Fried Green Tomatoes Paleo Style!

The fruits of my labor paid off. Despite having a horrible growing season, I did manage to have a successful tomato crop. However I did have to sacrifice a few from reaching their full maturation to make one my favorite Summer comfort food. I love Fried Green Tomatoes! Usually I would use a simple mixture of flour, salt, and pepper and egg wash. However that does not quite fit into my Paleo/clean eating. Tomatoes are a classified as a nightshade, and for some who are following an Autoimmune approach these are not for you. The verdict is out on nightshades for me. Thank goodness because it was time to get all Whistle Stop Café up in my kitchen. Tap into my inner southern gal roots and get to work.
Since I was not using flour and am honestly getting a bit tired of the go to almond or other but flours, I decided to use pumpkin and a bit of sunflower seeds. I put them n my handy dandy blender and chopped them down to a fine texture. Next I added Himalayan pink salt, pepper and my spices. Now here is the thing. I am a "sense" type of cook, I rely on smell and taste A Lot! So trying to nail down exact amount of spices prove to be difficult. I can give you a general measurement but I always adjust to my mood.
After added my spices to the pumpkin/sunflower seed more mixture, I beat two eggs for the wash. Here was my other conundrum, eggs. We have our chickens, seven "Ladies of the Yard" to be exact. Well they have decided to take an early vacation it seems. They started molting, which in the chicken world can slow production. Or as my hubs says "they are in strike, Union workers." Well today I was able to find three fresh laid eggs to use. Yay!!!

To fry these delectable num nums I just had to get the down home feel and use my cast iron skillet. I put about 4 Tablespoons of coconut oil and put it in medium high heat. Now watch it, cast iron heats fast! Bless our ancestors hearts using them over open fires!
While the oil is melting, dip your tomatoes in the egg wash then into the seed/spice mixture. Coat evenly. Place the coated tomatoes into the skillet. Fry each side until lightly golden and the tomatoes become slightly soft. Use a fork or slotted spoon to remove the tomatoes into a paper towel to soak up the skillet extra oil. Salt and pepper them and serve.
I served mine with my homemade Paleo Ranch dressing.


Recipe:

1 1/2 cup unsalted raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
Six green medium to large green Tomatoes, washed and sliced
2 eggs, whisked
2 Tablespoons garlic powder
2 Tablespoons onion powder
2 Tablespoons parsley
2 Tablespoons dried dill
Salt and pepper to taste.
4 to 5 Tablespoons coconut oil

Directions:
Wash and slice Tomatoes 1/4 inch thick give or take. You do not want them too thin or thick so they can cook evenly. In a blender or food processor pulse the pumpkin and sunflower seeds to a fine consistency. Add to a medium bowl. Add all your spices. Add more or less to taste. Combine together. Whisk the eggs. Add oil to pan on medium heat. Dip slice tomatoes into the egg mixture then into seed and spice mixture. Coat well. Add to pan. Fry for about 1 to 2 minutes. Flip tomatoes and fry the other side. * I usually do the egg wash/coating step with a few tomatoes at a time. Drain on a paper towel. Salt and pepper tomatoes and serve.

Paleo Ranch:
Use a paleo approved Mayonnaise or make your own. Add 1 cup of Mayo, 1/2 to 1 cup of full fat coconut milk, add dill, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic, to taste. I add all to a pint size Mason jar apply the lid and shake to combine.

The Cure for the Summer Time BBQ Blues

Yesterday was my first BBQ since eating healthy. It was also a big bump in the road. I do not know what I was thinking! Was I really expecting to have my host lay out a feast to fit the Goddess? Seriously! Hello, the Goddess is in the house, all hail the Goddess! Talk about conceit, Geez. Honestly, the thought did cross my mind, briefly, what am I going to eat? But I knew my host was having meat for sure, so I thought I am good. HA! Big fat HA! Most of the BBQs that I go to have people bring a dish to pass. No biggie. Food is expensive. I just figured I am sure there will be a veggie tray, salads, I don't have to eat the dressings, Oh I bet someone will bring a fruit bowl. Again, HA!

My first mistake, (ugh) was I did not eat something before we left. I do that sometimes. I get myself involved in things the first thing in the day and do not feed my body. I am working on that. Plus, somewhere along the line I have created a horrible habit of thinking "Oh, it is a party" or "Oh, it is a holiday" I better save my eating for then. Am I the only one who does this? Stinking Thinking! Well this was the case. Remember I said I "briefly"thought what am I going to eat? Brief, well more like a split second before I went into old thoughts.

I get it Human. Fool me once? as the saying goes...

Fast forward to said BBQ...

We arrive to food. Not just food, but comfort food! I am talking Lemon cake, my Aunt's homemade Vanilla cake with homemade butter chocolate frosting, Herb homemade rolls, Lay's Potato chips, pasta salad, Baked beans, fresh corn on the cob, fruit salad with whipped cream and get this, caramel and toffee bits topped on it. But last but not least Homemade Mac-n-Cheese. A smorgasbord of gluttony. Oh, and there was a veggie tray. I was in deep trouble. Immediately my body, already starving went into accelerated over load. FOOD! Immediately I went to the veggie tray and got a hamburger. But gosh, that Mac-n-Cheese, it is straight out of heaven, I could tell. 

Needless to say, my "Human" won. By the time I left the party 3 hours later, I looked like Templeton the Rat, from the book and movie "Charlotte's Web." You know after he goes to the fair and eats everything in sight. 

Me after the party! You are singing the song now too huh?

 Seriously I was a bloated miserable mess! However, I now take any experience, good or bad and learn from it. So what would I do differently? How can I make social eating situations enjoyable without damaging my health?

1. Eat! Regardless of my day, make fueling my body a top priority. I am no good to anyone if I am not fueled.

2. Find out if possible from the host what is being served. Prepare. Share with the host your healthy eating. I am a bit uncomfortable about this, despite my previous conceit from above. I would hate to put someone out.  But would it be different if someone in my family had a extreme food allergy? I would notify the host.

3. Bring a dish to pass that I know I can eat. Maybe even two! A salad with chicken and veggies, a fruit bowl or a savory Paleo/Whole 30 approved goodie.

4. Host a party yourself and share the health!

5. If and obviously When I fall off the healthy eating "horse," Pick your self up and continue on. Don't fall into beating yourself up, learn from it, and go forward.

That is exactly what I did today! Today a new day.Breakfast was simple. Banana and some almonds, I was not feeling super hungry. However,  here are two meals I ate today and I even got all my food prep finished for the week.

Lunch

Dinner

Portabella Mushroom Cap topped with sauteed white mushrooms, Cauliflower and Kale and Chorizo, with Radish. 

Easy to do! First cook the Chorizo. Set aside. I always drain it on a paper towel. Helps cut the grease factor down.  I then added some coconut oil to the same pan and cooked the Mushroom cap until slightly soft. Remove Mushroom cap. I then added the white mushrooms, cauliflower and garlic to pan. Cooked until tender. Then I added the Kale. I cook my veggies until just tender. No wimpy veggies here! Top Mushroom cap with vegetables, chorizo and a few radishes.




Next was Dinner...

Mango Basil Chicken topped with Plantains
Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Kohlrabi

Totally did this in the crock pot. Had found a great deal on Chicken Thighs so I used them. I removed the meat. The skin and bones went into my stock pot to make a huge batch of bone broth. Which I froze for later. I love to cook and love to add spices and such for a great dish. This was basically my thought on this meal. I had a Mango that was desperately in need to be used. After I trimmed the meat, I put it into the crock pot, added the mango, about 3 Tbsp of Coconut oil, fresh basil leaves, 1 tsp of cilantro, 1 tsp. of Allspice, 1 tsp. of Curry, 1 tsp of garlic, Himalayan Salt and pepper. I just put it all in the crock pot, combined and set it on for 6 hours.

About 45 minutes before I knew that the chicken would be done, I peeled and cut up the Sweet Potatoes, and Kohlrabi. I tossed them with Olive oil, Himalayan salt, Pepper, and Onion powder. Next I lined a baking sheet with parchment paper, evenly distributed the Potatoes and Kohlrabi. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes or until tender. While that was baking, I sliced and sauteed 1 Plantain in Olive oil, which I topped over the chicken.

