This Paleo Plan is for my friend Leslie Dietrich. Our children play baseball together and Leslie and I had the pleasure of thrift shopping our way through Waco, Texas last summer when their team was in the Regional Little League World Series Playoffs.

Like me, Leslie has a host of auto-immune disorders. Unlike me, she still eats gluten and grains. Leslie asked me for an eating plan that she could try for one week to see if the symptoms in her hands and other parts of her body would change. One week is probably not long enough (30 days is optimal) for seeing results from a change in diet. So if you want, just repeat this meal plan 4 times, or make your own, using the recipes from this site and Paleo sites such as Everyday Paleo or Paleo Parents.

Please note, this eating plan is not designed for someone who is trying to lose weight, this is not a diet plan. This is an anti-inflammatory eating plan that can be used by some people to improve overall health and wellness. If you do need to lose weight, feel free to refer to Loren Cordain's book The Paleo Diet or Robb Wolf's The Paleo Solution, those 2 books have very specific weight loss plans that utilize the grain free diet as a base for weight reduction.

This post is for people that want to incorporate more nutrient dense foods into their diet by eliminating the grains that are toxic to a large percentage of us. So, eat your veggies. They're far more nutrient dense than grains. Or as my dear Dad has been saying for the past 40 years, "Eat the rainbow!"

1. Sunday

   Breakfast

   Silver Dollar Pancakes

   Turkey or Pork Bacon

   Fresh Berries

   Lunch

   Turkey Club Sandwich

   Green Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

   Dinner

   Sesame Salmon Burgers

   Garlic Ginger Bok Choy or Steamed Broccoli

2. Monday

   Breakfast

   2 slices Paleo Bread

   3 Scrambled Eggs

   1 Grapefruit

   Lunch

   Turkey Club Sandwich

   Green Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

   Dinner

   Cod Piccata

   Roasted Broccoli

   Cabbage Orange Salad

3. Tuesday

   Breakfast

   Almond Butter Protein Shake

   Toasted Almonds

   Lunch

   Turkey Roll Ups

   Fresh Blueberries

   Dinner

   Cobb Salad

   Mushroom Soup

4. Wednesday

   Breakfast

   3 Fried Eggs

   Turkey or Pork Bacon

   ½ Avocado

   Lunch

   Leftover Mushroom Soup

   Green Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

   Dinner

   Roasted Chicken with Olives and Prunes

   Roasted Butternut Squash

   Steamed Broccoli

5. Thursday

   Breakfast

   Greena Colada (add 1 scoop protein powder)

   Handful of Dehydrated Almonds

   Lunch

   Turkey Club Sandwich

   Veggie Sticks

   Dinner

   Chicken Soup

   Green Salad

   Roasted Acorn Squash

6. Friday

   Breakfast

   3 Scrambled Eggs

   2 slices Paleo Toast

   Fresh Raspberries

   Lunch

   Leftover Chicken Soup

   Green Salad

   Dinner

   Chili Chicken

   Cauliflower Rice

   Green Salad

7. Saturday

   Breakfast

   Almond Butter Protein Shake

   Lunch

   Leftover Chili Chicken

   Leftover Cauliflower Rice

   Dinner

   Stuffed Peppers

   Grilled Broccoli

8. Snacks

   Fruit

   Green Apples

   Blueberries

   Raspberries

   Strawberries

   Other Fruit

   Veggies

   Veggie Sticks

   Protein

   Turkey Jerky

   Bacon

   Protein/Carbs

   Dehydrated Nuts

   Crackers

Some of the recipes above might not be super strict Paleo, however if you make quick and easy substitutions they can be. All are grain free and primal; they are Paleo friendly as well.

For the snack section of this plan, I have listed the lower glycemic fruits that work best for me. If you like to eat sweeter fruits, feel free to add those in to your plan. However, if you have trouble with sugar, it may be best to stick with less fruit and low glycemic at that.

What is your favorite Paleo dish and what are your health goals for 2012?

After I saw Recipe Girl's beautiful post, "25 Favorite Christmas Recipes," I knew I'd have to do a similar gluten free post. You see, like everybody else, I've been slightly obsessed with Christmas desserts this month.

However, unlike many people, I'm Jewish, so I have a certain lack of confidence when it comes to identifying recipes that are Christmas friendly. Now, thanks to everyone who responded to my self-conscious twitter queries regarding Christmas-worthy cookie recipes I just might be in the know!

Here are my 10 favorite gluten free, grain free, higher protein, lower carb Christmas cookies. I hope you all enjoy them as much as we do!

Click on the image or recipe title to view the full recipe.

These crowd pleasing, whimsical Black and White Cookies are actually a New York deli classic. See, you can take the Jew out of New York, but you can't take New York out of the Jew. Still, they're a lovely riff on an "ultra-orthodox" treat that works at Christmas for Jews and Christians alike. Maybe Buddhists and Muslims as well, who knows?


Classic yet festive, Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies made with high protein almond flour are perfect for the Kris Kringle in all of us.


