DAY TWELVE: Happy Halloween

RANT

I want oreos and ritz crackers! I want DQ ice cream! I WANT A CHEESEBURGER WITH AN ACTUAL BUN!

And why is knitting so hard?!?!?!?!?!

DAY ELEVEN

This morning I made a frittata with some leftover duck, Fun Guy Farms market mushrooms and some dill.

We ate it with a big salad! I had coffee and J had tea.

I wish the weekends were twice as long.

DAY TEN: 1/3 Down

Before breakfast we headed up the the Wychwood Market. It's the last weekend for their outdoor market before it moves inside which means, winter is here! WHOA! We picked up some salad greens, bacon, pork ribs, some lamb stewing meat, cabbage, onions, leeks, purple kale, haddock, broccoli and romanesco cauliflower.

After the market, I made an omelette with bacon, greens, onions, and dill. I topped it with leftover salmon and paleo hollandaise sauce that I made up. J said he couldn't tell the difference but I think he was being nice. It wasn't buttery like hollandaise (I used olive oil) but it was still very good.

After breakfast I headed to Academy of Lions for the Saturday WOD. I put on bunny ears for Halloween and brought a pumpkin to work out with. It was a tough, long WOD with lots of running. I was beat at the end...almost to the point of spewing! YIKES!

For dinner I roasted a duck based on a recipe I found on Epicurious. The recipe called for slow-roasting a seasoned bird stuffed with shallots, fennel and herbs. It was pretty good! I am all for crispy, fatty duck.

A radish coleslaw with onions, dill and chervil.

The recipe called for extra fennel and olives to be cooked in the pan juices and then blended into a "gravy." I also made up some fried green tomatoes with some romas from the garden.

DAY EIGHT AND NINE

I missed posting for 2 days! What have I been doing? Scouting for a new cave? Stalking a glyptodont? Feeding my prehistoric cats? Basically. Basically just being heavily paleolithic.

What did I eat?!

Bacon and eggs for breakfast on both days. On day eight, we had leftover pork chops and salad for lunch. I snacked on dried coconut and beef jerky that I had picked up from The Academy of Lions Primal Food Shop. Super excellent snack! I would totally recommend stopping in to check out their selection of meats, and snacks. They have very delicious, induction friendly treats at the cafe as well!

That night we made open-faces portobello burgers. My apologies, these don't photograph well! Trust that they were delicious!

We used a little paleo mayo on them but they didn't even really need that. I was surprised at how lean the grass-fed ground beef was! I put them in the pan with no oil at first, thinking there would be enough fat. NOT SO! Next time, a little coconut oil will help.

We had leftover burgers yesterday for lunch. I also made up a salad to have on the side. J picked up some wild-caught salmon after work from St. Lawrence Market and he cooked it up with lemon and salt and pepper. He roasted brussels sprouts to have on the side. Simple and delicious. I think could live on salmon!

Yesterday was definitely the hardest day so far. I had a dull headache, was feeling off my game, hungry and a bit crabby all day. It was one of those days when I would normally come home from work, pick up some random "comfort food" junk and watch tv. I think I was feeling sorry for myself that I couldn't do that. I was like, "is this paleo shit worth it?" I felt like I wasn't being ME if I couldn't make myself feel better with food! But do I really want to have that kind of relationship with food? Do I really want to need it to get me through feeling down? No, not really. I'd like to build the kind of relationship with eating where I can have treats on special occasion and really fucking enjoy them. I want to learn to cope with stress through some other means. Something that doesn't make me feel WORSE in the long-run.

I made a cup of herbal tea and had a bath with a bunch of decadent bath things. It helped so much! I tidied up the house a bit and watched some scary TV. Sleep ensued and this morning, the shitty feelings of yesterday had turned into, "fuck yeah, I didn't faileo."

Guess what else? I was serious about the knitting!

Elk Hunting

Watch this!

DAY SIX AND SEVEN

I missed posting yesterday but trust that I was 100% ketogenic paleo all day long! I was right too, day six was better than day 5. I learned a valuable lesson on day 5; don't mess with breakfast. In other words, eat it.

Yesterday I had bacon and eggs for breakfast and left over rabbit soup for lunch. We made up a shrimp coconut curry with lots of veggies for dinner and I had a GIANT (the size of my head--I mean it) post-dinner salad as a "snack."

