Paleo banana bread

Ingredients:
3 eggs, separated
5 tbsp honey
4 tbsp olive oil
2 mashed bananas
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups almond flour or finely grounded almonds

Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Cream the egg yolks and honey in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
-. Add the oil, vanilla, mashed banana, cinnamon, baking soda and almond flour and combine well.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Fold egg whites into the banana mixture to pull it away from the sides before gradually folding the rest of the egg whites into the mixture.
- Line a loaf tin with coconut or almond oil and pour the banana mixture into this.
- Place in the oven for 40-45 mins


i borrowed this recipe from wheatfreeandglutenfreebreadrecipe.blogspot.com. It was delicious - totally and completely. The taste and texture was almost like regular banana bread.

coconut bread

Coconut Flour Bread

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil or butter
• 1-2 tablespoons honey (optional, I usually leave it out)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3/4 cup coconut flour

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together and pour into a small buttered loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
2. Turn the loaf out and cool completely on a rack before serving. That’s it! Enjoy.

I found this recipe from nourishingdays.com. I really made it because I'm craving french toast, and i plan to make it with this bread tomorrow. I will update . . . hoping its good!

my favorite breakfast

breakfast is my favorite meal, and with paleo, it is sometimes a challenge - because a lot of the yummy breakfast foods I love aren't paleo. But, my new favorite breakfast is quinoa with coconut milk, honey, cinnamon, and pecans. mmm. So delish!

80/20

So, although I will consider paleo a success (a 4 pound weight loss for me is huge - and I think it probably would have been more had I not cheated so badly around Halloween). The problem is, I miss some of the foods that I cannot have if I eat a strict paleo diet. Funny thing is, the dairy and grains haven't been as difficult for me as have been giving up legumes. Maybe its because I can find paleo substitutes for pretty much everything else. But there is no substitute for a bean. I eat a lot of beans, and I really miss them. So, I think I'm going to try a modified (by me) paleo diet - one in which I can eat beans. And maybe cheat once in a while on some of the other stuff (some days I want cheese - although giving that up hasn't been as difficult as I had anticipated).

Tonight I made a giant batch of split pea soup, and I put it into serving-sized containers for lunches this week. I also have lots of pulled pork and homemade chicken nuggets. I've found the key to success is preparation. If I already have all my meals pre-planned, I do much better. Lucky for me, I can eat the same meal every night for dinner for a week and not get tired of it. So giant batches of food work great for me.

I have decided too that instead of a weight goal (which has been my previous plan) I am working on a body fat goal. I would like to be under 30% fat by 2012. Sort of a New Year's goal, only in reverse. I have a little over 3% to get there, which is totally doable if I can work hard and stay away from the holiday treats. Wish me luck!!

one month down

I haven't forgotten to blog - I have just been busy . . . applying for a new job amongst other things . . .

but, I did want to post an update. I took my pictures, and had my weights and measurements taken today. Although I haven't had an 'earth shattering' change, I have lost: 4 pounds, 1 percent body fat, and 1 inch of my waist. The pictures aren't too striking, but you can tell in my belly and legs:
October 1, 2011:
November 1, 2011
The front and rear pics weren't significant enough to post, but they are slightly different . . .

The flesh is weak. . .

. . .and halloween sugar cookies are too damn good. . .

Yep. You guessed it! I cheated on paleo. The cookie tasted soo goood. Every last crumb. Right up until the time I got a migraine from all the sugar.

Demotivation

I got asked today when my baby is due. First of all, the number one rule with dealing with women is: unless you see the baby coming out, never assume there is one in there. But second of all, what a slap in the face after how hard I have been working. I considered skipping lunch, but hunger won out over vanity. I suppose I will have to work "that" much harder at the gym tonight.

Paleo hamburger

Bacon, avocado, lettuce, mustard, and a big fat juicy burger from the grill. Served with a side of sweet potato fries. Who said paleo can't be indulgent?

Sneaking in a calorie burn

Ok - this is going to sound a little netdy, but I am going to admit it anyway. . .although I do go to the gym pretty much every day, I am always trying to sneak in little bits of exercise wherever and whenever I can. 20 pushups every time I pee. 25 air squats or lunges on every tv commercial. A brisk walk around the block when I really want some caffeine.

I am not sure it makes much of a difference, but it makes me feel better.

Cardio vs. resistence training

I will admit that for the majority of my life, I have been the cardio queen - a slave to the treadmill. I had always believed that since I was burning so many more calories per hour by running than with any other form if exercise, than running was the best way to get thin. But, I wasn't getting thin. Cardiovascularly, I was fit. But, I still had a good 20 - 30 pounds of excess weight that would not budge. I was doing at least 6 hours of cardio a week - burning at least 3500 caloies, which should have resulted in a pound of weight lost per week, but I was stuck. Plateau-ed for over a year. And obviously very discouraged.

