Yesterday was officially the end of week one on a strict Paleo Diet with my CrossFit box- CrossFit Sine Pari. I am happy to report that in the first week, I have lost 2 pounds of fat! For those who might scoff at two pounds, I would like to paint this picture for you. Its like removing two boxes of butter off your body. Getting a visual?

This week was hard at times (we had a birthday celebration for my brother and Philly Soft Pretzel Friday at work) but I stayed strong and it paid off! I'm finding that almond milk settles my dairy craving down in the evening and I have also come to realize that wine was my 'gateway drug' to want cheese. No surprise there.
I won't lie to you and tell you this is easy.I think about food often.  I'm pretty sure I would have tackled someone this week for a bite of cheese, or a sip of wine, but just like everything else I do, when I commit to doing something I go all in. And now that means when weigh-in and FRAN day rolls around on June 4th, I want to look and feel like I have improved.

So what's next? This week I want to focus on how to eat out with a Paleo lifestyle. I almost always pack my lunch for work, and the bf often makes us breakfast and dinner which helps keep me true to the Paleo lifestyle. However, tomorrow I have plans to meet a friend for dinner and (non alcoholic) drinks, and the place we chose along will help me make menu choices easier without having to struggle with temptation.

Since beginning this journey into Paleo, I have been asked many questions often wondering if this lifestyle I lead is 'worth it'. Based on how I feel, I would say 100%. If there are questions you would like to ask me about my lifestyle and beginning the journey into Paleo and CrossFit, please comment or send me an email. 

Be Well Friends!
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Fine Tuning 05/06/2012
 
I'm sure you're all wondering how the Paleo Challenge is going that I announced about 3 weeks ago. In short....OK.  

I was hoping to have this miraculous quick weight loss that the BF experienced between November and December last year. I have cut out grains, bumped up the hours slept and even started cutting back on the miles (also due to my ITBS flaring) all in the name of Paleo. And alas, the scale has only budged a couple of lbs. 

I will admit, at work, there is a candy jar and I'm like Pavlov's dog. When I hear the jar open, I begin the candy craving and if a late night is in order, my determination weakens as the hours tick by. So to kick up the challenge, and my motivation level, I decided to join a group of ladies at my CrossFit box in a 30 day Paleo Challenge!

You're probably thinking I've gone to a whole new level of crazy. Maybe so...but its one month and if I decide a hard-core paleo diet is not for me, then I move to be more flexible.

Below are a couple of important pieces that I had not taken into account in my prior attempt, and I'm hoping buckling down will provide positive results.

1.) No Dairy- This will be the hardest part of the 30 days. I love cheese more than anything, but I'm hoping that after 2 weeks, the cravings will subside (In the past, I had cheese on every meal and actually made menu choices around it).
2.) No Alcohol- The only challenge for me will be on my younger sister's 21st birthday. I am allowing myself one night to have a few drinks to celebrate her big day.
3.) No fruit or nuts- Fruit and nuts have been my 'go to' snack since starting Paleo. The problem is, I could eat my body weight in nuts therefore stunting my fat-loss. I will need to get a little creative for Paleo snacks throughout the day.

So here on A Pinch of Ginger, you're going to see some Paelo-fied recipes and a documentation of the struggles and triumphs in this challenge for the next 30 days. Get ready for lots of grilling action!

Last night's dinner  kicked it off with grilled chicken, homemade guac and a garden salad.
Question of the Night: What are your thoughts on the Paleo diet? And if you already follow it, do you incorporate dairy and fruit?
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Part of beginning the journey to eat and live a Paleo lifestyle is grounding yourself with some key tools for success. The original source for me was The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson.  Sisson breaks down the trend with going primal, the logic behind the lifestyle and the small (and managable) steps that can be taken to achieve success in this lifestyle.
I will say that I don't follow a full Paleo Lifestyle. I still plan on running the Philadelphia Marathon in November (barring any injury) and I would love to sleep without needing an alarm, but that's not my reality. 

