It’s been awhile!

Hi All,

I know it’s been awhile but between work, school, and trying to maintain any semblance of life I have had very little time to blog as of late, so my apologies!

Firstly, you may remember last time that I told y’all that I was going to continue to restrict my carbohydrate intake.  I’ve been able to drop a couple more pounds (hooray!) and while I don’t take any measurements, my clothes are fitting even better and I’m much more of a true size 10 than 12 as I was before.  I still have an occasional treat from time to time but let me tell you: after reducing my carb intake I’ve noticed that my appetite has gone down.  I’m not sure if this is because I’m eating full-fat food that’s really satisfying, or what.  But it’s been nice that some of the hard work (cravings!) seems to be built in to this way of eating.  No worries though, I’m still eating right around 1650 calories a day without exercise.  Yesterday Wally and I went for a run and I burned almost 600 cals, so I ate a LOT more!

So one of the things I just can’t do without is chocolate.  I found this at Trader Joe’s while shopping last week and it’s my fav new thing.  I only eat a couple of squares and it’s oddly very satisfying (coming from some who, previously, could eat an entire bar).  I like the dark chocolate with almonds flavor:

You can find out where to by at http://www.simplylitefoods.com

Another thing I’ve been trying to eat more of lately is beef.  I’ve been able to find 85% lean grass fed ground beef and I’ve been making bunless burgers.  My favorite recipe currently is as follows:

Cheesy Burgers:

-1/4 yellow onion, chopped finely

-1 lb. ground beef

-1 egg

-1/2 tsp garlic powder

-1/2 tsp onion powder

-1/2 tsp salt

-1/2 tsp pepper

-2oz cream cheese

-2 slices cheddar cheese, divided

-1/4 c salsa, or to taste

-4 c. baby spinach

Mix up your ground beef, spices, egg, and onion.  Form into patties and cook on med-high heat until they’re cooked to your preference.  My husband and I prefer med-rare.  Once they’re almost done, plop the cream cheese and then the cheese on the top, turn the heat on to low, and cover until the cheese is melted.  Remove from heat and serve on a bed of baby spinach.  Top with salsa.

I’m so creative…I’m like Bob….

Take care and thanks for reading!

-C

Another food post!

…because I love food.

Okay y’all, you may be wondering, “How do I eat at a restaurant or social gatherings on paleo?”

Your answer is: You don’t!

Ok, ok, I kid…

But there are some tips you can follow to still be (mostly) compliant with your newfound diet:

• Try to go somewhere that serves organic/grassfed meat and poultry
• When you order, you can have something like extra steamed vegetables on the side.
• If you’re at a burger place, order it sans bun
• If you order a salad, ask for avocado or extra hard boiled eggs. You can also ask for additional chicken, beef, etc.
• Ask your server about items on the menu and if they can be changed. Just don’t be rude about it and they’ll probably oblige
• Or, (a lot of people won’t agree with me on this one) you can just avoid your diet entirely for the night…

That’s right, you can make a concession to your paleo (or primal, or weight watchers, or vegan…whatever your bag is, baby) diet for a night- for me, sometimes I just want something that isn’t on my diet. But that is something you need to weigh for yourself.  Will it really kill me to have a slice of pizza? Probably not. But will I feel really shitty the next day? Probably. Most likely. Yes. So I just need to weigh the outcome and see if it’s worth it to me to cave in. I don’t think it’s necessary to fit into a certain category with my diet. I will eat what I want but most of the time it will be good things.

One thing I like to remember about dining out is how food makes me feel. Sure, that chili con queso looks delicioso- Uncle Julio’s I’m lookin’ at you- but really, how are you going to feel after you eat it? To me, that’s what this whole paleo/primal thing is all about. Feeling the best you can feel by giving your body what it needs. If you happen to lose some weight along the way, then even better!

By the way, remember how I told you I made those prosciutto egg cups earlier this week? This morning I also whipped up some sweet potato hash browns to go along with it. Delicious breakfast and I probably won’t be hungry again until 3 (even with a workout!).

Yes, I drink coffee. I will never give it up. NEVER!

Until next time!

-C