Epic Primal Giveaway: Halloween 2012 – $648 Value

Since I became paleo 2 and a half years ago, I eat during the Holidays very similar to how I do during the year. I eat a variety of healthy, good, real food (meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, root vegetables, nuts, fruit). I also eat a good amount of carbs since I am a competitive runner. During the holdiays, I try to eat as much real food as possible, and enjoy some sweets or grains if they look really good! I feel spending time and eating with my family is more important than restricting myself at those times. I feel as long as I eat healthy most of the time I could enjoy some other foods at others.

I will prepare Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner at my home so I control what is served. When I go to parties, I’ll bring my own food.

This will be my 4th Primal Holiday season! I try my best to stay 100% during the holidays. If I do decide to indulge in the “treats” I simply fast the next day and start over. Exercising is a bit harder for me so I tend to do a lot of HIIT just to get it done quickly.

Keep it to the day and enjoy it. That means, for me, thanksgiving, family Christmas in mid December, and Christmas Day. Eat clean between and keep it to the day. I enjoy myself in that structure. It’s only once a year.

i want to try Paleo and see if it works for me.

I always bring a dish to parties. That way, I know there is at least one thing I can eat. I make cookies and “candies” for the family so we don’t feel cheated out of holiday treats.

Focus on the veggie plates, eat the turkey and ham dishes. Do my best to avoid the stuffing, mashed potatoes and GMO corn…
I was also going to look into bringing a dish or 2, a few tasty options to open up the minds of the family to better eating.

I plan to continue Paleo during the holidays, it is easy once you know how great you feel by not eating all the other foods that are not pale

I am VERY new to Paleo but I plan to make it thought the holidays by following the basic guidelines and tips from all of the awesome Paleo bloggers that I’ve found so far. Since I’m currently deployed and will be during the holidays, eating Paleo is tough but I can do it if I’m smart about it all. I’ll stick to eating plenty of meats and veggies and only slightly indulge in the non-Paleo treats if I decide to consume any at all.

I’m new to this lifestyle. My holiday plan is focus on veggies and meat. I’ll bring a few treats to eat. When I don’t eat Paleo I feel really crappy. Good luck everyone.

Based on your personal experience, what is your strategy for eating during the holidays?

Meat is usually the safest choice. I’ll eat vegetables too if they’re not cooked in any dairy foods (or breaded, obviously.) I usually try to make a pretty filling meal a couple hours before going to a relative’s house just in case what they offer doesn’t really fit with my diet.

Turkey and sweet potatoes for me on Thanksgiving — it’s hard to skip all of the pies and other goodies but I will make sure to fill up with other nutritious stuff and hopefully even be able to get in a workout that same day.

My strategy is to always come prepared with a bag of raw nuts to snack on if nothing else is available, and if there’s a big delicious meal- to first start with one plate of just meat and veggies, then wait 20 minute before eating anything else. Usually by that time I’ve been swept into conversation and don’t even think about food anymore! I find that it helps a lot to get a good night’s sleep, and avoid alcohol.

My holiday eating strategy is to bring food I can eat to parties I go to.

Eat like I always do at home and when I want something, pick the one that I actually miss/love rather than a bunch of junk I couldn’t care less about!

I’m a newbie for sure and still educating myself but for holidays…..going to the parents – I’m just going to stick to the veggies and meat and do my best. 1 day in Nov. and 1 day in Dec. where my new lifestyle gets strained a bit isn’t going to kill me and I’m not going to beat myself up about it……

My strategy for eating during the holidays is this: my iron-clad will will forbid me from eating anything non-paleo. Mind you, once seated at the table and having the bread-stuffing passed right beneath my nose, that iron-clad will might find itself quickly becoming a puddle of ore, in which I might slip and fall face-first into that bread-stuffing. But, I was strong the last few holidays by firmly stating that I do not feel well when I eat bread-stuffs and that I want to enjoy my holidays, therefore I will decline. I will view it as a challenge to which I will rise, conquer, and come away the healthy victor. Nyah.

