All You Eeat is Meat...It's Just like Atkins WRONG

So since I am juicing and not eating an official "lunch" today, I am using my lunch break to post. Happy day 3 everyone for those of you doing the 30 Day Paleo Challenge and happy day 2 to me on my 3 Day Juicing/ Detox Challenge (still paleo). I'm not gonna lie, yesterday was rough. My brain kept telling me..."Why aren't you chewing? I don't get any bacon??",but alas I survived my first day of juicing and am on to the next. Thank goodness for accountability partners because I seriously wanted to cave especially after walking into my lunchroom at work and smelling everyone's delicious food. Maybe some of you felt that way these past couple of days doing paleo as something new for you or maybe it was awesome and you are loving it so far (I hope the latter). Either way it's all about commitment to YOUR goals and of course mind over matter. Today I woke up feeling awesome and spent two hours at the gym cycling and lifting weights. If I can turn myself into a workout fiend after previously not being able to run a whole lap without my back hurting a couple years ago, I can handle a little 3 day detox right???

Now on to the real topic of this post. I have been doing paleo about 4 months now and I get a lot of questions. Some of those questions I can answer based on my current knowledge and some I just don't know or haven't learned about yet because as I stated before, I am not an expert. I am doing what works for me. A common question I get is if paleo is focused mainly on meat or if it's just like the Atkins diet. I guess because I am always eating and talking about bacon...it's so darn good! :). Anyway, for those that are curious/ skeptical/ bored/ interested here are a couple links I found regarding the history of paleo and it's comparison to Atkins. I'm sure there are plenty of explanations to be found in various books and other sites but I found these and thought they were cool and fast easy reads. Feel free to post other helpful links you may find. The last one gives a quick rundown but try and read them all or at least do the old college skim!

http://paleosophy.com/a-paleo-visual/

http://ahealthyjourney.ca/paleo-vs-atkins/

http://www.paleoplan.com/2011/11-17/5-ways-the-paleo-diet-is-better-than-atkins/

http://www.paleoplan.com/2012/02-05/what-are-the-foods-on-the-paleo-diet/

http://www.paleoeffect.com/paleo-quick-guide/

SPICY ROASTED CARROT RED PEPPER ALMOND BUTTER SOUP:

Here is a nice meat-free paleo recipe for you guys. Looks yum!

http://www.katiekdid.com/2012/10/11/spicy-roasted-carrot-red-pepper-and-almond-butter-soup/


SOME TIPS TO KEEP YOU GOING!:
1. Plan ahead 
(I can't say this enough)  
2. Make sure every meal has some veggies and fruit
(It's not all about meat)
3. Don't go overboard on the nuts
 (They are meant to be a snack for the most part)
4. Focus on yourself and what you want 
(People may ask you questions that can be discouraging but just know its not about them its about you and what you are choosing for your life)
5. Eat enough food 
(This lifestyle is not calorie counting, its about nutrition. I usually eat 2 to 3 meals plus 1 or 2 snacks depending on what my meal is and how full I feel)
6. If you start don't give up so easy 
(If you fall off the wagon and have something you aren't supposed to have accept it and move on. Commit to yourself to get back on track and avoid the same slip up)
7. Have fun and do things enjoy
(Since you are making more time to change your diet don't forget to make more time for the things you've put on the back burner that you used to enjoy and "don't have time for")
8. Get a scale so you can see what's happening to you over the next 30 days 
(Just do it! :)...Why Not?)
9. Focus more on the lean meats as much as you can
(I should put a tip for myself that says eat less bacon....OOPS! I'm not perfect. And hey, let's not forget it's delicous!)
10. I can't think of anything else right now and break is over...THE END!  

