Although I finished strong in the 40 day challenge, I didn't finish strong on my blogging duties! My apologies. As soon as I finished my baseline WOD last friday, I totally shut down mentally thinking about much of anything that had to do with the challenge or this blog. I gave it all I had on Friday and improved my baseline workout time from 18:44 to 15:53. I think that was the most thrilling, satisfying part of the results for me. Seeing weight loss is always nice, but seeing the difference in how much quicker I got was great for this mama who ain't getting any younger!
We will find out the result of the to 3 females by Wednesday of next week. I would LOVE to place in the top 3, but honestly have no idea if I even have a chance. I will let you know how it all shakes out! And I do plan on continuing to post new recipes on this blog starting this week. Thanks for all of you who have hung in there with me through this journey. At the end of the day, I feel like I did win because I learned so much and finished the 40 days SO much better than where I was when I started!
Friday, August 26, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Day 38
Today has been a great day. I did and earlier workout at Irontribe today. The workout was "Elizabeth" which was 21-15-9 reps of Cleans (85lbs) and ring dips. It was a hard workout, but one of those where I feel like I pushed myself to the next level. My food today was:
Breakfast - 1 whole, 3 white scrambled eggs, 1 spoonful coconut manna
Post workout snack - 3 hard-boiled egg whites, 1 c. grapes
Lunch - 1 can tuna (no salt added), mixed with avocado plus some carrots (not a great lunch)
Snack - wasn't hungry, so didn't eat one
Dinner - BLT's wraps with chicken
Jake and I visited the Farm Stand, a local small company who brings fresh fruits and vegetables to the downtown and southside areas to provide good quality food for those who live in "food deserts." My friend Kathleen has been working with them a few days a week so we went and visited. We got some great produce, some of which we used for dinner.
The BLT wraps had bacon, tomato, avocado, chicken, and grilled red onions all wrapped up in a romaine leaf. I served this with a fresh spinach salad an some chopped up canary melon. I had never heard of a canary melon until today when we bought one at the Farm Stand. It's just like a honeydew, only sweeter. We all loved it!
I ended the day today with a 2.5 mile jog. with the kids. in the stroller. Not sure if I would do that again anytime soon. It was certainly a tough workout, especially the hills. BUT, it felt really good in a "have I lost my mind" kind of way. In it to win it!
Breakfast - 1 whole, 3 white scrambled eggs, 1 spoonful coconut manna
Post workout snack - 3 hard-boiled egg whites, 1 c. grapes
Lunch - 1 can tuna (no salt added), mixed with avocado plus some carrots (not a great lunch)
Snack - wasn't hungry, so didn't eat one
Dinner - BLT's wraps with chicken
Jake and I visited the Farm Stand, a local small company who brings fresh fruits and vegetables to the downtown and southside areas to provide good quality food for those who live in "food deserts." My friend Kathleen has been working with them a few days a week so we went and visited. We got some great produce, some of which we used for dinner.
The BLT wraps had bacon, tomato, avocado, chicken, and grilled red onions all wrapped up in a romaine leaf. I served this with a fresh spinach salad an some chopped up canary melon. I had never heard of a canary melon until today when we bought one at the Farm Stand. It's just like a honeydew, only sweeter. We all loved it!
I ended the day today with a 2.5 mile jog. with the kids. in the stroller. Not sure if I would do that again anytime soon. It was certainly a tough workout, especially the hills. BUT, it felt really good in a "have I lost my mind" kind of way. In it to win it!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Day 35, 36 AND 37
I have fallen behind on my blogging! Who knew that the start of school would throw me off so much? Instead of sitting down to write when the kids go to bed, I find myself packing lunch, ironing clothes, etc. to prepare for the next day. Even so, I am still 100% strong on my diet and am looking forward to day 40 on Friday.
I will highlight a meal that we had last night that I have told some of you about before: Cabbage Rolls. It's one of my favorites and almost everyone agreed. Jake cried through most of dinner because he didn't want to eat it. I had flashbacks of me as a kid doing the same thing when my mom made cabbage rolls (do you, jen?) Seriously, when my mom made them I hated how they smelled, looked and even more how they tasted. But this recipe I love and we did extend some grace to my little guy who wasn't so fond of them:)
Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 small apple, finely diced
2 cups diced fresh spinach
1/2 red onion, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. flat leaf italian parsley, chopped
1 egg
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
10 or so cabbage leaves
Sauce:
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp. dried basil
black pepper to taste
Directions:
-Bring a large pot of water to a boil
-While you are waiting for the water to boil, do the following:
-In a medium size bowl, combine the sauce ingredients and set aside
-Remove the core from the head of cabbage and separate cabbage leaves
-In a large bowl, mix together all the filling ingredients (from the beef to the pepper)
-Place the cabbage leaves, a few at a time, into the boiling water and boil for 3-5 minutes or until soft
-Remove with tongs and lay flat
-Depending on the size of your cabbage leave, place approximately 1/4 cup of filling on the bottom edge of each leaf. Fold in the 2 outside edges of the cabbage leaf and roll up the filling.
-Place each cabbage roll seam side down in your crockpot (it's okay to layer them)
-Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
-Enjoy!
I will highlight a meal that we had last night that I have told some of you about before: Cabbage Rolls. It's one of my favorites and almost everyone agreed. Jake cried through most of dinner because he didn't want to eat it. I had flashbacks of me as a kid doing the same thing when my mom made cabbage rolls (do you, jen?) Seriously, when my mom made them I hated how they smelled, looked and even more how they tasted. But this recipe I love and we did extend some grace to my little guy who wasn't so fond of them:)
Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 small apple, finely diced
2 cups diced fresh spinach
1/2 red onion, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. flat leaf italian parsley, chopped
1 egg
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
10 or so cabbage leaves
Sauce:
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp. dried basil
black pepper to taste
Directions:
-Bring a large pot of water to a boil
-While you are waiting for the water to boil, do the following:
-In a medium size bowl, combine the sauce ingredients and set aside
-Remove the core from the head of cabbage and separate cabbage leaves
-In a large bowl, mix together all the filling ingredients (from the beef to the pepper)
-Place the cabbage leaves, a few at a time, into the boiling water and boil for 3-5 minutes or until soft
-Remove with tongs and lay flat
-Depending on the size of your cabbage leave, place approximately 1/4 cup of filling on the bottom edge of each leaf. Fold in the 2 outside edges of the cabbage leaf and roll up the filling.
-Place each cabbage roll seam side down in your crockpot (it's okay to layer them)
-Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
-Enjoy!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Day 33 and 34
Things are getting a little crazy around here with the start of school and getting used to a new routine. We had a great first week of school and have enjoyed a restful weekend so far. We had dinner company on Friday night, so it was my attempt to cook a yummy Paleo meal for our guests who were not familiar with this way of eating. The menu:
Cilantro and Lime Roasted Chicken
Homemade Salsa (Pioneer Woman's Restaurant Salsa)
Homemade Guacamole
Grilled Veggies (onions and bell peppers)
Romaine Salad with strawberries, blueberries, and tomatoes
Cilantro and Lime Roasted Chicken
Ingredients:
6 chicken breasts or a whole fryer chicken
1 lime, zested and juiced
1/2 bunch cilantro, including stems!
3 green onions, roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 c. olive oil
Salt
Directions:
In a food processor, combine all ingredients from the lime to the salt. Process until well blended. Smear the mixture all over the chicken and let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. Grill chicken breasts or roast the whole chicken. Serve and enjoy! For instructions on roasting, see this recipe here: http://www.foodrenegade.com/zesty-cilantro-lime-roasted-chicken/
The chicken was good, but would have been better with more salt. The recipe didn't specify how much, just to taste. I only added about 1/2 tsp. Next time I will add at least 1 tsp. if not more. And, you must like cilantro to like this dish. Thankfully we all did:)
Saturday morning presented a bit of a scare as I pulled my calf muscle during my run. I spent the morning icing and elevating and spent the rest of the afternoon with it wrapped up. That threw a kink in our plans for the day, but I wanted to make sure I rested up as the FINAL week is here. I intended on doing 800m spirnts on Sunday, but it will be a day of rest instead:( My goal is to have my calf rested and better by the WOD on Monday. We ended up eating out at Zoes for dinner and I had my usual grilled chicken salad. Only 6 more days left. I hoping to give it all I can these last few days!
Cilantro and Lime Roasted Chicken
Homemade Salsa (Pioneer Woman's Restaurant Salsa)
Homemade Guacamole
Grilled Veggies (onions and bell peppers)
Romaine Salad with strawberries, blueberries, and tomatoes
Cilantro and Lime Roasted Chicken
Ingredients:
6 chicken breasts or a whole fryer chicken
1 lime, zested and juiced
1/2 bunch cilantro, including stems!
3 green onions, roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 c. olive oil
Salt
Directions:
In a food processor, combine all ingredients from the lime to the salt. Process until well blended. Smear the mixture all over the chicken and let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. Grill chicken breasts or roast the whole chicken. Serve and enjoy! For instructions on roasting, see this recipe here: http://www.foodrenegade.com/zesty-cilantro-lime-roasted-chicken/
The chicken was good, but would have been better with more salt. The recipe didn't specify how much, just to taste. I only added about 1/2 tsp. Next time I will add at least 1 tsp. if not more. And, you must like cilantro to like this dish. Thankfully we all did:)
Saturday morning presented a bit of a scare as I pulled my calf muscle during my run. I spent the morning icing and elevating and spent the rest of the afternoon with it wrapped up. That threw a kink in our plans for the day, but I wanted to make sure I rested up as the FINAL week is here. I intended on doing 800m spirnts on Sunday, but it will be a day of rest instead:( My goal is to have my calf rested and better by the WOD on Monday. We ended up eating out at Zoes for dinner and I had my usual grilled chicken salad. Only 6 more days left. I hoping to give it all I can these last few days!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Day 32 - Is Paleo Working For You?
I know I have talked about this before on the blog, but we (Mitch and I) have been eating some form of Paleo for over 2 years now. We first heard of it in February of 2009 when we saw a friend talking about it on Facebook. We immediately dove in, cold turkey, and ate all we wanted of lean meats, fruits, and veggies. Somehow me missed the crucial element of fat. In light of that, we lasted about 6 weeks eating this way. We both lost some weight, but we were starving. So, we gradually added in peanut butter (didn't know that wasn't paleo) and homemade granola. As we added those things in, we also added on the pounds! We were struggling with what seemed to be what so many people struggle with when they start eating Paleo...the ease and availability of nuts and seeds which easily leads to overeating them.
Fast forward to now, where we have gone through over 2 years of trial and error. For the first time I feel like I have FINALLY figured out what works for me. This challenged has made me think twice before I put anything in my mouth and that has helped me so much to push myself to do what initially wasn't convenient, but now is a way of life...and I LOVE it. It is certainly a commitment, but I have found that it's totally worth it. I have, though, had conversations with many people about Paleo and how it just doesn't work for them. They are frustrated with stalled weight loss, the are bored with eating the same thing, or they are just trying too hard to fit some of their old lifestyle into the Paleo way (i.e. paleo muffins, paleo brownies, paleo pizza, etc.). Those things are fine on the occasion, but you won't want to build your diet around them. I saw the info below on the Whole9 blog and they identify the top 5 reasons why Paleo isn't working for you. Read over them and see if you find any of them true for you:
5 Reasons Why Your Perfect Paleo Diet Just Isn't Working:
1) It's a technicality - Technically Paleo foods like Paleo pancakes, bacon, or sweet potato fries may follow the "rules," but don't maximize nutrition.
2)The wrong fats - Too many nuts, seeds, and Paleo cereals=too many inflammatory Omega-6 fats. Prioritize healthy fat sources.
3) Eat more - Energy dragging, but still afraid of fat and carbs? Eating enough of both sustains energy levels, health, and performance
4) By-the numbers - You're so focused on your numbers - blocks, grams, calories, or body weight - that you override the signals your body is trying to send you
5) Nature's candy - Using the "natural" sugars found in fruit to satisfy your sugar cravings is a recipe for more cravings, and maybe too much fructose.
I know that I found at least 2 of these to be true of me before the challenge: eating too many of the wrong fats, and worrying too much about the numbers. I have re-prioritized my fats and that has honestly taken care of the numbers. I am not hungry all the time because the right fats (avocado, coconut, olive oil) help keep satisfied so i'm not constantly starving and worrying about what I can eat. Eating more of the right fat has honestly made all the difference for me!
I hope that reviewing this list will help you if you are stuck in a rut and haven't been able to figure out what you should do differently. Remember that eating Paleo is a process. It takes time to figure out what works best for you. Be patient. Stay with it. I promise it's worth it!
Oh, and if you are still reading, our dinner tonight was blah. We had Chard-Wrapped tilapia. It just didn't do it for us. The bright side of the meal were the brussels sprouts sauteed with red onion. I'll try again tomorrow for a winning recipe!
Fast forward to now, where we have gone through over 2 years of trial and error. For the first time I feel like I have FINALLY figured out what works for me. This challenged has made me think twice before I put anything in my mouth and that has helped me so much to push myself to do what initially wasn't convenient, but now is a way of life...and I LOVE it. It is certainly a commitment, but I have found that it's totally worth it. I have, though, had conversations with many people about Paleo and how it just doesn't work for them. They are frustrated with stalled weight loss, the are bored with eating the same thing, or they are just trying too hard to fit some of their old lifestyle into the Paleo way (i.e. paleo muffins, paleo brownies, paleo pizza, etc.). Those things are fine on the occasion, but you won't want to build your diet around them. I saw the info below on the Whole9 blog and they identify the top 5 reasons why Paleo isn't working for you. Read over them and see if you find any of them true for you:
5 Reasons Why Your Perfect Paleo Diet Just Isn't Working:
1) It's a technicality - Technically Paleo foods like Paleo pancakes, bacon, or sweet potato fries may follow the "rules," but don't maximize nutrition.
2)The wrong fats - Too many nuts, seeds, and Paleo cereals=too many inflammatory Omega-6 fats. Prioritize healthy fat sources.
3) Eat more - Energy dragging, but still afraid of fat and carbs? Eating enough of both sustains energy levels, health, and performance
4) By-the numbers - You're so focused on your numbers - blocks, grams, calories, or body weight - that you override the signals your body is trying to send you
5) Nature's candy - Using the "natural" sugars found in fruit to satisfy your sugar cravings is a recipe for more cravings, and maybe too much fructose.
I know that I found at least 2 of these to be true of me before the challenge: eating too many of the wrong fats, and worrying too much about the numbers. I have re-prioritized my fats and that has honestly taken care of the numbers. I am not hungry all the time because the right fats (avocado, coconut, olive oil) help keep satisfied so i'm not constantly starving and worrying about what I can eat. Eating more of the right fat has honestly made all the difference for me!
I hope that reviewing this list will help you if you are stuck in a rut and haven't been able to figure out what you should do differently. Remember that eating Paleo is a process. It takes time to figure out what works best for you. Be patient. Stay with it. I promise it's worth it!
Oh, and if you are still reading, our dinner tonight was blah. We had Chard-Wrapped tilapia. It just didn't do it for us. The bright side of the meal were the brussels sprouts sauteed with red onion. I'll try again tomorrow for a winning recipe!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Day 31
I am sadly mourning that this challenge will be ending in 9 days. It has been a great push for me and I have loved the competition aspect of it. I still don't know if I will cheat when it is over or keep on going. I do have some fear of going back to old habits and ways, so I am contemplating going on with the "challenge" way of eating until I feel that I can cheat without it completely throwing me off (more mentally than physically). I'll keep you posted on what I decide about that.
The hubs is out of town tonight, so we are keeping it simple around here. My mom is joining us for dinner and she is not quite on the Paleo wagon. So, me and the kids I am making grilled chicken topped with pesto, sauteed veggies, and a side salad. For my mom, I am going to make grilled BBQ chicken. She will also eat the veggies (we are having the 2 she likes - squash and zucchini).
Today for lunch I had a twist on chicken salad and mixed the chicken with 1/2 an avocado, some grapes, and a little salt and pepper. I must say it was pretty darn good. I enjoyed the creaminess of it without even having to add any mayo. I have done this with tuna, but will definitely do this with chicken again.
I will leave you with my favorite picture of the day. My baby girl heading off to first grade, stopping for a quick pic with her favorite brother:
The hubs is out of town tonight, so we are keeping it simple around here. My mom is joining us for dinner and she is not quite on the Paleo wagon. So, me and the kids I am making grilled chicken topped with pesto, sauteed veggies, and a side salad. For my mom, I am going to make grilled BBQ chicken. She will also eat the veggies (we are having the 2 she likes - squash and zucchini).
Today for lunch I had a twist on chicken salad and mixed the chicken with 1/2 an avocado, some grapes, and a little salt and pepper. I must say it was pretty darn good. I enjoyed the creaminess of it without even having to add any mayo. I have done this with tuna, but will definitely do this with chicken again.
I will leave you with my favorite picture of the day. My baby girl heading off to first grade, stopping for a quick pic with her favorite brother:
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Day 30
Tonight I tried another new recipe from Everyday Paleo and an tried and true recipe from Elana's Pantry. Mitch was working late, so I wanted to do something easy tonight, especially as we are getting ready for our first day of school tomorrow. We kinda had a different twist on breakfast...
These are called Egg Houses - Eggs cooked in a tomato, topped with bacon and chives. Tonight we had 3 who liked them, and this time it was Neily who wasn't quite sure of them. The yolk is runny in these and that's just not her thing. The muffins Cinnamon Bun Muffins and were a hit with everybody (I passed on them, though. Still staying strict until the end!). You can find that recipe at http://www.elanaspantry.com/cinnamon-bun-muffins/
EGG HOUSES
Ingredients:
-4 large tomatoes
-4 eggs
-4 slices of organic, uncured bacon, diced
-salt and black pepper to taste
-Diced chives
Directions:
-Preheat the oven to 425
-Cut off just the top of the tomatoes and gently scoop out the insides
-Place tomatoes in a glass baking dish
-Crack one egg in each tomato cup and bake for 25 minutes (I cracked 2 in the ones for Mitch)
-While the tomatoes and eggs are baking, cook the bacon
-After the egg houses are done baking, crumble the cooked bacon on top along with the diced chives.
-Enjoy!
These are called Egg Houses - Eggs cooked in a tomato, topped with bacon and chives. Tonight we had 3 who liked them, and this time it was Neily who wasn't quite sure of them. The yolk is runny in these and that's just not her thing. The muffins Cinnamon Bun Muffins and were a hit with everybody (I passed on them, though. Still staying strict until the end!). You can find that recipe at http://www.elanaspantry.com/cinnamon-bun-muffins/
EGG HOUSES
Ingredients:
-4 large tomatoes
-4 eggs
-4 slices of organic, uncured bacon, diced
-salt and black pepper to taste
-Diced chives
Directions:
-Preheat the oven to 425
-Cut off just the top of the tomatoes and gently scoop out the insides
-Place tomatoes in a glass baking dish
-Crack one egg in each tomato cup and bake for 25 minutes (I cracked 2 in the ones for Mitch)
-While the tomatoes and eggs are baking, cook the bacon
-After the egg houses are done baking, crumble the cooked bacon on top along with the diced chives.
-Enjoy!
Monday, August 8, 2011
Day 29 - Stuffed Peppers
I can't wait to share with you guys what we had for dinner tonight. It was SO SO good! It got 2 thumbs up from at least 3 members of our family (the verdict is still out with Jake) and it was pretty, too.
But first, here is what the rest of my day looked like:
Breakfast - 1 whole, 4 white scrambled eggs, 1 spoonful coconut manna
Snack - Primal Pac
Lunch Part 1 - steamed zucchini and squash
Had to run out to meet the teacher
Lunch Part 2 - Homemade Chicken Salad made with homemade mayo (only about 2 tbsp for the whole thing), grapes, walnuts. I used the chicken salad as a "dip" for some carrots
Pre-workout snack - 1 small applesauce, 1 egg white
Workout:
Row 1000meters
50 Thrusters (35#)
30 Pull-ups
Ros 800 meters
50 Thrusters (35#)
30 Push-ups (game standard)
Total time: 19:23
And for dinner...These wonderful things:
Wouldn't these be pretty at Christmas time with red and green peppers???
Ingredients:
4 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 yellow squash, finely chopped
1 zucchini, finely chopped (not in the recipe. i added this to ours)
3 carrots, finely chopped
1 lb.top quality sausage (recipe calls for 1.5lbs but that was too much for me. also, go my sausage from whole foods)
1 lb. grass-fed beef
1 tbsp. garlic powder
sea salt and black pepper to taste
2 tbsp dried oregano (i used only 1 tbsp)
3 cups fresh basil, chopped
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
5-6 bell peppers
Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350
-Fill a large soup pot with water and bring to a boil
-While waiting for the water to boil, cover the bottom of a large skillet with the olive oil and over medium heat saute the onion, celery, and carrots until the onions become translucent.
-Crumble in the ground beef and sausage and add the dried seasonings to the meat before it's entirely cooked
-Add the yellow squash, zucchini, basil, and tomatoes. Mix well and let the meat and veggies cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally for another 10-15 minutes.
-In the meantime, remove the tops of the bell peppers, and rinse well to remove all seeds.
-By now the water should be boiling. Place the bell peppers gently into the boiling water and submerge them for 5-6 minutes or until the peppers are just a little soft, but not falling apart.
-Pull the bell peppers out with tongs and arrange in a large glass baking dish. Fill/Stuff each bell pepper with the meat mixture and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
-Enjoy!
But first, here is what the rest of my day looked like:
Breakfast - 1 whole, 4 white scrambled eggs, 1 spoonful coconut manna
Snack - Primal Pac
Lunch Part 1 - steamed zucchini and squash
Had to run out to meet the teacher
Lunch Part 2 - Homemade Chicken Salad made with homemade mayo (only about 2 tbsp for the whole thing), grapes, walnuts. I used the chicken salad as a "dip" for some carrots
Pre-workout snack - 1 small applesauce, 1 egg white
Workout:
Row 1000meters
50 Thrusters (35#)
30 Pull-ups
Ros 800 meters
50 Thrusters (35#)
30 Push-ups (game standard)
Total time: 19:23
And for dinner...These wonderful things:
Wouldn't these be pretty at Christmas time with red and green peppers???
