Paleo

My husband will tell you that I tend to jump on Fadwagons (fad bandwagons) quite regularly. Most would say that is an insult but I'm taking the optomistic high-road and embracing my ability to try new things :P 

Really I'm just trying to find things that work for me and my lifestyle; which is how I came to find Paleo. In all of the information I've read, I've learned that Paleo should not be considered a "diet" in the way that we view Slim-Fast as a diet or HCG as a diet, but rather in the more traditional sense as: "The kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats". Paleo is viewed as a lifestyle change which goes against the modern McDonald's & Coca-Cola mentality that we've all grown up with. I like the idea of something that I can try to sustain long term instead of suffer through for 30, 60 or 90 days at a time.

For those that have been living under a rock - Paleo is also known as the "Cave Man" diet. The basic idea behind Paleo is if you can Kill It or Grow It then you can Eat It. Obviously this leaves a lot of items up for interpretation, and there starts the rationalization: "Well I can grow wheat and turn it into flour, so why can't I eat bread?". Sorry no - think more troglodyte, and less Aztec; Really get back to your roots - literally

Basics of Paleo (as gathered from various online sources)

- No Sugar - no forms of sugar - including pretty much anything that ends in the suffix "-ose"..glucose, fructose, sucrose, etc.

- No Grains - includes breads, pastas, noodles

- No Legumes - includes beans & peanuts

- No Dairy **this seems to be a point of dispute for many authors in the bloggosphere. I intend to read more about this but for now I'm non-dairy

- Things to Eat:

           - Veggies

           - Meat

           - Nuts

           - Good Oils (coconut, avocado, fish)

           - Fruit (select fruits)

- Avoid Caffeine

- Drink Lots of Water

- Avoid Alcohol

Obviously there are a lot more details that go with the above bullet points but these are the ones I've committed to memory. I'm by no means an expert at Paleo; there is still a lot to learn, and it seems like there are a lot of conflicting information about certain Paleo theories, but I'll continue to do my research on the topic, and find things that work for me and my lifestyle. Stay tuned for info on recipes, failures, successes, etc.

Are you trying Paleo? How is it going?

Square One

Ok I'll be the first to admit that I failed miserably at maintaining my workout program and diet. I was so pumped when I first started. Junk-food and beer didn't even sound good because I felt so healthy and full of energy! Then came the cheats, the excuses, the justifications for just one little (fill in the blank with your favorite vice here). All of which ended in the inevitable down-ward spiral back to square one. *SIGH*

Well I guess if people didn't fail at diets/exercise then there would no longer be a need for a new, "latest-and-greatest-health-craze. How would Richard Simmons, Tony Horton, or Dr. Atkins survive if millions of us didn't yo-yo back & forth between high-school skinny, and busting the buttons on our relaxed fit jeans.

***VENTING DONE***

Like Puff Daddy once said "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down"; especially No-Body like my current Body. I'm not going to let this small speed bump keep me from feeling good in my own skin, peppered with a bit of self-confidence.



Let's get back on this crazy train

All aboard!

Easy Healthy Yogurt Pops

These are by far the easiest (and healthiest) Popsicles to make. If you're on a diet, or just trying to eat better, these pops are a fantastic way to curb your sweet tooth!

Ingredients:

Plain greek yogurt

1/2 cup Blueberries

1 Kiwi
 Honey (optional)

• Mix fruit, yogurt, and honey into a bowl
• Transfer mixture to your Popsicle maker
• Be sure to pack yogurt in tightly or it leaves gaps in your pop
• Place in freezer for approximately 2 hours
• Enjoy!

I used honey in my pops because the plain greek yogurt is too tart for me. You could also use artificial sweetener, other flavored greek yogurt, or perhaps more fruit to make it sweeter.

If you don't have a popsicle maker you could put the mixture into smaller tupperware containers so they're ready to be on-the-go!

Hope you enjoy!



Jalapeno Jelly Time

One hot Summer night, as I was wondering down the aisle at the super market, a box of Ball Fruit Pectin caught my eye. Being the A.D.D. child that I am, I fore go my nicely printed shopping list and decided to take a gander at the recipes on the back of the box. Mind you I have never done canning before so this isn't a normal everyday activity for me. I've pinned about 50 different recipes on my Pinterest board in hopes that one day I'd have the time (and patience) to make such an old timey creation, but I never thought it would take place on this random Friday night.

Now of all the recipes that are out there which one would you expect a person to choose? Strawberry jelly? Raspberry preserves? Cherry jam? If you've already read the title of this blog then I'm sure you've guessed the correct answer - JALAPENO JELLY. What sane being voluntarily picks such a recipe you might ask? Sanity is not one of my strong suits. It sounded different! It sounded easy! On some cheese and crackers it sounded delicious! So off I went to buy my supplies, and join the millions of domestic goddesses that have mastered the art of canning.

If you're new to canning as well then I'll share some of my pictures with you. It truly wasn't as hard as one might think. I'd give the intimidation factor about a 4. The 2 areas I struggled were: 1) Chopping 12 jalapeno peppers, I recommend gloves; and 2) knowing when the jars were done in the water bath. Since I didn't have an actual "canner" I used a large pot with a towel at the bottom to keep the jars from touching the heat source.





Ball Canning Jars



Canning Supplies. 12 jalapenos. Cilantro. Apple Cider Vinegar.



Dicing the peppers (use gloves!)



Ball Fruit Pectin   

Towel and boiling pot 

   

Jalapeno Puree

Food Coloring for effect

Ladeling into jars  

Leaving head room

         8 jars full    

Pulling the cans out of the water bath

   

Finished Product - so pretty!



