Day 14

Breakfast:  In all that I had to do to get ready for the day out.  I forgot to eat.  For real, I had plans, I just forgot!

Lunch:  A friend invited me to Rafferty's to lunch.   I ordered a grilled salad and use lemon and lime to dress it.  Honestly, it was NOT tasty.  And I was starving.  I left hungry.  But I had more errands.  Here is a picture of that TERRIBLE salad.

Snack:  Handful of pecans & 5 Just Grapes

Dinner:   (I was really REALLY HUNGRY & my eyes were bigger than my stomach.  I ate all of everything except 1/2 of my NY Strip)  Interestingly enough,  I wasn't sleepy after ALL of that food!

• NY Strip
• Emeril's Eggplant Casserole (It tasted just like mom's stuffing/dressing from thanksgiving)
• Roast Zucchini
• Spinach Salad (spinach, bell peppers, cucumber, celery, sautéed mushrooms, heirloom tomatoes)
• Coconut Banana blend--this time I tried the unsweetened cocoa powder to add flavor-at first I couldn't tell at difference in the flavor, at the bottom of the pitcher it tasted like chocolate milk.  Thats with 2 tablespoons of the powder.

Recipe for Eggplant Casserole:   

It tastes like Thanksgiving dressing (people in the north call it stuffing).  It was a little sweeter than I'd prefer, but I think that was because of the coconut milk.  Next time, I will add more almond meal & more celery to counter act the sweetness of the milk.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/eggplant-casserole-recipe/index.html 

• I substituted 1/2 cup of coconut milk for the cup of cream
• 1 cup of almond meal substituted for 1 cup of bread crumbs
• I used Italian Seasoning to add more flavor & dried basil.  I'll buy fresh next time.
• No cheese was added
• Next time, I think I'll add zucchini or squash for more texture.

I think I am getting the hang of Paleo.  Its not as hard as it looks EXCEPT for resisting sweets when I see them on TV or out in public.  

After talking to my mother on skype and showing her pictures of my neck now and then having lunch with one of my BFFs, I believe my neck has gotten lighter from the reduction in sugar.  I'll wait until the end of the 30 days to show pictures of that.  Who knows my skin may even out all over my body?

Day 13-Leftovers

Breakfast:  Leftover cabbage with bits of beef. Paleo BBQ sauce

Lunch:  Leftover curry & leftover coconut milk blend from yesterday, zucchini muffin

Snack:  handful of pecans

Dinner:  Leftover fajita, salad with avocado, coconut milk blend

Not much happening today.  No new thoughts.

Day 12

Breakfast:

• Left over meatloaf
• Left over roast beef & cabbage
• Leftover Brussels sprouts
• Left over egg plan

Today, I got so caught up in what I was doing and I wasn't hungry.  I realized around 3 that I hadn't had lunch.  So here is what I threw together.

• Salad topped with cucumbers, left over roast beef & avocado & paleo bbq sauce
• Zucchini muffin
• Coconut milk blended with ice & banana

Dinner:  A fajita salad (salad greens topped with seasoned bell peppers, onions, zucchini, & steak) Avacado, Salsa, & lime juice to add flavor

Question:  How do you get your veggies in the winter time?  Most of the farmers markets will be closed?  Do you do frozen?

Day 11

Last night, I actually got the jitters b/c I wanted something sweet SO BAD!!!  I finally just forced myself to go to bed.  It was the only way b/c I still have a lot of stuff in my house from my nonPaleo days--WW ice cream bars and the like.  I can't believe that I've resisted having one all this time.  I haven't had ice cream in 11 days.  Its like a miracle.  I always thought I didn't have willpower.  Well, I guess I do!

My struggle:  Breakfast   I don't like breakfast food, specifically eggs.  Its like a dread eating breakfast. . . I don't like eggs or sausage.  I'm going to get some bacon from the meat man, next Saturday and well see how that goes.

