What I Gather

Paleo Pizza Stuffed Bell Peppers

2013-05-20T18:55:00.001-04:00

Kevin and I went to see Ironman 3 this weekend and by the time we chose a showing we had about an hour to cook and eat before the movie so I needed to put together a quick dinner. This recipe is one that had been in the back of my mind for some time and I finally got a chance to try it out! It was delicious AND we almost made it to the movie on time (we just missed the previews).

With less than two weeks until my due date, we don't have many date nights left, so it was nice to get out of the house and spend some time together. I doubt I'll be visiting the movie theatre again before the baby gets here, though - I was shifting around in my seat the entire time! They should have special recliners for expectant mothers because I could not get comfortable in that seat. Oh well, the movie was great and so was my company so I can't complain too much.

These peppers are super easy to put together and have a lot of the same toppings as a traditional pizza would, but they are much better for you! Sausage, tomato sauce, mushrooms, peppers, onions, garlic and fresh herbs from the garden - sounds like a supreme pizza to me!

Does anyone know how you are actually supposed to eat stuffed peppers? Do you eat the filling with a fork and then eat the pepper or do you just cut it up into pieces and make a big ol' mess? I am of the make a big mess camp...what about you?

Paleo Pizza Stuffed Peppers
Makes 4 Stuffed Peppers
Time: 1 hr, 10 minutes

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground Italian sausage
4 bell peppers, tops cut off and seeds removed (reserve and dice tops to be used in filling)
4 button mushrooms, diced
10 black olives, sliced
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tsp crushed red peppers
A few sprigs of fresh thyme, oregano and rosemary (or 1/2 tsp of each, dried)
Dash of salt and pepper

Directions
Heat oven to 400 F

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.

Once oil is hot, add onions to pan and cook until translucent, stirring often (2 to 3 minutes)

Add garlic and cook for an additional minute, while continuing to stir

Add Italian sausage, peppers and mushrooms to pan, cook until meat is browned, about 10 minutes

Drain meat mixture and add to a large bowl along with tomato sauce, tomato paste, crushed red peppers, herbs, salt and pepper. Stir until well combined.

Scoop the filling evenly into each of the four bell peppers. Place peppers standing up into a small glass baking dish.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until peppers are tender and filling is heated through.

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This post is linked to Party Wave Wednesday at HolisticSquid.com!

Paleo Pregnancy - Preparing for our new arrival

2013-05-11T16:22:00.000-04:00

The countdown has begun! We are T-Minus 3 weeks (give or take) and spend most of our free time preparing for the arrival of this new little person into our lives. I wanted to share some of the things that we are doing that should make the transition to parenthood a little less bumpy (yet still extremely bumpy...I'm not delusional).

Building a Cloth Diaper Stash

We decided from the very beginning that we wanted to do cloth diapers. The way most disposable diapers are made (sodium polyacrylate beads) really freaks me out. Not something I want near my baby's bottom day in and day out for the next couple of years. Not to mention the waste they create in our landfills. Plus, have you seen the new cloth diapers that are out there? There are some adorable colors and patterns and you put them on just like a disposable diaper!

A lot of people shy away from cloth diapers because of the extra work they create and the extra laundry. First of all, if you have ever read the instructions on a package of disposable diapers, you should be removing the poop from the diapers before disposing of them anyway (though most people don't do this). We may get one of those fancy diaper sprayers to help with this step, but for now we are just going to shake it into the toilet I guess? We'll see how it goes. As far as laundry, I figure I'll be doing laundry every few days anyway, so as long as we have a big enough cloth diaper stash to do laundry every other day or so I don't think I'll be spending too many extra hours in the laundry room. I found this recipe for homemade cloth diaper detergent that I plan to use, as well.

Another obvious benefit is the cost savings. Yes, it is a big expenditure on the outset, but these diapers should last us through this child and hopefully the next. It won't take long for us to hit our break even point and we won't be running to the store to stock up on diapers every week.

We are going with the Bum Genius Freestlye and, based on a tip from Jules' Fuel, Smart Bottoms. Both are All in One style diapers, which means the absorbent insert and the waterproof shell are all one piece that you just throw in the washer together. This seemed like the most convenient option for us.

We are also using cloth wipes. I'll probably keep disposable wipes in the diaper bag for convenience, but at home we plan to do cloth wipes. My reasons are very similar to those for using cloth diapers. I am not comfortable with all of the chemicals in most disposable wipes and they create a lot of waste. Our plan is to keep a spray bottle of water near the changing table and use that along with a cloth wipe to clean up our baby during diaper changes.

Baby Carrier Practice

My sweet sister was nice enough to gift us a Baby K'Tan, the same carrier that she has. It looks easy enough, but it can be used many different ways and I really want to be comfortable with it before I put a little person in there. So I've been reading the manual and practicing the different carrying styles with a stuffed animal. Grover isn't quite the size and shape (or color!) that our baby will be, but it is helping to raise my comfort level with using the carrier.

We also plan to get this carrier because the Baby K'Tan is a size Small for me, and Kevin, being over a foot taller than me, can't really use it. We can both use the Becco Butterfly II Baby Carrier and it'll be nice for hiking, etc. when the baby gets a bit older.

Packing Our Hospital Bags

I have had my bag packed since about 35 weeks. A little early, I know, but I am a planner. I 100% do not want to be in labor running around the house trying to pack my bag! Certainly I would forget something...or many somethings. So my bag is mostly packed, other than a few last minute items. Here is what I am planning on bringing:

Snacks - Most practitioners do not recommend eating during labor so I imagine I'll be famished and I doubt I'll be eating anything from the hospital cafeteria. I plan to bring along some trail mix, fresh fruit, nutrition bars and maybe some beef jerky.

Money - Again, I doubt I'll be heading to the hospital cafeteria during my stay, so we stashed a bit of cash into the hospital bag so we can send a willing loved one to pick us up some food when we get hungry.

Electrolyte Drink and Water - Our birth class instructor gave us this recipe for an electrolyte drink that I can drink during labor to keep up my energy. It is a nice alternative to water and I plan to freeze some in ice cube trays. I've also packed a couple of Nalgene bottles so that I can have plenty of water nearby to stay hydrated.

Sports Bra or Swimsuit for Tub - Some of the rooms at my birth center have tubs that you can use during labor. I love being in the water and I've heard that the warm water can be very relaxing so I packed a top that I can wear in the tub, though modesty may have gone out the window by that point!

Everything Else

Birth Plan - I'll share more on this later...when I can compare my birth plan to my birth reality!
ID and insurance card
Nightgown
Robe
Nursing bra
Slippers
Outfit to wear home
Toiletries
Phone - complete with labor playlist
iPad
Chargers
Baby book - for footprints and handprints
Clothes, burp cloths, medicine/grooming kit and a blanket for the baby
Infant car seat
Clothes and toiletries for Kevin

Stocking the Freezer

Our freezer is usually pretty much empty, save for some frozen fruit and any meat that we don't plan to use in the next day or two. Well, look at it now!

I've been preparing two or three freezer meals every week for the past few weeks. I don't have an exact plan for how long these meals will last us, but I figure even if they get us through only the first two or three weeks it will be a HUGE help. Less trips to the grocery store, less time in the kitchen and NO time figuring out what to cook!

I have mostly been relying on this ebook for our dinners which is full of easy to put together crock pot meals. You just prep the ingredients, throw them in a ziploc bag, and freeze until you are ready to cook. Some of the meals include foods we wouldn't normally eat, but they were all easily adaptable. The serving sizes are fairly large so we should be able to eat the leftovers for lunch, too.

For breakfasts, I have made a few batches of Everyday Paleo's Egg Cupcakes that we can easily thaw and eat with some salsa and avocado and I also made and froze a double batch of my very own Zesty Italian Brunch Bake. I think most mornings one of us will be able to handle making breakfast, but I am sure there will be mornings where it will be nice to have something already prepared that we can pop into the microwave.

If I have time, I also plan to make a few soups and chilis like this Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup with Swirly Basil Oil and this Chipotle Chili and freeze them in large tupperware containers.

Growing Some Veggies

Kevin and I have had a vegetable garden for the past three years. I love growing our own veggies and herbs at home, but this year I have a whole new reason for loving it! In about six months our baby will be able to start eating some of the vegetables that are growing in our garden right now. And in the coming months and years, we can teach our baby about real food and the importance of knowing where your food comes from. Plus, gardening is just fun! Our baby will be able to help us in the garden and discover all kinds of little worms and bugs and things.

Exercise

Until this past week when my back/hip/pelvis pain has turned me into a hobbling mess, I have been able to keep up with a couple of CrossFit classes each week, along with some walking/jogging, swimming and yoga. Now that I am getting so close to the end of my pregnancy AND experiencing so many new aches and pains, I am focusing on workouts that will help move my baby into the right position, keep my muscles strong, toned and flexible for labor, and help to alleviate some of my ailments.

Swimming is supposed to be great for helping baby move into the right position for labor and the weightless feeling is awesome! I swim laps once or twice a week and have also started attending water fitness classes, which are a lot more intense than you might think!

I've also been doing a prenatal yoga video a couple of times each week. The video includes a lot of pelvic movements, which feel really good and give baby a little room to move around. This video has been my favorite.

On top of all of this, we've been getting the nursery together, installing carseats, attending childbirth classes, and trying to see all of our friends and family before our lives change forever. I also consciously try to spend some time on the couch just being lazy...watching movies or reading books and magazines because I know my me-time is about to go out the window and I want to soak up every last drop!

What are some of the things you did/are doing to prepare for your baby's arrival?

April 2013 - Paleo Pen Pals Roundup

2013-05-05T11:19:00.002-04:00

Welcome to the Paleo Pen Pals Round-up for April! If you still haven't heard the buzz about Paleo Pen Pals, it is a network of like-minded paleo bloggers who swap ingredients each month, create a recipe and share their creations in the blogosphere. Check out our Facebook page to see what we are all about and to sign up. You can also read about Paleo Pen Pals on Three Diets One Dinner intro post or my intro post.

Co-Founder Brittanie, from Three Diets One Dinner, and I were so excited to see all of the tasty recipes that came through this month and I am happy to share them with you today. If you would like to become a part of Paleo Pen Pals and sign up for next month's food swap, click here to learn more.

Before we get to the recipes, I want to mention that Paleo Pen Pals is looking for sponsors. It takes a lot of effort and time to keep this running, and we have opened up an international network of Paleo bloggers, cooks and eaters. There are thousands of eyes on this network and they are all hungry for the caveman lifestyle. If you have a Paleo product that needs a voice, let's talk! Send us an email.

Read on for a roundup of April's recipes!!