I’ve been paleo for a little over two years now. My strategy for eating over the holidays is to make primalized verisions of some of the more carb-laden dishes ahead of time and take them with me (if I’m going to a family member or friend’s house). At first I was worried that it might offend the host – but in my experience people have been very understanding! I don’t bring my entire meal with me, but last Thanksgiving I toted along some paleo stuffing and pumpkin pie. I brought enough pie to share, actually; people loved it!

My strategy for holidays is to invite people to MY house. That way, I’m in control of the food and everyone loves it

I think to survive the holidays, the best thing to do is keep moderation in mind. Enjoy yourself and “treat” yourself on stuff that isn’t there for the rest of the year. Don’t make yourself or the family crazy trying to not indulge at all and then end up having a huge binge!

My strategy for the holidays is to actually relax a bit about everything but sugar. I’ll eat sugar only on Christmas Day and Thanksgiving Day, and it really makes it a special treat. But the holidays mean more dining out and eating in other people’s houses, and I find that the only thing that makes sense is to just roll with what’s served.

I live alone, so my strategy is the same all year round, holidays are not different. When any of my kids or grandchildren visit me, they are invited to eat whatever I am eating at that meal. If they don’t like it–that’s their problem. I eat meat and veggies, sometimes swt. potatoes, butternut squash or pumpkin. Grandkids are usually quicker to eat with me than their parents (lol). Children are easier to teach than adults. Besides, the grandkids are ALWAYS starved when they get home from school, since the new lunch rules went into effect.

I’m still somewhat of a newbie. I have to admit I’m a bit scared going into the holidays. As of right now, I’m looking for recipes that I can make to replace the things I used to eat. I’m also planning on have some extra protein and veggies around so I can reach for those instead of junk. I think I probably should make some paleo treats to have too…so I don’t feel deprived.

I bring my own substitutions. Last Thanksgiving I made paleo stuffing, cranberry sauce and paleo pumpkin pie with a walnut crust. In addition to the turkey and vegetables, I felt like I got the whole experience without the bad stuff.

What a truly epic giveaway! I will bring or prepare my own food for the holidays. Honestly the holidays are perfect for paleo food and I think if someone made a whole paleo thanksgiving spread everyone would love it and probably not even realize it was missing grains or dairy. I have zero sweet tooth so I suppose that might be harder for people as well.

My strategy for eating paleo during the Holidays is to always meal plan. Plan your holiday menu in advance and figure or what you plan on making and “cheats” you want to indulge and such with that plan. When you have temptations to cheat remember the treats you have planned and stick with it. If you go over board don’t criticize yourself too harshly and get back onto the good for food wagon

For the holidays i plan on eating what i can and taking some things with me to make it easier. thanksgiving will be easier as my brother and his family will be there and they have many allergies that make them eat in a paleo way. the rest will be just pick and choose the best foods.

During the holidays I stick with the basics. We always have ham or turkey and green beans. Skip the potatoes and load up on salad. I bring coconut oil with me.

Halloween is easy; conventional candy (yawn) has nothing on coconut butter cups; TG = turkey, pumpkin custard and the once-yearly potato binge; Xmas = ducks, duck fat fried everything and paleo gingerbread men, heavy cream egg nog. It doesn’t get better than that.

I’m a newbie but am always one to bring a dish to gatherings.. so I know at least one thing is paleo friendly. It’s fairly easy to stick to paleo eating during the holidays since I’m not exactly a fan of my MIL’s cooking style. Ha!

for the holidays i plan to eat as healthy as possible but sometime the cakes and pies kill me

I am just transitioning to Paleo and plan to stick by the guidelines/menues in “Practical Paleo” over the holidays to keep me on track, and help me continue to get healthier.

