The Cavewoman Project

The Cavewoman Project is a blog dedicated to the Paleo lifestyle, weight loss, and recipes.

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Paleo Breakfast frittata: eggs, sweet potato, green onion, sausage. Our pug loved the way it smelled in the oven!

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Paleo friendly sweet snack! Cayenne Dark Chocolate Cashew Clusters !

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Paleo Cali omelet topped with fresh guacamole. Bacon and banana on the side. #breakfast of champions!

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Paleo raspberry dark chocolate "granola" bars! Just nuts, seeds, dried organic raspberries, organic honey, and dark chocolate!

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Paleo Tropicales:  Mofongo and Beef Stew (amazing)

What is Mofongo?

Mofongo (Spanish pronunciation: [moˈfoŋgo]) is a fried plantain-based dish from Puerto Rico. There are also similar dishes, made by boiling (instead of frying) and mashing plantains, known as fufu de plátano in Cuban cuisine and Mangú in the Dominican Republic.[1]

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3.2lbs (since last weigh in)

I've been super busy lately w/ finals and travelling for work, so I haven't had much time to cook or access to a scale.  With that in mind, I was SO pleased this morning to find out that I still lost 3.2lbs! 

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Blue Crab &  Paleo Pesto Stuffed Salmon

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Paleo:  Steak topped w/ Blue Crab and Bacon topping

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2.6lb loss this week!

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Yummy Fruit Sorbet

I really missed ice cream, so my hubby whipped up this fruit sorbet in the blender.  He used 12 oz frozen fruit, 3 oz water, and agave to taste. 

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Fundamentally Different: Paleo & Dieting

I recently was told that the Paleo lifestyle is "unhealthy" and it kind of made my head hurt.  I live in the south, so, it is not beyond comprehension that someone would truly believe that McDonald's and KFC are probably good for you.  I never wanted to be 'that person' on a disillusioned pedestal, looking down on everyone who doesn't wholeheartedly support my choices and causes.  Yet, I tend to feel like a defensive protester in a hostile world of bad food options and brainwashed consumers.  

With American obesity on the climb, diets are a dime a dozen.  We've become so jaded by our submersion in a sea of fad diets and miracle weight loss pills that so many have resigned to their addictions to processed and fast foods.  Like so many ugly realities in our sterilized society, we're consciously disconnected from our food, where it comes from, and how companies have profited at the expense of an American obesity epidemic.

I can understand how so many, including this particularly uninformed individual, could fall victim to this hostile environment hidden behind a curtain.  I once ate all of that garbage, I lauded its flavor and convenience while my health suffered the consequences.  I became so overweight that losing all that fat seemed impossible.  Now that I've begun this journey, I have identified the fundamental differences between dieting and Paleo.  

Dieting is a short term solution to a long term problem.  Choices are based on a single goal.  Once the goal is reached, behaviors resume to normal.

Paleo is a long term lifestyle choice that addresses many physiological problems.  Choices are based on a philosophy.  Once the goal is reached, there is no temptation or desire to ever go back.

Fast food and processed food contains are rich in chemicals that send signals to the pleasure centers in the brain, in the same way opiates and other addictive drugs affect the brain.  Companies have profited greatly from making food that does just this.  They have done so without the end-consumer in mind, and have loaded their foods with fillers and chemicals.  They have raised animals who suffer in poor conditions, genetically altered to yield the largest quantities of meat to feed the masses and to increase company profits.  Government subsidies and mass production have created a price disparity between healthy foods and unhealthy foods.  As a result, the poor are the fastest growing class within the obesity epidemic.

So, to those who question my decision, I assure you - eating well-rounded, all-natural, and ethically raised foods is the most healthy thing you can do for your body and your conscience .  I couldn't imagine a healthier option than something that is raised from the earth containing the precise nutrients my body needs to thrive.  

Yet, I'm sure there will be future critics.   Despite my efforts, some will compare Paleo to a diet.  To them I will say, dieting is a fad but Paleo is a philosophy.  