That is when a friend told me about crossfit. I was anxious to try anything. Crossfit is basically high intensity interval training. Each workout lasts less than 30 minutes, but they are tough. I sweat, gasp for air, and I am always sore somewhere. But, I am finally seeing results. I am running less but getting faster - and I have way more endurance. I am starting to get muscle definition in my arms and legs, and my butt is getting round and firm. Most of alk, I am developing a confidence that I have never before felt.

And this morning, I weighed in at 167.2.

Day 17

Just a quick post to say that I weighed in this morning at 168.2. I hurt my back last week and have really scaled back on my work outs - both number of work outs and the intensity. So, I hope the loss isn't from muscle lost, but from my body finally figuring out how to drop weight.

I have been so faithful with my diet. Typically, sugary treats and/or baked goods are my biggest temptation. In the past 24 hours, I have passed up a fresh cupcake and a divine-looking donut. Without regret. I love with paleo that I can eat any amount of food (as long as it is paleo) any time of the day. I just listen to my body and eat when I am hungry - some days I am ravenous while other days I can go hours without any food.

Paleo cookies

I made these paleo chocolate chip cookies today. They were just "ok". I think sweets were meant to be, well. . . sweet. And these were not sweet. But, I needed a bunco treat. I also made a pork roast in the oven. That turned out much better - tender and flavor-full. I'd post a recipe for that, but I actually buy it pre-seasoned in the meat department at Harmons, and just pop it right into the oven.

I weighed myself this morning, after breakfast with my clothes still on. 169.0. Not too shabby. Actually only 9 more pounds till I reach the top end of my ideal weight. I know I've not really been focusing too much on my weight - I think body fat and measurements tell the true story - but the number on the scale is a nice reminder that progress is being made. If you know me in real life, you know what a struggle it is for me to lose even one pound. So yay! Even though it is still a fat person's weight, its progress ;-)

Day 14

Well . . . I was doing well posting every day. Until I got the flu on Monday. It was weird. I woke up feeling fine, but as the day went on, I got sicker and sicker until I had a fever and I was throwing up. Let it suffice to say that its going to be a long time before I eat curry. . .

Being sick did make me fall off the wagon a bit, but only because when my stomach was queesy, I needed Coke and toast. And, I did have my birthday this week, so I indulged in some chicken enchiladas.

But, overall, I'm doing well and the diet is fairly simple to stick with. Tonight, I'm making homemade marinara with roasted tomatoes, onions, and carrots (shhhh - don't tell my kids). I roast them in the oven, then puree in the blender, then sautee with meatballs. I'm having mine over spaghetti squash - the kids will eat theirs over whole wheat pasta.

And yes, I have been exercising too (with the obvious exception of having the flu). Right now, my main form of exercise is Crossfit, but I also run and swim. My goal is to work out at least once a day, six days a week, with one day off. I Crossfit in the AM, and then try to add some type of cardio in the evenings three times a week.

Chicken curry

1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 chicken breasts, cubed
1 yam, peeled and cubed
1 cup baby carrots
1 12 oz can coconut milk
2 tbsp curry
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste.

Saute the onion and chicken with the coconut oil. Once chicken is cooked add the coconut milk and stir. Then add curry powder and stir again. Add remaining ingredients and simmer on low heat until carrots and potatoes are cooked. Serve over quinoa or just eat plain. If you love spicy, a little bit of chili powder is yummy too, but I left it off of the ingredient list.

Skillet sweet potato hash

This is so delish, and makes a great side dish to any grilled meat.

Skillet sweet potato hash

1 peeled, cubed sweet potato
1 peeled, cubed yam
2 slices bacon
1/2 onion, diced
1 tbsp coconut oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Slice the bacon into small pieces and cook with diced onion. Add remaining ingredients and cook until soft. Yummy!!

One week down

Today marks the last day of my first week with the Paleo diet. Overall, it hasn't been too difficult. I haven't really had any cravings nor temptations to eat off the diet, except that yesterday I was at an all-day conference (food included) and I did have to eat a bit creatively. A few morsels of foods that I probably shouldn't have eaten may have crossed my lips . . . but I did well.

I haven't weighed myself again because my dear old Auntie Flo made her appearance yesterday, and that typically brings approximately 5 pounds of water weight gain. So, hopefully in a couple of weeks, I'll have a nice surprise of a few pounds lost.

