Gone Paleo

The paleo diet is having a frenzied popularity spurt it seems. Half the people we know seem to either be doing paleo, or have done it, or at least know about it and understand the principles. Chris, being the unofficial Crossfit machine that he is, couldn't pass up this intriguing new facet of whole-life fitness, so, we've gone paleo.

No carbs (almond flour/coconut flour are OK.) No sugar (except honey and maple syrup.) Tons of veggies and fresh fruit. Almond butter, not peanut butter. Almonds everywhere actually. Lots of meat - but in appropriate portion sizes. No dairy - almond milk is our substitute of choice. Sweet potatoes, but no white potatoes. Lots and lots of bacon and eggs. That's the gist of how Chris has been eating for the past 30+ days. And, after a week to ten days of serious sugar/carb withdrawal, he, the man who would eat a dozen cookies in a single sitting without batting an eye, has loved every minute of the "diet" and has lost 20lbs in 30 days to boot.

I haven't completely joined Chris in his pursuit of paleo, mostly because I'm growing a person and along with that, I've grown a sweet tooth of monumental proportions that I don't really care to get rid of yet. Plus, I've only got 14 days to go. Might as well enjoy a last hurrah of sugar. But afterwards, I'm going to go half paleo. I'll keep some dairy and some carbs in my diet, but limit it like crazy, and continue to cook only paleo for our main meals. As much as I'll miss chocolate chip cookies, I'm excited about this. For one, it will help me lose baby weight (which I'm very interested in) and for another, I know that it will fuel my body and make sure that both me and baby B are getting the nutrition we need. I'll feel better and have more energy than I would on a carb-filled, processed snacking diet. I'm also partially doing it in reaction to articles like this which just make me angry. I don't like being a victim of product marketing/manipulation, and I don't like the idea that I'm addicted to anything (except caffeine. Mmmm coffee....) There's lots of scientific evidence out there that sugar, fat and salt are addicting, especially in processed foods. So buh-bye processed foods!

Anyway. In our quest for good nutrition that still tastes good I've stumbled upon this recipe. Want to satisfy a bread craving without breaking paleo, and get lots of protein and other goodness out of it? Bake these.

Almond Flour Biscuits

(photo and recipe discovered on Roost Blog via Pinterest. roostblog.com) 

Ingredients:                                                        Method:

2 1/2 cups almond flour                                     Combine almond flour, salt, baking soda.

1/2 teaspoon salt                                               Whisk together the oil and honey. Microwave for 30

1/2 teaspoon baking soda                                          seconds on high to thin the honey.

2 eggs                                                               Beat together the honey/oil mixture and eggs. Add to dry.

1/4 cup oil                                                         Drop 1/4 cup dollops of batter onto greased baking sheet.

1/4 cup honey                                                   Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

I also usually drizzle the biscuits with honey before baking them (to give a little extra sweetness) and have found that 17 minutes is the perfect baking time. Yumm!

Mommies & Tummies

Freaky thing about the second and third trimester is that what I'm eating these days affects what my daughter is going to eat for the first few years of her life - and therefore for her entire life. If I eat every green thing in the produce aisle while I'm pregnant, she probably won't turn her nose up at the green mush called "peas" that comes out of those adorable baby food jars. If I eat cheese enchiladas (yum!) every day for the next 97 days, then she'll probably choose Guapo's for her birthday dinner location every year of her life. It's crazy.

But let's be honest, a mom's (and dad's) affect on her child's food habits goes so much further than that. Food affects a huge portion of your life. It affects family values, nutrition, overall health, traditions. My mom was - and continues to be - Mom of the Century when it comes to food and everything that goes along with it. My brother and I grew up eating at home anywhere from 5-7 nights a week, every week, from birth right through high school. Family dinners were one of the most consistent things throughout my life - even during summer and winter vacations while I was in college - that I really don't know what growing up without them would have been like. Not only did we have family dinners that often, but we had really good family dinners that often. I remember a year or two ago looking in my mom's pantry and seeing her two shelves (two shelves!) of both cookbooks and binders full of recipes that she's used over the past 23+ years while she was raising us. She created this recipe collection, cooked the widest variety of yummyness you could imagine, all while homeschooling us (until I was 8, my brother 10) and then gradually transitioning to part-time, then full-time work when we moved to Maryland. I remember her doing Once A Month Cooking on Saturdays so that we had home-cooked meals every night even when life was crazy busy for her. On top of that, I can't remember a time that we weren't allowed to bring a friend home for dinner. Mama was always happy to feed an extra mouth.

I don't want to overlook my dad here - he cooked a lot too, grilling during the summer and making his "Texas" meals during the winter (like his famous Texas 5 way chili). We were rarely home alone with my dad overnight since my mom didn't have to travel for her work, but even when we were, we ate healthily and well. He never minded cooking when my mom needed help, and I remember him doing the dishes for her many a night - the cook didn't always have to clean in our house!

What has all this meant to me? Lots of things I took for granted when I was a kid, I'm sure. As an adult, it means that I love cooking and I understand how to prepare a healthy meal. Our table is almost always set with whole grains, green, fiber filled vegetables, lean meats, and fresh fruits. (Though my mom also taught me how to bake like an expert, so I'm still taking advantage of our metabolisms by making sweets frequently. Chris appreciates that.) It means that tonight I get to make one of my Great Grandma's recipes because my mom used to make it all the time when I was a kid and passed it down. It means that I'm looking forward to cooking 6 nights a week for my family my entire life, and that I'm excited about Sunday night pizza night (the one night we were allowed to watch TV with dinner was Sunday, when we ordered pizza out and watched the Disney movie on ABC Family.) I understand that cooking takes creativity, meal planning and that its worth it to spend a bit more money on groceries if you're eating healthy. And it means that I haven't gained more than my allotted 35 pounds in the past 6 months of pregnancy, because I enjoy eating healthily - with an occasional double cheeseburger from McDonald's on the side.

So thank you Mumsy, for your wonderful example, for all your hard work and planning and all the hours upon hours you spent looking up recipes and then making them all through my life. It was no small thing. It matters. Its made a huge difference in my life, and its going to make a huge difference in my children's lives.