Paleo Challenge numéro dos is going into full swing on Jan 2nd, 2013! I have also convinced some friends and the hubby to join in the fun. It will be a 30 day challenge that will last from Wednesday January 2nd to Friday February1st. We have decided to make it a little fun and add in points and an end prize.

So what is Paleo?
Paleo is a way of eating, therefore it is a diet in the noun sense of the word. We are not on a diet in the verb sense of the word. The definition of "diet" is:

Noun The kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.

Verb Restrict oneself to small amounts or special kinds of food in order to lose weight: "it is difficult to diet in a house full of cupcakes". We are not going to restrict the amount of food we eat while we do this Paleo challenge. We will not count calories. This challenge is not for the purpose of losing weight- although that does end up being a nice bonus. Paleo is going back to the way our ancestors ate before the agricultural revolution. It is eating food in its purest form. Whole vegetables, grass fed and hormone free meat, fruit, nuts and that is pretty much it. No dairy, no grains (sorry no rice, no quinoa, none of it!), no wheat, no legumes (yes that means peanuts), no processed foods, no sugar, no soda and no foods you KNOW are bad for you.

Read this article: Read Me!

What are the rules for this challenge?

I have looked at a few different rules from different challenges but I wanted to make ours a little different. For example- in some challenges there is NO sweeteners allowed what so ever. I agree- no plain sugar, no stevia, no artificial crap- BUT if you want to add a little honey, or a little maple syrup to your almond flour pancakes- feel free. Just be sure not to go overboard. I would not suggest a 1/2 cup of honey to every recipe, but if you want a little here and a little there then do so.

RULES:

FOODS YOU CANNOT HAVE:
-Wheat (no bread, crackers, etc)
-Grain (no rice, quinoa, etc)
-Legumes (no peanuts, no beans)
-Dairy (no yogurt, etc)
-Soda
-Processed foods (no chemical additives, if you can't pronounce it you can't eat it)
-No soy
-No roots (no potatoes)

FOODS YOU CAN HAVE:
-Vegetables (as many as you can eat)
-Meat (grass-fed beef and hormone, free-range meat is preferred. Lean meat mostly)
-Fruit (limit amount of fruit to a few pieces a day because of sugar content)
-Nuts (again- don't eat an entire container of nuts, but eat a reasonable amount daily)
-Coconut oil and Olive oil for cooking
-Sweet Potatoes (preferably post work out meal)
-Herbs
-WATER!
-Also, like I mentioned earlier a small amount of honey and maple syrup for sweetening purposes

We will also have a point system and a money pot for this challenge! To keep track of the foods you eat and to help hold everyone responsible. Everyone will put in 10 bucks and the winner with the most points gets the cash!

Point System:
Everyone starts with 15 points every day. You get bonus points for:
+2 points for sleeping 8 hours or more a night
+1 point for drinking 64 ounces of water or more a day
+1 point for working out once a day (this includes a class, yoga, going on a run- 30 min or more of one workout- doing one push up will not count)
+1 point for taking a fish oil supplement

You can have a total of 20 points maximum everyday and a minimum of 0 points.

You will have points subtracted for:
-5 points for every one thing you eat non-paleo
-5 points for drinking an alcoholic beverage
 *you will stop at 0 points if you have a day where you eat everything non-paleo and drink

So how in the world do I get started? I would suggest researching Paleo like crazy to begin with. Then I would prepare myself for a rough first week if this way of eating is far from what you are used to. You will be tired. You will have intense sugar cravings. You will live and you will be so thankful you stayed strong by the the mid point of the second week.

The next post I make will be my grocery list for Tuesday :) along with some Paleo Friendly things to eat when you are out to eat and in a bind.

It has been way too long!! I have been a busy bee with work and learning to adjust to the hubby and I both having jobs. I have been eating terrible. I am starting to notice a pattern in my eating. Stressed=eating like crap. Not a healthy pattern!! So today is Monday. I can't take away the last week of crappy eating but I can start this week differently. I can see it on my body and in my energy level that I have been eating poorly and honestly I can barely enjoy eating yummy but terrible foods anymore because I can't stop thinking about how bad they are for me. 

