Lurong Paleo Challenge- Week 2

Things I learned after the first week:

- My caloric intake for weight loss was too low! So was my carb count. I am going to add in sweet potatoes and more berries to increase both of these things.

- My fat was low just by a bit so I am going to try and add either ghee or coconut oil (in moderation) once a day to boost both my fat and caloric intake.

I don't dream about food, but last week I dreamt that I was in a donut factory and when left alone I ate 3 donuts by myself and filled a box to take home.....I might be going through sugar withdrawl.

I found a company, Urban Remedy, that makes some paleo dessert-like items. I ordered a few from the website (and I was really thankful for the gift card I had recieved because it was so expensive!) and now I have a little arsenal of paleo-friendly sweet snacks that I can have to curb my craving and still eat clean.

After week one I am feeling very good! It was not as hard to stay on track as I had thought and I really was looking forward to the challenge at the Cider Fest. I made a deal with myself that as long as I ate clean, I could have the cider and I was successful. There were no temptations and the cider was worth the cheat.

Meal prep for week 2 :

Post WOD breakfast- pumpkin spice protein shake worked last week so I'm sticking with it this week!

Breakfast- Egg Cupcakes

 

 Big thanks to Fawn who provided me with this recipe for these little egg muffins! I tried one today after I made them and it was yummy. I traded in the mushrooms for zucchini and did not use but one tablespoon of coconut oil for the double batch that I made and then 1/4 tbsp to line the muffin tin. 

I will be pairing these with a cup of blackberries and/or a plum.

Lunch- Cilantro Lime Chicken and Sweet Potato

 This was a recipe that someone at clinic handed to me and asked if it was paleo....and it was! I made a copy and decided to try it myself. I haven't tasted it yet. But it smells amazing and was extremely easy to make.

I will microwave my sweet-tater and toss a bit of ghee on it with some cinnamon since that was so delicious and easy last week.

Dinner- Crockpot Cashew Chicken and Cilantro Lime Cauliflower "Rice"

I have never made anything with chicken thighs before....and for good reason! I had to trim them to death to satisfy my delicate meat sensiblities. After what felt like hours of snipping chicken bits, I had to cook them in the pan before tossing them into the pot. The result was delicious! Like chinese food but you can tell there is not a ton of salt in it. While this was good, I will be reserving it for another time when I am not doing more labor-intensive dishes.

As Audrey would say, "THIS ISN'T RICE!" but it sure looks like it! It was very simple and quick to make this when I used the Vitamix to chop it up, Years ago when I was paleo I chopped up my cauliflower by hand.....Never. Again.

I think this will be wonderful to eat with my "chinese food" Cashew Chicken and I read a few articles about how great cauliflower is supposed to be for you.

Snacks- You guessed it! Hard boiled eggs and Tabasco!

Here's to another week of eating clean!

Jenn

Lurong Paleo Challenge- Week 1

My crossfit box, Ardent Crossfit, finally talked me into participating in the Lurong Paleo Challenge. This has me tweaking my meal prepping as well as changing somethings from the last time I decided to eat paleo. This time around I am determined to make meal prepping less labor intensive and to keep everything as simple as possible.

This is what I have set for meals for Week 1:

Crossfit @ 0530 followed by a protein shake with a generous scoop of canned pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice,  and unsweetened almond milk.

Breakfast- Frittata 

Found the recipe for this at StupidEasyPaleo.com http://pinterest.com/pin/127648970663883439/ and it smells amazing! I cut it into 5 slices and packed them all in glass containers to toss in my cooler. I am pairing this with fresh black berries.

Lunch- Steak with Pico de Gallo and avocado

I made homemade paleo pico de gallo just to be sure I wasnt getting anything "extra" from buying it pre-made (recipe in photo). I found a recipe for paleo steak marinade that I used for a guide ( 5 grass fed sirloins, 2 tbsp EVOO, 2 tbsp white wine vinegar, steak seasoning, juice from one lime) and tossed my steaks on the grill. I double checked that both EVOO and white wine vinegar were acceptable on the Lurong website, and they are in moderation. After letting the pico sit in the fridge, I divided it up over 5 days and prepped half an avocado.

