Spanish Tortilla
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“It’s Too Hard Part 2” And a Spanish Tortilla Recipe

This is part 2 of the “It’s too Hard Series.”  We are going to look at what to do when a person such as  our beloved “Phil” is totally on board for living a paleo lifestyle and the significant other is either supportive but thinks it’s too hard, thinks your nuts, or simply doesn’t want to.  Chrissy and I addressed this situation in our last podcast regarding another family, but I want to go over this real life scenario in further detail as I feel this is a HUGE elephant in the room for many families.

Let’s look at a comment I received regarding my original It’s Too Hard post from “Another Phil:”

“Well said Sarah!

So, what if Phil has made the transition, and really wants his family to as well. But, he’s not the one doing the grocery shopping, or cooking the meals. What if Phil’s wife does all that, and though not against eating paleo, is stuck in that comfort zone of the old ways. She still buys the crap food because that’s what she’s always bought. She still serves cereal for breakfast, because it’s quicker/faster/easier than cooking ? If Phil were there, he’d likely do the cooking and the shopping, but he’s up and out of the house to work out then off to work before anyone else is even awake. Phil’s wife would gladly make the transition to paleo if Phil were there, because it would be “easier” than what she currently does; i.e. he’d be doing the cooking. In short, how does the person who’s made the transition to Paleo, get his or her family to follow them when they are not there to lead the way ? I know that’s a tough one to answer. A person has to want to do something and you can’t make a person do something they don’t want to. But are there ways to make it easier for them to change than to stick within the comfort zone ? Thanks for yet another great post. Can’t wait to try out those egg muffins

Here was my reply to Another Phil and this is my advice to anyone desiring to get his or her spouse on the paleo bandwagon – or at least this is an excellent place to start:

Hey Another Phil!
I would suggest that Phil start by having a heart to heart conversation with his wife. Give her The Paleo Solution, show her Robb Wolfs blog, show her my blog, and without arguing, pleading, or begging, let her know how much you love and appreciate her and how much she does – acknowledge how hard she works and what an amazing job she does taking care of the family, and then let her know that he loves her so much that his greatest wish is that she is as healthy as possible and that he thinks he has found a way for the entire family to not only live better but live longer!! I would tell Phil to communicate to his wife that he wants to start this amazing journey as a family and that he wants them to be a team, partners in crime with this new wonderful way of living. I would tell Phil to give her a big hug and kiss and tell her that without her he would be nothing and that together they can accomplish anything. Top it off with some flowers after work and a little note promising that even when Phil can’t help with breakfast, he’ll help her meal plan so she knows exactly what to make when he’s not there and that together they can come up with a strategy to make it happen…”

To add to my original response, nagging, pleading, crying, begging, and arguing will get you nowhere.  If you try the advice I give in the above paragraph and your significant other is not willing to give this paleo thing a go, I advice you to simply keep making your own choices and pay zero attention to the fact that you do not have a significant other who is interested.  Continue to be your loving, wonderful self, continue to become healthier, stronger, and more energized, and the less you nag the MORE your significant other will start to notice. Sometimes when YOU stop paying attention to what your spouse is or isn’t doing, he or she will start to become more involved in your journey because the fear of confrontation or the uncomfortable moments of nagging are gone and he or she will begin to notice your transformation rather than your attitude!

Remember that ultimately you can only change your own behavior and your own lifestyle and it’s truly up to your significant other if he or she is ready. Trying to shove them on the wagon will only result in a stronger urge for your partner to run away.  Make your food for the whole family and if someone wants something different, gently suggest that it’s up to him or her to provide what he or she feels is missing and instead of arguing about your differences in opinion, go on with life and you’ll be amazed at what might eventually happen.

Now, let’s take a look at “Another Phil’s” timely response and how it looks as if his astounding results after eating paleo for a while is all it took to get his spouse more interested in what he’s been up to.  In my experience, this is typically how it works out. One person starts to look, feel and perform better, followed by the other person being amazed and wants to join the ride, despite how “hard” it might appear to be.

