8 out of 21 Days Without Sugar, Dairy and Fruit Completed

I am going to be brutally honest- this sucked (at first)! I can't imagine how miserable one might be if they started this while they were eating a SAD (Standard American Diet). Luckily, I was already primal and was only hooked on natural sugars, fruits and dairy. Here is a little synopsis of my week with no sugar. I promise it is only 2 days that were bad- I am guessing they were my days of full detox.

Day 1: I was on an encouragement high and felt excited to start. I didn't crave sugar, dairy or sweets at all and this was an easy day.

• Breakfast: I got up early and made eggs with chicken, avocado, tomato and peppers.
• I sipped on decaf coffee throughout my morning.
• Lunch: a huge salad with lots of veggies and sunflower seeds
• Snacked on some cashews and almonds
• Dinner: Grilled Chicken and sauteed carrots

Day 2: I was okay until a kid brought me some chocolates- he walked out of the room and I ran to them and threw them in the trash shouting AWAY TEMPTATION AWAY! I wasn't too upset or mad about not eating the junk food. I was actually still feeling pretty good

• Breakfast: Eggs and tomato with my decaf coffee
• Lunch: Grilled chicken breast, Broccoli and a tomato/cucumber salad with balsamic vinegar
• Snacked on some carrots or nuts in the mid afternoon
• Dinner: We had dinner with friends and they cooked us some Korean Beef Lettuce wraps, Salmon, green beans and squash medley. All approved-they were so thoughtful to ask about our eating before they cooked. They even left the seasoning off of our salmon since it had sugar in it.

I brought fruit and dark chocolate for dessert- Brandon and our friends enjoyed that while I sipped my water. I was so stuffed from dinner that I didn't even mind.

Day 3: I knew I was going to have my first real challenge today- Happy Hour with my girls. Today was another fairly easy day but after my crappy dinner I wanted to come home for some Coconut ice cream or chocolate bar.

• Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs and a glass of Unsweetened ice tea with lemon
• Lunch: A huge salad with fresh turkey, Egg, Avocado, tomato and green peppers.
• Dinner: We ate at this not so good for paleo on a budget restaurant called "Season 52". It had terrible service and was overpriced. I mis-read the menu and ordered a flat bread (thinking it was a sandwich I could just take the bread off.) I basically paid $20 for 8 bite size chicken pieces some red peppers and onion.

Needless to say I was starving and this started my downhill trek on this detox. Going to bed hungry!! I don't recommend this because I didn't sleep well and my stomach was growling.

Day 4: I was tired and had a headache. I was very low on energy and extremely agitated (SORRY BRANDON!)

• Breakfast: Scrambled egg with chicken. I ran out of decaf coffee and had to just drink water.
• Lunch: Big salad full of veggies and pepperoni.
• Dinner: I was so angry about my previous nights meal that I decided to make my own paleo version. I made a nice flat bread and topped it with chicken, parsley, balsamic red peppers and onions. It was so good and my attitude improved after dinner.

After dinner Brandon cut up this huge yummy pineapple and that made me a little bitter so I just went to bed.

Day 5: The worst of all the days. I was feverish, achy, depressed and just an unpleasant person to be around. I did go to a little happy hour at Dogfish with some friends but I had a glass of water while we vented about our work week and I left before the shots started.

• Breakfast: I had loss of appetite and decided to just nibble on some almonds and cashews and I treated myself to a coffee on my way to school.
• Lunch: Broccoli, chicken breast and a little garden salad
• Dinner: Because I was so grumpy, Brandon surprised me while I laid on the couch miserable with a sweetener free, dairy free dinner. He usedthis recipe minus the cheese and added a seasoned venison and tomato on mine. He called them Mini- Burgers and they were awesome and filling. 

Day 6: Another bad day but not due to sugar. I woke up feeling great, no cravings and ready for my 5k with Brandon. Turns out I should have gone to a physical therapist and I shouldn't have tried to fix my knee myself. This was a hill filled course and my knee got injured even more. I had trouble running and really wanted to quit. Surprisingly my time was still under 30min and Brandon even got 3rd place for his division. The rest of the day I spent icing and elevating my knee. I did a little gardening and yard work but it was hard to move around.

Pre-Race: I had a some nuts and water and a bite of an Thunderbird energy bar (did have dates but no other sweeteners)

• Breakfast: Giant 3 egg omelet with Venison, peppers, onions, tomato and guacamole
• We had a late breakfast so I just had some carrots and veggies in the afternoon when I felt hungry.
• Appetizer: We had an engagement party for my friends Kendayl and Mike. She is gluten free so I knew this would be a somewhat safe party. It was awesome meat on a stick, veggies and lots of water.
• Dinner: After the party Brandon and I were both still a little hungry so we walked over to Sweet Green for a salad and a beautiful evening walk in Reston town center.