Here's a high level info graphic for the basis of Paleo:
Picture
click on the image for the full chart
If my journey has sparked some interest (or sheer curiosity) in living Paleo, below are some reliable resources for recipes, tips to stay 'on plan' and just straight up support. Sometimes its good to know there are others that have succeeded when a tough day arrives (aka your friends call  you crazy and the sugar is waved in front of your face). Because lets face it, Paleo spits in the face of conventional 'healthy' living.

Blogs that I love for support and guidance:
Mark's Daily Apple- The Success Stories are motivation enough!
Laura Pappas - Blog Against the Grain
Paleoista

Recipes that are easy and delicious
PaleOMG
She Cooks...He Cleans
TGIPaleo
As always, if you have any questions about my experience with going Paleo, please leave a comment, or send me an email.

Happy meat eating!
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Week 3 of my Paleo challenge and I feel like I’m getting over the ‘hump’. I will admit this hasn’t been an easy 3 weeks. At first I wanted grains in a big bad way. Crackers with cheese? Please keep them away. Hot pizza? Oh lord! It was like avoiding land mines everywhere I stepped. Then week two came the sweets cravings. I wanted chocolate, jellybeans any sugar I could get my little fingers on.

Now that week three has rolled around, I am no longer craving grains. I bought my co-workers bagels and was unfazed. Success! I did crave sugar at work on Friday and have a couple pieces of Easter candy (we always have candy around and I let temptation get the best of me) but on the whole, the process has been on track (meaning no grains/ no sugar).

A big part of following this life plan is starting the day off right with a protein packed breakfast.  During the week, I am lucky enough that the BF cooks me breakfast. It usually consists of an omelet packed with veggies (eggplant in my omelet is my favorite!) and bacon. 
But on the weekend, it’s my turn to take a crack (get it?!) at breakfast. Today since it was rainy and cold, I wanted something a little hardier than a regular omelet. After reading through recipes online and on PaleOMG, I decided to revise her Mexican Hash Egg Bake. 

Sweet Apple Sausage Egg Hash Bake
Ingredients: (serves 2)

1 lb. Trader Joe’s Sweet Apple Sausage

4 small/medium sweet potatoes

1 small onion

2 cloves of garlic (minced)

4 eggs

2 tbsp of fat (butter, lard, bacon grease) I used lard

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a sauce pan, heat up your fat and add in the two cloves of garlic minced. Once the garlic is sautéed and begins to turn a light brown, add in chopped/skinned sweet poatotes and onion and sausage crumbled. (Note: some sausages will allow you to remove it from the casing. This sausage had very thin casing and so I simply crumbled the pieces in my hands)

3. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the sweet potatoes become tender.

4. Once the potatoes are tender, remove the mixture and add to a baking dish. Crack 4 eggs overtop and place the dish into the oven uncovered.

5. Bake the dish for 10-15 minutes or until the eggs become stiff when touching the egg white.

This breakfast dish was the perfect combination of sweet and salty, a definite make again!!

Coming up later this week: Baking on a Paleo diet.

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Paleo Dinners 04/10/2012
 
While adopting the Paleo lifestyle, I have learned to enjoy dinner. Before, dinner for me (especially when living alone) often included cheese, crackers, maybe a chicken sausage and some sweet potato fries.  Now that the BF and I share a roof, I am lucky enough to come home to dinner on the grill or well on its way in the kitchen (the BF cooks dinner now since he works from home.)

Also, getting home around 6:00- 6:30 (and eating lunch at 12:30) has me pretty hungry, and so a dinner heavy in protein is usually in order. Our dinners vary depending on the change of seasons, and now that its spring, we use the grill almost every night. Tonight, the BF marinated a London broil with a little olive oil and Weber Grill Creations Chicago Steak Seasoning. I love using their spices because they add a nice bold flavor to your meal without all of the sodium.

We also had Laura’s Brussel Sprout Salad on the side with grilled zucchini.

