A great Day that Ended in Darkness

Yesterday was such a nice day. It was not the weather, though it did finally warm up a bit. It was a day spent with my husband and dogs doing simple things. After running several errands, John and I went swimming at the Gable Hall swimming pool at NIU. John's favorite thing is not swimming, but he knows how much I love it, and he went with me to give me a chance to see if the pool chemicals bother my senses too much.

Earlier in the day, John found a recipe for a Paleo Pizza. We stopped at the store and gathered up the ingredients that we needed and after my 1/2 mile of swimming, I made our first,and certainly not our last, Paleo Pizza.

Paleo Pizza Crust

The crust is the key:
1 3/4 C. Almond Meal
1/4 C. whole ground fax seed
2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 eggs
1 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp thyme, 1/4 tsp ancho chili powder
Mix together and spread on greased (olive oil) pizza pan (I use a stone)
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

I used the crust recipe from the Everyday Paleo blog with a slight variation of seasonings.

Take out of oven and put on toppings. We used Muir Glen marinara sauce, sliced grape tomatoes, Jones Turkey Sausage  sliced up and browned, some garlic, and Daiya Mozzarella Cheese. (It is non-dairy, but not totally Paleo as is has canola and safflower oils, and pea protein in it.)

The pizza going in the oven

Slide it back in the oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Out of the oven, ready to eat.

It was really good! I was amazed at how tasty the crust was. It was better than any gluten-free crust I have ever tasted. We had a spinach salad to go with our pizza. (Spinach from the garden which John went out and picked, then washed and dried and turned into salad.)

After dinner, in the middle of watching a movie, it was time for Earth Hour 2012. We shut down the TV, all computers, the lights, and lit some candles and played scrabble by candlelight.

Photo taken at 9:45 after the end of Earth Hour

It was a very close game and if not for the triple letter score z that I got, John would have creamed me. He is more clever with his words and a  much better strategizer than I am. We played by candlelight for just under 2 hours. Then we blew out the candles, turned on the lights to find our way to bed, and shut off the lights again for the night.

Going Paleo

It has been a month since I went on a Paleo Diet. I hate calling it a diet because it is now the way I eat. Meat (beef, chicken, fish, pork, and eggs) proteins, fruits and vegetables and healthy fats. I have given up all grains, legumes, most sugar, and dairy.

While it has been a stressful month (the stress was not from the change in diet), but from work and some family health issues, I have lost 1.25 inches around my bust, waist and hips, lost 8 pounds, and my chronic cough is almost completely gone. The amazing thing about the cough is that spring and pollen used to exacerbate the cough and even after working in the garden for several hours, I did not have a horrible reaction.

I expect that if I can get in some more exercise and get better sleep that I would see changes in my body even more quickly.

I discovered a great recipe for a Strawberry Pie that is easy tasty and healthy. Here is the link for the wonderful pie.

Made for Pi Day Pie Contest (won 3rd place)

I also started making a new recipe I call Rainbow Chicken Salad. Here is the recipe:
Cook a chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces. (I usually boil it in water, with seasonings). You could grill it first. Add to bowl.
Cut up carrots, cauliflower, grape tomatoes, chives and 1/2 of an Avocado, some dried or fresh blueberries, (orange, red, green, blueindigoviolet)
Add some pistachios, walnuts or pecans
Add some of your favorite herbs (I use an Italian mixture, some turmeric, and garlic powder), drizzle Walnut oil over the mixture, squeeze a 1/4 of a lemon (yellow), and gently mix together. Let sit in refrigerator of several hours before eating. Very tasty and filling. Great to take for lunch.

Rainbow Chicken Salad

I start my day with a Green Smoothie. Doesn't look very good, but it is healthy and I find it very tasty, filling, and creamy even thought there is no milk in it.
My Smoothie
In a really good blender:
Large handful of spinach
grape tomatoes, cauliflower, cucumber, cabbage, carrots (whatever I have on hand and am in the mood for)
1/4 tsp. turmeric and 1/4 tsp ginger
1-1/2 scoops of Egg White Protein Powder (I get plain unflavored powder at Fruitful Yield)
A few walnuts
About 1 cup total frozen raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries.
12 ounces of water
Blend until smooth. The add 1/2 avocado and blend again.

Makes two smoothies. One for today and one for tomorrow.

To go with my smoothie, I have either some turkey bacon or some turkey sausage. (Sometime I have real nitrate free bacon.)

Since I went strictly Paleo, John and I are eating more fish than ever before. Swordfish, Mahi Mahi, crab, all wild caught, you name it. We eat tons of fruits and vegetables and have some type of protein with every meal.

Each day, I have a choice of how I will eat for the day. I choose between wanting to feel good or not feel good. All I have to do to stick to this way of eating is remind myself about the chronic cough, the achy body and the extra pounds.