Home Stretch!! +Challenge #3!

Hey guys!

It's the last week of the Challenge! Thank you to everyone who has participated and I hope that you have all been able to make some changes in your diet that you can carry with you beyond the 4 weeks of this challenge.

The challenge for this week is to look at the connection between what you are eating and how you feel.    Pay attention to what you eat prior to your workouts and how that affects your performance.  A change in diet is often first driven by trying to lean out or lose weight but, in my experience, the only thing that made this change stick was that it made me feel better.  For me, what makes passing up that cookie or piece of pizza worth it is that I know how much better I feel and how much harder I can push in a workout if I am eating clean.

If you haven't been eating Paleo over the last 3 weeks, it's not too late!! Take this week and go for it! Jump in on Challenge #3 and give it a try!

Please comment below with anything you learn over the next few days as you focus on food and performance.

-Kirsten

Recipes!!!

Hey all!
Thank you to everyone who commented below the last blog post and left recipe ideas for everyone! Since you guys shared such great ideas I figured I should share some of my favorite Paleo recipes with you!  What I look for most out of a good recipe is if it will work well for leftovers.  I hate putting all the work in to cook something to only get one meal out of it!  Here are a few that are great on day 1 and they make great leftovers!

One of my favorite things to eat are meatballs or a meat sauce over zucchini or mixed vegetables.  Here is a link for a great Paleo meatball recipe:

http://marianutrition.blogspot.com/2010/08/italian-meatballs.html

I also LOVE sweet potatoes! This morning I baked a large batch of sweet potatoes by cutting them in to cubes and then shake them in a large ziploc with Olive Oil and salt and pepper.  I spread them on a cookie sheet and bake for about 30 minutes st 350 degrees.  Super easy and delicious! They are great to pack for lunch on the go with some chicken or turkey.

SWEET POTATOES!!

I hope everyone is continuing to try new foods and new recipes that work for you!   Challenge #3 will be up by the end of the week! Thank you to everyone that has been participating in all the challenges so far!  It's great to see some of you really giving this thing a try! 

-Kirsten

What Are You Eating?? (And Challenge #2!)

Hey everyone! I hope everyone is doing well!
I thought I would give you all an idea of what I eat during a normal day in case people are having trouble coming up with meal plans.
I usually spend most of my days away from home, so between breakfast and dinner I usually eat frequent small meals/snacks that consist of food that I can easily carry with me.

Breakfast:
Eggs and bacon or turkey bacon. (Choose grass fed and nitrate free if possible for the meat)
A Frittata or egg bake is a great dish to make ahead and then you can just heat it up in the morning!
**If I’m in a rush I will sometimes grab some nuts and a piece of fruit

Lunch:
Cut up chicken breast or Turkey
Sweet potatoes (Make these ahead of time and then have them with your lunch for a few days)
Raw veggies (Green pepper, carrots, sugar snap peas, green beans)
Salads
Chicken Salad or Tuna Salad, I like to add some crunchy veggies to mine (celery, or green peppers)
Fruit: apples are easy to carry around or trader joes has great pre-cut fruit as well.

Eating Out:
Habit Burger: I order the chicken club sandwich, lettuce wrapped. Delicious!!
Crepeville: Any omelettes or scrambles, bacon or sausage. They have great salads here, make sure to add meat. If I’ve had a big workout that day, I’ll go double meat or add avocado.
Plutos: Salads, add meat. Again avocado is a great way to get some good fat in here. They also have carved meats here as well that are great for lunch with veggies on the side.

When eating out, look for your BEST option, it won’t always be perfect, but that’s life!
I’ll often order a burger without a bun and add avocado. Eating this way should not keep you from going places with friends and is not meant to make you feel deprived.  You just might have to get creative sometimes!

Dinner:
Dinner is usually meat and veggies. Chicken with asparagus is probably the most common Paleo dinner you will find at my house. If it is just me at home for the night, I might have eggs and bacon or a salad with fruit and nuts in it and oil and vinegar dressing.
Snacks:
I generally stick to fruit and nuts for my snacks.  I always carry “applesauce crushers” (packets of applesauce that are only apples, no added sugar) from trader joes with me.  They are great on the go snacks. Almond butter packets are great as well to throw in. I also always have some kind of nut mix or trail mix with nuts and dried fruit with me.  
After dinner I will often have an apple with almond butter, (my favorite are Pink Lady apples) or some kind of fruit.   
That's about it! I am naturally a pretty picky person, so my diet isn't super exciting, but I am working on branching out and trying new things.  

