ONE YEAR!

I started this blog one year ago today!  A lot has changed in the last year.  I don't even know where to start!  So... let's look at some of my early goals:

• Eat 125-150g of protein/day - I've actually come back to and am still working on this one.  I started tracking my intake again about 6-7 weeks ago and found that I was getting around 70g of protein a day.  I have since upped my protein to at least 100g/day and increased my calories as well.
• Eat 20-25g fiber/day - I don't find this one to be as important anymore, but I've been getting anywhere from 15 to 20g/day
• get most (if not all) of my carbs from fruits & veggies -I've done spectacular on this (especially since doing Whole30s)!  I do go through stages where I eat some candy or honey, but most days my only carb sources are fruits & veggies (including starches like sweet potatoes!).  I have allowed for rice ocassionally when dining out.
• continue to avoid artificial sweeteners -This is a no-brainer.  I don't use any artificial sweeteners or drink or eat anything with them in it.  I'd rather have refined sugar than artificial, but I mostly opt for fruit or honey for sweetening.
• continue trying new foods -Yep!  Still trying new things all the time :)
• feel good about the changes I am making :) -Totally!
• read new material about paleo every day (this should be an easy one!) -Everyday I read material about nutrition and health both on the internet and in books.  I'm currently reading The End of Overeating by David A. Kessler, MD as well as Primal Body - Primal Mind by Nora Gedgaudas.  Both are great reads!!!!  

October 2011               August 2012                 February 2013

So, here are some new goals:

• Continue to PR at CrossFit and my 5ks
• Keep trying new food
• Keep educating myself and keeping an open mind about nutrition and health
• Keep inspiring others to take control of their own health through nutrition & fitness

So... that's it folks!  It's been a great year and I look forward to many many more!  Thanks for hanging out with me this year!  

Whole Foods

As I mentioned in my previous post about traveling, I ended my trip with a visit to Whole Foods in Nashville.  As you can see, I brought home a load of stuff.  The total bill was over $80 (ouch), but I mostly bought things that I cannot find in my city.  

This stuff is so freaking delicious that I jumped
on the internet after we tried it to see if there are
any places closer that I can get it.  Turns out
there is!  I have a co-worker picking up 4 jars for
me next week :) :) :)

Let's take a closer look at some of these items...

I got this because I have heard read so many recipes that go on and on about how wonderful it is.  I have no idea how I'm going touse it yet, but it's in my freezer waiting...

These were ok, but I like homemade better.

Of course this was amazing!

Another item that I have no clue how I am
going to use.  I was searching for palm oil
and never found it, but came home with this.

I also got 4 half pound packages of KerryGold butter.  It was almost half the price of what I pay locally.  I put that in my freezer too.  I bought medjool dates because I have a lot of recipes that call for them and have never seen them locally.  I probably need to use them soon.  The Kombucha was great! At least the berry one was.  The citrus was just ok.  I also bought raw goats milk cheese, which was just ok.  Cheese isn't wasn't I use to think it was.  I can live without it.

Reflections...

Photo Credit: www.blog.zap2it.com

Have you all seen this commercial for the new Cool RanchDoritos Taco at Taco Bell?  I watched it the other day and thought about how when I was a teen/young adult, I thought Cool Ranch Doritos were the tastiest thing on earth!  Now I probably wouldn't touch them with a 10’ pole. I've been learning so much about how these types of foods are engineered to our tastes and to make our brains react in a way that we want more, more more!  I am currently reading “The End ofOvereating” by David A. Kessler, MD. and it’s driving that point home even more. 

The further I get away from the processed foods, the more I wish I would I have known these things sooner.  Like 10 years ago would have been nice (maybe I would have never become overweight.)  Or even to have been raised eating real food would have been awesome.  My parents were not overly-dependent on processed foods when I was growing up, but once I was old enough to make my own decisions about what to eat, I made terrible ones and nobody told me differently.  If they had, I probably wouldn't have listened anyway. 

Of course, those years I did Weight Watchers, I lived off Smart Ones frozen “meals”, Slimfast shakes and Campbell’s "soup to go".  I guess we all have our “gateway” foods that (hopefully) get us on a path to better health.  As I sit here fluctuating between 5lbs of bodyweight and a percent or two of body fat, my biggest concern is this:

WILL I KEEP IT OFF THIS TIME?

I feel like I could never go back to eating a lot (or even very much more than a little) of processed foods and I don’t think I’ll ever go back to eating gluten grains or refined sugar, but what if I do?  What if this isn't the “be all, end all” that I think and hope that it is?  Then what?  I have already come to the conclusion that I will need to change things up as I go.  My body has different needs when I am trying to maintain vs. when I am trying to lose.  I just hope I don’t ever get out of control and pack on 30-45 lbs again.  You hear it all over the place: “Paleo isn't a diet, it’s a lifestyle”.  Hubs and I are even guilty of saying it.  I just hope we’re right…

Paleo Gurl Travels

I took a little road trip this weekend.  On my way out the door I grabbed a few things to help me stay Paleo(ish) while on vacation:

Avocado, Cahsew Cookie Larabars, Homemade Grass-Fed Beef
Jerky,Clementine, Apple, Plain Almonds

I was a little nervous about how I would eat while I was staying with my friend and her family.  You see she's an incredible cook and I always loved her cooking, but her cooking style doesn't fit with my new (it's been a year now!) way of eating.  It turned out that she was nervous about "feeding me" too.  Everything went just fine.  We met at the Tennessee aquarium in Chattanooga and had a great time seeing the sights there.