“Sarah, What a wonderful, and heartfelt response. It’s ironic, and serendipitous that I just read it now: I started Zoning last July but had gone mostly Paleo w/ Zone portions by November. I started the 30-day Paleo challenge on January 2nd. On January 19th, 18 days in, I had my blood work done for my upcoming annual physical which was today. Suffice it to say, my doctor was absolutely flabbergasted at the change. I went from 172 and borderline high cholesterol (he was toying with the idea of putting me on statins if it got worse this time last year) to 148. Every single biomarker they tested was below the “standard ideal range”. In short, my health is “better than perfect” in his words. He asked me what I was doing, and I spelled it out to him. As I spoke, he started asking me for web references and actually wrote the URLs down on tongue-depressors! I gave him Robb’s site, Crossfit.com, Mark Sisson’s site. I mentioned your blog and recipes, and several others. I left with him asking for my e-mail address in case he had more questions. He ended with, “Geez, I should coming to see you instead of you coming to see me. This is fantastic stuff! It’s so brilliant, yet so simple!” Needless to say, I’ve been looking forward to this doctor’s appointment all month knowing what the results would be. I’ve been fairly giddy about it all day since  Fast forward a couple of hours, and I related all this to my wife, who absolutely, positively despises doctors. After telling her all this, and hearing how happy I was, she said, “I wish I could have doctor’s visits like that!” That’s my in. She can have doctor’s visits like that, and I told her so. And I told her exactly how we, as a team, can approach it. That between now and her annual physical, we have more than enough time to get all her issues in line and fixed, and that she has it easy; she’s got me, who has already “been there, done that” and knows how to approach it all. Hopefully I can keep the momentum going  Thanks so much for your support, your advice, your website, and your amazing recipes which got me here to begin with “

Thanks so much to “Another Phil” for sharing with us!  I hope this helps others struggling with a partner who is not quite ready to dive into this whole “paleo thing!”  Remember, approach your loved one with the desire to be a team and lead by example rather than by being confrontational, controlling, and angry.  Post to comments with your own experiences and input!

Now, here’s a recipe!  I adore Spanish Tortillas.  Spanish Tortillas are typically an egg casserole made with eggs, onions, and potatoes with really no “tortilla” at all.  I decided to give a paleo version a try and I’m pretty much in love all over again but with a healthier spin on the original!  This would be great for a weekend brunch

Everyday Paleo Spanish Tortilla

Author Sarah Fragoso

Ingredients

  • 2 medium yams peeled and sliced into thin rounds with a mandoline slicer
  • 2 cups torn arugula leaves
  • 1 purple onion sliced thin
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 10 eggs
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

  1. In a saute pan (this is a pan that is about 2-3 inches deep unlike the flatter skillet), heat 2 tablespoons of the coconut oil.  Make sure your oil is hot enough that is sizzles when you lay in a slice of yam.  Cook the yam slices in a single layer in batches in the hot oil, flipping after frying for about a minute on each side or when they start to brown.  Set the cooked yams aside, add the remaining tablespoon of coconut oil into the pan and saute the onions just until they start to turn brown.  While the onions are cooking, beat the eggs together with the spices in a medium sized bowl.  After the onions begin to brown, spread them evenly on the bottom of the pan and layer the yams on top of the onions, followed by a layer of the arugula.  Poor the egg mixture evenly over the layers of veggies and cook over medium or medium low until the edges start to look done (about 4-5 minutes).  Move the entire pan underneath your broiler for another 5-6 minutes until the "tortilla" is firm on top.  Remove and slice like a pizza and eat immediately.  Serves 4-5.

ENJOY!

Sarah Fragoso

Sarah Fragoso is an international best selling author of 6 books, co-owner of the Chico, CA based gym JS Strength and Conditioning, and founder of the Everyday Paleo franchise. Sarah is the co-host of the popular Sarah and Dr. Brooke Show podcast and she also conducts workshops and retreats on the subjects of nutrition, lifestyle and fitness.

Her message is from the heart and she carries a genuine desire to help other families looking for guidance. These attributes have contributed to her successes and provide the drive to keep the discoveries coming.

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72 Comments

  1. Rebeccab says:

    Thank you Sarah for your insight. My husband and I started eating 100% Paleo a week ago and we both are loving it. We live in the country and have always had a garden, so eating all the meat and veggies is not a big transition. Getting the sugar and wheat out is huge for us, but we are doing well with a few highs and lows. I am also transitioning my two boys who are 8 and 10 and I have found that hunger is the best transition. At dinner, they will eat anything I put before them because they are simply hungry and have both grown up eating good meats and veggies. They do miss their snacks, but I am offering healthier alternatives, and they have no choice to eat a slice of turkey and an apple, because they are hungry and that is what is here!

    I studied Dr. Cordain, Robb Wolf’s Paleo Solution, and The Primal Blueprint before embarking on this new life journey. Your blog inspired me to believe that as a working mom I can do this. Already in a week, I have had a few challenges with time, but still managed to whip up Paleo meals that we all ate and tasted pretty good. We have picked a steer out of our small herd of beef cattle that will become our year’s supply of grass-fed beef. Your last two days’ posts have really enouraged me when I wondered what the heck I am doing. I live on a small cattle/horse ranch in Arkansas where being unhealthy is a state pastime. I think we are the 2nd or 3rd most unhealthy state. My garden will look a lot different this year and begin much earlier with winter greens and end later with winter squashes.