The Goddess has gone Primal!

Yes, The Goddess has had enough of her Human counterpart's shenanigans! She is getting back to it "Old School!"

Since beginning this blog, I have been all over the place with eating. Yes, I will admit it, I am a Yo-Yo Dieter. Ugh. The only time I have ever felt good was when I was eating clean. Eliminating all the processed, sugar filled garbage that we as a culture have filled our bodies with for years. Obviously I love food, which is really not a bad thing. We need food. But the food I have consumed in the past 25 years has poisoned me. Hence the Insulin Resistance, weight gain, bloat, gas, oh and acne! (Acne! What the what?) the list goes on. I am not in any way a nutritionist or physician, but am someone who is tired of being unhealthy.

About a two months ago I really started researching food and health. I am a self-professed Foodie and will NOT cheat myself when it comes to taste, texture and just all around happiness in my food. I also hooked up with a local Facebook group for Holistic Moms, which really started my research. I believe I have found my niche. I call myself a Paleo Clean eater now. There are some of  my "peeps" who read this will NOT believe I am doing this. There was a time I would not even touch, let alone eat meat. Honestly I am not a huge fan, but Meat and I have come to a mutual agreement. (except for organ meats and ribs...just cannot do it...((shudder))

Switching over to eating like this was gradual process. Despite my sometimes all or nothing personality flaw. GRADUAL. I emphasis this. We used up what we had in the cupboard and gradually bought our gluten-free products. The first thing I bought was Pamela's gluten free baking mix. I started making my own bread. We read labels. We ate more veggies/fruit, nuts,  incorporated coconut and nut flours in cooking. There was a little bit of a difference  in how I was feeling, but no weight loss. Then I took a good look at what I was putting in my body. Researching more we moved into Paleo. Each grocery trip I bought one of two items that help in Paleo recipes, for instance Fish sauce, Coconut milk. Coconut oil has been a staple in our house for awhile now for cooking and as a lotion. Love me some Coconut.

My biggest concern in Paleo was giving up cheese. Ahh, cheese. Cheese was my go to snack.  I gradually stopped eating cheese and have no gas or bloating or other digestive issues. And you what I do not even miss it. I do not eat any dairy now other then eggs, butter and ghee. We have our own chickens so I have farm fresh eggs daily. I only use butter or ghee at times, usually I cook with Olive, Coconut or Grape seed oil. I have no grains in the diet now. Everything is either nut or Coconut flour. Veggies and Fruit a big component in my diet. Because of my wacky pancreas, I watch the fruit. If I do eat it, it is a glycemic fruit and it is always paired with a protein.

Recipes and Help
Can I just say I love the Internet for recipes. There are so many places to find recipes for eating this way out there. I have revamped my recipe book and added so many wonderful recipes. I am always looking for new ways to cook. Plus with three kids at home, I have be creative. I just started feeling confident enough to take some of our family's food favs. and switched them to Paleo. For instance, tonight I made Chicken Picatta with mashed Cauliflower, instead of mashed potatoes. Remember I am a Foodie! But I get there are some of you that are not, so I will link you to some of my favorite Paleo places.
Favorite Paleo places:
Paleo Parents 
Empowered Sustenance 
Nom Nom Paleo
A Girl Worth Saving 
Cook it up Paleo 
Against all Grain 
 


Where I am at today
 
Honestly, I have only been super strict eating this way for two weeks. But let me tell you I see an enormous difference. When I have cheated, the Fourth of July weekend, I got so sick. I will leave out the details but my digestive tract was not happy. Call it my "What if" experimentation, what if I eat that bun, what if I ate those cheese curds, what if I eat that s'more? Not good, not good at all! Now I know. So yes, the last two weeks I have be a very diligent eater. Not worth it to be that sick. Healthy please here! Plus as an added bonus...I lost 10 pounds in two weeks. I know it is really about health, but geez, I am trying to be the Goddess!










 

Onward and Forward...again.