I didn't feel tempted by alcohol and actually realized that I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything by not drinking. I would have downed a few glasses of wine in the past. Besides my knee, I could feel my body getting settled into the no sugar, no dairy and no fruit. I was drinking a lot more water and I noticed I was using the bathroom more- probably not retaining all that water or substituting fruit for my water intake.

Day 7: I woke up feeling refreshed and happy just like Saturday morning. I wasn't starving but knew I needed some energy because I was going to be at church from 8:00-12 without food.

• Breakfast: I made myself a smoothie with some nut butter, coffee and Coconut milk. This did the trick and I was fine without food until about 1:30.
• Lunch: I made a Fajita Salad with venison, chicken, sauteed peppers and onions and fresh salsa and guacamole.

We spent the whole day at the pool and we swam and played and got some wonderful Vitamin D sunshine. I felt pretty good in my swimsuit because all the bloating is starting to go away. We took some water, carrots and macadamia nuts to snack on. After the pool we did a little shopping for clothes and food and realized it was 8:30 and we were finally getting hungry.

• Dinner: BGR joint burgers, asparagus fries (for Brandon) and Sweet potato fries (for me)  

Day 8: I am feeling fantastic! I woke up refreshed and energized. I got up early again and felt so prepared and organized. My thoughts were clear and I was able to make it through my day without craving any sweets. My body feels clean and healthy.

• Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with Guacamole
• Lunch: Big salad with turkey and lots of veggies- no dressing
• Snack: carrots and nuts
• Dinner: Bacon and Fried Eggs made by my wonderful husband.

While my body feels great and I have energy, my leg is in a lot of pain after working all day. I made my first Physical Therapy appointment for tomorrow at 5:45. I am not looking forward to it but I realize I need to take care of my body so I can continue staying active. I HATE sitting around when my body just wants to go go go.

So it was a hard week but I had tons of encouragement from readers, family, friends and my amazing husband. My body feels great and I am ready to continue another week of a Sugar free, Dairy free and Fruit free diet. Reflecting on my week, I ate a lot of eggs and chicken. This week I am going to incorporate some more smoothies, tuna, fish and venison in my diet. I didn't feel bored with the foods I was eating these 8 days because it was yummy but 21 days of the same and I would give up.
Here are a few photos of some of our yummy meals. Enjoy and if you are addicted to sugar- keep following for the next few days to see what this experience has taught me. I think paleo, primal or SAD- you should try this.
This weeks goal is sleep. Sleep is just as important as the food you are putting in. I am trying for 7 hours a night!

Brandon's cheesy venison omelet- I would have had this but cheese doesn't settle with me.

My veggie filled omelet- so good and I didn't miss the cheese

 

                                  Fresh hebs from my Garden and flat bread chicken triangles

Pasta sauce option

 

                                                        Brandon's mini- burger creations

Brazilian Cheese Bread

This my friends is what happens when your husband is away and you have nothing to do... Sit on the couch, chat with friends, get inspired to make food. I googled recipe's using Tapioca flour and this is what I found. Breads using tapioca flour rather than wheat flour. I came across a few Brazilian puffs and decided to do a little recipe combining. 

Ingredients:

• 1 Egg (room temperature)
• 1/3 C Olive Oil
• 2/3 C Whole Milk (Grass Fed, Farm Fresh)
• 1 1/2 C Tapioca Flour
• 1/2 C  Grated cheese, I used Gouda because that is all I had in the fridge. Great choice!
• 1 tsp Sea Salt 
• ¼ tsp Garlic for a soup bread or 1/4 cinnamon + 1 tsp Honey for a dessert bread

Process: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Grease a mini-muffin pan with coconut oil
3. Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and pulse on medium/high until all is well blended. Scrape blender if needed.
4. Pour batter into mini muffin pan. Fill it all the way up without over flow. I got about 22 mini muffins out of this batter. 
5. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. Do not over cook bread should be chewy and light. 
6. Serve warm! I tried them alone (delicious), with butter and honey (amazing). They would also be outstanding with some fresh jam or with a bowl of chicken soup.

So what do they taste like? They are chewy and light. They are not overwhelmingly cheesy (could be the choice of cheese or the fact that I added just barely a half cup) but I am not a cheese fan. These would be considered Primal not Paleo because of the dairy. 

