Tuesday {In the Kitchen } Paleo Challenge

The Paleoista via Well + Good NYC

At the beginning of the year, my honey and I decided to do a Paleo Challenge for the month of January. It was not intended to be a "New Years Resolution," but really a challenge for us to focus on what we were putting into our bodies. We've been eating mostly Paleo for well over a year now and I have to admit I've seen some pretty amazing results in my overall health so I was finally ready to take the plunge and go 100% Paleo.

I was pumped! I read the book "The Paleoista"by Nell Stephenson over Christmas break and was instantly hooked. I knew I too wanted to go completely Paleo, if possible. I was totally motivated and actually looked forward to the challenge as I knew it would mean new recipes to try, improved athletic performance but also just overall increased health and well-being.

Needless to say, the challenge didn't go quite as I had hoped. My husband, being the awesome, strong-willed man he is completed it with no problem. I on the other hand could not say the same. I felt terrible, bloated, gassy, and I had some pretty incredible mood swings, and not incredible in a good way.

To this day I'm still baffled as to what happened. I felt great for the first 2-4 days and then suddenly my body felt like it went in to shock (well let's be honest, it did! I was eating ALL nutritious foods for once!)  I began researching my symptoms and knew that it wasn't abnormal to feel these things so I just continued on. It wasn't until the third week of feeling this way and almost having to take a sick day off work that I realized this just wasn't normal. So at the request of my husband, I quite.

I was pretty upset. I wanted to prove to myself, my husband and the world that I could do it. But the reality was, something just wasn't right and why did it matter so much who I was impressing anyway? I was going about it all in the wrong way. I was supposed to do it to increase my health not get recognition from the world.

Looking back, I am excited that I completed 23 days! It was a huge accomplishment! And while I didn't make it to day 30, I did talk to my CrossFit coaches got some advice on a few things that might help and then I began incorporating a number of things I learned back into my normal routine. I'll be sharing a few things in the coming weeks.

Today, my husband and I are back to our "normal"route, which consists of about being about 80 percent Paleo. Our dinners continue to be Paleo, as they have been in the past, as well as our lunches.

I've found incorporating a little dairy helps me a lot though! But having done the challenge for 23 days I knew that dairy wasn't necessarily a "problem" food for me. I don't eat a ton of it, but it seems to have helped me. I am by no means giving up on Paleo at all. I have seen the rewards of eating well, so I'll definitely continue to incorporate it into our lifestyle. I know eventually my body will get used to the change and will reap the benefits both upfront as well as long-term.

If you haven't tried a paleo challenge and are interested, I'd highly encourage it! It's amazing how our bodies respond when we feed them real food, unprocessed food! And while at the end of the challenge you may not end up going completely Paleo, you will find new routines you'll want to incorporate into your life just because they make you feel better, stronger, healthier and more energetic.

Tuesday {In the Kitchen} A Paleo Thanksgiving

For this week's post, I thought I'd share with you our Thanksgiving menu. Given that we try to eat as paleo as possible...well, or in my case, as gluten free as possible, our Thanksgiving meals have been a little less traditional than the typical Thanksgiving feast, but amazing and filling nonetheless.

I never realized food could taste this good!!

I am so excited to attempt these Apple Fritters for our Thanksgiving breakfast! They will be the perfect treat paired with a side of scrambled eggs and homemade pumpkin spice lattes (def. not Paleo..but who cares I need coffee) while we watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! I found this recipe on PaleOMG! They sound amazing!!! I just bought a donut pan this weekend and I'm can't wait to give them a try!

{Image Credit: PaleOMG}

This year we are spending Thanksgiving away from family, so we decided to open our home up to friends and co-workers who don't have anyone to celebrate the holiday with. We love the community God has blessed us with and want everyone to feel like they have a place to enjoy good company and good food!

Our dinner will be fairly simple, and since neither myself or the Mr. are huge fans of turkey we started our own tradition last year of making a delicious slow cooked oven roast, using this recipe. 

Our sides consist of roasted brussel sprouts with bacon bits, using this recipe from Nom Nom Paleo and a sweet potato casserole, similar to this one found on Paleoaholic.com.

