simple chicken salad

    I surprised myself yesterday with this thrown-together recipe for lunch....

Ingredients:

• leftover garlic-lime chicken (or any grilled chicken)
• fancy baby lettuce
• sun-dried tomatoes (the dried kind, not in a jar with oil)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
• sea salt
• pepper

Basically, I made a dressing with the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, which I then put over a salad made of lettuce, cut-up chicken, and some of the sun-dried tomatoes.  It was quite good, and I could even have eaten it without the chicken, the tomatoes made it for me!

a family affair

     Taking care of my family includes encouraging them to have exercise be an integral part of their lives.  We've acquired over the past few months some exercise equipment, the most recent being the tall thing in the picture (for doing pull-ups, dips, and push-ups), so I bought a rug to put it all on and give it a more organized feel.  Also, I started a logbook for everyone to record their progress in doing sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, and dips, and I love how a little friendly competition can be a motivator.  Jordan did 30 sit-ups, so when I was approaching 30 when I was doing them she began to critique me, saying certain sit-ups should have been disqualified, or pointing out that I had paused and she never paused.  So funny!  Amazingly, I could not do more than 29 sit-ups, so she was feeling rather victorious.  ;)

     Mychael is quite the strong little man, he did 10 chin-ups and dips like nobody's business, then did 20 pushups.  I thought I had some arm strength, but do you know how many dips I can do?  One.  Apparently, I lack triceps.  I can, however, do 7 pull-ups, and I have managed to do 20 (guy) pushups.

     Since it may be awhile until my next post, knowing me, I want to share a paleo blog link which I stumbled upon while on chowstalker.com, Stir It UP.  You will be amazed, it is a gold mine.  I think I like her chocolate chip cookie recipe better than the other one I posted about, so check it out.

