Monthly Archives: January 2012

29 jan

My how time flies. I get it in my mind to write something inspiring every day, and then my busy life takes over. Paleo January has been terrific. I feel great. But I might have mentioned that I want to get down to racing weight before training begins.

Looking at “Free Range” Paleo (e.g., eating to my appetite), I maintained my weight quite well. However, the goal is to lean out. So I calculated my BMR and base activity level and came up with a paltry 1700 calories as maintenance level. Less than I like to eat.

For the last week, I’ve been targeting between 1400 & 1600 calories, and I have mostly met hit the target. I’ve trained as usual, with enough energy. The result has been agreeable drop on the scale. Press on.

I’ve also been using “Well Fed” to make hot plates for lunch every day. Shop Saturday and prep Sunday. This week I made up portions to fit my plan. My son likes these lunches so much he asked for some on his long school days. With pleasure!

Did you have any new year’s resolutions? Can you remember them? It’s never to late to jump in and get started on them again.

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2 January. The last piece of cake.

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So far I am doing well with the planning-ahead. It’s only been one day and I had the day off. I am laughing at myself.

I went for a nice run today and went food-shopping. I made a list of what is available in the fridge to grab on the way to work. I made tomorrow night’s dinner (unless the hoards eat it for lunch, in which case there are standing orders to plan dinner again). I partially cooked some veggies and made a garlic mushroom tomato thing for a side dish. I boiled enough eggs for an ice age.

I had a last piece of the yule log with coffee & milk, but remained wheat free.

roast beef, cauliflower, chard. tasty & satisfying even without Yorkshire pudding and gravy.

Along with decluttering my body, I’m also “blessing” my home. Sorted a couple pair of in-line skates that have been outgrown and tossed four old bike helmets that were caked with dog hair and dust. Don’t ask. I won’t tell. And bagged outgrown kids clothes. I wonder if I stop feeding them so well if their clothes would fit longer. Nah. They’d probably start sneaking food.

Junk-free Jan aka Lean, Clean & Green: 1

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I started the day with black espresso. I didn’t die from not having a latte. Then I fiddled with the coconut pancake recipe and improved it. (added egg whites and used some baking powder). I’ll write it up later, in case you want it.

Yesterday I wrote out some transformational goals for this month. Afterwards, I thought about what it will take to achieve them and whether I was willing to make it happen. Actually the question was would I work hard for them. I thought I need to change this mind-set. This isn’t work so much as play. Encouraging excellent health is not hard work. It’s just a by-product of a series of good choices. I’m shifting to a happy mind-set, not a "struggle" mind-set. The road to heaven is heaven, says Teresa of Avila.

If you are collecting Paleo/Primal recipes or clipping ones I’ve written, let me suggest using Living Cookbook. The 2011 upgrade transforms the cookbook into a meal planner, complete with pantry and freezer inventories, nutritional information, integrated shopping lists, and so on. One thing that particularly impressed me about the shopping list is the recipe notation, which lets you know why the ingredient appears on the list. I am delighted. I particularly like the web clipper. Now I wish it had a phone app with which I could synchronise my own recipes.

Eat:
Meat and Leafy Vegetables, supplement with small amounts of fresh fruit, nuts, seeds, and root vegetables.

Don’t Eat:
Grains – Vegetable or Seed Oils – Sugar – Dairy – Legumes

Need support?

Junk Free January

Whole9

Robb Wolf

Lunch: a stir-fry mixture of leftovers (meat off two drums, carrots, celery and cauliflower bits, fresh spinach, and some grilled eggplant). Basically I cleaned out all the small containers in the fridge. I wilted the spinach in the water that clung to the leaves after I washed it, and threw in the rest of the gang. Then I added a heaping T of curry powder, 1/4 cup water, and 1/4 coconut milk. The mixture needed a little something, so I threw in an egg.

Snack: chopped apple with 4 chopped walnuts and cinnamon, mixed.

Dinner: Osso Buco. Pictured here on its way into the oven, for two hours of braising. (I dragged all my cast iron to Europe, including two beloved Dutch ovens. I haven’t seen any Dutch people using such ovens and I had to check with the kitchen police whether it was a violation to use my favorite camping cookery in the oven.)

I eliminated the flour dredge and substituted a Japanese root vegetable thickener. Not wanting to ruin this New Year's Dinner, I did however use copious amounts of grass-fed butter.