Paleo Breakfast Banana Split

I was in the mood for a treat on Sunday morning so took out my Paleo recipie book and settled for the Breakfast Banana Split.  Very simple to make and a nice twist to a fruit salad. 

1/2 tbsp coconut oil on pan with 1/2 tbsp honey.  Add one sliced banana and cook on both sides for around 3-4 minutes.
In a separate pan, toast 1tbsp of flaked almonds with some pecans or walnuts.
Finally, peal half an apple then grate into a bowl.  Grate the rind of half an orange into the bowl and add the segments of half an orange (removing as much pith as possible).  Add the toasted banana and nuts on top- done:)

Week 2 weekend.

Breakfast: turkey slices with portabello mushrooms, spinach and a poached egg.

Exercise-over  2 hours out on the horse. Great day though a bit of hailstones at the end could have done without;)

Brought my flask for lunch- Beetroot and Bramley apple soup with chicken. 

Dinner. Topside of beef stew. 

Met some pals in town who were out for dinner. Just ordered a coffee with them and had a water in the pub. God, I'm very restrained! (Though I did have 2 hot ports in the pub after the hunt). 

Sunday. 

Wasn't really on the mood for bone marrow soup with a poached egg (which was on the menu) so made my own banana breakfast "smoothie" (although more of a fruit salad than anything else). Very tasty and a nice treat on a Sunday morning. 

Lunch- hunter gathers stew with fruit and nuts. 

 

I then made some Paleo brownies.  Very tasty (check out Brownie post). Had one with a cup of Chai tea.  Nice alternative to tea.  Not a big fan of drinking so much almond milk so looking for non milk alternatives.

 

Dinner. Lamb with celaric mash.

Week 2. Day 5

Starting to get a few cravings now in the afternoons. Coffee alone isn't cutting it. Will have to bake some snacks over the weekend. Eatdrinkpaleo.com has some great recipies.

Hour training session in the gym. Followed by scrambled eggs and rashers. Not a big fan of rashers and as these were smoked they were even saltier than usual but I devoured the scrambled eggs. 

Lunch. Pan seared salmon with girkins, capers and dill vinegarette. 

Not necessarily hungry in the afternoon but wanted something sweet. Went to m&s and got myself a tray of melon. Thought id eat a small portion but ate it all. They're not very sweet so assume they're not high in sugar. 

Dinner was prob my favourite this week- thai chicken curry in a coconut and lemongrass sauce. 

In on my own watching a film on a fri night when all my friends were out partying so felt a bit sorry for myself. Had over square of 70% dark choc with my rhubarb and apple herbal tea. 

Iv noticed I delve into the bag of almonds whenever in feeling peckish. I'm sure it's fine as a snack but need to control how much of them I'm actually eating in a day. 

You’d need to eat nearly half a kilo of 90% dark choc to get the same amount of sugar you’d get in a big bowl of Special K

"One of the most devious products out there is Kellogg’s Special K. It has 23 grams of sugar per 100 grams. A bar of Lindt 90 per cent dark chocolate has 7 grams of sugar so you’d need to eat nearly half a kilo of 90 per cent dark chocolate to get the same amount of sugar you’d get in a big bowl of Special K."

Interesting article in the Times today about a new film "Ceral Killers"


http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/fat-is-good-the-message-from-a-man-who-swapped-sugar-for-bacon-and-eggs-1.1662117

http://www.cerealkillersmovie.com/

#dontfearfat #darkchocisbetter #swapsugarforfat

Week 2 day 4

Thursday. 

Breakfast pan seared chicken with a poached egg, capers and broccoli. I swopped this with yesterday's granola as thought is need a bit more after my spin class (half hr endurance) in the gym. 

Lunch- smoked haddock and leek frittata. Nice and light. Very tasty. 

Wasn't hungry in the afternoon but felt I needed something "nice". Went down to the canteen to see if I could buy some dark choc but there was none so I went for the dried mango- it hit the spot. 

Dinner- sausage and cauliflower "gumbo" (spicy tomatoe stew). Like something you'd get in the Caribbean. 

Week 2. Day 3

Not much to report at this stage. Getting into the swing of things now. Had a late dinner (10pm) so I'm sure that's not good to be eating so late but was out until then. Was stuck for a snack so had a carrot. Need to have some more handy for times like those. Must get back to my paleo cookbook for ideas.

