Eating with restrictions, while away for work...or modern day gathering

This is the third attempt to try and put down words about tripping it while on a diet.  Each time I have tried the editing software didn't save (I clearly pressed the save button,) I had some muddled thinking going on, or adult ADD kicked in a I would write a sentence and then find something more interesting like pictures of baby otters or kittens and puppies to look at, it happens.
Anyway lets start with my past post of packing for a weekend.  That was easy since I was driving and could easily pack whatever I need, I had access to a car, so I could drive to a store, or I didn't need to refrigerate anything.  So this is a little different, I am flying. Flying proves a little more difficult since well you have limited space, you can't bring your own liquids, and there is no refrigeration.  Also when driving I have a fairly quick trip so whatever I have goes right into a fridge if need be.  Also when driving I know where I am going, can easily go to a grocery store to pick up anything additional needed.  This time I was going to Ohio.  While I go to this location a few times a year and know where some things are it is still difficult when it comes to meals, esp meals provided by my company.  In the past they have consisted of a lot of bread, carbs, fried, and very few veggies.  This was snacks as well as meals.  Even if we went out for a meal it was very limited to pasta, fried meat of some sort or a veggie option which was usually pasta with veggie sauce.  So this time I made sure I was heard in terms of meals.  I was going to make a fuss and I was determined to eat well.  I am pleased to announce while the meals lacked flavor and protein, they were a good effort!  I told our coordinator what I could eat, and I got just that.  Salad and meat, salad and meat, steamed veggies and chicken.  I am so glad she works as hard as she does, she is a saint, it sometimes is like coordinating a meal for 30 kids and you know what I am the kid that "won't eat that."  At this point it't not "I won't eat that" but more in the realm of "I can't eat that." It worked I got what I needed and realized how much I miss protein and how much my body missed the satiety of the meat I usually eat in the morning, or the salad I make up for breakfast.
When eating away from home for a week I get creative and I start hunting and gathering.  I have read it on so many blogs,  you need to flexible and creative with your eating, but when the restaurant is also flexible it is so much the more better.  When they will willingly substitute the yummy brussels sprouts for the potato gratin, I VERY pleased (esp when they have Hendriks Gin as a bar choice).  When they will let me order the steak special with asparagus off the Pub menu because everything on the menu they provided is full bread bread and more bread, I am happy.  That is how you keep customers.  They way you don't keep customers is to whisper under your breathe about a person diet, or just flat out say "NO - can NOT do that."  Really, as a non-business person, that is not a way to run a business, but having worked in a restaurant, (fast-food Italian, but we cooked everything to order) I will say be flexible, cater to the customer because that customer is almost guaranteed not only to come back (if the food was good,)  but also tell a few people, or even will tell a few people either via the internet (blogs, like this one or other social media) or word of mouth.  So I want to do a shout out to two restaurants in Wooster, OH who were very accommodating as well and yummy.
First the Wooster Inn, which let me order the Steak pub special and let me have some veggie instead of the potato (thanks!)  The other actually had a pleasing Gluten-Free Menu and on there website they list the farms where their food comes from!  So good and local, my favorite! So South Market Bistro you get 5 thumbs up for being yummy, creative, flexible, accommodating, friendly, and well priced!  I will be looking forward to coming back this summer for some more delicious food (did I mention the Brussels Sprouts were my favorite!!!)

Pickles...take two

Alright here it is, my second attempt at making pickles.  The first was a disaster and I won't be the only one to tell you that.  The first also involved a whole bunch of farm fresh cukes.  I would say a bushel, or maybe half of one.  Anyway.  I tried the "recipe on the box" for the first time, and guess what, they sucked, they were mushy and gross, so I am trying a new recipe. This recipe is for naturally fermented pickles, so I don't have to cook them.  I am also not sure what is going on in this natural state! I didn't exactly follow the recipe since I did not have any dill weed, I used dill seed, so we shall see.  I will post again in a few days to see how they turned out.  I love taking something and making it into something new!  I like cukes, but I LOVE Pickles, so if I can make it right then rock on, it didn't seem as daunting as the other process where you pour the vinegar and the boiling water and blah blah blah.  Check in later to see how they have come out.  

