September 5, 2013

Paleo/Gluten Free Meal Planning

A few weeks ago I wrote about a new lifestyle/diet change for my husband and I, after meeting with a Naturopathic Doctor and talking about ways to heal my psoriasis and other autoimmune and hormone issues I was having. It's been a very interesting, difficult ... but rewarding journey so far, which I will talk about in another post.

For now, I wanted to share one of the most helpful tips I can think of for starting something like this - PLANNING. I can't stress enough how important it is to be prepared. To do research, figure out what you can eat, look up recipes, buy cookbooks, plan all your meals and have snacks available.

Right now I cannot eat any gluten, dairy, added sugars (except for natural sweeteners like honey and maple syrup) or highly processed foods. My ND is trying to get my body healthy, then slowly introduce foods back in and see what triggers my symptoms.


I plan 3 meals a day for both my husband and I for 2 weeks at a time, so I only have to grocery shop every other week. I have to drive 50 minutes to Annapolis, Maryland to get to the closest Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. It's actually something I look forward to now. My sister and I go together, so it's nice to have some time with her. And it gives me accountability to plan and shop for everything I need.

So here is an example of my meal plan for 2 weeks:



This might be hard to read, but I'll highlight a few things.

For breakfast, we really like Against All Grain's banana pancake recipe. We also eat bacon and eggs, corn tortillas with beans and eggs, and an egg/chicken chorizo hash. For lunch, we pack chicken sausages, hard boiled eggs, rolled up lunch meat, nitrate free natural hot dogs, veggies, fruit or leftovers. Check out NomNom Paleo for helpful lunch ideas. Dinner is usually meat and veggies, like lime grilled chicken, sundried tomato stuffed chicken breasts, sweet potato "chips", corn, green beans, etc etc. Doesn't really sound like a diet, does it? :) We have really tried to find ways to add flavor to our food by using fresh ingredients.


Here are some helpful tips highlighted:

1. Plan every meal for two weeks! It's so helpful to know what you're going to be making and know you have enough food in the house to feed your family. Obviously leave some flexibility if you have an unexpected dinner guest or are just feeling like eating something other than what you have planned. Swapping meals around works, because you still have the same about of meals planned.

2. Do your research! I have spent so much time reading food blogs, cookbooks and other articles trying to learn how to cook this way. It's totally new for me - using almond flour instead of regular flour, using coconut oil instead of canola oil. It's helpful to know what's really healthy for your body and why, so when it gets hard you can remember that you're giving your body fuel.

3. Experiment! I have had so many total failures since starting this diet. One time I tried to make "alfredo" sauce with coconut milk and blended cashews. Yea... not good. I've also wasted 1 whole cup of really expensive organic olive oil trying to make my own mayonnaise. But now I'm at the point where I really know what my husband and I like to eat, and feel so much better having figured that out by just trying new things and experimenting.

4. Read labels! This is probably obvious, but it's so important when you're trying to eat minimally processed foods. Even foods labeled with all kinds of healthy marketing gimmicks can be loaded with preservatives or artificial ingredients. There are good products out there that will help you save time in the kitchen. I recently found a chicken broth that has only the following ingredients: chicken, sea salt, honey, vegetable stocks (carrot, onion, mushroom, celery), bay, thyme, pepper. Nothing I can't pronounce, nothing crazy. Just simple, wholesome ingredients.

9 comments:

  1. شركة ركن الشروق في الاحساء تقدم لكم افضل الخدمات واكثرها طلبا لعملائنا الكرام فشركتنا الرائده في مجال خدمات المنازل بأنواعها المختلفه عليك التواصل معنا نصلك في اسرع وقت ونحن في انتظارك شركة مكافحة حشرات بالاحساء
    شركة تنظيف خزانات بالاحساء
    شركة تنظيف مجالس بالاحساء


    ReplyDelete
  2. ST. PETERSBURG — From a World Cup bracket that looks like a bright, imaginative,Parajumpers Harraseeket Kvinna big-hearted child might have drawn it, maybe even in crayon, and especially if that child were Russian, one of the following four teams will appear a week from Sunday in a rare and motley final: Croatia, Russia, Sweden or Eng— . . .

