The Hangover

The Hangover

 

No, I'm not talking about that hilarious movie. I'm talking about a terrible feeling the next day after eating poorly the night before.

I thought it was silly that people talked about a hangover feeling; "like food could make you feel terrible the next day." Uhm, well excuse me but it happened and it was horrible! I woke up this morning with pain over my right eye, my eyelids were swollen, I had a headache (just a tiny one.. not a real hangover headache), and I woke up weighing 3 pounds heavier than I normally weigh at the end of the day. It was funny weird last night seeing myself on the scale at 139 pounds, because on a "fat" day (pms days) I only get up to about 136 pounds or so. I knew there was going to be trouble this morning for sure! (I know what you're thinking.. and guess what? The only weight I gain is when I eat poorly or when I loose fat and gain muscle, even then it's hard to gain weight. You think it's hard to loose weight? Well guess again, folks.)

 

Okay, here's the back story since I know you're dying to find out how I gained so much weight in one day and ended up in pain the next...

 

It was a dark and stormy night.. we were sitting around the campfire..

 

Sike!

My mom was throwing a cute little party for my kids and my nieces/nephew and some other children. She wanted to make pizza like we did at my sister's birthday party (grilled pizza dough ROCKS!) so she had everything set up where you make your own pizza. There were toppings everywhere and they were delicious. She grilled one side of the pizza then we put our toppings on the grilled side and then we threw it back on the grill to cook it the rest of the way.

 

Aren't these the cutest Frankenstein cups ever? Good job, Mamma!

I had a gluten-free pizza crust at my sister's birthday party a few weeks ago because I hate the adverse reactions I get when I eat wheat, but yesterday was going to be different. Gosh-Darn-It! I was going to eat a big, fat, glutenous piece of pizza.

Well. I ate two pizzas. I also had a cupcake and a slice of cake. Oh, I had a few pieces of candy but this time I didn't go bizerk on it like I did at a wedding a few weeks ago.

 This is my little man, Owen.

Guess what? I'm human. I like bad food sometimes. I like knowing that the paleo way I eat almost 95% of the time makes me feel wonderful and healthy and keeps me well. The days I don't eat paleo, I really enjoy what the paleo lifestyle does for me. This is a crazy analogy but I'm going to do it anyway. It's almost like going to a party, getting wasted and thinking you're having the time of your life and then waking up the next day in the same clothes, reeking of cigarette smoke with the worst hangover of your life. (Not that I've ever experienced that.. my mom reads my blog for crying out loud!)

 

Back to being serious about food for a moment. I truly never thought I'd have such a bad reaction to food. I figured I might have the sniffles or wake up with a stomach ache but never did I think I'd wake up the way I did this morning.

 

If you're tired of waking up and being lethargic all day, or tired of being sick for half the year, or find yourself constantly battling sugar high's and/or low's, maybe it's time you do something with your diet. Maybe it's time to kick yourself in the butt and get off the couch and get some good food coursing through your blood.

 

 My other little guy in action!

Food is a healer and I'm definitely healing myself today.

Don't get me wrong, last night's food was delicious and I have been keeping that meal as a cheat meal this week but I guess my body is moving on whether I like it or not and I have to remember that wheat is not my friend. It never will be my friend again. Reminds me of that dumb song "We, will never ever ever get back together." Thanks Taylor Swift for making another dumb song to get stuck in our heads.

 

So, here's to weighing 134 pounds in the morning, a healthy start to a fitness routine and a week full of healthy food choices!

 

Don't eat this cake.. because it was awesome :)

Hope you liked the photos.. they were from the fun Halloween party my mom put together!

Sticks and Stones

Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones but Wheat, Oats and Candy Will Always Hurt Me.

 

I attended a wedding this past Sunday and was so thrilled that my friend of 13+ years was getting married. I was a little sad because we made a pact when we were younger that if by the time we were 30 and we weren't married, we would marry each other. Well, I've been married now for 5.5 years so that pact went out the window a long time ago and I'm madly in love with my man. It was honestly a bittersweet moment to see him marry the girl of his dreams. The wedding was beautiful and so was his bride. I couldn't have been happier for him and I know she'll be treated well. He's a great guy!