Ingredients:
4 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 yellow squash, finely chopped
1 zucchini, finely chopped (not in the recipe. i added this to ours)
3 carrots, finely chopped
1 lb.top quality sausage (recipe calls for 1.5lbs but that was too much for me. also, go my sausage from whole foods)
1 lb. grass-fed beef
1 tbsp. garlic powder
sea salt and black pepper to taste
2 tbsp dried oregano (i used only 1 tbsp)
3 cups fresh basil, chopped
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
5-6 bell peppers
Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350
-Fill a large soup pot with water and bring to a boil
-While waiting for the water to boil, cover the bottom of a large skillet with the olive oil and over medium heat saute the onion, celery, and carrots until the onions become translucent.
-Crumble in the ground beef and sausage and add the dried seasonings to the meat before it's entirely cooked
-Add the yellow squash, zucchini, basil, and tomatoes. Mix well and let the meat and veggies cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally for another 10-15 minutes.
-In the meantime, remove the tops of the bell peppers, and rinse well to remove all seeds.
-By now the water should be boiling. Place the bell peppers gently into the boiling water and submerge them for 5-6 minutes or until the peppers are just a little soft, but not falling apart.
-Pull the bell peppers out with tongs and arrange in a large glass baking dish. Fill/Stuff each bell pepper with the meat mixture and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
-Enjoy!
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Day 26, 27 AND 28 - I promise i'm still on the paleo wagon!
These past 3 days have been a whirlwind, hence the lack of posting. Friday was the day we found out who N's teacher was going to be and who was in her class. Immediately after, she and I left for a special night away to celebrate the beginning of school. I got to spend the night with this special little girl and had her all to myself. We laughed, shopped, giggled, talked, and snuggled. Priceless.
I kept it Paleo in the midst of the fun, eating a Salmon Salad for dinner and sat and watched as N indulged in a yummy, sprinkle-covered ice cream cone.
We came home mid-morning on saturday and I turned around and headed back out the door to stock up on groceries. For dinner saturday night we had Turkey Chili with Cabbage Lime Slaw and guacamole (recipe compliments of my friend Joy).
Turkey Chili:
1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. olive oil
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1/2 to 1 cup tomato salsa (with no sugar added) - recipe calls for 1/2c. but I like it with a little more
1 firm-ripe tomato, rinsed, cored, and chopped
1 can diced green chilies (I left these out - they make it too spicy for my taste)
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. pepper
salt to taste
1. in a large non-stick skillet over high heat, stir turkey, garlic, oil, bell pepper, and onion. Break meat apart with a spoon and cook until juices evaporate and the turkey is lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
2. Add salsa, tomato, chilies, cilantro, chili powder, cumin, and pepper. Stir often until the flavors are blended, about 10 minutes.
3. Serve on top of Cabbage Lime Slaw
Cabbage Lime Slaw:
Thinly slice purple cabbage and toss 2 cups with juice from one lime. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.
And lastly, today...Today we spent a total of 7 hours in the car driving to Atlanta and back to visit family. I made sure to pack a cooler full of all things Paleo and had a great food day on-the-go. Lots of egg whites, blueberries, salad, carrots, an apple, and a primal pac. And I got my 4 mile run in before we left which definitely helped me cope with sitting on my fanny for so long!!
There are only 12 days before this challenge is over. I am going to do everything I can to make these last days count, giving it 110%. I am so excited! In it to win it!!
I kept it Paleo in the midst of the fun, eating a Salmon Salad for dinner and sat and watched as N indulged in a yummy, sprinkle-covered ice cream cone.
We came home mid-morning on saturday and I turned around and headed back out the door to stock up on groceries. For dinner saturday night we had Turkey Chili with Cabbage Lime Slaw and guacamole (recipe compliments of my friend Joy).
Turkey Chili:
1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. olive oil
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1/2 to 1 cup tomato salsa (with no sugar added) - recipe calls for 1/2c. but I like it with a little more
1 firm-ripe tomato, rinsed, cored, and chopped
1 can diced green chilies (I left these out - they make it too spicy for my taste)
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. pepper
salt to taste
1. in a large non-stick skillet over high heat, stir turkey, garlic, oil, bell pepper, and onion. Break meat apart with a spoon and cook until juices evaporate and the turkey is lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
2. Add salsa, tomato, chilies, cilantro, chili powder, cumin, and pepper. Stir often until the flavors are blended, about 10 minutes.
3. Serve on top of Cabbage Lime Slaw
Cabbage Lime Slaw:
Thinly slice purple cabbage and toss 2 cups with juice from one lime. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.
And lastly, today...Today we spent a total of 7 hours in the car driving to Atlanta and back to visit family. I made sure to pack a cooler full of all things Paleo and had a great food day on-the-go. Lots of egg whites, blueberries, salad, carrots, an apple, and a primal pac. And I got my 4 mile run in before we left which definitely helped me cope with sitting on my fanny for so long!!
There are only 12 days before this challenge is over. I am going to do everything I can to make these last days count, giving it 110%. I am so excited! In it to win it!!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Days 24 and 25 - A New Chicken Recipe
For some reason these past 2 days have come and gone so quickly! Yesterday, day 24, was a great day. I feel like I am reaping the benefits of eating 100% Paleo and I have honestly never felt better. The workout last night was quick and tough, but I feel like I am improving each time I walk in that door. And I can certainly see changes in my body which is pretty fun, too. There are only 15 days left in the challenge and I started thinking last night that I wish it were longer. I am one who needs that accountability, who needs something to shoot for. I have loved doing this challenge and an opportunity to win some great stuff has helped me push a little harder, spent a little more time cooking, and motivated me to reach my fullest potential. I do have a few goals on the calendar once the challenge is over on the 19th, but if anyone wants some accountability, you know where to find a partner!
I haven't done much differently during my daytime eating. I have my usual eggs and coconut for breakfast. I have LOVED the pesto chicken salad and made more on monday to have around this week. I had it yesterday for lunch over a big bed of spinach and some tomatoes on top. Today, I used it as a "dip" for my carrots and had it along with a large bowl of steamed squash and zucchini.
Tonight for dinner I made another recipe from Everyday Paleo. I made it several weeks ago (pre-challenge) and it made the list of things to make again. I did make a note for myself to double the recipe, so I took those notes to heart and made extra. It is a big yummy bowl of coconut curry deliciousness that I had to make myself stop eating!! This is the closest thing to a casserole that I have had in months!
Chicken Dive-In:
Ingredients:
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
6 cups broccoli florets, cut up into bite-sized pieces
2 cups sliced mushrooms (we love mushrooms!!)
1 cup onion, finely diced
2 c. canned coconut milk (full-fat)
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. curry powder
2 tsp. smoked paprika (I didn't have smoked, just used regular. They sell smoked paprika at Penzey's)
slivered almonds (didn't have these so they were left off)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350.
Place the chicken breasts in a saucepan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fill the saucepan with water, just until the breasts are covered.
Bring chicken and water to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the water with tongs and set aside.
Add the broccoli to the same water and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
Drain the broccoli (and save the broth for another meal if you wish)
Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and place in a large bowl
Add the broccoli, mushrooms, onions, coconut milk and spices and mix well.
Pour into a 9X13 casserole dish, sprinkle with slivered almonds, and cook for 30 minutes at 350.
This amount we made tonight was enough for all of us (a very large portion for the hubby) and leftovers for tomorrow. Yay!
I haven't done much differently during my daytime eating. I have my usual eggs and coconut for breakfast. I have LOVED the pesto chicken salad and made more on monday to have around this week. I had it yesterday for lunch over a big bed of spinach and some tomatoes on top. Today, I used it as a "dip" for my carrots and had it along with a large bowl of steamed squash and zucchini.
Tonight for dinner I made another recipe from Everyday Paleo. I made it several weeks ago (pre-challenge) and it made the list of things to make again. I did make a note for myself to double the recipe, so I took those notes to heart and made extra. It is a big yummy bowl of coconut curry deliciousness that I had to make myself stop eating!! This is the closest thing to a casserole that I have had in months!
Chicken Dive-In:
Ingredients:
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
6 cups broccoli florets, cut up into bite-sized pieces
2 cups sliced mushrooms (we love mushrooms!!)
1 cup onion, finely diced
2 c. canned coconut milk (full-fat)
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. curry powder
2 tsp. smoked paprika (I didn't have smoked, just used regular. They sell smoked paprika at Penzey's)
slivered almonds (didn't have these so they were left off)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350.
Place the chicken breasts in a saucepan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fill the saucepan with water, just until the breasts are covered.
Bring chicken and water to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the water with tongs and set aside.
Add the broccoli to the same water and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
Drain the broccoli (and save the broth for another meal if you wish)
Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and place in a large bowl
Add the broccoli, mushrooms, onions, coconut milk and spices and mix well.
Pour into a 9X13 casserole dish, sprinkle with slivered almonds, and cook for 30 minutes at 350.
This amount we made tonight was enough for all of us (a very large portion for the hubby) and leftovers for tomorrow. Yay!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Day 23 - Paleo Poor
Due to a few situations, we are facing a Paleo Poor menu this week. Translation: Money is tight and I am scrounging for easy, more less expensive meals. On our weekly trip to the store this weekend we needed to stock up on a lot of staple items which ate up a more than normal amount of our allotted grocery money. And, we are making a bit of a sacrifice in the food department this week so I can take my sweet little soon-to-be first grader on a special night out to a hotel. We are entering into the world of "big school" and I wanted to do something special, just the 2 of us. We are going to spend the night at the Wynfrey (Galleria) and have a fun dinner together followed by shopping for her first-day-of-school outfit. We are both more than excited!
On to tonight's dinner. I went to the cabinet to see what we had. And I found in the back some can's of Salmon!! So, I flipped through my Everyday Paleo cookbook and found her Wild-Salmon Salad. Mitch was coming home late, so it is actually a perfect simple, dinner for us tonight.
Ingredients:
4 cups mixed greens
2 cans wild-caught salmon
1/3 cup roasted red peppers, diced (I used jarred)
1 avocado, diced
4 tbsp slivered almonds (left the out. we didn't have these in stock)
3 tbsp EVOO
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tbsp. dried dill
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Black pepper to taste
Combine the salmon, peppers, avocado, and dill in a bowl. Serve over mixed greens. Top with almonds, dill, evoo, and vinegar.
Mitch liked this dish more than me, but I liked it enough to have it again. If you need a quick, healthy meal that is a little different this is for you! As for the Paleo challenge, everything is still going great. I'm eating well, exercising often, and really hoping I can place in the top 3!
On to tonight's dinner. I went to the cabinet to see what we had. And I found in the back some can's of Salmon!! So, I flipped through my Everyday Paleo cookbook and found her Wild-Salmon Salad. Mitch was coming home late, so it is actually a perfect simple, dinner for us tonight.
Ingredients:
4 cups mixed greens
2 cans wild-caught salmon
1/3 cup roasted red peppers, diced (I used jarred)
1 avocado, diced
4 tbsp slivered almonds (left the out. we didn't have these in stock)
3 tbsp EVOO
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tbsp. dried dill
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Black pepper to taste
Combine the salmon, peppers, avocado, and dill in a bowl. Serve over mixed greens. Top with almonds, dill, evoo, and vinegar.