    I just wanted to let you know that your blog does inspire me and that some of your simple recipes and cooking methods gave me the confidence that I could do this. Keep up the good work.

    Rebecca

    1. Sarah says:

      Hi Rebecca,
      Thanks so much for sharing your story and please keep in touch and keep me posted on how things continue to go for you and you family!

    2. healthEfairy says:

      Rebecca,
      I also live on a cattle farm in Arkansas! While I’m happy to be off the grains, my husb has his limits…he doesn’t care to be extremely healthy…just pretty healthy. SO we still have corn chips, brown rice etc. He is gluten free, so at least that.
      Enjoyed your post…keep up the good work! So proud of you for getting your family off the ‘gut wadding for the ignorant masses'(grain)

  2. This sounds awesome! Can’t wait to try it. 🙂

    And in response to your wonderful post, I’d like to say that my husband could be “Phil”! He’s been doing paleo/crossfit for a while and has patiently waited for me to come on board. I’ve done crossfitting with him for a while (he’s a coach). But when I was pregnant, I wanted nothing but milk, cereal, bread and oatmeal. After undergoing kidney stone issues during pregnancy and post pregnancy, I could see his concern growing. But he waited until baby was two months old and breastfeeding was established to really try to get me into it. He pointed to the books and the websites, but I was so busy getting ready to go back to work (I teach) that I told him it would have to wait. I didn’t have time to read. And I wasn’t about to jump into anything without looking into it and doing some research myself.

    The new year seemed to come at just the right time for us. I had to fast and do a bowel cleanse before a CT scan. That meant no eating for the whole day! I decided to take up my husband on the 30 day challenge and start it the next day. He’s the primary cook in the house so I figured I had nothing to lose. Besides, he actually cooked paleo dinners, and I just added the grains, ketchup or barbecue sauce, or cheese for me and the kids. 🙂 It was hard at first. The cereal eating was more habitual than anything (a bowl before bed) and I found myself wanting to go through the motions. And boy, did I miss the cheese!!! But 26 days later (today) I find myself content with my paleo eating habits. I still am waiting to see my physical benefits, as I am still getting used to the idea of having 3 kids! But I did recover extremely well from an outpatient surgery 2 weeks ago. I am so happy to have switched, though I still miss some things – like sushi. I’m actually so excited about it that I’m talking paleo at work, on facebook and with my friends, and trying to convert them!

    I must say, Sarah, a lot of it has to do with your story and your website. YOU helped me to make the switch. So, thank you! Thank you for providing the wives of “Phil” with the information and inspiration to lead healthier lives.

    1. Sarah says:

      Hey JT, your comment gave me the chills, thank you so much for sharing. : ) Please keep me posted on how things go and let me know if I can be of any help!

  3. Andrew says:

    Do you mean yams or sweet potatoes?

    1. Sarah says:

      Hi Andrew! I mean Yams – the ones with the orange flesh. : )

      1. Sonia says:

        I thought yams/sweet potatoes were in the food group from which we need to stay away. Did I read this wrong?

        1. Dana says:

          If you have enough carb tolerance you should be able to eat tubers without a problem. Even nightshades are OK for a lot of people. But if you can’t have nightshades you should still be able to eat yams or sweet potatoes, assuming (again) that you have good carb tolerance. Neither is in the nightshade family. One of them, the sweet potato I think, is actually in the morning glory family. Weird as that sounds.

          There are indigenous groups, including some uncontacted Indians down in South America, which actually eat a lot of tubers. It’s not the only thing they eat–they hunt too, and fish, and eat other stuff. But tubers tend to be a mainstay. Of course, they also have the physical activity and therefore the insulin sensitivity to tolerate the stuff.

  4. I guess I’ve taken for granted that my husband and I agreed on the paleo diet from the beginning… although some of our friends and family think that we’re crazy giving up bread.

    I love this tortilla recipe. I tend to make a omelettes on the weekend, but I like that there’s no flipping involved in your recipe 🙂

    1. Sarah says:

      Thanks Zibi! Let me know if the recipe works out for you. : )

  5. Erika says:

    I live in SC and Yams are not possible to find….
    We have sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes, and well, more sweet potatoes, but no yams…
    Can I sub? Will it make too much difference???
    I am very new to this and I am having almost zero luck with my husband.
    I think I will do the 30 days myself, and not harp as you suggested and then see if he has softened to the idea any….
    I am only a week in and my bowels are better, my energy and not ONE headache.
    Man, do I suffer from migranes…
    I am already sold.
    Erika

    1. Sarah says:

      Hi Erika! I know even here sometimes they call them sweet potatoes but as long as they have the orange flesh and not the white flesh you are good to go. Could that be the case? If not, you can always sub with winter squash like butternut, just peal it with a potato peeler, cut in half, scoop out the seeds and slice thin and cook just like the yams in this recipe. Most importantly, I’m so happy to hear that you are feeling better! I also suffered from headaches and to say goodbye to those was so amazing. Hurray!! : )

    2. Dana says:

      Yams and sweet potatoes are different, but both have orange flesh and they’re close enough in terms of taste and nutrition that the USDA treats them almost like they are the same plant.

