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.
*GASP!!!!*
ahh hell…I just love you more! I eat a lot of Paleo foods…Gave up dairy to 30 days and didn’t feel a difference health wise eliminating or re-entry. So when asked I say I am kind of Paleo mostly Primal and follow the Shannon Stark way of eating!
When you’re in Boston next week make sure to tour the Taza chocolate factory. It’s amazing and there’s lots of free samples.
I just noticed that they are in Boston when I looked at their website. I don’t think I’ll have time, but i’ll keep my fingers crossed
Against the grain breads are absolutely delicious. The pizza crust is sooo yummy.
Corn chips and refried beans are what keep me from being totalky paleo.
Paleo is hard. <—Fact. The hubs and I just started, he is way more dedicated and I kinda want to punch him for it.
Where did you get that scarf!!!?!
lululemon! it’s disgustingly expensive, but so worth it.
Popcorn is my addiction, although I haven’t had any in over a month (can’t resist at the movie theater though, so it’s a good thing I’m busy).
I eat a bite of dark chocolate almost everyday, and if I’m eating Mexican, I have to have cheese and sour cream. If I’m eating Middle Eastern/Indian, I have to have yogurt sauce, and I also love sushi (about once a month).
I also have a bag of gluten free pizza mix in my pantry, but I haven’t been tempted yet.
Thanks for the great post Juli! You might be antagonizing the paleo purists a bit with this one!! Haha….I like it. I cheat with popcorn popped in my stir crazy popper and I use a large tablespoon of coconut oil to pop it in. It’s awesome. I feel like the coconut oil negates the popcorn and it all evens out. Popcorn, and plain corn chips with no additives don’t seem to bother my digestive system. I never cheat with wheat or beans: bleh. Never worth it, and those aren’t even appetizing anymore. I do eat whip cream on occasion out of the can, and I eat dark chocolate…all the time. I’ll eat aged, pastured cheese…very occasional and sparingly. And, organic red sulfite free wine every night. I can’t give that up. Ever. I consider all these things to be my 20% of my 80/20% paleo eating plan. The 20% cheat is worth being strict for the remainder of the 80%.
By the way, why do you get to look so gorgeous when you’re stuffing your face with food?? No fair!
I LOVE pupusas too! I moved away from Colorado last year and so miss my beloved Tres Pupusas as a treat. 🙂
I’ll have to figure out a way to try some arepas.
I can’t live without sushi…and a Chick-fil-A spicy chicken sandwich…when I’m not going Paleo. But that’s about it…they still make my stomach hurt, but it’s worth it once a month!! 🙂