A Weeks Worth Of Paleo Dinners

My husband takes leftovers to work everyday and told me he was "the envy of all the other guys" because of all the yummy food he brings for lunch.  He then told me he gloated that his wife makes him breakfast, and packs his lunch for him every morning.  Just telling me that renewed my enthusiasm for taking care of him in this way.  (Mind you, it's taken me 7 years to teach myself how to cook, and to care enough to actually help Jese eat well outside of the house! lol Four years ago I would have laughed at him for asking me to pack his lunch for him!) Isn't it funny how something so small as complimenting me in front of others makes the inconvenience all worth while?  If men only knew it took so little to make us happy...  :-)

So anyway!  I've been on a roll with my meal prep this week and wanted to give you my menu to try in your house.  All are 95-100% Paleo:

MONDAY: Easy Taco Salad
Ingredients -

• 1# Ground Bison (you can also use beef)
• 1 Pack Taco Seasoning*
• Baby Spinach (enough for 2-3 salads)
• Salad Toppings - I like red/yellow/orange bell peppers, and onion (fresh)

Guacamole Dressing:

• 2-3 Avocado's**
• Garlic Powder to taste
• Lime Juice to taste
• Sea Salt to taste

*Taco Seasoning - this is a convenience item that is not 100% paleo... I look in the spice isle and compare all of the taco seasoning packets available and choose the "most paleo" one.  It usually means the one that has the most recognizable spices, no chemicals I can't pronounce, and sugar (which is the non-paleo ingredient).  You can easily mix your own, but life is busy and this is a convenience item I allow every once in a while)
**Avocado - Usually you can get away with 1/2 an avocado per person as a guacamole topping but since I am preggo I need more fat for baby's brain development and get to eat as much as I want!!! :D SCORE!

PROCESS:

• Brown bison in a skillet
• Add in Taco Seasoning with 3/4 cups water.  Bring water to a boil then turn down heat and simmer until water is almost completely evaporated.
• While meat is browning/simmering, cut up bell peppers and onions
• To make the guac, cut up as many avocado as you would like to use (again I do about 1 per person, but 1/2 per person is more of a non-preggo serving size).  Place avocado meat in a small dish and mash with a fork.  Add in Garlic Powder, Lime Juice, and Sea Salt to taste (add a little at a time as to not over do it!).
• Top baby spinach with fresh cut peppers/onions, taco meat, and guac.

ENJOY!

TUESDAY: Agave Grilled Chicken with Citrus Mint Salsa
Agave Grilled Chicken with Citrus Mint Salsa... YUMMM!!!!
RECIPE: INGREDIENTS:
2 large oranges
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup chopped Italian parsley
2 green onions, finely sliced
3 Tbsp. mint, chopped
2 Tbsp. capers, rinsed, drained and coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. orange zest
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Sea salt/ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2-3 Tbsp. Amber agave nectar


CITRUS MINT SALSA:
Chop up oranges into small chunks. Place in medium bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, green onions, mint, capers, orange zest, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes. Toss lightly and season with salt and pepper to tastes. Set Aside.


AGAVE GRILLED CHICKEN:
Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush the grilling rack with olive oil so the chicken will not stick to it. Brush the chicken on both sides with the agave nectar and season with salt and pepper to tastes. Grill chicken until done. Spoon salsa over chicken.





WEDNESDAY: Strawberry Bacon Chicken Salad
Serves 2 with chicken left over
Ingredients:

• 1/2 - 1 bag of Baby Spinach
• 3-4 chix breast
• 2 cups Chicken Broth
• Salt/Pepper to taste
• 1 container of fresh strawberries
• 1/2 red onion
• 4-6 strips bacon per salad (no nitrate bacon... nitrates act like a carcinogen in your body.  Look at the ingredient label to see if your bacon has it.  Usually health food stores sell no nitrates bacon)
• Slivered almonds
• Strawberry Vinaigrette (or any dressing of choice.  I use a store bought one I found with no high fructose corn syrup and only ingredients I could recognize as real food!)

