Day 2 and 3- 21 Day Transformation

Well Day 2 shopping went well at Good Foods Co-op and I managed to stay in budget.  The book suggests an all out shopping spree but that is just not my reality.  I failed miserably at the work out portion for yesterday.  I was suppose to do a moderate duration aerobic work out.  Only 20 minutes and it just didn't happen.  Day 2 also suggests a screen curfew (saying good bye to you guys) which I did yesterday.  Sometimes it is my only free time so that one will continue to be a challenge.  I did fair with the eating portion.  Probably 80% but my cravings were torture for me.

Day 3 went much better.  Well, actually I failed the exercise portion again but my cravings weren't as bad.  The book suggests planning a primal celebration dinner for Day 6 or 7.  That too is just not my reality.  I have three kids I can barely figure out what to feed to I'm certainly not going to try to feed my friends this first week.  Maybe me and the hubby will have a celebration meal together.   Day 3 also suggests boycotting industrialized food.  I really don't think this will be too hard as there aren't any fast foods out there that I truly crave.  Today I was suppose to do a full length primal workout.  I've decided to move that to tomorrow as I will be home all day with no car.  I was also suppose to take a spontaneous play break and given that I have a one year old, there were many of those today.

So maybe your wondering what a typical day of primal food looks like?  I thought I'd run down today's menu to give you an idea.

Breakfast: 2 eggs over medium with bacon

Mid morning snack: Veggie surprise - this one I made up as I went. I started by cooking onions in butter and then added broccoli and frozen brussel  sprouts.  I added water at this point as well.  I let that cook for about 8 minutes and then added spinach (cooked another minute), garlic, red pepper (I like it crunchy), tomatoes, kalamato olives, sea salt and a drizzle of vinegar and oil dressing.  I let that cook for about 3 minutes and this is what appeared:

The flavors were heavenly! Even the Beaner couldn't stop eating it.  Yes, that was a snack, I know looks like a meal but I was hungry!

Lunch: A jar of my moms homemade spaghetti sauce.  It is very meaty with little sauce and was like a soup without noodles.  Beaner fought me for this one too.  We also had melon with lunch.

Snack: Apple slices

Dinner: Grilled chicken, California veggie mix, bacon-walnut-cherry salad, and Paleo pumpkin muffins.

I was a little skeptical about the muffins but they were heavenly.  Take a look:

Aren't they beautiful?  They truly tasted like pumpkin pie and there is no flour, wheat or other bad carbs in these!  Who wants the recipe?  Just comment below and I'll add it.

So this is what dinner looked like:

So what do you think?  Looks yummy doesn't it?

Tomorrow's focus will be on exercise so let's hope for a warm motivating day!

Day 1- 21 day Transformation to Paleo

Well, today is the day I start my transformation and I am as sick as can be with a sinus infection.  This is a good reminder of why I so badly need this change.  This transformation should significantly increase my immune system.

One thing I really like about Sisson's book is that there is no drastic overnight change.  Every step seems reasonable.  I debated whether I could start today given how I felt but then I looked at what I had to do.  Today, I get to do the kitchen and pantry purge.  This is going to be soooo difficult for me!  I was raised not to waste food so to throw a whole bag of sugar and flour in the garbage goes against my "save everything"  mentality.  I have a full bottle of Pepsi to throw away. Oh how I love that stuff but oh how it hates my body.  Farewell to boxes of cereal, cans of beans, granola bars, frozen waffles, popsicles, etc.  My husband told me I really didn't have to get rid of everything but I'm under the mind frame that if I don't, I will eat it.  If the flour is there, muffins will be made.  For the kids, I plan to pick up a few gluten free snacks tomorrow that they can have at school.  I'm trying to increase their produce in their lunches but also want to make sure they have food that will sustain them.  Luckily, Bear likes nuts which is a good source of protein for her but Rooster is another story.

Also on the agenda today are two forms of exercise.  Short and brief.  I decided a shopping trip was a perfect way to get a lot of walking in.  What can I say, I love the after Christmas deals!  My second choice will be to attempt a few pull-ups on my hubbies pull-up bar. 

