30 Day Paleo Challenge - Week 4

Egg Salad Wraps

I'm on my final week of my paleo challenge and I feel amazing! It is great to be on track mentally and in the kitchen. We have refined the recipe selection so that our meals don't get too repetitive, but our usual ingredients can be put to good use. We always have a goal to eat healthy while keeping our wallets full of monies. :)

Our meal mainstays:

• Egg bake or scramble
• Tuna, turkey, or egg salad
• Meatloaf or meatballs - beef, turkey, chicken, or combo
• Marinated Slaw - any combination of cabbage, carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, fresh herbs, and occassionally nuts and dried fruits
• Taco wraps - ground meat, homemade taco seasoning, greens for wrap
• Soups - carrot, pumpkin, pear, apple, or any combination of veggies and meat along with homemade stocks and seasonings.
• Chili 
• Stir Fry or curries
• Baked or grilled fish - right now we have plenty of salmon straight from Alaska. We also buy tilapia, tuna, flounder, or any other fish that's on sale.
• Smoothies - fruits, flax meal, and greens (primarily kale). We add primal fuel when weightlifting and working out. 
• Homemade pasta sauce and spaghetti squash. We will also try our hand at veggie noodles in the form of zucchini/yellow squash as well as onion, etc.
• Salads, salads, salads. Using dressing comprised of either oils and freshly squeezed citrus juices or my favorite Paleo Dressing.

Other meal items that are meant to be eaten only on occasion:

• Muffins. Using nut and coconut flours and honey or agave nectar for sweetener. Fruits can also be used as a sweetening agent. 
• Trail Mix
• Bacon, sausage
• Uncured, natural chicken hot dogs
• Dark chocolate
• Beans - usually in the form of hummus or additional protein in chilis or soups.
• Yogurts - probiotics

I certainly have other meal ideas and recipe adaptations I plan to test in my kitchen and with the husband. Our meal plans will continue to shift and improve. Now that we have a remodeled kitchen, it has only gotten easier for us to prepare a weeks worth of food together. (Before and after photos to come!!)

30 Day Paleo Challenge - Week 3

It's finally fall! Cooler weather and pumpkins. Yes, please.

I can't believe it is already October! It feels like we just began 2011 not too long ago. I am happy to see summer in the rear view mirror, though. The 100+ degree days really get old.

One of my favorite things about fall, besides the cooler weather, is winter squash! Acorn, butternut, and pumpkin are wonderful in soups or baked and eaten plain!

Now on to this week's food:

Over the weekend I made the best chicken salad I've ever eat...if I do say so myself! :)

I used a new mayonnaise I found at Market Street that's made from Omega 3 Flax Oil. I have made my own mayo before with some success. (Although I've also made my fair share of liquid, soupy-like batches where I was apparently far too impatient with the oil pouring!) While this mayo isn't 100% paleo, there are few ingredients in comparison to regular mayo that worry me with the main one being Sea Salt. The sodium levels are low and I use it for a bit of creaminess in a large batch of meat-based salad.

Chicken Salad - chicken thighs (diced), mayo, mustard, mustard seed, celery seed, dried cranberries

Also for the week, we made:
Pumpkin Cranberry "Muffins" w/almond and coconut flours. I used the canned pumpkin variety.
Tamarind chicken stir fry with breast tenders, onions, red and green peppers, and mushrooms
Tuna Salad w/hard boiled eggs

I plan to make a salmon dish with the wild-caught (by my father in law) alaskan Coho in my freezer! Even my cousin who doesn't like fish doesn't turn his nose up at that! (Even if he said it was just "ok" :P)

Day # 15 - Monday, October 3
Breakfast
Pumpkin Muffin
Chicken Salad

Lunch - Indian
Chicken Tikka Masala
Carrot Aloo Gobi

Workout
I have an ankle injury from being just plain clumsy. I do need to do some ankle strengthening, though!
I did a core- and arm-centric workout.

Warm-up on bench - 45lbsx5x2, 50.5lbsx5
Exercise - 5 Pullups (with 2 blue and 1 pink band), 20 situps (abmat), Bench 56lbsx5 for 3 rounds for time
Time - 6:59

Dinner
Smoothie - banana, avocado, mustard greens, frozen strawberries, flaxmeal, primal fuel
Spaghetti Squash w/homemade meat sauce

Day #16 - Tuesday, October 4
Breakfast
Pumpkin Muffin
Hard-boiled Egg
Few tablespoons Tuna salad

Lunch
Pork Tenderloin (previously mentioned, marinated and pressure cooked)
Minneola Tangelo

Dinner
TBD

Rest of Week 2 of Challenge - Round 2

A perfectly sweet watermelon is one of
my all-time favorite fruits!

