From May 11 – June 10, I’m doing a paleo challenge with Gina. I decided to journal this as something to look back on and also for others to follow along and to use as reference in case they want to take on this challenge in the future. I’ll link to recipes (either mine that I developed on this journey or other people’s) when applicable, but I don’t usually cook from recipes for myself so if you leave a comment asking for the recipe for something, there is none unless otherwise noted. My purpose of doing this isn’t to lose weight. It’s changing up my eating habits to see how it works for my body. I’m not a health professional so I cannot offer you any advice. There are numerous resources out there for paleo. Do your research before committing.
Follow along with our Instagram posts #RTTKTFTpaleochallenge for more ideas on what we’re shopping for, eating, and more!
May 11: Day 1
Notes: On Sunday, I prepped breakfast for the week and some dinner and lunch. I figured I could use leftovers from dinner to bring to lunch the next day. Breakfast is one thing I struggle with the most because I never think about it until I’m starving. That is when I reach for that muffin or scone which is bad, bad, bad! I was thrilled to actually make these egg cups for the week. I’ll have the recipe posted soon, I promise! I also figured out how to get them re-heated without the rubbery texture. I’ll share soon!
Breakfast: two egg cups, apple, one cup of cold-brew coffee w/unsweetened coconut milk (from the carton, not the canned ones)
Lunch: created my own Chop’t salad: kale, boiled egg, red onions, kalamata olives, and cucumbers w/Dijon vinaigrette. Brought an avocado from home and added to the salad.
Dinner: chocolate chili with roasted zucchini
Snacks: banana with cashew butter
Drinks: H2O all day every day unless I have some fruit juice in the fridge
Exercise: 15-minute abs and obliques workout
Thoughts: for my first day eating “cleaner” than I normally would, I think I did pretty well and I’m not deflated by any of this. I’m still nervous about the snacking department because I feel like I don’t have enough variety for snacks. Any recipes or ideas that are paleo-friendly for snacking? I will say, the hardest part of this so far is the black coffee in the morning. Blech. The coconut milk helps cut some of the bitterness but damn, do I really miss my condensed milk and half-and-half! Haha, again, definitely shows how much unnecessary sugar we put into coffee. Hoping this coffee business will get better in a few days!
seems like you did great on day 1. I will be following your journey..I did whole30 last year so im curious about your experience.
Day 1 down! The coffee will get better, I promise. By day 30 you’ll be turning your nose up at those creamers :)
Can you use unsweetened vanilla almond milk in your coffee?
I love it, adds a nice, subtle hint of sweetness.
Snacks – raw nuts, coconut yoghurt, homemade energy bites with dates, cashews/almonds/cacao/coconut, smoothies made with almond milk, frozen bananas, berries, almond butter, avocado etc, boiled eggs, avocado with salt and pepper, carrots, celery, apples, bananas and almond or cashew butter and this roasted garlic and beetroot hummus is so good and paleo friendly. http://betterwithcake.com/snack/roasted-garlic-and-beetroot-hummus/
I don’t think I can use unsweetened vanilla almond milk. It really depends on how it’s processed when store-bought so I probably honestly would have to make my own to make it paleo-friendly. Thanks for the list of snacks and that hummus!! It looks gorgeous :)
Good work lady! Can’t wait to follow this journey then try to do it myself next month AFTER birthday indulgences. Is the egg cup recipe on your website? Would love if you could recap all of the paleo recipes in a post when all is said and done! :)
Thanks Rachel! At the top of the post and in the ‘notes’ part of the post, I mention I will be posting the egg cup recipe very soon.
Good job and all the best Julie!
About the bitter coffee. Try making cold brewed coffee. It might help cut back on the bitterness slightly, not sure if it will get bitter when you reheat it though (because most people drink hot coffee in the morning, if you want it cold,no one is judging you). I just Youtubed to see how it was made. Not too hard.
Hope this helps :)
Oh, my coffee IS cold-brewed! :) it’s warm outside now so I’ve switched over to cold brew. I think I just need to get a lighter roast next time. Thanks though!
Julie you have to try butter coffee, also known as bulletproof coffee. it has made my paleo plan much better! never knew butter and coconut oil woul taste good in coffee. must try!
Thanks! I’ve actually tried it and I’m not a fan, haha
Whenever I’m doing a round of Paleo I alway keep Larabars (make sure to check the ingredients because not all are compliant) and beef jerky (again, check the labels) around for on the go snacks.
Love all the foods, I always wanted to try a challenge like this but somehow was too afraid to do it, but with all these great foods I would give it a try.
I was afraid too but it’s really not as hard as it seems!! You should totally give it a shot some time!
I love this so much! We did a 30 day whole foods challenge last year (and the year before) and Loved it! I felt so much better after it!
I find that coffee is my paleo downfall. I really enjoy my coffee on the sweet side. Sadly I did not find a substitute that was any good. Good luck with your coffee!
So exciting Julie! I’ve always wanted to try doing this….haven’t jumped in just yet. Looking forward to following your journey!
Looks like you’re doing great so far. Good luck!
try this paleo snack- it’s my favorite!
Salted Cinnamon Coconout Chips
2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt
1 t melted coconut oil
1/2 c almonds
1/2 c dried cranberries
preheat oven to 350′
mix everything together, spread on a parchment lined cookie sheet. bake for about 3 minutes- until lightly browned. don’t leave the kitchen, they brown very quickly.. keep an eye on them.. they are like popcorn you won’t be able to quit eating them!
Awesome snack idea!! Thanks!