This brings me to Challenge #2! Post here or to the group facebook page a recipe that you have found and enjoyed since starting the Paleo Challenge. Please do this by Friday. I will add my favorite recipes on Friday as well to the blog. If you haven't joined the group Facebook page yet, please do so if you would like to or if you are on Facebook. Mariah emailed the link to all of you to make it easier to find.

Looking forward to some new recipes! Keep up the good work guys!

-Kirsten

YES YOU CAN!! +Challenge #1!

Happy Tuesday everyone!
I hope you are all having a successful week so far! Having been in the CrossFit community for awhile now and with a few nutrition challenges under my belt I have heard quite a few people utter phrases like these; "I could never go strict Paleo", "I have too much of a sweet tooth to eat Paleo" or "I can't live without bread!"  Trust me in my days prior to CrossFit I probably would have said the same thing.  I am here to tell you that my answers to all of these statements are, YES YOU CAN!  If you met me before I walked through the door of CrossFit Davis for the first time you would have laughed at the possibility of me ever offering someone nutrition advice or writing a blog post about clean eating.  Some of you have heard this before, but my meal before my first CrossFit workout consisted of 2 pop tarts and a diet pepsi! I wish I could say this "meal" was out of the ordinary for me, but at the time it really wasn't.  I had no concept of using food to fuel my body and I had no idea that I could feel better if the food I put into my body was better.  I believe eating foods based on Paleo guidelines is a way of life that can suit anyone.  It might not feel easy or convenient at first, but hey, neither was CrossFit at first and now most of us probably can't imagine our lives without it!

Here are some super helpful tips form Mariah:

First things first: eliminate the words “easy” and “convenient” and anything of the like from your vocabulary. Staying grain, legume, and dairy-free while commuting on campus, to/from school to/from work to/from the gym, etc. takes EFFORT and PLANNING. Resisting the late-night pizza and alcohol social binges takes DISCIPLINE. When your boss or professor brings donuts to class or to the office as a reward for all of your hard work, it takes PERSPECTIVE and WILL POWER to stick to your packed celery-stick snack. Is it easy or convenient? No. Is that an excuse? No.

A quick warning to those perfectionists out there: I am going to take a page from Darwin’s book (big ups, D.) and say that a lot of the time, we may not have access to the best food options imagineable, so instead, we must choose the best available.

What to shop for:

Meat and vegetables, of course!

OK, it’s not that simple, I’ll admit. The recommendation to succeed and thrive on paleo is to have a WIDE variety of vegetables, lots of grass-fed meats, little fruit, some safe starches, and lots of good fats. In order for some of us to succeed with the busy lifestyles that we lead (and if you are like me and can’t cook to save your life), some of that colorful variety may be cut a bit short at times; you may find yourself eating more nuts or fruit than is ideal, and you also may find yourself having to get used to eating cold, pre-cooked meat. Those of you that would like to get creative, please do so. In the meantime, I will go ahead and tell you what has kept me compliant (and has not completely drained me financially) despite the hectic nature of life.

First off: find a grocery store that sells grass-fed meat, high quality produce, and smaller items like coconut flakes, jerky, and larabars. *I personally use Costco and supplement with Trader Joe’s or Safeway. Choose items that are easily stored and/or prepared (especially in reference to the produce). In an  extravagant trip to Costco, here is what my shopping list would look like:

1) 4 lb. grass-fed organic ground beef packages. <<<I usually buy 3 or 4 of these packages and freeze them until needed.

2) Organic sausages: chicken and apple, artichoke, chicken and mango. Lots of potential here for easy protein. Look at the labels, avoid crap ingredients.

3) Steak. Grass-fed is preferrable. Again, buy these in bulk and freeze as necessary.

4) Shrimp! This lovely little fish can actually be extremely convenient and tasty when on the road.

5) EASILY STORED AND EASILY CONSUMED FRUITS/VEGGIES such as: broccoli, cucumber, celery, bell peppers, carrots, mushrooms, berries, apples, oranges. Sweet potatoes and squash are also an option here if you don’t mind cooking them ahead of time.

6) Box of avocados. Be sure to get a variety of ripeness; adding in a few that are still green and extremely firm will give you some time to eat the others before those ones ripen, thus minimizing store trips. Planning!

