healthy paleo ebook sample

healthy paleo ebook sample
PALEOFRUITS AND VEGETABLES A Five-Day Plan for Beginners HEALTHY
2 Contents Getting Started with Paleo: A 5-Day Action Plan 3 What is the Paleo diet? 4 Day One 6 Day Two 11 Day Three 12 Day Four 14 Day Five 18 Recipes 20 Pancakes 20 Eggs with Veggies 21 Strawberry Kale Smoothie Recipe 21 Cucumber, Herbs, and Asparagus Salad 22 Glorious Broiled Garden Tomato Basil Salad 24 Grilled Garden Harvest Salad 25 Chilled Watercress and Crab Salad 26 Marinated Berries on Fresh Baby Spinach 27 Arugula Salad With Maple Roasted Butternut Squash 28 Melon Sesame Surprise Salad 30 Mesclun Radish and Avocado Salad 31 Nutty Roasted Acorn Squash and Spinach Salad 32 Roasted Baby Beets with Greens and Grapefruit Salad 34 Tender Minty Garden Squash Salad 36 Savory Cauliflower and Capers Salad 37 Spaghetti Squash Harvest Garden Salad 38 Simply Elegant Grilled Squash Salad 40 Turkey Stuffed Bell Peppers 41 Chocolate Avocado Pudding 42 Strawberry Frozen Dessert 42 Banana Bites 43 Broiled Pineapple 43 Tips for Paleo Success: Food Tracking and Support Community 44 Conclusion 45
3 Getting Started with Paleo: A 5-Day Action Plan With all the processed foods and other ‘junk’ food choices available today, it’s no secret that our society is full of the most unfit, overweight, and unhealthy people in the world. There are more food-related health prob- lems such as cancer, diabetes, high cho- lesterol, and more, than ever before. But because you’re reading this book, I want to say congratulations! You’ve obviously made an important decision to take back your health and start eating better. It doesn’t matter what the reason behind it is—if you’re newly diagnosed with a dis- ease or health-related issue, or you’re just sick and tired of being unhealthy—what’s important is that you’re taking action to make the positive changes in your diet and lifestyle. That’s a huge accomplish- ment and a very smart decision. Also, because you’ve picked up this book, I’m assuming you’re interested in a Paleo way of eating. This was created to give you some easy to understand information about eating a Paleo diet. It’s broken down into a five-day action plan that will help you get started, a seven-day sample menu plan to ease you into your first week, and some recipes that will help you incorpo- rate more vegetables and fruits into your diet. First, let’s cover the main foundation— what the Paleo Diet is and whether it’s right for you or not.
6 Day One Learn the Basics We already discussed what the Paleo diet is, so let’s move onto some of the basics, or common questions people have when deciding to follow this lifestyle. How many calories do I get to eat on a Paleo diet? This isn’t an easy question to answer, except to say that with Paleo, it’s not about counting calories. It’s not a one-size-fits- all sort of thing. Each person is different, so calorie intake will need to be based on what is best for you. If you must count calories, take into consideration how often you are active, if you’re older, younger, heavier—those will all have an impact on how many calories your body needs. Also, one of the great things about this way of eating is that it’s not meant for you to have to count calories at all, so don’t spend a lot of time fretting over this. Will my entire family be able to eat Paleo? This is entirely up to you and your family. It’s a safe way of eating, so even chil- dren can eat this way. It’s easier to stick to a lifestyle change like this if everyone in the household is on board. So if you can get everyone to agree, then yes definitely offer them all to follow the Paleo plan. If you transition slowly by introducing new Paleo meals here and there, and then repeating the meals that everyone loved, it’s entirely likely that it will be happily accepted by everyone. For some families, it may go most smoothly if there is no announcement about drastically changing everyone’s diets. Simply start offer- ing the healthier Paleo meals. Others may need to understand why, so it’s up to you to know how your family will respond. Will I lose weight? Most people do. If you find that you’re not, pay attention to how much fruit you’re eating. Fruit is allowed, but it does have sugar in it so if you find you’re not losing, then try cutting back on your fruit intake and see if that helps. Also, people with low thyroid function often have dif- ficulty losing weight even on a Paleo diet, or may lose it more slowly than others. Try not to just focus on the scale, though. Pay attention to the other benefits, the non-scale victories that are also possible when following this way of eating. Many people eating a Paleo diet state that they have more energy, less brain fog (can think more clearly), their joints don’t hurt (inflammation goes away), their
