Sunday, March 27, 2011

The Paleo Plan = Skinny Jeans

Holy Skinny Jeans Caveman! Lately Griff and I have been “eating clean” by eating Paleo. If you don’t know what Paleo is don’t fret, neither did I when Griff first brought this caveman idea  to my attention. At first I thought, “you want me to give up what now?”.  But the more I listened to him the more it made sense and the more I wanted to give it a try.

Basically Paleo is short for the Paleolithic Era, {or the Caveman Era}. During the Paleolithic Era, all people were hunter-gatherers, that is, animals were hunted and plant foods were gathered. Until about 10,000 years ago, no society existed that farmed animals or grew crops. So during the Paleolithic Era there were no crops of cereal foods such as rice and wheat -- staples in most societies today -- and no-one ate or drank milk products. {Griff drinks milk like it’s going out of style so we won’t be giving up that any time soon.}

Below is a list of what we have been eating for the past 3 weeks. And I have to say I DO feel healthier. Actually, we were eating very close to this before we started “eating clean”. We just removed grains and processed foods from our diet. Couple that with me giving up Dr. Pepper for Lent… yikes! But I wouldn't be able to have Dr. Pepper while “eating clean” anyway so it’s a win-win I guess.

  • Lean proteins (ideally) grass fed meat, free range fowl and wild caught fish
  • Seasonal fruits and vegetables
  • Healthy fats such as nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil, and coconut oil

So how did we get started? First Googled Paleo Meal Plan to see if I could find a sample meal week that would show me how to eat Paleo. I found a great site called Paleo Plan. On this site they have a Shopping List and a Meal Plan. Woo-hoo! This site made it SO easy to get started. It was all planned out for me and I didn’t have to do anything but print it out and head to the grocery store.

But lets be real OK? How hard is eating like this really? I have to say there are only 2 downsides to “eating clean”, the prep time and the price. Every Sunday I gather my meals for the week, make a shopping list, and head to the grocery store. {Let’s be honest, I already did this, so that part is not a big change for me.} But every meal is made. There is NO pre-made stuff with this lifestyle. But Griff has been a big help. We have prepared many meals together and I really like our time together in the kitchen. The second downside is the price. It’s a bit pricier buying all organic items but look at the benefits of eating clean.

And the meals? They are DELICIOUS! Seriously y’all they are dang good!! Here are some links to our favorite meals and deserts. {For sides we usually have steamed squash, zucchini, carrots, mushrooms, or fruit and avocado, or a mixed green salad with sliced strawberries and sliced almonds.} We get a lot of our recipes from this site.

Seriously I could go on and on with a ton more recipes. But if you just cut out grains and processed foods then you are basically eating Paleo. It’s not hard at all. If you want more information or have questions about anything please email me or add a comment. While I don’t claim to be a Paleo expert I have done a lot of reading on the subject and I would love all of you to give it a try.

I promise. You. Will. Feel. Healthier! {And maybe lose a few pounds while eating delicious food!}

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