dairy, gluten, Paleo-Schmaleo

Hi! I'll just dig right in :) I have embarked on a dairy-free and gluten-free lifestyle and although it's been about 6 weeks now, I've been debating about whether or not to share much about it here or not. BUT, I have hit on such great recipes and food ideas that I just can't resist any longer :)

For a basic explanation, I went dairy free in January in hopes of healing some chronic, life-long sinus issues that I just plain got tired of living with. Cutting dairy did not fix that particular issue, but to my surprise, solved several other issues that I really never even realized were issues--namely, every PMS symptom I had (and I have had several very irritating ones for about a year now) simply disappeared, along with any and all stomach pain, bloating and general discomfort that I just thought was part of life.

But, I still had the sinus problem. So, I moved on to gluten. This change was much more difficult for me! Gluten withdrawals are a real thing!! I felt pretty cruddy for about ten days and felt like I couldn't eat anything but eggs and salads. No dairy, no gluten, no sugar--it was hard to think out of the box! But started being more diligent about my daily vitamins and started playing with variety in foods that I could still eat and then began to feel much, much better. Three weeks in ... SINUS PAIN AND PRESSURE WERE COMPLETELY GONE!!!!! Plus, I wake up easier in the mornings, have zero headaches (I used to get headaches almost every day), my blood sugar stays stable throughout the day and I no longer must eat every two hours for fear of what might happen. I have more energy, less mood swings and just generally feel good.

So what I eat now is mostly meat, veggies, eggs, nuts/seeds and fruits. This is basically what is known these days as the "Paleo" lifestyle. As a disclaimer, I am a creationist and believe in a young earth and so cannot agree with the Paleo principles based on agriculture being a new practice. I believe it's as old as the Old Testament :) However, the "Frankenwheat" that we have been chemically changing over the last several decades into what we now ingest, is certainly not what God intended, which is why wheat makes so many people sick today.

ANYWAY, that was long, so if you're still reading, here are just a couple super yummy things I have cooked recently!

The sweet potato chips from Everyday Paleo were amaaaaaazing and we all loved them:

 Just the smell of that coconut oil in the pan makes the house smell irresistible! Seriously yummy.

We have also experimented with Brussel Sprouts. These chips were a great recipe! All the kids totally gobbled them up and ask for them every grocery day. (This photo is from Pinterest, it is not mine)

Source: abeautifulmess.com via Nikki on Pinterest

Another yummy Pinterest find were these mushrooms. I made them one evening to go with the coconut flaked fish sticks I had made and then ate the rest with my eggs on pastrami with spinach the next morning. Yummmmm. (Again, not my photo)

Source: simpleprovisions.com.au via Nikki on Pinterest

Today for lunch, I baked a salmon patty (from the frozen section) and had a bunless burger with avocado, lettuce, tomato, bean sprouts, fresh lemon juice and the Lemon Garlic Aoli (also from Everyday Paleo). 

I'll definitely be sharing more because if you're wanting to eat healthier or try solving some health issues with food, I am a believer in the Paleo way of eating! I am slowly transitioning my family to eating this way most of the time. I haven't made a big deal about it, and will never be crazy strict about it--everything in moderation ;) but I'm actually having an easier time getting them to eat these dishes than I ever did with the gloppier foods we used to eat! The kids are eating a lot more veggies without really even realizing it.

Everyday Paleo, the blog and the cookbook have been super helpful for me. There are a few more blogs and cookbooks and resources that I'll share in another post. Plus, these are just a couple of the amazing things we've been eating so I can't wait to share more! If you want to check out my Yum board on Pinterest, you'll notice the recent pins are all Paleo too.