Sweet Potato Soufflé

My boyfriend Jeff, and my good friend Ivan both have had a lot of trouble battling some paleo temptations. For Jeff, working every single day in a bakery was just too much, and he conceded to a 70/30 paleo diet. When we eat together, we eat 100% paleo. On his own though, he prefers the now-and-again pastry, Chipotle burrito, or sandwich. He's at a really healthy weight, so it works for him.


Ivan recently texted me confessing that he had trouble with breakfasts in particular. He wanted something quick, and a little sweet. I'm going to be experimenting with some recipe ideas along that vein, but before then I wanted to put up this recipe I've had laying around, in case you really need that extra carby sweet indulgence (perhaps before a hike, or a long day at work). I find these incredibly filling, and end up eating half at any given time.

Sweet Potato Soufflé 


1/2 a large sweet potato
2 eggs
Crushed pecans
Cinnamon
Nutmeg


1. Bake the sweet potato through.
2. Remove the skin. (I like to eat it as is!)
3. In a small heat-proof bowl or cup, stir together the potato, eggs, and a little water.
4. Add spices to taste.
5. Top with crushed pecans.
6. Bake in a 350 degree oven until the top begins to brown.

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Stats and Perspective Update!

Here are the stats after the first 30 days on Paleo. I've lost a total of 8 pounds, and several inches. I feel more alert, less hungry, and definitely happier. Although I initially was 100% focused on seeing the scale change, that has become less important to me than how I feel day to day. Not to mention: I keep losing inches, so I'm definitely slimming down. I do wish I knew why the weight itself isn't changing. I am exercising more, but not enough to build equal amounts of muscle, or so I thought. 


This is my new perspective on Paleo, and how I've been explaining it to people of late: you remember when you were a kid, and you knew your body? Climbing a tree was no problem, because you knew what your body was capable of, you were in touch with it, you could control it well. The older I got, and as I went through puberty, then got less fit, then a little overweight--I began to lose that in-touch aspect. Looking at a tree suddenly seemed like too much effort to climb, swinging up on to something was bound to be embarrassing. I didn't know my body, we were two separate entities co-existing. With Paleo, I'm beginning to get my body back.


I don't mean just being fit, or healthy. I mean understanding how my body can move, and knowing I have control over it again. I have no idea if this makes sense to you, but it's what eating this way has done for me. I look forward to continuing this, and regaining that sense of ability that I used to have. After I get a job, the first thing I'll be doing is joining the local gym, and really put this newfound (re-found?) body communication to the test. I can't wait!


Now on to the stats! 



August 30




upper arm r            11.5''     (same)
upper arm l            11.25''   (down .5)
bust                         34         (down 2)
waist (smallest)      24.75        (down .75)
waist (tummy)       30.25        (down 3.25)!!
hips                          34.75         (down 1.25)
inner thigh left        22.5       (down 1)
inner thigh right      22.75       (down .75)
butt                       39.5           (down .5)


140 lbs  














August 16




upper arm r            11.5''     (down .5)
upper arm l            11.75''   (down .25)
bust                       36          (same)
waist (smallest)      25.5        (down 2.5) !
waist (tummy)       33.5        ( down .5)
hips                       36          (same)
inner thigh left        23.5       (down .5)
inner thigh right      23.5       (down 1)
butt                       40          (down 2) !!


142 lbs  












July 31

• upper arm r          12''
• upper arm l          12''
• bust                     36''
• waist (smallest)    28
• waist (tummy)      34
• hips                     36
• inner thigh left      24
• inner thigh right    24.5
• butt                     42

Starting weight: 148 lbs,  height:  5'4''

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Offal Good

I'm going to start posting food-related videos here as both a way for me to remember them, and as a helpful resource. In the video shown here, Chef Jason Bond prepares a pork heart in an appetizing way. This week I purchased some beef heart from my local Asian market, but had no idea how to prepare it. After some reading, I had decided to do a quick sautee with some vegetables. I think I'll still do that with half, but then prepare the other half as shown above. The thin chilled slices of rare heart look like an excellent way of trying it for the first time.


When I was younger, my mother would make liver. She'd cook up the onions, and the whole house would smell amazing. Then she would fry the crap out of the liver, rendering it into this gristly, awful tasting, gritty hunk of meat. Even the disgusting amount of Heinz 57 I poured over the top didn't do the trick. Since then, I've learned to really like the taste of liverwurst, especially on toast (although not any more!), but it will take a little work before I'm up for trying liver again. So I figure I'll start with heart, then move to kidney (Patty at Following My Nose has a fantastic sounding lamb kidney recipe!), then maybe tackle liver. I know how important it is for Henry to get organ meat as part of his raw diet, and it makes sense for us to consume organ meat as well, as it's so full of vitamins and minerals.


I'll update once I've cooked the beef heart with what I think. Offal may be off-putting to begin with, but I think it's probably more of a mental exercise than actual taste and texture. We'll see!

