BREAKFAST TACOS!

I got the idea from an enchilada recipe from The Primal Blueprint Cookbook. No more flour tortilla! Say YES to egg tortilla taco!!!


Ingredients: serves 2 people
1/2 sausage package
1 diced tomato
1/4 diced onion
1 avocado
lemon juice
salt
garlic (1 small clove fresh or 1 tsp. or so of powder)
5-6 eggs

Heat a pan on medium (to save time, heat two pans - 1 for your sausage and 1 for your eggs). Side Note: I always have the oven on Warm with plates so when i'm finished something, I plop it in the oven until everyone's ready to eat.

Put your sausage in pan 1. I would personally add sausage to both pans to grease both of them up then consolidate them- or you can just use olive oil for your eggs. While those are cooking, dice the tomatoes and onion. continue to stir the sausage, cut your ripe avocado in half, dig out the green and smash it up. I always add a little salt, garlic, and lemon juice to taste - and don't really use measurements.

Whisk your eggs in a bowl.

In a well greased pan 2 (or same pan 1 - you can put your sausage in a bowl and put in the oven to keep warm), pour a little bit of the egg in the pan. It was easier to flip the egg if I kept it small and thin, like a small flour tortilla. You gotta flip it fast and good or it can rip or flip on itself where it'll stick together. Cook for about 45seconds or a minute on each side. When I was done with 1, I put it in the oven to keep warm.

Eat these like a taco or with a fork. It just depends on how dirty you want to get ;)

Colorado Chicken

I got this recipe from The Paleo Diet Cookbook. The main difference between this and The Primal Blueprint is the Paleo Diet Cookbook has many recipes but no pictures. Although The Primal Blueprint has fewer recipes, I love it because there isn't only a picture of the final product, but also a picture of all the ingredients plus picture during the making of the meal.

Ingredients:(serves 2)
preheat oven 425 degrees
5 - 3 oz. chickens
1 diced tomato
2 cups mushrooms sliced
1 cup chicken broth
olive oil
pepper

Heat the pan on medium. Add olive oil and some pepper. Add your chicken, cover and cook 2-3 minutes on each side (if you are using larger breasts, make it 5 minutes). I put the chicken in a glass baking dish and kept it aside. I went back to the pan on the stove and added mushrooms and covered for about 10 minutes, then I added the diced tomato and chicken broth. Bring it to a boil then simmer for about 5 minutes. I added the mushrooms,broth, and tomatoes to the chicken in the baking dish. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

While that was cooking I put brussel sprouts and olive oil on medium heat on the stove. When they were almost finished cooking (a point when you can easily put your fork through em and they start to brown) I tried something new and squeezed some tangerine juice and then tore apart the rest of the tangerine to add to the dish.

Almond Crusted Chicken Fingers

You thought that once you go paleo, you can't eat good food. Not True! This is a great recipe for kids AND adults!

Ingredients:
olive oil
almond meal
seasoning (I used Kick'n Chicken)
dill
1 egg
chicken strips

First, heat the olive oil in the pan on medium or a little less than medium heat. Get 1 bowl and 1 plate. 1 bowl is for the egg (beat it like you're making scrambled eggs. This is the coating so your almond meal sticks to the chicken). 1 plate is for your almond meal (add seasonings. I used both dill and kickn chickn).


1. dip a chicken strip in the eggs. You just want a thin layer, not big clumps of egg.
2. Roll the chicken strips around in the almond meal
3. put the chicken in the hot oil in the pan. Cook each side for about 5 minutes. They might look cooked on the outside, but the inside could still be uncooked. You don't want the heat too high because it'll burn the outside almond meal. Next time I'll probably take the chickens out of the fridge early.

I also made acorn squash for the side. Cut it in half, dig out the seeds (but keep them!). Put the half in a medium bowl, add a squirt of water, cover with saran wrap and put it in the microwave for 3-4 minutes. If you want an AWESOME snack, then turn the oven on 350 degrees, get a baking sheet and foil. put the seeds on the foil (but make sure all the stringy guts are cleaned off them) and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until they are lightly browned. WOW so freaking good!

Merry Christmas Dinner! AND DESSERT!

Wow! No one could believe that a paleo dinner would taste so good - including dessert! Baked Ham, Sweet potato casserole, zucchini and yellow squash, and Walnut Meal Brownies.

servings: 7-8

Sweet potato casserole - recipe borrowed from CrossFit Lake City

pre-heat oven 350 degrees.















1Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 C honey + a few extra TBSP's
1/2 C coconut milk
1C pecans

Dice sweet potatoes and boil for about 30 minutes or until thoroughly soft. Drain water. Mash the sweet potatoes. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, 1/2 cup honey, and slowly add coconut milk. Stir until it's all blended well. Pour it into a baking dish/platter. Smooth it out and place the pecans on top. Drizzle the leftover honey. Cover with foil and bake for 40-45 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes to brown the pecans.

*we originally used 7 or 8 potatoes. This would have fit a 9x13, but I used two medium sized square glass baking dishes. With 7 people, we probably only consumed 4 potatoes which was 1 medium baking dish. More is better than less, though. This tasted SO GOOD!


Zucchini and Yellow Squash Side Dish
2 zucchinis (slice and cut in halves)
2 yellow squash (slice and cut in halves)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 chunks of unsalted butter

On Medium heat add butter and minced garlic. Put all veggies in the pan and stir. Continue until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. This was so easy and delicious. It's a stress and hassle-free side dish. It's a modern twist on Christmas Dinner.

Walnut Meal Brownies
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees; Adjust oven rack to the middle position.















1 3/4 Cups of walnut meal (purchased or ground in food processor)
3/4 cups cocoa powder
1.5 teaspoon baking powder
1.5 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 large eggs (room temp)
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 c honey
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 c coconut oil
walnuts for topping
unsalted butter for greasing the pan.

First, mix all the dry ingredients. In a second bowl, whisk eggs for one minute, then add coconut milk, honey, and continue whisking. Add melted coconut oil and whisk until completely blended. Add wet mixture to dry ingredients and whisk well. Scrape the sides and make sure everything is mixed well. Batter will be thinner consistency than most conventional brownies. Pour the into the baking dish. I sprinkle whole or chopped walnuts - or nothing - on top. Bake 35-40 minutes. Cool before cutting.

THESE BROWNIES WERE AMAZING. You don't need Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem for your diet, and you don't need em for dessert either! YOU HAVE TO MAKE THIS RECIPE RIGHT NOW.

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

Sometimes you just get some cravings; lately mine are mexican food and stuff with tomatoes in it like pizza, spaghetti, etc. I had a delicious meal and it was paleo. try it!

Ingredients: preheat oven 350 degrees
spaghetti squash
1lb ground beef
1fresh tomato
1 regular can diced tomatoes (no salt added) *drain the juice if don't want runny spaghetti, as mine was
1/2 onion
3 cloves garlic
dash of oregano
Marinara sauce -mine is Pomi marinara and it comes in a small box - super yummi! I also used this to make my pizza with a few posts back.

Cut the spaghetti squash in half. If you cut it long ways then you will get smaller spaghetti strands when it's done. If you cut it short ways they will be longer. Either way doesn't matter. Put some foil down on a baking sheet; dribble olive oil on the foil. Place the squash face down, and put it in the oven for about 35 minutes. You can check it's readiness by taking it out of the oven, and with a fork see if the squash strands easily poke away. You do not want it to be mushy, and you do not want it to be hard - just like normal spaghetti.

OR. you can cut it in half (short ways), take out the seeds, put the squash face down in a bowl, add 1 TBS. water, and cover with saran wrap to steam for 6 minutes or so until soft.


Next, brown your beef on medium heat. Once brown, I added the garlic first, then sauce, then diced canned tomatoes, then fresh tomato. I added the onion last because I liked that raw taste. You can add it first to cook it more thoroughly. This doesn't take much time, so you might want to start it about 15 minutes after you put the squash in the oven.

