Day 20-BaCoN!!!

Yesterday I finally made the long trek to that monstrosity of a store called Whole Foods. It was my first time going to any Whole Foods and I was very excited. My mini-me accompanied me on this trip and of course the first thing she needed when we got there was to find the bathroom because she drank too much on the car ride (even though I had warned her against doing so.) :)

Do what did I think?

I was impressed, overwhelmed and a tad disappointed all at the same time.

I was impressed at the variety of fresh fruits and veggies, and the size of the store.

I was overwhelmed because of all the choices and there being so much to look at. And plus, the store was BUSY! I had a hard time looking because I was jostling for space in which to shop.

I was a tad disappointed in that I didn't find more paleo-friendly fare.  They did not have a very good selection of nut-butters.  I was hoping to find an assortment that was free of peanut oil, soy, or other rancid oils high in PUFAs.  I picked up sun butter against some reservations as it it only contains sunflower seeds and salt- but also said may contain soy.  May?  I have noticed that a lot lately.  Is it their way of not being liable in the event someone has an allergic response to their product? *nods Yeah probably...


My main goal was achieved in this trip. BACON!! Whole 30 is very strict about bacon- it must be nitrate and sugar free. My local grocer carries nitrate free- but not sugar free. I found two different kinds of bacon at Whole Foods that is sugar/nitrate free, and two others that have a very small trace of sugar (I will save for after Whole 30 nevertheless). Last night and today and the Applegate Farms bacon- very primal-licious!!

Dinner last night was Hot Ceasar salad. This is my own Paleo version of something I enjoyed while living in Atsugi, at the Chief's Club every Friday with my girlfriends. It was my favorite day of the week. I didn't teach on those days (I taught English while living in Japan), so it was my day to myself and with my good friends. We would end up with a section of the restaurant to ourselves. We usually had our favorite waiter wait on us- he knew what we wanted to drink and always was ready. I miss those days dearly!

So here is my Primal-licious version-

Hot Ceasar Salad

(Determine the amounts according to your likes and the number of people you are serving.  I made this for my family of four- I used two peppers and one onion and a bag of shrimp).

Bell peppers, sliced
Onion slices,
Garlic, sliced thin
Mushroom slices
Tomato slices (forgot this time so not in the picture)
Raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined
Fresh greens
Homemade mayo
BACON!

Cook the bacon in a hot Wok/large str-fry pan. After it has reached desired crispness- remove bacon to a plate and set aside.

Next sauté the onions, garlic and peppers until veggies are soft. Add mushrooms and cook until soft as well.

Add shrimp and cook until shrimp is nice and pink. Remove from heat and add tomatoes, stir to coat and heat the tomatoes.

Arrange salad greens in a pretty bowl, top with shrimp and veggies. Crumble desired amount of bacon on top and finish with a drizzle or two of homemade mayo.

Enjoy!

You don't have to totally "carmelize"  the onions, but I prefer them nice and soft to cut their strong flavor.

Final product- shrimp and bacon go together so deliciously- don't you think?