Lifestyle Update

Ok, so with the vacation, kitchen remodel and Family Feud trip, I've been living in the kitchen, trying to stick to the paleo/primal lifestyle that we've adapted...which means the recipe books all had to be thrown out and we're still in search for our favorites and what we consider our "staple" foods.  The health benefits have been too good to go back, although an occasional food here and there that isn't 100% is ok.

So, for my own reference and my mom's (as she keeps asking- that recipe's on your blog, right??) here are our current staples:

Breakfast:
We bought a pig.  Which means we are living on sausage in the mornings.  Jeremy referred to the polish sausage as "crack" and "a party in my mouth with every bite."
We also get farm fresh eggs now, which the flavor in itself is so good you have to add almost NOTHING.  Adding grassfed cheese and/or tomatoes and avocado is yummy too.
Bacon
Pancakes- I think I've perfected the paleo pancake.  I started with this recipe and made the following adjustments.  They freeze and a double batch lasts 2-3 weeks.  The girls loooooove them.

Pureed in a blender:
2 cups milk of choice
8 eggs
1/2 cup packed almond flour
1 cup coconut flour
1 cup tapioca flour
4 tbsp melted coconut oil
4 tbsp honey
1/4 cup baking powder

blend together, and cook like you would any other pancake!


Lunch:
Lettuce wrap sandwiches
leftovers
hotdogs (grass-fed been uncured)
salad with Paleo Ranch and meats from leftovers

Dinner
Spaghetti with zucchini noodles or rice noodles (Sam despises zucchini noodles, Charlotte prefers them, I'm trying to find something to suit them both...this week we'll be trying Miracle Noodles.  When fall comes I think we'll be good with spaghetti squash...Sam liked that!)
Pizza- still on the hunt for a good pizza crust...gonna try this one this week
Roast (pork or beef...with veggies and skin-on potatoes)
steak (we bought a cow too...organic and grassfed and cheaper than what you can get at the grocery store! so we get to eat BEEF!)
Pork fried rice (again with the white rice...We've had to adjust the diet for Jeremy and it's a good calorie booster for the girls.  I eat very little or avoid it if possible but this is usually my "cheat")
pork chops
fajitas
lasagna- I'm going to try this recipe for noodle replacement next...the zucchini noodles did not go over well!
"green" soup- Jeremy threw it together one night when he got home.  It was amazing and literally made from three left-overs from the week.  It had our homemade stock, shredded zucchini (Sam didn't even notice it!), chicken, potatoes and avocados.  Charlotte--the very picky one--ate three bowls!  And two filled me up quite well.
Roast chicken (from chickens we bought straight from a local farm!)
asian potsticker soup
tacos (still on the hunt for a tortilla replacement...going to try these next)
sweet and sticky chicken
hamburgers
chili (made without the celery for Jeremy)
Creamy paleo chicken skillet-- this one I've completely adjusted:
4 chicken breasts
8 slices of bacon
1 small yellow onion
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1T red wine vinegar
1-2 cups paleo mayo

follow cooking instructions from website

Desserts
Oh boy.  I really need to stop with these.
Avocado brownies (adding 1 cup of chocolate chips)- these were Jeremy's favorite!
Chocolate chip cookies- HUGELY popular with family and friends
"ice cream" which also can be made into Popsicles- usually what I have on hand, but the most favorite has been coconut milk, banana, honey, cocoa powder and sunbutter.  Sam's favorite is coconut milk, strawberries and honey.
chocolate covered almonds

Snacks:
meat-sticks
larabars
Epic bars (Jer loves these)
Avocados
Hard-boiled eggs
nuts
cooked hot-dogs chopped up in a baggie...huge hit with the girls
fruit
veggies
Power applesauce (I always add ground flaxmeal, coconut oil, cinnamon and warm it up.  The girls gobble it up!)
coffee- after weeks of going without I finally found a creamer and syrup (I will use syrup vs honey next time) that make for a very smooth, creamy and sweet coffee that is JUST to my liking!

Primal/Other adjustments:
We do eat some white rice and use a FEW things made with white rice flour
Jeremy has needed to supplement a mealshake that isn't 100% paleo
Grassfed milk and cheese (since they are so expensive this is really a MINIMAL amount that we use)


As for our results, pictures and before/after stats will come when we finish!  The 8 weeks has become 10 weeks due to our 2 weeks out of town.  I WILL say that when we were in Atlanta and our food options were very processed and carb-heavy, I had a headache every night and my stomach issues returned quite quickly.  Boy oh boy, nothing like "going back" to make me motivated to stay on track!