Duck... Duck... GOOSE!

Here is the background info...

My husband and I are on this journey to lead healthier lives. He joined a gym about 2 years ago called Crossfit so that he could loose some weight and stay in shape. I was not so keen to join the gym at the time because I was working night shift. I felt that I should not have to endure such hardships in my spare time since I was enduring the crappy life that night shift will bring you during working hours plus some. I was put on day shift this past summer and BOY is my life different! I did end up joining Crossfit, which I have learned to love!

Our gym right now is doing this thing called the "Paleo Challenge." Basically, we have been challenged to eat this diet called Paleo for just 30 days. Can't be too hard, right?

For those of you who don't know, Paleolithic eating is basically eating the way a caveman would eat. The no-no's are: bread, rice, pasta (NO STARCH), milk, yogurt, cheese (NO DAIRY), peanuts, black beans, black-eyed peas (NO LEGUMES), cakes, cookies, pudding (NO SUGAR). The diet encourages you to eat meat, veggies, fruits, nuts, and I added that I could eat chocolate as long as it contains 70% cacao or higher.

How hard could it be? It's just a diet...

The problem is...

I love food.... no you don't understand... I LOVE FOOD!!!! You did see that this website is called Juju EAT CAKE, RIGHT?!

I will not eat unless it is beyond yummy. I don't like most recipes these days because most of them revolve around ease/time and not taste. I try to find the best bang for your buck with both ease and taste! The recipes that I will put on this blog will be both of these things. If not then I have failed miserably!

We successfully were on the diet for 2.5 weeks before we went out of town and broke the diet trend. We have not been so good since we have been home, but I am going to continue cooking this way, because it is actually healthy and delicious! I think we are going to add some dairy to our diet, but limit everything else.

Anyways, I have been using this VERY helpful website in the process, which has been a lifesaver! I am now addicted to it and the food! You can find it at www.health-bent.com. This girl is a genius in the kitchen!

Here are some pictures of a mouth-watering dish that I made just last week. It is a Paleo take on Thai food (which I love). Instead of using noodles/rice noodles in the dish, I used zucchini. Can you believe that? Yes sir, I did and you could not tell a lick of difference (literally)! My sister julienne'd the zucchini for me while I prepared the meat and sauce and it worked out splendidly! The duck was absolutely delicious as well. I bought it at my favorite store in Atlanta, the Dekalb Farmer's Market. If you ever get a chance, go there! It is field trip worthy!

The meat was super juicy and was a beautiful pair with the sauce. All the ingredients went perfectly together. Even the green onions made a huge difference. Towards the end of the meal, my husband said, "So let me get this straight, I am actually chowing down on just zucchini?" Yep! That is right folks! How much healthier can you get?

This plate is beautiful, delicious, full of flavor, but most importantly, healthy! Thanks Megan Keatley at Health Bent! You are the best!

See www.health-bent.com for recipe called Paleo Pad Thai!