What the hell is the ‘Paleo’ diet, anyway?

Regular readers of this blog will know that I spent January following the Paleo lifestyle, with the goal of giving my system a ‘re-set’ and I guess a bit of a cleanse, whatever that means. It was a New Year’s resolution for someone who doesn’t do New Year’s resolutions…

Asparagus wrapped in proscuitto - yum :)

First up, I have to say I am totally surprised at how easy I found it this time around. I’d done a Paleo month previously (which involved me going hard core for a fortnight, then slowly falling off the wagon over the next fortnight), and I found it really hard! I don’t know why it worked this time – I think everything aligned, and I knew I had to put in the prep to make it work for me. I also felt amazing after just one week (and lost 2kg), so that helped to keep me on track.

Butt-Ugly Paleo Breakfast Bites

Butt Ugly Paleo Breakfast Bites

I definitely find breakfast the trickiest part of following the Paleo lifestyle. I’m used to just popping a slice of bread into the toaster and eating it as I run around the house getting everyone ready, so it’s been difficult to break the habit of relying on toast or crumpets each morning.

Savoury Paleo Waffles

Savoury Paleo Waffles

This recipe is based on the Grain-Free Waffles recipe on the Against All Grain website, which are beautifully sweet waffles.

I was really craving a savoury waffle to have in place of a piece of toast under an egg, so I came up with this recipe. I use Boris the Bellini to make these, but you could use any high powered blender or food processor.

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup unsweetened Almond milk
• 3 tbsp oil - macadamia or olive (coconut oil is too sweet for this recipe)
• 1 cup raw cashews
• 3 tbsp coconut flour
• 3/4 tspn bicarb soda
• 1/2 tspn onion flakes
• 1/2 tspn garlic powder
• 2 tspn savoury yeast flakes
• 1/2 tspn salt 
• 1 tspn white chia seeds
• 1 tspn psyllium husk

Method
Pre-heat your waffle iron.

Place all ingredients in a high powered blender or food processor, process on Speed 6 (medium) for 30 seconds, moving up to Speed 9 (high) for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides with a spatula, and repeat for another 30 seconds on Speed 9 (high).

Spoon mixture onto your hot waffle iron, and cook until golden brown (watch for the steam - once that stops, you're pretty close).

Serve warm with poached eggs, ham, and some sauteed spinach and mushrooms.

These freeze really well - just place in individual ziplock bags in the freezer. When I want one from the freezer I let it sit on the bench for about 20 minutes to defrost, then pop it in the toaster to warm it up, which makes them go a bit crispy on the edges. Just watch they don't burn in the toaster!

Just another Manic Monday (except it's Tuesday)

6 o'clock already I was just in the middle of a dream..... 

In the middle of a dream at 6 o'clock? I wish. By 6am most mornings Mr McD and I have already had a mini-argument about who gets to have first shower and who's turn it is to get the Stuntman up from bed (he's an early morning poo-er, every morning without fail - not a pleasant way to start the day). By 6:15am we've had our first coffee and by 7am Mr McD's out the door.

I work Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, so Tuesday is the start of my week. Tuesday is my Monday, if you will.  After spending Monday at home with my two kids, I actually look forward to going to work - the train journey, having a coffee while it's still hot, going to the toilet by myself - so Tuesday mornings I usually bounce out of bed ready to get the day started.

Not last Tuesday though. Last Tuesday everything that could go wrong, went wrong. Nothing major, nothing life-threatening, just a million little events that resulted in me getting in to work at 10:30am, in my 3rd outfit for the day, and only wearing one earring.

For starters, Mr McD's alarm didn't go off, which usually wouldn't be an issue, except that on this particular morning the Stuntman decided to sleep in, so no one woke up until the sun started to creep in the window at about 6:30am. Shit. We were already running about an hour behind schedule! Then Little Miss declared that she absolutely would not get dressed until she had finished her breakfast, and proceeded to eat her bowl of Cheerios one by one... the Stuntman meanwhile was attached to my breast as if he'd been starved for days, and would scream blue murder if I dared to try and extricate myself from his death-roll grip before he decided he was finished. It was now 7am - I was still unshowered, Mr McD had showered but couldn't find his work shirt, and the Stuntman had hidden the remote control again so we couldn't even use the calming power of television (remote control later found in Mr McD's shoe).

