Food! I love talking about food! For the most part my husband and I follow a paleo diet, meaning we eat unprocessed, nutrient-dense foods. We try to eat organic foods as much as we can, as well as eliminating dairy and gluten. I would say in the last year or so, I have really enjoyed cooking more; this includes finding recipes I like and altering them to stick to the diet we prefer. I have found a ton of recipes on Pinterest, which is great resource if you’re looking to stick to a particular diet, or use certain ingredients. Obviously, I am not perfect in my diet and my husband and I tell each other we can always improve on it – but I feel like we have a good thing going. Eat to live, not live to eat. I thought I would share these easy paleo diet recipes for beginners for those who are interested in the diet and want to get an idea of what meals and snacks they could be incorporating into their life.
Easy Paleo Diet Recipes for Beginners
The following are just a small sample of my favorites that I thought would be perfect paleo diet recipes for beginners since they are simple and don’t require a ton of time or effort to make. Enjoy!
1. Chocolate banana almond butter smoothie!
First things first, I love all five of those words above! I didn’t find this recipe anywhere online; I just combined some ingredients one day to make this beautiful creation. I actually thought about making it after I went to Disneyland and saw the stand that had the chocolate covered bananas with nuts on display. I use my Nutribullet to blend the smoothie – but you can use a blender, Vitamix, or anything similar that you have on hand. Below are the ingredients I use to make the smoothie. Blend it all together and it’s pretty amazing once it hits the lips!
- 1 banana (riper the better)
- 1 tablespoon of Cacao powder
- 2 tablespoons of almond butter
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 1 ½ cups of almond milk (you can also use coconut milk)
- 1 cup of crushed ice
*if you like thicker smoothies, add more ice
*if you are more of a chocolate fan, add more Cacao powder
2. Cold Pressed Organic Juices!
This one is something I buy. Cold-pressed juices are great because you can drink your fruits and vegetables. Since it is cold-pressed, you still get all the essential vitamins and minerals. It doesn’t mean you need to stop eating fruit and vegetables; this is just another way to consume them. Plus, it’s pretty convenient that it’s in a bottle (take it on the go!). I used to have a juicer and would juice my own fruits and vegetables, but it was a little too time consuming. Now I buy cold pressed juices, but only when they are on sale or extreme clearance! I feel like I’m giving away one of my best tricks or secrets with this one! I do 99% of my shopping at Sprouts. If you go to the refrigerated section (usually where the milk and eggs are) you will find the cold-pressed juice section. A majority of the time, the juices are not on sale and even if they are 50 cents off, it’s still a little pricey. That’s when the extreme clearance comes into play – at Sprouts they call it the “Manager’s Special.” It’s this beautiful little tag under the juices that say 99¢ “Manager’s Special.” I almost feel like I get butterflies in my stomach when I see the sign, because I know I just hit the jackpot! The juices will have the “Manager’s Special” sign because they are about to expire in the next couple of days. I have seen these kinds of deals at other grocery stores as well, such as Fry’s. There isn’t a specific day of the week that is best to grab these deals; it just happens randomly. This is why I suggest going by this section of the grocery store during every trip, because you never know what you will find! Oh, and one more important thing: Go for the organic cold-pressed juices. Don’t mess around with non-organic juices or the brands that are packed with sugar and half a label of ingredients you can’t pronounce. Remember: Stick with organic and you won’t need to panic. Below are two examples of juices that were on 99¢ “Manager’s Special” just the other day! There were only four left, so naturally I bought all of them.
3. Zuppa Toscana Soup
This is an all-time favorite! Growing up, my mom, brother, and I would always go to Olive Garden and have their Zuppa Toscana soup. It’s a sausage, potato, and kale soup with a creamy broth. Now I make it at home, but I modify the ingredients a little to fit the paleo diet we like. I have made this in the slow cooker (if I have more time) and the Instant Pot (if I want to make it quicker). When I make this meal, it usually is enough for two nights of dinners for my husband and I (usually 6-7 bowls of soup). Below are the ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
- 1 small sweet onion, diced
- 1 lb of hot Italian chicken sausage
- 1 lb of sweet Italian chicken sausage
- 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
- 3-4 russet potatoes, sliced into circles or in small chunks
- 3-4 cups of kale, ripped into pieces
- 8 cups of chicken broth
- 1 can of coconut milk (13.5 ounces)
- Sprinkle of salt and pepper
Instructions (for Instant Pot):
-brown the sausage in a separate pan on the stove and chop it up into little bite-size chunks
-put Instant Pot on “saute function” and heat the coconut oil and add onions and cook them until they become clear in color (about 5 minutes)
-add cooked sausage, potatoes, chicken broth, garlic, and sprinkle in a little pepper and salt to the Instant Pot
– lock the lid and seal the valve at the top
-cook at high pressure for 5 minutes
-when timer goes off, let it naturally release (sit there in the pot) for 10 minutes and then quick release it
-when the pressure valve drops, remove the lid and add the kale and coconut milk and stir it all up
While these are on the simple side, there are a ton of other recipes out there for you to try and adjust to your liking! These are my go-to’s when I want something tasty, but chock-full of the nutrients my body needs to stay healthy. Here at Ryno Family Chiropractic, our focus is making sure the body is at its optimal level of performance – not just on the outside, but the inside as well. If you or your family are looking to make strides towards healthier bodies and minds, why not take a look at what our process can do for you?
Visit us at Ryno Family Chiropractic to request an appointment, and to see how we can help to promote the healthy lifestyle you’ve been looking for.
Jessi
