A New Challenge for this New Year.

This week I started another Paleo Challenge at my box. Tons of people keep telling me, "But you don't need to lose weight." Do you have to have a goal of weight loss to want to challenge yourself? This challenge is only for 30 days and requires strict eating with 4 days at the gym per week. Being that I've only been getting in the gym 3 days a week, on a good week, lately I thought that this would be a good way to kick my diet and fitness goals back in to gear. I am on day 4 and am doing good... so far.

Speaking of challenges - A friend from my box mentioned competing in this Tri Fitness competition this June in Florida and wants me to do it, too. I love a challenge, but I'm trying to do as much research as I can to determine if this is something that I can do. It has three parts: a figure competition (yes, you read correctly), an obstacle course and a fitness competition. You can also opt to do a fitness routine, but I think I'll leave my dance skills at home that day. It sounds crazy and like NOTHING that I have ever done. I'm not 100% locked in but I have been doing my research and will be meeting with a coach this week to hash out all of my questions and concerns. YIKES!

For this challenge, my family is attempting to participate by eating Paleo 80/20 for the first time in their lives. So far my baby sister, who is in 7th grade and has a horrid diet, just has a hard time packing her lunch with things that she likes and aren't too difficult to prepare. She asked me on day 1, "Is Ramen Paleo." No, baby girl. My mom is doing well and just came home yesterday talking about how starving she was. She's a teacher and doesn't have the time to eat or drink much throughout the day, so getting in enough calories is going to be tough for her. As for my dad, he may or may not actually be eating Paleo (lol).

My first benchmark WOD was (while having a sinus infection):

• 5 Rounds of 10 burpess and 10 75# Cleans
• 8:58
• Rest 10 Min.
• Then, Run 1.5 mi. for time
• 10:20

Those are by far not great times, but I'm not too upset with them either. I felt like crap, had tissues next to my chalk bucket, and my lungs were on fire for the run. But I finished under the time caps and can obviously do nothing but better the next time around!

This week, our favorite household recipe was: Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients:

• 4-6 Chicken Breasts, sliced into strips
• 4 Bell Peppers, cut into long strips
• 2 Onions, chopped OR cut into larger strips
• Romaine Lettuce (for lettuce wraps)
• Hot Salsa/Pico de Gallo from Harris Teeter (made fresh)
• Coconut Oil
• The juice of 1 lime
• Garlic
• Cilantro and guacamole, if you're feeling saucy 

Instructions:

Heat up a skillet with a tablespoon of coconut oil over medium heat. Start by slicing the chicken into long, thin strips. Also cut, or dice depending on your preference, the onions. Once the oil is heated, add in a tablespoon of minced garlic (about 2 cloves) and the diced onions. Once the onions soften up and start to turn translucent, after about 5 minutes, add in the chicken strips and squeeze the juice from one lime over it.

As the chicken is cooking, cut the bell peppers into long strips. I like all of my ingredients to be cut similarly, in long strips like they do at the Mexican restaurants! 

Once the chicken is about halfway complete, after about 15 min., add in the bell peppers. Continue to saute the chicken, onion and peppers until the chicken is done and the peppers have softened up, but still have a slight crunch. 

This can be served in a heap on your plate and topped with some fresh salsa, wrapped in lettuce wraps or on top of a salad. I like to make extras, too, so I can have some the next day for lunch! If you need some more fats, also top it with some guacamole! 

Favorite Recipe of the Week: Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce

Okay. So being that some things have MAJORLY changed in my life over the past couple of weeks, I am going to be using this blog as a platform to talk about that, too. Writing is a coping mechanism for me, so I apologize ahead of time. If you do not want to read all of my relationship (or lack there of) talk, skip to the part about my WOD's and recipes, at the bottom ;)

After my ex continued to contact me, even though he was the one that wanted this, I had to ask him to "please stop." For someone that wanted "space," I don't think that still contacting the person you needed that space from every day is exactly the way to do that. That was probably the hardest thing for me to do, being that I liked hearing from him every day. It at least let me know that he was still thinking about me. But after reading two books, It's Called a Break Up Because It's Broken and The Get Back Plan (basically two polar opposites, lol) I took their good advice and decided to give him 30 days without any contact. So this is what I am currently living. 30 days of no contact with someone that I had spent almost every day with for 6+ years. I may not have been married, but this damn sure feels like a divorce.