I eventually got the baby off me, jumped in the shower for 1 minute and 47 seconds, speed-dressed and returned to the lounge room to find Little Miss still eating her individual bloody Cheerios, smiling slyly as I tried to gently cajole her into getting dressed. Gentle cajoling failed, so my next move was to simply take the bowl off her. A tug of war ensued - cue my first outfit change.  

After tears and recriminations (mine and hers, respectively), a ceasefire was reached and we got her dressed and ready for kindy. Mr McD took this opportunity to sneak out the door, somehow only 20 minutes late. The little Stuntman, realising he had been without attention for a total of 11 minutes, started smearing his piece of peanut butter toast along the wall behind his high chair, with a high pitched squeal of delight guaranteed to make everyone turn and look at him. Little Miss took it upon herself to take charge of the situation, saying, "Silly boy, that's very naughty, what a mess, we have to clean it up," in her bossiest big sister voice, and started to spread the peanut butter further along the wall... with her sleeve. Cue outfit change for her. Nanna looks after the Stuntman on Tuesdays, and she walks in the door during this madness, causing both kids to start running around the room in excitement, screaming their heads off like tiny little banshees.

By now it's 7:30am - we need to be out the door by 7:40am if I'm to have a chance of getting to work on time. Our game plan is for Nanna and the Stuntman to drop Little Miss and I at her kindy in the car, then I walk to the train station and head to work. Easy. 

Quick score check: I'm dressed, Little Miss is dressed, the Stuntman is still in his pj's covered in peanut butter, bags are packe..... ARGH NO! Bags are NOT packed! Quickly sort out my work bag while Nanna cleans the Stuntman up and gets him dressed, then I pack Little Miss' kindy bag, round everyone up in the front hallway and prepare to exit the building. Open the front door - it's raining. Shit shit shit. Head back inside to find a raincoat for Little Miss and an umbrella for me. Attempted exit number two - I pick up the Stuntman and make a run for the car in the rain. Just as I'm lifting him into the car seat, he spews on my shoulder. Just a little spew, but spew none the less. Back inside for second outfit change for me, and a quick wipe down for him.

It's now 8:10am. I'm seriously late. We all get in the car and I tell Nanna to floor it. She doesn't. It takes us 20 minutes to drive to kindy (I can do it in 8), so it's 8:30am by the time we pull into the driveway. I get Little Miss out of her car seat, grab my work bag and go to grab her kindy bag from the back seat. Where's her bag? FFS are you kidding me?!?!?!?! The bag is at home, on the front porch. Of course it is. Nanna, bless her, tells me she'll do a round trip and bring it back, so I race inside with Little Miss, explain the bag situation to the kindy teacher and try to leave quickly and quietly. No chance. Little Miss decides that today she needs an extra long cuddle, does not want to play with any of her friends and no thank you, she won't go and read a story on the pillows. It's 8:45am. So after a very long cuddle, during which time, unbeknownst to me, Little Miss had removed one of my earrings, I finally managed to say goodbye, walk out the door, run up the street and get to the train station. 

Just to see my (late) train pulling away from the platform. By this stage I'm beside myself; I'm so late I'm almost early for tomorrow, I didn't have any breakfast and I'm not entirely sure I've put mascara on both eyes. I have to wait 20 minutes for the next train. Fuck it. It's out of my hands now. The universe decided I needed 20 minutes to myself, I think, so I go and buy a coffee (on oat milk) and a piece of (sourdough) toast, and fire off a few emails from my phone.

I finally get on the train and sit back and try to relax for my hour long journey (it only takes 40 minutes during peak hour, but I've missed that well and truly). I stumble into my office at 10:30am, looking like I've been pulled through a hedge backwards, and feeling like I've run a marathon.

"Slept in huh?" says the receptionist. You have no idea.