This delicious baby is a Paleo chocolate cupcake from Infusion Tea, an organic tea house in College Park (Orlando.)
It’s made with a blend of coconut and almond flour, bananas, raw cocoa, eggs, and deliciousness. Seriously, it’s like an orgasm in your mouth. Moist, chocolatey, and rich.
I spent over 90 minutes running on the treadmill (burning over 1,000 calories, I might add) so I thought I deserved a little treat after dinner.
YUM!
Bon appetit, my friends!
~ Tori
Fresh mangoes (literally, they are right off my friend’s tree), organic tomatoes, organic avocado, red onion, organic lime juice, and fresh cilantro.
Served over organic, grass-fed beef meatballs (beef, tapioca flour, egg, onion powder, garlic, salt, and pepper) and steamed broccoli.
Delicious!
Bon appetit,
-Tori
OK, so I realize that this is NOT a Paleo-approved breakfast, but I happened to find this oatmeal on clearance at Whole Foods one day last week [it wasn’t old; I think the manufacturer changed their box design and Whole Foods HATES to be behind the times, you know], so I decided to pick up a box to try it out.
This stuff is AMAZING.
Not too sweet, extremely hearty, and packing only 160 calories per package. For the last two mornings, I’ve made myself two packets [320 calorie breakfast – nice and hearty] and had a cup of tea with it. I’m shocked to say it keeps me full for HOURS. I’m not exaggerating: HOURS.
Yesterday, I had my oatmeal around 10am and didn’t feel my first pang of hunger until almost 3:30pm. And I wasn’t trying to skip lunch – I was just that satisfied that I didn’t even notice the passing of the time.
This hot cereal boasts sweet blueberries, crunchy flax seeds, and the perfect balance of cinnamon and brown sugar. It’ll please the kids and the health nuts alike.
You know, one of my only gripes about the Paleo diet is the lack of breakfast options – you have to be PREPARED for breakfast with Paleo baked goods or time to spare to fry up some eggs – so this is the meal I most often find myself cheating.
If you’re going to cheat… might as well try to make it a healthy cheat and I think Nature’s Path Blueberry Cinnamon Flax oatmeal is the way to do it!
Bon appetit, my friends!
~ Tori
Since I do NOT want to talk about my eating habits this weekend [not good, people, not good], I thought I’d use this morning’s post to talk about a DELICIOUS new treat I discovered for those on Paleo diets like myself:
Simple package, decadent contents.
These little 90 calorie treats are just short of spectacular. A blend of organic pear, organic white grape juice, organic vanilla extract, and organic cocoa, these pouches taste like sweet chocolate ice cream that has been blended by the gods themselves into a perfect, portable package – no refrigeration necessary! They taste great at any temperature, in fact, and they feature a resealable cap, which is a unique option for this type of snack option. Probably because this particular brand caters to a younger audience [I admit it: I’m eating baby food, people] that likely won’t finish an entire pouch in one sitting.
Oh, I don’t have that problem. I have to force myself to slow down and savor these little babies because they taste THAT GOOD.
I’ve gotten into the habit of freezing them and enjoying them as an alternative to coconut ice cream for when I need a sweet snack before bed. In addition, when they are frozen they serve a dual purpose if you pack lunch: an ice pack AND dessert! BAM! That’s a win:win in my book.
This “TREAT” [that’s it’s actual name!] is the perfect serving size, a petite 3.5 oz, which is just enough to satisfy a craving, even on a full stomach.
In researching them on Amazon.com, I discovered that they come in a variety of flavors [OMG, they have Caramel Apple!] and they average about $1-$1.75 per pouch.
Can I let you in on a little secret?
……
…..
…
Alright… here’s the scoop:
So, before you order these delectable delicacies online, check your local Big Lots to see if they have them in stock. The store near my house carries a surprising variety of organic and Paleo-friendly snack foods [organic beef jerky, even!], so I always stock up when I see a new item there that I can eat. For just 50 cents a package, I bought DOZENS of these TREATS for later consumption.
Bon appetit, my friends – and happy bargain hunting along the way!
~ Tori
Brace yourselves, everyone, I think the second coming of Christ is imminent.
Why, do you ask?
In my usual sleepy stupor I hopped on the scale, anticipating a small drop [I’ve been sticking to my diet 100%] but also not getting my hopes up, as I’ve steadily lost 0.2 to 1.4 pounds every day since Monday.
Here’s a little summary of my weigh-ins this week:
So, want to know Friday’s weight?
….drum roll….
…….
I literally dropped 3 lbs overnight.
No, I didn’t take a diuretic. No laxatives. No supplements of any kind, other than my normal morning regime of a multivitamin and a vitamin D tablet.