PROCESS:

• In a covered skillet cook chicken breasts on med/high heat in a shallow pool of chicken broth (to keep them from drying out).  Add salt pepper to taste.
• I turn the chicken over every 4-5 minutes.  It usually takes 15-20 minutes to cook but my grocery store only sells REALLY thick breasts so just cut into the breasts periodically to check if it is done.
• While chicken is cooking, also cook the bacon.
• While chicken and bacon are cooking cut up strawberries, and red onion, throw in individual salad bowls with baby spinach.
• Once chicken and bacon are done, cut them up and toss into salad.
• Top each salad with slivered almonds and a small amount of dressing.

Use the leftover chicken tomorrow to make the same salad for lunch! :D Yummmm!

THURSDAY: Coconut Crusted Shrimp

• 1 lb large shrimp, tail on peeled and deveined
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 Tbs Mrs Dash Southwest Chipolte
• 1 Tbs Garlic Powder 
• 3 egg whites
• 2 cups coconut flakes

PROCESS:  Pre heat oven to 400. In a mixing bowl, stir together the coconut flour, salt, and cayenne pepper. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy.  In another bowl, pour the coconut flakes.  Taking one shrimp at a time, dry well with a paper towel and dredge each shrimp in the coconut flour mixture, dip into the egg whites and then roll into the coconut flakes.  Bake on a lightly greased (with coconut oil) baking sheet for 12- 15 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and the coconut flakes start to brown.

FRIDAY: Chicken Salad
This is another 95% paleo recipe.  There are ways to make paleo mayonaise for chicken salad, but I've tried it a few times over the last year and it just takes WAY to freaking long!  So I just buy the Olive Oil mayo in the jar.  If you look at the ingredients they usually list canola or soybean oil before the olive oil so you know they use more of the first than last in the recipe.  Oh well! Also a lot of the recipe is not exact measurements.  Just put in however much you like and taste test as you go.

Ingredients:

• 3-5 chix breasts
• approx 2 cups chicken stock
• garlic powder/salt/pepper to taste
• appox 1-2 cups mayonaise 
• approx 1-2 tsp honey mustard (I buy in a jar and check the ingredients for any chemicals or mystery items)
• 1 cup craisins or raisins or both
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans or both

Process:

• In a large skillet put chicken breasts, chicken stock, and garlic powder/salt/pepper together and heat to a boil.
• Once boiling, turn down to a high simmer and flip chicken periodically until they are cooked all the way through (usually 8-15 minutes depending on how think your breasts are). 
• Drain skillet and remove chicken and place in large mixing or salad bowl. 
• Shred chicken (I use my pampered chef lettuce scissors which are AWESOME for shredding meat)
• Now from here on out its up to you how much of the ingredients you want to put in the mix.  I usually use a small jar (approx 1 cup) of mayo for 5-6 breasts (but I like my salad a little bit dry so you  may want more).  
• Add in 1-2 tsp honey mustard - Dont add too much, it will ruin the salad unless you REALLY like mustard. 
• After mixing the mayo/mustard in,  add a little salt/pepper, and then stir in as many craisins/raisins/walnuts as you like... I like A LOT!   

I will pile the chicken salad on top of a big bowl of baby spinach, and fresh strawberries for a great dinner or lunch! 

Ahhhhh!!!! Don't get your nutrition info from companies trying to sell you something Mom!

The more I grow as a fitness and health professional the more I am enraged (yes, enraged) by the messages the public receives from the media and advertisements.  There is so much conflicting information out there that none of us stand a chance of knowing what is and what is not healthy.  Most of this conflicting info comes from advertisements for products the company is trying to get you to buy.  So moral of the story... if something is trying to be sold, the "credible" research it is boasting about is probably not that credible at all.

Exhibit A:  

