Done with the challenge, but continuing with Paleo!

So technically I am finished with my 30 day paleo challenge.  The last day was Sunday, but I have not finished posting my meals so I will continue to post what I ate the remaining days. 

However, I wanted to announce that I am continuing with paleo!  I gave myself a cheat meal on Monday (Hamburger w/ a bun and French fries) …it was delicious, but my tummy was not happy.  I’ve decided that I am so happy with how my body looks and feels on paleo that I will continue.  Now that it isn’t a competition, I will let myself cheat when we go out to eat somewhere special or if it is a special occasion.

Speaking of special occasion … our honeymoon is August 1 – 11 in the Virgin Islands.  I am not sure what our food options will be, but I am going to try to eat as paleo as possible (without getting on my husband’s nerves too much).  Plus, while on my honeymoon I plan to have a few cocktails, something I haven’t done for the past 30 days!

Any who, now that the challenge is over I probably won’t post all my meals from day 30 forward.  It is getting a little repetitive (how many salads and eggs for breakfast do y’all want to read about), and I obviously have a problem with daily posts.  My posts will probably be limited to a new recipe I have found, or situations where paleo was difficult and I found a way to find an option.  I will also post more about the workouts from boot camp!

Day 16, 17, 18 - work travel and dinner w/ friends on paleo

Day 16, July 10^th

8:30 - 12 oz of water. Hardboiled egg, banana, and blueberries
10:30 – 16 oz of water
11:00 – home-made Lara Bars (see recipe on Day 15 post)
12:00 – left over chicken with asparagus and guacamole (from day 15). 16 oz of water
3:00 – 12 oz of water
5:30 – butter lettuce, almonds, orange slices, oil and vinegar. 12 oz of water
7:30 – salad w/ lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms, tuna, 2 hardboiled eggs, evoo, vinegar. 16 oz of water
10:30 - 16 oz of water


Day 17, July 11 Beach outing with my work
8:00 – banana, homemade lara bar, 24 oz of water
12:30 – 16 oz of water. Turkey and roast beef cold cuts, cucumber, watermelon, cherries
2:30- 12 oz of water, fruit
7:30 - shrimp, claims, sweet potato, pickle, fruit, 16 oz of water
10:30 - 16 oz of water.

This summer I am interning, and everyone in my office went to the beach for the day (not complaining). However, food for lunch was provided and it was all sandwich stuff. Needless to say a meal of deli meats was not exactly thrilling, and it prevented me from getting my goal of 3 daily servings of vegetables.

Day 18, July 128:30 - fruit, home-made lara bar, 16 oz of water.
12 - salad (with greens, mint, prosciutto, evoo, vinegar, tomatoes), 16 oz of water
3:00 - apple, 16 oz of water
7:30 - salad (greens, 2 hardboiled eggs, prosciutto, tomato, carrots, mushrooms, evoo, vinegar), 16 oz of water
10:00 - 16 oz of water

Stay Paleo strong! If I can, you can.  xoxo, Sarah

Half-way there!

I can't believe I was half-way through at this point! I have a sweet treat recipe below that really helped me through my last 15 days!

Day 15, July 9th

10:30 - apple and almond butter
12:00- salad (hardboiled egg, avocado, pepper, onions, and tomatoes, evoo, vinegar). 16 oz of water.
3:00 - apple and almond butter. 16 oz of water.
4:00 -  home made “Lara” date bar.
8:00- Sautéed Chicken (cooked in Coconut Oil), with guacamole (chopped avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, onions), asparagus (cooked in evoo). 12 oz of water  (meal pictured below!)

Home-made Paleo Lara Bars!
This is a paleo modification of a recipe I saw on “100 days of Real Food” blog.

1 cup of medjool dates (pitted)
1 cup of raw cashews
¼ cup of almond butter (no sweeteners in almond butter)
1 tablespoon of water

Combine all in food processor and run until mixture is finely chopped and mixture starts to stick together.  If it looks dry add another tablespoon of water.

Remove from food processor; pick up date mixture and using your hands work to squeeze it together into one big clump.

Mash it down on a cutting board or sheet of wax paper to form into one even rectangle shape using the sides of your hands (or a knife) to make the edges straight.

