Holiday Eating

My girlfriend Aubrey asked me if I planned on eating Paleo over Thanksgiving- I would like to say that I have an entire Paleo Thanksgiving spread planned out and I wish I had some amazing recipes for you... unfortunately this is not the case.

One of the things that has helped me change my eating habits and stick to Paleo is that I don't deprive myself to the point I look at eating this way as something difficult or "bad." Too often we get stuck in this mentality of constantly depriving ourselves on the newest fad diet and then we feel guilty for not having the self control to stick to it so we quit and move on to the next one.

For me, being able to stick with Paleo and adopting it as an entire change in my lifestlyle I've learned to give myself cheat days for those times when I'm really craving something...this clearly includes holidays.

I will however take this time to share a favorite Fall recipe, Spaghetti Squash Bolognese

Ingredients:

1lb ground white meat turkey 

1 Spaghetti Squash

2 sliced of Pancetta 

1 can crushed tomatoes (no salt added)

1 carrot, shredded.

1 celery stalk, chopped finely 

1 onion, minced 

3 cloves garlic, minced 

Basil 

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 375. Next, cut the squash in half and scoop out seeds. I prefer to bake mine, rind side up, for 30-40 minutes. Alternatively, you can microwave is for 6-8 minutes or boil it for about 20 minutes. 

While your squash is cooking, you can start on the sauce. Add Pancetta slices to a medium sized sauté pan and cook until crispy on medium high heat. Remove from pan onto a paper towel. Add 1 table spoon of Olive Oil to the pan and sauté carrot, onion, garlic, and celery until translucent. Turn heat to low and add crushed tomatoes and simmer for an hour or so. 

Once the spaghetti squash has cooled use a fork to scrape the edges to loosen the strands. (This will make sense once you start doing it and it will look just like spaghetti). 

Next, add the squash to the sauce and let is sit for a few minutes to absorb the flavor. Add fresh basil and serve...I like to serve mine in the squash shell. 

Coconut Water

If you haven't tried coconut water I would strongly recommend it. It's pretty much nature's Gatorade- it has 5 essential electrolytes that your body needs to stay hydrated in order to perform optimally. My favorite brand is Zico. Some people don't love the taste right away- if this is the case try mixing it with a splash of juice or a little lemon. 

Coconut water is also great for making ice cubes because it doesn't melt as fast as water so it doesn't water down your drinks. 

Bison Burgers-Coconut Cayenne Sauce, Avocado, Caramelized Onions

1 lb Bison meat 
2 tablespoons Olive Oil 
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 half avocado 
Caramelized onions (1/4 red onion) 
Lettuce (to use as bun) 


Seasoning 
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
14/ teaspoon cayenne pepper 
Pepper to taste 


1) Pre-heat non-stick pan on medium high heat. 
2) Make 2 equal-size hamburger patties from the bison meat- do not overwork the meat. 
3) Season both sides with seasoning mix and place in pan.
4) Cover the burgers with a stainless steel bowl or something else heat-proof and cook for 6 minutes. Turn the burgers over and season with mixture. Cover and continue to cook for 4 to 5 minutes- for medium.
5) While burgers rest caramelize onions in the same pan. Once they are done deglaze pan with coconut milk and sprinkle in seasoning mixture to taste. 
6) Place burgers on lettuce, pour sauce evenly on both, and top with avocado and onions. 

Paleo Brownies?

I was in Maine for my sisters wedding and met an awesome girl named Ali. We got to chatting and I mentioned that I do Crossfit and had just started Paleo and the hardest part for me is no dessert...well thanks to Ali I have found a healthy solution to my chocolate cravings- her brother's company based out of San Diego called Paleo Treats. 

I have a huge sweet tooth and I don't know what I'd do without Paleo Treats. Check out their website to learn more about this awesome company that let's you have your brownies and eat them too : )

Opening a package of Paleo Treats is like Christmas morning for me! 