I hopped off the scale, reset it to zero, and hopped on again to verify the number. Yup. 137.8.
This guy is my new best friend.
I’m not complaining at all, of course. I’m THRILLED to be back in the 130 range, but how in the world did I go from 143.6 on Monday to 137.8 on Friday? That’s a loss of just under 6 lbs!
Did my mitochondria go into overdrive last night and decide to metabolize at three times the normal rate?
Did a mystical liposuction fairy come in the dead of my sleep and slurp out some hidden fat cells?
I have no idea what caused the sudden drop in weight other than the fact that I’ve hit the gym consistently this week and stuck solid to my Paleo diet. I’m going to maintain this pattern through the weekend and pray to the Gods of Ketosis/Metabolism for their continued grace and blessings.
With that note, I wish all of you a happy weekend and, as usual, bon appetit!
~ Tori
So for the past four days, I’ve been sticking religiously to the Paleo diet.
Basically, I’ve only been eating things that came straight out of the earth or had been consuming the earth just a few days prior.
I still can never understand why I strayed from this diet in the first place. When I was first introduced to it in August 2012, I immediately picked it up and lost almost 25 lbs with little to no effort. I exercised less, ate MORE food [both volume and in quality], and never felt deprived.
With the holidays came laziness, pecan pie, ripe cheeses, and lots of bad decisions. Yeahhhh. I had been on a downward spiral in my dietary habits pretty much from December until this past weekend. It was bad.
Each morning my weight has gone down on the scale. Monday morning I was 143.2 [ouch!] and this morning I was back down to 140.2. Not back to the 134.4 I was last October/November, but I’m steadily working my way back to it.
Every day I’ve eaten until I was full with no feelings of regret, deprivation, or otherwise dissatisfaction.
Every day I’ve prepared all of my own food. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I’ve made sure to follow the Paleo diet to the T. Today was the first major challenge which involved eating out.
Could I do it?
Baja Burrito Kitchen = Paleo Heaven on Earth
You know, most people think that dining out is challenging, but the Paleo diet is easy. Keep it fresh, keep it clean, and don’t eat anything that doesn’t need to be refrigerated. As you can see in the above picture, that’s not hard to do at most restaurants.
At Baja Burrito Kitchen, I just ordered the “Baja Burrito Kitchen Combo” and asked them to sub the rice and beans for onions and peppers and to double my guacamole instead of the sour cream and cheese. It was DELICIOUS. A few squeezes of lime, some fresh salsa, and lots of cilantro. LOVED IT.
So, this proved that dining out on Paleo is not only possible, it’s EASY. And I don’t see this being hard at pretty much all restaurants: seafood, steakhouse, Mexican. Really, the only challenge would be Italian [no noodles? sauce over veggies? hmmm] or Chinese [um, steamed veggies and seafood, no soy sauce?]
So, theoretically, I have no reason to cheat on Paleo. I can cook for myself or pick food up. I have a collection of healthy snack food options and I also know what I can safely pick up at a gas station if I’m in a rut.
Bon appetit, my friends!
~ Tori
This morning I went to the local farmer’s market, where they had incredible organic fruits and veggies available. I stocked up on some of season’s best: fresh, plump blueberries, sweet pineapple, and fresh kale.
Since I’m still not much of a breakfast person, I created the following recipe for a healthy morning shake pumped full of nutrients. My hope is that the shake will give me enough natural energy that I can break my morning coffee habit [processed creamer + splenda = bad!] and get myself to a point where I’m eating as clean as possible.
Here’s the recipe I crafted – delicious, sweet, and refreshing!
Ingredients:
Combine all ingredients in blender and blend for two minutes on high. Serve immediately.
You can’t even taste the kale over the sweetness of the pineapple and the seeds add fiber and protein otherwise absent from a fruit shake.
I hope to have this daily, though I might substitute blueberries for frozen raspberries once mine run out. 🙂
Bon appetit, my friends!
~ Tori
Since I’m in approaching-birthday-diet-blitz mode right now, I’ve been seeking out healthy, Paleo snacks that I can grab whenever the sweets craving hits. I’m normally pretty good about making them, as I’m constantly posting recipes on here, but sometimes I just need something quick, tasty, and convenient.
Of all places, I happened to stumble upon this brand of Paleo snacks – Laughing Giraffe Organics – while in Marshalls.
A clothing store? Beats me.
I have a habit of roaming the aisles aimlessly when I go to Marshalls and I often find myself lingering in the food aisle, as they have unique spices, interesting sauces, and lots of [surprisingly] healthy snacks. Normally I end up picking up organic agave syrup, Indian spices, and a few bags of sweet potato chips, but this time I came across a bag of Laughing Giraffe Organic “snackaroons” and decided to give them a shot.
