April 29th...FINALLY seeing a light at the end of this "Paleo ABS" tunnel!

What a great way to finish the weekend off, we had the perfect weather for the Times Colonist 10km run!  There was over 10,000 people this year participating and the positive energy was contagious.  It was great to see all different shapes and sizes of people doing their best and working really hard to complete this run.  At the end we celebrated our hard work with a bacon and cheddar stuffed croissant...it was sooo good, I mean really sooo good.  So as we sat stuffing our mouths I was thinking how I could make this divine creation Paleo friendly.  I had a couple of ideas, got the "OK" from Bev and Trellia that this would be a good idea, so stay tuned this week for Paleo version of this.  

Speaking of Paleo, I'm finally starting to see the light at the end of this tunnel...the last couple of weeks have been hard, really hard since  I have to practice what I preach!  Some days I feel just consumed and the last thing I want to do is figure out another Paleo meal!  That being said, I feel great, no stomach aches, no bloating and my energy level is back on track.  The first week and half of going Paleo I was feeling "flu-like" symptoms and I know it was my body detoxing from the sugar and carbs.  When your "Joan-sen" for something sweet or just a loaf of bread, it takes a lot of self discipline to walk away.  Some days I'm strong and some days not so much, the occasional cheat meal has saved my sanity and I feel well deserved! I asked you all to take pictures of your abs so you can see this process unfold and once you start to see the changes in your body occur, it will help to keep you motivated and on track.    

So here I am 3 weeks into Paleo eating and my obliques are starting to kick in, the "baby pooch" I call it, the area under your belly button is ALWAYS the last to go and in order for that to lean out I will have to go 100% Paleo...still working up to that!  So take your pictures this week, get your meals organised and see you in the gym!

April 27th...You must do the thing YOU think you cannot do!

I was feeling inspired today by my Mom!  I'm excited for her because she has just started a new chapter in her life.  My Mom is officially retired and ready to start putting herself first...except when I need her to babysit!  She has just started working out 3 times a week and is already down 5lbs.  Yesterday, she told me she signed up for the 24 hour Relay for Life, where she has to walk for 12 hours, from 6pm to 6am around a track!  She told me that she would have never thought of doing this before.  I believe sometimes we set ourselves up for failure because "feeling" failure and the risk of it seems unbearable  therefore we stop trying.  Somewhere deep within ourselves we always have a spark that wants to turn into a flame...we just have to figure out how to get it  "fired up"...I believe that if we can just take one step at a time, those steps can turn into walking lunges, squat jumps and one big ass Box Jump in life!  So here's to you Mom, your spark is lit and your fire is burning strong, I'll be there to cheer you for your walk...up until about 8pm cause then that's my bedtime!  Love you!

April 25th...cheat day...oh no you didn't!

Yup...I did it...good old KFC!  Not only did I have 1 piece, I had 3 pieces AND a small handful of fries.  It was sooo good, I think they've changed the recipe as it was a lot lighter than before...I haven't had KFC in over a year and a half.  Anyhow I'm lying in bed last night in my "full belly glory" hoping to fall asleep before any stomach ache might happen.  My husband is on his IPad and I ask him to Google how many calories are in one piece of chicken...374-425 calories per PIECE!  Brutal!!! so I consumed about 1100 calories plus the fires in one meal...freak'n awesome!  Good thing my ass is out the door this morning for a 10 km run.  So I guess that was my cheat meal...go big or go home!  Today is a new day, no regrets and back on track, sunshine here I come!

April 23...Paleo diet "cheat day" and the great Quinoa debate!