Breakfast:

• Left over meatloaf & 
• eggplant & sautéed mushrooms

Lunch:

• Left over cabbage & roastbeef, Paleo BBQSauce, 
• Coconut Milk Blended with Banana & Cinnamon

Dinner:

• Beef Vegetable Curry (Minute steak, Green Veggies)
• Brussell Sprouts

Update on stomach issues:  I still have  diahrea, but it only comes after every meal.  I think its becoming more solid.  An interesting thing, I have began burping again, is it because of the increase fat I'm eating?  At the end of meals, I'm really beginning to fill "full."  Maybe, I wasn't eating enough before.  Am I eating too much now? Another note, since increasing food intake, I still don't feel the need for a "nap" afterward.  Southern cooks feel great pride when some wants to sleep after their meal.  It means the food was good and the eaters are stuffed . . .I haven't had a "food coma" since going Paleo.  Although, 2 PM is still my nap time!!!

I am really loving the coconut milk now.  REALLY.  The banana and cinnamon give it a lot of flavor.

Addendum:

Snack:  Handful of pecans & coconut

This evening I'm feeling a bit headachy. So much so, I don't feel like doing my weekly clean.  Could it be due to a lack of sugar?

Day 10

Late Night Snack on Day 9: After cleaning up and brushing my teeth and getting into bed.  I was hungry.  So, I fixed a 10:45 PM snack of:  zucchini muffin, left over zucchini & meatloaf. It was quite tasty and satisfying.

Body:  Yesterday, I noticed that there is so muscle soreness in my right leg.  Like the kind of soreness you feel after the next day after working out.  And I haven't worked out this week.  The only exercise I've gotten is from cleaning my apt and walking the farmers markets.  I've been to two this week.  I wonder what could be causing it, could that muscle be working to burn fat???? I'm being wayyy to optimistic about that.

I went to the farmers market to check out a different meat man.  I think I will only buy with him when things run out.  I'm not to sure about him being completely grass-fed.  I think he does a mixture based on what I overheard when he was talking to another customer.  Instead, I'll be buying from this farm.  He delivers to my area.  I may eventually join his CSA.  

My goal for the farmers market was to buy mint for a sauce.  When I got there, the lady only sold the plant, not just the lives. Sooooo, to get mint, I had to buy the ENTIRE plant.  I asked her how to care  for it.  She gave me instructions how to break off mint leaves and water the plant appropriately. She emphasized watering the plant over and over.  She said it would need a bigger pot, too.  When I signed up for Paleo, I never thought I being growing herbs, too???!!!! 

Breakfast:  Paleo Quiche w/Crust topped with avacado & salsa

Lunch:

• Tuna Fish Salad (avacado, dill, onion, cucumbers)
• Zucchini Muffin
• Coconut Milk blended with Ice & Banana, I threw in a dash of cinnimon (its quickly becoming one of my favorite drinks!!!)

Snack:

• Left over meatloaf & sautéed mushrooms

Dinner:

• Chuck Pot Roast (Onions & Cabbage)
• Salad with lime for dressing & crushed almonds on top
• Eggplant
• BBQ sauce

I tried to make a mint sauce.  It was NOT good.  I've got to figure out the right balance of mint to cucumber to make it taste good.

CRAVING:  I want cupcakes after seeing a commercial.  But I'm not hungry.  I just had a huge meal, but I want a cupcake sooooo bad.  Soooo bad  *sigh*

Day 9

This morning I awakened with a need for the scale.  I expected that since I'd been doing Paleo for a week now, that I would've lost at least 5 lbs.  It hurt my feelings when I hadn't and sent me into tears.  I'd lost about 2lbs.  I expected a large number b/c everytime I'd done WW, I lost some humongous number in the first week.   I sent a tear stained email to J. Basically, I was ready to give up.  I was so upset I couldn't even eat breakfast.  I was just upset.

I made plans to meet my friend S for lunch.  She wanted to do Indian, it's "our place."  We've been going there almost weekly for close to 10 years.  We haven't been for 2 or 3 weeks b/c she had started WW and then I started Paleo.  I still haven't told her that I'm on Paleo.  So, today was a bit of a reunion.  The owner came out and brought us complimentary Mango Laci's.  He said he'd missed us.  That IS how often we go for Indian. (S drank my comp mango laci)

