Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a great Halloween- our's was a blast, and after all the ado last week over our dogs' anxiety we had TWO trick-or-treaters. Kind of a relief but kind of sad!
You may have noticed (or not noticed) that there have been waaay less recipes on here. This is because I have been soooo bored with clean eating. Boredom = distraction = lots of cheating. Then a doctor's appointment during this bored period in which I was weighed and have gained 15 lbs since this time last year = time for a change. So in this house, we're going paleo! Harrison and I both want to be healthy and on track for the wedding and we both like a good challenge so here we go!
First thing's first- what IS paleo? Thanks to Pinterest I found a handy infographic from e-meals to explain:
How is this different from clean eating? Emeals has yet another helpful infographic:
I also got this scale on Amazon (gasp! my first scale ever!) and we're both going to weigh in every week. I have really mixed feelings about weigh ins, but my doctor's appointment made me realize that things had gotten further out of hand than I realized and I need a littttlleee more accountability.
So here's the new routine, and what will be on the blog (at least on Mondays and Tuesdays)
1. Weekly Weigh ins
2. Weekly meal planning and grocery lists
3. Exercising 5 days/week
Here is what our Week 1 meal plan looks like (we are going to Richmond for my 10 year reunion sooo that might be a cheat day at least..):
Recipes coming this and next week! Some are from Pinterest which you can find on my Paleo Project board !
Have you done paleo? What are your favorite resources? Do you have a favorite paleo meal I should try?
I have run out of creativity with clean eating. I can't come up with any new ideas, and the thought of more turkey/quinoa/chicken/beans is just not appealing right now. Thankfully it's 2014 and the interwebs are full of inspiration and recipes to keep me going, here are a few of my favs:
Bloggers:
Whole Foods New Body. Ashley is a busy mom and her recipes involve simple, clean ingredients that you can find at any grocery store. My favorite feature of her's is What I Ate Wednesdays where she posts everything she eats with either a description or a link to the simple recipes.
Fit Men Cook: Harrison actually introduced me to this guy because he posts clean recipes all over Instagram, he's buff, and he makes it seem like clean eating is a cool thing that buff men do, not just a girly fad diet (which is why Harrison was so anti-clean eating at first). Again, simple ingredients and quick recipes.
The Iron You: This guy has a lot of creative and funky recipes. Not always the simplest ingredients but I get creative and substitute ingredients when I don't feel like running to Whole Foods.
Popular Paleo: This girl has tonssss of awesome recipes and they're all nicely categorized on her site. Most paleo recipes are clean so I just cook whatever she says is good haha!
Instagram Accounts: Instagram is also a great way to get recipes. These people post pix with their recipes and they're usually pretty simple recipes (simple enough to fit into an Instagram caption at least).
I get emails and comments asking a lot of questions about clean eating that I have no idea how to answer because I'm not certified in anything food related- I'm just a total nerd who loves to look at data, read research, and experiment in the kitchen. SO when I was at the happiest reunion of my life last week in ATLI forced convinced one of my college franz Carolyn, who is also a real life Registered Nutrition Dietitian, to answer some of these questions.
Bonus: she is hilarious and really needs to have her own blog. For now you can check out her websitethat has informational videos and services. She specializes in weight management for men and women with a focus on real, unprocessed foods (umm hello yes!) and offers all kinds of services like cooking classes, nutrition counseling, grocery store tours, or you can go to her Battalion Boot Camp class (scary!). Check out here services here. AND she's on TV just look:
Now onto the questions:
Q: What kind of meats should I be eating? CB: I do think that meat is a place to splurge rather than save. Organic meats will be free of hormones and antibiotics which is great, but to ensure the highest quality you want to look for pasture-raised (for any meat) or grass-fed (for beef). This is NOT the same as "free range" or "cage free".
Animals raised on pasture have healthier fats, including a fatty acid called CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) which can actually help to reduce stored body fat. CLA can also be found in grass-fed dairy and butter. This is how I would rank quality of meats:
Organic and pasture-raised/grass-fed
Pasture-raised/Grass-fed (non-organic)
Organic (non pasture-raised)
Antibiotic- and Hormone-free (don't buy anything less than this)
Ed note: I am writing all of this down and taking it to the grocery store this weekend.
What kind of seasonings are clean??
CB: Most seasonings are "clean" as long as they are pure and not blends. Example would be taco or ranch dressing seasoning packets - those often have MSG and other junky ingredients. You're better off buying the individual ingredients and making your own blend to store in a jar.
Ed note: You can find my recipe for taco seasoning here
What should I eat before I exercise?
CB: The best pre-workout snacks are high in carbohydrates and low in fiber, fat, and protein. The carbohydrates are going to provide an immediate energy source for your exercise since their digestion won't be slowed down by fiber, fat, or protein. Examples include bananas, melon, toast with jelly, and graham crackers. You'll ideally consume this snack 30 minutes to an hour before exercise. Test your tolerance to see what foods work best - everyone is different!
Can I eat dessert slash WHAT CAN I EAT FOR DESSERT????
CB: Good news - technically you can eat any kind of dessert you want! With dessert it's important to remember that no food is completely off limits. Restriction/deprivation can often lead to intense cravings so it's important not to eliminate any foods you truly enjoy. That being said, you do want to limit refined sugars as much as possible because they can be addictive on a physiological level (i.e. birthday cake once every few months is okay but donuts every Friday at work... not so much). Some "clean" dessert options include dark chocolate (70% cacao or greater), berries, homemade granola sweetened with honey, and dried fruit.
What's the deal with snack bars? Can I have energy bars? Protein bars? Energy gel? WHAT IS ALL THIS???
Want more information on weight management? Hit up Carolyn's website!
Tell me: what other questions about clean eating do you have? Do you eat snack bars and if so what kind? What is your favorite pre-workout snack?
Linking up today at WOW, Weigh In Wednesday, Humpday BlogHop
