Keeping Up With...

this lifestyle.

Congratulations and thank you again to those who participated in my 21 day challenge! If you don't remember, I had talked about how special this November challenge was because I had started my first public 21 day challenge 2 years ago this month :) I have come along way since then and have learned so much. Thank you for all your input and kind words. I don't put all this time and effort in for myself, but for YOU. I now know what it takes to live a long, happy, healthy life and my passion is to help others easily transition into this healthy lifestyle. So, if you found this challenge difficult in some aspects or you have suggestions on how to make it better...PLEASE email me and let me know what I can do better at beprimalblog@gmail.com

Now that you are finished with the 3 weeks of strictly BEing primal...here is how you can keep up with this lifestyle in order to live the healthiest life possible. But, if you are still not at your goal weight, then please adhere to my program until you wander off into this 80/20 rule. And, no, 80/20 does not mean eat cookies 20% of the time and eat primally 80% of the time;) So, listen up...

The 80/20 Rule

After you have hit your weight loss/health goal from living the primal lifestyle {so for those of you who have not yet hit your goal, continue the challenge until then} then consider the 80/20 rule which is to have a 100% personal commitment in the primal lifestyle plan with 80% or more physical commitment to the plan.

This doesn't mean on a daily basis to eat primally 80% of the time and the other 20% like a typical american! You will definitely not succeed this way. It means, to look at the bigger picture. Look at a month's worth of your primal lifestyle and if you're living primally 80% of the time, then you're going to sustain health/wellness. Don't beat yourself up over the 20%! It's neither healthy to be strict/hard on ourselves and let ourselves go little by little until we fall down the slippery slope.

However, there is one thing to be fully committed on in order to have the primal benefits, which is to avoid processed carbohydrates at all costs.

Here is an excerpt from marksdailyapple.com:

That said, some aspects of the Blueprint do call for consistent adherence in the interest of meaningful impact. Particular among these is avoidance of processed carbs. The fact is, the physiological effects of processed carbs simply are harsher and harder to recover from – especially when they’re a regular player in the body’s daily functioning. It’s not that your body can’t bounce back. It’s just an unnecessary detour in your progress – a diversion and interruption (albeit temporary) in the physiological homeostasis that maximizes hormonal balance, fat burning and energy consistency.

Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/8020-principle/#ixzz2mHEqQv7N

Even I feel these effects if I indulge during the holiday's or a birthday. I literally will feel sick to my stomach, have a pounding headache, bloating around my abdomen, and a foggy mind. At some point, you won't want to go back!

Again, look over the course of months and if you are eating primally 80% of the time while avoiding processed carbs, consider yourself PRIMAL:)

Good luck on the continuation of your primal lifestyle!

Day 21: Sunday, November 22nd

Congratulations for completing the 21-day challenge!!!

Day 21 Agenda: 

1. Intermittent fast. When you wake up do not eat for as long as possible until you are hungry. If you have been faithful to this challenge, you will be able to fast longer than your first time or, at the least, longer than before the challenge.
2. Take your after picture to compare with your before picture!                                                     This was my before and after in May of 2013
3. Compare your notes from DAY 1 to DAY 21.
4. Complete your entry for the grand PRIZE! This prize is full of all of my favorite things: primal snacks, primal treats, ceciliawong skincare products, etc. 

To complete your entry for the prize you must: 

• have completed the 21-day challenge
• send in a primal recipe and picture to share
• take a before and after picture
• send me an email telling me about your results! (beprimalblog@gmail.com)
• I will then randomly select a winner next week, so complete your entry and cross your fingers :) 

One last recipe share!

Snack- fried zucchini squash with dill dip

(pic and recipe from paleonewbie.com)

Find this snack recipe HERE!

Jot down some notes!

-total hours fasted

-how you increased your daily movement

-relaxation techniques tried

-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}
-satisfaction level with meals
-hunger level between meals
-struggles
-benefits

Here are the results I get from living primally:

• flat stomach/no bloating
• lost inches around my waist, knees and thighs
• clear skin
• alert mind/awake/focused/no sluggishness between meals
• ZERO stomach pains/constipation
• ENERGY ALL DAY LONG
• no cravings
• can go without food for a long time/no hunger pains between meals

What are yours? Be sure to email me and let me know! And I'd love to see a before and after picture, especially if you are willing to let me share your picture/journey with someone else in order to help them :) 

Day 20: Saturday, November 21st

Day 20 Agenda:

1. For Day 20, you will be preparing for your last intermittent fast of this challenge. So, tomorrow night will be your last meal before Day 21 and that does not mean to pig out! Eat normally and then on Day 21 fast for as long as you can until hunger gets the best of you;)
2. Perform a 30-60 minute moderate aerobic exercise of your choice.

