It’s 8:45 p.m. and Andrew and I are on the couch, sketching ideas for a new front door. I’m sipping Sleepytime tea and Hadrian is whining to go out. Again.

But I love this. (Minus the whining.) We’re at home (not out), on the couch in jammies, well before bedtime, and the TV isn’t on. I don’t feel guilty about eating a giant bowl of ice cream (because I didn’t), and I won’t go to bed with a stomachache. I’ve already even soaked my tired muscles in a bath with Epsom salts and rolled out. My nails are freshly painted. Why can’t every night be like this??

Anyway.

Breakfast: I keep forgetting to include my morning coffee! Every morning, I enjoy a cup of coffee with 2 T of CoffeeMate Natural Bliss. That equates to 2 servings, equalling 70 calories and 10g of sugar. But, according to the ingredients, Natural Bliss is simply milk, cream and sugar, just pre-mixed. Two servings is a bit of a splurge, so my goal is to get to just 1 T. For the last two days, I’ve used 2 T organic half and half with 1/2 T molasses (yesterday) and 1/2 T maple syrup (today). Both tasted acceptable and only slightly sweet. While I suppose they would both be fine options and certainly less ‘processed,’ it’s much more convenient to use the creamer. A Paleo/Primal option would be to use just cream, but I need a little sweetness. Don’t mess with my morning coffee! So, I think I will use the Natural Bliss (since it’s already in my possession) and consider the half and half/maple syrup option for down the road.

I made pumpkin ‘pancakes’ today, which were really just flourless crepes, I suppose. Pretty good but they certainly didn’t scratch the pancake itch. I have another gluten-free pumpkin pancake recipe to try that uses alternative flours (not sure how Paleo all of them are) which will probably turn out more like traditional pancakes.

I served my pumpkin crepes with some toasted pecans, a drizzle of maple syrup and some leftover bacon. I didn’t add fruit because I figured there was already plenty of sugar in this particular breakfast!

Skipped my post-kickbox bite of dried peach because I was too busy delivering some leftover beet soup over to Mr.Nye, chatting with Emily on the phone and changing into fresh workout clothes.

Lunch: I turned two leftover chicken thighs into my favorite chicken salad! Celery, toasted walnuts, grapes and mayo (not Paleo in the slightest, but I still don’t have enough bacon fat to make baconnaise, and at least my mayo is made with olive oil). I whipped it up yesterday and served it with a little leftover beet soup. Andrew had the last two chicken thighs with leftover green beans.

No afternoon snack, but I did eat the other half of the banana from Tuesday on my way out the door to spin at 4 p.m. I think I needed a snack yesterday because I didn’t have a lot of steak on my salad, and we do eat a later dinner (7:30ish), which is a long time to go without food.

I got smart and brought some almonds with me in the car to eat after the gym around 5:45. Such a good idea.

Dinner: Beef Dolmas with Cilantro Cauli-Rice (it was supposed to be lamb, but Andrew doesn’t like lamb and it’s expensive, so I improvised)

The meat was also supposed to be wrapped in grape leaves (think Greek food), but I searched and couldn’t find those. So, dinner became a bit less complicated.

The beef was cooked with onion, currants and cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin and oregano. Very unique.

I loved the cauliflower ‘rice.’ You actually grate the raw cauliflower prior and sauté it in a skillet. I’ve started using butter or olive oil (less Paleo) instead of coconut oil because I don’t think Andrew likes it. I will definitely make cauliflower this way again–much better than steaming and mashing to make ‘potatoes.’

I’m looking forward to pesto-scrambled eggs and more cauli-rice in the morning! (And my coffee.)

It was more leftovers today.

Breakfast: Chicken thighs (Andrew eats and drives to work), egg quiche and half a grapefruit. Disclaimer: I added a bit of ketchup to my eggs. Not Paleo, but it needed something.

