Tag Archives: paleo meal ideas

Day 17 Eats!

We left our house today at 9 am and didn’t get home until 8pm. Yep, a LOOOOONG day. A good day, but a looong day. I am so glad that Jeremiah made us a huge batch of tin can chili because it has been a go-to meal this week and there have been zero complaints from the kids because they are so proud of Jeremiah having made it. We ate the last bit of it for breakfast and ran out the door with our school books and taekwon-do outfits.

Desktop28-1

Where were we running to? My baby doctor appointment! It was a short, normal visit with a really long wait time. Thankfully, we were prepared with our school work and got a lot done while waiting. School on the go is never without some funny stories though. Shiloh plopped down with her language book next to a lady who she appointed her “helper”. Shiloh probably talked more than worked, but it was cute. So cute in fact that Jeremiah and I were watching them and Jeremiah commented that Shiloh is still in that “cute phase” but no one thinks he’s cute anymore. He continued that he’s okay not being cute because now he’s moving into the “cool phase”. The lady next to us literally laughed out loud with this one. She was very sweet and said she thinks he’s already cute. Haha, gotta love these kids. Continue reading →

Day 16 Eats!

What a day! Whew! We started off the day rushing through school to make it to the vet in time for Jazz’s appointment. We all had a bowl of homemade granola as we worked on writing a personal narrative and figuring out special sounds. Good times.

IMG_5014

That afternoon we ran out to the vet and ran right back home. We had friends coming over after lunch time and the ginormous pile of laundry on my sofa HAD to be done. The kids threw back some tin can chili while I folded clothes. When they were done they ran like the wind up and down the stairs putting clothes away. We were done in record time so as they stared out the window for their friends, thinking every passing car might be their new friends, while I swept up dog hair. Like I said, good times. Continue reading →

Day 15 Eats!

I have been looking forward to saying this for 15 days: We’re halfway there!!! Are you feeling a sense of accomplishment? We are! Check out our “halfway there update” for more details. Let’s just say, things are going really well! How are you doing? I would love to hear. I know that many of you are on a whole30 or eating strict paleo right along with us. Some of you have no idea what I’m talking about but are enjoying the recipes and have even tried a few. I am soooo glad!

We are celebrating our “halfway day” with 3 new recipes, all of which we ate today! Haha- I told you we love food!

Breakfast was a fun, simple and delicious one of Everyday Paleo’s apple muffins. We haven’t had these in a good year so they were like brand new again and sooo good. Definitely adding these to my after-baby menu.

IMG_4920

Continue reading →

Day 14 Eats!

We are in full swing school, work and life over here. How bout you?

Today we started our day in the word, learning about how to know what the truth is in various circumstances and the only true place we can find the truth, the bible. It was cool to see the kids really understand what they were learning and we got into a long discussion about this and more. It was yet another reason I love being home with them, to be able to explore these truths and dig deeply into them alongside my kids.

After bible time we had some eggs and sausage with a side of frozen blueberries. My kids favorite snack right now is frozen blueberries and I have to admit, they really are good. Sort of like nature’s dippin’ dots. Oh yeah…

IMG_4901

Continue reading →

Day 12 Eats!

It’s the weeeeeekend!!! Ahem… 

I’m always glad to have some time to sit back and breathe and get ready for the next week, as I’m sure we all are.

For breakfast we still had leftovers of my ginormous Lagniappe Casserole so we warmed some up and ate it with grapes. Seriously, if you’re looking for an easy breakfast meal that will last for days, make this casserole- it works great.

IMG_4654

 

We’re starting to make a habit of eating late and today was no exception. We spent the good part of the day un-decorating from Christmas and making our house look bare. So sad…

Jeremiah was eager to make us his “Crazalad” and that he did. He did a great job but by the time he was done it was 5 o’clock so lunch turned into dinner. Oops! We were pretty hungry by that point and it was so good that we ate the entire HUGE bowl. If you’re looking for a great lunch that everyone will love, you need to make Jeremiah’s crazalad. It is so refreshing and delicious, you will love it.

IMG_4869

 

After dinner we went out with Jazz to do a little training and get him some healthy treats.

It was a slow, quiet day. Just the way I like it. 

 

Day 11 Eats!