I think I'm going to make fish for dinner - and that is a BIG step for me. I don't love fish (which is my way of saying its disgusting . . .) and neither does my husband. Subsequently, I can count on one hand the number of times I've cooked fish. But, I have a recipe for tilapia that looks fairly simple. If its good, I'll post it.

The whole enchilada

The premise of a paleo diet is to eat like a person from the Paloelithic era would eat - aka: eat like a cave man. People living during this time would not have wasted any food source. Thus, it is my goal to be less wasteful. On Sunday, I cooked a turkey so we could have an abundance of meat for the week. After I picked all the meat off and stored it in serving-sized baggies, I decided to use the carcass to make turkey broth. I broke the carcass into pieces, added onions and garlic (from the garden), celery, salt and pepper, and simmered for hours. I plan to freeze the broth for use in soups and other meals in the future.

Paleo fried chicken

I stole this recipe from Paleomama.com, but had to share it because it really is "that" good. I made a few adjustments, but the idea is really from her website.

2 large chicken breasts

½ cup of almond flour

2 eggs

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

pinch of cayanne powder

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

3 tbs coconut oil

Slice the chicken breasts into strips. Dip in egg, and then in the mixture of the dry ingredients. Fry in the coconut oil.

I served it with a sweet potato hash - browned cubes of sweet potato and onion. Delish!

Pumpkin coconut carob muffins

I made these a couple of days ago, and they were a huge hit. Even the girls LOVED them. They helped make them too - its a super easy recipe!



Servings: 12 muffins
Preparation time: 10 minutes

* 1/2 cup coconut flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
* 1/4 teaspoon cloves
* 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
* 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
* 6 eggs
* 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
* 1/4 cup ghee, melted
* 1/8 cup vanilla agave
* pinch salt
* 1/2 cup carob chips
* 12 pecan halves


Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a muffin pan or line with paper liners.

Sift together coconut flour and spices together.

Whisk remaining ingredients together (except walnuts and carob) in a separate bowl until well mixed.

With a wooden spoon or whisk stir the flour mixture gradually into the pumpkin mixture so that no lumps remain. Add chips and mix together.

Divide batter between 12 muffin cups. Place one pecan half on the top of each muffin.

Bake for 12 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Do not over bake as the flour can burn easily

Day 2

Choco-banana Breakfast Smoothie

8 oz unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp almond butter
1 banana
1 scoop chocolate protein powder

Blend together. Enjoy.

I cheated and weighed myself today: 168.6 I am down 2.8 pounds in 2 days, which I am pretty sure is water weight as I've been peeing like a racehorse. Other than the peeing issue, I'm doing great. The nutrition is easy (as I typically eat whole foods anyway - this just leaves out a few more items) and of course the exercise is easy (because that is my favorite part). This morning, I was up at 4:30 am to work out, so I'm already finished for the day too.

Starting pictures

I wanted to share my pictures, but first some pics of where I was 4 months ago when I started Crossfit. Not too much difference from today, although my body fat percentage is 6 points higher!!! But, I wanted to post these to show what 4 months has done, and then to maybe compare them after paleo:


Ok - here are the "dreaded" pictures. Its embarrassing to post, but I feel like I have to "shame" myself into it to force me to have some accountability. So, here goes:





There is a definite change in the past 4 months (especially in my belly . . .) but I obviously still have work to do. Here are my current stats for comparison at the end of the month:

Stats:
Body fat %:33.6%
Weight: 171.4
Left bicep: 12.75
Right bicep: 12.5
Chest: 39
Waist: 37 3/4
Hip: 40
Left thigh: 22.5
Right thigh: 22.5
Left calf: 15.5
Right calf: 15.5

So, there it is - all the embarrassing facts and figures.

Day 1

Mashed Sweet Potato
4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 lime, squeezed

Peel and cube the potatoes. Place in covered caserole dish. Add butter and cook until soft. Add remaining ingredients and mash together. Delish!

Yesterday was day #1. Of course, I followed the diet perfectly - even when I went out to lunch, where I had a steak salad (steak, lettuce, pico, guac, and lime). Dinner was grilled meat, the above sweet potatoes, and asparagus. I even ate a paleo candybar for dessert that I'd made earlier.

On Friday (the day before I started) I had my weight, body fat, and measurements taken at the gym. I plan to post those, along with my starting pictures some time today.

First post

This blog is dedicated to my journey to look hot in a bikini. I am starting a paleo diet, and I Crossfit - so I will hopefully post my workouts/menu ideas/recipes/etc.

I know this first post sucks . . . I plan to start tomorrow - October 1st, and I hope to post lots of links and pictures.