So get this, my cookbook manuscript is due today. That’s why you’re not getting a recipe. I don’t have time cook, just to eat and type. And when I say eat, I mean eat anything that take 10 minutes or less to prepare. So I asked some of you on Facebook to tell me what sort of questions you had. Nothing specific, just questions in general. So these are super general. Ready, LET’S GO!!
Let’s start with food!!
Give me easy, quick meals! I need easy, fast meals! Will you tell me what is easy to make in less than 10 minutes?! What the hell am I suppose to eat other than eggs for breakfast?!
- Want to know what I do in a pinch? I put a pork or beef roast into in a crockpot with some water or broth and some salt and pepper and cook it overnight. Then I eat it when I wake up. Then I eat leftovers for lunch. And more leftovers for dinner. Like today, I ate shredded crockpot pork for breakfast, then half a sweet potato and shredded pork for lunch, and a half a sweet potato, shredded pork, and plantain chips for dinner. BOOM. Stop thinking every meal should be incredibly fancy. A meal is a meal. Whether it’s morning or night. So eat meat for breakfast, eat breakfast sausage, eat some squash, eat brussel sprouts, eat avocado, eat sausages. A meal is a meal people.
Paleo snack foods:
- Meat- I always snack on protein first because it makes us feel more satisfied than anything else.
- Plantain and sweet potato chips. they’re amazing. Want to know how to get plantain chips crispy? Guess you’ll have to buy my cookbook come April!! hehehehehehehehe ha he.
- Nut butter packets or coconut butter packets. Cacoa Bliss packets are like THE BEST THING EVER.
- Beef jerky.
- Trail mix or a nut-free seed mix.
- Dried fruit. Such as larabars.
- More meat.
Is coconut milk ice cream actually good for you?
- Check the labels. A lot of those coconut milk ice creams have a ton of sh*t in them, so be careful. If you feel like crap after, it most likely is a crappy brand. I like making my own, then I feel like heaven. Sweet heaven.
How do you control yourself from not eating a whole jar of coconut butter or a nut butter?
- I put it away. I cut myself off. Not all the time, but most of the time I just had a spoonful then put it away. I feel full within minutes and forget about wanting to shove my face with more food.
Is kombucha ok to have every day? And what brand do you drink?
- I try not to have kombucha every single day, but I have them probably 3-5x a week, which is pretty close to every day. It does have a bit of sugar, so if you’re trying to cut that out completely, then I wouldn’t have it quite as often. I drink GT’s, usually the original or gingerade flavor. It’s the bestest around.
Have you done zone with your paleo meals? Will you start zoning your recipes for your blog?
- Yes I’ve done zone. No I do not do it now. And no I will never zone my recipes on my blog. Do you know how time consuming that is? It wastes at least 10-15 minutes or more of my life (especially since I suck at math) and that time I will never get back. Sorry about that, you gotta do the math yourself.
What do you drink at Starbucks or at other coffee shops that don’t carry coconut or almond milk?
- I get an Americano and bring my own canned coconut milk. Just ask for them to leave room and you can pour it in yourself.
How do you get back on track after eating everything in sight? How do you stop yourself from eating so much sugar? I can’t get away from the honey!
- After I eat everything in the world in one day, I get back on track as soon as possible. That may be the next meal, that may be the next day. But as soon as I can, I cut out sugar completely and eat full meals. And eat more meat than anything. I always feel satisfied and less like snacking when I’m shoving my face with meat. Stop being dirty. As for sugar, just cut the cord. Try the 21 Day Sugar Detox and learn to live without it!
Is there an advantage to using raw honey?
- All I know is it tastes better than regular honey. I don’t know science stuff. Nor care.
What do you do in social situations where there are no good food options. Also, how do you explain Paleo eating to others without coming across as preachy. I get so tired of trying to explain it tto people when they ask.
- First, I eat the veggies/fruit/meat they have to offer OR I bring my own food. If they ask questions, I tell them I have celiacs disease or really bad food allergies. If they ask questions, I tell them that I instantly throw up or are sick to my stomach. That usually shuts people up. If people begin to ask questions about why I eat the way I do, in a defensive/judgmental way, I just say I feel way better when I don’t eat grains or dairy. Then I stop being friends with them because why would a friend be judgmental about another friend having healthy behaviors? Probably because it makes them feel more insecure, like you’re judging them when you aren’t. If they have legitimate questions, I’ll answer them the best I can or send them to a helpful book. Easy peasy.
OMG what am I going to eat on Thanksgiving?!
- I told you already, I’ll be posting Thanksgiving recipes for the two weeks. Don’t freak out. I’m here for you.
Now onto CrossFit!
What do you do for a living?
- I’m a CrossFit coach. I work at one amazing gym with amazing people. The rest of my time is spent in the kitchen or on the computer working on my cookbook or blog.