9 HEALTHY PALEO FRUITS AND VEGETABLES: A FIVE-DAY PLAN FOR BEGINNERS enough to eat on its own, there are times that eating it plain is just boring and it calls for a little variation, a little ‘spicing’ up. That’s where fruit dip comes in. But first let’s take a look at some of the fruits that are perfect for dipping. Great dipping fruits: • Bananas • Strawberries • Grapes • Pineapple • Oranges • Cantaloupe • Honeydew • Kiwi fruit • Blueberries Fruit dip ingredients: • Melted dark chocolate, plain (or boost nutrition with coconut or chopped nuts) • Coconut cream • Date “caramel sauce” (blend 10 dried dates with enough water to bring to right consistency) • Macadamia “cream cheese” (blend ½ cup raw macadamias with juice of ½ lemon, 1 tsp olive oil, and 1 tsp raw honey) • Strawberries and cream (blend 1 cup strawberries, 1 Tbsp raw honey or to taste, ½ cup coconut cream, and ¼ tsp. vanilla) Ok, now let’s move onto fresh vegetables and dipping ideas for those. Just as men- tioned above, vegetables are also often yummy enough to eat on their own but sometimes they need a little ‘spicing’ up too. Below you will find a list of veggies great for dipping, some dip ideas and two vegetable dip recipes. Great dipping vegetables: • Carrots • Cucumbers • Peppers—red, yellow, green, orange • Cauliflower • Broccoli • Radishes • Asparagus • Zucchini • Celery • Cherry tomatoes Vegetable dip ingredients: • Guacamole • Avocado cilantro zucchini dip (blended) • Avocado cucumber dill dip (blended) • Salsa (red, green, mango) • Lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and oregano (this is also a great dressing for almost any salad) • Greek No-gurt (blend ½ can coconut cream, juice of ½ lemon, ½ tsp sea
12 Day Three Modifying How You Cook at Home and Plan for Eating Out First, let’s talk about modifying your cooking at home. Because Paleo may at first seem to have a limited number of foods you can have, you could find yourself making the same thing over and over, but there’s no need to fall into the bore- dom trap. You may be amazed to discover a whole new world of fruits and vegetables out there! Challenge yourself to find different ways to create the same meal using new vegetables, spices, or meats. Make this a time to experiment with new things. For example, look for a vegetable that you’ve never prepared before and try a new recipe with it. Something really important to think about when cooking at home, now that you’re following the Paleo plan, is to pay attention to labels and read all ingredients. You may be surprised to find that some things you thought would be okay to use really aren’t. For example, if you want to marinate a steak and use a prepackaged or bottled marinade, be sure to read each ingredient. If there’s gluten, sugar, soy, or preservatives, it’s not Paleo. More impor- tantly, it’s not good for you. Your best bet will be to make all your own sauces. This way you know exactly what you’re getting. Have fun with this and find new ways to create your own sauces and dressings. More Vegetable Fun Trying Different Preparation Methods Let’s face it, vegetables can be boring. You can jazz up dinner time by changing out those old, tired vegetable prep methods for something new. 1. Grilling Grilling can put a new spin on eating vegetables. It gives that outdoor cooked special flavor that only grilling provides. The biggest obstacle to grilling vegetables is that it’s not always conve- nient to get to a grill. If for example you live somewhere that gets a lot of snow dur- ing the winter, you’re probably not going to be doing any grilling. But once the weather warms up, you can enjoy grilled vegetables all you want. Some fruits are even great on the grill, like pineapple. 2. Blanching Briefly dip vegetables into boiling water and then chill them in ice water. When the vegetable is submerged into the cold water, it quickly stops the cooking. Snow peas or peapods are often served blanched. They turn a beautiful bright green, and keep their crispness, but lose the starchy raw taste. 3. Sautéing This is probably one of the easiest and quickest ways to put a new spin on vegetables. When you sauté vegetables it’s simply a matter of cooking them
18 Day Five Sample Meal Plan If you need a little more guidance to get started eating Paleo, worry no more. Here you go—a seven-day sample meal plan you can follow! If you don’t like some of the options listed here, just use it as a starting point and build a menu based on these options or alter it completely. It’s entirely up to you. Day One Breakfast: omelet with mushrooms and spinach, fruit of your choice Lunch: chicken salad (salad greens, tomatoes, avocado, and chopped chicken breast) Create your own dressing (olive oil and citrus juices or vinegars make a great base). Dinner: Salmon, steamed asparagus, roasted sweet potato Day Two Breakfast: two eggs, over easy, served on a bed of raw or wilted spinach, with tomato slices Lunch: roasted