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.
Hey Juli, I’ve never had that chocolate, but I just bought some organic stone ground dark chocolate from Trader Joe’s because it looked similar. This stuff is heavenly and super cheap. You should check it out! http://www.clubtraderjoes.com/2012/09/trader-joes-organic-stone-ground-mexican-style-dark-chocolate.html
I am roughly half-way through a 60 paleo challenge at my gym and i’m really enjoying it!! I have tried all kinds of new recipes (one of which was your meatza! last night) and love all the food i’m eating. I agree, being human is much more fun than being perfect. That being said, have you ever looked into Ciroc vodka? It’s actually made out of grapes not potatoes! I can legitimize that to myself any day as a paleo-ish treat. Love your blog!
oooo i love you for telling me that
Great post! It’s refreshing to hear that other people who mostly follow paleo/primal guidelines also step outside the boundaries sometimes. My off-paleo items that I LOVE include the following:
corn chips — LOVE them
popcorn — I’m seeing a corn theme here….
pinot grigio — trying to cut out my daily glass and leave it only for weekends (which could be stretched from Friday to Sunday hee hee)
chocolate — I have a coworker whose mother owns a chocolate store and what she makes is heavenly….
sushi — yes, with the rice, sometimes I indulge.
Queso fundido. With corn tortilla chips. And if I’m really going to weaken toward wheat, then anything in a soft warm flour tortilla….
I wish I could eat pizza, it makes me sick 🙁
THANK YOU for saying your transitioning to Paleo was hard – my first week (after a year of denial that I needed to do this) I accomplished 50/50. NOt good not bad at least i started! Thank you for saying you still eat pizza from time to time. For heaven’s sake I live in Chicago – I must eat pizza it’s kind of a residency requirement – just kidding. I just love it.
Viva Venezuelan AREPAS!!!! Yayyyy! Delicious! Pure venezuelan stuff!! Chocolate, gluten free everything (since I’m celiac), and of course, corn chips!!!! ;))
Glad to hear that you are keeping the balance in life like the rest of us! When I first found your website I thought you might be a robot, but you’re just a hilarious human being 🙂 Thanks for sharing all of these websites and for sharing your cheat foods (I have the same cheats!). Great blog!
Juli
I cannot wait to get your cookbook. I have been paleo for 6 months and my family acts like I have a disease. Jealous-I lost 10 pounds and feel great!! Can’t give up the dark chocolate and hard cider. I would drink hard cider everyday if I did not have such a guilty conscience. Love reading your blog-you say everything I would like to.
you can make paleo arepas by boiling cassava until its soft, mash it and cook it like you would cook a regular arepa. xoxo