Keep It Simple

Every once in a while, you have those days that just freaking rule. Today was one of those days. I got a sweet new gym bag from Lululemon in Dallas, discovered that someone mailed my lost driver's license to my house, paid off my credit card, and worked on snatching and muscle up progressions with my Crossfit Kids class. Also a big highlight, I went grocery shopping. If you know me, you know about my weird obsession with grocery stores. I went to Kroger and got a few little things; a bag of kale, unsweetened almond milk, a crap ton of bell peppers, zucchini, a spaghetti squash, salsa, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, avocados, hummus, cage-free eggs, organic chicken and organic ground turkey. All for $45!! Be sure when you're grocery shopping to stay on the perimeter of the store. Everything you need is on the outskirts; meat, eggs, veggies, fruit, nuts and other good fats. Nothing good happens in the middle of the aisles; nothing besides the evilness (deliciousness) of high fructose corn syrup and lurking diabetes. A lot of people have been asking where/how to start, well there ya go... that is a perfect example of a basic Paleo grocery list.

(Instagram everything)

How to get creative fast with these simple ingredients and other things you probably have laying around:

Breakfast- Scrambled egg omelet with bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, sausage, salsa

Lunch- Chicken breast on a bed of spinach with diced sweet potatoes, diced apples, and bacon 

Dinner- Baked, pecan crusted fish with garlic steamed broccoli and side of avocado (Recipe to follow!)

Snacks- Apples, beef jerky, trail mix, raw almonds, carrots and hummus (moderately), carrots and guacamole.. you get the idea.

Endless options, you just have to put some thought in it! Oh, and I've just discovered these little guys make amazing snacks too.. Larabars. Some of the flavors are completely Paleo, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, and Non-GMO. This flavor was Coconut Cream Pie and the only ingredients used are dates, unsweetened coconut, almonds, cashews, extra virgin coconut oil. Very awesome if you are in a bind, but I wouldn't make them a staple. Stay away from the Peanut flavored ones! Peanuts are technically a legume, which is a grain, therefore not Paleo. And as always, carefully read the labels on anything packaged like this, just to be sure. 

(Surprised that I didn't eat the wrapper.) 

Also, people who are brand new to this topic think that they need to go buy crazy expensive ingredients like almond flour, coconut butter etc. You absolutely DO NOT need these things! The focus here is on whole foods that you would find in the wild. Banana bread does not grow on trees. The Paleo cookies, muffins, cakes, bread and other goodies that we love are not meant to be eaten on a regular basis. Just like regular sweets, they are meant to be enjoyed occasionally. Otherwise, you're just justifying a bad habit. Keep in mind that you need to also dump your condiments, sodas and other sugar-y and preservative filled things. Food is perishable, it should not have an extensive shelf life. 

YES! 

Game Meats, Organ Meats, Pork, Beef, Chicken, Turkey, Goat, Lamb, Eggs – from chickens, ducks, emu, quail, etc., Fish, Shellfish, Fish Eggs 

Vegetables, Fruit

Nuts, Seeds, Nut butters (except Peanut Butter), Coconut oil/milk, Olive Oil, Walnut Oil, Avocado Oil, Macadamia Oil, Hazelnut Oil

Balsamic Vinegar, Apple Cider Vinegar, Red Wine Vinegar, Spices and Dried Herbs

Unsweet Regular/Green/Herbal Tea, Coconut Water, Unsweet Coconut/Almond Milk

NO!

Pasteurized Dairy (Ice cream, milk, butter, yogurt etc.)

Wheat, Rice (even Wild Rice), Quinoa, Oats, Millet, Rye, Barley, Corn, All Potatoes (except Sweet)

All Beans... Black, Pinto, Red, Soy, Lentils, Peas, Peanuts, Lima, Black-eyed peas

Refined Sweeteners – Sugar Cane, White Sugar, Brown Sugar, Refined Maple Syrup, Refined Honey, Aspartame, Sucralose, Nutrasweet, Splenda, and anything else refined or man-made.

Highly Processed Oils - any oil that is hydrogenated, partially hydrogenated, or refined

Most Vegetable Oils –  Corn, Soybean, Peanut and others

All sodas, refined salt (use sea salt instead), most salad dressings and condiments

All soy products!!

MODERATELY

Sweet potatoes, Raw Honey, Agave Nectar, Coffee (any caffeine), Dark Chocolate, Moderation

I realize that you have to pick your battles and compromise, but I just wanted to lay it all out there. Whew. Okay, now for dinner. 

Pecan Crusted Fish with Steamed Garlic Broccoli 

4 pieces of fish of choice (I used Flounder)

2 eggs

salt, pepper, and garlic, to taste

1 cup walnuts, pecans or a mixture, ground into a meal in a food processor or blender (or hammer)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Crown of Broccoli 

Garlic Cloves 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. While heating, whisk eggs, salt, pepper and oil until smooth in a bowl and put walnut/pecan meal mixture in a separate large bowl. 

3. Soak each piece of fish in egg mixture and then dip in the walnut/pecan meal mix. Nut mixture will not stick as well as flour, but you won't be disappointed. You'll probably have leftover nut meal mixture.

4. Place fish in large baking dish. (duh)

5. After all fish is in dish (ha!), put any remaining nut meal mixture on top of fish and pat down.

6. Put fish into oven and bake 10-12 minutes until cooked through and starting to flake.

7. While cooking, prepare broccoli by placing in a cup of boiling water in a medium pot. 

8. Add salt, pepper, garlic to pot and steam until tender. (about 6 minutes)

Prep time of about 15 minutes, cook time of about 15 minutes max. I also made a little batch of smashed avocado with salsa on the side. Seriously easy and stupidly good. For dessert, since I'm still doing this Sugar Detox crazy-ness, I made sweet potato "ice cream". Look out for that recipe tomorrow!