Anyways, back up a few days before their engagement photos, he asked me to cut his hair and I was petrified because I didn't want to screw up his haircut! (I'm a licensed hairdresser and mostly work on women's cut/color). The haircut looked great .. then he asked me to cut it a few nights before his wedding. UGH! I thought I'd butcher it up but his woman gave me the thumbs up so it was all good. That night I told her how excited I was to eat all of the food they were going to have and told her I was going to eat a ton of cake. Why? Because I ate 100% faithfully paleo the week working up to it and this was going to be my cheat meal. I was so excited for cake!

 

When it was time to eat, I saw the caterer bring out a huge hunk of meat. Can I get a whoop whoop for some prime rib. It was fantastic! I ate that, a roll, a few meatballs, a mushroom stuffed with sausage and topped with cheese and a lot of other stuff that is definitely not paleo. It's okay because it was my cheat meal and I deserve it, right?

Well, that's what I thought.

Dude! I forgot to mention they had a candy bar with tons of candy.. and yes, I ate a ton of it and brought a bag home for my kid. I know. I'm an idiot!

 

Okay, so after having a wonderful time at their wedding, I came home to a seriously bloated gut and a rumbly tummy. It wasn't long until I had to use "the facilities" to help rid myself of all the wheat/sugar/bad stuff I just consumed. Well, it didn't end that night. I woke up the next morning with a rumbly tummy and had to use "the facilities" again.. I know, I know.. TMI (too much info) but I need you to understand my point!

 

Ahh. My point. My point is that before I started eating healthfully, I never knew I had digestive problems or upset. I really thought it was normal to be gassy and to stink up the bathroom for hours. Gross, right? After starting the paleo lifestyle, I realized that life is so much less stinky if we just ate the right things. Not only do grains, sugar, and dairy upset our stomachs, they also upset our hormones and make us have acne, headaches, and flu-like symptoms.

 

Eat the right things and you'll feel good. Eat the right things and you won't stink it up so badly. Eat the right things and your body will heal itself and will thank you for being good to it. Eat the right things and I guarantee your body won't get as sick as it used to. I'm living proof of that!

 

I don't have any awesome pictures from the wedding but I had a great time watching two people be united as one and I'll always remember their special day!

P.S. DON'T EAT CRAP!
the.end.

~Angela



Pie. Sweet, Glorious Pie.

Pie. Sweet, Glorious Pie.
Printable Recipe

 

What's the one thing you miss since you've been on the paleo ride? Me? I miss desserts. I tell you what, I used to be a candy/cake/cookies/brownies/pie crazed woman. I used to pick out the red and purple skittles and eat those in bed. Once those flavors were gone, I would eat the green - then yellow - then orange. Sometimes my husband would look at me like "What the heck are you doing? How do you eat that garbage." But as sweet as he is, he smiled and continued watching tv with me. I love that man :)
 

 

 

I've made several pies that have been very tasty. Check out my paleo strawberry pie here! My sister recently made a paleo pumpkin pie and it was out of this world amazing! I hope you post your recipe soon so I can link up with you .. ahem, ahem. I'll be making a pumpkin pie soon and we'll see who's is better. Pumpkin pie and October/November just go hand in hand.

 

Well, I recently made a non-paleo sweet potato pie that is my mother's recipe. I don't know where she got it from or if it is a secret family recipe but I'll share with you my paleo version of it here. I have a non-paleo blog that I'll share the sugar-laden recipe to.. I'm not giving you that blog website unless you ask. Nicely. I don't want to be the bad influence, okay?

 

Let's move on to this pie. It's light and airy and is simply sweet. It has a little maple syrup for the sweetener along with the natural sugars from the sweet potatoes. This pie is so quick to throw together and it tastes great. I live for simplicity.

 

Ingredients:

Makes 1 pie crust and 1 pie filling

 

Pie Crust Recipe:

2cups almond flour

3Tbsp liquid egg whites or 1 egg yolk

pinch of salt

1/4cup ghee or unsalted butter

 

 



 

Sweet Potato Pie Filling:

2oz. butter, softened

1cup cooked and mashed sweet potatoes

3/4cup pure maple syrup

1/4cup almond milk or coconut milk

1tsp vanilla

2eggs, beaten (poor eggs.. why are they always so abused?)