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- Loaded Baked Cauliflower by last month's participant, Kristina!

Ingredients:

1 large head of cauliflower, broken down into florets
1-1/2 tbsp. organic butter (full fat...kerry gold brand is great)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk (or canned coconut milk)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, divided

1/4 cup sharp cheddar (remember dairy is only in moderation-find raw/unpasteurized/full fat dairy)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
6 slices of bacon, cooked crisp and chopped (antibiotic free, no nitrites/nitrates, no sugar, i.e. Applegate brand)
1/2 tbsp. dried parsley

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Steam chopped cauliflower in the microwave, along with butter and 1/4 cup of water for approximately 8-10 minutes, or until fork-tender.  Let cool for 10 minutes. Combine steamed cauliflower, coconut milk, half of the parmesan cheese, and all spices except for parsley in a Ninja or similar-style blender. Puree until smooth. Pour cauliflower puree into 9" x 9" or similar baking dish that has been coated with cooking spray. Top with remainder of parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, chopped bacon, and dried parsley. Bake for 25-30 minutes until heated through and slightly browned on top.  

Lunch- avocado egg salad

(pic and recipe from theroastedroot.net)

Try THIS easy recipe for lunch:)

Dinner- paleo chicken pot pie

(pic and recipe from everyday maven.com)

I'm a sucker for casserole's. They are easy and tasty! Check out this recipe HERE, but honestly, I think you could do without the crust and it would still be delicious. 

Document:

-how you increased your daily movement

-moderate aerobic exercise

-relaxation techniques tried

-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}
-satisfaction level with meals
-hunger level between meals
-struggles

-benefits

Day 19: Friday, November 20th

DAY 19 AGENDA:

1. Max repetition workout to see how you have improved from the beginning:)

Find your maximum repetitions of...

• Pushups
• Sit-Ups
• Pull-Ups or Chair Dips
• Plank Holds
• Squats

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- paleo oatmeal

(pic and recipe empowered sustenance.com)

Check out the recipe HERE!

Lunch- chicken salad (this is a paleo spin off from my Aunt's delicious recipe! Thanks Aunt Jacque:)

Ingredients:

• 4 cups baked chicken (cubed)
• 3 cups purple grapes (cut in half)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup paleo mayo (see DAY 5...I believe...for recipe)
• 1 tsp coconut aminos
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 3/4 tsp curry powder
• 1 Tbs salt

Mix it altogether!

Dinner- chicken fajita stuffed peppers

(pic and recipe from holisticallyengineered.com)

Find the recipe HERE!

Snacks- fried zucchini squash with dill dip

(pic and recipe from paleonewbie.com)

Find this snack recipe HERE!

Take some notes!

-how you increased your daily movement

-max reps of the above five movements

-relaxation techniques tried
-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}
-satisfaction level with meals
-hunger level between meals
-struggles
-benefits

Day 18: Thursday, November 19th

Day 18 Agenda:

1. Tomorrow's  challenge is to do complete a movnat workout. Click here for the workout!

Meal/Snack Ideas: I have been craving sweet potatoes ALL day, so that's why there is a lot of sweet potato recipes below...hahaha:)

Breakfast- twice baked breakfast sweet potatoes

(pic and recipe form plaidandpaleo.com)

Find this recipe HERE!

Lunch- sweet potato nachos

(pic and recipe from crossingmylegs.blogspot.com)

Find THIS recipe on another paleo blogger's site!

 Dinner- sweet potato sliders with homemade ketchup

(pic and recipe from nobiggie.net)

Try out this recipe HERE.

Take some notes!

-how you increased your daily movement

-movnat

-relaxation techniques tried
-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}
-satisfaction level with meals
-hunger level between meals
-struggles
-benefits

Day 17: Wednesday, November 18th

Day 17 Agenda:

1. Complete a sprint session! Do about 5min of a light warm-up such as jumping jacks, high knees, or jog. Then, decide on a number of sets to complete. For example, you could complete 5-8 sets of 10-30 seconds of sprinting with a recovery in between {rest for about 60 seconds or until your breathing is back to normal} doing any cardio activity: running, rowing, bicycling, stationary bike, etc. GO ALL OUT:)

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- I found a website with a ton of breakfast paleo recipes!

You can find these recipes HERE.

These recipes should be all clean, but you still want to check ingredients and make substitutions if needed. And at this point you should all be great at checking ingredients and knowing what's okay/what's not okay:)

Lunch- brussel sprout salad shared by Marlene!

