Paleo and primal

[Daughteroughter]

I have been reading about paleo and primal diets has anyone tried them?

Oh, poor you, worried. I feel for you...worst feeling ever . Don't try and force yourself to eat anything....just go with what you think you can stomach. Have you tried soup, or broth? When I had pregnancy nausea I couldn't even think about vegetables or meat at the beginning but sometimes could handle them if they were in soup. The salt, I guess.

Anyway, hope you feel better soon .

I had a paleo fail (faileo?) this weekend too...there were some black bean tortilla chips in the pantry and I just had to have something salty-crunchy...you know how this ends .

No other interesting paleo meals of note...it has been a busy weekend and I need to go shopping tomorrow, so we've been clearing out the fridge and freezer of bits-and-bobs .

Well I've had a bleed and shoulder pain so I have a early scan on Tuesday. Any more will out me but one of my parents has spoken to a friend (that already knew) about my pregnancy and I don't feel she would have done that if she thought there was only one option
Today's diet was the biggest paleo fail ever but I'm just eating what I want basically. A guy was eating beef crisps in hospital and I nearly threw up on him

I had a really good primal day yesterday.

Tuna and egg mayonnaise salad with parmesan for brunch.

Roast chicken, butternut squash mash, baby corn and green beans (actually I'm not sure if these are allowed?), carrots and cauliflower. I did cheat with gravy though as I used granules. Does anyone have a primal gravy recipe?

Frozen raspberries zapped for 2 minutes in the microwave and double cream.

Glass of red wine.

Today I head a chicken lettuce wrap/roll up for breakfast.

Just had left over cottage pie with cheesy swede topping and steamed veg.

Tomorrow I would like to do Cheesy Chicken Roll Ups for dinner.

In theory Nappy, no beans or corn however, I suspect the baby corn and runner bean type beans ( ie immature seed in their pod) probably don't have the problematic proteins and other substances that make the mature corn/peas bad (I may be talking bollox )

Gravy - well I usually transfer any juices from the cooking to a frying pan, reduce it a bit than swirl in some cream.

All sounds seriously good, nappy!

worried, hope things are okay with you

M&S have started doing a delish deli pot with asparagus, courgette and feta - had one for lunch today and added some prawns... yum. Not sure what's for dinner yet though!

What's happened to the OP, btw? We've rather hijacked her thread!

Yes, agree with raw - I think green beans especially should be fine as the legume bit is so tiny?

worried I'll be thinking of you tomorrow.

nappy meat juices seem to go down well regardless! But a gelatine sheet works well as thickening agent.

@ cheating! I've learned to make paleo (depending on your strictness!!!) bread, pizza and cake...But I still crave home made pasta!

Building

No interesting meals to report today as dh and I fast on a Monday - we always have chicken curry for evening meal, today served with spring greens, they taste remarkably sweet this time of year. Dcs had curry too, but I added coconut milk to their's and they had it with brown rice.

On holiday this week, at my mother's, I suspect I will end up eating wheat and regretting it, I will try to resist but my mother will bake bread and will expect me to eat it....and will be likely to take great offence at me refusing - given that it won't actually kill me!

Anyone else struggle with family occasions?

Favadi what are your favourite cheat recipes for bread and pizza?

Mmmm, last night's supper was lush. Made a huge Spanish omelette with onions, red peppers, mushrooms, courgette and chorizo, and herbs from the window box. Served with broccoli roasted with garlic and some lovely baby tomatoes. Followed by frozen raspberries and banana with cream. It feels so good to be eating proper food after the weekend's excesses! And chorizo makes everything taste good, doesn't it?

Have planted strawberries, red chard, spinach, chillies, mint, basil, thyme and rosemary in the last couple of weeks. All crowded onto my tiny flat balcony. We'll be virtually self-sufficient in no time

The bread is a variation of 'Muffin in a minute'

30g Flaxseed meal (or a mix of flaxseed and almond flour)
1tbs olive oil (or 10g butter)
1 egg
pinch of salt (or a pinch of bicarbonate for a fluffier bun)

Mix all together in a mug and cook in the microwave for 1min 30 sec. I cut it into little wheels. It also freezes well.

Pizza

45g flaxseed meal
45g coconut flour
3 eggs
1/4tsp salt
90ml milk/coconut milk (optional)
Spices and herbs (optional)

Line a biscuit tray with greaseproof paper. Mix the ingredients together-it will look like pancake batter. Pour the batter mixture on the lined tray and bake for 10-15mins at 220C. Turn the pizza over and bake for a further 5-10 mins. Add topping of choice and return to oven for a few mins.
*The longer times are necessary if using milk.

Does anyone have trouble adjusting the ratio of meat/fat/veg/carbs on their plate? I find that as a family our needs differ greatly. My dh can pack away astonishing amounts of meat (we suspect he is "repairing" as he has had a lot of issues including back pain, physical stress symptoms and long recovery from workouts) as can ds (he is nearly 6 and very lean and skinny, growing very fast). Dd (8) and I are better with a smaller amount of meat, plenty of veg and fat and some carbs. I guess that is rather typical ;)

Re carbs, I know that some people go very low carb on Paleo. I give my children plenty (although not too much!) of carbs but my husband is very low carb and I am kind of in the middle.