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Banana Pecan Muffins by Wyatt

Butternut Squash Fritter Breakfast Muffin by the Paleo Prize

Chicken Tomatillo Chili by The Optimal K

Crockpot Chile Pasilla Carnitas by Pensive Paleo

Grain Free Berry Clafoutis by Feed the Clan

Aggie BBQ Sauce by Three Diets One Dinner

Infusions of Lavender by The Paleo Professional

Jalapeño Sauce Chicken Stir Fry by Weekend Cavegirl

Kahlua Cashew Cheesecake by Vivacious Dish

Kohlrabi & Garlic Mashed "Potatoes" by Cavemom Lifestyle

Taro and Gingered Sweet Potato Salad by Rhonda

Grain Free Tea Cakes by Feed the Clan

Chocolate Cacao Nib Crusted Steak by Feed the Clan

Focaccia Ripiena di Cavolo e Speck by Feed the Clan

Paleo Pen Pals is on Facebook!

Paleo Pen Pals April 2013 - Paleo Banana Pecan Muffins - A Guest Post from Wyatt

2013-04-27T08:51:00.000-04:00

My pen pal stood me up this month. :( Oh well, it happens. Luckily, I am not leaving you empty handed! One of my past pen pals, Wyatt, was paired up with Kristina this month- neither of them have blogs, but Wyatt's recipe looks so yummy that I wanted to feature it here on What I Gather. Read on for Wyatt's post...

This month, Kristina gave me coconut flour. Its a great flour substitute for Paleo baked goods, but I don't quite have the nuances down of how to use the right mixture. So instead, I turned to the cookbook "Paleo Indulgences" by Tammy Credicott. She's got an awesome banana-pecan recipe that in the past I've made waffles from. On my previous attempt to make waffles, the batter kept sticking to the waffle iron, and I lost about 2/3 of the batter before I gave up. On a whim, I decided to salvage the remaining batter and make muffins out of them.

This worked out perfectly. So this time, I planned to make the muffins from the get-go.

I followed her ingredient list, with the following changes: I added one more banana, and I added 1/4 cup of "life is good" chocolate chips. I baked in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 deg. Came out moist and yummy! The yield was exactly 1 dozen muffins.

Kevin's Famous Spicy Guacamole

2013-04-20T11:12:00.000-04:00

We had another Paleo Pitch In at Clark Floyd CrossFit this week and between birth classes, cello lessons, school work and baby growing we decided to bring something quick and easy, but still totally tasty! Let me just say that I LOVE it when we have Paleo Pitch In's at the gym. You just bring one dish, but you get to eat, like, twenty awesome Paleo dishes. Okay, I will stop explaining to you how potlucks work as if you have never been to one...it just gets me pretty excited. Especially if you just finished a tough workout and your dinner is right there waiting for you!

I don't mean to brag (yes I do), but everyone who has tried Kevin's guacamole has loved it. Maybe it is because he is from the Southwest? It definitely has a little kick to it and he gets it right every time. The flavor is perfect and it has the chunky texture that I prefer. Kevin is also famous for his Chocolate Chili and his Broccoli and Bacon Omelette.

We couldn't just show up with guacamole and a spoon, so we brought a veggie tray for dipping. Try finding a veggie tray without a huge tub of ranch dip in the middle. It is not possible! We threw the dip away and replaced it with a huge bowl of freshly made guacamole.

We've also enjoyed this guacamole with burgers, fish, plantain chips and even as a salad topping. What is your favorite way to use guacamole? Do you make your own with any special, secret ingredients?

Kevin's Famous Spicy Guacamole
Serves: 6 to 8
Time: 15 Minutes

Ingredients
2 avocados
1 plum tomato, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lime
Handful finely chopped cilantro
1 jalapeno, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Halve avocados and scoop avocado flesh into a large bowl. Mash well with a fork.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well with a fork until wee incorporated.

It's Here...eMeals iPhone App Launch!

2013-04-19T15:34:00.002-04:00

You already know how much I love eMeals! It has kept this graduate student / full time employee / wife / blogger / pregnant mama from spending wasted time in front of the refrigerator wondering what to make for dinner every night. I am a major planner and I enjoy figuring out our meals for the week and making a grocery list, but things have been a little hectic in our household as we prepare for the big changes coming our way so I’ll take all the help I can get.

eMeals sends me an email each week with a week’s worth of tasty Paleo recipes and a corresponding grocery list, which really takes the guesswork out of shopping and cooking on those nights when I just can’t muster the time or energy (getting off the couch is quite difficult right now) to get my own culinary juices flowing. Plus, we aren’t wasting money on a bunch of extra food that ends up going bad because we didn’t have a plan for it

Well…eMeals just got even BETTER with the introduction of their iPhone app! Now I can access my weekly meal plan and shopping list straight from my phone. This is what I love so far about the app:

I no longer have to print the meal plan (although I sometimes choose to print them to save a favorite recipe for later). I can access the current and past week's meal plans from the eMeals app. Yea for saving trees!
If I want to “skip” a meal that week (if I am planning to go out or find one that just doesn’t appeal to me) I can choose the option to “Skip This Recipe” and it will remove the recipe from my weekly meal plan AND remove the items from my shopping list.
I can access the shopping list when I hit the grocery store and check items off as I go.
Speaking of the shopping list, I can even add my own items to the list so I don’t forget to pick up eggs, coconut milk and other household staples.

Ready to try the eMeals iPhone app for yourself? Click here to learn more.

Disclaimer: I was not compensated by eMeals for this post, but did receive a complimentary one-year membership as a part of their Blogger Network. All opinions are 100% my own and I would never share a product or service with you that I haven't purchased or used myself. eMeals links are affiliate links.

Paleo Pregnancy - Second Trimester Recap

2013-04-12T21:51:00.000-04:00

This post is a bit overdue as I am already 33 weeks pregnant, but better late than never and soon enough I'll be holding my little baby and recapping my third trimester, which is still hard for me to believe.

I can totally see why they call the second timester the "honeymoon trimester". My first trimester was full of ups and downs. Once I hit about thirteen weeks, though, my morning sickness went from all day every day to every few days and by fourteen weeks it had disappeared completely. I knew people said it would get better, but when you are sick nonstop for weeks on end, it is hard to take their word for it. My appetite came back, too, and I was able to eat many of my favorite foods again and actually enjoy my meals. I was even able to come up with fun new recipes again (like this and this) without wanting to run screaming from the kitchen!

Speaking of food, once my appetite came back, those tell-tale pregnancy cravings came flooding in. I dreamt about digging into piles of cake and ice cream with my hands and filling a huge bowl with all of my favorite cereals. It goes without saying that some of my biggest cravings have been cereal, ice cream and cake...along with pizza, macaroni and cheese and chocolate. Luckily I was able to enjoy those foods in my dreams so I could stick to my Paleo diet during my waking hours. This post gives a good picture of what I currently eat in a day. We did make a lot more Paleo treats than usual, like sweet potato brownies and cookie dough bars, to satisfy my craving for sweets and I ate the occasional french fry and sushi roll without an ounce of regret.

Around 20 weeks by baby was finally getting big enough to squish my internal organs a bit and I started to experience some major pains in my gallbladder after eating most meals. I talked with my midwife and she said it is normal for pregnancy hormones and the cramped quarters to cause digestive issues. They did some additional testing on my liver and kidneys and everything came back normal so we just chalked it up to good ol' pregnancy. Kevin and I did cut back on a lot of the fattier cuts of meat (goodbye bacon and sausage) and I ate a bit of Greek yogurt and drank Kombucha to get some healthy bacteria into my system. Kevin made me cherry and cranberry juice cocktails, too, to clean our my digestive tract. I am not sure what worked, but eventually the baby moved or my diet changes kicked my digestive system back into gear because the pain slowly went away over the next few weeks.

I also experienced some extremely uncomfortable and painful itching on my back and scalp during the winter months. More talking with my midwife led me to the conclusion that this is also a normal symptom of pregnancy. On top of the already dry winter air, the baby is basically taking all of the nutrients I consume to fuel its growth and development. I am happy to suffer through some discomfort for my baby (I am sure this is only the beginning...), but I still sought out some relief. The best solution I came across was pure Vitamin E oil. I think it worked best when Kevin rubbed it on for me and, great husband that he is, he obliged.

Luckily, my other appointments with my midwife were less eventful. We went in once a month to hear the heartbeat and discuss our questions and concerns. We did have a second ultrasound at nineteen weeks and based on the results we declined any of the additional second trimester screenings for genetic disorders. My midwife assured us that nothing they tested for would be life threatening for me or for the baby so we politely declined. It was so exciting to see our little baby again and this time we could see cute little arms and legs and even the spinal cord, heart chambers and vertebrae. I had no idea you could see so much detail! This was probably the last peek we will get at our baby before it is born so we savored every moment.

Even though we don't get to see the baby again until he or she is born, around 18 weeks I started to feel those first tiny kicks. Like most first-time moms, it took me a few days to realize what I was feeling. They started out as very subtle movements, but within a few weeks even Kevin could feel the occasional kick. Near the end of my second trimester, I could literally see the kicks and watch my stomach move when the baby was rolling around in my belly.

Another happy happening of the second trimester is that my energy came bouncing back, too! By fifteen weeks, I had a burst of energy that lasted into the third trimester. Even though my body was changing, my workout times were improving and I was able to lift heavier weights than I expected. I got back in the pool and was able to swim much longer than I could in my first trimester. I ran more often, too, and even participated in a few 5K's. As the second trimester went on, though, and my belly grew larger, I definitely had to start modifying my workouts.

In CrossFit, I had to do push ups from my knees and gave up sit-ups for modified toes to bar. I also moved to a little mini box for my box jumps and used stronger bands for pull ups. As my weight went up a lot of movements became more difficult and eventually I was modifying almost everything. I just did whatever felt right and tried not to push myself too hard.

When running, I took a lot of walk breaks and slowed my pace down a bit to accommodate my changing body. The same went for swimming, too. I took a break every few laps and drank some water and just swam at whatever pace felt good.

I also found some great prenatal weight lifting and yoga videos on YouTube, which I wrote about in this post on my favorite pregnancy resources. On the mornings when I just couldn't drag myself out of bed early enough to get to the gym, I could still get a good 30 minute workout in from the comfort of my own home.

Near the end of the second trimester I did experience some difficulty sleeping. I couldn't lie on my back anymore because it cut off my breathing so I was exclusively sleeping on my side. Even surrounded by pillows, it was hard to find a comfortable position and lying on one side for too long made my hips hurt, so I usually woke up at least four or five time each night to rearrange. Some nights I just gave up and came downstairs to watch 2:00am Law and Order reruns and that was usually enough to tire me out and get me back to sleep (no offense to Law and Order).

