Cup Half Full!

I have reached the halfway mark with my first Whole30! And to celebrate I am going to see Les Mis! I feel that this cinema experience will be better than my last; I have discovered toasted coconut and will be snacking away on that instead of carrot sticks.
I thought by this point I will be ready to give up and cave (if I hadn't already) but my cup is half full. I'm looking forward to the next 15 days of health:) Again, the only thing I miss is latte's. That is what I will be having on day 31. The rest I am going to keep the same! It is easy, fun, healthy and filling. What more could you want?

I made a new recipe from Melissa's recipe book 'Well Fed'; Cauliflower Rice Pilauf. I paired it with my own beef meatballs which I very generously seasoned! I think I put almost a cup of herbs in it...a bit overpowering!
I stuck to the recipe for the 'rice' but added some shredded coconut, to boost up the fat a little. Also, the recipe said it served 6...I made it serve 2. Oops! I didn't have any other veggies so I didn't feel so bad about it though. An excuse to make more!
I apologise for the shocking photography. I love photography and outside, I am pretty good. But inside, the lighting sucks, and it smelled so good that I couldn't be bothered to mess around with the exposure settings! I wanted to TUCK IN.

For the last half of the Whole30 I think I need to tighten up on a few things. One being not snacking between meals. I am getting better at this but I think I need to not be afraid and just do it! Also, I am not going to buy coconut...I eat way too much of it! I think that I am getting more fat than I need which may be why my weight isn't dropping. I'll still stick to the guidelines of the fat, but aim for the lower end at each meal. 

Now if you excuse me, I have to go warm up my vocal chords in preparation for Les Mis. Oh the whole cinema audience is going to hhhhattteeee me.

How is your Whole30 going?

Have you seen Les Mis yet?!

My New Saviour....the Crock-Pot!

I am now back at University, in my student house, with my friends, stressing about this final push before graduation. Unfortunately for me:

Work + Studying + Stress = I WANT TO STUFF MY FACE WITH CHOCOLATE

You can see why I said I was only around 80% Paleo compliant!
Though I haven't caved! Day 12 of Whole30 and still going strong. I thought that the move back to university might upset the balance. Temptation everywhere, plus the stress, and random hours in lectures will have me reaching for an easier option. So far, so good.
I have found it almost easier than before. For ages now I have been eating Paleo and counting calories. This adds so much more stress to my day! Having exact rules on the Whole30 means that it isn't a question of shuffling things around so you can have an extra something and fit it into your calorie count; it is either yes or no. This is exactly what I need!

One bad thing about being in a student house is that things go wrong. For example, our oven broke for the third time in 3 months on Monday, while I was roasting vegetables. Deep breathing was called upon here. But never fear because I got a crock-pot for Christmas! Now I am a crock-pot virgin. I have never cooked a meal in one. But here was my chance.
I took inspiration from Erika over at the Everyday Paleo site. She has some great recipes over there and this one immediately jumped out at me.
Creamy? I love cream. Chicken? I love chicken. Soup? Erm hello, it's winter! Click on the link and it will take you straight to the recipe I used:)

Putting my ingredients into the crock-pot was odd. It was just a mass of raw things and for hours it looked like nothing was happening. Had I done it wrong?

 9 hours later, this is what materialised....

I know it doesn't look the most appetising of things to eat but it was hearty, and warm, and creamy! Next time I will add some more seasoning as it was a little bland, but for a first attempt, not too shabby.

Another thing I am loving on the Whole30 is toasted coconut. So delicious. I could eat my weight in these. I think I need to cut back a little on this though. I am finding myself grabbing handfuls throughout the day when you aren't supposed to be snacking. It isn't even because I am hungry, i'm not. But they are just so crunchy! This is what I like most about them. That satisfying crunch that you only really get from crisps or crackers; toasted coconut replicates this. I'm such a child...all about the texture.

Perfect Paleo Pancakes

And you thought that eating Paleo only involved munching on a steak and some broccoli! Yes you read that right...pancakes. Usually these are associated with a whole myriad of sweet syrups, lashings of butter, and chocolate spread; a sugar hit so hard that even yo' grandma would feel a buzz! Not these babies though. These are 100% Paleo so completely grain and sugar free and even more delicious than the regular version. Natural sugars are in the fruit of course but none of this high fructose corn syrup crap where you may as well be ingesting toxic waste for the good it does.
Here is the recipe that I bundled together from a variety of sources across the web. Gotta love Google!

For the pancakes:

• 1 banana
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon of nut butter (I used almond...and remember peanut butter is a big NO NO)
• 1 tablespoon of almond flour

For the topping:

• 1/2 cup of mixed, frozen berries
• 1 tablespoon of coconut flakes 

The most simplest method ever, especially if using a food processor or an electric whisk. Blend all the ingredients for the pancakes together until a batter has formed. Put some olive or coconut oil into a frying pan and heat up. Then spoon about a tablespoon and a half of batter into the pan so that a somewhat circular shape has formed (or any shape your heart desires) that is about 2 inches by 2 inches. Obviously you don't need to get the measuring tape out, it's just the smaller they are, the easier they are to flip! Wait until little bubbles appear on the topside and then flip!
Once all the batter had been used and you have a lovely stack of scrumptious pancakes, add the berries and coconut to the pan and gently heat them until they became nice and juicy. Pour over, and face plant into guilt-free heaven!

'I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts'....in a jar!

Today I went into a health food shop and came out with this:

I feel like I have moved up the paleo ranks! This stuff is everywhere. It is in practically every paleo recipe I have come across as it is a perfect fat source instead of using butter or vegetable oils. Most recipes say to use this or olive oil, but you can just tell that coconut oil is preferred and me, a budding perfectionist, couldn't resist! Typing in a quick Google search, there are pages and pages of why it is such a good source of fat for not just Paleo nerds but PCOS sufferers too. Take a look: it supports a healthy metabolism, relieves diabetes symptoms, and helps with fat loss, all big ticks in my book! It even can be used like a lotion and rubbed into your skin to keep it healthy and happy! I won't be doing this. This is some expensive fat...I paid nearly £5 for this 200g jar so I think I will save it just for cooking some delicious dishes! That is a downside about living paleo in the UK....we haven't quite caught onto it yet so a lot of ingredients are either really expensive or just not available.

The word 'oil' is a bit misleading. I expected runny, slimy, greasy stuff. I did not expect it to be rock hard! Look at my spoon stuck in it like the sword in the stone.

After digging around and a few grunts of exertion, I managed to get a teaspoon out to drop in my pan. Tonight I decided that what I wanted to munch on was a curry so I browned my beef and some mushrooms and peppers in the coconut oil. I have to admit, I was a bit worried. There was definitely a coconut-y aroma going on. I love coconut but I don't want all my meals to taste like it! Thankfully the curry turned out lovely and there was no coconut taste at all! I have heard through the grapevine that virgin coconut oil will leave a bit of a taste, and that is the one I have but maybe I didn't use enough of it? Or the sauce masked it. Hmmm, I shall have to experiment.
As it is so expensive I think I will use it for special occasions and stick to olive oil most of the time! I am a poor, struggling student after all!

Have you tried coconut oil before?