I apologize, dear readers, for my 2 week absence… it’s been quite eventful. I was finally promoted to the position at my company I’ve been vying for for the last few months. While I’m ecstatic about the opportunity this position presents, the reality is that overtime is now the norm, and I find myself wondering where the days and weeks disappear to. I’m so glad I have the Sunday cooking habit well ingrained, because it’s very handy to just come home after a long day and have a delicious, healthy meal ready to just heat and eat.
I have to admit, I didn’t quite make it to a Whole 30 this time… it was more like a Whole 20, but when someone orders a cake to celebrate your promotion, you don’t say no to it. Plus our son’s birthday was a few days later, and I made our favorite Paleo chocolate cake… sigh, willpower crumbled.
But, I did manage to lose a few more pounds to where I can pretty much wear any Medium or size 10 off the rack, and as long as I can curb the sugar intake, I’m feeling pretty good about where I am. A subject did come up this weekend, though, about one of the challenges of the Paleo lifestyle being the limitation of tasty side dishes to go with the copious amounts of protein that we enjoy. I admit, the idea had crossed my mind as well. As we move into the final month of our first year of healthier eating, I do see that we tend to eat a lot of the same side dishes every other week or so:
- roasted asparagus
- baked/roasted sweet potatoes
- cauli-rice or roasted cauliflower
- mashed cauliflower (potatoes sub)
- zucchini noodles
- grilled or roasted squash
- sauteed mushrooms
- instant pot beets
- roasted Brussels sprouts
- roasted or steamed broccoli
These are pretty easy recipes and don’t require a lot of prep or thought on my part, but it can get a bit boring when you’re eating the same things regularly
Here are some additional sides I’ve tried lately that may be a little more interesting:
- Asparagus wrapped in Prosciutto
- Creamy Paleo Parsnip Gratin
- Paleo Coleslaw – I used Avocado Mayo in this and just 1 teaspoon of honey drizzled in
- Southern Squash Casserole (I added some cooked, crumbled sausage to this)
- Paleo Plantain Chips – my friend Elaine made these and they were awesome
I’m all for eating for health, but to me, food should never be boring!
Have you found any good side dish gems? Please share!!