Bored with food

granolagrl85

I'm not too picky of an eater but just chewing and chewing of all this bland dry food is so unappetizing. I'm taking in around 900 calories a day on average because I have no desire to eat when I am hungry. How can I make it more edible for me? I also love cooking and making up recipes but sugarnspice says we should eat simply. Veg on one side and meat on another. I can't eat this way!!! I also need a really good salad dressing.

hpsnickers1

Don't be that strict. I usually have meat and veggies - yes. Sometimes I have spaghetti squash and meat sauce. Sometimes I throw in a sweet potato with some chicken. Add some butter and salt. Or some other seasonings.

When I have the occasional salad (I prefer cooked veggies) I throw on some olive or avocado oil and some type of vinegar and that's it. You could get some nice herbs and put them in some olive oil to get different flavors.

Have you checked out Primal Blueprint? I know some people are paleo and some are primal and they are basically the same. But PB is about 80/20. As long as you can follow it 80% then you can enjoy other things 20% of the time - but in moderation and only if they don't cause digestive issues. I enjoy dark chocolate and red wine and coconut milk. And Mark's Daily Apple has all kinds of recipes. It isn't strict.

Treat Paleo/Primal like a template, a baseline. Then go from there. We don't live in primitive times anymore. You don't have to eat simply 100%. I've made Apple Bacon Upside Down Cake with almond meal and coconut sugar. I've made almond banana pancakes (recipe is on MDA - they're mushy but taste amazing). And to up your calories eat some fat - UNCURED BACON IS YOUR FRIEND - for 9 calories per gram. Coconut oil is one of the best fats you can ingest - I use this or butter on all cooked vegetables. The MCTs in it are more likely to be used as energy rather than stored as fat. Grass-fed butter is chock full of fat-soluble vitamins. I try and get a TBS or two of either with every meal. I even had some Eden organic black beans one day - they were good but I didn't enjoy the "after effects" so probably won't do that again.

Start with a "baseline" and then tweak it to suit you best.

monkeydharma

My mantra is "whole foods, organically grown - and simply prepared". I'll assume that is not unlike 'sugarnspice'...

That being said, 'simply prepared' is in the mind of the beholder. To me, the more convoluted a recipe is, the more likely it is leeching nutrients from the dish - or introducing ingredients that I shouldn't be eating.

But - if all you are eating is "bland dry food", then you are doing something wrong. Meats should have the succulence of fats and juices - and simple condiments. Plants are sauteed in oil, steamed, nuked, put in soups, stews, salads. I don't see dryness there.

Salad dressings are a welcome condiment to a salad - the caveat being that they shouldn't contain sugars or bad oils (high omega6 or artificial like canola or soy). I personally just use olive oil & vinegar (the best I can afford), but my wife will use bottled dressings as long as they have minimal sugars.

chammich

I get bored with food also so I use Pinterest for recipes....I have 392 pinned..check it out and enjoy!

http://pinterest.com/chammich/paleo/

granolagrl85

She just wants salad on the side of meat. Meat is fine and tastey. But I can't handle plain ol kale/spinach leaves with nothing else.

monkeydharma

She just wants salad on the side of meat. Meat is fine and tastey. But I can't handle plain ol kale/spinach leaves with nothing else.

So.....is there a problem with making her a salad of just kale & spinach and tarting yours up with the extras that'll put a sparkle in your mouth?? I always make my wife's and my salad separately - I customize them to our tastes out of the ingredients at hand.

njdoll

My opinion is that isn't going to be sustainable if you can't even stand to eat. Personally, one of the greatest aspects of going Paleo and embracing good fats is that I am loving full fat dressing. I don't put a ton on, but I do find it very satisfying to eat my salads. If I don't keep the salads interesting, my husband eventually can't stand them and he only likes raw vegetables. I love that I'll never have to eat low-fat Italian dressing or fat-free raspberry vinaigrette again--freedom!!

Carmine's Caesar Dressing is stellar and a good amount of omega 3s from the anchovies.
http://littlebrownpen.blogspot.com/2012/01/carmines-caesar-dressing.html

It's also nice sometimes to go simple and just some great virgin olive oil and sea salt can be perfection,

Ditto the suggestion of looking to Pinterest to find new recipes. You can still eat food simply (and I am interpreting that to mean not over prepared, losing nutrients) and have it taste amazing.

granolagrl85

She just wants salad on the side of meat. Meat is fine and tastey. But I can't handle plain ol kale/spinach leaves with nothing else.

So.....is there a problem with making her a salad of just kale & spinach and tarting yours up with the extras that'll put a sparkle in your mouth?? I always make my wife's and my salad separately - I customize them to our tastes out of the ingredients at hand.

I'm not happy eating a salad for every meal and a side of meat. That's the problem. I really loved my sheppeards pie and my chicken and mushrooms.

monkeydharma

I'm not happy eating a salad for every meal and a side of meat. That's the problem. I really loved my sheppeards pie and my chicken and mushrooms.

Ah. Got you.

Make up a few days of kale/spinach (clean, dry, cut) and store in a couple of big ziploc bags - that way they are readily available for the primitivist with minimal fuss. Then make whatever sides suit you!

Frankenbarbie01

You obviously have the internet which is a wonderful resource for recipies!! My two fav sites are MarksDailyApple.com and RobbWolf.com both have LOTS of ideas for aking eating interesting and fun and keeping it primal/paleo. One that really helps me is the food matrix on Robb wolf's web site!
I make salad for the week and then make a moose roast or chickens...this week it was pork loin roasted with alder smoked bacon....BLISS!!!! it makes great leftovers, cut up mixed with an avocado and salsa excellent 'salad' type food or add to eggs. I really only have to cook 3-4 times a week and I dont get bored

Frankenbarbie01

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-recipes/#axzz1kRiN4j00

check this out!