  6. Andrew says:

    Sarah I suspect those are sweet potatoes in your recipe. They are often sold as yams (i.e. Jewel yams, garnet yams) in American supermarkets, but they’re really sweet potatoes.

    Sweet potatoes are small and have dark orange or yellow flesh.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_potato

    True yams are much larger and usually have white flesh.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yam_(vegetable)

    1. Hey Andrew! I’m using the orange or darker colored fleshed ones – call em’ what you want but use the dark ones! Lol!! : )

  7. Yummy. I just made this for breakfast. It is very similar to another casserole recipe I make, but I like the onions on the bottom. I didn’t have argula so I substituted with the spinach I had on hand.

    1. Sarah says:

      Hi Cathy, sounds great with the spinach!

  8. Rachel says:

    Hi Sarah,
    Love the blog, love the recipes, love the inspiration! Could go on and on, but it’s bedtime:) I have a quick question, unrelated to neither “Phil” nor this yummy looking recipe… Is there anything that can be used to sub for flour as a thickener (ie. for gravy)? I’ve used something called kudzu (sp?) root in the past, but not sure if it’s “legal”.
    Thanks,
    Rachel

    1. Sarah says:

      Hi Rachel! A good sub for flour to thicken something is arrowroot powder! You can find it at most health food stores an I’ll add it to my amazon store too! Thanks so much for your kind words. : )

    2. Dana says:

      Kudzu’s probably OK from what I’ve heard about it. Research the carb count though–if you’re carb-sensitive, even arrowroot might be too much. I’ve heard of people using the starch that shirataki noodles are made from as a sauce thickener. It’s practically all fiber. (I think it’s called glucomannan?)

  9. Another Phil says:

    I made this yesterday for breakfast, and everyone LOVED it! Of course, I went out Saturday in search of arugla, and now have this large bag of arugla I have no idea what to do with other than make more Spanish Tortillas!

    So, Sarah, I expect you to have a few arugla-including recipes this week 😉

    1. Sarah says:

      Hi Another Phil!! Arugula is so yummy and just in case I don’t end up posting any new arugula recipes this week – check out these ones from the past!! Have fun! : ) http://everydaypaleo.com/2010/07/22/my-arugula-obsession/
      http://everydaypaleo.com/2010/07/15/ginger-shrimp-salad-and-curried-hash/
      http://everydaypaleo.com/2010/06/29/grilled-chicken-with-walnut-pesto-sauce-and-warm-arugula-salad/

      The last one is my personal favorite!

      Sarah

  10. Hey Sarah,

    Made this last night after the whole family got home late from Crossfit and the Chiropracter. It turned out awesome and was very quick to make. Might add some tomatoes or sausage next time while keeping everything else. Keep the food coming.
    Thanks again.

    1. Yum, love the sausage idea!! That would totally kick it up a notch. : )

  11. Aimee says:

    Sarah, this recipe looks awesome and I cannot WAIT to make it this weekend. I love Spanish Omelettes and the yam/sweet potato substitution is brilliant. Thank you so much for all of the inspiration you provide!

    1. Thank you Aimee! : )

  12. Whitney says:

    Sarah,
    I love this post because I WAS “Phil’s wife” for a long time. My husband had been Crossfitting and eating Zone then Paleo for some time. I honestly thought he was being too extreme and really found myself pushing back against him. I agreed to cook Paleo dinners so that we could all eat the same thing, and since Paleo dinners are super easy (meat, veggie, salad – hello?), but I continued to eat grains and dairy.

    I was pregnant with our 2nd and just craved carbs and dairy all the time and was gaining weight a little more rapidly than I wanted to. THEN I failed my 1-hour glucose tolerance test in my gestational diabetes screening. I was terrified that I had gestational diabetes so I spent the 2 weeks leading up to my 3-hour test eating strict paleo, just in case. I was amazed by how good I felt and how my weight gain had stopped. So I started actually reading the info that my husband had asked me to read for so many months – Rob’s book, your site, Cordain’s book. And I was hooked – I was a convert. I’ve been eating Paleo ever since.