Swiss Chard Frittata

Ingredients:
olive oil
a bunch of Swiss Chard (I used 2 leafs, but you can use the whole bunch)
1/2 onion, chopped
6 eggs
fresh herbs (basil or parsley or oregano)


Breakfast can get old FAST. So, I browsed through the Primal Blueprint Cookbook (I love it because of the pictures from start to finish) and found something to make for breakfast . My new purchase this week was Swiss Chard; it's a large, green leafed, red veined vegetable.

1. put a pan on the stove, drizzle olive oil in it.
2. chop the Swiss Chard into pieces.
3. chop onion into pieces; put it in the pan until they are golden and mushy.
4. Add the Swiss Chard. Saute for about 5 minutes or until the leaves are wilted.
5. In a seperate bowl I whisked the eggs together, then added it to the pan.
6. Cover the pan so the egg will cook through - about 5 minutes or so.


You can feel free to add to this, such as peppers or sausage. This time I cooked sausage on the side, and we had a pomegranate that we needed to eat up.


Too busy to eat healthy in the morning?
I get this all the time: I can't eat healthy because "I'm TOO BUSY." BuHLONY! To make this meal during a busy morning just prepare in advance. When I get new vegetables, I will chop everything up at one time and store it in containers (Sunday and Wednesday night ritual). The night before your breakfast, crack your eggs and whisk in a bowl and put saran wrap over it. Chop your veggies; or, if they are already chopped, combine them in a bowl, and put them next to your eggs in the fridge. When you wake up, turn on your coffee, turn on the stove, get your pan, drizzle oil, throw in the veggies, go wash your face, stir the veggies, go put on some clothes (that you already laid out the night before), go back to the kitchen and pour the eggs in the pan, put the lid on, cut half an apple or grill up some sausage on the george foreman or a seperate pan or pack your lunch or do the dishes or fix your hair or put on your makeup. MAKE WAITING TIME INTO DOING TIME. let me know how this works out for you :)

"granola" bars

Ingredients: preheat oven to 350 degrees
2 handfuls almonds - chopped
3 handfuls walnuts - chopped
3 handfuls pecans - chopped
raisins
honey
cinnamon poweder
clove powder
allspice
1 cup coconut (unsweetened)

GET CREATIVE WITH YOUR SNACKS! This is a great snack! It should be a snack you eat in moderation, though. Raisins and honey are still full of sugar. It has taken some perfecting because after a dozen times, it always turns out different, usually crumbly or over spiced. I'm not going to lie, I don't measure any of it out and obviously that's where my problems begin.

First, I've been slap chopping about 5 cups (i'm guessing since i have little hands) of nuts. My mom gave me one of her food processors, so I'll see how this saves time. I usually like large cut pieces mixed in with finely ground pieces. I add all the dry ingredients - 1 cup coconut (i've found it helps keep the final product from crumbling), a tiny dash of cloves (really potent), a sprinkle of allspice, and I go to town with the cinnamon. Stir so it's even. Next, I let the honey drizzle with my left hand and I stir with my right hand until I get the right consistency. I want it to all be evenly sticky. Not too sticky, but not dry.

Next, I use a square/rectangular glass dish (When I pour everything in, I like it to be at least an inch thick) and dribble olive oil all over the inside. You can use coconut oil, but I usually always have olive oil handy so why pay an extra 10 bucks. Pour your mixture into the dish, and take some wax paper as wide and long as your dish and smash your mixture all around to make it compact.

put it in the over for 20-25-30 minutes. It'll smell so good! It'll taste so good!

Taco Salad

Ingredients:
1lb ground beef
cumin
chille powder
romain lettuce
1 tomato
1 avocado
2-3 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 onion diced
cilantro
lemon

This just really hit the spot tonight! When I was turning paleo, I looked on the back of the Ortega packet, and figured out I could do what they do. So I lost the other useless ingredients and invested in Cumin. First, brown your meat on medium.

While the meat was browning I made guacamole - theres no way I can have taco salad w/out this. Mash 1 avocado, lemon juice (i sqeeze and taste; do a few drops at a time. You dont want tang, just a little umph!), 1/2 - 1 clove of garlic minced (continuing to taste so it's not overwhelming), and some salt. I also cut up some tomato for the top of my salad.

When you're finished with the guac, and the meat is brown, add 1/2 of the 1/2 onion to the meat (and i like raw onion, too, so i saved the other half raw for topping). Add 1-2 cloves of garlic to the meat (1 first, then more if you want). Add cumin, chile powder, and salt (i just sprinkled lightly all around and tasted to my liking).

In the end you just pile it all on together with some cilantro and it's a delicious taco salad! Make it! Tonight! Ole!

Breakfast Stuffed Tomato

Ingredients: preheat oven 400 degrees
breakfast meat
zucchini
onion
leek
egg
tomato

I wanted something a little different, so once again I turned to The Primal Blueprint Cookbook. I saw this (but w/ bison and no veggies) and I wanted to make my own little creation. Turn on your oven to 400 degrees. Put a pan on the stove and heat it to medium. Add your breakfast meat (I used sausage) and cook it well. Then I diced the onion, leek, and zucchini, added it to the meat, and tossed it around to brown. While that's cooking, cut the top of your tomato and spoon all the insides out (kind of like you do a pumpkin on halloween, but less messy). Put the tomato in the oven (I included the tomato top) only for 5-7 minutes (you don't want it to come out mushy, and mine did just a little). Then, you can either make room on the pan w/ your veggies, or already have a new pan on another burner warmed up to fry your egg. Sprinkle olive oil on the pan - I like my egg over easy w/ a little bit of runny yolk! :)

When everything's cooked, put the tomato on your plate. Pour the golden browned veggies in your tomato, egg on top, tomato topper the egg, and that's all.

Meatloaf and Beet Chips

Ingredients: preheat oven 350 degrees
1lb beef (makes 6 patties)
1 egg
1/2 yellow onion chopped
1/3 garlic clove minced (could've used 1/2)
1/4 cup of marinara sauce
1/2 cup almond meal
1 Fresh Beet thinly sliced
as many brussel sprouts you want chopped up
some salt, some pepper

Add everything (except the beets and brussel sprouts) and finger mush it until it's all blended. Tell your kid to wash his/her hands and start mashing. I made patties (takes less time than a loaf), put them on aluminum foil, and had them in the oven for 20 minutes or so. They were probably sitting for another 10-15 minutes after I turned the heat off, waiting for Shaun to return from the gym. This was plenty of time to make our side dish!

I like to try new things week to week. This week, BEETS! I was never one to try them at the dinner table when I was growing up, but there's no doubt your kid would love them when you give it to em chip style! I made them tonight because I bought the Primal Cookbook and saw veggie chips. Basically, get some olive oil really hot. Cut the beets thin like a potato chip. Put in a few at a time (you don't want to crowd them), but keep your eye on it because it'll burn quickly. After 30 seconds-1 minute turn them over; after 30seconds-1 minute put them on a plat to the side. Just keep repeating the process until you are out of beet...fyi to new cooks like me, don't put the beet chips in the oven to keep warm because they will get soggy :( When you do them right, They are so SWEET and CRUNCHY and YUMMY and PALEO! I had leftover olive oil in the pan, so I chopped some brussel sprouts and let them get a golden brown.

Chicken Pesto Spinach Salad

Main Ingredients for 2 people:
8 chicken strips
lots of spinach
3 strips of bacon
a medium bowl of cauliflower
pesto

Pesto Sauce recipe provided by Everyday Paleo
4 oz fresh basil (3 ½ cups)
1 cup walnut halves and pieces
6 garlic cloves
1 cup olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
Juice from ½ a lemon

Firstly, I bought pesto from Bloomingfoods. It included parmasen :/ I've made paleo pesto in the past when I grew the basil. This time I bought it. I didn't use lemon in my recipe, but it's good to try new things. I put the bacon on the george foreman; while that was cooking I washed and cut up the spinach (don't forget to pat dry the spinach). When the bacon was done I cut it up into pieces. Then I put the chicken on the george foreman. In the meantime I steamed the cauliflower with a drop of water in a bowl, covered with saran wrap for 2-4 minutes (it depends on how much cauliflower you makeit shouldn't be hard when you take it out of the microwave).

