NO RECIPE: Paleo Chicken Salad

I kind of designated Friday as a day to recap my eats for the week.  I had to share this recipe though because I literally ate it all week long.  I forgot to hit publish yesterday... Duh.

If you are on instagram you've seen this already.  I'm obsessed with this combination.  It's fatty, sweet, salty, and crunchy... and perfect for the summer!

Plus it's so simple.


No Recipe Paleo Chicken Salad 

-Cooked and chopped chicken breast
-Chopped almonds
-Red grapes cut in half
-Mashed avocado
-Lots of salt and pepper
-Bibb lettuce leaves (you could also use romaine)

Mix the first six ingredients together in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, and then spoon onto lettuce leaves.  Roll up and enjoy!



What's your favorite summer lunch?

KID FOOD: Veggie Spaghetti

This is my kids favorite dinner.  It's simple, versatile, and requires minimal ingredients.


Pasta- use whatever you have on hand (my kids like whole wheat spaghetti noodles)
Veggies- use whatever you have on hand (my kid's favorite is broccoli and carrots)
Chicken
Olive oil
Coconut aminos or soy sauce

Cook the first three ingredients how they like them.  For me I cook the chicken ahead of time in the crockpot and keep it in the fridge for the week.  Then I boil the pasta while I steam veggies.


Combine the cooked pasta, veggies, and chicken in one pot and drizzle with olive oil and coconut aminos or soy sauce.


Really it's that easy and my kids inhale it.


What's one of your kid's favorite dinners?

REVIEW: Kodiak Cakes

So I know what a lot of you are going to say. Kristen... pancake mix is not paleo. I know I know. Here's the thing, Kodiak Cakes has a special place in my heart. It was one of the first products I tried when I gave up the Easy Mac and Cool Ranch Doritos.

It's also been a part of a family tradition of ours for awhile now.

Every Sunday I break out the griddle.


And the kids each grab a bar stool.


I get out the pancake mix and the kids get to measure, pour, and flip.

This happens every Sunday morning and we use the same pancake mix every single time.

When Kodiak Cakes asked me if I wanted to do a review I jumped at the chance.


What I love about the pancake/waffle mix is that it's super easy to make.  You only need water.  No egg.  No oil.  Plus the ratio is one to one.  I can make a big batch or just a single serving.  It can't get any easier.  The cooked pancakes also freeze well and you can find the mixes at Target!

While we do love them plain it's rare that we make them that way.  


One of our favorite things to do is add 1/4c of chocolate chips to the already prepared 1c of mix and 1c of water.

The kids call them chocolate chip dippers.  These are LB's favorite.

They also like banana bread pancakes.  I add 1T walnuts chopped finely, 1t cinnamon and 1/4c mashed banana to the mix.

Squirrel likes the banana bread pancakes the best.

My favorite is when I add 1/2c of fresh blueberries to the batter... topped with butter and maple syrup!


Both mixes- the buttermilk and honey and the whole wheat oat and honey are big hits in our house.


Do you have a food related family tradition?

*Disclosure:  Kodiak Cakes sent me two boxes of pancake mix and the apron in return for a review, however, the views and opinions expressed are purely and entirely my own.

Coffee Date- Starts With Rain

I totally stole this coffee date idea from Courtney over at Journey of a Dreamer.  If you don't follow her blog you should.  She's real.  And I love that.

The purpose of these coffee dates for me is going to be to vent.  I use this blog as a food journal and also as a way of getting out emotions.  Whether that be happy, sad, excited, frustrated...

Plus coffee is my favorite food and if we were real life friends we'd be drinking a lot of coffee together.

So here goes.


If we were having coffee I'd complain about the rain.  We've had so much rain lately causing us to stay inside.  The kids are out of school and I'm out of crafty ideas.


I'd tell you how excited I am that my husband should be coming home soon!  I'm about over this single parenting thing (see above!) and I miss him like crazy.


I'd tell you that I've had several food meltdowns this week.  It goes a little something like this in my head... "How can someone eat out all the time and be so skinny?!  Why do I have to work so hard?!".  I know I'm healthier but I have been working really hard.  I've felt a little restricted this week on food but I'm trying to keep my goal in mind whenever I start getting down (see above!).  Plus I think it's a hormonal thing this week... knowwhatimean?


On a less whiny note... I bought a size SMALL pair of shorts and they fit.  I have never in my life worn a "small" anything.  The hard work is paying off! (see above!)

If we were having coffee what would you tell me?

