I swore I would never "go Paleo." It seems gimmicky and I didn't want to give up bread. However, my awesome teammate is counting on me to make an attempt, and my coach is giving me lots of encouragement. So I am trying. Usually, I start really strong and quickly taper off. This time I have gotten stronger as I have gone along. (The German Chocolate Cheesecake in the fridge probably downgraded my early attempts.)
Yesterday was the long-anticipated cheat meal. We had to post a picture on Friday of how we were going to cheat. I decided I wanted bread and ice cream. We had a lovely dinner & went downtown for good ice cream.
Guess what?! My stomach sorta disliked white bread but it detests ice cream. I was awake all night in agony. And now I know. I can handle Greek yogurt & a little bit of buttermilk in the homemade ranch dressing (2 tablespoons) but my body really doesn't love dairy.
Here's what's on my dinner menu for this week:
Sunday: Turkey Meatloaf, Roasted Cauliflower, side salad
Monday: Rotisserie chicken
Tuesday: Slow Cooker Italian Pork Roast, zucchini noodles, side salad
Wednesday: (portable) Chicken, Apple, & Bacon Salad with homemade dressing
Thursday: Cafe Rio Chicken Salad, Guacamole Salad, Mexican rice (Rotel + rice + chicken broth)
Friday: Grilled Pork Tenderloin, roasted carrots, quinoa stuffing
Saturday: Date night (cheat meal?). Pizza for the kids.
Sunday: Hawaiian haystacks
Quinoa Stuffing
Adapted from Steven Raichlen's Big Flavor Cookbook
2 cups quinoa
1 firm apple, peeled & finely diced
1 tsp lemon juice
2 ears fresh corn (1 c kernels)
1-1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbsp)
4-5 c water or chicken stock
1 each small green, red, & yellow bell peppers, seeded, cored, & cut into small dice
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh herbs (sage, thyme, basil, oregano, parsely, &/or chives)
2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
Salt & pepper
Rinse quinoa.
Toss apple with lemon juice to prevent browning. Cut corn off of cobs. Heat oil in large saucepan & saute onio, celery & garlic for 3-4 minutes over medium heat until soft but not brown. Stir in qunioa with 4 cups water & bring to a boil. Cook for (however long it takes). Add peppers, apple & corn & continue simmering, uncovered, for 10 minutes, or until quinoa is cooked. Just before serving stir in herbs, cheese, salt & pepper.