All in all, even with the few minor discomforts, my second trimester was a happy three months. I felt the baby move for the first time, I could enjoy food again, my energy came back with a vengeance and I loved to watch my baby bump grow from week to week! I continued to write about my pregnancy in Paleo Living Magazine throughout my second trimester. You can check out Paleo Living Magazine on Facebook or head on over to subscribe now if you are reading on our iPad.

Did you start to feel like yourself again in the second trimester? Is the honeymoon trimester a god way to describe it?

Chipotle Citrus Turkey Burgers

2013-04-07T09:17:00.000-04:00

Alright, time for dinner! I usually shy away from turkey burgers because most turkey burgers taste pretty bland. There is just no flavor, no matter how many herbs and spices I throw into the mix.

Well, I FINALLY found a cure for the common turkey burger. We have had an influx of mandarin oranges in the fridge, which led to this recipe for Tuna Cakes with Mandarin Orange Salad, and I've still been trying to come up with ways to use them up. Kevin is the grill master so I told him about my idea for a turkey burger spiked with diced chipotle peppers (are you familiar with my affinity for chipotle?) and sweetened with mandarin orange zest and juice. He added his own spice mix, which included cilantro, sesame seeds, saffron, garlic and ginger!

These turkey burgers were the most flavorful I have ever eaten. After every bite, I could not stop talking about how good they were and Kevin was pretty happy with his creation, too. We made these on the grill pan because it was still pretty cold outside, but you could throw these on the barbecue grill, too and enjoy a little time outside in the sunshine!

Chipotle Citrus Turkey Burgers
Makes: 8 Burgers
Time: 25 Minutes

Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey
Juice of 1/2 lime
Juice of one mandarin orange
Zest of two mandarin oranges
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp coconut flour
1 tsp cilantro
1 pinch saffron threads
1 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp ginger
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Heat a well oiled grill pan over medium heat.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well (we just used our hands).
Form turkey mixture into eight patties.
Cook for four minutes per side. Check one patty to make sure burgers are cooked through.

March 2013 Paleo Pen Pals Roundup

2013-04-03T18:40:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Paleo Pen Pals Round-up for March! If you still haven't heard the buzz about Paleo Pen Pals, it is a network of like-minded paleo bloggers who swap ingredients each month, create a recipe and share their creations in the blogosphere. Check out our Facebook page to see what we are all about and to sign up. You can also read about Paleo Pen Pals on Three Diets One Dinner intro post or my intro post.

Co-Founder Brittanie, from Three Diets One Dinner, and I were so excited to see all of the tasty recipes that came through this month and I am happy to share them with you today. If you would like to become a part of Paleo Pen Pals and sign up for next month's food swap, click here to learn more.

Before we get to the recipes, I want to mention that Paleo Pen Pals is looking for sponsors. It takes a lot of effort and time to keep this running, and we have opened up an international network of Paleo bloggers, cooks and eaters. There are thousands of eyes on this network and they are all hungry for the caveman lifestyle. If you have a Paleo product that needs a voice, let's talk! Send us an email.

Read on for a roundup of March's recipes!!

Chicken Curry with Red Palm Oil from What I Gather

Cauliflower Fried Rice from Girl Meets Trail

Crockpot 5 spice Barbacoa from Pensive Paleo

Chicken Paprikash from Rhonda

Moraccan Meatball Soup from The Paleo Prize

Java Spiced Pork Chops from Low Carb One Day

Lamb and Beef Heart Cocoa Chili from Three Diets, One Dinner

Orange Beef from Wyatt, a guest on What I Gather

Tea Ritual from M=1

Tunisian Stew with Harissa from Feed the Clan

Samoa Cookies from Victoria, a guest on Low Country Paleo

Ube Carrot Bundt Cake from Amy, a guest on Feed the Clan

Wild Boar Salami Stuffed Mushrooms from Vivacious Dish

Bacon Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Honey Mustard from CookEatPaleo

Beets, Fennel and Garlic from Low Country Paleo

Taro Tartlets from Grok Grub

Paleo Pen Pals is on Facebook!

The Primal Life Kit - 30 Products. 8 Discounts. $485 Value. Get it all for only $39!!!

2013-04-02T13:42:00.000-04:00

You read it right...

The awesome folks at PaleoPlan.com have put together an awesome bundle of ebooks, meal plans, magazine subscriptions and discount codes...a $485 value, but for this week only you can purchase them ALL for only $39 (did it mention that it is awesome)! This is an amazing deal and I cannot wait to dig into some of these books!

What's The Primal Life Kit?

When you purchase the $39 Primal Life Kit, you get $485 worth of the most popular and life-changing Primal and Paleo products:

> 22 ebooks
> 2 meal plans
> 3 magazine subscriptions
> 2 fitness programs
> 1 short audio book
> and 8 discount codes

These educational and potentially life-changing Primal and Paleo products are being sold at more than 90% off their original retail value for one week only - April 2 through April 9. Included in this Primal Life Kit are a meal plan made by Primal Blueprint, a recipe ebook by Bill and Hayley over at primalpalate.com, a fitness program by Sarah Fragoso of Everyday Paleo, and a subscription to Paleo Magazine, among many other popular products. All the ebooks are in pdf format, so you can read them on your computer or the e-reader of your choice.

Please see the full list of what you'll get when you purchase this bundle below.

This $39 kit will give you all the tools you need to eat, cook, work out, and live Primally. Great if you are just starting out or if you have been into a Primal lifestyle for a while now and you're looking for some new ideas.

> 12 Recipe and Meal Planning eBooks

Paleo Crock Pot: 25+ Beef, Pork, & Chicken Recipes by George Bryant and Abel James of CivilizedCavemanCooking.com ($2.99)

30-Day Intro to Paleo by Hayley Mason and Bill Staley of PrimalPalate.com (authors of Make It Paleo) ($15)

Well Fed: Paleo Recipes for People Who Love to Eat by Melissa Joulwan of TheClothesMakeTheGirl.com ($14.95)

Fast Paleo Top 100: The Top 100 Paleo and Primal Recipes Shared with FastPaleo in 2012 + 4 bonus ebooks (below) by James Gregory and Ute Mitchell of FastPaleo.com ($14.97)

Fast Paleo Top 100: The Top 10 Muffins of 2012 by James Gregory and Ute Mitchell of FastPaleo.com (free bonus ebook)

Fast Paleo Top 100: The Top 10 Beverages and Smoothies of 2012 + 4 bonus ebooks by James Gregory and Ute Mitchell of FastPaleo.com (free bonus ebook)

Fast Paleo Top 100: The Top 10 Cookies of 2012 by James Gregory and Ute Mitchell of FastPaleo.com (free bonus ebook)

Fast Paleo Top 100: The Top 10 Ice Creams of 2012 by James Gregory and Ute Mitchell of FastPaleo.com (free bonus ebook)

Toadally Primal Smoothies by Primal Toad of PrimalToad.com ($5)

Paleo Power Lunch: Easy, Filling, & Delicious Workday Meal Strategies by Stormy Sweitzer of maoomba.com ($27.50)

The Paleo Breakfast Recipe Book: Over 100 Pages of Recipes by Suzanne Crawt of paleo.com.au ($17)

Sow: Planting the Seeds for Health, Well Being, and a Superhero Life! by Joe Rignola of wellnesspunks.com

> 4 Autoimmune and PCOS eBooks

21-Day Paleo Cleanse: 3 Week Autoimmune Protocol Meal Plan by Neely Quinn of PaleoPlan.com ($25)

Awaken: 30+ Egg-Free and Grain-Free Breakfasts by Karen Sorenson of lowcarboneday.com ($9.99)

The Autoimmune Paleo Plan: A Revolutionary Protocol to Rapidly Decrease Inflammation and Balance Your Immune System by Anne Angelone of expandingqi.com ($4.99)

PCOS Unlocked: The Manual by Stefani Ruper of paleoforwomen.com (special abridged 53 pages for this sale includes discount on remainder of her ebook) ($19)

> 5 Informational and How-To eBooks

The Wild Diet by Abel James of FatBurningMan.com ($17)

21 Life Lessons from Livin' La Vida Low-Carb by Jimmy Moore of livinlavidalowcarb.com ($15)

Primal Deliverance: How Paleo Saved My Life From Addiction by James Gregory of fastpaleo.com ($14.97)

Primal Tightwad: Maximizing Your Health on a Minimal Budget by Carolyn Rush of PrimalTightwad.com ($14.95)

Free The Animal: How to Lose Weight and Fat on the Paleo Diet by Richard Nikoley of FreeTheAnimal.com ($7.95)

> 2 Meal Plans

Primal Blueprint Primal Meal Plan - 1 month subscription to weekly Primal meal plans, grocery shopping lists, and the accompanying recipes for just $.01 from Mark Sisson and primalblueprint.com ($9.99)

6-week Paleo Meal Plan - 1 free 6-Week Paleo Meal Plan from Paleoista, by Nell Stephenson (author of Paleoista: Gain Energy, Get Lean and Feel Fabulous with the Diet You Were Born to Eat and co-author of The Paleo Diet Cookbook) at paleoista.com ($59)

2 Fitness Programs

Sarah Fragoso's Everyday Paleo LifeFit fitness and nutrition training program - 1 month for $.01 from the author of Everyday Paleo and everydaypaleo.com ($20)

The Obstacle Course Race Training Program ebook by Stew Smith, CSCS and former Navy SEAL at stewsmith.com ($16.99)

> 3 Magazines (Online Subscriptions)

The Performance Menu: Journal of Health & Athletic Excellence - Free 1 year subscription (12 issues) and 1 year of back issues from catalystathletics.com ($70)

Paleo Magazine - Free 6-month online subscription (3 issues) and access to all back issues ($29)

Paleo Living Magazine - Free 3-month (4 issues) iPad subscription (no expiration) ($15.96)

> 2 Bonuses

Primal Moms Look Good Naked by Peggy Emch (theprimalparent.com) - Audio recording of a portion of this new paperback book spoken by the author (Free)

The Modern No-Nonsense Guide to Paleo ebook by Alison Golden of (paleononpaleo.com) - Three ebook chapters on Paleo shopping, kitchens, & lunches from her new book (Free)

> 8 Discounts

Kasandrinos Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 30% off Greek extra virgin olive oil from Tony Kasandrinos' family farm until December 31st, 2013

Bulletproof Coffee Kit - 20% off Monthly Bulletproof Coffee Kit (24 oz. of coffee and a 32-ounce bottle of MCT oil) from BulletProofExec.com (no expiration date) ($9.80 value)

Primal Life Organics - 20% off organic, Paleo, gluten-free, vegan skincare products, hair care products, and deodorant until May 1st, 2013

Amrap Nutrition Refuel Bars - Buy one 8-Count box of Refuel Bars on Amazon and get 1 box free until April 30, 2013 ($23.95 value)

Optimum Performance Training - 15% off apparel, supplements, and online fitness training course until Dec 31, 2013

Paleo On The Go - 10% off Paleo food delivered to your home from paleoonthego.com until May 1

Squatty Potty – 15% off all products through April and 10% for the rest of 2013.

