3 Days of Crazy, but Healthy Eating

This week has been a little crazy so far because my daughter has the flu. So she's not eating much and I've mostly been snacking and eating leftovers. But I still wanted to share how I've managed to stick to the Paleo diet all the same. Did I mention my eczema is looking a little better and my energy level has gotten a major boost? Here's how I stuck to the diet and what we've eaten in the last three days:

Breakfast:

- Bacon, Eggs, and Hashbrowns
- Paleo "Oatmeal" with Peanut Butter (pictured above)

Lunch:

- Tuna Stuffed Avocado
- Fruit Smoothie

Dinner:

- Cabbage Soup with Potatoes, Ham, and Bacon
- Honey Sesame Chicken with Broccoli

Snacks:

- Walnuts, Almonds, and Raisins
- Raw Veggies
- Chocolate Chia Pudding
- Baked Sweet Potato

Payday is Friday which means a new menu plan so stay tuned!
I've been Pinteresting like crazy and coming up with some new recipes and ideas. You can follow my board here. I really like the blog Our Paleo Life and there are several others you can find on my Paleo Pinterest board.

Homemade Kale Chips

We've all heard that kale is a superfood, and you can find out why here. But I have a hard time using it in recipes. I always put it in smoothies, and occasionally I'll cook it into a soup. Today, however, I made kale chips for the first time, and I think I've found my new favorite way to eat kale!

Step 1: Rinse kale and pat dry. Tear kale away from the thick ribs and into large pieces. Toss with olive oil and salt and pepper.

Step 2: Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and put kale pieces on top, making sure the leaves don't overlap. Cook for 10-15 minutes, flipping kale over and turning pan halfway through. Watch carefully to make sure kale is crispy but doesn't burn.

Step 3: Enjoy!

Next time I plan on sprinkling them with nutritional yeast for a nice cheesy flavor!

Monday: Smoothies and Burgers

We had a very successful first day on the Paleo Diet! Here's what our meals looked like:

Breakfast: Smoothies

• Frozen blueberries and strawberries
• Banana
• Half an avocado
• Kale
• Chia seeds soaked in hemp milk
• Ground flax seed
• Honey
• Water to desired consistency

Lunch: Scrambled Eggs with Bell Peppers and Salsa

Snack: Raisins, Walnuts, and a Glass of Hemp Milk

Dinner: Bun-less Hamburgers with Baked Sweet and Russet Potatoes

The Mostly Paleo Diet

This week begins our journey with the Paleo or Caveman Diet. Well, mostly. I chose to undertake this diet change to see if it would clear up my eczema, improve our moods and energy levels as a family, and just to better our overall health. Now I say that it is mostly Paleo because, while I will be following it as close as I possibly can, my 20 month old daughter will still be drinking some milk, although we've switched to organic milk and my husband will still be taking cheese or yogurt and crackers in his lunches, in addition to meats and fruits and veggies. We also won't be eating exclusively organic. We'd like to of course, but our budget won't allow it. I use the dirty dozen guide when deciding which fruits and vegetables to buy organic.


The scariest thing about this diet was making it fit into our very small food budget. Now, we went a little over this paycheck ($130 for two weeks worth of food) because we needed to stock up on certain things. But after this, we're hoping to keep our grocery bill below $100 for two weeks. And I will be sharing with you exactly how we do it. Here's what I bought this week:

*Non-Paleo items

Safeway

4 sweet potatoes
1 bunch kale
1 bunch bananas
1 avocado
1 bunch green onions
1 bag of baby carrots
1 head of red lettuce
1 bag mini sweet peppers
4 heads broccoli
2 lbs of strawberries
Frozen hashbrowns
1/2 gallon organic milk*
1 container of yogurt*
Ritz crackers*
2 lbs cheddar cheese*
Uncured bacon

 Whole Foods

 2 mangoes
1 bag brussel sprouts
3 cartons hemp milk
2 cartons almond milk
1 gallon organic milk*
2 cans coconut milk
Ketchup
Sesame oil
Strawberry lemonade
1 lb chia seeds
Peanut butter
3 cans tuna
Uncured pepperoni

Costco

4 pork roasts
Hamburger

Things we already had in our pantry/refrigerator:

Eggs
Ground flax seed
Walnuts
Chicken breasts
Pork chops
Frozen peas
Frozen spinach
Frozen blueberries
Sea bass
Chicken broth
Honey
Coconut Oil
Olive oil
Salsa
Shredded coconut
Canned chicken
Russet potatoes

I will be sharing what we eat on a daily basis for the next two weeks for some meal planning inspiration! Stay tuned!

Homemade Baby Wipes

I started making homemade baby wipes for two reasons: 1) My daughter has sensitive skin and gets diaper rashes from just about every brand of wipes. 2) I wanted to save money. They are super easy to make and very effective.

 

You'll need:

- A roll of good quality paper towels (I use Bounty Select-a-Size)
- 2 cups of warm water
- 2 to 4 Tbsp of coconut oil
- 2 to 4 drops of doTERRA lavender essential oil
- 2 to 4 drops of doTERRA melaleuca essential oil

Instructions:

1. Cut the roll of paper towels in half. Don't use an expensive knife though because it will dull the blade.

2. In a lidded container, combine the water, coconut oil, and essential oils. Stir until the coconut oil is completely melted.

3. Put the paper towel roll in the container, cut side down. Press down on it to make it fit (it will squish down far enough, trust me!) and secure the lid. Turn container upside down and let sit for about 10 minutes. Open and remove the cardboard, then pull wipes out from the center. Ta da!