Day 15: My Essential Grocery List.

Hey guys half way today! What a great feeling! I must say once you hit that half way mark there is no looking back. I am feeling great with ample energy and a higher drive to finish this challenge. Due to the high sugar content I did say I was going to cut fruit for the remainder of the challenge however I don't think I actually can and I will be sticking to one piece a day. I want to remain feeling good, and train with quality amounts energy.

I probably should have posted this earlier on in the challenge but one of my friends asked me what my essential grocery list would be for beginners like her. She also said why don't you post it on the blog! What a great idea!!!

Weekly Groceries

Essentials

• Green Veggies, green veggies, and more green veggies.
• Coconut milk or cream
• A few cans of salmon, chicken and tuna
• Kumara (lots of it)
• Avocado
• Tomatoes
• Mushrooms
• Onion
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Olive oil
• Unsweetened Almond milk
• Eggs
• Steak, Fish, chicken (enough to last you the week).
• Raw mixed nuts (no peanuts)
• Apples, pears, oranges, lemons, kiwifruit.

Optionals (great for baking)

• Cashew or Almond Butter
• Almond flour
• Coconut flour
• Favourite herbs and spices

Thanks to the CrossFit Blenheim group for hosting me over the weekend. It's awesome to go away from home but still enjoy a bit of CrossFit love!! They have developed an outstanding community over there and I look forward to some competitions with the Nelson crew :). This quote I found sums it up well.

CrossFit Blenheim

My Food Intake Today

Breakfast: 1/4 Avocado, Greens, Smoked salmon

Snack: Almond protein shake, Paleo Biscuit

Lunch: Chicken Breast, 1/4 Avocado, two small pieces of kumara and lettuce greens. 

Snack: Mandarin, Paleo Biscuit

Dinner: Roast Beef with Roast Vegetables (thanks Dad).

Is Quinoa Paleo?

Quinoa has got a good rap for being one of nature's 'superfoods'. This is due to it's high protein content compared with other grains (14% by mass). But is it a grain and more importantly is it Paleo? Here is a bit of information about the wonder 'grain'. (I want it to be Paleo)!!!

Quinoa is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is apseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the true grass family. As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such as beetroots, spinach and tumbleweeds. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa

Quinoa is the seed of the Chenopodium or Goosefoot plant.

'Its frequently called a grain because it is used and cooked like one, and is often called an "Ancient Grain" and a "Wholegrain". These terms can make it confusing, but trust me folks, it is not a grain. It is a gluten free super-seed, Pseudo-cereal.'

http://www.grainfreeliving.com/blog/118-is-quinoa-a-seed-or-a-grain

Technically quinoa is not a true grain, but is the seed of the Chenopodium or Goosefoot plant. It is used as a grain and substituted for grains because of it's cooking characteristics. The name comes from the Greek words, chen (a goose) and pous (a foot). This is due to a resemblance of the leaves of the plant to the webbed foot of a goose. The leaves are lobed or toothed and often triangular in shape. The succulent like plant grows from 4 to 6 feet high and has many angular branches. The flower heads are branched and when in seed looks much like millet, with large clusters of seeds at the end of a stalk. The plant will grow in a variety of conditions but favors a cool, arid climate and higher elevations. Beets, spinach, Swiss chard, and lamb's quarters are all relatives of quinoa. http://chetday.com/quinoa.html


Because quinoa is typically consumed in the same way as the cereal grasses (wheat, oats, barley, and rye), we group it together with those foods on our website. However, quinoa is not a cereal grass at all, but rather a member of the same food family that contains spinach, Swiss chard, and beets. Many researchers refer to quinoa as a "pseudocereal." This term is typically used to describe foods that are not grasses but can still be easily ground into flour. The scientific name for quinoa is Chenopodium quinoa.http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=142&tname=foodspice#descr

'All of these plant seeds contain a variety of antinutrient compounds which potentially have deleterious effects in humans, particularly if they are consumed in high amounts on a regular basis. Quinoa seeds may contain very high concentrations (up to 5,000 mg/kg) of compounds known as saponins, which like the name implies, have soap like properties thay may cause a “leaky” gut by breaking down intestinal cell membranes. I believe that a leaky gut promotes chronic low level inflammation and likely represents a necessary step in the development of autoimmune diseases. Quinoa seeds may be “polished” during processing to lower their saponin content, because the highest concentration of these compounds are found in the outer layer of the seed. Fresh fruits and vegetables are superior nutritionally to all whole grains, including the psuedo grains, which I recommend should be consumed infrequently.' 

http://thepaleodiet.com/paleo-basics-2/quinoa-paleo/

Summary

Technically quinoa is not a grain it is a seed that is a member of the same family as spinach, and beets therefore it is PALEO, however there is conflicting information about it of course. Fresh fruits and vegetables should be consumed over and above anything else but personally if you don't have any adverse effects from quinoa it will not be harmful in moderation.



For more comprehensive information please see the websites cited above.