sustainability

     O.K., that used to be more of a buzzword than it is lately, but it's still floating around out there.  Sustainability, that is.  I think that for me, it's what I'm shooting for when it comes to healthy eating, exercise and well, life in general.  Balance is another word that gets overused, but nevertheless, somewhere deep within my being balance is what I'm drawn to.  I was recently telling my husband, Jon, that since I've been studying meditation (as taught by Eknath Easwaran, a favorite author of mine) and being deliberate about temperance in all things, I've noticed that I seem to be more sensitive when I have an imbalance in any area in my life.  I even subconsciously go about trying to bring balance to that particular area, and don't feel right until I do.  My thing with any sort of diet or exercise craze is making sure that in the bigger picture of my life I have balance: enough sleep, exercise, intellectual stimulation, making serving others a part of my life, quality time with my husband and children, time spent meditating and connecting with God, making sure my family is eating nutritious and satisfying home- cooked meals, trying to keep on some semblance of a budget, and keeping order in my home as well as maintaining a sane schedule that allows for all of the aforementioned activities.
     Hopefully the length of this post hasn't already lost any potential readers, but if you're still with me, I will now get around to my point as it relates to the paleo diet (my non-purist version of said diet, for the record).  In all honesty, what I have found when I tried to be strict about eating paleo is that I am in the kitchen a LOT.  Like, more than usual.  More than I care to be.  I have other interests, other demands on my time other than cooking food and taking pictures of it, etc., etc., not that I don't have the utmost respect and appreciation for all of the people out there that do this, because I rely on them to do this!  But it became one of those imbalanced areas in my life, and so I am going about finding a sustainable way to keep to many of the paleo diet principles such that my family's health reaps the benefits, yet I am  not cooking three meals a day (or more!  if you count snacks!) from scratch, not to mention cleaning up after each meal.  I know that many people serious about the paleo diet cook in larger quantities, eat leftovers, etc., which it makes it more manageable.  Most days I feel like I'm doing well to make enough for one meal for us, especially since I'm not sure how some recipes will turn out (if we will even want to eat the leftovers!).
     I was thinking about what my life looks like when I feel like I'm in a place of balance, even just little things I do, and I thought that maybe I should do a post about that, in case I mention something that jumps out as really helpful to somebody.  So I will begin with nighttime, since that sets the stage for the following day, and if I've gotten the kids settled into their beds and am not too exhausted, I read something for pleasure (I read a broad selection, from zombie fiction to John Steinbeck).  If I get on the computer before bed I don't sleep as well, and there is apparently a scientific explanation for this, something about an area of your brain that becomes stimulated by screens, you can google it.  On an ideal night I only get up once to check Zach's blood sugar, and go right back to sleep.  I cannot overemphasize that I must have eight hours of sleep, nine feels even better, but I am probably making up for years of sleep deprivation when my children were younger! I set my alarm for around 6:00, or sometimes hear Jon leave for work sometime before 6:00 and just get up then.  The coffee is waiting for me in the carafe, so I have my first morning cup (with a little Splenda and half and half) while checking email, Facebook, and the news headlines.  Next, I read something inspirational, such as The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita by Eknath Easwaran, to begin the process of getting my focus for the day.  I will sometimes meditate for a bit, or just close my eyes and talk to God. Every other day I wrap this up by about 6:30 and head downstairs to do the elliptical machine for 30 minutes (this is when I let myself veg out and watch TV, I rarely sit and watch TV during the week).  After my 30 minutes of cardio I stretch for 5 or 10 minutes, and I LOVE to stretch, it's like a massage I'm giving myself.  I'm pretty sure something must be released in my brain and into my body when I'm doing this, because I feel so relaxed and yet energized.  Hey, I guess that's why yoga is so popular!  In the Bhagavad Gita yoga is defined as "perfect evenness of mind" (2:47-48).  After stretching I do a pilates type sit-up: lying flat on your back with feet together and arms extended completely over your head and resting on the ground, slowly bring your arms up and over your head and sit up slowly as you bring your hands all the way down to reach past your toes, all the while with your heels never leaving the ground and not bending your knees.  Work up to doing ten of these, and then do as many as you like, I do around twenty.  After that I do 50 bicycle crunches, hopefully you know what that means, and then another 25 or more regular crunches with knees up and bent at a 90 degree angle, nice and slow.  Basically, do them until you get a good burn going on!  After working my abdominals I do 40-50 girl push-ups, nice and slow.  If I miss a week it's amazing how quickly I lose strength, so this should be done no less than every other day to see results.  We just ordered a piece of equipment that will allow us to do pull-ups, which I try to do whenever the opportunity presents itself.
     Seeing how long this post already is and I've only gotten as far as the morning, I think I'll stop there for now, except to add a couple of quick tips for the rest of the day, and I'll continue to chronicle "a balanced day" in my next post!  I keep a big container of salted whole almonds in my house at all times.  When I'm feeling hungry during the day, it is amazing the effect a handful of almonds has on subduing and even satisfying hunger.  Test this out for yourself, and it's especially helpful while cooking.  A spoonful of some kind of nut butter is great for this, as well.  I know everybody says this, but you really should drink lots of water during the day.  It fills you up, it's great for your skin and even your bowels, and obviously it doesn't have any calories or artificial sweeteners (which can make you crave sugar, interestingly enough).  I make a point to fill my water bottle and take it with me wherever I go, so I'm drinking water all day long.  Oh, and it gives you energy, too.  Here's another: keep some dark chocolate candy on hand and have a piece of it for dessert rather than a bowl of ice cream, or instead of baking a pan of brownies because you need a little chocolate.  Or if you're like me, have a piece now and then during the day when a craving for something sweet hits you, it doesn't have to be for dessert, necessarily.  Another tip: just do it, just DECIDE that you are not going to put crap in your body, and by crap I'm talking about donuts, anything resembling what Ren and Stimpy referred to as "sugar-coated lumps", the stuff that they sell at your local Sheetz!  Avoid it like you've got type 1 diabetes, that's what I do.
     More later, folks, I've got to go, I'm craving some salty almonds!

chocolate chip cookies, oh my!

I think that the thing that I would miss most, if I went strictly paleo, which clearly I have not, would be my chocolate chip cookies.  Basically, they are the Toll House recipe with a few tweaks...anyway, I finally came across (and tweaked a little) a recipe that comes pretty stinkin' close, and even passed the kid test!

Almond flour chocolate chip cookies

Ingredients:

• 3 cups almond flour/meal
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted, or really soft (which mine is right now sitting in the pantry with the warmer temps outside)
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (don't worry, doesn't make them maple-y!)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips of your choice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

I pretty much follow how I would do the Toll House recipe, so combine oil, syrup, egg, and vanilla until smooth (I find hand mixing makes them turn out better, personally).  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, them add this to the wet ingredients, combine thoroughly by hand.  Mix in the chocolate chips.  

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, then put 2 tbsp size drops of dough a couple of inches apart, you can fit a dozen on a large cookie sheet.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until set and slightly browned at edges.  I smash them flat as soon as they come out.  Cool on wire rack, but they are gooooood warm!

breakfast and lunch

     Even though I did break down and buy a box of Peanut Butter Cheerios, I have been trying to be good and not eat them for breakfast every day.  It's just nice to have something quick during the week, especially since I've not slept well the past few nights (I guess when Jon is traveling I am sleeping with one ear open, and I hear every little sound...it worked out good the other night, however, when Nathan's sleep talking woke me and I decided to check Zach's blood sugar...he was 54).  This morning I made myself a cheese omelet with 2 eggs, about 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar, and then topped it with that yummy chipotle Tabasco sauce.  Since I had a tomato I had a slice with some salt and pepper, plus a half of a navel orange (BJ's, they're good!).  Very satisfying, and I felt like my body was really happy with me!

