I thought eating was the hard part!

As you can see, I haven't been on here in a week. It's stayed on my mind, life has just gotten in the way! I'm about to finish week 2 of my Paleo Diet!! It's been surprisingly easy; the hard part is making time to write about it!

I'm really liking it, the cravings are getting a little bad here and there... I have to just remind myself that this is something I want to follow for years to come, so one or two non-paleo things during the week isn't bad. I've been aiming for 90-95% of my meals to be Paleo. This means out of the 35 "meals" per week that I eat, I can allow myself 2 or 3 meals of decadence. For me that may mean a potato with my steak or chicken...or dessert...or both!

Shane and I had a cheat lunch this past weekend. We went to Uncle Julio's to celebrate my finishing my Master Trainer Level 3 exam...I'm pretty confident that I passed it. We went all out, kind of. The meal started with ceviche royale with fish, scallops, and shrimp. Then we moved onto 4 pork tamales and combo fajitas with flour tortillas, beans, and rice.

After the yummy meal, we were basking in our glutton and like clockwork, hit a wall about 20 minutes later. Man does gluten and dairy slow us down!!

Today I decided to have part of a candy bar that I was craving. I knew that if I just ate a piece of it, I would be satisfied. Otherwise, my mind would have kept me thinking about it all night. Well, I don't know which would have been the better choice because I am now dealing with a bit of a headache. Oh well.

Hopefully I can manage my time better and aim for blogging a bit every other day. Thanks for joining me on this food journey!

Paleo Day 6 and 7

One week down!

I don't know that I've noticed a huge difference in my weight just yet and I also didn't do any "before" measurements. Well, actually I did. I had started with my waist...and that's where it stopped. Not the same waist size I had pre-Zoe. I'm at a lower weight, but everything has shifted, I guess. No biggie. I wear the same size, if not smaller in some things, and feel great.

The biggest things I have noticed this past week: I've been sleeping better, my energy has been up overall, and my skin is glowing. Bye bye gluten and dairy! Shane's energy seems to be up, too. It's also been fun experimenting with new recipes and meals. As I type this, I'm enjoying a yummy fisherman's cioppino from Whole Foods. I've never had it before and it is so delish!

Yesterday started off with an egg white scramble with mushrooms, onions, and spinach. Lunch was uncured apple chicken sausage with a berry spinach salad and half a mango. Shane's included a bit of leftover egg scramble. Last night, we dined on cod with a homemade pineapple mango salsa. This morning was a similar scramble and a banana. Tonight may include some steak and grilled veggies.

Trying new recipes and ideas has been fun and has reminded me how much I do like to cook. Fresh food is so much easier to work with and I feel like I can be more creative with it. Before I loved carbs first thing in the morning and often at night. Surprised? Nope. The more carbs we eat, the more our body craves them. Practical Paleolithic talks about how our bodies will eat protein and veggies until we're full, but will continue to eat carbs until we decide we're done. Sugar overload!!

I still will get the sugar bug at night, normally after dinner, but have found a yummy coconut milk "ice cream". I can have a tiny scoop of it and am satisfied. So yummy! Sadly, I still haven't made it to Crossfit, but seriously plan to this next week...

It's pretty cool to hear from different friends of mine that are following Paleo as well. I know there is always someone that I can talk to about it and get ideas from. I want this to be something that Shane and I stick to. Clean, healthy food works. Period.

Paleo Day 4 and 5

Day four wasn't realllllly a Paleo day for me. Breakfast started out great (some turkey sausage and fruit), but I knew that I planned on having my "cheat" meal later. I like what Adam Farrah talks about in Practical Paleolithic; listen to your body and try to practice Paleo 90-95% of the time. This gives me the sense that I have a little freedom. Other times when I've tried to 100% eat clean, I've felt like such a hypocrite if I want a french fry or jelly bean. So, I had my Greek food last night and enjoyed every last bite of potato. Yummmmm!!