Day #10 - Wednesday, September 28
Breakfast
Egg Bake
Banana

Lunch
Sushi - Mostly the riceless variety with cucumber wrap. I did have a roll with strawberry, crab, etc.

Dinner
Chicken uncured, no preservatives "hot dogs" w/lettuce wrap and tomatoes
Watermelon

Day #11 - Thursday, September 29
Breakfast
Egg Bake
Nectarine

Lunch
Chicken hot dog w/lettuce wrap and tomatoes
Banana

Dinner
Baked Salmon w/onions and peppers
I also cooked some pork tenderloin marinaded in natural orange juice, salsa, and ginger as well as chicken thighs. I sampled them both as part of dinner. Both cooked wonderfully in the pressure cooker!! Moist and tender. Mmmm
Watermelon
Larabar - cherry pie (dates, cherries, almonds)

Day #9 of Challenge - Round 2

Tuesday, September 27
Breakfast
Egg Bake

Lunch
Tuna salad w/lettuce wraps and salsa

Workout: 
Double under practice
Run 2.6 miles (To pet store and back), took about 30 min total including getting cat treats. :)

Dinner
Smoothie - banana, kale, frozen strawberries, primal fuel, flax seed meal
Chicken Hot dogs (not cured, etc) - wrapped in lettuce
Watermelon

Weekend #1 of Challenge - Round 2

This was one of my more successful weekends so far!
My favorite dish we made was a stir fry . I first cooked boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the pressure cooker. Then I stir fried onions, peppers, fresh green beans, red and green cabbage. We made a sauce out of (mostly) stock from the pressure cooker and tamarind concentrate. Delicious!

For the week we made:

• Tuna Salad - omega 3 flax mayo, lemon juice, hard boiled egg, spices
• Spaghetti Squash w/meat sauce 
• Baked Salmon
• Taco Egg bake - bacon, onion, pepper, homemade taco seasoning
• Plenty of fruits and veggies for snacking!

I still have a pork tenderloin and chicken thighs that need cooking. I plan to do that tonight or tomorrow! I will likely marinade the pork tenderloin prior to searing and baking it. 

Day #8, Monday, September 26

Breakfast

Scrambled Eggs

Turkey sausage patty

Lunch - Salad Bar

Giant salad - greens, tomato, jalapenos, grated beets, squash, carrot, chipotle dressing

Meatball soup

1/2 small sweet potato w/ bacon, chives and salsa

Dinner

Spaghetti Squash

Meat Sauce - beef, onion, pepper, spices, tomato sauce (no salt added)

Day #4 of Challenge - Round 2

Thursday, September 22
Breakfast
Sausage
Grapes
Banana

Lunch
Meatloaf w/hardcooked egg
Salad - greens, slaw, EVOO
Nectarine

Dinner - Event directly after work
Wraps - I had very little, and I removed the cheese. It was mostly turkey or ham.
1 mini cupcake

After I came home at 9pm I was still hungry, so I ate some tuna salad.

I think I'll suggest that they provide a veggie or fruit tray next time! It's relatively inexpensive to do yourself and not many people touch it. I'd be happy, though!

Day #3 of Challenge - Round 2

Tuna salad with nori wrap

Wednesday, September 21
Breakfast
Nectarine
Banana

Lunch
Meatloaf
2 Hard boiled eggs
Slaw

Workout - I practiced air squats with a dowel rod. I'm taking a step back to perfect my form and improve my flexibility before adding weight back. I also did press 45x5x3 and pullups with 2 blue bands and a pink band: 6,5,4 reps.