Corn Sugar or Cane Sugar: Body Can't Tell The Difference

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA (okay you get the idea)- 

This drives me INSANE!!!  There IS a difference between High Fructose Corn Syrup and Cane Sugar.  HFCS is created in a lab.  There is nothing natural about it.  Fructose, although found in fruits and vegetables, is very dangerous in its unnatural forms and in high doses.  "A recent USDA report found that the average American eats 152 pounds of sugar each year, including almost 64 pounds of HFCS (Kresser, 2012)".  The problem with fructose is that the body does not treat it like natural sugar.  Rather than being delivered into the bloodstream and then taken into the cell with the help of the hormone insulin, fructose goes straight to the liver to be converted to fat (usually deposited around the mid-section).  The body treats fructose as if it were a toxin like alcohol.  AKA Your body treats it like poison because it IS in fact poison.  (Kresser, 2012)  So why is this important for preggos?  1) Whether you are preggo or not HFCS is BAD, poison, toxic for your body.  2) HFCS, and any sugar at that, crosses the placenta and enters your growing baby's body.  So not only are we poisoning ourselves, adding to our own midsection inches, and increasing our chance of developing diabetes (gestational and Type 2), obesity, heart disease, auto immune disorders, cancer, etc...... But we are ALSO poisoning our growing babies.  Enough said.

Hungry for more sugar education? Watch this:

Onto Exhibit B: 

Grain = Healthy - I call Bull Sh..!!!  

Ugh... this one is the worst I've seen thus far.  It truly plays to our "common sense" and to our own frustration with not knowing what is and what is not healthy.  They then insert their product at the end to help you come to the conclusion that their Grain is truly Great!  Oh they also have very tall, skinny model types telling you all of this... insert subliminal message of "eat this cereal and you will grow ten inches and drop 30lbs".

The next post I am going to write is about Grain and Soy (the two most toxic "health foods" out there).  I'll touch on grain just a little now.

Grain, like all living creatures, is equipped with a means for survival and reproduction.  Humans can run away from their predators, blueberries can be eaten and get their seeds deposited back into the earth in warm fertilizer to grow more blueberries, but grains can neither run nor be pooped out knowing that the next generation will live on.  When eaten they are destroyed.  Their plot against their predators?  Destroy the predator from the inside out.   They do this in multiple ways:  Upon consumption they produce toxins that damage the lining of the gut of whatever ate them.  These toxins then bind to the good nutrients we eat making them unavailable for our body to absorb.  Lastly they rip up our intestinal tract to leave lasting damage and make it harder for future nutrients (like protein) to get in.   Think of grain like a steel bristled grill brush scraping the insides of your intestines.  Yup.  Sounds fun!  But wait, I eat grain at every meal Cassandra and I feel fine?  I double dog dare you friend to take out all grain based products from your diet for a month.   30 days.  Thats all.  Then have a bowl of your favorite cereal.  The horrible pain that will ensue will show you just how much damage those toxins are doing to you.  Since most of us have eaten grain/flour based foods since infancy we do not realize the damage being done because we've always lived with it. 30 days.... I dare you.

Obviously this is dangerous for anyone and everyone, but it goes without saying that when growing a human your body and baby needs all the good nutrients it can get.  If our GI tract is damaged taking the time to put thought into what we eat for us and baby is a little silly since a lot of the good nutrients aren't able to pass through the damage and get into our systems.   Wait Cassandra!  Did you just tell me that since I don't want to give up my honey nut cheerios that I can eat crap all day because even if I ate the good stuff it wouldn't get in?  No friends, I am not saying that.  I am trying to make the point that this "health food" is not so healthy, and in the history of mankind has never been consumed in the amounts that our modern society consumes it (well maybe except for medieval times and I dont know about you but rickets, the plague, and God knows what else does not sound like a good time to relive in human history.  Their sickness was not about unsanitary conditions but mostly about a failure to thrive from the poor quality calories being consumed when replacing a hunter gatherer diet with the "civilized" farmers diet of that time.)

(On Guard!)

Modern food pyramid diets of 5-7 portions of "healthy" grains does not equal looking like a model in a field of wheat! It equals modern diseases in our later years.  So if you don't want a side of cancer with your Cheerios you might want to read more on this crazy Paleo thing we're all talking about!!