OK for those of you who do my Boot Camp classes you know that we start each class with the "circle of love" a.k.a. question of the day...but it seems as of late, our circle of love has turned into confessions of a Paleo dieter!  Which for me is so true...after Saturdays WOD and hanging out with the kids all day, I was exhausted...so much so that I had a 3 hour nap in the late afternoon.  I woke up starving and headed for Subway!  Yes I inhaled a foot long sub and it was marvelous, two hours later I was back in bed and slept right through to the next day!  So, I've been doing some research and it seems that most people doing the Paleo diet, have a cheat day...we discussed this in last nights class.  I'm a fan for this but I find it can be a slippery slope and can be taken too far.  You don't want to consume a weeks worth of calories in one day.  So, I say YES to the CHEAT MEAL! (I feel like a politician, vote for me, as I say YES to a cheat meal). Choose a day that you can look forward to all week. I think that one cheat meal is worth it, if it keeps your sanity and keeps you eating clean for the rest of the week, then I say go for it.  Some of you may disagree and think that this is setting you up for failure before you've even started...I think your big boys and girls and can make smart choices about having things in moderation.  Do what works for you, if you're an all or nothing kinda person, then stay on track and rock on my friends! 

Above is a picture of a Quinoa plant which then brings us to the great debate ...Is Quinoa Paleo Friendly?  I'm asked this so many times and there is so much information out there for both sides of the fence...so I'll let you choose!

What is Quinoa?  Quinoa (pronounced “keenwah”) is a seed that is harvested from a species of a plant called goosefoot. It is officially a seed, which is part of a group of pseudocereals, making it neither cereal nor grain, and more closely related to spinach and beets.

It is because of this unusual categorization from the typical groups of foods that many people are confused as to what quinoa actually is and how it affects the health of people who eat it regularly. Essentially, a person could read 10 different articles about quinoa and get nearly as many different theories about it and where it belongs in a healthy diet.

How Does Quinoa Fit In The Paleo Diet?

Quinoa is technically not a grain, which makes many people jump to the immediate conclusion that it is paleo. It is a seed, and many other seeds are allowed, so why not quinoa?

This is a good point, and for those looking for a grain alternative that has much less potential for damage than regular grains, quinoa is often a good choice. With that being said, quinoa actually does contain some of the same potentially harmful properties of grains, as is explained next.

How Doesn’t Quinoa Fit In The Paleo Diet?

Wheat products are avoided in the paleo diet because they need to be heavily processed to be consumed, which goes against the very basis of the paleo way of thinking and eating.

Beyond that, they are avoided because they contain gluten, saponins and lectins, among other anti-nutrients, which have been shown to be harmful to the lining of a person’s digestive system as well as their immune system.

The Verdict 

So, quinoa, while it might technically be gluten free and paleo friendly, does still possess some of the adverse affects of grains that a paleo diet strictly avoids. Essentially, it’s ok in principle, but not as ok in practice. If you follow a paleo diet plan, it simply comes down to a personal choice of whether or not you enjoy quinoa, and whether or not you are concerned about its possible negative effects on your digestive system.

If you do choose to eat quinoa, it is generally a good idea to wash it thoroughly, as its outer coating is responsible for some of its wheat like properties.

So there you have it, our best shot at the question of whether or not quinoa is paleo. There are, and probably always will be endless debates on this subject.

So with that, I give you Kristen's Grilled Vegetable Quinoa Salad!  I have to say this was amazing, Kristen brought me some to sample...sooo good!

Ingredients

• 1 cup (250 mL) quinoa
• 1 sweet red pepper, quartered
• 1 sweet yellow pepper, quartered
• 1 zucchini, cut lengthwise in 1/2-inch thick strips
• 12 asparagus spears, trimmed
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) Light feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) toasted pumpkin seeds
• 3 tbsp (45 mL) chopped fresh cilantro
Chipotle Vinaigrette:
• 3 tbsp (45 mL) olive oil
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) red wine vinegar
• 1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
• 2 tsp (10 mL) liquid honey
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper

• Preparation

  Soak quinoa in cold water for 3 minutes; drain in sieve. In saucepan, bring 1-1/2 cups salted water to boil; stir in quinoa and return to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until no liquid remains, 12 to 15 minutes.
  
  Remove from heat and fluff with fork; cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Spread on small tray and let cool for 10 minutes.
  
  Chipotle Vinaigrette: Meanwhile, whisk together oil, vinegar, chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, honey, cumin, salt and pepper. Set aside.
  
