Day 11: Thursday, November 12th

Tomorrow is Day 11 which means the end is near!!! Just 10 days...

Did you all enjoy the podcast from yesterday? 

Day 11 Agenda:

1. Complete a favorite aerobic exercise and invite someone to do it with you. Do your exercise for 30-60 minutes and with a heart rate of about 50-75% of your maximum.
2. Limit the carbs you eat all day. This is to get us ready for the following day {Day 12} where we will practice intermittent fasting. After a normal primal dinner on Day 11 you will fast for as long as you can until you feel famished or energy depleted. Record how many hours you went without food.

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- egg frittata with olives, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper

 

Lunch- baked eggs in avocados

(pic and recipe from pop sugar.com)

So, I HAVE tried this before and it is delicious! Check out the recipe HERE. 

Dinner- steak with Brazilian salsa 

So, a long time ago my husband lived in brazil for a couple years and I love it because he has some great dishes up his sleeve! One of those dishes is a type of salsa to go on top of our grilled steak. Finely dice tomatoes, green peppers and onions (all about equal parts or to your liking) and then douse it with white wine vinegar. Let it sit for about an hour or so and then serve on top of...well...anything, really! 

Snacks- kale chips (sprinkle sea salt and olive oil over small pieces of kale on a baking pan and pop in the oven at 350 until crispy).

Take some notes!

-how you increased your daily movement

-aerobic exercise with a partner

-carbs cut out in preparation for intermittent fast

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

Day 10: Wednesday, November 11th

Need a little motivation booster? Listen to this incredible interview of the author from 'Wheat Belly'. His name is Dr. William Davis and he had his cardiac patients go without wheat to see the effects... check out what happened HERE! 

Day 10 Agenda:

1. Complete a sprint session! First, complete a 5min warm-up with jumping jacks, high knees, or a jog. Then, put on running shoes and decide on a number of sets to complete. For example, you could complete 5 sets of 20 seconds of sprinting with a recovery in between {rest for about 30-60 seconds or until your breathing is back to normal} doing any cardio activity: running, rowing, bicycling, stationary bike, etc.

The benefits of sprinting: slight increase in human growth hormone {HGH} and testosterone production, increase in muscle fiber growth, toned muscles, and metabolic advantages. Eat primally and sprint twice a week and you will get TONED quick!

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- my on-the-go breakfast just about every morning...
scrambled eggs seasoned with sea salt/pepper, tomatoes with sea salt and sliced avocados

Lunch- NY Strip Steak with an Avocado Tomatillo Dressing

Ingredients:

• 4 tomatillos, husked and diced
• 1 large avocado, diced
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/2 jalapeño, diced
• handful of cilantro chopped finely
• 1 tsp of salt

In a blender {or stick blender or food processor} mix ingredients together until smooth. That's it! Then pour on top of your steak:)

Dinner- pesto grilled shrimp

(pic and recipe from closet cooking.com)

Go HERE for the recipe:) 

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 9: Tuesday, November 10th

Day 9 Agenda:

1.   Avoid eating foods that have a label. This might mean you will need to find fresher foods from co-ops, farmer's markets or other whole food stores. This will give you the opportunity to learn how to make your own dressings, dried fruits, or nut butters!

 2.  Avoid media. We spend so much time in front of computers, phones, our TV, etc. You may have to be in front of a computer all day at work, but if that is the case then limit the extra media. Set a time limit of twice a day for extra media. Focus on the most important things {email, news, etc.} and then close the device. Turn devices off a few hours before bed to ensure a good nights rest. Also, try to put on screen dimmers/filters, such as f.lux.

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- ham, apple and sweet potato scramble

(pic and recipe from paleonewbie.com)

So, I have heard of this interesting recipe many times and have been meaning to try! Find the recipe HERE. 

Lunch- Tandoori Carrot recipe here! Make this as a side dish to chicken, beef, etc. DISCLAIMER: this recipe contains greek yogurt, so, remember, if you are looking to lose weight during this challenge then stay away from dairy.

Dinner- Crock Pot Lemon Pepper Chicken (<-click link for recipe)

Again, not the best picture, but I am determined to go back and make these meals JUST to take better pictures;)

Dessert- zucchini "bread"

Ingredients:

• 1 medium zucchini shredded
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/3 cup raw buckwheat honey (or any raw DARK honey)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (buy the real extract or make your own)
• 1 Tbs pumpkin spice or apple pie spice
• 1 Tbs ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup coconut flour

Shred whole zucchini with a cheese grater into a bowl. Mix with eggs, oils, honey and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. Slowly beat in dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan or cup cake pan (I used mini cup cake pans and cooked for about 15min.) Bake at 350 for about 40min or until toothpick comes out clean!

