We started out with a late breakfast of baccon, eggs, onions, tomatoes and spinach. Good beginning. Everyone will be out late tonight so we'll probably pick up a roasted chicken and finish off the leftovers from Sunday night. Check in with you later today! Good luck following the "rules."
Today has been a good day. Spent time with my 15 year old daughter, met new people at the new board I am serving on and then worked out with Sal and visited a little with the folks at Camel City Crossfit. Once I got home we used the chicken broth that I made from boiling Sunday's whole chicken bones to make a Paleo, Southwest Chicken Soup. I used the left over chicken, the broth, an onion and a couple of cans of Rotel tomatoes, with green chili peppers to make a chicken soup. It was spicy because we all sniffled a little while we ate and my 18 year old son had a second bowl, so it must have been good.
Night.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Paleo: Day 8
Day 8 was busy. Had a meeting at a coffee shop in Lexington. Took my bag of spiced nuts. Shared with everyone there. My daughter bought a smoothie and I ordered ice water. My favorite home made crunchy granola bars are at this coffee shop, but I managed to drink my water and eat the snack I brought for myself during the meeting. Lunch was at a Monogolian grill in Winston. I was able to choose cabbage instead of a starch at lunch which was really good.
Last night we were out late taking our daughter to her competitive cheer gym for practice. My husband and I worked at Panera while she was at practice with a cup of black coffee and water. We ate leftovers for dinner and I had a bowl of blueberries and strawberries with almond milk for a late night snack because I still felt hungry. Sometimes I have a hard time eating enough meat at meals, so I don't seem to stay full as long as Philippe. Overall a good food day, but I have to admit, day 8 was a little on the hard side. Keeping my head up and following the plan.
The good new is that I earned a bonus point for finishing an entire week without cheating. Hopefully I can do it again this coming week. I didn't work out today and I'm not sure I'll be able to on Tuesday either due to a late afternoon meeting. I will have to work extra hard on working out Wednesday through Sunday of this week.
Last night we were out late taking our daughter to her competitive cheer gym for practice. My husband and I worked at Panera while she was at practice with a cup of black coffee and water. We ate leftovers for dinner and I had a bowl of blueberries and strawberries with almond milk for a late night snack because I still felt hungry. Sometimes I have a hard time eating enough meat at meals, so I don't seem to stay full as long as Philippe. Overall a good food day, but I have to admit, day 8 was a little on the hard side. Keeping my head up and following the plan.
The good new is that I earned a bonus point for finishing an entire week without cheating. Hopefully I can do it again this coming week. I didn't work out today and I'm not sure I'll be able to on Tuesday either due to a late afternoon meeting. I will have to work extra hard on working out Wednesday through Sunday of this week.
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Paleo: Days 6 & 7
Day 6 was a blast. It was the day that I have been tempted to cheat the most so far. Philippe and I and some of our friends attended the Tedx Talk High Point University. There were really great speakers and the topics ranged from zen storytelling to retroviruses to Bitcoin. I learned so much and was really energized by the exchange of ideas. At the break there was coffe, water and flavored popcorn. I got both coffee and water and luckily I made spiced nuts before I left the house and brought them with us. The nuts were a hit with my non Paleo friends too and we finished a quart sized bag between the 6 of us during the TedTalk. I will make more and post pictures and put the recipe on the recipe tab.
The after party was where most of the temptations were located. The party was in an antiques showroom in High Point, NC. The buffet consisted of lots of non Paleo foods, but I found meatballs, a veggie tray, a bit of fruit and a glass of merlot which were safe things for me to eat and drink. We finished the night off at Bad Daddy's Burger Bar, where they can whip up a Paleo meal in a flash. I had a lettuce wrap burger with bacon, lettuce, onion and tomato with a side of sweet potato fries. It was delish.
Day 7 finds me in the kitchen creating protien balls, date nut balls and granola balls for the gym. The date balls are the only Paleo approved sweet I made. No cheating, no cheating, no cheating was all I could hear in my head, because I want that extra point at the end of the week for being strict with no penalties at the end of the month.
Our breakfast was leftover ratatouille of onions, zucchini, garlic and tomato sauce left over from Friday. Not very breakfasty I know, but easily accessible. I am thinking chicken tonight. I'll check in later and let you all know.
Dinner was sweet potato puree, green beans, baked whole chicken and squash/tomato stir fry. It was actually really good. I also tried an experiment tonight. I used sweet potatoes, coco powder and coconut oil to make a, sweet potato chocolate mousse brownie. The texture was very mousse like and it was really chocolaty. I found myself wishing for more sweetness, but it satisfied the yearning for chocolate.
I feel sort of sore from working out this afternoon, so I am calling it a night. Sweet dreams Paleo peeps!
The after party was where most of the temptations were located. The party was in an antiques showroom in High Point, NC. The buffet consisted of lots of non Paleo foods, but I found meatballs, a veggie tray, a bit of fruit and a glass of merlot which were safe things for me to eat and drink. We finished the night off at Bad Daddy's Burger Bar, where they can whip up a Paleo meal in a flash. I had a lettuce wrap burger with bacon, lettuce, onion and tomato with a side of sweet potato fries. It was delish.