  In large bowl, toss together red and yellow peppers, zucchini, asparagus and 3 tbsp of the vinaigrette until coated. Place on greased grill over medium heat; close lid and grill until charred and tender, 4 to 6 minutes for asparagus, 10 to 12 minutes for peppers and zucchini. Cut into large chunks and return to bowl.
  
  Add remaining dressing, quinoa, half of the feta cheese, the pumpkin seeds and cilantro; stir until incorporated. Sprinkle with remaining feta. Serve immediately. 

April 16th...Slow Cooker Curry Chicken!

So I thought I`d delicate today`s blog to our very own Boot Camper, Diana, it`s her birthday today!  Birthday girl Diana, is the one that let me borrow her new Everyday Paleo book by Sara Fragoso that I`m totally loving, so many awesome recipes in this book. 

Well were a week and a half into this Paleo diet thing and the general conciseness among us seems to be the same, Paleo side affects.  Seems were all in the same boat having head aches, aches and pains in the body, flu like symptoms, break outs, too much pooping or not enough, yes I said poop, get over it.  Were cleaning out our insides and its a process.  The sugar with drawl on your body is pretty hardcore, and you just have to keep your mind busy when you start `Jones`n` for it.  If you can eat every 2-3 hours that will help keep those cravings away til your body re-sets itself.  Stay strong and a week from now we`ll all be good to go!

OMG OK sometimes I'm on it but this time with the slow cooker curry chicken, I totally scored!  This recipe was super easy and super fast to prepare, two things I love.  The chicken literally fell apart and was super moist...hmmm could I say super one more time!

 In a small bowl mix all of your dry spices, 2 tbsp curry powder, 1 tbsp paprika, 2 tsp sea salt and 1 tsp black pepper.  Place 1 large packet of skinless chicken thighs(about 12) in the slow cooker and pour spice mixture over top, toss together.  Mince up 4 garlic cloves and sprinkle on top of chicken.  Here`s where you can go wild, add whatever veggies you want!  Start with what I have and you can always add more...I have a giant slow cooker, so the more the better, for left overs!  Chop up 1 small yellow onion, 6 carrots, 6 parsnips, 4 celery stalks, 1 cup kale or spinach.  Then place your chopped up veggies on top of the chicken.  Last step, in a small bowl pour 1 cup of canned coconut milk(I used the lite low fat version) and 1 cup of chicken broth, whisk together and pour over everything.  You can cook at high for about 4 hours or on low for about 6-7 hours...

And here it is!  Instead of rice I used `cauliflower`rice which is on yesterdays blog post on how to prepare that.  Going to serve it up tonight and see if anyone notices that I subbed out the white rice for cauliflower...what they don`t know, won`t hurt em!

April 15th...Week 1 of Paleo, eat cauliflower rice to lean out!

Alright we are one week into our Paleo challenge and my body is going through some major sugar withdraws.  I've done some research and learned that what I was feeling over the weekend was Paleo related.  I started the challenge last Monday, about 70% Paleo, had some ups and downs during the week and yes I ate some chocolate! By Thursday I was on track but experiencing mild headaches throughout the day, then on Friday I felt like I might be getting the flu.  Apparently your body goes through a withdrawal process when you eliminate  sugar, carbs and beans...here are some common side affects you might be experiencing...   

Headache Fatigue Lack of energy Lack of concentration Weakness Light-headedness Dizziness

Irritability Constipation or diarrhea Body aches Cold sweats Nausea Cravings

There are so many great websites and blogs out there with Paleo info, check out this one for more info on side affects and how to get through the cravings...

http://www.eat-real-food-paleodietitian.com/paleo-diet-side-effects.html

 Here are my abs day 1, front and side profile, and yup, those are my sexy Pj's!