Day 14: Rest Day

Have a rest day and enjoy it!!! I find rest days the hardest because I have a lot more time to think about yummy food! But remember to focus on the other great things in your day, the weather, being around friends or family or your favourite TV programme. Just relax and let your body recover! Make plans to go out for a coffee or drink with friends (soda water, herbal tea, or black coffee of course) and really live in the moment, you will soon forget about that bad food.  I find reading articles helps to take my mind off cravings.

My Food Intake Today

Breakfast: Protein Pancakes made with Kumara not banana. Was still yummy! One small kiwifruit. Handful of nuts.
Snack: Chicken meat pattie from last nights burgers.
Lunch: Fried greens, two leftover chicken patties from last nights burgers. One 'Paleo Biscuit' (see recipe in recipe section).
Dinner: Two egg omelette with tomato, bacon strips and red onion. Broccoli, leeks and brussel sprouts.

* Starting the day with a higher carbohydrate intake was very different. I felt hungry all day for carbohydrates. I actually missed my protein and green vegetables for breakfast.

Although it was a rest day I still went for a walk and did a short home workout to keep the body moving. I did 150 squats and 150 sit ups for time.

Day 13: Girl's night out!

Just because you are aiming towards living a healthy lifestyle doesn't mean you get to miss out on all the fun stuff!! I enjoyed a good night out with the Blenheim girls and didn't drink a drop of alcohol or touch a single piece of bad food.

I survived this by firstly reminding myself of the excruciating hangover I had two weeks ago before I started the challenge. Not touching that alcohol was easy after remembering that! Secondly I ensured I had a good tasty meal prior to going to get me through the night. Lastly whenever I felt tempted I continued to remind myself of my goals. Attending a CrossFit open session at CrossFit Blenheim today really helped me to keep my goals in mind. CrossFit Blenheim hosted two visitors today that have just been to the regional comptetition. I saw a girl do proper kipping pull ups very efficiently (one of my long term goals). I asked her how long it took her to learn them, and she replied 'a good year'. It felt like a breath of fresh air. Good things do take time and practice, practice, PRACTICE!!!

My Food Intake Today

Breakfast: 1/4 Avocado, Greens, salmon.
Snack (Post-WOD): Protein shake with water, 20 mixed raw nuts.
Lunch: Left over chicken and kumara salad from Thursday nights dinner.
Dinner: 'Burgers' (Recipe in the recipe section).

My 'Burger'

Workout Today with CrossFit Blenheim Limited (Check out their Facebook and Website)

Warm up BURPEES!!! Start with 3 in 30 seconds and every 30 seconds go up by 1. I got to 11+11 see how you go! I am going to get 12 next time.

WOD 1: 1 Mile Run

WOD 2: AMRAP (as many rounds possible) 15 Mins

3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21....

Box Jumps
Pull ups
1 Heavy Clean and Jerk (80% of 1RM)

Some people have asked for progress photos. Now I'm not one to usually do this but I realise some people need it for motivation. Now my friends will tell you I'm not one to build muscle easily but this is the most muscle I have built in such a short period of time. I am not doing this challenge to lose weight yet get stronger and achieve goals! I want to be able to clean my own body weight, do 50 DUs non-stop and begin to do kipping pull ups. (Not all by the 30 day mark obviously).

Here is my usual muscle tone 

Here is me at day 13

Day 12: Exercise Willpower!

It is day 12, Friday and a day that I really need to practice willpower. Willpower is a funny thing, people seem to think you just have it. Often people will say to me 'I just don't have the willpower like you'. To me they make it sound like it's genetic or something. Willpower is not genetic and it very importantly needs practice. Think of the mind as a muscle, we train our muscles hard to be able to do pull ups, squats, and snatches, well we also need to train our minds to have willpower and determination. It goes with that all too true saying practice makes perfect! (We can only try anyway). It is time to exercise that willpower. Over the weekend say no to that Friday glass of red and piece of chocolate, say no to that staff morning tea shout or that Saturday night binge drinking session. Every time you exercise willpower you will feel empowered and proud and eventually it will become a habit. The same goes with negative behaviour, every time you give in or feed your mind with negative thoughts about deprivation of foods it will become a part of you, a habit.

Tips to exercise will power (find what works for you)

• Tell yourself NO! Then remind yourself how you would feel if you gave in.
• Take your mind off the craving by getting up and getting busy with something.
• Remind yourself why you are doing this and of your long term goals.
• Get a drink of water.
• Have your healthy snacks ready to eat so you are not feeling deprived of food.
• Lastly be proud of yourself for not giving in and tell yourself this.  

Today I really had to practice willpower. We had a staffroom shout and the smell of the food was well...devine. I didn't give in though and felt great about it. 

My Food Intake Today

Breakfast: Fresh palm sized salmon fillet. Fried leeks, brussel sprouts, spinach and 1/4 of an avocado.

Snack: 1 Cup green beans. Five fresh prawns.

Lunch: Leftover salad from dinner last night. 6 Cashew nuts.

Snack: Palm sized chicken breast

Post WOD: Almond protein shake.

Dinner: Steak with cauliflower mash, broccoli, home made paleo pesto and tomato sauce. (Shout out to Lucy for cooking this mean meal for me. The steak was cooked to perfection!!! Recipe to come. 

