Paleo and Pregnant

There is exciting news in our little household...we are expecting our first baby in March 2014!

It has been a huge range of emotions for us, but we are just positively thrilled for this new chapter in our lives.

One of the very first things that came to my mind when I found out that I was pregnant was my diet...would I still be able to do paleo? I had really gotten into a groove with it, but I was not sure if I would be able to stay on it. I talked to my personal trainer (who basically specializes in prenatal everything), and she applauded the paleo diet wholeheartedly. She did, however, mention that I might need some more calcium so that this baby doesn't suck it all out of my bones, so I have added some dairy back into my diet (mainly whole milk and Greek yogurt, and I don't turn down the cheese as much anymore...which really doesn't hurt my feelings!). I spent hours researching to make sure that paleo was ok for me while pregnant. Being as healthy as I can be is incredibly important to me during my pregnancy. And then I asked my doctor about paleo, and after I explained all the details of paleo to her she responded with, "Oh. So basically it's everything you SHOULD be doing while pregnant."

Here are some of the best articles I found regarding paleo while pregnant:

Top 6 Reasons Why Pregnant Women Should Try the Paleo Diet

Top 7 Benefits of a Paleo Pregnancy

A Paleo Guide to Pregnancy

So don't worry, pregnancy doesn't mean I will be taking a paleo blog hiatus (that will probably come around March after the baby arrives!). My posts may just be a little more sporadic because I just have NO energy to cook! But I plan to stick to it as much as possible to make sure that I keep the baby (and myself!) as healthy as can be! :-)

Eye of Round Roast

My mom makes the best eye of round roast. It has been my favorite for years! I was really craving it a few weeks back and decided to make some.

Ingredients (disclaimer...I am very simple when it comes to GOOD meat! I am a purist!)

~1 eye of round roast (however many pounds you need)
~Sea salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Sprinkle outside of meat with sea salt and pepper. As much or as little as you want. I use some, but don't go overboard. It really doesn't need it.
3. Ok...here comes the math part. You put the roast in at 500 degrees for 5 minutes per pound (I have also heard 7, so you could always do the average and do 6 minutes per pound?). So if you have a 3 lb roast, it would be in the oven at 500 degrees for 15 minutes. Then....turn off the oven! Let it sit for 2 to 2.5 hours, then remove it. If you are cautious you can use a meat thermometer to check the internal temp. Here are standard temperature levels for roasts:

120°F to 125°F (49°C to 52°C) = Rare
130°F to 140°F (55°C to 60°C) = Medium Rare
145°F to 150°F (63°C to 66°C) = Medium

No, I did not give any temperatures above medium, because that would be a sin against this beautiful roast beef. PLUS you will probably have leftovers, and it is good to have it a little on the rare side so it doesn't overcook when you reheat it. As you can tell from my pictures, I like it a LOT on the rare side.

Sorry for the long break in blogging. Life gets in the way sometimes. :-) I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

Bacon Stir-Fry

Bacon. Just the thought alone is delicious. This essentially sums up how I feel about bacon.

Needless to say, I love it. It is amazing. I think most of us can agree that bacon is pretty darn awesome. So when I saw a picture of bacon stir-fry on a friend's instagram, a sheer rush of "I MUST MAKE THIS" ran through my head. A friend commented on my facebook post saying he didn't think bacon is paleo...and technically, it is not. But this is what Paleo Central has to say about it...

I am not saying you should make this bacon stir-fry every day (even though let's face it, that would be incredible). Bacon is a treat I reward myself with on occasion. There are a lot worse things you could reward yourself with! Moderation is key. So let's get this bad boy started!

Ingredients

~8 bacon slices, diced (I made 2 extra, because how is it possible to cook bacon and not sample some?)
~1/2 onion, diced (I used white, but the recipe called for yellow)
~1 medium sweet potato, diced
~1 medium zucchini, diced
~7-8 green beans (since green beans are not paleo I did not include them)
~1 avocado (I do not like avocado, so I did not use any)
~Freshly ground black pepper, to taste


Directions

1. Cook bacon in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Set bacon aside (and save bacon fat!).
2. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of drippings from the bacon pan, onion, and sweet potato.
3. Stirring often, sauté until onions begin to turn translucent and sweet potato softens slightly (about 10-15 minutes).
4. Add zucchini (and green beans if you use them) to the sweet potato mixture and cook until they turn bright green.
5. Combine bacon and vegetables. Season with pepper, and top with avocado if you choose to do so.
6. Sit back and enjoy the amazingness.

**At first I was curious if bacon grease is paleo, and here is what Paleo Central had to say about it!

Here are some pictures of my bacon stir-fry experience. There may be more than necessary, but it was just such a beautiful thing that I couldn't help but document it!