    My next goal is to get back into a regular workout routine. Prior to kids I was a 6-7x/week gym rat, but nowadays I struggle with the motivation to get there. By the time the kids are in bed I’m exhausted and heading out for a workout is the LAST thing I want to do. Any suggestions on how to get that motivation back?

    1. Sarah says:

      Hi Whitney! First, I love your story and so glad that you are doing well!! My advice for working out is to somehow incorporate some exercise during the day with your kiddos! Play tag, Simon says, and red light green light and incorporate movements like squats and pushups into your games. Were the baby in a Moby wrap or sling and do lunges and squats. Toss everyone in the stroller, forget about the mess at home and sprint around the block a few times! Go to the playground and swing on the monkey bars. Even if you don’t “feel” like you are getting a work out in you will be and you’ll start to feel better and more motivated! Don’t worry too much about your lack of motivation right now, so much of your energy is simply going to be a mom, you’ll soon have the rest of your life to be gym rat. : )

  13. Heather says:

    I got my husband on board to try the paleo way by giving him a challenge, I told him to just try it for 10 days and see how he feels at the end of it. We just started the 10 day challenge today together and I can’t wait to see how we both feel at the end of it. I am hoping that it will change how he feels enough to want to keep eating this way. I know that this is how I will be eating for the rest of my life.

    1. Sarah says:

      Awesome Heather, Let me know how it goes! Good luck!

      1. Heather says:

        I am having a hard time switching to the paleo diet for some reason. I just keep going back to my old habits, then I feel really sick and think why did I just do that. Also it has been really hard getting my 3 yr old son to switch, he would rather starve then eat what I feed him. For some reason he doesn’t like to eat vegetables whats so ever and meat well he won’t eat much of that either and he can’t survive on fruit alone. He eats non stop and I mean non stop, he loves peanut butter and apples but I can’t feed him that all day either. I am completely stumped on what to do with him. As for my problem sticking to it, thats mostly because I really need to be more prepared and get rid of all junk in my house. I have tried a couple different paleo pancake recipes but so far no go on those either. Got the recipes for a few muffin recipes going to try those next. I guess turning your diet upside down and your families isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do but its not impossible either just going to take a little time readjusting. As for my husband he doesn’t really seem to mind what I feed him as long as he has food to eat. I think too that I really need to start eating way more protein, its hard changing the mindset of not eating too much meat. Also the boredom at the end of the week with what we are eating is causing us to cheat too.

        1. Christi says:

          Heather, I go through the same thing. A lot of my food issues are totally mental. I feel your pain.

  14. Kimberly says:

    Just made this recipe for dinner and it is so GOOD!!! I love it!

    1. Sarah says:

      Hurray Kimberly!

  15. Susan says:

    Awesome, awesome, awesome! I used spinach too and put some ground turkey sausage in too to make it heartier for my midwestern husband. He was “a big fan!” I put some sliced avocado on top too. Thanks for another great recipe!

    1. Sarah says:

      Yum Susan, I’m totally making this again with sausage. Another reader suggested the sausage idea and it sound perfect! Thank you!

  16. Whitney says:

    Made this tonight – it was a big hit! I made one alteration, though – I baked the sliced potatoes/yams (tossed in oil) in the oven for ~20 minutes at 375. Then I just slid the potatoes into my pan with the onions. That saved me from having to stand at the stove frying batches of potatoes!

  17. Kimberly says:

    I tried cooking this last night and it was very good except i burnt the bottom and it took about 45 min for the center to cook. i did everything you said, can you explain more on your cook procedure?

    1. 45 min is no fun at all! I reviewed Sarah’s procedure and then gave your problem some thought. Sounds like your pan is too small or getting too hot and heating unevenly. Try preheating your oven to 350 – then do the stovetop stuff at medium-high – when you move the skillet to the oven, switch the oven from ‘350 bake’ to ‘low broiler’. The preheated oven will cook all around while the lo broiler wont torch the top. If this fails, you may have too small a skillet for 10 eggs plus all the other stuff. Try cutting the materials in half and see how that goes. 6 min stovetop/6 min broiler is all it should take.

      1. Kimberly says:

        Thank you very much. I will give this a try!

  18. Lauren says:

    Phil should try what my boyfriend did to me in order to cause me to switch: As I was eating a bagel he looked at me with the saddest face and biggest puppy dog eyes and said “I just don’t want you to die.” I laughed hysterically but was on board the next day 🙂

    1. LOL!! Love it!!

  19. Michael Lynch says:

    This really isn’t related to this recipe but has to do with yams. I usually thinly slice 2-3 yams, toss them in olive oil and lightly salted them and throw them in the oven for snacks throughout the week. I have “kicked it up a gear” and really gone super strict paleo and was wondering how yams fit into this? I usually treat them as my “candy.” So to my point……how much is too much if any? I am using them for added calories that I think I need. I am an avid crossfitter and am training for sectionals at the moment. I have always eaten paleo-ish proior to comps, but I want to give myself the best training and nutrition. Sorry for being so long winded.