Day 2 Check in

How is everyone doing after their first day? Hope you guys have planned and pre prepped your meals for the week and hopefully those first couple recipes have been helpful thus far. I'm excited so many of you are willing to try it out and looking forward to hearing about and seeing your results. Remember to plan ahead of time if you have a long day or you have an event to go to. If you are going to a restaurant check the menu ahead of time and ask for a gluten free menu to avoid people looking at you crazy when you have food requests. This will also ensure they cook the food to your specifications and also most gluten free items are paleo... just ask what's in it! For the most part you can order a salad without dressing or any meat dish and replace sides with veggies. Just stay away from those sauces. Now that vacation is over and most people are going back to work it'll be harder not to be tempted by junk but stick with it and feel free to ask questions.

I decided to challenge myself for the new year and do a three day juicing cleanse which started today! (I'm cray I know) Still paleo since it's all fruits and veggies but I made sure I read up on all the pros and cons from my juicing book so that I don't have any surprises. I was worried I'd be hungry and not have time to juice in the morning before work so last night I made two days worth of juice and filled my large daily water bottle with my juice of choice. Today I am having beet, radish, grape, carrot, ginger, berry juice. Tomorrow it'll be celery, cucumber, grape, lime, pear juice.

Definitely a challenge this morning not having "food" for breakfast but I am prepared and ready and have some accountability partners in my sisters and my friend Brittnye. Also I will be drinking lots of water and some green tea throughout the day to stay hydrated. I don't recommend any of you guys start juicing detox unless you are prepared and ready. This is my first time and I am doing it for detox purposes moreso than weight loss so we will see how I feel after. As with anything new just always make sure you pay attention to your body and how you feel.

My delicious looking juice pictured below :) hehe

Happy New Year!!! Get Ready and Stay Ready

**POST UPDATED WITH LUNCH AND DINNER AT THE BOTTOM**

Okay guys. This is the first official recipe post for those of you who are ready to start. Was hoping to post this last night but got caught up with New Years festivities!

NOTE: IF YOU ARE DOING THE CHALLENGE PLEASE TAKE PICTURES OF EVERY MEAL TO KEEP YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE 30 DAYS. You can post the photos here and share recipes you liked with everyone, post on facebook, instagram, twitter, or wherever. But at least take a picture for yourself so you have a photo diary of foods you made and enjoyed and would like to make again hopefully :). I'm sure I annoyed several people with all the food photos I've taken but hey it's helped me so who cares!

Hopefully you all have gone grocery shopping already but if not make sure you stay on the outer aisles for the most part. Paleo diet consists of mostly Fruit, Veggies, Nuts, Meats, and no processed foods. Here is what my shopping trip looked like yesterday. From left to right veggies, fruit, coconut water, lean meats, unsalted seasonings, plantain chips etc...

Read the labels and do your best! As I said I will post breakfast lunch and dinner at least once a week maybe more depending on how much time I have but if you read the post before this one I have given several links that will help you get ideas for recipes. If you have any requests from pictures of foods I've posted on Facebook or Instagram please let me know and I will post. Some things you try you will love some things you try you will hate. For me if I didn't like what I experimented with I just didn't make it again or I made it a different way with different flavors. So here we go. If you have any questions or comments please leave them on here in case someone has a similar question. As for those of you wondering what kind of snacks you can eat... please read the previous post and also think about trying Larabars.

They have tons of flavors and are super yummy! My favorite flavor is Cherry Pie. Made with all natural ingredients (usually dates, nuts, and other fruit).  Just don't get the peanut ones because peanuts are not paleo.


BREAKFAST:

Almond Butter Banana Pancakes with Fruit and Greek Yogurt Drizzle

Pancake Recipe:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/almond-banana-pancakes/#axzz26SuD2trR

I enjoyed these very much but hubby and little sister said they could take it or leave it so I say make one serving and see if you like it. If you don't next time try something else. I have also seen recipes for pancakes made using almond flour and coconut flour. I have yet to try but they all look delicious. Or if you like you can use these same ingredients and add a little almond flour or coconut flour. as the recipe says fry in butter but make sure its unsalted butter but if you prefer you can use olive oil or coconut oil.  

Fruit and Greek Yogurt Drizzle:
Gather some blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries (or berries of your choice) and honey flavored Greek yogurt. Take some of the fruit and mash out the juice. If using frozen fruit microwave for about a minute and then mash it with a spoon I get some juice use that to top your pancakes with fresh fruit. Use some of that mashed fruit and combine with Greek yogurt in a blender or food processor to make the drizzle. Place mashed fruit on pancake then drizzle your topping over it if you wanna get funky add some almond slices on top. Yum!

Fast and Easy Egg Scramble with Bacon and Avocado

For those of you looking for an easier more traditional breakfast that's fast or you aren't feeling the ingredients in the pancakes, scramble up some eggs or egg whites with veggies of your choice. I love mushrooms spinach and tomatoes together. Fry up a couple slices of uncured bacon and add some avocado slices to the side. If you choose this option make sure you have a serving of fruit on the side to go with your protein. I usually have a smoothie or a couple clementines and a banana or whatever fruit I have on hand to go along with my eggs and bacon addiction lol. Let me just say bacon is probably one of the best things on earth. Honestly you aren't supposed consume as much bacon a I do but hey it's so darn good and its paleo. My guilty pleasure :). Pictured is one of the breakfasts I made with mushrooms and onions and a side of sliced banana and apple sprinkled with cinnamon and a very LIGHT drizzle of honey.

LUNCH:

This one is simple and doesn't require a lot of prep work. This is a nice go to meal that you can make a lot of ahead of time and just warm up when you are ready. Not a lot of stirring or mixing or watching. The George Foreman and the oven are my friends when I don't want to do a lot on the stove. The combination of cinnamon, chipolte, and butter make this taste amazing. Chrisbert (the husband) really enjoyed this meal yesterday for lunch.

Grilled Chicken and Baked Chipotle Cinnamon Sweet Potato

Ingredients: 

Chicken Breast

Sweet Potato

Avaocado

Fresh and Easy Ground Chipotle Seasoning (you can sub with ground chili or any spice you want like Cumin)

Cinnamon 

Unsalted Butter (optional)

Fresh Parsley

Black Pepper

Sea Salt 

Your Favorite unsalted Seasoning (ie Mrs. Dash)

Directions:

Chicken

Season Chicken with Black Pepper and Mrs. Dash (or any other unsalted seasoning). Grill for a about 10 minutes or so. If you don't have a grill you can bake in the oven or cook in a skillet.Once cooked sprinkle some fresh chopped parsley on top

 Sweet Potato:

Wrap tightly in foil and put oven on about 400 degrees. Bake about 30 minutes or so depending on your oven or until the sweet potato feels soft. Be careful as it bakes some of the juice may come out of the foil so make sure your oven has a piece of foil underneath in case anything drips. Once finished in the oven carefully cut off the skin by putting a single slit down the middle. Take a small amount of unsalted butter and put down the middle (goes great with the cinammon). Sprinkle with cinnamon and Chipotle spice (or whatever spice you have on hand), sprinkle with a dash of sea salt. Sprinkle some fresh chopped Parsley on top. 

Avocado:

Just cut into cubes and add on the side for a delicious dish!

 

DINNER:

Paleo Meatball Veggie Soup

This meal is great for this freakishly cold weather. If you don't want to use red meat you can use ground turkey, ground chicken, or whatever meat you want and make it your own but I was craving beef when I made this and it came out yummy. Also feel free to sub out the veggies I used for the ones you like more.

Ingredients:

Ground Beef (the leanest cut you can find)
Purple Onion
Garlic (I like my breath to stink obviously so I used 5)
Parsnips
Sweet Potato
Butternut Squash
1 box Free range chicken broth (use low sodium if you cant find)
1 can diced unsalted tomatoes
Mrs. Dash
Ground Chipotle (or red pepper flakes will do the trick)
Cumin
Ground Thyme
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
Kale
Olive Oil

Directions:
Chop up your Onion garlic parsnips butternut squash and sweet potato (use as much or as little as you like. there is really no measurement here guys I just took some veggies and threw them in. try one servings worth of each veggie). Season with Mrs. Dash, Cumin, Ground Thyme Black Pepper, and a bit of Sea Salt (you wont need very much). Warm a pot with about two table spoons or so of olive oil on medium heat. Once warm sautee the veggies and stir frequently.