I wanted to try out the new mini food processer my grandma gave me, so i put my cauliflower in it with some garlic. If you try this, put in tiny amounts of garlic and taste it as you go along. I made mine with WAY too much- i used half a clove on that small plate.

Paleo Pizza

When you make a pizza with only almond meal and eggs to make your "crust," you know from the start it's not going to be the "real deal." But hey, it suffices because you know that you won't have to sleep on your side due to a bloated belly. This is a recipe for 2 hungry people -3 medium hungry people.

preheat oven to 250-300 (after about 15 minutes, i turned it up to 300...i just felt like it)

1 cup of almond meal
3 eggwhites
spritz of olive oil (keep it aside)
3 TBS of cashew butter (optional - it just costs more than I wanted to pay)

*stir it all but olive oil together. When it looks like morning grits, then spread the olive oil around the baking sheet (I put down foil, then olive oil. my crust stuck to the foil and broke it into pieces, so next time I won't use foil). The recipe called for 1/4 inch thick crust, but Next time i'll probably try to make it as flat as possible. I was overhwhelmed with the crust when it was done. I put it in the over for around 30 minutes, just keep your eye on it.

1C broccoli chopped
1-2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 red bell pepper chopped
1/4 C onions chopped
handful mushrooms chopped
a dash of fennel seed
a dash of oregano
1 C Pomi Marinara Sauce
5 chicken strips (i put the chicken seperate in a george foreman for about 7 minutes, then cut it up into pieces)

I found this sauce on sale at Bloomingfoods. It's awsome and these are the ingredients: crushed tomatoes, tomato puree, onions, olive oil, salt, garlic, sugar (ok not perfect), parsley, oregano, natural flavor, pepper.

While my crust is in the oven, i put the veggies in a skillet. You don't want them to get mushy, but mine got mushy since I'm still learning. I added everything but the sauce to the skillet.

When the crust seemed pretty much all the way baked instead of raw, I took it out and put the sauce down, and the veggies on top of it, and then the chicken pieces. I put it back in the oven for many another 10 minutes...

This mean took me an hour, but I'm not an experienced cook in general, nor with paleo recipes. Just have FUN with it!

Savory Roasted Sweet Potatos / Yams

Looking for a yummi side dish with your meal?! Sweet potatoes are wonerful! They don't need all the extra marshmallowee sugaree additive, as they are perfectly sweet on their own.

1/3 of a sweet potato is 1 block. For a 4 block zone meal, you can have 2/3 of a sweet potato for 2 blocks, and 12 spears of asparagus for 1 block, and 1/2 a slice of bread (if you gotta have your bread) is 1 block. This is only your carb portion. You still need to add 4 blocks of meat, and 4 blocks of fat.

Savory Roasted Sweet Potatos / Yams
Ingredients:
Desired number of sweet potatos (make extra to warm up later!)
Olive oil
Chopped Rosemary
Sea Salt
Pepper

Directions:
Peel sweept potatos (if desired - I like the skin!) and cut into 1/2 to 3/4 inch cubes. spread in single layer in a jelly roll pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and rosemary. -You could also put these all in a bowl and really coat them well.

Bake at 350-375 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. Edges will be crispy brown and may caramelize in the pan. YUM!

Photo from wholesomemommy.com

Chicken Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• 3 slices lean, smoky good quality bacon, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 10 sticks of asparagus
  
• 1 Leek, cut white roots, wash really well, and chopped into 1/2 inch piece,
  
• some salt
• some garlic powder
  
• 1/2 quarts chicken stock
• 1 (15-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes no salt added
  

Directions

Heat a medium soup pot or deep sided skillet over medium-high heat with diced tomatoes.

On a skillet I added chicken, and cooked asparagus next to it. I seasoned the chicken withwith Weber's Kickin Chicken. On a Seperate Skillet I cooked the bacon; when it was brown and crisp, I added the leeks and cut up the asparagus that was cooking with the chicken to the bacon grease. After about 5-10 minutes when i figured it was a good time,I combined the stock and veggies with the tomotoes. Cut the chicken into pieces and add to the soup. I added some garlic and salt for seasoning. You can add other spices and flavors to your taste.

Killing Cancer: http://fuelasrx.blogspot.com/2010/10/killing-cancer.html

Killing Cancer...

This is a post that I did for the Paleo Brands blog awhile back. Cancer runs deep in my family and there are not many people that don't know someone battling the deadly disease. This one bears repeating - so here it is making its Fuel As Rx debut:

Cancer, it's a word no one wants to hear, yet according to the National Cancer Institute it's a diagnosis that 1 in every 2 of us will face. In 2009 it was estimated that 1,479,350 people were diagnosed with cancer and 562,340 died from the disease. These statistics make the search for a cure and mechanisms for prevention hot topics.

Here's a little FYI on cancer cells - they require glucose (sugar) to grow. In fact, they consume 4 to 5 times more glucose than normal cells! So, logic would say, restrict sugar (carbohydrate) to starve and kill cancer. This has proven to be effective as demonstrated by this study and numerous others. Following a restricted calorie, ketogenic diet literally 'starves' cancer cells. But instead of instructing cancer patients to follow a diet like this the American Cancer Society recommends a 'plant-based' (primarily vegetarian), whole grain rich, low fat diet instead. Scroll down this list of 20 examples of 'healthy' snacks for cancer patients... Hmm...

Now, this is not to say that the knowledge of how the 'starve' cancer isn't out there. In fact, according to some recent research (read here for the non-geek version), scientists have developed an anti-cancer agent (drug) that acts as an 'energy restriction mimetic'. The researchers state that "Energy restriction may be a powerful 'new' strategy for treating cancer because it targets a survival mechanism used by many types of cancer cells." The research shows that it's possible to develop drugs that act to simulate glucose and energy restriction.

Since we have this information, does it not make sense to use it to prevent and help stop the spread of cancer now? Can we afford to 'wait' for the drug to be developed and approved by the FDA? When it comes to cancer it could mean the difference between life and death... Is that piece of cake really 'to die for'???

Marinated Chicken Kebabs

There's no reason why you can't keep that grill hot! Dig into this recipe for some great kebabs, put some asparagus on the grill, and any other veggie you want to meet your palate tonight!

Chicken Kebab Recipe
Makes 4 skewers Ingredients:
1 skinless and boneless chicken breast (about 12 oz.)
1/2 green bell pepper (cut into big cubes)
1/2 yellow bell pepper (cut into big cubes)

Marinate:
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 – 1 teaspoon paprika (if you like spicy, use 1 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
1/4 of one small onion
2 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves (or dried parsley)

For Grilling:
2 tablespoons olive oil (for brushing)

Method:
Cut the chicken into small cubes (a total of 16 pieces if you will), pat dry and marinate with the ingredients for 1 hour.
Thread four pieces of chicken meat with two pieces each of green bell pepper and yellow pepper (see the picture above for the order) onto a metal skewer or bamboo skewer. Repeat the same and make four skewers. Set aside.
Fire up your outdoor grill (or indoor grill) and grill the chicken kebab until cooked. While grilling, brush the chicken and bell peppers with olive oil. Serve hot.

Cook’s Note:
If you use bamboo skewers, soak them in cold water overnight so they don’t get burned during the grilling process

Recipe found at: rasamalaysia.com

Carbs. Vs. Grains

"People are genetically designed to eat primarily fruits and vegetables as their major source of carbohydrates. Grains as a reliable sources of food simply did not exist 10,000 years ago. Consequently, the great majority of individuals have still not genetically adapted to eating high density forms of carbohydrates, such as grains, starches, bread, and pasta."