Mitch liked this dish more than me, but I liked it enough to have it again. If you need a quick, healthy meal that is a little different this is for you! As for the Paleo challenge, everything is still going great. I'm eating well, exercising often, and really hoping I can place in the top 3!
Day 22 - Lemon Rosemary Chicken
Tonight we made Lemon Rosemary Chicken from Elana's Pantry. SInce Mitch was coming home early, I wanted to find something tasty that he could grill. It was a very easy dinner and very refreshing for the 100 degree day! My only tip: Use fresh ingredients. That makes a big difference.
Ingredients:
4 chicken breast (I pounded mine out to be a bit thinner)
1/4 c. lemon juice (you can get this from 1 large lemon or 2 small)
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup fresh rosemary, diced
Directions:
In a bowl, combine all the ingredients (except the chicken) and mix well.
Rinse the chicken breasts, pat dry, and place in a 9x13 casserole dish
Pour marinade over chicken, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 6 hours
Grill and serve!
I served this with a small sweet potato and a summer salad. Towards the end of my meal I scooped up a piece of chicken with a strawberry from the salad. The tanginess of the chicken and the sweetness of the strawberry were a perfect combo. For lunch the next day I am going to cut up the chicken and have it over a salad with strawberries. A very refreshing summer lunch!
Ingredients:
4 chicken breast (I pounded mine out to be a bit thinner)
1/4 c. lemon juice (you can get this from 1 large lemon or 2 small)
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup fresh rosemary, diced
Directions:
In a bowl, combine all the ingredients (except the chicken) and mix well.
Rinse the chicken breasts, pat dry, and place in a 9x13 casserole dish
Pour marinade over chicken, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 6 hours
Grill and serve!
I served this with a small sweet potato and a summer salad. Towards the end of my meal I scooped up a piece of chicken with a strawberry from the salad. The tanginess of the chicken and the sweetness of the strawberry were a perfect combo. For lunch the next day I am going to cut up the chicken and have it over a salad with strawberries. A very refreshing summer lunch!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Day 21 - Sunday Morning Pancakes
I have had 3 people ask me this week about what recipe we use for pancakes. We have tried several, and these have been the best so far.
Ingredients:
1 c. Almond Flour (I use the Honeyville brand)
2 eggs
1/4 c water
2 tbsp. coconut oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. agave nectar
Directions:
Mix all ingredients well (the batter will be thick) and pour 1/4 measuring cup full of batter on a medium/high skillet. Flip when edges are set.
One batch feeds both of my kids (3-4 small pancakes each) or just Mitch (4 large ones) I didn't have any of these this morning as I am trying to not "Paleoify" any foods during the challenge. Just eggs and an orange for me! And a special shout out to my friend Jessica who pushed me through a 4.1 mile run this morning!
We will be having dinner out with our community group tonight, so I won't be cooking anything new until tomorrow. I hope everyone has a restful Sunday!
Day 20 - Half Way!!
To commence my halfway mark, I went to ITF for a workout they were hosting in honor of the Crossfit Games that are going on in L.A. I was hesitant to go because my shoulders were tired from Friday's workout, but I couldn't resist a free opportunity to work hard. The workout was:
10 Hand Stand Push Ups
20 Wall Balls (14#)
30 Toes to Bar
40 Power Cleans
50 Burpees
60 Sumo-Dead Lift High-Pulls
It was for sure a killer workout, but I was so glad I did it when it was over. I didn't cook anything new today, just a repeat from a few weeks ago. This is what today looked like:
Breakfast (7:30) (pre-workout) - 2 whole, 2 white hard-boiled eggs, 1 spoonful coconut butter
Post-workout (10:30am) - A repeat of yesterdays lunch, pesto chicken salad over spinach, 1 banana
Lunch - 1 can tuna mixed with 1/2 avocado, sauteed squash and zucchini
Snack - Primal Pac
Dinner - Grass-fed beef burgers with a repeat of Cabbage Mango Slaw. I did change something in the recipe that made us like it even more. In the recipe from Everyday Paleo, it calls for 1 shallot, minced. That was a little much for us, so we took that out and substituted 1 heaping tbsp. diced red onion and 1 tsp. garlic. Delicious! In case you forgot, the slaw looks like this:
10 Hand Stand Push Ups
20 Wall Balls (14#)
30 Toes to Bar
40 Power Cleans
50 Burpees
60 Sumo-Dead Lift High-Pulls
It was for sure a killer workout, but I was so glad I did it when it was over. I didn't cook anything new today, just a repeat from a few weeks ago. This is what today looked like:
Breakfast (7:30) (pre-workout) - 2 whole, 2 white hard-boiled eggs, 1 spoonful coconut butter
Post-workout (10:30am) - A repeat of yesterdays lunch, pesto chicken salad over spinach, 1 banana
Lunch - 1 can tuna mixed with 1/2 avocado, sauteed squash and zucchini
Snack - Primal Pac
Dinner - Grass-fed beef burgers with a repeat of Cabbage Mango Slaw. I did change something in the recipe that made us like it even more. In the recipe from Everyday Paleo, it calls for 1 shallot, minced. That was a little much for us, so we took that out and substituted 1 heaping tbsp. diced red onion and 1 tsp. garlic. Delicious! In case you forgot, the slaw looks like this:
Friday, July 29, 2011
Day 19
Life is better when there is food in the fridge for sure! We made a trip to Whole Foods and Publix today and stocked up on lots of goodies for the next few days. I was dying to buy some more chicken to try a new recipe. I had pesto left over from our dinner a few nights ago and I didn't want to see it go to waste. So, I thought why not try it with chicken salad...Pesto Chicken Salad! I made this today for lunch and I loved it. You definitely need to like pesto to make this, and if you do I promise it won't disappoint.
3 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
1 cup pesto (I think I could have used about 1/2 cup more)
1/4 c. mayo (I don't like chicken salad with a lot of mayo, so add another 1/4c. if you want it creamier)
A little squeeze of lemon juice
Just mix everything well and enjoy! I had mine over a spinach salad with some grape tomatoes - a perfect combo.
For dinner tonight we had Fajitas. I marinated the chicken in Fajita seasoning from Penzy's Spices. I served it with sauteed vegetables (red onion, green and red peppers), homemade guacamole, salsa, and whole leaf romaine lettuce leaves for the "tortilla." I also attempted to make Tomatillo Salsa and that was a total bust. The tomatillo selection at WF was quite slim, so I may try again when I can choose better, more firm tomatillos.
Tomorrow is the official halfway point! These past 20 days have flown by and I'm excited about the next 20. I can already tell that I am faster, stronger, and feeling better. Still in it to win it!
3 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
1 cup pesto (I think I could have used about 1/2 cup more)
1/4 c. mayo (I don't like chicken salad with a lot of mayo, so add another 1/4c. if you want it creamier)
A little squeeze of lemon juice
Just mix everything well and enjoy! I had mine over a spinach salad with some grape tomatoes - a perfect combo.
For dinner tonight we had Fajitas. I marinated the chicken in Fajita seasoning from Penzy's Spices. I served it with sauteed vegetables (red onion, green and red peppers), homemade guacamole, salsa, and whole leaf romaine lettuce leaves for the "tortilla." I also attempted to make Tomatillo Salsa and that was a total bust. The tomatillo selection at WF was quite slim, so I may try again when I can choose better, more firm tomatillos.
Tomorrow is the official halfway point! These past 20 days have flown by and I'm excited about the next 20. I can already tell that I am faster, stronger, and feeling better. Still in it to win it!
Day 18
It was a crazy busy day for us today and not a single bit of cooking went on in my kitchen. That's kind of hard when you are used to cooking 2-3 meals a day. But, it was so worth missing out on because we got to spend most of the day with these wonderful friends. Oh, how we miss them!
This is what a busy day looks like for me and my food:
5:30am - spoonful coconut manna
7am - Mile intervals - only had time for 3 (all under 8 minutes, though!)
8am - 2 egg whites (all I had time to eat before my next client)
9am - 2 whole and 2 white eggs, banana
12:30 - Zoes Grilled Chicken Salad (no feta or potato salad) in the car, sitting in traffic on I-20
3:00 - Primal Pac (love these things for travel!!)
5:30 - small handful of nuts (was hungry!!)
6:30 - Grass-fed beef patty, spinach, a few pepper slices, 1/2 avocado, a few carrots (dinner with our friends)
It was a great day. Heading to Whoe Foods this morning because we are OUT OF FOOD!!
This is what a busy day looks like for me and my food:
5:30am - spoonful coconut manna
7am - Mile intervals - only had time for 3 (all under 8 minutes, though!)
8am - 2 egg whites (all I had time to eat before my next client)
9am - 2 whole and 2 white eggs, banana
12:30 - Zoes Grilled Chicken Salad (no feta or potato salad) in the car, sitting in traffic on I-20
3:00 - Primal Pac (love these things for travel!!)
5:30 - small handful of nuts (was hungry!!)
6:30 - Grass-fed beef patty, spinach, a few pepper slices, 1/2 avocado, a few carrots (dinner with our friends)
It was a great day. Heading to Whoe Foods this morning because we are OUT OF FOOD!!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Day 17 - Best Dinner of the Week!
Tonight for dinner we are trying Walnut Pesto. We love pesto at our house and have always used pinenuts. I was excited to try the walnuts as several friends have said it's their favorite.
Ingredients:
1 cup walnut halves and pieces
6 garlic cloves
1 tsp. sea salt
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 1/2 cups fresh basil (the fresher it is, the better the pesto will taste!)
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Directions:
In a food processor, all the walnuts, garlic, sea salt, and extra-virgin olive oil. Process until smooth.
Add the basil and lemon juice and process again until smooth.
We had the pesto over grilled chicken, alongside grilled squash, zucchini, and onion from Rosedale Gardens. A wonderful summer meal! My friend, Lisa, said she doubles the pesto recipe and freezes half to have during the winter. I will definitely do that next time!
For the rest of my day:
Breakfast: 1 whole, 4 white eggs, coconut manna
Snack: Larabar
Snack: 1 large spoonful chicken salad
Lunch: (not til 1:30) chicken, salad, roasted veggies, cantaloupe from Pita Stop
Pre-Workout Snack - 1 egg white, 1/2 apple
Ingredients:
1 cup walnut halves and pieces
6 garlic cloves
1 tsp. sea salt
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 1/2 cups fresh basil (the fresher it is, the better the pesto will taste!)
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Directions:
In a food processor, all the walnuts, garlic, sea salt, and extra-virgin olive oil. Process until smooth.
Add the basil and lemon juice and process again until smooth.
We had the pesto over grilled chicken, alongside grilled squash, zucchini, and onion from Rosedale Gardens. A wonderful summer meal! My friend, Lisa, said she doubles the pesto recipe and freezes half to have during the winter. I will definitely do that next time!
For the rest of my day:
Breakfast: 1 whole, 4 white eggs, coconut manna
Snack: Larabar
Snack: 1 large spoonful chicken salad
Lunch: (not til 1:30) chicken, salad, roasted veggies, cantaloupe from Pita Stop
Pre-Workout Snack - 1 egg white, 1/2 apple
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Day 16 -
Today was a proud day for me. The workout today included 6 rounds of 50 double-unders. That's 300 total. And I did them ALL! I have been working on my double-unders for months and have never been able to do this many, so it was for sure the highlight of my day.