I have not lived with my parents since I was 18 and never thought I'd be back. That being said, I am so very grateful for them and literally don't know what I would do without them. But after a week of bad food, lots of beer and happy hours with friends, this week I am getting back to the grind. I plan on taking care of myself (continue to eat mostly paleo and CrossFitting 3-4x a week) and working on ME. Being with someone for all of my young adult life, I don't even know how to be alone anymore. So this is a new chapter in my life where I have myself and my dog to look after, and my family and friends to lean on.

This is a new me. Stronger. More independent. And I'm not sure what else because I'm making it up as I go along (lol).


Favorite Recipe of the Week: Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 Spaghetti Squash (each half serves about one person)
• 1 Can of Sauce
• 1 lb. Ground Meat of Choice
• Cheese, if you like

This is one of the easiest, low-calorie meals that you can make. If you are a vegetarian, you can just leave out the meat!

First, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Cut the squash in half, lengthwise. This can be very hard to do, so use extreme caution... and a sharp knife! Once you have the squash cut in half, run it under cold water to remove all of the guts and seeds, like you would with a pumpkin, with your fingers. Next, place the two halves rind-side-up on a baking sheet for 30 minutes.

While that's roasting, start your sauce. First you will brown your meat and then add the sauce and meat together in a pan while you wait until your squash is done.

Then take the squash out of the oven and use a fork to scrape the insides of each squash until you have a good amount of the spaghetti-like strands pulled away from the squash's sides, leaving it in the squash "bowl." Place the squash back on the baking sheet, rind-side-down this time, add some (meat) sauce overtop and put it back in the oven for 20-30 more minutes. If you want to add cheese, do so for the last 5 minutes so it melts but doesn't burn. Ta-da! Dinner is ready :)

I prefer to eat my spaghetti squash in the 'shell' simply because I hate dishes. But there are plenty of folks that like to do the second step of this recipe in a baking dish. Instead, after the first 30 minutes, they would scrape out all of the "noodles" into a baking dish, add the sauce to that and then bake that dish. It's all personal preference. I just personally think that it's much more fun to eat out of the squash itself.. and it's so much more primal (jk, kinda).

Let me know when you try this and how you liked it! It's definitely an interesting taste that isn't for everyone. But give it a go at least once and it may turn out that you LOVE it.

Week 6: The End is Near

I am a little behind in my recording of the LuRong Challenge. I ended up getting the office crud the beginning of the week and wasn't able to catch a break! Also, last weekend (pre sickness) I was able to do my gym's Barbells for Boobs Partner WOD (Helen meets Grace). It was a lot of fun and also my first time participating in the cause. I will definitely be there next year!

Back to the LuRong Challenge, I only have one week and two days left!!! I have decided that after the challenge is over, I will continue the strict Paleo principles for a while longer, with cheat meals once or twice a week. The only things that I really miss are beer, chicken wings and quinoa. If I can limit those things to only once or twice a week, I think I'll be doing good. I really thought that I would miss dairy more. But that ended up not even being a big deal, other than having to ask for it to be withheld every time that I ate out. Cheese comes on everything... or so it seems.

Last week my box completed the 7th WOD for the LuRong Living Paleo Challenge and I tried out some more new recipes.

LuRong Challenge WOD #7
Uphill Finisher - 20 min. time cap
Level II- #65 front squat and push press, 2 #35 kettle bells

3, 5, 7, 9, 11 burpess, front squat, push press with 100m farmer carry in between each round + 13 burpee pull-up finisher

• Completed in 19:35
• This was a really grueling workout, to say the least. I thought that the farmers carries wouldn't be bad, but my shoulders were shot by the time I got to those. Then having to do the 13 burpee pull-ups afterwards... Crazy I tell ya! #digdeep

Favorite Recipe of the Week:  Jalapeño & Mushroom Bison Burgers with a Sweet Potato and Broccolini. 

