Pecan Pie Laraballs

Larabars are expensive. They’re like almost $2/each. That’s ok sometimes in a pinch, but sometimes it just seems stupid. Not to mention that Costco was out of my normal bulk box yesterday when I went. So I decided that I’d try my hand at making up my own Larabar recipe.

But I know from experience that I don’t make bars very well, they come out all oddly shaped and uneven. I’m much better with balls. Yes, that’s what she said.

Pecan Pie Laraballs

1 1/2 cup pitted dates
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup raw almonds
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp coconut oil

1. Put all nuts in food processor until finely ground.
2. Add dates, vanilla extract and coconut oil to nut mixture and continue to process until thoroughly combined.
3. Use a tablespoon to shape mixture in 12 balls. (The coconut oil will get your hands greasy).
4. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to harden the coconut oil.

148 calories, 20g carbs, 7g fat and 2g protein.

I wanted to try making Coconut Chocolate flavor balls, but I threw away all my cocoa powder when I couldn’t stop mixing it with straight coconut oil and eating it with a spoon. The new peanut butter spoon.

Lemon flavor with zest and extract might be good too. Hmmm.

Paleo Day 14

In all honesty, I found myself in this situation a couple days ago …

No regrets, it was necessary.

Obviously that erased the Whole30 thing though, but since red wine is Paleo-friendly I’m just transitioning the challenge to Paleo30. That actually sounds a whole lot more fun anyway.

Tim and I are going out of town this weekend for the Louisiana Half Marathon and we are going alone. I was already kind of debating going out for a nice date night and eating Paleo, but having a couple of drinks. So this makes that decision easier, and guilt-free.

On another note, I’ve got an original recipe for you guys. She ain’t pretty, but she’s tasty.

Paleo Shepherd’s Pie

1 – 1.5 pounds ground beef
1 medium onion – diced
3 medium zucchini – diced
2 large sweet potatoes – peeled, boiled and mashed
1 jar all natural spaghetti sauce with no sugar (I used Bove’s Roasted Garlic)

1. Sauté onion and diced zucchini about 5 minutes in 1 Tbsp coconut oil.
2. Add ground beef to pan and brown thoroughly.
3. Mix in jar of spaghetti sauce.
4. Spread mixture into 9×13 casserole dish and top with mashed sweet potatoes.
5. Bake in 350 degree oven covered for 30 minutes, remove cover and bake 10 more minutes.

Makes 6 large servings.

A Long Run & Whole30 Day 5

I haven’t written as much about running lately, but I swear I’m still out there. Most runs are fairly mundane and not blogworthy. Of course I’ve been spending a lot of time talking about my love affair with CrossFit and Paleo eating, but I’m still married to running. No worries!

Today’s run was a big question mark. The last run I did was on Wednesday and it was pretty disastrous with my hip pain and an Upper Respiratory Infection. Yuck! I rested my leg and my body for 2 full days, and then did a short CrossFit workout yesterday before trying to run again today.

My hip has continued to be mildly annoying the last few days, so I wasn’t feeling super confident about completing my 20-miler today. I went out there with the intention of running as far as I possibly could without causing any further damage, even if that meant I had to quit after 2 miles.

At about mile 6 I started being aware of my hip, although I wouldn’t say it hurt. I stopped at mile 7 and did some Downward Facing Dog and Pigeon Pose in the median of the road to loosen my hamstrings and hip. It helped a lot! So when someone in the group had to take a potty break at mile 9 I used that as another opportunity for some stretching.

“Stacked Firewood” is another good hip stretcher.

The hilly terrain between miles 11 and 13.5 really got the hip angry. I decided at that point to cap the run at 16 miles. I stretched it out one more good time at 13.5 and finished up. I actually felt much better once I got off the hills, but decided to play it conservatively.

I thought about my New Year’s Resolution and focused on “accepting myself unconditionally right now”. Right then, that was the right choice. I didn’t take the “unfinished” last 4 miles home with me, so to speak. Something that would have driven me crazy and put me in a bad mood in the past. I felt accomplished and happy with my best today! 🙂

I finished 16.13 miles in 2 hours and 25 minutes.

I iced, foam rolled and stretched my hip like it was my J-O-B once I got home. And then I enjoyed the rest of the afternoon playing “Ninjas” with my son.

My food today was pretty special, especially lunch and dinner.

Pre-run: Cashew Cookie Larabar
Mid-run: A handful of dates
Post-run: 2 hardboiled eggs (brought these in a cooler bag in my car so I could have the protein immediately after my run).

Lunch:

Sweet Potato Pancakes, Sausage and Grilled Brussel Sprouts.

I’m telling you, these pancakes are something special.