Slice into 12 even squares.  For best results store in the fridge, although bars can be kept at room temperature.

These are so delicious and really got me through my sweets cravings at the half way point.  However, these are really nut heavy, so eat in moderation!

Can't wait to share the reaminder of my 30 day challenge with y'all!   - xoxo , Sarah
8:30 - banana. 16 oz of water

Half-way there!

I can't believe I was half-way through at this point! I have a sweet treat recipe below that really helped me through my last 15 days!

Day 15, July 9th

10:30 - apple and almond butter
12:00- salad (hardboiled egg, avocado, pepper, onions, and tomatoes, evoo, vinegar). 16 oz of water.
3:00 - apple and almond butter. 16 oz of water.
4:00 -  home made “Lara” date bar.
8:00- Sautéed Chicken (cooked in Coconut Oil), with guacamole (chopped avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, onions), asparagus (cooked in evoo). 12 oz of water  (meal pictured below!)

Home-made Paleo Lara Bars!
This is a paleo modification of a recipe I saw on “100 days of Real Food” blog.

1 cup of medjool dates (pitted)
1 cup of raw cashews
¼ cup of almond butter (no sweeteners in almond butter)
1 tablespoon of water

Combine all in food processor and run until mixture is finely chopped and mixture starts to stick together.  If it looks dry add another tablespoon of water.

Remove from food processor; pick up date mixture and using your hands work to squeeze it together into one big clump.

Mash it down on a cutting board or sheet of wax paper to form into one even rectangle shape using the sides of your hands (or a knife) to make the edges straight.

Slice into 12 even squares.  For best results store in the fridge, although bars can be kept at room temperature.

These are so delicious and really got me through my sweets cravings at the half way point.  However, these are really nut heavy, so eat in moderation!

Can't wait to share the reaminder of my 30 day challenge with y'all!   - xoxo , Sarah
8:30 - banana. 16 oz of water

Beach Weekend

Almost halfway through the 30 day challenge - we headed to Beaufort for the weekend to visit friends.

Day 13, July 7th
8:30 - 2 eggs fried, tomato, salsa, 16 oz of water
12:00 - 16 oz of water, celery and salsa, strawberries, pepperoni
3:00 - 12 oz of water, 2 hot dogs w/ mustard (no bun)
6:00 - 16 oz of water, shrimp, chicken, and veggie kabobs (grilled).
8:00 - apple and almond butter
10:00 - 16 oz of water

Day 14, July 8th
8:30 - banana, 16 oz of water
12:30 - roasted chicken breast, lettuce, tomato, pickles, 16 oz of water.
6:00 - salad (veggies and steak, avocado, salsa). 16 oz of water.
8:30 - apple and almond butter. 16 oz of water.

It was hard staying in someone else's house and making sure I ate strictly paleo (hints the random hotdog meal).  We also had to stop on the road for food, and the paloe options are very limited.

Half- way point is up next! - xoxo Sarah

Week 2 went well... a little tired of salads

Day 11, July 5th
6:30 - 16 oz of water
8:30 - fruit (watermelon, pineapple, apples, blueberries). 12 oz water
10:30 - 16 oz water
12 - salad (greens, avocado, onion, tomato, evoo, vinegar, cucumber), brussel sprouts. 12 oz of water
3 - 16 oz of water, cashews and almonds
5:30 - 16 oz of water
7:30 - 16 oz of water
8:30 - salad (greens, tomato, onion, avocado, cucumber, pepper rings, tuna, evoo, vinegar) (picture below). 16 oz of water

Finished my day with an awesome Yoga class (led by coach Elizabeth) at Crossfit Invoke!

Day 12, July 6th
6:30 - 12 oz of water
8:30 - fruit, 16 oz of water
10:30 - 12 oz of water
12:00 - salad (greens, beets, peppers, hard-boiled egg, avocado, evoo and vinegar). 16 oz of water
5:30 - apple sauce (no sugar), 16 oz of water
8:30 - salad (greens, steak, avocado, salsa). 16 oz of water.
10:00 - 12 oz of water

Next up - our weekend at the beach! - xoxo Sarah

Happy Birthday America! - 4th of July

 This July 4th started with bootcamp bright and early; which motivated me to stick with my paleo all day and not cheat (even when at a cookout)!