Ingredients:

• Coconut oil
• 1 jalapeno, chopped. Leave the seeds in if you like a little heat.
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
• 1 lb. ground bison
• 2 sweet potatoes
• Cinnamon
• 1 bunch broccolini
• Lawry's Black Pepper Season Salt (or other seasoning of your choice for burgers)
• 2 cloves of garlic

Instructions:

First, add coconut oil to a hot skillet on medium heat. Add the meat, jalepeno, mushrooms and garlic to a large bowl and combine the ingredients with your hands. Form the patties (should create 4), using your thumb to indent a small spot in the center of each patty- I learned this from a cooking show, it's supposed to help them to cook more evenly. Then season the burgers on both sides with the seasoning of your choice and add them to the pan, turning when needed. 

For the broccolini and sweet potatoes, I use steamer bags that can be popped in the microwave. The only place that I have been able to purchase these bags in my area is at Harris Teeter. I steam the broccolini and sweet potatoes separately, timing it out so that they are completed with about 5 minutes left on the burgers.

Lastly, plate the burgers (I like to add avocado to the top of mine!), cut your sweet potatoes down the middle and add half of the broccolini to each plate. I like to add coconut oil and cinnamon to my potato, and leave the broccolini plain. To each their own :)

I loved the simplicity of this meal and that it only took me about 25 minutes from start to finish and I only had to wash the frying pan. Also, in a perfect world this would have been great for leftovers. However, with my boyfriend there were none lol. I think that next time I will get 2 lbs. of meat so that I can enjoy these for lunch again the next day, at least!

I hope everyone had a fangtabulous Halloween and that you're weekend is great, too!

The Top 10 Tips for Weight Loss

Losing weight in a healthy way is a common topic among men and women, alike. What should you eat? Do you need to exercise? These are common questions in regards to weight loss. The thing that many people tend to forget is that being 'healthy' is not just something that you should do for four weeks.  Actually being in good health is something that needs to be taken on as your way of life.

In order to be successful with weight loss or maintaining a healthy weight, you should try to follow these ten "rules."

1. It's a lifestyle, not a diet.
• If you think of eating healthy foods as something short-term, then you are ultimately setting yourself up for failure. This is not just a short-term fix, it needs to be a way of life.
2. Organization is key.
• Like most things in life, organization and structure are the keys to success. Having a schedule and a structure for your life will give you a schedule and structure for your eating.
3. Limit your portions.
• Check out the serving sizes on the foods that you are eating. You may be surprised to discover that you are actually eating several portions when you thought you were just eating one. Portion control is necessary for loosing weight.
4. You don't have to clean your plate.
• Don't be a compulsive eater. Just stop eating when you're full- it's that easy.
5. Don't deprive yourself.
• If you're hungry, eat. If you feel like you've already had a lot of calories, try filling yourself up with veggies. They are low calorie and nutrient dense. Snacking throughout the day on things like trail mix and veggies and drinking plenty of water will help your metabolism in check but also keep you feeling satisfied and suppress your need to binge.
6. Eat slowly.
• Eating more slowly will allow you to appreciate the food more and actually feel full sooner.
7. Enjoy your food.
• Just because you're eating healthy doesn't mean that you can't enjoy your food. Think about the foods that you love and then try to incorporate them into your healthy lifestyle. Love buffalo wings? Try baking or grilling them at home instead of buying the fried and greasy ones out somewhere.
8. Move your body!
• Exercise and diet go hand-in-hand. You can lose weight with just a strict diet, but you'll feel great if you're working out, too!
9. Rest and recover.
• Have a regular sleeping pattern and get your required 6-9 hours of sleep per night. This will help regulate your metabolism! Also, listen to your body. If you've worked out two days in a row and feel like you've been hit by a mac truck, then day three should be your rest day.
10. Love yourself.
• Figure out what inspires you to be the best version of yourself and do it- 110%! Love yourself enough to take care of yourself, inside and out.

I hope these tips helped! Do you have anything that you would add or take away from this list?

Week 5: More than halfway over!

I cannot believe that I have been doing this challenge for 5 weeks. I am more than halfway through and it is getting easier and easier to abide by the strict Paleo guidelines. I try not to eat out, simply to avoid temptation. But when I do eat out I actually do quite well. I usually know where I'm going beforehand and check out the menu so I already know what I am getting and there are no surprises. Like I've said before, being successful with any 'diet' program requires lots and lots of PLANNING.

This week my box completed the 6th WOD for the LuRong Paleo Challenge and I tried out some more new recipes.

