Paleo Parfait

Alright, I'm thinking I might be sold on paelo. I'd eaten paleo for two days, and was getting into the swing of getting enough carbs to avoid the "carb flu," and feeling pretty good. Yesterday was our weekly sushi day. Rice is off-limits on paleo, but obviously white rice is going to be worse for you than brown rice. I considered going for the sashimi to keep it paleo-friendly, but the sushi place we go to cuts their sashimi really big. I ordered it one time and got a vision of myself as a bear standing near the edge of a stream, gnawing on a whole fish. Not pleasant.

In retrospect, the bear-stream-fish thing probably would have been a better choice. Sushi has never made me sick. We eat it weekly, and unless I have a bite of one with cream cheese, I tolerate it really well. I don't know what was going on last night, but by the time we got home I was in so much pain I could hardly stand up straight. I felt like I'd downed a tub of ice cream. The only thing I can think is that my body was already adapting to paleo foods and rejecting the white rice and spicy mayo.

Obviously today I'm back on the paleo stuff. I was milling around my kitchen this morning looking for something to take for breakfast. I need to go grocery shopping. Like, bad. The last time I went shopping I was thinking "healthy and clean," not "paleo," and since I've scavenged the kitchen for all the paleo foods the past few days there wasn't much left. I'd seen a recipe for paleo granola - basically nuts and dried fruit, coated in honey, and baked at a low temperature until crispy. I applied a similar concept here but without the baking. It was so yummy - but I definitely foresee a batch of paelo granola in my future.

Here's my disclaimer if there are any paleo gurus out there reading this: I do not know if coconut yogurt is "strict paleo." Reading the ingredients on the container I suspect it is not, but I have it in the refrigerator, it's expensive, and I'm not going to waste it. No one else in my house is going to touch it. I suspect it might be paleo friendly because it doesn't have any dairy in it, but there are some ingredients on the label I can't pronounce (thickeners, I'm sure), making me think it is NOT paleo friendly. Either way, this is healthy and delicious. To say coconut yogurt is not nutrient dense would be an understatement, so I look at it as nothing more than a condiment. In this case, it is just a vessel for the berries and nuts. If you can tolerate dairy, though, Greek yogurt would be fantastic. Just be sure to get the plain unsweetened.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup coconut yogurt
1/2 cup fresh blueberries (or other berries of choice)
1-2 T. each: almonds, walnuts, and cashews (could also use pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, or other nuts/seeds of choice)
Drizzle honey or agave
Lightly sprinkle each: cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom

Directions:
Spoon coconut yogurt in a serving bowl. Put nuts in a baggie and smash with a heavy object (like a rolling pin or solid glass cup) just enough to break them up. Top yogurt with blueberries, then nuts.  Drizzle a little agave or honey over top, then sprinkle spices on top. Stir and eat.