There are two options for the Kale. You can either chop and toss in olive oil and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes on low and throw in last or you can chop it up with the rest of the veggies above and saute together. If you want to use less dishes I say do the later. I just toasted mine to be fancy...lol.

While all your veggies are cooking down take your meat and season with all the seasonings mentioned above and roll into small balls about 1inch circumfrence or less. Warm a skillet on medium heat and place the meatballs in one by one being careful not to turn them so that they get a nice brown coat. Once they start to brown turn them each with a fork. The trick is to season both your meat and your veggies. When you season in layers you get more flavor.

When the meatballs are done continue watching and stirring your veggies and take out the meatballs and place to the side. In the same skillet you had your meat add the chicken broth and stir to get some of the flavor off. Add the can of tomatoes to the veggie mixture and stir.

After about 5 minutes or so of warming the broth transfer it to the same pot that you have the veggies in along with the meatballs. Stir all ingredients together. Let cook together on medium/ high for another 15 minutes or so uncovered then cover and let cook on low for an hour or more to marinate all of the flavors. This should make a few servings for you to have for the next couple of days. You can alternate this for lunch and dinner with the chicken sweet potato recipe. 

Good luck guys! Also make sure you have at least two snacks in between meals like a handful of nuts or a larabar or smoothie to keep you from getting hungry and making bad choices. Remember to please post any questions on here instead of Facebook so everyone can see please. Click to subscribe to my blog so you can see all the updates without having to check. (umm... I am actually not sure how you do that still haha. Still figuring out this tricky blogger).

OK I LIED... ONE MORE UPDATE!
A couple new snacks I tried! One was from last night the other just now. Monique I think you will love the gluten free flax "Cereal". First picture is just tomato avocado lots of black pepper and some fancy pork belly stuff from fresh and easy that tastes like prosciutto eaten with plantain chips instead of crackers. Second is this cereal I bought from fresh and easy said it was gluten wheat and soy free so I decided to try it after googling if I could eat flax seeds. There is some debate but for the most part it's a yes so I bought it. Added cinnamon banana sliced almonds a drizzle of honey and had with some almond milk.

30 Day Paleo Challenge: Starting January 1

Hi everyone. There will be typos in this I'm sure because it's late and I'm trying to post as much as I can before church and being busy tomorrow sorry/not sorry :). This post will hopefully help you get started on your 30 day journey. First let me say that I recommend you do it for 30 days without cheating AT ALL and after that if you enjoy it you can incorporate your cheat must have items here and there. If you can do it for 30 days you can do it for life so don't cheat yourself by cheating. You want to know how your body responds so you can say that it really worked or didn't work or that you hate it or love it. The trick is finding what works for you without feeling like you are missing out on something or going overboard. Also make sure you get some physical activity in 3-5 days a week. I say cardio at least 30 minutes or more combined with some kind of strength training. That can be home workouts Zumba jogging walking whatever. DO SOMETHING! I have weave and a full time job and I still workout lol. Seriously though it is diet AND exercise. One or the other without the combination doesn't give you the best results. You will feel better if you move and do something. With that said here are my tips based on my experiences. Please feel free to venture out and find what you feel is helpful for you.


