Saving Dinner - 30 Day Paleo Challenge

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30 Day Paleo Challenge Guide

Copyright © 2013 Leanne Ely All Rights Reserved. May be copied for individual personal use only. If you’d like to share, please share our free menus available at www.SavingDinner.com 30 Day Paleo Challenge — Page 1 of 5

How to Do SavingDinner.com’s 30 Day Paleo Challenge BREAKFAST: We’ve included 10 breakfast recipes for you with two shopping lists so you can mix things up. You can also do a smoothie (use our smoothie mixes, hemp protein or if you want to go "primal" or "part time paleo" you can use a whey protein--make sure it is cold processed, preferably grass fed whey. Watch my video on how to make a smoothie! Basic Smoothie Recipe 2 scoops Saving Dinner All-in-One Smoothie Mix, your choice of flavor 2 scoops Saving Dinner Fibermender* 1 serving frozen fruit, organic berries are best Liquid, such as water, unsweetened coconut water, coconut milk or almond milk** *The All-in-One Smoothie Mixes contain some fiber, but I recommend you take every opportunity to add fiber in! **We recommend So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk. If you use a canned coconut milk, choose the light version and dilute 1/4 cup coconut milk with 3/4 cup water.

If you would rather not have a smoothie, feel free to eat eggs cooked in ghee, butter (I love KerryGold butter, it's Irish from grass fed cows), or coconut oil, any way you like them. How many? That is up to you. Yes, you can have bacon or ham or sausage (make sure there's no gluten filler in that sausage) if you like, but every day isn't recommended. LUNCH: We’ve included 10 lunch recipes and two shopping lists for you to choose from. You can also make double dinner and have your leftover for lunch the next day. Add a salad with Leanne's Basic Vinaigrette and/or a cup of Leanne’s Mitochondria Miracle Vat of Soup (recipe below). Be sure to have a cup of soup or a salad if you didn't have any veggie leftovers from the night before. Veggies are an important part of eating paleo! Paleo Salad Base: Arugula, spinach, watercress, endive, red leaf lettuce (any lettuce except Iceberg), parsley, basil. Add any or all of the following to top your Paleo Salad: Cucumber, cabbage, celery, bell peppers, chives, broccoli and/or cauliflower florets, radishes, summer squash, zucchini, fennel, jalapenos.

Leanne’s Basic Vinaigrette Makes 1/4 cup 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1 clove garlic, pressed Pinch of dried basil Pinch of dried oregano Mix all together, use 1 tablespoon per salad.


Leanne’s Mitochondria Miracle Vat of Soup INGREDIENTS: 3 tablespoons olive oil 3 large onions, chopped 3 large leeks, chopped 6 cloves garlic (or more!), pressed 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped 3 small stalks celery, chopped 1 medium turnip, peeled and chopped 2 huge leaves chard, deribbed and chopped

Serves 12 4 leaves each black kale and Scotch kale, deribbed and chopped 1/4 head cabbage, chopped 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped 2 (14.5-oz.) cans diced tomatoes, un-drained 4 quarts low sodium chicken broth

DIRECTIONS: In a large soup pot*, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat; add the onion and cook until nearly translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for a couple of minutes, but don’t let it brown! Add remaining veggies; sauté for just a minute or 2 (you’re not cooking them, just getting the wonderful flavor this quick step will infuse in your soup). Add the thyme, salt and pepper while sautéing. Now place the veggies in a large slow cooker; add diced tomatoes and broth. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours or on HIGH for 4 to 6 hours (all slow cookers differ, depending on size, age, brand, etc…your mileage may vary). If your slow cooker isn’t large enough, simmer the mixture in the soup pot on the stovetop for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, gently mash some of the sweet potato chunks against the side of the slow cooker or soup pot to thicken the soup; give it a stir and serve. *LEANNE’S NOTE: This is a BIG pot of soup, you may need to do a half batch so it will fit in your pot or crock cooker. It freezes well. I like to make a huge batch and freeze some of it in single servings for later. Quick Fixes for Soup Variations (Now remember: Don’t do this to the whole pot of soup…just the amount you pull out to fix yourself for lunch, etc.): Quick Fix #1: Tex-Mex Veggie Soup: Add some salsa for a little heat (and a dash of cayenne if you like), a little ground cumin and chopped cilantro. Top with some diced avocado and more chopped cilantro. Quick Fix #2: Tuscan Veggie soup – Add some fresh chopped basil leaves, chopped tomato and gluten free and nitrate free sausage. Quick Fix #3: Autumn Veggie Soup – Add some diced acorn or butternut squash, a sprinkling of ground nutmeg and some chopped parsley. I also add an ample sprinkling of curry powder. Copyright © 2013 Leanne Ely All Rights Reserved. May be copied for individual personal use only. If you’d like to share, please share our free menus available on the web at www.SavingDinner.com