Afterward, we ended up at an O'Charleys where I had a Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon with asparagus!  I did also have a couple of pickle chips :)  The next day she made me eggs for breakfast and I shared my avocado with this handsome little man:

 

I snacked on my fruit & jerky for lunch and for dinner we ended up at the Hard Rock Cafe in Atlanta where I enjoyed this:

Smokehouse Chop Salad

I also had a fruity alcoholic drink and some french fries with ranch dressing (not perfect paleo, but so worth it!).  

On my way home yesterday I stopped for eggs, hashbrowns and bacon.  I also stopped at Whole Foods in Nashville and will feature another post about that tomorrow!  The stress of driving in bad weather got to me and I ended up stopping at an Arby's on the way back.  I ate the roast beef (no bun) and a small curly fry.  Needless to say, today I feel the need to get back on track!  Been drinking plenty of water and eating "clean"!  

Happy Birthday (cookies) to Me!

I made these incredibly easy and tasty cookies from Fast Paleo to share with my co-workers for my Birthday.  OMG!  YUM!  I used Simple Truth organic dark chocolate chips (rather than those njoy life chips that all the paleo peeps seem so fond of).  The Simple Truth chips are larger and tastier.  Oh yeah and half the price.  I like them better.  End of story.  

 This is the My Fitness Pal output per cookie:


Not bad for a COOKIE!

Catching up & Skillet Taco Pie

The Healthy Snack table at work.  Yours Truly is in charge of
shopping for and buying the snacks :)  Lookin' good!

It's been over a month!  Have ya'll missed me?! A LOT has happened since I was on here last.

CrossFit Jackson Nutrition Challenge:

At the 4-week point (Feb 2nd) we all climbed back on the bodyfat scale to see our results.  I was shocked and proud to have lost 2.9%!!!!!  In only 26 days.  Pretty good for short little 130lb woman (126 now).  Now for the REALLY exciting part....

HUSBAND won the 4-week challenge!  That's right.  He lost 3.8% body fat in a mere 4 weeks!  How awesome is that?!

There are now 3 weeks left in the challenge.  I'm excited to see how we both do in the WOD and total fat loss.  

Our Whole45/5/17:

This got a little jacked up. My mom and step-dad made a last-minute trip to see us.  So, it ended up being a Whole39.  Since I'm still making paleo treats for my birthday, it will still be another Whole19 starting Wednesday.  Although I have trip planned to visit friends in 2 weeks and I won't be completely in control of what I eat.  Ok, that didn't sound right.  I'll be staying at their house, so it's possible that I might end up having to eat some off-plan things.  I'm going to stay away from dairy & gluten though.

Ok, so here's the recipe folks!  I made this last night.  It was really good.  I reheated some for lunch today, and it's still good, so it passes the test as far as I'm concerned :)

Skillet Taco Pie
By: The Cave Girl Dish

Crust before baking

Crust after baking

The crust is pretty good, but could maybe use a little more spice or salt?

The final product was good!  I even made my own guacamole to top it with!  When I make it again, I might try using 3 eggs to make the meat hold together a little more.  I sauteed onions, peppers & tomatoes after I put the pie in the oven and then when there was 10 minutes left, I added them on top and let them finish cooking on the pie.

Final Product!

WholeLife 2013

I'll be honest, the whole Paleo + Zone thing isn't working out real well.  I've fallen back to just eating Whole30 style and not worrying about my Protein/Carb/Fat ratio at meal times.  Many of the dishes that I prepare are filled with veggies, good proteins and good fats to begin with.

Since the challenge at our box is 9 weeks long, we thought about doing the Whole30 for the entire 9 weeks.  Then I decided that I was NOT going to miss out on trying new paleo treats for my birthday (mid-February).  So... I plan to do a Whole45, then take a 5 day "break" (allowing for paleo birthday treats and GF alcohol) followed by another Whole17.  That will get us to the end of the nutrition challenge!  All with the intention of reducing my body fat percentage.  

Here's what this is gonna look like:

Jan 1 thru Feb 15 (until the evening) - Whole30

Feb 15 (evening) thru Feb 19 (my birthday) - Paleo

Feb 20 thru March 9 - Whole30

After that, it's back to paleo!

After all that, I still plan to do a few more Whole30s throughout the year.  Possibly in May next.  I started a Facebook Group for those doing the Whole30 in January with me, but changed it to include all of 2013, so join in anytime!  There's plenty of support and experience on that page!