Happy Monday! I’m not so sure I’m entirely happy it is Monday because it is the start of our 30 day Paleo Challenge. Eating the Paleo way is not too far off from how we usually eat, but the biggest difference is not consuming dairy. I have my morning latte everyday, my husband loves to add Tillamock cheddar cheese to his [insert just about any type of food, here], and we enjoy sprinkling feta cheese or Parmesan cheese on top of roasted veggies or our salads. Not having dairy will be an adjustment for us.
In preparation for our challenge, I bought some plain coconut milk (Silk brand) and tried it in our lattes this morning. Boy, was it different! It wasn’t sweet and it gave a funny taste in my coffee. So…after breakfast, Keenan and I headed to the grocery store to stock up for the week and I was going to pick up some vanilla coconut milk, but I decided to give almond milk a try, since I have read so many great things about how tasty and creamy it is. In addition, it didn’t contain any carrageenan that all of the coconut milk brands have, so I decided to give it a try. I’ll add it to my coffee tomorrow and keep you posted!
My coconut milk latte: not as good as I would have liked!
Since we knew we were starting our challenge today, we definitely indulged over the weekend. On our way home from going sledding on Friday, we stopped at The Fresh Market in Roseville to pick up groceries for our Saturday “New Years” dinner with our friends, and also a few extra goodies that we couldn’t pass up, i.e. a small container of whipping cream for my husband to make homemade whipped cream, and fresh baked sun dried tomato Parmesan cheese bread.
We enjoyed our bread with my husband’s roasted butternut squash soup (recipe coming soon!) on Friday night and also for breakfast sandwiches on Saturday morning; it was delicious!
My husband’s yummy and perfectly presented butternut squash soup!
So good!
In addition, we topped our coffees with whipped cream and enjoyed the rest of it on top of my apple pie that I made for dessert on Saturday night. Needless to say, we certainly enjoyed the last couple of days of carbs and dairy! It was a complete splurge for us, anyway, since we don’t normally have bread, pie or whipped cream, but it felt good to eat it one last time before we can’t have it for a month! My body is definitely feeling the aftermath of consuming too much sugar and refined flour, today: I’m dragging, and my stomach feels a little off. I’m looking forward to getting back on track, and even more so with the Paleo way of eating.
So incredibly yummy!
My Dutch crunch apple pie!
So, back to today: I kicked off our challenge by making our usual, No Oat Oatmeal, using coconut milk and topping it with almond butter. It was yummy and hit the spot!
Enjoying his No Oat Oatmeal!
For lunch, it was egg whites over a bed of spinach with avocado and pasta sauce. My husband had turkey rolls. Before heading to the gym, I’m going to have a banana with a little bit of almond butter.
Trying out one of my favorite lunches in my new microwave-safe mug from Marshalls!
For dinner, I just finished prepping Mediterranean Chicken in the Crock Pot that we will enjoy over a bed of fresh spinach. It should be good!
I have a few ideas for new meals this week to keep our Paleo Challenge interesting and fun, including a Mexican dish with coconut flour tortillas that I’m anxious to try. My husband wants to develop Indian and SE Asian recipes because he feels that “the vibe will translate well”. Stay tuned!
As my husband and I embark on our challenge, we will be documenting our energy levels, quality of sleep, workout performance, pre- and post-biometrics (body fat, waist circumference and weight) and how we feel overall. I’m going to try and not talk about our challenge everyday, since I think it might become a little mundane, but I’ll keep you updated about any interesting findings we experience and of course, new recipe and meal ideas!
Well, it is time to get ready for CrossFit. I’m excited to get back to the box on a regular basis and add one double-day a week to get ready for a team competition at the end of this month. Yes, I signed up for another team competition, but I’m looking forward to it. It is local and should be a lot of fun! Enjoy the rest of your day!
Questions: Do you drink coconut or almond milk? If so, do you prefer plain, sweetened or flavored? What brands do you prefer? I’ve never bought “non-milk”, so I need suggestions of good brands to try!
Oh man all your eats from last weekend look sooo good! We started the Paleo Challenge today too! I only drink Almond or coconut milk so having it in my coffee and smoothie was normal for me. I like the vanilla unsweetened almond milk and Costco carries it by the bulk 🙂 I had pretty much the same thing for lunch but with tomato, avocado and lime juice. My snack was carrots and almond butter instead of bananas. If you guys are sweet potato fans you’ve got to try this recipe we made. Just three sweet potatoes, 1 apple and cinnamon cooked on low for 6-8 hours. We’ve been enjoying it with a little almond butter and it’s so good!
Ooh, your sweet potato dish sounds delish! I bought sweet potatoes yesterday, so I’ll have to try your recipe this week. Thanks for the heads up about Almond milk at Costco. We have to make a Costco run soon, so I’ll have to check it out! I definitely want to try the unsweetened vanilla next time, too.
As a vegan I’m fascinated by the paleo diet. Any chance your husband would be willing to share his soup recipe 🙂
After trying a variety of different brands I decided that Silk Almond Milk has the best taste and texture. Most often plain unsweetened but occasionally I will buy unsweetend vanilla. Actually I noticed a few new Silk products at the grocery store that I might have to try.
I was able to post the soup recipe tonight. Let me know how you like it! It is definitely one of my favorite soups!
When we use up all of our almond milk, I’m going to try the unsweetened vanilla and maybe splurge and try the dark chocolate (though I guess it will have to be after our challenge, since cocoa is not Paleo).
I’m excited to see how the challenge goes for you! We use almond milk- usually the Silk brand or Blue Diamond, but I’m not sure what to tell you for coffee, as I rarely drink it.
Another crossfit competition is exciting- that’s a great way to keep you motivated!
I was relieved that the almond milk tasted much better in my coffee this morning, so we will be sticking with it! I now want to try the vanilla and dark chocolate flavors!