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.)

After waking up a bit late (7:05; our alarm was set for 7:37, not 6:37), I raced down and got our bacon in the oven. I used my usual CoffeeMate Natural Bliss (milk, cream, sugar; no hydrogenated oils) in my coffee since I only have like two servings of it left. After that, I have Organic half and half which I’m going to mix with molasses and see how I like that. Andrew’s Paleo friend said she uses cream in her coffee, so I figured I could stick with a little dairy there too. Don’t mess with my morning coffee!

We started our day with pieces of crustless quiche and bacon:

I can’t say either of us loved the quiche; I think in the future I’d rather just scramble some eggs or make it an omelet. I cooked the bacon in the oven, like I usually do.

I added half a grapefruit and a little sauerkraut. The Paleo eating pattern includes fermented foods and probiotics, and the ‘squeaky clean’ meal plan recommends 1/4 sauerkraut each morning at breakfast. I like the stuff anyway, although it’s a little strange in the morning.

For lunch, I had prepped mustard chicken thighs the night before:

The recipe called for 1/4 cup coconut oil to be mixed with some Dijon mustard. I often do a mustard-roasted pork, so this was familiar. For those who don’t know, coconut oil is solid at room temperature because it’s a saturated fat. To work with it, you have to melt it, but it cools very quickly.

Other than a smokey kitchen (coconut oil also has a very low smoke point), I’d say our lunch was pretty good:

The chicken was excellent and was served with salad and grapes.

I snacked in the afternoon on some nuts and then some avocado and a hardboiled egg before a late dinner of flank steak, sautéed peppers and onions and broccoli. I added the avocado to make it like we were having fajitas.

Oh my gosh–so good! Andrew, so far, is a huge fan. (Of course he is; the main food is MEAT.) He’s replaced his usual pretzel snaking with nuts, so I’m just trying to help him keep his portions small.

I’d like to blog each day of the challenge with photos of our food, but I’d also like to include my thoughts on the Paleo/Primal diet as well. The recipes I’m making are from Practical Paleo, unless otherwise noted. Apparently there is a difference between eating ‘Paleo’ and eating ‘primal,’ which is like to explore. The challenge is actually through The Primal Blueprint, so I’d like to explore that website and information next. If it’s allowed in the primal eating pattern, I may include diary back in. (It’s so hard for me to go without yogurt!)

More tomorrow!