I like to come prepared to holiday gatherings-by making a few things to bring, I know there will be something I can eat! I’m not new to paleo, but I think knowing yourself and your triggers is the key success during the holidays. For me, it’s very hard to “just have a little”-especially sweets. It’s a slippery slope, so it’s easier for me to just stick to the basics. Some people do fine with allowing little treats, you just have to know yourself!

This will be my first holiday season since going paleo – but since my mother has always eaten a restricted diet, her holiday meals have always been generally safe. I’ll just have to make sure I get my helpings of food straight from the pots to make sure nothing is added that I can’t have. (I’ve gone paleo due to health problems, not just a lifestyle choice, so the wrong additions could cause physical pain). And I’ll be sure to bring my own snack and side dishes too so I have plenty of options. As far as my mother-in-law’s house goes, I rarely eat meals of any kind at her house anyways because she uses margarine and sugar substitutes all the time, 2 things I refuse to eat. I’ll definitely be bringing my own food along to her holiday gathering this year so I’m not tempted to nibble on anything!

I get through Halloween by avoiding it! No one trick-or-treats in my neighborhood, so I simply don’t buy any candy, and I usually sign up for a night-time trail run.

I host Thanksgiving, which is my favorite of all holidays, so it’s easy for me to make family favorites AND my own favorites. For example, while everyone is having mashed potatoes, I’m having a variety of roasted root vegetables. My turkeys (2) come from a local farm, my gravy is dairy- and flour-free. The nice thing is that, over the past few years, more of my family are eating healthier, too!

When I go to my Aunt’s house for Christmas, I’ll be packing a meal for myself and making some super-delicious paleo appetizers to share.

I get through the holiday food chaos by making and bringing lots of amazing real food dishes that make everybody drool. When I can, I host. I love to cook, so it’s kind of a treat all around for me. My husband and I used to be vegans, so people are used to us bringing foods that comply with our special diets, but now our families are relieved to find that the food we bring actually looks and tastes good to them too! If I only have the time and/or money to make one dish, I usually make it a dessert. I can almost always find something safe to eat for dinner – meat and veggies – but desserts are where I run into the most trouble and get the grumpiest if I can’t have any.

I would not be telling the truth if I sat here and said that I would
strictly stick to my Paleo diet during the holidays. It’s my first
holiday season since starting the Paleo lifestyle. But if I happen to
have some “traditional grub”, I’ll just start fresh at the next meal.
To restrict myself can be stressful…and who needs that during the
holiday season?! All I can say is that I will try my best to stick to
the foods that make my body feel healthy.

I’m not *really* a paleo eater, though i try to integrate it into my diet whenever possible. To answer this question (If you are a newbie to Paleo eating, how do you plan to eat during the holidays?), I’d have to say I try to add whole foods, fruits, and nuts to as much of my food as possible. Thanks for running the contest, very cool!

I’ve been eating strictly Paleo for the past month and feel great. My plans for holiday eating will be to eat Paleo for most meals but to plan a few treats for traditional holiday treats than I love….just a serving and no binging? Also be very picky on eating only th nonPaleo foods I really want.

I am hosting this years Thansgiving dinner. If you bring a dish, the rule is to make it as close as possible to the natural primal way it would have been made years ago when this tradition started.

Knowing how amazing I feel when I eat clean is motivating enough. No worries about needing to wear a loose dress or pants, and no worries about hiding gas-x in my purse!

I consider myself a newbie as I haven’t been doing this yet a year. I plan on doing a Paleo Thanksgiving because most of the stuff I like is easily adapted to Paleo eating. I use Pinterest to keep a (huge) file of potential recipes and dishes that are Paleo that I can look to for inspiration. Christmas will require much more thought and effort because we go out of town to relatives’ homes. I plan on bringing a lot of my own snacks and just trying to eat whatever fits within Paleo from what there is to choose from.

I am so happy to report that my family knows about my eating plan so they will all find a way to work with me. YAY! I plan to stay totally paleo during the holidays.

I plan on eating before heading over to holiday events. If I’m full, I’m less likely to want to eat the cookies and other junk. I’ll also bring water with me and if needed to bring a dish to pass I’ll bring a veggie tray or something paleo!