 

All of our days have some weirdness, funniness, and “Wow God” moments in them and today was no exception. 

By Friday we’re all ready for the weekend and worn out from the week so today we slept in a bit, had some fruit for breakfast and then headed out to buy me a much needed planner. On our way we spotted a Denny’s. Oh man do we love breakfast out and even though it was past lunch time even, we decided to treat ourselves.

As we drove up we met a family on the side of the road with a sign that explained why they needed help. All of our hearts went out to them as we are very aware that we are one misfortune away from being there ourselves. We decided to treat them to lunch with us and I am so thankful God gave us the opportunity to do that.

In terms of food Levi, Shiloh and I had some eggs, bacon and fruit. We love sausage more than most but when I read their nutritional info and found that their sausage contains msg, soy and corn we figured we pass and double the bacon. Jeremiah had to be original and ordered a hamburger minus the bun.

It was a great afternoon of teaching lessons all around. And yes, I finally got a planner!

PhotoGrid_1358054109670

 

Even though I was worn out by dinner I was so much looking forward to this meal that I HAD to make it. Let me tell you, it was worth the extra effort and gave me some great ideas for future meals. Dinner was Spring Pasta from PaleoOMG and was incredibly good and not at all as hard to make as I thought it might have been. I HIGHLY recommend it. My kids were so excited to have pasta they gobbled it up quickly. If you are wanting leftovers, make double!

spring-pastas4-610x300

 

More than a third of the way through people and progress is being made! So glad it’s the weekend….. 

 

Day 10 Eats!

Day 10 went great! – Although we didn’t follow our menu AT ALL. Haha, that’s okay! Like I always say, the meal plan is there so that I know I have those ingredients available, not to be stuck to something without any deviation. We are relaxed in our meal planning but I still swear by it. You must have a plan to succeed!

For breakfast we had leftovers of my ginormous and delicious Lagniappe Casserole.

IMG_4841

We went out on the town today and ventured to have lunch out. Success!!! We stopped by My Fit Foods and were pleasantly surprised by their large selection and how very tasty everything was. If you have a My Fit Foods in your area, you need to check them out. Jeremiah and I had the salmon patties with asparagus while Shiloh and Levi enjoyed the chicken nuggets with carrots and broccoli. They LOVED it and we all felt great afterwards.

PhotoGrid_1357925488545

We were still out and about when dinner time came around but that didn’t stop us from eating great. We stopped by our local grocery store and hit up the salad bar. The kids designed their own salads without dressing and did a great job. Probably because they made their own salad, they also ate them up quickly without one word of complaint. Success!

74375_400551596685878_971339799_n

Can you tell we’re getting the hang of this?! I hope you are doing well too. We’re a third of the way through with our 100% Paleo month and everyone is feeling amazing. I will be posting this weekend an update on how we’re feeling and what we’re learning during these days.

Stay tuned for some great stuff! 

Day 7 Eats!

No, our life does not revolve around food, actually quite the opposite, buuut….. we had a majorly intense day of some majorly good grub. Did I mention it was majorly good?! We had planned on finishing off our muffins but since we already did, we tried a new breakfast we had been wanting to try for a while anyways: waffles. I used a pancake recipe that was super tasty, but not exactly the crispy, airy waffles that we’re used to. I am furiously working on the recipe and will have it perfected soon! For now, doesn’t this waffle look gorgeous?! (Here it is!)

IMG_4801

If we’re eating off paleo my kids are very quick to remind me when it’s snack or meal time. They are constantly wanting food and are quick to let me know about it. When eating clean, whole, unprocessed foods their desire for food does a 180. We eat when hungry and enough to sustain us, and that’s it. Lately our lunch is around 2 pm because that’s when we get hungry. I love that although we are focused on good food, food is not at all our focus.

For lunch we had planned on leftovers and since we had waffles left over- we had waffles for lunch! Not just any waffles mind you, we had Pumpkin Waffle Almond Butter Banana Sandwiches! Daaaaang, where they good. My kids really, really, really LOVED these and I’m sure they will be making an appearance again soon for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Haha.. ahem.
Desktop20-1

Our meal plan had us eating Paleo Crockpot Turkey Chili and I finally remembered to turn the crockpot on around 3:30 in the afternoon. Uh-oh. Thankfully my Facebook friends woke me up to the idea of starting the chili on the stove and then transferring it to the crockpot. Worked like a charm and it was on the table in perfect timing.

