Playing Catch Up

 An early birthday present from Grandma and Grandpa

 Enjoying Mama's new Lego

 We are eating more healthy again!  Glad to have found a place that sells farm eggs for a great price.  And we are also giving Miko grass-fed cows milk now.

 Playing with the kitchen pots at Meridian Center.  We made a whole slew of ornaments, sang songs and got a treat at the end ;)

We took my parents to Historic Stewart Farm for an old fashioned Christmas experience.   I was so enthralled that picture taking fell to the way-side.... I did take one of this gorgeous bedroom though.  There was a woman playing the harp and we all joined in singing carols.  Miko also got to add to the chorus with a set of jingle bells, which he took very seriously!  

Psoriasis Update

Just wanted to give a quick update on my progress, or lack there of... After sticking to my initial diet for a month with no results I decided that I would go back to eating normally.  Miko and I have been doing great with exclusive breastfeeding and I did not want to do anything that could potentially jeopardize my supply, especially since my psoriasis hasn't gotten any better.

 

For now I am strictly avoiding gluten and nightshades but have gone back to eating much more satiating foods again - like red meat. When I do finish breastfeeding, I will most likely follow the Autoimmune Protocol guidelines as these are much more in-line with my lifestyle and attitude towards nutrition (eating a primal diet etc.)

 

I have to admit that I cheated for a couple of days to see what would happen. My psoriasis did not get visibly worse, but the itchiness was insane! It took three days before my itchiness subsided to a level that was bearable. That test was enough to keep me away from nightshades for the foreseeable future. I am now on a mission to find easy and delicious nightshade free recipes, which isn't that hard with internet at my finger tips :) 



Paleo BBQ

Tuna Salad Bento for Two

This is one of our favourite Primal lunches - the tuna salad bento. We both some at least once a week, and boy do I ever countdown until lunch time when I know I have this waiting for me.

Contents: Tuna salad (chunk white tuna, olive oil mayo, celery, white onion) green grapes, baby carrots, red peppers for Luke and cucumber slices for me.

Shrimp and Cauliflower 'Rice' Casserole (with Cheese)

Here is another recipe that we easily converted into something Primal friendly.  The original recipe came from my Kraft What's Cooking magazine, which you can link to here.  All I had to do was omit the corn and substitute the rice for half a head of shredded cauliflower and now it fits right in with our eating style. Oh, and this tastes even better as leftovers the next day, enjoy!

What is 'Primal' Anyway?

Since I've been mentioning 'Primal' and 'Paleo' on here recently, I figured I should do a better job of explaining what this means.  Luke and I started eating a gluten-free diet about a month ago, but a week later, we decided to take it a step further and try cutting out all grains entirely. I use the terms Paleo and Primal interchangeably, although I feel that Primal more accurately describes how we eat.  You can read more about Primal living at this awesome website (which introduced me to the idea), or by reading 'The Primal Blueprint'.

Primal living can entail much more than just changing what you eat, but the dietary changes are what I will be focusing on in this post.  Here is a simple breakdown of how we eat the Primal way.


Eating the Primal Way
Basics - Eat a diet of quality, unprocessed foods that the human body can digest easily. Strive to eat Primal as much as possible, but allow yourself some guilt-free 'cheats.' Therefore, your diet can reflect a ratio of 80% primal and 20% non-primal.


Primal Foods - Meat (grassfed and local if possible), Fish (fresh and wild caught if possible), Vegetables and fruit (local and organic is even better), butter, coconut and olive oils, raw or aged cheeses, wine or 85% dark chocolate in moderation.


Non-Primal Foods - Grains, legumes, vegetable oils, soy, sugar, processed foods with additives and preservatives, anything that upsets your individual digestive system (for some people this means dairy, luckily for me I can handle cheese)


Benefits I've noticed so far:
-My energy level throughout the day is more constant, and I seem to have more of it
-I don't get 'hangry' any more when I don't eat 'on time.' I used to eat on a schedule everyday and if I was late making and eating dinner than watch out! I would become ravenous, irritated and emotional if I didn't eat right away, it was not fun
-I don't crave carbs or sugar in the evenings any more
-My sleeping has improved markedly, I get better quality sleep, and if I do awaken, I fall back into slumber with ease
-My stomach doesn't hurt and I rarely ever feel bloated
-My digestive system is more 'regular'
-Luke and I spend more time cooking and eating meals together.
-I am learning to slow-down and enjoy the process of making food.
-I have become a master at meal planning and creating grocery lists
-We have been exposed to many new food choices and interesting recipes
-I don't fear fat any more, this is HUGE for me!!!
-Eating and guilt are no-longer associated with each other


If I have peaked your interest, I encourage you to visit some other websites and blogs that are entirely focused on Primal or Paleo lifestyles.


Here are my favourites:
Mark's Daily Apple - This website was the first source of inspiration in my journey to living a Primal lifestyle. It is still my favourite resource by far.  Mark has a huge following, and for good reason, he is intelligent, writes extremely well, posts everyday, and has a very active forum


Nom Nom Paleo - If eating Paleo sounds like deprivation to you, please check out this awesome blog.  Her recipes are amazing and the photos will make you instantly hungry.


Paleo Parents - This is a family friendly site that covers most everything paleo, and more!


So far, we are absolutely loving our experience with going Primal, and we just can't help but want to share it!

Now this is a Paleo Meal!

Wow, did I ever feel special last night :) Not only did I get to enjoy this delicious, home-cooked, paleo meal, but I had it made for me by my wonderful man. It sure is a treat to be able to sit back and just enjoy the final product.

 Luke fried up some fresh, wild-caught, Chinook Salmon with a side of bok choy that was smothered in garlic butter.  I was extremely impressed, and am now counting down the days until we have salmon again.

Primal Snack Bento

I look forward to lunch for hours when I know I have one of these babies waiting for me. Bento is such an enjoyable hobbie for me, not only do I enjoy eating them, but I also really love getting creative with delicious, wholesome foods. Making a bento that is fresh, visually appealing, and travels well takes some creative energy and I am always up for the challenge.

This one's for me.... 

 And this one if for Luke :)

Quick Tuna Salad Bento

Contents: Tuna Salad (mayo, onions, celery, salt and pepper) baby carrots, cucumber and green grapes

I made two of these paleo-friendly bentos early this morning and didn't have time to snap a picture until lunch. I think I might do that more often so that I can take advantage of the natural light

Meatza

Yes, we tried 'Meatza', and it is by far one of our most favourite primal recipes so far. And yes, the crust is made of meat, a combination of ground beef and spicy ground pork. We chose to add a bit of cheese on top as we are okay with eating dairy, but that was not part of the original recipe.  You can see the recipe that inspired this creation here.  

This was the most filling (and tasty) pizza ever! I thought I'd be giving up pizza by going primal, but instead, we discovered an amazing crust substitute.

Chicken Salad Wrap Bento

Contents: Chicken Salad (Recipe from Paleo Comfort Foods) wrapped in nori, baby carrots, cucumber slices and olives

(I can't wait until I can take pictures in the sunlight again... hopefully the recent Daylight savings adjustment will help)

Primal Bento

We have been following a gluten free diet for about a month now, recently, we've taken it a step further and have started eating a Primal/Paleo diet. Let me just say that we are both totally on-board and enthralled! I'm sure I will be posting about a lot in the future as it has been a huge lifestyle shift for me and I am loving it. Stay tuned for more details and Paleo-friendly recipes.

Contents: Tuna salad wrap (tuna, mayo, red onions and celery wrapped in a lettuce leaf), two hard-boiled eggs, whole almonds, baby carrots and cucumber slices