Approved Paleo Diet Foods

When I first started the Paleo Diet two months ago, I didn't know what the heck to eat. I couldn't believe everyone saying this was the "perfect diet." How? Well, two months later, I know how. You must practice this diet. It is not easy at first, but after two months, you will be a pro at it. Promise!!!

Foods to NEVER eat on Paleo Diet. These foods all contain lectins which are not good for anyone. If you do choose to eat rice and legumes, please remember to soak it for 24 hours before cooking. This reduces the lectins.
All Grains. This includes:
Wheat and gluten
corn
popcorn
rice
quinoa
millet
legumes (all beans)
all pasta that is grain based

Avoid all sugar and dairy, so no:
cheese
milk
cream
butter

Foods to eat in moderation (because they do contain lectins and you must soak these as well).
Nuts and seeds, including almonds. (I recommend soaking your nuts for at least 12 hours as well).

Foods to eat on Paleo Diet

Cauliflower Salad

Think of potato salad, but with tender cauliflower instead. This salad is one of my favorites and makes a great side dish for the Paleo Diet.

You will Need:
1 head of cauliflower
2 chopped celery
2 chopped pickles
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 T. of fresh finely chopped parsley
3 hard boiled eggs
1/4 c. of chopped olives
3 T. of grapessed oil veganaise
1 T. of dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
fresh lemon juice

Dressing:
Mix grapeseed oil and dijon together. Add salt and pepper and about 1 tsp. of fresh lemon juice. Add all seasonings except the paprika. set aside.
Steam the cauliflower until it is tender. Once tender, chop the cauliflower up into small pieces. Add all veggies and chopped egg, and mix in dressing. Sprinkle salad with paprika and chill for about 1/2 hour to allow the flavor to kick in. This should not be bland. If you need a hint more flavor, add some lemon and more sea salt/pepper. Enjoy!!

Baked Turkey Meatballs Over Julienned Sliced Zuchinni

When you are on the paleo diet, a julienne slicer is mandatory. The julienne slicer is available at Bed, Bath and Beyond, or any kitchen store. It slices veggies into long noodle shapes, and thins out the veggies making them even more tolerated by people. On the paleo diet, you don't eat any grains, so you are using veggies like zuchinni to mimic noodles. If you don't have a julienne slicer, there is a technique you can use to slice your veggies. See this youtube clip to learn how: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmefj-FRKoQ.
Here is a picture of what julienned veggies look like


Baked Turkey Meatballs Over Julienned Sliced Zuchinni

2 zuchinni- julienned sliced, sauteed in extra virgin olive oil. (set aside)
speghetti sauce of your choice, set aside

For the Meatballs
1 pound of ground turkey
1 zuchinni
1 carrot,
2 garlic cloves
1/4 c. fresh cut parsley
1/4 c. blanched almond flour
1 egg
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. chili powder
Preheat oven to 350. In a food processor, pulse zuchinni, carrot, parsley, and garlic until finely chopped. Set aside
In a bowl, beat egg and almond flour together. Add 1 pound of ground turkey. Add salt, pepper and chili powder. Add veggie mixture and mix into turkey.
Drop balls onto parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes.
Serve this speghetti style by first placing your julienned sliced zuchinni on your plate. Next add speghetti sauce of your choice. Add meatballs on top, and enjoy your meal!!!

Blanched Almond Flour Bread-Paleo Bread

I make this bread quite often on this paleo diet. It is bread made out of blanched almonds and coconut flour. It turns out so good that even a few friends have requested how I make it. You must know that almond flour is VERY expensive. One pound costs between ten and twelve dollars, so I recommend you blanch your own almonds and blend the flour yourself (if you want to save money, not time). The process of blanching almonds can take roughly an hour, depending if you have help. I bought a big bag of almonds at Costco and found that blanching them myself made twice as much flour for the money. For reference, blanching simply means removing the skin of the almond so only the white part is visible. If you buy almond flour from store, skip the process of blanching below and go straight to recipe.

To Blanch your own almonds you must:
Pour the desired amount of almonds in a bowl. Fill the bowl with boiling hot water and allow to sit for at least 5-10 minutes. Drain the hot water, and then pour cold water over almonds. Allow to soak for about 5 minutes more. Once this is done, drain water and dry the almonds with towel. Begin peeling the skins off the almonds. You now know how to blanch almonds.

Once almonds have been blanched, you need to make sure they are completely dry before adding them to your vita-mix or blend-tec. There can not be any moisture on the almonds when trying to make flour.

Pulse the almonds several times until you see flour. Once that is done, measure the amount of flour needed to make the bread. Now onto the recipe.

Blanched Almond Flour Bread (Paleo Bread)

1 1/2 c. blanched almond flour
2 T. coconut flour
1/4 c. flaxseed (ground up)
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 large eggs
1/4 c. coconut oil
1 T. honey
1 T. apple cider vinegar

Steps
Mix both flours, ground flaxseed, baking soda, and salt in bowl
In seperate bowl, beat eggs for about 2 minutes. Add honey, vinegar and oil.
Pour egg mixture onto flour mixture and beat on low for about 1 minute. Pour batter into 9 x 5 loaf pan (you may use a smaller or larger pan depending on your preference).
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.
Picture from source http://theairdiet.blogspot.com/2010/04/miscellaneous-almond-bread.html

Paleo Salad Dressing Ideas

Being on the Paleo Diet for two months now, I eat a lot of spinach salads. I use baby spinach instead of romaine because I get it for cheaper. A lot of people wonder what kind of salad dressing to use to make their salad tasty. I have a few recipes to share with you.