Yesterday, after a very trying school and work day, we were all glad to have some comfort in a bowl for dinner. This chili had the perfect amount of spice, warmth, flavor and comfort for all of us and we thoroughly enjoyed our multiple bowls. Brandon had the idea of topping it with a dollop of guacamole and seriously, that made it all the more better. Really, try it- you’ll like it. The recipe made enough for a complete second dinner of it, which is just the way I like it. This chili is definitely making it to my after-baby list of meals.
IMG_4822

We are a complete 7 days in and it really has not been as hard as I would have thought. Whew! I’m really glad we went for 100% paleo and not a whole30. On a whole30 there is a spirit to it of not paleo-fying meals but changing your entire eating habits. We have done many whole30′s and I agree that they are absolutely fantastic, but at this season of our lives I am glad we are not holding ourselves to strict standards.

100% paleo is all good, clean, whole, unprocessed foods and that’s it. if I want to make waffles with whole food ingredients that’s perfectly okay, but it is NOT whole30 approved. I am glad that I have the wiggle room to make waffles and muffins and desserts and not have over-zealous paleo-ers jumping on my pregnant back. (Thanks guys, that y’all haven’t.)

The way it is going so far gives me great hope that we will continue very, very close to 100% paleo until the baby comes and after. I’m so glad for God’s timing in this (we have 10 weeks until baby) and for my energy levels being at a decent level to continue to care for my family. Looking forward to more spectacular results, more wonderful blood sugar numbers, more energy for all, more weight loss for Brandon, more scrumptious recipes, and more of God’s amazing handiwork in our lives. Stay tuned…..

 

Day 6 Eats!

Sunday is a relaxed day for us. We always start with going to Sunday school and church. On this particular Sunday we all slept in a little late and made a mad rush to get to church on time. I scrambled some eggs in record time, threw an apple at everyone, and we were off. Not very glamourous, but it worked!

Church is always fun for the kids but, mommy fail, I forgot to account for snacks. Levi’s class was offering goldfish, Shiloh’s was cheetos, chocolate and apple juice, and Jeremiah was offered not 1 but 2 donuts. Sooo hard for them to resist! Next week I am planning ahead much better and bringing some irresistible snacks to church for everyone.

It was pretty awesome to really feel God at work this morning. You know those times where you know He is talking right to YOU and you know He is right there BESIDE you? Yep, that was my morning. It was so reassuring, comforting, and even overwhelming to know that He not only sees me but is for me. More about this in an upcoming post….

We didn’t get home from church until about 2 o’clock so our tummies were on the grumbly side by then. Thankfully, I had planned for Chicken Salad and it only takes a couple minutes to throw that together. I made a HUGE bowl of it and we gobbled it up in no time. Brandon and I were joking that it tasted extra good because of how hungry we were. Everyone had extra servings- Jeremiah had 4 rolls! It was pretty good if I do say so myself….
IMG_4777 2

After lunch we wanted to hang out as a family and be active so we decided to go for a run/walk around the lake in our neighborhood. We actually did pretty good! Jeremiah and Jazz ran with me and Brandon, while we took turns pushing Shiloh and Levi in the jogging stroller. We probably ended up running about a mile in total which isn’t too shabby for an out-of-shape guy and a highly pregnant lady!

After our run we played on the playground for a while and then Brandon had a surprise for us. We went golfing! Well, kind of. He found a really cool area in our neighborhood where golfers practice their putting on a few holes. The kids were in golf heaven. We played “putt-putt” and laughed at them stealing each other’s balls until it got too cold. We will definitely be back to play again. What a fun, FREE thing to do as a family. What fun things can you do with your family? 

As I’ve said before, our weekends are much less scheduled than the weekdays. This weekend I had hoped to make Turkey Curry and Salmon Cakes but we had so mammy leftovers, both meals weren’t needed. I took a poll and was met with an outstanding vote for the Salmon Cakes. I forgot how easy these are to throw together and had them on the pan in about 5 minutes. Levi helped me to stir the huge bowl, I warmed up some frozen green beans, quickly tossed together the dill dressing (because you can’t have Salmon Cakes without dill dressing) and we were set for dinner! GOSH, WAS IT GOOOOOD!!!