Snack packing for a weekend

So we go away to Mass and Maine every once in a while and I haven't been while I have been on a dietish program. I have been to Maine where I just got some veggies and a chicken and I was good to go, since I didn't have to worry about anyone else wanting some. So I started thinking about snacks and realized veggies are easiest, but when I packed everything I felt like I was taking a trip with a kiddo. Notice the large juice box in that picture. It's adult juice, delish organic red wine called Our Daily Red, so good and cheap! Well primal has been good and finding good snacks is easy!  I am glad I love veggies and I love food because if not I would be starvin!  Don't get me wrong I would love some of those crackers, chips and cookies I am sure I will see on my trip, but you know I think I am over them, they don't do anything good for me, or for you!  I am happy with my veggies, fruit, meat and nuts! Now get your own snacks, these are mine!

Turkey in a Crockpot? Why Not!

I am trying to challenge myself in the kitchen this time around while being Primal. I am trying to challenge myself by eating different things with the same ingredients. I often refer to shows like Chopped and Iron Chef while I am cooking or after I have cooked. I love being in the kitchen and have always loved cooking. I think it started when I was a little kid at home by myself and my mom allowed me to experiment in the kitchen, luckily, no disasters (except breaking the oven that one time.) I think I was 10 when I baked my first loaf of bread and then I ate it all. So from then on I would ask my mom to buy me new things to cook with and I would try new things and always eat them. I am surprised I didn't go into culinary arts, but that's another story. Anyways, back to my point. I am trying to diversify my meals while using the same ingredients. According to the Primal laws you eat what is local and in season, which is great! Except for the fact that I am in the Northeast where it is winter (even though today is 45 and rainy) and according to my Locavore app the following are in season: Leeks, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, Turnip Greens, Kale, Mushrooms, Sprouts, and Collard Greens. While that is good and all, my little garden is brown, my gnome is face down and the ground is well, frozenish. SO I become and hunter/gatherer of the super market and make the best of what is there, which is a lot, although I tend towards the easy and familiar, and my grocery lists have tended to look like this: mushrooms, peppers, onions, kale, spinach, bag o salad greens, cukes, tomatoes (I know, winter tomatoes suck and I buy them even after reading Tomatoland), broccoli, cauliflower, and then whatever meat I am buying, usually some free range organic chicken or whatever we have for grass fed beef in the freezer (it's dwindling now.) So I keep reading about turkey and how I need to eat it because of the protein and blah blah blah, but I did not want to roast it, geez that can be an all day event. I knew there was another way. Microwave? HELL NO! Cut it up into pieces? Nah, pan fry? Nah, Grill? Maybe, but no. Then an idea came to me. I have been cooking so much in my crock pot. WHY NOT! So I looked up to see if it was even possible. Low and behold I found some recipes for bone in Turkey Breast AND they were on sale at Big Y! SO I bought myself and Big old Turkey Breast (it looked like a good old Thanksgiving Gobbler minus the legs) and I let it thaw in the fridge (bought it on Sunday, it was already partially thawed) and cooked it on Wednesday. I got up and set thing in my crock pot, put some butter over it, crushed up some dried sage from the garden, salt and pepper and a tiny but of water and set it at high while I got ready for the day. Before I left I was going to put it down to low (next time I will) but I left it at high, returned about 6 hours later and it was done! I put it down to warm setting the rest of the day. Wouldn't you know it was moist, the right temp, and we had meals for the next few days!