At any rate, I made my way to the buffet.  I know that Indian food is filled with butter and cream.  I thought, I'd just stick to the veggies and have a big salad.  In my email, I'd let J know that I was going for Indian.  I'd went to the buffet and this first picture is the plate that I'd made.  Then J's return email came in.  *sigh* I knew what I had to do.  After we'd said grace, I went back to the bar and made the second plate.  It contained 3 pieces of tandoori chicken.  Lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes & the mint sauce.  I used squeeze limes as a dressing for my food.  I set the other plate to the side and dived into my salad-it was really good.   However, when I finished my plate, I was still hungry, but I was too embarrassed to go back and get more. (I did take two bites from the other plate--one of the palak paneer & one of the snap green beans)
So, I left hungry AND I still had errands to run.  While I was running my errands,  my head began to hurt.  I knew it was b/c I was hungry.  I was trying to think of what I could have when I got home that'd be filling.  J is always talking about NOT eating a lot of fruit and drinking a glass of coconut milk.  As I drove, I thought, I'll limit my fruit  intake to no more than 1 per day as J instructed.  She told me I needed to get in more fat.  I decided that I'd blend a can of coconut milk with ice water & a banana.  So, no more fruit for the day after this drink.

When I was at the Indian restaurant, I had a revelation.   The mint sauce is simply mint, cucumber and jalepeno.  I really liked it.  I will make it at home and use it as a salad dressing. Tomorrow, I'ma keeping my eye out for mint when I go to the Farmers Market.

So, here is a run down of my eating today:

Lunch:  salad of cucumber, mint sauce, tandoori chicken & tomatoes

Snack:  1 can of coconut milk blended with a banana & ice water

Dinner:

•  Meat loaf (Ground Turkey,Italian sausage, onion, bell peppers, egg, tomato paste, salt free steak seasoning)
• Boiled cabbage (beef stock, cabbage, onions, garlic powder)
• Roasted Zucchini
• Paleo BBQ sauce

BTW, today I notice that my 3X T-Shirt seemed way to big on me.  When I looked in the mirror in the  bathroom of the Indian restaurant--it just seemed to big, where it used to "fit."  So maybe I have lost inches and I just didn't know it.

Day 8

Last night, Pat Roberton's CBN show was watching me as I cleaned my apartment (I hate him, I think he's extremist, I  had been watching something else and it came on afterward)   Anyway, it came to a point where a man had written a book, 150 healthy foods.  He INCLUDED BEEF!!!! I was shocked as well as the tv anchor.  He explained that it couldn't be any kind of meat.  It had to be grass-fed beef.  He said something about the oils & nutrients were better and good for our bodies. I feel so validated in the path I'm taking.  It makes me nervous but I feel validated!

I really don't like pork.  I realized that this morning when I was cooking breakfast.  I bought some sage sausage from the grass-fed meat guy on Saturday.  Well, I needed to make another breakfast casserole to keep me from cooking all the time.  As I dropped the sausage into the pan, the smell was just hideous. .. .it was like an assault on all of my senses. Seriously!  It made me not want to eat it.  It wasn't as bad when I ate the casserole, but I won't be eating much pork on this journey.  I've made up my mind to get/make a pork roast in the crock pot b/c I might actually like it.  It strange b/c I've always liked ribs.  Maybe its b/c they are covered by sauce.

I am out of meat.  Well, almost.  I have all that sausage I bought from Costco that I've refused to take back.  It's in the freezer.  I took it and my last package of ground turkey out of the freezer, I'll use it to make a meatloaf tomorrow.  I have some roast beef for sandwiches that I froze last month-I have no idea what I could do with it.  In sum, there are no steaks or chicken or even fish left.  I've gotta figure out how I can purchase meat for about $5/lb.

Breakfast:  

• Quiche with Crust topped with tomatillo salsa-I added coconut milk to the egg mixture.  I like this better than the casserole I made last week.  It had a sweeter taste, probably b/c of the coconut milk
• Left over smoothie--I mixed in 1/4 cup of coconut milk to restore creaminess & original texture.  It was really really delicious.

Lunch:

• Tuna mashed with avacado & onions & lime juice & cucumber slices
• 1/2 orange
• 1 zuchinni muffin

Snack-zuchinni muffin

Dinner:  

• Paleo Lasagna
• Large spinach salad with  2 boiled eggs, a peach, avocado, cucumber, sauteed mushrooms, bell peppers, lime juice 
• left over sautéed veggies

Day 7 Dinner

I didn't plan well today, so I missed lunch.  I went to the library with the plan to drop back by home and have lunch.  Then go to the farmers market.  I stayed at the library wayyyy tooo long.  So long that when I looked at the time, I needed to go straight to farmers market if I didn't want to be left with the leftovers!!!