IMG_4795 2You would think it was a gourmet meal but rest assured it was super quick, super easy, super tasty and if that doesn’t convince you maybe Shiloh will. As we were eating she tells me with excitement, “Mommy! You can make this everyday! It’s the best food ever! And I’m serious!” Haha! Yeah buddy, it was that good.

First week of 100% Paleo in the bag! I think we are over the hump of feeling bad and heading into the clear headed, feeling great stage. Brandon said yesterday how weird his head felt and came to realize, it was because it felt GOOD! Haha, I guess it’s been a while. Bring on week 2 and if you need a little guidance when it comes to some healthy meals, check out our week 2 meal plan.

Day 5 Eats!

It’s Saturday! Which means we started our day veeerrrryyyy slowly and breakfast turned into brunch. Good thing it was so good! I brought out some pancake stuffed sausage muffins from the deep freezer and threw those in the oven, quickly shredded and cooked up some sweet potato hash, and fried up some eggs perfectly. Dang, this was a good breakfast. When Brandon finished he said, “That was the perfect breakfast. I don’t feel like I missed out on anything or want anything else. That was perfect.” Score one for the little wifey!
IMG_4754

Our day was not much to talk about. I did laundry while Brandon and Levi napped, Jeremiah rode his bike with a friend, and Shiloh went to her new friend’s house for a play-date. A very relaxed, simple and easy day. Just the way we like them.

163395_10151174511071373_1271360769_n

We skipped over lunch, enjoyed a couple of oranges, and moved right on to dinner. I had a meal scheduled but since we had so many leftovers (yay!) available we went for a hodgepodge. Brandon grilled the remaining salmon, everyone picked which leftover they wanted, and I added asparagus to every plate. Doesn’t our paper plates, plastic forks and delicious food look pretty?! Haha, I thought so.

IMG_4762

After dinner, instead of parking ourselves in front of the t.v. we voted on what board games to play. We finally decided on Uno Attack and Sorry. It’s fun when all the kids can play, and pretty much understand what they’re doing. Even Levi knows his colors and can somewhat count, so playing with him is pretty comical.

Desktop19Another day another dollar….er, well- at least another day, right?! Here’s to another great day tomorrow…… 

Day 26 Eats!

We’re finally getting back to normal! Of course, our normal is a little off to begin with but hey, it works for us!

We ate breakfast this morning as an appraiser walked around our house. It was interesting to say the least. He commented quite a few times on how well my kids eat which was pretty funny. Levi probably ate about 4 or 5 eggs on his own and 4 pieces of sausage. You can only imagine how much the other two ate. It was a pretty darn good breakfast if I do say so myself. Plain old sausage and eggs. Haha.

Continue reading →

Day 25 Eats!

Talk about a lack of energy today. After running around like crazy people for the last few days we are worn out today! No time to rest though. The appraiser is coming tomorrow and our messy house needs to get clean. Talk about a day of basic eating. Breakfast was fruit. Yep, that’s it, fruit. We have zero food in the house except for the leftover fruit we had brought with us to Houston. So we ate fruit.

Last night I defrosted some frozen spaghetti chili to last us the next couple days, perfect plan. I always think spaghetti tastes even better as leftovers, and it really does.

Continue reading →

Day 24 Eats!

Time to go home! We’re on our way back to NOLA today. This will be our last drive “home” to New Orleans although we will absolutely be coming back to visit. Especially when we finally get our diabetic alert dog we will be coming back to show him off to all of our amazing supporters. I can’t wait for that day!

We started off with a great breakfast of eggs and bacon. The kids took it upon themselves to make a “fruit cocktail” for all of us. They were too cute.

Continue reading →

Day 23 Eats!

Today was a day of waiting….and waiting…..and waiting some more. I’ll tell you what, being under a massive amount of stress and eating only whole30 approved foods is NOT easy. As we sat in our realtors office and drooled over the jar of cookies, and the jar of candy, and the other jar of candy, and the pitcher of pink lemonade, it was NOT easy! But we did it. I will say that it is easier to make the right decisions when your whole family is making the same decision. If my kids were eating candy while I tried to have self-control on my own, that self-control would turn into a deep lack of self-control quickly. When all of us are saying no we all are strong together. Doesn’t get any better.

