A Paleo Life: Update

This will be a completely honest post.  You may agree or not, whatever I don't care. lol

We have realized that we do love eating this way however for us right now its way too expensive.  Where we live is the reason! We don't have farmer's markets yet and we have limited grocery stores.  Another huge thing is the produce here sucks most of the time.  We have been able to snag some awesome strawberries from the commissary and some really good bananas lately as well too but other than that, CRAP! Half of what we buy is spoiled in like 2 days, and yes we do store everything appropriately.  Being so far North means food has to travel REALLY far so by the time it gets here its on the verge of death.

In my last post, I think we spent about $360 on food.  We still have a ton of meat in my freezer so I can't complain there.  However, we have had to go to the store a million times and have probably spend another $150.  (Let me also mention my kids are eating everything in sight right now so that doesn't help the situation either).

So we need to figure out a compromise until we get out of here.  That may mean being like 75% Paleo and having rice or something here and there.  I would still like to be gluten and dairy free and most certainly processed foods/preservative free. Our meals will still mainly be meat and veggies but I may take up some more Paleo baking and things like that.

We move to Boise, ID in a few months and then we plan on picking back up a little more seriously.  They have tons of farmer's markets and food co-ops that are wonderful and very well priced.  I CANNOT WAIT TO GET THERE! I just love Boise. lol

Anyway to the fun part.  Today is Sunday so it has been 3 weeks since we started this journey.  I am now down to 171 lbs.  So that is down about 9 lbs.  I think I look like I've lost even more than that though.  I can definitely say my muscle mass has gone up and fat has gone down.  I also need to add that I haven't been this skinny since before I had kids so HUGE WIN FOR MAMA!!!!! My goal right now is to get down to about 160 lbs. It would be ideal if I could be close to that by the middle of May when I go to a reunion for my old dance company! :)

A Paleo Life: A Cost Experiment

A friend of mine messaged me the other day and asked me if I would be willing to share with everyone how much we are spending on food.  It's funny because I had just talked to a Paleo friend of mine about it just before that. 

My Paleo friend said she feels like she spends less on food.  I have only been doing this for under two weeks but I felt like I was spending MORE and to be honest, I don't really care if I spend more.  I think it is kinda sad that Americans worry so much about how much they spend on food.  In all honesty, food should be one of the things we spend the most money on.  GOOD food nourishes our bodies and keeps us happy and healthy.  Anyway, I will get off my soap box....

So to try and figure out how expensive/inexpensive it is to eat Paleo, I will tell you all how much I spent on food this month.  Then at the end of the month I will tell you what is left, then we can kind of get an idea of cost.

Here is what I had left in my freezer(meat): 7 pork chops, 1 whole chicken and 3 chicken breasts.

We went to 3 stores today: Sam's Club, Price Chopper and The Mustard Seed(health food store).  Here is a quick breakdown of what we got and spent.

SAM'S CLUB
We spent: $197.47($158.53 on just food)
(this includes toilet paper, a big thing of coffee and some sales books for GH. So subtract about $38.94 since we are only talking about food)

Here is a list of the big things we got:
7lbs of bacon
10lbs of ground beef
7lbs of pork shoulder
6lbs of Cod fillets
Organic apples
Beef jerky
Cashews
Avocados
Veggie Medley
Bananas

The first paycheck of the month has the most leftover so we like to go to Sam's and stock up.  I usually wouldn't buy a pork shoulder but I found an awesome recipe that I want to try called TexMex Crockpot Carnitas

PRICE CHOPPER
* I will tell you that Price Chopper isn't the cheapest grocery store in the world but I really like their produce.  They have a lot of organic veggies and their produce is much better than Walmart.

We spent: $67.85

We mainly got some of the veggies that we didn't want in bulk or that Sam's didn't have like spinach, onions and artichokes. We also got several spices and some Tapioca flour so I can try a new Paleo bread recipe.  We had to get 2 half gallons of Almond Milk(that's what Corbin drinks) and coffee creamer(yes we cheat with coffee creamer! lol). I also got some Olive Oil mayo(since we know I SUCK at making my own) and some Stevia in the Raw(for when I want to sweeten something but not use sugar).

THE MUSTARD SEED
*This place is pretty over priced but they are the only health food store in the area so they get away with it.

We spent: $61.34

The main purpose for going there was to get freshly made almond butter(about $10/lb) and some supplements for me. We also got a super foods mix for Brian to put into his smoothies and a few other little things.

