“You’ll notice the recipe is just slightly modified from the original on MDA. A little less avocado, a little more smoked beef. They were very tasty, Tamara Baysinger, who came up with this recipe for MDA’s challenge really had a great idea. The avocado replaces the original mayonaise very well. Plus my bf noted they are actually easier to make than plain old deviled eggs.

I did think he was smart not to use as much avocado as Tamara called for, because they were already very very rich. The smoked beef was nice as a topping, but anything salty would probably do. The yolk mixture doesn’t have much taste of it’s own, so I wouldn’t go without a topping.

A little downside compared to our good old deviled eggs is that they don’t keep even half as well. So if you do serve this at a party, mix them up right before you’re getting started.”

What is the Paleo Flex Plan?

The short answer is that the flex schedule only includes 6 days worth of meals–excluding Friday’s recipes from the shopping list. This is designed to facilitate people who know that they aren’t going to follow the Paleo Plan every day that week, be it business lunches, family dinners, date night, whatever. If you know you aren’t going to eat every meal, there’s no sense in buying all the food. However, we also provide the Full list which has all 28 meals for every day of the week.

It’s just a little way we try and make it easier for certain people who want more flexibility.

However, I’m very curious. How do you, our dear members, use this? Is the flex plan valuable? Do you wish it was only 5 days instead of 6? Do you ever use the Full plan? Let us know in the comments what you use and how it works for you.

On the Paleo Plan site, we don’t discuss specific brands of dressing because they seem to change a lot based on the grocery store and geographic location you’re in. But basically, just look for a dressing that is sugar, gluten, and dairy-free. If it passes that test, there’s a pretty good chance this is a dressing committed to using whole foods and will have a short ingredient list. This also means that there’s a good chance it will be paleo-friendly. Do check the label, however.

I prefer the Roasted Garlic and Peppercorn variety from Drew’s.

Drew’s has lots of dressings that are gluten, sugar, and dairy-free. Some may not fit your exact desires or have an ingredient or two you prefer to avoid, but for me, the trace amounts of non-paleo items aren’t a concern considering i use dressing pretty sparingly. (I probably use less than a teaspoon per salad)

However, there are many people who just use some olive oil and fresh ground pepper. And depending on your opinion of vinegar, that’s an option as well.

What do you guys use on your salads? Let us know in the comments.

Caveat: As we often say, your reasons for eating Paleo will determine your tolerance for trace amounts of different items, as well as your opinion on some of the more “controversial” items which seem to be paleo or not paleo based on who you ask. Keep this in mind when choosing your dressing. I know a lot people who eat paleo “most” of the time, and I think it’s better for them to have trace amounts of non-paleo items in their dressing than to break down and have a cheeseburger out of frustration.

I just wanted to encourage you with a few things to keep you rolling and not falling off the wagon.

Keep good food around you
If you get invited out to happy hour on a patio (to have that NorCal Margarita), it’s going to be tough not to order off the menu for some snacks if you’re starving and haven’t eaten since lunch. Having healthy snacks near your desk, and lots of them, will help you get through the happy hour. Also, stopping by a grocery store, even to grab some lunchmeat from the deli, is better than grabbing a handful of fries at the pub.

Be proactive in bringing food to picnics and potlucks
This is a great time to show off some awesome Paleo recipes and prove to your friends your meals are just as good as theirs. Some cauliflower rice underneath some tasty skewers is delicious, pretty easy, and I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t love it.

Listen to Robb Wolf
The Paleolithic Solution Podcast is so full of good information, and presented in such a no-nonsense manner, that everyone should be listening to it. And a HUGE benefit to listening is that it reminds you of why you’re making the choice to eat Paleo in the first place. We’ve chosen this “diet” because of the huge benefits to our athletic performance, the huge implications on our overall health, and the huge impact it has on our body composition. But when you listen to Robb Wolf, it also reminds you that there is a chemical war taking place in our bodies, and we’re losing when we eat what our culture asks us to eat. It’s very inspiring and educational; and I’ve found that to be a great way to stay motivated when others are enjoying a big, juicy hamburger with cheese.

Do you have any other tips and tricks? Leave them in the comments.

Cooks Illustrated tested several types of bacon, where they concluded: “All bacon is likely to contain nitrites and nitrates, whether added at the outset or formed naturally during processing. If you want to avoid these compounds, you’ll have to avoid bacon.”

Your reasons for eating Paleo may vary, and the levels of commitment to the purity of the Paleo diet may also vary. Please consider these things when you see bacon in our recipes.

Read the full story at Cooks Illustrated here. (NOTE: This is a pay site, though you can register for a 14-day free trial.)