Breakfast this morning was a sausage, eggs and fruit. A simple, healthy way to start off the day, complete with salsa in our eggs. Hey, we’re in Texas!

 

Continue reading →

Day 22 Eats!

Day 2 of house hunting! We looked at 12 houses yesterday and looking at 12 more today. Making sure we have covered our bases for sure. Thankfully, we are eating well and my ginormous box of homemade trail mix has been serving us well.

Brandon’s best friend from college lives here in Houston so we’ve been staying with him and his precious wife Ashley…and their 2 adorable children. It’s been a blast and they’ve gone out of their way to have whole30 approved food available for us.

Breakfast this morning was eggs with salsa, sausage and fruit. Oh yeah, and coffee! Wonderful breakfast with wonderful friends.

Continue reading →

Day 19 Eats!

Thank God it’s Friday! I actually didn’t realize it was Friday until the evening which just shows how much  I needed it to be Friday. Haha. We kept it simple at breakfast and used up the meats we had left before shopping at the Farmers Market on Saturday. I made chorizo and eggs with what chorizo we had left and ham and eggs with the ham that was left. Of course, I picked the chorizo….and vitamins. Cute, huh? 

We’ve been enjoying going to the summer movies and today was the last movie showing, Kung Fu Panda. Instead of popcorn and candy we went for a snack of sushi. Perfect!

Continue reading →

Day 17 Eats!

Day 17 already?! The time is flying….well, sometimes. How’s it going for you? We are getting into a groove and Whole30 has pretty much become the norm around here, which is fantastic. We had been testing the waters off the wagon before this whole30 and Brandon and I are both glad to be back on it with happy tummies. Crossing our fingers that we remember how great we feel when temptations arise!

Yesterday I cooked a bunch of meals and I am sooooo glad I did. I forgot about pre-cooking and how much easier it makes the next couple of days. There were 3 options for breakfast today and we chose to go with the cabbage and sausage. Surprisingly my kids love this dish although they have no idea how great it is for them too. 

Lunch was…well….you can decide for yourself. Continue reading →

Day 16 Eats!

I spent a while today prepping, cooking, chopping, mixing, freezing and storing food for the next few days. Yes, it took some time, and a good amount of dishes (thankfully my trusty dishwasher, Brandon, cleans them for me), but I feel so accomplished to have a refrigerator full of great food for all different meals. Here’s the count:

-Cabbage and Sausage Stir Fry

-Chicken Salad

-Seasoned Okra

-Hawaiian Chicken

-Homemade Chicken Stock

-Serving sizes of fresh salmon bagged and frozen

Continue reading →

Day 15 Eats!

Sometimes it feels like these whole30 days are going by rather slowly and yet then I look up and…we’re halfway through!

I am so proud of all of us and how great we are doing. No, the desire to eat onion rings or red beans and rice or ice cream hasn’t gone away, but we are loving the great food we are eating and how we feel eating it. I’ll tell you what, when our family says we’re going to do something, we do it. And we do it with style.

We’re spending more quality time together, we’re in the word, we’re sleeping better, we’re exercising, we’re feeling better, Jeremiah’s numbers are doing well, and Brandon’s tummy is quickly going down. We are so blessed to be where we are and beyond thankful for the season God has us in. Blessing after blessing has been poured on our undeserving heads these past few weeks and we are humbled and thankful for them. Some you know of, some we will share with you later.

The main blessing? The strengthening of our family. We have purposefully been spending quality time together and it’s been wonderful. We’ve been playing games, reading, cooking, cleaning and resting…together. If you are running around so busy that you only get a few precious minutes with your family at the end of the day, I urge you to see what can be moved around to remedy that immediately. It’s a beautiful thing how time spent with your family can do so much, just by being together. Try it, you’ll like it!

So how did our day 15 go? It was Whole30 approved, that’s for sure! 

Breakfast was a casserole of eggs, steak and asparagus. We’re cutting back on Jeremiah’s egg consumption so he had a bowl of salmon and veggies.

Continue reading →