Paleo Fried Bananas

I recently visited the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. While I was there, I tried to eat only authentic foods because, well, when in Rome...

One of my favorite dishes was the fried banana. It was so simple but it was something that I had never even considered before. So of course, I had to put a Paleo spin on it when I made it myself.

Paleo Fried Bananas

Ingredients

• Bananas, slightly green (as many as you feel like eating. 1 per person)
• Cinnamon
• Honey
• Coconut oil
• Ghee, optional

Steps

1. Add 2 tbsp coconut oil and 1 tbsp ghee (or 3 tbsp coconut oil) to a pan on medium heat, or 1/4 inch of oil in your pan. (I used a small pan)
2. While the oil heats, peel your bananas.
3. Slice bananas into coins, about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick.
4. Gently place them in the oil. The slices can touch.
5. Let them 'fry' for 3-4 min. per side. If you try to turn them and they are sticking, they aren't ready.
6. Gently remove them from the pan and place them on a plate lined with a paper towel.
7. They will be a little soft but as they cool and dry, the banana slices will crisp up.
8. Sprinkle the slices with cinnamon and drizzle with honey. Serve as dessert or skip the cinnamon and honey and serve them alongside your meal.

So simple. I made them on a whim and my boyfriend LOVED them. It's not a typical american dish but it's not so 'weird' that people won't be willing to try it... and love it!

Try it out and let me know what you think!

#100happyandhealthydays Challenge

Can you live a happy and healthy lifestyle for 100 consecutive days? We live in a crazy busy world and sometimes it's hard to do something just for YOU everyday. But taking care of your personal well-being is just as important as that 2 o'clock meeting or responding to your 50 new emails. Join in on my 100 day challenge of creating a happier and healthier you. Find out how it works below...

I decided to start this challenge for myself and thought that it would be fun to share with my followers, too! Here's how it works:

• Choose a healthy goal, or several, to accomplish by the end of the 100 days. It could be something like not biting your nails, or losing 10 lbs. But make it manageable.
• Post to your social networks (Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram) everyday using #100happyandhealthydays.
• Start your 100 days with a post about the goal(s) that you plan on accomplishing.
• At the end of the 100 days, share your progress with the social-sphere!

 What do I post?

• Whatever you want! This is for yourself and to motivate others. Examples of things to post would be- a new recipe, enjoying the sunshine, walking your dog, a day in the gym, etc.

Why?

• Like I mentioned, I really just wanted to do this for myself because I have a goal of getting abs by the end of the summer and plan on finishing out the summer season much differently than it started. (Aka: less booze and more sunshine!) Do you have a goal? It doesn't have to be fitness-related. It could just be that you want to eat more veggies or cut back on your alcohol intake. This challenge is just a fun way to share your progress and stay focused. You know you'll be sharing your life on Instagram anyway ;)

F or motivation along the way, follow my Facebook Page at Facebook.com/TheCaveGirlChronicles  or find me on Instagram @xojessicajo for my personal journey.

Let's get started on creating happier and healthier versions of our already fabulous selves! 

Pre-workout vs. Post-workout Supplements

During my time at the gym, I've noticed that there are three types of people- the pre-workout muscle heads, the post-workout junkies and the extreme athletes, or extreme athlete wannabes, that dabble in both. What's better, you ask? That depends on what type of results you're looking for.

If you follow the advise of Hulk Hogan, all you need for fitness success are prayers, weights and vitamins (source). Optimizing your nutrition aids in muscle performance and recovery and also helps you to maintain and build muscle mass. And since it's extremely hard to eat all of the nutrition that you need per day, adding supplements can help you reach your goals faster! Achieving your desired workout goal and moving closer towards your dream physique is not all about what you do at the gym.  An equally important component of your workout is the nutrition, which includes choosing the right pre-workout and post-workout supplements.

For the basic breakdown, pre-workout is best if you need an extra boost in your energy to maxamize your workouts and if you're looking to create lean muscle mass, while post-workout is all about recovery and healing your muscles after an intense workout so you can get back in the gym tomorrow. Pre-work supplements typically contain amino acids, carbs and stimulants, like caffeine. While post-workout supplements contain protein (usually whey) and creatine.

