Simple and Clean/ Paleo Lunch

A common question people have when wondering about a paleolithic diet, or especially how to follow it 1. on a budget and 2. when you have small children and a family and need simple meals, is what do you eat. (see # 3).  

This was literally "thrown together" in a pinch for lunch today, because I had two small children running circles around my feet, ready for their lunch and some rest time, soon.

I took frozen Ahi tuna from Trader Joe's and thawed it in cold water as I went to pick the kids up from school. Next I sauteed the tuna in ghee (clarified butter- you could do coconut or olive oil in place of butter) , coconut aminos (some people use regular liquid aminos but I try to really limit soy), and fresh squeezed lemon juice. I put this over organic romaine lettuce and drizzled it with olive oil, coconut aminos, and lemon juice. Lastly I cut a whole hothouse cucumber up and served it on the side. 

Between all the protein from the tuna, and the fat from the ghee and olive oil, and the fiber from the veggies, I won't be hungry again until supper.  

Try it. Enjoy it!  Eating clean makes you feel great!    

Paleo FAQ's

This is my attempt to try to be concisely informative.  The concise part is where I'm going to struggle, be forewarned.

I could talk for hours about the paleolithic diet and lifestyle, so if you have more questions or want to chat more about it, please leave a comment or contact me directly!  It's one of my favorite subjects.
Also, there's a whole section of posts labeled Paleo if you want to click there and read all the posts I've written about Paleo. (some of them do not directly address food, but lifestyle, because Paleo is not a diet, but a way of life.)

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1. Why did you "go Paleo"?

Originally, nearly three years ago, it was a means for cleaner eating, to lose weight, and feel better.  The more research I did about it, I learned that it is the best way of eating for autoimmune disorders, so we set out to get serious with it (because I have an autoimmune disorder that sucks and is very difficult to control).  

2. What is Paleo?

It's a lifestyle that resembles the lifestyle of the cavemen, prior to the introduction of agriculture, over 15,000 years ago.  A day in the life of a cavemen looked like this : you eat only what you could hunt or gather, in respective proportions.  A diet high in meat and vegetables, with some nuts and seeds, and little fruit.  You move around all day, spend lots of time outdoors, work hard and play hard, and sleep a lot.  The modern version is to avoid all chemicals and processed items and everything artificial.  Work your body out.  The cavemen would walk around all day hunting and gathering, occasionally having to lift very heavy objects, and sometimes sprint to get away from the lion chasing them.  *Everyone who follows Paleo does it a little bit different, and everyone is very passionate about the way they follow it*

3. What do you eat?

The quick version with our typical eats.  I'm hoping to be able to write in more detail about this soon (meal plans, shopping lists, etc. ) For more detailed daily eats, check out previous posts here, here, here, and here 

Breakfast:
- eggs and bacon with sauteed veggies (sub out the bacon for sausage or ham. go for organic or at least no preservatives and all natural if possible)
-egg muffins or egg casserole (essentially eggs, meat and veggies mixed together and baked in muffin tins. Recipe to come)
-smoothie (recipe here. and here.)

Lunch:
-Meat (get crazy with it. bake chicken for 30 minutes in the oven. Deli Meat. Canned Tuna. Fresh fish. etc.)
-Vegetables (sauteed, broiled, baked, raw, salad, go ahead. Get.crazy.)
-Maybe some nuts and seeds.
-I love to eat cucumbers b/c I have a thing for crunchy foods, so I eat probably one a day.

Snacks And Dinner- same as lunch. I just mix and match.

4. How do you follow this diet with young children?

-We started eating this way when the twins were around six months old.  So starting them young has accustomed them to a certain way of eating.  But they know that what we put in front of them is what we're offering them to eat.

5. How do you follow this diet on a budget?
-I typically shop at Trader Joe's once a week.  I just go in and make my rounds.  By now I could make our weekly shopping trip with my eyes closed.  And TJ's prices are very reasonable for what they have to offer (foods without preservatives, organic options, nitrate free meat options)

6. What do you do when you need a meal in a pinch?
-We don't follow this strictly at 100% b/c it just isn't realistic for where we are in life.  Perhaps over time we'll be able to move into that, but for now, if one meal isn't fully Paleo, we just make the best decision for the time if we're in a pinch. Yes we eat out and yes we eat pizza and pasta and ice cream on vacation or at holiday get togethers.