These reheat and if you want them for a dinner, you can save the batter in the fridge for about a week. 

Tastes like a warm roll! YUM

Pizza Night

                                         Perfectly Delicious Primal Pizza

Pizza Crust-

2 cups Blanched Almond Flour

3 Eggs

3 TBS Olive Oil

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 TBS Oregano

1 tsp Sea Salt

Combine all of the Pizza Crust ingredients with a fork until it is thick and begins to form a ball.

Once you have made a ball with the crust place it on a olive oiled pizza stone (or cookie sheet).

Cover with Parchment paper and roll flat.

Brush the crust with fresh minced garlic and olive oil.

Bake the crust for about 15 minutes at 350F.


Pizza Sauce- 
I used the Pizza Sauce from my last Pizza Here 


Top pizza with whatever toppings you enjoy. Tonight I did a variety of toppings for Brandon and I. I love Veggies and he was in the mood for cheese. 


Our Toppings-
Brandon's half:
Raw Organic cheddar cheese- grated
Raw Organic Mozzarella- Grated
~Grate these two cheese right on top of the crust and sauce
Sprinkle the top with a little Italian seasoning


Kimberly's half:
Raw Organic Cheddar Cheese- grated (trader Joe's)
Raw organic Mozzarella- sliced into thin pieces (trader Joe's)
Sliced pepper, onion and tomato


Place toppings on the pizza and Bake for another 15minutes until cheeses are melted.
Enjoy! 





This crust is a fluffier chewier crust- my last pizza was more like a drier flat bread pizza. Brandon liked this one the best and said it fixed his Pizza craving. He kept walking around saying- that pizza was awesome- delicious- yum! Thanks for making this pizza. I think this is a new staple and we might be able to bring back Friday night pizza night! :) 

Paleo/ Primal Eating- Why do it?

Weight loss, Healthier, more energy, No more medications, Better hair, better skin, better achievements at the gym, A fun challenge, Try something new that you don't have to pay for a meal plan or a gym membership! Brandon lost a pants size without stepping foot in a gym!

Try it for 21 days and I garuntee that you won't regret it!!

Typical week for us:

Paleo Meat staples:
Venison
Free- Range chicken or game birds
Nitrate free bacon or ham
Roasted Turkey
Pork
Try to go with Grass fed, lean meats for the bulk of your meat eating. Breakfast meats are tricky- we do ham, bacon or even left over pulled pork or steaks with eggs or in an omelet.

My Paleo Snack or side dish staples:

Cauliflower
Salad
Asparagus
Fresh Salsa
Guacamole
Carrots
Celery
Squash
Cucumbers
Onion
Peppers
Grape tomatoes
sesame seeds
almonds
Macadamia nuts
Cashews
 Berries or in season fruits
Almond flour (buy in bulk)
Coconut flour
Any fruit in moderation
a little dried fruit in moderation
Dark chocolate 72% or higher in moderation
*Eat all the veggies you want- some days I eat an entire container of cherry tomatoes for a snack.
Dijon mustard's
oil and vinegar
Herbs and spices


Try to avoid:
Dairy products (If full Paleo, if just primal- you may have full fat, raw organic milk products- Brandon is more Primal because he still does cheese and cream in his coffee)
Sugar (yes sugar is not paleo) replace with honey, agave nectar, palm sugar or maple syrup- all natural
Juices- make your own
White/ wheat flour
Grains- your body cannot naturally digest them
Starchy vegetables- no white potatoes or corn
Legumes- What the heck is a legume?
Soy
*When buying dark chocolate- try to get soy, dairy free - or make sure soy lechtin is last on the list*
Trans-fats
Processed- pre made foods.
Vegetable oil
Butter- unless grass fed
Best tip- Read the labels and make sure you know what all of the ingredients are before you buy them. Buy foods with the least amount of ingredients.

*I've noticed that if I pre-slice some of the veggies and keep them in an easily accessible container- I am more likely to snack on them rather than opening up a chocolate bar or a bag of nuts and dried fruits.
For a great description and shopping list check out Mark Sisson. For some great inspiration and to see what your foods are doing to your body, read the Friday success stories- make sure you have a box of tissues!
For a good recipe book check out: Make it Paleo
Or check out these blogs: nomnompaleo.com, http://www.primal-palate.com/, http://www.paleocomfortfoods.com/, http://www.balancedbites.com/, http://www.everydaypaleo.com/ or continue to follow our blog! :)

Let me know if you try it!