Paleo Update

It hasn't been quite a month since we started the Paleo lifestyle, but our lives seem so different now. What we eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is completely different from what we used to eat. Here's  a look at some of our meals now:

Breakfast:

Lunch:

(the chicken salad has non-Paleo mayo)

 Dinner:

I am not sure I have ever thought about food more in my entire life. I spend A LOT of time thinking about food right now. Not about foods that we can't eat anymore, but how to cook and eat in new ways. We have tried new foods like lamb, liver, and turnip greens and every day we try to eat a whole lot of vegetables. I now go to the farmer's market every Tuesday and Saturday and we are really building relationships with some of the local farmers. Besides buying tons and tons of produce, we thankfully can buy local grass-fed meats, eggs, and dairy.

Over the last few weeks we have emptied out the cabinets, refrigerator, and freezer. We have restocked them with Paleo essentials like coconut flour, coconut milk, flax seed meal, almond flour, dried fruits, jerky, and a few canned goods. Here's a before and after look at our cabinets:

Before:

 

 After:

 

We still have a few stray non-Paleo items that need to be eaten up but for the most part I have given most of our stuff away to friends.We even got rid of our canisters of sugar, pasta, and flour that were sitting on our counter top.
I have scoured the internet for Paleo dishes and have found lots of things that I hope to try. I am confident that my love of cooking and my old obsession with the Food Network have been preparing me for this new way of eating. Being familiar with lots of foods and techniques of cooking has made this transition just a little bit easier. I have to admit there are days when I don't feel like cooking another thing and I just want to go out to eat. Eating out is really tough though and that's why we have been trying to avoid it. We have a couple of local restaurants where we can eat somewhat successfully but they definitely don't have fast food prices.
I have been incredibly amazed at how on board Bryan is with this whole thing. He has gone from hating vegetables to eating just about anything. It is absolutely amazing! Cutting out grains has been harder on Seth than anyone.  He was already in such a picky phase of eating. With the elimination of grains he basically only eats fruits and some protein. He still occasionally asks for a sandwich (which used to be peanut butter and jelly) or a cheese roll-up (cheese in a tortilla), but when I tell him there is no bread or tortillas he usually seems ok with it. I am able to sneak spinach, kale, and avocados into him most days in the form of a smoothie or a popsicle,

 and we just might have to buy stock in Lara bars because he loves them so much. He is still not a big veggie eater, but I've read that is common among Paleo kids and eventually they will come around to eating the vegetables.
So is this new diet actually making a difference? I think so. Bryan and I have already lost quite a bit of weight although that wasn't our goal. We are both feeling great and have a lot more energy. The tingling in my feet has gone away and I am testing my eyesight everyday. Already it seems to be slightly better than it used to be. We are hopeful that it will continue to improve. Either way we are feeling healthy and great!