30 Day Paleo Challenge - Day 21

Going into this last stretch of the Paleo Challenge is going to be, well, a challenge.

I have a new cookbook: Primal Cravings by Megan and Brandon Keatly, who are also the hosts of the website Health-Bent. I want to try so. many. of these recipes!

However, we have a slight problem.

We're leaving in approximately nine days for our pre-anniversary trip to St. Lucia.

Pre-anniversary, meaning I'm-married-to-a-teacher-slash-baseball-slash-golf-coach-so-the-last-week-of-July-is-our-one-shot-at-a-vacation-in-between-school-and-games-and-practice.

When you're anniversary falls in November, you know any chance at something other than dinner at Applebee's on a non-game night is out of the question.

So here's my dilemma. I really want to try some new paleo recipes to keep my interest and motivation going, but on the other hand, I don't want to go buy a lot of groceries or have a lot of leftovers sitting in the fridge for a week and a half while we're gone. So the search is on for recipes that will make a lot so I can eat on it all week, but that will be easy to freeze while we're gone.

Obviously, I need another roast. This time with more onions. There ain't no such thing as too many onions.

It's crockpot cooking at it's finest, plus I'll have paleo leftovers waiting for me to get back on track after an all-inclusive week at Sandals.

I also found a beef stroganoff recipe that looks pretty good - beef and mushrooms, what's not to love? I just know Matt won't touch it because of 1) the mushrooms and 2) it's paleo, but I might just make it anyway. He's good with grilling himself a burger. He won't starve.

Nelson's Family Farm (where I keep feeding my addiction of baby tomatoes and Fuji apples) has spaghetti squash year-round that would go great as a base for the stroganoff. It's a rainy weekend, and this is such a great comfort food. I think I'll try it out.

Lunch ideas for this next week: as I've mentioned, I need something portable for the road  - especially after this past week, when I got a new patient on the completely opposite side of the county from my assigned territory. Like 15 miles away. 

I'm seriously ok with it. Yes, it's a lot of driving, but I just can't pass up the 80 and 90-year-old dementia patients. They are my favorite! I want to put them in my pocket and bring them home with me. 

For real.

I found a recipe from PaleOMG that would be great for portable lunches - Bacon Meatballs! Bacon! I actually think Matt would eat this one. A couple of those plus some raw veggies and fruit...that's a fantastic lunch.

And bacon. Ohhhhh, bacon. Probably the #1 reason I've lasted through this challenge.

Truth. One eats about eight slices of bacon. Or eleven. Who's counting?

Today: 

WOD - Meeting a friend this morning to walk our dogs before the rain hits. After the walk - 100 squats with a weighted medicine ball, 100 sit-ups. Depending on how motivated I am, I might throw in some push-ups. As much as I absolutely despise push-ups, I know they're good for me. I'll probably do them out of guilt.

Breakfast: Coffee, bacon, paleo banana muffins

Lunch: Pineapple chili

Snack: Apple and almond butter

Dinner: Beef stroganoff with spaghetti squash, salad with olive oil and vinegar

Today I love: New paleo cookbooks and rainy weekends that give me the excuse to stay inside and try new recipes.