Today...more bacon and eggs but this time I made the eggs into an omelette with spinach and mushrooms. I had leftover curry for lunch. I wasn't too hungry after work but had a quick boiled egg before my WOD at Academy of Lions. I did a WOD on day one of the challenge but have not been since! My energy has been super high all day so I was looking forward to channeling some of it. It was like, walking wasn't fast enough today. It was a rad feeling.

The WOD was pretty good--1 minute of push-ups, 15 pull-ups and a 400 meter run. 20 minutes and as many reps as possible. After being away all summer, I really need to work on my pull-ups. I was really slow and doing 15 was painful to get through. I was happy with the push-ups and the run though.

I did 3 rounds plus 20 more push-ups and 12 pull-ups. Just in case I wanna check back for next time ;)

After class, J and I prepared a late dinner of pork chops and salad. I made a cucumber salad with some paleo-friendly olive "pate" I found. I threw in some red onion and sprinkled basil sprouts on top. I also made a coleslaw with cabbage, watermelon radish, celery and some green onion. I used a bit of paleo mayo, coconut milk and turmeric to dress it. Check it out!

We've basically used up all the vegetable ingredients that we bought on the weekend. Only a few onions and other random bits left. It actually feels really great to use up all the veggies. Even though I do think we eat a lot of vegetables normally, so often in the past we would buy a bunch with good intentions and let them rot because we didn't get to them. I feel like we are zero waste right now! Every morsel is precious and eatable. This might be my favorite thing about this whole experience.

Does this look familiar? Half meat, half veggies.

Tonight we're going to hit the Dufferin Grove Market for a stock up! I will report back on our seasonal findings!

Here is a very, very sleepy and silly video that I did at the end of day one where I pretend that I am an actual cavegirl, sitting in a cave just before bed. I wrapped myself in an actual wolf hide that my mom sent me last year and it's very cozy as you may be able to gather from the video. Next video? Hunting woolly mammoths (great band name!) ...or something.

DAY FIVE

Ok, today was bogus. Straight up.

I woke up late with a stiff neck from sleeping funny and didn't have a chance to eat breakfast. At 10:30am I was feeling the hunger and gave in for an early lunch of leftover buffalo chili. Bean-free of course! It was so good.

I snacked on a variety of nuts and sipped green tea all day.

So what's so wrong? I wasn't myself today. I was like a crazy version of me. I'm better now. I'm not going to digress into all the silly details. I just wasn't myself.

I ended up canceling my WOD due to my neck and 'cause well, I felt like I needed to get in pajamas and stay safe! I made a rabbit, mushroom and leek soup with chard, spinach and kale. It made me feel better. Things are better.

Day six will be better.

DAY FOUR

26 more days to go! So far, today has been pretty alright. After my frittata breakfast, I was nice and full for most of the day. I did the hip mobility session with Erin at noon which was awesome! I kinda felt like I was floating on the way home!

I sprained my ankle in September which lead to some hip pain. It was mostly when I ran but has come and gone for the last few weeks. Erin showed me some awesomely painful but effective muscle massage techniques and stretches. My whole lower half was feeling fine! I will totally be implementing these moves on a regular basis.

Made up some crab cakes for dinner and I gotta say, they were pretty delicious.

BREAKFAST: Sans Bacon

I have something to confess. I cheated this morning. I ate 5 irresistibly ripe, red raspberries off my raspberry bush when I went out to collect greens for breakfast. Oops.

It's Sunday and I really wanted to make a substantial breakfast with lots of green things and vegetables. I grabbed some chard, kale, dill and chervil from the garden. I also noticed my lemon balm going bananas again. I snatched some to make tea!

On a side note! Last night I experimented with wakame seaweed. I was thinking I could make some seaweed "chips" if I baked the soaked, slimy greens in the oven. It worked, sorta...they were SUPER salty. I crumbled up the brittle bits into flakes, threw them into a jar and I planned to use them for seasoning.

Back to breakfast...

You can pretty much make a frittata with anything. It is an excellent "fridge cleaner." I used the smoked whitefish that I picked up yesterday along with the greens, onions, mushrooms and a bit of the noted seaweed seasoning.