For my afternoon snack, I attempted to eat sardines:

Dinner was Lemony Lamb Dolmas and Cilantro Cauliflower “Rice” from Practical Paleo. This cauliflower is life changing, and the dolmas were EVEN better.

This was one of those meals where I had to say “day-um” every couple of bites. It was that good.

It turned out to be a really great day!

Paleo Tuna Cakes with Wasabi Tartar Sauce

I have to admit, I missed a few days tracking my food. My goal was to log all my food for 30 days straight to keep myself accountable and hopefully eliminate binge eating. This past weekend was just insanely hectic!

I’m back on it with a vengeance though.

Today was nearly perfect.

I made a new recipe for lunch today that I’m really excited about! But first … breakfast.

I’ve discovered that the secret to a delicious Paleo breakfast is: meat + a vegetable + an egg. I’ve made several yummy breakfasts with this equation.

So far it has worked out well every time. Today was no exception …

Pork sausage + bok choy + scrambled egg.

The peppery, slightly bitter bok choy was really good with the sausage.

For lunch I made Paleo Tuna Cakes with a Wasabi Tartar Sauce and grilled brussel sprouts.

This was my version of the Quick and Easy Salmon Cakes in Practical Paleo. My version included:

2 – 5oz cans wild caught tuna
2 eggs
2 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 Tbsp fresh sage (ground in a spice grinder, or you could use dried)
2 Tbsp Coconut flour
1 Tbsp Zoe’s Kitchen Spice of Life (optional)

Mix all ingredients together until thoroughly combined and divide into 4 cakes.

Melt coconut oil in large skillet, about 1/4 inch deep. Fry tuna cakes until browned on each side (approximately 2-3 minutes per side) then let rest on paper towel while you make the tartar sauce.

For Tartar Sauce:

2 Tbsp Olive Oil Mayo
1 Tbsp Capers
1-2 tsp Wasabi paste
1 tsp spicy mustard

Mix and serve alongside the tuna cakes.

I’m really excited about how easy and delicious this recipe was. I have a feeling I’ll be making it often.

Dinner was quick and easy after CrossFit tonight. I had pre-roasted some carrots with just the tiniest drizzle of agave nectar, made an old vegetarian stand-by … my okra and tomatoes and quickly baked some tilapia fillets with Old Bay seasoning and a sprinkle of Zoe’s Kitchen Spice of Life.

I even had the ingredients in the pantry to whip up some quick Chocolate Coconut Cookies from Practical Paleo.

Must go nom on them now!

Paleo Pumpkin Spice Latte

This might change your life. Even if you aren’t Paleo, you just saved yourself $4 at Starbucks. And you’re welcome.

• 1 Cup Coffee
• 1/4 cup Coconut Milk
• 1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 2 Tbsp Agave Nectar or Maple Syrup

Pulse in blender. Top with an extra sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice and I guess if you were feeling extra fancy you could make some coconut milk whipped cream.

Hot damn.

Nothing in the Fridge

I can tell that I’m really starting to get used to Paleo cooking when I can make decent paleo meals without a recipe and with bare minimum ingredients. In other words, nothing in the fridge.

I woke up this morning and realized that I really don’t have any fresh ingredients on hand. I’m trying to wait until atleast Friday before I go grocery shopping. Buying gifts is taking up all my extra dough.

I’m pleasantly surprised with what I’ve been able to throw together today with pantry and freezer ingredients only.

Breakfast:

Roasted Butternut Squash, Pork Breakfast Sausage and a Sunny Side-Up Egg.

Lunch:

This is probably the one I’m most impressed with. I had a tiny bit of my leftover Chicken & Sausage Spaghetti Squash from a few days ago, but not nearly enough for a serving. I cooked up some frozen brussel sprouts, some extra sausage and threw it all together with some Zoe’s Kitchen Spice of Life. Bomb diggity!

And then dinner:

Mustard Sage Baked Chicken Thighs, Sautéed Green Beans w/ onions and Moroccan Pumpkin.

Frozen green beans. Canned pumpkin.

To the canned pumpkin I added a Moroccan spice blend called Ras El Hanout and a mashed banana and topped it with a bit of finely shredded coconut. A perfect balance of savory with a touch of sweet.

It should be interesting to see what the next couple of days produce until I go grocery shopping again.

Tonight’s workout at CrossFit was a good one. I especially enjoyed the strength portion tonight which was 5×4 back squats:

The reason I enjoyed it so much was because I’m notoriously bad at squatting. These runner hips just don’t like to do that. I warmed up really good tonight doing Hurdler Stretches, Ham/Hip Swings and Wall Balls.

My third week at CrossFit when we first learned back squats I fell on my ass with only the 35 pound bar.

