What Is This Paleo Thing That You Are Talking About?

Hey you guys! It's great that you came to read what this paleo thing that I've been talking about for the last week is. So let's get to it.

Learn more about the Paleo Diet.

One week ago today, I changed my life. I had gained 60 lbs in just four years. I went from being 158, running/walking 11 miles a day in 2009, to 218 the beginning of 2013. What changed in four years? I was sick from basically the moment I got back from Hawaii in 2009 until they removed my gallbladder that May. In my heart, I believe, my body couldn't process all the processed foods I'd been eating anymore.
When you remove your gallbladder, it's much harder to properly digest your foods. There is no bile to emulsify the fat. So instead of nutrient absorption, I now gained the ailment known as dumping syndrome.
For four years, every time I ate, I dumped. Literally. Like clockwork. Ask my husband... he cracks jokes about it.

This is how it happened... My friend, Defender of the United States, made a few comments on facebook about what she was doing, and how good she felt. So I asked her what she was doing. She told me about a book she read, called The Paleo-Solution by Robb Wolf, and how she changed her lifestyle. We had heard of the Paleo lifestyle a while ago, but we wanted to keep breads and pastas in our diet. We just ate a little healthier, cutting out a lot of processed foods. --You know... the ones we "thought" were healthy, we kept. So I got the book the last week of tax season and we decided to make the change for our family the day after I was done with work for the season. ( I should also mention my other friend, Zeus and Athena's Mom, had made continuous posts about getting fit and being healthy and what she was doing.)

Basically, it's eating food that would have been around 10,000 years ago for the cavemen/women. Now you don't believe in cavemen. Ok... I give that to you. BUT they didn't have processed foods or refined sugar back then, right? They were lean, mean, fighting machines. Just watch the VIKINGS if you don't believe me. And those that weren't, died. Isn't that what we see today? A lot of sickness and ailments? Could it be because of all of these processed foods we've pumped into our bodies over the decades? I mean, I had clients this year that were in their 80s-90s ticking with no ailments. AND... I had clients in their 30s-40s going through cancer, spouses passing away, kids with autism, ADHD, ODD come into my office with no sign of hope in their face.

Are you still with me?

One week is officially over, and I nearly cried this morning when I saw the scale. I went from 215.4 last Tuesday 2/16 to 208.8 today 2/23. (I have not been below 210 for nearly 6 months.) NOW.... YES I know that healthy weight loss is 1-2 lbs a week. However, I am doing a sugar/processed foods detox. I have cut out all sugar, including fruit. I cut out all processed foods. I have not had one glass of wine. (nor have I had more than one glass of wine.) I did not take weight loss pills. Did you do the math? That is SIX.SIX pounds!

What we HAVE had are meals like this...

Flank steak with peppers, spinach, and a few bread crumbs. The pin is here if you want the recipe. Yes... it has bread crumbs in it. Next time I will substitute with cauliflower that I have "crumbed" in the oven.

This is a pork loin, seasoned and grilled along with "mashed" cauliflower. Why I didn't use the vitamix to puree it is beyond me. Live and learn.

And this... This was probably my favorite so far. Roasted chicken breast/ chopped into pieces, mushrooms, avacado, cucumbers, romaine, uncured bacon and a dressing I made from here. It will be my substitute for ranch dressing. I think it tastes nothing like it, but it is so. so. so. yummy!

Our other meals include omelets with meat/veggies. I love carrots (It's where I get my sugar fix) and cucumbers so I will snack on them all day. Also, Thai chicken curry, chicken stirfry, and chicken with a carrot/pecan/peppers/bacon stuffing. (Perdue has the best chicken that we've found so far.) Also, J made a beef stew. Not chili because that has beans.

See.... I'm not starving myself. Most importantly, I am keeping hydrated. 6-8 12 ounces throughout the day. It's flushing out the fat. Can you believe that? It's awesome!

So that's what this whole "Paleo" thing is. There are a ton of resources on that chart. I, like the Defender of the United States was for me, will help you any way I can. Pinky-promise. So ask any questions you'd like.

Wishing you the best!

Miss T

Peanut Butter, Banana, & Nutella Smoothie

Hey there! I hope you had a great weekend! It seemed like it went by so fast. We de-decorated the office, taking down all the Christmas stuff. J made it known that the room now looks really boring. I would have to agree. With just the two desks, the large chalkboard, and a couple decorative suitcases it is BORING. Thankfully, I spent ALL that time on pinterest this weekend, cleaning out my like files, and found a tutorial on how to make subway art on my own. I'll mess around with that later this week. For now, I've got a scrumdiddlyumptious smoothie recipe for you.