7. Doesn't it take up a lot of time?
- It really can.  One thing I found easy is to make a meal plan each week, go grocery shopping for the week, have easy breakfast and lunch options that require little prep or cooking.  Often at supper I will just pop the meat and vegetables in a baking dish with seasonings and coconut oil, and bake it for 30 minutes. And supper is done.
-Other ways to make it easier is on the weekends to prepare several meals for the week.  (Grill a whole package of chicken that you can use through the week, make a huge pot of soup, a huge crockpot meal, a whole batch of egg muffins and an egg casserole)

8. What are the benefits? For me, it's a means of  controlling my autoimmune disease.  For all of us, the more closely we stick to it, we all are in better moods, our behaviors are nicer and not as wild (think three year olds) , weight management, clear thinking, clear skin, longevity.   This really could be a very lengthy topic.  Essentially, I can almost guarantee you that if you are struggling with something (depression, anxiety, weight, irritability, IBS, etc etc etc.... the paleolithic diet and lifestyle would dramatically improve whatever your struggle is. Please feel free to chat more with me about this.)

Green Smoothie. Preschooler Tested. Preschooler Approved.

Feeling tired?

Feeling like you've got a cold or some other sickness knocking on your door?

Feeling simply blah and want to feel a power punch of health?

Over vacation, we drank a lot of power smoothies. I love to feed my family high quality, clean, nutrient packed meals, but let's be honest. When there's only one of me during an average week... we're still working on finding a routine that is simplified and flowing.  So, on vacation, I find myself cooking or preparing meals and snacks much more often than I do at home, because I love to do it and have the time. And it's truly restful to me to get creative in the kitchen!  Recipe at bottom of post.  

Recipe
1 whole avocado
4 packets Stevia
3 cups fresh raw spinach
3 cups Unsweetened almond milk
2 cups frozen fruit. (I use a mixture of blueberries, cherries, strawberries, bananas, oranges, pineapple)

I like to layer the ingredients to make sure I get a good mix.

1. Peel and slice the avocado and fruit.
2. Chop or tear the spinach into tiny pieces. 

3. Layer as follows :fruit, spinach, 1 packet of stevia, avocado. Repeat for at least 3 layers.

4. Pour the almond milk over top.

Blend on high until there are no pieces of fruit or spinach left.  Makes 4 servings.

Pour and enjoy.

Hey Good Lookin

Whatcha got cookin....

The Perfect Omlet
Step by step, with photos; full recipe at the end of post.

Fry up a package of bacon (or sausage). While cooking the meat, dice fresh green peppers, onions, and spinach.  (Play around with this and use your favorite vegetables)

In the bacon (or sausage) grease, lightly sautee the onions and bell peppers.  Put biscuits in the oven.

 It takes less than a minute for the spinach to wilt, so toss it in last and mix it with the other vegetables quickly, them remove the vegetables and place on a plate. 

Take a milk break. With your adorable bed-head. 

Dice the cooked bacon, grab your eggs and shredded cheese.

Share a piece of bacon with your adorable toe-head.

Crack the eggs, mix them together, then pour in the pan. 

Cover the eggs with the cheese. 

Let the eggs and cheese cook for a hot minute while you pull the biscuits out of the oven. 

Share a biscuit with the cute little boy.  

Place the diced bacon and sauteed vegetables on one side of the omlet.  

Continue to let the cheese melt while you share another piece of bacon with the precious little begger girl. 

Fold the half without bacon and vegetables over.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Then slide the omelet out of the pan and onto your plate.  Enjoy!

And there you have, the. perfect. omelet.

And if you don't count the cheese and biscuits, it's totally paleo.  