If you shop at Whole Foods, you may have noticed that they have started carrying some of the Organic Girl products. I bought 2 big bags of her organic spinach and 1 big bag of baby swiss chard (all just $3.99 each) and I added the chard into my lunch veggie saute today. I loved it. I just sauteed squash, zucchini, red onion, garlic, and 2 large handfuls of swiss chard in some coconut oil. Tossed in a pinch of salt and pepper and it was perfect. My plan was to have this with some of the homemade chicken salad I made on Sunday, but my hungry husband took it to work and I was quite disappointed. You don't mess with a Paleo girl and her food! I ended up eating 2 slices of deli meat and a hardboiled egg.
For dinner tonight we made Meatloaf. It's a favorite of everyone at our table.
2 lbs. grass-fed ground beef
1 cup almond flour
2 eggs
1 6oz. can tomato paste
1 red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. fresh basil, diced
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. black pepper
Comine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Place meat in a large, glass baking dish and form into a loaf
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until center of the loaf is no longer pink.
I have no after pictures as we ate, cleaned up, and packed up leftovers before I realized I forgot an after picture! Take my word, though, it was great. Stay tuned for tomorrow's dinner - Grilled Chicken with Walnut Pesto.
If you shop at Whole Foods, you may have noticed that they have started carrying some of the Organic Girl products. I bought 2 big bags of her organic spinach and 1 big bag of baby swiss chard (all just $3.99 each) and I added the chard into my lunch veggie saute today. I loved it. I just sauteed squash, zucchini, red onion, garlic, and 2 large handfuls of swiss chard in some coconut oil. Tossed in a pinch of salt and pepper and it was perfect. My plan was to have this with some of the homemade chicken salad I made on Sunday, but my hungry husband took it to work and I was quite disappointed. You don't mess with a Paleo girl and her food! I ended up eating 2 slices of deli meat and a hardboiled egg.
For dinner tonight we made Meatloaf. It's a favorite of everyone at our table.
2 lbs. grass-fed ground beef
1 cup almond flour
2 eggs
1 6oz. can tomato paste
1 red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. fresh basil, diced
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. black pepper
Comine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Place meat in a large, glass baking dish and form into a loaf
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until center of the loaf is no longer pink.
I have no after pictures as we ate, cleaned up, and packed up leftovers before I realized I forgot an after picture! Take my word, though, it was great. Stay tuned for tomorrow's dinner - Grilled Chicken with Walnut Pesto.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Day 15 - almost halfway there!!
I felt like all I did today was eat. I was starving! And then, after my crossfit workout tonight, I came home and scarfed down dinner. It was slightly embarrassing as I look over at Mitch with my plate clean and his only halfway eaten. In my defense, however, i did work hard and dinner was absolutely delicious!
Easy Skillet Scallops and Spinach from Everyday Paleo
3 tbsp. coconut oil
1 small shallot, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups whole spinach leaves
1 pound wild-caught sea scallops (I think larger would be better, but small were on sale!)
sea salt and pepper to taste
lemon wedges for garnish
Directions:
Heat 2 tbsp. coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallot and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the 6 cups of spinach to the saute pan and cook until all leaves have started to wilt.
Remove the spinach from the pan and put on plates.
Add the last tbsp. coconut oil to the pan, add in the scallops, salt and pepper and turn the heat to medium-high. Cook scallops for 2 minutes on each side.
Place scallops over the spinach and serve immediately. YUMMY!!
The rest of my day looked like this:
Breakfast - 1 whole, 4 whites, coconut manna
Snack - 2 slices deli turkey, apple
Lunch - Homemade chicken salad over a big salad
Snack - 1/2 can tuna, 1/2 avocado
Pre-workout snack - 1 whole, 1 white hardboiled egg, applesauce
Dinner - Scallops, sauteed spinach, very small sweet potato
Easy Skillet Scallops and Spinach from Everyday Paleo
3 tbsp. coconut oil
1 small shallot, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups whole spinach leaves
1 pound wild-caught sea scallops (I think larger would be better, but small were on sale!)
sea salt and pepper to taste
lemon wedges for garnish
Directions:
Heat 2 tbsp. coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallot and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the 6 cups of spinach to the saute pan and cook until all leaves have started to wilt.
Remove the spinach from the pan and put on plates.
Add the last tbsp. coconut oil to the pan, add in the scallops, salt and pepper and turn the heat to medium-high. Cook scallops for 2 minutes on each side.
Place scallops over the spinach and serve immediately. YUMMY!!
The rest of my day looked like this:
Breakfast - 1 whole, 4 whites, coconut manna
Snack - 2 slices deli turkey, apple
Lunch - Homemade chicken salad over a big salad
Snack - 1/2 can tuna, 1/2 avocado
Pre-workout snack - 1 whole, 1 white hardboiled egg, applesauce
Dinner - Scallops, sauteed spinach, very small sweet potato
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Day 14 - Day of REST!
Today has been a great off day for me. Everyone slept in until 7:30, so that was a great start of the day for sure. Mitch went on a 45 mile bike ride this morning, so while he was gone and the kids were engrossed in their Legos I decided to tackle making homemade mayo and homemade chicken salad. The mayo was much easier than I had anticipated and turned out good. I tried a recipe from Everyday Paleo for this batch and I think I will venture out and try another one next time. This is the recipe that I made:
Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 cups olive oil (not virgin or extra virgin, just pure olive oil)
1 tsp. yellow mustard
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1/3 tsp. cayenne pepper
Directions:
In a blender, add eggs, mustard and cider vinegar and blend together well. Leave the blender running and very vey slowly drop or drizzle (SLOW!) the oil into the blender. Be Patient. It will take a while for the mixture to thicken. When it does begin to emulsify or thicken, only then can you speed up pouring the oil in, BUt still take your time. Turn off the blender once all the oil is in and mayo has reached desired thickness. Add the salt and cayenne pepper and mix well or blend again for another few seconds.
And for the chicken salad, this was my first go at it. It's not the best i've ever had, but I was good enough to build upon next time. I love finely shredded chicken salad and the consistency was spot on. This is how I made it:
Ingredients:
3 tbsp. of mayo from recipe above
4 chicken breasts, boiled
1 tsp. salt
1 small apple, diced
pepper to taste
Directions:
I put all ingredients into the vitamix and blended on low (setting 2) for about 1 minute. The chicken was finely shredded and everything blended perfectly. Next time I will try a different mayo and add in celery, grapes, and maybe a few nuts.
For dinner tonight, we had our usual Rotisserie Chicken from WF along with a repeat of last week, the Zucchini Pasta Salad. This week, though, I have a picture! So delicious!
Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 cups olive oil (not virgin or extra virgin, just pure olive oil)
1 tsp. yellow mustard
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1/3 tsp. cayenne pepper
Directions:
In a blender, add eggs, mustard and cider vinegar and blend together well. Leave the blender running and very vey slowly drop or drizzle (SLOW!) the oil into the blender. Be Patient. It will take a while for the mixture to thicken. When it does begin to emulsify or thicken, only then can you speed up pouring the oil in, BUt still take your time. Turn off the blender once all the oil is in and mayo has reached desired thickness. Add the salt and cayenne pepper and mix well or blend again for another few seconds.
And for the chicken salad, this was my first go at it. It's not the best i've ever had, but I was good enough to build upon next time. I love finely shredded chicken salad and the consistency was spot on. This is how I made it:
Ingredients:
3 tbsp. of mayo from recipe above
4 chicken breasts, boiled
1 tsp. salt
1 small apple, diced
pepper to taste
Directions:
I put all ingredients into the vitamix and blended on low (setting 2) for about 1 minute. The chicken was finely shredded and everything blended perfectly. Next time I will try a different mayo and add in celery, grapes, and maybe a few nuts.
For dinner tonight, we had our usual Rotisserie Chicken from WF along with a repeat of last week, the Zucchini Pasta Salad. This week, though, I have a picture! So delicious!
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Day 13 -Hardest Day So Far
Today has been my hardest paleo day so far. Not quite sure why, but I have talked about food ALL DAY..."When this 40 days is over, I am going straight to _________ to get __________. I've talked about Chick-fil-a, ZaZa, Edgewood Creamery, you name it. I think I'm getting on Mitch's nerves!! Part of me wonders if i'm having a hard time because I am so tired. I worked my booty off this week in the gym, put in a few extra runs at night, and today ran pretty hard for 30 minutes and then went to Open Gym and worked on pull-ups and double-unders for an hour. No wonder i'm tired! I am looking very forward to a much needed day of rest tomorrow and I know how much my body needs it. Regardless of how I felt today, I still ate 100% paleo. I am very thankful for a husband who supports me and encourages me to stay the course!
Tonight's dinner was nothing special - Grilled Chicken Salad from Zoe's (no feta, pita, or potato salad). Tomorrow, though, I am going to take a stab at making my own chicken salad (including the mayo) as I am needing a change of protein sources. I'm hoping that it turns out well! I am also trying 3 other recipes this week, so stay tuned. Hope everyone has a restful Sunday!
Tonight's dinner was nothing special - Grilled Chicken Salad from Zoe's (no feta, pita, or potato salad). Tomorrow, though, I am going to take a stab at making my own chicken salad (including the mayo) as I am needing a change of protein sources. I'm hoping that it turns out well! I am also trying 3 other recipes this week, so stay tuned. Hope everyone has a restful Sunday!
Friday, July 22, 2011
Day 12
It's always great when your kids enjoy dinner so much that they thank you over and over and ask for seconds, even thirds. They leave the table with clean plates, not a crumb left. Who would have thought that I would have gotten that reaction from Salmon Patties! In Neily's words, "This dinner is SO awesome, mommy." I think we'll be having this meal again!
Ingredients:
2 cans wild caught alaskan salmon (had to dig out the bones!)
1 c almond meal
2 eggs
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well
Scoop out 2 large tablespoons of mixture and form into a patty (about the size of your palm)
Add 1 tbsp. coconut oil to pan and cook patties over medium heat, about 5-6 minutes on each side (until they are browned)
I served the Salmon Patties with Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes and a Salad
The rest of the day went down like this:
Breakfast - 1 whole, 2 white hard-boiled eggs, 1 spoon coconut
Snack - Larabar
Pre workout - 2 slices deli meat (Applegate farms)
Workout: Barbara - 20 pull-ups, 30 push-ups, 40 sit-ups, 50 squats x 5
Lunch - 4 slices deli meat, bowl of sauteed onions, zucchini, squash
Snack - apple
Dinner - Salmon Patties, Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes, Salad
Ingredients:
2 cans wild caught alaskan salmon (had to dig out the bones!)
1 c almond meal
2 eggs
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well
Scoop out 2 large tablespoons of mixture and form into a patty (about the size of your palm)
Add 1 tbsp. coconut oil to pan and cook patties over medium heat, about 5-6 minutes on each side (until they are browned)
I served the Salmon Patties with Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes and a Salad
The rest of the day went down like this:
Breakfast - 1 whole, 2 white hard-boiled eggs, 1 spoon coconut
Snack - Larabar
Pre workout - 2 slices deli meat (Applegate farms)
Workout: Barbara - 20 pull-ups, 30 push-ups, 40 sit-ups, 50 squats x 5
Lunch - 4 slices deli meat, bowl of sauteed onions, zucchini, squash
Snack - apple
Dinner - Salmon Patties, Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes, Salad
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Day 11 - Hungry!