chicken with broccoli, tomato, garlic, and sweet potato Dinner: “spaghetti” (make noodles from spiral- ized or thinly-sliced zucchini, and then cook them in butter and sea salt until just tender. Top with sautéed grass-fed hamburger, sliced mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, onion, and Italian seasonings. Optional: mix up a sauce with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Day Three Breakfast: sausage and a tossed salad, with tomato, carrot shavings, cucumber, and apple cubes Lunch: salad greens with hard-boiled eggs, roasted beets, and sweet potato wedges. Dress with fresh lemon juice and olive oil, salt, pepper, and oregano. Dinner: grilled salmon, steamed artichokes, and a salad with veggies Day Four Breakfast: fruit smoothie with hemp or flax seeds
19 HEALTHY PALEO FRUITS AND VEGETABLES: A FIVE-DAY PLAN FOR BEGINNERS Lunch: BLT salad (nitrate-free bacon crumbled over romaine with tomato, avocado, olives, cucumber). Dress with a few squirts of fresh lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt, and pepper Dinner: grilled shrimp, riced cauliflower, broccoli, and pineapple Day Five Breakfast: 2 hard-boiled eggs, romaine, and papaya, with the juice of an orange squeezed over it Lunch: chicken breast, spinach salad with cucumber, green apple, and red grapes Dinner: pork chop, brussels sprouts, and steamed sweet potato cubes Day Six Breakfast: scrambled eggs, bacon, and blueberries Lunch: nitrate-free deli meat and thin-sliced tomato, cucumber, carrot, and avocado, wrapped in a large lettuce leaf or fresh collard green Dinner: salmon and pan-fried zucchini and wilted spinach Day Seven Breakfast: omelet with spinach, zucchini, onion, and red pepper Lunch: grilled rainbow trout salad (top salad greens with trout, mushrooms, tomatoes, red onions, and avocado. Dress with lemon juice and olive oil.) Dinner: pan-fried hamburger patty, pan-fried kale with garlic, and baked sweet potato fries
16 HEALTHY PALEO FRUITS AND VEGETABLES: A FIVE-DAY PLAN FOR BEGINNERS Craving Curbers These can help curb cravings for less nutritive sweets. You will want to limit intake of chocolate, though, as soon as you can comfortably do so. • Dark chocolate (70% or more cacao) • Dates • Sweet potatoes, roasted, baked, or steamed: topped with coconut oil and cinnamon • Red bell peppers Superfoods to supercharge the nutrient density of your diet • Blueberries • Coconut Oil • Salmon (wild-caught) • Parsley (and other fresh herbs) • Artichoke • Avocado • Asparagus These super foods are not only full of vita- mins and minerals, but they’re great anti- oxidant sources. Eating these on a regular basis will boost your immune system and help keep you healthy. Snacks A lot of people say that when eating Paleo they don’t find themselves wanting snacks throughout the day because they’re full. If you do find yourself hungry in between meals and feel the need for a snack, here are a few ideas: • Sweet potato wedges (roasted or steamed) • Piece of fruit • Raw nuts and dried fruits • Shake (blend a frozen banana, coconut milk, vanilla, maple syrup and/or stevia, optional raw cacao powder) • Hard-boiled eggs • Kale chips (bake torn kale pieces, stems removed, tossed in melted coconut oil, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano at 325ºF for 5 minutes at a time, tossing in between, until crisp) • Dark chocolate • Smoothies Smoothies Throwing a fruit smoothie together is a simple and nutritious Paleo-friendly breakfast or snack. Throw a handful of your favorite fruit(s) and some greens into a blender with some coconut milk, coconut water, or plain water, and blend until smooth. You can add some hemp or flax seeds for a protein boost. Don’t be afraid to use a generous amount of greens to boost your nutrients. Spinach, kale, and romaine are very mild, and don’t alter the flavor much. Celery and cucumber add much needed minerals and salts for hydration, and assist your body to cleanse from all manner of toxins. Smoothies
20 Recipes Now that you have a grasp on the basics of the Paleo way of eating, here are some recipes that are quick and easy to add to your new cooking rotation. Since most people are quite practiced in cooking meats, we’ll focus more on preparing vegetables and salads, to give you new ideas. Pancakes 2 eggs 1 large ripe banana 1/8 tsp baking powder pinch of cinnamon (or to taste) In a medium sized mixing bowl, mash the banana until fairly smooth. Add the eggs and whisk together. Now add the cinnamon and baking powder. Whisk until mixed well. Heat a flat griddle over medium-low heat, coat your pan with coconut oil. Pour some batter into the griddle and cook on each side for 2–3 minutes or until brown. (Note: these pancakes are a lot thinner than a regular pancake so use less batter for each pancake) Serves 1 person. For more than one, simply double or even triple the ingredients.
