Recipe #4 - Pistachio Bark

This post is the very reason why I wanted to start this blog in the first place.  Yesterday was a prime example that matter how hard you try to be prepared and be ready, sometimes life happens.

In the morning, I miraculously remembered to take chicken out of the freezer to begin thawing for dinner.  I had   even snatched up my Make it Paleo cookbook to review in the carpool line and made a list of things I could quickly grab at the grocery store after getting Riley from school. I was going to surprise Jamie with one of his favorites (I can't say what it was yet because I plan on making it tonight and my hope is that he actually reads this blog.)

We get home from Publix and I send Riley up to his room for homework and start putting groceries away and straightening up the kitchen to get ready to cook.  By this time it's around 5:00.  My first mistake was making plans. My children took this as their cue to practice being possessed by the devil.  Insert a 2 year old who is into everything and an 8 year old who despises his Math workbook and suddenly it's 5:48 and I still haven't started cooking yet.  Just as I discover that on top of everything else, Lily has crapped her pants, the phone rings.  It's my super sweet husband telling me that the freeway is at a standstill and he could either sit in traffic for 2 hours or grab a bite to eat with a friend and be home in 2 hours.  Thanks a lot idiots who can't drive in the rain!

I hang up the phone and decide that making Jamie's Surprise Dinner isn't going to happen for many reasons.  Off to Zaxby's!!  I was good (Sort of).  I got a salad.  Which at a fast food place is pretty much just the lesser of 1,000 evils - sometimes.  I felt awful afterward.  I was full but unfulfilled.  I immediately had the munchies. I found myself grazing in the pantry and standing in front of the fridge with the door open just staring at the contents waiting for something to jump out at me and scream "EAT ME!"  Guess what, that didn't happen.

Jamie made it home around 8:30.  I had already put the Beelzebaby...er, I mean Lily...to bed but Riley wanted to see his Daddy so I let him stay up a little late.  As soon as Riley went to bed I remembered that I had the makings for Recipe #4 - Pistachio Bark!  At this very moment, I heard angels!

This stuff is SO easy to make!  Melt dark chocolate in a double boiler.  Once melted, add pistachios.  Stir it up and pour onto parchment paper.  Spread it out with a spatula and freeze until it has hardened.  Booya!  Paleo friendly dessert.  Don't mind if I do.

So, while I veered off course last night, I ended up right back at the Paleo Station.  Here's a pic of the Pistachio Bark.  But brace yourself.  It looks like a plate of poo because again I just snatched a quick pic on my phone.  Enjoy!

Pistachio Bark Recipe courtesy of Make it Paleo -- www.primal-palate.com

Eat with your Ears... (Recipes #2 and #3)

I know it sounds weird, but it's true. Listening to your body is SO important!  In the past couple of weeks (since my jiggly awakening) my body has been telling me that those foods I used to think I couldn't live without don't actually taste that good after all.  As a matter of fact, I don't even think about food anymore.  It's so bizarre!  Or is it?  

The reason we get the munchies isn't because our bodies are so badly craving chocolate that they are willing to kill in order to get it.  We are getting the munchies because our nutrients are depleted and our bodies are trying to tell us something!  There are times (LADIES!!) when we really need chocolate.  Like, we have to have it or someone is going to HURT....but that's not every day.  

I found myself always on the quest for food. A snack, something sweet, something savory, something edible. It started to not matter what time of day it was or how recently I had just eaten or even how full I still was!  I just needed "something".  Since going Paleo, those cravings are gone.  And if they happen at all, I am able to ward them off with some almonds, dried fruit or a chocolate chip cookie.  And then, shockingly, I'm fine.  No more grumbly tummy when I go to bed.  It's awesome!!!

Check out this delicious recipe we made Friday night. In the mood for Chinese? No problem! There's a paleo recipe for that!

Please forgive the picture quality. I was SO hungry that I just snapped a quick picture of my bowl before scarfing it all down.  I'm not sure how much detail you can make out but it's Beef & Broccoli with Cauliflower Rice!  

The Beef and Broccoli was made stir-fry style in a wok.  But, instead of using Soy Sauce, you use Coconut Aminos (I got ours at Whole Foods).  Made from the sap of coconut trees it has a bit of a sweeter taste than regular soy sauce but we loved it!  Other ingredients include garlic and fresh ginger.  Then on to the fun part....the Cauliflower Rice.

It was so easy and delicious - I can't wait to have this with other main dishes.  Take a head of cauliflower and break it away from the stem.  Put chunks of cauliflower into a food processor, blender or even use a cheese grater.  Pulse until the cauliflower looks like grains of rice.  Add your coconut oil to a skillet and sweat out some onions.  Add a clove of garlic and the cauliflower.....salt and pepper to taste.  Sautee it all together until you get the desired "done-ness" and voila!  This meal was sooooo savory and filling and delicious.  Big hit around the MacAvoy Manor....that's for sure!

