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