Family Paleo Days 4-6

Day 4
I felt ill most of the morning. It's hard to gauge the kids' behavior today because they basically sat inside and watched television. I will say this, though: They sat still! I also spent another $265 on meat, fresh produce, almond milk, and Larabars (www.larabar.com). I had been looking for a replacement for our easy granola bar snack, and I stumbled upon Paleo-friendly Larabars at Kroger for $1 each! (Yes, my regular granola bars are half that price.) My kids didn't like the Larabars today, but I'm going to try them again tomorrow. I also found that I enjoy one dried apricot after meals as a sweet treat to signal that the meal is over.

Day 5
My hunger is finally dissipating. I'm sticking very strictly to the Paleo diet, and today was the first day I could go to sleep full. The kids are behaving better. They still complain about not having sweets and ask hourly for treats, but they are actually eating fruits, vegetables, and meats. They chow down on the healthy stuff when the unhealthy stuff isn't available. (So does my husband!) I believe their diet is impacting their lives positively. As of yet, my weight hasn't changed, but my energy is up. I also seem less moody and emotional.

Day 6
My husband lost 2.5 lbs so far. I lost a big, fat zero. However, it appears that inches have disappeared from my hips and waist. And that's really what matters, right? The kids started to complain at the circus today because they couldn't eat the special circus food, but we offered to buy them a toy instead. For this diet to work with the kids, I have to rethink my reward system. While we were there, my son accidentally dumped out our entire bag of beef jerky, which left our children hungry and irritable. But after we filled them up with hot dogs (sans bun and condiments) and apple slices (sans caramel) from Sonic, their moods improved drastically. We even complimented our daughter for stating something she didn't like without whining. I think a true Paleo diet restricts fruit intake, but I have chosen not to do that for our children unless they express some characteristic or behavior that requires a change.

Tonight for dinner, I peeled the tough skin off asparagus, lay it on a cookie sheet, dolloped coconut oil on it, and sprinkled it with salt and pepper. I roasted it for 10 minutes at 450 degrees, and it disappeared like candy. The kids were complaining it was gone! I paired it with salmon, sprinkled with dill, garlic salt, and pepper, baked at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, then broiled for two minutes. Even the kids that complained about it ate it with delight after tasting it.

We used to have a rule in our house that you don't have to eat my meals, but you can't eat anything else. However, since we've decided to allow our kids to have Paleo snacks whenever they are hungry, we decided to enforce the rule that they have to eat the food I put in front of them. They have not complained very much about it because they have no other option. (I think it helps that the food is tasty, too.)

Tips:
1. Buy a good dish soap. You'll be scrubbing lots of fat off your dishes.
2. Don't eat too many Larabars or other dried fruit.
3. Clean out your pantries and refrigerators before you start so that when your kids ask for a granola bar, you can answer simply, "We don't have any."
4. Get a wholesale store membership, like Sam's Club or Costco. I bought enough fresh salmon to feed us two meals for $20. Almonds are $3.33/lb instead of $7/lb at Walmart. Be careful buying produce, because you get a lot, and it could very easily go bad before you get around to eating it. I also found Larabars, our granola bar replacement, for less there..
5. Keep a supply of chopped onions and peppers for quick flavor in any dish.
6. Add an extra hour to your planned grocery shopping time so that you can clean and prep your produce for easy snacking. Slice your carrots, cucumber, broccoli, and cauliflower for easy snacking. Wash and cap your berries, wash your lettuce, slice your peaches, peel and slice your oranges, etc. Additionally, if you grind your own almond flour, keep it in the freezer.

Next: Days 7-10