Primal Meals Made Easy

Is it just me, or are we getting busier every day?  As kids we think we are busy. The parents make us do chores and the teachers give us homework when we really want to be riding bikes, playing in the creek, or hitting up our new video game. Then you become a teenager and young adult; add more homework, a part-time job, and extracurricular activities. At this stage you can’t wait to just be an adult working full time, after all they don’t have homework so then you can do whatever you want. Except when you become an adult your homework turns into paying the bills, balancing the checkbook/credit card, housework, buying and preparing meals, and this is all before you add kiddos into the mix!  I’m happy to get a free hour in the evening and usually that free hour goes to playing with Gizmo (while indulging in my favorite TV shows).

Like many people with a busy schedule, I don’t have a lot of extra time to spend planning out a daily menu for the week, spending an hour or two at the grocery store, and even more hours preparing extravagant dinners every evening. In fact, a lot of people I talk to are turned off by the Paleo/Primal lifestyle when they realize they have to actually cook most of their meals. Yes, it’s true. But it doesn’t have to be a 3 course meal with all the fixin’s.  Hello leftovers. :)

Make Foraging and Pillaging Easy:

Nowadays we don’t have to hunt down the buffalo, wild boar, or fish to eat - though you certainly can if you like. Instead, hit up your local market, whether it be a grocery store, co-op, whole foods, or if you are lucky a farmers market. Don’t plan out 5 weekday meals, you will have leftovers. Pick one new recipe you would like to try and see what’s fresh at the market for the remaining couple meals.

Shop fresh:  Go to the store and shop in the fresh food sections (avoid the inner isles full of boxes processed “food”). You will make more seasonal purchases this way based on what’s available and save time from only shopping in a few areas. Plus the food is more delicious when in season!

Preparing your grub:

Main course: Fresh meat is simple to prepare. Grill, roast, broil, slow cook in a crock pot, smoke, etc. When the meat is of good quality and fresh, simple preparation is all you need: salt, pepper, your favorite seasoning or fresh herbs, and butter/coconut oil/water to keep moist.

Sides: There are only so many ways you can prepare Primal/Paleo side vegetables, which helps me eliminate options and speed up my prep time. Add salt, pepper, olive oil/coconut oil/butter and mix up the flavors from time to time (garlic, fresh lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, or sprinkle freshly grated parmesan cheese – taste buds, please meet deliciousness). Roast, bake, or eat them raw.

You don’t need to worry about peeling, boiling, and mashing potatoes or making a rice/pasta side dish = saves time, money, and the headache of trying to come up with new ideas , finding recipes, buying extra ingredients, etc.

 

I actually find it easier to live this way. I save time by not searching for new recipes/planning daily meals, only shopping in a few isles at the store, and by preparing a meat and a vegetable (no starch) simply.

 

Krista

Before and After Pictures

Here are the before and after shots as promised. However, like I mentioned in my previous post, I don't have pictures from June 25, 2011 (Day One of Paleo/Primal Lifestyle) because I avoided cameras and didn't think I'd be posting before and after shots. I will try to get a picture of my peak weight (155lbs) that was taken back in February from one of my friends.

Until then here is a shot from 4 weeks ago:

My stomach/thighs/arms used to be larger than this (this shot is me down 10lbs). Also, shot was taken on a cloudy day (why the lighting is darker than my after pics).

Here is a shot before boating yesterday (August 20, 2011) down 19lbs:

I can't describe in words how amazing it felt to run around in a bikini without a t-shirt/shorts on to hide my body. I've been self conscious of my weight since high school, which is crazy now that I'm getting close to what I weighed back then and I don't feel insecure about it anymore,

Thank you Primal Blueprint. Life is good.

Krista

Food throughout the week...

This week the best meals were Everyday Paleo Crab Cakes:

This is the second time I've made these crab cakes and they are so succulent and light! Definitely one of my favorite Primal/Paleo dinners. Sarah's cookbook has lots of great family recipes. My favorites so far: Meat candy (sausage stuffed dates wrapped in bacon), egg cupcakes, crab cakes, and better butter chicken.

Outside pictures just look so much better.








Pear Clafoutis from Elana's Pantry:

My husband ate most of this, I had a bite or two. It's very delicate, slightly sweet and mostly savory. Delicious with toasted pecans and some clotted cream (+ pinch of honey) on the side. This dessert definitely puts me in the mood for fall...

I also made "Meat Candy." Speaks for itself. You must try it if you haven't yet. Very simple to throw together: stuff dates with italian pork sausage and wrap in bacon. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Picture on left is not my own (though I wish it was) - I forgot to take snapshots...and now they are all gone. :o)

Very excited to go boating with family this weekend. I will be sure to get some snap shots so I can post progress pictures by Monday.

Krista

Primal Beauty Perks

There are more perks to going Primal/Paleo than just in the weight/fat loss department, I’ve noticed several bizarre (awesome!) things happening to me:

Clear Skin:

Throughout last year I was having more problems with my skin than ever before: blemishes, acne, etc. I'd tried several ‘skin care’ products and nothing made much of a change, even when I washed my face 2-3 times a day. Now that I've been primal for 7 weeks, my skin hasn't ever been clearer (that I can remember). What changed? My diet. I threw out the products and only washed my face with water in the shower. It’s so nice to leave the house without make up smeared all over my face (previously used to hide dark circles = lack of sleep, pimples = gone!) to run errands. You save money and time by not using as much make up. This is worth it alone to switch to the Primal/Paleo Lifestyle. 

