Colorful food and Dessert

I'm looking at the picture I took of my next recipe and the food is so colorful. I think part of being able to eliminate certain items is the variety and colors you utilize. My next three recipes are very colorful.

First off we have stuffed peppers with a marinara sauce. This is so easy and can really be modified so many ways. type of meat used, spices, sauce, etc. Yellow peppers were on sale this week. I like them better for dishes with a lot of pepper better than the red or green. (I'm not a green pepper person at all) The yellow really goes good with meats as well. I served them with steamed cauliflower and a dice of fresh basil on top.

Next up is a great breakfast side dish or dessert, yogurt and berries. How can you go wrong with berries in summer? I have frozen tons of them because they are on sale now. You really don't need fresh fruit for this anyways. (juice is good)

Lastly ice cream. I got a Vitamix last year for my birthday. That thing can grind just about anything. It's been an investment that has not gone to waste. I use it pretty much daily for dessert, smoothies, mashed turnips, homemade ground meat, the list goes on. I had a mango that was to the point pureeing was really the last option for it. So I made Mango ice cream for dessert one night. You really need the Vitamix for this recipe.
Sorry I don't have pictures of this, I was afraid it would melt to much. It's been in the 100's here. Next time I make it I'll try and get a picture posted.

Taking photos really has been the hardest part. I make some really good stuff and halfway through dinner I kick myself for not taking pictures. I guess I could share the food anyways. No worries the good stuff will get made again:-).

This last weekend we had a dinner out at a friends house. I had a feeling there would be stuff I shouldn't have. What I didn't realize was it was unavoidable. So many people do not do sit down, 4 course meals anymore. I love it cause you actually get to talk in between and savor the food more. I didn't want to refuse the course so I ended up eating 1/4 of a small plate of pasta. I then decided that if I'd already had that I was going to have dessert too. Chocolate mouse, Yum! I survived it all and had a great time.

Progress and learning

Well I've successfully baked Paleo. I do have a few recipes I'll post in a minute. I am also happy that I've lost a few more pounds. I'm down to 154 even now. I think it's the reduction in the amount of dairy I'm eating. It may just be that it's HOT here in Phoenix now but I'm getting so used to drinking water all the time I've only had 2 cups of coffee all week. And I cannot do black coffee. I also like a little cheese here and there. All reasons I haven't pulled it entirely but I'm certainly watching how much I do use. Ah the learning curve of your body and what it can take.

I started the week thinking I'd try doing Paleo fish-n-chips. Nut crusted fish and rutabaga chips. Neither worked and were barely edible but I was so hungry by then so I ate it anyways. Dave kept saying they weren't that bad... right.

I also found some more sights with recipes and info on them and will link those from here so you can enjoy as well. Some of the recipes I've changed up but I'll link the original when giving my version. OK, now for food ideas!! I'll put the recipes on the recipe page.

This week I made mango salsa (they were on sale so I stocked up). It's good on fritatas, jerk anything, salmon, and just out of the bowl with the plantain chips from Trader Joe's.

I also tried a recipe I found on Everyday Paleo. Meatballs~ only I used ground Turkey and Chicken sausage. So easy cause you use a crockpot and so good. You could probably change up the meats and seasonings other ways and it would still come out delicious. I served mine over eggplant stacks (cut thin lengthwise, grilled, stacked with mozzarella, baked till melted, meatball on top), but you could do spaghetti squash or zucchini 'spaghetti' (julienne lengthwise on mandoline).

   

Lastly, I made a banana bread recipe I found on Live Primal. I had to bake an extra 10 minutes, but it worked. This morning we had french toast made with it. Yum!!!

I hope to be better at posting next week. I'm trying all kinds of recipes and converting some of my standards. I also need to get better at taking pictures, they are worth a thousand words...

The Beginning...

Well, I've finally set up my first Blog. My husband Dave thinks I need to share my food. Even though he's not so sure about the Paleo eating, he thinks he "eats very well". I just hope the ideas and recipes help you just like the recipes on the many other blogs have helped me.

Food is and always has been a big passion for me. It's only been in the last 30-40 days that I've really been on the Paleo diet. Already I feel better, sleep better, and have none of the nasty digestive issues I didn't even realize were a bother. I am very tuned in to them now.

While my husband isn't sure still, I'm convinced he'll realize the benefits with his own improved health. Last year he suffered a mild heart attack and back surgery 2 weeks apart. His back was so bad I'm convinced it pushed his then clogged heart over the edge. It's been a year now and lately he recovers from his set backs (i.e. doing things he shouldn't) quicker and the nerve/motor function in his foot are getting better. I'll keep you posted on that so we can all see the effects of what we eat. Understand his will power isn't as great as mine, beer for example is still on his list of acceptable items ...

While I understand Dairy is not part of the Paleo diet, I personally am having a hard time giving it up entirely. So do feel free to substitute or omit it. If you too still enjoy it then you'll find these recipes helpful. I've done low carb on and off for years so the transition to Paleo wasn't that hard except for dairy, oh well.

If you live in the greater Phoenix area (or I'll mention cities I'm visiting) I'll also be posting items I find while eating out that fit. It does help to have an idea of what to look for on menu's. I'll even let you know how willing the places are to change dishes, substitute, etc.

Enjoy!

P.S. down 7 pounds so far... start 162.5(all time high for me) currently 155.5... goal 140 we'll see :)