Take some notes!

-how you increased your daily movement

-how you did with avoiding food labels and media

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

A repost on MILK

During every first week of the challenge I have participants ask me about milk/dairy: Is it primal? Why or why not? What dairy can I have? Below is a repost of my answer from a couple of years ago. Also, the last thing I would add to this post is that dairy produces spikes of insulin in our blood, so if you want to lose weight, stay away from dairy...

During my first challenge a few people asked me about dairy in the primal lifestyle. How good is it for you? How much to eat? Here was my answer: limit your dairy, however, some high-fat, unpasteurized dairy is beneficial in moderation and if you are not lactose intolerant. Commercial dairy that is pasteurized and homogenized is rid of harmful bacteria, but also rid of healthy bacteria, enzymes and nutrients we need. The other downside is the amount of antibiotics, pesticides, EGF (epidural growth factor that is believed to increase cancer risk), casein (stimulates some auto-immune properties) and hormones that are found in dairy. It is also believed that dairy can worsen acne which, in my case, I believe was true. Unpasteurized, raw and fermented dairy has probiotics for a healthy immune system due to minimal processing, low levels of casein, and allows people to avoid allergic reactions with lactose. So, stick with either no dairy, raw fermented dairy, raw high-fat dairy, raw milk/cheese, or organic hormone/antibiotic free dairy. This is the best order according to Scott Kustes, friend of Mark Sisson, mentioned in 'The Primal Blueprint'! Lastly, we want to get the majority of our fats from animal fats which is what our body wants/needs, so do not solely rely on dairy for high-fat consumption. Again, no dairy or dairy in moderation:)

Day 8: Monday, November 9th

I hope you were able to share a primal meal with your family and/or friends yesterday :)

Disclaimer: The only downside to this lifestyle that I hear all the time is that cooking every night is time consuming! Yes, I agree, but I believe this is a manageable lifestyle change and there are ways around having to cook EVERY night. For instance, when you make a big dinner, ensure that you have leftovers that you can use at breakfast the following morning or lunch or dinner. My other recommendation is to find a day to prepare meals to freeze or lunches to prepare for the week. So far, I found THIS website with pretty good freezer recipes!

Day 8 Agenda:

1. Complete a very short tabata air squat workout. A tabata workout is usually 8 sets of a specified movement being performed for 20 seconds with 10 seconds of rest in between. It is an amazing workout that you can get done in just minutes and have results! Below is a large group of people performing this tabata style workout, so feel free to do it along with them or you may do it on your own:) Count your total reps and document.

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- apple, leek and bacon breakfast sausage

(pic and recipe from andhereweare.net)

Find the recipe HERE! Enjoy:) 

Lunch- find hot dogs/sausage that are antibiotic/nitrite/nitrate free and dab primal approved condiments on top like dijon mustard {read those labels if not making your own condiment}. Add a side of greens.

Dinner- cocount milk shrimp soup from the '500 Paleo Recipes' cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1 quart fish stock
• 1 Tbs grated ginger root, peeled
• 2 Tbs lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp lime zest
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 bunch scallions chopped
• 1/3 fresh cilantro, minced
• 1 Tbs coconut oil
• 4 shallots, minced (fun fact, I cried the whole time I minced these shallots!)
• 14 fl. oz. unsweetened coconut milk
• 3 Tbs fish sauce (find paleo approved i.e. Red Boat Fish Sauce. I didn't have this, so I used a primal soy sauce called coconut aminos. You could also make fish sauce, but it require you to ferment actual fish and takes a few days.)
• 1 lb shrimp (small, shelled)

In a big sauce pan over medium heat, start warming the fish stock. Add the ginger, lemon juice, lime zest, and garlic. While broth is heating, slice up scallions, separating the white from the crisp part of the green shoot. Add the white parts to the broth along with 1/4 cup of cilantro, the let simmer for 20min. In a small skillet, sauté the shallots in the coconut oil until they're beginning to brown. Add them to the soup. Stir in the coconut milk and the fish sauce. Bring back to a simmer and let it cook for 5-10min. Stir in the shelled shrimp and let the soup cook for 5 min until the shrimp is pink and firm. Serve and garnish with extra cilantro, green scallions, and lime wedges! 