Day 7 finds me in the kitchen creating protien balls, date nut balls and granola balls for the gym. The date balls are the only Paleo approved sweet I made. No cheating, no cheating, no cheating was all I could hear in my head, because I want that extra point at the end of the week for being strict with no penalties at the end of the month.
Our breakfast was leftover ratatouille of onions, zucchini, garlic and tomato sauce left over from Friday. Not very breakfasty I know, but easily accessible. I am thinking chicken tonight. I'll check in later and let you all know.
Friday, July 11, 2014
Paleo Day 5
Today was an amazingly busy day. My son is headed to college in the fall so he and I meet at the dining room table this morning at 8AM to fill out housing and orientation forms. I spent the afternoon paying bills and making phone calls. Tonight I graded a mountain of papers from my online communication class. One of my facebook friends, asked, when I updated my status to Grading. "Jo, do you ever rest?" My response was,
"I am squeezing life, my friend, cause it doesn't last forever. I will be here for but a season, so I'm squeezin'."
Today was a good Paleo day, but not a good blog day. didn't make any fancy food, but I still had some pretty good food ideas.
- We had a Paleo cereal breakfast. We aren't allowed to eat cereal or milk on Paleo, but sometimes I just want a cereal crunch. We put "in season" strawberries and blueberries in a cereal bowl. We sprinkled walnuts on top and poured unsweetened Almond Milk over the nuts and berries. It was so satisfying and different from the eggs we've eaten all week for breakfast. We'll definitely do that again.
- We had a kale salad with chicken for lunch.
- We had a tomato sauce, zucchini, onions, and garlic concoction for dinner. It felt like we had a yummy Italian dish. We didn't have any spaghetti squash handy, so zucchini stood in and our creativity paid off. It was delicious.
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Paleo Day 4
I am starting to experience hunger. It's an unfamiliar feeling, but a welcome one. The good thing with Paleo is that I just go find something to eat. I made the mistake of running into Whole Foods in the afternoon before dinner. I found myself smelling everything I don't eat and I learned that I will make sure not to go grocery shopping hungry again.
Not sure what today's food will bring. I think we may eat leftovers and I may write about salads this afternoon in the recipes section. By the way Babaganoush didn't happen yesterday. Hoping to make it today, so that we will have a savory snack during the day. The recipe reminds me of hummus and I'll make sure and post.
Have a great Paleo Day!
Not sure what today's food will bring. I think we may eat leftovers and I may write about salads this afternoon in the recipes section. By the way Babaganoush didn't happen yesterday. Hoping to make it today, so that we will have a savory snack during the day. The recipe reminds me of hummus and I'll make sure and post.
Have a great Paleo Day!
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Paleo Day 3
Exercised at Camel City in the early evening yesterday and I'm feelin' it this morning. It was a pretty sweaty ordeal, which means, I worked hard. I think I need a day off from the gym, maybe my husband and I will stretch and do some floor exercises or take a walk at home tonight.
We've been thinking about a Skirt Steak and green been salad on a bed of Arugula lettuce (my absolute favorite), with a garlic vinaigrette for dinner tonight. I made eggs, onions, bacon and spinach for breakfast with a bowl of mixed berries and kiwis. It was yummy.
I have also been thinking about the fact that I need to make sure I have snacks around the house so that I have food on hand that I can munch on between meals. We always buy huge bags of big carrots that we peel and cut into spears. We never buy baby carrots, because there is really no such thing. Baby carrots are ground down from larger less perfect carrots and are treated with a process that is supposed to make them last. I think it makes them tasteless. I forgot how yummy real carrots are until we joined Costco and started buying big carrots again.
I'm going to roast an eggplant and some garlic this afternoon to make babaganush. My friend Sandy gave me an authentic Lebanese cookbook that has a great recipe. Carrots with babagaush dip sounds like a sensationally savory snack!
New recipes I will be putting up today are:
Babaganush
Seasoned Grilled Skirt Stake
Spinach and Onion Eggs with Bacon
Let's see what the day brings . . . . Good luck Paleo people!
We've been thinking about a Skirt Steak and green been salad on a bed of Arugula lettuce (my absolute favorite), with a garlic vinaigrette for dinner tonight. I made eggs, onions, bacon and spinach for breakfast with a bowl of mixed berries and kiwis. It was yummy.
I have also been thinking about the fact that I need to make sure I have snacks around the house so that I have food on hand that I can munch on between meals. We always buy huge bags of big carrots that we peel and cut into spears. We never buy baby carrots, because there is really no such thing. Baby carrots are ground down from larger less perfect carrots and are treated with a process that is supposed to make them last. I think it makes them tasteless. I forgot how yummy real carrots are until we joined Costco and started buying big carrots again.
