Paleo Tamalie Pie....and 4 people noticed!

So, i'm chugging along with this Paleo(ish) diet. It's really not all that hard, which is awesome. I'm satisfied, eating less, and eating MUCH healthier. Now that i'm in the swing of things, though, I'm going to need to work in some more fish into my diet. For some reason cooking fish scares me, how dumb is that? I also may be the only person in the world that doesn't dig salmon or other "fishy" fish. Yesterday, after a horrible lunch that consisted of a charred burger patty without the bun and one slice of tomato (the waiter couldn't seem to remember to bring my fruit...like ever), I went home and made Paleo Tamale Pie from Paleo Table. Let me tell you, it was SO good. SO, SO, SO good. Slap your momma good. Even my non-Paleo(ish) husband loved it (but I did lay out some sour cream and cheese for him to doctor his up with!) If you are trying to eat Paleo, Paleo(ish), or just more whole foods in general, check out Paleo Table. She has some great recipes. Here's the tamale pie recipe:

Ingredients:
1 lb grass-fed ground beef
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 sweet pepper, cored and chopped (I used red, but any color will do)
1 2.25-oz can black olives
1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 7-oz can green chiles
1 Tbsp coconut or apple cider vinegar (optional)

Spice Blend:
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp onion powder
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp paprika
1 cup warm water

Crust:
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup water
1 egg

Preparation: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain fat, if necessary. (I find that grass-fed ground beef requires no draining.) Combine spices in a small bowl. Add water and whisk together. Add spice liquid to cooked ground beef. Stir to combine and simmer over medium low heat until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10-15 minutes. While taco meat cooks, saute onion and peppers in coconut oil in a medium skillet until onion becomes translucent, 5-10 minutes. Add onion mixture, olives, tomatoes with their juices, chilies with their juices, and vinegar to the seasoned beef. Stir to combine. Simmer for 5 minutes. While meat simmers, combine egg, water, and almond flour in a small bowl. The mixture should be thick, like cornmeal. Transfer meat mixture to a deep-dish baker or a medium (8x8 or 9x9) baking dish. Scoop almond dough over the top. Bake for 10-20 minutes or until top is lightly browned. NOTE: Do not overfill the baking dish. If your dish is pretty full, set it on top of a baking sheet in the oven to catch any drips. Believe me, you will have a mess on your hands otherwise!

In other news, I ran this morning! Woot! Only 2.33 miles, and I only ACTUALLY ran a mile of it, but, baby steps, right?! But even more exciting?! No less than 4 people mentioned to me that I look like I've lost weight yesterday! It's so motivational, especially since I'm not weighing so I don't know how much/if i've really lost. But, my clothes are looser, my rings are looser, and people are talking. Yay! Keep on keepin' on.

Paleo(ish)

Hi all! Again, it's been too long since I've posted, what can I say? Life just gets in the way, I guess. Hopefully, now that I'm back on a more structured way of eating, I'll be more apt to post. For awhile there, my failure at this weight loss thing was getting me down and I didn't think I had anything worthy to say. :( But, an update! Two weeks ago, I started to follow a Paleo(ish) way of eating. Basically this means no sugar, grain, dairy, or legumes. I say paleo(ish) because you are really supposed to consume only grass-fed meats, but I cannot afford to feed my family only grassfed, so, I'm doing the best I can. What prompted this change was a lot of reading up on diets for people dealing with chronic pain. For over two years now I've been dealing with chronic shoulder pain. 16 doctors, 2 surgeries, and lots of tests later, I have no diagnosis and no indication of what to do to make it any better. After reading up on the subject, it appears that sugar, grain, and dairy cause inflammation in the body and reducing or eliminating them can cause a reduction in pain. Worth a shot, right?! Basically, I'm eating a lot of meats (mostly lean), vegetables, fruit, and nuts. Although the first few days were pure hell, it's gotten SO much better. I find that I am MUCH less hungry, I eat less, and I do feel a little better, energy wise. It's interesting to see how these changes are you going to work. HOPEFULLY, the pain will reduce, but, no such luck yet. It's still early. The amazing thing is how I have so few cravings. Before, I was always wanting chips or fries or a cupcake, and now, I just don't crave those things. I mean, don't get me wrong, there are days that I'd shank someone for a piece of chocolate, but, all in all, the cravings are gone. Love it! Have I lost weight? I don't know. I think so. I didn't weigh when I started, which I know sounds pretty odd. However, I will let myself be ruled by the scale, and I can't let that happen. So, I weighed at my last doctor's appointment, and I'll weigh at my next one, in December, until then, I'm going on how I feel...which is pretty darn good! My pants are looser and so is my ring, so that's a good sign. That's my update. Has anyone out there tried paleo? What did you think?