Whole 30: Eating Out in DC While Staying Paleo

The most annoying part of this whole January paleo challenge is the crazy haters. I mean, here you are trying to be good about choosing meats, seafood, vegetables, fruits and nuts and - BAM! - you get some loon on your Instagram accusing you of eating potatoes instead of root vegetables. Crazy pants. But, as I near the end of the month, once I got past day seven or eight (when I would have killed for a cake pop), this really hasn't been that difficult.

Most restaurants have had plenty of great options and I'll share a few below.

Wednesday Dinner: Writing a food blog means you get invites to lots of great tastings. Being on a paleo-diet for the month of January means that most of them = cheating. But, this visit to Union Market for the most part was easy-peasy.  Just stick to the insanely tasty meat counter at Red Apron Butchery and the local oysters at Rappahannock Oyster Bar and you'll be totally fine. (Confession: Gina of Buffalo & Bergen did teach me to make an egg cream. And I drank every last bit. It rocked. But, it was small. And, I kept on the challenge afterwards.)

Oysters at Union Market

Friday Lunch: After I left Atlas Vet (with Ike street-legal on shots), I popped in Shawafel on H Street to pick up lunch. Dr. Matthew, who apparently is thisclose to having a sandwich named after him, has always told me I have to try this H Street Lebanese joint. I got the Kafka Platter with ground lamb, tabbouleh salad and I subbed the baba ganoush for hummus. It was fantastic. Middle Eastern food is always a good choice because of the likelihood you'll find great grilled meat and seafood with fresh vegetables.

Kafka Platter at Shawafel on H Street

Sunday Brunch: Medium Rare is on my neighborhood brunch rotation, but normally my go-to is their decadent French Toast. During the month of January, that's been a no-go. But, it doesn't mean when Alejandra, Nikki, Scott & I met for brunch I had to starve. I got the steak eggs benedict and subbed the salad for the fries. Yes, missing out on the fries was sad. But I was full, and it tasted great.

Benedict, sub salad for fries at Medium Rare

Sunday Dinner: Finally, I hadn't seen Caroline in too long, so we met up for dinner at Ripple where I had this seared mackerel with kale puree, grilled octopus and sunchokes.

Seared Mackerel at Ripple

The bottom line here... I wasn't grilling chefs about whether they were using ghee vs butter or adding hidden cream or sugar here. But, I've been making better whole food choices. Eating more protein, vegetables and fruit and less bread, pasta, sugar and alcohol.

And, as I near the end of January, I find myself considering trying to keep eating this way. I can always splurge on sweets or cheese grits or pasta... but I feel great, I haven't gotten sick (despite everyone around me getting the flu and colds) and I need to size down my skinny jeans.

I don't want to turn into one of those crazy paleo police people, but maybe this has changed my eating habits and tastes. What do you think? Have you tried it before?

Paleo Easy Button: My Power Supply Meal Delivery

After my awesomely gluttonous Inauguration weekend, I knew I had to get back on track with my January paleo program. After all, I'd put in all of this work, made it past the crazy carb cravings and had seen changes I liked in my body - both internally and externally.

I'd been researching paleo meals that I could buy pre-made so that my success wasn't totally reliant on my making my own meals. Let's face it - I'm a busy gal and I'm just not going to be staying in every meal and cooking. So when, My Power Supply reached out to try their service, I was excited. I'd be hovering over the "buy" button for their meals before, but there wasn't a super convenient pick up location near my house. Robert - the paleo/crossfitter cat behind My Power Supply - offered to drop off once at my office so that I could try it. And, THANK GOSH THAT HE DID! That first day back in the office, I was dying. And his Southwestern Taco Salad with Salsa and Guacamole saved me.

My Power Supply Taco Salad

The next day, if I had gone to the office cafeteria, I might have caved. But, the Sun-Dried Chicken Salad from My Power Supply kept me in line.

Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Salad by My Power Supply

That night, I scarfed down the Korean Short Ribs with Almond Butter Satay before I could even snap a photo.

The next was a Chocolate Chili with Cauliflower Mash which I thought had a lot of promise, but I wanted more spice so I added a splash of my Woodberry Kitchen Snake Oil fish pepper hot sauce (you can buy it now in DC at Salt & Sundry) to punch it up.