Holy crap.
They are moist, chewy, and satisfying, but not too sweet. They pack a ton of fiber and are vegan, organic, gluten-free, and flour-free. To be honest, I was skeptical when I picked them up, as they sounded too good to be true. Cardboard cookies, anyone?
Boy, was I wrong. They are absolutely delicious and just the right texture – chewy, firm, and almost like an oatmeal cookie with hidden chunks of macadamia nuts and cacao nubs.
They pack a decent amount of calories – about 160 for 1 and a 1/2 snackaroons [who only eats a half of a snackaroon, in the first place?] – but they were incredibly satisfying. While I *wanted* to have more than one, I found that a single snackaroon was satisfying and I could walk away from the bag.
These are a bit costly, ranging between $7-12 a bag in most stores, but definitely a good go-to when you’re in a crunch for a healthy snack and don’t have time to prepare something for yourself. They certainly taste better than any of the Paleo treats I’ve made, but that’s likely because I’m not the best baker.
Whether you’re on a Paleo diet, gluten-free diet, or just trying to avoid processed foods as a whole, I would definitely suggest checking these out next time you’re at Whole Foods. Or Marshalls, in my case. 🙂
Bon appetit, my friends!
~ Tori
Last night, after a two hour cardio session at the gym, I was craving COMFORT food. Fattening, carb-rich, and delicious – I felt I deserved it.
Of course, it takes almost two hours to burn off 1,200 calories but about 5 minutes to eat it, so I opted to still prepare a healthy dinner so as not to negate my efforts.
Exhausted as I was, I threw together a fast, healthy, Paleo-friendly dish in about 10 minutes and it turned out to be a winner. Basically, I modified your “typical” Italian dinner – mounds of pasta with rich, creamy sauce and hunks of sausage – into a lighter, leaner version.
The Meat Sauce:
In a large sauce pan, start by sauteing the onions and mushrooms until tender, or about 5 mins at medium heat. At this point, add the slices sausages and the dried seasonings increase the heat slightly, so as to sear it evenly. Once the sausages are cooked through [really, just 2-3 mins], add the red wine, the jar of sauce, and the water, as well as the onion flakes. Simmer for about 8 mins, or until your whole kitchen smells like a pizzeria.
The Noodles:
Here’s where you have options. Personally, I am OBSESSED with Shirataki noodles, such as Miracle Noodles or NoOodle, but you’re also welcome to use thinly sliced zucchini or even spaghetti squash [steamed, for both] as your base. In the case of the Shirataki noodles, just drain the noodles well in a colander, then dry-saute them in a wok or large pot in order to cook off the excess water. I drizzle them with a tiny bit of olive oil to keep them from sticking.
Putting it Together:
Once both the noodles and the sauce are finished, I prefer to toss it all together for even coating of the sauce and then sprinkle with just a DASH of Parmesan cheese. Depending on if you’re a hardcore Caveman, you may not have cheese. I try to avoid dairy, but permit myself the occasional sprinkle of Parmesan on my dishes, because it just adds so much flavor for very little caloric punch.
And there you have it! Paleo pasta that doesn’t negate your workout! Even non-Paleo dieters will approve, as the sauce is surprisingly flavorful and the sausage adds a distinct richness, despite the turkey-base. Yum yum!
Bon Appetit, my friends!
~Tori
Last year, my husband and I vacationed with some friends at a hotel down in Miami. I cannot remember the name of the restaurant, but the hotel featured a steakhouse that served the most delicious, most decadent side dish I’d ever had: Roasted Mustard Brussels Sprouts.
I know, I know. How can I use “delicious” and “Brussels Sprouts” in the same sentence? I’m one of those weird people that has ALWAYS loved them, but even my husband, an avid veggie hater, couldn’t stop enjoying these suckers. We personally ate two orders of them ourselves and shared a third order as an appetizer with the table.
I’ve tried to mimic the recipe and never gotten it perfect… until tonight. And, amazingly, I made my version in the lightest way possible AND kept it Paleo-friendly.
Here’s the recipe I concocted this evening:
INGREDIENTS:
PREPARATION:
Seriously, even veggie-haters will enjoy this dish – it’s surprisingly low in calories and BIG on taste! The original we had at the restaurant in Eden Roc was made with lots of butter and probably other loaded ingredients, but this version came amazingly close to the same flavor for far less damage.
Enjoy and feel free to give feedback on any substitutions you try out!
Bon Appetit,
~ Tori
The Memoirs of a Yo-Yo Dieter 