Dinner
Smoothie - banana, kale, frozen raspberries, flax seed meal, and primal fuel
Tuna Nori wrap
Slaw

Day #2 of Challenge - Round 2

Nori

Yesterday I prepared multiple dishes for the week:
Meatloaf - grass-fed beef, onion, carrot, parsley, cilantro, spices

Slaw - red & green cabbage, carrot, parsley, cilantro, lemon juice & zest, mustard & celery seed

Tuna Salad - tuna, hard boiled egg, mustard, chow chow (cabbage relish), dab of mayo, pepper, paprika

Last night the husband had a great idea to pick up some Nori on the way home. We generally use lettuce wraps as you've maybe seen in past posts, but Nori would be a great structurally sound AND delicious alternative. Nori is rather nutritious as well with about ¹⁄₃ protein and ¹⁄₃ dietary fiber. It contains high proportions of iodine, carotene, vitamins A, B and C, as well as significant amounts of calcium and iron. For those of you who are unaware of nori, it is a seaweed product that resembles paper. It is created much like paper, where seaweed is shredded and dried on a rack. It is most notably used as a wrapper for sushi rolls. I think tonight we will have tuna wraps for dinner; I'm looking forward to it!


Tuesday, September 21
Breakfast
Scramble
Grapes

Lunch
Salad - greens, chicken, hard boiled egg, sprouts, tomato, carrot, evoo, splash balsamic
Handful of nuts

Workout
Ran around 2.2 miles, not sure on time

Dinner
Smoothie - banana, kale, frozen raspberries, primal fuel, flaxseed meal
Meatloaf
Slaw

Day #1 of Challenge - Round 2

Amazing weather and view!

Now it is time to double my efforts!! We went to San Francisco last weekend and had an amazing time. We made no real effort to stick to paleo while we were there, so I'm even more ready for another challenge.
We have another vacation to Pennsylvania to visit family in 30 days, so it lines up perfectly!

Day 1, September 19
Breakfast

Scrambled Eggs

1 Sausage patty

Banana

Lunch
Salad - spring mix, chicken, jalapeno, onions, peppers, black beans, guacamole, ancho dressing
Handful of nuts

Workout - Ran solo 1.15 miles in 13:49, then ran with a friend 1.25 miles in 12:31. The weather outside was amazing, so it felt great to run again. I also did a few things in the weight room, a couple deadlifts, bench press, and ab wheel.

Dinner
Smoothie - nectarine, kale, frozen raspberries, flax meal, primal fuel
Scramble - eggs, onion, pepper, sausage, garlic, spices
Yogurt 

30 Day Paleo Challenge Update

Goodness, it's been a while since I posted during my challenge! We are such busy people with multiple jobs and real estate investing. It's no excuse to stop blogging! We've done fairly well, but now that I am near the end and about to leave town, I feel the need to go another round of the challenge. So, I have decided that I will begin round 2 on Monday, September 19th.

Here's my food from Wednesday, September 7th, Day #22

Breakfast
Hard Boiled Egg
Red Grapes

Lunch
Chicken Thighs
Carrot Broccoli Salad
Fruit salad

Dinner
Ground Chicken stew w/Spaghetti Squash "noodles"

I made a giant batch of the chicken stew with squash noodles and we ate that throughout the week. I brought the last portion for lunch today. For breakfast the last few days I had a primal fuel shake with just water.

Holiday Weekend - 30 Day Paleo Challenge

Days 17-20, Labor Day weekend

Ader Bumper Plates

The husband and I had plenty of paleo food throughout the weekend. Boiled eggs became tuna salad, beef tacos were combined with freshly cooked chicken thighs. (2 meats are better than 1!) We did attend multiple family get-togethers and ate open meals. We brought a fruit salad to both -- improving the selection!

On Sunday we purchased rubber Olympic-style bumper plates. For the last few months we've been using stacked metal plates to raise the bar high enough for the deadlift. This was inviting crushed fingers and wasted strength! It was time to get the real thing. We bought 160lbs of Ader bumper plates, 2-10s, 2-25s, and 2-45s. They are all the same circumference so no matter the weight, it's always the same height.

We had a very successful workout day yesterday. Due to the over-100 temps for over 2 months, we have not ran in that long. On Monday, though, a cold front swept through north Texas and it was 75 degrees in the morning! We went for a jog around 10am -- 1.6 miles.

Then in the evening, around 4pm, we did our regular Starting Strength workout. It was an A day with Squat, Bench, and Deadlift. I deadlifted 100lbs, and I'm almost back to where I was prior to starting over. I felt amazing after!

