Happy February (a day late).
I had a successful January. My list of goals for the year included weight loss, run more, drink more later, drink less Diet Coke. In the month of January I did each of those things. 54.5 miles for the month, ran 3-4 times a week, stayed consistent in the gym, drank WAY more water (64 oz + a day) and lost 11 lbs.
After many discussions the man and I agreed we've felt the "best" when we went paleo, eating REAL food. So during January we decided that February 2 would be our return to paleo. This gave me time to clean the cabinets and fridge, make my list, get my essentials.
Here are the steps we took to return to the paleo way of life.
Cleaning out the cabinets was not too bad. We'd been eating better for all of January, so it was more about getting organized. I made one side of my cabinets all paleo friendly goods and the other was the non-paleo goods (I kept these around because we do have two non-paleo members of the household). I also cleaned out the fridge and freezer for organizational purposes.
Purchasing the essentials was definitely fun. I started Friday by heading to my local Barnes & Noble. Picked up four paleo cookbooks I'd been eyeing for some time. Nom Nom Paleo by Michelle Tam, The Paleo Kitchen by Juli Bauer and George Bryant, Well Fed: Paleo Recipes for People Who Love to Eat by Melissa Joulwan and Make It Paleo by Bill Staley and Hayley Mason. I already subscribe the Juli Bauer's blog (PaleOMG) and Michelle Tam's blog (NomNomPaleo). I also have NomNomPaleo's app on my iPad. These cookbooks (and NNP's app) are amazing, worth EVERY penny. Highly recommended for anyone going paleo or even considering it. After my class on Friday I took a ride to Reading Terminal Market to head to my favorite butcher to stock up on meats. I picked up some chicken legs, chicken thighs, flank steak, ground sirloin, ground turkey and ground sausage. I also stopped by The Tubby Olive for some balsamic vinegar and yummy olive oils (I love that place!!!) and Iovine Brother's for some purple potatoes (they're difficult for me to find anywhere else). I was off to a good start. On Saturday, I took a ride to Whole Foods with big man and little man. There we bought all the essentials we can't get other places (also got signed up for Whole Foods new pilot rewards program *score*). We picked up a couple things from Steve's Paleo Goods, seasonings, a pork shoulder (I forgot this at the butcher and was kicking myself), some stuff for little man and a whole bunch of nuts. We stopped on the way home at our local produce place - I love this place. I have no issue spending a lot on fruits / veggies as opposed to the chemical messes that exist in the boxed stuff. We also purchase our lunch meat here - only turkey and proscuitto this time. One final stop at Target for a food processor, tupperware and jars and it was time to go home.
So here comes my second favorite part of the process - prep day! I had a couple things I wanted to make up for big man's breakfasts, snack and lunches. I started with Nom Nom Paleo's Porkitos made for snacks. I set up our cookie cooling racks on the table so they could cool when finished. Once I finished making the pound of them, I stored them in a Tupperware container (note - they did not last long between little man, big man and myself). While I had those going, I made up big mans lunch - a lettuce wrap with bacon and turkey. I also made some three ingredient paleo pancakes for his breakfasts. Yum! I wanted to eat everything right there but I packed everything and enjoyed my Super Bowl Sunday. Oh since it was Super Bowl Sunday my parents were coming over to watch the game. I had my dad try a porkito. He was HOOKED. He said he was going to purchase some proscuitto and make his own to crumble on salads or eat as a snack!
I knew for Monday I was going to make up Nom Nom Paleo's (I told you, she is an essential in my paleo journey) Slow Cooker Kalua Pig for dinner. I like starting pork before I go to bed so I set it on low and wake up to a delicious smelling house. So I woke up this morning at 4:30 to the smell of bacon, garlic and pork! Yummy. When I returned from the gym, I drained the liquid, peeled the excess fat away and shredded the pork. So excited for our dinner. Little man asked for a plate of pork already and ended up gobbling up two plates!! DELICIOUS! Highly recommended.