Lunch yesterday was coconut curry chicken nuggets, sweet potato spears (dipped in melted coconut oil and baked on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil for about 30 minutes at 450 degrees, turned halfway during cooking), and the Brussels sprouts I blogged about last time.  The kids dipped the spears and nuggets in some ketchup, but I think some sort of yogurt dipping sauce would be good with the chicken.

Sometimes, I just feel inspired...

Brussels sprouts, really?

I have heard numerous family members comment on how they used to hate Brussels sprouts until they had them prepared this way.  I'm pretty sure I posted on this before, but perhaps not in as much detail (I'm obviously being too lazy to look back at previous posts).  Any-hoo, it deserves to be posted again, nevertheless.

Best Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:

• about a pound of Brussels sprouts, I get mine in a 3 pound bag at BJ's in the produce section
• about 1/4 cup coconut oil
• a couple tablespoons of butter
• a couple tablespoons of soy sauce
• a little sea salt
• a good heavy skillet

Directions:

     Wash sprouts thoroughly, maybe remove any dirty-looking leaves (sort of like you'd do with cabbage or lettuce, which they look like a miniature version of). Cut them in half (such that you have two equal parts).  Heat your oil over medium-high heat until hot and almost popping, then neatly place the sprouts cut side down to cover the bottom of your skillet.  Check them after a few minutes using a fork, and when sufficiently browned turn each one over, cook a few more minutes on that side.  If the oil has mostly absorbed at this point, add a couple pads of butter to the pan to keep it moist, and toss the sprouts around a little.  Add a little soy sauce, not too much if it's not low sodium, and just a little salt.  Toss a bit more, and then they're ready to be devoured!  Seriously, we have them with cheeseburgers instead of fries.

strawberry goodness

We've gone strawberry picking a couple of times this year, most of which I froze, some of which we had with whipped cream or plain, some of which Jon had in his Cheerios, and some of which I used for making this dessert.  I tweaked Elana Amsterdam's Very Vanilla Cupcakes recipe a little (if you get her almond flour cookbook, the original recipe is delectable!), put about a tablespoon of whipped strawberry icing on top (roughly 7 grams of carbs, not too shabby), then topped that with a half of a strawberry.  They're very rich and moist, and would be good with coffee for breakfast.  Since I did use vegetable oil (I have also made them with melted coconut oil, even better) and sugar, these are definitely shmaleo.  Here is my revised and therefore original (?) recipe:

Strawberry Almond Flour Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs, separated
• 1/4 cup vegetable or coconut oil (melted)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Directions:

     Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.  In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks until pale yellow, then whisk in the oil, sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice.  In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks begin to form with a handheld mixer, then gently fold egg whites into the mixture.  

     In a separate bowl, combine the last three ingredients, then gently fold that into the egg mixture.  Put about 1/4 cup scoops into muffin cups, bake for about 20 minutes, or until slightly golden brown on the edges and the tops spring back when touched (or toothpick comes out clean).  Cool on a wire rack, then frost, etc.  I stuck mine in the freezer overnight, they were sort of refreshing that way!  FYI, I have been bolusing Zach about 25 grams for one, and he doesn't even spike.

we're back!

OK, time to get back on track with our paleo shmaleo diet!  I've not stepped on the scale since we've been back, but I feel as if I've probably put on a few during our stay in Florida.  My mom makes it her mission to fatten me up while we're down there, thanks, Mom!  Dessert every day?  You bet!  I did run a few times, once almost 3 miles, which is the most I've done in a long time, but my knees sure complained about it.  Zach ran high after a Chick-fil-A trip on the road on the car ride back, so he and I did the treadmill at the hotel, which brought his BG down beautifully.  For breakfast yesterday morning they had made to order omelets that were delicious, so that helped keep blood sugars in a normal range.  I can tell my kids aren't accustomed to eating the way they did while we were in Florida, Mychael (my oldest, age 14) said he felt kind of yucky, and Jordan had diarrhea the last couple of days (may have been the water, too).  She had a sharting problem the last day and a half, then on the ride home she said, "Mommy, I have good news!  I can fart again!" You really wanted to know that...

When I have a minute to put thought into an informative post, I will do so.  For now, I need to finish up a little homeschool, run a bunch of errands, and get the big boys at school.  Tonight will be my easy go-to weekday meal of stir fried cabbage with sausage (you'll find the recipe in my first entry, I do believe), and fried apples.  Gonna be eating some extra mandarin oranges this week to fend off this cold that followed me home...

sorry, but yuck

Tried the avocado brownies recipe I mentioned earlier, and unless you plan on eating the batter raw (you know how brownie batter is almost universally better than the baked version?), I wouldn't waste my almond flour.  They were a gelatinous epic fail...