My final task will be to put together a shopping list for tomorrow's grocery stock up.  I've really thought long and hard about the best approach to this.  For the longest time my goal was to grocery shop once per month as the less your in the stores the less you spend.  This simply won't work for a primal diet.  A primal diet utilizes in season produce and local or organic meats.  For the past year, I have grocery shopped once per week on Fridays.  I found that by Tuesday, we were not only out of food but out of our grocery funds for the week.  My new approach is to split this and shop on Tuesday and Friday.  That way I have a smaller list and fewer days to plan for.  It will also allow me to take advantage of mid week sales.

So thats it for today.  Sounds reasonable doesn't it?

21 Day Transformation

Tomorrow marks the first day of 2012.  For some reason the transition to a new year seems to invite change and this year I'm more excited than ever to get started.  My husband recently introduced me to a blog called Mark's Daily Apple.  At first I was skeptical about Mark Sisson's paleo talk.  Eat like our ancestors and live better.  I thought of it as the latest trend and maybe it is.  But the more I read about living a paleo lifestyle, the more I realize that it makes complete sense for me and my family.  Let me explain why.

After the birth of my little Beaner, the weight shed off like a dog losing his winter coat (yes, you can hate me).  Nursing her for as long as we have (and continue to do) has allowed me to maintain the perfect weight for my size (yes, I can hear your sighs).  Despite being this perfect weight, I am plagued every day by a lack of energy, poor muscle endurance and cravings for carb infested foods.  This has made me realize that weight means nothing if your body is in poor shape.  I don't have the energy to play with my kids like I want to. I don't have the energy to exercise and I don't have the energy to foster the important relationships in my life. Something has to change.  Living a Paleo lifestyle isn't just about the foods you eat, it is also about nurturing the environment you live in and exercising your body in the way our ancestors did.  Mark Sisson has a book called the 21 Day Transformation which directs you in making changes to your diet, exercise routine and lifestyle.  I could write on and on about what a Paleo lifestyle means but I'd rather you check back with me as I take this journey over the next 21 days.

Over the next 21 days, I plan to eat a minumum of 80% Paleo which is recommended.  As this is not a restriction diet, that 20% allows you to be flexible in making this transition. I hope I can be 100% but I will aim for 80 so as to not risk failure.  As for my family, I plan to work on transitioning the children to this diet with some changes.  My Rooster only likes carbs and sugars. It does not work well for him.  He has poor energy and other problems from this diet.  I plan to switch his diet to Gluten and Casein free while working toward Paleo.  Generally when a family makes this change, the children are forced to as well because that is the only food around.  I plan to stop buying all those non whole food items that are terrorizing his little system.  Meanwhile though, I need to make sure he still gets food.  This will be my greatest challenge.  My girls are much easier eaters and the baby Beaner prefers Paleo foods already.  If you have read some of my previous posts, you might realize that my Rooster has a strong food aversion making this transition even more difficult.  My sister in law turned me onto the notion that certain kids can crave foods that they are allergic or sensitive to.  I believe that Rooster is sensitive to gluten and sugar and therefore craves it even more.  Just my theory.

So these are my goals for the kiddos.  During this 21 day challenge, I would like Rooster to eat one vegetable and two fruits that aren't disguised in his food.  Right now apples are the only produce he will eat so this will be tough!  For the girls, I would like them to add two additional vegetables to their current list and make sure they eat a vegetable for every lunch and dinner.  I would like any other foods to be Gluten and Casein free.

I start my challenge on Monday (Jan. 2nd) so check back for updates.  In the meantime, I made my kids a Paleo breakfast this morning and was beyond ecstatic when my Rooster ate an entire coconut flour pancake packed full of protein and fiber along with some bacon.   Bear only had a banana but she isn't a morning person.  My Beaner prefers eggs and wouldn't try the Paleo pancakes which is fine with me.  Successful meal in my book!

So tell me what you think about this Paleo change?  Aren't these cute faces worth a healthy lifestyle?