Usually, people prefer one type of supplement over the other. They either need that extra energy for their workout and take pre-workout or they need some extra help with recovery and take a post-workout supplement. I, personally, like to use both. Some days I use them both in the same day, whereas other days I only prefer to use one or the other. There is nothing wrong with using both supplements to achieve your gains.

Which do you use?

Other Source:
Infinite Labs

The Zone Diet: A Brief Overview

Let me start by saying that I THINK I may have heard of this a year or so ago. But I have recently started talking about it with some chicks at my box before I decided to look into it more. Like the Paleo lifestyle, it advocates "real food" - lean protein, veggies, fruits and nuts. But unlike the Paleo Diet, it has a better definition of how much of everything you should be eating.

While I've had great results over the past year or so with the Paleo Diet, I feel like I need a little more guidance. The Zone Diet has a set way of breaking down exactly how much of what types of food you should be eating.- 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fat. If you take nothing else away from this way of eating, take that piece of information. While being on the Paleo Diet, my carbs were not at 40% of my daily intake. And by carbs, it means mostly fruits and veggies. Trying to add in more carbs while still keeping my calories up has been the hardest part for me over the past week.

The Zone Diet breaks each of your meals down by "blocks." For example, the average male will eat 4 blocks at breakfast, lunch and dinner and 2 blocks for their two snacks each day. A 4 block breakfast would look like this-

• 4 blocks protein
• 2 large eggs
• 4 eggs whites
• 4 blocks carbs
• 2/3 cup oatmeal
• 1 orange
• 4 blocks fat
• 2 tbsp. avocado
• about 6 almonds

While doing research, I came across these great sites that helped me break down what the Zone Diet was and how I wanted to implement it into my life.

• http://www.webmd.com/diet/zone-what-it-is
• This shows a basic overview of what the Zone Diet consists of.
• http://crossfitimpulse.com/the-zone-diet-explained-edited
• Check out this site for how to pair the Zone Diet with the Paleo Diet and CrossFit.
• http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/cfjissue21_May04.pdf
• Here, you can find great meal plans and a breakdown of what types of food are equal to how many blocks.

Right now I am still eating 80% Paleo, but I am also trying to implement the Zone Diet's basics of adding in more carbs. I am not really 'counting calories' but I do like to monitor mine every now and then to see exactly how many calories I'm taking in on an average day and making sure that they're close to where I need to be (1,800 cal/day). 

Do you think the Zone Diet could work for you? Or have you tried it and had good results? Share your insight!

My New Kitchen Toy: The NutriBullet

I love getting new kitchen gadgets! For Christmas my parents got me the Nutribullet. So far I have made mostly green smoothies, because I LOVE them, but I have also been trying to experiment with some other fun combinations.

I had asked for this device because I was interested in a juicer without actually being a juicer. Juicers are great and all, but I feel like they discard the best parts of the veggies. The Nutribullet keeps every part of the vegetable/fruit and extracts all of the nutrients. It's basically like a blender, but better. There is also a milling blade that can be used for nuts and spices. I really want to try making my own nut butter!

Here are some of my favorite NutriBullet concoctions:

Banana Nut Protein Smoothie:

• 1 banana
• tbsp. of your favorite nut butter
• 1 scoop protein powder (chocolate is pretty tasty)
• a dash of cinnamon
• water, coconut milk, or other base of your choice

DELICOUS! This was just something that I whipped up for a post-workout, pre-dinner, snack. Fat, carbs and protein :)

Green Smoothie:

• Almond/coconut milk
• 1 handful of leafy greens (I used spinach)
• 5 strawberries
• small handful of blueberries
• 1 tsp. flaxseed oil
• 1 scoop of protein powder, optional

This is a great way to get in your fruits and veggies with your breakfast in the morning, or just as a snack! I like to add protein powder for a little extra love, but it tastes great without it! Also, if you need it to be a little sweeter, try adding in a small amount of your favorite sweetener.

Energizing Smoothie:

• the juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1 pear
• 1 apple, cored and seeds removed
• 1 small handful of spinach
• ground ginger
• green tea

If you have a Nutribullet, where do you find your recipes? Share your finds with me!

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! 