Dinner- Shredded Chicken with cabbage, broccoli and carrot mix

My friend Tara suggested this easy, crock pot meal. I checked at the Lurong website to make sure this brand of buffalo sauce is acceptable for the challenge before I prepared it. I tossed 3 chicken breasts in the pot on low for 6 hours, shredding and mixing occasinally.

Then I prepped 5 baggies of cole slaw and rainbow salad mix. I did half and half of each to make sure I am getting a variety of veggies.

Snack- I have steamed up some eggs to eat if I have a hunger attack and I like mine with Tobasco which is approved through Lurong.

I preemptively bought some 100% unsweetned cocoa and froze some bananas incase I have an attack of the sweet-tooth as well as 3 bottles of Malbec.....because you can have 6 oz of red wine a day. Ill try not to take advantage of that :P

Goodies Box- July 2013

July's Goodies Box came in and it was all GLUTEN FREE!  I was so excited because I have recently cut gluten out of my diet and was debating on cancelling this box (even though I looooove it).

I love how they set the box up this month as well. It looks so neatly organized!

Glaceau Fruit Water- I have not yet tried this, but the sparkling aspect intrigues me!

 Crunchmaster Multi-Grain Crackers in Sea Salt- Bleh. These reminded me of salty cardboard. I didn't even finish a whole cracker.

 Cosmos Creations Salted Caramel Baked Corn Snack- Holy crap these were delicious!!!  They were light, sweet, crunchy, and ahhhhh-mazing :)

The Better Chip Spinach & Kale with Sea Salt Chips- These were so good! They had a texture like a tortilla chip, a yummy flavor, great crunch, and were very satisfying.

Gimbal's Cherry Lovers Candies- I am still up in the air about these. I am not much on candies or gummies and these were a cross between them (think jellybean). The flavor was really intense which I liked, but I did not like every one of the 9 flavors. For being gluten free, I would have to say they did not taste like it!










If next month's box is gluten free, I am keeping the subscription!

Jenn

PopSugar Must Have Box- July 2013

I am always so excited when the PopSugar Must Have Box shows up on my door step :)

Bentley was really interested in what was in July's box as well! He just kept his head right on the lid as I was unwrapping everything.

Ahhh! And here are all the goodies :)

The King Cube Tray is such an awesome idea! Keep your drink cold and minimize how much you water it down....genius! My mom likes using these cubes in her scotch ;)

I have not yet tried the Ginger Peach Iced Tea from Mighty Leaf but I intend to!

I think that in almost every box in July there was some sort of sunscreen or sunglasses. This tube of Supergoop! City Sunscreen Serum in SPF 30 is quite intriguing. I am wondering if the serum will keep from getting sticky outside....hmmm. I have not done anything beachy or summery at all :( So I have had no reason to crack this open.

This ncLA 5 Free Lacquer in a pale lavender color was a nice gift for a close friend! I was not digging the color so I shared the wealth. She said she really liked it though! And I will take her word that it was a nice polish since she is a bit of a polish snob :)

Let's be honest, these crunchy cookie chips did not make it 5 minutes after I opened the box. They were AMAZING! I have been looking for them in stores, but honestly I hope I don't find them because I will eat them every day lol.

This rose gold double-chain necklace from Baublebar was a nice statement piece of jewelry that goes with just about everything. It is a bit heavy, but if you just wear it for a few hours it isn't bad. It sets off a basic black t-shirt and jeans quite nicely!










July's PopSugar was awesome.....and August's is here too! Loving their back-to-school theme :)

Jenn

Glossy Box- July 2013

It has officially been one whole year since I received my first Glossybox!! I was saddened to see that they did not have a "happy one year anniversary" gift in the box :( A few other boxes had included that and it was special.

 This month's theme was "Le Grand Bleu" which was a nice twist to a summer theme.

Mmmmmm :) I love the clean, fresh, white scent of Bvlgari's Blanc line and this body wash was awesome! Great lather, left the scent on my body for hours, and my skin was not dry after using it. I may have to invest in this as an addition to my perfume collection.

This Brazilian Blow Out Acai Deep Conditioning Masque kind of threw me off because there were no directions on the little tube. I just shampooed and then slapped this in my hair generously and left it there until the end of my shower routine. After I rinsed and blow dried my hair with my normal products, my hair felt greasy. I am going to try this again and when I blow dry I will leave off the other products and see how it does on its own.

This tube makes me happy every time I look at it :) Figs & Rouge Cherry Blossom Lip Balm is in a cheery tube, it has a light fuchsia color that just enhances your lip color, has a nice shine, and keeps your lips hydrated. I carried it around with me for a week straight at work because I loved it so much!

This cobalt blue color was all the rage in the beauty boxes a few months ago and I know I received a mini Essie polish in an earlier Glossybox. This little polish from nails inc. london was nice and pigmented and had great application. I do not think I have ever used a nails inc. polish that I did not like!

These Absolute! Make-up Cleansing Tissues have come in handy since I got them! It was a travel-sized package and I tossed it in my purse and have used them almost every other day! They work great, do not leave a sticky residue on my skin, and they even take off my 2-layers of mascara with out excessive rubbing!

This was the one product that let me down this month. The dr. brandt BB matte did not rub in well and left a lot of streaks that had to be blended, the color was too light for my skin, and I felt like it claimed to be matte but was not really a matte finish because I still looked dewy 10 minutes after applying and stayed that way all day. I think I will stick with my Too Faced BB cream and just keep using a matte primer.






I wonder what Glossybox will have in store for August box..... :)

Jenn

Fancy Box- July 2013

I love the color of July's Fancy Box! It was like a light red or a rose color :) I have taken to using the boxes in the garage to organize things and next to each other they look so cheery!

Lately I have been getting 2 sets of product cards. One set is in the box, and the other is in the invoice envelope with the stickers and the receipt.

This Aqua Pouch Speaker is awesome! I have been using another speaker from an earlier box to listen to my music when I shower, but this thing hangs from a hook right in the shower with me and I can jam out to my music and change the songs with out worrying about getting my phone soaked! And it is pink....I love pink things :)

Admittedly these sunglasses do not look that great on me, but I have been wearing the sh*t out of them! I tossed them in my new Mini Cooper and they are my back ups when I can not find my Ray-Bans. They are lightweight and comfy and I like the tortoise-shell coloring.

I am going to be a little judgmental, but this shark's tooth necklace by Sophie Sparrow is kind of ugly. It has a really rough finish and looks like an acorn with a serrated edge.....yuck. Trying to think of something to do with this. Suggestions welcome!

Cute!! This Chef'n Burger Machine Patty Press is kind of a neat little kitchen toy. It will measure out the perfect size patty and you just stamp away like a cookie cutter! Neat idea!

Also from Chef'n is this awesome Veggichop thing that is powered by a rip cord like a lawn mower! Talk about easily making salsa or guac or coleslaw!!













And there is July's box! Always useful items included :) You have to love that!

Jenn

Ipsy Glam Bag- July 2013

Ipsy's July Glam Bag was seriously summery! I was very excited to see the neon pink cosmetic bag and travel sized beach spray :)

 I am always seeking a nice texturizer for my hair and this Soy Renewal Beach Spray from Healthy Sexy Hair did not disappoint! Not only did it smell nice, but it did not have a weird stiff or dry texture when applied. It just felt like I had been outside at a windy beach!

This California Collection Palette from BHCosmetics is absolutely adorable! I loved the color combo and how the shadows were named after cities. My only complaint is that "Hollywood" was not pigmented enough. It looks awesomely vibrant, but once applied it is actually lighter and more of a neutral color. All together they give a beautiful, almost sunset like, color combination that all my friends were complimenting me on.

I have not had a chance to use this yet (due to my lack of going anywhere sunny this summer) but I love the idea of an Organic Suncare Mineral Sunscreen from Coola. This is small enough to toss in my purse and I look forward to it coming in handy if I do get to the beach!

This incredibly pigmented Pouty Pop Crayon from Pop Beauty made my lips pop with a nice coral color! It went on nice and smooth and had a silky soft and light texture.

I always love getting a nail polish in my bags, and especially one from Nailtini! This one, called "mimosa" was a very summery yet neutral color for summer and it really set my tan off! I loved it! And I think that Nailtini has great quality polishes :)











Next month's bag is already here, so let me get to reviewing for August!

Jenn