Thursday, November 21, 2013

BIG NEWS!!! Everyday Paleo Workshop Coming to SinCity Crossfit South!

Some of you already know my Paleo story.  But for those of you who don't, it started about  3 1/2 years ago.  My oldest daughter had some pretty bad environmental and food allergies.  She also suffered from asthma and was constantly sick.  I was tired of all the antibiotics and medications.  I knew this wasn't good for her.  I did my research and found Paleo.  We started slow. first eliminating dairy, then gluten.  We saw an improvement in her asthma right away and her nasal congestion decreased.  Soon we eliminated all asthma medications and she hasn't had an infection since.  We were so excited about these improvements we decided to go all in as a family.  One of the blogs I followed religiously when we began was Everyday Paleo by Sarah Fragoso she had so much information and recipes on how to transition a whole family to the Paleo lifestyle.  She is an incredible lady.  A Mom of three, a wife, a crossfit coach, blogger, and author.  My first Paleo cookbook is one of hers, the Everyday Paleo Cookbook.  Since that book she has authored two more Paleo cookbooks and a children's Paleo book.

Sarah, alongside Jason Seib (the author of "The Paleo Coach" and owner of Clackamas Physical Conditioning) will be presenting a Paleo Workshop at SinCity Crossfit South in January.  See the flyer below for all the information.  It is a workshop for everyone.  You don't need to be a member to attend.  Invite your friends, family, and neighbors.  The cost is $99 for this all day workshop that includes lunch.  To register go to Paleo Workshop Registration.




Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Easy Mashed Cauliflower



So a lot of comfort foods are showing up on the dinner table these days.  Kinda goes with the weather.  This is a great side dish for many of those wonderful fall foods and for those carb concsious people.  Wonderful substitute for mashed potatoes.  And it is quick and easy.

2  bags organic frozen cauliflower/frozen cauliflower
1 1/2 Tbl coconut oil/grassfed butter (butter not Whole30 approved)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Cook frozen cauliflower according to package directions.  Drain.  Throw it all into your VitaMix/blender/food processor.  Add oil or butter, salt and pepper.  Blend until smooth.  Taste and adjust salt and pepper to your liking.


Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Some resources to help you continue eating healthy!

Check out our friend Nick Massie's website paleonick.com for more recipe ideas to continue your new healthy eating lifestyle!

He has great recipes that make large portions and can be frozen so you don't have to worry about cooking meals everyday!

Also Like him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaleoNick


Here are a few other great sites:

http://paleomg.com/

http://paleopot.com/

http://www.sweetcheekshq.com/

http://everydaypaleo.com/


For those who may be interested in how I eat on a regular basis continue reading.

I pretty much eat Zone/Paleo. I measure my food (Zone), but eat Paleo. The main difference between Paleo and Zone is that the Zone allows you to eat processed foods and Paleo is caveman style. With the Zone however, if you choose to eat processed foods the portions are smaller so you may not feel full. If you choose healthy options you are able to eat more.

The Zone can be a little frustrating when you start out because you are measuring all your food, but when you get the hang of it you will be able to pretty much eyeball most things. The main reason I like the Zone is because there is portion control. Paleo is easy to start off with, but the one thing I don’t like about it is that there isn’t specific portion control (Eat as frequently as you want and whatever you want as long as it’s “Paleo”). People trying out the Paleo diet for the first time may also struggle with not knowing how much to eat.

I don’t like to refer to these as “diets” either. A “diet” is a quick fix fad. I think of the Zone and Paleo “diets” more like healthy lifestyles.

By all means I am not expert, but I have done both “diets” and combined the two. When I first did Zone/Paleo I did it super strict for 30 days. I saw results after the first week. I was also working out.* After I did Zone/Paleo strict for 30 days I cut out most of the processed foods I used to eat. i.e. bread, pasta…but that does't mean I don't eat them every once in a while or have "cheat" items.

Below is how you can figure out how many Zone blocks you should eat a day. You can create an account for free.
http://www.zonediet.com/shop?gclid=CNTzzJD7-rgCFa9_Qgod4H0ApA

Zone Tools > Body Fat Calculator

For me I eat 15 blocks per day (15blks of protein, carbs, and fat)

3blk breakfast, lunch and dinner (each meal includes 3blks of protein, 3 blks of carbs, 3blks of fat)
2blk snack mid-morning and mid-afternoon

You can break up your blocks however you want throughout the day. This way just works for me.

1blk of protein = 7grams / 1blk or carbs = 9 grams / 1blk of fat = 1.5 grams

You can look on the ingredient labels to figure out blocks if it is not on the Zone Food Block list.

Zone Tools > Zone Food Blocks 


www.zonediet.com 

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Stop! Don't Dive into that Donut Box! It's Not Over!



As we are closing in on the "end" of our fit challenge many of you may have questions or concerns about where to go from here.  Please be sure to read "You're Invited… to the Whole30 Wrap Party" and "Are You Really Ready to End Your Whole30. Ride Your Own Bike."  It gives you step by step information on where to go from here.

We hope that this 30 day challenge was a success for all of you.  Success can be defined in different ways for everyone.  You may have gotten a better time on a WOD, lost some weight, started sleeping better, that nagging knee pain may have gone away, eliminated some medication, improved your blood pressure.  Or it could be that you learned something.  You learned you need to dial in your diet better, eliminate some carbs, increase your protein, you may have figured out your weaknesses come when you are tired, or on the weekends and have begun to develop strategies to combat them.  Whatever your success is.  We are proud of you!

Just because the "Fit Challenge" is almost over, the positive changes you made should not go out the window.  Stop!  Don't dive into that donut box!  It's not over!  We are hoping you have begun your road to a lifestyle change.  Now that you see what 30 days have done for you.  Imagine what can happen in 60, 90, and 120 days.  Or as Buzz Lightyear and my daughter would say.  "To Infinity and Beyond!"  We are not perfect all the time, but striving for it is a good thing.  Just don't beat yourself up when you make a mistake.  Dust your self off and move on to a better decision.  It's okay.  If you need any help be sure to come see a trainer.  That is what we are here for.  Do some research (tons of it out there on the internet).  And continue to check out our blog.  We may not post as regularly as we have during the challenge but we will post new recipes and info occasionally and it's okay to go back and look at past information.

Keep up the good work everyone.  Set new goals.  Make them visible and go get 'um!
We are so proud of all of you who took on this challenge.  Remember this is not the end.  It was just the beginning.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Paleo Meatballs



 You will need:
1 lb. ground beef
½ medium onion
½ medium orange bell pepper
¼ cup fresh parsley
¼ cup fresh basil
1 egg
¼ cup ground almond meal
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350 F.

1. Chop onions and bell pepper.
2. In a pan with a little olive oil, sauté onions and bell pepper. Cook until tender.
3. While pepper and onion mix is cooking, chop parsley and
basil.
4. Remove onions and peppers from stove. Let cool slightly.
5. Combine fresh herbs, pepper and onion mix, ground
beef, egg, almond meal, and salt in a medium sized bowl. Mix together with your
hands and shape into small balls.
6. Place meatballs in a 9x13 pan and bake for approximately
20 minutes.

ENJOY!