Sport Journals – 20% off WODbooks (for recording your workouts) until May 11, 2013

Get all of this (retail value $485) for just $39. Seriously.

That's normally the price of just one or two of these products! After you purchase the kit, you'll be sent an email with a link to all of the downloadable products, as well as the coupon codes for all of the discounted products.

NOTE: Due to the short duration of this sale, there will be no refunds. These products are downloadable ebooks, online magazine subscriptions, and discount codes. You will not be shipped any physical goods with your purchase of the Primal Life Kit. Please contact neely@paleoplan.com with any questions about the Primal Life Kit.

Paleo Pregnancy - My Favorite Pregnancy Resources!

2013-03-30T18:56:00.000-04:00

This post doesn't have much to do with food, but it does have a lot to do with pregnancy so this one is for the mamas to be...and the someday mamas to be. :) I am more than halfway through my pregnancy now and from the beginning I have tried to soak up as much information as possible to learn how to care for my baby while it is growing in my belly, how to have a safe and healthy delivery and how to nurture my child after it is born (I can't wait to have this baby so I can stop calling it "it").

I have come across some awesome resources that I really want to share with other pregnant mamas out there. These have all been so helpful to me and provided me with knowledge and comfort throughout my pregnancy and prompted me to think about aspects of pregnancy and parenthood that I never would have thought of on my own. So here goes...

>Preggie Pals
Preggie Pals is a podcast that covers every aspect of pregnancy from fitness and nutrition to baby wearing, routine medical procedures performed during pregnancy and childbirth preparation methods. New episodes are posted weekly and I usually like to listen to them in my car while driving to work. They also have a blog where a group of contributors write about their pregnancies, parenthood and also post product reviews. Preggie Pals has two sister podcasts, as well. Parent Savers focuses on providing information to new parents and The Boob Group is all about breastfeeding. I haven't checked out Parent Savers or The Boob Group yet, but in just a couple months I have a feeling I will be adding these to my playlist.

>Hello Bee
There are hundreds of online communities out there for pregnant women and parents, but this is the only one I have found where the women seem relatable, down to earth and welcoming. Message board topics cover the spectrum of trying to conceive, pregnancy and parenting. And if you need someone to console you because you are up at 3:00am and wide awake and starving during your third trimester, there is always someone there to lend a sympathetic ear. They also have an awesome blog with parenting tips, craft ideas, recipes and more. Some of my favorite blog posts have been about the gear you really need to care for a newborn. It is nice to see what people actually use as opposed to what they think they will need before the baby is born.

>Lucie's List
I LOVE Lucie's List! Think of it as a survival guide for new moms. I signed up at the beginning of my pregnancy to receive the weekly newsletter so each week I receive an email newsletter covering a pregnancy topic relative to me during my current week of pregnancy. I have learned about car seat safety, gestational diabetes and essential (and not-so-essential) products for baby. She also has a registry cheat sheet, which really helped with my registry because we do not want a house full of baby swings and seats and chairs and whatever else the baby stores make you think you need for your child. She tells you which items are essential and which you can live without or even get used.

>CrossFit Mom
CrossFit Mom has been my go-to resource for CrossFit modification tips and what is safe and unsafe during pregnancy. There are tips for each trimester and even post-partum. There are even substitute exercises, such as wall push ups in place of push ups, when your belly gets too big to do the prescribed movements. They also post a WOD (Workout of the Day) each day that includes modifications for advanced, intermediate and beginner CrossFit mamas. Their Facebook page is great for connecting with other moms and getting help with any questions you have about CrossFit during and after pregnancy.

>Wellness Mama
Wellness Mama has all kinds of great posts about parenting, natural beauty and cleaning products, gardening and natural home remedies...all things that are important to me as we are preparing to bring a child into the world. Some of my favorites are the homemade lotions and scrubs and healthy recipes.

>Joyful Abode
Emily at Joyful Abode uses a lot of parenting techniques that I hope to use, as well. She documents her journey with breastfeeding, cloth diapering, baby wearing and more. She has some fun recipes and crafts, too!

>Offbeat Families
I read the Offbeat Bride book when I was planning my wedding so I was super excited when I found out they had a similar website for parenting. I love the openness, honesty and creativity of the blog posts and the acceptance that a family doesn't have to consist of a married man and woman with a baby and a house with a white picket fence.

>YouTube
I have found some of my favorite pregnancy workouts on YouTube. Here are just a few of them...

Prenatal Yoga
Heidi Klum Prenatal Workout from FitSugar
FitSugar Prenatal Arm Workout
FitSugar Prenatal Leg and Butt Workout
Prenatal Pilates

Paleo Pen Pals March 2013 - Red Palm Oil African Curry and a recipe from my Paleo Pen Pal Wyatt

2013-03-19T14:23:00.001-04:00

My Paleo Pen Pal this month was Wyatt (P.S. – Wyatt doesn’t have a blog so scroll to the end of this post to see what he made with the mandarin oranges I sent him). He sent me a product I had never heard of and honestly had no idea what to do with. He did warn me when he shipped it that he had seen very few recipes that call for it (one to be exact) so when I opened the package to find a jar of Red Palm Oil, I was stumped! I opened the jar to find that it really is red and the consistency of coconut oil. I had to turn to the trusty interwebs to find out exactly what people do with this stuff. The package listed a number of suggestions such as adding it to smoothies, hot cereals or in any recipe in place of butter, but I wanted to do something a bit more creative.

I learned that Red Palm Oil is made from the fruit of oil palm trees, is high in carotenes (hence the red color) and is used in many African, Southeast Asian and Brazilian dishes. It is often used in curries and egg dishes. Kevin is the curry king (proclaimed by… me) so I let him in on my plan and told him to see what he could come up with. As he got to work on this traditional African curry, my taste buds got very excited! He made an aromatic spice mixture that I knew would be delicious with the coconut milk based curry. He added diced peppers, bite-size potatoes, onion and chicken and let it simmer until the scent filled the whole house and you could almost taste it.

If you don’t eat potatoes, you could easily sub in sweet potatoes or another vegetable, but this was a hearty meal that we both enjoyed and it made a TON so we’ll be enjoying it for the rest of the week at least. :)

Have you ever used Red Palm Oil? How do you like to use it?

Want to become a part of Paleo Pen Pals? It is a fun Paleo food swap for bloggers and non-bloggers alike! To learn more and sign up, click here.

Chicken Curry with Red Palm Oil
Serves: 8
Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Ingredients

>>Spice Mixture
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp allspice
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp curry powder
½ tsp Red pepper flakes (more if you prefer it to be spicier)

>> Remaining Ingredients
2 russet potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tbsp Red Palm Oil
2 yellow onions, diced
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tsp freshly grated ginger
Pinch of saffron threads
Juice of ½ lemon
1, 14.5 oz can of diced, fire roasted tomatoes
2, 14 oz cans of coconut milk
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)

Directions
Heat a large pot of water over high heat until it boils. Add potatoes and boil for 5 minutes. Drain and set potatoes aside.
In a large soup pot, heat palm oil over medium high heat. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes.
Add garlic and cook for one minute. Stir well.
Add spice mixture, ginger and saffron. Stir well to incorporate and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
Stir in lemon juice and tomatoes.
Turn heat to medium-low, stir in coconut milk and simmer for 3 minutes.
Add potatoes, bell pepper and chicken. Stir, and cover with lid. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove lid and let simmer for an additional 10 minutes. This should allow the mixture to thicken up a bit.

-------------------------------------------

My Paleo Pen Pal for the month of March was Tarah from What I Gather. She sent me some Trader Joe's Mandarin Oranges. Before moving to Houston, I lived in the Southern California area for a few years, and quickly fell in love with Trader Joe's. Of course, most of those trips were spent buying grain-based junk food, so once I went Paleo, I got over the fact that we didn't have any Trader Joe's here in Houston. Then later I realized they sold some great stuff, and I missed them all over again. We now have 2 locations in Houston, but neither one is particularly close to me.

Now what to do with the oranges? I've had the urge lately to pull out my ice cream maker and make something, and this seemed the perfect opportunity....until I remembered about 2 seconds later that orange creamsicle is my wife's most detested flavor, ever, and that if I were ever to attempt to serve it to her, this would be grounds for divorce. Obviously, this is still a traumatic memory for her, and I don't think her pregnancy hormones would make it any better. So...I could have opted to forgo the coconut milk, and just make a sorbet...but on the off chance sorbet was still too close, I chose to make dinner instead.

Orange Beef, serves 2-3

Sauce:
2 lbs Trader Joes Mandarin Oranges, freshly squeezed (makes about 1 cup)
2 Tbsp tamari (or coconut aminos)
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp granulated onion powder

Protein:
I used what I had on hand, which was 1.5 lbs of beef stew meat. If I could do it over again, I'd use thinly sliced sirloin. But my wife and I both enjoyed the final result just the same.
2 Tbsp coconut oil
salt, pepper to taste

Garnish:
2 Tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped
sesame seeds

Directions:
Juice all of the oranges into a small mixing bowl. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and mix together.

Heat the coconut oil in a saucepan on medium high heat.

If using stew meat, add it now and let the outsides brown. Salt and pepper it to your liking. (If using thinly sliced sirloin, add it later on in recipe)

Let stew meat brown for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. You're not trying to cook it all the way through here.

Add the sauce, and let it come to a slow boil. Adjust heat as needed. The goal here is to boil off most of the water in the sauce, leaving the tangy orangey goodness behind. With enough sugar and heat, you should get a nice caramelized coating to the beef. Most orange chicken recipes I've seen add more sugar beyond what's in the oranges to get a better caramelization (for paleo recipes, this additional sugar is usually in the form of honey), but I generally lean towards a lower carb paleo and didn't particularly want the extra sugar. So, 1 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice is all I used. This step took me about 15 minutes.

If using thinly sliced sirloin, add it towards the end of the sauce reduction, as the sauce starts to foam. The meat shouldn't take too long to cook, and the sauce reduction should finish about the same time as the meat.

Remove the saucepan from heat, add the garnish, and mix well.