    1. I would go for those yams post workout! They are great recovery fuel! As long as you are continuing to see improvements in the gym and feel good, it’s a good indication you are on track with your food. Good luck!! : ) We are going to try and come to watch the games this year so if you make it I’ll be cheering you on!

  20. Shelby says:

    I added sausage per others recommendations. So delicious! Will definitely be making this again!

    1. I still haven’t tried it yet with sausage but plan on it this weekend, glad it was a hit!!

  21. Debbie says:

    Sarah,
    I just heard one of your podcasts about almonds. I am new to Paleo and have been trying my best to stick with it. I was dissapointed to hear that almonds and almond flour is not as good for you as i thought…high in omega 6’s and everything:( I am thinking it is also high in salt, because everything i make with it seems really salty. What do you suggest i use? I am even using almond meal in my meatloaf instead of breadcrumbs.i thought it was the better choice.

    1. Hi Debbie,
      Almond meal is still the better choice, I would just use it in moderation. I’m not sure what kind of almond meal you are using so I would read the ingredients and make sure there is no salt added! I buy mine from Trader Joes and all that’s in it is ground up raw almonds! Coconut flour is good to have around but if you put some almond meal in your meatloaf now and then I wouldn’t sweat it, I’m just trying to let folks know that eating nuts all day is probably not the best idea, but I would still rather see folks eating some almonds than eating bread. : ) I hope that helps!

  22. Melissa says:

    Hi Sarah! Can I make these ahead of time and freeze them to eat them on weekday mornings?

    Thanks!

    1. Sarah says:

      Yes, for sure but I would recommend slicing it and freezing separately the portions you want to eat so it’s easier. : )

  23. Just made this for dinner tonight and everyone loved it. I am really enjoying all your recipes, thanks so much for sharing your expertise with all of us! 🙂

    1. Sarah says:

      Thank you Kendra!

  24. Beverly says:

    You had a list in your first “Its too hard” post with your busyness – I just need to add two more to that for me – homeschooling mommy of soon to be 6 little ones 🙂
    We are quite busy with everyone home for every meal and next month I will have 5 little ones ages 6 and under. I am not complaining in the least – we love our little ones and hope to have a houseful Lord willing 🙂
    but, it does make it difficult to make Paleo meals 3 times a day for everyone. We are living on our farm and have our own chickens, garden, etc.. and thanks to my dad and grandfather (they have a ranch about 3 hours from us) we get grass fed beef by the freezerful anytime we want (we just halfed a cow with my father this last week – 200 pounds of grass fed beef in our freezer).
    So I know I am heads above most with access to budget friendly foods (though our chickens are soy free birds and their supplemental feed is expensive) – I still have a hard time finding the TIME to do everything…
    So, a few questions –
    1 – besides the egg cupcakes – do you have anything else I can prepare on the weekend that I can freeze or fridge for the week – my girls and I try and cook from about 9am-noon on Saturday (the boys are outside with daddy doing farm work)
    2 – most of the Paleo recipes I find do not make enough for us – do you have any recipes that feed large familes – we have 2 girls and 3 boys so far and I know those boys are going to get hungrier as they get bigger 🙂

    We have already cut out gluten and have been off sugar for a long time – we do use honey and maple syrup on occasion. I am coming off of a raw vegan stint – so this is quite a leap for me – thanks for your site and all your information…

    1. Sarah says:

      You can make the apple muffins or almond meal pancakes as well also having a bunch of hardboiled eggs on hand is good for a big family or even eating leftovers for breakfast! As far as the recipes not being big enough, i would encourage you to double or triple the recipes to make them work for your family. Often I will use leftovers to create an entirely different meal as well. For example with leftover greens I’ll saute them with sausage or ground beef for the next days lunch or breakfast. Left over chicken breast can be made into a million other things. Left over soup and stew can be stretched out by adding other bits of meat or veggies or even eggs. Sounds like you are doing an amazing job, i can only imagine how much work it is too take care of all of your little ones and with another one on the way! Keep in touch, let me know how things go for you!