Paleo Peppermint Patties

Happy July, everyone! I apologize again for the break in blogging. Last week was rough, and it ended with a double ear infection which was most definitely not fun. I am so over all these random ailments and am ready to enjoy the rest of my hopefully HEALTHY summer!

Last Sunday I was in quite the paleo mood, and I decided to try out this paleo peppermint patty recipe I have had for a while. York Peppermint Patties are my absolute FAVORITE candy in the universe. We even used them as favors for my wedding! So to find a paleo recipe for them made my heart skip a beat. The base of the inside peppermint-y part is coconut. I was hoping that the coconut taste would be subdued, but I was wrong. That being said, I am definitely not a big coconut lover. So, unfortunately, these were not my favorite recipe. Heart=broken. However, my husband absolutely adores them. He said it tastes like a York Peppermint Patty and a Mounds Bar fell in love and this was their love child. So, if you love those 2, then this is most definitely the treat for you.

Ingredients

~1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
~2 tablespoons coconut milk
~2 tablespoons coconut oil
~1/4 cup honey
~1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
~1 cup of chocolate chips

Directions

1. In a food processor (I bought a new one and LOVE IT!), process the shredded coconut about 30 seconds until it is very fine. Add the coconut milk, coconut oil, honey, and peppermint extract. Process about 30 seconds until a smooth paste has formed. (disclaimer 1...I accidentally quadrupled the amount of peppermint extract...oops. But, surprisingly, I don't think it did too much damage! They were still refreshing without being overly peppermint-y.)
2. Shape the paste into about 1 1/2 inch size rounds and place on a cookie sheet. Place the rounds in the freezer for 10 minutes. (disclaimer 2...I used wax paper on the cookie sheet thinking it would make clean up easier...wrong. Well, right, but it also completely messed up the recipe. I guess the patties need to be directly on the cookie sheet to get cold enough, so mine did not, and never made it past a peppermint-coconut mush phase)
3. Melt the chocolate in the microwave on medium power or over a double boiler. Remove the shaped patties from the freezer and coat in chocolate. Allow the chocolate to cool and harden before serving. Enjoy!

Store leftovers in the fridge.

As you can see...my peppermint patties were not pretty. But again, my husband loved them. Because they were such a mess I ended up making peppermint patty sandwiches out of them, which my husband thought was fantastic. So at least there is some wiggle room with this recipe if it doesn't turn out quite as planned! :-)

Kale Chips

So I have heard all this hoopla about kale chips and have been anxious to try them, and I finally got around to making them! They are SO simple, and quite delicious! I even found myself craving more when we finished them.

Ingredients

~1 bunch of kale
~1 tablespoon olive oil
~1 teaspoon seasoned salt (I used sea salt instead)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite sized pieces (I totally used my hands to do this). Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner (first time I've ever used mine and I was EXCITED!). Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
3. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10-15 minutes.

**Note: My large cookie sheet was in use, so I had to dump all my kale onto a smaller sheet. I baked it and turned the kale a few times while baking. It was delicious the whole way through. Loved it!

Paleo Omelette Muffins

I recently pinned a ridiculous amount of paleo recipes on pinterest, so I figured it was time to start tackling them.

I have wanted to try these egg omelette muffins for a while. While there is room for improvement, I would definitely make them again.

Ingredients

~12 eggs
~1/2 cup broccoli (I used more, which ended up being too much)
~6 strips cooked bacon (this ended up not being enough in my opinion)
~Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tin. (I used cupcake liners, which I am not sure I would use again).
2. Cook up some bacon (I cooked it in the oven and it came out PERFECTLY! More on this is a future blog post!). The recipe takes about 6 pieces, but I believe more is ok! Chop or tear the bacon into little pieces when cooked.
3. While the bacon is cookin', steam some broccoli. Rinse, drain, and chop into very small pieces (I learned this the hard way).
4. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs together with salt and pepper. Add the broccoli and bacon and mix until combined well.
5. Pour the egg mixture into the muffin tin. They will expand, so try not to completely fill them up; however, if you do it's no biggie. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the eggs are fluffy and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I turned on the broiler for the last few minutes to brown and crisp the top of the muffins.
6. Enjoy!

**Some alternate filling options include bell peppers, onion, sausage, spinach, mushroom, etc.

Thanks again for your patience with my blogs during our power outage and my sickness! :-) I am back and blogging! Happy hump day!

Apology!

Hey loyal blog readers (all like 4 of you! I love you all!)! I apologize that I have been quiet the past week. There were a few extenuating circumstances on my end...that darn derecho storm knocked out our power for two whole days which resulted in: throwing away a bunch of food, no internet for posting a blog, a whole lot of house cleaning after power came back on, etc., in addition to me getting a nasty stomach bug with no power which was just wonderful timing!

I have some exciting recipes coming up in the near future including paleo peppermint patties, egg muffins, and bacon stir fry! :-) Stay tuned!

Happy Tuesday!