Weeks 8 & 9: Still Going Strong

Hi all! I'm sorry I missed blogging last week. I have a cranky toddler who is teething and didn't sleep much. Poor little guy. Molars aren't fun coming in, but they sure will expand his food repertoire soon! Thankfully, he's feeling better this week.

Right now, Nicholas is about 50% Paleo. He's 14 months old and no longer breastfed. (I wish I'd found the Primal lifestyle sooner or he might still be!) He eats what I do at home for the most part, with the additions of Cheerios and the occasional graham cracker. At daycare, he eats the regular food provided there. I could send stuff in and insist he eat that, and may do that in the future, but I'd rather work on improving the food at home first for my whole family.

Lately, we've had an extremely tight food budget to work with. Somehow we managed to feed everyone and I was able to stay Paleo for just $61 total- stretched out over two weeks! We dug into the freezers, used up the last of the farmer's market produce, and have been trying to polish off the remainder of the garden produce that I cleared out two weeks ago. We've had lots of stuffed peppers, salsa and other goodies! I don't think my family has noticed we were so tight, with the exception that there weren't a lot of snack foods floating around the house. There rarely are, though. We try to keep the fruit bowl filled on the dining room table to encourage healthy snacks.

This week's budget is much better! (I'm still up to my eyeballs in tomatoes, peppers and pumpkins!) I stocked up at Aldi, which is still my favorite store for many basics, and was surprised to find some Paleo-friendly offerings there! For instance, did you know their canned tuna and salmon are wild caught? Or that their milk is hormone-free? Yes, it's still pasteurized (and technically not Paleo per se), but it's a vast improvement over what you get in other stores- and cheaper! I'll be blogging about my finds this week. I found a great blog call the Aldi Spot that follows their prices, special buys and other deals there. It's worth checking out.

I also picked up some hormone-free, antibiotic-free, additive-free steaks from Alwan and Sons Meat Company here in Peoria. They have great meat. It's still grain fed, but a great alternative to the store fare, which is loaded with all kinds of garbage, including ammonia and carbon dioxide. It's crazy what the FDA is allowing stores to put into our food supply, especially the meat. For an eye opening peek behind the food industry's veil of secrecy, check out the movie Food Inc. It's a good introduction to the issues Big Ag and Big Food doesn't want you to know about. (Netflix and Amazon Prime have it for streaming. You can also find it through your local library.) I've pledged to buy my meat locally, from a butcher or farmer as much as possible. I'm still researching the best way to purchase a side of grass fed beef and will post my findings as I learn more.

Anyhow, we made a delicious stuffed flank steak that's "almost-Paleo" (it has cheese and salami in it). It's a family favorite that everyone loves and it's so easy! (I'll be posting that one soon.) I seem to cook a lot gateway meals for my non-Paleo guys, who are quickly becoming converts! They don't mind eating a delicious, healthy hunk of meat along with some veggies. They still snack on grains, which I try not to keep in the house.

My oldest son, who is 21, is really struggling with digestive issues lately. He's always had trouble with milk products, but seems to be much worse. His father also has digestive problems (and refuses to even see a doctor for it, which floors me). I've suggested he keep a food log and read my copy of The Primal Blueprint. I think Mark Sisson does a great job of explaining the Primal\Paleo approach that's liveable. He recently released the Primal Blueprint 21-Day Challenge which I bought (with my Amazon gift cards from my Swagbucks, of course!). I'm hoping these books will help my son to be healthier and happier.

Personally, I'm going strong as I enter my 9th week of Paleo eating and have lost 15 pounds! Allergy season for me is done, and really wasn't bad at all. People have been sick around me for a couple of weeks, at work and home, but I've felt just fine. I am happily 90/10 or 80/20 most of the time. I don't tend to eat things that you'd consider cheats, but occasionally will have rice with my food or potatoes. I am not even tempted to eat wheat in any form, or sugar for that matter. I did have a caramel apple for Halloween and felt sick about 2 hours later. It still tasted GREAT, but I didn't like the after effects. I'll stick with my fruit salads!

I also had some champagne and a small slice of the topper from my wedding cake as my husband and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary. The cake didn't taste all that great, but I enjoyed the moment and didn't feel guilty at all. Next year I'll make a Paleo cake and knock his socks off! I'm really lusting after a copy of Make It Paleo by Bill and Haley from the Food Lover's Primal Palate website! They have some awesome cakes in there!

I don't know about you, but I'm really looking forward to the holidays this year. Perhaps because I have more energy, I'm not sure. For Thanksgiving, I'm thinking about buying a locally raised turkey from Yordy Turkey Farm in Morton. They are well known locally for having excellent turkeys. Their prices aren't bad either- $2.29 /lb for a 20 lb or bigger bird. I believe they are allowed to run free (need to check but I think I've seen farm tours on the news where they are running all over the place.) They are raised without hormones and are fed grain grown on the same farm. They are also packaged with no preservatives or additives. That sounds like a great place to start, and I can't wait to try them out! Stay tuned!

I hope you all are having a great week! Please feel free to post and tell us how you're doing, what you're working on and what new things you're learning and experiencing!
 Kim :)

PS. The weather has been so blah here, I haven't exercised hardly at all! Time to kick myself in the butt and get to the gym!

PSS. Please note that I don't have an Amazon affiliate because I live in the lovely state of Illinois (which passed an Amazon tax this year). I post links to books I like and recommend. I don't make any money off of them.