The Perfect Omelet

1/4 fresh green pepper

1/4 fresh onion

1 cups fresh spinach

3 slices of bacon

3 eggs

1/4 cup shredded cheese

1. Fry bacon until crispy

2. While the bacon is frying, dice up your pepers, onions, and spinach

3. Remove cooked bacon from pan, toss the peppers and onions in the bacon grease and lightly sautee. 

4. While vegetables are cooking, dice up the bacon. 

5. Toss the spinach in last, toss with the other vegetables, and quickly remove. It wilts quickly and you don't want to overcook it. 

6. Crack eggs in a bowl and whisk together. Pour egg mixture into frying pan.  Let eggs cook on low for one minute.

7. Sprinkle the cheese over the egg mixture (saving a small sprinkle's worth) and let cook for one minute. 

8. Top one half with the bacon, then the vegetables.  Let cook until the cheese is melted.  

9. Fold the half without the filling over the bacon and vegetables.  Sprinkle the last of the cheese over.  Let cook for one minute. 

10.  Carefully slide your perfect omelet onto your place.  Enjoy with biscuits and grits.  And sweet tea.  Or a mimosa. Or long island iced tea. Or coffee.  You get the picture.

Important Aside:  Please don't miss your chance for a free design for your blog! Giveaway ends April 12!  

Retirement

So I decided to splurge. These are our side by side retirement homes I just purchased. Friends and family, please come visit anytime. 

You can find us sleeping in late, with the windows open, listening to the ocean breezes. Sipping coffee on the deck in a rocking chair while we enjoy the tides. Spending our days reading and writing on the beach, and fishing, and boating in the waters. Our evenings sitting by the surf with white wine until dusk, then cooking the fresh caught fish for supper.

Easy. Breezy. Dreamy.

Back to reality....but really....that was an awesome daydream. Check out my Pintrest board titled "Retirement " where I've been inspired to plan for an early retirement. Starting ASAP.

Happy daydreams y'all ;)

Day 3

Breakfast for everyone today was identical to yesterday.  
Lunch today was a treat!  We've gotten into a cherished routine of having lunch at our friends' house most Wednesdays. 

All 5 of our kids together one day going to the park.  Love this car-ful of joy!

The kids all enjoy eating lunch and playing together while my friend and I get to catch up for a little bit!  It's such a blessing to my children and I, not only to have this fun time almost every week, but just to be friends with this family.  C. Daddy and I are super excited about our adult's only double date this weekend with said friend and her husband (our husbands actually grew up together, so we met through the guys at church one evening, and we've developed such a close friendship over four years, but our husbands never get to see each other because we are usually hanging out together for play dates, etc. while our husbands are at work!) 

So lunch at her house was sweet potatoes with honey, crockpot chicken, and a delicious crazy named apple (something along the lines of Kiku) that I'd never heard of, but it was so sweet and good!  YUM!  A soul warming meal on a rainy day.  Or maybe it was the company that was soul warming.  Good food and good company combined are just balm for the soul. 

The kiddos ate smoothie popsicles and chicken nuggets and pears for lunch.  Cave Daddy's lunchbox had in it : nitrate free turkey deli meat, preservative free bread and butter pickles, a boiled egg, green beans, and a fruit salad that I made for him!  I just cut up oranges, apples, and bananas and added pineapple juice to keep the fruit from turning color.  He loved it!  Honestly, I loved making it for him.  Yall know I love to feed healthy stuff to my family and it makes me so happy when they love to eat it! 
Supper was leftovers from Monday night.  C. Daddy and I have a philosophy about leftovers.  Most of them get better over time because the flavors have had more time to meld together.  This was one of those dishes.  S.A.V.O.R.Y.

A lot going on.  Review that recipe, but what you're seeing is basically onions,
cabbage, chicken, cooked in seasonings, preserves, and tomato relish. 