For our Paleo challenge I asked each of you to take a picture of your own abs, do it yourself in the bathroom mirror...why do I want you to do this, because if you follow the Paleo diet for at least 5 weeks, you will notice a big change and most of the time it occurs in our abs.  Once you start eating cleaner, you'll notice your stomach go down and the bloating go away.  Once a week I will post a picture of my abs so you can watch the transformation.  I know when I asked you all to do this, everyone was like "oh no"...GET OVER IT PEOPLE, they're your abs!  If you don't like the way they look then do something about it! Don't make me get all "Samuel Jackson" on your ass!

My point is, I want this to be a wake up call and reality check for you to get your butt moving!  I'm also expecting to see your food journal once a week!  So to help you ease into this new Paleo lifestyle here is an idea to swap out rice with cauliflower...

OK yes I was skeptical at first, could cauliflower really mimic rice?  Oh yes it can! All you need is one head of cauliflower and a food processor...a grater works just fine and you get the added arm work out as a bonus!  You don't need a lot, break up cauliflower into little pieces and use the "chop" button...

If you add too much at once the bottom will grind up super fine and you'll be left with bigger chunks on top...

I used a little coconut oil to fry it in on medium for about 8 min...be careful to not over cook it as you want it firm like a rice consistency. I chopped up about 1 1/2 cups which turned into over 2 cups.  

I ate this with curry chicken, it was sooo good, I will post the recipe tomorrow for the slow cooker curry chicken.  I felt full after eating this but not a "heavy" full, it's so light and so good for you, give it a try and let me know what you think!

April 11...Rocket Fuel...just got to keep it together first!

Need fuel fast or on the go, then try these tasty little treats!  These little mountains of goodness are called "Rocket Fuel" and for good reason.  Each nut is nutritionally dense and each contains unsaturated fatty acids.  People who eat nuts as part of a heart-healthy diet can lower the LDL, low-density lipoprotein or "bad," cholesterol level in their blood. High LDL is one of the primary causes of heart disease. Eating nuts reduces your risk of developing blood clots that can cause a fatal heart attack. Nuts also improve the health of the lining of your arteries.  Just one caution, nuts pack alot of calories so be sure to portion out your servings!

Here's what you'll need, nuts...you choose whatever you like.  I have almonds, pecans and hazelnuts.  Cinnamon, egg whites and coconut oil to grease your cook sheets.

You can chop your nuts by hand, or I'm using my mini food processor, thanks Mom, which chops them up perfectly.  Be careful not to over do it as you could end up with a nut powder!  You'll need 1 cup of chopped pecans, 1/2 cup of almonds and 1/2 cup hazel nuts... 

Then you'll need 5 dates chopped finely...here's where I ran into trouble, the more I tried to chop up the dates the more they mashed together...

In a separate bowl mix well,  2 egg whites and 1 tbsp cinnamon.  Pour this mixture over the nuts and dates and mix together.  Your suppose to scoop mixture into your hands and roll it together like the size of a golf ball and place on greased cookie sheet...

Above is what I ended up with, the mixture did not stick together very well at all.  At one point I thought I would have to make this into a granola.  Place in oven for 15 mins. at 350 degree.  I continued to try to mush some pieces together to somewhat resemble a golf ball!

So I decided to add some honey, about 1 tbsp, mix it up and that was still not enough, so I added one more tbsp of honey and was able to stick the mixture of nuts together...

 Here are my "nut-balls" that look like a cookie gone bad!

After all was said and done, these tasted amazing and I could of eaten the whole tray easy.  The morning Boot Camp class gave them the thumbs up and so did my son.  My only issue with this recipe is to figure out how to get them to stick together better with out adding a lot more calories...I will try another batch and put the dates in the food processor to really mince them up...might have to add a couple more dates as well...stay tuned.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: I got about 22 pieces out of this recipe, in total the calories are 2010, not counting the honey, divide by 22 pieces and you have about 91 calories per cookie, enjoy...wisely!

April 10th...Fish Tacos!