Serve immediately, over cauliflower rice.

We both really enjoyed the meal, and the chili flakes gave it just the right amount of kick. The reduced sauce gave some needed flavor to the cauliflower rice as well.

Paleo Pregnancy - Refusing the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test for Gestational Diabetes

2013-03-14T13:16:00.000-04:00

Let me start off by saying that gestational diabetes is a condition that should be taken seriously. If there had not been a viable alternative, I would have sucked it up and drank that nasty, orange glucose drink for the sake of my health and my baby's. But the good news is there are alternatives and if you wouldn't usually willingly gulp down a large, sugary beverage and are worried about the effects a clean-eating diet could have on the test results, talk with your healthcare provider about your options (Read: I am not a doctor and only your healthcare provider can advise you on your risk and your options).

What is gestational diabetes?

According to babycenter.com, gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that between 2 and 10 percent of expectant mothers develop during pregnancy. Because of the hormonal changes to your digestive system during pregnancy, it is possible for your cells to become less responsive to insulin. If your pancreas can't produce enough insulin to keep up with your body's demand, you can have too much glucose in your bloodstream and develop gestational diabetes.

There are certain factors that may put you at a higher risk for developing gestational diabetes, such as body mass index, a diagnosis of gestational diabetes in previous pregnancies, the presence of sugar in your urine or a family history of diabetes. Excessive first trimester weight gain has also been linked with a higher occurrence of gestational diabetes.

It is possible to develop gestational diabetes without the presence of any of these risk factors, which is why most practitioners screen all of their patients between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. With so many unknowns, I felt it was important to address the issue of gestational diabetes with my midwife, even if I wasn't on board with the traditional testing methods.

How does it affect your baby?

If you have gestational diabetes and your blood sugar levels are too high, your baby's blood sugar levels will be too high, as well, which will cause the baby's pancreas to produce more insulin. The additional glucose and insulin can cause your baby to gain too much weight in utero, to the point that the baby may be too large to fit through your birth canal or to become injured during delivery. On top of that, babies who are born with a higher than normal birthweight because of gestational diabetes often go on to be overweight in childhood and adulthood.

How can you manage gestational diabetes?

In most cases, gestational diabetes can be easily managed through diet and exercise. Eating a balanced, whole foods diet and avoiding processed foods like candy, cake, fast food and pretty much anything in a box, and getting some form of exercise most days of the week should keep gestational diabetes under control and decrease any potential risks to you or your baby. Medication may be prescribed if diet and exercise alone don't help to lower your glucose levels, but this is rare.

Sorry. No more donuts...

Let's see.......plenty of exercise, lots of fruits, vegetables and healthy protein and little or no processed foods. Sounds a lot like what I was already doing! Another reason I felt confident I was not at risk, but I still didn't want to leave my baby's health to chance.

I've got the exercise part down cold!

How do practitioners test for gestational diabetes?

Gestational diabetes is typically tested using the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). When you arrive at your practitioner's office, you will be given a drink that contains 50 grams of glucose and told to consume it in five minutes. This is usually a standard beverage provided by a drug manufacturer, but some practitioners will allow you to drink a regular soda or even eat jelly beans.

It would have been hard to resist the test if I could have eaten these yummy jelly beans :)

What else is in this drink? I had a hard time finding an ingredient list, but a kind reader who had a bottle of the orange flavor (because she also refused the test and never drank it) shared the ingredients of this artificially sweetened, artificially flavored drink with me:

Ingredients: purified water, 50g Dextrose (D-glucose derived from corn), Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Sodium Benzoate, 0.1%, FD&C Yellow #6. It also labeled as "Gluten Free & Dairy Free".

An hour after consuming 50 grams of glucose, your blood will be drawn. Typically, a blood glucose level of 140 mg/dl or above means further testing to more accurately diagnose gestational diabetes in the form of a three hour OGTT. You get to consume the fake, sugary beverage again and this time you get to sit around and have your blood drawn once an hour for three hours and you aren't allowed to eat or drink anything for the duration of the exam.

I had a couple of concerns as I learned more about the OGTT.

First, how would my body react to ingesting such a high dose of sugar in one sitting? Would I get dizzy, throw up or maybe even pass out? It has been a long time since I have had that much sugar and on the few occasions where I have had too much sugar in the past year, it affected how I felt for the whole day.

Second, would the results be accurate? Most days, my sugar consumption is limited to fresh fruit, dried fruit and maybe some natural sweeteners such as honey or molasses. I was concerned that this could affect my results and I would end up with a false positive.

What's a pregnant mama to do?

At my twenty week appointment, my midwife brought up the topic of gestational diabetes and let me know that my test would be given at my next appointment at 24 weeks. I have been open with my her about my diet since the beginning of my pregnancy and let her in on my concerns. She did say it was possible that my diet could produce inaccurate results, which backed up the research I had done online of other pregnant women following a Paleo diet who failed the OGTT. I asked if there were any alternatives and, luckily, there was.

She told me that they could call in a prescription for diabetes testing supplies and I could keep a food diary and test my blood sugar after each meal for a two week period. This didn't exactly sound like my idea of a good time, but it did sound manageable. The results would be much more accurate and I could learn more about how my body processes certain foods.

This went everywhere with me for two weeks. Maybe they should make a cute purse to hold it.

I thought it over for a few days, but what finally clenched it was when I learned that my health insurance covers diabetic testing supplies and I would pay almost nothing ($10 to be exact) for the glucose monitor, lancets and test strips. I was in! My midwife called in the prescription and I proceeded to test my blood sugar four times a day for two weeks. I bought a little notebook to record my meals and glucose levels and named it "The Blood Sugar Diaries". My first finger prick of the day came right after waking up, while my body was still in a state of fasting. I then tested my blood sugar level two hours after the start of each meal. I actually had to get Kevin to prick my finger the first time because I was too scared. Once I realized that it barely hurt at all, I took over for the rest of the two weeks.

I was shocked, but it really didn't hurt.

At first, it was kind of fun. I liked seeing that my levels were normal and my body seemed to be processing everything as it should. After the first week, when I was fairly well convinced that I did not have gestational diabetes, it got to be a little less fun and became more of a chore. But I kept at it because I knew it was the only way I could avoid that nasty drink.

My next appointment was only a few days after I completed my testing so I prettied up my food diary and blood sugar results into a word document (my midwife was very impressed). She looked it over for a few minutes and said that my numbers looked great and no further testing was required. My fasting blood sugar was usually in the 80's or 90's and my average after meals was about 110 mg/dl. If you are super nerdy and into that sort of thing, you can see my full two week diary at the end of this post. Note: I only recorded my meals, not the ~~many~~ snacks that I eat in between meals.

In the end, I was relieved to learn that both myself and my baby were healthy and I was glad that I didn't just accept the standard test without further questioning. But, really, if I had failed the OGTT, the diet that would have been prescribed would be eerily similar to the diet that I already follow. That is the funny thing about it. The very diet that could cause my results to be inaccurate is the one that I would be told to follow if I had failed the test. Things that make you go hmmmm....

This post is linked to Party Wave Wednesday at HolisticSquid.com!

---------------------

2/16/13

7:40am Fasting 83 mg/dl

10:50am Breakfast Eggs, sausage, pepper, onion

Smoothie with banana, coffee, cocoa, coconut milk

12:50pm 99 mg/dl

3:15pm Lunch Romaine, apples, dried cherries, carrots, oil and vinegar, pepitas

5:15pm 107 mg/dl

7:05pm Dinner Burger patty, mustard, pickle

9:05pm 89 mg/dl

2/17/13

7:45am Fasting 112 mg/dl

8:30am Breakfast Eggs, salsa, onion, cabbage, bacon, avocado

10:30am 94 mg/dl

1:30pm Lunch Grapes, nuts, raisins, turkey

3:30pm 83 mg/dl

7:00pm Dinner Chicken, spaghetti squash, olives, basil, onion, coconut milk

9:00pm 90 mg/dl

2/18/13

6:45am Fasting 82 mg/dl

7:15am Breakfast Sausage, brussels sprouts, onion, dried cherry, avocado, egg

Smoothie with banana, cocoa, coconut milk

9:15am 113 mg/dl

11:30am Lunch Chicken, spaghetti squash, olives, basil, onion, coconut milk

Dried apricots

1:30pm 115 mg/dl

7:30pm Dinner Tilapia, broccoli, cherries, walnuts, dark chocolate soufflé w/ raspberries

9:30pm 106 mg/dl

2/19/13

8:00am Fasting 93 mg/dl

7:30am Breakfast Sausage, pepper, onion, cabbage, egg

9:30am 86 mg/dl

12:30pm Lunch Sausage, pepper, onion, cabbage, egg, grapes

2:30pm 134 mg/dl

8:00pm Dinner Ground beef, onion, lettuce, apple, coconut

10:00pm 107 mg/dl

2/20/13

7:50am Fasting 92 mg/dl

8:15am Breakfast Eggs, salsa, onion, cabbage, bacon, avocado

10:15am 96 mg/dl

12:15pm Lunch Salad w/ blueberries, avocado, romaine, turkey, oil and vinegar, pepitas

2:15pm 88 mg/dl

6:15pm Dinner Roast beef, salad

8:15pm 82 mg/dl

2/21/13

7:30am Fasting 90 mg/dl

7:30am Breakfast Egg, pepper, bacon, avocado, onion, sweet potato

Smoothie with banana, coconut milk, cocoa, almond butter

9:30am 102 mg/dl

12:15pm Lunch Egg, pepper, bacon, avocado, onion, sweet potato

Apple, dried apricots

2:15pm 110 mg/dl

6:00pm Dinner Roast beef, salad

8:00pm 98 mg/dl

2/22/13

5:30am Fasting 86 mg/dl

7:45 am Breakfast Pepper, onion, egg, avocado, spinach, bacon

10:00am 93 mg/dl

1:00pm Lunch Qdoba salad and soup, dried apricots, dark chocolate

3:00pm 114 mg/dl

8:00pm Dinner Turkey, mushrooms, tomatoes, broccoli, mustard, fruit

10:00pm 103 mg/dl

2/23/13

7:35am Fasting 88 mg/dl

10:30am Breakfast Sweet potato, onion, pork, eggs, salsa, avocado
Smoothie with banana, coconut milk, cocoa, strawberries