Tonight I was able to squat 95 pounds, 20 times! This is not a lot by most people’s standards, but it’s awesome for me!

Our WOD was:
10 Minute AMRAP – 10 front squats (55#), 10 pull-ups, 10 lateral burpees.

I finished 3 full rounds + 10 squats, 10 pull-ups and 3 burpees. Soooo close to 4 rounds!

And I remembered to log all of my food today. Yay!

Chicken & Sausage Spaghetti Squash with Lemon Shallot Coconut Cream Sauce

That’s quite a mouthful of a name. I’m so excited about this recipe that I created tonight! Makes me wish I had actual measurements to give you, but I made this up as I went along.

I started with a chicken breast that I had marinating in a cilantro sauce in the fridge for a couple of days. Steve’s Original PaleoChef Cilantro Ginger Sauce for reference, but I don’t think this step is necessary to the final product. Also, Roasted Red Pepper & Spinach Chicken Sausage, but there again, I’m pretty sure any sausage would do.

Anyway, I grilled the chicken breast on a cast iron grill pan on each side for about 2 minutes and then cooked in the oven at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

I cooked the spaghetti squash in the microwave, poke holes in it with a sharp knife and put the whole thing in the microwave for 15 minutes. Then cut in half and scrape the seeds out.

In the meantime I made my coconut cream sauce. Sauté sliced shallots (1 or 2) in a sauce pan then add approximately 1/2 cup of full fat coconut milk, a pat of butter or ghee and the zest of one lemon. Simmer on low.

Slice 2 sausage links and brown in a pan with a little oil, add grilled chicken cut into cubes and about 3 cups of fresh spinach. Using a fork scrape the spaghetti squash “noodles” into same pan and add lemon coconut cream sauce and toss to combine. Salt and pepper as needed.

Sooo good!

After a night OFF last night, I’m back on the Paleo wagon.

I felt so heavy and yuck on my run this morning. I had a blast having a special dinner and drinks with friends, so I won’t say that it wasn’t worth it, but its definitely something I need to keep to a minimum.

Have a great night.

Day 31 – What Now?

I got a text this morning from my friend, Danyalle, who wanted me to come try a new class at the Y called AMRAP. So I rushed off to take the little man to school and had just enough time to hit the treadmill for the “meat” portion of my scheduled 7-mile tempo run before the class started. I ditched the warm-up and cooldown and just did the 5 mile fast part of the run.

I forgot my iPod, so I had a chance to spend some time thinking about what I want to do next as far as eating goes. Changing from being a vegetarian to eating Paleo then to the Whole30 has been a big adjustment. I have really enjoyed both ways of eating. I enjoyed the vegetarian cooking more I think, but I feel physically better with the Paleo eating.

So I think where I want to go from here is what my friend Barb refers to as “Paleo Light”. Basically I want to eat Paleo whenever possible but adding back in a couple of things that the Whole30 program didn’t allow: natural sweeteners like honey, agave and maple syrup. I also want to add back in wine and cheese occasionally. Well, wine regularly… cheese occasionally.

Things that I haven’t missed, I see no reason in re-introducing at all.

I don’t want to schedule cheat days or meals. When I do cheat I want to make sure that it’s something so totally worth it and special that I won’t feel guilty. Guilt is no longer allowed in my life in regard to food.

My husband lost 18 pounds during his Whole30, but he still has a significant amount of weight to lose. For that reason, I might decide to do the Whole30 program again soon to support him in his weight loss efforts. Or anytime I’m feeling like I’m getting off track.

And then you’ll get to read my day by day accounts all over again. Yay! … Just kidding! I wouldn’t do that to you.

Today’s breakfast was a Steve’s Original Paleo Krunch Bar:

I ordered a few items and a seasonal sampler pack from their website to try.

After my run and the AMRAP class I went to, I decided to take myself on a lunch date to Zoe’s kitchen. I ordered the Steak Kabobs with roasted veggies and substituted slaw for the roasted potatoes it normally comes with.

I had some time after lunch before the little man got home from school, so I thought I’d run around and do some Christmas shopping, but I actually ended up deciding that I really just needed some time to rest. Resting and relaxing are not things that come easily to me, but they are still important things. I’ve worked really hard lately, so I’m taking the next 24 hours and having myself a “lay down day”.

I’m playing Wii with my son, making Christmas cookies (that I don’t plan on eating), watching movies and laying around. I don’t even plan on changing out of my pajamas.

As a matter of fact I’m laying in the yard right now…

Oh, and I almost forgot … for those who are wondering, I lost 8 pounds during my Whole30.