Weekly Meal Prep

Disclaimer- I focus on REAL food. I am not 100% Paleo, but I strive to eat quality ingredients, 100% of the time.

When I am prepping my meals for the week, I start off by sitting down and writing it all out. I write down my weekly schedule so I know if meals or snacks need to be ready for on-the-go or if I'll be eating them at home. I also try to plan out what days I know that I will be eating meals out so that I don't buy too much at the grocery store. So here's a snapshot of my meal plan for this coming week:

Sunday

Breakfast- Green Smoothie

Lunch- Turkey burger patty with a tomato, cucumber and onion salad (make extra for 2 more meals)

Snack- Pate with cucumber slices

Dinner- Crockpot roast, red wine

Monday

B- Smoothie

L- Turkey burger patty with a tomato, cucumber and onion salad

S- Trail mix and a piece of fruit

D- Chicken breast (cook 2 more for future meals), black beans, 1/2 an avocado, wilted spinach, red wine

Tuesday

B- Bacon, eggs and 1/2 an avocado

L- Turkey burger patty with a tomato, cucumber and onion salad

S- Trail mix and a piece of fruit

D- Chicken breast, black beans and broccoli, red wine

Wednesday

B- Smoothie

L- Shrimp cocktail, broccoli and 1/2 sweet potato

S- Trail mix and a piece of fruit

D- Grilled chicken breast salad, red wine

Thursday

B- Smoothie

L- Pack of tuna fish, veggies and guac

S- Trail mix and a piece of fruit

D- Steak stir fry with quiona, red wine

Friday

B- Bacon, eggs and 1/2 an avocado

L- Leftover steak stir fry 

S- Trail mix and a piece of fruit

D- Dinner out

Saturday

B- Smoothie

L- Tuna pack and pate with cucumber slices

S- Lara Bar

D- Dinner out

Once I have each meal planned out, I make a grocery list around it. Then when I go to the store, I'm not buying anything extra that will not get eaten. This is essential when you are only buying fresh, raw foods as they do not last nearly as long as processed foods. Also, make your life easier by preparing as much as you can for a meal ahead of time. For example, if you're cooking a chicken breast for dinner one night, cook a couple extra for lunches or dinners later on in the week! You'll thank yourself later!

Do you meal plan for your weekly meals? Any tips or suggestions to share?

It's that time of year - Paleo-friendly Venison Recipes

Leaves changing, cooler air, holidays, bonfires, oysters and deer hunting... What's not to love about the cold weather season?! While hunting is not for everyone, I come from a family of hunters and farmers. So I guess it's for us. I enjoy eating fresh eggs every morning, seasonal veggies from the garden and meat that was caught or hunted by my loved ones. Doesn't get much more paleo than that (lol)!

Whenever my dad gets a deer, he takes it to a local butcher to prepare for him. We get some steaks, some roasts and a majority of it ground in to burger. Ground meat is very versatile but you can't go wrong with a good tenderloin! Here are some recipes that I have rounded up and that are absolutely delish. Feel free to chime in with any recipes that you have tried! Also note that if venison is not for you, you can use any other meat to substitute.

Paleo Crock Pot Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 sweet potato, diced
• 1 c carrots, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 2 zucchini squash, diced
• 2 shallots, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 28 oz chicken or vegetable broth
• 28 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1/2 c frozen spinach, or 1 c packed fresh spinach, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1.5 lb ground meat (venison, pork, any meat that you like!)

Instructions:

Pour the olive oil in the bottom of the crock pot. Add the prepared potatoes, carrots, celery, zucchini, shallots and garlic. Pour in the broth. Add the entire can of tomatoes. Add the frozen spinach (no need to thaw or drain). Add in he spices.

Stir everything together, add bay leaves, cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

About 2 hours before the soup is down, brown the meat and add it to the crock pot, mixing it in.

Remove the bay leaves before serving.

Serves 6-8 people

Paleo Baked Venison Meatballs

Ingredients:

1.5 lb ground meat

1/2 c of almond flour or meal (you can use breadcrumbs if you aren't Paleo)

1 egg

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

2 cloves minced garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit. Using your hands, mix all ingredients in a large bowl.