We followed it up with a Chocolate Chip Cookie for dessert to round out the caveman circle.  Yum-O!

*Recipes courtesy of Make it Paleo -- www.primal-palate.com

Recipe #1 - Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies were DIVINE! They were soft, chewy and wonderful. The best part is that I didn't use sugar or butter!  Main ingredients are almond flour, maple syrup, an egg and 72% (or more) dark chocolate chips.  


The recipe said it would yield 2 dozen but I think I actually wound up with 29 cookies.  These are great washed down with a tall glass of Almond milk!  Where was this recipe when we were planning for Santa??  Definitely keeping this one on hand.  


Recipe courtesy of "Make It Paleo" -- Order yours online at www.primal-palate.com.

Project Paleo

Ever play Kinect with your husband and kids only to be completely and totally mortified when the "action photos" show up after the game and you realize that your shirt flew up and your jiggly belly was exposed for all the world (or at least the household) to see?! Oh, that's just me? Awesome.

Well, regardless, my name is Katie and I am overweight. Not a lot. But enough to be a problem. Genetically speaking, I predisposed to curves. Problem is, it looks like someone took the curves and used the Warp tool in Photoshop to make them even curvier. Mama don't play dat....it's time to shrivel down.

I thought about joining Weight Watchers so I could sing like Jennifer Hudson or Jenny Craig so I could swing my hair around like Mariah Carey. But, when I realized that they weren't selling singing skills or hair flinging pointers I decided to do it the old fashioned way :: good choices and exercise. Or as I like to say...."start using my brain instead of my ass."

By way of a recommendation from a good friend I learned about Paleo eating. It's not a diet. You don't wean yourself off of it. Instead, it teaches you about the food groups that are REALLY good for you and REALLY bad for you and how to revolve your menu and regular eating habits around them. If you haven't heard of Paelo eating I recommend these websites to teach you the basics and help you understand the benefits:

http://www.thepaleodiet.com

http://robbwolf.com

http://www.primal-palate.com/

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

So, anyway, after watching my jiggly bits show up on the Xbox big screen I decided it was time to go primal. Get back to the grass roots. Stop eating crap that makes my belly bloat and eat things that digest easily and give me energy and brain power. Lucky for me, my same Paleo friend introduced me to this awesome cookbook called "Make it Paleo" written by a super cute married couple who run one of the sites I listed above called The Food Lovers Primal Palate. This cookbook is maybe my favorite cookbook ever. Its sections are organized by food category and the beginning even gives you a brief look at the main ingredients you'll use throughout the book. It teaches you about cooking with coconut oil over vegetable oil and other little tricks. There is even a "Cheats and Treats" section that includes DESSERT recipes! Yes, even cavemen had a sweet tooth or two. Oh, and did I mention the ginormous glossy photos of each and every recipe? BONUS!

Couple all of this with the fact that I recently watched Julie & Julia (yes for the first time) I thought it might be cool to chronicle how little old me can live a Primal lifestyle while running my two businesses, raising my two kids, taming my insane moose of a dog all while living in the South - where everything is deep fried and smothered in chocolate.

My main goal is just to become a healthier woman and mom. But, the obvious benefit to all of this is weight loss so I'll keep you guys posted on how that goes. (Shameless plug :: So far I'm down about 6 pounds!) I'm going to exercise regularly but without any sort of religious conviction. I don't need Bob Harper (although I would love to have him in my list of People Who Make Me Cool) or the Biggest Loser ranch, I just need to curb my enthusiasm for all things sugary and gluteny.

Thanks for reading and being interested!

Here we go again...

It's that time of year again. The time of year when I realize I'm fat and decide to do something about it. The difference is, I am really going to do it this time. Like seriously.

I am SO over this routine of crying about being fat, wearing sweats or jeans everywhere because I don't even feel like trying to look good in anything stylish. I am tired of looking at pictures of myself and wanting to vomit. I'm tired of being out of breath because I have to take something upstairs in my house. I am far too young to be this old.

We watch The Biggest Loser like a bad religion. Each week I watch Bob and Dolvett scream, yell and inspire people to make better choices and stop making excuses. I've decided it's time for yours truly to stop making excuses. I always allow other things to dictate my success and that's some straight up BS. It's just my way of justifying my situation. The situation is - I'm fat; I'm not a victim and I won't be a prisoner anymore.

I have no idea how long this will take me. I don't even know what I weigh. But I do know that the size in my jeans disgusts me and the fact that I still wear maternity shirts to cover my belly is a sad, sad truth. My youngest child is 2. There's no excuse for that.

I've decided that I'm just going to start making better choices, drinking more water, eating healthier food and doing something active every day even if it's just cleaning my house, walking a lap around the neighborhood or playing Kinect with my kids.

So there, that's it. Today is my first post. I can't promise when my next one will be but that's cool too. No rules, just living every day.

Thanks for reading. xo