paleo pastry: banana bread with chocolate swirl

before

and after!

Day 13

i am totally committed to paleo today. i have no doubts, hesitations, or frustrations with the new lifestyle i have created for myself and (in this moment) i have enough motivation to carry me through the next two weeks, and who knows where from there. although i myself havent noticed too many physical differences, a few have been mentioned to me by others- and how encouraging is that? that in just under two weeks, my body has started to react to the healthy choices ive been making. and how hard are these choices, really? sure, i miss the convenience of a sandwich every now and then, and a cheese plate from barbuzzo can be a great way to unwind after serving for 7 hours- but what i DO get to eat is even more delicious. cashew &herb stuffed pork chops, pumpkin banana bread, roasted brussel sprouts, and rosemary lamb shoulder. i have yet to make the same salad or omelette twice, and i wake up excited about trying new recipes every day.

today was my first CrossFit class and i loved it. i loved being part of a group, being in unfamiliar territory, questioning if i could complete the task at hand and then totally surprising myself. i was left with such an unfaltering sense of pride- and will be chasing that same feeling by fully committing to this style of exercise.

today @ garces trading company i had MULTIPLE choices of things to enjoy from the menu, that was a great feeling. what i decided on was steak &eggs, with an heirloom potato bacon salad (didnt eat the potatoes), gin smoked bacon, and caramelized squash topped with granola (the granola was not so lucky)

when it rains it porks!

how much i am loving pig right now is pretty ridiculous. i feel bad even saying that knowing poor little charlotte would roll over in her grave, but i can add my prosciutto di parma to any salad to make it great, my applewood smoked uncured ham to any omelette to make it savory, and pork tenderloin goes with any new vegetable prep im looking to try. (tomorrow, mashed garlic cauliflower potatoes!)

pig plate

on my way to work this morning i stopped at sweet freedom, a local gluten-preservative-and refined-sugar-free vegan bakery and indulged in a piece of their banana chocolate chip bread. 

the only problem with this bakery existing is i cant rationalize a reason to not go there every other day. 

Day 11

i think its pretty odd that the day i convince myself to give CrossFit a try, a personal trainer from my current gym tells me he'd like to start power lifting with me. a few months ago i had asked for him to check my form and show me some fun olympic lifts and since then we've always said hello in passing. today he stops me to mention that i look like ive lost weight- and wants to know when he can work with me again. i swear, those trainers can smell a contract ending a mile away.

Day 10

it feels great to be back home with my own goodies!

i marinated wild coho salmon in an evoo, thyme, rosemary, ginger, lemon blend- then made a quick spinach salad with avocado, red & yellow bell pepper, proscuitto, and shaved almonds. ive also resorted to eating an egg with almost every meal, just for a bit of added protein. at this rate, in another week, i wont even be able to look at eggs again- but well cross that bridge when we come to it.

lunch

and for dessert: a coconut milk pumpkin spice latte which turned out delicious. a previous recipe had me froth the mixture in a blender before i added coffee, and i may stick with that technique. if fall is striking a chord with you and youre obsessed with all things pumpkin like me, i totally recommend you try it

one last thing, sunday morning i woke up and sprang out of bed soooo excited to try a new almond-pumpkin (told you i was obsessed) pancake recipe, and i wont say i wasted much time or ingredients in my efforts- but they were frickin nasty. thats all.

...or does it?

thought this was fun for my newly-trained eye to catch

boy did i cheat these past few days! although the above nutri-grain bar is not mine, i may as well have added that to my non-paleo binge. i am my weakest when i am with my friends! i am too social to resist the temptations of being out all day drinking and eating with my favorite people. i had red wine and tequila. i had fresh mozzarella cheese in a salad, i had trail mix from a bag, and i had a vanilla cinnamon latte that was deafeningly calling my name. in the span of 2 days i became so frustrated by not being surrounded by options that i instead caved. this only happens when i am out of town visiting my girlfriend, away from whole foods, away from gluten-free snack bars, and away from my own fridge. unfortunately these out-of-town visits are averaged out to about once a week, and i cant afford to abandon all the effort of the previous week just because im removed from my home. im working on a remedy and have reached two conclusions, i either convince my girlfriend to go paleo as well (most likely not going to happen) or i schedule a second grocery shopping trip every week, one for myself, and one for our meals when im visiting in delaware. its pretty frustrating to think about- why do i have to do all this planning ahead, and recipe research, and financial preparation- cant i just eat like everyone else?! but...this is me discovering what lifestyle works best for me, so i know it is well worth the effort. 

when all my cheating is said and done, i actually dont feel too bad about my decisions. simplistically, yes, i broke my own rules- and thats a shame, but when "cheating" counts as fresh cheese, steamed milk, and a salted almond or two- i can feel pretty ok about it. 

after all, for every 1 cheat, there was about 5 things i simultaneously resisted: pizza, frozen yogurt, chinese food, mashed potatoes, japanese beer, and makers mark (this last one was real hard.) 

off to the gym and back on the wagon!