Click HERE for the recipe:)

Dinner- slow cooker lemon chicken with rosemary shared by Lolita!

You can find the recipe HERE!

Snacks- try some primal beef jerky from a co-op/health foods store or make your own using a food dehydrator.

Take some notes!

-how you increased your daily movement

-sprint workout

-relaxation techniques tried
-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}
-satisfaction level with meals
-hunger level between meals
-struggles
-benefits

Day 16: Tuesday, November 17th

Day 16 Agenda: 

1. Take play breaks throughout the day! This could include getting up from the computer to play with your kids or throwing a frisbee with a coworker at work for a few minutes:)

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- ground beef and eggs in a tomato

Ingredients:

• 1 large tomato
• 1/2-1 cup ground beef (depending on the tomato size)
• 1/4 cup onion
• 1-2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp olive oil (for sautéing) 

Cut the top off of a large tomato, core the inside, and put in oven at 400 degrees for 5 minutes or more until tomato softens slightly. Sauté ground meat, onions, or anything else on hand and then put in the tomatoes after they come out of the oven. Crack an egg or two on top of the meat/onions and place in oven to broil until egg is set. 

Lunch- blueberry salad with coconut cilantro dressing

(pic and recipe from thehealthyapple.com)

Find this beautiful recipe HERE!

Dinner- slow cooker lemon garlic chicken

(pic and recipe from number-2-pencil.com)

Go HERE for this effortless recipe!

Dessert- chocolate mousse recipe shared by Michelle!

Michelle found this recipe via pinterest. You can find it HERE!

Take some notes!

-play breaks tried

-how you increased your daily movement

-relaxation techniques tried
-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}
-satisfaction level with meals
-hunger level between meals
-struggles
-benefits

Day 15: Monday, November 16th

I'm baaaaaack!

It was so great to go to Canada for the weekend and be there for my cousin's wedding!

 I loved seeing all the beautiful farmlands...

 I loved the cold, icy mornings...

and I loved the beautiful old buildings and houses I saw walking around the cute little town of Perth...

But NOW I am so happy to be back home with my husband and to help you guys with your LAST week of the challenge!!!

Speaking of helping, I will not be helping in only one aspect this week: providing you a grocery list. I am doing this because I want you to get a little more creative with meals and I want to start letting go of your hand a little... However, I will still provide daily meal ideas, so don't fret! And this week some of these meal ideas/recipes will be coming from YOU! Thanks to those who shared with us:)

Day 15 Agenda:

1. Let's kick off our third and last week of the 21 day challenge by another FORAGE. 

You could do a real primitive forage and go out into your surroundings, but for most of you I'm sure you will have to forage by finding a new shopping market with ingredients to make primal foods or even go out to a different restaurant to eat a primal meal;) Remember, politely ask for substitutions as deemed necessary to create a primal meal!

2. Lastly, perform a moderate aerobic exercise of your choice, 30-60 minutes long and 50-70% of your maximum heart rate.

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- paleo pancakes shared by last month's participant, Susannah!

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder (don't use store bought due to corn starch and other bad ingredients, but you CAN make your own baking powder by mixing 1 part baking soda and 2 parts cream of tartar and then use quickly! So, for 1 tsp mix 1/4 tsp baking soda with 1/2 tsp of cream of tartar.)
• dark chocolate chips ~70% or higher
• cinnamon

Mix together and, well, you know how to make a pancake;)

Lunch- cream of broccoli soup shared by Molly from ninjakitchen.com!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for 2hrs, drained
• 4 cups vegetable broth, divided 
• 6 cups broccoli, steamed
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

In a blender, pulse cashews a few times with 1/2 cup broth. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth by gradually increasing speed of blender. Transfer to a pot, adjust seasonings and simmer on stove until heated through.

Dinner- creamy lemon chicken with asparagus and mushrooms recipe shared by Tammy! This was found on wholesomelicious.com. 

Ingredients:

• 3-4 large chicken breasts
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 8 medium sized asparagus spears, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 8 oz sliced mushrooms
• 3.4 cup coconut milk
• zest of 1 lemon
• juice of 1 lemon
• salt to taste

Begin by heating up a large skillet to medium high heat. Once hot, add 1 Tbsp coconut oil. Place chicken in pan, heat about 2 minutes per side, and set aside (chicken will not be cooked through). Add remaining coconut oil if needed. Toss in crushed garlic, asparagus, and mushrooms. Salute until asparagus is crispy, and mushroom are soft and fragrant (about 10min). Return the chicken to the pan. Add in coconut milk, lemon juice and lemon zest. With the skillet on medium high heat, cover with lid. Wait until the mixture bubbles, then lower to medium low heat. Cook for an additional 3-5min or until the chicken is cooked through. Salt to taste. Serve!