Breakfast- seed granola. This time with almond rather than coconut milk and far tastier. 

Lunch. Meatloaf with olive crumb, and garlic roasted courgettes. Very tasty but maybe a bit much for the middle of the day.

Dinner was sweet and sour chicken, but I was so hungry I gobbled it up before getting a picture in.

Week 2 day 2

I need the recepie of this chocolate and apricot spiced bread. It is so delicious. There was a hint of coconut so maybe it was coconut flour that was used. Hard to believe this is paleo,gluten free. What a breakfast!

 

Lunch was bacon,celeriac, and broccoli frettata. 

Dinner: turkey with cranberry and almond stuffing and roasted parsnips and carrots. I'm still wondering how the stuffing was made. Tasted exactly like the real stuff only better;)

Lamb Rendang- Paleo meals for everyone.

I like seeing receipies for the gereral public that are paleo friendly without saying so.  Makes me feel a bit more normal and this is an achievable way of living.  Nice recipie for Lamb Rendang served with roasted aubergiene by Domini Kemp in the Saturday Times last weekend.

http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/food-and-drink/recipes/lamb-rendang-1.1658974

Week two day one.

Breakfast: scrambled eggs with bacon,kale, broccoli, and sweet potato.

Lunch- Turkey, vegatables and a spicy tomato based sauce.

Forgot to bring in snacks so was fairly peckish in the afternoon.  Went for a coffee (my first shot of caffine in a week) and almond milk.  It did the trick.

A few nuts and seeds when I got home before heading to an hour of Zumba.

Home for dinner, a bit late in the evening to be eating such a big meal- a massive portion of chicken with roasted parsnips and turnips.  I left it heating in the oven a bit long so the chicken was fairly dry.  I added some of my Mum's spicy tomato relish, which went down a treat, but I am sure there is buckets of sugar in there so won't be using too much of it in the future.

 

No sweetness in bitter war against sugar

It's what the paleo diet is all about- no added sugars, and keep natural sugars to a minimum.  Interesting article in the Irish Times today:

http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/no-sweetness-in-bitter-war-against-sugar-1.1662113?page=1

 

The paleo alternative to tea.

So after all my searching, iv discovered the alternative and it's not half bad. Decaf tea bags with almond milk. Make sure the almond milk is unsweetened. I made that mistake first time, the "original" has sugar listed as the second ingredient so stay clear of that as trying to have no added sugar at all. 

After all that though, I found out yesterday that caffeine is allowed on paleo and a cup of coffee is great as it speeds up the metabolism and helps burn the fat quicker. So all those headaches last week were for nothing. I'm in no rush to go back to caffeine though. I'm doing well with the herbals. Feel great so might stick with my decaf alternatives for a while. 

Into the second week- is it working?

Well weighed myself and did all the measurements again last night. Have lost 1.3kg and half an inch from bum and belly. Feel great. Not tired during the day. No real hunger pangs. Bloating seems to be completely gone. I can see myself getting into this for life. I no longer miss the porridge in the mornings. It's amazing how one week can change your entire perspective! Hopefully as positive results next week. 

A week of paleo in one shot

This is what a week of paleo deliveries looks like. Just delivered to my apartment yesterday evening so I'm ready for another week of new meals. It's kind of exciting not knowing what your next meal is going to be. This is where its all coming from: http://www.paleomealdeliveries.ie/

Diets aren't supposed to be this tasty!

This is the sugar iv been craving all week. Chocolate breakfast brownie with winter berry smoothie. This is livin'! I have to say, I was looking forward to waking up when I saw this was on the menu for breakfast but it tasted even better. Nicely full now and ready for the day ahead.

First weekend on paleo

This is the real tester when you don't have the structure of the week at work. I'v been a bit more lenient on myself I have to admit. So started off with bone marrow broth with a poached egg and chicken. I also threw in a small handful of sunflower seeds and also had some melon- was going out horseriding for the afternoon so needed to be sure to be sure;) . The name "bone marrow" kind of put me off but it's the same idea as oxtail soup we're just not used to it. Well it was tasty enough but a bit unusual to be having for breakfast. 

Went hunting (drag) before you get on your high horse! Excuse the pun;) 2 hours trekking through fields and jumping over ditches. Great fun but very wet day. Came back caked in mud! It's usual to go back to the pub and tetell tales of the day. I didn't want to be too antisocial so had a hot port with no added sugar. Nice to be sociable and wouldn't say I'm falling off the wagon. Lunch was cold meats, a boiled egg, and carrots and celery in a vinaigrette. Handy to have on the go so wasn't too tempted to the pub food on offer (ok I had one sausage and a chicken wing) but steered clear of the chips.

Home for a cup of green tea and lemon and a nice read of the papers. Wasn't hungry at all for dinner but heated it up all the same. Chicken tikka masala with roasted auvergiene. Delicious. Up there with the best meal of the week. That and the fish stew. The chicken was marinated and the sauce was so tasty. No real craving for something sweet afterwards so think paleo is working! Let's see how I fair at the cinema later though!

Sunday breakfast was the delicious paleo  brownies with winter berry smoothie. Lunch was tuna nisoise salad with boiled eggs and beans. Dinner was topside of need with kale and turnips. Not too many veggies so had to add a raw carrot. Had a few handfuls of nuts and seeds throughout the day and green tea to keep me entertained when reading the paper. 

Day 5 and I'm up and running.

Big workout at the gym this morning (1hr)  with a personal trainer. After 20 mins interval training I was ready to die but 40 mins of weights and lunges later I can truly say that I was pushed! Home for breakfast- scrambled eggs with 2 rashers and sautéed mushrooms. The mushrooms were delicious- I was licking the plate for the last of the juices! Left the rind of the rashers but suprised myself that I ate all of the rest. I thought defrosted scrambled eggs might be a bit yuck but they tasted fine. Slightly different consistency but I'm not complaining. 

No real bloating today, well a bit towards the end of the day but i think that's due to the 2 apples I had to have in the afternoon as I was really hungry. Also had a small packet of apricots which I know is very bad to have all that fruit but I suppose I could be snacking on worse. 

Lunch was turnip and horseradish soup with beef. Very tasty. I usually have a bowl that size for lunch very day, but today it looked kind of small. Has my appetite gotten bigger?  I was full after lunch but not stuffed, and was very hungry in the afternoon. 

Home for dinner, and i discovered non sweetened almond milk so very happy for my cup of decaf tea later. It might actually work! 

Dinner is fish stew with cod, salmon, saffron and fennel. So delicious. I could def go in for a second portion. I really hope it's on the menu next week. Must try and steal the recipie. 

Day 4- Still not the full shilling

Thur 16th

Awake a lot of last night with painful bloating. Got up and went for 30 min spinning class and felt better for a while. 

Breakfast was labeled as "apricot and date granola" but I didn't see too many apricots or dates. Was almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, some raisins, dark choc drops served with coconut milk. I was looking forward to this as i love a bowl of museli in the morning but the coconut milk didn't do it for me and I didn't really enjoy it. Feel terribly bloated now this morning, but two chicken breasts and a hunk of pork in one day will do that to you- especially when i havent really eaten that much meat at all before starting this.  I take it back re the apricots and prunes- I see them in the picture, I just dont remember eating them!

Lunch-smoked salmon and beetroot salad with almonds and celery.  Was tasty. Glad not to have so much heavy meat today as my tummy is still not right, though it did get better throughout the day. Did get hungry this afternoon though. Had to have an apple and when was in town, I was starving. Couldn't think what snack I could buy as already had an apple in the afternoon. Ate a packet of raspberries when in tesco looking for new herbal teas. 

Dinner- pork and leek sausage with turnip,carrot mash and cabbage and thyme jus. Very tasty. And def full after although still miss something sweet afterwards, or even a cup of tea. Have just bought my almond milk and decaf tea so going to try that. Had two celery sticks with babaganoush when waiting for dinner. 

Was going for my tea and see that the first two ingredients in the almond milk are 1. Water, 2. Sugar., 3. Almond, salt. Not sure the sugar and salt are on my to do list! So put it back and had it with left over coconut milk from breakfast. It's disgusting. Can't finish it!  Researched how to make my own almond milk. Seems fairly straight forward, I just need some sort of strainer for it. Must research during the weekend. 

 

Day 3, the Bloating begins.