When I got home, I wanted to do a big cook but there was nooo energy to do it.   However, I made the zucchini muffins.  As a twist, I added the juice of half an orange.  Next time, next time, I'll add some zest from the orange and juice the whole orange for more flavor.  I also added some fresh ginger, next time, I'll add more ginger.   Instead of raisins, I added cranberries.  It is apparent...I CAN NOT FOLLOW A RECIPE!!! I am always trying to hook "thangs" up.  LOL!   I ate 2 of those right out of the oven!!!


I found dried cranberries at whole foods when looking for raisins.  Apparently, this company dries any fruit or veggie.  And can make it into powders.  WEIRD! But sooo COOL!!!  The nutrional information said that it had 3 grams of fat per serving.  I actually googled  the nutrional content of raw cranberries and wouldn't you know it, they have FAT!  When you dehydrate them, I guess you intensify the fat b/c the servings get larger.




Dinner today:

• Steak (at least a pound, it was grassfed meat and it was actually pretty good.  I can't speak difference b/c it was sirloin--tougher cut of meat.  
• Sautéed veggies in coconut oil. I was trying to recreate a stirfry.  It had cabbage, onions, peppers.    
• Roasted Broccoli & Eggplant--it was the best darn broccoli I have EVER made.  It almost tasted a little sweet. . .like broccoli has natural sugar????  I promise I didn't put any sugar on it, but it was a perfect balance. . . it was just good!

This is the first dinner, I've had since I went paleo that I BURPED at the end.  I think it was b/c I had to force myself to finish the steak.  I had about a quarter of it left when I'd finished all the veggies.  I knew I needed to finish it.  So, I did b/c I had skipped lunch..  My stomach didn't feel tight, but I felt a little something in my lower stomach. . . don't know what it was. . . but its gone now as I right this.  So, I guess it doesn't matter.

Morning of Day 7

Yesterday:

Lunch
Spinach Salad--contained raw spinach, tomato, left over salmon, sauteed mushrooms, peaches.  No dressing.  I am going to figure out recipes for dressing later.  Here is a picture:

Snack
mix of banana, apple sauce & pecans

Dinner:
Left over Snapper & Veggies with Mashed Cauliflower

This morning, I did not have an overwhelming desire to eat, but I forced myself to have breakfast.   Breakfast, this morning, consisted of:

• 1 boiled egg (I choked it down quickly)
• 1/2 of Smothie Mix (in the blender:  1 cup of coconut milk, half cup of water, 1 cup of mixed fruit, banana)  J keeps talking about drinking a cup of coconut milk (I drank coconut milk straight from the coconut in Jamaica and hated it.  Not much of a coconut fan.  So this is my concession to get the milk down!  I put the other half in the freezer for another day.)
• No-atmeal (I'm still eating from the pot I made Monday, I'll probably be eating the last of it tomorrow)

My body feels different, but my clothes do not yet.  It's like I actually feel pretty good in my skin.  I wish I could explain it better.  I don't feel as bloated.  And I have a surge of energy.  I miss chocolate but the feeling isn't as strong.  I still feel like maybe I'm having too much fruit.

I'm excited b/c today is the Farmer's Market.  I love going.  It makes me feel like I'm doing good in the world.

Morning of Day 6

When I got up this morning, I was starving.  Really hungry. So, I fixed a really large breakfast.   Still have diarrhea.  I resisted the urge to get on the scale.  I know I shouldn't be focused on the scale.  But I can't help it.

Breakfast

no-atmeal

vegetable & sausage fritata topped with salsa & avocado

honey dew melon

This morning, I was watching the today show and they were talking about weight loss.  The lady said that plant based oils were fine in diet--things like avocado, olive, nut oils . . .she said animal oils are bad when consumed in excess.  This seems contradictory to what I am doing now--although, I am eating a lot of plant based foods.

Day 5 Dinner

After an email from J, I have decided that I will start posting a detailed diary of my eating.  Today, I didn't eat that much, mainly b/c I wasn't hungry.  I can't explain why I'm not as hungry today.  Come to think of it, I didn't even crave snacks.  There are no snacks to report.  But no naps today either.