This exerpt from Mastering the Zone goes on to describe the parallel eating patterns of modern civilization and the ancient Egyptians 3500 years ago with a high carb low fat diet. You'd think Egyptians lived strong, lean, and long lives as they ate bread galore, some veggies and fruits, and a small amount of meat - recommended advice similar to our current U.S. Food Guide Pyramid. They didn't have McDonald's every lunch nor chocolate ice cream any given sad day. However, tooth decay, heart disease, and obesity were obvious once taking a closer look at the Egyptian mummies.

Here's the point, nearly all the people I know, commericals I watch, and governmental input advocate healthy eating by means of a large quantity of oats and grains. Just take it away for a few weeks, and add in some more vegetables and lunch and dinner with a few ounces of meat. You will realize better digestion, less bloated and more fulfilling finish, plus could get you over that weight loss hump if you've exhausted other options.

In fact, I have an awesome recipe for you try TONIGHT! It's paleo/zone for two people, I and wish you'd eat it. *I endorse fresh local veggies and wild caught meat from the market*


2 Fillets of Mahi Mahi (approx. 4-8oz per fish. depends on body-type and physical activity)
1/4 c. olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 lemon
salt/pepper

3 cups zucchini
2 1/2 cups yellow squash
4 cups cauliflower
3 cups broccoli

1 cup acorn squash

OK IT's EASY! Sprinkle *some* salt and pepper on fish. Combine olive oil, minced garlic, and squeezed lemon then spread it on the fish and let sit for 30 minutes or so.

Then, combine a couple shakes of olive oil in a pan to combine zucchini, yellow squash, cauliflower, and broccoli. I also, added a tsp. of water and covered it. Put it on medium heat until all the veggies are soft. If you want some more flavor, get another clove of minced garlic and add it to the veggies.

Put the fish right on the grill 4-5 minutes on each side. Pay attention to the time and just don't overcook it from not watching.

Cut acorn squash in half (save the seeds for roasting! MMmm. don't wash em, just put em on a baking sheet @ 325F for 20-30 minutes). Save half of the squash for another time, and put half in a bowl w/ a tsp. of water and cover with Saran wrap. Put it in the microwave for4 minutes for steaming. It's super-hot so don't burn yourself! Acorn squash is usually sweet, and is an unfavorable carb that should be eaten in moderation. 1/2 of the squash is meant for two people to share.

*it's a lot of veggies by normal standards, so if you have leftovers, put it in your eggs the next morning. Remember, when you eat more veggies, you crave more veggies!!

Introduction to the Zone

Think better: maintain stable blood sugar levels

Perform better: increase oxygen transfer to your muscle cells

Look better: shed excess body fat at a quick rate

hunger satisfied: your brain is constantly supplied with its primary fuel, blood sugar

The Zone is this: scientifically balanced portions of protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Dr. Barry Sears, Ph.D. wrote a brilliant book called Mastering The Zone. You may have heard about it because it's been around for quite a while. This book is great, especially for diabetics as portions control insulin levels. What is even greater, you have a built in network of friends right here at Hoosier CrossFit to help you stay healthy day in and day out!

Most importantly, your healthy eating highway won't end with the Zone. You will realize that the Zone has scientific evidence against pasta, bread, and grains in general, yet, condones unfavorable carbs in small doses. This is primarily because as a society, we are too spoiled addicted, and ignorant to stop eating it. It's integral that we kick today's cravings to the curb, and eat for the purpose of filling us up, not for emotional gratification. Within some months from now, I will transition your habits to support a Paleolithic lifestyle, a hunter-gatherer lifestyle in which you will eat primarily Meat and veggies, nuts and seeds, some fruit, no sugar and no salt.

Thrusters

Hands down. No matter what. thrusters bring on the tears. This is proof that crossFit isn't only awesome fitness, but it sends shockwaves throughout your body - physically and emotionally. We accomplish movements that utilize multiple muscles which need to be administered with proper technique - which is where your brain comes in. You start with the bar high on your chest, elbows up just a little, squat to the ball, and stand to push the bar overhead. With the thruster, I often feel overwhelmed with heels down, knees out, core tight, lumbar curve, big chest, hard push. We did a thruster ladder today, 1 thruster the first minute, 2 thrusters the second minute, etc. Shaun asked me how I liked it and I replied with this: "I hated it. But. It's necessary." I was on round 9 with 65#, and was 1 short of round 10. It's important to face your weaknesses in order to turn them into strengths. Even if you have to cry when you're done.

4/12-4/16

4/14
snatch balance 1-1-1-1-1 = 65-75-85-95-100Fail

4 rounds: 9 knee-elbows, 12 sumo-deadlift high pull (65#), 15 pushups, 25 double under jump rope = 15:42or something

4/13
21-15-9 deadlifts/pullups with ohwl in between.
deadlifts (115#), 20 overhead walking lunge (25#), pullups, 20 overhead walking lunge = 16:58

4/12
benchpress 75# 2x for 10 reps

50 burpee box jumps (20inches) = 5:38

4/5-4/9

4/9
Bear Complex: deadlift - hang power clean - frontsquat and pushpress/thruster - backsquat - pushpress = 1 repetition. Complete 7 reps for 5 rounds, increment weight. during all 7 reps, the bar can only rest on your body and not the floor.

= 30-40-50-60-70fail (bar dropped to ground on the last round multiple times)

4/8
Amrap 20 minutes: 5 power clean & Shoulder Press 50#, bear crawl/crab walk, 25 double unders jump rope = 4 rounds + pc/sp + 3/4 crawl/walk

4/7
2reps/10rounds: 135# deadlift
AMRAP 10 minutes: 10 burpees, 10 pullups = 6 rounds

4/5
Tabata: squat - 15, pushup - 5, situp - 14

3/28-4/3

4/1
1pullup 1minute, 2 pullups 2 minutes = 10 full minutes
2 reps x 10 rounds, 95# thrusters

3/31
amrap
5 titan tire flips, 10-14lb ball slam = 9 rounds + 4 flips

3/30
3 rounds: 20-20inch box jumps, 20 chest-bar pullups, 20-10lb wallball = 10:37

3/29
5 rounds: 10 blueband dips, 20 - 25"# clean and press, 30 - 20# goblet squats = 20:32

3/28
AMRAP 10 minutes: 10 box jumps, 10 50# power snatch, 10 squats = 3 rounds + 10 BJ + 4 s

fri/sat

Sleep7-8 hours each night

Food: eggs. Bacon. Brussels sprout. Steak spinach salad w/ pickles. La rosas chicken philly calzone with dunkin doughnuts.
Saturday: the calzone tore me up. I ate no breakfast, only coffee.

Gym: neither day. Wow, though.I can really feel the flute ham situps!

New Day

Sleep: 8 hours

food: cookies, doughnuts, velveeta shells and cheese, cookies, doughnuts, fruit snacks, saved old valentines chocolate, gold star chili burrito,chocolate brownie ice cream and frozen saved mini cupcakes from st. patrick's day.

Gym: hell yeah. if i put my body through this food torture today, i was going to HAVE to suck it up; 20 minutes amrap: 5 - 75# clean and jerk, 10 kipping pullups, 15 glute ham situps. accomplished 6 rounds + 5 C & J + 4 pullups.

Reflection: i made my food count today. i also made my food almost throw up, especially after working out. I'm feeling a feeling I havn't felt in 45 days, which is over-eaten bloated tummy feeling. Since paleo challenge is over, i will continue to log my sleep, type of meals i ate, either paleo or non-paleo, and my workouts. One post will be a collection of weekly accomplishments. My goal is to workout 5-6 times/week.

tonight!

Sleep: today 7 hrs

Food: today and yesterday same old things!

Gym: yesterday - no time with 3 hours of classes.

today - 39" box jump! whoot whoot! "Grace" is 30 power clean and jerk - 70lb - 7:28 time.