So the other day I was walking through one of my favorite places (Whole Foods) and I was feeling frazzled. I have been very busy lately and feeling stressed, but also very happy to be blessed with a job that I truly enjoy. I had no idea what to make for dinner and I was grabbing a spaghetti squash when I came across this lovely butternut squash. I have never cooked with butternut squashes and I became intrigued. What can I make with this? How do you cook this thing? It was a cold, rainy day and I was sick so I decided- soup. Naturally, I pulled out the i phone and googled 'butternut squash soup' and found, what I thought, was this very easy recipe. I made the mistake of only reading the ingredients and making the assumption it was easy due to the fact I only needed a few things. So let me share with you this DELICIOUS, but very pain-in-the-ass to make, soup.

What you Need: 
-2 large butternut squash (about 4 1/2 lbs.) or 4 lbs. peeled and cubed butternut squash
-2 medium onions
-3 (I used 6) cloves garlic
-3 Tbsp. butter (I uses Kerry Gold)
-1/2 tsp. salt plus more to taste
-8 cups chicken or vegetable broth

Found this new blog thanks to my friend Natalie. Check out these Paleo diet recipes.

http://www.elanaspantry.com/paleo-diet-recipes/

I am going to try the Paleo breakfast bread on Monday. I have been VERY busy this past week and we have been eating like crap. So of course, I have been feeling like crap. You are what you eat and lately I have been a greasy piece of pizza :(

But now that I have done this to myself once again (Ate Paleo, felt awesome, fell off the wagon, felt like crap) I am starting again Monday. This time Matt is joining me. We aren't doing a challenge and we will still have some dairy, but we are going Paleo again. It's time. I am tired. I feel like crap. My face is broken out. Etc. Etc. Honestly, it is funny to think about. I feel like I always have my entire life- I just did not realize my "normal" was so bad! After doing Paleo and seeing what my energy levels can be like, and how awesome I can feel, my "normal" feeling just isn't good enough.

As for this weekend- we are going to our very good friend's wedding and Paleo will be the last thing on our minds! Excited for a fun weekend with old friends, and ready for a new start on Monday.

Hey all!! SO I completed the 30 day challenge!! Woop, woop! I did a pretty good job. I came within 2 lbs of my weight loss goal. It was honestly not as good as my last challenge. I did not know the places around here that were best to eat out (although now I do!) and without Matt joining in it was tougher to stay focused. But hey- I made it 30 days and I am proud of myself! So now I am back to the old Paleo + a little bit of dairy and loving it. Here is what I made for dinner the other night.

Paleo Zucchini Boats
What you need: 
-3 zucchini squashes 
-1 lb ground beer 
-1 lb spicy, chicken sausage 
-Marinara 
-Parmesan Cheesey 
-Garlic 
-SPICES! yum, yum! 
-Olive oil 

Step 1: Start your sauce! Chop up some garlic, throw it in some olive oil, brown your meat and then add the marinara and let it simmer!!

Step 2: Cut your zucchini in half and clean out the seeds with a spoon leaving as much of an indent as you can.

Step 4: Sprinkle some parmesan cheese and place them in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the zucchinis feel soft when poked with a fork.
Step 5: Take them outta the oven!!!! YUM!!!!!

Thank you to my friend Brooke for this AMAZING recipe for Paleo cookies!

What You Need: 
-1 1/4 cups finely ground Almond Flour 
-1/4 tsp salt 
-1/4 tsp baking soda 
-1/4 cup raw honey* (I did not have honey so I used a Maple Syrup/Agave blend from Trader Joe's) 
- 2 tsps water 
-1/8 cup coconut oil 
-1 tsp vanilla extract (I was out & did not use this & they were still AWESOME) 
-1/4 cup dark chocolate chips 

What you do: Mix the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda) in one bowl
Mix wet ingredients in separate bowl (honey (or maple/agave blend), coconut oil, extract & water)
Combine the two and mix- then add the chocolate chips!!!
Last- spoon those suckers on a greased baking sheet (I used coconut oil) and let them bake at 325 degrees for about 8-10 min or until they brown
FINALLY- remember to breather as you stuff these in your face hole.