Chocolate Chili with Spinach and Cauliflower Mash by My Power Supply

The final two dishes were a pounded flat Italian chicken and vegetables and Mediterranean chicken roulade, which truth be told aren't my favorites any day of the week and weren't my favorites in My Power Supply pack either.

The bottom line: Yes, it's pricey, but it's no pricier than eating out at restaurants and it definitely was more strictly paleo. Yes, the location for pickup might not be convenient (they deliver to Crossfit gyms), but in DC, there are quite a few locations. Much like doing the whole paleo thing as a whole, if you make the effort, you'll see the benefits. And, yes, it takes more effort. And sometimes - if you need an easy button like I did - more money. But, My Power Supply kept me on track and I plan to pick items that I'm pretty sure I'll like and continue ordering from them for a couple meals a week.

Here's the weekly menu if you want to check them out.

NOTE: In keeping with my Ethics of Food Blogging post back in 2010, I want to disclose that I did not pay for this week of food. It was a one time trial and any My Power Supply purchases moving forward will be on my own dime.

Inauguration Weekend: From Chef's Ball to Scrapple Burgers

When I fall off the wagon, I do it right. I pressed pause on the whole paleo challenge to enjoy the Inauguration weekend without boundaries.

Saturday, I went to Belga Cafe and had an amazing dinner with friends. It wasn't even too crazy off the paleo challenge because I had foie gras, steak and lobster. But, I definitely will cop to a lot of wine, a few frites and two bites of macaroni and cheese. I mean, it was Chef Bart Vandaele's joint, how could I not? We liked Chef Bart so much that we took him with us to the Inaugural Chef's Ball where Chef Art Smith was hosting some of his buds like Eric Bruner-Yang, Mike Isabella and Rock Harper. It was awesome. We danced a lot.

On Sunday, I went to a friend's pig roast on Capitol Hill and just had pulled pork with sriracha. But, then I had a few beers and ended up at The Tune Inn... where Jameson's entered the picture. I needed a base and fast, so I ordered up the epic Scrapple Burger with a side of tater tots.

Enjoying every bite of The Tune Inn's Scrapple Burger 

I left shortly after that bite though, because I had a 5:30am call time to watch Morning Joe tape live from The Dubliner. I may or may not have been slightly hungover and after the previous night's Scrapple Burger, I opted for coffee and granola. By the time 9:00am rolled around, we were ready for Bloody Mary's and pancakes (with strawberries!)

Meeting Mika and Joe!
(L to R: Tammy Gordon, Jenna Golden, Mika Brezinski, Joe Scarborough, Alejandra Owens and Nikki Rappaport.)

It was a fantastic weekend, but I feel... well... like I drank too much booze and consumed too much food. So, I'm back on the program tomorrow. To ensure that I wouldn't flake, I've decided to try My Power Supply which delivers paleo-friendly meals.

Whole 30: Bacon-Wrapped Figs

On day fifteen of this paleo challenge, bacon-wrapped anything sound like a good snack. (It really hasn't been that difficult, but snacks are the toughest part to keep out of my gullet.)

Tonight I made these paleo-friendly bacon-wrapped figs because I was craving a snack I could pop while I waited for dinner to be ready. Just bake them on 350 degres until the bacon starts to become more opaque. Flip once and cook for another minute or two. Enjoy!

Bacon-Wrapped Figs make a great Paleo snack!

Whole 30: Blueberry, Coconut & Lime Granitas (aka Paleo Ice Cream)

I've had a serious craving for ice cream this weekend, but it is far from paleo friendly thanks to the sugar. I started thinking about how I might turn the cans of coconut milk I stocked up on into something that might fill the bill. Using Angry Asian's Coconut Granitas for inspiration, but 86'ing the simple syrup and adding fruit, my invention was pretty fulfilling!

Paleo-Friendly Blueberry, Coconut & Lime Granitas

Blueberry, Coconut & Lime Granitas

Ingredients:

• 1 can coconut milk (don't get the light version)
• 1 package frozen blueberries (you could use almost any fruit here - I might try mango or strawberries next!)
• 1 lime
• shredded coconut flakes (unsweetened)
• sea salt
• fresh mint

Directions:

1. In a small baking dish, pour 1 can of coconut milk. 
2. Squeeze lime juice into the milk.
3. Add shredded coconut, to taste. 
4. Add blueberries, to taste.
5. Put in freezer. Every 30 minutes, scrape the mixture into a icy-flaky mixture. I only did this twice before I ate mine, but make sure you scrape it every 30 minutes or so otherwise it gets to firm and becomes an ice block.
6. When ready, shave your granitas into a bowl. Sprinkle a little sea salt, coconut flakes and a spring of mint on top. Enjoy!