Paleo Pizza

The key to Paleo pizza is getting the perfect texture for the crust.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Almond Flour
1/4 cup Arrowroot
1/4 cup teaspoon baking powder*
2 eggs
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Pepper to taste

I start out by whisking the eggs together with the pepper and garlic powder. Then I add the rest of the dry ingredients. I tend to eyeball it and depending on how dry it is I add a little water- just enough to make it a pourable batter so it's not dough-like.

I take a medium size frying pan and add 1/4 cup olive oil and heat it. Once the oil looks hot pour half of the batter into the pan and let it cook until the edge looks light golden brown. The tricky part is flipping it so if it's easier you can do them as mini pancake size pizzas.

Once you flip to the other side let it cook for about a minute. The next step is very important. You want to get another griddle or pan and put the heat on low. Put the side that was face up first face DOWN in this pan and leave it for about 5 minutes (again, on LOW). By doing this you allow the bottom of the crust to get crispy. Keep checking until it gets to a good texture. From here you can add whatever Paleo toppings you want. My sauce recipe is below. Since the crust is already cooked and there's no cheese to melt you only need to put it in the oven for about 5 minutes at 400 degrees if you have toppings that need it (like sliced tomatoes or peppers).

Paleo Tomato Sauce
1 can Tomato sauce (no salt added)
1 can crushed tomatoes (strain liquid)
1 large carrot (minced or finely chopped)
Fresh basil (I use quite a bit but it's up to you)
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons olive oil

Heat olive oil in saucepan. Add garlic clove (whole) to infuse oil. Add tomato sauce, tomatoes, carrot, and honey and let simmer on low for 30 minutes. During last 5 mins add fresh basil. You can add whatever other herbs you like but these are my favorite. The carrots and honey help to cut the acidity of the tomato without using salt.

My favorite toppings are caramelized onions, chicken, tomato slices, and sauteed mushrooms. (I caramelize onions in pan, then brown mushrooms in same pan for flavor and cook chicken last to absorb flavor of both)

*Baking powder is not Paleo however it's such a small amount that I use this to get the texture and "puffiness" that really makes a big difference in Paleo cooking.

How does Megan Fox stay so Foxy? Paleo my friends.

Megan Fox's Diet Plan

Megan eats whole food sources instead of processed foods and avoids grains. This is similar to what many people call the “Paleo Diet” which is similar to eating like our ancestors.

Avoid Grains:
"Hunters and Gatherers ate fruits and vegetables as their carbohydrates. The human body was meant to eat fruits and vegetables, not grains.”

Natural Sources of Protein:
Things like nuts, eggs, and meat are a great source of protein.

Fats Are Good:
Megan Fox’s diet had a good amount of fat. She ate an ounce of almonds and a few eggs ever day while preparing for her role in Transformers.
She just stuck to whole foods without eating grains.

The Cavewoman's Guide to Good Health Health & Fitness: glamour.com

The Cavewoman's Guide to Good Health Health & Fitness: glamour.com

My advice for beginning the Paleo Diet:

1) Do your research so you have a good understanding of the Paleo Diet- http://www.thepaleodiet.com/ is a great resource.

2) Start by eliminating things slowly. I started by cutting out sugar, then dairy, etc.

3) Plan ahead! This is the key to sticking with Paleo- plan your meals ahead and make sure you have Paleo friendly food on hand to help you stay on track.

4) Don't think of this as a "Diet"- think about it as a way of life...yes this sounds a little lame but it's the truth- don't think of eating this way as a punishment, think of it as a positive thing. You are nourishing your body and giving it the things it is meant to have to function optimally.

5) Try new things! Don't get stuck in the "hmm- I guess I'll just make chicken again" mentality. There are so many different proteins you should try every week and when you find your favorites then you can be creative with different flavors. Pay attention to what's in season and if you haven't been to your local farmer's market then give it a try.