For years I’ve been a low carber. I’ve counted carbs and allowed myself to eat all sorts of junk all in the name of “low carb.” After reading Robb Wolf’s The Paleo Solution, Protein Power by Dr Mike and Mary Dan Eades, and following some awesome blogs like Life as a Plate, and Everyday Paleo I decided to totally nix the grains, artificial sweeteners, and dairy for 30 full days. Yep, I’m taking The Whole 9′s challenge to eat good food, mainly meat and vegetables, some fruit and nuts. On top of that I’ll be exercising. But it won’t be your normal 45 minutes of cardio. Nope, it will be short (30 minutes tops) and it will be intense.

I started this adventure on Sunday and have actually enjoyed really cooking simply again. I have some cookware that I’m totally in love with. If I could marry my All-Clad 4 quart saute pan I would. It would be a June wedding and there would be no option for divorce. That’s how much I love this pan. The only pan I use more is my mother’s cast iron frying pan.

I love to cook, but Paleo cooking is somewhat challenging. No grains – I can do without the Low Carb wraps.  That’s what lettuce is for after all.

No dairy – that’s a little harder because I love cheese and cream. But it’s just 30 days, right? The hardest thing is my EZ Sweetz. (liquid sucralose). I use it to sweeten tea, to sweeten sauces and anything else that needs a little sweetness.

So drinking more water is also on the agenda. I haven’t had tea since Sunday. Again with the hard. I am after all a southern girl and tea is the house wine of the south.

It’s only 30 days though. I can do anything for 30 days. And after that we’ll see. So far, I feel great. I’ll keep you posted on how it’s going and the nice nifty recipes that I come up with.