I am going to experiment with another brownie recipe on the same website which uses coconut oil as the fat instead of avocados, because it also uses honey as the sweetener.  Trying to steer away from sugar, in general, and I find I'm craving it less.

I probably won't post for a couple of weeks, as the kids and I are headed to visit my parents in Florida on Thursday, WOO-HOO!!!  Have a wonderful week, all.

a little creative

     Our weekdays during the school year are pretty full contact, with soccer, karate, ballet, baseball, and "church," not to mention having two kids homeschooling and two kids in middle school at a charter school!  So, typically, I don't feel like going to much trouble with weekday meals, but because it is my heart for dinnertime to be nourishing not just for the body but also for the soul, I garner the energy and willpower to put forth thought and effort into what I put on the table.  I am so thankful for the wonderful and creative paleo recipes I come across on the plethora of blogs out there in cyberspace, these people rock!  Every once in awhile inspiration does come to me and I come up with (what I think is) a Shannon original, even though it's probably not all that original.  Here is a "recipe" I made one day earlier this week when my husband wasn't home for dinner, but the kids inhaled it:

Smothered "Burgers"

• First, I cooked about 5 pieces of bacon until crisp, then removed the bacon from the pan.  
• I then sautéed a sliced yellow onion, and some red bell pepper strips (I had cut up and frozen the pepper previously) in the bacon grease, seasoning with some sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Sometimes, when recipes call for peppers and onions, I use the frozen variety you can get at the store, it's actually a very economical way to go.  
• Anyway, I removed that from the pan, keeping it warm, then placed 5 hamburger patties (made with 90% lean ground beef) in the pan with what was left of the bacon grease, covered the pan, and cooked until done.  I added a slice of cheddar cheese on top of each burger after I'd flipped them and they were almost cooked, long enough to melt it.  
• I put a hamburger patty on each plate, topped with a slice of bacon and the sautéed veggies, and put a little dollop of ketchup on the side (optional).  Also, that chipotle Tabasco sauce was killer on my burger.  
• I served the smothered burgers with the fried apples I mentioned in another post, and what a yummy combination the sweet and salty was!  

I can't describe to you that wonderfully satisfying feeling I get watching my kids thoroughly enjoying a meal I've prepared for them.

     On a different note, things have normalized again diabetes-wise.  We observe this phenomenon periodically where we start seeing highs, go up on his insulin settings, only to find ourselves backing off several days later.  Believe it or not, I now have both his basal rate and insulin-to-carb ratio lower than it was before the episode, for whatever reason.  For one thing, when I was seeing the highs I did not make anything in the way of sweets, but let him have a Hershey kiss or two instead.  Also, I have had him do the elliptical machine in the basement about once a day for twenty minutes, unless he's spent time outside running around, which he has this week with the nicer weather we've had here in N.C.  So, either he was having a growth spurt (growth hormone antagonizes insulin), was fighting off a germ, or just needed to get his insulin sensitivity back (which limiting carbs and increasing exercise both will accomplish).  I'll tell you, this is an interesting experience, learning cause and effect, giving something a try and being able to observe the results.  We recently switched from the Animas pump to Medtronic's Revel, along with the continuous glucose monitor that is built into the pump (that was a huge selling point for me, having misplaced a Dexcom at a Barnes and Noble before...like finding a needle in a freaking haystack).  This has helped tremendously with fine tuning Zach's settings, this equipment is definitely earning its keep, in my book.  I also have the privilege of using a MySentry, which displays his blood sugars and trending (I love the low blood sugar/high blood sugar predicted function) on a monitor which is right next to my bed.  Zach is in the adjacent room with the outpost next to his bed.  In the five years that he's had diabetes (he turned 9 this past January, FYI), my husband or I have always gotten up a minimum of one time per night to check his blood sugar.  Now, once I feel like the sensor is reading pretty close to his blood glucose level, I don't set my alarm, except for 6:30 to get my big boys up for school.  If I wake up during the night, I glance over at the monitor and can see what his blood sugar is.  Apparently, I have the settings just right, because he's staying flat in the low 100's all night. Sweetness.  Before I had him dialed in, it alarmed quite a bit that he was low, or high.  I eventually lowered the low glucose limit to 70, and have the high set to 200.  This seems to be appropriate, and it doesn't keep waking us up unnecessarily (my three boys all sleep in the same room...thank goodness they're all heavy sleepers, for the most part).  Well, he just came in to say he feels low.  We had waffles for breakfast, no joke!  One huge waffle and 1/4 cup of syrup was 40 grams, and he still feels low.  Guess I'll be lowering his bolus some more, woo-hoo!  Thank you paleo!!!
   

