All of my Tumblr buddies are posting about National Running Day and how they ran to celebrate.
I’m not bitter. I’m really happy for you guys, and I’ma let you finish.
In fact, it prompted me to look back on some of my most satisfying runs — back when I was quite fast, by my standards — and remember exactly how awesome and accomplished and high I felt afterward. It’s just one of the many reasons why I love to run.
I know I’ll have that feeling again… and I hope it’s soon.
In the meantime…
Hmm. I didn’t intend for my dinner to be all orange, but that’s what we have here, isn’t it?
– Tilapia filet with sea salt, pepper and paprika pan-fried in coconut oil
– Onion sauteed in the leftover paprika and coconut oil
– Mashed sweet potato with cinnamon and nutmeg
The tilapia is simple yet delicious, and I’m loving the onions! I’m not feeling the sweet potato for some reason… I used to love ‘em during marathon training, but I think they’re a little too heavy for me when I’m inactive. I’ll eat half and save the rest for tomorrow.
That’s the great thing about real cooking: Leftovers! Who knew?
Oh, everyone. Hah.
I wish you could all smell my kitchen right now.
Roasted onion gives off the distinct aura of HEAVEN.
Lunch: Leftover paleo “breaded” chicken with roasted carrots, zucchini and onion. Spicy brown mustard on the side for dipping.
Often I find my meals are so filling that I can’t finish them, so I make sure to eat all the veggies and save the other stuff for later. Some of the chicken on my plate from last night made it onto this lunch plate, and some of it from this lunch plate will go back into the fridge. Unfortunately it’s not as crispy and doesn’t keep as well as conventional chicken tenders, but it’s still tasty.
Does anyone have a favorite paleo recipe to share? I’m always looking for new ideas!
The first meal of Week 2: Breakfast!
– One eggplant egg-in-a-hole
– The last bacon-wrapped date with sausage (cut in half for even reheating)
– One scrambled egg with half of a sauteed zucchini
– A side of rain-spattered patio table to remind you that I live in Seattle
I keep getting comments and messages that say, “Please keep posting your food! You’re inspiring me to go paleo!” So I will. (I haven’t gotten a single negative comment or message about it.)
Since I can’t run, this is what I’m focusing on health-wise right now. Plus, it helps me remember what I’ve eaten each day and what I might need to add in later — for instance, yesterday’s breakfast and lunch contained zero greens, so I had that big salad for dinner.
Plus, I like taking pictures and practicing food photography. : )
The proof is on the scale:
Starting weight, 5/30: 150.8 pounds
Current weight, 6/6: 146.6 pounds
Loss: 4.2 pounds
—–
RECAP OF WEEK 1
How I’ve eaten: Y’all have seen nearly everything I’ve eaten in the past week. It’s all been delicious and very filling, although I haven’t felt uncomfortably full or bloated after any meal. I tried to eat protein, veggies and healthy fat in every meal, and I think that’s a good, simple formula for me to stick with.
I did consume a few non-paleo items this past week that didn’t make it onto the blog: one beer on Friday night, one beer on Saturday night and a small square of a dark chocolate bar each day from Saturday—Tuesday. I savor that chocolate and it makes me happy! It’s also helping me view chocolate as a treat that’s perfectly fine in small amounts; in the past, I would’ve gobbled the whole bar in five minutes and not even enjoyed it.
How I’ve exercised: I failed on the exercise front this week. I did some light exercises (sit-ups, knee pushups, hand weights, etc.) on Thursday and my ankle completely swelled up and stayed swollen for the rest of the day. I didn’t make any further efforts. I’m starting physical therapy on Tuesday and will be sure to ask the therapist for exercise recommendations. It’ll be interesting to see how my eating will change once I start getting active again. Bigger meals? More snacks? We’ll find out!
How I’ve felt: Awesome! I’ve been waking up earlier and feeling more energetic as soon as I wake up. Some people will feel tired a few days into eating paleo because of processed carb/sugar withdrawals, but I must’ve skipped right over those. I wait until I’m hungry to eat, and actually cooking my meals helps ensure I’m hungry by the time I sit down because that takes time to do.
So far, I have not craved conventional carbs (bread, pasta, etc.), dairy or desserts! I think it helped that I celebrated my birthday right before starting to eat paleo because I indulged all kinds of cravings, like my favorite Beecher’s cheese and Slutty Brownies. Now I’m happy to start fresh and eat clean.
How my body has changed: I didn’t take “before” measurements (darn), but I can feel that my clothes are a bit looser. I’m not dying to take off my jeans and change into sweatpants the second I get home. I can tell my stomach is flatter, although I still feel wider than I was back in the good ol’ days. Aaron says he notices I’m a bit smaller when he hugs me (bless his heart).