Really, besides the almond butter, going to Mustard Seed was just cause we wanted to. :)

So that's the breakdown....I will update when we go to the store again since I am sure we will end up needing more veggies or fruit.  I haven't meal planned or anything lately though.  I am enjoying throwing things together and making my own random meals. We have a few recipes we want to try, so we will just make them on whatever day ends up being best.  Our life has been crazy hectic lately!

A Paleo Life: It's been one week!

Well today is Sunday so it has been one week since we began this awesome diet! I have done a lot better than I ever thought I would. I have had opportunities to cheat and eat something bad for me but have turned it down because I didn't WANT to eat it.  I don't think I can say I have felt like this before on a diet.  Usually I feel deprived and have to resist to cheat all the time....with this, I simply don't want to cheat.

I have learned a few things this week.  For one, there are so many different "Paleos" out there with their own idea of how we should eat.  Some are super hardcore! One said something along the lines of "cavemen didn't bake so even paleo-friendly baked goods aren't okay". Well, your right, they obviously didn't have a Kitchenaid and oven handy.....however I am not trying to BE a caveman. I am trying to eat the food our bodies were meant to eat, the food humans have eaten since the beginning of time. If making a baked goodie out of gluten-free ingredients makes me happy, I am going to do it.  It makes it easier and more realistic for me.  Regardless to if I eat baked goods or not, I am eating a million times better than ever before and that counts for something....a big something!

Here are some things we tried that I totally loved!
Paleo Breakfast Bread
Chocolate Frosting Shots

The breakfast bread is sooooo good! Even Corbin liked it! The Chocolate frosting....pretty much AMAZING!! I used it as a dip for strawberries and it was seriously so good! These two things will be served quite often around here I bet! :)

As for results so far...
My weight hasn't changed since my last post but you can certainly see a difference.  I feel like my waist is slimming down quite a bit, as well as my arms.  I should probably do some measurements to keep track better.
I am drinking lots more water and am actually loving veggies.  I have never eaten so many veggies in my life, but now I love them and prefer them. :)


I am very excited to continue with this journey! Hope you enjoy reading about it. :)

A Paleo Life: How its going

Well today is day 5 of this journey.  So here is an update on how its going.

I kinda forgot to mention that I did cheat on my first day! (who does that right? lol) In my defense, my husband and I went on a date(which doesn't happen all that often) and we went to a movie.  We got popcorn and soda :( but no candy!  Since then I have been sticking to it quite well. I am starting to get used to vegetables and eating when I am hungry and not because its "meal time". I am mainly snacking here and there all day, so yay for that metabolism boost!

I've read that eventually you will stop craving carbs and sugars and I can say that is probably true.  I will admit, I am an ice cream person and was a huge carb lover(hence why I am chubby lol). At first it was a little hard to not have crackers with my Paleo Chili or ice cream as a dessert.  But as the days go by I find it to be easier to restrain the urge.  Now, if I want something sweet, I grab some berries or grapes.  If I want a snack, I have some veggies with my Paleo friendly Ranch dip or some beef jerky.

I am now hooked on researching everything Paleo.  It's amazing how many resources there are for this out there.  A whole new world has opened up for me! I really want to stick to this! I kind of have a problem with giving up on things like diet/exercise but this is fun for me right now and I hope that fun stays around. 

Now let's talk about the fun part! I think I am finally brave enough to share my weight with everyone and will let you know as it goes down. :) For a few weeks I would fluctuate between 175-180 depending on how much I ate the day before.  Before I began Paleo, I was pretty much at 180.  Well this morning I was down to 175!! :) My current goal weight is 155 so not too far to go.  Wish me luck! :)

A Paleo Life: Casey saves the day!

So, I told myself I would be completely honest on here....so here it goes!

I have been sticking to the Paleo diet but it has been a little tough! I never realized how many carbs I ate in a day, or how much processed junk.  Kinda grosses me out now.

One thing I was having an issue with is raw veggies.  I like them, but I mainly like them with a dip or something.  Most of my life I didn't really eat my veggies, so this is kind of a new thing.
So, I decided I would allow myself to have some veggie dip until I got used to it.  I bought the Organic kind. Yes, I know, it has milk...but I figured if I am going to stick to this diet, I need to ease into some things or else I will get frustrated and cave in(no pun intended! lol).

Well today my friend Casey told me about her "Ranch" recipe.  Here it is:

"Ranch":
1/2 cup Vegannaise
Soy milk(or your choice of any other non-dairy milk ie: Almond or Coconut)
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
-Mix the milk and Vegannaise until you reach desired consistency.  Stir in onion and garlic powder. Season to taste.