You will see below that I ate a lot of times today! I think there are two reasons for that - 1) the workout today was brutal and about killed me. It left me ravenous! and 2) It's that special time on the month when hunger looms. But i've eaten all good stuff so i'm not worried. Just listing to my body!
5:30am scoop of coconut manna before work
7:45 workout - 50-40-30-20-10 reps of wallballs, box jumps, and KB swings
8:30 Breakfast - 6 egg whites, 1 banana
10:30 snack - larabar
12:00 lunch - bowl of spinach topped with tuna and avocado, small side of steamed broccoli
3:00 snack - Primal Pac and 1/2 of one of the muffins I made for dinner
5:30 - 1/2 mango and 1 hardboiled egg (a pre-dining out snack. I never want to go to a restaurant starving...rarely does it end well)
7:00 dinner - Mitch and the kids had breakfast for dinner. Eggs, Bacon, and Paleo Pumpkin Muffins. You can see the recipe here.
http://elleinwonderland.wordpress.com/2011/04/13/youre-welcome-world-paleo-pumpkin-muffins/
I made them like she did, only I had no natural maple syrup, just 1/8 c of agave. I went ahead and put what agave I did have into the muffin mix. I can tell that they would be really good with more sweetener, but I didn't want to ruin the recipe with Aunt Jemima's Country Rich Syrup! To make everyone happy, I served them to the kids with a small bowl of syrup on the side to dip in. Everyone wins!
Oh, and as for me I went to Bottega Cafe for a Girls Night Out. I had grilled chicken, topped with arugula, zucchini, carmelized onions, and tomato chutney vinaigrette with a side of sauteed spinach. Very good!
5:30am scoop of coconut manna before work
7:45 workout - 50-40-30-20-10 reps of wallballs, box jumps, and KB swings
8:30 Breakfast - 6 egg whites, 1 banana
10:30 snack - larabar
12:00 lunch - bowl of spinach topped with tuna and avocado, small side of steamed broccoli
3:00 snack - Primal Pac and 1/2 of one of the muffins I made for dinner
5:30 - 1/2 mango and 1 hardboiled egg (a pre-dining out snack. I never want to go to a restaurant starving...rarely does it end well)
7:00 dinner - Mitch and the kids had breakfast for dinner. Eggs, Bacon, and Paleo Pumpkin Muffins. You can see the recipe here.
http://elleinwonderland.wordpress.com/2011/04/13/youre-welcome-world-paleo-pumpkin-muffins/
I made them like she did, only I had no natural maple syrup, just 1/8 c of agave. I went ahead and put what agave I did have into the muffin mix. I can tell that they would be really good with more sweetener, but I didn't want to ruin the recipe with Aunt Jemima's Country Rich Syrup! To make everyone happy, I served them to the kids with a small bowl of syrup on the side to dip in. Everyone wins!
Oh, and as for me I went to Bottega Cafe for a Girls Night Out. I had grilled chicken, topped with arugula, zucchini, carmelized onions, and tomato chutney vinaigrette with a side of sauteed spinach. Very good!
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Day 10! Only 30 More to Go...
I realized today that I should probably blog earlier in the day, or at least start my post earlier. I have all these ideas of what to say and then I sit down after the kids go down for bed and I go blank! I feel like a maw-maw as I sit at my computer at 8:00pm and i'm nodding off...no drool though!!
Today I went to a crossfit class that I typically don't go to, the 9:30 all women's class. It was smaller than i'm used to and that was really nice considering we had to do rope climbs. When the class was finished I overheard a few of the women talking about the paleo challenge and how hard it has been for them and how they have no idea what to eat. They are eating the same things over and over again and already, on day 10, starting to fade on their enthusiasm. Eating the same things all day every day isn't sustainable over time, and so then people give up and just think Paleo isn't for them. What is paralyzing to them, i wonder? Is it the time of preparing food? Do they not like many vegetables? Are the the sole member of their family wanting to eat better? Is it simply lack of education? I know that for my family eating Paleo has been a constant progression. I feel like now, after almost a year and a half of eating this way 80% of the time, I know what I am doing and can be successful at eating a well-rounded paleo diet. Meal planning is no longer dreadful to me, but exciting. I feel like I understand what my body needs more than I ever have. For instance, take nuts. I love nuts and nut butters. I have always eaten them since we took up the paleo diet. BUT, I have learned that 1) they are very easy, portable fat which makes them easy for me to overeat (a handful here and a spoonful there really adds up) and 2) I've learned that they can irritate my tummy. So I decided not to have any nuts (expect a Larabar on the mornings that I work and the few nuts in the Primal Pacs) during this 40 day challenge and I am shocked that I have not missed them at all! It has forced to me to venture out to other fat sources that used to never be a part of my regular diet - avocado and coconut. Coconut Manna...my new love. Anyway, I would love to hear your thoughts as to what is the most difficult part of the Paleo way of eating for you?? I am hopeful for an opportunity to reach out to others who may be struggling and help them expand their view of the grocery store!
I don't mean to bore you guys with my daily food journal, but this blog helps me keep track since I am terrible about writing things down. Today was not my best planned day, but I stayed on track:
Breakfast - 2 whole, 3 white scrambled eggs, 1 spoonful coconut manna
Snack (Post-workout) - 4 hardboiled egg whites, 1 mango
Lunch - 1 1/2 slices deli meat and a bowl of red cabbage and zucchini lightly sauteed with 1/2 c organic marinara and topped with 1/2 avocado (I desperately needed to go to the store and just had to work with what was in the fridge. Turned out quite tasty, though!)
Snack - Primal Pac
Dinner - A random pull-together of Ground Turkey, Chicken Sausage, red onion, and some salsa left over from monday nights dinner. Had that in romaine leaves alongside steamed broccoli and a small sweet potato. I will spare you a picture. It wasn't that appealing!
Today I went to a crossfit class that I typically don't go to, the 9:30 all women's class. It was smaller than i'm used to and that was really nice considering we had to do rope climbs. When the class was finished I overheard a few of the women talking about the paleo challenge and how hard it has been for them and how they have no idea what to eat. They are eating the same things over and over again and already, on day 10, starting to fade on their enthusiasm. Eating the same things all day every day isn't sustainable over time, and so then people give up and just think Paleo isn't for them. What is paralyzing to them, i wonder? Is it the time of preparing food? Do they not like many vegetables? Are the the sole member of their family wanting to eat better? Is it simply lack of education? I know that for my family eating Paleo has been a constant progression. I feel like now, after almost a year and a half of eating this way 80% of the time, I know what I am doing and can be successful at eating a well-rounded paleo diet. Meal planning is no longer dreadful to me, but exciting. I feel like I understand what my body needs more than I ever have. For instance, take nuts. I love nuts and nut butters. I have always eaten them since we took up the paleo diet. BUT, I have learned that 1) they are very easy, portable fat which makes them easy for me to overeat (a handful here and a spoonful there really adds up) and 2) I've learned that they can irritate my tummy. So I decided not to have any nuts (expect a Larabar on the mornings that I work and the few nuts in the Primal Pacs) during this 40 day challenge and I am shocked that I have not missed them at all! It has forced to me to venture out to other fat sources that used to never be a part of my regular diet - avocado and coconut. Coconut Manna...my new love. Anyway, I would love to hear your thoughts as to what is the most difficult part of the Paleo way of eating for you?? I am hopeful for an opportunity to reach out to others who may be struggling and help them expand their view of the grocery store!
I don't mean to bore you guys with my daily food journal, but this blog helps me keep track since I am terrible about writing things down. Today was not my best planned day, but I stayed on track:
Breakfast - 2 whole, 3 white scrambled eggs, 1 spoonful coconut manna
Snack (Post-workout) - 4 hardboiled egg whites, 1 mango
Lunch - 1 1/2 slices deli meat and a bowl of red cabbage and zucchini lightly sauteed with 1/2 c organic marinara and topped with 1/2 avocado (I desperately needed to go to the store and just had to work with what was in the fridge. Turned out quite tasty, though!)
Snack - Primal Pac
Dinner - A random pull-together of Ground Turkey, Chicken Sausage, red onion, and some salsa left over from monday nights dinner. Had that in romaine leaves alongside steamed broccoli and a small sweet potato. I will spare you a picture. It wasn't that appealing!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Day 9 - Stuffed Chicken
For dinner tonight we had Bacon and Asparagus Stuffed Chicken. Although it was good, I wish I would have researched what others had done with the recipe to improve it. We all enjoyed it (even the kids) but Mitch said that he missed something oozing from the center. I guess when we have had stuffed chicken in the past it has had cheese in the middle that oozes out with every bite. After perusing the internet, I found that some people also used a paleo BBQ sauce to add a little zing to this recipe. I think that would be perfect and a great compliment to the bacon! So, we will for sure have this one again, just adding a little sauce to it.
Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breasts, butterflied
16 asparagus stalks
4 slices of organic bacon, cooked
4 tbsp. grass-fed organic butter (or olive oil)
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat Oven to 350. Blanch asparagus for i minute in boiling water, remove and set aside.
Open up the butterflied chicken breast and place in each breast 1 tbsp butter or olive oil, 4 asparagus stalks, and 1 piece of bacon.
Pull the 2 sides of the chicken breast together to enclose your stuffing and secure with toothpicks
Sprinkle the outside of the chicken breast with sea salt and pepper and place in a glass baking dish lightly greased with olive oil.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked all the way through.
Enjoy!
Before:
After:
Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breasts, butterflied
16 asparagus stalks
4 slices of organic bacon, cooked
4 tbsp. grass-fed organic butter (or olive oil)
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat Oven to 350. Blanch asparagus for i minute in boiling water, remove and set aside.
Open up the butterflied chicken breast and place in each breast 1 tbsp butter or olive oil, 4 asparagus stalks, and 1 piece of bacon.
Pull the 2 sides of the chicken breast together to enclose your stuffing and secure with toothpicks
Sprinkle the outside of the chicken breast with sea salt and pepper and place in a glass baking dish lightly greased with olive oil.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked all the way through.
Enjoy!
Before:
After:
Monday, July 18, 2011
What Day is It? Oh yeah. Day 8.
It's kinda nice that I have stopped counting the days. It seems like real life now, not a "diet." Today has been a good day, although I felt a bit tired today (maybe it was the 3 hours in the sun this morning??), like I was dragging all day. I hung in there, though, and by the time my workout time came at 6pm I was pumped and ready to go. The workout today was pretty tough but I felt great once it was over. My time was 27:28
5 Rounds for time:
400m run
20 Deadlifts - 95#
20 Push-ups
10 Deadlifts - 95#
10 Push-ups
And now to the food!
Breakfast - Same ole eggs and coconut
Snack - 2 Hard-boiled egg whites (was at the pool and didn't pack very well!)
Lunch - Salad topped with chicken, carrots, and cucumber+ small banana
Snack - Primal Pac
Pre-Workout Snack - 1 hardboiled egg, 1 small applesauce (organic, just apples)
Dinner - Yummy! Talapia Tacos and Cabbage Mango Slaw
I'll start with the slaw. Its a recipe from Everyday Paleo, one of my favorite cookbooks.