July 4th 2013

How was your July 4th?  What did you eat?  That's always what I ask people.  I love July 4th food... Almost as much as Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Yeah... It's right up there with those!  I love burgers and hot dogs and dips and summer desserts and sweet corn.  I love everything that isn't paleo about it.

We were invited to two places to eat yesterday.  When I woke up I had a little moment with myself.  We agreed that I could eat what I wanted as long as I stuck to the guidelines.  Portions would be small, I would try to eat paleo, I wouldn't sit and pick at food (eating mindlessly), and if I didn't really love something I wouldn't eat it.

Y'all are gonna think I'm nuts but I read a horoscope on Wednesday that said "You have all the tools to do what you need to do.  Stop resorting to old ways of doing it.  You can do what needs to be done."  

Starting off my day with the correct mindset actually worked.  I didn't eat mindlessly- by the way that's something the Whole30 actually got rid of!  I don't do that at all anymore!  I ate with a purpose yesterday.  I had a hot dog with a bun because it's one of my favorite summer foods.  I had sweet corn. I ate a couple chips with dip- I didn't really love them so I left most of them on my plate.  I even had a scoop of chocolate peanut butter ice cream.  My favorite ice cream flavor ever.

I constantly reminded myself when I was presented with food to be mindful and to follow the rules.  It was actually pretty easy.  When I got home last night I didn't really feel like crap, I didn't feel guilty, and I felt pretty damn proud of myself for overcoming something I've been battling for a long.... LONG time.

So here's what I ate:

I started my day off normally.  I didn't restrict calories like I would have in the past.  Two eggs, spinach, coconut oil, and coffee.

I ate a banana on the way to the gym and had a protein shake right after.


I had lunch at my mom and dads.

I had a burger, sausage, and an ear of sweet corn.


At the fireworks I had a hotdog, a small scoop of blue cheese and bacon coleslaw (AMAZING!) and pasta salad, plus chips and dip.

Plus I had that scoop of ice cream.







What did you eat yesterday?

What My Kids Ate Wednesday

First of all did you guys see I updated the kid food page?  I've also got a couple of kid friendly recipes coming.  Y'all see what I eat all the time and I love seeing what you guys eat... However, I really love seeing what people feed their kids.  If you are nosy like me you'll enjoy this.  Plus you guys are probably wondering what I feed my kids anyways.

Remember my kids don't eat paleo because I feel like they are too little to fight with over it.  Kids need calories to grow.  My kids would actually not eat if they didn't like something.  It's just not a fight I'm willing to fight right now.  In the future... yes.  

My guidelines for feeding my kids are probably similar to yours.  I try to watch how much sugar they eat.  I try to push veggies.  I try not to fall into convenience traps.  That last one is hard.

So here's what they ate today:

Breakfast

Grass fed whole milk yogurt with a drizzle of raw honey, raw oatmeal, and banana.


My kids don't like granola!  WHAT?!  I know.  They do however like raw oatmeal.  Weirdos.  I'll take it though.


Plus they each had a small cup of orange juice.

Lunch

Lunch was to go because we went to a friends pool.  Almond butter and organic grape jelly sandwiches and apple slices.

Dinner

A tortilla with parmesan cheese melted in the middle, kale chips, and pizza sauce for dipping.

They didn't snack and were ok with that today.  Somedays they are and somedays they aren't.

What did your kids eat today?  

KID FOOD: Cherry Chia Smoothie

I read somewhere that the transition to paleo with kids should be gradual.  The article also said to make those paleo treats for them.  Here's the thing... Kids don't like change.  They thrive on routine and like to know what's coming next.  Well at least that's the way my kids are.



My kids drink this smoothie several times a week.  It's paleo, delicious, and nutritious.  Squirrel likes it because it's "pink" and LB likes it because it's "yummy in my tummy".  It does include a couple dates and quite a bit of fruit but if that's the kind of sugar you are adding to your kids diet then I'd say you aren't doing half bad.





Cherry Chia Smoothie
(makes enough for my two littles)

1 cup of milk (I use half full fat coconut and half almond milk in theirs)
1 frozen over ripe banana chopped into chunks
1 cup frozen cherries
1 tablespoon chia seeds
2-3 pitted dates depending on how big they are and how sweet you like your smoothie

Dump all of your ingredients into a blender and blend on high until smooth.  This makes a pretty thin smoothie only because it's easier to suck through a straw.  Cut back on the milk if you want a thicker smoothie.



I even like it and it's good if you had a handful of kale or spinach to it!


What's your favorite smoothie combination?