Day 8

Yesterday I celebrated my first full week eating paleo and I really considered it a graduation into a new lifestyle. I'm training myself to look at food differently, and because of that am enjoying it more. I think because I've converted from a moderately healthy lifestyle Im not seeing a rush of changes, but I feel smart and accomplished with the decisions Ive been making, and even the creativity that i have found in the kitchen.

In my first week I learned the pains of having little to no protein in the fridge. Grocery shopping is definitely not something I can put off in the future. There are almost no late-night paleo snack options that I have had the pleasure of encountering (unless self-made), and an empty fridge leads to an empty belly.

I enjoy the flexibility of meals when you know youre eating the right things. For the past decade weve been told not to eat anything in the 3 hours before we go to bed, or have 6 small meals a day, or follow some body-specific equation for your lifestyles necessary caloric intake- and ive thrown it all to the wind to just eat when im hungry! if its protein-rich, preservative-free, and i know where its from- im eatin it whenever i want.

Going out to eat has always been a big part of my lifestyle, being a server has programmed me with both a desire to learn and taste more- and to selfishly be served -so this is something that im definitely struggling with currently. i havent had an "easy" restaurant experience yet, but i know there are plenty of health-conscious establishments that exist in this great city, and im set on finding them.

Lastly, I feel great in the gym. Im concentrating on dynamic strength exercises, instead of mundane isolation circuits. Squats into push presses, box jumps, overhead presses, kettlebell snatches, planks on a stability ball, dips, sprints, and ball slams- I feel powerful. I am so excited to become my healthiest me.

Day 2

i dont know exactly why im numbering my blog entries, as i havent set myself a timed guideline for trying paleo. ive just finished a 30-day isagenix cleanse, and am so suffocated by the "x-amount of days to go" mentality that im trying to liberate myself as much as possible. but im so interested in tracking my progress that i want to assign each new factor of well-being to a date.

what ive concentrated on today is paleolithic exercise. today, i didnt step foot in the gym. instead, my neighborhood basketball court:

3 sets of 25 squats
3 sets of 10 incline push-ups
3 sets of 10 bench jumps
3 sets of 10 tricep dips
3 sets of 2-75yd sprints

it will be hard to convince myself that fat is good for me, but even harder to break through my current exercise routine. i see the importance of these power exercises but feel so much more accomplished after a 2-3 mile run.

one major difference ive already noted is how i feel after eating. i feel completely full, almost to the point of not finishing some of my meals, but my stomachs size doesnt explode like usual. i dont have the usual unbutton-my-pants feeling that comes after eating the same sized meals of pre-paleolithic meals. this is something that has ALWAYS plagued me, even to the point of questioning dining companions on their own post-meal stomach size. i love this for two reasons, one is that it is blindingly more healthy than my previous tradition, but also because i dont have to plan my wardrobe around what my stomach feels like after eating!

for breakfast i had a 3-egg omelet with 2 pieces of bacon, avocado, bell peppers, and spinach. also, some fresh fruit on the side, which i think ill begin to omit- as fruit is a great way to add up those pesky sugars.

i stopped at whole foods for some pumpkin muffin supplies, (a coconut flour/oil recipe) and also picked up a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken breast and thigh set. ate that for lunch with more avocado, spinach, and an egg. as for the pumpkin muffins...

...they tasted like pumpkin. and not a particularly sweet pumpkin either. 

also, the paleo recipe called for maple syrup...is that allowed? and im becoming more confused on the inclusion of sweet potatoes, coffee, and dark chocolate? rule-bending at its best?  

Day 1: slightly skeptical

i consider myself a fairly healthy person. i bike a mile to and from work 5x a week out of necessity, and for pleasure run 5-10 miles and strength train at least 4 times a week. i was lucky enough to be programmed with a disdain for fast food and am only struck by a sweet tooth every few weeks. for the better part of the past 6 years, i have been what i thought was health-conscious and fit. however, i struggle with bouts of lethargy, caffeine-headaches, over eating, and general disappointment with my body image and strength capabilities.

having decided to go paleo (after my fair share of research) im already kicking myself for some of the no-brainer mistakes ive been making. my current diet's protein consists of a tuna salad sandwich twice a week. and although from pure palate-preference i stay away from most things like pasta, rice and french bread, i make up for it in triscuits, whole-grain cereals, and sushi binges.

im enamored with the success stories flooding the paleo-world, and although i am finding myself slightly skeptical (eat lots of bacon?!), i am totally on board and excited for this challenge.


Day 1:

breakfast: one farm-raised, cage-free chicken egg, one slice of bacon, fresh cantaloupe & grapes, almonds
dinner: atlantic salmon seasoned with thyme & ginger, one egg, sweet potato fries, and a warm bacon, spinach, avocado salad.