I did not actually eat all of the food pictured (I took the picture before digging in and couldn’t finish all the steak). But I did have more of the brussel sprout salad. Normally, I have a tendency to overcompensate with the sides on my dinner plate, but I’m learning the more lean meat I consume, the longer I feel full.

Other grill dinners include Chipotle Chicken, grilled wahoo fish and sausages. Stay tuned throughout the summer for many more great dinner recipes on the grill.

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Hi blog friends! It’s been awhile since the last update, but as I told you all, life has been a little crazy with the new house (with the BF!) and a new job. With all the change a few things have lacked a little in my daily routine.

Blogging, exercising and eating in a Paleo lifestyle have been shifted to the back burner. With Easter over, and summer on the horizon, I have started today a 30- day Paleo Challenge. You might be thinking I’m crazy (after a week I may agree with you). What I do know is I feel better when I eat with a Paleo mindset and I also am more inclined to make healthy choices such as choosing a salad over pizza and fruits and veggies over pretzels and cheese.

Here is what my  30-day challenge will entail:

For the next 30-days, I vow to blog about my meals and exercise methods following a ‘caveman’ lifestyle. This means NO GRAINS. NO GRAINS = no beer, crackers, bread, baked goods etc. It also means very little sugar (I plan to only get sugar through coffee creamer and fruits) and more natural foods. This is no easy fete but I’m hoping by the end of 30 days, I will be more motivated, energized and will have shed a few pounds as well.
The exercise component is another beast. I plan to attend Cross-Fit two times a week, with short running excursions as supplement cardio. My knee and IT Band are still recovering from the DC half, and since I registered for the Philadelphia FULL MARATHON, I want to be sure I am training in a well paced and healthy manor.
I know that most people bristle when they hear I am taking on this challenge, however I’m hoping after a month of following along, you will see how much food I am able to enjoy and not ‘depriving’ myself of anything at all.

Question of the night: What do you think of a Paleo or caveman lifestyle? Would you ever try an alternative eating pattern or exercise routine?
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Has it really been a month since my last post? While writing this, all I kept thinking was "Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?" No I have not fallen off the face of the earth, but yes I have been busy.

Please let me explain. I have had a lot of major life events in the last month.

I went on a vacation to Snowmass Colorado!
I ran (another) half marathon with a friend since 7th grade :)
I moved in with the BF!!
And I got a new job!

Lots of major life events happening but all positive. Some of these are allowing for more 'free' time in my life which will mean more dedication here at A Pinch of Ginger.

Stay tuned for more posts on eating healthy as a couple and working in the workouts!!
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CrossFit is one of the fastest growing workout trends and probably one of the most controversial. I have signed up for and sung the praises of  the new craze but after the numerous shocked and harsh reactions to my choice in exercise, I felt it was important to dispel rumors and provide a balanced review.  

CrossFit is defined on Wikipedia as: a strength and conditioning routine that combines weightlifting, gymnastics, powerlifting, sprinting and rowing.  The CrossFit program consists of “constantly varied, high intensity, functional movement.  These varied workouts often consist of a group 15 minute warm up, followed by a WOD (workout of the day) ending with stretching and foam rolling.

Many of my friends, colleagues, etc question many facets of the program. What do you DO exactly? Are the coaches certified? Where do you go? How much does it cost? Let me break down my experience for you based on these various questions.

What do you DO exactly? As I mentioned above, workouts often consist of a warm up, workout of the day and stretching session. Not every workout of the day is a strength session of huge weights, as a matter of fact, many of my harder workouts were a combination of weights (like kettleball lunges) and cardio (burpees anyone?). I walk out of the sessions tired but not ‘beat up’ like I often feel after a long run during marathon training sessions.

Are the coaches certified? Despite common misconceptions, CrossFit coaches are often (if not always) certified coaches. At the ‘box’ I attend, all three coaches are certified by CrossFit to instruct and they were fitness instructors/personal trainers at local gyms. I often feel safer in these sessions than I do at an average aerobic or weightlifting class at my gym. I am fortune to be a part of a small group (usually about 3-8 people) during the session therefore, I receive a lot of individual attention focusing on my form. As a matter of fact, form is one of the top priorities for my box.

