Primals Wishes & Paleo Dreams: Happy 6th Birthday, Alex!

Lydia giving Alex a birthday hug!

     Today will be my first official post, and it is a special one. Today is my youngest son's 6th birthday! Alex is a very sweet little boy, most of the time. He can get aggressive when he's tired, so we try to make sure he doesn't get too tired.

     One of the ways we accomplish that is to feed him Paleo food and make sure he has a consistent bedtime because he is not a napper. In fact, if you make him take a nap, he finds it very hard to fall asleep at night.

     Some people ask if the whole family eats Paleo, and the answer is, "Yes." Why would I deny the wonderful benefits of this diet and how it makes me feel to my loved ones.

     Some people ask if it was hard to get them to switch, and the answer is, "A little bit." I have three children, and a Type I diabetic husband. My husband took it the hardest, but not in the way you might think. He was completely on board, but the detox from the "health food" we were eating made him feel bad for about three days. My oldest, Lydia, really enjoyed it, but she loves to cook, and so she really got to help out with everything. My youngest thought everything was delicious, but he was a true fan of oatmeal and cried when he found out he couldn't eat it anymore.

Victor sharing a moment with Alex.

    My middle son surprised me the most, though. Victor had always been small for his age. He barely ate anything we gave him. He asked for snacks all the time, but didn't eat them either. He played by himself. He hardly ever went outside, and he just basically kept to himself. After about a week on Paleo foods, he turned around and looked at me and said, "Mommy, I'm so glad we're eating Paleo. It makes me feel really good." I asked him if he had been feeling bad before, and he said that he pretty much felt bad all the time. And the improvements didn't stop there. He began to eat more of the food we gave him, though he still asks for snacks, and he started playing more with others and going outside to play without anyone having to drag him. I don't know that he's gotten much bigger, but his physique has changed, and he just looks healthier. And he loves reading Paleo cookbooks. He takes them to bed almost every night to read. His favorites are Danielle Walker's Against All Grain and Michele Tam and Henry Fong's Nom Nom Paleo.

     The only real threat seems to come with "Candy Holidays" such as Halloween and Christmas. The kids get candy, and they want to eat it. I tell them they can have a few pieces, if that's what they want, and then we throw the rest away.

     Halloween was especially funny because after they had eaten a few pieces of candy, I went in while they were at their Granny's and threw away the candy and replaced it with some dark chocolate, Paleo gummy treats, and Paleo trail mix, then I put their bags on the couch. When they came in, my youngest son saw them, and his face fell. He looked at me like I'd betrayed him and said, "I thought you were going to throw the junk candy away." I smiled and told him to look inside. He did, and his face lit up. The other candy had made them feel pretty bad, but as soon as they got some a few months later when visiting Santa Claus, they wanted to eat a piece again.

     But today is Alex's birthday, and he has designed the menu for the day. We begin with Bacon Waffles (inspired by Adventure Time, but created and made by Lydia). Lunch is (primal) sushi. Snacks are Granny's Concoction and Paleo Elvis. And dinner is Lego Mixel-themed, featuring Fang Gang Salad, Infernight Sweet Potato Chips, Cragster Biscuits, Frosticon Vanilla Ice Cream, and Spikel Coconapple Cupcakes.

Drop Biscuits

I just wanted to include a picture of these beautiful biscuits, and give you the link to the awesome book I got them from. It's by Lyla Brooks, and it's called Southern Gal Simple Southern Paleo Recipes. These aren't only beautiful but delicious, too. I eliminated the baking powder in mine, no matter how minimal, I'm allergic to corn, so I can't tolerate it.

Recipes: