Looking to get started right and read my story about how I and my entire family lost weight and got healthy following a Paleo-style diet? I included many of our favorite meals and even a great shopping list!
What the Heck is this Paleo Stuff???
On March 3rd, 2011, I weighed myself in at 308lbs. I am 6'5" tall and carry it pretty well. Still, that's not healthy. So, I stopped eating the way most people do. I started eating a Paleo diet, like our ancestors did. I eat many green leafy vegetables, organic meats (where possible) with plenty of FAT, WHOLE eggs, organic butter, and drink mostly water. I stay away from grains, legumes (peanuts, lentils, etc), sugars, and all processed foods when possible! It's low carb, high fat, and as natural as possible.
In this time, I did not work out for the first 6 months. I walked a little bit, went swimming in the ocean while on vacation, and rode my bike a couple times.
By April 29th, 2011, I have lost 46 pounds. Yes, really. I greatly recommend going to Reddit.com to the Paleo subReddit as well as LoseIt and Keto. Also, marksdailyapple.com, robbwolf.com, and I will post a list of many others that helped me develop my own lifestyle as time goes on.
As of today, November 1, 2011, I have dropped to 234lbs. I started working out 3 weeks ago doing heavy lifting for 25 minutes, 3 days a week. I have lost more inches than pounds. I know I have gained muscle!
Here are some original recipes I came up with that make eating this way a joy, not a chore. Good stuff, filling, and healthy.
I have been working an 8-5 (sometimes longer!) for quite some time now. No one is home to cook dinner before I get there, and no one really wants to once we are all inside! And then there is the lunches that need to be packed for the next day! Why? 3 reasons:
1. Cheaper than buying our lunch in the outside world.
2. Easier to stick to our way of eating by making sure we have good food immediately available.
3. Don't have to go anywhere. I am frequently sitting at my desk or in a meeting or on the road when lunch time hits (or my belly quakes).
How does a busy family make sure they can stay Paleo without staying up until midnight to cook for the next day? The answer is pretty easy. I cook for 2-3 hours every Sunday afternoon.
1. In the crockpot, I toss a large meal. Pork Pernil, Roast beef, Paleo Chili, Taco Beef, Lamb Shanks, etc. I stuff that sucker full so that its contents will provide several meals.
2. In a large casserole, I make something too: Paleo Lasagna, Chicken Alfredo Casserole, or another casserole meal.
3. On the sheet pan I make: either meatballs or meatloaf or Meatzza.
4. While these are cooking, I also make Tuna Salad, Egg Salad, or Chicken Salad in a large bowl. Sometimes, I make Paleo Antipasto, but the ingredients list is long.
5. One large bowl of Awesome Slaw. It's filling, delicious, and goes with nearly everything.
6. One huge bowl of broccoli and cauliflower (microwave) with butter and seasoning.
7. Use the muffin pan to make 24 breakfast egg cups. I usually add some cooked sausages or bacon to them so each is a filling meal!
Kids can choose what they want when they get home. So can the adults. We all have easily accessible food that we can easily pack in lunches.
NOTE: This is not DAIRY FREE. Eating a Ket-Paleo diet can be daunting for kids in high school unless they get food that makes them never miss the bready-grain-filled garbage they are used to. I have found a few recipes that just cannot be defeated with any grain-based, sugar-filled competitor. This is one that never has leftovers, and is difficult to save for lunches. It is also delicious with steamed veggies on the side and/or a salad!
- 2 pounds Chicken Breast, sliced in half length-wise, then cubed
- 4 cups Red Darkness Tomato Sauce
- 2 cups Grated Parmesan
- 1.5 cups Shredded Mozzarella
- .5 cups Shredded Extra-Sharp Cheddar
1. Cut chicken up as listed above. Salt it well. and layu the chunks in an even layer at the bottom of a casserole dish. Yes, raw.
2. Cover the chicken in grated parmesan evenly.
3. Pour the Red Darkness Tomato Sauce over the chicken until it is covered.
4. Sprinkle remaining cheeses over the top.
5. Bake for 1 hour in a 350 degree oven.
6. Allow to cool on stove top for 20 minutes before eating.
Chicken will be tender and delicious, cooked in the falvorful sauce. I sometimes eat this over zucchini noodles or just with some butter broccoli or with just a salad or all by itself like the best chicken stew ever. The kids sometimes like to have rice with it, but I'm still trying to burn some stubborn fat.
If you are Greek, you know what Moussaka is and are shaking your finger at me saying that there is no way I can make a real Moussaka with the rules I am following. You are right. This is a rebel Moussaka that is of my own customization. It is one of 3 dishes that allow me to eat eggplant without making faces like I just ate a dirty gym sock.
I eat this stuff for a week straight and never ever decide I am sick of it.
- 3 Eggplant
- 1 small Zucchini
- 1 Can of diced Tomato
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Allspice
- 1 tablespoon Oregano
- ¼ cup Red Wine
- 1 cup Swiss Chard (or Spinach is fine), chopped
- 1 small can Tomato Paste
- 1 Onion, minced
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 8 cloves Garlic, minced
- Salt
- 1 tablespoon Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Nutmeg
- 6 tablespoons Butter
- 2 Eggs
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- ½ Parmesan
- Olive oil
- 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded (optional)
- Put onion, garlic and ground beef in a pan on medium high heat, moving around until no pink remains. Add swiss chard or spinach and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Add cinnamon, allspice, oregano, chopped tomato, tomato paste, bay leaves, red wine, salt and pepper. Turn heat to medium low and allow to simmer.