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Bleak

I know I've been a bit quiet over here: thus far this week has seen no recipe posts, no featured posts, and no stats. To be honest, I've been avoiding a lot of things. Yes, still on paleo, and CC will pick up again now, but when life decided to be a pain in the ass, certain things get dropped first.

I've been on the job hunt for a little over a month now, and had just been called for a second interview at a place this week. It was a great nonprofit, and I felt pretty confident about the interviews. Sadly, it was down between myself and one other person, and the other person got the job. It's difficult to bounce back from that, but I'm moving on and continuing my search. This weekend, however, will see me making these brownies to help cope. Because everyone needs a little comfort food now and then.

I'll be putting up the featured post and some recipes soon, but will likely skip the stats. I haven't been paying as much attention to what I've been eating; just making sure that it's paleo.

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A Routine

Something I've wanted to add for some time is an exercise routine. Today I finally cobbled together something that I can keep up with until I join a gym later this autumn. Following youtube videos and blogs, I've put together an intro routine of jump roping (eventually double-unders, for now I'm simply trying to keep up jumping for an extended period of time), push-ups, squats, and box jumps. I also want to add running 3x a week, minimally.

I've begun adding links to inspiration and techniques that I'm personally incorporating. They're under the "Exercise" header at the top. Eventually I plan to add my own commentary on what works and doesn't work for me, as well as resources for at-home training.

I just finished my first "at home" workout (in the empty laundry room/basement of my apartment, no less!) with Henry watching bemusedly. Tomorrow will likely see a hike, and more of the same! For now I'm not counting so much, simply just doing each exercise until I run out of steam.

Today:

Jumped rope until I couldn't
Did Day 1 of 100 Pushups Program
Jumped rope again
Did as many box jumps as I could (little box, my friends, little box.)
Jumped rope one more time
Stretched (probably should have done this first, but I was so excited!)
Held a plank for as long as I could

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Paleo Creamy Coleslaw

 I love, love, love a good creamy summery coleslaw. With barbecue it's always my side of choice, even before potato or macaroni salad. Now all the coleslaw I used to make would have a bit of sugar in it, but since that's no longer allowed you can sweeten with a little apple or pineapple juice, if need be. I found that this didn't particularly need to be sweetened at all.

Paleo Creamy Coleslaw

2 cups shredded cabbage, 1/2 cup shredded carrot, 1/2 cup shredded purple cabbage, 

OR

1 bag coleslaw mix

1 1/2 t ground celery seed OR 2 T mustard OR 1 T ground horseradish

salt

pepper

apple or pineapple juice (if necessary)

1/2 C mayo

2 T water 

1. Mix all the ingredients and chill for at least an hour. If you like creamier coleslaw, add more mayo. Thinner, less mayo. 

2.The celery seed, mustard, and horseradish all lend that wonderful acidic bite, and I would use whichever one you happen to have on hand.

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Meals for Week Two

Monday

Breakfast:
Mushroom, scrambled eggs, leftover pork from Sunday.

Lunch:
Sweet Potato "pudding" (recipe coming soon!)

Dinner:
5 deviled eggs, 1 cup Kim Chee

Snacks: 
None today

Notes: Breakfast was filling, and excellent. The sweet potato recipe test was a success as well!

Tuesday

Breakfast:
Beet Greens

Lunch:
Curry "failure": ground beef, cilantro, curry paste, coconut milk

Dinner:
Stuffed Poblano Peppers, Paleo Creamy Coleslaw, sauteed apples.

Snacks:
1/2 oz pistachio nuts

Notes: The curry was a failure because I didn't cook the ground beef before adding it to the curry paste/milk mixture. It turned into this meat slurry of porridge-like consistency. Also, no veggies!

Wednesday

Breakfast:
Salmon patty

Lunch:
Leftover "failed" curry from yesterday

Dinner:
2 large artichokes

Snacks:
7 almonds, 2 slices bacon and an egg


Thursday

Breakfast:
3 large eggs, scrambled, mushrooms

Lunch:
Leftover coleslaw

Dinner:
Pork curry with peppers and onions, cooked at Jeff's place

Snacks:
Banana "ice cream" (recipe coming!)

Notes: The curry was much better this time around! Jeff loved it, it might have been his favourite paleo meal thus far.

Friday

Breakfast:
Leftover stuffed poblano peppers I had frozen

Lunch:
Roasted beets

Dinner:
Pork curry again!

Snacks:
Remaining banana "ice cream"

Notes: Jeff was such a fan of the curry that he wanted it a second night!

Saturday

Breakfast:
Hamburger patty, summer squash

Lunch:
Swiss chard (blech)

Dinner:
"Fajitas" (recipe coming)

Snacks:
2 bananas
Handful pistachio nuts

Notes: I do not like swiss chard. 

Sunday

Breakfast:
2 slices bacon, 3 boiled eggs ("chopped egg" - recipe coming!), 2 mushrooms

Lunch:
2 Aidell's Chicken and Apple Sausages (!!)

Dinner:
1/2 a chicken breast, 1 large wing portion chicken, sliced zucchini

Snacks:
1/3 a Larabar, "Cashew Cookie"

Notes: Rotisserie ovens suck. 

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