Ingredients:
2 cups purple cabbage, diced
1 cup cucumber, diced
1 shallot, minced
1/2 cup mango
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. EVOO
Black pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a medium salad bowl, mix well, and serve!
We liked this dish. The only things we would change next time is add a little more mango and put in a little less of the shallot. We also added a little salt and it was perfect!
And for the Talapia Tacos, this is also a recipe from Everyday Paleo. We didn't change a thing except add a little cilantro. They were great! The recipe calls for shrimp, but we chose talapia (after hearing a story on NPR about shrimp, it may be a while before I can eat any!)
Ingredients:
1.5 lbs Talapia
2 tbsp. coconut oil
1/2 red onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
cilantro
1/2 tbsp. chili powder
1/2 jarred salsa (I use the organic mild from Whole Foods)
10-12 large romaine leaves
1-2 cups cabbage or spinach leaves, diced
Lime Wedges
Directions:
In a skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium heat and saute the onions, garlic, and bell peppers until tender - about 4 minutes.
Add the talapia and saute for about 5 minutes
Add the chili powder, cilantro and salsa, mix well, and cook just until simmering, until fish is flaky
Serve in romaine leaves with shredded cabbage or spinach leaves and lime wedges. Enjoy!!
5 Rounds for time:
400m run
20 Deadlifts - 95#
20 Push-ups
10 Deadlifts - 95#
10 Push-ups
And now to the food!
Breakfast - Same ole eggs and coconut
Snack - 2 Hard-boiled egg whites (was at the pool and didn't pack very well!)
Lunch - Salad topped with chicken, carrots, and cucumber+ small banana
Snack - Primal Pac
Pre-Workout Snack - 1 hardboiled egg, 1 small applesauce (organic, just apples)
Dinner - Yummy! Talapia Tacos and Cabbage Mango Slaw
I'll start with the slaw. Its a recipe from Everyday Paleo, one of my favorite cookbooks.
Ingredients:
2 cups purple cabbage, diced
1 cup cucumber, diced
1 shallot, minced
1/2 cup mango
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. EVOO
Black pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a medium salad bowl, mix well, and serve!
We liked this dish. The only things we would change next time is add a little more mango and put in a little less of the shallot. We also added a little salt and it was perfect!
And for the Talapia Tacos, this is also a recipe from Everyday Paleo. We didn't change a thing except add a little cilantro. They were great! The recipe calls for shrimp, but we chose talapia (after hearing a story on NPR about shrimp, it may be a while before I can eat any!)
Ingredients:
1.5 lbs Talapia
2 tbsp. coconut oil
1/2 red onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
cilantro
1/2 tbsp. chili powder
1/2 jarred salsa (I use the organic mild from Whole Foods)
10-12 large romaine leaves
1-2 cups cabbage or spinach leaves, diced
Lime Wedges
Directions:
In a skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium heat and saute the onions, garlic, and bell peppers until tender - about 4 minutes.
Add the talapia and saute for about 5 minutes
Add the chili powder, cilantro and salsa, mix well, and cook just until simmering, until fish is flaky
Serve in romaine leaves with shredded cabbage or spinach leaves and lime wedges. Enjoy!!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Day 7 - Already Looking Forward to Dinner Tomorrow!
Sunday's are usually my favorite days. Lazy mornings (which this morning included yoga), afternoon naps, church, a low-maintenance dinner so there is little to clean. Today certainly didn't disappoint! It was a nice day that ended with dinner with friends and a quick evening run.
My meals today were:
Breakfast - 1 whole, 4 white scrambled eggs + 1 spoonful coconut
Post-Yoga Snack - Larabar + egg whites
Lunch - Grass-fed beef patty, 1 slice bacon over romaine and spinach (with a little ketchup) + peach
Snack - 2 slices Boars Head deli meat, sauteed squash
Dinner - Rotisserie Chicken from Whole Foods ($5.99 on sundays! A weekly thing for us), Zucchini "Pasta" Salad
We ended up taking our dinner over to a friends house to eat, so I didn't get a picture of the zucchini salad. I didn't even occur to me to take my camera for a picture, but take my word for it that it was fabulous to look at and eat! I came across the recipe yesterday in a magazine at Joe Muggs. It looked wonderful, was 100% Paleo, so I had to try it.
Here are the ingredients:
10 grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 clove garlic, minced
6-8 fresh basil leaves, cut into small pieces
1/2 c raw walnut pieces or halves
3 tbsp. Olive Oil
Sea Salt to Taste
3-4 Zucchini, cut into thin slices (i used a carrot peeler)
Directions:
Take the cut tomatoes, garlic, basil, walnuts, olive oil and salt and mix together well. Let stand for 20 minutes.
While the tomato mixture is sitting, slice the zucchini
Place a generous amount of the zucchini "pasta" in a bowl and top with the tomato mixture. Garnish with basil, if desired.
Fabulous!!
And my anticipation for dinner tomorrow??? Talapia Tacos with Mango Cabbage Slaw. I've never had either, but they both sound wonderful. Can. Not. Wait. I'll most certainly post pictures of this meal!!
My meals today were:
Breakfast - 1 whole, 4 white scrambled eggs + 1 spoonful coconut
Post-Yoga Snack - Larabar + egg whites
Lunch - Grass-fed beef patty, 1 slice bacon over romaine and spinach (with a little ketchup) + peach
Snack - 2 slices Boars Head deli meat, sauteed squash
Dinner - Rotisserie Chicken from Whole Foods ($5.99 on sundays! A weekly thing for us), Zucchini "Pasta" Salad
We ended up taking our dinner over to a friends house to eat, so I didn't get a picture of the zucchini salad. I didn't even occur to me to take my camera for a picture, but take my word for it that it was fabulous to look at and eat! I came across the recipe yesterday in a magazine at Joe Muggs. It looked wonderful, was 100% Paleo, so I had to try it.
Here are the ingredients:
10 grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 clove garlic, minced
6-8 fresh basil leaves, cut into small pieces
1/2 c raw walnut pieces or halves
3 tbsp. Olive Oil
Sea Salt to Taste
3-4 Zucchini, cut into thin slices (i used a carrot peeler)
Directions:
Take the cut tomatoes, garlic, basil, walnuts, olive oil and salt and mix together well. Let stand for 20 minutes.
While the tomato mixture is sitting, slice the zucchini
Place a generous amount of the zucchini "pasta" in a bowl and top with the tomato mixture. Garnish with basil, if desired.
Fabulous!!
And my anticipation for dinner tomorrow??? Talapia Tacos with Mango Cabbage Slaw. I've never had either, but they both sound wonderful. Can. Not. Wait. I'll most certainly post pictures of this meal!!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Day 6 - Down 2 Pounds
Today has been a great day, although I have still been quite tired. I didn't sleep great last night and probably should have taken today off in regards to exercise. Hindsight is always 20/20...
I decided at the beginning of the challenge that I would weigh myself once a week to track my progress, to make sure that I was heading in the right direction. When I weighed myself this afternoon I was very pleased to be down by just over 2 pounds. I don't have a weight goal in mind, but I am excited that I am feeding my body well and it's changing!
I started out my morning with 4x800meter (1/2 mile) intervals. I did pretty good on my times for the first 3 and the last one I started fading fast. My times were: 3:40, 3:36, 3:24, 4:15. Thankfully it wasn't super hot, but I still struggled towards the end to even want to finish. But I did. I pushed myself. That's the only way I will ever get better!
Here is what I had to eat today.
Breakfast - 2 whole and 3 white hard-boiled eggs, 1 spoonful coconut manna
No Morning Snack because I didn't eat breakfast until 9am
Lunch - Tuna and 1/2 avocado over a bowl of spinach, small bowl of squash, 1 apple
Snack - Primal Pac
Dinner - Zoe's Greek Salad with Chicken (no potato salad, no feta, and extra grilled onions)
I did have someone say that they would starve if they ate what I did. Eating a good breakfast and eating quality fats throughout the day really does make a huge difference. I feel completely satisfied at the end of the day and in no way feel like i'm starving myself. When i'm hungry, I eat:)
I am most certainly looking forward to bed tonight and pulling out Brian Kest's Power Yoga DVD tomorrow morning for a good, much needed stretch. And, I'm trying 3 new recipes this week so stay tuned!!
I decided at the beginning of the challenge that I would weigh myself once a week to track my progress, to make sure that I was heading in the right direction. When I weighed myself this afternoon I was very pleased to be down by just over 2 pounds. I don't have a weight goal in mind, but I am excited that I am feeding my body well and it's changing!
I started out my morning with 4x800meter (1/2 mile) intervals. I did pretty good on my times for the first 3 and the last one I started fading fast. My times were: 3:40, 3:36, 3:24, 4:15. Thankfully it wasn't super hot, but I still struggled towards the end to even want to finish. But I did. I pushed myself. That's the only way I will ever get better!
Here is what I had to eat today.
Breakfast - 2 whole and 3 white hard-boiled eggs, 1 spoonful coconut manna
No Morning Snack because I didn't eat breakfast until 9am
Lunch - Tuna and 1/2 avocado over a bowl of spinach, small bowl of squash, 1 apple
Snack - Primal Pac
Dinner - Zoe's Greek Salad with Chicken (no potato salad, no feta, and extra grilled onions)
I did have someone say that they would starve if they ate what I did. Eating a good breakfast and eating quality fats throughout the day really does make a huge difference. I feel completely satisfied at the end of the day and in no way feel like i'm starving myself. When i'm hungry, I eat:)
I am most certainly looking forward to bed tonight and pulling out Brian Kest's Power Yoga DVD tomorrow morning for a good, much needed stretch. And, I'm trying 3 new recipes this week so stay tuned!!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Day 5 - Meow
Today has been a busy day! From swim team, to work, to the grocery, to home for a quick change of clothes, to Irontribe, then rushed home to say goodbye to these sweet kittens who have been in our backyard for the past 3 weeks. They were abandoned by their mama early on and I "rescued" them from under my neighbors house. After getting them used to being around people, we put an ad on craigslist and found them a new home.
Once the kittens were gone, we got into cleaning mode to get ready for a visit from our friends the Merwins (visiting from China!) I did manage to eat in the midst of the business, but today was nothing exciting...until dinner. One of my favorite meals ever!
Breakfast - Scrambled Eggs (1 whole, 4 white), coconut
Snack - Larabar
Snack #2 (pre-workout) - 2 slices deli turkey (Applegate Farms honey maple turkey)
Lunch - Banana Deli Turkey
Snack - 2 hard-boiled eggs, big bowl of sauteed squash and red onion
Dinner - We had our sweet friends, the Merwins, over for dinner. We had burgers on the grill and a summer salad. I enjoyed my burger in between 2 big romaine leaves, along with some tomato, guacamole, and a slice of bacon. I looked forward to this meal all day long! I also ate a few carrots and zucchini slices dipped in guacamole.
No extra running today. I am pooped! I'm off to bed to get some much needed rest. Good Night!
Once the kittens were gone, we got into cleaning mode to get ready for a visit from our friends the Merwins (visiting from China!) I did manage to eat in the midst of the business, but today was nothing exciting...until dinner. One of my favorite meals ever!