Reflection: I suck. Ill let it be known that I ate m&ms last night with some walnuts. I was just thinking its only a day! What gives! Now I'm upset. Shaun gave me a talking to and asked me if I would just give up the last 100 ft in a marathon - perhaps I would. I did the same thing the other day when I was about to row my PR, but then hit a wall and got tired :( I tried before class, and just have up with 150m to go, knowing it would have been my best time ever. I really need to start digging deep and stop giving in.

Moving on, little or big, God answeres prayers. I was at kroger and jonesing for some ice cream, uh since it's been almost 2 months since my last bight. BEN AND JERRY'S AND STARBUCKS ICE CREAM WERE ON CLEARANCE FOR a DOLLAR. holy shit. my shopping dreams come true, for real.

T- 2 days!!!

Sleep: 6 or so

Food: bacon. eggs. lots of coffee. walnuts. raisins. chocolate. carrots. tomato. chicken. cantaloupe. apple. leftovers - spaghetti squash w/ pesto sauce. chicken this time (way better than turkey! yuck!) handful of brussel sprouts, some grape tomatoes and 1/3 orange.

Gym: 4x500m row 1:56, 2:13, 2:16, 2:08

Reflection: okay okay. the times are whacked up. My goal was to go in and get a PR and i met my goal, whether that was the goal of the actual WOD or not. My old PR was 2:01. excited to get it down 5 more seconds. However, I become completely wiped out, thus, the horrible times. A real 4x row, I guess i should have averaged 2:01 or so if I monitored my stroke. I thank all those who allowed me to break the cardinal rule for trainers, which is to not participate in classes when i am the trainer. However there was an open spot, and i really couldn't have done it alone, which is what I would've had to do. Thanks guys.

T-3.5 days!

Sleep: 8

food: paleo pancakes, smoky links, eggs, walnuts, raisins, roast beef, tomatoes, acorn squash, pistachios, awesome spaghetti squash dinner w/ walnut pesto sauce! Recipe Below!!!

gym: no

Reflection: yesterday I went shopping with my mom, paleo snacks in arm en route: apple, walnuts, raisins, chocolate, prunes (i apologize to myself that I have no readily available veggies). I planned for breakfast at my parents with pancakes mix pre-made. This morning I had to hear it from my dad in various outbursts, "Mmmm...this [insert something I can't eat for another 4 days] is good." Ah. all in good fun.

Spaghetti Squash with Spinach Walnut Pesto (gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo)

1 cup of "meat" from spaghetti squash (to bake, cut in half, scrape out seeds and place on cookie sheet at 375 for 35 minutes rind side up and scrape out meat after squash has cooled)
1 loosely packed cup of spinach
about 10 basil leaves
1/4 cup walnuts
2 small, or one large clove of garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil

Mix the spinach, basil, walnuts and garlic in a mini food processor until blended and add olive oil until a pesto forms (you may need more of less olive oil). In a skillet over medium heat, add the spaghetti squash and the pesto and cook for five minutes or so until the flavors are incorporated.

I also made turkey meatballs, but they didn't go well with the squash. I just mixed the turkey burger, 1/2 onion, eyeballed oregano, and 1 egg. I left out the almond meal in place of bread crumbs because i didn't feel they were necessary. Then I made 4 little balls and put them on 375 for 15 minutes.

Day 40

Sleep: 7 hours

Food: pancakes w/ banana, eggs, bacon, coffee, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, chicken, orange, walnuts, raisins, chocolate, plums, chili

Gym: so disappointed yesterday when i couldn't get a heavier 1 rep max for overhead squat, so before the class, i attempted 95lbs and achieved it easily, then tried for 100. I threw it before even getting it above my head, but then tried it again and WHOOP WHOOP! NEW PR!

Reflection: first of all, i'm oober excited about my second new pr with overhead sqauat. i'm 15lbs away from my bodyweight and then ihave to squat it 15 times in a row in order to be a cool guy. Second of all, i made pancakes differently this morning when shaun, naturally, drank the rest of the almond milk by mouth from the container. What other delicious fluid substance do I have laying around in the morning? COFFEE, of couse! i just added it to my "batter" and there we go - delicious banana pancakes.

T- 6 days

Sleep: 7 hours

Food: eggs. Bacon. Pancakes. Blueberries. Pork. Asparagus. Pancake. Walnut. Raisin. Chocolate.

Gym: rest day - YEAH RIGHT. i couldn't resist today's strength day.
Strength Day: overhead squat 3 - 3 - 3 - 1 -1 = 65 - 75 - 85 - 90 - 100 (3 strikes your out!) Set an overhead squat PR - 90lbs. Tried for 100 and just couldn't get it up.

10 minute AMRAP: 5 hang snatch, 10 squat jumps = 7 rounds plus 3 hang snatch

Reflection: I've been feeling good; maybe it's the claratin kicking in, but whatever it is, i'm liking it. I can't wait to chomp on my first piece of pizza to just turn over 30 minutes later and die with heartburn and stomach upset right there in the cushy seat of La Rosas. That should make me want this paleo-thing more. Knowing that obviously that shit shouldn't be in my body to begin with.

T- 1 week and 1 day

Sleep: 7.5 hours

Food: paleo pancakes, bacon, eggs. spinach/steak/cucumber/pickle. walnuts. raisins. chocolate. prunes. game hen in the crockpot w/ carrots, asparagus, 2 garlic cloves, 1 onion, basil, zucchini.

Gym: 2 reps of 10 rounds of 70lbs.

Reflection: eh. no reflection.

T-8 days!!

Sleep: 5 poor

Food: sausage. eggs. coffee. banana. carrots. spinach w/ steak and pickles. grapefruit. walnuts. raisins. cranberries. prunes. green pepper, red pepper, onion cooked w/ olive oil and oregano toppled on steak. acorn squash. baked zucchini and asparagus in olive oil. wine. then raisins, chocolate, walnuts - yummi dessert!

GYM: 5 rounds Time = 12:25
6 75# clean and jerk
8 box jumps
9 35# KB swings

Reflection: I definitely had a better workout day today - i'd love for a better time, as usual, but I didn't feel as fatigued as I did over the weekend. I definitely stuffed my face with veggies this evening, hoping this is the only thing i'm lacking for better energy.

Day 34

SLEEP: 6 (that's stupid. it's the weekend)

FOOD: my favorite breakfast in the world. Blueberry paleo pancakes toppled with honey. 1 egg/1 sausage, 1 egg/1 sausage. coffee, duh. I pretty much missed lunch. . . I came back for dinner and had some chocolate, wine, steamed acorn squash, flank steak w/ chopped pickles and spinach (really tasty!) some walnuts, cranberries, cacao nibs, and raisins for dessert.

GYM: a few days ago I planned to do a benchmark WOD today. I'm still incredibly sore from the 5 workouts from last week and yesterday's disappointment. I must have another rest day.

REFLECTION: that's all for today. 1.5 weeks of strict paleo left!

Day 34: you wouldn't, shouldn't and sometimes couldn't do CrossFit alone :)

Sleep: 8hours or so

Food: bacon. eggs. sausage. paleo pancakes w/ banana and blueberries. coffee. spinach salad w/ chicken and tomato. brussel sprouts. carrots. a couple blueberries. Chipotle dinner! steak. pico de gallo! red pepper, green pepper, red onion, lettuce. prunes and wine.

Gym: Team WOD - laura, scott, rob, me - time = 43 minutes

BASE Station = 15 35#KB swings, 15 thrusters 65-50#s, 15 20inch box jumps
50 squats
base station
50 pullups
base station
25 burpees
base station
tire flip

Reflecion:
ugh. it was one of those days. it was just one of those days that I was not mentally and physically ready for this kind of a morning WOD and I knew since breakfast this was supposed to be a rest day. Regardless of my senses of doubt, I participated. Indeed I wasn't proud of my performance. I began with 65# thrusters (BECAUSE THAT IS NORMAL FOR ME), I had to go down 5 pounds the next round, and fighting back the tears, I had to go down another 10 in the middle of round 2. I could tell, my weight wasn't on my heels, my core was just not tight enough. I WAS ALL OVER THE PLACE, wiggling front and back and left and right. If it werent for my team, I just wouldn't have made it. I was disappointed and I hope I get out of this ridiculous rut soon.

