Friday, July 8, 2011

A Couple Real Food Solutions...

... for un-real food cravings.

Recently I've been craving something sweet at nighttime. Cookies, froyo, and candy relentlessly force their way into my mind. Ideally I'd like to get rid of the idea of "dessert" altogether, but for the time being I'd rather have something Paleo ready for dessert than find myself reaching for the, for lack of a better term, crap.  I have found the solution:

Fruit (sometimes with nuts) = Dessert!

Here's what kicked my craving last night:
a) Either halfway freeze some fresh strawberries or halfway defrost some frozen strawberries.
b) Dip in raw organic honey.

That's it! The partially frozen fruit tastes like strawberry frozen yogurt and the honey adds a sweet flavorful kick. This "fruit = dessert" rule works with some recipes I've already posted like the Cherry Balls and the apple/raisin/almond meal dish. There are literally a TON of Paleo dessert recipes on the internet if you are looking to indulge. I'm trying to steer clear of recipes designed to replace un-Paleo favorites (like cookies, cakes, breads, etc), but I have found some more reasonable recipes that I am dying to try on a special occasion like Berry Cocoa-Crisp, Paleo Pumpkin Pie, and Apple Crisp.

Another issue I always have is with water. I've never been a water fan, so it's hard to for me to get as much H20 as I need. My beverage cravings are typically gatorade, diet soda, or lemonade... all full of sugar/chemicals/sodium/etc. Sometimes squeezing lemon juice into water helps to add enough flavor to make it appetizing, other times it doesn't. I've found a nice carbonation fix for me: sparkling water. I've been drinking this kind from Whole Foods.
Now that I take a second look at it, I am a bit concerned about what these "natural flavors" consist of (I guess that explains the 25mg of sodium). I should probably start looking for unflavored sparking water and add my own fresh squeezed fruit juices in.

Unrelated to the theme of the post, but a couple days ago I baked the most delicious tasting spaghetti squash thus far. I don't know why this squash was so special (I wish I knew so I could pick it out again), but it had almost a natural buttery taste to it. This morning I decided to implement it into my breakfast:
Chicken Sausage from Whole Foods meat counter + Spaghetti Squash + 2 Eggs = A very tasteful breakfast surprise. One of those sausage links turned out to be much larger than the chicken sausages I'm used to from Trader Joe's, so next time I'll just use half.
I'll leave you with an amusing, albeit true, take on real foods from Naturally Engineered: 10 Signs You Are Eating Real Food

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why not drink seltzer water That stuff is my LIFE! I believe it's zeros all down the label. Even for the flavored ones. :)

- Lesley

Melissa said...

I totally agree with getting rid of the concept of desert. It is so ingrained in our eating routines and we feel like we NEED it! But really, there is no need to indulge everyday! I am also working on making the idea of desert a 'treat' and not an 'I deserve this' or 'I need a sweet treat after dinner' or all those other excuses we make to ourselves!!! I can totally enjoy a little banana soft serve if I'm really craving something sweet though :p

ronnib said...

I make iced tea with organic spearmint (and fair trade) teabags. No caffeine, no calories and so refreshing! I use Traditional Medicinals, which I get at Wegman's.

Also, to Melissa: What do you have against the desert? Yeah, it's hot and all, but the cacti are beautiful.

Kate said...

Aunt Ronni: I still have to try making some iced tea... I'm worried that I'm going to be tempted to sweeten it!

Also.. be nice to my friends :P

PS- I'm finally watching The Killing, on episode 4 - good suggestion! :)

ronnib said...

I didn't intend to be mean to Melissa. I was just teasing her for misspelling dessert (you know how I am about spelling and grammar).

Please apologize to Melissa for me.

Kate said...

Lol it's okay, I'm sure she didn't take offense