 The Cave babies ate homemade trail mix, and popsicle smoothies.  This week, some of my favorite moments so far have been lots of snuggling and cuddling with the babies, seeing a dishwasher that has been emptied before I get out of bed, and coffee made, sweet hugs, kisses and "I love you"'s from my man, and lots of time reading books and making crafts with the babies.  Its been rainy and chilly outside, which doesn't make a nice combination for outdoor play with toddlers.  One or the other, we can handle, but combine them and someone gets sick. 
I have been enjoying Ann Voskamp's blog and especially her Joy Dare. The blog has been very encouraging and convicting to me as a Christian wife and mother.  The Joy Dare has been helping me to change my perspective and retrain my mind.  I have loved reading what other's find their joy in also. 
Today's Joy Dare: 3 Gifts Found Behind a Door Today
Me:
1. My Warm Monkey Woman Jacket!
2. Babies in their beds after naps
3. My husband coming home after work. 

Happy birthday to my big sister today!  

30 Day Paleo Challenge Update

Well folks, today is officially 30 days since I began our 30 day Paleo challenge!!  Recap.

Let me preface this by saying that this was by far from a normal month for our family.  I had some really difficult emotional "stuff" that hit the fan, so I can't say that I experienced a great 30 day challenge.  That said, now that I am coming out on the other side of that, I am planning to keep up with the challenge. Im really hoping to do a "Whole 30" which you can read about at The Whole 30.  I have been wanting to do this since the fall but haven't had the self control to complete one yet.  If anyone is interested, I would love an accountability partner!! 

Overall, I would say I followed the Paleo lifestyle at about 80%.  The main reason I didn't follow it more closely was simply that I buckled under pressure and stress many times!  But, I really know now the difference that I feel when I don't Paleo, so I am hoping that next month I can make better choices and follow it closer to 90% and then maybe I can get in a Whole 30! 

I am trying to give myself grace and just remember that life and eating styles are a marathon, not a sprint, and this is about a lifestyle change.  It doesn't help that as I am writing this recap, I've spent the last 2 days in bed, with the exception of a visit to the doctor to find out that I have 3 infections, one that would've quickly landed me in the hospital had my dear friend and sister not kindly encouraged me to "let the doctor have a look at you today...." after explaining my symptoms.  Im one of those nurses.  I had planned to just lay in bed and "rest it off..."

So, overall, there have been a lot of abnormal extracurricular happenings this month that have really not given me the best chances for a great Paleo challenge.  So, here starts another 30 day Paleo Challenge, and I will check back in another 30 days with how it has gone!  And if anyone wants to be an accountability partner for me with a Whole 30, please let me know!! 

Its the Simple Things in Life

It really is.  Also, if you don't know this about me already, you'll figure it out pretty quickly.  If I'm having a difficult time expressing myself in words, I usually will go to songs (usually country songs) and pull lyrics out to express what I am trying to say.  I love country music because of the way it exposes real life in such a raw form.  The title of this post is from a Kenny Chesney song.  LOVE HIM! 
So anyways.  The simple things in my life.  Our days have a pretty routine flow to them, and for that I am thankful.  I thrive on routines and schedules.  I don't do well without a plan.  That's why I was an ICU nurse before I was a full time mom of twins/housewife/etc. I had my little routine mapped out that I followed day in and day out.  Now of course there were plenty, sometimes it seemed like most, days that were totally chaotic and nothing happened according to my plan, but that aspect of a routine has followed me into this season of life. Back then I had to prioritize and time manage or you'd never last in an ICU setting.  I remember when my babies were, well, tiny babies, and saying that God prepared me to be a stay at home mother of twins by having me be an ICU nurse first.  There's a lot of planning and time management and prioritization skills necessary to raise twins when you have the same amount of resources that we do.  And most days I still feel a little lot crazy, and am constantly having to review and change the "routine" and priorities. 
The routine flow of the days we have right now is school in the morning for Bam and Pebbles.  I typically get a shower and dressed/made up for the day before I take them, and on a really good day, Cave Daddy and I get to have a cup of coffee and either read or talk by the fire before they wake up.