Roll meat mixture in to about tablespoon-size portions and place an inch apart on an oiled cookie sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes for larger meatballs, 15 minutes for smaller. Serve with sauce and whatever else sounds yummy - pasta, spaghetti squash, sandwiches, or just by themselves!

Serves 4

Venison Steak Salad with Cranberry Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1 lb venison steak, cut into strips
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 8 cups mixed salad greens (I make my own mixture of spinach & kale)
• 1 c of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 c walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 gorgonzola cheese, if you aren't being Paleo
• Cranberry dressing
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/3 c EVOO
• 1/2 c cranberries (if frozen, thaw)
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp water

Instructions:

Baste the venison strips with the olive oil and grill, saute or broil until cooked to your taste (I prefer mine a little rare, so it only takes about 3 minutes to grill).

Put two cups of greens on a plate and add the tomatoes, walnuts, (*cheese) and onions. Top with the strips of meat and drizzle a tablespoon of dressing.

For the dressing, add all ingredients to a food processor (or blender). Note- this is a thick dressing. If you prefer it thinner, add more water or red wine vinegar. 

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 4: Eating Right During Football Season

Sticking to your goals and eating right during Football Season is just as hard as sticking to your goals during the Holidays. Realizing that the two events are essentially one-in-the-same (Football lasts through February), can be enough to make you want to give up. So all that you can do to survive the winter is to PLAN! That's right, you'll actually have to think about what you're going to eat and shop BEFORE. Because you know that if you don't have anything 'healthy' to eat and your friends come by and want to order pizza and wings that you are more than likely just going to go with the flow. By preparing you can save yourself a lot of regret... and calories!

First off, let me start by saying that I LOVE to eat. I am in a relationship with an Italian and his family likes that about me - LOL. But when I say that I LOVE to eat, what I'm getting at is that I'm not a 'salad for dinner' kind of girl. I won't say that I've never done it, but I try to avoid that wholeheartedly and leave the salads for lunchtime. When I started thinking of football-friendly food, I just thought about what I actually like and then tried to think of healthier alternatives to those traditional carb-battered, cheese-stuffed, fried and buttery foods.

This is what I came up with:

•  Buffalo Wings - Baked 
• These are great, however they ended up having the consistency of a rotisserie chicken. Not what I was craving but still delicious. Mike and I decided that in order to get these how we envisioned that we would need to grill them.
• Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites
• I have made these before & they are divine, as well as super easy!
• Sweet Potato Fries
• Sometimes it’s best to cook them longer if you like a little crisp; just be sure to monitor them.
• Shrimp Cocktail
• Does this need an explanation?
• Chips, Salsa & Guacamole or Veggies and Dip
• If you like to stick to regular tortilla chips, I recommend either making your own or going for organic and low sodium options at the super market. However, I am currently stuck on Trader Joes' plantain chips. The only ingredients are plantains, sunflower oil and sea salt. Must try!!!
• Make your own guacamole and salsa. It's not that hard and will be oh-so-worth it!
• I dip my veggies in guacamole instead of typical vegetable dip (ranch). It's tasty and much better for you (good fats and no dairy).
• Chili
• Chili doesn’t have to be Paleo to be healthy. But since I’m on the LuRong Challenge, this is what I’m making. And I love it because it's great for leftovers!

Photo Cred- http://www.supergluemom.com/

 Now for my weekly WOD update from the LuRong Living Paleo Challenge.

WOD #5
Ascending and Descending Ladder – 15 min. time cap
Level II – #65 Snatch, Unassisted Pull-ups, 16 in. Box and #35 Kettle Bell

·        Power Snatch

·        Pull-ups

·        Box Jumps

·        Kettle Bell Swings

·        Box Jumps

·        Pull-ups

·        Power Snatch

Completed: 13:31

This was the first LuRong WOD that I had to do level II for. I was so irritated about the 16 in. box and I hated that I couldn’t lift an #80 snatch from ground to overhead. My Box worked out shoulders the day before we did this WOD, and I think that wasn’t our smartest move. I was okay with my time, overall, and now I know that my weaknesses are currently stringing together pull-ups and anything over #65 for snatches. Always room to grow!

Have a great week and happy Monday, y'all!