As for that challenge update I promised - overall it's going well and I do feel a lot better - more energy too! I go to sleep later and wake up earlier (now getting out of bed... that's a different story - I've never been much of a morning person)
The not eating bread has definitely cut down on the bloating - lost about 5 pounds but I do think it's just water weight. Friends who have gone Paleo/Primal say you don't really notice a change in body composition until about the 2-3 month mark; gotta keep with it!
I've tried some new, challenge friendly recipes to keep things interesting - overall, it's been great to be in the kitchen and exciting to learn that healthy food can taste good!
Trying to remind myself to take pictures of food and the stages of cooking is hard!! It's just not habit right now although I am working on it. So while this post will share two yummy, challenge friendly recipes I only have 2 random pictures (one of each recipe) to share - I'll get better, I promise.
So for the first one - I found that at about the 1.5 week mark meals were getting a little boring - I've been trying to think of foods that I loved to eat before hand and then just modify them to make them compliant. My mom picked up a couple of packages of ground turkey and before it went bad I had to think of something to make. Justin's mom makes amazing stuffed peppers (with rice) so I decided I'd take a swing at challenge friendly version.
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| Yea... I know it could have been better |
Ingredients:
1 lb of ground turkey
1 can of diced tomatoes (no salt added)
1 medium carrot
1 small-medium onion
1 shallot
1 tablespoon of oil
4 medium peppers (I used yellow so the taste was a little sweeter)
Oregano
Garlic Salt
Seasoning Salt
Dried Basil
Onion Powder
Heat oven to 375 degrees
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and shallot and saute until slightly soft. Add turkey, half a can of diced tomatoes (with some of the liquid) and seasonings (I taste tested as soon as the meat was cooked through - season as per your liking). Once the meat is almost cooked through, add the carrots (I like mine a little crunchy, add earlier for softer carrots).
Turn to low heat and let simmer for 10-20 minutes so flavour is fully absorbed. While simmering, cut the tops off and hollow out the peppers.
Line peppers up on a pan; remove meat mixture from heat and stuff peppers (be sure to drizzle with juice from skillet). Place in oven and bake for about 5-10 minutes; take pan out and spoon diced tomatoes and juice onto peppers. Place peppers back in the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes (or until peppers are desired firmness).
NOTE: This recipe was definitely missing cheese - I would add shredded cheese on top and bake until melted right before serving.
Enjoy!
The second recipe is one that has saved Justin, my mom, and I and our craving for something sweet. No sugar of any sort makes it very hard to satisfy a sweets craving. Don't know who out there has tried Larabars but they're a wonderful, all natural energy bar; no gluten, no dairy, vegan - lots of good stuff.
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| These are the dates after being mixed in the food processor - I made 4 batches |
Ingredients
Peanut
1/2 cup of pitted dates
1/4 chopped peanuts
1 tablespoon all natural peanut butter
Pecan Pie
1/2 cup pitted dates
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla
You'll need a food processor to chop the dates into a paste like mixture. Once you've processed the dates combine all ingredients in a bowl. You'll get a little messy - combine the mixture with your hands. Press into an air tight container and put in the fridge for at least 20 minutes before cutting into.
1/2 cup of dates makes approximately 2-3 regular size bars.
Hope you enjoy these healthy recipes as much as I do - I promise more pictures to come in future posts!!
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