7) Giant bag of nuts. Is this the best fat option imagineable? No. But it works in moderation.

8) Coconut flakes (you may have to go to Whole Foods or TJ’s for this one, make sure to buy unsweetened, no added sugar!).

9) Beef jerky, salmon jerky, turkey jerky, eggs (for hardboiling!) larabars, small pieces of fruit, or any other portable snack that tickles your fancy. Many Trader Joe’s stores also sell pre-cut chicken and steak that can be easily thrown into a salad...find various options that suit you.

Mold my shopping list to fit your tastes and needs, but stay within the parameters of:

A) paleo-friendly, and B) simple.

I have yet to mention the three most critical and revolutionary store-bought gadgets of all time:

1) Tupperware set. These can be bought at any drugstore, most grocery stores, and other large department stores such as Target.

 2) Cooler and/or refrigerateable (is that a word?) lunch bag. Coolers may not look that “cool,” so the cooling lunch bag is a great substitution; these little guys can be stored in the fridge over night, and they do a great job at both keeping your food fresh AND looking somewhat socially acceptable. Can be purchased at drug stores and department stores.

3) Ziploc sandwich and freezer bags. They’re beautiful.

Thank you Mariah!! 

This brings us to Challenge #1!  Offer a suggestion or something you have done or are doing to make the switch to Paleo more manageable.  We don't want to think of eating Paleo as a diet, it's a way of life and a significant life change for many.  I know it was for me! In order for this change to become life long, it needs to be practical and the good news is this is absolutely possible.  Please comment below with your helpful suggestions, tips or tricks or email me and I will post them here! You have until Friday to complete this challenge.  Looking forward to hearing from you all! 

-Kirsten 

Sunday Suggestions!

Hey everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend and were able to resist the temptations for all things Un-Paleo! 

I wanted to send a few suggestions your way so that everyone can have a successful first week. First off is to be prepared. Stock up at the grocery store with foods you can eat.  Trader Joes is a great place for easy paleo options if you don't have a lot of time for food prep.  The have individually packaged chicken breasts that are great on the go as well as plenty of different nuts, veggies and pre-cut fruits.  When you're grocery shopping think about buying whole, real and fresh foods. Stay away from anything processed.  

Second, stay strict! Don't cheat! Even if it's something small switching to a new way of eating takes some time to adapt to.  You may feel deprived at first, but in my experience after you get over the hump, how much better you feel eating this way will far out weigh your desire for a cheat meal.  Consistency will pay off and make the whole process easier in the end. 

and finally- Don't be afraid to ask for support.  The whole point of a group challenge like this is that we can stay accountable to one another.  I am always available via email if you have questions or concerns about the challenge. The goal of this challenge is for everyone to make positive changes towards eating better and ultimately feeling better!  

Good luck to everyone and check back here in the next few days for instructions for the first mini-challenge! 

-Kirsten 

3,2,1, GO!

Hello Everyone! 

Welcome to the official blog for the CFD End of Summer Paleo Challenge! It's hard to believe we're already saying goodbye to summer, but what a perfect time to say hello to clean eating and feeling great! This blog will be used to post recipes, helpful tips and articles to get you through the next 4 weeks.  Additionally, every 3-4 days I will be posting different "challenges" for everyone to participate in.  These will be something like, find and post a new paleo recipe or record everything you eat for one day. We want to keep everyone involved for the full 4 weeks and I think this will help people to stay on track.  


Now for the good stuff: 

Are you asking yourself: What is Paleo?? Well I'll tell you! This term is often thrown around CrossFit boxes so we thought we’d give you a quick overview of what we consider “Paleo”.

Meat and Veggies

Nuts and Seeds

Some Fruit

Little Starch

No Sugar

Looks pretty simple huh?! The focus of this challenge is the QUALITY of the food you are putting in your body. ie. No processed foods, alcohol, sugar or grains. If you've never done anything like this before the first week might be tough, but the benefit of doing this with a group is that we can support each other and be accountable to one another. Stay strict! Don't cheat! It's only 4 weeks right?

One last little note: Beware of  all the “Paleo” recipes out there these days, specifically recipes that re-create baked goods. While these can be great, they often contain honey or agave nectar. If you want to try these recipes, leave out whatever is suggested as a sweetener (honey, agave nectar etc.) These recipes are generally plenty sweet on their own! 

Good luck to everyone! Looking forward to another great challenge!
-Kirsten