Perks: Clear skin, more money, & more time.

Healthy Glow:

Every day I walk the dog during my lunch, another walk after work, and try to exercise (play, sprints, etc.) outside to soak up the summer sun while I can - all without sun screen. Remember watching those beauty tipson television or reading them in magazines telling you to apply sun screenevery day (before you apply your make up of course) to avoid damage from thesun? What a load of crap. “Here buy this product and use it every day so you can buy more of this product.” Oh, OK. NOT! Do some research folks. I never wear it unless I’m going to a tropical climate near the equator, which doesn’t happen enough, and only if I have no base tan. Note: I'm referring to the majority of people - I do realize that some people have fair skin and need to protect it from the sun to avoid burn damage.

 

By being outside every day, I have built up a nice tan + clear skin = a healthy glow. I’ve gotten a few comments from people asking what products I use. Usually, they are surprised when I tell them I quit using products and ate a healthy diet – that’s as far as I go. If I get into the Primal/Paleo lifestyle with everyone that said something, I would still be arguing with conventional wisdom (similar to arguing with a brick wall). Again, you save money (from not using sunscreen/tanning products) and time (from the application of them.

Perks: Healthy glow, more money, & more time.

 No Cellulite:

I actually made the decision to go primal once I’d first noticed a significant increase of dimpling on my legs. I recall that day in June, sitting on the floor in the living room while my pug ran circles around me with my fingers poking at the dimples rippling my thighs in awe of them. Gross, right? When did those come?! Now I’m down 19lbs and the cellulite on my legs has disappeared. Seriously, I spend time in the shower looking for cellulite – still gone. This is what happens when you burn the fat off your body, it gets lost!  In addition to the lost cellulite: my arms are thinner, stomach is much smaller (nearly flat), breast and butt have reduced in size but that goes with the whole fat burning thing. We don't get to choose where it comes off and goes on.

Perk: Wearing a bikini with confidence.

Hair:

Haven't noticed much of a change with my hair, but I’ve always had healthy hair due to a lack of dying, highlighting, treatments, burning, blow drying, or flattening it. It always air dries and I get it cut once or twice a year - that’s it.  I haven’t tried making any shampoo yet. Read Modern Paleo's blog and she has her recipe for shampoo on there that looks good. I’ll give that a try sometime and report back.

Perks: N/A 

Teeth/Breath:

Once you are in Ketosis, you are supposed to experience bad breath. I haven’t noticed it yet, and the husband hasn't said anything either. I brush my teeth twice a day with a specific prescription my dentist gave me so I haven't tried other 'primal' alternatives (usually a mix of coconut oil and baking soda). I will give that a go when my script runs out and again report back here. 

Perks: N/A

 

Body Odor:

The last thing that I have noticed is the lack of bug bites. Odd, I know. I would go on walks with friends and they would complain of the bugs bothering them (and how they forgot bug spray), while nothing was biting/landing/shitting on me. Oh, and I didn’t wear bug spray either. I’m notsure why, but it is something that I have noticed on more than one occasion. Maybe the bugs don’t like my smell anymore – fine by me. 

Perk: No bug bites.

To conclude the post, the perks of going Primal/Paleo are weight/fat loss, clear skin, more $$$, more time, healthy glow, confidence, and no bug bites. Convinced yet?

 

Have you noticed any odd perks of going Primal/Paleo? What’s your favorite perk?

Krista

New Obsession: Clotted 'Devonshire' Cream

Clotted cream is produced commercially in Devon Cornwall and Somerset England. It is a thick, rich cream with a scalded flavor created by heating unpasteurized milk until a layer of cream forms on the surface. The milk is cooled and the layer of cream is skimmed off, bottled, and sold.

I first heard of clotted cream in high school when I read romantic novels from the Victorian era of England. The ladies of finery would enjoy their tea time with scones and clotted cream. I’ve always wondered what the cream tasted like since I first read of it. Recently, Ina Garten hosted a tea party episode (Barefoot Contessa from Food Network), and a viewer inquired where you could buy clotted cream in the states as they had just returned from visiting England and fell in love with it there. At the time, Ina referred them to Mascarpone cheese because clotted cream wasn’t available in the states. A couple weeks ago I was shopping at the grocery store... lo and behold I found clotted cream in the specialty cheese section! I couldn't believe clotted cream was at Hy-Vee. I was so excited to get home and try it; I tossed two jars in the cart and raced for the check out line. If you have never had it, it tastes like a luxurious buttery cream cheese – super thick! Yum!

  

Traditional fare for tea time:

  
Cream Tea - Tea, scones, jam and cream
Light Tea - Tea, scones and sweets
Full Tea - Tea, savories, scones, sweets and dessert

  

Savories - Tiny sandwiches or appetizers
Scones - Served with jam and Devonshire or clotted cream
Pastries - Cakes, cookies, shortbread and sweets
 

My sophisticated Primal fare version:

The best Primal way to indulge in this heavenly fluff is to add a little honey to the cream. Slice up some strawberries, grab a handful of blueberries/raspberries/blackberries and enjoy! A perfect summer dessert that is healthy (for Primal folk) and decadent. Hey, any "diet" where I can go through a 6 ounce jar/week and still maintain/lose weight is a thumbs up in my book. I love a healthy lifestyle where you're eating delicious and seemingly sinful food, but it all fits on the meal plan and you feel the amazing benefits every day.

Have you ever had clotted cream? What is your food obsession at the moment?

Krista