Breakfast - Scrambled Eggs (1 whole, 4 white), coconut
Snack - Larabar
Snack #2 (pre-workout) - 2 slices deli turkey (Applegate Farms honey maple turkey)
Lunch - Banana Deli Turkey
Snack - 2 hard-boiled eggs, big bowl of sauteed squash and red onion
Dinner - We had our sweet friends, the Merwins, over for dinner. We had burgers on the grill and a summer salad. I enjoyed my burger in between 2 big romaine leaves, along with some tomato, guacamole, and a slice of bacon. I looked forward to this meal all day long! I also ate a few carrots and zucchini slices dipped in guacamole.
No extra running today. I am pooped! I'm off to bed to get some much needed rest. Good Night!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Day 4
A special shout out to Suz and Lauren for commenting. Feeling the love from the Mother Tribe!! Today has been another good day and I really feel like I am in a good groove. I did the Tribe workout at work this morning and did the best I could working out alone. I did 50 burpees, 50 pull-ups, and 50 squat cleans (with just the 45lb. bar). It took me a while to do the squat cleans, so I threw in and extra 50 sit-ups at the end since I gave myself too much rest in between cleans. As for my food:
Breakfast was the usual eggs and coconut.
Snack was a Larabar (Gingersnap - my fav)
Lunch was this yummyness: (grass-fed beef patty on a bed of spinach and romaine with some carrots and apple slices)
Snack - Albacore tuna mixed with some avocado (delish! who knew???)
Dinner - Breakfast - Eggs, Bacon, and Zucchini Muffins from Elana's Pantry. I cant get my linky thing to work so go to www.elanaspantry.com and search for zucchini muffins. I ate 1 muffin to see what I thought about it (new recipe for us) and I thought they were pretty good. They were made with coconut flour instead of almond flour and I put in raisins instead of chocolate chips. Definitely worth making again.
This is very large zucchini that made it all happen (and you can tell by my little guys face the kind of afternoon we had...)
I ended the day with a 1.5 mile run and a little time of walking to clear my head. Day 4 is done and I feel good!
Breakfast was the usual eggs and coconut.
Snack was a Larabar (Gingersnap - my fav)
Lunch was this yummyness: (grass-fed beef patty on a bed of spinach and romaine with some carrots and apple slices)
Snack - Albacore tuna mixed with some avocado (delish! who knew???)
Dinner - Breakfast - Eggs, Bacon, and Zucchini Muffins from Elana's Pantry. I cant get my linky thing to work so go to www.elanaspantry.com and search for zucchini muffins. I ate 1 muffin to see what I thought about it (new recipe for us) and I thought they were pretty good. They were made with coconut flour instead of almond flour and I put in raisins instead of chocolate chips. Definitely worth making again.
This is very large zucchini that made it all happen (and you can tell by my little guys face the kind of afternoon we had...)
I ended the day with a 1.5 mile run and a little time of walking to clear my head. Day 4 is done and I feel good!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Day 3 - Still A Loser Blog
Today was a good day, although I felt VERY full from all the veggies I ate. I guess that's better than feeling VERY full from eating too many pretzel M&M's. I really need to go to the store, so today my meals and snacks were whatever I could scrounge from the fridge.
Breakfast - 1 whole, 4 white scrambled eggs, 1 spoonful coconut manna
Snack - 1 hard-boiled egg, 1 slice deli meat, 1/2 apple
Lunch - 3 slices deli meat, big bowl of brussels sprouts
Snack - Primal Pac
Dinner - Urban Cookhouse Grilled Chicken and 2 sides of vegetables (instead of salad and rice)
I was hoping to cook something fabulous, but since Mitch was out of town it just didn't seem worth it. I have some great recipes I will be trying over the weekend and next week. Tomorrow we will have breakfast for dinner and I will make some Zucchini Muffins from a ginormous zucchini we got from my in-laws. It's a recipe from Elana's Pantry so i'm sure it will be yummy.
Last, but not least, I had a great workout earlier today at crossfit and just got back from a quick 1 mile run. I'm in it to win it!
Breakfast - 1 whole, 4 white scrambled eggs, 1 spoonful coconut manna
Snack - 1 hard-boiled egg, 1 slice deli meat, 1/2 apple
Lunch - 3 slices deli meat, big bowl of brussels sprouts
Snack - Primal Pac
Dinner - Urban Cookhouse Grilled Chicken and 2 sides of vegetables (instead of salad and rice)
I was hoping to cook something fabulous, but since Mitch was out of town it just didn't seem worth it. I have some great recipes I will be trying over the weekend and next week. Tomorrow we will have breakfast for dinner and I will make some Zucchini Muffins from a ginormous zucchini we got from my in-laws. It's a recipe from Elana's Pantry so i'm sure it will be yummy.
Last, but not least, I had a great workout earlier today at crossfit and just got back from a quick 1 mile run. I'm in it to win it!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Day 2
So, i'm debating on changing the name to Loser Paleo Blog because i'm not sure if anyone is even reading this...(hee hee)
Tonight I made Stuffed Eggplant for dinner. This is a recipe I got from Everyday Paleo. It was good, but we all definitely liked the "stuffing" more than the eggplant shell. Not sure if my shells were too thick or maybe not fresh enough, but they weren't very tasty. I will definitely make this again, but may try the stuffing (including the diced up eggplant) in red peppers. The only modification I made to the recipe was leave out the sun-dried tomatoes. We are not huge fans of those, so I put in some zucchini and squash instead. I served the eggplant with sauteed chicken and it was a very filling meal.
Find the recipe here: www.everydaypaleo.com (can't get the link working)
And here is how ours looked:
Getting up at 4:40am made today seem like the eternal day, but ate well!
Today I had:
5:30am - too early for me to eat a full breakfast, so just had 1 spoonful coconut
Breakfast - 4 eggs (2 whole, 2 white), 1 banana
Snack - Larabar (keylime flavor)
Lunch - Taziki's Grilled Chicken Salad with no feta and extra lettuce
Snack - Deli meat and Red Cabbage sliced thin with olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper
Dinner - Chicken and Stuffed Eggplant
Another goal I have for myself during these 40 days is to spend 30 minutes each day in prayer and scripture. And I will have to say that I have totally failed on that goal and its only day 2! Again, Loser blog. I am enjoying read One Thousand Gifts, though. It has really got me thinking.
Tomorrow is another day and I feel like I have been up for two. Off to bed!
Tonight I made Stuffed Eggplant for dinner. This is a recipe I got from Everyday Paleo. It was good, but we all definitely liked the "stuffing" more than the eggplant shell. Not sure if my shells were too thick or maybe not fresh enough, but they weren't very tasty. I will definitely make this again, but may try the stuffing (including the diced up eggplant) in red peppers. The only modification I made to the recipe was leave out the sun-dried tomatoes. We are not huge fans of those, so I put in some zucchini and squash instead. I served the eggplant with sauteed chicken and it was a very filling meal.
Find the recipe here: www.everydaypaleo.com (can't get the link working)
And here is how ours looked:
Getting up at 4:40am made today seem like the eternal day, but ate well!
Today I had:
5:30am - too early for me to eat a full breakfast, so just had 1 spoonful coconut
Breakfast - 4 eggs (2 whole, 2 white), 1 banana
Snack - Larabar (keylime flavor)
Lunch - Taziki's Grilled Chicken Salad with no feta and extra lettuce
Snack - Deli meat and Red Cabbage sliced thin with olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper
Dinner - Chicken and Stuffed Eggplant
Another goal I have for myself during these 40 days is to spend 30 minutes each day in prayer and scripture. And I will have to say that I have totally failed on that goal and its only day 2! Again, Loser blog. I am enjoying read One Thousand Gifts, though. It has really got me thinking.
Tomorrow is another day and I feel like I have been up for two. Off to bed!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Day 1 - Success!!
I made it through day 1 and it has been a great day!
Here is the lowdown on what I had to eat today:
Breakfast - 4 hard-boiled eggs (2 whole 2 white), 1 spoonful coconut manna (totally yummy stuff if you haven't tried it!), 20 ounces water
Snack - 1 banana, 2 slices Boars Head Turkey, 20 oz water
Lunch - 1 can albacore tuna on a large bed of spinach and romaine, topped with baby carrots and 1/2 an avocado
Snack - Primal Pac
Dinner - Cobb Salad (hard-boiled egg whites, bacon, chicken, tomato, avocado, romaine lettuce), small sweet potato
This is the workout - our benchmark workout. Yikes!
1000m Row
40 Kettlebell Swings (26#)
40 Box Jumos (20")
40 Sit-ups
40 Push Press (35#)
40 Back squat (35#)
40 Burpees
Going into the workout I was hoping to finish in under 20 minutes. My official time was: 18:44! I was thrilled.
Also, one thing we have been encouraged to do is set real goals for ourself, write them down, and share them with someone.
These are 4 of my goals that I want to accomplish by the end of the 40 days:
1) To get 40 unbroken pushups
2) To run 800 meters (1/2 mile) in under 3 minutes, 15 secs.
3) Learn how to do a kip pull-up (seems impossible to me!!)
4) To decrease my waistline by 3 inches
I also have a few other goals, not related to food and exercise that I will share as I go.
I'm off for a brief date with my hubby and hopefully get a good nights rest before my 4:40am alarm!
Here is the lowdown on what I had to eat today:
Breakfast - 4 hard-boiled eggs (2 whole 2 white), 1 spoonful coconut manna (totally yummy stuff if you haven't tried it!), 20 ounces water
Snack - 1 banana, 2 slices Boars Head Turkey, 20 oz water
Lunch - 1 can albacore tuna on a large bed of spinach and romaine, topped with baby carrots and 1/2 an avocado
Snack - Primal Pac
Dinner - Cobb Salad (hard-boiled egg whites, bacon, chicken, tomato, avocado, romaine lettuce), small sweet potato
This is the workout - our benchmark workout. Yikes!
1000m Row
40 Kettlebell Swings (26#)
40 Box Jumos (20")
40 Sit-ups
40 Push Press (35#)
40 Back squat (35#)
40 Burpees
Going into the workout I was hoping to finish in under 20 minutes. My official time was: 18:44! I was thrilled.
Also, one thing we have been encouraged to do is set real goals for ourself, write them down, and share them with someone.
These are 4 of my goals that I want to accomplish by the end of the 40 days:
1) To get 40 unbroken pushups
2) To run 800 meters (1/2 mile) in under 3 minutes, 15 secs.
3) Learn how to do a kip pull-up (seems impossible to me!!)
4) To decrease my waistline by 3 inches
I also have a few other goals, not related to food and exercise that I will share as I go.
I'm off for a brief date with my hubby and hopefully get a good nights rest before my 4:40am alarm!
Day 1 - It All Begins Here
Welcome to my 40 Day Paleo Challenge Journey! I was on the fence about signing up to do this for several reasons, but ultimately decided to go for it because 1) there are great prizes in the end if I win and 2) I KNOW I can be better. So, I am putting myself out there for all to see and starting this blog with hopes of finding accountability, encouragement, and a great place to journal my food and workouts. If you have never heard of the Paleo way of eating, google it. Try it. I promise it will change your life!
So, here I go. Day 1. The benchmark workout tonight (which we will do again on Day 40) looks like I doozie. I kinda, sorta can't wait!!
So, here I go. Day 1. The benchmark workout tonight (which we will do again on Day 40) looks like I doozie. I kinda, sorta can't wait!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)