DINNER: The 30 Day Paleo Challenge includes 5 menus with 6 days of recipes, serving suggestions and of course, the shopping list. Feel free to have some soup or salad before your meals! :-)


SNACKS IDEAS: While I don’t recommend eating every 2-3 hours. I used to years ago back when I co-wrote Body Clutter. But research shows that this keeps blood sugar and insulin elevated above fasting levels which in turn blocks fat burning and makes your body better at burning sugar rather than fat. That said, there are times when you are legitimately hungry and need a snack. (make sure you’re drinking plenty of water though; it’s easy to confuse thirst with hunger when you’re dehydrated, FYI!) So here is a list of snacks that are paleo approved. • • • • • • •

1 tablespoon almond, cashew or macadamia nut butter on a spoon (lick it off slowly) 10 raw nuts and a cup of fresh or frozen berries Apple slices and 1 tablespoon nut butter (same choices as above) 2 ounces of turkey slices (organic, nitrate free, gluten free) with 1 tablespoon of guacamole or 2 slices of avocado Celery sticks with 1 tablespoon nut butter (same choices as above) Nitrite free beef jerky (great to keep in your briefcase or purse when traveling) Pouches of tuna

There are more snacks of course, but let’s keep it simple these next 30 days and I challenge you to see if you can do without any snacking! (if you can’t for medical reasons, I totally get that and here are your options). RESTAURANT GUIDE: Let’s face it: most of us dine out at some time during our week, for most of us that means the weekend. Too many times we allow ourselves to binge with the “just this once” mentality and order the Fettuccine Alfredo. The idea that going to a restaurant signals “splurge time” can be changed if you want it to! Believe me, I understand! You’re talking to the Dinner Diva here, one of the world’s most passionate foodies! When I go to a restaurant, I’m all about finding out what their specialty is and relishing and savoring every bite. And yes, that meant a lot of “just this once” exceptions. The problem was my health and weight both suffered and I finally came to the conclusion that just because I’m out to dinner, doesn’t mean I need to take my brain on vacation! LOL! There are easy ways to dine in restaurants, eat healthy wonderful food while you continue to follow the 30 Day Paleo Challenge and enjoy the company of your family and friends. I promise you, unless you tell them you’re doing the Challenge, they won’t even know you’re doing anything different, scout’s honor! Here are a few of my favorite eating out tips: •

Check out the entire menu when you sit down. The point is you don’t have to stick to what side dish is listed with a specific entree. Let’s say you want the grilled steak and it comes with a side of potatoes au gratin. Ask to substitute a salad or some veggies for the cheesy taters; that was easy!

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Speaking of salad, ask for it served with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the side. Make sure your salad is all about the veggies and skip all that other stuff that won’t be paleo friendly, like croutons, cheese and the like. If there’s bacon and nuts on there, rejoice! That stuff is all perfectly paleo! Copyright © 2013 Leanne Ely All Rights Reserved. May be copied for individual personal use only. If you’d like to share, please share our free menus available at www.SavingDinner.com 30 Day Paleo Challenge — Page 4 of 5

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Here’s an easy solution to the pasta/rice/cheesy potato side dishes: simply ask the waiter to double your veggies as your side. So far, I’ve never been told no when I’ve made this request.

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Remember: if you see the words “breaded, fried, crunchy, crispy and creamy” describing something you want to order, that means you’ll be getting grain, bad oils and dairy. All not so paleo friendly.

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Never assume anything in a restaurant. If they tell you their house salad comes with a vinaigrette, ask about the ingredients before accepting it! At the very least, ask for the dressing on the side.

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Just remember you don’t have to eat everything on your plate. Yes, you can have what you want, but put your fork down and have a conversation with the folks at your table. Allow yourself to feel “full” and don’t just race to the eating finish line. Restaurants traditionally serve such large portions, you may get lucky and get to take a good portion home for lunch the next day!

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Take control of the situation from the get go and let the wait staff know you can’t have gluten, dairy or anything fried. Don’t tell them you’re on a diet (unless you want to invite them to the Challenge, LOL!), tell them you’re dealing with an allergy. You do have an allergy, right? You’re allergic to temptation and want to finish this Challenge!

Hop on the forum and have fun enjoying the Paleo lifestyle! Love, Leanne