I am fasting this morning, I try to skip breakfast twice a week. I have done a couple of 24 hour fasts, but I find that if distracts me too much from work ;)

Me and the kids are going to Denmark, our native country, for 5 weeks in the summer holidays. I really worry about keeping up the good work! I know my mum is happy to support us but as there will be a couple of family gatherings I am worried about that. I guess I just have to do the best I can!

I've been very low carb for ten months now but find recently I've been fancying oats. Does anyone make muesli/porridge without sugar? I try to be dairy free too, so am thinking maybe I can use coconut milk?

thebestpossibletaste, I guess you know that oats are a grain, so not primal? I have terrible cravings for oat biscuits (Hobnobs), but I have not caved in yet ;)

In the past I always made porridge without sugar. You should be able to make porridge with coconut milk, but I would advise that you use half water. I have made rice pudding in the past with coconut-milk, and it was definitely best with half water.

misscph - must admit I don't spend too much time thinking about ratios (maybe I should?!) though I suppose I tend to go heavy on the veg and fat.

I do try to keep my carbs low because I am convinced it is healthier and I definitely feel better without them, but saying that I am probably between 20-100g on any given day, so quite a range. I do think everyone is different (though pretty much no-one needs the level of carbs advised by the department of health imo), so my 10-year-old, very active, very lean ds will get rice, bread, more fruit than me, for example.

Wrt oats etc, I recently made a porridge with ground almonds, cinnamon, double cream, chopped nuts and blueberries (and a raw egg but I don't think everyone would go for that!) It was delicious and definitely filled that 'breakfast cereal' gap. I would try and stay away from grains really, though oats probably a slight improvement over wheat?

thebestpossibletaste - I would definitely give my almond porridge a try with coconut milk, probably delicious! Though yes, might need thinning a bit with some water.

Sounds good teaandthorazine, I'll try and get some ground almonds. did you just mix them together, did you heat them up?

I know oats are grains but I'm really fancying something easy for breakfast that is a bit porridgy when I have to get up early for work as I can't really take breakfast to work.

If I made rice pudding with coconut milk, is that also classed as grains? And how would I make it, same as rice pudding, in the oven but with coconut milk instead of milk?

Miss cp sounds like you have your family's needs sussed. Dh and I just eat the same things - we are similar height, I am more active though. We eat more or less the same amount - we fast twice a week and eat lowish carb, we don't count, I have a weakness for sugary treats and he has a weakness for cheese and savoury, we both love a drink or two. We've managed to maintain our weights for a year now.
The dcs are very skinny - my main focus with them is that food is tasty and nutritionally dense. They get a homemade paleo cheat treat every day - which is better than the junk thy could otherwise be eating, I want them to feel positive about eating Paleo and getting too strict with them would be counterproductive.

Breakfast this morning was using up fridge food before spoiling, a fig wrapped in bacon with a drop or two of balsamic vinegar - could have done with a nice soft fresh cheese to balance out the flavours but it all disappeared nonetheless.
Chicken curry with cauli rice for lunch.
Am going to have jerk chicken and coleslaw for dinner.

Thanks for the recipes Favadi have banked them for future use.

Bought the kindle versions of omg that's paleo and paleo comfort foods last night, had a quick flick through and they look good - does anyone else have these books - any recipe recommendations. My cooking mojo is on fire at the moment, I'm like an over excited puppy!

Grain free porridge - small pot organics 100% fruit baby purée (or make your own), mix with ground almonds or nut butter, microwave for about a min. That's my toddler's breakfast most days, tastes pretty good, would be nice with a swirl of cream or a few berries as a grown up breakfast, and as fast as a bowl of cereal .

misscp your DH sounds just like me - physical stress symptoms, long recovery times etc. I go through phases of waking up in the morning having dreamt about eating meat and craving protein. Does loading up with protein help him?

I tried a good paleo muesli recipe. Can't link from my phone but if you google Eat Drink Paleo or paleo granola it should come up. Has quite a lot of malple syrup in (I'd use less the next time I make it) but a good starter idea.

Totally shattered today. Went to the gym on Sunday and really aching today but also just feeling lethargic and fed up. I ate some naan bread last night and a bit of cake this morning but have otherwise been very paleo so am surprised to feel so tired. But it's a good reminder that I used to feel like this every day!

Rawcoconut that sounds great. What nut butter do you use?

Intravenous, I'll have a look and see if I can find the recipe. Thanks.

Thebest, I use Biona nut butters usually, I get them mail order as they are not stocked locally (I use goodnessdirect, but there are loads of online grocery shops). The Biona butters are just nut, no sugar or veg oil. Usually Almond or white Almond (tastes fantastic but the white stuff is a bit pricy).

Dietdoctor.com does a very tasty grain free musli recipe on his lchf blog (Swedish paleo/primal) its a good blog too, if you like the science side of things.

Its a mix of seeds and nuts (mixed small seeds, some nuts and a few fresh berries to garnish) served with double cream mixed with live yogurt. It is amazingly filling, so only a very small portion needed, but a lovely luxury breakfast treat.
I serve it in little ramekins, that's a perfect serving size.