While dropping off, I find myself seriously blessed to have a 5-10 min sweet conversation with one or two of the other moms, that always leaves me feeling very encouraged. While they are at school, I usually spend the first half of the week getting errands/shopping done, and the second half of the week catching up on laundry and dishes :>)  After school we usually get a short but wonderful visit with a good friend for a few minutes, (and a lot of times on Wednesdays we get a long visit and lunch with her and her children, and my kids and I are always changed for the better for the time we've spent with them!) then we have lunch and the babies nap.  During naps I just get stuff done- whatever I need to get done without the help of toddlers, I do during naptime.  That might be a nap one day, prepping meals one day, healing heart wounds the next day, paying bills, dusting, whatever the pressing needs of the day are that I need to do alone, I do while the babies sleep. And this is almost always when I have my "quiet time", my time alone in God's word.
After naps we do snacktime, laundry (they help and love it) and sometimes dishes.  We always do something "fun" for some part of the time between naps and when I start cooking supper.  If I can help it whatsoever, that "fun" time is outdoors time.  Lots of days its the playground, some days its walking around the neighborhood.  When its time to cook the babies just play around the house, then Daddy gets home! The evening routine is like every other parent of toddlers I am sure (play with Dad, eat supper, take baths, read books, and bedtime). 
This weekend has been especially good.  Friday night the kiddos got to spend the night with their grandparents.  I didn't even tell them until after naps Friday because I knew they'd be so geared up with excitement.  And they were.  They just kinda started screaming their grandparent's names and running around the house with laughter and excitement and smiles when I told them they were spending the night over there.  Cave Daddy and I went on a quiet little date for Greek food and red wine, then came home and made a pallet on the den floor to sleep by our warm fire :>) Thats one of those memories I'll tuck away deep in my heart to pull out on the bad days, and on the good days.
  In college, one of my best friends/roommates and I were both nurses and working night shift.  Many, many days, we would come home around 8 am and eat Ramen noodles, or, I have no idea what, light a candle that smelled like something baking in the oven, turn on a movie, and make an awesome pallet, and sleep til 5 pm when it was time to get up and go to work again.  Can you tell that I really do have the best moments in life tucked in my heart, and never forget them? 
Saturday morning Cave Daddy and I went goose hunting.  It was 32 degrees outside when were getting dressed at 5 am.  Good thing I figured out a long time ago how to dress for that weather when it came to early morning, long distance runs.  I think I had 5 upper body layers and 3 lower body layers, plus his insulated hunting boots.  I was NOT cold but quite comfortable.  It was another exhilarating experience for me, just to sit on the water and watch all the shades of color changing over the pond.  I got some amazing pictures, that I am going to have to post separately.  Wait for it!  We did not bring home a goose today- but we brought home great memories. Call us cavemen, but our hunting trips really are a great time of bonding for us :>)
After the hunt we picked up the kiddos, came home and napped.  After naps, we took the kids to the zoo.  The zoo is currently not only my kids favorite place, but because they love it so much, I now do, simply because I love watching their fascination.
That evening we grilled bacon wrapped goose, venison tenderloins, home cooked sweet potato fries, and had a salad on the side, with homemade honey mustard dressing.  Spending so much time outdoors on Saturday really noticed a difference in all of our demeanors and energy levels/ moods. What a great Saturday for this family.

Our little cave people kept begging for "more goose!"  I love to hear those words coming out of their mouth.  They also tore up the venison.  One thing I have learned with toddlers is that, it might take a bit of time for them, but they will eventually learn to eat what you serve them and develop taste buds for new things!
Coming soon on the blog, photography from our hunt, full recipe for our breakfast smoothie that includes measurements, and a recipe for my favorite sorbet!  Happy Monday yall!  Don't forget that laughing and being thankful improves your mood by 25% immediately!!