Do you take supplements? What fish oil do you take? What do you do pre/post workout?
- As of now, I do not take any supplements or fish oil. I cut out fish oil because I found some information out there saying that it can cause acne, which I would like to not have. As for supplements and pre/post workout food or drink, I rarely take anything. I like not eating or drinking after a workout, I’d rather just have a full meal after my workout. It just makes me feel better and doesn’t spike my insulin quite as much.
How do you “jump in” to Crossfit? It seems so intimidating going for the first time but I REALLY want to try…just without being the embarrassing newbie.
- Don’t be scared or intimidated. Go to a CrossFit gym and figure out if you fit there. You want to find a place that you feel welcome and feel like you are able to learn a lot with the coaches you have. Just know that all the newbies in your classes will feel the EXACT same as you do, so no one is ever judging you, they are just wondering if you are judging them. Just walk in, say hello to someone, and before you know it, you will feel right at home!
How do you get back on the CrossFit train after you’ve fallen off?
- Go to the gym. Feel like crap. Then feel better.
Random stuff!
Where do you get your scarves?
- Anywhere and everywhere. Lululemon, World Market, Target, Old Navy
Will your cookbook be similar to your blog? With curse words and all?
- Oh hells yeah! I don’t say f*ck in it, trying to keep it a bit under control. But I tell random stories similar to my blog and have random tid-bits throughout.
Where do you buy clothes?
- Lululemon for spandex. Old navy for workout clothes, jeans, and tshirts. JCPenney for boots. TJMaxx and Ross for random sh*t. New Balance for workout shoes. CrossFit tanks for shirts. I buy my headbands at Lululemon, Lucy, and my own apparel.
If you could eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be, non-paleo or paleo?
- Bacon wrapped dates.
How do you recover after a night out with drinks?
- I eat something with cheese, something with corn tortillas, and chug orange juice. Then I shower. A shower makes everything better.
Would you marry a vegan?
No.
**If I didn’t answer your questions, it’s because I barely no my own name at this point. And have to be up at 4am tomorrow, so I’ve stopped functioning very well. Once my cookbook is all finished, you’ll have my full attention.
Can you recommend any beef jerky that’s organic/grass fed? Running to look up these cacao bliss packets now!!
@Cheryl
Not to toot my own horn… but we make the best darn Grass-fed beef jerky on the planet. Jamiesjerky.com
We also make All Natural Turkey Jerky if you want a change of pace. 🙂
@Cheryl – Steve’s Original sells grass fed jerky that’s quite good, though expensive at least for me.
Juli, great post – thank you for not zoning..math and food do not mix. +1 for Lulu, their sweats are the best. Is your version of the americano comparable to bulletproof coffee?
kind of, but i’ve never tasted bulletproof coffee
Good luck, sending lots of thoughts and quick typing fingers your way!
Bacon wrapped dates are soooo good!!! Try putting an almond in them & putting just a little honey on the top…..mind blown!!! AMAZING!!
Love your blog!! I can’t wait for your cookbook to come out! Are you going to make it available for digital copies through Kindle?
About starting crossfit – I first walked into a crossfit gym this past August after getting seriously concerned about the lack of strength in my legs. I also could no longer control my weight with diet alone, which I had been doing low carb/paleo on and off for several years. Then I found your blog Juli and saw these posts with pictures of you lifting weights and decided to try it.
I literally went from couch to crossfit. I was never an athlete in any school I ever attended. I was in the band and orchestra. I got out of gym class to practice music. I hated running. Still do! But crossfit is addicting and it gets results. In three months going three days per week (at 5am, yikes!) I am down one size and have a ton more muscle tone. I friggin LOVE the lifting. I suffer through the conditioning, but I live for the lifting. If you are on the fence about trying it, just go try it. If I can do it, anyone can.
And thanks Juli for the awesome recipes and for bringing crossfit into my life.
Heather,
I am on the waitlist to get into a Crossfit Foundations Course at a gym near where I live. I am currently significantly overweight. I had surgery about 13 months ago, then went through months of physical therapy after the cast was taken off. This started a cycle of gaining weight. All of this was put on in a year.
Once I get into the Foundations course, will it be difficult for me to get acclimated into Crossfit?
Danielle,
When I started crossfit, I was really overweight and extremely out of shape. I made a commitment to do it for a month and the first week I wanted to quit so bad bc I was really intimidated. BUT that was all in my head. I’ve lost 60lbs doing it and I’m addicted.
The coaches will modifiy the workouts for you if you can’t do them prescribed. Check out this website (http://www.thereformedbroker.com/2012/10/21/the-ten-things-that-happen-when-you-begin-crossfit/) It puts things in perspective
Mallory,
Thank you for your response! That is basically how I feel. I don’t want to be overweight and out of shape anymore. I hate being this way. My surgery last year really threw me off. In order to get to a happy place I honestly want to lose 90 pounds of fat, and put on a lot of muscle.