1tsp cinnamon, or pumpkin pie spice

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, add all of the pie crust ingredients together and pour into a lightly greased pie pan. Gently press down on the bottom and along the sides of the pie plate. Set aside.
In another large bowl, add the butter, sweet potatoes, maple syrup and milk and beat until well blended. Add the vanilla, eggs and cinnamon and mix well. Pour into the pie pan and bake approximately 60 minutes or until the middle has set.

  

I always ask my kids to try my recipes because if they like it, I know you will, too. They both scarfed it down quickly and gave me a thumbs up. If you try this recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think about it!

Oh, and don't feel guilty if you splurge on this treat. You're special and you deserve to bake a pie and eat it too!

 

~Angela

Lightly Fried Potatoes

Lightly Fried Potatoes
Printable Recipe

 

Shall I touch on the topic of white potatoes; how, to some, they are a nightshade (an irritant)? My family is not affected by any type of potatoes, thankfully. We rarely eat potatoes anymore in this house, but when we do, I have to make sure they taste good.

Okay, so back to white potatoes and how they're not really paleo-friendly. In my world, I cut out everything that could have been a problem for my gut. Zero grains, sugars, processed foods and white/red/whatever potatoes. I slowly added them back into my normal diet to see if I had any gut or elevated glucose problems, and I didn't. I didn't notice anything out of the norm and was happy with my diagnosis. I do know that white potatoes are very starchy and aren't too healthy but they do have electrolytes and vitamins so I can't count them out altogether.

If I had to choose between a white and sweet potato, the sweet potato would win. Hands down. Any vegetable with a vibrant color would win out over something so drab and plain.

Anyway, here is a simple recipe if you consume white potatoes. If not, use a sweet potato or yam or zucchini! This recipe is pretty alternative to your needs so go with what you have and enjoy your foods. Sometimes foods are meant to be fried.

Amen.

Ingredients:
Serves 4
1/4cup olive oil or coconut oil (oil of your choice)
3 medium sized potatoes; white, red, purple, orange.. whatever floats your boat
S&P (Salt and Pepper to taste)

Directions:
In a medium skillet, add the cooking oil and heat on medium-high. If you don't like the skin on the potatoes, peel them first and then rinse any remaining grime off.

Slice the potatoes into thin pieces, keeping them as uniform as possible for even cooking. Add a handful at a time to the heated skillet and turn every minute until lightly golden brown. About 6-8 minutes total depending on how you've cut them. Remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Yes, even sweet potatoes taste great with salt and pepper!

 

Tip: Sprinkle cinnamon and salt on the sweet potatoes for a different taste.

If your stomach cannot handle a white/red potato, please give this a shot with a sweet potato or zucchini or squash of choice. The possibilities really are endless.

Enjoy!
~Angela


Paleo Breakfast Scramble

Paleo Breakfast Scramble

Printable Recipe

 

 

Who gets tired of eating the same thing every single breakfast? I know I do and I just had to mix it up this week. I started by cleaning out my fridge. Anything that needed to be consumed that day was going into my breakfast. It's a fun way to reinvent breakfast and use leftovers from previous meals.

 

Here's what I did for this super fast and tasty breakfast.

 

Ingredients:Serves 1

1 small handful diced red potatoes

5-6 broccoli heads, diced

1 small bell pepper or any pepper of choice

7-8 slices of turkey meat

2 eggs

S&P (salt and pepper) to taste

1tsp cooking oil of choice, I prefer olive oil here

 

Directions:

In a skillet, heat up the oil on medium heat and add the diced vegetables. Saute until warmed through and add the turkey meat and cook until slightly browned. Next, add the eggs and scramble in the pan with the vegetables and turkey and cook thoroughly. Add salt and pepper and eat!



Pumpkins, Eggs and Soapboxes

Pumpkins, Eggs and Soapboxes

Printable Recipe

 

It has recently become a huge pet-peeve of mine if someone says "Paleo 'Diet'." I cannot for the life of me understand why people think that eating WHOLE FOODS is a diet? It's so absurd that people's mind really think this way.

"Oh, you're on the paleo diet?"
"Uhm, no. I eat real, whole foods while you eat garbage from a box. What do you call your way of eating? The garbage diet?"

Seriously.

Okay, I'm off my soapbox for now.

Paleo eating is only a style of eating. Vegetarians or vegans aren't associated with dieting because of their food choices, are they? I didn't think so either. It's a personal choice that some people have the hardest time grasping.