Illustrating the Steps for Paleo-Friendly Granitas

I'd make this again, once I'm done with the #Whole30 challenge. You could sweeten with agave nectar or honey if you're trying to stay away from sugar in the simple syrup.

Whole 30: Eggs & Chorizo Brunch, Two Ways

Yep. I'm still going. Breakfast is one of the hardest times for me because I don't really like to eat when I wake up early.

But on weekends, game on. I just finished an awesome workout with Grant and happily inhaled this:

Whole 30: Chorizo, Sweet Potato & Kale Chip Hash

Yesterday was the day the carb cravings kicked in. I almost teared up at the sight of a cake pop in Starbucks. So small and harmless. This morning, I awoke with a deep need for cheese grits. But, I powered through. Had a big ass salad for lunch. As dinner neared, I tried to convince friends to go out to eat with me so that I didn't have to face my kitchen. 

Luckily, what I threw together was fantastic - spicy, salty and sweet - which assuaged my evil carb-loving internal monologue. Here's what I did to create an uber paleo-friendly chorizo, sweet potato and kale chip hash:

Chorizo, Sweet Potato and Kale Chip Hash

Chorizo, Sweet Potato & Kale Chip Hash
Ingredients:

• Chorizo (I got mine from Eco-Friendly Farms at Dupont Circle Farmers Market), serving size about the size of your palm
• Sweet potato, serving size half a sweet potato diced per person
• 1/4 onion, diced
• Kale, two stems, diced with bottom of the stem discarded
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:

1. Drizzle olive oil in skillet on medium to medium-high heat. Add onions and cook a minute or two until they start to become translucent.
2. Add the diced sweet potatoes and cook four to five minutes. (Try to not flip them during this to get a nice caramelization going.) Shift sweet potatoes to the edge of the skillet, making a center well.
3. Add kale in center well and cook four to five minutes. Swish all of the ingredients together and then make another center well. (You want the kale to get a light coating of olive oil so that it becomes slightly crunchy). Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add the chorizo in the center of the pan. Crumble with wooden spoon. Cook four to five minutes (again, don't flip it, allow it to caramelize) and then swish all of the ingredients together.
5. Taste one of the sweet potatoes to make sure it's cooked well enough. If go, serve and eat - if not, let it cook a minute or two more until it's complete.

Got a paleo-friendly recipe that I should try? Leave me the link in the comments or tweet me @floridagirlindc.

Whole 30: Spaghetti Squash with Chorizo, Kale and Mushroom Sauce

The other night, I traded fellow #Whole30 challenge friend Amy some of my paleo-friendly Bolognese sauce in return for a spaghetti squash. The squash was staring at me on my counter... daring me to go out to eat again and still maintain my willpower. Luckily for my bod, the Bengals-Texans game was so lame, I started looking at recipes.

In 2011, I wrote a post on the best spaghetti squash recipes on the web. And then promptly made none of them. As I perused them, three stood out as particularly delicious and easy to make with paleo-friendly ingredients (hat tip Macheesmo, White on Rice and My New Roots.) I took a look at the ingredients in my refrigerator and came up with this little number that was so awesome, I would order it in a restaurant even if I could eat carbs.

Spaghetti Squash with Chorizo, Kale and Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients

I didn't plan to blog this so I didn't measure exactly, but you'll want a half of a large spaghetti squash per serving. Sausage, kale, mushrooms and onions based on your taste, but generally I used a large handful of each.

• spaghetti squash (half a squash per person)
• sausage (I used chorizo from Eco-Friendly farms but anything would work)
• kale (chopped into strips)
• mushrooms (sliced)
• onions (diced)
• cream (to taste. I probably used 1/4 c for one serving)
• almond flour
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees. 

2. Cut spaghetti squash in half. Scoop out insides. Discard seeds and stringy stuff. Drizzle olive oil on a cake pan. Rub olive oil all over the spaghetti squash and sprinkle salt and pepper on the insides. Flip them over so that they are face down in the pan. Insert pan in oven and bake for one hour.