Well day 3 into the Paleo diet and I have to say it gets easier as the days go by.  The whole concept of "going Paleo" seems overwhelming, but once you dig in and do a little reading about it and try out some recipes, it's not all that bad.  It's like riding a bike, your gonna fall off and maybe use the wrong gears, but eventually you get the hang of it and just do it without thinking.  A Paleo lifestyle is the same thing, you try it out for a bit, feel great but not ready to give up the starchy carbs...bread or sugar yet.  You go back to old habits and feel like crap and suddenly you realize that when you ate better, you felt better.  So you try again, and again and sooner or later, your just making better food choices.  I ate 6 chocolate Easter eggs again yesterday, not the end of the world, I feel great today...and out of chocolate, so I'm on track!  

This book above, I love it! One of my clients, Diana dropped it buy for me to check out as she bought it to get ready to go Paleo.  Awesome recipes, easy to follow instructions, lots of inexpensive ingredients you can get at your local market and I love the picture index of all the meals at the front, so very user friendly.  So this week, I'm trying out a variety of recipes out of this book and see how they hold up!  Let's started...Fish Tacos!

You can use whatever fish you like, I'm using Halibut...

Prepare the marinade for the fish first...freshly squeeze juice from 1 lime, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/4 tsp chipotle powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp sea salt...whisk all together...

Place fish in baking dish and pour marinade over.  The recipe said to gently rub in the spices and soak for 15 mins.  I just let it sit for an hour and flipped them every 15 mins.  Now let's get cook'n!  Heat your skillet up on medium, place fish in the pan with the extra marinade.  Cook each side for about 4 mins, depending on thickness and size.  Be careful to not overcook...the fish should flake easily, then it's done.  Gently remove from bone and be sure to get any of the little bones as well.  

Now lets build our Fish Taco...I like to use iceberg lettuce as it has a crunch, butter lettuce is too soft for me.  We start with the lettuce as our shell, then add coleslaw, some chopped up mango, your fish and a sprinkle of cilantro.  There you have it, super light meal, big on flavor.   The original recipe had a dressing on the coleslaw made with a homemade mayo, I didn't have time, or want to make the mayo as I don't use it.  So I added salsa onto the coleslaw to give it a little extra umf!  So many ways to prepare the fish...next time I'm going to try Thai and mix up the coleslaw with veggies instead.

April 9th...Paleo friendly wraps and day one of chocolate against Paleo!

Well yesterday was my first official day "going Paleo".  I started out great, put coconut milk in my coffee, I had Paleo friendly wraps with my eggs, and no chocolate what soever...until Mother Nature showed up and sucked the energy out of me.  I can make a thousands excuses why I didn't go shopping and do my meal prep...I was in Vancouver all weekend, but that doesn't matter.  If was organised, I would not have eaten a handful of potato chips, a piece of cheese or two on some crackers and a handful of mini Easter eggs...I blame the chocolate on Melissa P for giving it to me on my birthday!  And since this seems like "circle time confessions" I ate lasagna for dinner...B.A.D.  So new day, get on with it and start fresh...I found this recipe for Paleo wraps on www.PaleoOMG.com.  What I liked about this recipe is that this is the base and can be used as a jumping off point to create many other meals.  If you make the mixture thin enough, you can make wraps.  If you like it thicker, you can make pancakes.  Or if you shredded veggies in it and topped it with a tiny bit of cheese, it could be like a mini pizza.  So get creative and see what you can come up with!

Here we go, you need Coconut flour, Lite-coconut milk, 3 eggs (I used egg whites) and a pinch of salt.  And I thought I might try some coco powder cause I love chocolate!  I bought all my ingredients at SuperStore...

Whisk 3 eggs together, then add 1/2 cup coconut milk, 2 tbsp coconut flour and a pinch of salt...

I melted a dab of coconut oil in the pan, then added the mixture, you only need to let it cook for about 2 mins. on each side and then there done!

I thought I'd be creative and add a tbsp of coco powder, which was probably too much as they were good, but a little bitter...1/2 tsp would have been fine.

 Once they start to bubble, flip them!

Place on cooling rack after cooking.  It works out to be about 35 calories each if you get 5 mini wraps from one batch.  I made up 2 batches, let them cool, then placed them in a zip lock bag and into the freezer they went.