holy yum

     I  just realized this is the first photo I've posted on this blog!  This little bottle is very deserving of some face time, as it has added so much love to my boring old cheese omelet I have most mornings.  I came across this stuff in a paleo recipe, and found it at my local Walmart for next to nothing.  I have always loved the flavor that chipotle peppers bring to recipes, one of my favorites being a dipping sauce for sweet potato wedges (found in the book I referenced in my last post, Paleo Comfort Foods, of which I own the Kindle version).  I've not been posting much of late, as we just switched my son over to a new insulin pump/CGM combo, and I've been working out the kinks.  Namely, he's been running inexplicably high, especially at night, so I've had to go down the line trouble shooting insulin problems, infusion site problems, insulin sensitivity problems, growth spurt induced insulin resistance, pump issues, user error issues, yada yada yada.  FYI for those interested in how this has all worked out, after approximately six consecutive days of dealing with the problem (including lots of sleep disruption), after switching him back to Novolog from Humalog, using his bum instead of his stomach for the infusion site, and having the child do the elliptical machine last night at ten o'clock for 20 minutes (mean mommy, I know), we seem to have resumed normal blood glucose readings.  A huge part of why I'm experimenting with a paleo-ish diet is for my son, Zach.  I am finding that the closer I stick to paleo, the better off we'll be.  For instance, sugar is pretty much frowned upon in paleo circles, but I still make my almond flour brownies about once a week, justifying this because they are made with almond flour instead of wheat, and I do cut back a little on the sugar.  Not.  Good.  Enough.  This week we are going to seriously limit any kind of sweets, probably just having something like a Hershey's kiss now and then to curb the crave to bake a big pan of brownies, or at the most I may try an avocado brownies recipe I came across on chowstalker.com which only uses 1/2 cup of honey as the sweetener, as opposed to 1 cup of sugar.  After I get around to trying it out on my family (on the sly, of course, otherwise my kiddos won't touch it), I'll report back and give the link.  TTFN!

shmaleo biscuits

     Because my family is so fond of the homemade sausage gravy and biscuits I've been making (with regular unbleached AP flour) I have been hesitant to change it up, letting that be our once a week detour from a paleo diet (still, even so, we're not legalistic).  The past two weekends, however, I got permission to experiment with it a little.  I have a great book on my Kindle, called Paleo Comfort Foods, which I highly recommend, so I came up with a biscuit hybrid, and as of this morning, a gravy hybrid.  When I think of hybrid I think of saving money, and since cooking with almond flour is more costly than with regular flour, sometimes I find a way to use a little of both (adding the health benefit of using less grain flour, while still being easy on the wallet...also, this eases my family into the transition to the completely paleo biscuits and gravy, which is my secret goal, mwahahahaha!).  So, what I did was the following recipe:

The biscuits:

• 1 cup blanched almond flour
• 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp butter (chilled)
• 1 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, with the rack in the middle.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Mix the above dry ingredients with a whisk. Add the coconut oil and butter, mixing in with fingertips until you've worked it in and the flour mixture is meal-like.  I usually grab small handfuls and rub it between my hands at the fingertips to break it up.  Then, make a well in your dry ingredients and add the buttermilk.  Stir until mixed well, then put about 1/3 cup size blobs onto your baking sheet and sort of shape them into biscuit-looking shapes, just not real flat (I'd say mine are about 1- 1 1/2 inches high).  They're basically drop biscuits that I give a little shape to.  I usually fit about 8 on my sheet, they will spread out a little.  Pop them into the oven for about 13-15 minutes, until they're slightly browned on the edges.

The gravy:

• 1 pound extra sage (or whatever) pork sausage (in our neck of the woods we use Neese's)
• 1 tbsp almond flour
• 1 tbsp unbleached AP flour
• 1 tbsp arrowroot powder
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups milk, or coconut milk

Completely brown the sausage, getting it good and crumbly.  Add the three dry ingredients and stir until dissolved, then slowly add the milk.  I'd say start with the lesser amount and add more to get the gravy the consistency you prefer.  You may want to sprinkle a little salt over it, as well, depending on preference, I usually do a little.  Stir constantly, then remove from the heat.  

Cut the biscuits in half (you're actually just cutting the top off), and put a big spoonful of the sausage and gravy on each half.  Or, do like I do and put gravy on one half and some homemade preserves on the other, to get both sweet and salty!

