Day 13

My husband was needing something sweet last night so I made him a banana, coconut milk, and almond butter shake. I had a bit and it was pretty good! Technically not approved. You're not supposed to drink you calories but the poor guy needed a treat. He battled an awful cold for the first week of the diet and now he's broken out in hives. We thought it was a Splenda allergy previously, but now that we can't have sweeteners, it's obviously not that. Apparently he's allergic to dieting. The poor guy. I told him he was off the hook, but he wants to continue until Easter.

Breakfast was on the run. I fried two eggs and ate them burrito style in the car on my way to my hair appointment. Highlights and grocery shopping seemed like a little vacation without the kiddos.

Lunch was late but I wasn't that hungry. We had Trader Joe's Kobe Beef Burgers with paleo ketchup and mustard. We had Kale Chips and carrots on the side. I made the Paleo Ketchup by mixing the following:

PALEO KETCHUP
6oz tomato paste
1tsp vinegar
a little onion powder
a little garlic powder
water to correct consistency
I microwaved it for 30 seconds, gave it a final mix, and set it out to cool before regrigerating it.

KALE CHIPS
Break the stems off the kale and cut into bite sized pieces.
Toss with oil and sprinkle liberally with salt.
If you think you added enough salt, add some more. Really.
Then Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. You want then good an crispy.

Both of my kids are good eaters but the littlest (or youngest, she isn't all that little compared to her sister) is a little more cautious about new foods. However, when my oldest told her that the kale chips were probably martian food, she couldn't resist. She ate half the pan herself. Score!!

Dinner was a SIRLOIN FILET WRAPPED IN BACON. I just brushed with olive oil, smeared with chopped garlic, and seared both sides before putting the pan in the oven for about 5 minutes at 350 degrees.
None of us were really all that hungry, since we'd eaten lunch late, so there were no veggies. (Shhhh, don't tell.) Instead we had a small bowl of berries with coconut milk cream.

It's interesting how our taste buds are changing in the absence of sugar and sweeteners. When we started this, the coconut milk tasted bland to me and I wouldn't have known it was made from coconut if the label didn't say. Same with coconut chips. Boring. Now, after two weeks, I can totally taste the sweetness and flavor of the natural coconut. Same with the strawberries that I put in our bowl. I thought they would be sour, being out of season and kind of crisp when I cut them, but they tasted fairly sweet.

Soon I'll be off to take my last shot of natural calm and settle in to watch a movie with the hubby. Cheers to lazy Saturdays.