Wow! It has been a busy week!! I am so sorry I have been so behind but I am so excited to catch up. My life has gone from boring to extremely busy and fun! I am employed and love my job and the people I am working with. I have been doing okay with these past few days- I will admit I have slipped a few times :( (I had some covered almonds with soy lechtin and I had a taste of pimento cheese). BUT instead of falling completely off the wagon I have tightly clung on for dear life. This challenge has been VERY different from my last 30 day challenge. Number one is Matt isn't doing it with me so it has made it a little tougher. Next- I have drank more this time (It's bad- I know. Not like I drink every day but I have had some wine and a few margaritas). Also- I have not been balancing out my meals with enough veggies- I have noticed a craving for meat/eggs- I think I have not had enough iron? Not sure- but the cravings were not this bad the last time. I have not lost the same amount of weight that I did last time. My sleep schedule has also sucked until this past week or so and I have noticed TONS of changes since I got back on a sleep schedule. I have WAY more energy. Anyways, enough about me let's talk about some FOOD!
Here is a pic of some of the meals I have had:
Last night we attempted to make some Paleo Fried Okra- it did not turn out as well as I would have wanted :( BUT the Okra did taste good so it wasn't a complete failure! I got the recipe from my Paleo  Comfort cookbook.

Here is a link to the book: http://paleocomfortfoods.com/

Then I made some Paleo Chili- this time with beef and pork instead of Turkey like last time!
Here a QUICK recipe and guide to make it:

What you need: 

-Grab some ground beef (1lb)
-Some Italian Sausage (1lb)
-Some celery
-An Onion
-GARLIC
-Can of Diced Tomatos
-16 ounces of chicken stock
-1 can of tomato paste

All you gotta do- cook the veggies for about 5 min, add the beef and pork and brown it.
Next- pour in the diced tomatoes and the stock- then let it simmer for 35 minutes!!!

It was delicious. Oh and later today I am making some cookies that my friend Brooke gave me the recipe to- they are to die for. I will post pics and a recipe lattter!!!

Wow! It has been a frustrating week! I purchased a custom domain name from Google and all hell broke loose. Their custom domain setting was broken and it caused my entire blog to be non-functional for a week! I was so stressed about it I did not even realize today is my 22nd day. It is awesome and I feel great. I have unfortunately been eating dark chocolate :( which is not Paleo for the challenge but I have craved and given in to. And the past two days I have had a few dark chocolate almonds that contain some sugar and soy- so shame on me but just because this is not a PERFECT challenge does not mean I will give up until I see this thing through. There have been some awesome meals this past week and I will do my best not only to remember what I have ate but to attempt to put it all on here! So fasten your seat-belts here we go!

I made some Paleo Meatballs in the Crock Pot. They were awesome just like the last time. You can find the recipe here. I added spinach instead of celery and used sweet italian sausage.

Also this week we ate out a lot because we have both been busy. So here is a little picture recap of some of those meals:

 I have also been eating breakfast again. I am just frying a couple of eggs and adding some hot sauce. I have no idea why but have been craving this all day everyday! So I have been nom noming on those for breakfast.

Then I made some Paleo Turkey Chili!!! Yum.

What you need: 
-1 lb of bacon 
-some bacon
-1 red pepper 
-1 yellow pepper 
-1 green pepper 
-1 can of diced tomato 
-1 can tomato sauce
-lots of garlic 
-spiceeeesssss 

This is very simple- get some butty butter and melt it in a pan. Grab some bacon ( I used like 4 or 5 pieces) cut it up and cook that bacon. While you are cooking that bacon chop up your garlic and peppers.
Next, throw in all the veggies and let them sweat/cook for about 5 min. Then throw in that pound of turkey and let it cook all together.
When the turkey is cooked add the can of tomatoes and the can of tomato sauce and let it all cook together for as long as you can- the longer the better.
I also made some Paleo Chicken wings. These suckers were delicious but were far from healthy...I want to tweak this recipe to make it healthier before I share all the details but here are some pics.
 But for the Cauliflower we had on the side let me give you that recipe...