Snack- green mint smoothie

In a blender, blend together a big handful of spinach, 2 spoonfuls of greek yogurt, 3 fresh mint leaves with stems, 1 1/2 cup of frozen fruit (I used a mix of pineapple, mango, strawberry and peach), and 1/2-1 cup of water. If you are trying to lay off the dairy in order to lose weight, try full-fat unsweetened coconut milk instead of greek yogurt. 

Take some notes!

-how you increased your daily movement

-tabata air squats total reps

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

Day 7: Sunday, November 8th

Day 7 Agenda:

1. I challenged you to try new primal recipes and on Day 7 SHARE this new favorite recipe for a big Sunday dinner with your family and/or friends!
2. Rest... no strenuous physical activity. Spend meaningful time with your family, friends, or enjoy some alone time by taking a walk or enjoying the weather outside.

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- fried eggs, sugar-free bacon, and sautéed mushrooms

Lunch- roasted carrots and red onions (another modified dish from the Nov. 2015 bon appetite magazine) as a side dish to a protein/fat 

Ingredients: 

• 2 lbs. carrots (2 bunches) peeled and cut into 3" pieces
• 2 large red onions, each cut through root end into 8 wedges
• 1 tsp coriander seeds, coarsely chopped or coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp aleppo pepper or crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 2 Tbsp sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• sea salt
• black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place carrots on a rimmed baking sheet with tin foil and onions on a separate baking sheet (spread evenly on sheets). Drizzle with the 2 Tbsp olive oil and season with salt/pepper. Roast in oven tossing occasionally until golden brown and tender (25min for carrots and 35-45min for onions). Let cool. Meanwhile, cook coriander seeds, aleppo pepper, paprika and remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat for a couple of minutes until fragrance comes out. Let cool. Stir in vinegar and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Then, combine roasted carrots and onions to large platter or bowl. Drizzle with vinaigrette and toss to coat.

Dinner- crockpot or oven roast as an entree 

I usually use a crockpot, but below is an online recipe from Allrecipes.com for the oven.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 3 1/2 lbs beef chuck pot roast
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup butter (full fat like kerry gold)
• 1 tsp rosemary
• sea salt and pepper

Set oven to 275 degrees. Season roast with salt and pepper. Brown the meat on all sides in a large pot with olive oil, medium to high heat. Once browned, put aside on a separate plate. Then put the diced carrots, celery and onions in the pot for a few minutes with the leftover meat juices. Season with salt and pepper. Add butter and cook until for a few minutes more until onions are tender and translucent. Add rosemary and store everything together. Then add roast back to the pot and cover with lid. Place in the oven and cook for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until roast is tender.

Take some notes! 

-how you increased your daily movement

-primal meal shared with family and/or friends

-what you did on your REST DAY

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

A Little Motivation

Remember this quote? ... "Even if some - or most - of your diet has been in the form of "complex" carbs, this excessive and unnecessary intake of carbs has reprogrammed your genes from an early age to make you more dependent on a regular supply of dietary carbohydrate. You are a "sugar burner" if you are trapped in this carbohydrate dependency. If you're like most people, this high intake of carbs over time has elevated your insulin levels throughout the day, and resulted in excess calories (from all foods, not just carbs) to be stored as body fat. Over the years, chronically high levels of glucose and insulin in your blood have altered your fat cells so that you can't easily burn this plentiful source of stored energy. If your body is accustomed to burning carbs as fuel instead of stored fat, your brain will crave your usual fuel source - carbs - more often. This leads to a vicious cycle of insidious weight gain over a lifetime, even if you exercise frequently." -Mark Sisson

Over two years ago, a Nurse Practitioner that I worked with exclaimed {after I had just announced that I believed it was unnecessary to eat grains}, "Briana, you NEED carbs!" Our society thinks that we "NEED" unnecessary carbs in order to function and thus we have a FDA dietary requirement for grains/other carbs. I then explained to her that we can get carbs elsewhere, such as vegetables or meat. We have a fabulous body that can use protein and fat to pull out glucose to use when needed for our brains to function. This process is called gluconeogenesis, which is the synthesis of glucose from non-carbohyrates. So, no, we do not NEED to bombard our body with EXTRA glucose from grains, legumes, sugars, etc to burn for energy and/or to stay alert. Our body does this all on its own using primal/healthy/simple foods :) I promise you will feel even better living this way and will feel even more alert!