3. About 15 minutes before the squash is finished, begin your sauce. Mix your sausage with a light dusting of almond flour to act as a binder. Roll into meatballs.

4. On medium heat, drizzle olive oil in your pan and cook your diced onions until translucent. Then add the meatballs. Cook for 2-3 minutes

5. Move the meatballs to the center of the pan and add kale to the outsides of the pan. Cook for 3 minutes. 

6. Make a center well and add the mushrooms. Cook a few minutes until the mushrooms begin to brown and caramelize.

7. Remove your spaghetti squash from the oven to cool.
8. Add cream to the sauce pan and simmer. After a minute or two, fold all of the sauce ingredients together.

9. Using a fork, scrape the squash so that you have a pile of spaghetti-like threads. Make a well in the center of the sauce pan and add them. Cook for a minute and then fold all of the ingredients together.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

I hope that you'll try this if you're on a no-carb diet. It was decadent, spicy and filling. I'll definitely make it again, even if I'm eating carbs again.

PS. I still have one half of my spaghetti squash left. I'm thinking of trying to rock these Paleo Hash Browns for breakfast. Stay tuned.

Whole 30: Eating Out at Oyamel, Starbucks & Dino

I eat out a lot. I mean, a lot.

So, any behavioral changes with regards to what I eat is never going to work long term if I can't make it work at restaurants. Part of the reason this Whole 30 paleo challenge has worked for me (yes, I know it's only been two days) is that I haven't felt hungry. Yesterday, I didn't cook one damn thing. 

I started off for lunch with my team at Oyamel, knowing there are multiple options for small plates of vegetables, seafood and meats. I would just have to be vigilant about asking them to remove things like cheese, beans and sugar. But then I remembered that over the summer, one of my favorite meals there was the Pork Belly Torta - essentially a BLT made with pork belly. When I had it, it was so overwhelmingly filling but delicious that I dumped the sandwich insides onto lettuce so that I could keep eating it. So this time, I started out that way, and it was awesome:

Pork Belly Torta, sans torta at Oyamel

As we left lunch, I was thinking outloud, "I'm full, but mentally I feel like I want something sweet. It's weird. I don't really. But I kind of feel like I need something." My friend said she needed coffee and I knew the perfect solution to kill my craving but stay on track: the Starbucks Breve Latte (pronounced brev-ay). It's basically a latte made with heavy cream and it is smooth, warm and creamy. I can drink far less of it and feel satisfied: 

Breve Latte at Starbucks

I had made the paleo-friendly Bolognese sauce and saved single servings, but I just didn't feel like cooking last night. On the way home, I shared some with my friend Amy who's also doing Whole 30 and she traded me a spaghetti squash (which will make a great meal this weekend.)

I had been tweeting with Dean Gold, owner of my favorite neighborhood Italian joint, Dino. He noticed that I was trying to stick to paleo and told me to pop by and challenge his chef. They do have a ton of things on the menu that are easy to tweak and stay on program. I chose the beet salad (which came with a vinegar-based cucumber slaw and tangy grapefruit slices to start. For dinner, I was going to have the Bollito Misto (which has *six* meats involved), but I was in a seafood mood and I knew from Steve Vilnit's Maryland Seafood updates that rockfish, crab and oysters are in season right now. So I chose the Chesapeake rockfish with squash. 

Beet Salad at Dino

Chesapeake Rockfish with Squash

So, what restaurants do you think are simple to make paleo-style choices? I find that most restaurants are fairly easy to tweak. Got ideas of what I should try next? Leave me a message in the comments!

Whole 30: Paleo Bolognese Sauce

Every gal worth her salt (or sugar) has one go to dish that she can cook. For me, one of the easy recipes in my arsenal (so easy I don't really even look at it anymore) is basic Bolognese pasta sauce. I mean, you really can't screw it up.

Paleo Bolognese Sauce

But, I'm doing this paleo challenge this month and that means several of the ingredients I use (based on this Pioneer Woman recipe) are banned. I decided to modify it and see if the taste came close so I excluded the Parmesan cheese, wine and Worcestershire sauce (who knew, but it contains molasses and sugar) and subbed the one cup of milk with a half cup of heavy cream. And I most definitely can't eat it over pasta.

