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.
Beer! To keep my paleo life viable in the long term I’ve got to compromise here and there….
Kim Crawford FOR SURE. I just got nearly a case a few months ago from AppleJacks (my second favorite place to shop) because it was like $8.99/bottle on sale. As for food – I’m pretty Paleo strict, but I don’t think I will ever give up tamales!
Hi Guys I’m a big fan of Arepas since I was born in Venezuela and this a typical food there, so I’ve been following the Paleo Diet for over 2 years now having excellent results with it, but at least 3 for times a month I make sure to have my Arepas which can be filled with so many things from shredded meat or chicken, Ham & velvita cheese or fresh cheese and fresh butter by the way they are extremely easy to make. the masa prep is like 5 min till you get the consistency then add 10 cooking if they are baked. you can cook them either Fried or Baked I prefer the last option though. Here is a link where you can get the Arina pan from if you ever tempted to try them I can get you the measures of water and the Arina.
http://www.amigofoods.com/harinapan34oz.html?gclid=CIzS34CH-rQCFQSqnQodAxkAwg
Thanks for posting this and for being so “real” with us! I am a few months into Paleo and finally realized that I can’t live 100% strict 24/7 either. I felt guilty when I induldged in my favorites but am slowly letting go of that. I need to enjoy these joys of life and like you said, otherwise we’re miserable! I’m glad you allow yourself treats…that makes me feel better too 🙂
Chocolate is a big one for me. I like plain dark chocolate and Sheridans hot fudge sundaes. I also like margaritas and tortilla chips when I’m at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants like Salty Iguana or Jose Peppers. One thing I think about often but still haven’t had since starting paleo 9 months ago is a yummy warm donut. Maybe if I just indulge like crazy I can get it out of my system. That’s kind of how things work for me and I’m good for a very long time.
I’m so glad you mentioned the Quiro Arepas truck. I love them! Those bastards (and they’re only bastards right now while I’m doing the Whole30:)) are outside of my building almost EVERY Tuesday. I love them!!
Other soft spots for me are pizza, beer, ice cream and chocolate. <— This makes me sound weak.
Against the Grain is AWESOME! They make a great baguette that is wonderful for making your own pizza or slathering with garlic butter to go with “pasta” dishes. Most of my family is just gluten free, so it’s wonderful to find things they can eat AND enjoy.
Yea my wife and I ate pizza 30 days after starting Paleo. We then laid in bed and thought about gagging each other because we felt like sh*t.
Popcorn. Just plain, white popcorn, with a dash of salt. When I watch movies, sometimes I just have to have popcorn. Just how I was raised.
All restrictions are dead to us on birthdays and holidays.