15 jan 

 

Breakfast. Didn't wake up starving. Had seared chicken breast with a poached egg and capers. Broccoli came too but I can't eat that. Was struggling to finish all the chicken. 

 

Had a few seeds but didn't really think about food until 12. Had a lemon and ginger tea to keep me going around 11. 

 

Lunch. More seared chicken with parsnip and carrot mash and garlic mushrooms. Very tasty. Stuffed after intact. Iv never really had a big meal in the middle of the day. Headaches are much better but still a twinge. Its funny it only takes you two bad days to get the caffine out of your system and not miss it.  I do miss the comfort of a cup of tea, but not the tea itself.

 

No need for a snack but ate the seeds I brought in anyway. Won't bring them tomorrow so don't have the temptation. More want something sweet so maybe are too many chewinggums to make up for it today. Had the ingenious idea of buying decaf tea bags today but they didn't have almond milk so once I get that I'm sorted. No headaches today but felt very bloated, to the extent that it hurt. 

 

Wasn't particularly hungry but ate dinner incase I got hungry later when I was out.   Had lightly spiced loin of pork with Brussels sprouts and carrot and parsnip mash. The pork itself was nice and lean. I left the fat around it. Miss something sweet for afters. Might have to have a square of dark choc tomorrow. Although will that mess with the no dairy?! Strong temptation to have a glass of wine when I was out.  But I am trying to be particularly good for the month of January.  I read an article that just one month off does wonders for your liver.  Can't believe I'v only been off now for 14 days, feels like months! 

Day 2 in the cavegirl houshold

14 jan. 

Still no paleo delivery (despite lots of texts back and forth, pretty annoyed to be honest but had an egg left so I was saved) so one poached egg and sunflower seeds for breakfast. Felt fine but at circuit training this morning I had a headache when I jumped. Headaches got worse throughout the day. Didn't realise I would miss tea this much!

 

Lunch at barlotti again (the same power box salad).

Paleo Box got delivered to work. Too big to walk with it so had to take a taxi home.  It started to melt throughout the day so put it straight in the freezer when I got home so hope I will be okay. Paleodeliveries confirmed it would last six hours in the box so fingers crossed.

 

Dinner was a jerk chicken with slow roasted tomatoes and a small amount of parsnips.  It took a while to defrost and cook in the oven, but will be more prepared in the days to come in terms of defrosting. 

First day on Paleo

13 january 2014

 

66.6kg 36.5 belly, 40 bum, 36 bust. (well I was yesterday)

 

Set my alarm to go for a run but knew I was going to Zumba this evening so had a lie in. Paleo not arriving until this evening so had two poached eggs (fresh from Rathgar last night) for breakfast and took the short 7 min walk to work. 

Brought some almonds and seceme nuts to snck on during the day but they were all gone by 12. Went down for a peppermint tea. More for the break than the need. 

Lunch- went across to barlotti in the ifsc. The beat box (8e= loads of chicken, avocado, coss lettuce, little tomatoes, roasted butternut squash). Struggling to finish but knew it would be a while to dinner and supposed to be no snacks! 

 Tired at around 4. Think I'm missing the tea, but could also just be Monday blues. 

 Went to Zumba class for an hour. Really enjoyable workout- you don't notice the time.  An hour on the dancfloor without being embarrassed of everyone around looking at you.  Great fun.

Paleo delivery didn't arrive so was chicken skewers from canum take away and some melon for dinner. 

 Made some homemade babaganush from my new paleo cookbook book. Very easy- lash an aubergiene in the oven for half an hour.  Take it out, allow to cool, peal off the outer skin. Throw in a blender with a teaspoon of ground cumin, squeeze of half a lemon (i put in more than half) , a garlic clove (though half may be better as it is raw and quite powerful) , tablespoon of tahini, 1/2 table spoon of tahini and some pepper.   

Kick those mince pies- drastic measures needed!

So after a gluttonous Christmas, I decided to go all out and start the paleo diet. Just try it for one month and see how it goes. I looked at it as not really a diet but changing eating habits. I wasn't up for the starving myself diet. They never work. So signed up with paleomealdeliveries.com to deliver one weeks of food on Monday 13th (they provide the full 3 meals a day for a month for 510e). Each week, a new delivery.  So let's see how it goes!

http://www.paleomealdeliveries.ie/