Once I get my coconut flour I'm going to make these paleo all the way, so I'll report back on how that goes later.  Happy Leap Year, everyone! (Is that a thing?)

this week's eats

     What's better on a snowy day when the kids are all home from school?  Chicken zoodle soup!  I didn't have any thyme, but the chicken base that I dilute for stock was plenty flavorful, plus I added a couple dashes of crushed red pepper.  Also, I pretty much doubled the amount of broth/stock that the recipe called for, otherwise it was more like stew, and I wanted to have some for leftovers.  My eleven-year old has probably eaten half of what all I made, and even took some to school for his lunch!  I love the idea of the julienned zucchini in place of noodles, and I got to learn how to use the julienne blade on my new food processor, very cool.
     So, this morning I got up early and made another batch of the paleo granola bars, this time with Sunbutter, and they turned out delicious.  They sort of want to fall apart more than last time, perhaps because I was a little short on shredded coconut, but I think if I individually wrap them like before and toss them into the freezer they'll come together better.  I found some interesting websites that tell you how to make homemade coconut milk and flour, if anybody is interested.  Jon (hubby) thinks it sounds like a lot of trouble, but I may experiment with it once to be able to say firsthand whether it's worth the trouble.  You can find the website here.  I do not share her sentiments on other topics, but that is neither here nor there, some of what she has to say is useful.  That is all.  I'm going.  To say.  About.  That.  Without pissing somebody off.
     Since hubby was not here for dinner last night, the boys had cheeseburgers (with buns, they all felt sick later...interesting), baby girl had chicken zoodle soup, and I had these leftovers (which I'd actually made with a cup and half of cooked quinoa since I inadvertently used my cauliflower in another recipe, and that seemed like a good fill-in, which it was!).  Breakfast this morning was bacon and eggs, I'm getting ready to feed them lunch (most likely turkey, cheese, and some fruit), and for dinner tonight I am making the Thai green curry dish I posted about before.  Other meals I've got planned are the sausage and cabbage "noodles," salmon cakes with green bean casserole, without the cracker topping, and probably one of my kids' favorites: bun-less bacon cheeseburgers with the fried apples recipe I mentioned in a previous post.  You literally don't miss the bun, and eat it with a fork and knife like a big juicy steak!  I will probably make Elana Amsterdam's almond flour chocolate chip scones out of her almond flour cookbook (find her here), sans agave nectar, I use sugar instead.  Plain old white sugar, because I will be taking back the bag of evaporated cane juice I just bought at BJ's yesterday (unopened) after reading this, and several other articles.  Hubby has been trying to tell me this, but what can I say other than that I can be gullible?  Trying to be less so, though.
     I have probably linked you to death in this post, and you probably think all I do is pirate other people's creativity, but as a busy mom of four I am more comfortable at this stage of my life with benefitting from the wisdom and know-how of people who have the time and resources to experiment with ingredients to come up with fabulous recipes for the rest of us.  I would much rather eat and enjoy, and still have time to sit on the couch with kids piled all around me while we read together (right now it's the Gregor the Overlander series, we're almost finished with book four!).  Plus, I cite my sources, thus all the links...

paleo granola bars

     Just so I don't get into any trouble, let me make it clear that I'm not claiming this recipe as my own, as I'll include the link.  I'll just fill you in on how I made these as "shmaleo granola bars," and by all means make these as the recipe calls for.  First, the recipe.  What I did change was I used up the last of some natural peanut butter that I had, my sesame seeds smelled old so I omitted them, and what I had on hand was whole roasted almonds (BJ's), which I pulsed for a bit in the processor along with the pepitos and sunflower seeds.  I used Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate chips, and the result was so yummy!  I cut them somewhat small, probably 1 1/2 by 3 inches or so, which sounds small but they've got some heft to them.  Also, I was trying to be as economical about the whole production as possible, and I think it made somewhere around 30 bars.  My big boys (11 and 14) requested 2 bars in their school lunches, however, so perhaps I will cut them a little bigger next time.  The size I cut them seemed to have about 15 grams of carbs, because of the honey, mainly, and Zach's blood sugar did well with them.  My oldest, Mychael, said he felt like they gave him more energy (yay!), and my 11-year old, Nathan, said they made him have to use the bathroom (yay for fiber!).  Both loved them, and they are my pickier eaters.  I will probably make one batch a week, but when you consider the cost of other protein bars per weight, I would say this is much more economical.  I did purchase some Sunbutter (Company Shops in Burlington didn't have the organic no sugar added variety, this jar has 7 grams per 2 Tbsp, identical to Skippy peanut butter), which my kids dramatically gag over, but I think I can hide it in these bars and truly make these paleo.  I'll report back on how that goes!
     My sister-in-law reports that the paleo crackers found on the same website as the granola bars are delicious, as well, so I'll be trying that in the near future.  Have a wonderful weekend!