12:30am 85 mg/dl

8:30pm Dinner Turkey, bok choy, carrots, grain free muffin, banana

10:30pm 119 mg/dl

2/24/13

7:30am Fasting 82 mg/dl

8:00am Breakfast Sweet potato, onion, pork, eggs, salsa, avocado

Smoothie

10:00am 99 mg/dl

12:45pm Lunch Grain free muffin, turkey burger

2:45pm 119 mg/dl

6:15pm Dinner Salad, pumpkin chili

8:15pm 90 mg/dl

2/25/13

7:15am Fasting 83 mg/dl

7:30am Breakfast Eggs, salsa, onion, cabbage, bacon, avocado

Smoothie with banana, pumpkin, coconut milk

9:30am 103 mg/dl

1:45pm Lunch Pumpkin chili, apple, dried apricots

3:45pm 109 mg/dl

8:00pm Dinner Tilapia, asparagus, grain free brownie, almond butter, blueberries

10:00pm 102 mg/dl

2/26/13

6:00am Fasting 90 mg/dl

7:30am Breakfast Brussels sprouts, onion, eggs, avocado, sausage

Smoothie

9:30am 106 mg/dl

12:45pm Lunch Grain free muffin, turkey burger

2:45pm 119 mg/dl

6:15pm Dinner Salad, pumpkin chili

8:15pm 90 mg/dl

2/27/13

7:15am Fasting 83 mg/dl

7:30am Breakfast Eggs, salsa, onion, cabbage, bacon, avocado

Smoothie with banana, pumpkin, coconut milk

9:30am 103 mg/dl

1:45pm Lunch Pumpkin chili, apple, dried apricots

3:45pm 109 mg/dl

8:00pm Dinner Tilapia, asparagus, grain free brownie, almond butter, blueberries

10:00pm 102 mg/dl

Tuna Cakes with Mandarin Orange Salad

2013-03-10T20:28:00.000-04:00

Wow! Pregnancy has totally drained my energy and, right along with it, my creativity. I have had almost no desire to experiment with new recipes for the blog. This is where eMeals has been such a HUGE help lately. They do all the work for you, and for less than $5 a month. We currently only have a Dinner Plan subscription, which provides us with seven dinner recipes each week and a corresponding grocery list, but this month they are running a 30% off special on their Breakfast Plan! All of the breakfasts are not Paleo approved, but check out this Free 1 Week PDF Download and you'll see that the egg dishes and the smoothie can easily be adapted to remove any grains or dairy. The Apple Pie Smoothie is definitely my favorite! Click here to sign up now!

Despite my current love for simple meals that involve little to no thought on my part, the urge to create did wash over me this week and I was certainly glad it did! Kevin's first comment after taking a bite was "Are you putting this on the blog?" and I told him that was specifically why I made it, to which he replied "Good. This is awesome!"

I've eaten so many tuna sandwiches in my day that I don't eat it often anymore, but I had some in the pantry and wanted to come up with a new way to use it. These tuna cakes were simple, but full of flavor thanks to the red peppers and dijon mustard. They paired perfectly with the salad of baby spring mix, mandarin oranges, red onions, avocado and a citrus dressing.

Aren't these mandarin oranges so cute!

Spring is just around the corner and this would make a perfect spring meal!

Tuna Cakes with Mandarin Orange Salad
Servings: 4
Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

>For the salad:
4 cups baby spring mix
5 mandarin oranges, peeled and segmented
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 avocado, sliced

>For the dressing:
Juice of 1 mandarin orange
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp White Balsamic vinegar
1 tsp thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

>For the tuna cakes:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 5oz cans of tuna
2 eggs
2 tbsp coconut flour
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup coconut oil

Directions

>For the salad:
In a large bowl, combine spring mix, mandarin orange segments, red onion and avocado

>For the dressing:
In a small bowl, combine mandarin orange juice, olive oil, vinegar, thyme, salt and pepper. Using a fork, stir all ingredients until mixed well

>For the tuna cakes:
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Once oil is hot, add diced bell pepper and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Place bell pepper in a large bowl and let cool for 5 minutes. Add tuna, eggs, coconut flour, cayenne pepper, mustard, salt and pepper and use your hands to mix until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.

Form tuna mixture into 8 small patties.

Heat coconut oil in a separate skillet over medium heat. Once oil is hot enough to sizzle, but not smoking, add tuna cakes to skillet. Cook for three minutes, flip and cook for three minutes on the other side. Tuna cakes should be golden brown and crispy on the outside.

Toss dressing with salad and divide between four plates. Place two tuna cakes on each plate and serve.

February 2013 Paleo Pen Pals Roundup

2013-03-03T09:11:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the Paleo Pen Pals Round-up for February! If you still haven't heard the buzz about Paleo Pen Pals, it is a network of like-minded paleo bloggers who swap ingredients each month, create a recipe and share their creations in the blogosphere. Check out our Facebook page to see what we are all about and to sign up. You can also read about Paleo Pen Pals on Three Diets One Dinner intro post or my intro post.

Co-Founder Brittanie, from Three Diets One Dinner, and I were so excited to see all of the tasty recipes that came through this month and I am happy to share them with you today. If you would like to become a part of Paleo Pen Pals and sign up for next month's food swap, click here to learn more.

Before we get to the recipes, I want to mention that Paleo Pen Pals is looking for sponsors. It takes a lot of effort and time to keep this running, and we have opened up an international network of Paleo bloggers, cooks and eaters. There are thousands of eyes on this network and they are all hungry for the caveman lifestyle. If you have a Paleo product that needs a voice, let's talk! Send us an email.

Read on for a roundup of February's recipes!!

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Almond Chicken Soup by Rhonda

Asian Spiced Daikon Mushroom Soup by Real Food Forager

Black Garlic Chocolate Donuts by Grok Grub

Chicken Caprese by How I Chow

Chicken Curry Tacos by The Paleo Prize

Coconut Shrimp by Pensive Paleo

Cocoa Chili Roasted Pumpkin Seeds by Grizzly Strong

Chicken Tikka Masala by Pensive Paleo

German Chocolate Ice Cream by Amy Ayers

Paleo Pad Thai by Low Country Paleo

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto from What I Gather

Sunflower Sprout Salad by Run Zippy Run

Salmon Epazote Soup by Three Diets, One Dinner

Sweet & Salty Celeriac by the Paleo Professional

Taro Fries from M Equals One

Walnut Oil Mayo by Pain Free Kitchen

Spaghetti Squash Fritters by Lissa

Paleo Pen Pals is on Facebook!
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February Paleo Pen Pals Guest Post from Amy - German Chocolate Ice Cream

2013-02-27T20:04:00.000-05:00

Read on for a guest post from Paleo Pen Pal, Amy. Ready to be a part of Paleo Pen Pals? Visit our Facebook Page or click here to sign up!

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German Chocolate Ice Cream - A Delectable Dessert

Hello Paleo Pen Pal friends!! Another month and another round of fun completed. I've throughly enjoyed being part of this experience and being able to connect with so many great people from various corners of our country. Being the only Paleo person in a house of 4, it can be difficult at times to stay on track. I do my best to impart my lifestyle onto my husband and both children, but haven't been able to 100%. I don't know that I ever will, but I all I can do is keep trying!!

And that's what brings me to today's indulgence. Since going Paleo, I've participated in 2-21DSDs (daily sugar detox), and have done two Whole30s. Going through each of these programs, I feel that I have been able to break the sugar demon that once controlled me. I can go days, weeks, and even longer without having sugar (even honey or maple syrup), and I'm okay. However, there are days when my husband or my boys sit down at the end of the day to have dessert and for a brief moment, it crosses my mind to take a bite to remember the taste. Then I recall how I would feel if I did have that bite, and know that I've made the right decision NOT to take that bite. And then I feel even better!!

However, there are times when even the most Paleo dedicated needs a little bit of a break. And you want to enjoy something special. When I received my package from Tanya, my February Paleo Pen Pal, the first thing that crossed my mind was dessert. Tanya sent me a delightful bag of David Wolfe's Organic Raw Cacao Powder. Tanya and I must have been on the same wavelength because I actually sent her some cacao powder as well!! Shortly after receiving my cacao powder, I came across this recipe for German Chocolate Ice Cream. I've always loved chocolate and anytime it had coconut along with it, I felt like I was in heaven. This recipe was quite easy to follow. After mixing all of the ingredients together, I placed the bowl into my fridge to chill (you must chill for at least 2 hours). After a little more than 2 1/2 hours, I took my batter out of the fridge and poured it into my ice cream maker. If you don't have one, Cuisinart is a fantastic option!! This recipe as a whole makes a lot of batter, so it actually took 2 rounds in the ice cream maker. After 20 minutes in the Cuisinart and then at least 2 hours in the freezer to firm up, I ended up with a rich and creamy treat. It's not the traditional German chocolate you would normally think of, but the cacao and the shredded coconut balance each other nicely. I didn't notice the honey, so it did not taste sweet at all. A fantastic treat to enjoy when you want just a little something.

Looking for another way to use even just a little bit of that cacao powder? Start with 2 bananas. Freeze and then slice them. Put them into your blender (or food processor) along with 1/4c of coconut milk, 1tsp. of vanilla extract (homemade is preferable), and 1tbsp. of cacao powder. Combine all ingredients until well blended. Yum!!!

A special guest post from Jules' Fuel - Serbian Roasted Ayvar Sauce

2013-02-26T19:58:00.000-05:00

Taking classes online means that you don't usually get to know your classmates, so I was so excited a few weeks ago to receive an email from Julia who mentioned she had found my site through a link on the Hawthorn University blog, where we are both taking classes.

Julia is the voice behind Jules' Fuel, a healthy living blog that covers everything from natural immunity boosters to tasty recipes (which I have for you today)! Like me, Julia caught the bug for learning more about and sharing with others the importance of eating nutritious, whole foods after adopting a healthy diet for herself. This led us both to go back to school with the hope of learning as much as we can about health and nutrition and then sharing that knowledge with anyone who will listen.

You can learn more about Julia on her About Page.

Julia currently lives in Serbia with her husband, which means she has access to some amazing foods that we just can't get around here. The recipe she has for you today is a Serbian Ayvar Sauce. Ayvar sauce can be used in place of ketchup and doesn't have all the sweeteners and preservatives of store bought ketchup. We may not be able to purchase Ayvar sauce here in New Albany, IN, but luckily Julia has the recipe for us so we can still enjoy this tasty treat.

Take it away, Julia!

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My love affair with ayvar began about a month ago.

I happened upon a jar of the stuff while at the local market here in Kragujevac with a friend, where she casually recommended that I buy a jar of this common Serbian condiment.

Reluctantly, I purchased a bottle of the mushy, red sauce in a glass jar from an elderly lady’s stand. I’m all about jumping in head first to new food cultures, you know, so why wouldn’t I try it?

When I got home, I figured I would at least try a spoonful of it prior to making lunch.