Post-workout snack: 1 piece dried peach (a recent Trader Joe’s find that’s become my go-to bite after the gym)

Lunch: leftover flank steak with salsa and avocado on spinach with grapes

There is a dollop of homemade plain yogurt–I had some organic milk left when the Paleo challenge started, so I used some organic yogurt to make my own. I just hated to waste it. And I think yogurt is OK with Primal, so I figure it’s alright in small doses.

Afternoon snack: 2 dates, a few thai chili like cashews and veggies with cauliflower dip and black cherry tea

Dinner: Citrus Cashew Mahi Mahi (it was supposed to be citrus macadamia nut sole, but I didn’t have either of those and I had the others) with green beans and sautéed shallots (which were EXCELLENT, by the way)

At the last minute, I added the coconut/ginger/beet soup from a leftover I had in the freezer. It went well with the meal and upped our carbs, which now that Andrew is going to the gym in the evenings, is important to have at dinner after his exercise.

Another good day! I think if anything, this challenge is showing me just how many processed items I rely on (ketchup? Salad dressings?) every day. I mean, you all know that I would make EVERYTHING from scratch, but I just do not have that kind of time. Not right now anyway. And plus, who can whip up a little homemade ketchup each and every time they need some?? It’s just not realistic–hence, we have Heinz. Oh well.

This may be the cleanest I’ve ever eaten, and it feels great 🙂

Beef…it’s what’s for breakfast.
We had leftover flank steak with peppers and onions for breakfast. I added a hardboiled egg (that had been languishing in the fridge for almost a week at this point), some avocado and salsa; Andrew got a scrambled egg. We both had oranges and I had some sauerkraut. I have to admit, I do like sauerkraut. Although, I wonder if I’ll still be saying that in a week.

And about that ‘following the meal plan 100%’ bit? Well, we’d mussed it up at the first meal of the day (supposed to be leftover quiche and leftover steak)! That, and the fridge is packed with leftovers ALREADY! Two servings each of quiche, seven chicken thighs, one more serving of flank steak and a turkey leg. I’m not cooking again until we make a dent, although at the rate we’re going in the protein department, it won’t take long.

For lunch, I followed the plan and had canned salmon with olives, sun-dried tomatoes in oil and a splash of lemon. I added a cauliflower-red pepper ‘hummus’ and veggies on the side. I wasn’t going to make Andrew eat canned salmon (roasted, yes; plain from a can of pouch, no), so he had leftover chicken and broccoli.
With all that protein (28g!!!), I wasn’t hungry again, until, well, I wasn’t. Finally at 4 pm as I laced up my shoes for my second trip to the gym (I’m fitting in both morning kickbox and afternoon spin on T/Th before I go back to school), I decided I should eat something. I grabbed half a banana on my way out the door.

After the gym–which is so fun now because Andrew waves to me on my bike as he enters the gym–I snacked on some dates and Trader Joe’s chili lime cashews while I popped dinner in the oven: turkey legs and roasted pearl onions.
I washed it down with a hard cider–gluten free and Paleo-friendly.
A word about ‘extras’: I’m still using the salad dressings in the fridge rather than making my own (who has that kind of time these days?!), since neither of us is doing this because of a gluten sensitivity or anything. Are they processed? Yes. Could I make my own version that’s healthier? Sure. But I can’t do it every night. I also intend to eat some chocolate (super dark is Paleo-ok, Hershey’s is not) every once in awhile. I have a bag of healthier popcorn to sneak into the theater this weekend when we go see American Sniper. And we may have to *fudge* a little on Friday night when we attend an impromptu fundraiser/gala/fancy-schmancy event with friends. Good thing chicken wings are Paleo (pizza, sadly, is not) since Abigail and Marvin will visit soon. All that to say, we’re gonna do our best, but I’m not throwing away my ketchup and mayonnaise yet. (Although I fully intend to eschew those things and even make my own ‘baconnaise’ once I have enough bacon fat saved up.)