Garlic Onion Cauliflower

What you need: 
-1 onion 
-Garlic 
-Cauliflower 
-Salt/pepper 
-Olive Oil 

Just chop up the onions, the garlic and the cauliflower. Then toss it in some olive oil and let it bake for about 15 min on 350 degrees.

Tonight, we are having breakfast for dinner because I am craving freakin fried eggs again. Oh and last night we had Spaghetti Squash in Meaty Marinara.

So again- sorry for all the confusion but I am back in business!

Hey guys! So I have been making a lot of changes on the blog and have been working really hard to make it look better. I also bought the domain name of paleomadepainless.com! I am very excited and if you have had trouble the past few days getting on the blog that is why. Hopefully this will all be worked out by Wednesday and everyone will be able to view the blog at its new site. Anyways- I do not have a lot of time and cannot go through everything I have ate the past few days- but I want to get this AWESOME recipe that we had last night up so when I finish dinner for tonight I can post that too!

Okay here we go- Protein Packed Paleo Burgers

These things are freakin awesome if I do say so myself.

What you Need: 
-4 ground beef burger patties (preferably grass fed) 
-Nitrate free bacon 
-1 onion 
-butttttteerrrr 
-salt & pepper 
-2 eggs (or more if you eat seconds like we did :) ) 

This is one of the easiest, most delicious things I have ever made. Start with about 5-6 pieces of bacon. Fry them in a pan with some butter (ya..I know..bacon & butter)  until they are crisp and cooked. Remove the bacon and keep that delicious grease. Add 2 of the patties and some sliced onions. 

Wow! It has been a busy week. I will start with Thursday. Thursday we had Panera for lunch. I got a bowl of Vegan Tomato Soup without croutons. I got an apple on the side and had a handful of plantain chips. I have been doing a bad job these past few days of cooking- which has resulted in me not eating a lot- which is BAD. When doing Paleo you have to make a choice when there isn't food available- eat something non-Paleo or don't eat. I have not wanted to ruin this challenge so I have chosen not to eat when I do not have something left over. It is completely my fault and is due 100% to my lack of planning. So tomorrow is a new day and I am ready to get organized and make a meal plan. Anyways- I got sidetracked. Thursday night we went to a BBQ place called Judge Beans. I got some smoked chicken with a side of guacamole and some sweet potato fries. It was delicious.

Health-Bent may officially be my FAVORITE Paleo blog. I love the writing and I love the recipes. I also love the cheat days in there that have Paleo friendly recipes that still feel like cheats and are a little bit of a cheat. Here is an example: http://www.health-bent.com/proteins/nachos. Tell me that doesn't look amazing! After the challenge those nachos will be in my mouth.

Woo Hoo! Double digits! Well, well, well. I am trying to remember what I have ate the past couple of days. Tuesday we had leftover curry for lunch. Today- I woke up and had some grapes and nuts. Then I went to a Pure Barre class and it was very tough! It was a different type of tough than CrossFit is... I wasn't on the ground laying in my own sweat, gasping for breath like I am after CrossFit, but I had trouble with a lot of the movements. The movements are dance oriented and call for grace and balance. I am one of the worst dancers you will ever see so I am sure it looked pretty hilarious! After that I went to Yoga and it was a very restorative and relaxing class. I ran to Whole Foods and ate some lunch which was AWESOME. I had chicken, with greens, sweet potatoes with cajun seasoning and some other veggies. I also learned about a grass fed beef sale at the Whole Foods on Friday and I will be there! OH and I found out one of my very favorite Paleo authors is coming out with another cookbook that I cannot wait to purchase!!