Today I just did a strength training workout because I am trying to get over my cold. I am feeling much better already!

Strength Training

6 x 6 Back Squat

6 x 6 Overhead Squat

6 x 6 BW Pull ups

6 x 6 BW Dips

5 Minutes Abs

My amazing dinner!

Here is a snap of my amazing dinner and the delicious looking work shout I had to exercise will power on today. Also added to this shout was savouries.

Day 11: Creating That Balance.

Have you ever heard that saying if there were four walls holding up a roof of a house and one collapsed the roof would come down. Well we have to look at our health and well-being the same way. There are four elements to our health, our physical, mental/ emotional, spiritual and social. If one element of our health is out of balance our 'roof' will come down and we don't tend to function optimally. It's all too easy to train really hard and put all of your effort into that and forget about rest/recovery time, social events and looking after our mental health. This causes many people to go into 'burn out' mode where we realise we need to make some changes. Why not prevent it before it happens? Listen to your body and see what it is missing. Is it a rest day here and there? (it doesn't hurt, in fact it's sometimes better for your training). Is it social occasions with friends? Or are you simply not working your body hard enough physically by spending the winter months wrapped up predominantly on the couch rather than in the gym? Whatever the case, it is important to create that all important word BALANCE.

Today is a rest day for me because I know my body needs it. I am not recovering from this head cold in fact it's getting worse with the colder days. I am feeling exhausted and run down so a few rest days may be needed. I find teaching is really energy demanding and I need to be mindful of this to create that balance. This morning I went to yoga and tonight I will enjoy a rest night at home by the fire and catch up on some school work, (you teachers will know that there is never enough time in the day for school work). To create that balance and get some down time I will not work past 8.30pm tonight therefore I will get adequate rest and recovery time.

My Daily Food Intake Today

Breakfast: Palm size fresh salmon fillet. Fried leeks, zuchinni and brussel sprouts. 1/4 avocado.
Post yoga sack: 2 tablespoons protein powder and water.
Snack: Apple, 20 Raw mixed nuts
Lunch: Can of smoked tuna. Fried leeks, zuchinni and brussel sprouts. 1 Cup of raw baby spinach.
Snack: 2 Rice Thins with cottage cheese
Dinner: Kumara and chicken Salad with Cashew Sauce (see recipe in recipe section). If you are having carb/sweet cravings this recipe is great! Just try not to eat too much :).

*Note, I will be completing the second half of the challenge without fruit, rice thins and will try to limit grains.

Here is a snap of my colourful tasty dinner tonight. Best thing about it there is left overs for two lunches :).

Day 10! Finding eating this way is costing a bit?

Well I made it to day 10. What an awesome feeling however 10 days of eating predominantly meat and vegetables does chip into the bank balance a bit. I find it sad that in society today it's actually probably cheaper and more convenient to eat unhealthy, processed foods than it is to eat nutritious foods that nourish our bodies and prevent us from getting sick. But it is what it is and let's be the ones to make that difference. It may be costing you that little bit extra now but think of it as an investment into your health that will prevent you from paying doctors bills in the future.

Here are a few tips that help me eat healthy but keep costs to a minimum...

• Fresh is best, but sometimes it's just not realistic from one week to the next. Buy frozen beans, fish and spinach when prices are at an all time high.
• Know what fruits and vegetables are in season. Go for those as they will be cheaper and it allows you to vary your consumption of different kinds. 
• Shop at the local markets, fruit and veggie stalls or stores. Supermarkets often mark up their prices and it is not as fresh.
• Buy nuts and snacks in bulk. Place them in small air tight containers each day so you are not over consuming.
• Shop in the weekends when you have more time. Make a list of the things you need from the grocery store and look around at which one is cheapest. 
• Make a big batch of salad, soup, stir-fry, or frittata on a Sunday and freeze when not needed. Not only does this save cost as it goes a long way it helps save time as well. 
• Try canned meats every now and again like chicken, salmon or tuna. Be mindful of the mercury in cans so eat in moderation. 
• Eat vegetarian on a rest day. Use eggs as your source of protein on this day. 
• The best option of all (which I don't do), grow your own vegetable garden.

This is just a small amount of options to save costs. Feel free to comment on what works for you.

My Daily Food Intake Today

Breakfast: Sealord canned smoked salmon, fried brussel sprouts, zucchini, leeks and mushrooms.

Snack: 15 raw mixed nuts, 1 medium feijoa

Lunch: 8 Fresh prawns, 1/4 cup cooked brown rice, 1 cup of green beans, 1/2 cup rolled spinach. 5 cashew nuts.

Snack (pre-spin class): 5 fresh prawns, 2 brown rice thins with cottage cheese.

Dinner: Baked salmon seasoned with lemon pepper. Broccoli and green beans. Half a medium kumara and small piece of pumpkin.

Today I had one of those days where I could just eat and eat and was not full. It may be due to tiredness, this cold that I just can't shake or not eating enough of something. You will have those days so make sure you really check if you are hungry and try not to over consume (unless it's green veggies of course). :). You Can get through the day and tomorrow will be a better one where you feel good!