When our friends Elizabeth and Nick invited us to their house for an evening of Patriots and Paleo (aka watching the Patriots game and eating Paleo-friendly foods), Mal and I were all about it. We’ve been having a lot of fun experimenting with new Paleo recipes and we love he loves football, so were really excited to get together with our friends for the evening.
Mal and I found a few potential Paleo recipes online, but when we were at Whole Foods yesterday, we stumbled upon a delicious-sounding recipe for Creamy Spinach Dip. It wasn’t 100% Paleo because it included cannellini beans, but the rest were Paleo-friendly and nutritious, so we decided to give it a try.
The Creamy Spinach Dip was easy to make, but the flavor was actually pretty bland, so I added one teaspoon of salt and one tablespoon of minced garlic to it, which livened it right up. The jalapenos also gave it a spicy kick!
When we arrived at Nick and Elizabeth’s condo, we were greeted with an amazing spread of food.
Holy yum!
Listen to the menu that Elizabeth and Nick prepared: Gazpacho, Paleo sushi (hollowed cucumbers stuffed with sliced turkey and avocado), cantaloupe wrapped in prosciutto.
Shrimp ceviche.
And wings! Who knew Paleo was so delicious?!?
I also enjoyed a Paleo margarita that Nick mixed up with lime juice, agave nectar, and tequila. It tasted so fresh. No sour mix here!
I pretty much stuffed my face last night. Everything tasted so delicious, and I was starving! Here’s a pic of my first place. I probably filled it up 4 or 5 more times!
These guys enjoyed a few bites of Paleo food, too!
Breakfast
I woke up with pancakes on the mind, so I whipped up a new recipe to add to my list of Protein Pancakes.
These pancakes include three eggs + three egg whites as well as coconut flour, so they’re packed with protein and healthy fats to keep you satisfied for hours and hours.
Paleo Protein Pancakes
Ingredients:
- 3 eggs
- 3 egg whites (or 3/4 cup liquid egg whites)
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
- In a bowl, mix together ingredients.
- Preheat a skillet (medium-low heat), spray with non-stick spray, and pour in batter while shaping it into a pancake with a spoon.
- Heat until partially cooked and flip pancake.
- Once cooked through, top with syrup, nut butter, fresh fruit or anything else your heart desires.
Makes 6-8 pancakes
Just a quick note about this whole Paleo thing. I’m not doing the Paleo diet in the traditional sense. I am, however, using aspects of it to clean up my current diet. I want to eat more fruits and veggies as well as more lean protein and healthy fats. I also want to reduce the amount of processed, refined “bad” carbohydrates in my diet, but I still plan to consume whole grains, beans, dairy, and booze.
Question of the Day
What do you think of the Paleo diet? Have you tried it? Would you? Has a diet ever shaped the way you eat?
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This dip looks fabulous! I’ll have to remember it for our next party!
I had a friend do that diet and I think he got sick from it? I don’t really remember but I know he didnt do it for long. He was also doing it just to do it. To each their own I suppose
Never tried coconut flour, but I have read great things about it. I will look for it next time.
I always hear about the Paleo diet, but I don’t know much about it. The only diet that helped me, changed my eating habits was me. I know what healthy and whats not, so I count the Jennifer diet to get me threw!
I just need the strength to listen to myself!
I have done the Paleo diet but I became vegetarian about 6 months ago so it doesn’t fit my lifestyle these days. Hi protein/low carb is what works best for me to lose weight and about 10 years ago I lost 30 lbs this way. But I also wound up sicker than ever. I was eating mostly egg whites, hi protein bars with soy protein isolate, chicken, beef and very few veggies. It took a health scare for me to change my diet. I am now vegetarian and I juice every morning, make healthy soups that I add lots of veggies to, eat 3-4 pieces of fresh fruit a day, a lot of fresh ground flax seed and oil, nuts in moderation (but no peanuts as I believe they are toxic), some coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, low fat yogurt and cottage cheese and that’s it. I have never felt better. I find that eating loads of complex carbs in the form of veggies and fruits does not increase my weight.
I don’t really know enough about the paleo diet and doubt I’d ever be able to follow it strictly, but I made a paleo mug cake last week that was pretty much the best thing ever so I’d gladly try some more recipes out!
I considered the pale diet before, but never really tried it, just do my own thing, and so far since last August have lost 30+ pounds.
I’m eating Paleo now (you can check it out on my blog), and have done it before last summer for a short time.. It’s not really a diet in my eyes though – it’s considered more of a lifestyle. I just have really loved the way it’s made me feel, including so much more energy and it’s helped my skin, etc. I do love pancakes and other grains, so to say I’d stick w it forever 100% would be a lie, but I would like to stick with it 90-10 or 80-20. You might be surprised at how great you feel if you give it a try.. I know I was! PS. Def trying that pancakes recipe!
I’ve never tried the Paleo diet but I’ve been hearing a lot about it lately- not sure if I could give up my beloved carbs ;P The prosciutto and melon, shrimp ceviche, and margarita sound delic! Good food and you didn’t even have to make it- a win in my book!
That dip looks amazing! Well, the whole spread does. Yum. And woohoo for the Patriots win!
I am currently eating Paleo as much as possible. I have been using coconut flour and other gluten free flours for months, but want to try Paleo to clean up our eating habits.
Tina- I’m excited that you’re experimenting with Paleo recipes and eating. I like the general ideas of the diet, but I also like your flexible attitude toward it, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing!
Where did my comments go? Did I say anything wrong?? :/
I believe that whole grains and legumes are integral parts to a healthy diet and would never try something that advocates against foods that are proven to be health promoting.
That spread looks amazing! I’m loving all your paleo foods/recipes lately.
Like you, I’m not jumping on the bandwagon completely, but I definitely see the benefit to using Paleo principles to eat more whole foods and a higher protein diet. I just started tracking my macros last week and I’m working toward better carb/fat/protein ratio. Like others have said, Paleo is a lifestyle, not a diet…well, my lifestyle includes whole grains, beans, and some booze
I like some of the concepts behind the Paleo diet but feel that it’s too restrictive for me personally to go full force with it. I definitely incorporate bits and pieces into my diet like you’re doing – mostly through cutting down on traditional grains and swapping them for gluten free varieties such as coconut flour. Tons of eggs and egg whites too! Love the idea of a Paleo margarita, I’ll be trying that soon pleaseandthankyou!
I’ve been Paleo for about 2 years now and it has dramatically changed my life – I feel so much better now, rarely get sick, and am at the peak of my athletic performance and looking better than I ever have. I gradually shifted into the Paleo diet and now have made it part of my life – so much so that I became a certified health coach so that I could help other people learn about a more whole foods approach and how much it can benefit you. Check out my website and blog: http://www.laurapappashealth.com
I love that you attended a Paleo party and that you’re embracing it and finding all the good foods you can still incorporate into you life. Kudos too for trying to bring Paleo foods and stay within the theme, and I am jealous of all those delicious choices.
My husband and I were just talking about eating paleo yesterday. When we went to the bookstore I browsed some of the Paleo books. I’m not far from eating paleo now but I think I’d like to make a few changes and make my diet even more so.
I’d love any info, tips or suggestions!
[Fitness, Health and Happiness]
The Paleo diet is really interesting to me. It makes sense, evolutionarily speaking, and I’m not sure what the exact claims of the diet are in terms of health, but it seems relatively sound. I just don’t know if I could live without some of the grainy foods ( mostly OATMEAL!) that paleo probably excludes, haha!
Hmm I’ve tried a spinach dip with beans before, but it came out pretty bland too :\
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