My top 5 Paleo essentials

I’ve done a  few Paleo challenges in my time. But these days, the husband and I like to eat a modified Paleo diet…meaning we give ourselves flex-days occasionally (weddings! backpacking trips!) and have made a few exceptions for foods we think should be included on the diet. Namely, beans, yogurt and honey.

(This is where the strict Paleo-eaters can click away. Or present their arguments in the comments.)

It works for us. By keeping our kitchen gluten-free, sugar-free and mostly dairy-free, Adam’s GI distress is at an all-time low and I’ve lost all my baby weight.

After much tweaking with the diet, here are items we deem clutch:

  1. Lemonaise. This shit is delicious. With it, you can make a Paleo coleslaw, a rocking tuna salad, an easy dip for artichokes and if you’re brave like my husband, a Paleo hollandaise. Seriously. Just like mayonnaise. Only better.
  2. Almond butter. Oh my. I can’t even count how many nights that a spoonful of almond butter made things bearable. Eat it with carrots, spread it on a crepe made of almond flour (you heard what I said!), or enjoy straight up. I’ve said it once, but it bears repeating: I want to marry Justin’s Almond Butter.

  3. LARA bars. When you’re eating Paleo, you’re not eating many things out of a wrapper. But sometimes, it’s nice to have a quick and mobile option for grabbing and going. Enter Lara. So tasty, mostly Paleo-friendly and a one-time Denver connection. These things have saved my life when I’m having a carb craving or need something pretend to satisfy my sweet tooth.

  4. Spaghetti squash. All the functionality of pasta, none of the uncomfortable bloating. Spaghetti squash is such an amazing stand-in for pasta. Delicious, easy to prepare and it always provides left-overs. Pair with a homemade tomato sauce (the stuff in the store is filled with sugar!) and turkey meatballs…you won’t even miss the pasta.
  5. Coconut oil. A lovely alternative to olive oil, coconut oil makes me think I’m cooking in the tropics. There is a definite flavor associated with using it, but when cooking plantains or doing stir-fries, it can’t be beat. (I’ve also heard of people eating it straight but I haven’t tried it…yet.)

What are your Paleo must-haves? Anything that you can’t live without?

[In other Paleo-related news, I've found an amazing new resource and perhaps a new girl-crush in the blog PaleOMG. Besides the clever title, Juli has yummy pictures and an entire section devoted to treats. You can bet your sweet ass I'll be trying some of these recipes soon...]

  • http://daveheal.com Dave Heal

    Juli's good friends with two of the dudes I used to work with at Lijit. So she's a Lijit publisher and they did a thingamabob on her recently: http://www.lijit.com/blog/2012…

    As for Paleo foods, this is basically my list too, minus the Lara bars and lemonaise, which I need to get into. I'd also add coconut milk and almond flour, since I make a lot of meatballs, meatloaf, etc. and need a binder.

    My kind-of-gross-to-some-people Paleo snack is a fat bowl of sauerkraut.

    Oh, and the NorCal margarita. Tequila, soda water, lime.

  • Lois Harvie

    Always enjoy your posts Tara! Thanks for sharing your list………the Paleo diet seems to be all the rage these days and everyone is getting amazing results! I am addicted to Justin's Nutbutter thanks to YOU, and I already use most of the items but prefer KIND Bars to Lara Bars.I wiill have to try the Limonaise which I have seen at Whole Foods and wondered whether it was worth the splurge:O
    You look amazing, thanks for sharing your musings and for turning us on to new cool Bloggers like Ms. Juli:)

  • http://talltara.com/ tarable

    Thanks Lois! I apologize for getting you hooked on Justin's Nutbutter but definitely encourage you to give Paleo a try. If only just for a 30-day challenge. There's always something to learn by changing up your day-to-day nutrition.

  • http://talltara.com/ tarable

    The almond flour should have received an honorary mention on this list, for sure. Adam can work wonders with almond flour.

    I'm trying to envision you eating a fat bowl of sauerkraut and it's not pretty. But my mom used to drink sauerkraut juice when we were little and swears by the health benefits, so you might have something there. I'm just going to not think about you doing it. EVER.

    I left alcohol off the list on purpose. Figured it was a given.

  • http://www.primalbritain.co.uk/ Gary Conway

    Coconut oil is number 1 for me! Here's my list of essentials

    http://www.primalbritain.co.uk…

  • http://talltara.com/ tarable

    Love the list Gary and especially agree with you on the spices!

  • CathyC1207

    Well I started eating Paleo 6 days ago. I thought I was doing pretty good. I gave up the grains with no cheating but it seems the sugar is a problem. I cannot seem to resist ice cream! ugh. I feel a little tired and woozy at times, should I expect this?

  • http://talltara.com/ tarable

    Hey Cathy! Kicking sugar was definitely the hardest part of Paleo for me. I had some energy lags at the beginning but after the first week, my energy actually evened out. Stick with it! You can do it!