Being primal day 21

So this is it day 21 of my 21 day transformation! Nothing significant to report except my skin is wicked smooth, I don't have stomach pain as much, I don't feel bloated like before and I don't get easily run down! It's amazing what three weeks can do. Do you think I will go back to eating whatever I want to? Probably not. Will I crave a delicious 5 guys burger all the way with an order of fries and a birch beer...yes, will I eat it probably not. I think going back primal for the second time has helped me realize I don't need to live with the stomach pain or eat the crappy food out there, or even listen to the government telling me what I need to eat and what's good for me. I wish some of my friends who struggle with weight and pain would give it a try just to see if those problems would go away. Soon enough maybe.

not boring chicken recipe of the day...

Eating a lot of chicken (at least twice a week) you get bored of grilling it or mixing it with veggies, so I figured I would look up a recipe having to do with bacon, which is slowly edging out sausage as my favorite meat. I had some bacon left from yesterday so I googled some recipes to see what I could find. I found one but I didn't have all ingredients so I took what I had and iron cheffed it. In sticking with my Paleo ways it was pretty easy! Also only a ingredients so its pretty cheap. Chicken, Bacon and tomato paste, the veggies could be whatever you have but I had tri-colored peppers from earlier in the week, onion, mushrooms, and broccoli.

So here is how I made it.

Preheat the oven for 400 and grease baking sheet with butter or coconut oil


2 boneless skinless chicken breast pounded thin and cut into 3 strips each
1/2 can of tomato paste
6 strips of bacon (mine was uncured...no nitrites/nitrates)
6 grape tomatoes
pepper/oregano to taste

lay each chicken strip out on cutting board
spread a little tomato paste on each strip and place one grape tomato on each strip
put a little pepper and a little oregano on each strip
roll each chicken strip up
wrap each chicken piece with a strip of bacon
place each chicken piece on the baking sheet and place in oven
bake for 15 min
place under the broiler for a few min to let the bacon crisp

Here are the veggies:
Red, Orange, Yellow peppers roughly chopped
1 onion chopped
1 Cup or so sliced mushroom
1 small head of broccoli cut into florets
1 tbsp butter
chili powder

heat butter in the pan and add onion and chili powder, cook for a few min
add in the broccoli and peppers cook a little longer
add a TBSP of water and cover for a few min
add mushrooms and cook until tender adding a little more chili powder if you would like.

When the chicken was done I nestled the chicken with the veggies and covered just to let some flavors meld. YUM!

Enjoy

day 14 Paleo again

So as my diet and eating and food consumption is evolving with this new found enthusiasm for being as healthy as I can be. I am starting to eat a few foods that are either foreign (or only ate them a few times) or I was always told to avoid. These of course being the artery clogging coconut oil, shredded, milk (really, can something in nature REALLY clog your arteries,)fattening macadamia nuts (again, bad argument) and Jicama (didn't know what it was until a few years ago.) SO I being of sound mind and feel AWESOME internally will focus my efforts to try new foods like these and incorporate them into my rotating meal schedule. Since one of my favorite shows on TV is Chopped I feel I have learned about new foods and these chefs incredible skills in turning something unfamiliar into something good. Well at least I hope I can accomplish this. I cooked with the Coconut oil last week and even made some macaroons (which I was told were delish.) I have been adding Macadamias as a little snack and well will try some Jicama in my salad or on its own, maybe I will use it as my "potato alternative."
Anyways I have been reading different Paleo-peoples blog and telling my friends and some others about it and even stumbled upon one gal whom I see every once in a while while working at her school who loves the paleo and actually may get a different teacher at this particular school who has Celiac to look into giving it a try. I would love to have a lot of friends and friends who are paleo, but alas it's not happening. I get it from all angles and I am supported by many (except that Lemon pie that has been staring at me in the face everytime I open the fridge, Thanks Randy.) I am glad I have the support I have and I am glad this time the diet is making me feel better and I know it is the diet that is making my body happy. I have to check out an upcoming winter farmer's market and see what kind of delicious local meat I can find, maybe even some tasty lamb (my next "new food.) All I know is spring greens and summer garden harvests can not come soon enough.