What I Eat - Day Seventy-Seven

The new diet is still going extremely well!   I'm finding that I've been cutting down on my protein significantly.   I've been doing this for two reasons.   First, it's expensive (especially when you're buying high-quality meat).   The second reason is just that I realized I didn't need as much as I was eating.  As I've said before on this blog, we maintain a 'protein pool' in our body that serves as a reservoir of amino acids....meaning that each meal doesn't have to have a complete protein source.  

I am, however, noticing that I have a weakness for frying and baking things.   I'm working on that...

Breakfast - Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Yup, roasted veggies for breakfast.   Don't knock it until you've tried it!

I just opened up a package of frozen Brussels sprouts, put them in a pyrex lasagna pan, and mixed them with about a tablespoon of avocado oil.   I put them in a 375 degree oven until they were slightly browned.  Sometime I turn them once during the time they're in the oven, sometime I don't get around to it (and they still turn out fine).  

Lunch - Roasted Zucchini

I made this recipe up myself, and it is delicious!   I slice green zucchini, and mix them with a bit of olive oil, sliced red onion, olives and Italian seasoning.    I put them in this ceramic pan and roast at about 350 degrees until the veggies are soft and slightly caramelized.  

(Some people suggest limiting zucchini on an auto-immune paleo style diet, I have decided not to worry about that particular restriction.)

Dinner - Cabbage and Chicken

I roasted chicken in the oven.   I cut up a green cabbage, and combined it with minced ginger, chopped red onion, and a few golden raisins.   I put the veggies in my cast-iron dutch oven with about a cm of water at the bottom, and boiled the water down at a medium-high heat while stirring them fairly regularly, until they were cooked through.  

I learned a lesson making the sauce.   There's a reason you don't find cilantro pesto very often....it's super bitter!   I blended a bunch of cilantro, half of a zucchini, a quarter of a red onion, two cloves of garlic, olive oil, and about a tablespoon of maple syrup together.   After I added the maple syrup, it tasted fine (though I probably won't make this again). 

Snack - Kale Chips

To make kale chips, rinse and thoroughly dry a large bunch of kale, and then rip it into pieces.  Dump the pieces on a baking sheet (I usually bake it in two separate batches), pour about a tablespoon of olive oil on top, and then mix it with the kale by hand.  Put into a 375 degree oven and bake, stirring about four times, until the pieces start to become crispy (this won't take long). 

Top with a bit of sea salt and enjoy!