Slap Ya Mama Paleo Beef Stew – Day 22

I’m going to be honest here. I miss wine something fierce. Last night in a moment of weakness I was almost prepared to throw this whole challenge away for just one glass. But I pulled myself together and realized what a loser that would make me feel like. Plus I’d have to blog that I failed and that’s just not something I’m going to do.

So thanks for holding me accountable!

Breakfast today was my ol’ stand-by: Bacon & Egg Cups with balsamic spinach and tomatoes.

I knew I was going to be out all afternoon running errands and working on my Christmas shopping so I pulled out the crockpot for our supper.

My crockpot is my best friend.

Today I decided to make Paleo Beef Stew.

• 2lbs Grass-fed Stew Beef
• 2 Peeled and cubed sweet potatoes
• 5 chopped carrots
• 1 large chopped onion
• 4 celery stalks chopped

Now you know I’m the world’s worst about not measuring, but I think I used about 3 cups of V8 tomato juice and about 1 cup of Chicken Stock (didn’t have beef stock on hand).

I also added in dried Italian Seasoning Blend, probably about 2 tbsp.

Cooked on low for 10 hours.

I topped it with half of a avocado and some of this Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning that I picked up at World Market today. I’ve been looking for a good alternative to Tony Chachere’s seasoning which has preservatives and other nasties.

This was an awesome meal to come home to after a kick ass CrossFit workout tonight. I overcame a huge fear! I upgraded from the “baby box” to the next size box for my box jumps. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but this is a huge deal to me.

Our WOD was: AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) in 15 minutes of 10 Push Presses, 10 Kettlebell Swings and 10 Box Jumps.

I started off with 55 pounds on my push presses and a 35 pound kettlebell. After the first round I realized my form wasn’t great with the kettlebell so I scaled myself down to the 26 pound bell. After the 3rd round I was starting to fail on my Push Presses so I scaled that down 10 pounds to 45. But I jumped on the big-er box the whole time!

Ultimately I ended up finishing exactly 8 rounds before time ran out. That’s 80 push presses, 80 kettlebell swings and 80 box jumps!

After my moment of weakness last night, I’m feeling rejuvenated and ready to finish out these last 8 days.

Sorry boys, you’ll have to wait!

20 Miles for Day 20

I thought I’d celebrate Day 20 of my Whole30 with a 20 mile run.

Just kidding! That was a total coincidence, pretty fitting though.

My day started at 4:45 am preparing for my first 20 mile run of this marathon training schedule. It’s been a while since I’ve run this distance, and although I didn’t feel as amazingly spectacular as last weekend it was still a really really good run.

Kaitlin, Barbara, Chad, Mike and I started without a specific route in mind and made split decisions as we went along for the first several miles. It was pretty fun for a while and then we finally decided on a route. I feel like we ran around the entire east side of Montgomery!

Before our run I had a Banana Bread Larabar and a Banana … yeah, that was kind of weird. I didn’t plan it that way, it just happened.

Instead of carrying Gu with me during my Whole30 I’ve been carrying an extra Larabar in the pouch of my water bottle. Last week I didn’t end up needing it, but today I was glad to have it. I never bonked energy-wise, but I got HANGRY at about mile 14. I believe that’s the first time I’ve ever actually eaten something while running.

After the run I headed home for a quick breakfast of fruit and scrambled eggs, before heading off to yoga.

My energy has been through the roof today! After four and a half hours of exercise I’d normally spend the rest of the day either on the couch or in the bed. Today I went out to lunch, went shopping, cleaned my entire house including sweeping and mopping and doing laundry and cooked dinner. I like it!

Dinner tonight was a simple one: baked chicken, roasted asparagus and balsamic mushrooms. Nothing fancy.

A couple of my friends have shown interest in doing a Whole30 of their own and have specifically asked about what to buy at the grocery store. Of course everyone’s taste is different but I thought I’d list a quick breakdown of what I’ve been buying and where.

I typically shop at 3 different stores: Costco, Earth Fare and Publix.

At Costco I get: Frozen Wild Alaska Salmon, Frozen Tilapia Filets, Chicken & Apple Sausages, canned wild caught Tuna, avocados, sweet potatoes, onions, eggs, bananas, coconut oil, clementines, organic apples, spinach, bell peppers, pre-cut butternut squash, mushrooms, asparagus and a fruit bowl.

At Earth Fare or HealthWise Foods (local) I get: Organic Grass-Fed ground beef and steaks, organic pork breakfast sausage, bacon, chicken legs, breasts and thighs, Larabars and sunflower butter.

Any other random ingredients or vegetables that I’m not buying organic I get from Publix.

Those have pretty much been my staples for the past 20 days.

Now I think its couch sittin’ time. Have a great night!