To make a delicious frittata, I like to preheat the oven to about 450 degrees. Once it's heated, I put a small, cast iron skillet into the oven to get it nice and hot. (This summer when camping I realized that a super-hot skillet is less likely to make your eggs stick.)

Take some time to prepare your filling. Some combination of protein and herbs will do! For two people, I used 4 eggs cracked into a medium bowl. I added about 1/2 cup of flaked smoked fish, chervil, dill, seaweed flakes and pepper.

Whisk up the mixture and set it aside.

Once everything is chopped and diced, take the pan out of the oven and put it on a burner at medium-high heat. I used a bit of coconut oil in the pan and then tossed in the mushrooms and onions to soften them. The pan is very hot so you need next to no time and should stir to prevent burning. I then tossed in the greens and cooked everything for about 2 minutes. I poured in the egg mixture and stirred it for about a minute which helps to make sure it heats at an even temperature. Toss the pan into the oven and cook until the centre is firm.

We had our frittata with a salad of lettuce, broccoli, avocado, watermelon radish and basil sprouts. Topped with olive oil and lime.

I'm on my way to Academy of Lions to participate in the lovely Erin Mccutcheon's Mobility Clinic. Erin is an amazing-ass-kicking coach at The Academy. I will update y'all about the session later!

Happy sunday!

Saving Grace

Everyday Paleo

This is going to help me make it through!

BEFORE: The tightest shirt I own.

I was thinking of making a "before" video of me trying to put on my too-tight jeans. It's pretty funny...kinda looks like dancing and stomping grapes at the same time. This will have to do for now.

DAY THREE: The Hunter

"Most have forgotten the feast that lives all around us. Many stalk the supermarket aisles searching, not for real, honest food, but for the latest flavor of frozen dinner or convenience food. Our hunting and gathering is now largely restricted to picking through the produce aisle for the best ear of corn or keeping an eagle's eye out for so-called bargains. But our instincts are strong. We've been hunters and gatherers eons longer than we've been farmers. Esau is far older than Jacob. Who among even the most urban of us has not eyed a ripe blackberry with interest, even lust, while walking along a path on a hot summer's day?"

--Hunt, Gather, Cook

I woke up this morning feeling pretty gnarly. I was so tired....beyond tired though, more like wiped out. We were out of eggs so I had a coffee and 4 slices of nitrate-free bacon. Kind of a breakfast "snack." Shameful! (Just kidding. I have no guilt about bacon.)

We picked up my pal Amy and headed to the Evergreen Brickworks market for some serious paleo shopping. Local, organic, preservative-free! Within an hour of arriving, I had procured a duck, a rabbit, 2 lbs of grass-fed and finished ground beef, stewing beef, nitrate-free bacon (more, you say? HECK YES) and 2 dozen eggs. We also grabbed a variety of beautiful radishes (I don't think these are a bad root so going for it) spinach, celeriac, onions, homemade sauerkraut, purple basil sprouts and two kinds of mushrooms.

We wandered a bit, checking out the awesome gardens, brick oven and stretched hides. I bought a book called Hunt, Gather, Cook by Hank Shaw from the little garden store. I thought it was very appropriate and would help me to learn more about wild foods during this process.

In the afternoon, I met a pal at the Bloordale Pantry for a late brunch. I was a little nervous about eating at a restaurant for the first time since starting this adventure and having to ask for all kinds of substitutions. They were so nice about doing the burger straight up and supplying lemon and olive oil for the dressing.

After brunch, we checked out the Nuthouse! I buy my cat food from this joint and they have an excellent selection of bulk stuff and random foods. I bought a bunch of different nuts, some coconut flour and smoked Manitoulin whitefish from Ontario Natural Food CO-OP. I'm pretty stoked on this stuff considering the ingredients list: fish, salt, woodsmoke.

A few thoughts on the day?

I am feeling less crappy than yesterday. Still having a hard time feeling "full." I am satisfied upon eating but within about an hour I want more!

I feel a bit like my brain is not working at 100%. It's taking me a bit longer to think of what I want to say and I am having a little trouble listening to and focusing on other people. I'm generally feeling a bit slow.

