My Paleo Challenge is Complete!

Well my 30 day Paleo Challenge is done. And I have to say it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. I had a couple of cheat meals or items, but if you remember correctly, I had mentioned that a little bit of indulgence is ok.

So here is what I concluded after going more or less Paleo for 30 days:

• I was never hungry in between meals
• Protein rich meals fill you up and make you feel satisfied.
• There are some incredibly delicious recipes on the www that allow the treats without feeling guilty.
• Pasta, rice and potatoes are not necessary with every meal.
• I ate a lot more greens.
• My belly is no longer bloated and I have a ton of energy.
• I lost a few pounds, my clothes feel looser.

Will I continue?

For the most part, yes. I think I will still allow myself to eat Quinoa again because I do believe its a healthy ancient grain. But I am going to continue with limiting my pasta and other starchy foods. I have found that eating foods on a bed of spinach is just as satisfying and way healthier of course. But if I end up going out for dinner at a restaurant or cafe and pasta is on the menu, why not allow it as a treat from time to time. Yes, I am gluten intolerant, but at least not celiac.

I'm going to leave you with a few pictures of my food and meals from the last month.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spicy Turkey Stoup

                                                                                                                                 Chef’s Salad

No Oat Chocolate Granola

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BBQ Salmon and Cauliflower Rice                                                                           Cocoa crusted Pork Tenders and Squash

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cocoa Pumpkin Muffins                                                                                        Grilled Turkey Spinach Salad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pumpkin Swirl Loaf                                                                                        Chocolate Cake in a Mug

.Pesto Stuffed Flank Steak and Garlic Roasted Broccoli

 

And I challenge YOU to try and make some healthy eating choices.  It is the start of a new month, Turkey Time is near and we will undoubtedly be consuming some rich holiday foods between now and the new year.  I am going to do my best to maintain my new eating habits and continue to stay active, but I’m not sure how long I can resist Pumpkin Pies

Paleo-friendly Pumpkin cocoa muffins

The recipe is courtesy of www.paleoplan.com.  I did make some changes (in red) to customise it because that’s how I roll.  I also added an ingredient.  Makes 12 small muffins.

 

• 1½ cups almond meal/flour
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin (or cook and puree pumpkin yourself)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder I used 2 tsp GF baking powder instead of 1 tsp. each of baking powder/soda
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon I used 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1½ tsp pumpkin pie spice  I used 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. ginger, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 
• 1/8 tsp sea salt Pink Himalayan Sea salt
• 1/4 cup raw honey (optional) I did
• 2 tsp almond butter   MaraNatha Dark Chocolate Almond Spread
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1 Tbsp. raw, unsweetened, fair-trade cocoa powder
• 1 Tbs sliced almonds I omitted this

1. Preheat oven to 350℉.
2. Coat muffin tins with coconut oil (or use paper muffin cups and add 1/2 tsp melted coconut oil to batter).
3. Mix all ingredients in a stand mixer and pour evenly into tins.
4. Bake for 25 minutes on the middle rack.
5. Sprinkle almonds on top immediately after taking them out of the oven. (I didn’t do this)

These muffins are actually pretty good, and even easier to make. They weren’t at all sweet, and you can really taste the pumpkin and the pumpkin spices.   The coconut adds a nice flavour too.  I will definitely be making these again very soon, but I found so many other paleo friendly cookies and muffins that I want to try out too.  I think next time I am going to make the muffins a little larger, so maybe only 6 muffins. 

Nutritional analysis….per serving….

153 calories

12 grams of carbs

11 grams of fat

5 grams of protein

Week 1 of the 30 Day Paleo Challenge

So week 1 is almost over (Day 6 today), and so far so good.  I’ve been sticking fairly close to the plan, and only had one hiccup when someone placed a nice piece of 75% Lindt Chocolate in front of my nose.  But I was good, only had a small piece and my chocolate craving was gone. 

The whole idea behind me doing this challenge was to limit all wheat, and I have done that this week, so having a small piece of chocolate really is not going to make a huge difference. 

For people that are wondering what a typical day on a Paleo diet may look like, here’s an example of what I had Thursday.

• Breakfast – a green smoothie with spinach, frozen fruit, a Tbsp. of almond butter and Coconut milk. 
• Snack – handful of nuts and apple
• Lunch – Roasted vegetable soup and some leftover grilled salmon
• Snack – celery with almond butter
• Dinner – Chicken stir-fry served over 2 cups of fresh baby spinach.

It was rather tasty and very manageable.  I love the idea of serving a stir-fry over spinach because it definitely forces me to eat more greens.  In the past I would have had some rice to go with the stir-fry, but I was so full after dinner, rice wasn’t necessary. 

So tomorrow I’m going to plan out next week’s menus and see what other creative ideas I can come up with to limit wheat.  I’m so used to taking sandwiches to work for lunch, which is my biggest challenge as far as meals are concerned.  If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.  Would love to try out something new.

Paleo Challenge

So after being so successful with Tommy Europe’s 4 Weeks to a New You Fitness Challenge, I decided I wanted to continue making progress with my overall health and fitness.  Why not? I have nothing to lose, other than a few more pounds and a bunch of fat, especially in my mid section. 

I’m not a fan of dieting, been there and done that in my college years.  It was great to lose the weight, until it all came back (and then some) after the diet was over.  So I have been keeping track of what I eat, and thanks to Tommy Europe’s nutrition plan included in his program, I was able to see my eating trends for a little while now.  I love his meal plans, so easy to follow and very delicious.  I had to tweak a few things since I am trying to avoid gluten as much as possible.  Then a thought occurred to me.  Why not cut out wheat and gluten completely for 30 days and see what happens? 

This was going to be a tough one, because I do love my pasta and rice and bread. When I started looking up ideas for meals, I came across the Paleo Diet.  What the heck is that?

According to www.paleoplan.com, The Paleo diet mimics the types of foods every person on the planet ate prior to the Agricultural Revolution (a mere 10,000 years or 500 generations ago). These foods (meats, seafood, organ meats, eggs, fresh vegetables and fruits, plus some nuts and seeds) are full of vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, fiber, beneficial fatty acids, and low-glycemic carbohydrates that promote good health. The Paleo diet doesn’t contain refined sugars and grains, dairy, trans fats, high-glycemic carbohydrates, and processed foods that often cause weight gain, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and many other health problems.

Ok, that doesn’t sound so bad to me!  It actually makes a lot of sense.  As for what this plan allows me to eat, really, it’s not that far off from what I’m already doing.  I already eat lots of lean protein such as salmon, prawns, chicken, turkey and wild game.  I love eggs too.  I always try to eat as much fruits and veggies as possible (more fruits than veggies though).  What about the foods I can’t eat?  Refined sugars won’t be a problem because I refuse to eat white sugar any ways.  This plan however does not allow the consumption of dairy products, and I do love my cheese and yogurt. 

So here’s the deal.  During the summer I decided to stop drinking cow’s milk and switched over to goat milk.  And I am so happy I did.  Within about 2 weeks, I noticed a huge change already.  I was no longer bloated.  So I will continue to consume goat dairy, including goat yogurt and goat’s cheese.  I especially like a tall glass of milk after a workout or even before.

So my new challenge has begun.  30 days would not be an impossible task to see if going wheat free would really make a difference in my body composition.  I guess we will find out. 

Wish me luck.  I will be posting on my progress.