Where do you go? I believe one of the best parts about CrossFit is that decentralized. In my area (the greater Philadelphia area) alone there are 5 CrossFit boxes within a 5 minute- hour drive of my house.  For me, my gym is a quick 10 minute drive and it makes it easy to get my butt in the box at 6 AM. (It’s also easy for me to bail at 5:30 AM)

How much does it cost? The cost to be a part of CrossFit varies from box to box. I am fortunate that my home box offers a free 2-week trial. The CrossFit in the Savannah area offers every Saturday as open gyms for free. Your best option is to google CrossFit in your area, call and inquire about pricing. Since the boxes are individually owned, their policy and flexibility in cost varies from location to location. Now that my two weeks has expired, I opted for the $130 10-class pass. Because of a hectic schedule, it allows me to hit at least one session a week and get a lot of bang for my buck.

CrossFit is more than an exercise routine; it’s about adopting a new lifestyle. The groups focus on the importance of physical fitness but also the importance of diet to fuel your workout. This is the first fitness community that I have joined where they work hard to educate their participants, encourage each other, and truly do not compete during routine sessions.  If you are interested in giving it a try, please feel free to email me with any questions you may have! I will be keeping you all posted as my progress continues!

Need more insight?  I encourage you to read more here:
PaleOMG
CarrotsNCake
Men's Health
Question of the Day: What are your impressions of CrossFit? Would you ever consider giving it a try?
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Valentine’s day for many people is an excuse to indulge, on chocolate, steak, seafood among other things. Just because the BF and I have adopted a Paleo lifestyle does not mean we had to give up any goodies. After a little research, I came across the following recipe on PaleOMG. If you are thinking about going Paleo, you should read Juli’s blog. Not only does she have a slew of recipes, but she also has a sharp tongue and great sense of humor.  

I bring to you: Sweet Potato Brownies! (ala paleOMG)

Ingredients:
1 sweet potato
3 eggs, beaten
¼ cup of coconut oil, melted
½ chocolate chips (I used Nestle because its what I had in my pantry)
3 tablespoons of Coconut Flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon of baking powder
¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
Sprinkle of salt
Instructions:
Bake the sweet potato in the oven until soft. I baked it at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. My oven runs hot, so the temperature and time per kitchen may vary.

Once the sweet potato is soft and cooked through, scoop out the meaty center and mash into a bowl. Add the wet ingredients: coconut oil, honey, eggs and vanilla. Mix together.

Add the dry ingredients to the bowl: coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and chocolate chips. Mix all the ingredients well.

The original recipe calls for an 8x8 baking dish. Since I didn’t have this on hand, I used a pie plate instead and baked for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
I must admit, I was apprehensive about these brownies but after the smell of chocolate goodness wafted through my kitchen, any apprehension was gone. The BF and I savored 2 brownies each with strawberries and whipped cream! Now if that isn’t a delicious Valentine’s treat, I’m not sure what is! 

Question of the Day: Are you likely to try this recipe? If you do, please let me know how it turns out! 
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Road to Change 02/12/2012
 
Hello my dear blog friends! I have left you hanging for entirely too many days. The truth is with a crazy work schedule, I could have 'thrown up' one terrible blog post after another, but I always promised myself that I wouldn't blog for habit.

So as a new week starts tomorrow, I have a few changes. 

1.) I promise to put full effort into my blog posts (none of this half-ass, throw-a-couple-pictures-up blogging)
2.) I'll work to provide better photography and step-by-step instructions for recipes
3.) I will be posting more about my Paleo lifestyle. The good, the workouts and the ugly.

A Pinch of Ginger is about to take a little bit of a change. I hope to keep all of you as readers and in-turn, I hope that you feel this space is a source for tips, information but most importantly, I hope by reading my blog you'll feel part of a community.

Thank you for reading and giving me honest feedback to continue to grow as a blogger. Stay tuned for some great blog posts this week!
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