I got up this morning (day 5) and with the time change, decided to get my day started. I packed up my baby girl and headed to Market Street for more of their yummy Old Bay seasoned shrimp. I loaded up the cart with organic fruits and veggies, including some rainbow chard I'm excited about, and headed for the checkout. Apparently noticing my plethora of organic goodies, the college-age checker asked me, "so do you really notice a difference with this organic stuff?" In my head, I was screaming, "heck yes I do, how could I not??". Instead, I said, "oh yeah, the flavor is so much better". Even though I could have stood there for at least another 10 minutes going on about all the reasons to "go organic", I knew maybe that reason alone would encourage her to try it out. The whole time, Zoe stayed content teething on cold slice of organic Braeburn apple.

On the menu for today: egg scramble with hamburger and avocado, snack of an apple, lunch of spinach salad with strawberries and tomatoes topped with cold left-over broiled chicken, and dinner will be fish and mixed veggies.

One of the biggest reasons I decided to take on this challenge for 40 days...and hopefully a lifetime...was to be a strong role model for my baby girl. I want to show her how to take care of your body and how to be a strong, independent girl and woman. Everyday I wake up, I remind myself of that.

Paleo Day 3

Well, they always say that the third day is the hardest for cleanses and diets. I did great during the day, but the sugar fairy must do something to me around 6pm. I have yet to crave starchy carbs...but sugary things...eek!

I had 2 jellybeans and a bite of the leftover spice cake. That's it, nothing more. However, jellybeans are just PURE sugar. Bad.

We've been having yummy breakfasts of eggs or turkey sausage (or both) mixed with veggies and a side of fruit. Lunch has been a lot of salads; yesterdays included a "hamburger" salad. Dinners have been pretty easy, just a lean meat and more veggies. I made some Swiss chard sauteed with onions, garlic, and some smoked paprika (picture shown). The smoked paprika gave them a "barbecue chip" flavor, which was very yummy. I paired that with some of Whole Foods organic pastured chicken quarters baked with some coconut oil to crisp up the skin. So yummy!!!

I'll continue trekking on. It's not so bad right now. I just hope the nighttime sugar craving subside soon. Time for breakfast!!

-Tricia

Paleo Day 1...and 2

Good morning!

Yesterday officially started my paleo adventure. Breakfast consisted of eggs with pico de gallo and turkey sausage. Lunch was a yummy spinach and kale salad with strawberries and shrimp, then dinner was steak and grilled zucchini. I snacked on raw fruit and veggies the rest of the time. It was surprisingly easy. I had expected to crave the jellybeans in the bowl on display in our living room, or the rest of the spice cake sitting on the counter. Both left-over from my sugar binge the weekend prior.

I shared a picture of breakfast this morning: turkey sausage with onions, spinach, and mushrooms. Sooooo yummy!

My goal for this coming week is to get my booty to the beginner CrossFit classes at Omega Performance Training in Plano. They have a Monday and a Wednesday night class. The trick will be timing it so that Zoe is in bed.

My husband, Shane, is joining me on this journey and I'm so thankful for that. His support will make the hard times so much easier. Plus, I don't think I'd last if he was parading around eating bread, rice, pasta, etc.

I'm getting a little hungry, so it's time for an apple and Zoe's nap! See you tomorrow!

-Tricia

40 days...I think I can, I think I can!

Hello all!

Since Zoe's birth, I've taken a huge hiatus, but am back!!! Since I last blogged, I've joined on to become the lead yoga instructor and coordinator at Omega Performance Training in Plano, TX. Along with amazing classes, they also have a Crossfit gym in the back.

I've been inspired to try it and also try the Paleo diet that is growing in popularity. The two often go hand in hand, eat and workout like a caveman! With Lent right around the corner, I figured this is as good a time as any. So, starting on Wednesday, I will be a "Crossfitter" and attempting to get lean with the Paleo diet.

I'm pretty excited since I've seen such amazing transformations in others with both regimens. My goal is to blog about my journey everyday, I know it will keep me accountable. Right now, I'm going to go enjoy a taco or two for lunch...it will be my last for at least 40 days!

-Tricia

YogaFit DVD

Has anyone heard of Yoga ? LOL -- Beth Shaw of YogaFit is giving away a few FREE Yoga Training DVD Downloads. These are full DVD's and nobody even asked me to buy anything. I think someone forgot... LOL P.S. The free downloads are kinda hidden look on the left for "Free Yoga Training"

Baby's Almost Here!