Yesterday afternoon I was feeling a bit hungry. It wasn't because I was bored. (I was on pinterest, remember.)  And I'd already had a glass of water to see if that would satisfy this nagging feeling in my stomach. After rummaging through the cupboards to see if I could round anything up that was halfway healthy, I was reminded of my cousin, Kate, who told me about a smoothie she had.  If you can operate a blender, this one is for you!

Peanut Butter, Banana, & Nutella Smoothie

1 c of whichever Milk product you prefer. I used 2%, but would consider Silk Coconut
1 frozen banana
1.5 tbs of peanut butter - I used Skippy Natural
1.5 tbs of Nutella
1 handful of frozen grapes

I put the ingredients into the Vitamix in that exact order. (We have a Vitamix, but I have used a regular blender, Ninja, and Magic Bullet for most of the smoothies we have made.)

I started on 1 and slowly cranked it up to 10, blending for about 30 seconds. For those of you that have a vitamix, you won't want to go much longer than that.

When it starts to fold in on all sides, I usually let it go for about 4 seconds more and turn it back down to 1 and shut off the machine.

  YUM!! So rich and creamy!

Now, mind you... I said halfway healthy, not calorie free. It does have about 400 calories, but for a breakfast, lunch or dinner meal that isn't too bad. I had it again for breakfast this morning. If you try it out, let me know how you liked it. {And thanks, Kate, for the great idea!}

I'm outta here. Have a great week!

Miss T  

Cheddar Bacon Ranch Chicken Pasta

Coming up with new ideas for dinner seems to be a challenge for me, especially when we are talking about dealing with weight management, or semi glutten free. I say that because you can get glutten free pasta nearly everywhere, and if you don't have access to it in your town, you can order from Amazon. Also, you can use any other nut flour, like almond, coconut, or flax seed.

 

This is a dish that was a huge hit last night with the boys guys. I found the link on Pinterest. You can find the recipe that we adapted from here. She got hers from BHG. Maybe you will add your own twist and hopefully let me know what you did so we can try it too.

 

 

Cheddar Bacon Ranch Chicken Pasta

adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

1 pound short penne

 

1 tbs of EVOO

 

8 strips of bacon, diced

 

2 tablespoon butter

 

3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces (I apparently MISSED this part, so do yourself a favor, and cut BEFORE cooking!)

 

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 packet ranch dressing mix

2 cups milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

shredded parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions in boiling salted water; drain, return to pot. Toss with a bit of left over water or EVOO.

2. Meanwhile, cook bacon on a griddle over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Save 2 TBS and set aside. (We save the rest of the drippings and add them to the stock in the fridge.)

3. To a cast iron skillet, add the butter and bacon fat, and turn on med-hi. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the skillet and give another pinch of salt and pepper on top for good measure. Cook until tender, no longer pink, and slightly browned.

4. Mix together the packet ranch mix and the flour in a measuring cup. Sprinkle the flour and ranch dressing mix over the chicken, coating evenly.

5. Stir in the milk, and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and bubbly. Stir in the cheddar cheese and half of the reserved bacon; cook and stir until the cheese is melted. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

6. Add the pasta to the chicken/cheese sauce and stir to combine. Then add remaining crumbled bacon to top of dish.

7. Serve with shredded parmesan cheese on top.

 

YUM!!

 

If you try it out, let me know how you like it! I've got to get back working on my project I started yesterday so I can post it later today.

 

Come back soon won't you?

 

Miss T

 

Welcome 2013!

Welcome to Pigtails & Sassyfras!

It's a brand new year, and a fresh start in blogging. It's my intention to cover various things from DIY projects to personal growth with you all. I am a Pinterest fan, and just recently found Craftgawker. AH-MAY-ZING! Love all of the creativity!

I've blogged on another space, and you can check that out right here.

So first things first.... What do you think about my title?

The idea came from reminscing about my grandpa last night and the things he would say. Boy, do I miss him. He sure didn't put up with much sassyfras from us kids. Some stories will surely be told about that.

Here's what I've been working on lately. It's vinyl lettering cut out by my Cricut. Having the cricut makes me want to vinyl the whole house! (Don't worry, J... I won't. ) I originally posted this here. Of course, I got the idea from a pin from pinterest. I don't have a silhoute or whatever the other machine is that they were using, so it took me a bit to create the various fonts and size cutouts.



But there she is... waiting for the next go round. I gotta get crackin on my sister's now.

Thanks again for stopping by.

May your year be truly blessed!

Miss T