18 January 2015

Is Butter a carb? Paleo Peas - Week 1

Ah Mean girls, That movie never gets old right?

Just before Christmas the Husbeast declared he would like our family to “Go Paleo”
Righto! I thought. Yippee.

So for Christmas I bought him (me) the Pete Evens Paleo cook book  Family Food. You can get your copy here or most bookstores.
It's an awesome cookbook with recipes that I think my kids will actually eat! However I guess the the proof is literally in the pudding, so as we go through i'll learn what the kids like and not like. 

So during 2015 I hope to track our progress with a series of blog posts - The Paleo Peas ( see what I did there?)

This isn't actually a huge jump for my Pod. We have been trying to cut the sugar and processed foods from our cupboards for over 12 months so the Paleo style of eating is the next step. We are taking a gently gently approach and we have decided not to cut dairy. I'm really not ready to give up my coffee, and the girls don't eat enough dark leafy greens to get their calcium needs. 

Plus I love cheese. Like really love cheese. Alot. I'm practically a rat.

I also went along and bought Nom Nom Paleo. You can read her blog and buy her book here.

Great. sorted. So now what?

First step I decided was to create 4 weeks worth of meal plans. Meal plans are great - they help keep me organised and when I’m organised I feel less stressed. Also it takes the thinking part out at the end of the day when my brain not so worky.

Meal plans would mean that we would have snacks ready to go - and less likely to crack open the ‘bad stuff’

Meal planning takes a bit of practise with trial and error to get it right. And I'm certainly no expert and I’m sure there's stuff I can still improve on. 
Just because I have created a meal plan it doesn't mean we save money at the checkout. Often I just write out the  meals that I like the sound of with out thinking about the ingredients or the cost.

But here are some tips for successful meal planning that I’ve learnt along the way:


  1. Use what you already have. - Take an inventory of what you have in your freezer, fridge and pantry and try and create your meals around this. - I'm very guilty of not doing this and then finding I’ve got 3 trays of chicken thigh which is not only a waste of freezer space but a waste of money.
  2. Use your dairy and make sure your meals fit what you have going on for each day - If you aren't walking in the door until 6 or 7 then maybe a slow cooker meal for that day - or something you can prep ahead of time.
  3. Try and plan your meals for leftovers and shared ingredients. e.g. Don't buy a lettuce for just one meal - Make sure the lettuce will be used up across different meals.
  4. Gather your favourite cookbooks and don't forget to use the index - this will save you a lot of flipping back and forth
  5. Don't write your meal plan when your hungry. This goes for shopping too - don't shop hungry.
  6. Make a list and stick to it. If your shopping with kids then plan ahead and let them know there can only be one treat that’s not on the list. This cuts the winging and the spontaneous purchases.
  7. If your stuck for what meals to include go for 3 meat dishes, (chick, lamb or beef), 2 Vegetarian based meals,1 fish based meal and a leftovers night. This helps to mix it up so the meals don't get boring.
Meal Planning doesn't have to be boring - Grab your fav cook books and a snack - Paleo friendly of course!


There are loads of free printables for meal planners off the internet - just google! - 
But I use Kiki K ones (I'm a Kikki K addict) - you can buy those here.

Once we eat our way through the meal plans I’m going to check which meals and snacks worked the best, which plans fit in our budget and laminate and rotate them so our meals aren't boring or repetitive. This seems like a lengthy and involved process just for dinner but then I only have to do it once.


Laminated Meal Plans! Yep Im bringing my organisation to the next level in 2015.

Heres what our first week of Paleo Peas meal plans look like:

Monday - Fish and steamed veggies

Tuesday - Butter chicken with cauliflower rice

Wednesday - Pulled pork tacos

Thursday - Pulled pork and slaw

Friday - Chicken nuggets, steamed veggies and sweet pot chips

Saturday - Sausage and Veggies and egg

Sunday - Steak and salad.

For snacks - Seed and nut bread
         Protein balls
     Paleo Banana bread

Most of our lunches include leftovers from the night before or a ham and salad lunch box.

Breakfast I don't normally plan except on the weekend, - Hipster fruit salad ( in a jar ) and mixed berry pancakes, otherwise its bacon and eggs or fruit. 
( Its really hot here in WA at the moment so the kids don't really feeling like eating heavy foods in the heat, they are happy with just fruit mostly.)

Phew.

Educating our girls on healthy eating is really important to us, in a generation where genetically modified food and processed food are the norm. 
It’s important to the Husbeast and I that they understand where ‘real’ food comes from. And the best way to to that is to lead by example.

Ugh. Isn’t  that annoying?
So now I have to eat healthy too.

Have you made healthy New Year Resolutions? Are you going Paleo? Do you write out Meal Plans? Let me know Peabodies! - I’d love any tips you might have for me.

Peas Out
Jane.


6 comments:

  1. Wow you are so organised-good luck with your Paleo. Im sure you'll notice a difference real soon-especially the not eating processed foods part :) Here's to your and your family's good health

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    1. Thanks Jenny! Wishing you good health in 2015 too! xx thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment!!

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  2. I do write out meal plans! Glad to learn I am not alone!

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    1. Lol Stephanie - I'm glad I'm not alone in this either!! I often try and spy on other shoppers shopping lists to see if there is a meal plan on the back!

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  3. I look forward to hearing more about your paleo journey. I confess I don;t really know what it is. Is it no carbs? Because if I gave up carbs I would practically have to cease eating. Is that bad? it's bad, right? x

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    1. Hahaha It's not bad at all OneSmallLife!. Paleo eating is about eating what our ancestors ate. Its also known as the caveman diet. Mostly its eating lots of fruit and vegetables, meat, and nuts. Nothing processed, mostly.....just how our ancestors used to eat..thats a very brief explanation - I'll include some links in my nest post...you can have some carbs.........lol. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog too!

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