  25. Beverly says:

    Last night was a late night and this morning I remembered something else I wanted to ask – one of our “quick” morning breakfast is granola. I would make up a huge batch of it during the weekend – it has oats in it which I know are not paleo – do you have a recipe for granola that I can make in big batches for during the week? We usually have eggs (this morning I made your fritata and it went over quite well) and some kind of greens or a smoothie, but on our “errand” day we need something very quick.
    Also, big snack options? When the little ones get up from naps they like snacks – usually they have apples and almond butter and such – do you have any other ideas?
    And – I am trying to stock my freezer for upcoming baby – any thoughts or recipes for large freezer meals? Everything I find has grains in it…

    Thanks again!

    1. Sarah says:

      Hi Beverly, look through my recipes on the blog and make the crock pot meals, stews, chili, soups etc. You can double all of those recipes and freeze them for after baby. Big snack options we do in our house, like you the apples and almond butter, hardboiled eggs, deviled eggs, veggies and guacamole, sliced cooked chicken or turkey, artichoke hearts, olives, shredded cabbage wrapped inside lunch meat, shrimp, leftovers, etc. I do not have a recipe for granola but I love this granola http://www.paleopeople.com/
      I hope that all helps!! : )

  26. Beverly says:

    Ok – last time 🙂
    Agave as a sweetener? I have some in the house we are using up, but one of the kids favorite “treats” (they get these as treats in their clothes drawers when I do a surprise check and they are straight, potty treats for little ones training, etc..) are a raw food bar that have nuts and agave. I am thinking that as a occasional thing it is probably ok – but I am really working on keeping my blood sugar levels down and even and I find I am eating one of those bars a day!

    1. Sarah says:

      Agave I would stay away from. Check out this link. http://www.foodrenegade.com/agave-nectar-good-or-bad/ For the occasional bar treat, check out Lara Bars, made with just nuts, dates, and dried fruit. http://www.larabar.com/

    2. Dana says:

      Seconded the Lara Bars. Lara Bars are epic. I just ate one that was peanut butter cookie flavor. Guess what’s in it? Dates, peanuts, and salt. I don’t think peanuts are paleo, they are legumes, but a *lot* of the LB flavors are Paleo-legal. Also, Google for LB recipes. There are quite a few bloggers out there who have worked out homemade equivalents.

      1. Sarah says:

        I’ll have to check out the recipes, thank you Dana!

  27. Beverly says:

    Thanks so much for all your replies – they are very helpful! Today I have some small steaks in the crockpot, I have made up a variation of your chicken and chard (I had spinach and made it more of a coconut curry) and I am going to also make the cabbage and sauasage meal today – I am thinking I can freeze that one well.
    Thanks for the encouragement also – it really does help!

    1. Sarah says:

      I think freezing that meal would work, I freeze a lot of stuff and haven’t had any problems yet, just defrost in the fridge over night and reheat quickly in the frying pan and I’m sure you’ll be good to go! Thanks so much for your kind words. Big hugs and best of luck to you and your family!!

  28. Becky says:

    Just made this for breakfast – it was so yummy! Been trying your recipes all week, and my southern fried food loving hubby has been loving them 🙂 I’m running my first 5K tonight, and thought this would be a great big healthy breakfast to give me “fuel” to run well tonight!
    Thanks for all the info – I’m loving it! Can’t wait to get my book and make the full transition to a paleo lifestyle – i’m feeling great!

  29. merimine says:

    Oh my, just started…i think i got the wrong weet potatoes…i got the ones that are light in color and not the dark orange ones…are they still ok?
    Also, here in Hawaii- we have the Okinawan Sweet potato…and they’re purple!! Are these ok? Cause they’re really DELISH!!

  30. I’ve been slowly converting to eating paleo, and have switched my whole houses’ dinners with no problems. But my spouse, though supportive of my changes for me, has no interest in it for himself at all. He doesn’t like any veggies, is basically addicted to soda and eats lots of sugar. So since he can shop for himself, I can’t actually clear the house of junk food. On the up side, he is seeing me feel better and lose weight, so my hope is that over time I can slowly convert him. Since I can’t purge the house of this stuff, it’s been harder to get rid of it in our kids’ diets too (4 kids from 3-15), but they are slowly getting more used to real foods, so my hope is that as I buy less and less of what they used to eat, they’ll have lots of new things they like. Your site, and book, have been so helpful! Thanks for sharing your journey with us 🙂

  31. Erin says:

    Sarah-
    Have you written about ways to approach people with the Paleo lifestyle who have never heard of it, but you are certain will benefit from it? I don’t want to come off holier than thou, so I have trouble approaching the subject. When I learned about Paleo, it was through books and my own research, but I know that it really tossed out the window everything I thought I knew about healthy eating–an epiphany! Do you encourage people to wait until people start noticing how great you look and “how you do it” or bring it up? Could be a suggestion for a blog post!