 It has been a while since my fingers have hit the keyboard. Not that I have not thought about writing. But "Life" has a way of creeping in, right? Boy has it! However I will spare you the boring details. Let's just chalk it up to Life and move on! Yep! Onward and Forward!

You may be wondering if I have been able to release my "True Goddess" from my "Human." Well, let me just say we are no longer at World War 3 level, but we still have a way to go before they can be pals. But they are working towards a common ground. (sigh) The last few months I have really had some time to reflect. What is it that stops me? What are my demons? We all have them, (insert Human) but for me, what is it?
It all boils done to HABIT and LAZINESS, how about we abbreviate it "H & L." Because I can guarantee that this demon will raise it's wicked head again. Hey, I am a realist!

There is that saying regarding Habit, what is it? Doing something for so many days...I don't know. Well for me my problem is for 40 plus (cough) I have continued in a very crazy game. In my youth, Ha! I never had a problem with health/weight, if anything I was probably too thin. Oh, memories. Anyway, my health turned after my first child almost 16 years ago. Since then I really blamed my weight on having children.Oh. look another of my demons; EXCUSES! We can abbreviate them as: "E's" Granted there are physiological changes when you have kids, age, and genetics play a part too.But let's get honest, it was MY unhealthy H & L and E's that have brought me to where I am today. I know I am not the only one out there. We are human.  I realize that I  have a dance that I do. Let me explain.

My Dance of H & L and E's:

(You are in my head now, I know scary, but it will only take in minute, I promise!)

"Geez, look at that fat roll? It is like it has it's own world, shoot, it's own universe.  What the hell? ugh, are you kidding me? Oh, man I am looking old! Nice now I have a chin hair, seriously? What is up with the puffy eyes? Did I just piddle my pants when I sneezed? Why am I so freaking tired? What is up? Gosh, I look so unhealthy, what happened? That is it! Enough! This is it, I am going to do this, I am going to lose weight, and get healthy. I hate this. O.k, tomorrow I start eating clean, and exercising. Yep, going to pitch all the crap in the house, oh, wait the kids and hubby are not going to get on board with that, sigh, screw it, I will just not eat it. I will do my own thing. I got this." (self loathing, not good not good at all!)

The next day and a few weeks in:
"I did it, ate awesome, walked, feeling pretty awesome, this is it! I am going to do it! I am rocking this, I love my new____________ (insert new gym, fitness class, fitness video, fitness tool) I feel so good, so proud of myself. You are so awesome.looking good girl!" (self love, very good, very good indeed!)


"Wait, what? So and So, and such and such, just did__________, (insert any possible problem) Man, I am so busy today, I will just work out tomorrow, ugh, I am tired today, It is the holidays! I am so stressed out, Oh, look, chips! Well I did "o.k. today with eating, well except I only ate twice today since I was so busy and it was chips, cheese and an apple, at least dinner will be good! It is 10 p.m. and I am hungry, oh, I will make some nachos, oh, honey you bought me some ice cream, you are so good to me. (proceed to eat three servings) Dang it! I don't want to go to Dance Fit, that's o.k. it has been a stressful day, or I don't feel good, my period is coming, I need chocolate and peanut butter. I have Insulin Resistance, (side note: which is true, but due to this dance! continue...) I don't care anymore, I am what I am. Wait did I eat today? I better get back on it...

and the dance continues true to it's unhealthy cyclic form...

See? Scary. But it is my dance. Sometimes my falling off the healthy wagon isn't always a conscious thing anymore. I have danced it so long, it just is.

At this point I think the only way to stop it is to just be uber mindful of it. To really get honest and then accept it.To simple you say? Maybe, Maybe not, time will tell. But what do I have to lose? Since I am obviously an all or nothing kind of gal, I am shifting gears to allow myself to be o.k. to make a mistake, to not be so rough on myself. To try and remember not to stay in self-loathing mode. I even made post its to hang around my daily path to help keep mindful that I have a "dance."

Onward and Forward towards Health!

The Human side of me has been winning, Oh, Goddess let's get it together!

