Cavewomen Don't Get Fat (18 page)
Read Cavewomen Don't Get Fat Online
Authors: Esther Blum
Breakfast: | 4-egg white omelet with sautéed veggies and side of cantaloupe. |
Snack: | 2 ounces grilled chicken slices with spinach. |
Lunch: | Southwestern Turkey Burgers ( |
Snack: | 1 |
Dinner: | Sweet PotatoâCrusted Wild Salmon ( |
Breakfast: | 4 ounces smoked Alaskan salmon with 1 cup mixed berries. |
Snack: | Chicken, Avocado, and Walnut Salad ( |
Lunch: | Paleo Chicken Fingers and Zucchini Sticks ( |
Snack: | 4 ounces beef jerky with 2 carrots. |
Dinner: | Cajun Catfish, Mashed Parsnips and Apples, and Roasted Brussels Sprouts ( |
Breakfast: | Eggs and Chorizo Scramble ( |
Snack: | Ants on a Log ( |
Lunch: | Apple-Walnut Chicken Salad ( |
Snack: | Apple Chips and a handful of almonds. |
Dinner: | Sesame Seared Tuna ( |
Breakfast: | Scrambled Eggs Topped with Avocado and Salsa ( |
Snack: | You're Makin' Me Bananas Smoothie ( |
Lunch: | Grilled Chicken, Spinach, and Strawberry Salad ( |
Snack: | 1 |
Dinner: | Turkey Chili and Steamed Spinach ( |
Breakfast: | Smoked Salmon Egg Scramble ( |
Snack: | Chicken-Endive Boat ( |
Lunch: | Chili-Seared Sea Scallops with Sautéed Watercress ( |
Snack: | Turkey Avocado Roll-Ups ( |
Dinner: | Fish Tacos ( |
Breakfast: | Paleo Blueberry Pancakes ( |
Snack: | Berry Blast Smoothie ( |
Lunch: | Lamb Chops and Broccoli Rabe ( |
Snack: | Gorgeous Coconut Protein Bars ( |
Dinner: | Spaghetti Squash with Italian Chicken Sausage and Steamed Broccoli ( |
Breakfast: | Spinach Frittata ( |
Snack: | Mojito Shrimp Salad ( |
Lunch: | Grilled Steak Salad with Tangerines and Almonds ( |
Snack: | 4 ounces smoked salmon and 1 cup melon. |
Dinner: | Stir-Fried Chicken and Vegetables ( |
Breakfast: | Chocolate-Strawberry Smoothie ( |
Snack: | Deviled Guacamole Eggs ( |
Lunch: | Chef's Salad ( |
Snack: | Paleo Dip with Vegetables ( |
Dinner: | “Bruschetta” Chicken, Roasted Acorn Squash, and Sautéed Asparagus ( |
Breakfast: | Steak and Eggs with Tomatoes ( |
Snack: | Bacon-Wrapped Dates ( |
Lunch: | |
Snack: | Gorgeous Almond Protein Bars ( |
Dinner: | Lettuce Wrap Turkey Tacos and Butternut Squash Soup ( |
Breakfast: | Almond Butter Dreams Smoothie ( |
Snack: | 2 hard-boiled eggs with sliced carrots, celery, and cucumbers. |
Lunch: | Apple-Walnut Chicken Salad ( |
Snack: | Salmon Salad over cucumber slices ( |
Dinner: | Cucumber Sushi and Wasabi Mashed “Potatoes” ( |
Breakfast: | Crustless Mini-Quiche ( |
Snack: | 5 shrimp with sliced cucumber and avocado. |
Lunch: | Crab Cakes with Paleo Aïoli ( |
Snack: | Paleo Fruit Bars ( |
Dinner: | Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce, Cherry Tomatoes, and Sweet Potato Skewers ( |
Breakfast: | Eggs Benedict with Orange Slices ( |
Snack: | Shrimp Ceviche ( |
Lunch: | Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries ( |
Snack: | Crabmeat-Stuffed Mushrooms ( |
Dinner: | Chicken Rolled with Broccoli Rabe and Sun-Dried Tomatoes ( |
Breakfast: | Banana-Walnut Pancakes with Turkey Sausage ( |
Snack: | Grilled Shrimp Skewers ( |
Lunch: | Citrus Tilapia Salad ( |
Snack: | Sliced carrots and cucumbers and |
Dinner: | Mama's Sunday Meatballs and Spaghetti Squash ( |
When you're dying for a sweet and have a cheat meal coming up, try any of these lurvely Paleo sweets for a clean cheat! Bear in mind that a clean cheat satisfies your sweet tooth but remains within the parameters of gluten and dairy-free Paleo eating. It still constitutes a cheat, but you may not feel as bad after eating it. A dirty cheat encompasses an all-out blitz where food rules are suspended for the meal. You decide which one will rock your world (in a good way) and enable you to get back on track the next day.
WATERMELON ICE POPS
Serves 6â8 (depending on the size of your molds)
4 cups watermelon chunks
3 fresh mint leaves or 1 mint tea bag, steeped in 2 cups water
Puree watermelon in food processor. Combine mint water with watermelon. Place mixture in popsicle molds (I use stainless steel or silicone molds) and freeze.
CHOCOLATE-TOPPED MACAROONS
Makes 20
8 ounces shredded unsweetened coconut
3 large egg whites
1
/
4
cup erythritol powder or stevia powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 ounces dark chocolate
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In large bowl, whisk together egg whites with sugar substitute until well combined. Add vanilla and coconut, and stir until well combined. Shape batter into golf-ball-sized balls. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake until tops become golden brown; approximately 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. While they are baking, melt chocolate over low heat in double boiler. Dip macaroons in chocolate or drizzle on top. Refrigerate until chocolate is set and serve.
CHOCOLATE-COVERED STRAWBERRIES
Serves 6
4 ounces dark chocolate
1 dozen large strawberries
Heat chocolate in double boiler over medium heat. Keep stirring chocolate until melted. Dip strawberries in chocolate until fully coated. Place strawberries on baking sheet lined with wax paper. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until chocolate is set.
COCONUT BROWNIES
Makes 16
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1
/
2
teaspoon vanilla extract
12 prunes, pitted
1 tablespoon almond butter
3 tablespoons almond flour
2 tablespoons coconut milk
2 teaspoons shredded coconut
Place protein powder, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, prunes, and almond butter in food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add almond flour and coconut milk. Transfer to bowl and fold in shredded coconut. Scrape batter into an 8 x 8âinch pan and spread evenly. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before cutting and serving.
AVOCADO-CHOCOLATE PUDDING
Serves 4
1 avocado, cut up
1 banana
2 tablespoons honey
1
/
2
cup cocoa powder
2 tablespoons coconut oil, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Place all ingredients into blender or food processor. Blend until mixture thickens into pudding consistency. Divide among four ramekins. Chill for 1 hour and serve.
GRILLED BANANAS
Serves 2
2 bananas, quartered
1 tablespoon coconut oil or clarified butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons raw honey
Brush coconut oil on bananas and sprinkle with cinnamon. Grill or skillet-fry bananas for about 2 to 4 minutes on each side. Drizzle with honey and serve warm.
FEED YOUR BELLY
It takes more than just food to feed your belly right; you also need to keep your gut healthy with probiotics. Probiotics are the “good” bacteria that live inside our intestinal tracts, such as lactobacillus and bifidobacteria. They keep our guts and immune systems healthy and also help us gals stay regular. Nowadays, the bacteria inside the intestinal tract are considered to be their own separate organ. These bacteria weigh about three to four pounds, amounting to billions of bacteria that populate the gut. Every day we naturally shed and turn over some of those bacteria through our bowel movements, and more colonize in their place. Both men and women have “good” bacteria and “bad” bacteria that maintain an intricate balance within the gut. Certain lifestyle factors can disrupt this delicate balance, such as stress, excessive alcohol and sugar, a low-fiber, high-sugar diet, and medications like antibiotics and oral contraceptives. A whole-foods diet rich in fiber will do your body justice and help build good bacteria. Garlic, plain yogurt (assuming that you tolerate dairy), and ground flax or
chia seeds are all functional foods that can help create a healthy gut environment. And taking a probiotic supplement daily is also beneficial; see chapter 11 on supplements for more information.
So here you are, ready and prepped for your badass Paleo life. With a chicken drumstick in one hand and some dried coconut flakes in the other, you're off to the gym to lift some weights and tackle some sprints. You've been doing this for a month but haven't seen any changes in your body. Your clothes aren't any looser. You're saying, “Esther? What's going on?”
Believe me, you're not alone. Let's talk about some of the deeper reasons why you're not making the progress you'd like, and what you can do about it.
You're Toxic.
Looks like it's time to hit the detox protocol, stat. Visit the toxic waist chapter (Chapter 4: Do These Toxins Make Me Look Fat?) for lifestyle changes to remove toxins from your bod. And visit a holistic MD to get tested for toxins.
You're Intolerant.
Here's the great irony in eating clean: in simplifying your diet and purging processed carbs from your pantry, you will have less variety in the foods that you are eating. That means you can overexpose yourself to staples such as meat, eggs, and fish, and then develop food intolerances to those foods. Most of us don't even realize that we've sensitized our immune systems because we may not even show symptoms of intolerances. But the intolerances can cause low levels of inflammation throughout the body, disrupting the gut and immune system, and making it difficult to drop body fat. Eggs, nuts, soy, corn, wheat, and dairy are the
most common allergens found in food, but at any point, you can develop allergies to innocuous foods such as parsley, blueberries, lamb, or broccoli. And the more regularly you eat a particular food, the greater the chance that you can become allergic to it. So rotate, rotate, rotate! Do not eat the same things every day; alternate your proteins, fats, fruits, and vegetables as much as possible.