LuRong Challenge WOD #6
100 single jump-ropes and then,
5 rounds:
10 power cleans. #85
10 hand release push-ups

• Completed in 9:02
• Level II
• Once again, I was super bummed that I had to do level II. However, in level III I would have had to be able to do ring dips without a band, and I just can't... yet.

Favorite Recipe of the Week:  Paleo Chicken Parmesan with Zucchini 'Noodles'

Photo Credit-Paleo Made Painless

Ingredients:

For the chicken

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c. flaxseed meal
• 1/2 c. almond meal
• Spices of choice (I used black pepper, cayenne and a little sea salt)
• 2-4 chicken breasts (I did 4 because I love leftovers)
• Coconut or olive oil for 'frying'

For the 'noodles'

• 4-6 zucchinis (use 6 if you are making 4 chicken breasts)

For the sauce

• 1 large can of crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
• I like to buy unseasoned sauce and create my own. But you can also just buy a jar of already prepared sauce
• 2 tbsp. minced garlic *don't need to add if using jarred sauce
• Olive oil
• Spices of choice *don't need to add if using jarred sauce (I used lots of basil, parsley, cayenne, garlic salt, oregano)

Instructions:

First, you will want to start your sauce. If you are using a jarred sauce, I would still go ahead and let it heat up. For your own sauce, you will start by adding 2 tbsp. of olive oil to a hot pan (medium low). Then, add your garlic and wait until it just starts to brown before adding the crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce. Then, stir in your spices. The amount and type of spices used are dependent upon what you like, personally. I use a ton of basil and then a lesser amount of everything else, and continuously taste it until it's where I want it.

Next, start your chicken. Start by heating up a skillet large enough for a couple of your chicken breasts to medium heat. Once the pan is hot, coat the bottom of the pan with your favorite cooking oil- I used coconut oil.  The best setup for breading your chicken is to have two bowls- one with the almond and flaxseed meal (and spices) and one with the eggs. Beat the eggs and make sure the dry ingredients are mixed well together. First dip the chicken in the egg, then transfer it over to the dry mix, making sure to evenly coat the chicken breast in the dry ingredients. Once the chicken breast is completely covered, add it carefully to the hot oil. Repeat this process for the next piece of chicken.

While the chicken is cooking, you can start your noodles. Wash your zucchinis and then, using a julianne peeler, peel all of your zucchinis. I recently purchased a julianne peeler, myself and am in LOVE with it. You can make virtually any vegetable into a noodle. This is the set that I got.

The chicken should take 20-25 minutes to cook, flipping once. Once the chicken is complete, place it on a plate with a paper towel, this will catch any access oil. While the chicken is cooling, in the pan that you cooked the chicken in, add the zucchini noodles. I prefer cooking in one pan when possible, however if you prefer to cook yours in a separate pan, I totally understand. I just hate dishes. Toss the zucchini to coat with the remaining oil, add more if necessary. Saute the noodles for about 5 minutes and then transfer them directly to a plate. Add a piece of chicken on top, and then ladle some sauce over everything. Presto! Chicken Parmesan, minus the parmesan ;)

Let me know if you try this recipe and how yours turned out!

Week 2: Healthy Doesn't Have to be Complicated

This picture was taken September 8, 2013 at Bend the Bar Hampton Roads 

during Workout #1- 65 lb. snatches and burpee box jumps. 

 I thought it looked pretty neat (:

Week two is coming to a close and this week wasn't any easier than the last. This week was my baby sister's birthday and I ate out several times, so I was really tested! I did cheat, again, on one meal this week and that was at my sister's birthday party. Now I need to focus on NOT cheating for a couple of weeks... I CAN DO THIS!

My gym completed WOD #1 on Monday and WOD #3 on Friday, which I will be making up Sunday morning since I was attending my sister's birthday party that night.