getting started

     I had a conversation with a friend last night that reminded me of some good points that need to be made, especially in the starting out phase of adopting a paleo-ish diet.  For one thing, she wanted to know, if you are doing away with things like potato chips and bread (especially with lunchtime in mind), what do you replace those things with?  One suggestion I had, especially if bread is going to be a hard thing to give up, is to start out by just cutting in half how much bread you use.  Even now, if I have a turkey sandwich, it's only a half.  I also told her that I like having something with a crunch to it, giving chip-type things their appeal, so we do crisp apple slices instead.  You won't miss chips (and I thought I couldn't live without Veggie Straws!).  Some of us also like celery with peanut butter (or other nut spread), or carrots, and I always have some kind of nut on hand when I'm in a snacking mood.  I tend to graze all day long, given I have the luxury since I'm a stay at home mom, so having good stuff to snack on has been the key to success for me.  Prunes, almonds, pistachios, leftover vegetables from the night before, Slim Jims, and cheese are my snacks during the day, although I try not to overdo it.  We haven't done bread/rolls with dinner for quite some time, although we would consider it a treat to get a freshly baked crusty baguette on occasion.  Cutting back almost completely on that sort of thing has not caused me to crave or even miss it, strangely enough, which I consider to be progress.  I confess to still using a little sugar or Splenda in my coffee, but not all the time, sometimes a little half and half is sufficient (since we do dairy).
     Another trick of ours since my son was diagnosed with diabetes is to keep a bag of dark chocolate on hand.  That way, when we have a craving for something sweet I don't necessarily make a pan of brownies (the almond flour recipe I mentioned in a previous post...forgot to mention, by the way, that I usually substitute arrowroot powder for cornstarch as a thickener), and one piece of Dove dark chocolate is only 4 grams of carbs.  Not having stuff in your pantry that you're trying to avoid is at least half the battle!
     Since I alway try to include a recipe in each post, I will tell you what we had with dinner last night.  I buy a big bag of Green Giant Brussels sprouts at BJ's, and typically we've done the oven roasted version.  Since we had something else cooking in the oven my husband decided to stir fry them in 2 Tbsp of coconut oil, a little butter, a few splashes of soy sauce (coconut aminos can be substituted for people trying to strictly follow a paleo diet), sea salt and pepper.  Jon got the oil super hot before adding the Brussels sprouts (cut in half), and allowed them to brown pretty well (especially on the cut side).  They were so delicious, and the kids all said they liked them better that way.  So, good to know!
     One more thing I want to mention is that we are definitely observing that Zach's insulin sensitivity is much improved after making the changes we've made to our eating habits.  If I underestimate how much insulin he needs for something and he goes high, with a correction he comes right on down, as opposed to showing resistance and staying high (therefore requiring more than one correction...he wears a pump).  I will say that pasta and pizza crust are like kryptonite when it comes to insulin, so if you're a diabetic or are cooking for a child with diabetes, you can make your life a whole lot easier by avoiding these two things.  Also, Mexican food falls into that category, as well, in case you haven't made that discovery for yourself.  The times my son has worn a continuous glucose monitor have been very eye-opening, in terms of how different foods affect his blood sugar.  Pay attention to glycemic index, for sure.
     Tomorrow is that dreaded Valentine's Day (should be called Pancreas Day), glad we've avoided the big kid parties with all that mess.  We're heading to a yogurt place with some family where we can enjoy a good no sugar added treat!  There are plenty of paleo recipes out there for cut-out cookies you can do in the shape of a heart, if you're feeling more festive, like this one:  Orange-strawberry nut-free cut out cookies.