Pirducken

Saturday evening , I prepared a Pirduckin for Sunday supper.  We invited Cave Daddy's parents and my mom over to share the experience that we were very excited about!  I made ours with Duck, Goose, Chicken, and Pork.  I did not make it the fully traditional way, though after discovering how fun and easy it was to prepare, and how amazingly delicious it was, next time I am going all out and making it the totally traditional way.
What I did:  First, deboned the duck (bought a whole duck from Whole Foods), next split a goose breast in half and placed inside the duck, the split two chicken breast in half and placed inside the goose, then placed 5 small pork loin chops inside the chicken.  You can see here where I next wrapped the entire Pirducken with cooking twine.  I seasoned each layer of meat, plus the outside of the meat with sea salt, pepper, italian herbs, and olive oil.  I let this marinate overnight until around 2:30 on Sunday afternoon.  When it came time to cook, I slow roasted it on 350* for about 3 hours (until the internal temp had reached 165*) , then it rested in the oven on 175* for the last hour while we waited for our supper guests to arrive.  I baked it seam side down and each hour I basted it with the juices that were cooking out.  I also had a pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven while this was roasting to keep the oven moist.

The finished masterpeice!

 For side dishes, we had collards that I cooked in the stock I made from the duck bones, plus added some bacon drippings and bacon pieces to, and my mom brought some yummy salads from Whole Foods.  Cave Daddy's parents came over also, and for dessert we had  ice cream that I made with my ice cream maker using only coconut milk (30 oz), stevia (1/3 c), and vanilla extract (2 tsp), with strawberries on top. YUM!
This meal was delicious, and our company was very impressed with it, as we were.  We haven't stopped talking about it yet.  It turned out.  You gotta try it.  It was really hilarious to hear Bam Bam asking for "more goose" from her high chair!

Pirducken.  By layer: Duck, goose, chicken, pork.

Wish every weekend was like this!

I don't even know where to start with what a great weekend we had.  Cave Daddy made plans with his parents to have the kids sleepover at their house last night, so I took them to the park after naps yesterday (along with the other 300 moms and their children whom were there), and we played for about an hour before heading to Gigi and Pops'!  Bam Bam got Clowney tackled by a pack of 6-8 year olds and I was that mom who was ripping the older boys off him and tossing them to the side, because my baby boy was on the bottom of the pile of a bunch of big boys!  If you are the mother to any of those boys, I apologize, but seriously, he got hit hard and I seriously was just trying to get to him to check his neurological status at that point.  Turns out the worst thing that happened to him was his shoe fell off during the tackle and he was terribly upset about that.  Fun day at the park in this beautiful spring weather here in SC!  We rode around with the windows down and loved it.

After dropping the kids off, Cave Daddy and I took advantage of our evening off and went to dinner at Za's.  I almost had a panic attack driving there, because in the past I've always gotten the spinach artichoke dip and chips for an app and the shrimp scampi for a meal, and we almost always get dessert when we go out.  But I'm supposed to be doing 30 days of Paleo....I had some serious internal arguments and deliberation amongst myself on the ride about "I'll just have a cheat meal, it's fine".... "but gluten seriously makes me feel so awful and I feel so terrible when I eat meals with gluten and dairy in it, after the fact...." "but I love that food....ahhhh....".  It was an incredibly empowering experience to make healthy choices at dinner that still were delicious.  We had seared tuna for an app and I had the Greek salad with blackened salmon...and it was SO good!  I felt so much better today than I would have had I chosen the first option.  Just another reminder that I can make healthy decision, and that the reason that I do, is because I feel better when I do and I am happier.


I will post about our morning in the next post.  It's one of it's own.  Let's just say it was a wonderful part of the weekend, enough so to deserve it's own post.  On our way to pick up the kids, we grabbed lunch at Zoe's. I had the Greek salad with chicken (I will never get tired of Greek salad) and Cave Daddy had a a Greek Chicken Pita with a side Greek Salad (we all know the pita wasn't Paleo.... ) After we picked the kids up, we all came home and napped.  After naps we just played outside for a few hours.  The kids and I walked up and down the street and visited with all the neighbors.  Which is one of my favorite things about our street.  There is so much camaraderie amongst everyone on the street.  It's wonderful to watch them all watch our children grow up, to see everyone pitch in and help us raise our children, and to hear our kids shouting hellos to everyone by name as we stop to visit and chat.  When the weather is nice, nearly half the neighbors are out, either in the street, or congregated in one or two of the yards.  It is seriously unique and something we never want to give up.  I could go on and on about all the kind things that everyone does for one another on a regular basis to help each other out in a time of need.  If we ever move, we're taking everyone with us.  Later, we went and got Daddy and strapped the kids in their wagon and walked over to Whole Foods to pick up supper, which was for sure, blog-worthy. 