 {Image Credit: Nom Nom Paleo}

{Image Credit: Paleoaholic.com}

And...doesn't this Chewy Pecan Pie Brittle looks fabulous?! Yes Please!!! Paleo dessert too?? Doesn't get much better than this!

{Image Credit: PaleOMG}

Tuesday {In the Kitchen}

Not a food image, but I love a farmers market! And this awesome blogger does CrossFit and eats clean, check her out!

I have had an incredible journey the last year and a half, one where I have truly learned how take care of my body, from simple things like what to eat as well as how to exercise in order to keep it strong.

I have been eating pseudo-Paleo and gluten-free for about a year and a half now. It has been a truly eye-opening experience and I can honestly say my body has never felt better. 

I say I eat "pseudo" Paleo because while my husband is more strict about his diet, I don't eat as strict as he does. But eating a clean and balanced diet has become an incredibly important part of our lives.

The easiest way I can explain the Paleo diet is this - first of all, it's not a diet in the traditional sense, but rather a lifestyle, with all fresh, no pre-packaged, manufactured foods.

Most people think C and I are just picky, or maybe crazy, but when you feel as good as we do physically, you won't regret it. And no you won't miss the heavy grains and breads that leave you feeling weighty and bloated. In fact, after a few weeks you'll view breads and pastas very differently.

This week for the {In the Kitchen} feature, I decided to share what our typical weekly grocery list consists of.

If you are interested in learning more about the Paleo lifestyle check out this site. 

Our Weekly Grocery List

Fruits

Bananas - we eat them every morning before our workout

Grapes

Mangos

Apples

Avocados

Lemons

Limes

Vegetables

Lettuce

Broccoli Slaw

Red and Green Peppers

Sweet Peppers

Onions

Fresh Garlic

Asparagus

Sweet Potatoes (lots!)

Broccoli

Squash

Tomatoes

Green Onions

Spaghetti Squash

Meat

Pork Chops

Chicken Breasts

Steak

Fish

Eggs (lots!)

Other Staples - (most aren't Paleo, but are what we eat on "cheat days" when we aren't eating strict Paleo)

Coconut Flour (Paleo and Gluten-Free)

Gluten Free Bisquik (not paleo but good for those necessary "cheat" days)

Rice Chex Cereal (again for "cheat" days, Gluten-Free and comes in several flavors)

Milk (not Paleo, but I still have use it to mix with protein powder or with cereal on cheat days)

Greek Yogurt (not Paleo, but I still eat it)

Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches (obviously for cheat days!)

Almonds (can be put in a food processor to create homemade almond flour, or almond butter, both are fantastic when made at home and much cheaper)

Think Think Protein Bars - here (Gluten-Free)

Assorted Spices

Fresh Herbs

These are just some of the regular items we purchase, I'm sure I am missing a few, but if you have questions just leave me a comment. Be sure to check out this post for a few of my favorite websites and blogs that have amazing Paleo recipes or Gluten-Free recipes!

{Image Credit: Sterling Style}

Tuesday {In the Kitchen} Grilled Bruschetta

During our trip to New Hampshire two weeks ago we experienced an uncharacteristic warm front. The homes on the lake don't have air conditioning, so we spent most of our time outside where the air felt a tad cooler. In an effort to keep the house cool we decided to do some cooking outside. We also needed to use these amazing cherry tomatoes we found at the market before they went bad so I decided to try and make one of my favorite appetizers outside. It turned out to be a perfect start to our meal! 

You can make this a gluten-free recipe by simply using a gluten-free loaf of bread.

Grilled Bruschetta

Ingredients:
Loaf of fresh bread (your choice: sourdough, french, etc.)
Package of grape or cherry tomatoes
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaves
Parmesan Cheese (optional)


Heat grill to a medium - medium high temperature.


Cut bread into thin slices (I cut my slices thin, then cut the slices in half to make them almost bite size).


Place chopped tomatoes, chopped fresh basil and olive oil in a bowl and mix well.


Place bread on heated grill, close lid and let crisp for 3-4 minutes (check to make sure it's not burning). Then flip and cook the same amount of time on the other side.


Once the bread is heated spoon the tomato mixture on top of the grilled bread slices, and if you'd like, sprinkle with parmesan cheese.