However, I am intimidated. I have attended a few free crossfit classes offered on Sundays where we do minimal workouts to introduce newcomers and give them a feel of crossfit. I know it is all in my head, but since I am overweight I feel out of place around all of the really fit crossfitters. I just hope that it is an accepting environment, supportive, and non-judgemental environment.
About 1.5 weeks ago I started a 2 Week Body Cleanse from WH, and this past Sunday I started the 21 Day Sugar Detox (Balanced Bites), to kind of kick start my diet, and help transition to a full on Paleo lifestyle.
Hi Danielle,
I remember the warmup for my first elements class. I thought that I was going to die. And that was just the 15 minute warmup. :/ There have been days where I was “in the quitting chair” and days where I cried on the drive home. Then there are days where the whole class is cheering me on to deadlift 125#!!
I started at 200 pounds (I’m 5’9″) and I decided that my “goal weight” was 160 or so. Now I know that the number on the scale does not equal healthy or not healthy. I might not lose one pound BUT I will lose inches and gain tone and strength. And I have. Before you start, take measurements of bust, waist, arm, and leg so you have something to compare to.
After I finished my elements classes (there were three), I would say that it took me about 8 or so classes to really get the hang of the lifting BUT I still find myself asking questions and watching the coaches for proper form. They have a whole other language, these crossfitters… I found it helpful to look up online what all those abbreviations mean. 🙂
Be careful about scaling your workouts like Mallory said! If you don’t, you could hurt yourself. My husband’s first time at a different gym than where I am a member had him run for a warmup and then run more during the workout. The coach should have let him row instead. My hubby could barely walk the next day and was so angry.
Good luck with your class! I hope your crossfit gym is as warm and welcoming as mine is!!
Heather T,
Thank you so much for your input. I so thankful for the friendly readers of paleOMG. To be frank, as of this morning, I am 5’8″ and 220 pounds. I gained 60 pounds in one year after my injury was diagnosed before my surgery.
I want to get my weight down to between 130 and 140 this year. Of course, as you mentioned I will take my muscle into consideration. I want to be fit and athletic, not corpse looking (not a good look).
And I understand scaling the workout so I don’t get hurt. Even after the free intro class (scaled down) I attended Sunday, I am still sore behind my knees from the running.
Once again, I truly appreciate your input. It really helps to hear how others have gone through what I am going through right now. 🙂
Danielle,
I totally understand where you are! I gained at least 60 with my last pregnancy. When I came home with my daughter (whose middle name is Danielle, by the way), I was at 230. Then six weeks later I got laid off from my job and did a lot of comfort eating. No grain, no sugar helped me get 30 pounds off, but it took about a year! Now the crossfit mentality of “build muscle to burn the fat” is ingrained into my brain. And proper nutrition is key to this process. Really dial into Paleo and you will get results.
Such a great post! Love the question answer sesh! Counting down the days until the cookbook comes out– until then, these Q&A post are great!
I checked out the Cacao Bliss packets, to see if we could get them here in the UK, and they have agave in them. Just wanted to point that out to anyone who’s strict paleo and not into hits of fructose. Stick with the meat, man. Mmm, meat…
I pretty much just made a shopping list from this post haha! I love that your answers are real. No sugar coating that’s for sure.
LOVE this post!! And thanks for the info – just bought a headband so I can be just like you 🙂
Hey Juli,
Great post! Love this kind of fun information from you – also, just made the Chocolate Zucchini Bread (sorry I refuse to use the “M” word) and wow – it was AMAZING. Had to stop myself from immediately making another batch with Enjoy Life chips on top… but let’s face it, that’s going to happen.
I wanted to share my experiences with my acne – 4 months of paleo and it hadn’t gone away. I don’t have your dedication to change my diet, but I’ve recently had great success with how I take care of my skin. I’m not sure what your routine is, but thought it might be helpful to share since I’ve had such amazing success.
Every night, I clean my face with the OCM (Oil Cleansing Method) – I just refined my oil mix to be about 60% castor oil, 20% jojoba oil, 20% grapeseed oil, and then I added in 5 drops of tea tree oil and 5 drops of lavender. This also takes off my makeup, and smells heavenly! Every morning when I wake up, I wash my face with raw, organic honey (check out CrunchyBetty for her info on the 30 day honey challenge). Seriously, the honey has worked WONDERS on my skin. Then I just switched to a more natural type of makeup: Afterglow cosmetics. Seriously, my skin hasn’t been this clear in the last 13 years. I’m so stoked. Wanted to share because I know you and your commenters are always curious about acne care.
That’s all! Can’t wait to get the cookbook – let us know as soon as it’s available for preorder!!
I’m totally going to try the honey thing!! Thanks for the recommendation!