I'm going to roast an eggplant and some garlic this afternoon to make babaganush. My friend Sandy gave me an authentic Lebanese cookbook that has a great recipe. Carrots with babagaush dip sounds like a sensationally savory snack!
New recipes I will be putting up today are:
Babaganush
Seasoned Grilled Skirt Stake
Spinach and Onion Eggs with Bacon
Let's see what the day brings . . . . Good luck Paleo people!
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Paleo Day 2
So last night we did the WOD, something or other gone bad, sent in our before pictures (I still need to do that.) and basically signed over a goodly portion of our food choices. For what? I think each of us have to answer it for ourselves, but for me the "what" is pretty clear. I want to wear the clothes that are currently located in the back of my closet. I need to get tighter control over my health and the weight I am carrying that keeps me from doing so many of the things that others do at crossfit. I definitely feel encouraged at Camel City Crossfit, but I'd really like to exercise with the "big kids" someday. I'd also like to continue to model for my teenagers that no matter what hand you've been dealt, you definitely have some control.
Everyone at my house has just about cleaned out the Paleo leftovers from Sunday and I am thinking about what's for dinner. I think I'll make chicken tonight. Tonight we'll have stir fried chicken with oregano and lemon/lime juice and garlic, cauliflower puree and almond green beans sauteed with ghee (clarified butter). I put directions for our dinner up under the recipes tab, as well as a link to help you clarify your own butter. Here's how it all turned out!
Everyone at my house has just about cleaned out the Paleo leftovers from Sunday and I am thinking about what's for dinner. I think I'll make chicken tonight. Tonight we'll have stir fried chicken with oregano and lemon/lime juice and garlic, cauliflower puree and almond green beans sauteed with ghee (clarified butter). I put directions for our dinner up under the recipes tab, as well as a link to help you clarify your own butter. Here's how it all turned out!
Monday, July 7, 2014
Paleo Challenge Day 1
Good Morning. I hope your day is going well. I have added the following recipes to help you get started on your 30 day Paleo Challenge:
Vinaigrette
Crockpot Pork
Pico
Roasted Veggies
Breakfast Hash
Hope these few recipes are enough to give you ideas for what to eat in the next few days. I have tried to share recipes that are really versatile. You should be able to use them as foundational Paleo cooking approaches. From the recipes above you should be able to top lots of dishes with different types of vinaigrette sauces or pico variations, roast any kind of veggie you can imagine, have a basic whatever you have in the fridge hash for breakfast or make a crockpot pork roast.
See you all at Camel City Crossfit for our benchmark workout and before pictures today!
Vinaigrette
Crockpot Pork
Pico
Roasted Veggies
Breakfast Hash
Hope these few recipes are enough to give you ideas for what to eat in the next few days. I have tried to share recipes that are really versatile. You should be able to use them as foundational Paleo cooking approaches. From the recipes above you should be able to top lots of dishes with different types of vinaigrette sauces or pico variations, roast any kind of veggie you can imagine, have a basic whatever you have in the fridge hash for breakfast or make a crockpot pork roast.
See you all at Camel City Crossfit for our benchmark workout and before pictures today!
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Night Before 30 Day Paleo Challenge
No more cheese.
How will I live without cheese? Thank God for wine (but only one glass per day).
I'm not crazy about rules, but I have followed these Paleo rules before and the results weren't just in my waistline (as in I found it again), the results included having more energy and feeling excited about being on a healthy journey. Once I get over the initial feeling in the next few days of being angry that I can't put a tablespoon of honey in my coffee every morning or in my tea each afternoon, I think I'll be okay. Good luck during these next few days with whatever is most difficult for you.
The first time around I gave up store bought dressings all together and we were eating a lot of salads, so the first recipe I'm sharing is for vinaigrette. Your first few Paleo meals will likely consist of chicken, steak and a great big salad. I hope this recipe will enable you to enjoy salads with your very own handcrafted vinaigrettes. Salads are good and good for you, but you'll want to branch out. In the days and weeks to come, I'll be posting new recipes and letting you know what Paleo deliciousness we are eating at our house. Stay tuned.
How will I live without cheese? Thank God for wine (but only one glass per day).
I'm not crazy about rules, but I have followed these Paleo rules before and the results weren't just in my waistline (as in I found it again), the results included having more energy and feeling excited about being on a healthy journey. Once I get over the initial feeling in the next few days of being angry that I can't put a tablespoon of honey in my coffee every morning or in my tea each afternoon, I think I'll be okay. Good luck during these next few days with whatever is most difficult for you.
The first time around I gave up store bought dressings all together and we were eating a lot of salads, so the first recipe I'm sharing is for vinaigrette. Your first few Paleo meals will likely consist of chicken, steak and a great big salad. I hope this recipe will enable you to enjoy salads with your very own handcrafted vinaigrettes. Salads are good and good for you, but you'll want to branch out. In the days and weeks to come, I'll be posting new recipes and letting you know what Paleo deliciousness we are eating at our house. Stay tuned.
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