Wow, it's been quite a year so far! Shane and I got pregnant in September '09, we were so excited!
Zoe Marie will be here in just a few short weeks, right now I'm 33 weeks. I've been feeling great, just now am having some back issues.
Not only does Zoe already have an expansive wardrobe, she even has a candle named after her! Check it out at www.blessingscandles.com
I'm still teaching yoga and am almost done with the school year. I can't wait to go back to teaching yoga "full-time" and being creative again. Teaching preschool is fun, but doesn't satisfy my creative side. I'm comptemplating taking sewing classes to get better and then start making "babies goodies". Any requests...?
Come see me at Get Yogafied in Denton, I teach prenatal yoga on Saturdays at 1pm. I'm hoping to get some workshops going after Zoe is here.
I'm excited to see what the future holds!!!

Techonology...what did I do without it??

This weekend our Internet went out. Normally, this would have caused me to immediately call and report it and get it fixed ASAP! Only, this time, it was Friday afternoon and I forgot on Saturday somehow. This sent my husband and I into a frenzy Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday. I luckily have a phone with email and Internet capabilities...as does he. For some reason, though, that wasn't enough.
How did we survive without technology? And more importantly, the Internet!
I think back only 12 years ago to when I was in high school. My family had the now dreaded dial-up. I didn't rely on email and would only check it once or twice per week. I don't have anything super pressing now, compared to then...so what's my deal?
Well, I stressed about not being able to see my schedule the minute it was emailed to me. No biggie, I can see it on Monday. I shouldn't want to think about work on the weekend anyway.
Then, I wanted to find a recipe for "natural ice cream" that I had heard about. The only way I could easily get it was online. I realized I had to be resourceful. Only, what other resources are there?!?! I could go to the library. Nope, not open. I could try and find it in one of my millions of cookbooks. Nope, not listed. My mind is racing...what do I do?
Oh, I know, why don't I call the person that was telling me about it! Duh!
So that's what I do. I call Steven. No answer, voicemail. AAAAAARRGGGHHHH!! OK, stay calm. Call Craig, maybe he knows. Oh wait, Craig always screens his calls, he NEVER answers. Well, maybe I'll try Brian. The phone rings for ever. Voicemail. I leave a message with my fingers crossed that he calls me back in the next 5 minutes. I really want to make this ice cream! Even more so now that I feel like I can't.
Brian is awesome, he calls me back. "You can Google it and it should come up," he says. It's just making me laugh now. I think the universe is telling me something. Not that I should simplify my life...but that the internet simplifies my life. Ha! I tell Brian that I have no internet at the moment. He laughs and says, "ok, here's the recipe..."
Obviously, we have since fixed the problem and here I am blogging away. Now my question is, Internet simplifies my life, but does it so too much? Do I no longer feel the need to reach out to my friends for help? Has Google replaced my elders and friends whom I used to always go to for those things I just couldn't figure out? Hmmm....

All hail Hail Merry!

As if The Movement Co-op wasn't already exciting, Hail Merry was there handing out samples!! Have you heard of Hail Merry yet? It's a new line of AMAZING raw goodies. My favorite is...well...all of it!

I sampled the blonde and chocolate macaroons, the crazy good chocolate tart, and I've been snacking on the grawnola all afternoon. Hail Merry was started by Susan, a Dallas-based Raw Food Chef (and all-around fun chick!). She wanted to spread the word about the benefits of healthy fats. What better way than through yummy delicious food! Hail Merry products are organic, raw, vegan, gluten free, full of omegas, contain no trans fats or processed anything. Could it get any better?!

The Movement Dallas is among one of the newest places to carry Hail Merry products. You can also find her stuff at Roy's, Whole Foods, Central Market, Green Spot, South Paw Organic Cafe, and Exhale Spa. Since the stuff is raw, it can be found in the refrigerated section.

I could probably sustain on the grawnola alone, I can't praise it enough! You are what you eat, so choose wisely. Remember, not all fat is bad fat!

Check out the website at http://www.hailmerry.com/

Have you tried Hail Merry? Tell me what you think!