I think people in the 1800's would look at us now and wonder what the heck happened to us. Why do we have companies making all of the junk on our groceries shelves and why do people consume it? I don't know about you, but I like eating the way I do and if you think this "diet" is boring or you won't be able to eat what you want, well.. maybe you're just weak.

I remember starting this food journey and wondering if I would like it and if it would actually be beneficial. I have the before/after blood tests to prove that is works and is beneficial to my health and I wouldn't change it for anything. My food has awesome spices added to it so that it's not bland and I've actually stepped outside my comfort zone (no more fried chicken and french fries every other night) and have made some wonderful meals. I've surprised myself many times at how tasty my meals have become.

Mad props to God for creating all the delicious foods and spices we have!

 

Well, I guess I'll give you a great post-workout recipe and since it's fall, I've included another pumpkin recipe and it literally takes 5 minutes to make this meal. It's great cold or warm so you can pack it with ice or take it as is and eat it right after your workout.

 

Ingredients:
Serves 1; 14G Protein, 11 Carbs

1/2tsp cooking oil such as olive oil or coconut oil
1/2cup pureed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie)
2 egg whites
dash of salt
dash of cinnamon

 

 

Directions:

In a non-stick pan, heat up about 1/2tsp oil on medium heat. Separate the egg whites from the yolks and put the whites in the heated pan. Scramble the eggs until cooked through. Turn the heat down to low and add the pumpkin and cinnamon and cook until heated through. Sprinkle salt on top if desired and devour!

 

I hope you enjoy this PWO (post-workout) recipe. It has a very mild flavor and isn't nearly as sweet as a sweet potato but gives you enough carbs and protein to replenish your body after a hard workout.

 

And next time someone asks you about your "diet", tell them it's a lifestyle or a food choice or whatever but for crying out loud, it's not a diet!

 

~Angela


Eating Well and Exercising

Eating Well and Exercising

 

My crossfit box is having a push-up challenge for the ladies. Right now, everyone involved is supposed to do 35 push-ups daily for 14 days. I took this challenge on because I've been a complete slacker when it comes to working out. I could rattle off the excuses but do you really care? Nah, neither do I. I decided to do this challenge because it's easy, it only take a few minutes of my time during the day, and it just may help to get me back on the WOD track I belong on.

We have been doing this challenge for 5 days now and it's truly amazing. It was really hard at first and now it's getting easier. I think at the end of it I'll be back to doing the male version push-ups instead of the girlie ones on my knees.

I started off with 7 at a time. Five rounds of seven isn't too hard, is it? Well, the first day it was. The second day I did 7, 14, 14 and was impressed.. the days have continued on progressing quicker and more push-ups at a time before I had to rest.

 

Yesterday I did a 100 count program to get my body ready to look its best again. I did the following:
100 legs - 20 air squats, 20 weighted squats with 25#, 20 deadlifts with 25#, 20 lunges on my right leg and 20 lunges on my left leg.
100 abs - I did the majority of sit-ups straight ahead, some were to the left side and some were to the right side and some I did the scissor crunch.. uhh, you may have to google it :)
100 push-ups - those just sucked. I felt at times that I was kipping .. who kips doing pull-ups? haha ME!

 

Before bed, I did a lot of stretching for my entire body and I felt wonderful when I hopped in bed.

This morning I woke up and drank 1/2 lemon of a lemon, juiced (fresh squeezed) in 20oz. ice water before breakfast. My stomach cannot handle fruit juice hardly ever so I was suprised that I had zero discomfort drinking this. Lemon juice really helps to flush the liver and is just a great cleanse.

 

 

I feel great, I look better than the day before and am proud I got off my butt and worked it out. If you only have a few minutes a day to do a workout, at least it's better than nothing. If you're microwaving something and waiting on it, see how many squats you can do in a minute. See how many push-ups you can do in a minute.. give yourself fun quick bursts of exercise and keep it simple.

 

Ever heard the saying, "If it's important, you'll make it a priority"? Well, I've written that down on my to-do list that hangs on my refrigerator so I see it constantly as a reminder to get up and move!

 

I hope you're encouraged to move more and eat healthier.

One more thing.. there's a free book right now on Amazon. Just click here and it'll take you to the book. It may enlighten the ones that are new to the paleo lifestyle! Hopefully by the time you read this post, it'll still be free for you.

 

Have a super day!

~Angela