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.







I am such a carnivore so paleo is perfect for me….unfortunately I love my booze and drinking buddies too much to give them up – so like you, it’s vodka (lime) sodas! And then the cheating continues unfortunately coz after a night out I crave pizza…which I always enjoy thoroughly and regret even more afterwards ;(
PS – try my favourite Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough (New Zealand): Staete Landt
Good Quality Tequila such as Patron is about as close to “clean” as you can get…(at least according to my trainer…hehehe)
Life without the occasional pizza, is not a life worth living…
sushi, without rice? um…no…
Wine…yes, please…
A “Crafted with Love” Micro-Brew…you bet!!!
All in moderation, right?? 😉
I will be in Denver soon, maybe you can give me some pointers on dining out and “staying the course”???
My one cheat on my 21 DSD was popcorn with Parmesan cheese… had a little while watching the Patriots go down in flames last night. A little emo-eating there, but it was better than chips and glutenish stuff.
My paleo cheats are CHEESE, dark CHOCOLATE and SUGAR!!! I LOVE them! I am feeling more in control after my 21 DSD, though! Thanks for all the good suggestions, Juli, especially the pizza!
Thank you for this! Seriously! I love me some Paleo bloggers, but it is so refreshing to hear someone say that are not perfect 100% of the time. I knew I liked you for a reason!
TACO SOUP! Filled with beans and corn, and I love to top it with a dollup of sour cream and cheddar cheese. And it must be eaten with corn chips!!!!!
The foods that I eat even doing the paleo thing are some dairy (sour cream especially), popcorn, dark chocolate and tapioca goodies (pizza shells, crepes).
Bake goods, gluten free or not…I love baked goods! I am reading a terrific book, I think you would really like it. Smart Chefs Stay Slim. It isn’t about paleo, it is about balance and loving what you eat while still taking care of yourself health wise. I highly recommend it (have already given it to 3 people!)
Happy Monday!
Occasional drink: 1 shot pineapple juice, 2 shots coconut rum, 2 shots flavored (strawberry passionfruit usually) vodka, on ice. I would LOVE a pizza, but have not had grain since January 8, 2012, and am now afraid to try it!
If you like Against the Grain pizza, you’ll love Chebe bread and pizza mix! It’s 100% tapioca starch, so still in the Paleo realm but really tasty, unlike coconut flour pizza, haha.
Chocolate chip cookie dough!