Paleo Foods and Recipes

Nearing the end of week three of this Paleo challenge, and I have tried so many new recipes that I just love...now why haven't I eaten like this before? I don't necessarily feel more energetic, but I don't get drained as easily (even on the really long days), and I will say my stomach definitely has not felt upset for any reason. I also haven't been letting myself get overly hungry, and when I do start getting hungry, I'm reaching for one of my many prepared snacks.

In particular, I am surprised how much I like the baked goods I've made. Not using mounds of sugar and bleached flour doesn't make things any less tasty, that's for sure! And if you know me, you know how much I love to bake, so quite a few of the new recipes are for baked goods.

A few of the recipes I will use repeatedly are:


No-Bake Protein Bars

2 cups nuts (I used almonds, macadamia, and hazelnuts)
1/2 cup flax seed
1/2 cup almond or sunbutter
1/2 cup pure whey
1/3 cup dried fruit
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 tbs vanilla

Put nuts, flax, sea salt in food processor and chop up (some big chunks remaining work well).
Melt coconut oil, almond butter, and vanilla together.
Pour the nut mixture into the melted oil/butter/vanilla and add whey and dried fruit.
Mix everything evenly and pour into a 10x8 inch (ish) pan.
Stick it in the fridge for an hour.

You can also add 1/2 cup shredded coconut, but my spin was adding 1/4 cup chopped, freeze-dried bananas.

If you want a chocolate kick, either add dark chocolate chips to the mix or melt some dark chocolate and coconut oil on the stove, pour over bars and cool in the fridge.

The bars will keep better in the fridge, but they travel fine without staying cool. They are great for a snack when you are on the go, and are easy to change up and create your own version.


For the baked version, simply add 3 eggs, 2 more tbs vanilla, 1/2 cup almond meal, and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. I like the no bake version better because they stay moist, whereas the baked ones tend to dry out.

These are more expensive to make (the nuts in particular are pricey), but they are definitely less expensive than buying your own protein bars! Plus, the recipe yields 12-18 bars, and are much healthier.

Zucchini Noodles

2 small zucchinis
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 tbs almond mealflour
1/2 tsp coconut oil
1 clove garlic

Julienne the zucchini and place in a colander or wire strainer and toss with the salt until coated. Allow to sit for 20 minutes to drain excess water, then rinse and pat dry with paper towels.

Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Mix the almond flour with the coconut oil, sprinkle it with a smidgen of salt, then sauté in the pan, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until it’s toasty brown, about 1 minute. Remove from pan and save for garnish.

Return the pan to the heat and add the zucchini noodles. Sauté until just tender, about 1-2 minutes. Push the noodles to the side of the pan, and reduce heat to medium-low. Wait a minute; it’s essential that the pan cools down before adding the eggs. Add the olive oil and garlic. When the garlic is fragrant, about 20 seconds, pour in the eggs and allow them to cook until just beginning to set a tiny bit. Mix the zucchini noodles into the egg and continue to stir gently and continuously until the egg is set and clinging to the noodles. Add the almond crumble mixture to the top and salt/pepper to taste. Fresh parsley is good on top too. This one is amazing...I do NOT miss pasta with this option lying around.

Buttery leeks with eggs

2 leeks
2 eggs
Bacon, sausage, or chicken
1 tbs coconut butter (could use real butter too)
1/2 tsp white pepper (or really any seasoning you like)

Cut leeks lengthwise and then in 1/2 inch segments. Melt butter in pan on stove (low-medium heat) and add leeks. Saute leeks for about 10 minutes until tender (not brown). Prepare eggs however you like them and add the white pepper to these (I prefer scrambled).


Put leeks down on a plate, add eggs on top, add meat on top of that, and indulge. I paired mine with some warm berries and walnut crumble.

