Day 4 - Lunch and Dinner (Leftovers)

Lunch - Mason Jar Salad with Rotisserie Chicken

Dinner - Jamaican Jerk Pork and Veggies

Day 4 into the journey and I’m feeling pretty good. I woke up this morning feeling a little feverish but after breakfast felt much better. My milk supply is still normal and a week of a teething, cranky baby hasn't broke me. If I can make it through this week the last 3 will be a breeze. I do have the challenge of going back to work after my 6 month maternity leave during week 3 so I’m sure that will be rough. Emotionally it will be hard leaving my baby, but I’ll just have to be prepared so there are no slip-ups.

Day 4 - Breakfast (Paleo Scotch Eggs)

Paleo Scotch Eggs

6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled

1 pound ground pork

1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice or homemade gingerbread spice mix (see below)

1-1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1.    Mix pork and seasonings.

2.    Wrap 1/6 of the meat mixture around the egg.

3.    Line a baking sheet with foil and top with oven-safe cooling rack.

4.    Place eggs on rack.

5.    Bake eggs for 45 mins at 375 degrees or until pork is cooked.

Recipe adapted from Stupid Easy Paleo’s Paleo Breakfast Sausage Scotch Eggs

Homemade Gingerbread Spice Mix

2 tbsp cinnamon

2 tbsp ground ginger

2 tbsp allspice

1 tbsp nutmeg

1 tbsp cloves

Pinch of black pepper

1.    Mix spices and store in an air tight container.

Recipe adapted from Stupid Easy Paleo’s Homemade Gingerbread Spice Mix

Wow, these smelled amazing baking in the oven, like fall! Mike and I couldn't wait until breakfast we had to try them. So delicious, I had brown mustard with mine, yum!

Day 3 - Dinner (Jamaican Jerk Pork and Veggies)

Jamaican Jerk Pork

4 bone-in pork chops

2 tablespoons dried minced onion

2 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 teaspoons ground allspice

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1.    Rub jerk seasoning on pork chops.

2.    Allow meat to marinade for 15-20 mins.

3.    Sear pork chops in hot pan for 4 mins on each side.

4.    Place pork chops in crockpot,

5.    Cook on low for 3-4 hours.

This recipe adapted from Allrecipe’suser Celia’s Jerk Seasoning

Jamaican Veggies

2 pounds carrots

1 cup Vidalia onion

1 tbsp butter

1/2 tsp cayenne 

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp orange juice (or pineapple juice)

1 tsp ground cumin

2 garlic cloves (minced)

1/2 tsp chili powder

salt (to taste)

1.    Cut veggies into chunks.

2.    Mix veggies and seasonings in a bowl.

3.    Pour on top of pork chops, cook 3-4 hours on low in crockpot.

Recipe adapted from Yummly’s JamaicanCarrots

I have to admit this was by far the best pork chop I’ve ever eaten in my life. I made enough for two nights and it took all my strength not to eat that other pork chop! I refrained, I wasn’t hungry anymore and buying organic is more costly, we’re buying our meat locally from Grundhofer’s. Not certified organic but they are grass fed, pasture animals raised without added hormones or antibiotics. The veggies were really good too, had a nice kick to them. I was surprised that I ate breakfast at 8 am and wasn’t hungry again until 5 pm, I ended up eating a couple hardboiled eggs instead of my salad so I could eat dinner with Mike at 6 pm. I have been a habitual grazer and clock watcher for close to 20 years, so this is a huge change for me.

Day 3 - Breakfast & Lunch (Leftovers)

Breakfast - Breakfast Meatloaf and Eggs

Lunch - Mason Jar Salad with Rotisserie Chicken

Last night I had to eat a little watermelon, I was having some serious carb withdrawals; headache, irritability, brain fog. I felt much better after eating the watermelon. I read that the first 3 days are the hardest and that most withdrawal issues are nonexistent after 3 weeks. I've also noticed that I feel dehydrated so much quicker, for me I have to really need to drink more water since I'm still breastfeeding.