Don't listen to these commercials friends.  They are full of it.  They are sleezy car salesman dressed up like a handsome dad or mom.  The devil shows himself in the cover of beauty and pleasure.  Don't believe what he says!  (Yes I just called these companies the devil lol)

Here is a very pleasurable recipe that the devil has not touched:

Pineapple-Glazed Chicken Skewers - 

"Make It Paleo" Cookbook

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup pineapple diced
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 TBSP ginger, minced
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 TBSP cilantro minced (I didn't add this in)
• 3 chicken breasts
• 3 cups pineapple cut into chunks

PROCESS:

• Combine diced pineapple, olive oil, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, and salt in a small bowl
• Puree mixture in a blender or food processor
• Pour back into the small mixing bowl and stir in the minced cilantro
• Set mixture aside to use as a glaze during grilling
• Preheat grill to medium-high heat (we don't have a grill so I used a broiling pan and broiled the skewers in my oven)
• Skewer pieces of chicken and pineapple on metal or presoaked bamboo skewers
• Grill skewers for 12-15 minutes (or until chicken is done), turning every 4 minutes
• Each time you turn the skewer brush them with the pineapple glaze (I practically drowned my skewers in the glaze because I had so much of it!)

Be prepared for awesome in your mouth! Yummmm!



Kresser, C. (2012). 9 Steps to Perfect Health. 

Delayed Umbilical Cord Clamping: Beneficial or Doesn't Matter

I know this isn't Paleo but it goes along with the "primal" way of doing things.

Here is a very simple explanation of why not cutting the umbilical cord right away is beneficial to baby:

I also thought this next video was interesting.  It's 15min long so here are some good points he makes if you don't want to watch the whole thing:

The umbilical cord is the baby's oxygen source inside the mom.  As long as the placenta is attached oxygen rich blood is still being delivered to the baby and breathing solely through the respiratory system (lungs) is not a necessity.  By cutting the cord while it is still filled with blood (pulsating) we are cutting the primary oxygen source that the infant has been relying on for 9 months and forcing them to breath on their own.  Main question to ask yourself is why would the risk of cutting off an oxygen source to your baby be created if there is no benefit or reason to cut the cord immediately?  Obviously some high risk situations need the baby rushed to a different location for treatment, and that would constitute a reason to cut off the oxygen source.

The main point is:  "We are the only animals that do this (cut the cord right away).  I would claim that we don't do it because we really think that it is a good idea or that we have any conscious thought that we really need to cut the umbilical cord right away.  I think we do it because it's just a development of our technology...  I think if you go back a few hundred years there wasn't a pediatrician there.  There was a mother, there was a blanket, there was a breast, and the baby was born put on the mothers belly and there was no real reason to cut the umbilical cord right away.  But now we have a warmer, we have nurses, we have all kinds of things and it seems convenient to just clamp the cord, get the baby off to the warmer and people don't really think about it." Dr. Fogelson

If there is no advantage to cutting the cord right away... why not leave it alone until all of the blood, oxygen, stem cells, and nutrients are delivered to the baby and breathing through the respiratory system has had a long period of time to be practiced and established.

Here is another (shorter) video on the same subject:

Paleo Is IMPOSSIBLE!!!

I could never give up MY cereal.
I could never give up MY triscits.
I could never give up MY rice.
I could never give up MY ice cream.
I could never give up MY non-fat sugar free soy mochalatamacha latte!

Screw you and this "Paleo" you speak of!  It's IMPOSSIBLE!

Yup... I've heard it a million times.  I've said it a million times in my pre-paleo days (remember I was a cheese quesadilla, easy mac, betty crocker dinner in a box eating vegetarian just two short years ago).

Today I shall step off my soap box and appeal to a lot more people than I normally do.  I'll say the popular thing that people want to hear.  Do not fear, I am not sacrificing my dignity, for what I shall say next is truth that I cannot deny.

DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU!
Do what works for you guys.  I'm so happy you are reading my paleo blog but don't feel cornered by my writing in thinking that it is THE only way to live your life happily and healthfully.  If the idea of cutting out grain and dairy and sugar induces anger and defensiveness in you then don't go paleo.... yet.  I encourage you to learn more about it, but don't feel like you have to label Paleo as impossible or crazy just because you aren't ready for it at the moment.  Maybe if Paleo isn't your thing, perhaps "Primal" is.  Maybe just "clean eating".  Or maybe just using a little common sense and eating more REAL food than boxed will work for you.

SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET
Two years ago I preached the food pyramid and thought my paleo friends were insane.  Today, I preach Paleo and practically drown anyone who is unfortunate enough to ask with info on this lifestyle.  See... I know I'm crazy!