It has been a big struggle to keep up my promise to myself. I sit here thinking, "Gosh, imagine if I would of kept going, where I would be now?" It does not help that I have two friends that are on a healthy weight loss journey too and they are doing fab. I am so absolutely happy for them. Jealous a bit, but very happy. Hey, like I said the human is winning! What has made them stay on their journey and not me? I think I am just plain old weak. There are times when I say to myself "Self, why don't we just stay fat? Maybe we had our day in the skinny sun." Well that only lasts until I look in the full length mirror naked and scream!

Do not get me wrong I have lost some weight. We recently moved into the country and I have had to do a lot of physical things. Moving boxes, unpacking boxes, and gardening. A lot of working in the yard! Matter of fact I sit here at my computer lame for digging out weeds in the long driveway and helping the hubby with our new Japanese garden area. Who needs a gym when you have a shovel and tons of dirt to move. But to tell you how much I have lost, I can't. I threw the scale out in a moment of madness. Hind sight: scales cost money. Huh, maybe I should join a Yoga class? I hear the calming effects are wonderful!

My biggest down fall is really just habit and consistency. Summer is always hard. I do not tend to do well with exercise and eating right. Come to think of it I barely eat. Maybe once or twice a day. Let me tell you, it DOES NOT work! If it did, I would be rockin' a bikini! I am not purposely starving myself, I just do not have an appetite. Talk about throwing my metabolism off. Summer/Exercise? Ha! I am not a hot weather gal. Especially the way this summer has been. Hotter than a pepper pot and then 18 days of rain, and then more heat. (Hit rewind button, play again.) That has been our Summer. Ugh! I know, I know, what about going to a gym? Well my friends Planet Fitness is no more. We are now located about 30 minutes from a location. The membership was cancelled. So my activity has been walking, riding my bike, and pushing tons of dirt around. Remember the consistency factor I mentioned? These activities are not daily. So what is a Goddess to do? She thinks she needs to go talk to her "God" aka the hubby, for a tread mill and a set of weights and a weight bench.

Goals for the week:

-Eat! If I am not hungry, eat some of those awesome fresh veggies from the garden. Remember nothing like a plate of sliced tomatoes and cucumbers.

-Buy new tennis shoes. The old ones met their demise in the garden. (The lack of tennis shoes is a  good reason to not walk, the Human states quietly, in which the  Goddess gives her a smack upside the head and says "shut it!")

-Walk or ride bike nightly.

This is what I get for working out?

This is what I get for working out? This is what was rolling through my mind,as I stared back at six EMS/Firemen standing in my bedroom. For some woman this would be a dream come true to have six Firefighters in their bedroom. (sorry I could not resist) but for me it was a nightmare.

A few days prior to this, I started feeling a bit "under the weather." I chalked it up to that time of the month. During this time I get super sick, but that is a totally different story/blog, ha! No, this was something entirely different. After dinner of homemade chicken noodle soup, I laid back down. Just as I was drifting off into Never land, my heart started beating super fast, as if I was jogging. Then I got chest pain and tightness. After a few minutes of this not going away, I called my husband upstairs. We decided it was time to call 911 when it did not get better. What the heck?

I chewed up a full dose of aspirin and waited. When EMS got here, my blood pressure was 165/85! Yikes! They determined I was NOT having a massive heart attack, but said I needed to go in to be assessed. Ugh. I knew that meant a few hours in the emergency room. Since I was NOT having a heart attack, my hubby took me in.

The Voyage of the Goddess to the land of E.R

ACT ONE:
Blood work, cardiac enzymes, EKG, blood pressure cuff in place squeezing my arm every so many minutes, My blood work came back that I was super low in Potassium which can and will mess with your blood pressures.  Enter the nurse with two of the biggest pills I have ever seen. At least if I choked on them, I was in a good place! GULP! "Okay, can I go home now?" Enter the Doctor. "No, we need to keep you over night to get two more blood draws to check the cardiac enzymes. When a cardiac incident happens, it sometimes does not show up until 3 to 6 hours after, plus we want to do a Nuclear Stress test on you in the morning." NOOOOO!

