the paleo challenge
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Eating well. This is easier said than done. While for the most part we have been committed to healthy eating, with busy lifestyles we slip at times as it often feels so much easier to pick up a phone and call for takeout than to cook a meal. It's easier to pick up a bag of chips to munch on while we watch a movie at home than to prepare a veggie platter. But I remember from college, in my econ 101 class: "There is no such thing as a free lunch." There is a price to pay when you take the easy route and Ed and I sometimes paid that price. The price tag: lethargy, lack of motivation and fatigue.
Ed and I have decided to try the paleo lifestyle mainly because we wanted to feel better by eating healthier. We both had days where we had a good night's sleep but still woke up tired. We would wake up and make ourselves a cup of coffee, but by noon we would crave a second cup. We thought about taking supplemental vitamins, but lots of current research shows that vitamins may not the best long term solution. We knew that if we ate well, we could get all the vitamins and nutrition we need from eating whole, real food.
So we've committed ourselves to 30 days of the paleo lifestyle. I will share with you the recipes and meals that we cook and eat throughout the 30 days. We cook in large portions which means extra leftovers that usually take a few days to finish. If you see recipes that are repeated, that means we are either having leftovers for those meals or we remade that meal again.
As for serving sizes, we weigh our protein for each meal and eat unlimited non-starchy vegetables and limit our starchy vegetables to 1/2 - 1 cup per meal. I recommend 4-6 ounces of protein per meal for women and 6-8 ounces of protein per meal for men. For snacks, we would usually grab some fresh fruit or a handful of almonds and cashews.
*Some recipes are not yet linked but will be soon. Thank you for your patience.
January 24: day 1
january 25: day 2
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breakfast: dolmas
lunch: grilled garlic rubbed skirt steak with peppers, onions and cabbage dinner: mustard glazed chicken thighs chicken |
january 26: day 3
january 27: day 4
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breakfast: sunny-side up eggs with heirloom tomato salad
lunch: Tropical Smoked Salmon Rice-less Roll dinner: dolmas (with ground beef) and cauliflower rice |
january 28: day 5
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breakfast: dolmas
lunch: mustard glazed chicken thighs and cauliflower rice dinner: NY strip steak with garlic roasted eggplant and baked sweet potato fries |
January 29: Day 6
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breakfast: chicken and cauliflower fried rice
lunch: NY strip steak with garlic roasted eggplant and baked sweet potato fries dinner: sesame crusted chicken with beets and carrot salad |
January 30: day 7
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breakfast: zucchini, carrot and ground beef crustless quiche
lunch: sesame crusted chicken with beets and carrot salad dinner: broiled basa filet with green beans and shiitake mushrooms |
JANUARY 31: DAY 8
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breakfast: hard boiled eggs
lunch: broiled basa filet with green beans and shiitake mushrooms dinner: (at a friend's house for dinner) shrimp, salad and brussels sprouts |
FEBRUARY 1: DAY 9
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breakfast: zucchini, carrot and ground beef crustless quiche
lunch: mango teriyaki chicken wings, broccoli and artichoke dip with sweet potatoes chips dinner: mango teriyaki chicken wings, broccoli and artichoke dip with sweet potatoes chips |
february 2: day 10
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breakfast: zucchini, carrot and leftover sesame chicken crustless quiche
lunch: shredded roasted chicken, cucumber and mixed greens with mango dressing dinner: broiled salmon, fennel and beet salad |
february 3: day 11
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breakfast: zucchini, carrot and leftover sesame chicken crustless quiche
lunch: broiled salmon, mixed greens with mango salad dressing dinner: osso buco with roasted cauliflower |
february 4: day 12
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breakfast: spinach and mushroom omelet
lunch: osso buco with roasted cauliflower dinner: burger patties with side salad and roasted cauliflower |
FEBRUARY 5: day 13
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breakfast: spinach and mushroom omelet
lunch: burger patties with side salad dinner: whole roasted chicken with green beans and baby bella mushrooms |
february 6: day 14
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breakfast: two eggs and bacon
lunch: chicken ravioli with homemade gluten-freen pasta dinner: green beans with ground beef and yellow peppers |
february 7: day 15
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breakfast: two eggs and bacon
lunch: sashimi dinner: broiled salmon with lemon asparagus and sweet potato fries |
february 8: day 16
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breakfast: herb omelet with pork breakfast sausage
lunch: green beans with ground beef and yellow peppers dinner: broiled salmon with stir-fried cauliflower and baby bella mushrooms |
February 9: day 17
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breakfast: herb omelet with pork breakfast sausage
lunch: broiled salmon with baby spinach salad dinner: NY strip steak with roasted bok choy |
february 10: day 18
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breakfast: spinach and mushroom omelet with pork breakfast sausage
lunch: NY strip steak with roasted bok choy dinner: chicken coconut soup |
FEBRUARY 11: day 19
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breakfast: parfait with homemade paleo granola
lunch: broiled salmon with sautéed asparagus dinner: lamb chops, sweet potato fries, and spinach salad |
february 12: day 20
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breakfast: homemade paleo granola with coconut milk
lunch: left over lamb chops with spinach salad dinner: another pot of chicken coconut soup |
february 13: day 21
february 14: day 22
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breakfast: bacon and eggs
lunch: grilled chicken and romaine lettuce salad dinner: Ed followed my recipe from this blog and cooked osso buco |
february 15: day 23
february 16: Day 24
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breakfast: herb omelet
lunch: grilled chicken and romaine lettuce salad dinner: sashimi from local sushi restaurant |
february 17: day 25
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breakfast: herb omelet and a handful of homemade paleo granola
lunch: crispy chicken thighs with bok choy dinner: crispy chicken thighs with grilled bok choy and mango sesame dressing |
february 18: day 26
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breakfast: pork breakfast sausage
lunch: crispy chicken thighs with grilled boy choy and mango sesame dressing dinner: meatloaf stuffed with kale and carrots (a paleo variation of this meatloaf) |
february 19: day 27
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breakfast: two eggs and bacon
lunch: meatloaf stuffed with kale and carrots (a paleo variation of this meatloaf) dinner: steak and mashed cauliflower |
february 20: day 28
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breakfast: zucchini, carrot and ground beef crustless quiche
lunch: shaved brussels sprout salad dinner: meatloaf stuffed with kale and carrots (a paleo variation of this meatloaf) |
february 21: day 29
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breakfast: zucchini, carrot and ground beef crustless quiche
lunch: sashimi from local sushi restaurant dinner: broiled salmon with mango sesame dressing |
february 22: Day 30
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breakfast: pork breakfast sausage and two eggs
lunch: grilled squid with garlic butter sauce dinner: ground veal with lacinato kale |