Day 33

SLEEP: 8 hours

FOOD: bacon. eggs. spinach salad. 1/2 tomato. chicken. carrots. walnuts. raisins. 85% chocolate. PALEO CHILI! yum! recipe below. no pic, sorry.

GYM: crossfit total: backsquat, shoulder press - 60lb, deadlift - 160lb.

Reflection: So I was bummed out. All this paleo work and my shoulder press is weak, weaker than my old max rep. I can't remember my backsquat, but I know I wanted more. I was happy with the deadlift, as my old PR was 150. The only thing I can think of is my job at the preschool makes me sick on a regular basis so I skip many workouts, and around my sickness schedule I only get in the gym 2-3 times/week anyways. SHOW UP TO GO UP. so i'm continuing 3 days on 1 day off and I hope to see results when I benchmark next month. i'm loading up on Zinc to keep my immune system on guard so I can keep moving!


Chili Recipe -

1lb. Innis Angus ground beef (sorry, not found in stores - but on my grandparent's farm)
1 onion chopped up
1 red pepper diced up
1 can diced tomatoes in paste
1 jalepeno pepper (I would advice you to cut up 1/4 of it and then add to taste. I made it WAY too strong and started to pick them out after putting them in)
1 clove garlic pressed
chili powder
ground cumin

I used a stovetop pot to brown the beef, added onion, pepper, jalepenio pepper, tomatoes, cumin, and chili powder and mixed it all up. I just eyeballed and tasted as I went with the cumin and chili powder. I wanted it to be bold and not flat. I probably used 3 Tablespoons of chili powder and 1 TB of cumin. After I found a flavor I liked, I left it on the stovetop for 2 hours and it tasted quite perfect in the end. (except for the spicy jalepenos - i'm just not used to that)

day: two. weeks away

Sleep: decent the last few days, 6-8.

Food. Same things. Eggs Bacon. Nuts. Grapefruit. Chicken. Raisins. DINNER! great meal! pork george formaned with garlic powder and tarragon, wrapped in lettuce and packed with tomatoes. SO GOOD! pic as shown!

Gym:
Monday: 21 benchpress.30 situps.21 deadlift.!5-30-15.9-30-9 @ 55/95#
8:20
Tuesday: 5 rounds.65# hang power snatch 12 times.30 walking lunged.20:cc
Reflection:
I was proud of Tuesday because a couple months ago I did this in 12 minutes with a 30# bar. I felt stronger able to snatch properly with prescribed weight. With the snatch I dropped it each time I completed the movement. To get my time down, I need to reset back at my waist without dropping the bar. Paleo has definitely added an extra sense of. Energy to the workout. I seem to just feel ready.

SLEEP: eh 6 or 7 hours?

Food: 1 egg, paleo pancakes with cinnamon and allspice, coffee that I didn't get to drink because i left home without my damn mug. almonds and raisins. grapefruit. dried berry mix. Golden Corral: romaine lettuce, hard boiled egg pieces, ham, bacon, steak, green beans, cantaloupe, honey dew, orange,roasted chicken.

Gym: how about pool? 2 laps (approx. 20 meters each), 21 pushups, 2 laps, 21 squats, 2 laps, 15 pushups, 2 laps, 15 squats, 2 laps 9 pushups, 2 laps, 9 squats. I even finished my squats in the dark because hotel employees turned the lights of at exactly 10 pm. Real crossfitters finish till the end no matter what. It only took about 7-8 minutes to complete.

Reflection: damn I hate pulley. Mac and cheese. volcano brownies. garlic bread. Those were only a few delicious items that graced our dinner table on Adam's plate. I have to say that Golden Corral is AWESOME on paleo because you can just eat and eat and there are quite a few options. You still ave to be careful - nearly all veggies were buttered and salty!

The arnold classic is quite the scene. We watched some great powerlifters - cleans and jerks were so sharp. Would love to be as clean as they are in their techniques. I'm excited to see the crossFit events tomorrow! and will post lots of pics on facebook!

Day 23

SLEEP: 6.5 maybe

Food: bacon, eggs, brussel sprouts, chicken, romaine, basalmic vinegar, walnuts and golden raisins, a couple baby carrots, 3 strawberries, barely handful blueberries, chocolate, tuna steak, brussel sprouts, acorn squash.

GYM: I wish I made time. It looked like a good one!

Reflection: I feel like a lazy sack of poo. I just can't justify getting off work at 3:3o and being at the gym at 4 to work out, then teach for three hours. Maybe that's exactly what I needed, though! Tomorrow i'm def. going to make the time!! Regardless, I came home around 9 and made Tuna Steak and it was amazing - kind of tasted like chicken, actually. I just added 1 clove of garlic to the top and bottom of two steaks and sprinkled tarragon on both sides. If you havn't had it, DO IT.

also. I premade a small batch of pancakes for the morning! super stoked!

Day 22

SLEEP: 4.5 hours (oops)

FOOD: bacon, eggs, coffee, chicken, romaine lettuce, 1/2 apple, 7 baby carrots, two handfuls of walnuts and raisins, turkey meatloaf (which I made last night and were today's leftovers), chocolate, raisins, and Rob's Hot Chili!!

GYM: not really. but I did clean 95# which is a PR!! the last time I tried it, I hurt myself.

Reflection: as much as I wanted to post yesterday, I just didn't make time. It was much of the same, but I made dessert. The best thing about paleo dessert is that it's gratifying, and you don't have any regrets, plus you can eat as much as you want!! I made a type of apple crisp. Now, obviously the brown sugar loaded with butter wasn't in the ingredients. But considering the food i've been eating lately, this dessert was devine.

Apple Crisp for 1-2 people
1 apple cut into 24ths (small pieces)
about a cup of almond meal?
about a sprinkle of vanilla extract (real not fake!!!)
about a sprinkle of cinnamon
about a sprinkle of allspice.
a small spoon of coconut oil
a shot of Almond milk.

First, I cut the apple and put it into a really small baking dish. Then in a seperate bowl I eyeballed the almond meal, combined the spices and extract. The recipe I used called for five apples - just way too much for a little desert for me. So I just had to use a good eye. Then I heated up the coconut oil in a shot glass and poured it over the almond meal mix. I stirred it. Then, I toppled the apples with the mix and put it in the over for 50 minutes or so on 350 degrees. when it was steaming hot I added a shot of almond milk (kind of like the ice cream) and that made it extra tasty.

Day 21 - no cramps, bloating, or low back pain

SLEEP: 11 hours (ok so i slept in)

FOOD: my favorite breakfast 3 paleo pancakes overflowing with juicy blueberries cooked in the center, 1 egg w/bacon bits, 2 strawberies, chicken.

GYM: 5 pushpress (75#), 15 jumping squats(10lb. holding plate), 5 PP, 12 JS, 5PP, 9JS, 5 PP. Time = 4:12

REFLECTION: I know that it is only 1:30pm right now, but I have to say it right now - it's THAT TIME of the month and it's been 4 days i've not had any CRAMP or DISCOMFORT for the first time ever! I feel nothing at all, like it doesn't exist!! The only thing I've changed is fact i'm not eating GRAINS and DAIRY and SUGAR.

I googled the topic and found many testimonials about paleo diminishes or gets rid of cramps - and a little bit of exercise is all the better - I was trying to figure it out; which is it, the dairy? the wheat? or the sugar? I am guessing my gluten free diet is much to thank, plus a HUGE lack of sugar. I ALSO read (this is for my one blogger follower) from one woman's testiment that after 12 months on paleo her birth was not painful, but rather "orgasmic." We all need a little bit of that now and then.

Day 20

SLEEP:7.5 hours

FOOD: B AND E and some great italian roast coffee. Paleo Pancakes, chicken, and grapefruit.

GYM: nope.