I am goining to helping making the meals so I know there is clean meat and sweet potatoes to eat. I always get a local turkey anyways but this year will not be having all the extras

Thankfully I will be with my parents for Thanksgiving and they are totally on the paleo bandwagon, so no worries about that meal. Otherwise, it is just about making the best possible choices. There is always meat and veggies. Just fill up on those so you don’t have room for the treats!

I’m exploring paleo as a heathy extension for my specific carbohydrate diet. My family has corn allergies which includes corn derived products and pasta, potatoes, yams, and stuffing are not on my sc diet. I make cranberry relish using cranberries and honey. No sugar only honey on scd. I use canned pumpkin to make pumpkin custard. Banana bread is made with almond and/or coconut flour. I typically bring my sc diet side dishes along and add turkey and salad from others. This has worked well for me the last several years.

I usually get through holidays by choosing the healthier alternatives where I can, but also by allowing myself to eat what I feel like and not worrying about it. I know I will get back to my usual way of eating afterwards in any case.

As I make the Paleo transition, it gets easier daily. It will be just me and my two grown children. They eat what I cook. Turkey, sweet potatoes, lots of veggies, cranberries, salad, and pumpkin pie with no crust will grace our table. I’m thankful this lifestyle has made me feel so much better.

I am planning to introduce my family to some of the foods I eat when not around them and weigh each choice as it arises

If you are a newbie to Paleo eating, how do you plan to eat during the holidays?

Luckily, my parents are very supportive of my efforts to change the way I eat so they try to limit the temptations I have to eat things that I’m phasing out of my diet. I know it won’t be 100%, but being involved in the menu planning means that I can plan what I will eat and what I might slip on.

you can easily make the holiday meals paleo. Turkey – check. sweet potatoes – check. kale – check. pumpkin pie with butter walnut crust – check. I just go in with a mind set that I have to eat this way to keep my health in check. It is easy if you go into it that way.

Based on your personal experience, what is your strategy for eating during the holidays? We have a large family Thanksgiving each year, (100+ people), so I have to pass on some foods, but we always have two or three meats, and many vegatables. Knowing what will be at a meal, the best advice is to bring foods that you can eat to add to the selection.

I’m new to Paleo, but I think we’ll be ok for the holidays. I’m the cook for Thanksgiving, so even though my in-laws are NOT supportive, we’ll be fine (Well, they’ll be mad,but that’s not my issue)! At Christmas, there won’t be an issue b/c my mother has Celiac disease, so the entire meal will be gluten-free at least, and that’s the biggest hurdle for me

As a newbie to Paleo eating, my goal is to eat as cleanly as possible during the holidays, but I know that a few grains & some alcohol will sneak in. I just hope the majority of the time I can stay on track!

I’m a newbie, though I combine WAPF/Primal/Paleo (we still drink raw milk from a local farm, as well as grassfed butter). For Halloween, I don’t eat candy anyway, though I have a 14-year-old bonus son, 10-year-old bonus daughter, and a 2-year-old son. Our youngest doesn’t eat candy, either, so he’ll probably just eat organic raisins and be perfectly content Our 2 older kids just eat a couple of pieces, though make sure that we eat well beforehand! I also make curry pumpkin seeds, kale chips, and soaked/dehydrated nuts for healthy snacks. My husband is more of a “meat and potatoes” guy, though he enjoys the grass-fed beef & lamb we get from a local farm, as well as the free-range turkey, chicken, and eggs (all soy-free) from another local farm He does like the butternut squash recipe I make, as well as stuffed green peppers (w/o rice or tomato sauce). For Thanksgiving, I preordered a pastured, free-range, heritage turkey from a local farm. We got one last year and it was seriously the best tasting turkey I’ve ever eaten! We go to my parents-in-law’s house for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I avoid the rolls and marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes and opt for the butternut squash casserole, salad, homemade cranberry sauce, steamed veges, and meats instead. Same for Christmas holidays. I concur with many other comments about bringing foods that you can eat (same can apply to holiday work potlucks). Everyone in our family has been wonderful about trying new recipes I also make smoothies each morning and I love trying out your recipe ideas I accept that fact that our diet isn’t perfect, though I try my best to make sure our family eats as well as possible (probably 80/20 or 85/15). Hope everyone has a wonderful and healthy holiday season Enjoy revamped old favorites and trying out new recipes