21 HEALTHY PALEO FRUITS AND VEGETABLES: A FIVE-DAY PLAN FOR BEGINNERS Eggs with Veggies 2 eggs splash of water dash of sea salt and pepper ½ cup to 1 cup chopped vegetables of choice (mushrooms, tomatoes, onion, avocado, etc.) any fresh herbs, chopped Beat eggs with water, salt, and pepper. Sauté vegetables 1–2 minutes, then pour eggs over the mix, stirring occasionally, until done. Garnish with fresh herbs. Strawberry Kale Smoothie Recipe Couple handfuls of strawberries (frozen or fresh) 1 cup chopped raw kale ½ cup coconut milk or coconut water 1 tablespoon hemp or flax seeds Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until desired consistency is reached. This recipe can be altered almost infinitely with any combination of fruits, greens, milks or waters, and nuts or seeds. It’s also a great place to slip in powdered supplements like spirulina, for added nutritional power.
22 HEALTHY PALEO FRUITS AND VEGETABLES: A FIVE-DAY PLAN FOR BEGINNERS Cucumber, Herbs, and Asparagus Salad 3 lbs freshly picked asparagus, trimmed 1 bunch green onions 3 cups fresh small cucumbers, scrubbed clean 1 Tbsp fresh parsley 1 Tbsp fresh chervil 1 Tbsp fresh chives 1 Tbsp fresh mint 2 tsp fresh tarragon 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar or lime juice 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1 tsp sea salt ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper 3/4 cup light olive oil Fill a large pot with water and salt and bring to a rapid boil. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath in a large bowl with ice and water and set in sink.
23 HEALTHY PALEO FRUITS AND VEGETABLES: A FIVE-DAY PLAN FOR BEGINNERS When water boils, quickly cook asparagus until just crisp-tender, only about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and quickly put in ice bath to cool and stop cooking. Drain well and set aside. Chop green onions and put in large bowl. Scrub cucumbers, trim ends, cut lengthwise, then slice thin and add to bowl with onions. Add all the fresh herbs to the bowl and mix together well; keep cool. Make dressing by whisking together the lemon juice, red wine vinegar, mustard, salt, and black pepper, then slowly start streaming in oil, whisking steadily, until dressing is creamy. Pour dressing into onion cucumber bowl and toss to combine. Arrange the asparagus on salad plates and spoon the dressed onion cucumber mixture over the top. Taste and salt if desired.
24 HEALTHY PALEO FRUITS AND VEGETABLES: A FIVE-DAY PLAN FOR BEGINNERS Glorious Broiled Garden Tomato Basil Salad 4 large sweet beefsteak tomatoes ⅓ cup organic, extra-virgin olive oil ½ tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup fresh basil, coarse chopped ⅓ cup oil-cured kalamata olives 4 strips bacon, diced and crisp fried, drained Wash and cut the tomatoes in half across the ‘equator’ and carefully cut out the insides, chop up and put in a bowl. Add to the bowl with the tomato pulp, the sea salt, black pepper, basil, and olives. Mix to combine. Place each tomato ‘bowl’ cut side up on a broiler pan and brush lightly with olive oil. With slotted spoon, fill the bowls with the tomato-basil-olive mixture, making sure you don’t get too much tomato juice in the tomato bowl. Place under preheated broiler at 5" away for about 3 to 4 minutes or until tomato softens. Remove and let cool slightly. Sprinkle crumbled bacon on top and serve warm. Makes 8 individual salads.

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