On the menu was : grilled mackerel, ribeye, paleo lo mein, and paleo egg rolls.  We nearly died it was so good.  Cave Daddy still hasn't stopped talking about the egg rolls, said that he would never eat an egg roll again unless I cooked it, and continues to say that "blogging this recipe just won't do it justice....you gotta experience it..." Please keep in mind that this is a man who loves good food. 

For the mackerel, I seasoned it with salt, pepper and tony chachere's cajun seasoning with lemon juice sprinkled over it; for the steak I seasoned it with salt, pepper and onion powder, and Cave Daddy grilled it.

Paleo Lo Mein- cut a head of white cabbage in half.  Lengthwise, with your Pure Komanchi 2 knife, slice the cabbage in the thinnest slices you can (really its your preference depending how you like your 'lo mein') I sliced ours in probably 1/8 in. slices.  Place in your cast iron frying pan with 3 tbsp of coconut oil, 3 tbsp of coconut aminos, and just enough salt and pepper to taste.  Cook down until the cabbage is softened.  In a separate cast iron pan, sautee very thinly sliced red onions and mushrooms, then add to the cabbage mixture.

Paleo Egg Rolls - take the skin from a chicken, place in a cast iron frying pan with coconut oil.  Dice cabbage and carrots and place in the center of the chicken skin.  In a separate bowl, whisk one egg and pour over the vegetables/chicken skin (this helps hold everything together when you go to wrap it, plus adds flavor, and it is called an egg roll...).  Wait until the skin gets a bit crispy, then remove from the pan and roll up lengthwise.  Tie cooking twine around the roll to keep it in place, then return to the pan and fry on all sides until you can remove the twine and the roll stays in place.  The chicken skin adds a ton of flavor to this egg roll.

Beginning to cook the egg roll

Cabbage Wrap at the top- same as the egg roll recipe but use a cabbage leave in place of chicken skin.  Not nearly as crispy as the chicken wrapped egg roll, seen below the cabbage wrap.

May I just tell you that this is the happiest girl on the planet now that I have found a way to have lo mein and egg rolls that are Paleo.  Seriously. 

Goofuls and Asparagus

Always cook everything you can in a cast iron pan. It makes all the difference.

Quick, simple, easy addition to a meal or as a snack.  I sautee frozen asparagus in coconut oil with salt, pepper, and sometimes this or that from the spice cabinet.  A shake of cayenne pepper over it is delicious!

This Is How We Do It

Ahhh 8:15 and just put the babies in bed and crashed on the rocking chair (my favorite spot in the house) with a hot cup of coffee and very few sounds around me.  What a way to end a busy day!

Since this blog is about documenting our paleo journey, my main goal for posts is to keep track of what we're eating on a daily basis  and what our lives looked like that day (because Paleo is not just a diet, but its a lifestyle).

Here is how I have learned to function with the most sanity  as a housewife/stay at home mom, whom highly prioritizes feeding her family quality nutritious meals.  I typically fix one breakfast that will be enough to last the week, so every day is usually the same..  I would even venture to say that breakfast from week to week is very similar.  The mornings are always crazy and having very little prep for breakfast helps with the madness.  That said - check back tomorrow b/c I have big plans for a new and exciting breakfast that if I am able to prepare and feed the fam, I will post the recipe with it!