REFLECTION: I had the most amazing paleo breakfast: BLUEBERRY PANCAKES!! Wow I can't wait to make every saturday pancake day! If you havn't had them, you have to. I used coconut oil for the first time and i was looking for something clear and runny, rather it was white and waxy in a jar.

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 C coconut milk
• 1/2 C almond meal
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• coconut oil
*banana
*blueberries
*honey

Mix all of the ingredients except the coconut oil in *blender (just to mix banana in well). We added more meal than the recipe called for plus the banana to give it a thicker consistency. It was originally very fluid. Next, use a bit of coconut oil to grease a non stick skillet. Spread some of the batter into the skillet to form a pancake, then cook over low/medium heat. They won't bubble like normal pancakes but you should keep an eye on them and you should be able to tell when they are ready to turn. BEFORE FLIPPING i added 5 blueberries to the patty and i think this made it especially yummy when they were done!!! We also used honey for the syrup, but you don't need a lot of it to fulfill your sweet tooth.

Day ?

SLEEP:LOTS OF IT

FOOD:
Breakfast: Always B & E, baby - unless shaun makes it and it might have some kind of half raw, half cooked vegetable among the eggs.

Lunch: running late this morning, I only packed a small piece of chicken and a grapefruit *slap wrist

Dinner: Shaun made an incredibly tasty (to my surprise) pork and veggie meal. He seasoned the pork with chili powder and oregano. And Concocted steamed veggies (broccoli, red pepper, mushrooms) and toppeled the whole thing with walnuts.

Dessert with 300 movie! try heating almond milk on the stove and shaving paleo friendly chocolate in it!!! YUM!

GYM: abstolutely not

RREFLECTION: as you know, i've been sick since last Friday - no wonder last thursday's workout kicked my ass so hard. Having a fever for approx. 3 days last weekend brought me to an extreme low point with a paleo diet - you know - chicken noodle soup. Even the girl scout cookies roaming the pantry wouldn't have been savored as I've had no sense of taste or smell for six days. Either way, I still haven't taken a picture of my mid "before" picture. It's getting too late. I'm becoming "chiseled" with those dreamy crossfit Abs (never before earned) either because I was sick, and/or I'm eating like a caveman, and/or I'm enduring awesome workouts - and/or all of the above.

BY The Way! I made a plethora of food for Shaun on Thursday Evening taking recipes from Live Primal recipes (http://liveprimal.com/LPrecipes.pdf)! First I scrambled some butternut squash souffle & I substituted coconut milk with almond milk, boiled some broccoli, and cooked Zanibar Chicken which was ethnic, yet, tasty. I actually Jack Lalane-ed the orange to make the juice! Recipes below!

5.2.17 Zanibar Chicken
• 3 lbs chicken thighs and/or drumsticks
• 2 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t ground cloves
• 1/4 pepper
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed thru a press
• 3/4 c pure orange juice
• 3 T raisins
• 1/3 c slivered almonds
Season chicken with the spices. In a large fry pan, heat oil over med-high heat. Add
chicken, in batches if necessary, and cook, turning until browned, about 10 minutes.
Remove and set aside. Add onion to pan. Cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and
cook 1 minute longer.
Return chicken to pan. Add orange juice and raisins. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15
minutes, until chicken is tender. Garnish with almonds.

6.14.2 Butternut Soufflé
• 1 c of butternut squash puree
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 t sea salt
• 1/2 t mustard powder
• 1 t paprika
• 2 T coconut milk
• handful of chopped pecans
Beat together all the ingredients except the pecans. Spread into a small greased baking
dish. Sprinkle the nuts on top. Bake at 350 F for 35 minutes. Serves 2-3.

Day 14

SLEEP: 9-10

FOOD: yesterday: Bacon/eggs, ate out at Rock Bottom Brewery and had medium rare burger w/ romaine lettuce/pico de gallo, guacamole w/ oil and vinegar salad topped with shredded carrots and cucumber, walnuts and raisins, some carrots, chocolate bar 77% cacao (ok paleo!) peach,
today: bacon/eggs/chicken/tomatos, some honeydew/canteloupe

GYM:absolutely not

REFLECTION: Unhappily missed the saturday morning team WOD due to pre-feverous conditions. Finally full blown fever around 7pm last night - unfortunately we were in the midst of the beginning of the Indy Supercross. Imagine being 5 rows from the dirt with BRAAAP engines and 13 year olds screaming like they are cool about something. . . When we got home around 11:30 at night, i was crying for chicken noodle soup, ready to give in - then and there! SCREW ice cream and doughnuts, i just wanted to be soothed with some extremely salty and slippery noodley soup. I straddled the temptation and went to bed without it!

Going to dinner, however, was a treat. Very little choices on the menu, though. Shaun ordered salmon with mixed vegetables. It came with salmon toppled on rice and beans, both unacceptable with paleo. UH. Mixed VegGieS?! he had to order another side because the salmon alone wasn't filling. The side of broccoli maybe included 6 little bunches (hardly enough for $3) and the broccoli came with butter on it. You MUST be specific and careful when eating out. My burger w/ no bun and no cheese and no chipotle mayo, but however included the guac. and pico, and lettuce was absolutely delicious. Oil on Vinegar instead of ranch was, still, very tasty!

On a side note, I wish I took a before picture 2 weeks ago. I feel my body has "shaped up" even after those two weeks. obviously i'm not snacking on sugar cookies at work anymore, and therefore not maintaining a certain amount of fluff around my love handles. I'm planning on taking a 2 weeks in picture to compare to the 45 days picture.

Day 12

SLEEP: 5 HOURS (can't help falling asleep to the olympics late at night)

FOOD: bacon, eggs, coffee, chicken, asparagus, blood red orange, walnuts and raisins, 1/2 apple, bacon and eggs, Almond flour "breaded" chicken w/ mustard powder and dill w/ a side of brussel sprouts. ** attempt at primal mayo and ranch dressing

GYM: Rest day

REFLECTION: I should have expected a sickness coming around the corner. ugh. Last night's workout would have been nice challenge. Having swollen glands in my neck with my nose confused as whether it's running or stopped up as i'm breathlessly screeching to get that last push press before bowing down to 4 burpees - - - it would have been a mess.

My first attempt at breaded chicken with almond flour was okay. Obviously there's no salt, so it was bland. The almond flour was actually delightful and the texture maintained well as the chicken was frying in olive oil. As for the mayo and ranch - a flop in my opinion. The ranch calls for coconut milk which made it sweet, but I also didn't slowly add the oil in the blender as the recipe suggested. I just threw it all in. perhaps another attempt is needed.

Day 11

SLEEP:7-8 hours

FOOD: scrambled eggs w/ 1-2 oz chicken, walnuts and raisins, apple, 1-2 oz chicken, 1/2 grapefruit, some egg/brussel sprout/ onion/mushroom omlett, and shaun's famous cereal (sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds, raisins, honey, cinnamon, almond milk. I also treated myself to dark coffee at starbucks!

GYM: ***PERSONAL RECORD**** double unders = 14 consecutive!

Wod: amrap 15 minutes = 5 modified ring dips, 10 - 20 inch box jumps, 15 - 35# kettlebell swings
resluts: 6 rounds plus 5 ring dips plus 10 box jumps


REFLECTION: kick my ass. it was the first time i used the rings to dip rather than modified with a box dip or the rubber band. Although only 5, it killed me for the following, box jumps, as I felt dizzy and nauseous (you could probably assume from my food intake that i havn't been eating enough veggies for that energy). I still can't get myself to eat broccoli in the morning. I have a drawer full of new seasonings and will post a honey barbeque recipe soon!

Day 10

SLEEP: approximately 7.5 these last couple nights

FOOD: I've also eaten the same dinner these last couple nights

pork/chicken, brussel sprouts darkened in olive oil, and one avocado to make guacamole. Snacks have been mixed walnuts and raisens (my new favorite snack and I always have a raisen and a walnut in each bite!) my breakfast has been 2 eggs and either bacon or chicken.