Lurong Challenge WOD #1

21-18-15-12-9-6-3 Reps of: 14 lb. Wall Balls, 75 lb. Deadlifts, 20 in. Box Jumps; 18 minute time cap 

• Completed in 15:03
• Level III

Favorite recipe of the week: Beef Tenderloin with Brussel Sprouts, Avocado & Salsa

Ingredients:

• Fresh Brussel Sprouts
• 1 - 1.5 pound Beef Tenderloin
• Organic Salsa or Pico de Gallo
• 1 Avocado 
• Coconut Oil
• Marinade-
• Olive Oil
• Red Wine
• Black Pepper
• Sea Salt
• Minced Garlic
• Paprika
• Cayenne 

Season meat as desired and let marinade for at least 4 hours. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Wash and then chop Brussel Sprouts in quarters. Place Brussels in a hot skillet with 1 tbsp. of coconut oil on medium-medium high and cover (these will take as long as the meat will, stir occasionally to avoid burning).  Place the Tenderloin into a baking dish that has been coated with coconut oil and place in oven to bake, uncovered for 35-45 minutes, depending on size and desired 'done-ness' (Rare-Well done).

When the Beef and Brussel Sprouts are cooked to how you desire, place the meat on top of a bed of Brussel Sprouts, cut Avocado to put on top and finish with a tablespoon of Salsa- Ta-da! 

This meal was delicious and yet so easy to make. Just remember that with Paleo, meat with a side of veggies is all you really need- You don't have to get fancy if you don't want to!

Well I am off to attend the Old Dominion University football game, my alma-mater. Go Monarchs!!!

xoxo Jessica

2013 LuRong Paleo Challenge Preparation

"Decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it. And then don't let anything get you off track."

So, it's the night before the 2013 LuRong Paleo Challenge and I am starting to round up everything that I am going to need for the eight weeks to come. That being said, if you want to join in the ''fun'' and haven't signed up already- GET TO IT! You have until midnight tonight... We're changing our lives ova' here (said in a Boston Accent)!

• https://www.lurongliving.com/challenge2013/register

A lot of people shy away from eating "Paleo" because it is too expensive or because they can't seem to quit the carbs. I have read several books about the Paleo Diet (Rob Wolf's books and Wheat Belly, among others) and education and preparation are key in being successful with the Paleo Diet.

First off, the whole "It's too expensive to eat that way" excuse. 

• Personally, I prefer Trader Joes for inexpensive, organic food items- they have it all! I was able to get a ton of groceries there, that adhere to the Lurong Challenge rules, for under $100 (okay, $2 under $100, but still not bad!). I also really enjoy their Malbec Red Wine that they sell and is under $5! Can't beat those prices ANYWHERE. 

Next, the whole "I have to eat carbs" excuse. 

• I love pasta and bread as much as the next person, however I also have done enough reading to know that it is not the best choice for us. Check out "Wheat Belly" by William Davis, Md.  The author advocates a wheat-free diet and shows scientific evidence of the benefits that his patients have experienced. The positive results from cutting grains from their diet were especially prominent in Diabetes patients. Our insulin levels spike the same way from eating a candy bar as it does eating something "whole grain." During the Lurong Paleo challenge, no wheat or dairy products are allowed. However, after the challenge is over, I will go back to using quoina, instead of rice and whole grain pasta every now and then. Shoot, I'm dating an Italian! Everything in moderation; that's my motto. 

Here's a list of what I've got so far:

• Coconut Oil, Milk (Unsweetened) and flakes (Unsweetened, organic)
• Olive Oil (Light and Extra Virgin)
• Flaxseed oil/meal/seeds
• Almond Flour/Milk (Unsweetened Vanilla)
• Smoked Salmon
• Wild Caught Salmon Fillets
• Precooked Chicken Breasts
• Frozen Chick Breasts
• Frozen Jumbo Shrimp
• Avocado
• Plums
• Bacon
• Turkey Sausage
• Eggs (Straight from my Parent's Farm- doesn't get much fresher!)
• Trail Mix (Almond, Pistachios & Cranberries)
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Spinach
• Bell Peppers
• Brussel Sprouts
• Pork Chops
• Chuck Roast
• Tomatoes
• Salmon Jerky- I'll let you know how it is!
• Olives
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• Edamame
• Frozen Fruit
• Red Wine!
• Green Tea bags

I am beyond excited to get started with this challenge and see how it changes my body and my mindset.  My goals for the duration of this challenge are to limit the temptations and keep a strict regimen so that I can lose a couple of pounds and tone up. Abs are made in the kitchen, so I hear, and I want to be able to have some more defined abs by next summer- but sooner wouldn't hurt (; Throughout this Challenge I want to push my body to it's limits and make it the best that it can be. I'm not getting any younger and I sure as hell won't get any healthier unless I bust my butt, which I fully plan on doing.