TAKE HOME MESSAGE
So here is your take home message.  Nutrition is important.  Food is human fuel.  Can't put diesel in a mini cooper and expect it to run.  Same goes for food and humans.  Food can either be the safest and most pure form of medicine for your body, or it can the slowest form of poison.  Learn, grow, take a vested interest in your own health rather than blindly following what your doctor, mother, friend, or commercials tell you about healthy living.  You are obviously interested in Paleo right now so keep learning.  Read a book about it.  Change if you are ready, or keep the information in the back of your mind for later use if you aren't ready.  Change slowly, change quickly, WHATEVER!  Just learn.  Grow.  Take interest in your health.

QUIT BEING MEAN
But remember this:  Don't beat yourself up for where you are right now and for not changing when you know you "should".  I should eat more veggies.  I should stop buying oreo's.  I should go 100% paleo.  You can "should" all over yourself but it will never change anything.   Quit beating yourself up, and do what you are ready to do and nothing more.  If you are ready to just read blogs, read on.  If you are ready to buy a bag of raw veggies at the store for a snack, buy on.  If you are ready to look for almond butter next to the JIF you usually buy, look on.   Just do what you are ready to do and nothing more, and be hugely proud of yourself for doing those little things that you didn't do yesterday.

Learn.  Grow.  Find what works for you.  And if nothing else, just eat food that looks like food.  Strawberries over Strawberry Special K Bars.  Eggs over Cereal.  Chicken from the meat department vs from a can.  Real fruits.  Real Veggies.  Real Meats/Seafood.  That is it.  If that is as "Paleo" as you ever go you will be reaping 80% of the benefits.

YAY YOU!
So be happy friends!  Just reading this means you are on your way to a healthier life.  Yay you for not just playing farmville and facebooking online!  Yay you for looking into something new!  Yay you for being awesome at being you!

Calcium and Paleo: It's not always about Intake....

I’ve heard it a million times. Heck! I’ve even thought it to myself a time or two.   How do we get calcium in the Paleo diet?  Calcium is especially important to the growing human inside your body. A human that will eventually have 206 different bones.  Yes, calcium is important.  Yet, what we’ve been told about calcium for the last 50 years has been muddied with corporate dollars, and profit gaining motives. 

IT’S A CONSPIRACY!!!!!

The dairy industry is one of the largest funders of research in how increased dairy intake increases calcium stores in the body.   Is it any wonder that the results of the research are in favor of the very people funding the research?  Does anyone else see the ridiculousness of this other than me?  Anyways!  What this tainted research has told us is that calcium is important to the human body.  It does the obvious, builds strong bones, but it also takes a role in proper muscle contraction function, nerve function, and keeps your heart beating normally.   What this research doesn’t tell us is that calcium intake in the U.S. is one of the highest in the world, but so is our rate of osteoporosis.  Huh?!?!  That doesn’t make any sense?  We should be super-people with bones of steel from our high intake of calcium filled dairy shouldn’t we?  What the research also neglects to tell us is that calcium levels in the body are GREATLY affected by not only calcium intake, but also calcium excretion (through your urine).   (Cordain, 2012)

Loren Cordain, the author of “The Paleo Diet”, has an amazing FAQs page that I reference often for research based answers on the paleo diet. Under his “Calcium and Bones” link I find a great explanation of this intake vs. excretion issue. 

IT’S ALL ABOUT BALANCE MAN:

Cordain states that bone health greatly depends on dietary acid/base balance.  “All foods upon digestion ultimately must report to the kidney as either acid or base.  When the diet yields a net acid load (such as low-carb fad diets that restrict consumption of fruits and vegetables), the acid must be buffered by the alkaline stores of base in the body.  Calcium salts in the bones represent the largest store of alkaline base in the body and are depleted and eliminated in the urine when the diet produces a net acid load (Cordain, 2012)”.   It is interesting to note that the average American diet based on the not-awesome food pyramid is FILLED with acid-producing foods!  What are they? Hard cheeses, cereal grains, salted foods (95% of packaged foods, yes even your “healthy choice” and nutrigrain bars), meats, and legumes (beans).  More food for thought:  the ONLY alkaline, base-producing foods are fruits and vegetables.  (Cordain, 2012)

DOUBLE WHAMMY:

To add insult to injury, while eating whole wheat, white bread, cereal, pasta and other grain products, you are also eating the anti-nutrients that come with them.  Anit-Nutrients? That sounds bad Cassandra.  Oh it is my friend!  One anti-nutrient found in grain is phytates, which Cordain points out reduces the absorption of not only calcium, but also magnesium and zinc.  So your Special K cereal with fat free milk = none of that calcium is actually getting into your bones.  You’re just pee’ing it down the drain!  Literally. 