baby steps

     So, we have been taking baby steps toward eating a paleo diet, and one of the first things I did (right after Christmas) was to stop buying anything potato chip-y, white potatoes (I confess, I have bought one bag to do some mashed potatoes, my kids were ecstatic), rice, pasta, and cereal.  We have a good supply of plain Cheerios from a BJ's trip, but that's about the only thing my Zach can have without having a super spike with his blood sugar.  Still, I typically will make omelets, bacon, scrambled eggs, or a recipe I absolutely love that I recently discovered, almond flour coconut waffles.
     That's breakfast.  Lunch is a little more challenging, especially as far as what to pack my two older boys that attend middle school at a nearby charter school, and I confess they're a bit spoiled.  Every couple of weeks I make a huge batch of chimichangas (using flour tortillas...I know, I know), so that I can send them with one of those, a piece of fruit, and some kind of treat, whether a piece of chocolate or homemade almond flour brownies.  I have come across some recipes for making homemade tortillas with coconut flour, which I just need to take the time to make.  Sometimes they get leftovers, and as a matter of fact, Nathan took leftovers from last night's dinner, the curry dish I mentioned in my last post.  I would love some ideas on what to pack in kids' lunches that are paleo-friendly, so feel free to leave comments.
     Dinner is when I really get to play, and it has been a tremendous amount of therapeutic fun to explore and prepare new, healthy meals for my family.  Can I just add, too, that to get the most out of preparing dinner for your family, it should become a special time of day to look forward to.  What I mean by that is pour yourself a little wine, if you enjoy wine, cut a piece of cheese or two, put on some music that you feel adds to the mood, and let cooking for your family be a wonderful experience.  Oh, and did I mention that you should ban children to another part of the house?  This can make it less than relaxing and rejuvenating...although I do make exceptions to my own rule since my daughter also enjoys that time of day to be with me and help in the kitchen.  Sometimes, however, it is necessary to have that time be alone time to get the full benefit.  I find that if I can be focused, I am aware of the aromas I am creating on a completely different level...this has to be experienced, it can't really be explained.  I guess you could say it is my Zen time, much like folding laundry at night when the house is quiet and still.
     Snacks consist of raw fruit, nuts like pistachios (or as my nephew adorably calls them, mustachios) and almonds, cheese, lunch meat (nitrate and nitrite-free, except we occasionally indulge in beef jerky, yum!), and popcorn.  Also, might I add that I almost always carry bottled water with me anywhere I go, because thirst is often mistaken for hunger, and we're less likely to drive through somewhere or pick up other snacks because we feel like we're hungry.  Plus, it gives you energy.
     You can probably gather from recipes posted thus far the types of things in my pantry.  I use coconut oil if a coconut-y flavor is okay in a recipe (you can buy more refined coconut oil that doesn't have the flavor, but we really like the organic extra virgin stuff), even replacing butter in brownies with it.  We recently bought 5 big jars of coconut oil from vitacost.com at a great price, FYI, and we buy blanched almond flour in bulk from Honeyville.  Next on my list to get is coconut flour, coconut sugar, and Sunbutter, and I buy a big container of Hershey's baking cocoa about once a month at BJ's for homemade brownies.  Obviously, that's not the extent of what I have on hand, but I thought I would just mention some of the staples.
     I will leave you with a recipe that we all love, make substitutions or changes to suit your preferences (my husband adds a splash of soy sauce, which I realize is not paleo but again, we're not purists...yet).  The fried apples are so yummy, no added sugar, and my kids literally fight over them.  Happy cooking!

Sausage-N-Cabbage Noodles With Fried Apples

welcome to our world

When my son was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes almost five years ago, our family was already taking steps toward healthier eating.  Perhaps it was watching Supersize Me that gave us the initial jolt, motivating us to begin making changes, or maybe we had experienced that sensitization that people experience when they become parents where they want to raise their children in the healthiest environment possible.  For us, that didn't just mean our kids' external environment, but, like a lot of people, we began to examine our choices in light of what a lifetime of eating ultimately translates into.  While we don't subscribe to the contradictory practice of worrying about everything that goes into our mouths (let me clarify, because I am overly aware of my grammar these days, that we each have only one mouth, in case that part wasn't clear!), we do know that healthy eating does require more planning and preparation than stuff out of a box.  Over the past five years we've experimented with grinding our own wheat and making homemade bread, eating a vegetarian diet, low carb eating, and then relapsing into good old southern cuisine such as chicken pie and grits.  Okay, here's where I switch over to first person singular (see what I mean about the grammar preoccupation? I must be a homeschool mom...).  My plan/goal for this particular blog is simply to share what we've learned, and continue to learn, on this food journey.  I have chosen to call this blog Paleo Shmaleo because while we've recently embarked on eating a paleolithic diet, we are not strictly adhering to it.  For one thing, we love peanut butter.  For another thing, my husband is a died-in-the-wool southerner, he's got to have his pinto beans.  Also, dairy has been our go-to food group for the past five years, especially when my son is hungry, yet can't have carbs because of a high blood sugar.  It's called string cheese, people.  I have posted on Facebook a bunch of paleo recipes fairly recently, always with huge interest on the part of my Facebook friends, so I sort of feel like this blog has been created with this interest in mind.  Not that there aren't a gazillion blogs out there about paleo, with so many amazing recipes you could spend all day perusing.  But I would like to share about how we've approached this, how it relates to diabetes, what cost might look like, with the hope that my readers will find their own personal way of adopting healthy eating that is easy on mind, body, and wallet.  In my next post I will give you the low-down on how my pantry has changed, so stay tuned.  For now, it's off to cook this amazing dish:

Thai green curry