ACT TWO:

Typical stay at the hospital, No sleep, no food or drink due to my testing in the morning, Poking and prodding, freaking out about all the other crap I could pick up from being in there. In the morning I was injected with a nice little cocktail of radio active something. Hour later, I am under a moving camera for about 10 minutes, then off to the treadmill. At least I wore my tennis shoes to the hospital right? My nurses running the test were amazing. They explained how the treadmill would start, increase in speed and incline. Joking that we would be taking a nice hike through the Appalachian mountains in Tennessee. I said I could handle that, as long as we were not hiking the Rocky mountains. I got this, I have been busting my butt in the gym haven't I? Buahahahhaha! The Goddess was laughing inside. She knew that it would be my journey to Hades on that last incline. It was. Nothing like jogging up the side of mountain.

Act Three:

The Results were that my heart is just fine. Pumping at 70 percent. What? Why not 100%? Well, I looked in the mirror and realized that. But my ticker is good. However, I have been referred to a cardiologist to "maximize my health." Not a bad idea considering my family history. Whew! They want me on a low-sodium diet, which I was doing any way with my own doctor. Take a heart healthy multi-vitamin, with CoQ10, B's, lycopene, etc.

Final:
Home. But I did not come home alone. Remember my statement earlier, I think it was in "ACT TWO?" the one about picking up some other crap from the being in the hospital? Yeah, well...

Five days later, I came down with the most beautiful upper respiratory infection. Fever, sore throat, etc. Here I am six days into this and I had to break down and call my family doctor for medicine, my herbal/natural remedies were not going to win this time. Relief has come as 500 mg of antibiotic three times a day.

So I have told my "Goddess Inside" to enjoy this little break now, because it is not going to last long, back to the gym we will be going. This will not stop us!

Exercising I will go, Exercising I will go! Oh, how sore I am, exercising I will go!

Yep, the will is there but by golly the flesh is weak. My fat human body is fighting the Goddess who is trying to claw her way out. FYI the Goddess is winning. I have been consistently exercising, and I am rocking it! This is the first time I have been this diligent. Don't get me wrong, it stinks to lug myself out of the house to the gym, and for the record, I personally do not think I have never used some of the muscles that I have been using. I even thought of looking up them in a physiology book to make sure I am not some sort of mutant! Once I enter the gym it is on! All I can say is I thankful for endorphins, can I get an "Holla!"

What makes this different then all the other times? Well, the will. The simple will to be healthy and fit. I have said I doubt I will never be a size 8 and model again, but I do NOT want to look like this, at all. My other motivation is having my work out buddy. My friend Lisa is on the same page as I am. She gets it. We encourage each other. We push each other. She is the first one to tell me to buck up and put my big girl pants on! I am grateful to her.

The other thing is despite my soreness, I can already see a difference. My stamina is better. I have went from doing cardio two to maybe three days a week for 30 minutes. I can now do 55 minutes cardio. I work out six days a week now. My strength is growing. On the days that I strength train, I have to raise the weight amount on certain muscles groups.

Here is my schedule:

Monday: Cardio and Strength. *On these days we are at the gym for about 2 1/2 hours, working it!
Tuesday: Cardio
Wednesday: Cardio and Strength
Thursday: Cardio
Friday: Cardio and Strength
Saturday: Cardio
Sunday: off

Some days due to schedules, it is harder to get to the gym, so that is when I have to get creative.

My Creative Moves!

-Pop in a Walking Away the Pounds DVD and work it with hand weights.
- Put in some "jams" and boogie around the house. I love to dance. (Don't worry neighbors, I will pull the shades to not scare you!)
-Bust out the tap shoes and bust a few moves.
-Have my hubby run me through his martial arts work out.He has studied martial arts for 28 years and I have trained with him in a structured setting before. Ugh, nothing like having to refer to your husband as "Sir."
-Pick up the pace while doing those household chores.


It all comes down to moving it!  I admit I get frustrated it is not coming off as quickly as I like. But it did not come on overnight either.

Daily Reminder:

In the lyrics of one of my favorite singers to dance to Ms. Christina Aguilera

You are beautiful in every single way...