I read in the instructions that the jelly can take up to 2 weeks to gel so I haven't had a chance to try an absolute finished product. I put a jar in the fridge to speed up the process but it still a little soupy. My first reaction to this recipe is VINEGARY. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, it was just the first thing I noticed. I'm really pumped to try this out once it has completely gelled. I think I'll put it over some cream cheese and serve with Triscuits!


Ball Jalapeno Jelly Recipe:

Taking it day by day

I believe that how you feel is very important to how you look - that healthy equals beautiful. 

-Victoria Principal

4 Days Down, 56 More to Go

Insanity - Day 4

It may seem like a small milestone but I've made it to Day 4 - woohoo! I may be a little crazy (or insane) but so far I've really enjoyed the program.

Pros:
- The workouts are tough but short
- I haven't had to give up all my carbs
- My body already feels less bloated/sluggish

Cons:
- Terrible headache yesterday which I think is from the lack of caffeine
- My toes hurt from all the jumps and push-up position exercises

Biggest Challenge:
I had a meeting last night at one of my favorite local restaurants - Four Peaks Brewery. While everyone was enjoying their Arizona Chicken Egg Rolls, Beer Bread, and Kiltlifter, I had about 5 glasses of water and a nice grilled chicken salad. Man, that was a tough one but I felt pretty proud for staying strong. Obvi this is only Day 4 so I still have my resolve - lets see if I can do the same on day 44!

PROGRESS CHART - so far I've lost 3.8 lbs!

MOTIVATION

Quick & Healthy Chicken Ranch Wraps

Quick & Healthy Chicken Ranch Wraps

3 oz - Shredded Chicken

1 Tortilla/Wrap/Pita

1 tsp Light Ranch

Cucumber

Red Onion

Bell Pepper

Add chicken, ranch, and veggies into a bowl.
Mix together so that ranch coats the chicken and veggies.
Place mixture into tortilla, pita or wrap

Enjoy!

*Nutrition information per myfitnesspal.com*

Buffet

Nothing says random quite like a Las Vegas buffet #gelato #mimosa #fish #shrimp #grits #cornbread #sopapilla #fruittart #chipsandsalsa #meatpie #eggs #whoknowswhatelse

Report Pre-Insanity Week 1

An update as to my Insanity progress....
**NOTE**I'm not starting the full 60 days yet - read here about my strategy.

First 3 days were great! The workouts are tough but because they are less than 40 minutes long you can really stick to them! My husband did the workouts with me. Usually he hits the gym 4-5 times a week for weightlifting so he wanted to try something new. We were both sore! Primarily our calves took the brunt of the pain but I could tell the workouts were targeting areas that don't normally feel a burn.

We're really excited to try out more workouts next week and get stated on the full 60 day challenge come mid-August. Here are a few more of the meals that we had this week. I did feel like I was eating A LOT but after the workouts I could tell that there is a method behind the madness (or INSANITY)! Check out some of our other meals here.

Quick nosh on 1/2 avocado, 4oz turkey breast, and 1/2 tomato
(I nixed the carb on this snack)

Salmon and pasta left overs made a nice lunch on day 2.
Added veggies and feta to change it up.

Protein Berry Smoothie straight out of the Insanity cook-book.
This was a big shake! Either be ready for a full stomach
or try half of the ingredients.

Insanity Bars and Protein Powder

Like a lot of you out there I can't afford to buy the Beach Body brand bars or protein shakes on a regular basis. However I've found 2  great products that are fantastic substitutes for the Insanity Workout:

Cytosport 100% Whey Protein (Costco or Amazon):

Why it's great!

• Not too expensive
• 27 grams of protein per scoop
• Low in sugar and fat
• Great tasting! (at least I think so)

The other little gem I found the other day are these EAS Lean Chocolate PB bars. The Insanity Nutrition Guide said the protein bar had to be around 200 cals and brimming with protein. I think these will do the trick:

Why it's great!

• Found them for a deal - 10 for $10 at Fry's
• 200 cals - great for this program
• Low fat
• Great tasting! (again total opinion)

If you're trying the Insanity Program and don't know what to get, I highly recommend these products. Does anyone out there have other suggestions?

Healthy tastes good?! Waaa??!

2/3 cup Skim Milk
1 cup Kashi Go Lean
1 banana

302 cals
65 carbs (the good kind)
1 fat
20 g protein - BOOM!


http://instagr.am/p/Nypzn3Jk-Q/

Insane Meals

My first day of Insanity is done! Just want to show what kind of meals you eat on this program. I felt like I was eating A LOT of food today, but my workout burned 600+ cals so it all evened out.

Breakfast-Parfait: fresh fruit, 1/2 cup of Kashi Go Lean, and 1 cup plain Greek yogurt

AM Snack - 1/2 cup cottage cheese, a protein bar

Lunch - Chicken Wrap: 3 oz canned chicken, diced bell peppers and red onion, 1 tsp low-fat ranch, half an avocado, and a reduced fat tortilla

PM Snack - Whole wheat English muffin, 1 tsp all-natural peanut butter, and 1 tsp all-natural fruit preserves, plus low-fat string cheese

After workout - 4oz choc milk and 1/2 scoop protein powder

Dinner - Salmon filet with low fat honey dijon dressing marinade, 4 oz whole wheat pasta, and grilled asparagus w/ lemon

'Phew! Doesn't that seem like a lot of food?! I am keeping track of my food and workouts on myfitnesspal.com so here is how the cals vs workout breakdown: