There's plenty of fuss over the Paleo Diet, so if you want to see what it's all about, try these three simple recipes
The Paleo Diet has been catching on not only here in Ireland but around the world with those that want to eat healthily and train hard at the gym, and there are definitely advantages to doing it. Firstly, since it's quite basic in the main ingredients used, there are people out there coming up with some inventive and tasty recipes for us to try, and secondly, it helps you to think a little bit more clearly about what you're getting from your food rather than just eating.
So with that in mind, JOE has a few simple recipes for you to try for breakfast, lunch and dinner that stick to the Paleo Plan and will give you a taste (pun intended) of what it's all about.
Breakfast - Tomato Avocado Egg Scramble
Anyone who goes to the gym knows that eggs are a great source of protein and pretty handy day to day if you want to help build muscle. They can, however, be pretty boring, so this egg scramble is quick, easy and delicious. The avocado gives you some essential fats, while tomatoes take care of a whole heap of things, from vitamin C to potassium to fibre, so you're starting your day off pretty well.
2 eggs
1 tomato
1/2 avocado
Crack the eggs in a bowl and whisk them together. You can add a dash of salt and pepper if you like. Chop up the tomato and slice the avocado in half. Try to leave the stone in the half of the avocado that you're not using, as it helps to keep it green. Chop them both into cubes (big or small, your choice) and set aside. Heat the pan and add your egg to it, keeping it moving until it starts to turn solid. Turn the heat off and allow it to scramble in the heat of the pan, making sure it's cooked but that it doesn't dry out. Add your veg to the top or mix it all in together and you're sorted.
Pic via Reciperebuild.com
Don't like the look of scramble or want to have some fancier presentation? Why not poach your egg and serve it on a bed of avocado and tomato? Maybe even throw in a bit of spinach, it's a free country.
Lunch - Tuna Ceviche
We love Mexico, not only because Jorge Campos wore the most outrageous shirts ever, but also because we love a good salsa. Whether you're using canned tuna or delicious fresh tuna, this recipe is incredibly tasty. If you can, make this the night before and bring it in to work for lunch, it gives the flavours time to work together.
1 can of tuna/1 tuna fillet
1 tomato
1 green chile
1 clove of garlic
2 limes
1 small red onion
1/2 mango
pinch of salt
handful of chopped fresh coriander
Pic via Caribbean Lifestyle Blogspot
This one takes a bit of time, but mainly thanks to all the chopping. Firstly, dice the onion, chile, tomato and half the mango, and chop up the garlic into small pieces. Add them all to a bowl and give them a mix around. Add the pinch of salt, coriander and squeeze the lime into the mixture, giving it another stir. Taste it at this stage and see if you think it needs anything else, but if not you can throw in your tuna, adding more lime juice on top of it to help the flavour. If you feel like you're going to be extra hungry, bake up some sweet potato and serve it on the side.
Dinner - Lime Coconut Chicken
This one takes a bit more time, but only if you want to let your chicken marinade for as long as possible. Again, you could make this the night before, or make it as soon as you get in the door and cook it a bit later. Realistically, you want to let the chicken marinade for about half an hour minimum, and anything up to 2 hours after that is pretty much perfect.
2 chicken breasts
3 tbsp oil
zest of 1 lime
1 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 cup coconut milk
pinch cayenne
1 small fresh hot chile, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Fresh limes, cut into wedges
Pic via Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Mix all the ingredients - except the chicken, the coriander and the limes - together in a dish, something that will be big enough to fit the two chicken breasts in later. That's your marinade. At this point, you can trim the fat off the chicken and chop it into little bits if you fancy doing it in that style, or thinly slice the breasts so that they cook more quickly and all the way through. We're always suspicious of chicken.
Leave that to marinade in the dish for a while, and when you're ready to cook, heat your pan with a drop of coconut oil or olive oil. Don't throw out your marinade though, you're not finished with that yet. Cook the chicken piece by piece so as not to overcrowd the pan. It might seem like it takes longer, but it will take just as long if you lob it all in at once as it will cook much slower and the flavour won't be near as nice.
While you're doing that, pour the marinade into a saucepan and bring it to a rolling boil - that means you stir it constantly as it's boiling - for two minutes. Once the chicken is cooked pour the sauce over it, and add that chopped coriander and a squeeze of lime. Job done, you've just spent the whole day eating Paleo.
As with everything, you should be careful about jumping in head first. Not everything that the Paleo diet says you should cut out is actually bad for you, but then again neither is everything that we eat these days. Our best advice is to use your head, eat clean, eat fresh and most importantly eat smart. We all know somewhere deep down inside that the bag of chips in our hands isn't that good for us really.
Hat-tips to Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Triathlon Competitor.com and the sites we got images from listed above