This will be our first round of holidays since switching from a true carbaholic, although “whole grain”, way of eating. It could be tricky. We have four children, ages 10 to 22, who will be around plus their friends during this time. In order to not be considered the ultimate scrooge in parenting, there will be some treats here and there. BUT they will be 100% gluten free. That causes way too many issues in our family in order to cheat one tiny little bit. There are so many paleo/primal friendly recipes out there and ways to adapt traditional family favorites, that I’m confident we can “have our cake and eat it too”. It just might take a bit more forethought and preparation and perhaps a few more pennies to make it happen. The most important thing I want to avoid is making our changes in eating habits take center stage over the specialness of the holidays that we are celebrating.

I normally bring a side dish and a dessert that are paleo so that I can at least have the turkey, a side and a dessert! I figure if I can have water, that’s fine. And then over the weekend my own personal family (husband and kids) have our own *real* feast!

Our extended family is no where near paleo, unfortunately we usually visit for about a week during the holidays. So I bring lots of paleo treats, paleo bread etc for our kids and lots of jerky, crispy spiced nuts/seeds for my husband and I. During meals we just try to stick to meat & veggies unless I can steer the meal towards a paleo dish. Not always easy!

Being a newbie I am most worries about dessert (which I what I have missed the most). So I am going to have a riddle around and see if I can come up with a paleo type dessert. If that fails, I’ll be bringing some 85% dark chocolate with me and eating a few squares of that!

We’ve been on GAPS (similar to paleo/primal) for almost a year now, and I’m not really concerned about the holidays. We’ve had plenty of experience with bringing our own snacks to parties (discussed dietary restrictions with host or hostess first to make sure it would not offend) – now when I bake a GAPS friendly treat for birthdays or another special occasion, I freeze the extra servings so that I can defrost them for lunchbox treats or when my children are invited to traditional SAD birthday parties. We don’t have much family in the area, so it is easy for me to tailor our meals to what works with our diet, and I enjoy seeking out new recipes that taste as good or better than grain-sugar-dairy recipes and usually get compliments and recipe requests from our non-primal guests. I’ve been upfront and honest with my children about why we eat the way we do, and they don’t mind missing out on other people’s treats because they know that we will provide great treats for them that don’t make them feel sick afterwards.

I’m new to paleo, but I do plan to continue my better eating habits this holiday season. I will be avoiding the rolls at all costs and will be bringing veggie trays & paleo approved dips to every party. There is no way that I am going back to all that unhealthy eating.

I’m very successful at navigating around goodies I don’t want to indulge in by letting my family see that it’s just not a big deal to me. If they can understand that I don’t feel like I’m missing out, they relax about it and we can all just enjoy each other’s company. Doesn’t hurt to make a paleo treat to share … : )

Since I do most of the holiday stuff at my house it is EASY to just do appropriate foods, anyone attending my celebrations is welcome to bring a dish of their own if they like (equally welcome to just stop by and indulge). I don’t recall anybody being upset over not having a traditional stuffing in the turkey, or thickening gravy with blended veggies instead of flour (much more flavor, in fact). Really, with a few minor tweaks holiday meals in general are far closer to primal/paleo than ordinary meals! Treats are another story because everybody bakes cakes, cookies and whatnot, but most gatherings have something at least borderline primal. If I sneak in a bite or two of my old favorite non-primal treats on special occasions, I can forgive myself, and since it never tastes as good as real food I can set it aside after a little nibble.

I am new to paleo eating and a new mom with a 6 month old I want to teach natural healthy habits to. I just began researching paleo this week and I really need the cookbooks to help with holiday cooking. All of the other prizes will help in my education and speed up the learning process. Thanks for the opportunity.

Answering question number 1: We have my hubby’s side and my side family gathering for holidays. Starting with my side family, We have abundance of food. I always offer to either cook turkey (my house then we take turkey over to parents) or grill steaks (at my parent’s house). I bring several sides of veggies for us and rest of family if they want it. For desert, I make several “Make it Paleo” pumpkin pie and it is a big hit for my family. They all loved it. Now with my hubby’s family. This family is huge. So food is very limited and always run out of food and much higher carby food than my parent’s house. My parent’s respect the fact that we are primal (we do partake cheese)/paleo. So she makes sure there are enough veggies and meat. Anyway back to hubby’s parents. Knowing meat is very small and the rest is all carby we eat before we go. We make sure we eat some form of red meat and salad before we go. We take my tea with us as his mother put sugar in her tea even though we do not drink tea with sugar. I do take a sweet desert which is pumkin pie or Red Velvet cake (from Lauren’s blog Healthy Indulgence). We eat little at his parent’s house as to not offend his mother. So that is how we handle holiday eating/gathering in the past 4 years. We were low carb’er 4 years ago and now both low carb and paleo/primal.
Holly

I started eating paleo this past summer and have never felt better. Over the course of my paleo transition there have been a few days where I have eaten some nonpaleo foods, and this did not go so well that night/next day. So, I have decided that over the course of the holidays I will strive to eat as paleo as humanly possible! My plans for the Thanksgiving holiday: fill my plate with as much turkey and veggies as possible, a small portion of sweet potatoes, and as for dessert: I have already started practicing making the most perfect paleo pumpkin pie! For me, as long as I can have some sort of paleo treat over the holidays, I think I will be able to get by! And as for Christmas time: my family has an Italian tradition which we practice every Christmas day. We eat seven different types of seafood….talk about easy paleo, right?! Except that we eat seven different types of seafood, AND pasta, bread, wine, and cheese all spread out over give or take 6 courses. And don’t forget dessert! Italian pastries are DEFINITELY not paleo. So, for my *PALEO Italian Christmas, I plan to again, fill up my plate with as much lean meat (mostly seafood) and veggies as possible, and maybe just take a whiff of the fresh breads and pastas being placed in front of me? All the time knowing that I will feel 100% better the next day. And there will definitely be an appearance from a paleo pumpkin pie for dessert, maybe with some homemade coconut milk whipped cream? Bring it on!

I went primal last october, so I went through this last year. I was raised in Mexico and being that there is no thanksgiving holiday there, my (american) mom would make thanksgiving dinner for Xmas. The tradition has remained and now, even though we live in the US and celebrate thanksgiving, we still want our traditional turkey meal a month later. (hey, who doesn’t want thanksgiving turkey more than once a year?) While my mom chooses to not be primal, I have educated her in the subject so besides delicious turkey cooked with butter, there are always vegetable options for me…err and I do sneak a spoonful of stuffing in my mouth but THATS IT!

Question 2: I have recently begun eating a Paleo diet. I plan to eat clean, simple foods during the holidays. I’m the cook for my family’s Thanksgiving, so I have the flexibility to make sure what I’m eating is Paleo–turkey (cooked without stuffing), sweet potatoes (with coconut oil), green beans, salad with olive oil/vinegar dressing. For others, I will make a traditional bread stuffing (cooked separately from the turkey) and mashed potatoes, but I won’t eat those items. I haven’t figured out what I’ll do about gravy (arrowroot for thickening?). I would like to make a Paleo pumpkin custard for dessert. I’ve never made one, but I’ve found several recipes in cookbooks and online. Pumpkin pie is my favorite thing about Thanksgiving, so I would really like to find an acceptable pumpkin dessert.

My plan for the holidays is to make my own approved treats, I’m not gonna lie it’s not gonna be fun to miss out on treats I’ve enjoyed since my childhood but it’s what is needed for my health so I WILL do it.

I have been paleo for almost a year. It is hard sometimes but the benefits are amazing. I have food allergies so I feel better than I have in years. I am going to take food to make during the holidays. Some of my inlaws are into the healthy eating and have cut out some grains and sugar. I am always educating them and I bring dishes that I know I can eat and they can try. They are seeing it tastes good and not bad. The more they read they are shifting. I am a stand for health so its just in my lifestyle.

I find that it’s easier not to view the holidays as a big deal foodwise. If I freak out about what I desperately want to eat but shouldn’t, then I usually end up eating too much of it anyway. If I just treat the holidays like any other day and mind my poritons, I’m fine. It’s more psychological for me than anything else.

I am new at Paleo lifestyle too! But what I have discovered so far is that I feel and work so much better! I have challenges with some foods ….but the cravings occur under stress and now I figure out how to circumvent the stress in a positive manner. This is a great change for me!

I plan to bring at least one dish I know will keep me straight and fill me up. Protein is not usually a problem. As for the lead-up to the holidays, planning ahead seems to be working well for me. Having plenty of filling veggies and fat and protein on hand will keep me from splurging on office treats. That and knowing how I’ll feel afterwards. Urgh.

My strategy for the holidays is to make a paleo side dish to bring to Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years etc. such as roasted acorn squash, or roasted broccoli and califlower, or bacon wrapped asparagus and eat the main meat dish (which is usually paleo friendly at my destinations). That way I know I can get a full meal. Also, I plan on bringing mini paleo pumpkin pies to Thanksgiving and still working on a paleo friendly dessert for Christmas!

I have been doing the Lurong Living Paleo Challenge for a little over a month and I love it! It is amazing to see how my tastes change and when I have cheated I have found out that it wasn’t worth it and I didn’t enjoy the cheat foods the way I used to enjoy them. For the holidays I have started looking for the perfect paleo recipes. My husband and I, along with another couple are planning a paleo Thanksgiving and couldn’t be more excited about it!

I have been doing the Lurong Living Paleo Challenge for a little over a month and I love it! I am amazed to see how much my tastes are changing. When I do cheat I find that it wasn’t worth it and that I do not enjoy the cheat foods as much as I used to enjoy them. For the holidays I am already looking for the perfect paleo recipes. My husband and I, along with another couple are planning a paleo Thanksgiving dinner and could not be more excited about it!

I plan to host holiday meals and hopefully convert all friends and family to my way of eating!

I have only been paleo for 6 months and I am looking forward to cooking my own dishes to bring along for the holidays such as mashed cauliflower and a dessert. I also plan to make the host/hostess aware of our eating habits before official invites and plans have been made so they are sure to know and if they want to still invite us, haha. But I plan on focusing on the meat and vegetables available.

I have been doing Gaps to heal my stomach for over 2 and 1/2 years. I intend to stick to it as I have in the past, even thru the holidays. I plan to go Paleo after the first of the year. This is my life now, nothing but healthy eating. I will never go back to SAD eating again. It took me too long to get to where I am. I am so much healthier today.

Make creating Paleo dishes a family event and challenge the cooking crew to keep away from non-Paleo ingredients. Also, for those that don’t know that the meal is Paleo, try and wait until they finish and compliment its awesomeness to share the news!

treat yourself to something special only once and make sure you actually want/crave it! other than that, make the meals paleo with mashed yams and paleo desserts. you will feel much better when the holidays are done.

I host our family Thanksgiving and Christmas parties and I serve only Paleo food. When I attend a party, I try to eat prior to the party.

I prepare my own food for the holidays to be safe.

I will probably indulge in one or two non-Paleo items, but am going to pick my battles. I’ll probably volunteer to bring some dessert so I know I can eat something totally yummy and not go too far off track.