Elegant Cranberry Chocolate Biscotti add European chic to your holiday table.


Can you say "adult friendly?" Deep dark chocolate and a hint of organic coffee merge to create Double Chocolate Mocha Cookies for the sophisticated Santa in you.



Adorable Gingerbread Men are the perfect decorating project for your children and a spicy palate pleaser for adults.



Vegans have feelings too --make these Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies for your plant eating friends.



According to Andrew Broznya (husband of Kelly at Spunky Coconut) his neighbors used to bring over a plate of Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies every year during the holiday season. These are made with heart healthy almond flour and low glycemic coconut sugar.


Last year one of my neighbors brought a version of my Pecan Shortbread Cookies to our Christmas time cookie exchange. She let me know that she had altered my recipe by forming the dough into balls and after taking them out of the oven dipping them in powdered sugar --the result? Gluten free nut ball cookies.


Simple Sesame Cookies contain both superfood almond flour as well as high protein, calcium rich tahini.


Celebratory Star Cookies rock your holiday universe, and are great fun for kids with cookie cutters.

For substitution questions about these cookies, be sure to take a look at the Can I Substitute? post I wrote yesterday.

Didn't find the cookie recipe you were looking for? Well, check out all of my gluten free cookie recipes. And while we're at it, let us know what desserts will you be trying this holiday season. ]]> http://www.elanaspantry.com/10-healthy-christmas-cookie-recipes/feed/ 42 http://www.elanaspantry.com/can-i-substitute-ingredients/ http://www.elanaspantry.com/can-i-substitute-ingredients/#comments Thu, 08 Dec 2011 02:52:17 +0000 elana http://www.elanaspantry.com/?p=30821

When it comes to substitutions, I wish I could answer each and every one of your questions. Unfortunately, I can't. You see, I don't have a crystal ball with the answers; they're not in my head, they're in my hands, but I'll get to that later.

For me, baking involves the use of techniques and ingredients that come together in a magical way --each recipe is unique. Like my hero Virginia Satir, I believe in "leading the change process a half a step behind," which has meant learning to use my senses and see what is called for in each recipe. In some ways, my recipes develop themselves as I test them. I let things happen and unexpected outcomes can be my friend during this process.

This observational experience in which I arrive at answers by using my senses --of sight, touch, smell and taste (sometimes sound too) is an organic process. I test and test my recipes until I arrive at something that appeals to me. After that, I give samples to my family. If they approve, I test the recipe without changing it, a few more times just to make sure I have something that is reproducible.

You may have noticed that recently, I've begun to use some new and different ingredients. You may also have noticed that I've cut back on my use of agave and grapeseed oil. Many people have asked me if I am substituting ingredients in place of these. The answer? Right now I am interested in creating new recipes that use different ingredient combinations.

Have I ditched my old recipes? No! I make them for my husband and children several times per week. Have I converted my old recipes to be like my latest? No. I've come up with new ones that are formulated from scratch.

Still, people want a linear answer, something black and white. Here's what I can provide. Some of my readers have left comments reporting that their experiments using honey in place of agave often work  --if you are looking for an agave substitute, I encourage you to validate these findings for yourself through trial and error.

Likewise, many people are curious about oils. In my newer recipes I have moved towards coconut oil and vegan palm shortening and am enjoying both. Feel free to experiment with the fats in my existing recipes and customize them to your needs, whatever those may be.

So, some practical words of advice. Stick to my more recent dessert recipes (from the last 3 months) if you are looking to cut down on your intake of sweeteners and don't want to work at reformulations. Also stick to my more recent recipes if you prefer coconut oil and vegan palm shortening.

If you can tolerate agave or like to tinker, check out my older dessert recipes. And if you like to customize recipes to your individual preferences in terms of taste and nutrition, by all means, go wild and experiment! Just make sure to stop back by and leave a comment on your alchemical experience --and let us know your results. And feel free to share your findings with me on Twitter, as I've been spending a lot of time talking about holiday foods and new recipes over there lately.

So here's my answer to your substitution questions. I don't have a magic wand that I can wave to come up with the answers. But that doesn't mean you can't find them --just get out that bowl and spoon and start stirring!

Tis the season for kale.  Kale is one of those naturally gluten free super nutritious foods; according to my family it is delicious as well.  It is our green of choice for many a dinner as you can see from all of the gluten free kale recipes below.

Kelly over at celiacchicks.com just posted about kale chips (which I love) and inspired me to get this long awaited kale post launched.  Here goes...

For those of you looking for inspiring sites to introduce you to interesting, healthy new foods and products, I must recommend Renegade Kitchen. I met Dan of Renegade recently when we both spoke on a panel at the BOCO conference.  He is an enthusiastic food activist that was much fun to connect with.  Be sure to take a look at his site!

If you're in Denver this weekend I will be signing books in the Ohgave booth at the American Dietetic Association's EXPO this Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at the Colorado Convention Center. Check out the book tour page for more info.