Day 10, July 4th
8:30 - Omelet (3 eggs) cooked in coconut oil, with sauteed onions/zucchini, tomatoes, avocado and hot sauce. 16 oz of water. (picture below)
10:00 - 12 oz of water
2:00 - Salad (greens, hard-boiled egg, tomato, mushrooms, tuna, evoo and vinegar), shredded pork, 12 oz of water.
5:00 - 36 oz of water
7:00 - cookout at friend's house: burger (no cheese, no bun), avocado, jalapeno, tomato. fruit, roasted/grilled veggies. 24 oz of water.
10:00 - 12 oz of water

We did a chipper for bootcamp: 10 pistol squats, 20 burpees, 30 sit-uups, 40 mountain climbers, 50 squats, 60 step-ups, 400 meter run, 5 pistol squats, 10 burpees, 15 sit-ups, 20 mountain climbers, 25 squats, 30 step-ups, 400 meter run.

Sorry it has been so long ...

So I dropped the ball on posting my meals, but I have been eating strict paleo! I have a lot to update you on.

Day 8, July 2

6:00 am - 16 oz of water

8:30 am - hardboiled egg with 1/4 of an avocado. Banana. 16 oz of water.

10:30 am - 16 oz of water

12:00 pm - salad (greens, tomato, onion, cucumber, avocado, hardboiled egg, evoo, vinegar). 12 oz of water.

3:00 pm - apple, blueberries, almond butter. 16 oz of water.

5:30 pm - 16 oz of water

7:30 pm - roasted spaghetti squash; sautéed shrimp (in coconut oil); sautéed onion, tomato, asparagus; and arugula (picture below), 12 oz of water.

10:00 - 16 oz of water

Roasted spaghetti squash is a great alternative to pasta!  I cut the squash in half length-wise and roasted in the oven. Then I took a fork and scraped out the squash.  It comes out in noodle like pieces. Delicious!

Our bootcamp workout today was at Crossfit Invoke!  It was my first crossfit workout at the gym, and I loved it!  We did 15 overhead squats w/ a 400 meter run 5 times.

Day 9, July 3rd

8:30 - two fried eggs, sautéed swiss chard, 16 oz of water

9:00 - 12 oz of water, banana

10:30 - 16 oz of water

12:00 - 12 oz of water, left-over spaghetti squash with veggies

2:30 - 16 oz of water

7:00 - Steak, baked sweet potato (w/ coconut oil and cinnamon), brussel sprouts, 16 oz of water. (picture below)

10:00 - 16 oz of water

Rest day with 20 minutes of stretch!

Next up, how I made it through July 4th!   - xoxo Sarah

1 week in! ... Weekends are hard

1 week in!

I have completed 1 week of my 30 day paleo challenge and I am feeling pretty good about it!  My husband got back in town on Friday and I realized how much harder it is to eat strict paleo with someone around who is not.  However, I still have not cheated once! (pretty proud of myself).  Here are updates on what I ate over the weekend.

Day 6, June 30
8:30 am - 3 egg frittata (with sautéed onion, zucchini, tomatoes) (made in coconut oil) and chicken sausage. 16 oz of water.
10:30 am - 12 oz of water
1 pm - avocado, carrots, apple and almond butter. 16 oz of water.
3 pm - nuts and 16 oz of water
7:00 pm - (meal out) steak, sautéed spinach. 16 oz of water
9:00 pm - (movie) NO Delicious snacks; snuck in a 12 oz La Croix water so I could have something carbonated. (don't tell on me...hehe).
11:00 pm - 16 oz of water

Day 7, July 1
9:00 am - steak and eggs (cooked in coconut oil) (from left over steak from dinner). Sliced tomatoes and avocado. blueberries. 16 oz of water.
12 pm - apple with almond butter. 16 oz of water
3:00 pm - (my husband really wanted chargrill) Hamburger (no bun) w/ lettuce, tomato, onion, and peppers. 12 oz of water
8:00 pm - salad (greens, tomato, onion, avocado, tuna, cucumber, evoo and balsamic vinegar). 16 oz of water
10:00 pm - 12 oz of water