- Many do not know this, but you must salt the living hell out of eggplant. Peel it, slice it in ½ inch slices, lay them out and salt the crap out of them then drop them in a colander and forget about them for about an hour.... or more! Then, wash them off. Do the same with the zucchini.
- Brush the slices of veggie with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place under broiler for a few minutes, checking to see they turn a bit brown, flip and do the same to the other side.
- In another pot (yeah, lots of dishes on this one), melt the butter on medium heat. Add the parmesan, stirring, and then heavy cream and nut meg. Incorporate as smoothly as possible and remove from heat. Allow to cool.
- Butter the bottom of a casserole dish and place a layer of the veggie slices to cover the bottom. Then add a thin layer of the meat, another layer of slices and another layer of meat. This should use it all up.
- Whisk the eggs and add a ¼ cup of the cheese sauce slowly as you do to make sure they accept the temperature. Then pour them into the pot of sauce and whisk. Pour this over the top of your casserole.
So, my family decided to start working out in the mornings. It's strength training, lifting big weights and then some wind sprints. It's tiring and makes you feel excellent the rest of the day. However, after a few days of this, I started feeling like the eggs and bacon were not enough for my breakfasts after these workouts. So, I added an excellent Paleo starch: GREEN PLANTAINS
Platains look like a banana but taste more like a potato. When they are green, they are very potatoey. When they turn yellow then black, they get sweet. I am not a fan of sweet plantains (maduros). I like them green. So, I made a big vat of mashed plantains. I eat them with breakfast or lunch. Just a little because they are very filling. I even make little cakes and fry them up like hash browns.
Here's how!
- 4 Green Plantains (as green as you can get them)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons Butter (or Coconut oil or Ghee or Grassfed Lard)
- 1/2 cup Chives, minced
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
1. In a large pot bring 6 cups of water to a boil while you peel the plantains. Slice through the skin with a sharp knife down it's length and then get your thumbs under the skin to separate it from the white flesh.
2. Cut the plantains into 3-4 inch sections and drop into boiling water. Add the salt too. Allow to simmer with a lid on it for about 20 minutes. Remove from water and reserve 1 cup of the water.
3. Mash the plantains and add the butter, chives, garlic, rest of the salt and pepper and the reserved liquid. This should help to make it smoother. I use a stick blender because my family likes it super smooth.
4. Server with your favorite pork or beef or chicken or seafood! I like it on its own with a fried egg on top. Really good with pickled onions too.
Serving the Next Day: Mix with an egg and make thin patties. Fry in a pan with a little fat of your choice until nice and crip on both sides. Delicious!
My default state is lazy. I will admit it that I have what I lovingly refer to as "Lazy Mode". I don't like to call it lazy though. I like to say that my inner caveman needs to conserve energy for the hunt. Still, I know that the busybodies of the world will see me as lazy. That's ok, though. I still decided to lose weight and get in shape eating a Keto-Paleo diet and exercising as little as possible.
What are the symptoms of my laziness?
- The Gym Sucks: I hate to go to the gym or spend hours there running like a rat on a treadmill. I love you CrossFit types, I find it very cool. It just isn't something I want to devote all my time to.
- Cooking Blows: I don't want to spend hours making food (usually). I knwo that I do a lot of cooking on this site, but there are whole months that I am just not into it. Sue me.
- 138 Episodes of Intervention on NetFlix: I love to sit on the couch and watch TV. Isn't that terrible? Sometimes, I post on Reddit.com while I am doing it too. Then I just like to go to bed and sleep. Relaxing and sleeping. No stress....
The results are: I lost 84lbs and I am in better shape than I have been since I was 24. (I am currently 39) I have pretty much defeated gout, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Also, I don't seem to need sunscreen anymore. Also, I don't get colds or flu anymore. My back and joints have stopped hurting. Not in 1.5 years!!!
Wait, what? Yeah.
I spend 15-20 minutes at the gym 2-3 times per week following a version of StrongLifts 5x5. Or not. I leave it open. Instead, I go for a nice walk with my headphones on. I don't run. When I exercise at the gym, I lift weights. Lifting weights is fun. I lift heavy things then I just go home. Many times, I just do bodyweight exercises at home following some great tips from Nerd Fitness. Currently, I can lift almost triple what I could 4 months ago. Not spending hours there makes it a lot more enjoyable and easy to stick to as well!
The food I cook when I am lazy is super easy. I just take 10 miinutes to throw a bunch of stuff in a crockpot before work. Turn it on. Come home to dinner and lunch for the next day. It's really that simple.
What kind of food do I eat in Lazy Mode?
- Pulled Pork and Greens
- Sasuage and Kraut
- Cabbage Soup
- Beef Stew with parsnips and cauliflower
- Ropas Viejas with Peppers
- Chicken Curry
- Butter Chicken
- Chili - From my good friend, Big Tim!
- Taco Salad
- Meatballs
- and a lot more
Recipes are on their way. I'm just feeling a little lazy right now.