Happy Labor Day! Matt and I had a really fun time just the two of us today. We lounged around and watched tv when we woke up. Got hungry and Matt made some eggs. Then we went to downtown Franklin and went in and out of shops and had a blast just taking our time. Then we headed to this place Pucketts for a snack and drink. I had a glass of red wine and Matt had a beer. We ate delicious sweet potato fries with honey mustard. Then we went and saw Expendables 2. If you love action and explosions this movie is for you! We enjoyed it! Then we headed to Jimmy Johns and I got a sub that was lettuce wrapped and I brought my own plantain chips. We spent the rest of the night cuddling on the couch and relaxing! Matt also surprised me and when he was getting the car ran into one of the stores we had been in and got me this awesome Vera Bradley iPhone and card/ID holder I said I liked. He really is the best hubby a girl could ask for.

 Here are some pics of Saturday night! We had a great time with our friend watching football.
Day 7- Today (Sunday) I woke up, had a paleo bar  and headed to the outlets for some shopping with my friend. At the food court they had this greek place and I got a big salad with delicious chicken. It was a really good lunch. Here is a pic of an outfit I purchased (just kidding!).

Today has been a rainy day. And I decided I would put all those awesome thai spices & the Red Kuri Squash I recently bought to use. So I used about 4 different curry recipes and created a VERY good Paleo Green Curry recipe.

Aubrey's Paleo Green Curry

What you will need: 
-1 lb chicken diced into 1 inch cubes 
-1 Red Kuri Squash (optional, but really makes this recipe awesome) 
-1 green & 1 yellow bell pepper 
-1 yellow onion 
-Green Curry paste 
-Fish sauce 
-Thai Chili Sauce 
-Liquid Aminos Soy Sauce Replacement (Bragg's makes a good one) 
- Agave or honey or maple syrup (something to add a little sweetness) 
-Garlic 
-Bamboo shoots 
-Water chestnuts 
-Fresh basil 
-Red pepper flakes 
-Coconut oil 
-1 can coconut milk (full fat) 


First- Matt cut & cleaned out the seeds of the red kuri squash while I thinly sliced the onions, bell peppers and chopped the garlic (about 6 cloves).
Next- I cooked the chicken in coconut oil with a splash of Amino Acids and removed the chicken. Then I added the onions and garlic in the juices and cooked those for about 5 minutes. I then added 1-2 Tablespoons of the green curry paste (depending on how spicy you like it).
 After it simmered I added some lime (about half of one) 1 tablespoon of the maple/agave mix, and a tablespoon of fish sauce.
Right after I added the bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and chicken to the mixture and stirred it all up.
Lastly, I added the peppers, red pepper slakes and fresh basil and let it ALL simmer for a while until the squash was soft (but not mushy).
 Then- we enjoyed! It was perfect for a rainy day and would go great on some cauliflower rice. I have tons of leftover and will be enjoying this for a couple of days. The red kuri squash was awesome. It had a smooth, nutty flavor that is really unique and delicious.

IMPORTANT: When finding all of these thai ingredients MAKE SURE they are gluten free and don't have any chemical additives. It took us a while to find the right brands- you cannot assume these ingredients are clean. You have to CHECK LABELS, LABELS, LABELS!!

This week I am proud of myself for eating almost 100% Paleo. I need to work on eating less sugar. I need to work on drinking more water. And I need to work on getting more sleep. But I am really happy I made up a new recipe that we will eat from now on!!

Hey! So far today has been good. I had lunch with some friends ( I got a cobb salad minus the cheese & croutons- see pic). This is the recipe I plan on making tonight http://www.health-bent.com/beef/paleo-hawaiian-barbecue-bacon-burgers. I will let you know how they turn out and post some pics!

I am also going to make some Paleo bars!! YUM. Right now. I will take some pictures of all the things I am making and I will let everyone know how it goes.

Here is pics of the Paleo Bars and of the Burgers. They were delicious. I added extra garlic to ours (like usual) and they were awesome!

Day 2! The Rosemary Chicken turned out yummy last night. I just used a big pack of chicken from Trader Joes. First I put some salt & pepper on the chicken and then fresh rosemary. I used some olive oil and threw the chicken in the oven at 400 degrees for around 30-40 minutes. I used a bag of broccoli and cauliflower from Trader Joes as a quick veggie side. Just threw some Kerry Gold butter, salt, pepper and garlic salt. Yum.