Lunch- I pick one meal a week that requires little to no preparation and that is what the kids and I eat every day that week.  Cave Daddy usually takes leftovers.  This week the kids are eating green beas (seriously usually 1-1.5 # each), a bit of bbq -as much as they want but sometimes they don't want much, (yall will see soon that they are almost vegetarians by choice), and lots of fruit - we do a lot of apples, clementines and bananas.  That is their lunch more often that not, and like breakfast, their lunch truly doesn't change much week to week.  I offer them salmon at lunch regularly, but as mentioned, they truly are more into fruits and vegetables and that is the bulk of what they eat.  (They would eat eggs at every meal if I let them but we try to limit that to breakfast!). My lunch this week has been an apple, half an avocado, and 2 brazil nuts.  I will eat a few bites of bbq if Im very hungry.  The apple cider vinegar helps a lot with appetite control and water retention (which I seriously struggle with!)

Supper is what changes at least every other day.  I honestly only repeat meals at supper a few times a year, at most every 3 months.  That is not by intention as much as happen-stance!  I try to make sure that I make enough at each meal for about 3 meals so that we have leftovers which I space out during the week.  I have recently been trying to make enough to freeze some, for those crazy "what in the world are we going to eat for supper tonight now since its 5:30, and I just got home from an unscheduled visit to the pediatrician because baby ___ woke up from their nap screaming, pulling at their ears, with a fever of 103" - kind of days. Prepared meals in the freezer are the best for those days.

 Supper today was leftovers!  You  won't believe me if I tell you what our son ate, but I will tell you anyways.  He ate 2 # of green beans, 5 clementines, one banana, and one cup of raisins.  He had bbq on his plate that he wasn't touching (though in recent meals he has devoured it).  Our daughter ate the same things as him, but in less amounts.  She's watching her figure.  Please note that I do offer them some form of protein at each meal; sometimes they eat it and sometimes they don't. They mostly get their protein at breakfast (they each eat 2 eggs every morning, and truthfully, 14 gm of protein alone is plenty for a 25# child for the day).

Today I  did my dreaded but necessary one big grocery trip for the month.  I go to Aldi once a month and buy about a billion of everything that will save for a month and enough of it to last a month.  The standards for our food that I have are no preservatives or artificial ingredients at all, no hormones/antibiotics, non GMO, no non organic "dirty dozen" fruits/veg.  There is enough at Aldi that meets that criteria and that is significantly lower in price that I go once a month kicking and screaming willingly to save the money.  By the time I have loaded it all in the cart then bagged it all myself and get it into the house and put away, that trip takes a few hours, but, its only once a month.... So seriously that was the only thing I got done while they were at school today.
After picking them up and eating lunch, they played really nicely and sweetly together (a true gift and blessing.... always favorite moments of mine to see them just playing quietly and sweetly together). I started prepping meals to take to friends tonight.  3 good friends have recently had babies and our dear neighbor and friend just unexpectedly lost her father.  Once the babies were down for naps, I had my devotional and prayer time, tried to work on getting some photos printed for the house, and finished getting the meals ready to deliver.
After naps we were able to walk on the street and visit with neighbors (another of my always favorite moments... really love our neighbors!!) then visit with 2 of our other friends when we took meals to them.  It is so refreshing to me to have even 15 minutes of conversation with a friend during the day!!  We were able to get in about thirty minutes at the park before it got dark, then headed home to eat supper, clean the kitchen, and bake brownies for Cave Daddy to take to work.  Not Paleo brownies.  His office does potluck lunches from time to time and I always have the pleasure of providing his contribution to the meal :>)  At this time I would like to ask you to please give me a hand and be very proud of me, because, for the first time in my entire life, I did not even lick the bowl/spatula from the batter.  This is serious folks.  But, I am serious about 30 days of Paleo!!
We enjoyed some quiet and calm time with the kids tonight after PJs and teeth brushing, to read some books.  Those are also always favorite moments of mine... snuggling on the couch with fleece footed PJ'd toddlers while we read fascinating stories.  It is so fun and I love to hear them read back to us :>)
Yall know  exactly what I did after they got in bed (see the 1st paragraph of this post)!  I love our quiet time in the evening after the kids are in bed that we just enjoy relaxing together in the stillness.  I considered picking up the toys/books scattered on the floor, but then opted out, because having their things spread across the house is something I will miss one day. 

Happy Thursday Yall!!  I am thankful for all the wonderful moments that make up a good life :>)