I've had people ask me a lot of questions about the Paleo diet. A great place for general information about this diet is from the blog The Clothes Make the Girl; Melissa "Melicious" Joulwan is the author of this blog as well as my favorite Paleo cookbook "Well Fed." Her simple, real world application of the Paleo diet has made it accessible to foodies who, like me, can't just sit around and cook all day but who want to eat food that tastes like they had all the time in the world. The practical, make ahead tips and tricks have helped me focus my efforts while grocery shopping and cooking. Her use of spices is amazing, and as someone who used to think drown things in sauce because well, butter and cream are delicious, I have become a spice advocate. Spice spice baby.
Moving on: this will walk you through a normal Sunday in MB-land. It usually involves grocery shopping and cooking some of my proteins ahead of time for the week laid out before me. Because I am going to Vegas for a week in a week, the amount of produce I bought is a little short of what I would normally purchase. That being said, it is still a crap ton and I'll probably be done with it by Thursday night and will get to treat myself to my favorite semi-Paleo fast food for lunch: a salad from Chipotle (chicken, fajita veggies, mild and medium salsa, and guacamole).
Step one: go to your local farmer's market, organic market, Whole Foods, or general supermarket. Keep your eyes peeled for vibrant, delicious produce. If you can't get to the store on a regular basis for some reason, there are a LOT of farmers who have made organic (or non-certified organic) produce, eggs, meat and poultry available for home delivery. Google it in your area to see what your options are. I love Washington's Green Grocer and South Mountain Creamery and will, if I'm super swamped with life, order from them on occasion, but I still like to go and pick out my own produce and meat, especially in the summer, as farmer's markets are plentiful and it makes this particular chore a lot more fun. Plus you get to interact with the farmers themselves, see your local peeps at MOM's or Whole Foods, and you can get inspired right then and there and make something delicious with your haul when you get home, no waiting required.
Step two: Be knowledgeable of and look for things that are in season (Super awesome interactive map of the US to see what is in season where you live). Buy these things in reasonable quantities, but stock up on things you might want when they aren't in season if they lend themselves to freezing (this time of year that means zucchini, summer squash, berries of all varieties) because they will be 1) cheaper because they are in season and 2) more delicious than the ones you'll get later in the year that have been shipped from California or other parts unknown (oh California, I miss your bountiful fresh produce. FOCUS MARIBETH).
Step three: Find a new veggie to try every time you to go the store. Things cycle in and out of season and so there's usually something different for you to try. Or perhaps a different, non flour/pasta/starch twist on something you have prepared before (example: zucchini lasagna because of the 17 squash I got as a result of my last Washington Green Grocer order). This will keep your creative juices flowing and make your diet not seem like a diet at all.
This was my haul from the grocery store(s) today:
The produce was from a MyOrganicMarket (MOM's) and the meat was from a supermarket. I know, I know. Conventional meat is not the best but I am not making it rain with cash anytime soon and have decided to spend money on Cross Fit and organic veggies. The meat will just have to come from Shoppers or Safeway. Sue me. I tried to make sure I had what was in season, but with some color. Kale, spinach, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, asparagus, avocado, grass fed bacon, chicken thighs, eggs, and pastured butter. A delight.
Step four: Understand what your staples are and make sure you have them in plentiful supply. I buy meat when it's on sale and freeze it. I buy ground beef (85/15 usually), organic sausage (bulk and links) and chicken thighs and put them into weekly portion freezer bags so that I can pull them out and defrost just what I need. Also, a word about chicken breasts: these mother truckers are HELLA expensive compared to chicken thighs. Dark meat, cholesterol wah wah wah, chicken thighs are where it is at. I can get package of 12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs for 8 bucks. That is 2 weeks worth of protein. Do the math. I dare you not to love a baked chicken thigh and all the rich moistness it brings to your dish. They lend themselves better to cooking ahead and reheating (for those of us who have to leave the house for work) and are a delight.
My freezer at present. Notice the bagged meats and squash, ready for the cookin'.
My non freezable refrigerator staples are organic, free range eggs, grass fed butter, and the occasional container of whole fat Daisy sour cream.
This is my pantry (note, I live with others and just have the second shelf):
My pantry staples are nuts (walnuts or almonds typically), some sort of nut butter, canned tuna in water, mayonnaise (because I don't have a blender to make my own yet), dijon mustard, canned fire roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, olive oil, sesame oil, coconut aminos, and spices spices spices (salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, dry mustard, cayenne, garlic powder). The majority of my pantry is taken up with my spice bucket. This is by DESIGN. Sticking to the peripheral aisles of the supermarket means that you don't need a lot of pantry space. Spices, tuna, nut butter, cooking oil, etc live here. Not real food.
I cooked chicken thighs and roasted asparagus in the oven, wilted spinach and made a lovely lemon mustard sauce for my chicken on the stove top. In under 30 minutes. I could recreate this meal with pre-cooked chicken thighs in about 15, and only that long because I like my asparagus tips crispy and that takes time in the oven. I dare you to tell me this doesn't look better than some processed McDonald's crap that would have taken you just as long to get, between the car ride, the line, and the return trip:
Food rant over.
***Just for the record, I don't get any kick back from the above plugs, just trying to point people in the right direction for some great recipes, services and ideas***
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