Tomorrow I will weigh in, get my measurements and workout. I will be keeping track of what I eat, my weight/measurements and what I am doing to work out (WOD's, run, bike, etc.) over the course of the next two months. I have never done 100% Paleo, 24/7, let along for 8 weeks. I am a little nervous but also extremely excited to see how I change and improve.

Stay tuned for more on my Journey!!

xoxo Jessica

P.S. I feel kind of crappy because I have spent the past few days eating things that I can't eat for the next two month (i.e. beer, pancakes, sushi, pasta...). Time to detox!

Are you being the best version of yourself?

Everyone agrees that fitness is good. It boosts your health, brightens your soul, calms your mind and allows you to do more with your life.  But how do we incorporate this into our everyday lives, realistically? That is the question that I asked myself for 4 years.

I danced, competitively, for most of my life and never really had to think about “working out.” Once I started college I didn’t have an iota of knowledge of what I should do in terms of personal fitness, so I just didn’t.  Do anything, that is. I started college with hardly any body fat, was 115 lbs. and 5 ft. 6 in- Basically a walking twig. After freshman year, I gained 5 lbs and probably lost a ton of muscle. By the time I graduated, I weighed in at 145 lbs. and I did not look fabulous in a bikini. Once I started wanting to buy cover-ups for the beach, I realized that I needed to make a change.

I joined a gym and tried doing my own thing, with little progress. I did Insanity (completed 1.5 months of the program) and lost a whopping 10 lbs! That is what really kicked off my new ideals and motivation. Soon afterwards, my mom and I tried Jazzercise for a couple of months. Having a dance background, it was fun but definitely not a challenge. I would sweat during the hour-long session, but I never really felt like I saw results. Now enters- CrossFit.

My mom and I were introduced to the CrossFit program by hearing about a free workout (WOD) on a Saturday morning at a local gym (box). Let me just add that we had NO IDEA what we were getting ourselves in to. We completed the workout. However, we were last and I thought I was going to die. It was the most intense thing that I had ever done, and that’s when I knew that I needed to sign up. I was looking for something that was unlike anything that I had ever done and that was extreme enough for me to see results. I welcomed the challenge.

We started doing CrossFit in October of 2012 and have been going 3 days a week, on average. I am just now starting to RX some of the workouts (definitely not all of them) and my friends and family are noticing the changes in my body. I feel great!

So, now my box (CrossFit Great Bridge- Chesapeake, VA) is going to be involved in the 2013 LuRong Living Paleo Challenge (http://www.lurongliving.com/challenge2013/). I have incorporated the Paleo diet into my life; however I am by no means “strict Paleo.” I still enjoy sushi, margaritas, IPA’s and chips and salsa (among other things). But, when presented with a Challenge, I could not pass it up.

I plan on using this blogging platform as a way to take you through my experiences of the LuRong Living Paleo Challenge- start to finish. I will be posting my workouts, meals (and recipes), progress and some tips and advice on how to incorporate this into your daily life. Also, being that this challenge lasts 2 months, I will be sharing my downfalls and struggles (should I have any). 

***This program/challenge starts 9/16/2013, so stay tuned!

Now, are YOU being the best version of yourself?! If not, what are you waiting for?!

CrossFit Term Definitions [from this post]:

WOD- Workout of the Day

Box- CrossFit gym

RX- as prescribed. You do the workout with the weight that it says, exactly as it says.

Paleo- A diet program that is based upon eating wholesome, contemporary foods from the food groups our hunter-gatherer ancestors would have thrived on during the Paleolithic era, the time period from about 2.6 million years ago to the beginning of the agricultural revolution, about 10,000 years ago. These foods include fresh meats (preferably grass-produced or free-ranging beef, pork, lamb, poultry, and game meat, if you can get it), fish, seafood, fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and healthful oils (olive, coconut, avocado, macadamia, walnut and flaxseed). Dairy products, cereal grains, legumes, refined sugars and processed foods were not part of our ancestral menu. (Source: thepaleodiet.com)

xoxo Jessica