Take some notes!

-how you increased your daily movement

-forage

-moderate aerobic exercise

-relaxation techniques tried
-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}
-satisfaction level with meals
-hunger level between meals
-struggles
-benefits

Day 14: Sunday, November 15th

ONLY ONE MORE WEEK LEFT!

Day 14 Agenda:

1. REST. No workouts, just a lot of relaxation and spending time with those you love. Plan on taking a family stroll or take a nap on the couch!  Work on your relaxation techniques by putting away digital media 2hrs before bed, dimming lights, etc. You might also want to make a meal list for the upcoming week to get yourself organized and prepared for your last week of the primal challenge:)

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- butternut squash frittata

(pic & recipe from healyeatsreal.com)

Skip the cheese if you want to lose weight, otherwise, use hard, aged cheeses. Click HERE for the recipe!

Lunch- shrimp scampi

(pic and recipe from sweetcsdesigns.com)

Head over HERE for the recipe:)

Dinner- grilled salmon with avocado salsa

(pic and recipe from the cookie rookie.com)

Try out the recipe that I found from HERE!

Snacks- olives, grape tomatoes and fermented cheese of your choice mixed with olive oil and basil.

Take some notes!

-how you increased your daily movement

-relaxation techniques tried
-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}
-satisfaction level with meals
-hunger level between meals
-struggles
-benefits

Day 13: Saturday, November 14th

Day 13 Agenda:

1. Write down everything you eat throughout the day. Mark Sisson recommends using a great website called fitday.com to calculate your daily nutrition: protein, carbs, fat, and calories. This will give you a great idea of how much you are intaking in a day and what you will need to eat more/less of. If you are trying to lose weight, its recommended to have a daily carb intake of 50-100 grams/day.
2. Lastly, complete a push-up tabata workout. Remember, this is 8 sets of 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest. Count your total repetitions. If you need to keep your knees on the ground that is fine, but be sure to maintain good posture: flat back, hands to the side of shoulders, and ensure your chest hits the ground first {if you cannot make it that low, then use a pillow beneath your chest.}

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- french omelette with chives

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1Tbs fresh chives, diced thinly
• 1Tbs olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Heat olive oil in a medium sized pan on medium-low heat. Ensure olive oil gets up on the sides of pan. Beat eggs vigorously with all ingredients until batter has a smooth consistency. Pour in heated pan. Take spatula and gently scrape the middle of the omelette from side to side making a plus sign shape every few minutes. This will make little clumps throughout the omelette. Continue until the omelette is still wet on top with many chunks/swirls of the eggs and sides are easy to lift form pan. Loosen sides of omelette and fold in half. Cook for another minute and then serve on plate. Sprinkle more salt and pepper if desired. Garnish with more chives!

Lunch- egg salad 

(picture from pinterest)

This is another paleo recipe I found on pinterest that I have tried and LOVED! Go HERE for the recipe. 

Dinner- chicken tikka masala 

(picture from pinterest)

Yet another...go HERE! Oh, and substitute the vegetable oil for a more acceptable oil (olive oil, coconut oil, etc.), as well as, the rice for cauliflower rice.

Take some notes!

-how you increased your daily movement

-your fitday.com calculations

-total push-ups from tabata workout 

-relaxation techniques tried

-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}

-satisfaction level with meals

-hunger level between meals

-struggles

-benefits

Day 12: Friday, November 13th

Day 12 Agenda: 

1. Intermittent fast. Please don't forget to eat a nice dinner tonight in preparation for tomorrow's fast {remember, do not carb overload}. So, tonight will be your last meal and then tomorrow go as long as possible without food until you get very hungry and then eat a very primal-icious meal:) 

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- scrambled eggs with spinach and aged cheese

Lunch- mustard roasted fish by our guest, Ina Garten!

Just kidding...but I did try this recipe after stumbling upon it on Pinterest a while back which IS primal and IS delicious! Click HERE for this recipe. 

Dinner- rotisserie chicken, sweet potato and veggies

The above picture depicts the time I would run across the street for rotisserie chicken, a baked sweet potato and veggies for lunch almost everyday at work! I felt like I was eating a Thanksgiving dinner everyday:) Just wash off your sweet potatoes, dry it with a paper towel and then lightly rub it with olive oil and salt. Put it in the oven at 350 for about an hour.

Take some notes!

-how you increased your daily movement

-total hours fasted 

-relaxation techniques tried
-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}
-satisfaction level with meals
-hunger level between meals
-struggles
-benefits