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1.6 lb loss this week :)

Not bad considering I was on vaca :)

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Almond Chicken 

Smothered in almond sauce made with coconut oil, almonds, onion, lemon juice and dates.  Very easy to make and really good. 

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The Foragers City Table

300 W 22nd St between 9th & 8th Aves

New York, NY 10011

While on the hunt for Paleo friendly restaurants in Manhattan, I stopped by a place in Chelsea named The Foragers City Table.  With a name like Foragers, I thought it would be worth my time.  I have to say, it was an amazingly tasty brunch with a gorgeous location and hip ambiance.  

Only peeve:  Grumpy fedora wearing chef was not happy about our Paleo friendly food mod request and refused to not give us fries.  He berated our unfortunate waiter about "sticking to the menu".  I really would have preferred the kitchen kept their freaking fried potatoes, I would have paid for them, just don't make me stare at food I'm not eating.  I felt wasteful and annoyed, but, I just left them on my plate and had some fresh fruit instead.  Will power.

Save 1 minor irritation, every detail of The Foragers City table is hip and their breakfast was delectable.    

Bonus: attached is a really awesome grocery that stocks bright fruits, veggies, and other foods that stand out amid an array of nearby unhealthy food options.  

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So, we're in NYC this week trying out some restaurants and seeing what Paleo friendly findings we come across.  Here is where and what we ate last night:

El Quijote

226 West 23rd Street  New York, NY 10011

Feel

El Quijote is a cozy dimly lit restaurant, walk in friendly, with a dress code that runs the gamut.  There were women in dresses and men in dress slacks, and other folks with tie die panda tee shirts and torn up jeans.  Service is very good, their wait staff consisted of nearly 10 people that ran to serve you with a lift of the hand.  The ambiance was a little strange, very dated, and sort of looked like Don Quijote de La Mancha on acid.

Food

We started with the steamed mussels in green sauce.  They cook this in butter, but will accommodate if you ask for no butter.  They had some other protein rich Paleo appetizer options including fresh chorizo.  We didn't order it, but the table of obnoxious ladies next to us did and it really looked and smelled great.

Meals are served with soup or salad, we decided to go with a salad.  Of the 3 dressing options they placed on our table in authentic looking metal pots, we went with the vinaigrette, which consisted of onions, tomatoes, vinegar, and evoo.

For the main course, I ordered their Garlic Chicken.  Be warned, this comes with potatoes which I ended up picking off my plate.  There was no mention of it on the menu, and our waiter was brand new and nervous, so I'm pretty sure he just told me what I wanted to hear!  Despite pushing the potatoes to the side, the chicken was AMAZING.  They serve it on the plate in front of you, then  leave the little metal pot behind in case you want seconds! (I chose to avoid seconds considering we'd be walking several blocks and didn't want to keel over and die).  The chicken was cooked in evoo and tossed in roasted peppers, garlic, onions, tomato and veggies.  I had this with a side of string beans and broccoli.

All in all, not the BEST Paleo option available, but if you have no fear of asking how you want your food prepared, they have PLENTY of meat and seafood options.  As far as veggies go, your options are limited to string beans or broccoli.  

We gave it a 3.5 out of 5.

If you live or visit the NYC often, and know of a Paleo friendly restaurant, please let us know! :)

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Grain free roasted vegetable lasagna. Just made it for dinner; it’s to die for! 

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Post-yardwork Meal:  Fiesta Lime Steak and Parsnip Hash w/ an egg, and guacamole!

My husband and I decided to build a patio this weekend.  It ended up being a bigger project than we expected, and we spent most of the day digging up grass and dirt.  After a whole day of running to home improvement stores and digging in the dirt, I only had time for one meal, so I had to make it count!

I just put a steak in a pan with some evoo and onion and parsnips.  I added a tablespoon of all natural mild salsa.  I squeezed some lime juice into the steak.  In a separate pan, I fried an egg in some eevo.  I cooked the steak to med-well, served with parsnip "hash" on plate, topped with guac, and egg.  It was very yummy and super filling, I definitely could not eat the whole thing!