GYM: If you didn't know already, I went snowboarding for the first time on Sunday, Valentines day. We hit the pow for about 7hours; needless to say I'm in day 3 of "recovering." I've missed some awesome workouts this week and can't wait to do the 300 workout to see how i've progressed since a few months back!

REFLECTION: so glad I have a favorite snack! so glad that I really enjoy brussel sprouts! I am very excited to try some new paleo recipes, especially spaghetti squash. There's also a mayo recipe that i'd like to try and perhaps mix in with tuna! results TBA!

Day 6

SLEEP: 8 hours

FOOD:
AM - 2 eggs, 3 bacon, 4 cups coffee
snack - 1oz chicken, 1 pear
PM Kristi's Bitch'n Beef Stew ;)
snack - cereal!! walnut, raisin, sunflower seed (no salt added to the nuts!) with 1/2 banana, sprinkle of cinnamon, with a mix of coconut and almond milk.
Wine in the evening.

GYM:
Group AMRAP 10 min - laura, sara, sarah, and me.
I completed 25, 50# snatch w/ laura. We accomplished 52 in 5 minutes. the next 5 minutes we headed for wallball. I completed approximately 65, 14# wallball in 5 minutes. I can't remember our team totals, but we beat the boys. OW OW!


REFLECTION: I felt good about today's workout, and convincing myself to add a bit more weight to the snatch could have been a good idea. The snatch is so much fun to accomplish! I am in transition to the 14lb wall ball, and at first I couldn't get a good throw. After doing 40 of them, I finally got my rhythm and that ball was shooting up to the 8ft (maybe it was the 10ft) mark.

This is how I know I'm not over my "paleo hump," I'm still thinking about all the foods I want to eat on day 46 - pizza, chocolate ice cream, and cereal! Although right now I am drooling at the thought, I am counting on the idea that I'll crave the epitome of "all natural" foods by day 45 rather than cheesy nachos - thanks for the smells, Adam. Some might wonder, why even go through this. And my only answer is that it's the right thing to do. I came across a health link upon signing out of my hotmail account today, and once getting inside, it non-nonchalantly disclosed findings that soda kills the kidneys and sugar can cause diabetes (no brainer). They were being so NICE about the idea that everday food we eat will break down our organs, and it appeared they were sugarcoating it like they were going to hurt someone's feelings. Food kills life and well being - I don't know what else to say.

Day 5

SLEEP: 4.5 hours! Damn late movie.

FOOD:
AM - 2 eggs, 1 bacon, 4 cups coffee
lunch - 3 strawberries, finished last of the chili
PM - 2 eggs, raw broccoli, 2 bacon, handful of bluberries
PM snack off and on - 1 apple, 2 oz chicken, handful almonds, handful of acorn squash

GYM:
rest day

REFLECTION:
AAAHHGH. I'm still hitting the fruit pretty hard. rather than making bountiful meals full of protein and fat, I'm sabotaging this whole paleo thing. I continue to have cravings, especially those awesome sugar cookies with the icing on top; the kids had them at school today for our Valentines party and i ALMOST CAVED. They ate the cookies as slow as possible and it was TORTURE. I've also been awfully grumpy, and have been unusually sleepy around 3-4 each day. I am 1/4 Italian, so those characteristics sort of run in my blood. On another note, I am very pleased with this new-found lifestyle because without it, I would not have had BRUSSEL SPROUTS for the first time with last night's dinner. My parents would be proud to know that my taste buds are maturing. Do you remember sitting at the dinner table for hours after everyone else was excused? Good memories.

Day 3

SLEEP
7 hours

FOOD
All I remember from Day 3 was that I picking food as if i were a lost pigeon. I scrambled some food for dinner consisting of romain lettuce, chopped raw onion, tuna, and a tomato. DO NOT MIX THESE ITEMS TOGETHER. The pineapple surely saved reflexes.

GYM
5 rounds:
12 - 65# pushpress
15 - 10# ball slam
25 - double unders

Time: 27 minutes

HOLY COW. The challenge of this workout was overwhelming. I blame the nap. My emotions ran high as I continued to abuse myself with the black jumprope and attempting 25 double unders amidst 100 singles in between. Although the many obstacles, the push and the prayer is what gets me to the next level.

Day 2

SLEEP: 7 hours

FOOD:
7:30 AM 3 cups coffee, 2 eggs scrambled with cilantro and topped with 1 small tomato.
1:00 PM chili (still spitting the beans and noodles)
5:00 PM chicken, asparagus, handful red grapes
7:00 PM 3 cups coffee (just for fun) with dark chocolate

GYM:
REST DAY

Italian Chicken Recipe - paleofood.com

chicken
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp pepper

Mix all. Add about 3-4 pieces of chicken, turning to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for 8-12 hours for best results; turn it over
occasionally. One hour before serving, heat oven to 450F. Line a baking
sheet with foil, and put chicken on. Put pan in oven, reduce heat to 325F.
Bake 35-45 minutes.

OR, you can do what I did, not marinate over night, leave out the pepper, and bake on a George Foreman until it looks golden brown (err. black). I took laura Moore's advice and baked asparagus rather than, my typical, grilling it; i spread some olive oil around and baked in the toaster oven for 10 minutes (5 minutes was accidentally on "toast" at 350 degrees)- either way, toast or bake, TASTY! Below is a picture of my meal.

Day 1

SLEEP: 7.5 hours

FOOD:
7:30AM hungover from eating 1/4 of a cookie cake, 1 icing overflowing cupcake, 10 deliciously wrapped weenies via Adam, a scoopful of Jeremy's nachos, and 3 ice cold dos equis beers @ last night's superbowl party. Therefore, i made the rare decision to not eat breakfast and only make a few cups of tea.

9:30AM 3 slices of bologna and most likely will not buy more on PALEO, and a tangerine.

11:30AM 2oz chicken, 7 baby carrots, 1 grapefruit

4:00PM leftover superbowl chili *spit beans and noodles out!

8:30PM more chili

GYM:
REST DAY

REVIEW: Today was the first official paleo day. I'm saddened to look at the remaining chocolate cupcakes on the table from our superbowl party - knowing I can't eat them. I have had particular daydreams today, where i'm the cookie monster gathering multiple cupcakes and the icing dyes a blue hue among my cheeks. I fear that this will be typical over the next few days - getting all this sugar out of my system. I am looking forward to this, actually, as I feel like a slave to sugar and processed madness.

*note: yesterday I reached a Deadlift PR of 150lbs. and 10 consective jump rope Double Unders!

Day "-2"

SLEEP: 7hours

FOOD:
8:30AM - 2eggs, 2 strawberries, 3 bacon, 4 cups of coffee w/ almond milk
1:00PM - Handful of potato chips, 1 tangerine
6:00pm - 3 oz. Steak ,salad, MAC and cheese,cinnamon roll and ice cream

GYM:
Warm up - sampson stretch, KB work 18lb
Skill- PR: 6 consecutive double unders
WOD -25:xx minutes - group of 3 members completing 7 rounds of 7 burpees, 7 box jumps, 7 medball cleans.

Why Go Paleo?

The Paleolithic Diet is based on eating foods our Paleolithic ancestors ate. The "Paleolithic" refers to the Paleolithic Age, about 2,600,000 years ago to about 10,000 years ago. The premise is that during the Paleolithic, we evolved a specific genome that has only changed approximately 0.01 per cent in these last 10,000 years. However, during this recent time span mass agriculture, grains/grain products, sugars/sugar products, dairy/dairy products, and a plethora of processed foods have all been introduced as a regular part of the human diet. Research shows that 70% of the average caloric intake of Americans is from foods that did not even exist for our Paleolithic ancestors. This discordance is having tremendously negative health consequences for our society as a whole. We are not eating the foods we are genetically and physiologically adapted to eat (99.9% of our genetic profile is still Paleolithic); and the discordance is an underlying cause for much of the "diseases of civilization", "syndrome X", obesity, and "diseases of old age" that are so epidemic in our society today. - "www.thepaleodiet.com"