So here's my breakfast this morning, scramble eggs and veggies and I popped 2 of the wraps in the toaster to warm them up! The coconut flour has a mild sweetness to it, but nothing over powering.  Going to try this with Almond flour and see how it turns out, so stay tuned!

April 5th...The 2 ingredient cookie...REALLY!

I know were going Paleo around here but honestly I love my steal cut oats and I'm not willing to give them up.  O.K. let's get on with it.  I came across this recipe that said only 2 ingredients, I thought really?  So of course I was intrigued and had to check this out.  The base for this is only 2 bananas and 1 cup of steal cut oats...everything else is up to you to add, so let's get started...

2 bananas mashed with a fork, I prefere a hand-blender so that the bananas reach a creamy consistancy...

Add 1 cup of steal cut oats AND my extras are...1 tsp flax seed and wheat germ, 1 tsp chocolate chips, 1 tsp cinnamon and at the last minute I added 1 tsp coconut...

Scoop out a spoonful of mixture on to a WELL GREASED cookie sheet, and I say WELL GREASED or you will have to throw out your cookie sheet...not that I did that!  You should get 12 cookies to a sheet, bake at 350 degrees for 15mins. then let cool for about 2 mins.  Scoop off sheet and place on cooling rack.

These were sooo good, remind me of my protein bars, the only difference is that I add apple sauce and egg whites.  So on that note, the second batch I made, I added a scoop of chocolate protein powder and subbed out the chocolate chips and added dried cranberries...awesom-ER.  I love this recipe because it's a no-brainier and all the ingredients you would have kicking around the house.  So give it a try, just be careful about what you add as the calories can add up fast.  Let me know what you came up with.

And the cookies are great for mini-birthday cakes!  Happy Birthday Karen!

April 4th...a well-thought-out strategy for getting started with your Paleo plan.

Ok so I thought I'd put together a "plan of attack" to get us organised.  Preparation will be the key to your success.  Here are a couple of suggestions to help get you on your way...

1) Make a list of all things that need to be done in the upcoming week, including meal prep, work schedule, kids activities, your workouts etc...if your prepared and anything comes up last minute, you'll be less likely to miss a workout or eat anything in site.

2) Plan your weeks menu...and yes you DO have time to do this!  Planning your menu for the week takes the guess work out of your meals and is the difference of staying on track or grabbing crap food through a drive-in.  Plus you'll be in and out of the grocery store, cause you know exactly what you need.

http://www.paleodietsuccess.com/40-easy-paleo-diet-snacks/

Above is a great link to a whole list of super easy Paleo friendly snacks that you can whip up in seconds or take with you.

3) Short on time, get your slow cooker going, or pre-cook in the oven or bar-B-que a flat of chicken, beef or pork, whatever you like.  Include roasted veggies and sweet potatoes.  Then pre-portion your meals, toss in the freezer or leave in the fridge.

4) On the go...prep snacks for the week.  In an air tight container pack pre-made trail mix, beef jerky or some fruit.  So when your suddenly hungry because you forgot to eat, you have something healthy to tie you over.

Above is what I had for breakfast, left-over spaghetti squash with spinach and 1 tsp of sun-dried tomatoes and 2 egg scramble.

And here is what I had for dinner last night, Paleo friendly spaghetti...instead of noodles I used spaghetti squash and the sauce was a bit of tomato paste, light-coconut milk and spices.  I loaded it with veggies and used ground turkey for the protein.  I bought a big squash so that I would have left-overs all week.  Squash is amazing, you can do sooo much with it because it takes on whatever flavor your add it.  I wanted something sweet this morning so I added a little cinnamon, tonight I'll be using the left-over coconut milk to make a curry sauce and have curry chicken on the squash instead of rice.

Doing the work now, of preparing and organizing your meals is going to be the key to your success, I can't stress that enough.  You don't have to take it all on in one day, you just have to start slow by swapping out your old habits with new Paleo friendly foods...who knows, you might just like it!