A paleo/primal update

To start with the most exciting news first...I have lost a full 2.25 inches from my waist since going Paleo.  A pant size.  And the only thing that has changed is how I eat (and even that wasn't much of a stretch - see my previous posts).  And (just as exciting) I have not lost any of my strength.  Big smiles.

I'm sick right now, so my thought process is a little out of whack, so forgive me if I seem like I am jumping all over the place. :)  I'm home at the moment with the anedovirus and a double ear infection, thanks to all the funk that my sweet Jenna brings home from daycare.

But back to the Paleo update...  In the past four weeks, we have tried a lot of recipes that have been very good. We make Paleo brownies on Friday that were actually pretty good.  Who knew you could make no grain, no dairy brownies, huh?  It does defy the no refined sugar rule a little by using honey (or agave nectar - we just had some locally bought honey here) and cacao powder (the honey doesn't really break the rule since it's naturally occurring in nature, but the cacao powder is processed, so...), but sometimes you have to break the rules a little.  Which is actually one of the principles of the Paleo lifestyle - some people use a 90/10 principle, others an 80/20 - JP and I are pretty strict, so I would say we have been on a 95/5 principle and it has worked. 

The greatest reason for this is, after about 2 weeks, my cravings for anything outside of the Paleo way of eating really went away.  I have no desire to eat out and we have found some very delicious recipes to cook at home, so we do.  As long as we eat when we are hungry and don't let ourselves wait too long, all of our needs are met, so there literally are no cravings.  No dreaming about french fries, ice cream or anything else.  It's interesting how it happens. 

I did try a recipe for Paleo chocolate chip cookies today, but I had the wrong kind of almond meal, and an attempt to substitute with coconut flour was an epic fail.  Maybe next time!

The only down side to Paleo was this past weekend, when I really just wanted comfort soup because I am sick.  So I decided to go ahead and get a potato soup bowl from McAlister's.  It was good, but it really didn't do it for me.  As a result, I made up a batch of Paleo jambalaya yesterday and will eat on that when I want soup - at least until I find a good Paleo soup recipe.