I've started reading Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis Here's the synopsis from the book:

Wheat Belly was the original book that turned the nutritional world topsy-turvy and exposed “healthy whole grains” as the genetically altered Franken wheat imposed on the public by agri-cultural geneticists and agribusiness. The tidal wave of astounding health and weight loss successes, many of them recounted in Wheat Belly social media, has created a nationwide movement away from the destructive effects of wheat products.

• Removing products made with modern wheat yields astounding and often unexpected benefits in health and weight loss.
• Autoimmune, gastrointestinal, and mind effects top the list for conditions that improve or reverse with wheat elimination.
• Weight loss can occur at a surprising rate, typically 15-18 pounds over the first month, when wheat is eliminated.

Here's a link to YouTube videos of Dr. William Davis explaining the affects of modern wheat on humans.

Day 2 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner (Leftovers)

Breakfast - Breakfast Meatloaf and Eggs

Lunch - Mason Jar Salad with Rotisserie Chicken

Dinner - Buffalo Chicken and Celery Salad

I woke up yesterday with a horrible headache, probably from the long weekend of crappy foods. Luckily, today the headache is gone, but someone is still teething and crabby, so we’ll see how the day goes. I was a little worried that cutting out grains would affect my milk production but this morning I was able to pump 5 oz so still normal.

Day 1 - Dinner (Buffalo Chicken and Celery Salad)

Buffalo Chicken

2 lbs chicken breast

2 cups hot sauce

½ cup butter

1.      Pour half the hot sauce in crockpot add chicken breast and butter.

2.      Top with the remaining hot sauce, stir occasionally.

3.      Shred chicken when it's cooked, add back to crockpot to simmer until you're ready to eat.

4.      Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Celery Salad

1 cucumber

6 ribs celery

1 red onion

3 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

1.      Slice cucumber thin and the celery and onion ultra-thin.

2.      Toss veggies with oil and vinegar.

3.      Salt and pepper to taste.

4.      Allow time to marinade 4-6 hours and mix occasionally.

Both recipes adapted from The Chew’sGrilled Buffalo Chicken with Crunchy Celery Salad

Sorry no picture, I woke up with a mongo headache and after a day of a fussy, teething baby the picture just didn't happen. I'll try to remember for Day 2's leftovers to take a picture.

Day 1 - Lunch (Mason Jar Salad with Rotisserie Chicken)

Mason Jar Salads

I used the following rules:

1.     Buy fresh local organic produce.

2.     Dressing goes in first.

3.     Highest content water toppings on bottom; onion, cucumber, peppers, et.

4.     Bulkier veggies next; Julianne carrots, cherry tomatoes.

5.     Then, I packed as much spring/spinach mix on top.

6.     Lastly, I put an ounce of walnuts on top, hoping that would keep the lettuce from getting gross touching the lid.

Recipe adapted from The Paleo Mama's Mason Jar Salad

I used an organic rotisserie chicken from my local Fresh and Natural grocery store, broke it down and chopped it up. My husband had hard-boiled eggs since I was burned out from the night before and hadn't gotten around to it yet.

I had to make our dressing because even at the organic store all the dressings had either dairy, vegetable, soy or canola oils... Ideally the oils that should be used are Olive, walnut, flaxseed, macadamia, avocado and coconut. Olive oil is the most affordable, but when I made the dressing I was discouraged it tasted funky like olive oil. Luckily, the next day the dressing tasted much better and I really didn't notice the olive oil taste at all. Mike requested ranch, so here's the recipe I used.

Paleo Ranch Dressing

1 whole egg

1 1/2 cup olive oil

1 tbsp ranch seasoning (see below for recipe)

4 tbsp lemon juice

1.     Process egg and 2 tbsp of lemon juice in food processor.

2.     Slowly drizzle oil into the food processor (I used a small 2 cup processor, so I had to add a tbsp of oil at a time)

3.     When the consistency is like mayo, mix in the last 2 tbsp of lemon juice and the ranch seasoning.

4.     Store in an air tight container in the fridge, remember that egg is raw!

Adapted from Fed + Fit's 5-Ingredient Paleo Ranch Dressing

Ranch Seasoning

2 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 1/2 tsp. dried dill weed
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. dried onion flakes
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried chives
1 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients in an air tight container.

Adapted from Gimme Some Oven's Homemade Ranch Seasoning Mix