There are actually a few more great points made by Cordain on his site about grain intake and calcium absorption/excretion. Check it out here. 

I CAN SEE THE LIGHT:

The Paleo lifestyle, on the other hand, combats this acid/base inequality with a high level of base (alkaline) foods (fruits/veggies), so you minimize the calcium excretion taking place in your body (aka the calcium you eat is actually absorbed and used in your body rather than eliminated through your urine). Don’t get me wrong, all acid-producing foods aren’t evil (meats, fish/seafood = Good), but consuming even more acid-producing foods (grain, dairy, legumes, processed crap) at the expense of the alkaline foods IS.

To ensure your paleo lifestyle is calcium rich for you and baby include plenty of dark leafy greens (turnip greens, collard greens, kale, spinach), broccoli, sardines, bone in fish, sesame seeds, etc.  And if you are still worried asking your doctor about a high quality calcium supplement may not be a bad idea.  I take one as a “just in case I don’t feel like spinach today” precautionary measure.  Note that calcium in supplement form does not absorb well into the body.  What the label says the pill contains may not fully get into your system.  Rely on food first, then a supplement if desired.  

It should also be noted that daily weight bearing activity will also increase bone density through the lovely concept of adaption. (That's me doing weight bearing activity! 17 Weeks and going strong!)  If the body is stressed it will adapt to that stress by rebuilding itself stronger.  That's why when you workout regularly what used to be hard, is now easy.  Specifically on the matter of bones: Ever see Wall-E the pixar movie?  When the humans have been in space for so long their bone density dwindled due to lack of weight bearing activity (walking, running, lifting heavy sh*t... aka using their bodies)?  It's the same concept... The more stress (weight training/exercise in general) you put on the body (bones), the more it will adapt and rebuild itself. So get off the couch and stress your bones!  (Insert health warning about talking to your physician before starting a workout program, especially if you're preggo.  Just remember: if you and baby are normal/healthy and you did it before, you can probably do it during with a few modifications as your belly grows.  Personally my rule is: If I feel pain, sick, or just generally weird when doing something that I did before pregnancy, I stop.  Now I lift weights for endurance (lower weight) rather than power/strength (max weight possible). It's not rocket surgery ya'll... =P )

MORE INFO:

Lastly, check out this awesome (short) article from Balanced Bites.  The author did a compare/contrast with a food pyramid day vs. a paleo day in a nutrient tracker.  On top of the calcium, you can see that the paleo day is STRONGLY ANTI-Inflammatory (meaning less sickness, disease, and medication in your future) compared to the STRONGLY INFLAMMATORY food pyramid day.   It’s a whole other article to talk about inflammation, but just realize now that it’s no bueno! 

Below is another fav from cavemancookingcreations.com to add to your anti-inflammatory, super baby growing arsenal! ENJOY:

Almond Strawberry Topped Chicken Breast  

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients:

·      4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

·      1/2 Cup Balsamic Vinegar

·      1/2 Cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

·      1/4 Cup Lemon Juice

·      16 Ounces Fresh Strawberries, diced

·      ½ Red Onion, diced

·      1 Cup Slivered Almonds

·      1 Large handful of baby spinach

·      Cinnamon

·      Coconut oil

·Combine the balsamic vinegar, EVOO, and lemon juice and mix well, place in a ziploc bag

·Rinse your chicken breasts with cold water and pat dry

·Place your chicken breasts in the ziploc bag with the marinade and ensure you get a nice even coating

·Place in the refrigerator and let marinade for 30 Minutes to 24 Hours, your choice

·When your chicken is almost done marinating, preheat your saute pan on medium heat and your oven to 350 degrees

·Add coconut oil to our pan to coat and then add in your slivered almonds and red onion, ensure you are constantly stirring to ensure your almonds don’t burn

·Once your onions start to caramelize, add in all of your strawberries and continue to stir well, as your strawberries continue to cook they will break down which is ok

·Once your strawberries are cooked (almost completely broken down into a pink’ish mush), add in your baby spinach and continue to stir until it wilts, this should only take about 2 minutes and then shut off the heat to your pan and set aside

·Take your chicken breasts out of your fridge/marinade and place in an oiled baking dish.

·Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with as much cinnamon as you would like.

·Scoop the strawberry mixture on top of the chicken so all breasts are covered sufficiently.

·Cover the dish with a lid or tin foil.

·Bake for approximately 15 minutes covered.  Then uncover and bake for an addition 10-20minutes 

Remove from the oven and Enjoy

Warning:  Looks awful!!!!  Tastes GREAT!!!

Cordain, L. (2012) The Paleo Diet: FAQ. Retrieved from: http://thepaleodiet.com/faq

Equinsu Ocha! Equinsu Ocha! (White Devil White Devil!)

Medicine Man: Equinsu ocha!

Ace Ventura: What does "equinsu ocha" mean?

Ouda: White devil.

Ace Ventura: Well, tell him I'm not.

Ouda: I only met you. How do I know?

Ahhh my Wednesday is now complete with a nice quoting of Ace Ventura! =P

Oh white devil.... You are my frenemy!  Pregnant or not I want you in my life daily if not hourly.  Fruit, honey, maple syrup, tub of frosting.... it doesn't matter!  I love you in all your forms (more love for the latter though if I'm honest)!

We all "know" that sugar intake should be limited no matter what your reproductive state is.  We all "know" that it promotes weight gain and could be the cause of Type 2 Diabetes.  But did we all know that it also feeds cancer cells, depresses the immune system, and contributes to heart disease?  Momma's, did you know that you are also naturally insulin resistant when you are pregnant?  (Kresser, 2011)

DETOUR: 
"Insulin" in a very small, comically simple nut shell, go --> In a healthy person: You eat sugar or some simple carbohydrate (bread/pasta/etc), your digestive system breaks the substance down into its most simplest (smallest) form, called glucose, to be transferred through your intestinal lining and into your blood stream.  Now the glucose (sugar) wants to enter the cell, the basic structural unit of the body and the building block of which you and I are made up of.  Glucose must pass through the cellular membrane (aka outer wall that encloses all the cells inner'ds) to get inside and act as gasoline for the cell to do its job.  But glucose is not that popular and is not on "the list" for the party inside the cell so it has to tag along with the billionaire socialite insulin.  With insulin by its side, glucose is permitted to enter the party (able to get into the cell to fuel the work that needs to be done to keep you alive).  Glucose gets into the party, you stay alive, everyone is happy!  Now... Insulin resistance can appear in many different forms. One is when insulin is less effective at moving glucose from the blood into the cell.  When this happens the body produces more insulin thinking that a larger quantity will help get the job done.  This is not always the case... either you have a bunch of glucose and a bunch of insulin floating around your blood unable to get into the party (cell) to do it's job OR you have a sudden crash from high to low blood sugar because of the overload of insulin.  (Note insulin is a fat storing hormone... excess/high amounts in your blood stream = excess fat storing.  Also having sustained high blood sugar is dangerous for your health... Having sudden crashes in blood sugar is also dangerous.) The End.

BACK ON THE MAIN ROAD:
So if preggo's are naturally insulin resistant we are more susceptible to excess high blood sugar which can cause excessive weight gain and gestational diabetes (Kresser, 2011).

WRAP IT UP, I'M GETTING BORED:
What does this tell us?  We should feel SUPER guilty about the pint of Ben&Jerry's we just downed, right?!  hahaha Of course not!   What we should take from all of this is a general understanding that our bodies are in a bit of an abnormal state (like I really need to point that out! lol).  We need to be smarter about our food choices throughout the day, and indulge our cravings in a more moderate level rather than wolfing down any and all oreo's in sight!  These are a few things I try to practice with this knowledge:

