Mouth Money – 30 Days, Day 14

Sunday, July 25, 2010
Two weeks has come and gone! And – while this isn’t the purpose of Mouth Money – I want my SmartCar full of readers to know that I have seen some body composition changes that I’m excited about. There are more benefits to this all-Paleo schtick than just feeling better.
Breakfast: Bacon and eggs again. Because I’m unsure about the potential long-term issues with using non-stick (as in, chemical-coated) pans, I’m trying to cook in stainless steel more often – but until today I haven’t made satisfactory scrambled eggs in one. Cue the unrefined coconut oil.
I put enough in the skillet to cover the bottom thoroughly, allowed it to heat up at medium, and added the scrambled eggs. I didn’t want to overwhelm the eggs with the coconut oil flavor, so rather than stirring them immediately, I allowed the scrambled mixture to set briefly before turning it over onto itself repeatedly. The eggs seemed to cook ON the oil rather than WITH it. They turned out amazing.

Eggs and bacon are probably my absolute favorite things in the world. I’m so grateful for the lovely farmers who take great pains to raise happy, humanely treated animals.

Today’s Workout: After my early breakfast I prepared for some rowing instruction I’d begged off a friend and beast of a Crossfitter. Husband and Dog ran intervals over the 4-ish miles to Tribe to view the cool-down.

Before lunch I had an successful excursion with a few awesome ladies to the Headhouse Farmer’s market in Philly. It was truly incredible – booth after booth of locally grown produce in all varieties. Favorites were the wonky heirloom tomatoes and hybrid squash. Squash is the hilbilly of vegetables – frequently cross-bred. I also picked up some sauerkraut – same “good bacteria” (“probiotic”) idea as yogurts without the ice-cream-in-disguise sugar and dairy content.

All in all, it was an extremely successful morning. These fruits and veggies tend to last longer than the store-bought kind since they were picked much more recently and carted across town rather than shipped across the country.

Lunch: I used to worry about eating at restaurants while trying to maintain a “Paleo” eating plan. I’ve discovered that there is almost always a great, delicious option – especially at non-American food restaurants. We stopped at Mixto, a Colombian-fusion style restaurant for a late brunch and we all ordered naturally delicious options.

White potatoes irk me, and I can’t say I miss them – they’re worthless unless drowned in sauces, cheese, toppings…there are much more delicious possibilities out there! While they would seem to mesh with a Paleo eating plan, there are much better choices with surpassing nutritional value. I say skip the spuds.
A few ideas when going out to eat:
Mexican – order fajitas. Once you’re done forking down the pico, guacamole, veggies and meat you’ll be too full for the tortillas, beans and rice.
Italian – Most authentic Italian restaurants have pasta-free dishes. Fish, steak, and veggies abound in Italian restaurants. Don’t sweat about a little butter or cream sauce – it’s mostly fat, which is very sating and the Paleo Gods will forgive your dairy consumption.
Greek – Kebabs. Skip the pita. ‘Nuff said. (We’ll prove this on our Greek honeymoon.)
Indian – Indian food makes great use of veggies, coconut products, and spices. Nothing to worry about there.
Breakfast – EGGS. Sausage. Bacon. Avocado. Pancakes (Just kidding).
On to Dinner!
After this banner day, I should’ve known that dinner would be a bit of a FAIL. Like I said in my initial MM post, I screw up recipes. My intentions were good – Sweet potato, farm market tomatoes stewed with spices, and kale sauteed with onion and bacon. The bacon was burnt, the kale lacked moisture (shoulda gone for Meghan’s Kale Chips) and the sweet potato seemed bland. The stewed tomatoes were yummy, but the entire meal meshed poorly. Aah, well. On to the next.

A great day all-in-all. I’d love to know what others choose when they go out to eat to keep it Paleo-friendly.