A Dinner that Proves Paleo is Right for Me!

   Last night I had a very simple, paleo dinner that inspired me to write yet another pro-paleo/primal blog post. I love food. I love meal times. They're just a happy time! So why waste one of America's favorite past times on boring, bland food? Eating something I don't enjoy because it's supposedly healthy really only makes matters worse. When I don't enjoy a meal, I feel like I should get to eat again. I think Well that was disappointing...now I want something else. Dessert?

     I can't speak for everyone, but I certainly can't stay on track if I cringe at the thought of an upcoming unsatisfying lunch. When I discovered Mark Sisson's Website and did my own research on the primal and paleo lifestyles, I felt relieved. Sure, I had to give up bread and pasta, but I didn't  have to give up bacon. Or eggs. Or meat. Or eating until I was actually  full, not simply "unhungry." And honestly, why do you eat pasta? Isn't the best part of rice and pasta the actual stuff  (be it meat sauce, garlic and butter, sausage, shrimp, eggplant, sauteed veggies, whatever) that goes on top of it? Pasta and rice don't have any actual taste. So let's remove them, replace them, and get more enjoyment out of real food.

     This lifestyle also gave me the logic behind why I don't have to eat breakfast as soon as I wake up. Every other dietary lifestyle demands we eat breakfast within 30 minutes of waking up so that our insulin levels don't plummet and spike throughout the day. (Um...it doesn't do that if you consume less sugar and more protein and fat.) And I used to do just that. If I woke up at 5am, by 5:30 I had my enormous bowl of cheerios, skim milk, and a side of grapefruit. And I was hungry again by 8am. It didnt' make sense that I was eating the "right" things and was starving. I had to be that hungry to be healthy? Thank goodness I discovered better answers.
    Don't shove a granola bar or a cup of sugary yogurt down your throat in the name of eating breakfast. When you follow paleo principles, you can eat when you're hungry, and you can eat until you're full. If that means you're not hungry for 6 hours after lunch because your enormous almond-chicken-goat cheese-green olive-olive oil loaded salad had enough fat and protein to carry you that far along, great. Don't eat for 6 hours. I've never been able to eat "5 small meals a day." It only makes me think about eating all day long   because I was never actually full.

  So what did I eat last night at 6pm that held me over until 9am? Bacon Jalapeno Chicken Bites with Garlic Roasted Broccoli. I was so happy :)

    I didn't follow a specific recipe for either part of the meal. Here are the basics:

Bacon Jalapeno Chicken Bites
   Chicken (white or dark meat, doesn't matter), cut into bite sized pieces
   Center cut bacon (organic, if possible)
   Jalapenos
   Toothpicks
   Chili powder
   Salt and Pepper

Instructions:
    1. Preheat oven to 350.
    2. Season chicken with chili powder, salt, and pepper.
    3. Slice jalapenos into bite sized pieces. (If you can't handle the spiciness, be sure to remove the seeds and green stuff on the inside of the peppers.)
    4. Cut each slice of bacon into three pieces.
    5. Place a slice of jalapeno on a piece of chicken, wrap both with a piece of bacon, and secure the bite with a toothpick.
    6. Place on foil-covered baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes.

*If you're not entirely convinced about this whole 'fat is okay' thing, then go for turkey bacon if you must. But read the ingredients! There are some brands of turkey bacon that involve very little turkey and a lot of additive crap.

Garlic Roasted Broccoli
    Broccoli
    Fresh chopped garlic
    Olive Oil (Be generous with the amount you put on. You won't be ravenous by 10pm.)
    Seasoning of choice
    Salt and Pepper (if seasoning doesn't already contain salt)

Instructions:
   1. Preheat oven to 425.
   2. Cut and wash broccoli. Dry broccoli thoroughly. (Otherwise it won't get crispy in the oven!)
   3. Toss broccoli with garlic, olive oil, and seasoning. (I used Trader Joe's South African spice. I've also used Tony's, chili powder, and fajita seasoning. Experiment!)
   4. Place broccoli on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes.

   If you're not a fan of broccoli, I suggest you try this recipe, or Google any other "Roasted Broccoli" recipe. When you're focusing on filling foods instead of "carby" foods, you don't have to worry about the fat. You really, truly don't. It seems like a scary leap to make, but once you make it, dinner becomes that much more delicious. And you won't even want bread, rice, or pasta. It's not needed. Because you're full and happy! There is no concern with serving sizes. Eat slowly, enjoy the meal, and you'll naturally learn when you're done eating. (If you're interested in learning more, take a look at this post. It also has a bunch of links at the end that explain the whole process.)

Click here for one of my favorite Paleo cookbooks: Practical Paleo, A Customized Approach to Health and a Whole-Foods Lifestyle

Question: What's your favorite pasta dish you'd love to paleo-fy so that you can have a larger serving?!

Happy Saturday!