It seems as though thinking about food is consuming me. What am I going to eat? Where am I going to get it? How am I going to cook it? I know it will come more naturally with time, but right now it's like, all I can focus on. I feel like I need to find some other stuff to occupy my brain. I don't want to psych myself out. Maybe I will take up knitting!? A knitting, crossfitting, paleo lion. Sounds kinda rad.

DAY TWO

Today was kinda hard. I know, it's only day two! I feel like yesterday was fun and exciting and today is like, "ok, the challenge starts."

It probably didn't help that I was sitting still and stiff in a closed room with a bunch of strangers for 8 hours. So not a natural, healthy way to be. I need open spaces and regular movement.

I had half a venison steak and an egg for breakfast. Coffee. Coconut milk. I need to find a good way to incorporate more vegetables into the am in a short amount of time. I'm thinking frittatas with kale or chard or some other delicious greens? I am open to suggestions!

Let's talk about coffee for a second! I am hardly a coffee drinker but I do have a few cups a week. I really love the packaging, idea (and TASTE!) behind this coffee by ChocoSol. It's available at most markets around the city. My favorite is the Evergreen Brickworks. Totes going there tomorrow. Long live Saturdays!

More on food...

For lunch I had leftover stew and some raw broccoli and a bit of nuts and cacao. I was wondering about hazelnuts (filberts?) today...are they ok for paleo induction? I dunno!

Anyways, I was downtown for this meeting stuff and feeling extra hungry...actually, all day I was feeling REALLY hungry. I think my body/mind is starting to notice the change. We got a break and I was out of snacks so I grabbed a chunk of grilled, wild-caught salmon and a couple olives from a grocery store deli (it was a fancy neighborhood, I guess) to munch on. It did the trick!

For dinner we cooked up the wild-caught ocean perch that J had bought yesterday. I seasoned it with salt, pepper and some cayenne pepper. I fried it for a few minutes on each side in virgin coconut oil. I put the fillets in the oven to keep them warm and sauteed some leeks and mushrooms in the same pan.

When they were a bit soft, I tossed them in a tablespoon of organic, lactose-free basil pesto (so good and totally paleo.) I served the fish with the mushroom/leek mixture on top with a side of cauliflower and squash, cut up into bite-sized bits, seasoned and roasted.

My new favorite drink is Pellegrino, lotsa lime and a big chunk of ginger. It's almost like a soda!

DINNER!

I am snuggled up in bed, super cozy and content from a busy and delicious day.

Monty the Moose Coconut Curry Soup

I made this soup by cutting up a few chunks of moose into cubes. I seasoned them with salt and pepper and browned them using virgin coconut oil in a dutch oven. I removed the meat and added onion and then deglazed with a little stock (chicken or beef will do--mine was a chicken/duck combo that I had in the freezer from past bird roasting). I added lots of dried basil, a little good quality curry powder, red pepper flakes and a bit of turmeric. I added 1 can of organic coconut milk and a cup more of the stock. I simmered the meat on medium-low until it was tender and then added a handful

of hubbard squash chunks (skin removed), dinosaur kale, 1 small red pepper and broccoli. I cooked the soup for about 10 more minutes--until the veggies were cooked but still a bit firm.

Excellent post-pistols and handstand push-ups meal. I feel content and sleepy. Not sleepy like I ate a turkey leg, a mountain of mashed potatoes and 5 buttered rolls. More like, I am full and happy and looking forward to tomorrow.

DAY ONE

It's day one of the Academy of Lions paleo challenge.

My boyfriend e-mailed me to say that he picked up wild-caught perch from St. Lawrence Market. So much better than flowers, in my food-loving opinion.

For breakfast this morning I had some nitrate-free bacon with two scrambled eggs and coffee with coconut milk. Coffee with coconut milk is the best thing! Lunch was a salad with half an avocado, onion, broccoli, a boiled egg, mustard greens, and a few sliced radishes dressed with lemon and olive oil. Oh, and more bacon. MAYBE a little bacon heavy today? I wanted to start off delicously. Can you be too bacon heavy on the paleo diet? This is a serious question...if you know the answer, I'd love to hear it.

I snacked on almonds and cacao nibs at my desk and sipped green tea and water until I almost peed my pants.

Meat. Fat. Vegetables. No fruits and no roots.