Paleo Transition as a Family

Last Night was another throw together dinner.  My Mr. had planned Seasoned Pork Chops from a local butcher.  They are so good on the grill but we made these in the oven.  Still tasty.  He also mentioned we had cauliflower on hand and wondered about mashed cauliflower. For some reason, I am not a big fan of Cauliflower Mash unless my friend makes it.  Hers is really good.  I suggested Caulirice and he agreed.  We also did Sweet Potato fries too.  I still have this thing with three things on my plate.  I know this is weird but I do! 

Of course I forgot to take a picture of my plate before I ate it all.  So I took a picture of our leftovers, but their were no sweet potato fries to speak of left.  I'm sure I'll make them again and will be able to share.  

Baked Season Pork Chops and Caulirice

Caulirice is simple enough to make.  Simply cut up a head of Cauliflower.  Add 1/4 to your Food Processor and pulse.  Repeat until all cauliflower is a rice consistency.  I always drizzle Olive Oil, salt, and pepper to taste and give it a quick stir.  You could add other spices to your taste as well.  I then put on a jelly roll pan and bake in the oven at 375 for about 20-30 min stirring every 10 minutes or so.

Our kids have had the toughest transition with our Paleo Lifestyle change, however, both boys were excited about last nights options!  The rule at our house is you have to eat at least half of the serving you are given or their is no night snack.  This has been a rule since the boys were 3ish.  Our boys aren't overly picky eaters, but there are certain things they know they don't like.  One of the boys loved the Sweet Potato Fries last night and literally jumped for joy when he found out we were having them.  He didn't like the Caulirice though and opted to eat half.  The other boy loved the caulirice but opted to eat half of his sweet potato fries. They both were able to enjoy a night snack last night.  

When we first started Paleo, we wanted our whole family to be all in.  It was going decent for the first couple of days.  Then both boys started revolting at the eggs (we were milk and cereal family).  G-money would hang his head and say under his breath, "When can we go back to eating normal?"  The Mr. and I talked about what we wanted for them.  In the end we decided a gradual shift would probably be best for them.  Afterall, this was our decision not theirs and they weren't facing the immediate health challenges that we were.  We also never intend to make them 100% Paleo.  We do however want their food choices to be educated.  

Our dinners are always Paleo because that is how Mr. and I eat.  The boys are expected to eat what is prepared or no night snacks or anything until the next morning.  I've never been a short order cook at my house.  Their breakfast options come and go.  The previous two mornings the boys have wanted bacon and eggs. Some days they still have cereal and others they even have poptarts (gasp).  When I pack their lunches for school I have been buying slim sandwich bread.  Eventually I would rather this not be an option.  Other times I send their thermos with hot items from the previous nights dinner.  (Their friends usually comment on how gross it looks or smells though so that is a work in progress.)  I always include fresh vegetables and fruit.  They still do enjoy school lunches a couple times a week and it makes me feel better too knowing there is a salad bar option.  Mr. and I have only been Paleo since August 1st.  Hopefully we can continue to transition both of them to more and more Paleo but we know they will probably be 80/20 followers and we are o.k. with that.

I do plan to share as we continue to help them make this transition.  Maybe some of my future readers will have advice to share on what worked for their children's transition too.  The more I learn about ingredients and the affect they have on our children's developing bodies the stronger I feel at making this transition.  Food is a Drug and I feel it's my duty to make sure my children are receiving the very best Food possible!