I made it a little differently.  I used Olive Oil mayo (store bought since we all know I can't handle mayo making!) and Coconut milk in mine.  It was seriously so good...and something I don't have to beat myself up over.  I used just a little bit on my salad tonight at dinner...and I went back for seconds!!

I am so happy! Finally something I like, that I can have and not feel bad about it.  I am pretty proud of myself so far I must say.  Yes it has only been like 3 days, but in this short time I have drastically changed my eating habits.  I never realized how poorly I was eating before! I can now feel good about everything I put into my body....and I like that! :)

A Paleo Life: Homemade Mayo Attempt

Last night I decided to try to make my own Paleo friendly mayo so that I could turn it into a veggie dip. We learned making mayo is certainly not my strong point.....at all.  It is honestly quite time consuming and kind of difficult.  Okay, maybe difficult isn't the word exactly, perhaps the problem was that I don't do well with being patient when I cook. :)

So I would like to take the opportunity to share something with you all.  I stumbled upon a blog that has a demo video! Awesome! See the blog here: Homemade Paleo Mayo Cooking Demo

I did not try again after I found this video however.  I had already wasted half a dozen eggs on my little experiement turned bad.  I might give it another try down the road though.  I think I will try the baconnaise recipe next time.  I'm not sure that I will like the olive oil kind, even if I make it right. :)

A Paleo Life: The Beginning

My husband and I have recently decided to change our eating habits and live a much healthier lifestyle.  We have always thought that what the first humans ate, was probably what we should be eating.  It just makes sense to us.  After further research and talking with a few friends, we found what some refer to as the Paleo/Primal diet.  I researched it a bunch more and decided it was perfect for us! I personally could eat meat every single day, I grew up that way.  Brian and I are most certainly carnivores! :)

Disclaimer: Before anyone gets all crazy on me....This is just OUR journey...keyword: OUR! We will probably not follow it 100% to start out(baby steps!!!) and there will be times I will cheat or mess up.  We are only human.  We are trying our best and that's okay with us, so let it be okay with you. :)

For more information on the Paleo lifestyle, see these links.

Ultimate Guide to Eating Paleo

Paleolithic Diet Explained

Both links are great visual explanations! 

Today, St. Patty's Day, we started our journey!!

First, I decided all no-no foods had to go! If its not in my house, I won't eat it. As I cleaned my pantry out, I realized how horribly we were eating.  The pantry was pretty much bare when we were done.  We did keep a few things for the kids though, since they aren't going to be as easy to switch.

Here is what I got rid of:

Yeahh...we like Ramen!

 This is what our pantry looks like post-clean.

The top shelf is for the boys.  We plan on avoiding canned vegetables and eating as much fresh veggies as possible, but again, baby steps.

Then it was on to the fridge!! I just threw out what was in there that was a no-no, so here is what we kept.

Yes I am keeping my coffee creamer.  I can't cut the coffee just yet! :) We also kept a few condiments but honestly they will probably go soon.

The fridge is kind of a disaster right now from having family in town and a birthday party. We have an over abundance of salsa. Lots of random veggies left too.

Now for the freezer.  Pretty much only had to pitch a few Lean Cuisines.

Yes I am aware that the Bacardi is a no-no.  However, Brian recently bought it so I wasn't gonna make him throw it out! :)

After our massive food purge....we went grocery shopping.  First we hit up the local health food store, then onto the grocery store and finally to Sam's Club.  We would prefer to buy local veggies/fruits and grass-fed beef and such but the farmer's market hasn't started up just yet so the regular store will have to do for now.

Here is what we got:

YUMMM!!!

I am actually extremely excited to do this.  Meat and veggies sounds just fine to me! I love that we can have eggs, that will make breakfast super easy.  Oh! We will continue to eat butter.  We bought a big thing of it from the health food store, so it's the good kind.  I have just heard so many great things about butter and just can't ditch it. I might change my mind later, but for now we use it!

Neither of us are Irish, at all, but we happen to enjoy St. Patrick's Day(especially since it's so close to Corbin's birthday).  So tonight we will eat Corned Beef and red potatoes.  Potatoes are one of those if-y foods for this diet, but I say its a veggie so we will eat it. 

So that's all for our first day.  I will continue to update you all on how it is going.  Hopefully I will get a chance to blog more often.  :)