Gingerbread Cake (this is a good splurge cake)


1 cup pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1 cup almond butter  
1/4 cup honey
1 tbs pure maple syrup
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

Melt the honey and almond butter together in a large bowl. Mix together and slowly add the rest of the ingredients. Mix until smooth. Bake in a cake pan (either round or 8x8) at 350 for about 25 minutes (make sure center is cooked all the way through).

If you're feeling like you need icing...


1/3 cup coconut butter
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Melt all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk (or use hand beater) until the mixture becomes whipped. Pour on top of cooled cake (the cake HAS to be completely cooled or else it will be a mess!) and garnish with walnuts or almonds or cinnamon or all of the above.

Egg Cupcakes

10 eggs
1 zucchini
1 cup spinach
1/2 cup meat of your choice (bacon or sausage is best)

Put zucchini and spinach in food processor and chop until fine. Pour into a bowl, add eggs, and whisk  together. Add meat of choice. Ladle mixture into a well-oiled cupcake tin (seriously...I oiled mine and these still stuck like crazy!), or use cupcake liners, at about 2/3 the way full. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. These can freeze and be reheated and you're more than welcome to experiment with veggies and spices!

All in all, I'm liking this style of eating. It's not nearly as limited as I had originally thought (in fact, I'm pretty sure you can find a way to make almost anything). They key is to prepare stuff ahead of time. So I've been spending my Sundays grocery shopping, prepping, and cooking for the week ahead.

  It makes for a cozy rest day :-)

Ready to cook/eat celery, bacon, radishes, leeks, turnips, and protein bars. 

I've also found some great recipe blogs that give me ideas, if nothing else, of foods and preparations to try. ChowStalker is great! Not all of the recipes are Paleo, but most are. This blog has some tasty recipes as well (where I got the gingerbread cake recipe).

Other things I've made include my own jerky (turned out better than I expected), cupcakes (YES), curried almond chicken (yum!), root veggie chips, chicken soup, and curried bacon. I never knew how delicious curried bacon was until I ate some at the Berkshire...it was so good I had to go to the store immediately to buy stuff so I could make my own.

The Goals/Paleo Cooking

There are 3 workouts that we completed the first week of the Paleo Challenge that we will repeat at the end of the challenge, in 8 weeks to see what the new diet (and hard work) can do. 

Our first WOD to redo at the end of the challenge was to row 1000m, do 50 thrusters with 35lbs, and then 30 pullups. I completed this at Rx in 12 minutes and 47 seconds. The pullups definitely were my weakness here, so hopefully I can get faster at those.

Kipping pull-ups

Our second WOD was the CrossFit total, which is to max out on deadlifts, back squats, and shoulder presses. I did 245lbs for the deadlift, 195 for back squats, and 90 for the shoulder press, for a total of 530. I am pleased with this total, aside from the shoulder press. I did 95 one day and haven't been able to do it since, so there's work to be done.

Our third WOD was the filthy fifty: 50 box jumps, 50 jumping pull-ups, 50 lunges, 50 toes to bar, 50 wall balls, 50 burpees, and 50 double unders. This I completed in 34 minutes and 45 seconds (in my opinion, slowly). I hit a wall during this WOD and almost didn't finish. I struggled with double unders, even though I've been doing them fairly well, so I actually did 200 singles instead. Not a shining moment for me, so in 8 weeks it will be much better.





I am in decent shape right now, but my goal is to be in peak condition. Right now I look like this:

Throughout this eight week process, I'm hoping to lose 3-5% more body fat and gain a little bit more muscle. I'm also working on mobility, and have started physical therapy sessions to help with that. After a week of eating Paleo, I have lost almost three pounds, and I do honestly feel good. I am enjoying shopping for and preparing new food, but it's definitely not easy when you get home late and are starving! 

In the past two weeks, I've made many meals at home, including my own protein bars, muffins, hash browns (not potato!), and berry crumble.

Protein bars

Leeks, eggs, and bacon

Strawberry, banana, spinach, almond milk smoothie

Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and almonds in almond milk (Paleo cereal!)

