Wait WHAT?! Juli doesn’t eat completely paleo all the time?! What a fake. What a liar. What a cheat. I hate her.
Don’t worry, I feel the same way.
But here’s the thing, I’m not paleo 100% of the time. Because frankly, that’s not how I can live my life. That’s not as happy of a life to me. Especially if I’m not competing. I like doing fun things, and most fun things to me include food. So I wanted to share some of the foods that I have found eatable within my dietary restrictions.
So get this. I don’t deal with grains very well. I seem to deal with corn just fine. I can eat a little bit of cheese, but too much makes me break out. Sugar makes me break out. Nuts make me break out. Boo. Beans and rice make me chunky. Annnnnnd alcohol makes me giggle.
So let’s go over some of the food and drinks that I decide to put in my body when strict paleo food just won’t make the cut.
- Corn tortilla chips. If I go to Mexican restaurants, I will almost have some chips. Not the whole basket, but some. Because they are delicious.
- Arepas. Do you know what an arepa is? If you don’t, you need to figure out where to get one in your city and love life with them in your life. It’s a corn pita stuffed with meat and plantains. It’s ridiculous. I hunt down the Quiero Arepas food truck in Denver on Twitter to find out how often I can get my hands are one of those beauties.
- Pupusas. Ok, so I didn’t know what these little babies were until one day, while hungover sipping on a homemade bloody mary at The Hornet, did I notice them on the menu. And when Laura ordered it, I snacked off her plate multiple times. They’re awesome. It’s like eating an eggs benedict, when the english muffin gets all wet. Ew, gross word choice. But for real. And THEN, Laura and I found pupusas in the gluten free section. Awesome, just awesome.
- Pizza. Who doesn’t miss pizza when they go paleo? Well, I do. So I tend to order gluten free pizzas at some restaurants when I’m out on the town. BUT I’ve found that some pizzas don’t love my insides. So recently, Laura and I found this pizza brand that we absolutely love, and you can find it at Whole Foods. Sometimes we top it with sausage and arugula.
- Taza Chocolate. I’m obsessed with this stuff. Thank god it’s out of my price range or I would buy it all the time. It’s HANDS DOWN my favorite kind of chocolate. No seriously, I dream about this stuff. It kind of tastes like it has coffee grounds in it, which I dig. I like coffee that stays in my teeth for later. Don’t act like I’m gross. You know that sounds wonderful.
- Alcohol. Ok let’s get to alcohol. My favorite wine is Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc. I love ciders. I love mimosas and I newly love bloody marys. But when I go out to bars, I just stick with vodka sodas or shots of vodka.
That’s about it. Or at least all I can think of. You should share in the comments what you like to eat when you don’t eat completely paleo. Because everyone likes sharing.
Vodka martinis. And very dry Champagne. I am one classy chick.
My absolute favorite thing to eat when I’m doing an “off-Paleo” meal is chicken tikki masala. My BF and I have this hole-in-the-wall Indian/pizza place (which I also love for how random a pairing that is) that has the most amazing Indian food I’ve ever had. Seriously. It’s what made me love Indian food. And now matter how I try, I cannot recreate it at home, which makes me appreciate it even more.
For alcohol: prosecco. It’s Italian champagne, which means it’s cheaper than real champagne, and doesn’t leave me dying the next day.
<3 Arepas!!! Guilty pleasure and will be inhaling them when I go visit the family in 6 days. You should try it with carne mechada, avocado, swiss cheese (i know, i know) and an over easy egg. It's a-mazing!!! True venezuelan here 😉
I love Pizza but have found after going paleo it is not kind to my insides either, but I do love me cupcake topped with full fat buttercream frosting…and I like a glass of red wine, and a good stout beer. Those are my cheats if I have any, has to be worth the wrath of my system that follows. Loved this post by the way, and every other one you write keep up the good work!!
things i eat.. hummus, yogurt, oatmeal (gasp!) and GF pizza for sure. i mostly keep track of the things i shouldn’t eat like too much cheese, red bull, donuts/pastries/bagels/toast and for some reason eggs have been bothering me lately (boo)
I let myself have wine a couple times a week because it’s what helps keep me sane (and otherwise Paleo). For cheats I like French fries, ice cream, cheese, cheescake, chocolate… or pretty much anything else that’s dairy or white potato. Also sushi (you know… the kind with rice). And on rare occasions… I go grab a waffle smothered in delicious from the Waffle Window. Even if it hurts later, it’s TOTALLY worth it.
I love ice cream! Specifically, I love Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. The lavendar wildberry is my favorite. I have some sweet potato and torched marshmallow in my freezer right now.
And wine. I like to indulge in wine occassionally.
And sushi. LOVE sushi. hummus. greek yogurt. pizza. cheese. FRENCH TOAST!!
I want you to know that i ordered some delicious Taza chocolate a moment ago for Valentine’s Day. 😉
“All things in moderation, including moderation.” Your willingness to admit that you are an imperfect human is part of the reason I keep coming back to this blog. (And the super-tasty recipes, of course!)
I think of my slips as indulgences rather than cheats, and I can’t wait to be done with this 21-day thing so I can occasionally have:
chocolate (all kinds, not just the semi-virtuous dark), homemade popcorn/kettlecorn, wine, whisky, ice cream, Chinese/Indian/Thai/Japanese food
Less than a week to go! Somewhere out there are some chocolate-covered almonds with my name on ’em!
I LOVE AREPAS! If you ever find yourself in Las Vegas you MUST try Viva Las Arepas! I eat it for almost every meal whenever I go, they have the best arepas, empanadas, pastelitos, and tequenos. I’m drooling as I write this. Sometimes I even consider driving the 5 hours just to eat them, hah!
Red Bull. Don’t judge me.