I know it's been a while since I posted on my culinary endeavors. I have been trying to hone my skills in the kitchen and have been learning a lot over the past few months. I've found some great resources and have tried a bunch of really good recipes that I look forward to sharing. Quick update on my status personally. After returning from Afghanistan, I celebrated a little too hard and shot up to 195lbs and close to 20% body fat. My blood profiles were a mess and I felt like crap in general. In January I decided that I needed to get back on the paleo horse. In, 3 months of very casual and not strict at all paleo eating, I cut 18lbs and I'm down to just over 10% BF. My cholesterol dropped 30pts and I feel great.
So, while I love to cook and experiment in the kitchen and on the grill, I am also stupid busy and don't always have the time to plan ahead. In steps Paleo Brands. They sell a series of frozen dinners, jerky, and paleo friendly snacks. For when I'm running out the door in the AM and didn't have time to get a lunch together the night before, this is the perfect solution. All the meals are gluten/ trans fat/ other garbage free. As an added bonus, they are cheaper than what I'd spend on a meal at a fast food place. I ordered their Paleo Gourmet Sampler Pack to get an idea of what they have to offer. The meals look quite good, but I wasn't convinced just yet. I mean, if you look at the pictures of most tv dinners, the ads looks wholesome and delicious, but the results taste like old tire. Well, I had my first meal today. The Fish Patties were definitely a keeper. It consisted of 3 fish patties, a mix of vegetables, and spaghetti squash. I took a pic of the box. Should have shared one of the meal itself, but it was gone too fast. This definitely met expectations and if the rest of the meals are as good, I will be going this route again.
If its coming out of a box...isn't that NOT Paleo?? Or this is just true you are in a jam and better then vending machine?
ReplyDeleteIf I have time to cook, that is my preferred option, but this was far better than not only something out of a vending machine, but what you will find in most restaurants. Gluten free, dairy free, legume free, preservative free. That is paleo enough for me.
ReplyDeleteLooking at the list of ingredients, the only thing that jumps out at me as being less than paleo is the salt substitute which is made of: (potassium chloride, contains less than 1% of cream of tartar, silicon dioxide, natural flavor.
The other thing to consider is that fresh vegetables are going to be a better choice than something frozen. I try to get my stuff local as often as I can. Mark Sisson has several articles discussing how locally grown vegetables are more important than organic.
For me however, this was a good fix, when my other options would be to eat crap, pay through the nose, or do some involuntary IF.
I emailed PaleoBrands and asked about the salt substitute. This was their response: "We consulted our Paleo experts when formulating the foods. We do strive for the best paleo ingredients available while taking modern convenience into consideration. The potassium chloride is a natural ingredient. The cream of tartar is an innocuous ingredient and just prevents caking. Super small amounts and certainly do not make this less than Paleo."
ReplyDeleteThat's good enough for me. I think the small quantities make it a mute point along with the fact that this is for when I don't have time to put something together or fail to plan properly.