For today, Tuesday, September 6th, Day #21 of the Challenge:

Breakfast
Hard Boiled Egg
Fruit Salad - Watermelon, pineapple, grape, strawberry, mango

Lunch
Stir Fry - chicken, broccoli, sprouts, carrot, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, squash, mushrooms
Carrot Broccoli Salad
Rest of fruit salad

Dinner
Chicken Pad Thai

Day #16 - 30 Day Paleo Challenge

Wednesday, August 31

Breakfast
Hard Boiled Egg
Pear
Coffee

Lunch
Husband had a craving for Indian food, and I gave in! Yum.
Buffet-style: Tikka Masala, Mushroom Mutter, Veg and Chicken Manchurian
Nectarine

Workout - Starting Strength
Post-Workout Smoothie - banana, turnip greens, frozen strawberries, primal fuel, flaxseed meal

Dinner
Beef Tacos
Trail Mix - Pepitas, Almonds, Dried Cranberries, Raisins

Day #15 - 30 Day Paleo Challenge

Example of past green tacos!
Accoutrements in the background.

Day #15 - Tuesday, August 30

Breakfast
Hard Boiled Egg
Coffee

Lunch
Meatloaf
Carrot Squash Soup
Cherries

Dinner
Beef Tacos w/romaine shells - sauteed peppers and onions with homemade taco seasoning
Nectarine
1 Prune

I really love the usage of greens where grains are traditionally used. Usually the purpose of a tortilla or piece of bread is to hold together various ingredients so you can eat them with your hand as one creation. Greens easily serve this purpose. Romaine works really well for taco shells due to the shape how it folds perfectly down the middle.

Weekend - 30 Day Paleo Challenge

We did a lot of eating and cooking at home, but definitely met our limit of 2 open meals during the weekend! There's something about 110 degree weather that influences your desire to cook food. Enough of the excuses!

Sunday evening I prepared meals for the week:

Paleo Meatloaf - This was yet another modification of my normal recipe. I attempted to stretch it by added about a cup of almond meal. However, my ratio of veggies, meat, and egg ended up being insufficient for the structural integrity of the meatloaf! Once I work on it further, I'll share my recipe. I did use all turkey this time, which perhaps made a difference as well. 

Carrot Broccoli Salad - Much like last week. My husband loved it so much that I decided to make a giant batch. I used about 18 carrots and a huge head of broccoli. 

Hard Boiled Eggs - I will make a tuna salad out of a few eggs to be eaten with Romaine wraps. 

Carrot Squash Soup - It's a bit crazy making soup when it's so hot, but it was the easiest to make. I baked acorn squash and sliced carrots. The carrots were covered in coconut oil and ginger during the baking process. I sauteed onions in coconut oil, added turmeric and ginger, then chicken stock from cooking chicken thighs last week. After adding about a cup of coconut milk. this creamy soup turned out great! It wasn't too watery! Instead perfectly hearty.

I also have bok choy, turnip greens, and various other vegetables. I'll need to go to the store on Tuesday or Wednesday to supplement our fruits and veggies.

Day #14 - Monday, August 29

Breakfast
Hard Boiled Egg
Nectarine
Coffee

Lunch
Turkey Meatloaf
Carrot Squash Soup
Pear

Workout - Starting Strength
Post Workout Smoothie - banana, turnip greens, frozen strawberries, dark chocolate primal fuel, flaxseed meal

Dinner
Hamburger w/romaine wraps

Day #10 - 30 Day Paleo Challenge

Thursday, August 25

Breakfast
Watermelon, Pineapple

Lunch
1.5 Chicken Thigh
Chicken Veggie Soup
Salad - Green leaf lettuce, turnip greens, tomatoes, green pepper, pepitas (raw), dried cranberries, oil

Dinner - Cheat-o-rama
Pizza, Beer

The great week broke down last night when we had no meal planned and nearly all pre-made food gone. I didn't get home until nearly 7 and we've been working a second job each night this week. Our willpower had finally clocked out and we ordered pizza and had a beer! I won't let it deter me from forging on and trying my very best to keep the eating clean!

Day #9 - 30 Day Paleo Challenge

Deelish Egg Bake

Wednesday, August 24

Breakfast
Egg Bake
Coffee

Lunch
Meatloaf
Carrot Broccoli Salad
1/2 Pear
Honey Dew & Cantaloupe





Warm up - Run 400m
Starting Strength Workout - Squat (58lbsx5x3), Bench Press (53lbx5x3), Deadlift (83.5lbx5)

After Workout
Smoothie - Mango, banana, kale, turnip greens, frozen strawberries, flaxeed meal, Vanilla Primal Fuel

Dinner
Meatloaf
All Beef Hot Dog (last one from the trip)
Grapes

Day #8 - 30 Day Paleo Challenge

Mmm...dinner.