So I am not sure if you noticed that I ate at chargrill on Sunday.  My husband had been working on renovating our kitchen cabinets all day and the kitchen was a mess, plus we had waited until 3 to get lunch.  Both in foul moods, I told him to pick a place for lunch and I would make it work for paleo.  Supportingly (she says sarcastically) he picked Chargrill.  Normally, I would jump at the chance to eat a burger and fries, but it isn't paleo.  Not wanting to fight, I said fine.  I ended up with a hamburger (no cheese) and threw out the bun, ate it with a fork and knife and was completely unsatisfied.  Plus, I almost cried at the smell of his french fries.  I have never wanted fries so bad in my entire life.

I am really proud that I got through the weekend without a cheat.  I did notice that now that Collins is back in town we ate out a lot more than I did the first week.  Luckily we planned our meals to cook at home this week, and I am excited to share the recipes we have planned!

Today, I got to work out for my first time at Crossfit Invoke! More about that and the food I have been eating when I post on Wednesday!

xoxo, Sarah

day five, and feeling alive! ... er kind of

(late post from Friday)

So ... I am on day five and my meals for today and day four have not been quite as exciting.  I have been eating a lot of left-overs.

Day 4, June 28th
7:30 am - banana
8:30 am - two eggs (over easy) with sautéed swiss chard (in evoo), and chicken andouille sausage (organic). 16 oz of water
10:30am - 16 oz of water
1:00 pm- chicken andouille sausage. brussel sprouts & beets (left overs), peaches, olives. 16 oz of water
3:30 pm - cashews and almonds. 16 oz of water
5:30 pm (party at work) - grilled chicken skewers, raw veggies (carrots, tomatoes, peppers).  12 oz water
7:30 pm - Yoga at Crossfit Invoke w/ Coach Elizabeth. 12 oz of water
9:00 pm - Salad with green leaf lettuce, albacore tuna, tomato, cucumber, banana peppers, ev olive oil, red wine vinegar. 16 oz of water

Day 5, June 29th
6:00 am - boot camp (5 stations, 1 minute on each, 3 rounds: kettlebell lunges, jump rope, dips, medicine ball snatches, and situps).
8:00 am - 16 oz of water
9:00 am - 2 eggs scrambled wit sautéed swiss chard and salsa. 16 oz of water
10:30 am - banana
12:00 pm - (met a friend for lunch) Salad bar: spinach, mixed greens, tomato, cucumber, olives, hard boiled egg, oil and vinegar. 12 oz of water
2:30 pm - 12 Oz of water
3:30 pm - cherries, chicken (leftover from crockpot), brussel sprouts
4:30 pm - 16 oz of water
7:30 pm - (dinner out) - Seltzer w/ lime, salad (mixed greens, pears, steak, evoo and red wine vinegar).

Today, it was interesting to go out to lunch with my friend and dinner with my husband.

For lunch, we went to Weaver Street Market (a food co-op that is like a Whole Foods). It had a cold and hot bar.  Once I saw there were hardboiled eggs I decided to get a salad.  It was interesting how many items on the salad bar I couldn't eat.  Obvious items being dressings and cheese... but when I reached for my favorite food - beets, I was stopped by a sign listing what the beets were marinated in...SUGAR... erg.  Beets are delicious without sugar and now I couldn't eat them.  Luckily they had a sign listing the ingredients.  After making my salad, I went by the hot bar to see if I could get any more protein. I was so excited when I saw roasted chicken ... that was until I read the ingredients; the chicken had also been marinated in SUGAR.  I kept to my salad and hard-boiled egg and was satisfied.

I feel like I have been eatting a lot of the same things.  I am excited for Collins (my husband) to get back from CA tonight to give me some new ideas.  He is a great cook! Hopefully, we will help me keep with it over the weekend.

I forgot to mention, it is already 106 degrees in Raleigh, NC and supposed to be this hot all weekend.  I don't know yet what my physical activity will consist of, but I do know it will be indoors.

xoxo Sarah