HELPFUL WEBSITES:

www.tinaturbin.com (She makes AMAZING paleo and gluten free foods and she is super sweet and awesome. You can also follow her on instagram. Her name there is paeloglutenfreerecipes)

nomnompaleo.com (She is also awesome. Some non paleo items in there but still helpful overall and very creative. She is also going to be posting recipes I think daily to help people who are starting this January 1. I just looked at her blog today and yep still delicious. The first few things I made and tried were from her website (egg muffins and spaghetti squash)

google.com (Seriously, if you are not sure if it's paleo... google it. If you have items in your pantry and not sure what to make, google it. If you have an idea of some foods you want to combine...google it...if... okay you get the point right :)) 
 

HELPFUL BOOKS:

I haven't bought any as yet but I have heard good things about these two books (Amazon). 

The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordein, Ph.D.
and
Everyday Paleo


HELPFUL APPS:

Instagram (I have gotten inspired just from typing #paleo and seeing what people posted that they were currently eating. You can always get inspired from a picture and some people are nice enough to share their recipes)

Myfitnesspal (I used this when I was calorie counting but when I started paleo I used it not so much to keep track of my calorie intake but the amount of sodium and protein I was consuming. with paleo you are generally lower in sodium since you are only technically allowed to use sea salt and you are not using a lot of processed foods that have a lot of sodium in them to keep them preserved. Not mandatory but its nice to see how what you are consuming is affecting your weight and energy etc.)

GET A FOOD PROCESSOR:
(not required) You can find a cheap one on Amazon and make yummy desserts and other dishes.

IF YOU HAVE A JUICER, JUICE:
(not required) I just got one and am in love. I try and juice at least once a day. Been doing that for a week and will be doing a 3 day cleanse to challenge myself for the new year.

STILL CONFUSED?:

It's okay. Just do your best and don't try and spend a bunch of money unless you feel like you need to. I shop at Fresh and Easy, Ralphs, and Food 4 Less. I get most of my veggies and fruit from food for less because its cheaper and I'll go to other places for specialty items. Do your best to get grass fed stuff but if you can't just focus on getting that for the red meats and focus on leaner cuts of meat like chicken or focus on the seafood. Always read the labels. If you get bacon get uncured bacon only. If there is a bunch of crap that you don't know. When you go shopping you will skip a lot of aisles. Get used to it. Have fun and check out different people's websites you find. There are a lot of creative people out there on the web. Also if you are interested in workouts my fitness/ paleo inspiration Christina is a certified trainer for Crossfit I can send you her information privately. I can't afford Crossfit but I get plenty of workouts in on my own :).

SCARED YOU CAN'T DO IT?:
Make a list of all the foods you love that you think you can't have. Check and see if they are paleo, if not think of something that you wouldn't substituting with. For example. Anyone that knows me knows that I am in LOOOOVE with french fries. But that's not paleo so when I crave fries I eat plantain chips or taro chips. Dip em en guacamole, salsa, eat it with tuna. Delicious. I love mac and cheese, no substitute for that but if I had a craving for that which was rare in my 30 days I just focused on the results I had so far and told myself it wasn't worth the setback. Are you in love with desserts? Well good news you can eat all the fruit you want in place of all those bad desserts you love. You can also eat some dark chocolate here and there. Or you can try almond butter with apple slices. Smoothies are great too. Try different options before you convince yourself that you need to cheat. You can also message people on here that are doing the challenge and keep each other accountable. If there is food you love and your wondering what you can replace it with ask me and we can think of something to replace it or something for you to do to forget it :).

Okay that's it for now. Goodnight/ good morning!


 

Introduction to Me

Hi. My name is Francia and I am a Social Worker and Paleo-lover. As my coworker Niki would tease me and say when I started this journey..."I've drank the Paleo Kool-aid", and looks like I'm not turning back. It's taken me a long time to go back to blogging. Haven't done this since my undergraduate days when I used to do random rants about classes and my love life (those days are long archived to never see the light of day..haha), but I figure now is as good a time as any to start back up again.

First let me start by saying I am NOT an expert in ANYTHING paleo or fitness related. However, I have had a lot of success and frustrations in my weight loss journey and for the first time I feel motivated enough not just to post about what I am doing but to help someone else who may find this life style a match for them. So, if you are looking for a quick fix or some miracle, I'm not it. Just being me and I thought this would be fun and helpful since I've been posting all of my food and on Instagram and Facebook for all to see anyway :). My hopes for this blog are for continued motivation for myself and  and others and to share with friends and whoever else is interested. If you don't like it...well you can just click the little "x" and be on your way.