Grapeseed Oil Veganaise Dressing/sandwich spread (My Favorite)

1/4 c. of veganaise salad dressing
1/2 T. of fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp. of dried cilantro leaves
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. curry powder (or use red pepper instead)
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 garlic clove, minced
mix together in a small bowl and chill in fridge for at least 1/2 hour. Spread on salad and mix well.

Apple Cider Vinegar and Olive Oil Dressing
1 T. of apple cider vinegar
1 T. of extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced fine
1 tsp. chopped onion
1 T. of fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Mix with fork in a bowl and pour over salad. If this is too strong, dilute it with a little more olive oil.

Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil Dressing
1 T. balsamic vinegar (you can also use red wine vinegar instead)
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/3 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
minced garlic
Whisk with fork and pour over salad.

Questions
Why Do You Use Veganaise instead of regular mayo or mayo light with olive oil
I get asked this question a lot. I don't believe in using vegetable oils or any canola oils. Your standard mayo dressing is loaded with vegetable oils that are not high olaic expeller pressed, which preserves the delicate oil, ensuring it to be healthier (such as why I use veganaise for that very reason). Typical vegetable oils found in mayo go through a cheap process that does not leave the oil in a healthy state. The only oils I use are expeller pressed oils such as grapeseed oil or I use extra virgin olive oil. I also prefer to make my own salad dressings over purchasing them for reasons described.

Green Smoothie Recipe

This smoothie is my breakfast. I love how satisfying and healthy it is. Now that school has started and I am back to work, this smoothie is the perfect thing to make each morning.


Green Smoothie
2 c. of organic baby spinach
1 avocado
2 c. of coconut water (great source of electrolytes).
1 banana
1 cucumber

Blend the spinach and coconut water by themselves for about 1 minute. Next add the banana and cucumber and blend for about 20 seconds. Add the avocado last. If your smoothie is too thick, try adding more liquid to thin it out. Enjoy!!
Picture from http://itsahuntlife.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-day-looked-up.html

Day 1 of A Whole New Way Of Eating

to heal. I did some research yesterday on how to heal leaky gut and an irritated gut. It seems I have still been bloated and I couldnt figure out what has not been working in my whole foods diet. It turns out, I hadn't done all the research I should have because let's just say, no changes were happening like I wanted to. I had been eating foods that were still irriating my gut and after doing a lot of research I found I need to eliminate all these foods for 6 weeks. This is how long it takes to heal with this extensive program. I am excited to at least learn that villi (the fingerlike things that move food in the intestines) is capeable of healing every 24 hours. Isn't that remarkeable. After 25 years of abuse to my body, eating all the dangerous foods to my gut, villi can heal in 24 hours. I knew God had to have mercy and let our bodies heal. The body is so forgiving. Also, the body can heal in 4-5 days I found, if avoiding foods that irritate it as well. I know this 6 week program is the total heal that the body needs and I have the protocol to do this. I have a path to follow now, and I think I might make it this time.

Foods to Avoid for 6 weeks

Dairy

Grains including all rice, quinoa, millet, amarath, oats and more

Legumes like peas, beans, lentils, chickpeas, soy and tofu

Starches like potatoes, carrots, beets, pumpkin, squash, and sweet potatoes

High glycemic foods

Bananas, dried fruit, and fruit juice

Sugars of all kind

Healing foods (the list is long, so I will name the ones I like to eat the most)

apples

apricots

berrries

grapefruit

lemons and limes

nectarines

peaches

plums

pomegranates

watermelon

pineapple

Veggies to heal (the list is long, so I will name the ones I like to eat the most)

alfalfa sprouts

asparagus

artichokes

bok choy

cilantro

parsley

celery

kale

rommaine lettuce

dandelions leaves

saurefraut (fermented foods)

chard

tomatoes(yeah)

zuchinni

scallions

Olive oil

Honey

Today I went to Good Earth and out of all the healing products I had on my list, Good Earth only had a few of the things at the store. I got: hemp seeds, hemp protein powder, chia seeds, Garden of Life Zyme-Ultra (a digestive and probiotic blend), a probiotic that needs refrigeration and is 20 billion strains of good bacteria, zinc, sea buckthorn, biotin, candex, yeast cleanse, zinc, a liqiud calcium, flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, phyllim husk powder and tons of veggies. I spent a lot of money today, but I felt peace in knowing it was an investment in my health and healing. I looked for a recommended supplement called phytoplankton, but they did not have it. I would like to order that online and try it.Do I dare spend more money. I did take back a purse and top and got 118 in credit, so that helped pay for all these things I need for my healing quest. Here is the 6 week healing phase broken into two parts.

Part 1 (3 weeks long)

Only foods acceptable on list, no vitamins or minerals at this time, just your yeast candida cleanses, probiotics and digestive stuff. Eat hemp seeds when hungry, they do fill you up big time. I like that.

Part 2 (3 weeks long)

Introduce eggs and fish into your diet. Eat a little more brown rice.

I hope I can do this. I really want to heal my gut. I worry about major weight loss though. I know once my body is healed, the weight can be re-gained.