    That’s Eng— . . .

    Uh, Eng— . . .

    That’s England.

    This reality stands cemented already even ahead of the quarterfinals that begin Friday, Leather Jodie with only two previous final berths sprinkled among that whole foursome up there. That will mark a departure from the penchant of the World Cup final to spotlight titans, with Spain in 2010 the only finalist since 1966 without multiple finals all-time, and with nobody deeming Spain an upstart. Twenty-nine of the 40 berths have gone to Germany (eight),Parajumpers Urban Rita Brazil (seven), Italy (six), Argentina (five) or the Netherlands (three).

    Somehow, only one of those five stands among the final eight, with that one (Brazil) on the caviar side of the bracket alongside Belgium’s golden generation, France’s soaring talent and Uruguay’s all-pitch competence. That leaves ample room already to note things such as that, when two teams walk out for the final in Moscow, Croatia could forge an astounding achievement for a country only 27 years old and with 4.2 million souls, or England . . .

    [England advances to quarterfinals with win over Colombia]

    In one of those statistics that seems impossible until its plausibility rises with careful viewing, Knitwear Anuri England, the home to the world’s most popular sports league, which is also a soccer league Parajumpers Long Bear ECO, has reached only one World Cup semifinal in the 52 years since 1966, the year it won the World Cup at Wembley Stadium as a host.Nike Air Max 90

    ReplyDelete
  3. Only nine months later, Louis Slotin, another nuclear physicist, accidentally caused the exact same plutonium core to go totally nutso (told you that was the scientific terminology) on his internal organs. Henceforth it was no longer Rufus, but THE DEMON CORE (seriously). Government hired William Laurence of The New York Times to write a whole suite of press releases that could be easily distributed following the country's first nuclear test, Trinity. (Michael Kors Black Chain Shoulder Bag)

    Wednesday, Aurora police said. 2, 2018" > >Aurora man who previously blackmailed women for sex arrested on meth chargeA 21 year old Aurora man who was previously sentenced to jail for blackmailing two women into having sex with him was arrested this week for alleged possession of meth and amphetamine. Maxwell T. (Michael Kors Fulton Pebbled Large Black Crossbody Bags)

    If you don't mind the somewhat clinical styling, you'll get a sophisticated, capable that does what it does rather well. However, if you absolutely positively must have the most engaging, dynamic package in a flagship sedan, you might want to wait for the spicier S version, which should offer incrementally edgier styling and performance. Regardless of where you fall on its (admittedly subjective) styling, Audi's new A8 L takes a quantum leap forward and puts its competitors on edge, shaking up a competitive segment with technology and features that will eventually trickle down to lesser vehicles.. (Michael Kors Black Bag Ebay)

    Black And White Coach Diaper Bag, It's hard to know what the best fridge you can get for your money is (Image: Getty)Get Deals updates directly to your inboxSubscribeSee our privacy noticeThank you for subscribing!Fridge freezers are a lifesaver when it comes to space saving in the kitchen, combining two essential items in one. But being such a key part of our lives, it's crucial that we pick a right one for us.With prices ranging from to into the thousands, there's plenty of options to pick from, and after price, perhaps the next most crucial element is space.If you prefer buying fresh food or drink, you'll probably want a fridge freezer with more chilled space, whereas if you're more of a ready meal or bulk buying type, it's probably preferable to get one with more freezer drawers.We've rounded up our 11 best fridge freezers below, for all budgets, from cheap to pricey, but worth every penny.1. Grundig Dark Steel 70/30 Fridge Freezer,Tall, dark and handsome, Grundig's new dark steel collection's premium colour is an evolution of the traditionally popular stainless steel that's versatile enough to complement even the most modern kitchen.The appliance also has a special 'Vitamin Care Zone' that helps to preserve the vitamin C content in fruit and vegetables thanks to the innovative blue LED lights that stimulate natural light, locking in all the goodness and taste.Get it from Currys forRead MoreCurrys are selling a bizarre new gadget for your fridge that will help stop food waste2.

    ReplyDelete