Perhaps it would go well with my roasted chicken?

And that’s when it happened.

If anyone had been in the kitchen at the time, they would have witnessed my eyes get round and huge with excitement, and a sly smile creep over my face as I literally Mmmm!’d all over the place.

It’s that good.

It’s award winning good!

In fact, my previous love of organic ketchup has subsided (gasp!), replaced by another red condiment, full of rich flavor, texture, and nourishing goodness that had me at “first taste.”

Confession: While putting the jar away in the fridge, it detrimentally slipped out of my hands and broke (add that to the list of 10 other things I’ve broken this month).

Deep sadness ensued, to the point where I may or may not have tried to salvage it from broken shards of glass.

I may be a bit ashamed about this, but when you try it, you too will be willing to go LENGTHS to eat it (okay, maybe not with broken glass involved).

::Serbian Roasted Ayvar Sauce::
Original post can be found here

*Makes 2 large glass jars

Ingredients
6 red peppers
2 large eggplants (or 3-4 small ones)
2 – 3 cloves of garlic (depending on your garlic preference)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
Sea salt + pepper

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Put washed eggplants and peppers on a baking sheet (or in separate greased glass pans) and roast until their skins blister and start to turnblack (30 – 45ish minutes).

3. Place roasted veggies in a glass dish and cover with a top to let them steam for 10 minutes.

4. Peel off and throw away the blackened skins, and place the de-skinned peppers and eggplants in a large bowl.

5. Add salt, pepper, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil, and either chop or blend to desired consistency. I like mine a bit chunky!

6. Transfer to a glass mason jar and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Enjoy making this delicatessen and eating it in a variety of ways as:

A spread on sandwiches
A dip for meats, cheeses, olives, or gluten-free crackers (my fave!)
A mediterranean-flavored sauce in spaghetti or rice dishes
On a spoon (scoop with a spoon and insert into mouth)

Bon appétit!

February Paleo Pen Pals - Indian Spiced Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

2013-02-23T20:33:00.002-05:00

My Paleo Pen Pal this month was Dan from Grizzly Strong. Hopefully this doesn't embarrass him, but I was pretty pumped to get some male participation in the Paleo Pen Pals program. There are so many great healthy eating blogs out there and a lot of them are dude-authored so you should definitely go check him out.

I sent Dan a bag of pumpkin seeds from a local health food store and he made these tempting Cocoa Chili Roasted Pumpkin Seeds. I can't wait to try them!

Dan sent me a jar of Garam Masala, which I was very excited to unwrap. I have made a few recipes with Garam Masala in the past, but never one of my own creation. I wasn't sure what to make and it literally came to me as I was lying in bed one morning (probably because this baby in my belly has a knack for keeping me up at night ) - a sun dried tomato pesto spiced with Garam Masala!

I love love loved the results! This pesto could be enjoyed as a topping for fish, chicken or even eggs. I also enjoy using pesto as a salad dressing. What is your favorite way to use pesto?

Want to become a part of Paleo Pen Pals? It is a fun Paleo food swap for bloggers and non-bloggers alike! To learn more, visit the Paleo Pen Pals Facebook page. If you are ready to sign up, click here to complete the sign up form.

Read on for the recipe...

Indian Spiced Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
Makes: About 1/2 Cup
Time: 10 Minutes

Ingredients

1 cup sun dried tomatoes (oil drained, if packed in oil)
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup olive oil (or use oil from tomatoes, if packed in oil)
1/2 tbsp Garam Masala
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Place everything into a food processor and puree until well combined

Chipotle Chicken Bowls with Diced Avocado

2013-02-19T20:40:00.000-05:00

One of the fun things my sister, my mom and myself do during our weekly dinners is trade all of our magazines. Instead of each of us spending the money on multiple magazine subscriptions, we just share them back and forth with each other like a little family library. It’s fun to get new magazines every week, especially because some of them are not ones I would normally subscribe to.

Hey there, Rachael

Take Rachael Ray, for example. I admire her success and think she has some awesome recipes. Her Meatloaf Muffins with Barbecue Sauce were one of the first things my sister and I learned to cook, and once we learned we made them all the time! Most of Rachael’s recipes, however, are not very “real food” friendly. When I saw these Chipotle Chicken Tacos in her magazine, though, I thought it looked like they would be pretty easy to adapt into a meal that Kevin and I would enjoy…and I was right!
Instead of taco shells, we served this tomato, onion, chicken and chipotle pepper mixture in a bowl and topped it with diced avocado and shredded cabbage. It was super tasty and really easy to make.

Side note: Have you ever read Rachael Ray’s magazine? On the back page, she always has a recipe that you can make for your dog, which I think is just the cutest thing ever. Check out these Parsley Meatloaf Sliders!

Harper and Foster, I promise that as soon as I win the lottery and have endless hours of free time, I will make you homemade puppy treats. For now, enjoy these beef snouts...

Chipotle Chicken Bowl with Diced Avocado
adapted from Rachael Ray

Serves: 4-6
Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
1 tablespoon EVOO
1 onion, sliced
1 14 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 4oz can diced green chiles
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 chipotle in adobo sauce, chopped, plus 1 tsp adobo
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 diced avocado
1/2 cup shredded cabbage
Lime wedges

Directions
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add onion and cook for 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes, green chiles, garlic, chipotle and adobo and cook for 10 minutes.
Add chicken and cook until heated through.
Serve with avocado, cabbage and lime wedges

eMeals - One Week Down

2013-02-15T22:06:00.000-05:00

I’m one week into eMeals and so far I really like it! We don’t use it exactly the way it was intended (that would just be too easy!), but the eMeals format makes it really simple to pick and choose from the seven dinner options they send to my email each week.

When I received my first weekly meal plan, which consisted of seven dinner recipes and a corresponding grocery shopping list, I knew we probably wouldn’t cook seven meals straight from the eMeals plan. I try to have dinner with my mom and sister once a week and Kevin and I usually go out to dinner once or twice a week. On top of that, most weeks I like to get a little creative in the kitchen at least once a week and work on fun recipes for the blog. So instead of cooking and shopping straight from my eMeals plan, I chose four recipes that I would prepare that week. I went through the grocery list and marked out all of the items I didn’t need. Super simple.

As much as I love cooking, I have to say it was so nice to come home from work after a long day and not have to think even once about what to make for dinner. I had my eMeals plan stuck to the fridge and each night Kevin and I would look it over and choose what we wanted to make. Because we stuck to the shopping list, we knew we had all of the ingredients already on hand. My favorites were the Chicken Curry Stew and the Italian Quiche. The quiche was so good, I think I will make it a part of our regular rotation, which is something else I like about eMeals.

You can print off the recipes each week and save them in a binder or recipe folder (which is what I have…a Christmas gift from my sister) so you can come back to your favorites.

I put my own little spin on most of the recipes, too. You couldn’t expect me to just blindly follow a recipe and not take it into my own hands just a little, right? For example, one night we made Mini Meatloaves with a “ketchup” made from tomato paste and red wine vinegar. I decided to make it a chipotle ketchup and added some chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. I know most pregnant women are turned off by spicy foods (read: major heartburn), but I can’t get enough spice lately. Go figure. I also added green onions to the Chicken Curry Stew and the Flank Steak Burritos because we had some that were starting to look kind of sad.

I have already received my second week of recipes and it was exciting to open the email and see what eMeals had in store for me this week. I am looking forward to the Basil Chicken Alfredo and the Spicy Tilapia. I think we will be endlessly thankful for this service once the new baby gets here and we can barely remember our own names.

Don’t forget about the fun Valentine’s Day promotions eMeals has going on for the month of February!

Enter the code "HEART" at checkout for a 10% discount in the month of February. Click here to sign up now.

I’ll try to update you periodically on our experience with eMeals and any new specials they have going on so I can pass the savings on to you!

Disclaimer: I was not compensated by eMeals for this post, but did receive a complimentary one-year membership as a part of their Blogger Network. All opinions are 100% my own and I would never share a product or service with you that I haven't purchased or used myself. eMeals links are affiliate links.

eMeals - Meal Planning Made Simple AND an Extra Special Valentine's Dinner Recipe

2013-02-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

I had never heard of eMeals until I happened upon it one day while drooling over this recipe for Paleo Cookie Dough Bars on Making the World Cuter. A blog post caught my eye with the headline “Save a Thousand Dollars a Year on Groceries and a Healthy Chicken Stew Recipe”.

Our grocery bill gets a little out of control with my pregnancy and Kevin being a 6’7’’ triathlete so any opportunity to save a bit at the grocery store is going to get my attention (and the chicken stew is just a bonus). As I read more, I learned that eMeals is a monthly membership site that provides you with weekly recipes and detailed grocery lists based on your eating style, family size and even your favorite grocery store. I was quite surprised to find that they recently added a Paleo option so I decided to check it out.

eMeals offers the following Meal Plans:

Classic Meals

Clean Eating

Simple Gourmet

Paleo (yea!)

Low Carb

Low Fat

Portion Control

Natural and Organic

Gluten Free

The basic package includes seven dinners per week. There are even options to include healthy breakfasts and weekday lunches to your meal plan. I have, and often use myself, the meal planner and grocery list that I created for What I Gather, but as my commitments have been piling up (school, writing, growing a human, etc.) I’ve had less and less time to plan out our meals for the week. This saddens me because I actually really love sitting down on the weekend and browsing through/concocting recipes to prepare for the following week and then making a list and even doing some prep work to make those weeknight meals even quicker. I’ve been totally slacking in that area, though…all the more reason to give eMeals a chance.

I chose the Paleo Dinner Subscription for Two and received my first weekly meal plan within minutes of signing up. I have to say, the recipes looked delicious, the instructions seem easy to follow and I LOVE that each ingredient on the grocery list has a coinciding meal number next to it. This way, if we have already some of the ingredients on hand, or if we choose to go out to eat one night or if I feel like cooking up something of my own creation, I can cross the appropriate items off the grocery list and won't have to worry about extra food sitting in my refrigerator.

And all this for only $5 a month! No scrambling at the last minute to figure out what's for dinner. No fruits and vegetables spoiling in the back of the refrigerator. No last minute trips to the grocery store for that one ingredient you forgot to pick up.

We are making our first trip to the grocery store today with our eMeals grocery list in hand and I'll be back next week to update you on how we like it. You can sign up for eMeals by clicking the link below and answering a few simple questions.

Right now, they are even featuring special Valentine's menus along with your monthly subscription. There are a lot of cookies and cakes, but they aren't leaving us Paleo folks out of the fun. Check out this recipe for Bacon Wrapped Shrimp with Garlic Oil!