So... where do I start??? How and why did I start Paleo?

In September 2011 I was almost 180 lbs. This is after getting myself down to 150 for my wedding in October 2010. So basically I lost 30 lbs for the wedding and gained it all back. I somehow gradually gained weight that I had lost from eating crazy and not caring or having time to care about my health. Some of that weight was gained from a combination of being happy in my marriage which they say is normal where you both gain weight after the wedding but the bulk of that I think was gained from stress and bad eating from working at DCFS. I hated that job with a passion. So much so that I would have anxiety every Sunday night thinking about returning to work the next day. Yes my friends... It's called emotional eating. And although I have a supportive loving husband he can't take a fork away from my mouth lol. Or should I say fries :). So anyway the point is I was gaining weight and getting less and less motivated to shed it off with every lb I gained. My supervisor even thought I was pregnant at one point because my stomach was bulging out. Not cute.

I was unhappy and I needed a change. So I prayed and talked to my husband and decided it was time to quit my job and find a more rewarding one. Left DCFS and started at my current job July 2011 and after a few months I got motivated by my coworker Carla (one of my fitness inspirations) to join a boot camp to jump start my fitness journey again. I joined Los Angeles Adventure Boot Camp for a month on a $40 groupon deal and started hiking 3 days a week. I still ate what I wanted but ate smaller portions and counted calories with Myfitnesspal and that helped me lose 10 lbs I a month. Took me two more months to lose another 10 lbs and I was happy and comfortably plateaued. Worked out for months and months and began to get frustrated that I couldn't lose anymore weight so I just said ok this must be my body's ideal weight since nothing is coming off. I tried working out longer, eating less calories, protein shakes, slim quick (made me feel like I was on PCP and didn't lose a lb or an inch), and finally realized I needed to change my diet.

Flash forward to August 2012 when I got inspired by another friend of mine Christina who does Crossfit and would post these amazing paleo dishes. I was like damn she's eating bacon and she's ripped like that?? I need this diet in my life. So I messaged her asked questions and decided to try it 28 days before my cruise with my husband.

I had been working out consistently for a year anywhere from 5 to 7 days a week and had been annoyed with the lack of progress with my inches and lbs. I started Paleo in September 2012 and decided to just see how I felt and if I would get any results and it kind of turned into a crack addiction lol. I kept trying all these new recipes and losing weight like crazy. First week I lost 7 lbs second week 5 more lbs and it just kept gradually coming of after that. Soon I kinda stopped keeping track because I was just feeling so good about how I looked didn't care how much I weighed as much as I did how my clothing fit. I am down to 138 and a size 4. Haven't seen those numbers since high school early college. I now eat paleo about 90 to 95 % of the time and allow myself a cheat item or two here and there. I can't stop taking about it because I can't believe that I can eat good tasting food and still be healthy and look good. I'm more confident than I have been in years and so that's why I say I have drank the kool-aid. I've posted some before pics I took when I started boot camp sept 2011 (first two pics) and recent pics from this month and last month. I've been same weight for the past month plus or minus a lb. But gaining more lean muscle. I'm flexing in the pics but my goal is have them be like that without flexing eventually :)

This blog I hope will inspire you regardless if paleo is for you or not. Always set your own goals and make sure you set mini goals and not compare to others so you don't get disappointed. As promised I will post recipes probably weekly and do breakfast lunch dinner so people can have options for the week. Look forward to what this will or won't be. Enjoy and thanks for taking the time to read. I will do another post with start up info since this one is too long already. I encourage you guys to take a before pic if you decide to do it. I hated my before pic when I took it but I'm so glad I did because now I look back at it and think wow our bodies can do anything that we allow them to.