I had a successful January. My list of goals for the year included weight loss, run more, drink more later, drink less Diet Coke. In the month of January I did each of those things. 54.5 miles for the month, ran 3-4 times a week, stayed consistent in the gym, drank WAY more water (64 oz + a day) and lost 11 lbs.
After many discussions the man and I agreed we've felt the "best" when we went paleo, eating REAL food. So during January we decided that February 2 would be our return to paleo. This gave me time to clean the cabinets and fridge, make my list, get my essentials.
Here are the steps we took to return to the paleo way of life.
Cleaning out the cabinets was not too bad. We'd been eating better for all of January, so it was more about getting organized. I made one side of my cabinets all paleo friendly goods and the other was the non-paleo goods (I kept these around because we do have two non-paleo members of the household). I also cleaned out the fridge and freezer for organizational purposes.
Purchasing the essentials was definitely fun. I started Friday by heading to my local Barnes & Noble. Picked up four paleo cookbooks I'd been eyeing for some time. Nom Nom Paleo by Michelle Tam, The Paleo Kitchen by Juli Bauer and George Bryant, Well Fed: Paleo Recipes for People Who Love to Eat by Melissa Joulwan and Make It Paleo by Bill Staley and Hayley Mason. I already subscribe the Juli Bauer's blog (PaleOMG) and Michelle Tam's blog (NomNomPaleo). I also have NomNomPaleo's app on my iPad. These cookbooks (and NNP's app) are amazing, worth EVERY penny. Highly recommended for anyone going paleo or even considering it. After my class on Friday I took a ride to Reading Terminal Market to head to my favorite butcher to stock up on meats. I picked up some chicken legs, chicken thighs, flank steak, ground sirloin, ground turkey and ground sausage. I also stopped by The Tubby Olive for some balsamic vinegar and yummy olive oils (I love that place!!!) and Iovine Brother's for some purple potatoes (they're difficult for me to find anywhere else). I was off to a good start. On Saturday, I took a ride to Whole Foods with big man and little man. There we bought all the essentials we can't get other places (also got signed up for Whole Foods new pilot rewards program *score*). We picked up a couple things from Steve's Paleo Goods, seasonings, a pork shoulder (I forgot this at the butcher and was kicking myself), some stuff for little man and a whole bunch of nuts. We stopped on the way home at our local produce place - I love this place. I have no issue spending a lot on fruits / veggies as opposed to the chemical messes that exist in the boxed stuff. We also purchase our lunch meat here - only turkey and proscuitto this time. One final stop at Target for a food processor, tupperware and jars and it was time to go home.
So here comes my second favorite part of the process - prep day! I had a couple things I wanted to make up for big man's breakfasts, snack and lunches. I started with Nom Nom Paleo's Porkitos made for snacks. I set up our cookie cooling racks on the table so they could cool when finished. Once I finished making the pound of them, I stored them in a Tupperware container (note - they did not last long between little man, big man and myself). While I had those going, I made up big mans lunch - a lettuce wrap with bacon and turkey. I also made some three ingredient paleo pancakes for his breakfasts. Yum! I wanted to eat everything right there but I packed everything and enjoyed my Super Bowl Sunday. Oh since it was Super Bowl Sunday my parents were coming over to watch the game. I had my dad try a porkito. He was HOOKED. He said he was going to purchase some proscuitto and make his own to crumble on salads or eat as a snack!
I knew for Monday I was going to make up Nom Nom Paleo's (I told you, she is an essential in my paleo journey) Slow Cooker Kalua Pig for dinner. I like starting pork before I go to bed so I set it on low and wake up to a delicious smelling house. So I woke up this morning at 4:30 to the smell of bacon, garlic and pork! Yummy. When I returned from the gym, I drained the liquid, peeled the excess fat away and shredded the pork. So excited for our dinner. Little man asked for a plate of pork already and ended up gobbling up two plates!! DELICIOUS! Highly recommended.
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