That’s all for Week 1. Oh, and I’m obviously very happy with the weigh-in! I didn’t expect to lose 4.2 pounds, but I know from reading others’ weight-loss blogs that the first week nearly always yields a big loss, and then things slow down. That’s fine with me. I’m ready to tackle Week 2!
I had paleo “breaded” chicken for dinner!
Adapted from Everyday Paleo: I dipped chicken thigh pieces into an egg wash, then coated them with a mixture of almond meal, coconut flour and Lawry’s seasoned salt. They baked for about 25 minutes in a 350-degree oven, plus spent a few minutes under the broiler to brown.
They didn’t taste quite like conventional chicken tenders, but they were satisfying when dipped in spicy brown mustard.
My massive salad included mixed greens, a whole red bell pepper, one grated carrot, ¼ avocado, a small handful of walnuts and olive oil.
Tomorrow is my one-week weigh-in and recap of how I’m doing so far with eating paleo. See you in the morning!!
Hmm, this is a rather bland-looking meal because everything is similarly colored, but it was delicious!
I chopped and sauteed the leftover eggplant from this morning’s breakfast, grabbed the last paleo blueberry muffin from the fridge and heated up a chicken-apple sausage. Easy stuff.
I also had an apple with almond butter as a mid-morning snack.
Lunch was late because I did a two-hour Skype interview about my travels with the founders of TrekDek! I studied journalism in college and have interviewed tons of people as a reporting intern for various publications, but I’ve never been interviewed like this before. It was fun to reflect on the cool stuff I did, the people I met and the highs and lows of solo travel. I’ll be sure to share the link when the interview is posted on the TrekDek Web site.
Good thing I have Skype interview experience now because I’m doing another one tomorrow for the Cubicle Renegade Podcast. Y’all didn’t know I was a renegade, did you? (I didn’t, either.) I’ll let you know when it’s available on iTunes… as long as I don’t sound too weird. : )
Eggplant egg-in-a hole!
I love regular egg-in-a-hole (with a slice of bread) like there’s no tomorrow. The more butter, the better! But it’s sort of… the opposite of paleo.
I can still enjoy the concept, though, by swapping the bread with a slice of eggplant and using olive oil or coconut oil instead of butter. Add in a bit of avocado and I’ve got a delicious breakfast.
I made and enjoyed two of these this morning using these instructions. This will definitely be one of my regular breakfast options.
Oh, and make sure to pan-fry the little round you cut out of the eggplant and use it to sop up any extra yolk!
Paleo Chipotle: Salad with chicken, fajita veggies, three scoops of pico de gallo and a side of guacamole.
If I can eat Chipotle while eating paleo, I’m a very happy girl!
My mom and I hit up my favorite fast-ish food joint after a mother-daughter chiropractor visit — my first one ever. My hips, back and neck were all out of whack thanks to using crutches and favoring my right leg so heavily this past month, so I got several cracks and pops to set me straight.
The chiropractor really recommended I go to physical therapy to ensure my ankle heals properly. My range of motion is pretty much non-existent, and I feel like I’ve lost all my strength there. She referred me to a physical therapist who’s a triathlete and does good things. Sign me up!
Oh, and my chiropractor is a 3:15 marathoner, so I’ll do whatever she says!
I wasn’t super-hungry for lunch, but this fit the bill:
– Leftover paleo blueberry muffin (thanks, Vicki, for the amazing recipe!)
– Roasted veggies: one zucchini, two carrots, half a head of broccoli
For the muffins — Vicki’s recipe:
– 3 cups almond meal/flour
– 1/3 cups flax seed meal
– ½ cup honey
– 1.5 tsp baking soda
– ¼ tsp sea salt
– 2 Tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
– 3 large eggs
– A bunch of blueberries (Aaron and I went nuts and didn’t measure)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the dry ingredients. Combine the wet ingredients. Combine dry and wet together. Pour into greased muffin pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until tops are browned and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
Let cool and enjoy! Store in a sealed container in the fridge. For whatever reason, these tasted much better after chilling for a few hours.
For the roasted veggies — not a new thing by any means, but it does make veggies about 100 times more delicious:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop whatever veggies you have on hand. Toss them with olive oil on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper and/or any spices you desire (I used sea salt and dried thyme). Roast for 25-30 minutes, or until veggies are fork-tender and are browned on the bottoms (which I think makes them extra delish).
I like to drain the veggies on a paper towel to get rid of excess oil before I eat them, but that’s between you and God.
Enjoy!
Dev on Running 