saturday)
Breakfast: banana with peanut butter (this was around 10:30a!)
Lunch: I wasn't really hungry... so I had a granola thin
Snack: my hungry kicked in. I bought a bunch of bananas at Sam's, and ate one when we got in the car. Then we went to tropical smoothie and I had a Pomegranate Plunge with Splenda. Yum!
Dinner: hamburger patties with homemade guac and Grilled Chili Lime Sweet Potato Wedges
I forgot to get a picture! We grilled half and baked the other half just to see which we liked better. Definitely liked the crispy-ness of the grilled ones! We'll be making this again, for sure.


Day 7 (Today, Sunday!)
Breakfast: strawberry/blueberry/banana smoothie with almond milk

Strawberry/Blueberry/Banana Smoothie

1c frozen whole strawberries

1/4c blueberries

1 banana

Unsweetened almond milk (enough to make it your desired texture)


Throw it all in the blender and let it go! Isn't it a pretty color?

Lunch: I had some roasted turkey lunch meat before I left the house, and then some celery and peanut butter when I got to mom's.
Snack: Breakdown. We went through BK so I could get some sweet potato fries... I got their $1 BK Bacon Burger as well... wouldn't have been so bad if I had ordered it plain. It was loaded with mayo. Blecgh.
Dinner: Mom's cooking roast and vegetables! I can't wait! I'm a little hungry right now. There's a pan of brownies on the counter that I'm trying my hardest to ignore!

24DC: Day 4

Day 4 food

Breakfast: No fiber drink today! Yay! I took my probiotic restore pills, and was a happy girl! I wasn't super hungry, and didn't feel like a meal replacement shake again, so I whipped up a peach/banana smoothie.

Peach Banana Smoothie
1 1/2 c frozen peach slices
1 banana
Unsweetened almond milk (enough to make it your desired texture)

Throw it all in the blender and let it go! This had a super mild flavor... tomorrow I may try something more exotic. Ha.

Lunch: leftover Bacon Wrapped Chicken Skewers and Mango Drizzle
Snack: Carter and I went into town to get out of the house, and I was thirsty so we hit Chick-fil-a. I had a diet lemonade and a fruit cup... he had french fries. I was jealous.
Dinner: Mom and I took Carter to Cracker Barrel. I had the grilled chicken tenderloins, baby carrots, and green beans. I've had a killer sweet tooth today, so I had fried apples, too. Shame on me.
Snack: I still had a huge craving for something sweet, so I stopped by Winn Dixie for a beautiful bunch of green bananas. I'm one of those weirdos that likes my bananas really firm... I love when they still have a little green on them! I scarfed one with peanut butter when we made it back to mom's.

This was a hard day, guys! I don't know what the deal is with my sugar craving today... maybe being at home all day? Anyway, I know I messed up with the Splenda in the lemonade and the fried apples... I saw a shirt with this on it, though, and it shall be my motto.

100% Paleo

80% of the time

I'm back to work tomorrow, and will more than likely go out for lunch - hopefully I'll stay on track! We're trying a couple new recipes tomorrow night, so check back for those. Y'all have a happy Friday!

24DC: Day 3

Today's food is exciting... brace yourself! Besides the grapes... those weren't very exciting...

Breakfast: Fiber drink with orange juice; I was NOT feeling a meal replacement shake today... so I made two scrambled eggs and a sausage patty, and then I sipped an iced coffee made with Stevia and almond milk on my way to work - yum!
Snack: a banana with a huge blob of peanut butter
Lunch: leftover Crockpot Cuban Pork and slaw
Snack: grapes and a Spark... and then Shannon gave me Rehydrate to try after my workout... pretty tasty!
Dinner: Another great recipe from PaleOMG! Bacon Wrapped Chicken Skewers with Mango Drizzle. These were delicious, despite Josh's grill being crappy and catching on fire. Some of our bacon was extra crispy, but still good! We just dipped into the sauce, which is a perfect combination of sweet, tangy mango and honey, and spicy red pepper. We had roasted asparagus to round out the meal.

My friend Michael gave us this super-awesome-ridiculously-amazing Kitchenaid food processor. I used it for the first time tonight to make the mango drizzle. I'm a kitchen tool fanatic... I have just about every Pampered Chef item under the sun. This is going to make my life so easy!

Josh loved this dish! For those of you thinking about delving into the world of Paleo eating... know that our grocery bill has been about $40-$50 lower per week. Also, we tend to have leftovers alot more often. Josh and I both are eaters, but the quality of the food you put in your body makes a difference as to when you're full! We're not only saving money on groceries, but also eating out less often, further decreasing the amount of money we spend on food!

Carter even tried the asparagus! The chicken had a little too much kick with the curry powder for us to feel comfortable giving it to him. We're starting to eat at the table as a family more often, especially now that he's so interested in eating.

Tomorrow will probably be a boring food day. I'll be home with Carter, and Josh will be at work, so no fun-delicious-inspiring new recipes will be made. I've got a good one planned for Friday, though! I won't get to go to the box tomorrow, but may get out in the driveway and do a WOD while Carter naps if I get a wild hair. I felt better during today's Guts workout... but it didn't involve a ton of cardio... I just sweat (sweated?...idk...) about 5 gallons. I even felt good enough to practice double-unders after I finished the WOD! Must've been that giant glob of peanut butter this morning...