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp with Garlic Oil

Ingredients
18 slices of bacon, halved
36 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon water
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sliced garlic

Directions
-Cook bacon in a pan until it is cooked but still soft and pliable.
-Combine honey and water in a large bowl. Add shrimp, and toss to coat. Sprinkle with pepper.
-Wrap one piece of bacon around each shrimp. Divide shrimp evenly among 6 skewers.
-Preheat broiler. Place skewers on a baking sheet; broil 3 minutes per side or until done.
-Combine oil and garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook 4 minutes, or until garlic begins to brown.
-Drizzle over cooked shrimp, and serve additional oil alongside shrimp for dipping.

eMeals is showing even more Valentine's Day love with their Love Story Contest. Submit your favorite recipe, the best meal you have ever had, the moment you look forward to every year, or anything else that causes to you pause and reflect on how much you love it for a chance to win a FREE six month eMeals membership and other great prizes! Click the image below to enter.

If you are ready to sign up for eMeals now, be sure to enter the code "HEART" at checkout for a 10% discount in the month of February.

Disclaimer: I was not compensated by eMeals for this post, but did receive a complimentary one-year membership as a part of their Blogger Network. All opinions are 100% my own and I would never share a product or service with you that I haven't purchased or used myself. eMeals links are affiliate links.

Paleo Pregnancy - Itchy Scratchy

2013-02-08T20:15:00.000-05:00

I announced on Facebook last night that I have recently been turning into an itchy mess! I called my midwife and, after some reassurance that this is all a normal part of pregnancy, I decided to take matters into my own hands. My midwife explained that the combination of dry, winter weather and the fact that my baby is sucking up most of the nutrients I take in, there isn’t much leftover to nourish and moisturize my skin. As long as the baby’s needs are taken care of, I am a happy mama, but I knew there must be some form of relief out there for me. I still have 3 ½ months to go!

My midwife suggested an oatmeal bath, anti itch lotion and deep conditioner for my scalp. She even said I could put in the conditioner, put on a shower cap and leave it on for a couple of hours to really soak in. I’ve been wanting to try a homemade hair treatment anyway so I started researching online for recipes. We have an aloe plant in the house, so I wanted to use a recipe that incorporated aloe, as well. I found tons of recipes out there, but it sounded to me that you could pretty much put together any combination of moisturizing ingredients and you would end up with your own, specialized at home hair treatment.

Our happy little aloe plant

I combined the following to make my conditioner:

Gel from one leaf of the aloe vera plant
Tablespoon of coconut oil
Teaspoon of honey

You may want to use more if you are trying to cover all of your hair, but I was mainly focused on my scalp. I melted the coconut oil and then whisked in the aloe vera gel and the honey until it was all mixed up. I got in my oatmeal bath (more on that in a minute…) and worked the conditioner into my scalp. I left it on while I bathed, which was about an hour. You will definitely need to shampoo your hair (maybe more than once) to rinse out all of the oil, but even after rinsing it left my hair feeling soft and smooth and today I did notice my scalp was less itchy. I will probably continue to do this once a week or so until the baby gets here or, god willing, the itchiness subsides.

My itchy scalp can’t hold a candle to my back…just ask Kevin. He has the lovely task of being a pregnant lady’s husband and he has been on full back scratching duty. I know there are plenty of natural remedies, but I needed immediate relief and if you have ever seen the end of town I work in you would know that there is not a health food store in sight. I did find a bottle of Aveeno Skin Relief Bath and Shower Oil that contains colloidal oatmeal.

Colloidal oatmeal is just super-finely milled oatmeal that moisturizes and soothes itchy, dry skin. The Aveeno Skin Relief Bath and Shower Oil is both a bath oil and an in-shower moisturizer (read: exit shower with caution due to slippery-like-a-sea-lion shower floor) that you apply in the shower and rinse off. I used it as a bath oil last night and as a moisturizer this morning and my back has been much less itchy today (edit: as the day wears on, the itchiness is returning, but I am going to give it more than one day). I am hoping that with continued use I’ll get back the non-itchy, glowing skin I love. :)

Some of my lovely Facebook friends suggested a few more natural moisturizing options like coconut oil, jojoba oil and rosehip seed oil. All are known for their intense moisturizing properties and I will definitely be trying these, as well! I love these all-natural options because there are no added ingredients and they are really good for your skin.

UPDATE 2/13/13 - The Aveeno Skin Relief Bath and Shower Oil isn't bad, but I found a bottle of pure Vitamin E oil in my cabinet, leftover from a homemade hand scrub I made as Christmas gifts. I have been putting it on my back before I get out of the shower and rinsing it off. I try to just let myself air dry instead of wiping it all away with the towel. I also rub some into my scalp every few days and let it sit until the end of my shower before I shampoo it out. I have seen a HUGE improvement since I started doing this. I'll probably use up the Aveeno when the Vitamin E oil runs out because I am too cheap not to, but I think it just goes to show you that pure, natural ingredients are always best.

Did you have the itchies during pregnancy? What remedies worked best for you?

It's Here! The FastPaleo Top 100 of 2012 eBook

2013-01-31T20:31:00.000-05:00

This is too awesome not to share! FastPaleo, one of my favorite resources for Paleo recipes, has put together an eBook of the top 100 recipes they featured in 2012. I am proud to say that a few of my own recipes are even included! Here is a little info. on what you get when you buy this eBook:

Get 100 of the absolute best paleo and primal recipes of the year
Sample fantastically delicious recipes in 10 great categories
Baked Goods
Beef
Breakfast
Chicken
Dessert
Seafood
Pork
Slow Cooker
Salads & Vegetables
Soups & Stews
Learn about new paleo and primal bloggers through blogger links and bios
Be able to scan easily for paleo and primal recipes—all primal recipes clearly marked
Enjoy a clear, straight-forward, ad-free layout

There's more, too! With the Top 100 book, you'll get FOUR bonus eBooks!

Top 10 Cookies of 2012
Top 10 Ice Creams of 2012
Top 10 Muffins of 2012
Top 10 Smoothies and Beverages of 2012

You get all of this for only $14.97 - a $40 value!

They even give you a 60 Day Money Back Guarantee in case you don't absolutely love the books (but, who are you kidding, you'll love them!)

Click the banner below to purchase through my special affiliate link!

January Paleo Pen Pals Roundup

2013-01-31T20:30:00.001-05:00

Paleo Pen Pals has been a lot of fun so far! As one of the founders, I love seeing this Paleo family grow. As a participant, I love sending and receiving Paleo ingredients each month and creating fun recipes. Thanks to everyone who has been participating!

Co-Founder Brittanie, from Three Diets One Dinner, and I were so excited to see all of the tasty recipes that came through this month and I am happy to share them with you today.

If you would like to become a part of Paleo Pen Pals and sign up for next month's food swap, click here to learn more. You can also become a fan of Paleo Pen Pals by visiting our Facebook page.

Before we get to the recipes, I want to mention that Paleo Pen Pals is looking for sponsors. It takes a lot of effort and time to keep this running, and we have opened up an international network of Paleo bloggers, cooks and eaters. There are thousands of eyes on this network and they are all hungry for the caveman lifestyle. If you have a Paleo product that needs a voice, let's talk! Send us an email.

Read on for a roundup of January's recipes!!

Bacon Bonanza from Beth at Time in a Bottle - 4 recipes, 1 Pen Pal!

One

Two

Three

Four

Baked Rainbow Trout with Pecans from Rhonda

Basil Salmon with Garlic Zucchini Fries from Pensive Paleo

Creamy Chicken and Leek Casserole from M=1

Dukkah Crusted Lamb Chops from the Paleo Prize

Cajun Mushroom Rainbow Trout from Karen at Living Low Carb One Day at a Time

Homemade Mayo with a Twist from Amy

Champagne Salad from Brittanie at Three Diets. One Dinner.

Jalapeno Lime Chicken Sliders from Tarah at What I Gather

Ribs and Barbecue Sauce from ThatXtraMile

Salmon Roll Ups from Ute at Grokette's Primal Musings

Savory Spice Creations from Pain Free Kitchen

Roasted Asparagus Soup from Real Food Forager

Sweet and Savory Winter Vegetable Bake from Elizabeth

Paleo Pen Pals is on Facebook

Sign up RIGHT NOW for the next Swap on Facebook or by sending us an email with your name, email address, blog (if you have one), twitter handle, facebook page, zip code and special dietary restrictions.

Paleo Pen Pals Guest Post From Amy - Homemade Mayo with a Twist

2013-01-27T08:29:00.002-05:00

Read on for a guest post from Paleo Pen Pal, Amy. Ready to be a part of Paleo Pen Pals? Visit our Facebook Page or click here to sign up!

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Homemade Mayo w/ a Twist

I've been having SO much fun the past 3 months with the Paleo Pen Pals. I've cyber-met (if that's even a real phrase) some really great people, and am looking forward to the coming months to branch out even more!! For January, I was matched up with Jeremiah over at the Minimalist Nutrition.

Since going Paleo in September 2012, I've been experimenting with making more condiments homemade. I like knowing what I'm putting into my body instead of trying to decipher the ingredient list on the back of a bottle. One thing that I feel I've been successful with is homemade mayonnaise. I LOVE it!!! It's got a smooth, creamy texture. And tastes very light compared to your store bought variety. In the months that I've been making it, I have been using a light olive oil...taste is amazing!! With this months pen pal match-up, I decided to try something a little different. In the second week of January, I received a bottle of macadamia nut oil from Jeremiah. I was completely baffled on what to do with it. Then I ran out of mayonnaise. So I figured, why not try a slightly different version? This suddenly brings me back to the CSA I participated in during the summer and fall of 2012. Over the course of my 20 weeks CSA, I received quite a few items that I have never previously had. So I had to experiment to find things that would work for me (and I found quite a few).

Okay.....back to my macadamia nut oil. I found quite a few recipes online for mayo made with macadamia nut oil. I really loved the recipe I had been using, so I decided to just sub in the macadamia nut oil.

Here is the mayo recipe I used.

When it comes time to add in the oil, I follow Melissa's instructions to a t! I don't want to screw up this deliciousness!! Using the macadamia nut oil instead of olive oil gave my mayo a new taste. It had a stronger/bolder taste (and a little bit nutty). And while it did turn out light and creamy, I found that it wasn't as firm as my previous batches (with olive oil). Maybe I needed to reduce the amount of oil? Maybe I should have tried a different recipe? I'll experiment a little more next time I use a different oil. Don't get me wrong, I still love the stuff. I use it for dipping raw veggies, topping burgers, and sometimes just eating a small spoonful.

Don't be afraid to branch out and try something new. I know I love to.....even with some tweaking.