It's not as perfect as the original version, but it's pretty damn good. Use your favorite spices to add as much kick as you like. I used fresh basil and oregano, but dried ground spices are fine too.

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil

Approx 2 lbs ground beef

2 cups shredded carrots

1 large red onion, diced

3/4 cup mushrooms (sliced, diced)

5 cloves garlic

6 ounces tomato paste

35 ounces Italian peeled tomatoes

2 tablespoons basil

2 tablespoons oregano 

1/2 cup heavy cream (if you're meh on cream, go with 1/4 cup)

salt

pepper

cayenne pepper (if you like spicy)

[NOTE: You could add other veggies like red peppers, spinach, or broccoli.]

Directions

1) Heat oil in large Dutch oven or pot on medium. Add carrots and onions and cook 3-4 minutes. 

Steps 2-7 (left right top, left right bottom)

2) Make a well in the center and add the ground beef. Cook until it turns brown. Gradually mix in with carrots and onions.

3) Add basil and oregano. Stir. Cook a few minutes. 

4) Make a well in the center and add the tomato paste. Let cook a minute or two. Gradually mix with ground beef.

5) Add garlic and mushrooms, combine.

6) Make a well in the center and add the peeled tomatoes. Let cook a minute or two. Gradually mix together all ingredients.

7) Make a well in the center and add the heavy cream. Combine.

8) Let simmer for 30 minutes to 2 hours. (Add cayenne, salt and pepper to taste.)

PRO TIP: Save this sauce in smaller containers and Ziplocs to use with combinations including: topping for spaghetti squash, put a fried egg on top, atop or aside roasted veggies... how would you use it? Leave me suggestions in the comments!

I chose to top mine with an egg (I get mine from the Waterview Farms egg guy at Dupont Circle Farmers Market on Sundays) and then bake it at 300 degrees until the yolk started to cook.

Whole 30: Emergency Paleo Snack Pack

Look, I get that eating meat and veggies instead of pasta and cheese is healthier for me. But where I get weak is snacking. I'm one of those people that gets postal cranky if I don't eat every four hours or so. So, I needed a paleo-compliant emergency kit to get me through to my next meal in order for me to be successful on this #30daytransformation challenge. Here's what I came up with:

Tammy's Emergency Snack Pack: 

Almonds

Apple Chips

Coconut Flakes (not shredded, but the chunkier kind)

Dried Apricots

Take a handful of each, pop in a Ziploc, shake and go! It's sweet and crunchy and filling.

UPDATE: The apple chips lost their crunch overnight. To keep optimum crunch factor mix just before serving.

I think this can be improved upon too. What spices, herbs or other ingredients would you add?

Whole 30: Stocking the Fridge for Success

I'm getting ready for my 30 day healthy challenge that starts tomorrow (so happy it's not starting after a night that involved several bottles of Champagne, Jenna's ziti and Cards Against Humanity) and that means trashing the temptation and stocking the fridge to make it easier.

I know that if I let myself get hangry, I'll be more likely to veer off course, so my plan is to have lots of options. Also, I've looked over the recipes I was given and, well, meh. I'm picky. Lots of things gross me out. I'm going to make my own way and find things that work for my tastes *and* for the plan. 

I've been getting a lot of questions about what "the plan" is... basically, I'm going to try to stick to (as local as possible) meats, fruits and vegetables and am cutting out carbs, refined sugars and preservatives as much as possible.

My Fridge: The Day Before

Here's how I've got it set up (sourced from my local bodega + Dupont Circle farmers market):

Top Shelf is Meat: Eggs, Chorizo, Maple Bacon, Ground Beef, Sliced Turkey, Prosciutto and Duck Fat for cooking

2nd Shelf is Snacks: Fruit, Coconut Water, Olives, Snap Peas (also got some wasabi seaweed snacks that help give me a crunch taste)

3rd Shelf is Veggies: Mushrooms, Kale, Cauliflower, Broccolini (on the counter and not shown: avocados, sweet potatoes, onions, tomatoes, carrots, lemons and limes)

4th Shelf is Dairy/Dairy Subs: Heavy Cream, Coconut Milk 

I've learned that these paleo types are hard core... I'm not sure I can get my head there, but I'll do my best to stick with it for 30 days. Either way, I'll be honest in telling you if recipes and work arounds generally taste terrible, just fine or fantastic. Stay tuned...