We’ve been having a bit of a discussion in the Martin/Dowe household…

With the upcoming Holiday season descending upon us (Canadian Thanksgiving, Halloween, American Thanksgiving and Christmas) we’ve been preparing ourselves for the onslaught of food that just seems to never stop.

One of the things we’ve been talking about doing is going back to a strict 30 day paleo foundation. Some of you will remember we were using the hashtag #30daypaleo a while back as we proceeded to eliminate all dairy, all grains, all types of sweetener (including honey and maple syrup) and of course anything processed for 30 days. After the 30 days we introduced small amounts of dairy (greek yogurt and cheese) and some sweetners (paleo approved).

We completed the 30 days with smashing success but as time went on we found ourselves introducing more types foods and many of them not paleo friendly (think desserts). We ate out more. We were more flexible about what went into our bodies and we can feel it taking it’s toll on us.

A small group of people on Facebook are about to begin “Whole30”, which is basically the same idea as #30daypaleo, and we’re jumping aboard the ship! Most people who follow a paleo foundation suggest eliminating many of the “paleo friendly” foods during the first 30 days, the only difference is that the people over at Whole9 have an official title for the first month: Whole30

We begin tomorrow…

But in reality it won’t be that much of a shift. We know what we’re doing. We know how to make our kitchen Whole30 friendly. We’re just hoping it helps curb our “outings” where the kitchens are not Whole30 friendly!

Below is the recipe for Paleo Pad Thai that we found over at Health-Bent. They listed this as a side dish but we took it a little further and made it into an entree by adding chicken (meaning we double up on most of the original ingredients). We also found that the “peanut” sauce was a little bland so we added one of our most favorite ingredients: Coconut Milk.

And this is definitely Whole30 approved!

Enjoy!

Paleo Chicken Pad Thai

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Chicken Breast or Thigh (cubed)
• 4 – 6 Zucchinis
• 1 Onion (diced)
• 1 C Coconut Milk (we used Thai Kitchen)
• 1 Tbsp Ginger (minced)
• Garlic (we used 8 – minced)
• 2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Chili Powder
• 1/3 Cup Almond Butter
• 2 Tbsp fish sauce
• 1 Lime
• FoC (Fat of Choice) for sauteing chicken/veggies

Before you begin throwing everything in your saute pan, prepare those zucchinis. If you have a mandolin of sorts this will work best. If not then you can practice your knife skills by slicing into thin strips.

Once those are done and off to the side, heat your FoC in a sautee pan over medium heat. Saute garlic, ginger and onion for a few minutes then add chicken.

 

Once Chicken is cooked thoroughly, add lime, vinegar, fish sauce, chili powder, almond butter and coconut milk. Heat on low so as not to scald the almond butter. Once a sauce like consistency  add zucchini. Stir together and let cook for about 10 – 15 minutes (until zucchini is cooked to your taste – some like it more firm than others).

You can serve this over quinoa or rice cauliflower but it was so filling we ate it with just a few orange slices (and it makes the plate look nice)..

This dish will impress even the most anti-paleo of eaters! And if it doesn’t well that just means more for you!

Now that’s good eatin’ folks!