Breakfast-noatmeal 1/3 of the pot made.  I snacked on the chopped nuts as I whisked and mixed the liquid portion.

Lunch-Tuna fish with cucumber chips (used mashed avocado as the creamy base, it had onions & boiled egg in itl)

Dinner- 1/2lb of Jerk seasoned Snapper Fish.  Mixed veggies (peppers, zucchini, onion), Cauliflower Mash, Spinach Salad with Sautéed Mushrooms.  Here are pictures of dinner.  **I found a Jerk Seasoning a Fresh Market that has no salt in it, but I dashed a little sea salt in the pan**

After posting this, I decided on a late night snack.  I'll be munching on some honey dew melon & paleo lasagna.

Day 5

Let's see:

• This weekend, I found a meat man. It great, but waayyy expensive. I don't know how I'll afford meat every month. I've really got to give this some thought. How will I purchase meat grass fed meat? When my friends and I went to the farmers, they spent close to $100. I spent about $50 and brought home onions, eggs, snapper, sirloin, sausage, scallops. I've decided that I DO like going to the farmers market once a week to get veggies. But I notice that the veggies are a bit wilted after a few days. Maybe thats b/c I'm putting them in the frig. I'll leave them out next time and see what happens.

• Yesterday, I had 3 fruits.  I know its not recommended, but I couldn't resist.  I wanted a snack.  And celery and carrots as snacks-YUCK!  I had a 2 servings of honeydew melon.  One in the morning, one in the evening and a banana with almond butter before dinner.  I need snack ideas.

• Last night, I had paleo lasagna for dinner. The next time I make it, I'll include more veggies. I tried to make it exactly according to the recipe, but I bought crushed tomatoes instead of diced. Also, I was trying to use up the ground turkey that was in the freezer, so I substituted that for beef. It was bland b/c I'm still getting to this whole idea of low/no salt. I'll kick it up a notch next time with some herbs & spices.

• This morning, I think I'm experience hunger pains, but I don't feel like eating. I think its b/c I'm tired of the diarrhea. Yes, I still have it. And I'm urinating more, too! I know its gross to discuss body functions, but its a big deal to me, going to the bathroom EVERY SINGLE HOUR! Maybe, its all the liquid from the veggies.

• For lunch today, I'll probably have tuna again, b/c its quick and easy.

• For dinner, I'll have the snapper. I think I'm going to put it in the oven surrounded by a ton of veggies on high heat for a quick cook. I have some leftover mashed cauliflower that I'll eat with it.

• Sleep: I find it interesting that if I don't eat first thing when I get up, I typically go back to bed/nap. However, when I eat, I just keep going and going. This morning, I'll be napping b/c I don't feel like eating.

Day 4

I decided to accept a challenge of eating Paleo for 30 days. I felt like I couldn't do this without writing about my experiences or documenting my meals. Paleo seems sooo unlike anything I've ever done before.

I've had diarrhea for the past 3 days. I am not one to look at my poo. I just think its disgusting. But I did yesterday b/c I worried if something was wrong with me, I was thinking "paleo" might not help me. When I looked like dark green marshmallow with chunks of stuff in it. I googled it, for suggestions. Turns out, it may not be as bad I thought. After some reading, I discovered that it was green b/c of all the green roughage I'd been eating. And it was marshmallowy because of all the fat my body was excreting. So, I think my body is just adjusting to new diet. I thought the scale would have reveal something, a weight loss or gain, but nothing. It's only been four days.

Here is what I noticed on yesterday: Normally after a large meal, I'm ready to sleep. But after yesterdays, large meal, I had energy. I wanted to do something. WEIRD!

For lunch today: tuna w/slices of cucumber & honey dew melon. For my tuna salad: I mashed half an avacado with lime juice, dill and pepper. I chopped in some onion and boiled egg. When I finally tasted it, it was bland, so I put in a few grains of sea salt. I had never eaten tuna salad without crackers or bread. I saw the cucumber sitting on my counter. I sliced it up and used it as crackers. It actually was a pretty refreshing meal.

Things I'm struggling with: not adding salt to food and desperately missing chocolate