Leeks, tomato bacon scramble, chicken spinach sausage, and berry crumble

Celery, almond butter, figs (great snack)

Chicken egg drop soup

 

 

I have several more recipes in mind to try in the next few weeks, including my very own jerky! In going through my food journals, I apparently need to switch up my eating pattern and get more good fats and protein at breakfast rather than all later in the day. I haven't missed bread at all, and I've been surviving without my normal coffee. I'm mainly missing candy for my serious sweet tooth, but that seems to be more of a habit than a serious craving. I was very strict for the first week, but I do need (and yes, want) my little cheats here and there. I found that freeze-dried fruit is a great candy substitute, and I'm using very dark chocolate for any baking.  I also found a fruit, coconut milk, and cane sugar sorbet that cures a sweet tooth with a few spoonfuls. Even though that is not strictly Paleo, it's a much better alternative to my typical candy/ice cream/cheesecake I love so dearly. 

All in all, I'm doing all right. I think I've gotten over the initial tiredness of losing the sugar/dense carbs from my diet. It's a process, for sure, and a lifestyle I think I can stay with. I'm eager to see where the next six weeks take me...stay tuned!

New Challenge for a New Year

Let the games begin, if by games you mean the Paleo Challenge. Most CrossFit gyms have Paleo challenges throughout the year, but what better way to start a new year than with a new challenge? For those of you who don't know, the Paleo diet is not a "diet" in the traditional sense, more so the how and what you eat (see link for a Paleo flow chart): a lifestyle. It is a way of eating based on our ancestors, eating primarily meats and vegetables along with some fruits and nuts. The diet excludes dairy, grains, sugars, and anything processed. For me, the elimination of sugars and processed foods makes sense, but the loss of grains and dairy sounded...well...scary! However, I want to know what it feels like to be free of foods that cause most of the general population digestive problems (among other ailments).

So I signed up for the challenge at D-Town. Eight weeks of pure Paleo with food journals, body measurements, photos, and repeated WODs to see how the diet affects our well-being. If nothing else, this is a great excuse for me to eat real meals and actually cook for a change rather than eating pieces of foods and never putting anything together. I realized, when planning out a few grocery lists based on recipes, that I haven't eaten a full meal at home in a very long time. Not to say I don't eat "healthy", but I don't think my diet has ever boosted my energy or made me feel, necessarily, better. I am not really sure, so this is what the eight weeks is for. I want to feel the difference, and see how I perform with the right fuel. If I really feel that good, then I will stick with it and make it my lifestyle.

I invested in a few Paleo cookbooks, cleaned out my pantry/fridge/freezer to get of anything non-Paleo, and started fresh with new food. I'm already happy with the almond or coconut milk and almond or coconut meal for eating and baking. Textures might be different, and I can't simply replace the former dairies and wheats with these items in recipes, but the items I've tried have certainly not lacked in taste. I'm quite excited to try new things and get out of my small corner of the food world. I think the food I will miss the most (and crave the most) during this challenge will be my caramel macchiatos. I think those are laced with drugs: I'm that addicted.

I've already realized you have to plan ahead to maintain the Paleo diet. Otherwise, you'll get hungry and go for the closest thing to you, which will undoubtedly be processed. Over the weekend, I cooked chicken and bacon, made meatballs, baked protein nut bars...

Protein bar

...and filled my fridge with fresh leeks, kale, spinach, jicama, tomatoes, cauliflower, carrots, turnips, beets, spaghetti squash, apples, grapefruit, kiwi, strawberries, blueberries, avocados, green beans, and then beef, chicken, tilapia, eggs, almond milk, almond butter, and a variety of spices. No excuses! We'll see what unfolds from these delicious ingredients.

My Fridge

Almond and Coconut Flour (in bulk) and Cilantro

Tonight I ate a bacon, lettuce, tomato, and avocado burger (and the burger was made with spinach). Whoever thinks Paleo isn't delicious is definitely wrong!

Yum.

 I'll be adding more meals and updates on the progress along the way, so stay tuned!