• CHEAT DAY: I give myself a cheat day to indulge cravings.  It's usually once a week (sometimes twice if I am being honest).  This is the day that the knowledge of glucose and it's snobby friend insulin gets thrown out the window and I eat what I want!  It's good for the emotional side of my wellbeing. :D
• CHOOSE SLOW DIGESTER'S: During my non cheat days I choose foods that are digested and released slowly into my blood stream.  Proteins are the hardest/slowest nutrient for your body to break down.  This means a slow, steady release of energy into the blood.  Pairing a protein with a sweet is not a bad idea to help combat the sugar spike!  Chicken and Chocolate anyone?!?! =P Also veggies are a good choice in keeping that blood sugar from sky rocketing to fast/high. 
• BE PALEO: Going along with the paleo lifestyle, I avoid all grain (bread, pasta, rice, etc), and processed sugar (cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup, dehydrated cane juice, sucrose, fructose, anything with a -ose at the end of it's name).  If I am buying packaged food (can, box, bag, etc) I check out the ingredients list found on the food label to see if they contain any hidden sugars.  If it has it in there I put it back on the shelf.  
• USE GOD's SUGAR: I choose to cook/bake dishes using natural sugars like: honey, maple syrup, and on occasion stevia/truvia.  Although these are a better choice than processed white/brown/powdered sugar, it is still sugar and we shouldn't over do it.  
• EAT FRUIT: To curb the ever present sugar craving I seem to live with I keep fruit (frozen/fresh) around the house for those weak moments.  I do not feel guilty about eating my fruit even with my natural insulin resistant self because I know its a heck of a lot better than a snickers and has vitamins/minerals that me and my mini-me need!  I try to ensure I get more vegetables through out the day than fruit though.  I do keep juice intake to a minimum because that gets into the blood stream REALLY fast comparatively to eating the actual piece of fruit.  Again... better than soda, but still something to think about.  Oh and do 100% fruit juice.  V8 Fruit Fusion is crap.  Sorry friends, but it is. 
• DIET = DEATH:  Lastly (I promise I am almost done).... Very very VERY rarely do I indulge in a "diet" soda.  Remember this: IF YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE A SODA, OR CANDY, OR COOKIE, OR WHATEVER HAVE THE REAL VERSION! NOT THE REDUCED SUGAR, OR SUGAR FREE VERSION!  Anything that is sugar free still tastes sweet right?  The company puts a chemical artificial sweetener in the product to make it tolerable.  So your taste buds register sugar being eaten when it senses a sweet taste.  Insulin is produced to regulate the supposed rise in sugar (glucose) level to come when that sweetness is digested, but no sugar actually comes.  Artificial sweeteners do not act like real sugar (glucose) in the body because they aren't real!  So all you get is an elevated insulin level floating around your blood with nothing to do... aka excess fat storage and insulin resistance in your future.  Kapeesh?  Diet = Death!  Just have the real damn cookie! =P  

Okay, I am done... for now! =P  

RECIPE:

To help combat those sweet cravings here's one of my FAVORITE paleo dessert recipes (I did tweak it a little to my liking):

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies 

by Civlizedcavemancooking.com!

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Coconut Flour

1/2 Cup Almond Flour

1/2 Cup Coconut Oil

1/2 Cup Raw Honey (or natural sweetener of your choice)

 4 Omega 3 eggs

1/2 Tsp Vanilla extract

1/8 Tsp sea salt

1/2 Cup of shredded unsweetened coconut (I usually use a lot more than 1/2 a cup)

3/4 Cup of Enjoy Life chocolate chips

Process:

▪   Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit 

▪   In a large bowl, combine coconut oil, raw honey, eggs, vanilla extract, and sea salt. (To make your life easier, in a small bowl on the side, combine the raw honey and coconut oil and melt in the microwave before mixing it in)

▪   Add in your coconut flour and almond flour.

▪   Stir in the shredded coconut and chocolate chips.  I will add in the shredded coconut in small amounts until most of the liquid in the recipe is absorbed.  You want the cookies to stand on their own.

▪   On parchment lined baking sheets, drop heaping tablespoons of cookie batter.(Ensure you form them to look like the cookies you want for a final product as these do not rise or spread like conventional cookies, which also means you can place more on a baking sheet without worrying about them touching) 

▪   Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven, transfer to a cooling rack and then enjoy with a nice cup of coconut milk.