    1. Sarah says:

      This is a great suggestion Erin! I touch on the subject in my book a bit but I know what you are saying as far as knowing that eating paleo will help people but your not sure how to approach the subject. I usually bring it up if people ask and let folks know that paleo is a lifestyle, not really a diet “plan” which makes it so much different then other approaches. I love the idea of making this subject into a blog post, and I think that’s exactly what I’ll do! Thanks Erin!

  32. Peggy says:

    I have been researching this Paleo way of eating (way of life I think) and it seems to be what I really need – I am gluten intolerant and lactose intolerant (besides which I dislike milk – always have as it makes me feel really icckky!).

    Looking at my menu plans I seem to eat Paleo anyway – Meat with salads (home grown that is). And we do not eat stuff that comes out of packets or tins.
    Exception is frozen veggies which are a standby for fresh when these are not available.

    But there is always room for variety in recipes to keep things interesting and tasty (as well as simple and easy to put on the table).

    My darling Hubby loves his sugar, breads (gluten) bikkies, cakes and lollies.
    I am slowly reducing the amount of sugar sweetened stuff he is consuming just as a side product of not eating stuff out of packets. He is a meat lover so I have a good chance to slowly convert him.

    I am trying to up my exercises (from Tai Chi, Yoga, weights and walking) but really am not capable of doing the chin ups (too much extra luggage around the middle I guess which should slowly move once I get the hang of this Paleo life style) or the jumps (I have a dodgy knee which I need to baby along as I do not want a knee reconstruction) So if anyone can give me a few hints and tips and tricks to help my exercise programmes along I would be most grateful and thrilled to bits.

    I have managed to lose 25 kg (about 50+ lbs) over a couple of years and kept most of it off (except for 5 kgs which are a result of having to go on some medication, which I hope to ditch following the Paleo).

    So I think I can call on my determination to improve my life style and exercising just looking for a little extra motivation, knowledge and encouragement.
    Cheers Peggy

    1. PaulL says:

      Hi Peggy,

      Congrats on your weight loss so far, that’s awesome!

      As far as how to increase your exercise, I recommend getting a copy of both Sarah’s and Robb Wolf’s books. Both of them have an excellent section dedicated specifically to getting started with an exercise routine.

      Don’t worry about not being able to do pullups yet. It’s very, very difficult exercise, and really requires building up muscles most people have never really developed in any way.

      You can, however, work towards doing pullups with a variety of different “progressions” which allow you to build up these muscle groups over time. One of them, is simple enough, called “body rows”. Simply use a rope or a towel and hang it over a pipe, or a swing-set or something else, then hold onto it with both ands and lean your body backwards. The, pull yourself upwards toward your outstretched hands. I believe both Sarah and Robb have excellent photos of exactly how to perform body rows in their respective books.

      Good luck, and don’t hesitate to come back here often if you need help or clarification on anything!


      Paul – whose 2 little girls do body rows every time they pass through the basement 🙂

  33. Stacey says:

    I’m late to the party, but I still wish to share. I’m sort of sneaking this in on my husband and kids. lol My daughter will be easiest, she doesn’t like sandwich bread. We compromised and she’ll eat a sandwich on a Sandwich Thin in her lunch box. But, she’s certainly not complaining that there is a drumstick leftover from dinner (made with curry and local, organic, raw honey and mustard) that she gets to take in her lunch box. I made Paleo mayo and in turn used that to make ranch dressing for my husband. That soothed the sting of the refrigerator clean out in which I tossed all the dressing. OMG! The LABELS! I have not BREATHED the word Paleo to my husband. I don’t really have to. I do the shopping and cooking. And since I’m a nurse, when I tell him something is healthy he typically believes me. I am still transitioning myself. No problem on the grains, but I don’t wish to forego all dairy just yet. My journey started with reading Wheat Belly and so far, I’m adhering to the guidelines written there. I’m still researching and learning, though. Given enough evidence, I may be willing to give up cheese. lol I don’t drink milk or eat a ton of yogurt and the yogurt that I eat is natural. My Nurse BFF and I were troubleshooting my bowel problems. I figured wheat and he figured dairy. So, as only a couple of nurses can do, I texted him that I’m still wheat free. He responded “How are your bowels?” To which I replied, “Huge, formed ***** and NO PAIN!” Ha!

    Long story short, in my case, if it’s not here, we can’t eat it. I did give my husband warning and some time “As soon as all this crap is gone, I’m not buying any more!” And again with the blow softening “I have more free time now, so I can spend it keeping a healthier kitchen and doing everything from scratch again.” It’s important to give the blow and then soften it. That’s my advice.

  34. OH WOW, THIS LOOKS FABULOUS! FABULOUS I TELL YOU! I MUST try this at some point in the near future!

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