Updates and Experiments

Alright.  I am 5 weeks in officially today.
I am down 15lbs total.
I have lost 4 inches off my waist.
Most of my stomach problems have gone away.
I have a ton more energy.
I can tell I'm getting stronger, and I can even see my muscles developing.
I'm recovering faster after workouts, and I can workout longer and run longer without getting as winded.
My calluses are getting bigger (yay inspiration!)

Overall, after 5 weeks of Paleo and working out/lifting/CrossFit, I am officially obsessed with this new lifestyle and I can't believe I didn't do it sooner!  Before I started all of this, I bought a really adorable bikini that I want to fit into.  I put it on, took pics (no, I will not show them to you--they are scary, and I don't want to have it come back and bite me in the butt when you want compensation for your therapy bills because of what you saw) then hung the pics in the kitchen.  Yesterday, H made me put the bikini back on, which has been happily living hanging on my dresser mirror, and retake my pics.  There is definitely a difference!  I'm by no means ready to wear that thing to a public beach (oh God, could you imagine the therapy bills?!) but I'm proud that it fit better yesterday than it did 2 months ago.  Yay progress!

I've been doing some experimenting in the kitchen, too!

I made some awesome roasted broccoli (it gives it a nuttier taste, and is very yummy!) and a tasty easy roast pork loin, and yesterday I made Paleo-friendly mayo so I could make egg salad today.  So far, all 3 experiments (which is what H likes to call them...) turned out great and I'm really impressed with myself.

As for working out, we'll have a lot more time for that now.  H will be leaving for the military a little sooner than expected, and we've been really buckling down on working out to get him into the right shape to get into the program he wants.  While it means he'll be leaving me a little sooner than planned (and therefore I must be down in size a little sooner than planned so I can fit into a size 8 wedding dress!) I'm excited for his adventure and show him how much progress I'm going to make while he's gone for 17 weeks at OSUT and Airborne School--he's going to come home and I'm going to be out-of-control-sexy-strong! ;)

I've had a lot of people asking about what I eat with Paleo and how it works, and I think the greatest place to see what to eat is Rob's Quick Start Guide and the best place to see why I eat Paleo and how it works is Fitbomb's explanation.  If you're interested in trying out Paleo, even just for a couple weeks to see how it works, these are 2 great resources to get you started.

Tasty Tomato Sauce

Tonight I made my Paleo-friendly tasty tomato sauce!  It's so easy, and soooo yummy!

Here it is:

5 medium-sized tomatoes (we use the "on the vine" kind, but any will do)
1 Tbls EVOO
1 Tbls minced garlic
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1 pinch ground rosemary (yes...I said a pinch)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 small can tomato paste (make sure to read the ingredients--this should be tomatoes, water, and salt ONLY)

Start with your tomatoes...

 ...and cut them up into 8 pieces each.

 Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and add the tomatoes.

 Add the seasonings (you can use more or less to taste) and cook over medium heat until cooked down and tomatoes are soft.  It should look like this (usually 10-12 minutes):

 Once the tomatoes are cooked down, add can of tomato paste, stir well, and cook for another 10-15 minutes, stirring often.

Pre-Paleo, I'd have served this over pasta.  Now, I serve it over cooked spaghetti squash, chicken, or even on a good steak.  Heck, this stuff is good enough to just eat on its own!  Enjoy!

xoxo, M

Cooking

I love to cook.  Seriously.  That's probably what got me into such bad shape...I love to cook and bake, and then I love to eat what I've cooked and baked.  And while I would think I was being healthy, I really wasn't so much.  No bueno for the waistline.

But I'm finding so many different yummy Paleo recipes!  I took a notebook and started writing down the good-sounding ones so I can have my own Paleo cookbook.  It makes me happy  :)  (hey, gotta enjoy the little things in life)

Tonight's menu:  Ginger Citrus Roast Chicken ala PaleoDietLifestyle.  My intention was to take pics while making it, but I made it in a hurry before work and set it up to marinade in the fridge all day so I can just put it in the oven when I get home, then run to the gym while it cooks.  It seriously took like 15 minutes to make:

-Zest 1 lime and 1 orange
-Mix zest with 1 Tbl grated fresh ginger
-Put mix inside cavity of a roasting chicken (Yes, you have to put your hand in the chicken's butt.  Get over it.  Nobody said Paleo was pretty.)
-Cut zested lime and orange into 8 pieces each and place inside the cavity
-Cut up 2 limes and 1 orange into 8 pieces each and place around/under chicken in roasting pan
-Juice 1 lime and 1 orange into dish with 2 Tbl grated fresh ginger, 1 Tbl EVOO, and a sprinkle of salt
-Roast chicken in oven, basting with juice/ginger/oil mix (figure 20 minutes for each pound of chicken)

I'll post a pic later of the chicken pre-oven and post-oven, as well as letting you know what H and I thought of the final product.  Stay tuned!

xoxo, M