Recipe - Roast Squash, Carrot and Garlic Soup

Make the most of this seasons Butternut Squash and make a nourishing and hearty soup to keep out the winter chills!

Serves 2

Ingredients

1/2 a medium squash (peeled and cubed)
1 x medium carrot (peeled and sliced)
1 x medium onion (diced)
3 x garlic cloves (unpeeled)
1 tbsp chopped parsley
3 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 litre of chicken stock ( I used my own first batch!)
Salt and Pepper

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C
Roast seasoned carrot, garlic and squash with coconut oil in an oven at 180C until tender
Soften onions in a little coconut oil and add the roasted garlic (squeeze it out of skins)
Add the carrots, squash and stock and bring to the boil.
Simmer for 10-12 minutes until all vegetables are cooked through
Blend the soup with a handheld blender.
Serve in bowls, garnished with parsley.

Day 15 - The Halfway Point & Some Ponderings Thus Far

Heyho Paleo Peeps!

Today marks the half way point of my 30 day journey of strict Paleo eating (and hopefully day 15 for those of you joining me on this journey).

At this point I am very proud of myself for succeeding thus far. It has been easier than I thought and harder than I thought, in equal measures, if that makes sense!?

Easier because I had been pretty strict since July anyway. Apart from alcohol of course, but hey never trust an Irish person who doesn't drink! haha (and Paleo advocate Lorein Cordain enjoys a glass or two of vino so why not!?) I had therefore got most of the fundamentals in place all ready. Sure it is challenging taking it to this level of strictness - but not impossible.

I would say it is harder in ways - especially when it comes to eating in other people's houses or restaurants for example.
While I always endeavour to stay true to my normal Paleo eating habits, sometimes it is unavoidable to cut some corners. Like the kind of fats your food is cooked in, or having a small piece of someone's cake so as not to be rude. But when undertaking a 30 day programme you can't make these tweaks or you are breaking the programme and ruining its good effects on your body.

What this Whole30 HAS done though has made me realise that I CAN eat the best way for my body without feeling I am missing out on tasty and satisfying food. It also makes me proud of myself to know that I am reducing my chances of a whole plethora of diseases as well as the big C (*gulp). I mean at the end of the day wouldn't you like to know you were doing everything YOU could to reduce your chances of becoming unhealthy?

Today I also clarified another batch of Kerrygold and cooked a lovely chicken thigh casserole.

Here is a breakdown of what I have been devouring over the past two days:

Day 14

BF: Smoked Salmon and Asparagus with tomato and mushroom

Lunch: Roasted Squash, Carrot and Garlic Soup

Dinner: Salmon, Stir fried Greens and sweet tatters

Snacks: Banana,

Day 15

BF: Bacon, Onions and Mushrooms

Lunch: Leftover Salmon & Veggie Omelette

Dinner: Chicken Thigh Casserole

Snack: Apple, 2 x mandarin's

So, that concludes my Day 15 post! Hope your day has gone well so far.

Talk soon, and remember, Keep it Paleo! :)

Day 14 - Update

Hi Paleo Pals!

Apologies for the lack of posts over the last few days. Unfortunately my internet access was gone all weekend (major inconvenience!) but I have solved the problem and I am now up and going again! (Yes I am a technical genius!!)

The weekend was fairly uneventful and went well again, I wasn't tempted by anything per say although the roast potatoes my Other Half cooked yesterday for our roast chicken looked damn good.

I still have to admit I am happy tomorrow is the half way point on my Whole30. While I find the week days fine and easy to keep 100% Paleo, the weekend can be a right pain in the bum - especially when in other people's houses or when meeting friends for coffee etc. Worrying about what is in EVERYTHING in a restaurant/other people's food can be tough. I am not the type of person who likes to complain or make a fuss so it usually means eating nothing. Sometimes this is fine, other times, when you know you won't eat for a long time, this can be troublesome.

My food intake over the past few days has been as follows:

Friday

BF: 2 x fried eggs, liver, 1x piece of bacon and tomatoes

Lunch: I met my OH (other half) for lunch and couldn't eat anything on the menu really. So I choose an egg mayo salad. I left much of it behind me (much to his annoyance!) Salad should not be 50% potato salad ffs! GRR

Dinner: Homemade beef burgers with sweet potato fries and sauteed spinach on garlic

Snacks: Dried, unsweetened banana chips, apple,


Saturday

BF: 2 x fried eggs with asparagus and bacon.

Lunch: Nothing :(

Dinner: Leftover beef burger, steak, sweet potatoes roasted in coconut oil, onions, mushrooms, and spinach

Supper: 2 x scrambled eggs with smoked salmon


Sunday:

BF: Banana (I wasn't hungry and I had supper late the night before)

Lunch: Roast Chicken with mashed cauliflower, turnip and carrot and parsnip
Dessert: Fresh Pineapple

Supper: 1/2 an Omelette (we didn't have enough eggs leftover! So about 1 egg worth)

 So there you go! I have finally updated! I promise not to leave the updates so far apart in the future.

How are you doing so far? Does the halfway point tomorrow excite you as much as me!!?