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.
Flour tortillas are a never (and gross anyways), but place a bowl of corn tortilla chips in front of me with homemade salsa and guac, and I will happily indulge. Also – cheese, because I grew up on the World’s Best Cheddar (Cabot), and I know I don’t have a problem with dairy.
Love that you are human!
I am doing ok with the fact that my daughter is selling Girl Scout Cookies right now…but I will cheat with…
Wine/cider
Wings and blue cheese (I’ll just sleep down on the couch)
Corn chips
And when I’ve been a really good girl…a Guinness.
I love taza chocolate! I end almost every evening with a piece of dark chocolate!
Love the Kim Crawford cheat…well worth the non-Paleoness…says the wine rep 🙂 I think if you have a little wine with a Paleo meal, it is totally legit and balances each other out…again, says the wine rep.
i like your style heather, i like it a lot
I do love me some pupusas! We only have one place in town that serves them, but they are to die for! I love the pork+cheese mix; the 3 fillings they offer (in any combination) are pork, beans, and cheese.
Otherwise, I like chocolate – I usually pick dark for the nutritional benefits, although I prefer milk chocolate as far as taste goes. I love the dark chocolate almond and cherry clusters from Costco!
Pupusas are delicious! Popcorn at the movies with extra butter and that nasty white cheddar cheese powder that is probably all chemicals and no cheese. Pair that with some Haribo gummy bears and a coke. We go to the first showing of the day usually because I am channeling grandma so this is usually breakfast. Vile and wonderful at the same time.
Juli- my whole family love these pizza crusts! Even my, yet paleo kids, especially with bacon! I found these at my local coop and was quite excited, even more so when my husband said, I could have this every week, the crust is actually crunchy!!! Imagine my surprise. I have wanted to buy a loaf of their “bread” and do some sort of crock pot meat and have some good sandwiches!!! Glad someone else has found these little treasures, and I found them in the wee little town of Goshen, IN!
Kim is my GIRL. She treats me right all the time. Best Sauv in my humble opinion!
I’m fairly new to Paleo but feeling better everyday… except when I cheat, that is! I absolutely haven’t been able to give up dark chocolate, and I don’t think I ever will. And like you, tortilla chips, because Mexican food is my absolute favorite! Luckily, I’ve been able to cut back significantly, so now it’s definitely more of a treat than a regularly occurring thing, like it once was. Love your site, Juli!
This all makes me very happy. My biggest non paleo loves are popcorn, tortilla chips, and chocolate! Why isn’t there paleo version of any of these that taste just as good?!