Breakfast

1.5 hard boiled eggs

Lunch
Meatloaf
Beef vegetable soup
Slaw
Plum

Dinner
Egg Bake
Carrot Broccoli Salad
Strawberry Fruit Bar (cold treat - 100% fruit)
2 Dried Dates

Day #7 - 30 Day Paleo Challenge

Meatloaf Mix-ins

After my trip, I did notice that when I ate grains and non "food" items, my digestion slowed to a halt. I am feeling rather down and out today, but I am not sure if I can attribute it all to my cheat meals.

Monday night I prepared a few large dishes for the week:

My Paleo Correct Meatloaf - This is a modified version of a recipe found in the The Paleo Diet book by Loren Cordain. I used yellow onion, green pepper, broccoli, grated carrot, parsley, 4 eggs, 1.5 lbs ground beef and 1 lb of ground turkey. I also used my own mixture of spices which included cumin, paprika, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.

Egg Bake - 6 eggs, 1/2 lb ground beef, onion, green pepper, grated carrot, black pepper and cayenne.

Carrot Broccoli Salad - I used my amazing Saladmaster machine to grate 7 carrots and a couple broccoli stems. I added broccoli florets, raisins, almond slivers, and a tahini lemon dressing. This is my take on the popular mayonnaise-laden broccoli salad. The only thing missing is bacon. Bacon makes everything better. Except maybe ice cream.


Day #7 Food - Monday, August 22

Breakfast
Activia Greek Yogurt (aid digenstion)
All Beef Hot dog

Lunch
Turkey sandwich
Banana

Dinner
Meatloaf
Slaw
Trail Mix

Vacation Weekend - 30 Day Paleo Challenge

My husband and 2 younger siblings (brother, 20 years old, and sister, 17 years old) traveled to New Braunfels, TX to stay and play at Schlitterbahn Waterpark.

Since this trip coincided with the beginning of this challenge, I planned quite a few meals and snacks that would be paleo friendly. After completing some research for ideas and inspiration here's what I packed:

• Dozen hard boiled eggs
• All beef hot dogs
• Ham and Turkey
• Canned Tuna
• 2 heads of lettuce for wraps
• Tomatoes
• Condiments (lower sodium options)
• Dried veggie chips
• Beef and Pork jerky
• Homemade trail mix - pumpkin seeds, walnuts, almonds, dried cranberries, golden raisins
• Dried Figs
• Dark chocolate
• Fruit - nectarines, bananas, plums

We also brought some red wine and light beer as well.

While we did have open meals while we were out on the road including some Czech kolaches and a meal at Cracker Barrel, I am proud to have attempted a paleo road trip. This success fuels the flame for this week!

Day #3 - 30 Day Paleo Challenge

At work I am constantly presented with the opportunity to indulge in all sort of non-food treats. Donuts, breads, candy, cakes and yesterday -- ICE CREAM!

I recently read any article about dirty eating on a wonderful healthy living blog called Whole 9 Life.

It speaks to cheats in a no none-sense manner, which I appreciate! However, there was one part in particular resonated with me the most:

"Eat something because you want it, and because it’s special… not just because it’s there. Say someone brings donuts in to the office. You look at the plate and think, donuts are here. You could eat a donut. But you can have donuts any time you want. "

My work is one of the few environments where I'm constantly surrounded by junk food, so it really helps to get my "head right" any time I'm feeling that will power wane.

I am a part of the activities committee at my work and we held an ice cream social  yesterday. I attended the ice cream station for about 30 minutes and I'm proud to say that I did NOT eat any ice cream or popsicles. I had various people ask me, "don't you like ice cream??" to which I replied with something rather off topic. I don't like to rattle on about my diet choices when the person I'm speaking to is doing exactly opposite of what I believe.

While it might seem rather silly to take victory in refusing ice cream once, true success is the culmination of 1000 little victories. Thank you, Nate for that little tidbit and thanks to Whole 9, for keeping my head in the game!!

Breakfast
Scrambled Eggs
1 small sausage

It is not ideal to be eating sausage often due to many unknown ingredients. We will be prepared with healthier meat options next week.

Snack
Banana, dab of peanut butter

I need to bring some almond butter to work for the occasional snack! Peanuts are considered legumes rather than seeds or nuts. Legumes have an inferior protein to meat and therefore are generally not included in the Paleo diet. There are other reasons which I will discuss later.

Lunch
Slaw (from yesterday)
Hard Boiled Egg
Grapes

Dinner
TBD